*Social Studies 10b. Introduction to Social Studies
Catalog Number: 5097
Richard Tuck, Michael Frazer and Staff
Half course (spring term). Tu., 2-4, and a weekly tutorial to be arranged.
This class continues the introduction to the classic texts of social theory begun in Social Studies 10a through the twentieth century. Authors include Friedrich Nietzsche, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Sigmund Freud, and Michel Foucault.
Note: This course is limited to Social Studies concentrators who have taken Social Studies 10a.
Social Studies 40. Philosophy and Methods of Social Science - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0476
Eric Beerbohm and Andrew Lakoff
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course integrates research methods with an investigation of the philosophical foundations of the social sciences. Topics covered include causal explanation, interpretation, rational choice and irrationality, relativism, collective action, and social choice.
Social Studies 50. Genocide - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3653
Jens Meierhenrich
Half course (fall term). Th., 2–4.
This lecture course examines the theory and history of genocide. It compares and contrasts the dynamics of genocide from Sparta to Darfur, with particular reference to the Ottoman Empire, Germany, Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sudan. The course sheds light on the origins of "final solutions" and their disastrous effects as well as the problem of prevention. Insights are drawn from a variety of disciplines, including law, political science, sociology, psychology, and history.
Note: This course, when taken for a letter grade, meets the General Education requirement for Societies of the World.
Social Studies 51. The Human Sciences in the Modern West - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0157
Andrew Jewett
Half course (fall term). Tu., Th., at 10. EXAM GROUP: 12
This course offers an historical overview of the human sciences, a group of disciplines that includes not only sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, and economics, but also "borderland" fields such as psychiatry, law, history, linguistics, and philosophy. Ranging from the early modern period to the postmodern era, the course examines pivotal changes in how Westerners have used scientific methods to represent and analyze "the human," while situating these changes in their cultural and political contexts.
Social Studies 52. Human Rights: Law, Politics, and Society - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6563
Stephen P. Marks (Public Health)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This thematic course provides a systematic introduction to the theory and practice of human rights, beginning with the historical and theoretical context and then examining conflicts in culture, the international institutional system and political economy, enforcement of human rights, and human rights’ responses to large-scale oppression and political violence.
Social Studies 53. Modern War: The War in Iraq: A Case Study - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9268
Stanley Hoffmann and J. Bryan Hehir (Kennedy School)
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
The course will look at the causes, conduct and effects of the war in Iraq and will put it in geographical and historical perspective.
*Social Studies 91r. Supervised Reading and Research
Catalog Number: 9855
Anya Bernstein and members of the Committee
Half course (fall term; repeated spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Individual work in Social Studies on a topic not covered by regular courses of instruction. Permission of the Director of Studies required.
*Social Studies 99. Tutorial — Senior Year
Catalog Number: 7501
Anya Bernstein
Full course. Hours to be arranged.
Writing of senior honors essay.
Note: Required for concentrators.
*Social Studies 98ei. The Problem of Race in Society and History
Catalog Number: 9551 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Kimberly McClain DaCosta
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
"Race is not always the only or most important factor, but race is always a factor" (Richard Dyer). The course examines this claim through a study of race in society and culture in the US. We will focus on the dominant black-white paradigm of racialization. The positioning of other racialized groups within this paradigm will also be explored. The relationships between race, class and gender in the US and the connections within diasporic whiteness and blackness will be studied. The course will be interdisciplinary in its approach to the study of race to enable us to understand the process of racialization in its manifold and complicated dimensions.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98eo. Culture and Society
Catalog Number: 2114 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Kiku Adatto
Half course (fall term). M., 2–4.
The course explores various approaches to the study of culture, drawing on studies in anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology, literature and photography. Among the questions addressed are: How is historical memory constructed, and what are the competing forces that shape it? How do advertisements, photography, and film document cultural change? How is culture tied to power, domination, and resistance?
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98fu. Practicing Democracy: Leadership, Community, Power
Catalog Number: 7432 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Marshall L. Ganz
Half course (fall term). Tu., 7–9 p.m.
Making democracy work requires an “organized” citizenry with power to assert its interests effectively. Yet US political participation declines, growing more unequal, as new democracies struggle to make citizen participation possible. Students learn to address public problems by organizing: developing leadership, building community and mobilizing power. Our pedagogy links sociological, political science, and social psychology theory with democratic practice.
Note: Ten hours per week of field work required. This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98gh. Economic Development in Africa
Catalog Number: 4564 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Matthias Schündeln
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
In this course we study topics related to the process of economic development in Africa, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa. We start with a broad economic history and discuss stylized facts about economic development in Africa. Using specific case studies, we then analyze selected current economic structures, institutions and policy challenges. Topics include poverty and inequality, health, migration, financial markets, agricultural and industrial sector development, and development policy.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98hp. Is Democracy Possible Everywhere?
