Social and Behavioral Sciences Concentration

This course examines anthropological and sociological perspectives of race and ethnicity. Drawing on studies from many different parts of the world, the course explores the nature of ethnic identity, the cultural construction and social meaning of race, the dynamics of race relations and ethnic stratification, and current theories of ethnic conflict and minority rights. The aim of this course is to develop the theoretical tools for comparing the politics of identity and cultural and racial difference cross-culturally and to be able to think critically about our own common sense understandings of race and ethnic relations. Same as: INTS 385.

This course is an introduction to the sub-discipline of sociocultural anthropology, which is the study of contemporary human cultures and societies. The course introduces the basic terminology and theoretical perspectives anthropologists use to understand the ways that humans organize themselves and the cultural logic through which they think about the world and their social relations. Course material covers a wide variety of cultural contexts, both familiar and unfamiliar, to help students understand the cultural logic of the beliefs and social practices of others and critically examine the cultural logics and assumptions of their own culture.

This course is about the way that Latin American immigration to the US, and often their return back to Latin America, affects the communities, families, racial identities, and even sex lives of both immigrants and the people they leave behind. The course will draw on readings primarily from Anthropologists and Sociologists who see immigration, not as a linear process of arrival and eventual integration, but as a transnational process of the movement of people, money, culture, and politics back and forth across borders in complex ways that affect both the US and Latin America. Thus, while the course will cover the overall historical trends of Latino immigration to the US, changing demographics, the effects of US immigration laws on immigrants and their families, and the overall economic and political trends in Latin America that explain why people migrate, the real focus of the course is on the effects of these overall trends on communities and families in both the US and Latin America as illustrated through ethnographically rich case studies based on participant observation with migrants, return migrants, and members of the sending communities.

Central America is often known as a region of rich cultural heritage but also carries a legacy of vast inequalities and forms of violent repression and rebellion. The purpose of this course is to understand the cultural, political, and economic factors that have led to this particular situation. We begin by looking at the process of conquest and colonization in shaping new societies and social structures, then explore the socio-economic processes that set the stage for many of the conflicts and problems that Central America faces today, and finally, we explore the current situation in Central America as it relates to changing ideas about gender and the role of women, racism and race mixing, immigration and exile, and forms of violence caused by more than 30 years of civil war and economic upheaval. Same as: INTS 325.

This course uses ethnographic case studies to understand how sex, gender, and sexuality are socially constructed in different societies around the world and how these social constructions generate different identities, social categories, and relations of power. The course uses analytical tools of Anthropology to understand the cultural logic behind practices and beliefs that are informed by culturally specific sex/gender/sexuality systems; how those cultural logics and practices are related to relations of power between individuals; how they become embedded in institutions of the state that affect the way rights are distributed and often violated; and what happens when they come into contact through various types of transnational movements of people and ideas. The course will also expose students to debates about how we use these understandings of the cultural logics of gendered practices and ideologies in order to address specific examples of gender/sexuality discrimination, gender violence, and international human rights discourse and policies.

The goal of this class is to understand the particular forms of violence that exist in Latin America, the causes of these forms of violence, and how they are connected to particular local and national histories, cultural ideologies, and social structures. It is also the goal of this class to understand the meaning of violence: that is, how do people in Latin America make sense of the violence around them? How do they justify and/or condemn it? How is violence sometimes used as a way to make meaning, to protest inequality and impunity, and to assert subjectivity? The course will be based primarily on ethnographic case studies of different forms of violence (structural, institutional, state-sponsored, intra-familial, vigilante, armed resistance, etc.) that look at its socio-economic-political context but also its cultural meaning to the perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. The rationale of the course is that it is by understanding the meaning of violence, the context within which it is carried out, and its cultural logic, that we are best equipped to begin to address it. Same as: ANTH 404.

This course provides a survey of economics principles within both microeconomics and macroeconomics. It introduces students to the basic economic concepts that are fundamental to understanding economic observations in daily life, such as supply, demand, price, market equilibrium, national income, unemployment, inflation, economic growth, international trade, and so on. Through discussions of contemporary economic issues and policies, students will learn how households and firms make decisions under certain economic systems, how individual markets and the national and international economy operate, and how government policies affect economic outcomes. Same as: INTS 100.

