This course focuses on the concepts, theories, and methods of sociology. The course pays particular attention to the socio-historical context in which key authors, such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim, and Du Bois, developed their ideas. Students will be able to identify and formulate sociological problems and questions through different theoretical perspectives. Students will consider the advantages and limitations of a selection of theoretical approaches and methodologies in sociology. The course is not limited to the historical temporality of “classical authors”. Instead, it focuses on social problems related to race, gender, and class across different societies and periods. The problems studied in the course will be chosen in discussion with the students during the first part of the course. We will read original works by key authors and contemporary scholars.

Building on the insights of the Introduction to Sociology course, this course seeks to understand the trajectory of the discipline of sociology in its historical context, namely “within the culture of imperialism and [in the embodiment] of a cultural response to the colonized world” (Connell 1997: 1519). This course examines some of the leading social theories and ideas that have shaped the debates in sociology in the 20th century and discusses sociological discourses about modernity in a critical manner.

Inequality based on race, gender, class, or nationality has existed throughout history. But rather than being fixed, such disparities are shaped by social and political forces — and can be challenged. Around the world, struggles against inequality have sparked some of today’s most powerful social movements. This course helps you unpack how systems of stratification create and sustain these divides. Along the way, you will explore both global patterns and everyday experiences of inequality.

The course, with its focus on social movement theories and concepts, offers a unique opportunity to gain insight into the global environmental justice movement. It does so by examining local and international cases from the Environmental Justice Atlas. It integrates insights from social movement theory and environmental justice through examining real-world case studies. Through this approach, we will explore diverse perspectives, including feminism, anti-colonialism, degrowth, and environmental peacebuilding, encouraging students to reflect on their civic engagement within a larger, interconnected world.

What lies behind people’s actions, beliefs, and experiences — and how can we make sense of it all? This course offers a hands-on introduction to qualitative research methodology, from designing questions to interpreting meaning. Working in small teams, you’ll carry out your own project while reflecting on the messiness, complexity, and power dynamics of studying the social world.

Building on introductory and modern sociology foundations, “New Issues in Contemporary Sociology” immerses students in global debates about civil society. The syllabus unfolds in three theoretical movements: critical tradition, spanning Gramsci’s hegemony to Habermas’s public sphere, supplemented with Global South case material and a documentary; neo-functionalist revisions through Jeffrey Alexander’s civil-sphere theory, examples of civil repair across Latin America, and solidarity performances toward migrants along Europe’s Mediterranean frontier; and decolonial critiques rethinking classical models. Concurrently, each student is part of a research group project with an NGO or other civil-society organization, translating conceptual insights into empirical analysis, collaborative reflection, and stronger sociological argumentation.’

Contemporary societies experience different types of violence, often in response to old cycles of violence. This course explores how societies remember past atrocities, massive crimes, and human rights violations. It will examine, through the social science lenses, diverse attempts at dealing with historical injustice and building more just societies. Considering the unique position of UCR in Middelburg, this course will work with the Zeeuws Archive on the transatlantic slave trade and the social movements involved in the struggle for recognition of the legacies of slavery in the Netherlands. It will also examine the institutional responses of museums in dealing with the past. We will have guest speakers from local organiza­tions, a museum visit and debates about contemporary and old problems of historical justice.