Society Culture and Thought

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Term
Time & Day Offered
Level
Credits
Course Duration

Political Ideologies in Action: American Conservatism — SCT2107.01

Fall 2020
Instructor: John Hultgren
Credits: 4
Contemporary American conservatism has moved a long way from its historical roots in the ideologies of classical conservatism and classical liberalism. How did we get from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump? From the Federalists to the Freedom Caucus? With an election looming, and chaos unfolding, this course will explore how the aforementioned ideologies have intersected with four
CAPA Society Culture and Thought

Political Ideologies in Action: American Conservatism — POL2209.01

Fall 2024
Instructor: John Hultgren
Credits: 4
Contemporary American conservatism has evolved considerably from its historical roots in the ideologies of classical conservatism and classical liberalism. How did we get from Edmund Burke to Steve Bannon? From the Federalists to the Freedom Caucus? To gain insight into these questions, this course will explore how the aforementioned ideologies have intersected with four
Society Culture and Thought

Political Ideologies in Action: Socialism in the United States — POL4241.01

Spring 2025
Instructor: John Hultgren
Credits: 4
In his 1906 work, “Why is there no socialism in the United States?,” German sociologist Werner Sombart famously mused that American socialism had been ship-wrecked “on reefs of roast beef and apple pie.” While the relative affluence of American workers certainly impacted Leftist organizing at that time, there is a storied history of socialist thought and practice in the United
Society Culture and Thought

Political Ideologies in Action: Socialism in the United States — POL4241.01

Spring 2023
Instructor: John Hultgren
Credits: 4
In his 1906 work, "Why is there no socialism in the United States?," German sociologist Werner Sombart famously mused that American socialism had been ship-wrecked “on reefs of roast beef and apple pie.” While the relative affluence of American workers certainly impacted Leftist organizing at that time, there is a storied history of socialist thought and practice in the United
Society Culture and Thought

Political Psychology — PSY2211.01

Fall 2016
Instructor: Eileen Scully
Credits: 4
Why do people support Donald Trump? Why does part of the public think same-sex marriage is a human right, while the other sees it as destroying the family? Why do some look at Israel and see a liberal, innovative state, and others a racist one? In this class we will explore these questions using the lens of Political Psychology. In addition to discussing key theories in the
Society Culture and Thought

Politics and Governance in Africa — POL4237.01

Fall 2018
Instructor: Rotimi Suberu
Credits: 4
Among regions of the world, Africa is more or less unique for its large number of fragile and unstable states, poor governance, explosive social and demographic pressures, and recent hopeful economic and political transitions. This course surveys the big questions, enduring challenges, and leading theories of contemporary African politics and governance. Themes to be explored
Society Culture and Thought

Politics of Judgment: Who Am I to Judge? — POL2106.01

Spring 2016
Instructor: Eileen Scully
Credits: 4
The faculty of judgment might be thought of as the capacity to make decisions and choices in the absence of principles or procedures that dictate or generate "correct" answers. In this course we will ask what is required of "good judgment" in politics and of whom its practice should be required, with particular attention to democratic theory and practice. Is
Society Culture and Thought

Popular Culture and Music in Post-Colonial Africa — MET2140.01

Fall 2025
Instructor: Joseph Alpar
Days & Time: TU 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 2

In this course we will examine the role of music as a vehicle for political and social change in Africa. Our focus will be music-making throughout the continent of Africa during the nationalist struggles that resulted in independent African states and how musicians responded (and continue to respond) to the persistent challenges faced by those post-colonial states. We will

Black Studies Ethnomusicology Music History Anthropology

Popular Culture and Music in Post-Colonial Africa: From Palm Wine to Kuduro — MHI2253.02

Fall 2020
Instructor: Joseph Alpar
Credits: 2
In this course we will examine the role of music as a vehicle for political and social change in Africa. Our focus will be music-making throughout the continent of Africa during the nationalist struggles that resulted in independent African states and how musicians responded (and continue to respond) to the persistent challenges faced by those post-colonial states. We will
CAPA Music Society Culture and Thought

Popular Rule and its Discontents — POL2113.01

Spring 2017
Instructor: Eileen Scully
Credits: 4
Nearly 2,500 years ago in Greece, a new word was coined, demokratia, combining the terms demos (“the people”) and kratos (“to rule”). From the moment of its Greek inception to the present day, when nearly every nation on earth claims to be democratic, the concept of popular rule has been a site of deep contestation in Western political theory and
CAPA Society Culture and Thought

