How do the groups that you're part of affect you? How do you, in turn, affect those groups? Today we are talking about how people in society come together with a look at social groups. We’ll look at what social groups are, the different...

Today we kick off Crash Course Sociology by explaining what exactly sociology is. We’ll introduce the sociological perspective and discuss how sociology differentiates itself from the other social sciences. We’ll also explore what...

We’re continuing our unit on health with a discussion of some of the indicators that help us measure health for different populations. We’ll also explore three contributors to health disparities: individual factors like genetics,...

Last week we introduced the idea of socialization and today we’re talking a little more about how it works, including an introduction to five main types of socialization. We’ll explore anticipatory socialization from your family, the...

What puts the “science” in social science? Today we’ll explore positivist sociology and how sociologists use empirical evidence to explore questions about the social world. We’ll also introduce two alternatives: interpretative sociology...

Social class in America is... hard to talk about. As Sociology, the difficulty lies in pinning down what we mean by "Social Class." In this episode of Crash Course Sociology, Nicole chats to us about how Sociologists figure this out so...

This week we introduce sociology’s three major theoretical paradigms, and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each paradigm.

Today we’re talking about how we actually DO sociology. Nicole explains the research method: form a question and a hypothesis, collect data, and analyze that data to contribute to our theories about society.

If you go and see your doctor or a therapist, you’ll become a ‘case’ to them. They’ll want to know a lot more about you. Similarly, sociological case studies involve putting a social group, an event or a place ‘under the microscope’....

What’s the difference between race and ethnicity? Today we’ll look at how definitions of races and ethnicities have changed over time and across places. We also discuss the terms minority and minority-majority and how races are defined...

It's ironic. One of the few things most of us can agree on right now is that we are highly polarized. As the U.S. presidential election reaches its conclusion, tensions are running high between political opponents. Democrats view Donald...

This film looks at the relationship between the individual and society through the concept of identity, using a simple - and easily replicated - classroom activity focused on the difference between personal and social identities.

Frans de Waal, Emory University’s award-winning primatologist discusses how the current anthropological thinking is that religious sentiment developed to control group behavior once societies reached a certain size.

In today's What the Theory?, I take a look social class looking at both Karl Marx's theory of class as well as Pierre Bourdieu, cultural capital and more societally rooted approaches to class in the twenty-first...

Scientists overwhelmingly agree that our climate is changing, Earth is getting warmer, sea levels are rising, and it's primarily because of humans putting lots of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Yet 4 in 10 Americans aren't convinced....

Nostalgia was once considered an illness confined to specific groups of people. Today, people all over the world report experiencing and enjoying nostalgia. But how does nostalgia work? And is it healthy? Clay Routledge details the way...

This video explores the importance of cultural diversity and multiculturalism. It discusses the definition of culture, the benefits of embracing diverse perspectives, and the barriers to multiculturalism. It also provides suggestions for...

What does a disgusting image have to do with how you vote? Equipped with surveys and experiments, psychologist David Pizarro demonstrates a correlation between your sensitivity to disgusting cues -- a photo of feces, an unpleasant odor...

How do we define worth in society, and who gets status? Sociologist Michele Lamont studies these questions and investigates ways to broaden the circle of recognition and fight the harm of social stigmatization. She lays out the steps...

Damon Centola is a Professor of Communication, Sociology and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is Director of the Network Dynamics Group. He is a leading world expert on social networks and behavior change. His work...

Damon Centola is a Professor of Communication, Sociology and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is Director of the Network Dynamics Group.

He is a leading world expert on social networks and behavior change....

Jason Acosta attended DreamYard Preparatory High School in the Bronx where he received college advising support from one of New Settlement’s school based counselors.Upon graduating, Jason went to Marist College, where he majored in...

Whether we're talking about race or economic class, most religious congregations in the United States are super homogeneous. This reflects the sociological principle called "homophily," or in simpler terms, "birds of a feather flock...

Across cultures, religious communities that expect more from their members thrive (or religious communities in which members face greater consequences for leaving). Meanwhile, lenient religious groups struggle to maintain membership. Why...