Catalog Number: 2183 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Daniel F. Ziblatt
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Debates today rage about whether democracy is really possible in places like China or the Middle East. This tutorial asks whether there are, in fact, any preconditions for or impediments to the establishment and consolidation of democracy. Among the factors we will consider: mass culture, elite norms, religion, economic development, ethnic pluralism, and associational life.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98if. Nationalism & Religion
Catalog Number: 9698 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Nikolas Prevelakis
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the relationship between nationalism and capitalism, nationalism and religion, nationalism and literature, as well as issues of national and ethnic conflict. Specific emphasis is given to the difference between types of nationalism, as well as to the importance of national intellectuals. Theoretical literature is tested against empirical evidence from the history of Europe, the US, Japan, the Balkans, and Latin America.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98in. Markets
Catalog Number: 7657 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Robert Fannion
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The market is the social institution that defines the modern world. We live, work, learn, and play embedded in market relationships, but we have only a weak grasp of how they operate and the ways in which they affect our lives. Course will be theoretical work in sociology, political science, economics, and anthropology. What other institutions must exist for markets to function? How do markets create and distribute political power? How do markets shape our identity and values?
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98iz (Critics of Enlightenment). Critics of Modernity: Marx, Freud, and the Frankfurt School
Catalog Number: 3515 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Bo-Mi T. Choi
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This tutorial traces the vicissitudes of Marx and Freud in the works of the Frankfurt School. Its aim is to deepen students’ knowledge of the historical continuities and discontinuities of concepts and debates on psyche, labor, and art from the perspective of critical theory. Particular emphasis is placed on critiques of modernity and mass culture and society by Horkheimer, Adorno, and Benjamin.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98ja. Children, Families, and the State
Catalog Number: 6104 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Anya Bernstein
Half course (fall term). W., 1:30–3:30.
This course explores the special status of children and families in American society and politics. We consider social protections for children and families and examine the role of the state in marriage, parenting, and the education of children and adolescents. Topics include child abuse and neglect, divorce and single parenthood, social class and parenting styles, and the relationship between families and schools.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98jn. International Human Rights: The Challenge of Protecting Vulnerable Populations
Catalog Number: 9219 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Jacqueline Bhabha
Half course (fall term). Tu., 11–1.
Since World War II, human rights have moved from the margins of international law and politics to the center. This tutorial will introduce students to some of the main human rights instruments and institutions, both international and regional. It will use this legal framework to ask and explore what rights are protected, which vulnerable populations have special claims to protection, and what legal and practical instruments are available to them. It will explore the strengths and weaknesses of different intervention strategies.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98jw. Citizenship Rights: Theory and Practice
Catalog Number: 5378 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Theodore Macdonald
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
The Cold War’s demise brought to the fore new rights claims by groups—e.g. participation, recognition, and equity. Focusing on major theories and debates on multiculturalism, recognition, redistribution, liberalism, group rights, and self-determination, the tutorial explores the illusive and controversial "what" and the "why" of the claims. Then, asking the "how," demands are explored as international human rights, contextualized in case studies that locate claims within local politics, contested histories, and globalization.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kb. Gender in Developing Nations - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 2276 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Jocelyn Viterna
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
This course examines gender relations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America from a sociological perspective. For each region, we first document how gender structures daily life for men and women, and we then use gender theory to explore the economic, political, and cultural explanations for these patterned differences. We will pay particular attention to questions of violence, politics, and development.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kc. The Contemporary American City - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 9413 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Daniel Hopkins
Half course (fall term). Hours to be arranged.
