Political sociologists study the influence of social forces on formal and informal politics. The production, conservation and distribution of power and authority occur in Congress, but also in family dynamics, schools, welfare policies, social movements, international institutions and in the global economy. In this course, we will examine such areas using the theoretical framework and analytic tools of political sociology. We will ask questions such as: What is power, and how can we measure it empirically? What are the origins and contemporary dynamics of welfare states? How are public policies formed and what are their consequences for social inequality? What are political forces of exclusion/discrimination in democratic society? What about the politics of transnational social movements and global change? Readings from the course aim to provide both national and international answers for these questions.