Great Issues in Social Science

HSP 151   CRN 2315

Monday & Wednesday

1:10 – 2:30pm

Olin 230

Dr. Claudia Dahlerus

What are the great issues in social science?  What constitutes knowledge about politics and society?  These are important questions for which there are no simple one-line answers.  Indeed, society, socialization, and politics all describe complex behavior that require careful examination in order to understand the intersections among government, cultures, and human behavior.

The major themes we will analyse throughout the semester are: conflict between groups, as well as the more common struggles between a government and citizens; authority - who legitimately exercises authority in a society, and how is legitimacy conferred upon government and political leaders;  power - including the use and abuse of power by governments, and public and private forms of power that underscore relations between the sexes, and between different social groups.  And of course we will examine democracy as a system and its portrayal as an ideal form of self governance that minimizes conflict, constrains authority, and checks the use and abuse of official power while allowing ways to promote equality and liberty with minimal tension. 

The course begins with a discussion of what constitutes scientific knowledge and how it helps us understand and explain political and social phenomena.  While seemingly unrelated to the racier issues of power and conflict, this introduction frames our discussions and individual readings of the selected texts for the rest of the class, that deconstruct the very meaning of democratic governance itself.