Social Sciences

• Social Sciences (general), Sociology & Anthropology
• Open Courseware (OCW)
   
  • Business Studies and Economics
  • Open Courseware (OCW)
     
  • Law and Politics
  • Open Courseware (OCW)
     
  • Psychology
  • Open Courseware (OCW)

Social Sciences, Sociology & Anthropology - Open Courseware (OCW)

Science, Magic and Religion

science and religion as historical phenomena that have evolved over time, Examines the earlier mind-set before 1700 when into science fitted elements that came eventually to be seen as magical, how Western cosmologies became "disenchanted", Magical tradition transformed into modern mysticisms, political implications, discussion concerning science in totalitarian settings as well as "big science" during Cold War
 

Epidemics in Western Society Since 1600

international analysis of impact of epidemic diseases on western society and culture from the bubonic plague to HIV/AIDS and experience of SARS and swine flu, infectious disease and its impact on society, development of public health measures, role of medical ethics, genre of plague literature, social reactions of mass hysteria and violence, rise of the germ theory of disease, development of tropical medicine,comparison of social, cultural and historical impact of major infectious diseases, emerging and re-emerging diseases
 

The Anthropology of Computing

examines computers anthropologically as meaningful tools revealing social & cultural orders that produce them, classic texts in computer science, works analyzing links between machines & culture, early computation theory & capitalist manufacturing: cybernetics and WWII operations research, readings

Human Origins and Evolution

examines dynamic interrelations among physical and behavioral traits of humans, environment and culture to provide an integrated framework for studying human biological evolution and modern diversity, morphological evolution and adaptation, fossil and cultural evidence for human evolution from earliest times through the Pleistocene, evolution of tool use and social behavior, modern human variation and concepts of race, stone artifacts and fossil specimens

Foundations of Modern Social Theory

overview of major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 1920s, social and intellectual contexts, conceptual frameworks and methods, contributions to contemporary social analysis, Writers include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Marx, Weber, Durkheim
 

Anthropology of Religion

theoretical analysis of religion as a cultural phenomenon, functional relationships between religion, culture, society and the individual: Anthropological Viewpoints about Religion, Diversity and Unity in the World's Religions, The Psychology of Religion, Religious Myths and Symbols, Religion as Expressive Culture, Language, Belief, and Religion, Religious Ritual, Religious Social Organization, Religion and Society, Religious Adaptation and Change, quizzes

City Visions: Past and Future

understandings of the city generated from both social science literature and urban design, literature on the history and theory of the city, theory and practice of design visions for the city, conditions under which a variety of design visions were conceived, future prospects of cities, design visions that might reflect these new dynamics: readings
 

Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Examination of the anthropological approach to the study of human behavior, Exploration of human dependence on learned socially transmitted behavior through