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AFROAM 236: History of the Civil Rights Movement 

David Swiderski 

Examination of the Civil Rights Movement from the Brown v. Topeka decision to the rise of Black power. All the major organizations of the period, e.g., SCLC, SNCC, CORE, NAACP, and the Urban League. The impact on white students and the anti-war movement. 

Gen Ed: HS, DU 

ANTHRO 205: Power and Inequality in the US 

Jennifer Sandler 

The roots of racism and sexism and the issues they raise. The cultural, biological, and social contexts of race and gender and examination of biological variation, genetic determinism, human adaptation, and the bases of human behavior. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

ANTHRO 590STA: Critical Race Theory 

Amanda Johnson 

In this course, we will examine the genealogy of works in "critical race theory," including foundational texts defining "racism" and the contexts of racial inequality. We will consider works challenging commonsense and scientific constructions of race, those recognizing the embeddedness of race in state and social institutions, and those mapping the intersections of race with other subjectivities, particularly gender and class. In the course, we will examine the contradictions, tensions, and silences in critical race theory, while honoring its intention to not only develop a vocabulary for understanding race and racism, but also employ scholarship for the cause social justice. 

COMM 208: Defending Democracy in a Digital World 

Ethan Zuckerman 

This course explores the significance of the public sphere - from pamphlets, newspapers and letters to radio, television, the internet and social media - and its relationship to participatory, democratic society. Moving back and forth between the history of the public sphere and contemporary debates about the tensions between media and democracy, students will learn why democracies prescribe protected roles of the media, how media manipulation plays a role in politics, and how media spaces serve as deliberative spaces. Students will write short reaction papers to the readings, which will be used to shape class discussions, and a longer final paper, focused on applying the theories of the public sphere to regulation of contemporary online spaces. 

Gen Ed: SB 

COMM 386: Race, Inequality and Representation 

Sut Jhally 

This course deals with issues of racial stratification and inequality in the United States, and the ways in which we understand them - the stories we tell ourselves about WHY the world is organized as it. It deals with both the reality of race as well as the way that reality is represented, and why, as a society, we refuse to seriously address its disastrous consequences. 

Gen Ed: SB 

COMM 394EI: Performance and Politics of Race 

Kimberlee Perez 

This course looks at the ways race, racial identities, and interracial relations are formed through and by communication practices in present-day U.S. America. Though focusing on U.S. America in the current historical moment, the course takes into account the ways history as well as the transnational flows of people and capital inform and define conversations about race and racial identities. Race will be discussed as intersectional, taking into account the ways race is understood and performed in relation to gender, sexuality, class, and nation. The course will focus on the performance and communications of race, ranging from everyday interactions, personal narratives and storytelling, intra- and inter-racial dialogue, and staged performances. 

COMM 417: African Americans in US Film and Media 

Roopali Mukherjee 

In his definitive book, Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks, film historian Thomas Bogle critically analyzes a range of racial distortions, caricatures, and demeaning stereotypes that have represented African Americans since the birth of film and television. This course surveys a range of media images of Black people to understand how these portrayals reflect and shape the politics of race and gender in the US. Readings introduce theoretical concepts about race and racial formations as they shape dominant cultural ideologies about identity and difference, and the long Black struggle for civil, political, social, and economic rights. From the enslavement of Africans in the New World to the civil rights movement, from Barack Obama's historic presidency and the promise of a "post-racial" era to spectacular eruptions of white racial grievance in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election in 2016, the course engages key historical shifts to unpack a series of pressing questions: who owns - and controls - media portrayals of Black style, pain, joy? What do Black audiences do with racist representations of themselves? How have Black media makers - from Oscar Micheaux to Spike Lee to Oprah Winfrey to Beyonce - crafted alternative representations of African Americans? What do Get Out, Insecure, and RuPaul's Drag Race tell us about US racial politics today? With particular attention to the intersections of race, class, and gender, this course considers how media representations of Blackness shape - and are shaped by - powerful ideologies of anti-Black prejudice as well as Black struggles for racial solidarity and freedom. 

COMM 691E: Media Literacy 

Erica Scharrer 

Media literacy is defined and discussed in this graduate seminar, with a focus on children and teens and an inter- and intra-disciplinary, praxis-based approach. We will begin by asking the surprisingly complicated questions of what media literacy is and what its goals entail, attending to its multiple theoretical foundations. Then we will briefly examine the state of media literacy (and the policies to support it) in the U.S. and in various global locations. Next, we will turn our attention to the study of media literacy efforts in a number of topic areas, including news and politics, commercialism, representation, and various aspects of health and wellbeing (body image, alcohol and tobacco use, violence/aggression). Throughout the course, we will carefully examine the methods and approaches that are used to study media literacy, including both qualitative and quantitative research. Students will have the option of engaging in media literacy efforts in the community. 

ECON 346: African Americans in US Political Economy 

Patrick Mason 

This course examines the market, institutional, governmental, and social processes that have contributed to the economic wellbeing of African Americans. We pay particular attention to the interaction between race and class as determinants of the life chances of African Americans. The course examines theoretical material related to wage determination, labor market discrimination and marriage and transitions in family structure. 

ECON 715: Money, Power, and Elites 

Kevin Young 

The political economy of financial power and the study of elites. The course aims to generate foundational knowledge within the study of a few different areas within political economy scholarship: the political economy of financial regulation, interest group mobilization, business conflict, elite networks, the relationship between money and the state, the creation of central banks, the role of money as an instrument in political lobbying, the discipline of international finance on policymaking, the governance of international and transnational institutions that shape the world of money, and the deepening role that money plays in affecting contemporary political culture. 

