SOC 368 - Sociology of the Body (1)

This course examines social, cultural and political perspectives on the body, with a focus on body modifications. We will consider material and symbolic aspects of the body; body modifications as social practices; social regulation of bodies, the negotiation of the self within various social conditions, contexts, and ideologies; and the relationship of bodies to gender, class, race/ethnicity, and nationalism. Special emphasis given to the construction of ‘normal’ bodies (linked to medicine, technology, consumption, and other institutions) as well as the construction of ‘deviant’ or ‘transgressive’ bodies. This course may count toward the SOC, CPH, and GSS majors. Prerequisite: SOC 101, SOC 351, CPH 115, or GSS 171. Alternate years.
(Social Science)