Social Science Foundations

Catalog description

Knowledge and understanding of the social sciences place students in position to understand themselves as citizens within an integrated global society. The purpose of this course is to provide students with information about the principal social science disciplines and the relationships among them. Among the integrated social science disciplines are political science, economics, geography, sociology, and anthropology/archeology. Preparation in the skills of social science inquiry prepares the student to engage in rational decision-making as both an individual and as a citizen. In this course, we will examine each of these subjects, what they mean, and how they are relevant to our lives today In order to understand social structure and the relationship of the individual to society, students will be introduced to the concepts of culture, society, personality, socialization and stratification, as well as the principal subsystems of every society: economy, polity, social organization and ideology. A command of this material is necessary for our examination of the human condition. During the second half of the first semester, we will begin to consider theories of social change.