LS Social Foundations (SIII-SHU)

The last semester of Global Works and Society (Modernity) examines major intellectual and historical events from the Enlightenment and the Qing dynasty (around 1700) to the contemporary world. This period has seen some of the most rapid and significant changes in human society and scientific understanding. At the same time many of the enduring questions of humanity have become even more critical as disparate cultures interact in a new global arena. Among the themes the course explores are the philosophical and political debates that followed the creation of global colonial empires, as societies from around the world confronted imperial policies and institutions. The course also considers the rise of vast, new international markets, the spread of revolutionary and national liberation movements in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, new challenges to established property, and the social effects of industrialization. In addition, instructors discuss postmodern attempts to question and undermine the institutions and practices that structure contemporary societies. Prerequisite: Open to Liberal Studies Students Fulfillment: General Elective.