GLS 518: Puzzles of Society
Instructor: Clyde McDaniel
This course responds to the basic question: How is social science knowledge used, practically, in society, in everyday life, and in the workplace? Based on the assumption that society today needs a clear understanding of and solutions to its pressing social problems, students in this course are familiarized with how different perspectives undergird the variety of ways in which laymen as well as social professionals attempt to make practical sense of and improve social life. Thus, the course not only tells students about the social science disciplines, but it also shows them how those who work with people and their social problems are using the perspectives and tools of these disciplines effectively in the real world.
The course is interdisciplinary in at least two ways:
- Its basic concepts and principles are drawn from sociology, the humanities, political science, economics, government, psychology, and some of the natural and physical sciences; and
- It familiarizes students with an eclectic set of application or problem-solving tools and skills that are drawn from some of the physcial sciences (including math), education, counseling, law, ethics, social work, anthropology, public affairs and administration, social psychology, and other disciplines where social interaction is the focal point.
Some of the perspectives that are taught in the course are: conflict theory, chaos theory, symbolic interaction, role theory, ethnomethodology, structural functionalism, feminist (empowerment) theory, and exchange theory.
Some of the tools or skills that are taught are conceptualism and practical problem identification, planning, processing, formal and informal problem solving, research methods, evaluation, statistical data analysis, counseling, communication, needs assessment, program development, single-subject research designs, focus groups, interviewing, sampling, conducting surveys, and data presentation.
Last Update: September 22, 2003
