Sociology: Media

The world’s biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War is bringing tens of thousands of migrants to Central Europe – former citizens of Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan or Somalia fleeing from war, dictatorship or religious extremism. The fact that most of the refugees are Muslims stirs new debate over the future of European society. A Turkish sociologist and public intellectual working in Paris, Nilüfer Göle studies Muslim identities and the role of Islam in the European public sphere. Instead of giving in to a clash of civilizations, she proposes to build on the “collective will to live together.” New secular principles can help in creating a shared common space of law and conversation – a process that could finally lead to a new community in which Muslims will play an important role. At Falling Walls, Nilüfer speaks about the intellectual’s duty to reconcile oppositions and explains how fewer walls can lead to more bridges.

This program is geared to students just starting out in sociology and sets out to make the subject more accessible by illustrating what's meant by a sociological problem, culture, socialization and identity. It looks at how societies not only shape how we behave but also how we see the world and takes apart the age old accusation that sociology is just ‘common sense.’

Description:
Auguste Comte is credited with founding sociology. The discipline began in the 1800s when there were only two divisions of thought in academia. Sociology began in Europe but continued largely in the U.S.; sociology and psychology are closely connected.

This program discusses sports as a social phenomenon. It explores what sports can teach about society and considers how social goals and objectives are reflected in sports. It examines the development of sports sociology; probes the relationship of sports to religion, social roles, citizenship and morality; and looks at the organization and institutionalization of sports. The program also explores how social class, race, and gender affect participation in sports.