A study of how the past shapes the issues confronting individuals and societies today. Explores ideas and institutions of past and present Western societies in the context of cultural traditions and values, political systems, economic conditions, and social structures. Students learn to explore the interactions between past, present, and future as they examine major themes such as justice and freedom, faith and reason, war and nationalism. A study of the relationship between where people live and the way they live. Topics, drawn from historical, economic, cultural, medical, and political geography, include the geography of economic development, world population patterns, changing natural environments, and the geography of politics.
Students learn to use maps as tools for comprehending the world.
A study of the influence identity, power, and change have on everyday life in contemporary America, with emphasis on social hierarchies based on race, class and gender. Students observe their social environment through the use of tools, concepts, and perspectives of sociology. Focuses on how social inequalities affect people, how individuals cope with social inequality, and how they attempt to improve their place in society. A study of human beings within cultures and the tools for studying cultures other than our own, both Western and non-Western. Provides students with a perspective from which to understand both their own and other cultures and a basis for examining crucial human concerns.