EDUC 115: Embracing Diversity 

Musbah Shaheen 

This course is about cultural diversity in the University community and how we can better understand ourselves and others through an appreciation of college education as a cultural experience, with its own unique set of rules, biases, and expectations. 

Gen Ed: I, DU 

EDUC 202: Social Issues and Intergroup Dialogue 

Nina Tissi-Gassoway 

This course focuses on student dialogue about issues of difference, identity and community to facilitate intergroup understanding. Students actively engage, read about, and examine social justice issues in small groups. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

EDUC 210: Social Diversity in Education 

Justin Coles 

Focus on issues of social identity, social and cultural diversity, and societal manifestations of oppression. Draws on interdisciplinary perspectives of social identity development, social learning theory, and sociological analyses of power and privilege within broad social contexts. 

Gen Ed: I, DU 

EDUC 225: Controversial Issues in Education 

Isabel Castellanos 

This course investigates major contemporary educational issues that affect the lives of teachers and students in today's classrooms. It explores the complex web of issues that children, families, and educators face in our diverse society. 

Gen Ed: SB 

EDUC 276: Fighting Harmful and Erroneous Beliefs 

Jeffrey Eiseman 

Examines how erroneous beliefs form and why they survive. Builds skills to reveal their shaky foundations and fight their harmful consequences. Analyzes beliefs relating to health, the environment, sports, and social structures, including the American race-based caste system. Introduces statistical and research design concepts. Analysis emphasized; minimal calculations. Counts as a Foundations course toward the Education minor. Team-based learning. 

Gen Ed: R2 

EDUC 286: School to Prison Pipeline 

Michael Krezmien 

This course exposes undergraduate students to the complex systems that connect schools and juvenile and adult prisons, with a particular emphasis on the links between diversity and incarceration. 

ENGLISH 494SI: Literature and Social Justice 

Rachel Mordecai 

Why do we study literature? What is its importance to your life (now and beyond college) and to the world we live in? This class is for students who answer these questions by drawing a connection between literature and social justice. It takes the view that literature contributes to social justice in the world in a variety of ways--which each individual defines differently. For some, literature offers a means to validating different experiences and inspiring empathy; for others, it offers critique and establishes alternative histories; for still others, it fosters new communities and incites social and political activism, or it empowers the imagination and envisions new worlds. One of the chief goals of the course is to give students the opportunity to sharpen their own beliefs about why literature matters and what it does for the world. Another goal is to allow students to reflect upon how their relationship to literary study has evolved over the course of their college careers, and to consider how they can carry this relationship forward into their lives and their pursuits beyond the university. 

ENVIRSCI 494JI: Social Movements and Environmental Justice 

Eric Thomas 

This course examines the relationship between environmental conditions and social justice. Students will consider the social and political forces that differentially distribute vulnerability and contribute to health and socioeconomic disparities between populations. In this course, students will consider both local and global struggles for environmental justice, with case studies that focus on historically marginalized communities in the United States as well as in the Global South. Students will read and discuss work by scholars from a range of disciplines as well as by journalists, activists, and policy makers and consider topics including toxicity and slow violence, conservation and social exclusion, disasters and their aftermath, social movements and human rights, and recognition and reparations. 

FFYS 191COMM4: Radical America: The History 

Joel Saxe 

American radical traditions have been central to pushing forward ongoing struggles for democracy and equal rights: "liberty and justice for all." Among Millennials and Gen Z, the popularity of democratic socialists Bernie Sanders and AOC are signifiers of the interest among youth to left wing radical ideas and movements. Yet long-term, dominant ideologies that privilege existing power structures – capitalist-colonialist, white supremacist, patriarchal – have largely buried widespread consciousness of the rich spectrum of dynamic, impactful, U.S. radical traditions. This course will engage a dialogue between past and present, considering specific historical movements and ideologies: 19th-century Utopian socialism and militant industrial unionism, 1930s communist organizing, 1960s civil rights and anti-war movements, feminism, Black Lives Matter, Queer and Trans liberation, indigenous rights, and climate justice. Through readings and media offerings, we’ll discuss some of these movements including attention to current activist streams. 

FFYS 191ENG14: Reading and Writing for Democracy 

Rebecca Dingo 

In this course, students will consider how writing and reading can foster democratic practices. Broadly defined a democracy values human rights, human agency, discussion, disagreement, and deliberation. However, recently, the future of these values have been called into question by political actors, activists, and even individual citizens. In this class we will explore how democratic practices can be fostered through humanistic inquiry including through the production of literature, the arts, and written communication. This course will use artifacts such as art, literature, media, and journalism as touchstones to practice democratic values such as discussion, disagreement, and deliberation. 

FFYS 191LEG01: Do You Know Your Legal Rights? 

Maria Puppolo 

The seminar, Do you know your legal rights? Exploring the Law through an Equitable and Inclusive Lens, will examine core social justice issues facing our society today as well as basic human rights principles pertaining to the law. Students will engage in `light research? and we will hold class discussions, role play scenarios and mock debates.Students will also learn about various services and programs on campus and with the goal that they will become involved on campus in clubs that interest them, thereby encouraging them to exercise their leadership skills and become involved in social justice initiatives on campus. 

