University of Washington  
Home Majors Admission Advising Student Services Apply
Communications
English
Health Informatics and Health Information Management
Humanities
Social Sciences

Social Sciences Major

About | Courses | Requirements | Career paths | Internships

Courses

The multidisciplinary coursework in social sciences is organized into three tracks:

Social and Environmental Issues (Track 1)

This track addresses key ecological, environmental and social issues of tribal, peasant, industrial and post-industrial societies from around the world. It includes assessments of how technological, ecological, environmental, economic, cultural and sociopolitical factors interact to affect the form and function of social, cultural and political systems and institutions. The track also features courses which explain classical and contemporary theories of anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science and sociology bearing on these issues.

A limited number of these or similar courses will be offered each year:

American Indian Studies (AIS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

379 Powwow: Tradition and Innovation (5)

Anthropology (ANTH)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

313 Peoples of Africa (5)
322 Comparative Study of Death (5)
361 Anthropology of Food (5)
362 Anthropology of Tourism (5)
418 Indian Heritage of Mexico & Cultural America (5)
424 Hunter­Gatherer Societies (4)
435 Economic Anthropology (5)
456 Contemporary Ethnography (5)
457 Ecological Anthropology (5)
458 Ethnobiology: Plants, Animals and People (5)
469 Special Studies in Anthropology (3-5)
477 Medicine in America: Conflicts and Contradictions (3)

Archaeology (ARCHY)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

320 Prehistory of the Northwest Coast (5)
401 Archaeology of Human Origins (5)
469 Special Studies (5)

Communications (COM)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

201 Introduction to Communication I (5)
321 Communications in International Relations (5)
322 Global Communications (5)
342 Media Structure (5)
343 Effects of Mass Communication (5)
401 Telecommunication Policy and Convergent Media (5)
418 Communication and the Environment (5)
423 Communications and Social Development (5)
469 Intellectual Foundations of American Journalism (5)

Geography (GEOG)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

302 The Pacific Northwest (3)
330 Latin America: Landscapes of Change (5)
335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
336 China (5)
349 Geography of International Trade (5)
350 Local Economics and Market Areas (5)
360 Principles of Cartography (5)
366 Regional development (3 or 5)
370 Problems in Resource Management (5)
371 World Hunger and Resource Development (5)
377 Urban Political Geography (5)
380 Geographical Patterns of Health and Disease (4)
430 Contemporary Development Issues in Latin America (5)
431 Geography and Gender (5)
432 Russian Population and Urbanization (5)
433 Resource Use and Management in Russia (5)
435 Industrialization and Urbanization in China (5)
442 Social Geography (5)
445 Population Distribution and Migration (5)
447 Geography of Air Transportation (5)
448 Geography of Transportation (5)
449 Geography of Ocean Transportation (5)
460 Geographic Information Systems Analysis (5)
478 Intraurban Spatial Patterns (5)

History (HIST)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

311 Science in Civilization: Antiquity to 1600 (5)
312 Science in Civilization: Science in Modern Society (5)
315 History of Technology to 1940 (5)
490 Topics in History: Biology, Society, and Human Diversity (5)

History of the Americas (HSTAA)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

420 Farmers in United States History (5)
421 American Environmental History (5)

International Studies (SIS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

330 Political Economy of Development (5)
335 Geography of Developing World (5)

Linguistics (LING)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

201 Introduction to Linguistic Theory and Analysis (5)

Political Science (POL S)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

303 Public Policy Formation in the United States (5)
316 African-American Political/Social Thought (5)
329 Global Communication (5)
330 Communications in International Relations (5)
356 Society and Politics (5)
383 Environmental Politics and Policy in the United States (5)
401 Advanced Special Topics in Political Theory (5)
443 Comparative Political Societies (5)

Sociology (SOC)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

316 Sociological Theory (5)
330 Human Ecology (5)
331 Population and Society (5)
432 Population and Modernization (3)
447 Social Movements (5)
451 Theory and Process of Social Change (5)
481 Issues in Analytic Sociology (5)

Back to top

Law, Politics and the Economy (Track 2)

This track deals with the role and function of government, legal institutions, and economic and political processes, focusing on the complex interaction of political and economic forces which shape social life. Important areas of study include the character of political power and inequality, law and other sources of state legitimacy, international relations and the economic interdependence of nation-states, and the role of the state in maintaining social order and conflict within and between societies.

