Sociology

Food is fundamental to survival and a powerful lens with which to view social realities. Social groups are reproduced by activities such as eating together whilst food practices are constrained by inequitable access to material resources and subject to intense moral scrutiny. This course provides a broad introduction to the study of food and eating in the social sciences, particularly sociology and anthropology, and why they are now high on many countries’ policy agendas. Taking an historical and international approach, students explore innovative social scientific contributions to the study of global challenges including dietary health, food poverty, and sustainability.

This literature and society elective course examines the relationship between literature and society, including questions of class, race, ethnicity, religion, history and politics. Also included is an analysis of the novel and the theory of art. Particular attention is given to Latin America, especially Mexico, within a general historic sequence. Topics may vary by semester and course instructor.

This course provides a study of the process of formation and development of social thought in Latin America, from the establishment of nation states to the present day. It analyzes prevailing conceptual frameworks that examine the problems of greatest cultural, economic, political and social significance of Latin America. It looks at the process of evolution in its historical context, analyzing the most representative examples of each stage of its development and discussing their degree of reliability or uncertainty for the diagnosis of political, social, and economic problems of Latin America.

This course demonstrates how social psychology can illuminate our understanding of social relationships and processes. It introduces the history, theories, and methods of social psychology and encourages a critical view of social psychological research. The course reviews classic and recent social psychology studies on social influence, interpersonal attraction, social cognition, aggression, and prejudice. Prerequisites for this course include Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Research.