Social Institutions and Behavior
Studying the foundations of con-temporary American society reveals the elements of complex social systems, the way individuals function in varied social settings, and the root causes of social behavior. In comprehending the mechanisms and rules that give shape to complex societies, we gain strength to influence institutional processes. Through reflection on principles that explain human behavior, we create understanding of our interpersonal experiences.
Courses in this curricular area are of several kinds: those that use one of the traditional social science disciplines to provide an overview of the interaction of individuals and the institutions that shape our economic, political, and social experience; those that focus on a single institution and the complex ways in which it affects our lives; and those that use a societal dilemma as the entry point for discovering the ways in which the quality of individual life is protected or challenged in various settings.
The many and distinct disciplines that contribute to this area are united by a self-conscious dedication to the modes of inquiry of contemporary social science, as applied to the American experience. As strongly as it emphasizes the substance of knowledge, this curricular area emphasizes how we create knowledge and arrive at understanding.
Learning Objectives
- study the institutions, systems, and patterns of governance and of economic and social organization that underlie contemporary societies
- place policy options and their consequences in their appropriate social and political context, drawing on classic and contemporary theories of human organization
- develop your capacity to critically reflect on the organization of societies and the relationship between the individual and the society, using the distinctive methods of inquiry appropriate to the study of social institutions
