In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences .
Course Offerings
Technological, economic, demographic, and environmental changes are social processes. Each has major impacts on individuals, social groups, societies, and the international order. At Cornell, development sociology students study these and other facets of social change in both domestic and international settings. The development sociology major provides an opportunity for in-depth study of the interactions among development processes, environmental and technological contexts, demographic structures and processes, and the institutionalized and grassroots social movements through which people seek change in these dimensions. Courses offered by the department cover topics such as the impact of changes in agricultural systems on rural development and rural labor markets; immigration; community and regional development; environment and society; population dynamics; the political economy of globalization; women in development; and ethnic stratification and integration. Most courses provide background in both domestic and international aspects of the subject matter. Students can develop a specialization with a domestic, international, or global emphasis by choosing appropriate elective courses. All students learn the theory and methodology of sociology and how to apply both to research and policy in their subject areas.
Majors in development sociology are required to successfully complete seven core courses: introductory sociology (DSOC 1101 ), international development (DSOC 2050 ), population dynamics (DSOC 2010 ), research methods (DSOC 3130 or DSOC 3140 ), sociological theory (DSOC 3010 ), social stratification (DSOC 3700 ), and a course in statistics. Four additional development sociology courses are also required of all majors, at least two of which must be at the 3000 level or higher. The elective courses allow students to focus their major on particular themes such as the sociology of development; the social processes linking the environment, population, and development; and more general areas such as ethnic and class stratification, social movements, social policy, and gender and development. In each of these focus areas, students can choose to concentrate on domestic or international situations. Students are encouraged to complement courses in the department with course work in the history and economics of development, area studies, and the policy sciences.
Recognizing that students are concerned with future career opportunities, the development sociology major emphasizes acquisition of skills as well as general knowledge in preparation for jobs or post-graduate study. Accordingly, students are expected to become involved in the application of theory, methodology, and principles and concepts in the analysis of practical problems. Development sociology offers degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D.). The department and graduate field are recognized as top programs in the area. The department is particularly well known for providing instruction in international as well as domestic aspects of community and rural development, environmental sociology, sociology of agriculture, population studies, and the interactions among these dimensions. Development sociology faculty are committed to both quality instruction and cutting-edge research programs.
The department offers a general DSOC minor and a minor in Globalization, Ethnicity, and Development. A complete list of requirements for either minor can be found at devsoc.cals.cornell.edu or at 133 Warren Hall.
The department maintains strong ties with technical fields in CALS as well as with programs dealing with a range of issues of importance to international and domestic development. These include the International Agriculture Program, the Biology & Society Program, the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research, the Cornell Population Program, the Center for the Environment, the Polson Institute for Global Development, the Community and Regional Development Institute, the Gender and Global Change Program, the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center, TW Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, and the Center for International Studies. Nearly half of the department faculty is associated with one or more area and ethnic studies programs including the American Indian Program, Latino Studies Program, Africana Studies Center, Asian American Studies Program, Southeast Asia Program, South Asia Program, Institute for European Studies, Latin American Studies Program, East Asia Program, and the Institute for African Development. Department members also maintain working relations with faculty members in the Department of Sociology and social science units located in other colleges at Cornell. Students are encouraged to supplement their development sociology course work by electing courses in these other departments.
Faculty
D. L. Brown, chair (Academic Surge A, Room 125, (607) 255-3164); A. Basu, D. L. Brown, P. Eloundou-Enyegue, S. Feldman, J. D. Francis, C. C. Geisler, A. Gonzales, D. T. Gurak, T. A. Hirschl, F. Makki, J. W. Sipple, P. D. McMichael, R. L. Mize, L. B. Williams, W. Wolford