FFYS 191POL22: Friendship in Law, Politics, Society 

Marissa Carrere

Why aren't we hanging out with friends? In this one-credit, first-year seminar, we will explore friendship in the contemporary United States. You might have heard the reports, and you might have even experienced it yourself-- friendship is in decline, and loneliness is pervasive. 

But why? What effects does this have on our local and national communities? And what can we do about it? 

We will look at friendship through the lenses of social and behavioral sciences, to get a broad introduction to the ways that friendship and social connection relate to law, democracy, political partisanship, public health, public infrastructure, privatization, late capitalism, and so forth. We’ll also wade into conceptualizations of friendship offered by legal scholars, classical political theorists, feminist scholars, and queer theorists, among others. Embedded in these pursuits are ethical questions about being in community: what do we owe to others? Without biological, legal, or contractual definition, how do we understand obligation to the people we call friends?? How can we live better lives-- and better civic lives-- through friendship? 

As a first-year seminar, this course will also routinely offer you opportunities to learn about academic success strategies, university resources, and support for your holistic experience as a student on campus. Our classroom will be a welcoming, low-stakes community where you can connect with other students and practice developing your habits and persona as an intellectual pursuing a higher education. And maybe you'll even leave class with a new friend. 

FFYS 191SOC8: Marx, Du Bois, and Democracy in U.S. 

Sanjiv Gupta 

We usually think of challenges to democracy in the U.S. from the political right. However, it is also facing skepticism from the left, particularly among college students, who are asking: How can a system characterized by deep racial and class inequalities from its very origins be "democratic?" We'll examine the key ideas of two great scholars and activists, Karl Marx and W.E.B. Du Bois, regarding democracy in Europe, the U.S. and elsewhere. We'll encounter their thoughts in the context of the political upheavals of their times--the mid-19th century revolutions in Europe, and the Civil War and Reconstruction in the U.S. This history is especially relevant now as we may be heading into an equally dynamic period. To get the most out the course materials, we'll practice skills you'll use throughout college: reading actively, using writing (and drawing) to think, and learning by teaching. 

FYS 191SBS22: Inequality and Social Justice 

Donald Snyder 

In this course, first year students will examine the intersection of scientific work and philosophy. In particular we will be focusing on social justice: the study of equal rights, opportunities, and treatment. We will tackle these subjects through a psychological lens, unpacking the mechanics of biases, group behaviors, and institutions. Topical contexts such as education, law, and culture will be touched upon, and students will be challenged to ponder personal and societal solutions to these issues. 

FYS 191SBS25: Equity in the Postmodern World 

Subhanu Khanal 

We are living in a world besieged by what many contemporary intellectuals are calling poly-crises ranging from but not limited to managing the impacts of rising inequality and climate change to artificial intelligence and political polarization. These set of multiple crises simultaneously that demand our focus and attention on confronting and resolving them. While many of the contemporary challenges may seem to be overwhelming in their nature and scope, there is a common thread of economic logic and public policy that interweave many of these crises. This course aims to highlight the common denominator of economics and the idea of equity that should be the at the very center of resolving many issues we face in the post modern world that we inhabit. This course will use writings and insights from intellectual giants like Mariana Mazzucato, Joseph Stiglitz, Thomas Piketty to first understand and then unpack and examine the economic assumptions and dogmas that the modern economic world works on thereby revealing a heterodox way to tailor our understanding and responses to the many contemporary issues we face today. 

HISTORY 150: U.S. History to 1876 

Sarah Cornell 

The development of social, political, economic, and intellectual life in the United States from Native American settlements to 1876. Topics include Puritanism, slavery and antislavery, Indian relations, religious reform as well as such events as the Revolution and Civil War. 

Gen Ed: HS, DU 

HISTORY 151: U.S. History since 1876 

Jennifer Fronc 

This course introduces students to key themes in United States history from the late nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century. In particular, we will examine how war, migration, and struggles over race, gender, and industrial capitalism shaped modern American politics and society. We will also explore the United States' emergence as a global superpower and the implications of this development for world history. 

Gen Ed: HS 

HISTORY 156: The Power of Universities 

Asheesh Siddique 

A critical introduction to the history and political economy of the American university, with an emphasis on how the institution has produced and reproduced structural inequality despite its purported democratizing mission. 

Gen Ed: HS, DU 

HISTORY 170: Indigenous Peoples of North America 

Alice Nash 

The diverse histories of indigenous peoples in North America from their origins to the present. Focus on indigenous perspectives, examining social, economic, and political issues experienced by indigenous peoples. Emphasis on diversity, continuity, change, and self-determination. 

Gen Ed: HS, DU 

HISTORY 268: Women and the Law 

Jennifer Nye 

This course examines the legal status of women in the United States, focusing specifically on the 20th and 21st centuries. How has the law used gender, sex, sexuality, and race to legally enforce inequality between women and men (and among women)? We will examine the legal arguments feminists have used to advocate for legal change and how these arguments have changed over time, paying specific attention to debates about whether to make legal arguments based on formal equality, substantive equality, liberty, or privacy. We will also consider the pros and cons of using the law to advocate for social justice. Specific issues that may be covered include the civil and political participation of women (voting, jury service), employment discrimination, intimate relationships, reproduction, contraception and abortion, violence against women, women as criminal defendants, and women as law students, lawyers, and judges. Prior law-law related coursework helpful, but not required. 

