SOC (0170) 390 - The Reshaping of Social Relations in the Modern World

Credits: 3.00

Students will engage a sociological perspective examining the historical emergence of capitalism, white supremacy, and Eurocentrism. We explore how social relations were shaped into hierarchies with global and local significance. Interacting with students at a university outside of the U.S., we will reflect on contemporary examples and future possibilities.

Course Learning Goals: In completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the origin and development of coloniality and the modern world system;

• Explain how social relations were reshaped by the emergence of Eurocentrism, nation-states, and social hierarchies such as race, class, and gender;

• Provide an analysis of the impact of these hierarchies in the contemporary context;

• Explain theoretical approaches to decoloniality in the realms of power, knowledge, and being; and,

• Create a project proposal related to an aspect of contemporary social life (e.g. in education, the economic or political sector, or community life), drawing on contemporary decolonizing efforts.

Each of these learning goals will be pretested in writing during the first week of class, and assessed in written and verbal form in the course final.