CONCENTRATION: Social Sciences (con’t) Media-Age: Uncovering the Social Role of the Media in Contemporary Western Modernity (SOC 3601) We live in a media age. No other social institution has experienced such an upsurge in importance for the everyday life of people as our technological means of communication. While traditional mass media like television, radio or the press continue to play an important role, the new media—in the wake of digitization—have become a central part of the way we learn about the world and communicate with our peers. This course considers processes of mediatization and tracks historical as well as contemporary changes in mediated communication. We explore the different notions of a “medium” in social and cultural theory and explore its role for the concepts of communication and culture. Also, we identify and study established accounts of media theory and discuss their usefulness for our rapidly evolving media lives. Our course sketches the contours of current media society to reflect the obvious and hidden ways the media shape our notions of our social and natural environment.
Poverty, Inequality, and Development (SOC 3051) Prerequisite: Political Economy (SOC 2100) Why are some countries rich and some poor? What can be done, has been done, and what should be done about it? Students draw from the fields of economic history, experimental economics, social responsibility, nonprofit studies, international trade, Growth Theory, and development economics in an attempt to answer the questions posed. Students examine the theories behind and the implementation of official and unofficial policy, as well as grassroots efforts, directed towards decreasing poverty, lessening inequality, and encouraging development. Representations and Realities of Africa (SOC 3055) What do you know about Africa? How do you know it? Do your understandings reflect the histories and contemporary experiences of those living on the continent? This course examines our collective representations of life and death on the continent, how, why, and when these particular discourses of Africa emerged, and what realities these representations construct. Students comparatively engage diverse case studies, including wildlife conservation, East and West African Hip Hop, HIV/AIDS, transnational resource extraction, the cinema of Nollywood, tourism, the technology revolution, and the trade in second-hand clothes. This seminar equips students with the conceptual apparatuses and concrete examples to critically analyze the complexities of contemporary Africa.
Peacebuilding (SOC 3106) How do societies transition from war to peace? How does the international community help or hinder this process through a wide array of ‘interventions’? This course examines current practices in conflict resolution and peacebuilding around the world, and situates these practices in the larger historical context of the past three decades. It explores the relationships between peacebuilding, democratic reform, justice, and development, and invites students to engage with the moral and political complexities that come at war’s end.
Research Methods in the Social Sciences (SOC 3501) Recommended: Statistics 1 (MAT 3001) Social sciences are set apart from the humanities and the life sciences by our ability to tackle human issues using scientific methods. Whereas a biologist might study bacteria using scientific methods, and a philosopher might use introspection to investigate the human condition, social scientists use scientific methods to understand the human world. In this class, students learn how to think like a social scientist. Students learn both qualitative and quantitative research methods, how to design elegant experiments, carry them out through data collection, analyze this data, and present their results.
Political Psychology (SOC 3107) How does psychology play a role in political events such as elections, responses to natural disasters, or same-sex marriage? Political psychology is an interdisciplinary field that employs social and cognitive psychological theories to examine such issues in the world of politics. In this course, we explore how psychology can be used to understand and explain political leadership, movements, and behavior. Topics are discussed with political issues in context of information processing, decision-making, values, stereotyping, prejudice, culture, and emotions. The goals of this course are to introduce students to theoretical and empirical research in political psychology and to better understand the world of politics through psychological lenses.
Social Psychology (SOC 3306) One of the distinguishing factors of the primate order is our sociability. This course investigates the social nature of humans and the ways that humans influence one another. During this block, students look at the “basics” of social psychology: aggression, altruism, attitudes, conformity, obedience, and social biases. Beyond these topics, students look at some of the innovative new pairings between other areas of psychology and social psychology. For example, the course focuses on the role of cognition in social psychology, as well as the use of some methods typical to cognitive psychology that have migrated into social psychology. Students also investigate the ways that social psychology has spilled over into other fields like business, education, law, and sports teams over the years.
Politics of Cyberspace (SOC 3602) More and more of our lives take place in the virtual world of cyberspace—but what is “cyberspace”? What does power look like in cyberspace, and who wields it? How are governments, corporations, and individuals vying to shape the future of cyberspace, and how is the emergence of cyberspace transforming traditional politics? From hacktivism and slacktivism, to debates over censorship and regulation, to concerns about privacy and surveillance, to the strange worlds of cyber security and cyberwarfare, this course gives students the tools to explore, debate, and analyze this rapidly-evolving landscape. No technical knowledge of computers or networking is required for this course. 28