HISTORY 375: U.S. Constitutional History II 

Daniel Gordon 

The history of American constitutional law from the Reconstruction to the present. Not a casebook course. Major legal constitutional developments, especially the 14th Amendment to its evolving character and its application. In the 20th century, civil liberties issues and cases; litigation involving nation-state relations, the commerce clause, apportionment, criminal justice cases, etc. Survey course in post-Civil War America to the present helpful. 

HISTORY 659: Public History 

Samuel Redman 

An examination of the various public images and uses of history and issues confronted by historians working in museums, historic sites, oral history, historic preservation, archives and documentary film. 

JOURNAL 201-01: Introduction To Journalism 

Rodrigo Zamith 

Introduction to Journalism is a survey class that covers the basic principles and practices of contemporary journalism. By studying fundamentals like truth telling, fact checking, the First Amendment, diversity, the watchdog role of the press and public engagement, students will explore the role of the journalist in a democratic society. Students will also assess changes in the production, distribution and consumption of journalism through new technologies. Students will examine case studies across the media, and learn how different audiences, media and perspectives affect the news. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

JOURNAL 201-02: Introduction To Journalism 

Nicholas Mcbride 

Introduction to Journalism is a survey class that covers the basic principles and practices of contemporary journalism. By studying fundamentals like truth telling, fact checking, the First Amendment, diversity, the watchdog role of the press and public engagement, students will explore the role of the journalist in a democratic society. Students will also assess changes in the production, distribution and consumption of journalism through new technologies. Students will examine case studies across the media, and learn how different audiences, media and perspectives affect the news.  

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

JOURNAL 230: The Politician and Journalist 

Richard Neal 

This course explores the relationships among reporters, publishers and politicians, and how each uses the media. Using historical biographies and other texts, the class will examine past strategies by politicians and media figures. Topics include campaign strategies, Washington politics, day-to-day effectiveness in office, making arguments through the media, and how those not elected use the media. Taught by Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts, the class offers an opportunity for students to hear how elected officials work with the press. 

LABOR 510: Organizing 

Cedric de Leon 

Most people in the labor movement, whether rank-and-file, staff, or elected official, have had some experience organizing. Some may have worked on new organizing drives. Others have urged members to become more active in an existing union. Still others have worked on electoral campaigns on behalf of labor-endorsed candidates. Rarely, however, do we have the opportunity to step back and learn the theory behind and research on organizing. Why do we organize? Why organize in certain ways but not others? Why do some organizing drives succeed while others fail? What is the connection between good one-on-one conversations and the larger struggles of which they are a part? These questions and more will be the focus of this course. 

LABOR 620: Labor History 

Jasmine Kerrissey 

This course examines labor and work in the U.S., from colonial America to the present. We will consider: 1) the relationship between workers, employers, and the state; 2) the strategies that workers? movements have used to build power, along with employers' strategies to minimize that power ; 3) the internal workings of unions, such as democracy, politics, and union structure; and 4) the roles of workers? organizations in reproducing (or changing) inequalities stemming from gender, race, citizenship status, and other identities. We'll situate these discussions in the changing political, economic, and cultural contexts over time. 

LEGAL 250: Intro Legal Studies 

Jamie Rowen 

Interdisciplinary exploration of basic issues of law's relationship to contemporary society, in which law affects almost all human activity. Topics include the nature as well as historical and social functions of law; the culture and role of major actors in the legal system (lawyers, judges, juries, police, technology); tension between ideals and realities in law; role of law in addressing contemporary social problems. This general education course, based on the assumption that "law is too important to be left to lawyers," is intended to foster analytical and critical skills and to discuss broad, interdisciplinary questions of individual responsibility, social morality, and justice. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

LEGAL 252: Law and Personal Freedom 

Alan Gaitenby 

This course will explore the nature of freedom in the United States, focusing on constitutional guarantees founded in the historical role of the law. Issues covered will be Privacy, Obscenity, Race, War on Drugs, Freedom from and of Religion, Right to Counsel, and Search and Seizure. The objective will be to trace the evolution of these issues rooted in the Bill of Rights and Supreme Court doctrine. Case law will be read and analyzed in order to extract judicial theory. Scholarly arguments supporting and critiquing American jurisprudence will also be discussed. A disproportionate amount of the course's time will be spent on addressing the legitimacy of the Court's decisions and critiquing whether they remain in harmony with the intent of the Framers of the Constitution. 

LEGAL 257: Law and Politics of Voting Rights in the US 

Justin Burnworth 

This course traces political and legal struggles over the right to vote and access to electoral power in the United States from the nation’s early history to the present. In this class, you will explore questions such as: What does the U.S. Constitution say about the right to vote? How is the vote protected and left unprotected by the Constitution and its amendments? What does the Voting Rights Act do? How did it transform the politics of voting in the United States? Why do many people now believe the Voting Rights Act is in trouble? How does the organization of districts and the redistricting process affect who gets represented in American politics, and how much representation different groups receive? Why are many states now erecting new obstacles to voting? What impact are these policies having on voter participation? What have the courts said about the constitutionality of these laws? What can states and the federal government do to help people vote? How are cutting edge policies affecting voter turnout in the states? What are the consequences of felony disenfranchisement laws for voting in the United States? What are the prospects for the re-enfranchisement of people convicted of felonies? How have social movements for voter access influenced the development of voting rights laws? Throughout, the course focuses on the interaction between law and courts, political institutions, party mobilization and elections, and social movements in struggles over the right to vote. 

