SOC 209 Sociology of Work, Occupations, and Organizations
3 hours
This course will explore changes that have been occurring to work and occupations and within organizations in today’s economy, and the impacts they have had on identity, inequality, and social relations. It will focus primarily on conditions and patterns in the US, while also considering how workers and organizations are interconnected within a global economy. Grounded in sociological theories and research, the course covers such topics as the role of work in shaping identity, the rise and expansion of precarious work conditions, documentation status of workers, the ways that social factors like race and gender structure and are structured by occupations and organizations, and the importance of technology and globalization as forces of change in labor markets. By the end, students will know more about the current state of work and how the jobs people do and the places where they do them are integral to understanding how inequalities unfold and get sustained.