ANTH 1000 Communities, Power and Social Change

Communities are sites of knowledge, critical thinking, and struggles for social change. In this course, students will be introduced to critical perspectives that scholars, activists, and community members employ to address key problems faced by communities. Using multiple sources of data, students will examine case studies of specific problems (such as housing scarcity, workplace exploitation, educational inequalities, environmental pollution). Students will develop their critical thinking skills by analyzing biases, omissions, and limitations of conventional or “common sense” constructions of problems and arguments about causality, compare /contrast various theoretical perspectives, and infer and evaluate implications for policy and practices of social change. By the end of this course, students will be able to address problems of interest, and to articulate the stakes of the course material for their everyday lives, careers, politics, and public culture.

UCC Area G (Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Behavioral and Social Sciences) Course Objectives: Explore and engage in processes, techniques, and strategies that foster curiosity, promote inquiry, and yield well-reasoned conclusions and solutions concerning humans and the world they live in.

Cross Listed Course(s): CDSJ 1000

Credits: 3.0