LEGAL 265: Power, Institutions, and the American Constitution 

Douglas Rice 

In this course, we will explore the American constitutional system as prescribed by the United States Constitution, and as developed by the myriad subsequent decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court throughout this nation's history. Broadly, we will focus on the areas of institutional powers, federalism, and government involvement in commerce, regulation, and taxation. Across these areas, students will learn about the legal, social, historical, and political contexts in which the Supreme Court reaches its decisions. With active and lively debates in these areas to the present day, students who complete this course are expected to be able to think critically about the broad contours of government power, the role of the Supreme Court in defining and re-defining those contours, and the importance of institutional design and relationships. 

LEGAL 393LG: Law and Global Migration 

Rebecca Hamlin 

This course explores the ways in which law affects and is affected by the movement of people across borders. An estimated three percent of the world's population are migrants, and while the United States has long been a "nation of immigrants," countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are all becoming host to large numbers of non-citizens. We will examine the various ways in which states approach migration law-making, studying migration law as a form of national identity, a means of social control, and a way of reproducing racial hierarchies. We will learn about how domestic and international migration laws assign migrants to various categories and statuses, some of which lead to rights and privileges and some of which do not. Finally, we will ask how the realities of global migration patterns challenge legal categories and conceptions of citizenship. 

LEGAL 394MI: Authoritarian Law 

Lauren McCarthy 

Authoritarianism is on the rise throughout the world. According to some estimates, as of 2022 about 72% of the world?s population lived under some form of authoritarianism, up from 46% in 2012. Countries that were once democracies are backsliding into authoritarianism and those that were somewhere in between have become more closed and repressive. One of the most important tools in the toolkit of authoritarian regimes is the law. Would-be authoritarians use it to consolidate their power and eliminate enemies. But law also offers the possibility of resistance in these closed contexts. This course explores the logic and lived reality of law in authoritarian countries by focusing on a variety of themes, actors and experiences across multiple country contexts. In this course, students will engage with the topic of authoritarian law to reflect on their experiences and previous learning, take different perspectives, work collaboratively, and think critically about this pressing problem. This course satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Legal majors. 

POLISCI 101: American Politics 

Raymond La Raja 

Introduction to and overview of American government. Emphasis on understanding American political institutions such as the Congress, the presidency, and the courts in light of democratic theory and values. Examination of the electoral process; how government institutions respond to demands for public policies. 

Gen Ed: SB 

POLISCI 111: Comparative Politics 

Timothy Pachirat 

An introductory exploration of political systems in several nation states in various parts of the world. Coverage differs depending on the specialties and interests of the instructor. Students learn about generalized comparative approaches and political development, political processes and political institutions in each state covered. 

Gen Ed: SB, DG 

POLISCI 121: World Politics 

M.J. Peterson 

Introduction to the principles and practices of international relations in the political, military, economic, and environmental realms. Study of the development of the contemporary system to explore the effects of the structure of the international system, the institutions through which states conduct their relations, and domestic characteristics on the relations among states. 

Gen Ed: SB, DG 

POLISCI 162: Intro to Constitutional Law 

Samuel Stoddard 

Introduction to the American constitution as law. The importance of the text and the traditions of interpretation. The courts, congress, and the presidency. Also local power, the bill of rights, and the fourteenth amendment. 

Gen Ed: SB 

POLISCI 171: Intro to Political Theory 

Andrew March 

Introduction to the Western tradition of political theory; focus on particular problems and issues through a reading of classical and non-traditional texts. Topics include political obligation, justice, feminism, individuality, friendship, community, civil disobedience, power, others. 

Gen Ed: SB 

POLISCI 181: Controversies in Public Policy 

Elizabeth Sharrow 

Introduction to contemporary public policy issues and debates. Various perspectives on public policy, including equality, justice, and efficiency. Emphasis on in-class discussion and debates. Applications may include environmental policy, affirmative action, immigration, welfare policy, education, health, and other public policies. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

POLISCI 190A: Democracy in America 

Amel Ahmed 

This course examines the state of U.S. democracy today. It takes an historical and comparative perspective in order to orient us to the present conditions in U.S. politics, understand patterns of change and continuity, and explore key areas of democratic challenges and resilience. Throughout, special attention will be given to the role of race and class in the development of U.S. democracy. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

POLISCI 203: American Political Thought 

Roberto Alejandro 

Origin and evolution of political ideas and ideals that have shaped the American constitutional system. Tensions within and between liberalism and democracy and the impact of changing social and economic conditions on political beliefs and values.  

Gen Ed: HS 

POLISCI 271: Modern Political Thought 

Michael Stein 

Reading of selected political theorists from 16th to 19th centuries: Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Marx, and Nietzsche. Emphasis on the nature of the political world and the forms of understanding and activity appropriate to it. 

POLISCI 273: Power 

Angelica Bernal 

Power is a central feature of political life and one of the key concepts of political science. This course will examine the main approaches and controversies in the study of power. We will investigate how these approaches help us to better understand how power operates in the real world by engaging with various case studies, including: how power works in prisons, schools, at home, in local and global politics, in an Appalachian mining town, a small village in Malaysia, and in countless ways in everyday life. 

Gen Ed: SB, DG 

POLISCI 305: Congress and the Legislative Process 

Samuel Stoddard 

Analysis and evaluation of the U.S. Congress, its structure, procedures, and norms. Emphasis on congressional elections; representation; legislative behavior; the relationship between Congress and the executive branch; and Congress as a source of continuity and a vehicle for change in American politics. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-PolSci majors. 

