 Examines the nature of culture and the diverse ways in which societies make meaning and are organized across time and space. Topics include cultural and religious values and beliefs, modern historical influences on cultural variation, and the impact of gender, ethnicity, and inequality on the cultural experience.

 assist students in making systematic and deliberate connections between the ways various disciplinary perspectives address the same topic.  provide a framework for faculty in different departments to collaborate on research projects and share innovative teaching strategies.  encourage students to explore areas of specific interest at a deeper level.

 This course applies the sociological perspective to the experience of individuals within differing social contexts, ranging from interpersonal interactions and small groups to larger organizations and the broader society. Relationships between individuals and their societies are examined with respect to a variety of issues, including socialization processes and cultural diversity; the nature of gender, racial, and other social identities; and institutional settings ranging from the family to the economy and government. Required for majors and minors.

 An introduction to ethical reasoning and an examination of moral problems in contemporary social issues.

 This course will focus on the biological and cognitive foundations of individual behavior, as well as the individual in the social context. Research on psychological phenomena will be reviewed to demonstrate the logic of the scientific method, to foster critical thinking, to identify potential shortcomings in interpretations of behavior (e.g., claims presented in the popular media), and to describe linkages to everyday experiences (e.g., aesthetic and perceptual judgments, improved studying, friendship and attraction, and development of political attitudes). Students will have the opportunity to learn how to use empirical data to draw sound conclusions about behavior. Finally, connections to other thematic areas of scholarly inquiry within other disciplines will be presented.

 This course will examine family as an institution through cross-cultural, social, and historical contexts. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an introduction to theoretical perspectives used in the study of families, knowledge of the history of family life, and learning experiences that provide opportunities to think critically, communicate intelligently, and make informed opinions about contemporary family issues. Connections to other courses within the individual and society theme will focus on individual and group decision making within the context of the family.

 An anthropological study of gender, social class, ethnicity, race and sexuality as cultural categories with a variety of meanings. Systems of inequality and the ways in which these categories are used to limit access to economic wealth, power, and prestige are analyzed in a global context.

 This course introduces students to a variety of topics and methods of investigation in the study of women’s and gender issues. Featuring a variety of lectures from multiple disciplines, this course stresses the importance of taking women and gender seriously for understanding a variety of topics. Students will also interpret and analyze the lectures through regular meetings with an instructor, who also designs assignments and readings around each lecture topic