A limited number of these or similar courses will be offered each year:

American Indian Studies (AIS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

330 United States-Indian Relations (5)
335 American Indians and the Law (5)

Anthropology (ANTH)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

314 Civilization of Island Southeast Asia (5)
356 Visual Anthropology (5)
371 Political Anthropology (3)
425 Anthropology of Post-Soviet States (5)
435 Economic Anthropology (5)
437 Political Anthropology and Social Change (5)
448 Modern Korean Society (5)
469 Special Studies in Anthropology (3-5)
485 Cultural Property: Legal & Ethical Issues (3)

Communication (COM)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

300 Basic Concepts of New Media (5)
301 Navigating Information Networks for New Media (5)
304 The Press and Politics in the United States (5)
305 Politics of Mass Communication (5)
321 Communication in International Relations (5)
322 Global Communication (5)
340 History of Mass Communication (5)
342 Media Structure (5)
343 Effect of Mass Communication (5)
359 Writing for Mass Media (5)
401 Telecommunication Policy and Convergent Media (5)
405 New Media Criticism (5)
407 Communication Technology & Politics (5)
414 Public Opinion and the Mass Media: Processes and Methods (5)
420 Comparative Media Systems (5)
423 Communications and Social Development (5)
425 European Media Systems (5)
426 International Media Images (5)
427 International Communications Law and Policy (5)
428 Asian Media Systems (5)
429 Chinese Communications Systems (5)
440 Mass Media Law (5)
441 United States Media History (5)
442 History of Media Technology and Regulation (5)
444 Public Relations and Society (5)
452 Crisis Communications (5)
469 Intellectual Foundations of American Journalism (5)
495 Special Topics in Communication (5)

Geography (GEOG)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.
304 Western Europe (5)
308 Canada: A Geographic Interpretation (5)
313 East Asia (5)
333 Russia's Changing Landscape (5)
335 Geography of the Developing World (5)
342 Geography and Inequality in the United States (5)
349 Geography of International Trade (5)
360 Principles of Cartography (5)
370 Problems in Resource Management (5)
375 Geopolitics (5)
378 Urban Political Geography (5)
401 Culture, Capital and the City (5)
430 Contemporary Development Issues in Latin America (5)
432 Population and Urbanization Problems of Russia (5)
442 Social Geography (5)

History (HIST)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

307 History of Christianity (5)
335 The United States and Vietnam (5)
345 War and Society (5)
346 Images of War in History, Literature and Media (5)
358 Slavery in the Atlantic World (5)
361 Slavery in History: A Comparative Study (5)
449 Issues in Comparative Labor History (5)
452 South Africa Since 1800 (5)
463 History of the Middle East Since 1789 (5)
481 Economic History of Europe (5)
490 Topics in History (5)

History of the Americas (HSTAA)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

303 Modern American Civilization from 1877 (5)
316 History of American Science (5)
351 American Constitutional History: From Colonial Times to the Present (5)
381 Latin America: The Early Colonial Period (5)
382 Latin America: Late Colonial and Early National Periods (5)
383 Modern Latin America (5)
401 American Revolution and Confederation (5)
407 Andrew Jackson's United States (5)
420 Farmers in United States History (5)
431 American Politics and Society Since 1920 (5)
432 History of Washington and the Pacific Northwest (5)
445 Economic History of the United States (5)
450 Class and Labor in American History (5)
454 The Intellectual History of the United States (5)
461 Diplomatic History of the United States, 1770-1901 (5)
462 Diplomatic History of the United States, 1901-Present (5)
482 The History of Brazil: Colonial Period to the Present (5)
486 History of Mexico: Colonial Origins to 1822 (5)

Ancient and Medieval History, Including Byzantine (HSTAM)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

402 Classical Greece (5)
405 Topics in Ancient History (5)
460 Medieval England, 1042-1485 (5)

History of Asia (HSTAS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

404 History of 20th Century India (5)
423 History of Modern Japan (5)
453 Chinese History (5)
454 History of Modern China (5)
462 Southeast Asian History to 1800 (5)
463 Southeast Asian History 1800 to the Present (5)
465 The Vietnam Wars (5)

Modern European History (HSTEU)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

