ENROLL

Meredith L McCoy

Introduction to some of the animating debates within American Studies from the 1930s to the present. We will study select themes, theories, and methodologies in the writings of a number of scholars and try to understand 1) the often highly contested nature of debates about how best to study American culture; and 2) how various theories and forms of analysis in American Studies have evolved and transformed themselves over the last seventy years. Not designed to be a fine-grained institutional history of American Studies, but a vigorous exploration of some of the central questions of interpretation in the field. Normally taken by majors in their junior year.

Prerequisite: American Studies 115, 287 or instructor permission

Laurence D Cooper, Alan Rubenstein

Laurence D Cooper, Alan Rubenstein

Anna Moltchanova

Laurence D Cooper

Julie J Neiworth

Recent findings have brought to light some very compelling examples of humanlike cognition in nonhuman primates: tool use and tool making, family bonding, complex social behaviors such as cooperation, altruism, communication, and emotion. The study of infant cognition has also revealed more complex cognitive abilities in developing humans. Each of these topics is considered in the context of the cognitive workings of the primate mind, with emphasis on apes (gorilla, chimpanzee), monkeys (particularly cebus and rhesus varieties) and human children. The goal is to evaluate the uniqueness of primate cognition, both human and nonhuman.

Prerequisite: Psychology 110 or Biology 126 or Psychology 216 or instructor permission

Wes D Markofski

Sociology is an intellectual discipline, spanning the gap between the sciences and humanities while often (though not always) involving itself in public policy debates, social reform, and political activism. Sociologists study a startling variety of topics using qualitative and quantitative methods. Still, amidst all this diversity, sociology is centered on a set of core historical theorists (Marx/Weber/Durkheim) and research topics (race/class/gender inequality). We will explore these theoretical and empirical foundations by reading and discussing influential texts and select topics in the study of social inequality while relating them to our own experiences and understanding of the social world. 

Sophomore Priority.

Waitlist for Juniors and Seniors: SOAN 111.WL0 (Synonym 62335)

Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg

Prerequisite: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above