This course provides a survey of China’s economic development under the centrally planned socialist system since 1949, and the on-going economic reform since 1978. China’s role in regional economic growth and its economic relationship with the world economy will also be addressed.

This course introduces students to one of the major issues of the world economy: the process of economic development. It provides an understanding of the causes and consequences of underdevelopment and poverty in the context of developing economies and attempts to explore possible means to overcome obstacles to development. Topics covered include: economic growth, sources of growth (capital formation, population and human capital, technology), economic structural change, income distribution, institutional factors, development strategies, government policies, international trade, foreign aid, foreign investment, and debt crisis. Same as: INTS 361.

This course provides an introduction to international economic concepts and contemporary issues related to international trade and international finances. It illustrates the philosophical foundations and historical context of various theories of trade and finance and their applications to trade policies and trade relations. Other areas examined include: balance of payment, determination of exchange rate, foreign investment, multinational enterprises, financial market internationalization, international economic policies, and international economic organizations. Emphasis is on the critical evaluation of and debates on current trade policies and other international economic issues, such as North-South trade relations, free trade vs. protectionism, and international resources movement.

This upper division course combines theory and policy application in studying environmental issues from an economist’s perspective. Major topics include theoretical and applied modeling of economy-environment relations, causes and consequences of market failure affecting environmental services, design and evaluation of environmental policy instruments, and the political economy of environmental policy. Students will learn to identify the economic components of an environmental issue, analyze the effects of human economic activity on the environment, and to present and discuss the pros and cons of various environmental policies.

What is democracy? Who benefits from it? Is democracy better suited to some peoples than to others? What causes democracy – does it come from within a country or is it caused by international factors? (Why) is democracy desirable? This course addresses these and other questions in a comparative context, looking at established democracies, emerging democracies, and recalcitrant authoritarian regimes from around the world. Students are expected to leave the course with a critical, nuanced view of democracy, an appreciation of various electoral systems, and in-depth knowledge of both a democratic and nondemocratic country of their choice. Same as: INTS 305.

This course offers students the opportunity to study the work and processes of the United Nations system. The goal of this course is to build on previous knowledge in pursuing a more advanced understanding of what, how and why the United Nations system does what it does. Special focus is given to the work of the United Nations in the areas of: International Peace and Security, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and Development. Same as: POLISCI 350.

The study of American trade politics occupies a special place in the history of political science and policy studies. It has contributed to new insights into the role of economic groups in American politics, the creative and often independent role of state and public officials in the national policy process and the impact of international structures and processes on domestic politics and policymaking. This course examines the formation of American trade policy since World War II, when the United States assumed the mantle of global leadership and embarked on a world historic project designed to create an open international trading system. Organized around an exploration of state-society relationships at the intersection of international and domestic economies, the course seeks to answer an interrelated set of questions: who defines America’s national trade interest; under what conditions do they define it; and where does their power come from?

What is the state?  How is it organized?  How do different countries select leaders, where is power located, who rules, and who is excluded?  Under what conditions do people obey the state, resist it, or transform it?  Which societal configurations challenge state control?  How do states gain the legitimacy to rule?

INTS/POLI 365, State - Society Relations in Comparative Context, provides students with a conceptual understanding of the composition of states in diverse societal contexts.  The course begins with a discussion of regimes, leading to the first assignment, in which students assess the regime of a country of their choice.  The second part of the course is concerned with defining the state and understanding its institutions.  This will motivate the second assignment, in which students will design what they feel to be an ideal institutional configuration for their country.  The third part of the course pushes back, looking at societies and how they undermine your designs.  Your third paper will consider resistance from various societal forces.  You will then assemble and revise your three papers to form a broader paper on state / society relations.

Students will develop a heightened understanding of democratic and non-democratic regimes, how electoral systems turn votes into seats, the tradeoffs in different systems, and how these systems interact with a myriad of societal forces that may resist the state (sometimes for good reason).

Same as: POLISCI 365.