POLISCI 306: Campaigns and Elections 

Alexander Theodoridis 

This course is designed to give students a deep understanding of electoral politics in the United States. We will do this from both an academic and practical perspective. Students will learn about how campaigns work and will learn about the factors that drive American electoral politics. 

POLISCI 329: Political Psychology 

Tatishe Nteta 

This course provides an introduction to the field of political psychology. It focuses primary attention on psychological explanations of individual political attitudes and actions, among both elites as well as the masses. 

POLISCI 372: Black Political Thought 

Gabriel Vergara 

A reexamination of central concepts in the history of political thought - e.g. power, equality, freedom, capitalism, domination, responsibility, citizenship, empire, and revolution - from the perspective of African American political struggles. Particular attention will be paid to how political thinkers have theorized the complex and contradictory relationship between race and modern democracy. Readings draw from David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, WEB Du Bois, Stokely Carmichael, Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Angela Davis, and Toni Morrison. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

POLISCI 390P: Political Participation and Representation in the US 

Sara Krishbaum 

Questions of representation and participation are at the heart of what it means to be a democracy. Creating and maintaining a representative democracy is not easy. Throughout this class, we will discuss these challenges and why they exist, as well as explore potential solutions. We will ask and attempt to answer questions such as: What is ?good? representation? What does it look like within different political institutions? What kinds of political participation are available? Who is allowed to participate? Do people know enough about politics for their participation to be meaningful? 

POLISCI 391GP: Green Politics and Theory 

Ertugrul Tonak 

This course is designed to appeal to students interested in Environmental Studies (specifically environmentalist social movements) as well as those interested in Political Theory, or both. In the context of the current ecological crises (global climate change, the proliferation of nuclear energy and weapons, bees? extinction, pollution in general?), environmental thought and politics have boomed. During the first half of the semester, we will survey important schools of thought within what has come to be called “ecosophy” or “environmental political theory” (EPT). This survey will be focusing on environmentalist critiques of the relationship between and concepts of nature, ecology, the environment, on the one hand, and humans, society, politics on the other. We will investigate other key problems posed by major environmentalist thinkers, movements, and political figures (activists, science fiction novelists, artists, etc.). 

POLISCI 394LI: The Language of Politics 

Frederic Schaffer 

This course examines the multiple roles that language plays in politics. Among the topics it covers: Orwellian doublespeak, Black English, hate speech, truthfulness in politics, gender neutral pronouns, partisan word labs, the linguistic construction of the "war on terror," folk tales as a form of political resistance, and familial metaphors in American political discourse. More abstractly, this course is organized around three broad themes: the place of language in political action, language as a political resource and the language of politics in America. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-PolSci majors. 

POLISCI 499CD: Honors Thesis – Health and Health Care Inequality in the United States (First Semester) 

Dean Robinson 

Description TBD. 

POLISCI 499CE: Honors Thesis – Democracy is Possible Everywhere 

Frederic Schaffer 

This course is the first semester of a two-semester honors thesis writing seminar. The overarching goal of the two-semester sequence is for you to develop, research, and write a high-quality thesis on a research question that is both of genuine interest to you and relevant to the substantive topic of this course: whether democracy is possible everywhere or anywhere. The question of whether democracy is possible everywhere or anywhere provides a fertile starting point for developing a thesis insofar as debates today rage about whether democracy is possible in powerful authoritarian countries like China, in the oil-producing states of the Middle East, in the poorest countries of Africa, and even in wealthy but unequal societies like the United States. By asking whether there are in fact deep economic, associational, and/or social preconditions for (or impediments to) the establishment or maintenance of democracy, this course gives you an opportunity to become conversant in one of today’s great political debates. By giving you a structure to develop and write your own thesis on the topic, this course will make you a serious contributor to those debates. 

PSYCH 360: Social Psychology 

Linda Tropp 

Major theories, research and applications in social psychology. Topics include: attitudes, social influence, helping, aggression, groups, interpersonal attraction. Prerequisite: introductory psychology. 

PSYCH 391CK: Cultural Psychology and Social Issues 

Mohammad Atari 

The objective of this course is to examine the role culture plays in influencing human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, with a particular focus on its implications for social issues. This course includes readings on the reasons behind diverse thought patterns and behaviors across different global communities, highlighting the cultural nature of Homo sapiens. It explores how cultural learning molds our cognition and the extensive variability in our psychological make-up worldwide. The curriculum addresses how cultural contexts shape our psychology, emphasizing the critical intersection of culture and contemporary issues. A key aspect of this course is the critique of the prevalent bias in psychological research toward Western countries, discussing the ramifications of this narrow focus for understanding global human diversity. We will engage in discussions about the necessity of broadening psychological research to include a more diverse range of cultural perspectives, especially in addressing global social injustices. Special attention will be paid to the application of course concepts to contemporary social issues, particularly how cultural diversity impacts inequality, discrimination, and collective action. 

PUBHLTH 389: Health Inequities 

While the health and wellbeing of the nation has improved overall, racial, ethnic, gender and sexuality disparities in morbidity and mortality persist. To successfully address growing disparities, it is important to understand social determinants of health and translate current knowledge into specific strategies to undo health inequalities. This course will explore social justice as a philosophical underpinning of public health and will consider the etiology of disease rooted in social conditions. It aims to strengthen critical thinking, self-discovery, and knowledge of ways in which socioeconomic, political, and cultural systems structure health outcomes. 