303 Contemporary European History Since 1815 (5)
369 Destruction of European Jewry, 1933-45 (5)
413 Europe:1914-1945 (5)
423 France Since 1814 (5)
434 Germany 1871-1989 (5)
440 History of Communism (5)
451 East-Central Europe Since 1342 (5)
452 Eastern Europe Since 1918 (5)
461 Spain and its Golden Age: 1469-1700 (5)
469 Enlightenment, Emancipation, Anti-Semitism: History of the Jews, 1770-1914 (5)
474 England in the 19th Century (5)
475 England in the 20th Century (5)

Law, Society and Justice (LSJ)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

327 Women's Rights as Human Rights (5)
363 Law in Society (5)
367 Comparitive Law and Courts (5)
375 Crime,Politics and Justice (5)
380 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice (5)
405 Introduction to Organized and White Collar Crime (5)
425 Introduction to American Courts (5)
430 The Police (5)
440 Criminal Law and Procedure (5)
473 Corrections (5)

International Studies (SIS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

320 Interncultural Relations (5)
330 Political Economy of Development (5)
335 Geography of Developing World (5)
342 Social Theory in International Context (5)
375 Geopolitics (5)
390 Political Economy of Industrialized Nations (5)
401 International Political Economy (5)
406 Political Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism (5)
421National Security and International Affairs (5)
422 The US in the Contemporary International System (5)
426 World Politics (5)
440 History of Communism (5)
444 Peasants in Politics (5)
456 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
467 Nations and States in the Modern World (5)
480 The Catholic Church in World Politics (5)
490 Special Topics (5)

International Studies: Russia, Central Europe & Central Asia (SISR)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

456 Baltic States Since 1991 (5)

Political Science (POL S)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

303 Public Policy Formation in the United States (5)
304 The Press and Politics in the United States (5)
305 The Politics of Mass Communication in America (5)
306 American Politics Seminar (5)
308 The Western Tradition of Political Thought: Ancient and Medieval (5)
309 The Western Tradition of Political Thought: Pre-Modern (5)
310 The Western Tradition of Political Thought: Modern (5)
311 Individual and the State (5)
313 Women in Politics (5)
316 African-American Political/Social Thought (5)
317 Politics of Race in the U.S. (5)
321 American Foreign Policy (5)
324 Europe in World Politics (5)
325 The Arab-Israeli Conflict (5)
328 International Organizations (5)
329 Global Communication (5)
331 Government and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa (5)
329 Global Communication (5)
342 Government and Politics of Latin America (5)
346 Governments of Western Europe (5)
350 Government and Interest Groups in the United States (5)
352 American Political Parties (5)
353 United States Congress (5)
354 Elections and Voting in the United States (5)
356 Society and Politics (5)
360 Introduction to United States Constitutional Law (5)
361 United States Courts and Civil Liberty (5)
363 Law in Society (5)
365 Lawyers in American Politics (5)
367 Comparitive Law and Courts (5)
382 State Government (5)
383 Environmental Politics & Policy in the US (5)
401 Justice and Democracy in a Global, Multicultural World (5)
405 American Politics Seminar (5)
406 Marxian Political Economy (5)
407 International Conflict (5)
410 Technology, Politics and the State (5)
411 Theories of the State (5)
413 Contemporary Political Theory (5)
420 Soviet and Russian Foreign Policy (5)
426 World Politics (5)
427 International Political Economy (5)
431 International Relations in the Middle East (5)
432 Political Islam and Islamic Fundamentalism (5)
441 Government and Politics of Russia (5)
443 Comparative Political Societies (5)
445 Politics and Society in Eastern Europe (5)
447 Comparative Politics Seminar (5, max. 10)
449 Politics of Developing Areas (5)
450 State-Society Relations in Third World Countries (5)
452 Political Processes and Political Opinion in the United States (5)
461 Mass Media Law (5)
462 The Supreme Court in American Politics (5)
464 The Politics of American Criminal Justice (5)
467 Comparative Law in Society (5)
468 Comparative Media Systems (5)
470 Public Bureaucracies in the American Political Order (5)
474 Government and the Economy (5)
475 Public Choice (5)
476 Strategy in Politics (5)
481 Big City Politics (5)

