Men and Masculinities In this course we will consider the creation and performance of masculinities in the American context.  We will ask how masculinity is constructed and how concepts of masculinity intersect with class, race, sexuality, and nation. Topics will include: The construction of idealized notions of masculinity in opposition to both femininities and subordinated masculinities; depictions of masculinity in the media; male socialization and boyhood; the workplace, family life and fatherhood; trans and gender queer masculinities; men’s health; men as perpetrators and victims of violence; and explicitly male-focused social movements and subcultures (such as pro-feminist men; Men’s Rights Activism; Pick-Up artists, Incels).

Data Science Across Disciplines In this course, we will gain exposure to the entire data science pipeline—obtaining and cleaning, large and messy data sets, exploring these data and creating engaging visualizations, and communicating insights from the data in a meaningful manner. During morning sessions, we will learn the tools and techniques required to explore new and exciting data sets. During afternoon sessions, students will work in small groups with one of several faculty members on domain-specific research projects in Biology, Geography, History, Mathematics/Statistics and Sociology. This course will use the R programming language. No prior experience with R is necessary.  BIOL 1230: Students enrolled in Professor Casey’s (Biology) afternoon section will use the tools of data science to investigate the drivers of tick abundance and tick-borne disease risk. To do this students will draw from a nation-wide ecological database.  GEOG 1230: In this section, we will investigate human vulnerability to natural hazards in the United States using location-based text data about hurricane and flood disasters from social media. We will analyze data qualitatively, temporally, and spatially to gain insights into the human experience of previous disasters and disaster response. We will present findings using spatial data visualizations with the aim of informing future disaster preparedness and resilience.  HIST 1230: In U.S. history, racial differences and discrimination have powerfully shaped who benefited from land and farm ownership. How can historians use data to understand the history of race and farming? Students will wrangle county- and state-level data from the U.S. Census of Agriculture from 1840-1912 to create visualizations and apps that allow us to find patterns in the history of race and land, to discover new questions we might not know to ask, and to create tools to better reveal connections between race, land, and farming for a general audience.    STAT 1230: In this course students will dive into the world of data science by focusing on invasive species monitoring data. Early detection is crucial to controlling many invasive species; however, there is a knowledge gap regarding the sampling effort needed to detect the invader early. In this course, we will work with decades of invasive species monitoring data collected across the United States to better understand how environmental variables play a role in the sampling effort required to detect invasive species. Students will gain experience in the entire data science pipeline, but the primary focus will be on data scraping, data visualization, and communication of data-based results to scientists and policymakers.  SOCI 1230:  Do sports fans care about climate change? Can sports communication be used to engage audiences on environmental sustainability? In this section of the course, students will use the tools of data science to examine whether interest in sports is associated with climate change knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, as well as other political opinions. Participants will use survey data to produce visualizations and exploratory analyses about the relationship between sports fandom and attitudes about environmental sustainability.

Sociology of Modern Antisemitism In this course, we will explore modern antisemitism from a sociological perspective. Drawing on theories and empirical research from sociology and related fields, we will analyze the logic of antisemitic narratives, how antisemitism differs from other forms of racism, how antisemitism has changed after the Holocaust, whether antisemitism and anti-Zionism are related phenomena, and how prevalent antisemitic attitudes and discrimination remain today. We will also explore what role antisemitism plays in contemporary conspiracy theories and far-right movements but also whether there are forms of antisemitism specific to the Left. Overall, we will consider how to integrate an analysis of antisemitism into contemporary theories of racism, such as Intersectionality or Critical Whiteness.

Sociology of Sport In this course we will explore sport-related issues and sport-society issues from a sociological perspective. Through lectures, films, class discussions, and student presentations we will examine the roles of sport within contemporary social systems, and ways in which sport reflects and enhances individual, collective, and national agendas and identities. We will also critically analyze various topics, including violence, cheating, and technology while focusing on “mega sporting events,” the media, and eSport. Additionally, by using sport as a lens to examine class, gender, and race we will illuminate the manners in which sport is entangled in socio-cultural, political, and economic forces.

Soccer and Society Whether it goes by soccer, football or futbol, the beautiful game is not only the world’s most popular sport but it is also intertwined with social, economic, political and cultural forces. In this course, we will use soccer as our lens to examine important sociological questions. We will study soccer’s relationship to nationalism and collective identity, globalization and migration, commercialization and labor rights, issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, and the role of soccer in social change and movements for social justice. Reading academic studies about soccer’s players, fans, leagues, mega events and governing bodies, students will develop skills to think critically about the role of sports in contemporary society, and they will conduct their own research project about one aspect of the beautiful game.

Sociology of Subcultures Whether based on music and style (punk, emo, hip hop), physical activities (skateboarding, surfing, parkour) or pop culture fandom, networks of (young) people are regularly labelled as subcultures. This course will introduce students to the study of subcultures based on sociological and ethnographic materials. Who participates in subcultures and why? Who is excluded (on the basis of class, race, gender, sexuality)? Are subcultures forms of resistance, and what distinguishes them from social movements? How do forces such as globalization, technological development, and political transformation impact subcultures? These questions will guide our introductory look at examples and theories of subcultures.

Markus Gerke

Reviews and ratings for Markus Gerke at Middlebury College.Markus Gerke teaches Men and Masculinities, DataScience Across Disciplines, Sociology Modern Antisemitism and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Markus Gerke good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

This was one of the first courses I took at Middlebury and it remains my favorite humanities class. The readings were all super interesting and made me question so much about myself as a man, in the best way. I highly recommend this class to anyone looking for a low workload, fascinating class. 

This was a great course to take. I would highly suggest taking this as it is very interesting and has a lighter work load. One suggestion is to make sure that you participate in lectures as I did not receive a great participation grade.

Professor Gerke was such an awesome teacher to have and I loved his course. He extremely laid back and open to hearing all students ideas. Most of the homework is just reading responses which are only a couple sentences and very easy. 