PUBHLTH 482: Race, Public Health, and Policy 

Airin Martinez 

This course explores historical and contemporary approaches to race and ethnicity, racism, and public health. The course will also explore how biological constructions of race are shaped by policies and institutional practices and continue to be challenged in the production of biomedical and public health research and biotechnological development. We also present research on the embodiment of racism from multiple levels (e.g., structural, institutional, and interpersonal). 

SPP 181: Controversies in Public Policy 

Elizabeth Sharrow 

Introduction to contemporary public policy issues and debates. Various perspectives on public policy, including equality, justice, and efficiency. Emphasis on in-class discussion and debates. Applications may include environmental policy, affirmative action, immigration, welfare policy, education, health, and other public policies. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

SPP 208: Defending Democracy in a Digital World 

Ethan Zuckerman 

This course explores the significance of the public sphere - from pamphlets, newspapers and letters to radio, television, the internet and social media - and its relationship to participatory, democratic society. Moving back and forth between the history of the public sphere and contemporary debates about the tensions between media and democracy, students will learn why democracies prescribe protected roles of the media, how media manipulation plays a role in politics, and how media spaces serve as deliberative spaces. Students will write short reaction papers to the readings, which will be used to shape class discussions, and a longer final paper, focused on applying the theories of the public sphere to regulation of contemporary online spaces.  

Gen Ed: SB 

SPP 376: Catalyzing Change 

Betsy Schmidt 

This course is for students who want to build and work within nonprofit organizations to make a positive impact on the world. The students in this course will organize, fund, operate, and govern an imaginary nonprofit over the course of the semester. They will learn about missions, tax exemption, setting realistic goals, measuring an organization?s impact, fund raising, budgets, managing employees and volunteers, and the extent to which they can be involved in the political process. They will write mission statements, develop budgets, create a strategic plan, and make a proposal to a funder, among other things. Classes will feature case discussions based on the reading, but often adapted to the fictional nonprofits students have created. Students will also meet with leaders from the local nonprofit community. 

SPP 394LI: Leadership for Social Impact 

Viviana Wu

Nonprofit organizations serve social missions rather than distributing profits. Strategic leadership and values are central to serving those missions effectively while ensuring survival. This course will allow you to examine your assumptions about leadership and learn about the theoretical and strategic issues and the ethical dilemmas associated with leading for social change. Theories and analytical frameworks about leadership will be examined along with nonprofit leaders' roles and considerations for managing mission and impact, board governance, stakeholders and human resources, organizational culture, change and innovation, philanthropy, and financial sustainability. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for Public Policy majors. 

SPP 605: Economics and Public Policy 

Michael Ash 

Introduction to microeconomics theory and policy analysis. Examines economic rationales for and against government policy and the economic consequences of public policy. 

SPP 630: Nonprofit Law & Management 

Betsy Schmidt 

This course is designed for those who may be involved in nonprofit organizations at some point in their lives as directors, employees, volunteers, customers, funders, or founders. Students will learn about the opportunities and challenges that nonprofits can face by partnering with an existing 501(c)(3) and by creating, funding, running, and dissolving an imaginary 501(c)(3) over the course of the semester. We will discuss the theoretical bases for the nonprofit sector and for tax exemption, formation and dissolution of nonprofit corporations at the state level. We will also discuss the process of obtaining tax exempt status from the IRS, the charitable contribution deduction, fiduciary duties of the board of directors, the rules surrounding lobbying and political activity of nonprofits, charitable solicitation laws, unrelated business income tax, private inurement, and excess benefit taxes. During the semester, students will develop tools for two partner nonprofits that will help them measure progress towards their goals and tell their story effectively. They will also analyze the way the partner nonprofits address the issues discussed in this course. 

RES-ECON 106: Economics is Everywhere 

Jamie Mullins 

In this course, we seek to elucidate our role as consumers in society and demonstrate the usefulness of economic perspectives in understanding not just the economy, but society more broadly. We are all consumers in many ways. We consume physical products, of course, but we also consume art, media, information, policy, and natural resources. This course will use economics to shed light on these many dimensions of consumption. We will begin by establishing some key economic principles and themes. We will then proceed to use these as a lens for thinking through diverse topics, ranging from classic consumer markets to education policy, from environmental issues to fashion and entertainment.  

Gen Ed: SB 

SOCIOL 103: Social Problems 

Donald Tomaskovic-Devey 

Introduction to sociology. America's major social problems--past and present--are examined. These include crime, mental health, drug addiction, family tensions and inequalities based on race, gender, ethnicity and social class. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

SOCIOL 106: Race, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity 

C.N. Le 

Introduction to Sociology. Analysis of the consequences of membership in racial, gender, class and ethnic groups on social, economic and political life. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

SOCIOL 224: Social Class and Inequality 

Jordan Sanderson 

The nature of social classes in society from the viewpoint of differences in economic power, political power, and social status. Why stratification exists, its internal dynamics, and its effects on individuals, subgroups, and the society as a whole. Problems of poverty and the uses of power. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

SOCIOL 241: Criminology

Joshua Kaiser 

Introduction to the study of criminology, definitions of crime, criminals and delinquents, demographics of crime and criminals, the work of the courts, law, police, and punishment in the production and administration of crime and criminals, society and crime, problems of prevention and control.