Sociology (SOC)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

220 Introduction to Sociological Methods (5)
356 Society and Politics (5)
366 Bureaucracy in Society (5)
371 Criminology (5)
372 Introduction to Criminal Justice (5)
410 History of Sociological Thought (5)
425 Applied Social Statistics (3)
432 Population and Modernization (3)
447 Social Movements (5)
451 Theory and Process of Social Change (5)
456 Political Sociology (5)
457 Sociology of Religion (5)
461 Comparative Ethnic Race Relations in the Americas (5)
465 Complex Organizations (5)
466 Economic Sociology (5)
473 Corrections (5)
481 Issues in Analytical Sociology (5)

Women Studies (WOMEN)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

310 Women and the Law (5)
313 Women in Politics (5)
405 Comparative Women's Movements and Activism (5)

Back to top

Gender, Ethnicity and Culture (Track 3)

The study of the cultural, geographic, historical, political, psychological and social factors which define, shape and change the various peoples of the United States. Racism, age and sex discrimination, the status and role of women, the treatment of immigrants, the emergence of classes and sociocultural interest groups, and aspects of religious movements and religious conflict are core topics for this track. Courses which assess the various theories used to examine and explain these issues are also essential to this track.

A limited number of these or similar courses will be offered each year:

American Indian Studies (AIS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

311 North American Indians: Pacific Northwest (5)
312 North American Indians: The Intermountain West (5)
316 North American Indians: The Southeast to 1850 (5)
317 North American Indians: Southwest (5)
330 United States-Indian Relations (5)
335 American Indians and the Law (5)
340 Indian Children and Families (5)
350 Two-Dimensional Art of the Northwest Coast Indians (3, max. 9)
377 Contemporary American Indian Literature (5)
378 Northwest Contemporary American Literature (5)
379 Powwow: Tradition and Innovation (5)

Anthropology (ANTH)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

301 Human Nature and Culture (3)
305 Anthropology of the Body (5)
310 Native North American Societies (5)
313 Peoples of Africa (5)
315 Southeast Asian Civilization: Buddhist and Vietnamese (5)
316 Modern South Asia (5)
321 Introduction to the Anthropological Study of Religion (3)
322 Comparative Study of Death (5)
331 Northwest Coast Indian Art (5)
353 Anthropological Studies of Women (5)
355 Aging in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3)
358 Culture and Cognition (5)
361 Anthropology of Food (5)
362 Anthropology of Tourism (5)
375 Comparative Systems of Healing (3)
379 Powwow: Tradition and Innovation(5)
404 South America (5)
418 Indian Heritage of Mexico & Cultural America (5)
420 Psychoanalysis and the Study of Culture (3)
423 Traffic Across Cultural Boundaries (5)
425 Anthropology of Post-Soviet States (5)
427 Anthropology in Urban Settings (3)
428 Anthropological Perspectives on Ethnicity (3)
429 Expressive Culture (5)
431 Oral Traditions (5)
433 Anthropology of Performance (3)
434 Comparative Morals and Value Systems (3)
436 Comparative Family Organization (5)
446 Asia Class and Culture (5)
448 Modern Korean Society (5)
450 Language and Gender (5)
454 Women, Words, Music and Change (5)
456 Contemporary Ethnography (5)
464 Language Policy and Cultural Identity (3)
467 Anthropology of Education (5)
469 Special Studies in Anthropology (3-5)
484 Ideology and Technology of Motherhood (5)
486 Human Family Systems: Biological and Social Aspects (5)

Archaeology (ARCHY)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

304 New World Prehistory (5)
312 Archaeology of Egypt (3)
477 Archaeology of the North (5)

Art History (ART H)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

331 Northwest Coast Indian Art (5)

Communications (COM)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

301 Navigating Information Networks (5)
343 Effects of Mass Communication (5)
373 Communication in Small Groups (5)
402 New Media as Virtual Communities (5)
407 Communication Technology & Politics (5)
411 Seminar in Political Communication (5)
441 United States Media History (5)
451 Mass Media and Culture (5)
469 Intellectual Foundations of American Journalism (5)
478 Intercultural Communication (5)
498 Ethnicity, Gender and Media (5)

English (ENGL)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

317 Literature of the Americas (5)
361 American Political Culture: After 1865 (5)
358 Literature of Black Americans (5)
359 Contemporary American Indian Literature (5)
361 American Political Culture After 1865 (5)
457 Northwest Contemporary American Literature (5)
466 Gay and Lesbian Studies (5)

