Concentration Requirements
Social Studies 10
Social Studies 98
Thematic Courses
Social Studies 99
Economics
Statistics & Quantitative Reasoning
Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Related Courses
Senior Oral Examinations
Courses that Automatically Count in Social Studies
SAMPLE FOCUS FIELDS AND PLANS OF STUDY
Below please find 12 sample focus fields and plans of study, based on work done by Social Studies students in the past few years.
Courses that are marked with a * would have to be petitioned to the Board of Instruction, as they are not social science, history, or, for theorists, continental philosophy courses.
1. Civil Society in Modern Europe
Courses:
Government 1203, “East European Politics and Societies”
Government 1170, “ Nation Building and Democracy in the Development of Europe ”
Government 1103, “Nationalism and Ethnic Politics”
Jewish Studies 111, “Modern Jewish Thought”*
History 1484, “ Europe Since World War II”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98hp, “Is Democracy Possible Everywhere”
Social Studies 98gs, “The European Union”
Senior Thesis: “On the Margins: The Revitalization of Jewish Communal Life in Contemporary Poland ”
2. Development and International Relations
Courses:
Government 1100: “Political Economy of Development”
Economics 1030: “Psychology and Economics”
Economics 1035: “Policy Applications of Psychology and Applications”
Government 1790: “International Political Economy”
Historical Study A-51, “The Modern World Economy: 1873-2000”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98ea, “Conflict and Cooperation in International Politics”
Social Studies 98gn, “Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Policy”
Senior Thesis : “Helping Across Borders: Private Donations Towards International Development”
3. Ethnicity in the United States
Courses:
History 1638, “US Social History”
Spanish 60, “Spanish in the Community”*
Sociology 60, “Race and Ethnic Relations”
Sociology 195, “Globalization and Ethnicity”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98cd, “American Social Policy”
Social Studies 98hn, “Education and Social Reproduction”
Senior Thesis: “Multiculturalism at the Padres School : A Blueprint for Encouraging Community and Parental Involvement at an Ethnically Diverse Public School”
4. Democracy and Inequality
Courses:
Historical Studies A-35, Democracy in Europe and America
Economics 1010a and 1010b, Micro and Macroeconomic Theory
Historical Studies B-04, Ancient Greek Democracy
Economics 1320, “The Latin American Economy”
Economics 1480, “American Economic Policy”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98cv, “Authoritarianism and Democracy in Latin America ”
Social Studies 98cd, “American Social Policy”
Senior Thesis: “The Distribution of Growth: A New Model for Assessing the Impact of Equality and Growth on Democracy”
5. Intellectual History
Courses:
History 1470, “European Intellectual History”
Government 1060 and 1061, “Ancient and Modern Political Philosophy”
English 177, “Art and Thought of the Cold War”*
History 1661, “Social Thought in Modern America ”
Comparative Literature 262, “Aesthetics and Freedom”*
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98gb, “Art and Society”
Social Studies 98gm, “ Liberty , Freedom, and Choice”
Senior Thesis: “At the Critical Crossroads: Lionel Trilling and the Transformation of the Public Intellectual”
6. The Political Economy of Development
Courses:
Historical Studies A-73: “The Political Development of Western Europe ”
Economics 1011a and 1011b, “Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Theory”
Government 1197, “The Political Economy of Africa ”
History 1897, “Nation, Reason, and Religion in South Asia ”
Historical Studies A-15, “Politics and Society in the Making of Modern India ”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98ax, “Development and Modernization: A Critical Perspective”
Social Studies 98fm, “Protest and Patience in Times of Economic Crisis”
Senior Thesis: Development, Empowerment, and the Political Sphere: The Depoliticization of the NGO Sector in Bangladesh ”
7. The Provision of Health Care
Courses:
Anthropology 193, “Social Suffering: An Introduction to Medical Anthropology”
General Education 186, “An Introduction to Health Care Policy”*
General Education 187, “The Quality of Health Care in America ”*
History of Science 259, “Theories of Race and/in Science” (historical course)
Sociology 162, “Medical Sociology”
Junior Tutorial:
Social Studies 98cd, “American Social Policy”
Senior Thesis : “Me or My Family: The Moral Negotiations of Lower Class Mexican American Women With Type 2 Diabetes in Southwest New Mexico ”
8. Law and American Society
Courses:
Government 1340, “The Courts and the Constitution”
Sociology 154, “Culture, Power, and Inequality”
History 1688, “US Constitutional History”
History 1643, “Civil War and Reconstruction”
Government 1510, “American Constitutional Law”
Philosophy 171w, “Political Philosophy”*
Government 1070, “Theories of Rights”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98gg, “Punishment, Politics, and Culture”
Social Studies 98cl, “Law and Society”
Senior Thesis: “Degredation and Regulation: A Critical View of the Intellectual and Legal History of Post-Civil War American Felony Disenfranchisement”
9. Modernization in East Asia
Courses :
Economics 1010a and 1010b, “Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Theory”
Foreign Cultures 48, “The Cultural Revolution” (historical course)
Government 1280, “Government and Politics of China ”
Foreign Cultures 67, “Popular Culture in Modern China ”
Junior Tutorials :
Modernity and Social Change in East Asia
Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Policy
Senior Thesis: “From the Village to the City and Back: Rural-Urban Migration and Its Effects on Primary Education”
10. Social Theory and Continental Philosophy
Courses:
Philosophy 8, “Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy”*
History 1470a, “Self and Freedom from Descartes to Kierkegaard”
History 1470b, “Subject and Structure Since Nietzsche”
Philosophy 168m, “Kant's Ethical Theory”
History 1661, “Modern American Social Thought”
Junior Tutorial:
Social Studies 98du, “Enlightenment and Its Critics”
Senior Thesis: “In Pursuit of Peirce: Habermas' Reconstruction of a Fugitive Philosopher”
11. Gender and Human Rights
Courses :
Moral Reasoning 28, “Ethics and International Relations”
Government 1197, “The Political Economy of Africa ”
History 1903, “History of Modern Africa ”
Historical Studies B-57, “The Second British Empire ”
Government 1740, “International Law”
Women, Gender, and Sexuality 1450, “The Poetics of Sexual Harm”*
Junior Tutorials :
Social Studies 98ey, “States in Africa ”
Social Studies 98dx, “Feminist Theory”
Senior Thesis: “Challenging the Committed Outsider: Transnational Feminist Networks and Women's Advocacy in Tanzania ”
12. Politics and Society in Latin America
Courses:
Government 20, “Introduction to Comparative Politics”
Government 1295, “Comparative Politics in Latin America ”
Historical Studies B-64, “The Cuban Revolution”
History 1742, “Religion and Social Change in Latin America ”
Junior Tutorials:
Social Studies 98eq, “Globalization from Underneath”
Social Studies 98cv, “Authoritarianism and Democracy in Latin America ”
Senior Thesis: “Access to Abortion for Victims of Rape in Mexico City : A Case Study of Policy Implementation”