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Claude S. Fischer is a Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has been a faculty member since 1972. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and both his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from Harvard University. Fischer's work spans a variety of interconnected themes, with an early focus on social psychology and urban life. His research has profoundly explored personal networks, American social history, and the role of technology in shaping social interactions. Notable contributions include 'Urban Experience' and 'Dwell Friends: Personal Networks in Town and City', which examine the differences between rural and urban experiences. Fischer has also investigated historical aspects of technology through works like 'America Calling: A Social History of the Telephone in the 1940s'. His collaborative writing includes 'Inequality by Design' and 'Century of Difference', which discuss societal changes in America. Fischer is a founding editor of 'Contexts', a magazine by the American Sociological Association aimed at a general audience. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to urban studies and has been elected to prestigious organizations such as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. His recent research, funded by the National Institute on Aging, focuses on how personal ties and networks evolve in response to life events.
University of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in urban sociology, research methods, personality and social structure, social psychology, and American society.
The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.