Course Descriptions

HS 416A — Foundations of Social Theory: From the Early Twentieth Century to Critical Race Theory

Explores the theoretical, philosophical and epistemological foundations of social policy formation by examining major paradigms and conceptual frameworks that underpin contemporary social science and social theory. Our goal is to examine various theoretical perspectives on social change and question their assumptions. We will divide the course in to major, topical sections exploring the following fields and sub-fields of social theory: race and inequality; gender and sexuality; disability studies; intersectionality; and critical race theory. Our goal is to examine those interdisciplinary domains and how that impacts the construction and formalization of theories and methods germane to various concentrations in contemporary academic and scholarly social, public, and health policy. Usually offered every year.
Raj Sampath