Poverty Analysis — PEC4245.01

Spring 2019
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
This seminar is an overview of the theory and practice of analyzing poverty. It introduces the complex philosophical debates that have shaped poverty analysis in economics and in political economy. The empirical aspect of this course will focus on how raw data can be converted into meaningful indices and measures so that we can have informed debates on this pressing issue and
Society Culture and Thought

Poverty and Vulnerability — PEC4382.01) (cancelled 10/25/2023

Spring 2024
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
Poverty describes the state of deprivation when people cannot meet a minimum desirable standard of living, and vulnerability can be seen as the risk of poverty in a population. In this seminar, we will explore the nature and causes of poverty and vulnerability that we witness around the world, especially after a moment of economic shock and crisis. We will also discuss what
Society Culture and Thought

Poverty and Vulnerability — PEC4382.01

Spring 2025
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
Poverty signifies a state of deprivation where individuals fail to meet a minimum standard of living, while vulnerability indicates the risk of poverty within a population. Several key questions emerge from discussions on these issues: Who are the poor and the most vulnerable? How do we measure poverty and assess vulnerability? Why does poverty persist, and why are some
Society Culture and Thought

Power — PHI2121.01

Spring 2023
Instructor: Catherine McKeen
Credits: 4
There is a central guard tower that looks out over all the cells. Within the cells, the inmates are constantly observable. Brutal force becomes unnecessary. The inmates will control their own behavior, often without even realizing it. This is the modern way of power, according to Michel Foucault: furtive, efficient, diffuse, minute, and ubiquitous. In this course, we’ll
Society Culture and Thought

Price Theory — PEC2218.01

Spring 2020
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
A central element of the “economic problem” is scarcity. In a market economy, prices play a crucial role in addressing this problem. This course examines how the system of prices work. This is an introductory course in microeconomic theory and applications. We will explore the basic ideas in the course verbally and through written expositions, and we will use graphs and
Society Culture and Thought

Price Theory — PEC2218.01

Spring 2021
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
A central element of the “economic problem” is coordination of people's economic actions. In a market economy, prices play a crucial role in addressing this problem. This course examines how the system of prices work, and when it fails. This is an introductory course in microeconomic theory and applications. We will explore the basic ideas in the course verbally and through
Society Culture and Thought

Price Theory — PEC2218.01

Spring 2025
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
A central element of the “economic problem” is coordination of people’s economic actions. In a market economy, prices play a crucial role in addressing this problem. This course examines how the system of prices works, and when it fails. This is an introductory course in microeconomic theory and applications, designed for students in their first and second years of college. We
Society Culture and Thought

Price Theory — PEC2218.01

Spring 2019
Instructor: Lopamudra Banerjee
Credits: 4
Price is the terms on which goods are bought and sold in a market. We often calculate prices in terms of the money we pay when we buy goods. But, for economists, prices are the relative value of goods. And, as Oscar Wilde pointed out in 1890: "Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." Now, how do the relative values of goods get translated into
Society Culture and Thought

Problems of Knowledge — PHI2164.01

Spring 2026
Instructor: Paul Voice
Days & Time: MO,TH 10:00am-11:50am
Credits: 2

This course is an introduction to the theory of knowledge in the analytical tradition. We will engage with topics such as skepticism about the external world, the nature of belief, truth, and justification, as well as foundationalism and coherentism,, internalism versus externalism, along with other topics.

Philosophy

Problems of Political Development — POL4255.01

Spring 2022
Instructor: Rotimi Suberu
Credits: 4
Many polities in the world today, particularly in the global South, lack durable, legitimate and effective political institutions and governmental systems. These countries are in the throes of wrenching political transitions and crises that compound weak governance institutions with economic malaise, social polarization, cultural‐territorial fragmentation and/or state
Society Culture and Thought

Problems of Political Development — POL4260.01

Spring 2025
Instructor: Rotimi Suberu
Credits: 4
Many polities in the world today, particularly in the global South, lack durable, legitimate and effective political institutions and governmental systems. These countries are in the throes of wrenching political transitions and crises that compound weak governance institutions with economic malaise, social polarization, cultural‐territorial fragmentation and/or state
CAPA Society Culture and Thought

Problems of Political Development — POL4255.01

Fall 2015
Instructor: Rotimi Suberu
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
Unlike the more stable democracies of Western Europe and North America, many countries of the developing world lack durable, legitimate and effective political institutions or governmental systems. These countries are in the throes of wrenching political transitions and crises that compound weak political institutions with economic malaise, social polarization and/or cultural
Society Culture and Thought