This course is an introduction to the primary research methods used by social scientists. Fundamental orientations and approaches that underlie social science research will be introduced. Students will learn various qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, data analysis, and results reporting. Emphasis in this course is on students putting these methods into practice by developing real-world research questions and engaging in hands-on research activities.

How does equitable growth occur, especially in a region where sustained growth and equality have long been elusive goals? In the last two decades, millions of Latin Americans have risen out of dire poverty, much of the region has democratized, and Latin American commodities have expanded into vast new markets, such as China. Nonetheless, poverty and inequality in the region (and its violent effects) remain pervasive and nearly intractable problems. Besides poverty and inequality, other course themes include liberalism, neoliberalism, structuralism, institutions and norms, civil society, foreign investment, globalization, and regional integration. The imposition of policies and “structural adjustment” by outsiders will be considered, as is the capacity of this region to generate new political and economic paradigms or policies, such as dependency theory and conditional cash transfers. Since “development” is a particular kind of utopia, cultural studies and anthropology are not excluded, but most material comes from economics and political science.

This seminar is designed to explore the dynamics and interplay of race, socioeconomic status and political and economic interest groups in impacting the differential access, use and outcomes of some groups and countries regarding natural resources and the natural environment. Specifically, the course will focus on how racial/ethnic, economic, cultural and country background impact individual and group access to a healthy and productive natural environment and supporting resources. We will explore alternatives for increasing environmental justice and issues related to access and to increasing the quality of life for disadvantaged groups. Global environmental issues that highlight the questions of justice and injustice also will be examined. An important broad goal of the course will be to integrate social concern for the natural environment with increasing consciousness of race/ethnic, class, gender and country disparities in issues of environmental equity and justice.

This course is intended to provide a basic knowledge of regression analysis relevant for carrying out empirical work in the social sciences. Regression analysis is the application of statistical methods to testing social science theories/hypotheses using data. The Classical Linear Regression Model is the main focus of the course. Students will gain experience in collecting data from various sources, analyzing data through regression and statistical analysis, interpreting results and writing research papers.

This course is an overview of the fundamentals of experimental research methods. This course provides the tools for students to understand a variety of experimental research designs and the accompanying descriptive and inferential statistics used to evaluate the data obtained from those designs (which include chi-square, t-tests, analysis of variance, etc.). Students will gain experience in designing and conducting experiments, analyzing data, interpreting results, and writing research reports.

This course is an introduction to the primary Qualitative Research Methods as they are used in the Social Sciences such as content analysis, interviewing, participant observation, and case studies. The course will introduce students to the main epistemologies and worldviews of qualitative methods, explore what kinds of questions about social behavior qualitative methods are used to answer, discuss ethical issues related to qualitative research and writing, and engage in the application of various qualitative methods to a research question designed by students. Students will also learn how to construct a literature review and write a research report using qualitative research design.

This course introduces students to traditional and contemporary principles, theories, models and research on leadership across cultures and sub-cultures within various societies. It will examine leadership from an interdisciplinary perspective, thereby drawing upon theories and research in psychology, political science, anthropology and women studies. The course will also examine leadership in practice through the exploration of a variety of leaders, leadership styles and challenges for diverse gender and racial/ethnic groups in various societies. Students will also learn about and have a basis for reflecting on and assessing their leadership skills, styles and what it means to be a leader in an increasing diverse and global world.

This is a 1 unit P/NP course where students will select and work with a faculty mentor to complete a proposal for the capstone research project.

All SUA students participate in a capstone research project over the last block and semester of their senior year. This research project is intended to be a culminating experience, drawing upon the skills and expertise that they have developed during their career at SUA. Each student works with a faculty mentor to propose, develop, and carry out a research project. Students meet regularly with their capstone mentor for support and feedback.

Continues Capstone I. All SUA students will participate in a capstone research project over the last block and semester of their senior year. This research project will be a culminating experience, drawing upon the skills and expertise that they have developed during their career at SUA. Each student will work with a faculty mentor to propose, develop and carry out a research project. Students will meet regularly with their capstone mentor for support and feedback.