Geography (GEOG)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

301 Cultural Geography (5)
316 Urban Economics (5)
333 Russia's Changing Landscape (5)
342 Geography and Inequality in the United States (3)
366 Regional Development (3 or 5)
380 Geographical Patterns of Health and Disease (4)
431 Geography and Gender (5)
445 Population Distribution and Migration (5)
478 Intraurban Spatial Patterns (5)

History (HIST)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

310 Science and Religion in Historical Perspective (5)
316 History of American Science (5)
358 Slavery in the Atlantic World (5)
361 Slavery in History: A Comparative Study (5)
370 History of the Expansion of Islam (5)
452 South Africa Since 1800 (5)
490 Topics in History (5)

History of the Americas (HSTAA)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

301 Foundations of American Civilization (5)
353 Class and Labor in American History (5)
373 Social History of American Women (5)
413 History of the Trans-Mississippi West (5)
420 Farmers in United States History (5)
436 American Jewish History Since 1885 (5)
450 Class and Labor in American History (5)
454 The Intellectual History of the United States (5)
488 History of the Caribbean and Central America (5)

History of Asia (HSTAS)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

453 Chinese History (5)

History of Europe (HSTEU)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

302 Modern European History (5)
304 Cultural History of the Renaissance (5)
369 Destruction of European Jewry, 1933-45 (5)
469 Enlightenment, Emancipation, Antisemitism: History of the Jews 1770-1914 (5)

Law, Society and Justice (LSJ)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

327 Women's Rights as Human Rights (5)

Linguistics (LING)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

458 Language and Gender (5)

Political Science (POL S)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

303 Public Policy Formation in the United States (5)
311 Individual and the State (5)
313 Women in Politics (5)
316 African-American Political/Social Thought (5)
317 Politics of Race in United States (5)
356 Society and Politics (5)
361 United States Courts and Civil Liberty (5)
401 Justice and Democracy in a Global, Multicultural World (5)
426 World Politics (5)
475 Public Choice (5)
476 Strategy in Politics (5)
481 Big City Politics (5)

International Studies: Russia, Central Europe & Central Asia (SISRE)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

456 Baltic States Since 1991 (5)

Sociology (SOC)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

316 Sociological Theory (5)
331 Population and Society (5)
344 Cognitive Social Psychology (5)
352 The Family (5)
354 The Comparative Study of Societies (5)
360 Introduction of Social Stratification (5)
362 Race Relations (5)
363 Ethnicity, Business, Unions and Society (5)
364 Women in the Social Structure (5)
365 Urban Community (5)
410 History of Sociological Thought (5)
432 Population and Modernization (3)
445 Religious Movements: The Sociology of Cults and Sects (5)
450 Political Economy of Women and Family in the Third World (5)
451 Theory and Process of Social Change (5)
453 Social Factors in the Family (5)
457 Sociology of Religion (5)
460 Social Differentiation (5)
461 Comparative Ethnic Race Relations in the Americas (5)
462 Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations (5)
464 Contemporary Society in the People's Republic of China (5)
481,482 Issues in Analytic Sociology (3-5)
486 Human Family Systems: Biological and Social Aspects (5)
487 Sociology of Gender and Sex (5)

Women Studies (WOMEN)

For course descriptions, see the UW Course Catalog.

305 Feminism in an International Context (5)
310 Women and Law (5)
313 Women in Politics (5)
322 Race, Class and Gender (5)
353 Anthropological Studies of Women (5)
354 Lesbian Lives and Culture (3)
355 Men and Masculinity (5)
357 Psychobiology of Women (5)
383 Social History of American Women (5)
405 Comparative Women's Movements and Activism (5)
415 Gender Equity with Education (5)
424 Women in Midlife (5)
425 Femininity, Feminism and Anti-Feminism in Popular Culture (5)
427 Women and Violence (5)
450 Language and Gender (5)
454 Women, Words, Music and Change (5)
455 Contemporary Feminist Theory (5)
456 Feminism, Racism & Anti-Racism (5)
458 Ideology and Technology of Motherhood (5)
489 Ethnicity, Gender and Media (5)
490 Special Topics in Women Studies (2-5, max. 15)

Back to top


FAQ  |  Contact Us  |  Request information
Copyright 2008, University of Washington