Explores the political, economic, and socal challenges facing US cities since roughly 1965. Major topics include deindustrialization and economic transformation, relations between racial and ethnic groups, suburbanization, the changing design and role of cities, and the impact of globalization on US cities. Special attention to the changing distribution of political and economic power in US metropolitan areas.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98cv. Authoritarianism and Democracy in Latin America
Catalog Number: 5595 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Steven R. Levitsky
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines regimes and regime change in Latin America, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela. Compares modernization, Marxist, cultural, choice-centered, and institutionalist approaches to explaining the military coups of the 1960s/1970s and democratic transitions of the 1980s/1990s.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98eb. The Politics of International Trade
Catalog Number: 5254 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Michael J. Hiscox
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines political conflict over international trade. Major issues covered include the relationship between trade and national security, and the effects of trade on different classes and groups within nations. The seminar addresses debates about strategic trade policy and competition between industrial states, the particular difficulties faced by developing economies, regional trade agreements, the role of the WTO, and the use of economic sanctions.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98fx. The New Politics of Europe
Catalog Number: 5447 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Daniel F. Ziblatt
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
In the post-Cold War era, Europe’s map is being redrawn. The rise to power of new political parties (Green and far-right parties), the onset of fiscal crises, and the deepening and widening of the European Union all have transformed what is meant by the term "Europe." We explore these transformations by focusing on three areas in particular: (1) national party systems change, (2) shifting national models of political economy, and (3) European Union integration and expansion.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98gf. Modernity and Social Change in East Asia
Catalog Number: 5553 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Nicole D. Newendorp
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines the interconnections between modernity and social change in contemporary China, Japan, and Korea. Explores how modernity is conceptualized by both state and society actors and how these visions fuel change at local and national levels. Particular attention will be paid to issues of social protest, migration, consumption, gender, ethnicity, and family life in both rural and urban locations. Readings focus on ethnographic case studies and the effects of modernity on everyday life experience.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98hc. Crimes Against Humanity
Catalog Number: 0061 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Jens Meierhenrich
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
This course provides an introduction to international human rights law. Combining positive and normative perspectives, the course introduces students to the evolution of crimes against humanity, ranging from apartheid to enslavement, and from extermination to rape. The judicial application of these odious crimes, including their adjudication in both municipal and international courts, from the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg to the Special Court for Sierra Leone, is also discussed.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98im. Constructing the American Economy
Catalog Number: 3829 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Robert Fannion
Half course (spring term). W., 2–4.
How did the American economy become the largest and most diverse in the world? Is it true that the US relies more on unregulated markets than other countries? This course will use institutional, Marxist, and rationalist theories to explore how the American economy developed from industrialization to the present. As we examine how political choices shaped the American economy, the course will consider the relationship between capitalism and democracy and how it has been re-negotiated over time.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98jd. Modernity: A Course on Contemporary Social Theory
Catalog Number: 2940 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Paulo S. Daflon Barrozo
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Examines contemporary theories of the modern society. Starts with a series of philosophical questions about the self, evolution, history, the idea of modernity, and culture before focusing on some of the most rigorous, influential, and fertile works in contemporary social theory.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98jl. Global Social Movements
Catalog Number: 8965 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Jocelyn Viterna
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Social movements are often considered a driving force behind political, social, and cultural change. This course explores the major theoretical and empirical approaches used in the social sciences to understand the emergence, endurance, and outcomes of social movement activism. Questions of political and social change, state formation and transformation, violence, peace, gender, race/ethnicity, class, identity, and research methods will be examined through an analysis of case studies from the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as transnational movements.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98ka. Economic Aspects of Globalization - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 3664 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Matthias Schündeln
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Covers economic aspects of the internationalization of flows of goods, labor, and investments. The focus will be on empirical analyses of the causes, the extent, and the consequences of these flows. The goal is to introduce students to some of the important economic questions related to globalization and to provide them with tools and methods that will enable them to start doing their own research in this field of study.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kf. Consumerism in Comparitive Perspective - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0828 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Kimberly McClain DaCosta
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Contemporary societies are often characterized as places where the process of accumulating and consuming material good plays an outsized role in shaping individuals and cultures. This course looks at consumerism in comparative perspective, particularly its role in shaping racial, class and international boundaries. It also explores the ethical, environmental and social justice implications of consumerism. Readings include case studies on the US, China, India, and Africa.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kg. The Politics of Health and Welfare in the Developing World - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0037 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Nara Dillon
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Althought health and welfare are often considered secondary to economic growth in the political economy of development, they lie at the heart of the issue of inequality—whether it is inequality in incomes or life spans. After a survey of different theoretical approaches to the politics of health and welfare, students will read a variety of empirical research drawn from Asian, Latin American, and African cases.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kh. Theories of Social Cohesion and Solidarity - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 0701 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
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Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
What makes people willing to benefit others, even at a personal cost? In this course we explore the concept of solidarity and its significance for both social cohesion and justice. We will trace the concept in philosophy from the time of the French Revolution, through social theory from Tonnies and Durkheim to Charles Taylor. We will end with a look at solidarity in contemporary contexts such as the welfare state, European integration, and global justice.
Note: This course will be lotteried.
*Social Studies 98kj. Religion and Politics in Modern America - (New Course)
Catalog Number: 6394 Enrollment: Limited to 10.
Katherine Healan Gaston
Half course (spring term). Hours to be arranged.
Introduces key themes and problems in the study of religion and politics in modern America. Includes sections on political affiliation and electoral behavior, Supreme Court decisions, grassroots movements of the left and right, policy formation, foreign policy, political theory, the culture wars, and global politics. Devotes special attention to debates about the implications of America’s religious diversity, the role of religion in a democracy, church-state relations, and the secularization or de-Christianization of American public life.
Note: This course will be lotteried.