SOCIOL 281: Society and Individual 

Courtney Bouthiller 

Interpretations of social life developed by symbolic interactionists. Topics include the interactionist approach to language, the self, deviance, social relationships, social structure and collective behavior. 

Gen Ed: SB, DU 

SOCIOL 290Z: Generation Z Culture 

Jules Purnell 

Generation Z has been called the most progressive generation since the 1960s. This course takes an in-depth sociologically informed look at what makes the generation of young Americans born between 1997 and 2012 different from previous generations. We ask what Gen Z has in store for American society and culture, and for sociological theory. In Part I, we establish what sociologists mean by Gen Z and this generation's culture. In Parts II, III, and IV, we consider the topics of gender and sexual justice, racial justice, and economic justice and democratic participation through the lens of Generation Z culture. For each one of these topics, we use sociology not only to drill down into the problems, but also to exercise our sociological and transformative imaginations to think of solutions. Come prepared to read deeply (this course uses original academic articles, and will teach you how to digest and use them) and talk honestly – also to listen well, learn, and change! 

SOCIOL 329: Social Movements 

Ryenne Carpenter 

Explores how and why social movements occur, what strategies they use, how they create collective identities, how issues such as civil rights, workers' rights, women's rights, the environment, the global economy mobilize activists' participation within the circumstances faced. 

SOCIOL 341: Social Welfare 

Veronica Everett 

Critical introduction to American welfare programs, past and present. Analysis of why programs change over time and of the effects of those changes on the people that welfare purports to "help." 

SOCIOL 791R: Civil Resistance and the Everyday 

Stellan Vinthagen 

This course is focused on resistance and strategies of liberation against colonialism, now and in history. It explores how to effectively decolonialize through three parallel approaches: (1) a 500-year overview of the world history of colonialism, imperialism and waves of anti-colonial liberation struggles, (2) an analysis of contemporary colonialism (overseas as well as "internal"), resistance and "decolonization," and (3) comparative case-studies of strategies of decolonizing liberation struggles. Students will choose their own focus on particular liberation strategies (e.g., everyday struggles, cultural resistance, guerrilla struggles, mass civil disobedience, etc.), thematic issues (e.g., the role of women in anti-colonial liberation struggles, or the recreation of colonial patterns within postcolonial states or solidarity alliances), within historical or contemporary cases. The course is based on active participation through text seminars, movies, student presentations and the writing of course papers. 

WGSS 201-01: Gender and Difference: Critical Analyses 

Tatiana Rodriguez 

An introduction to the vibrant field of women, gender, and sexuality studies, this course familiarizes students with the basic concepts in the field and draws connections to the world in which we live. An interdisciplinary field grounded in commitment to both intellectual rigor and individual and social transformation, WGSS asks fundamental questions about the conceptual and material conditions of our lives. What are "gender," "sexuality," "race," and "class?" How are gender categories, in particular, constructed differently across social groups, nations, and historical periods? What are the connections between gender and socio-political categories such as race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, (dis)ability and others? How do power structures such as sexism, racism, heterosexism, and classism and others intersect? How can an understanding of gender and power enable us to act as agents of individual and social change? Emphasizing inquiry in transnational feminisms, critical race feminisms, and sexuality studies, this course examines gender within a broad nexus of identity categories, social positions, and power structures. Areas of focus may include queer and trans studies; feminist literatures and cultures; feminist science studies; reproductive politics; gender, labor and feminist economics, environmental and climate justice; the politics of desire, and others. Readings include a range of queer, feminist and women thinkers from around the world, reflecting diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives in the field. 

WGSS 201-02: Gender and Difference: Critical Analyses 

Laura Briggs 

An introduction to the vibrant field of women, gender, and sexuality studies, this course familiarizes students with the basic concepts in the field and draws connections to the world in which we live. An interdisciplinary field grounded in commitment to both intellectual rigor and individual and social transformation, WGSS asks fundamental questions about the conceptual and material conditions of our lives. What are "gender," "sexuality," "race," and "class?" How are gender categories, in particular, constructed differently across social groups, nations, and historical periods? What are the connections between gender and socio-political categories such as race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, (dis)ability and others? How do power structures such as sexism, racism, heterosexism, and classism and others intersect? How can an understanding of gender and power enable us to act as agents of individual and social change? Emphasizing inquiry in transnational feminisms, critical race feminisms, and sexuality studies, this course examines gender within a broad nexus of identity categories, social positions, and power structures. Areas of focus may include queer and trans studies; feminist literatures and cultures; feminist science studies; reproductive politics; gender, labor and feminist economics, environmental and climate justice; the politics of desire, and others. Readings include a range of queer, feminist and women thinkers from around the world, reflecting diverse and interdisciplinary perspectives in the field. 

WGSS 205: Feminist Health Politics 

Kirsten Leng 

What is health? What makes health a matter of feminism? And what might a feminist health politics look like? These questions lay at the heart of this course. In Feminist Health Politics, we will examine how health becomes defined, and will question whether health and disease are objectively measured conditions or subjective states. We will also consider why and how definitions and standards of health have changed over time; why and how standards and adjudications of health vary according to gender, race, sexuality, class, and nationality; and how definitions of health affect the way we value certain bodies and ways of living. Additionally, we will explore how knowledge about health is created; how environmental conditions, social location, politics, and economic conditions affect health; how various groups have fought for changes to health care practices and delivery; and how experiences of health and illness have been reported and represented.