(Offered as AMST 302 and SOCI 302)  This course is an in-depth exploration of the increasing global interconnectedness of economic, political, and social processes, what many have come to call “globalization.” We begin by developing a sociological critique of the relationship between inequality, post-World War II global capitalism, and the neoliberal ideology that underlies it.  We do this through study of the major institutions and actors that endorse and perpetuate global capitalism.

New technologies for finding and disseminating information have created new channels and sources for people trying to determine “the truth” of anything. As traditional sources of authority, the news business, politicians, the academy, organized religion have all watched as public confidence in them declines, a new world of information has rushed in to fill the void. How do political identity and social class inform, and perhaps deform, knowledge, and credibility when making political choices?

This research-intensive course focuses on the history of Jewish experience at Amherst College.  Founded in 1821 as an institution for the “education of indigent young men of piety and talents for the Christian ministry,” the college motto remains:  Terras Irradient, “let them enlighten the lands.”  Throughout the semester, we will ask:  What did it mean for Jewish men—and later, women—to choose Amherst College?  What was the quality of their experience once they arrived?  What (if anything) distinguished their experi

(Offered as AMST-255 and HIST-255 [US])  This course explores the history of higher education in the United States from the nation’s formation to the present.  Four themes are woven thought a roughly chronological structure.  First, readings outline the competing purposes Americans envisioned for colleges and universities.  Students analyze debates between proponents of broad training in the liberal arts and supporters of more narrow occupational preparation as well as disagreements over the appropriate relationship between research and teaching.

The United States has inscribed the separation of church and state into its constitutional order, and yet Americans have for two centuries been more deeply committed to religious faith and practice than any other people in the Western world. This course endeavors to explore that paradox.

This course explores the social and cultural history of sports in American society, focusing on the unique histories of sports such as hunting, soccer, basketball and football and, in particular, their relation to issues of race, ethnicity, and gender. Course materials will include a range of primary and secondary materials: archival photographs, academic monographs and journal articles, documentary films, legal documents, poetry and paintings. The course is discussion-based and includes short writing assignments, collaborative work, and a final exam.

Since the earliest years of nationhood, the United States has debated the role of religion in civic life. In the post-World War II era the U.S. stood alone among wealthy industrialized democracies in its levels of religious belief, and the frank and overt religious themes sounded in campaigns and civic discourse. The early decades of the new century have seen a sudden and rapid increase in the percentage of Americans who say they have no religious or congregational affiliation, who reply “none” when asked for a faith affiliation.