Sociology of Diffusion

Catalog description

Diffusion means the spread of social practices across a group or society. Examples include new fashions in clothing, ways of interacting on the Web, global movements toward democracy and authoritarianism, adherence or opposition to vaccines, and much more. Fundamental questions include when something spreads, to whom, by what mechanisms, and why. This course reviews theory and method in classic and contemporary diffusion research in sociology. Students develop an understanding of common pathways in diffusion and apply it to a case of particular interest to themselves.