This course, required of all ISF majors but open to all students, provides an introduction to the works of foundational social theorists of the nineteenth century, including Karl Marx and Max Weber. Writing in what might be called the “pre disciplinary” period of the modern social sciences, their works cross the boundaries of anthropology, economics, history, political science, sociology, and are today claimed by these and other disciplines as essential texts. We will read intensively and critically from their respective works, situating their intellectual contributions in the history of social transformations wrought by industrialization and urbanization, political revolution, and the development of modern consumer society.

This course, required of all ISF Majors but open to all students, provides an introduction to some of the key theoretical foundations of much contemporary inquiry in the social sciences and humanities. Through an examination of the classical work of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim, we will explore the central issues in contemporary debates concerning the nature of the socio-economic order, the modalities of power, and the process of cultural production.In addition, we will explore some reflections, elaborations, and criticisms of the classical work by more contemporary social thinkers such as Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, and Pierre Bourdieu. The goal of this course is to provide the student with useful theoretical frameworks for conceptualizing and better understanding the social, economic, political and cultural phenomena that affect our life.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills