Search Results
Your search for courses · during 25FA, 26WI, 26SP · meeting requirements for SI, Social Inquiry · returned 121 results
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AFST 210 Blackness and Whiteness Outside the United States 6 credits
This course examines blackness and whiteness as constructs outside the U.S. Racial categories and their meanings will be considered through a range of topics: skin color stratification, nationalism, migration and citizenship, education, popular culture and media, spatial segregation and others. Central to the course will be considering how racism and anti-blackness vary across societies, as well as the transnational and global flows of racial ideas and categories. Examples will be drawn from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
Not available to students who took AFST 100 Fall 2023 or AFST 120.
Previously offered as AFST 120.
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Not open to students who have taken AFST 100 Blackness and Whiteness Outside of the United States or AFST 120.
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AFST 330 Black Europe 6 credits
This course examines the history and experiences of people of African descent and black cultures in Europe. Beginning with early contacts between Africa and Europe, we examine the migration and settlement of African people and culture, and the politics and meaning of their identities and presence in Europe. Adopting a comparative perspective, we consider how blackness has been constructed in various countries through popular culture, nationalism, immigration policy, and other social institutions. We further consider how religious, gender, and immigrant identities inform notions of blackness. We conclude by examining contemporary Black European social movements.
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AFST 345 Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil Program: Afro-Latin America in Comparative Perspective 6 credits
This course will focus on overarching themes and theoretical perspectives on contemporary Afro-Latin America. Topics include: political and social change in contemporary Cuba and Brazil and their impact on Afrodescendant communities; theories of Black diasporic identity and cultural expression; theories of race, nation, and ethnicity; gender and class; social inequality.
Participation in Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil OCS program.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil Program.
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ARBC 148 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 6 credits
This course will provide students with the knowledge and tools to engage productively and respectfully with current events in the Middle East. It will do so by situating the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its broader historical context. In addition to studying key events in the history of the conflict, we will examine the conflicting narratives formed by different actors within the Israeli and Palestinian communities, as well as those produced within other related populations. Our discussions will be based on readings of primary sources, academic studies from multiple disciplines, and portrayals of the conflict in music, cinema, and literature.
ARBC 148 is cross listed with MEST 148.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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CGSC 130 Revolutions in Mind 6 credits
An interdisciplinary study of the history and current practice of the cognitive sciences. The course will draw on relevant work from diverse fields such as artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, philosophy, biology, and neuroscience. Topics to be discussed include: scientific revolutions, the mind-body problem, embodied cognition, perception, representation, and the extended mind.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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CGSC 130 The Musical Mind 6 credits
An interdisciplinary examination of issues concerning the mind and mental phenomena involved in the uniquely human activity of making and understanding music. The course will draw on psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computer science, biology, and philosophy. Topics to be discussed include: the embodied cognition of rhythm, linguistic syntax and musical structure, mental representations of musical sound and action, musical learning and development, tone and beat deafness, and perfect pitch and neural plasticity.
Sophomore Priority
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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ECON 110 Principles of Macroeconomics 6 credits
This course gives students a foundation in the general principles of economics as a basis for effective citizenship and, when combined with 111, as a preparation for all advanced study in economics. Topics include analysis of the measurement, level, and distribution of national income; the concepts of inflation and depression; the role and structure of the banking system; fiscal and monetary stabilization techniques; implications of and limits to economic growth; and international economic relations.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Not open to students who have completed any of the following exams: AP Macroeconomics exam with a score of 5 or IB Economics exam with a score of 6 or better. Students who plan to take upper-level economics courses must review additional material in lieu of ECON 110. If you would like to waive your AP or IB test score in order to take ECON 110, please contact the Registrar's Office for options.
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ECON 111 Principles of Microeconomics 6 credits
This course gives the students a foundation in the general principles of economics as a basis for effective citizenship and, when combined with 110, as a preparation for all advanced study in economics. Topics include consumer choice theory; the formation of prices under competition, monopoly, and other market structures; the determination of wages, profits, and income from capital; the distribution of income; and an analysis of policy directed towards problems of public finance, pollution, natural resources, and public goods.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Not open to students who have completed any of the following exams: AP Microeconomics exam with a score of 5 or IB Economics exam with a score of 6 or better. Students who plan to take upper-level economics courses must review additional material in lieu of ECON 111. If you would like to waive your AP or IB test score in order to take ECON 111, please contact the Registrar's Office for options.
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ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development 6 credits
This course explores household behavior in developing countries. We will cover areas including fertility decisions, health and mortality, investment in education, the intra-household allocation of resources, household structure, and the marriage market. We will also look at the characteristics of land, labor, and credit markets, particularly technology adoption; land tenure and tenancy arrangements; the role of agrarian institutions in the development process; and the impacts of alternative politics and strategies in developing countries. The course complements Economics 241.
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 241 Macroeconomic Growth and Development 6 credits
Why are some countries rich and others poor? What causes countries to grow over time? This course documents different patterns of macroeconomic development across the world and how economic theory explains those patterns. We will draw on both cross-country evidence and individual case studies to understand the role of formal and informal institutions, culture, geography, policy, and other fundamental causes of differences in long run macroeconomic outcomes.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with grade of C- or better or has scored a 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or has scored a 6 or better on the Economics IB exam or received a Carleton Economics 110 Requisite Equivalency.
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ECON 257 Economics of Gender 6 credits
This course examines the role of gender in determining key socio-economic outcomes. Topics include education, marriage, divorce, domestic violence, sex, fertility, work, earnings, occupation, and discrimination. We develop economic tools to examine patterns in gender differentials across time, across societies, and within socio-economic groups. We also evaluate the impact of policies, such as paid versus unpaid parental leave, on gender-based outcomes.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 262 The Economics of Sports 6 credits
In recent years, the sports business in the United States has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Understanding the sports business from an economic viewpoint is the subject of this course. Topics will include player compensation, revenue-sharing, salary caps, free agency, tournaments, salary discrimination, professional franchise valuation, league competitiveness, college athletics, and the economics of sports stadiums and arenas.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 263 Economics of Entrepreneurship 6 credits
The rise of Silicon Valley has drawn attention to the role of the entrepreneur in a modern economy. This course examines connections between start-ups and macroeconomic forces of growth, the business cycle, and inequality. In addition, we will survey microeconomic determinants of entrepreneurial activity: government policy, social networks, culture, demographics, and more. A series of class visits by alumni will undergird discussion of the connections between lessons in the academic literature and the experience of active entrepreneurs.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 265 Game Theory and Economic Applications 6 credits
Game theory is the study of decision making in strategic situations. In this course we will develop tools to help us to analyze a wide variety of settings in which two or more people make choices that jointly affect one another’s well-being. We will discuss many different applications, including negotiations, charitable giving, the division of labor on shared projects, armed conflicts, and the role of education in the job market. Topics covered include pure and mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium, rationalizability, backward induction, repeated games, Bayesian games and level-k reasoning.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 267 Behavioral Economics 6 credits
This course introduces behavioral economics as a complementary approach to traditional economic models of decision making. We will study situations in which the predictions of traditional models can appear to be inconsistent with the choices people actually make, and then ask whether we can improve those models by introducing psychologically plausible assumptions. We will discuss a broad range of behavioral topics, including biases in decision making, risk and time preferences, prospect theory, other-regarding preferences, and the design of experiments.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 270 Economics of the Public Sector 6 credits
This course provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the government’s role in the U.S. economy. Emphasis is placed on policy analysis using the criteria of efficiency and equity. Topics include rationales for government intervention; analysis of alternative public expenditure programs from a partial and/or general equilibrium framework; the incidence of various types of taxes; models of collective choice; cost-benefit analysis; intergovernmental fiscal relations.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 271 Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment 6 credits
How do we address increasingly urgent problems of environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources? This course develops the economic approach to addressing a wide variety of related issues, while also considering how issues of law and political economy affect resource allocations and the desirability and feasibility of various policies. Topics covered include climate change, energy production, air quality regulation policies, wildlife management, endangered species protection, water resource management, and valuation of the environment.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 274 Labor Economics 6 credits
Why do some people choose to work and others do not? Why are some people paid higher wages than others? What are the economic benefits of education for the individual and for society? How do government policies, such as subsidized child care, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the income tax influence whether people work and the number of hours they choose to work? These are some of the questions examined in labor economics. This course will focus on the labor supply and human capital decisions of individuals and households.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 277 History and Theory of Financial Crises 6 credits
This course explores the history of financial crises and what we can learn from their patterns over time. You'll also learn about the economic ideas behind these crises, such as how debt, risky behavior, and the lack of coordination among individuals can create problems. We'll discuss tools that governments and institutions use to manage risks and prevent crises, including deposit insurance and foreign currency reserves.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 278 Non-Competitive Pricing and Strategy 6 credits
Firms that free themselves from competition may leverage market power for profit. This course studies strategies that monopolies and oligopolies use to establish or defend their own market power while protecting themselves from the market power of both suppliers and distributors. We also explore how market power influences related choices like advertising, innovation, and product quality.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 280 International Trade 6 credits
Do countries benefit from trading with each other? Why do some individuals embrace free trade while others oppose it? This course develops economic models that explain why countries choose to or choose not to trade. We examine the roots of political conflict surrounding trade policy and discuss recent trade-related controversies. We also evaluate the myriad policy tools governments deploy to manipulate trading relationships, and quantify their benefits and costs.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 282 The Theory of Investment Finance 6 credits
This course provides an introduction to the broad range of financial instruments that are used to fund economic activities. We will explore major asset classes in financial markets, look at how investors make choices when allocating their portfolios, and learn how to price a typical security within each asset class. Topics in this course include asset classification, portfolio theory, debt and equity securities valuation, and derivatives valuation.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency and ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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ECON 286 Economic Beliefs, Political Beliefs, and Identity 6 credits
How people form and express their beliefs about ‘objective’ economic and political facts is a central question for social science. We will explore the literature on how people form beliefs about political and economic data from a multidisciplinary approach and learn how to apply methods from economics and political science to understand the causes and consequences of disagreement about social facts.
Recommended Preparation: POSC 122.
ECON 286 is cross listed with POSC 286.
- Winter 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 or ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 287 AI: Economic Impacts, Challenges, & Opportunities 6 credits
This course explores the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI), economics, and policy. We examine AI's economic potential impacts on labor markets (job creation/displacement, skills, wages, and implications for policies like minimum wage or Universal Basic Income), productivity, economic growth, market structures, and innovation, using theory and empirical evidence. Real-world AI applications and socio-economic consequences are analyzed through case studies across multiple sectors of the economy. The course also investigates AI's use as a research tool (literature review, data collection, analysis, forecasting) and explores critical ethical challenges (bias, fairness, privacy, transparency, environmental implications), and broader policy/governance issues.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 or ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 329 Econometrics 6 credits
This course is an introduction to the statistical methods used by economists to test hypotheses and to study and quantify economic relationships. The course emphasizes both econometric theory and practical application through analysis of economic data sets using statistical software. Prior experience with R is strongly encouraged. Topics include two-variable and multiple regression, interval estimation and hypothesis testing, discrete and continuous structural change, parameter restrictions, model construction, experimental design, issues of functional specification, model overfitting and underfitting, heteroscedasticity, autocorrelation, and multicollinearity.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student must have completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 or received a score of 5 or better on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency AND ECON 111 or received a score of 5 or better on the Microeconomics AP exam or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency or received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam AND MATH 101 or MATH 111 or greater or received a a score of 4 or better on the Calculus AB AP exam or received a score of 4 or better on the Calculus BC AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Mathematics IB exam or received a Carleton Math 111 or better Requisite Equivalency AND either STAT 120 or STAT 250 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Statistics AP exam or equivalents.
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ECON 330 Intermediate Price Theory 6 credits
An analysis of the forces determining relative prices within the framework of production and distribution. This class is normally taken by juniors. Sophomores considering enrolling should speak to the instructor.
- Fall 2025, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student must have completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 or better on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency AND ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 or better on the Microeconomics AP exam or received a score of 6 or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency or better on the Economics IB exam AND MATH 101 or MATH 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Calculus AB AP exam or received a score of 4 or better on the Calculus BC AP exam or received a score of 5 or better on the Calculus IB exam received a Carleton Math 111 or greater Requisite Equivalency or Equivalents.
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ECON 331 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory 6 credits
This course focuses on the theoretical analysis of the macroeconomy, with an emphasis on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic outcomes. Topics include the analysis of long-run growth, theories of business cycles, and optimal stabilization policy. This class is normally taken by juniors. Sophomores considering enrolling should speak to the instructor.
- Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student must have completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 or received a score of 5 or better on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency AND ECON 111 or received a score of 5 or better on the Microeconomics AP exam or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency or received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam AND MATH 101 or MATH 111 or greater or received a a score of 4 or better on the Calculus AB AP exam or received a score of 4 or better on the Calculus BC AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Mathematics IB exam or received a Carleton Math 111 or better Requisite Equivalency AND either STAT 120 or STAT 250 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Statistics AP exam or equivalents.
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ECON 395 Advanced Topics in Macroeconomics and Finance 6 credits
This seminar will focus on contemporary approaches to analyzing the macroeconomy and financial markets. Students will be exposed to empirical methods suited for the causal analysis of cross-sectional, time series, and panel data. Topics covered depend on student interest and may include purchasing power parity, arbitrage, capital control, globalization, financial crises, exchange rate dynamics, efficient market hypothesis, and the role of financial markets in the real economy. We will read journal articles that apply econometric techniques to questions in macroeconomics and finance, and students will give presentations on their own research ideas.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 329 and ECON 330 and ECON 331 with a grade of C- or better.
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ECON 395 Advanced Topics in Experimental Economics 6 credits
Experimental economics focuses on using controlled experiments to demonstrate causal relationships in economic decision making. We will develop a deep understanding of both the methodology and major findings of experimental economics. Many discussions will be student-led, through in-depth presentation of journal articles. Topics covered will be determined largely by student interest, but might include subjects such as altruistic behavior, bargaining, market behavior, risk preferences, public goods, and preferences for honesty.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 329 and ECON 330 and ECON 331 with a grade of C- or better.
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ECON 395 Advanced Topics in Economics of Inequality 6 credits
This seminar introduces you to the empirical tools commonly used by applied microeconomists interested in questions of inequality. We will read journal articles that apply advanced econometric techniques to micro-level data, the goal being that students develop the skills to conduct an empirical project of their own. Class time is devoted to discussion of articles, econometric applications, and student-led presentations. Topics covered depend on student interest and may include: earnings gaps across socio-economic groups, labor market discrimination, gender/racial differentials in employment, the impact of gender/race on health, etc.
- Fall 2025
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 329 and ECON 330 and ECON 331 with a grade of C- or better.
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EDUC 110 Introduction to Educational Studies 6 credits
This course will focus on education as a multidisciplinary field of study. We will explore the meanings of education within individual lives and institutional contexts, learn to critically examine the assumptions that writers, psychologists, sociologists and philosophers bring to the study of education, and read texts from a variety of disciplines. What has “education” meant in the past? What does “education” mean in contemporary American society? What might “education” mean to people with differing circumstances and perspectives? And what should “education” mean in the future? Open only to first-and second-year students.
Sophomore Priority section is available
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has Sophomore Priority.
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EDUC 225 Issues in Urban Education 6 credits
This course is an introduction to urban education in the United States. Course readings and discussion will focus on various perspectives in the field in order to understand the key issues and debates confronting urban schools. We will examine historical, political, economic, and socio-cultural frameworks for understanding urban schools, students and teachers. Through course readings, field visits and class discussions, we explore the following: (1) student, teacher and researcher perspectives on urban education, (2) the broader sociopolitical urban context of K-12 schooling in cities, (3) teaching and learning in urban settings and (4) ideas about re-imagining urban education.
Extra Time
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EDUC 234 Educational Psychology 6 credits
Human development and learning theories are studied in relation to the teaching-learning process and the sociocultural contexts of schools. Three hours outside of class per week are devoted to observing learning activities in public school elementary and secondary classrooms and working with students.
Extra Time Required: For classroom time in public schools
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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EDUC 242 The Future is Now: Education and Technology in the 21st Century 6 credits
This course will examine the increasingly prominent role that technology is playing in education, inside and outside of schools. How is technology transforming teaching and learning? What are the potential costs and benefits of relying on technology to provide educational opportunities? Is technology re-wiring our brains? And who needs brains when we have Google and ChatGPT? This course will examine the following topics, among others: digital literacy, virtual reality, cyborgs and artificial intelligence.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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EDUC 338 Multicultural Education 6 credits
This course focuses on the respect for human diversity, especially as these relate to various racial, cultural and economic groups, and to women. It includes lectures and discussions intended to aid students in relating to a wide variety of persons, cultures, and life styles.
Extra time
- Spring 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100 or 200 level Educational Studies (EDUC) course with grade of C- or better.
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ENTS 120 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis & Lab 6 credits
Spatial data analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, global positioning, and related technologies are increasingly important for understanding and analyzing a wide range of biophysical, social, and economic phenomena. This course serves as an overview and introduction to the concepts, algorithms, issues, and methods in describing, analyzing, and modeling geospatial data over a range of application areas.
During registration, students will register for both the lecture and a corresponding lab section, which will appear on the student's academic transcript in a single entry.
- Fall 2025, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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ENTS 180 Community Engagement and Qualitative Methods 6 credits
This course introduces students to community-engaged research and qualitative methods in environmental and social contexts. Students will examine principles of working with communities, ethical research practices, and the role of power, positionality, and cultural humility. Through exercises, workshops, and group projects, students will learn to collect, code, and analyze qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and observations. The course emphasizes reflective practice and translating research findings into actionable outputs. By the end of the term, students will have the background to plan community-based research projects, critically evaluate existing studies, and understand the challenges and opportunities involved in ethical qualitative research.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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ENTS 210 Environmental Justice 6 credits
The environmental justice movement seeks greater participation by marginalized communities in environmental policy, and equity in the distribution of environmental harms and benefits. This course will examine the meaning of “environmental justice,” the history of the movement, the empirical foundation for the movement’s claims, and specific policy questions. Our focus is the United States, but students will have the opportunity to research environmental justice in other countries.
X-List GEOL 210
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ENTS 250 Food, Forests & Resilience 6 credits
The course will explore how the idea of sustainability is complicated when evaluated through a socio-ecological framework that combines anthropology and ecology. To highlight this complexity, the course is designed to provide a comparative framework to understand and analyze sustainable socio-ecological propositions in Minnesota and Oaxaca. Key conceptual areas explored include: coupled human-natural systems, resilience (ecological and cultural), self-determination, and social justice across stakeholders. The course includes a series of fieldtrips to nearby projects of interest. This course is part of the OCS winter break Oaxaca program, involving two linked courses in fall and winter terms. This class is the first class in the sequence.
Winter Break Program in Oaxaca Mexico
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student Cohorts any in the selection list OCS Socioecological Life – Oaxaca Mexico Program
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ENTS 251 Field Study in Sustainability in Oaxaca 6 credits
A field-based investigation of socio-ecological systems in Oaxaca, Mexico that will allow students to draw comparisons with similar systems in Minnesota. During winter break, we will visit the city of Oaxaca and neighboring villages to document and research systems of agriculture, sustainable forestry, and ecotourism, emphasizing the integration of methodologies in anthropology and ecology. Following the winter break trip, students will complete and present their research projects. This course is the second part of a two term sequence beginning with Environmental Studies 250.
Winter Break Program in Oaxaca Mexico | X-List AMST 251, LCST 251
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ENTS 250 with grade of C- or better during the immediately preceding term AND at least one term of Spanish or equivalent proficiency.
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ENTS 395 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies 6 credits
This Fall seminar will focus on the planning and design of ENTS senior comprehensive exercise projects. Students will prepare a final project proposal in collaboration with campus and/or community partners as applicable, including background research and literature review, detailed study design and methodology, and, if applicable, preliminary assessments and analyses for the project to be completed in Winter with a public presentation in Spring.
Recommended Preparation: Complete all required ENTS core courses.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Programs of Study any in the selection list Environmental Studies Major And Student Cohorts any in the selection list SR10 Student Class Level, SR11 Student Class Level, SR12 Student Class Level, SR13 Student Class Level, SR14 Student Class Level
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EUST 249 The European Union from Constitution to Crisis 6 credits
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the experience of war and conflict for the founding of the European Union. The enlargement of the EU to include the much of Eastern Europe has brought this kind of “History” once again to the fore of policy-making in Brussels and in Europe’s national capitals. It has also exposed the contradictions that have made a coherent European Foreign and Security Policy so difficult to achieve. In this course we will examine the history of the EU’s founding alongside an introduction to the history and politics of Eastern Europe, culminating in an examination of the ongoing war in Ukraine. We will benefit from multiple class visits by Ukraine scholar Prof Komarenko of Tarras Shevchenko University, Ukraine.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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GWSS 110 Introduction to Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies 6 credits
This course is an introduction to the ways in which gender and sexuality structure our world, and to the ways feminists challenge established intellectual frameworks. However, since gender and sexuality are not homogeneous categories, but are crosscut by class, race, ethnicity, citizenship and culture, we also consider the ways differences in social location intersect with gender and sexuality.
Sophomore Priority
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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GWSS 240 Gender, Globalization and War 6 credits
We are surrounded by images, stories and experiences of war, conflict, aggression, genocide, and widespread human suffering. In this course we will engage with the field of transnational feminist theorizing in order to understand how globalization and militarism are gendered, and the processes through which gender becomes globalized and militarized. We will examine hegemonic ideals of security and insecurity and track how they are gendered. You will learn to conduct and analyze in-depth interviews focusing on the militarization of civilians/ordinary people so as to understand how all our lives have been shaped by the acceptance and/or resistance to globalized militarism.
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GWSS 244 Women’s & Gender Studies in Europe Program: Ethics and Politics of Cross-Cultural Research
This course explores the following questions: What are the ethics and politics of cross-cultural research? What is the relationship between methodology and knowledge claims in feminist research? What are the power interests involved in keeping certain knowledges marginalized/subjugated? How do questions of gender and sexuality, of ethnicity and national location, figure in these debates? We will also pay close attention to questions arising from the hegemony of English as the global language of WGS as a discipline, and will reflect on what it means to move between different linguistic communities, with each being differently situated in the global power hierarchies.
Acceptance in OCS Women's & Gender Studies in Europe Program
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Women's and Gender Studies in Europe program.
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GWSS 398 Transnational Feminist & Queer Activism 6 credits
This course focuses on transnational feminist, queer and trans activism in an era of neoliberal globalization, militarism and religious fundamentalism. We will learn about theories of collective action, the pitfalls of global sisterhood and homonationalism and pedagogies for crossing a variety of borders. We will explore case studies of how feminist, queer and trans activists have collaborated, built networks, mobilized resources and coalitions for collective action, in addition to the obstacles and constraints they have encountered and surmounted in their search for gender and sexual justice.
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LING 350 Invented Languages: From Toki Pona to Na’vi 6 credits
Invented, or artificial, languages have come to be for many reasons, whether a desire to improve existing languages, an effort to unite the world, or a need to explore how languages are learned. But, the majority have failed. Why? What can we learn about natural language from invented languages? This class investigates the numerous underpinnings of various invented languages, from 17th century Real Character, to Toki Pona, to Solresol, to more recent creations like Na’vi. We also examine the successful ‘reinvention’ of Modern Hebrew. Students will invent their own language and formally present weekly aspects of their developing grammar.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): LING 216 or LING 217 with grade of C- or better.
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LTAM 113 Archeology of Ancient Latin America 6 credits
This course examines ancient peoples of the large, geographically and culturally diverse region of Latin America. Focused on Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, we will examine the material culture of Indigenous peoples from c. 20,000 years ago to the time of European contact (1500 AD), including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Moche, Inka, Taíno, and Rapa Nui peoples. Themes include migration, the environment, settlement, long-term social change, and daily life. We will also review current debates and ethical issues, with an emphasis on Indigenous perspectives and cross-disciplinary dialogues between archaeology and related fields.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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MEST 148 The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 6 credits
This course will provide students with the knowledge and tools to engage productively and respectfully with current events in the Middle East. It will do so by situating the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict in its broader historical context. In addition to studying key events in the history of the conflict, we will examine the conflicting narratives formed by different actors within the Israeli and Palestinian communities, as well as those produced within other related populations. Our discussions will be based on readings of primary sources, academic studies from multiple disciplines, and portrayals of the conflict in music, cinema, and literature.
ARBC 148 is cross listed with MEST 148.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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PE 332 Foundations of Sport Psychology and Performance Mentality 3 credits
Research shows that the most successful athletes are those who are able to think consciously and engage differently than others before, during, and after competition. Like any other life skill, thinking differently and embracing active mindfulness takes training, a willingness to learn, and dedicated hard work. This course is designed to help students and athletes think differently about various aspects of training and competition, ultimately using these skills as they apply to sport, functioning in team environments, and most importantly to the other areas of their lives outside of athletics during and beyond their time at Carleton.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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PE 350 Methods: Principles and Philosophy of Leadership and Coaching 3 credits
This course emphasizes the methods of teaching skills, structure, and strategies of team oriented sports. Emphasis is placed on understanding the coaching profession at different levels, developing coaching skills and creating a philosophy of coaching.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 120 Democracy and Dictatorship 6 credits
An introduction to the array of different democratic and authoritarian political institutions in both developing and developed countries. We will also explore key issues in contemporary politics in countries around the world, such as nationalism and independence movements, revolution, regime change, state-making, and social movements.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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POSC 122 Politics in America: Liberty and Equality 6 credits
An introduction to American government and politics. Focus on the Congress, Presidency, political parties and interest groups, the courts and the Constitution. Particular attention will be given to the public policy debates that divide liberals and conservatives and how these divisions are rooted in American political culture.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics 6 credits
What are the foundational theories and practices of international relations and world politics? This course addresses topics of a geopolitical, commercial and ideological character as they relate to global systems including: great power politics, polycentricity, and international organizations. It also explores the dynamic intersection of world politics with war, terrorism, nuclear weapons, national security, human security, human rights, and the globalization of economic and social development.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 200 Politics of the Future: The Psychological and Political Barriers to Imagining New Orders 6 credits
Climate change, global migrations, AI, income inequality, identity and rights, political and religious extremism, disinformation, cyber insecurity, and pandemics–these and other issues are shaping politics today. What do they mean for a politics of the future? Political systems are technologies. Can our present tools keep pace with millennial change? Do we build upon or leap beyond these foundations to design new political institutions? We are not the first humans to face overwhelming uncertainties, but we are the first to encounter some of these challenges. Film, readings, and online media will guide this lecture and discussion course.
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POSC 206 Judges and Courts 6 credits
This course focuses on the judicial branch of government. By exploring the judiciary and the courts, we will see how law, politics, economics, and social trends combine to shape the legal system. We will examine how judges are selected; how judges’ backgrounds and views influence their decisions; the moral, emotional, and intellectual aspects of deciding cases; variations between judges in different courts and administrative settings; and how judging fits into the broader structure and operation of the courts. A special feature of this course will be a guest lectures and dialogue with judges and judicial clerks.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 210 Misinformation, Political Rumors, and Conspiracy Theories 6 credits
Why do people believe in conspiracy theories, hold on to misinformed beliefs even in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, and/or spread political and social rumors that may have little basis in fact? Who is most vulnerable to these various forms of misinformation? What are the normative and political consequences of misperceptions (if any)? This course explores the psychological, political, and philosophical approaches to the study of the causes, consequences, and tenacity of conspiracy beliefs, misinformation, and political rumors, as well as possible approaches that journalists could employ to combat misperceptions.
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POSC 225 Prisons and Punishment 6 credits
The United States prides itself on freedom, yet millions of “legal” and “undocumented” citizens live without it. Across federal and state prisons, county jails, private prisons, and undocumented detention centers, the mark of incarceration has a significant impact on American politics. We center this paradox throughout the course as we look at different aspects of incarceration and punishment. We analyze the United States criminal justice system through policy, public opinion, sociology, and political theory. By using an interdisciplinary approach centered in political science, together we will discover whether the relationship between freedom and domination is truly a paradox.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 228 Power and the American Presidency 6 credits
The power of the executive branch is loosely defined in the second article of the U.S. Constitution. While the presidency was designed to be clearly subordinated to Congress, presidential has exploded over time and has reshaped American politics around presidential prerogatives. Today, the other branches of the government defer to the president, while voters look to the president to solve a snowballing set of public problems. However, citizen expectations of the president have outpaced even the growth in executive power, which has simultaneously upended the constitutional order while still leaving the average American chronically dissatisfied with government in Washington. This course is designed to explore the dynamics, the drama, and the intrigue associated with the rise of the imperial presidency in America.
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POSC 229 The U.S. Congress: Coordination and Conflict 6 credits
How does Congress make public policy? What factors inhibit or enhance legislative productivity? Is the policymaking process too partisan? This course provides a comprehensive introduction to congressional organization and procedures, the policy process, and the core debates and theories surrounding legislative politics in the United States Congress. The path of policy within Congress is an incredibly complex and conflict-ridden coordination problem. As a class, we will explore how the underlying motivations to win office, produce policy, and gain prestige drive congressional member behaviors. We will also carefully consider the institutional details of the House and Senate that constrain these legislative actors and influence legislative outcomes.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 230 Methods of Political Research 6 credits
An introduction to research method, research design, and the analysis of political data. The course is intended to introduce students to the fundamentals of scientific inquiry as they are employed in the discipline. The course will consider the philosophy of scientific research generally, the philosophy of social science research, theory building and theory testing, the components of applied (quantitative and qualitative) research across the major sub-fields of political science, and basic methodological tools. Intended for majors only.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): STAT 120 or STAT 230 or STAT 250 or PSYC 200 or SOAN 239 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Statistics AP exam.
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POSC 232 PS Lab: The Comparative Method 3 credits
In this lab, students will examine the epistemology, history, and application of the comparative method in contemporary political science with a particular focus on the subfields of comparative politics and international relations. Instruction will begin with an examination of methods of similarity and difference in paired comparisons and move to large-N comparative methods employing both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
1st Five Weeks
- First Five Weeks, Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 232 PS Lab: Interview Techniques 3 credits
This class provides a hands-on introduction to how researchers devise, conduct, and analyze interviews in political science. Students will learn about different types of interview methodologies with a particular focus on semi-structured techniques. Over the course of the class, students will consider the types of questions most appropriately answered by interviews, the fundamentals of different sampling strategies, how to devise questionnaires, and how to use the information collected for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We will also cover interview ethics, how to employ culturally sensitive techniques, and how to employ interviews in individual, group, and crowd situations.
- Spring 2026
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POSC 232 PS Lab: Political Philosophy and the Art of Reading 3 credits
Required course for Data Analysis for POSC major, specific section description available each term
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 237 Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture Program: Borders, Boundaries and Human Mobility 6 credits
Borders are at once real and imagined. They divide and they are crossed. The course draws case studies and examples from the United States and Europe to critically reflect on the notion of borders and to discuss both the construction and reimaging of borders in the physical and socioeconomic sense. The course connects the concept of border(s) and human mobility, from immigration to daily movement in urban spaces and examines critically the construction and deconstruction of borders, the notions of inclusion and exclusion: who has the right to it, within which borders, and at what cost?
Requires participation in OCS Program: Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Greece at a Crossroads program.
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POSC 238 Sport and Globalization in London and Seville Program: Globalization and Development: Lessons from Int’l Football 6 credits
This course uses international football (soccer) as a lens to analyze topics in globalization, such as immigration and labor, inequality, foreign investment, trade in services, and intellectual property. Students will be presented with key debates in these areas and then use cases from international football as illustrations. Focusing on the two wealthiest leagues in Europe, the English Premier League and the Spanish Liga, students will address key issues in the study of globalization and development, and in doing so enhance their understanding of the world, sports, and sport’s place in the world.
Requires participation in OCS Program: Sport and Globalization in London and Seville
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Sport and Globalization in London and Seville program.
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POSC 243 Women’s & Gender Studies in Europe Program: Socio-Political Systems and Gender Issues Across Europe
This course examines the role of activism centered on gender, race, sexuality, and disability in shaping political life across the Netherlands, Germany, and the Czech Republic. While the main emphasis is on current activism and politics, discussions are anchored in relevant historical contexts. Students investigate the impact of Europe’s colonial heritage on minorities, the ongoing legacies of World War II, the Cold War, and the EU expansion into Eastern Europe. Topics include reproductive rights, LGBT politics, homonationalism, “anti-genderism,” sex work, immigration, challenges faced by women of color and Jewish people in Europe, the legacy of state socialism in Eastern Europe.
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Women's and Gender Studies in Europe program.
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POSC 244 The Politics of Eurovision 3 credits
At first glance, Eurovision, the decades-long, continent-wide singing contest, is nothing more than a mindless pop culture event. Dismissed as a celebration of (at best) mediocre music, Eurovision seems like it would be the last place to learn about serious politics. In this class, however, we will explore Eurovision as a place where art is deeply political and often engages in debates about gender and sexuality, race, the legacies of colonialism, war and revolution, nationalism, and democracy—not just within the context of the competition itself but how these discussions spill over into broader social and political dynamics.
5 weeks
- First Five Weeks, Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 246 Contemporary Chinese Politics 6 credits
This course examines the history and politics of China in the context of a prolonged revolution. The course begins by examining the end of imperial rule, the development of Modern China, socialist transformations and the establishment of the PRC. After a survey of the political system as established in the 1950s and patterns of politics emerging from it, the analytic focus turns to political change in the reform era (since 1979) and the forces driving it. The adaptation by the Communist Party to these changes and the prospects of democratization are also examined. Topics include protests, economic development, religious freedom, the environment and internet censorship.
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 248 Asian Communism: Politics of China, Viet & N Korea 6 credits
Examines the Asian communism in China, Vietnam, and North Korea. Asian communism presents a series of fascinating questions. Why did communist revolutions occur in some Asian states but not others? Why were relations between some Asian communist states peaceful while others were hostile? Why did some adopt significant economic reforms while others maintained command economies? Why did communist regimes persist in most Asian states, while Communism fell in Mongolia and all of Europe? The approach of the course is comparative and structured around thematic comparisons between the three states.
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 257 Marx for the Twenty-First Century: Ecology, Technology, Dispossession 6 credits
This course introduces students to the work of Karl Marx by exploring parts of Capital volumes one, two and three as well as of the Grundrisse in tandem with twenty-first century discussions of carboniferous capitalism, digital labor and colonial dispossession. Using concepts of the “metabolic” relationship to nature, “original accumulation” and of Marx’s analysis of machines and technological obsolescence we will together chart a course through twenty-first century attempts to make Marx’s nineteenth century critique of industrial capitalism fruitful for an understanding of today’s world.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 261 The Global Crisis of Democracy 6 credits
Democracy is in trouble worldwide. The most visible indicators are the rise of explicitly anti-democratic leaders and anti-liberal parties that employ populism and exploit ethnic and ideological polarization to acquire power. Democratic norms and institutions have eroded across the globe. Structures that undergirded the positive-sum linkage between industrialization, the rise of labor unions, and democratic parties in much of the West have been transformed in ways that undermine democracy. This course will analyze these and related trends that demonstrate that liberal democracy is suffering a global crisis. Instruction will cover cases across time and from all regions of the world.
Extra Time Required: Film screenings, guest lectures, talks and events.
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POSC 265 Public Policy and Global Capitalism 6 credits
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to comparative and international public policy. It examines major theories and approaches to public policy design and implementation in several major areas: international policy economy (including the study of international trade and monetary policy, financial regulation, and comparative welfare policy), global public health and comparative healthcare policy, institutional development (including democratic governance, accountability systems, and judicial reform), and environmental public policy. Recommended Preparation: STAT 120 is strongly recommended.
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POSC 271 Constitutional Law I 6 credits
This course will explore the United States Constitution and the legal doctrines that have emerged from it, using them as lenses through which to understand the history—and shape the future—of this country. Using prominent Supreme Court opinions as teaching tools and loci of debate (including cases on the Court’s recent and current docket), this course will explore the different kind of theoretical approaches with which to make Constitutional arguments and interpret the Constitution. It is one of two paired courses (the other being POSC 272) that complement each other. Both courses will address the structure and functioning of the United States government, and will explore in greater depth the historic Constitutional “trends” towards greater equality and more liberty (albeit slowly, haltingly, and with steps both forward and backward). This course will focus in particular on how matters of racial justice have been a Constitutional issue from the very beginning of the nation—and very much remain unfinished legal work. In exploring matters of personal liberty, this course will focus in particular on First Amendment freedom of religion. Finally, in examining governmental structures, this course will emphasize federalism and the distribution of power between the national and state governments, including the rise of a nationwide economic system and the modern administrative state. The course will require close reading of judicial opinions and other texts, and learning how to construct arguments using logic and precedent. A special feature of this course will be detailed examination and intra-class mock debate of the cases the Supreme Court will hear this fall challenging raced-based affirmative action programs at private and public universities.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 272 Constitutional Law II 6 credits
This course will explore the United States Constitution and the legal doctrines that have emerged from it, using them as lenses through which to understand the history—and shape the future—of this country. Using prominent Supreme Court opinions as teaching tools and loci of debate (including cases on the Court’s recent and current docket), this course will explore the different kind of theoretical approaches with which to make Constitutional arguments and interpret the Constitution. It is one of two paired courses (the other being POSC 271) that complement each other. Both courses will address the structure and functioning of the United States government, and will explore in greater depth the historic Constitutional “trends” towards greater equality and more liberty (albeit slowly, haltingly, and with steps both forward and backward). This course will focus in particular on how gender equality is very much unfinished Constitutional work on our way towards a “more perfect union.” This topic will include an examination of the Court’s recent controversial decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. In exploring matters of personal liberty, this course will focus in particular on First Amendment freedom of speech and other fundamental rights protected under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause. Finally, in examining governmental structures, this course will emphasize the separation of powers across the branches of the federal government. The course will require close reading of judicial opinions and other texts, and learning how to construct arguments using logic and precedent. POSC 271 is not a prerequisite for POSC 272. The two courses can be taken independently, although having taking POSC 271 will provide students with a broader and more nuanced foundation for exploring the themes covered of this course
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 273 Race and Politics in the U.S. 6 credits
This course addresses race and ethnicity in U.S. politics. Following an introduction to historical, sociological, and psychological approaches to the study of race and ethnicity, we apply these approaches to understanding the ways in which racial attitudes have been structured along a number of political and policy dimensions, e.g., welfare, education, criminal justice. Students will gain an increased understanding of the multiple contexts that shape contemporary racial and ethnic politics and policies in the U.S., and will consider the role of institutional design, policy development, representation, and racial attitudes among the general U.S. public and political environment.
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POSC 277 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Perceptions of Otherness in Modern Eastern and Central Europe 6 credits
Is nationalism fundamentally flawed in its inclusionary capacity? Can the same power of imagination to bring strangers together, which made nation-building possible, be deployed for inventing post-national forms of solidarity? The course will explore representations of strangers and foreigners in Central and Eastern Europe, throughout the nineteenth and twentieth century, with a special focus on Roma and Jews. The aim will be to understand how these representations will work to legitimize different forms of exclusionary politics. An important part of the course will explore the role that exiled and displaced people can play in reimagining identities on a cosmopolitan level.
Participation in Carleton OCS Culture and Politic (Central and Eastern) Europe program.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Cultural and Political (Central & Eastern) in Europe program.
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POSC 284 War and Peace in Northern Ireland 6 credits
This class examines the decades-long conflict in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants known as “The Troubles.” We will investigate the causes of violence in this region and explore the different phases of the conflict, including initial mobilization of peaceful protestors, radicalization into violent resistance, and de-escalation. We will also consider the international dimensions of the conflict and how groups forged transnational ties with diaspora groups and separatist movements around the world. Finally, we will explore the consequences of this conflict on present-day Northern Ireland’s politics and identify lessons from the peace process for other societies in conflict.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 286 Economic Beliefs, Political Beliefs, and Identity 6 credits
How people form and express their beliefs about ‘objective’ economic and political facts is a central question for social science. We will explore the literature on how people form beliefs about political and economic data from a multidisciplinary approach and learn how to apply methods from economics and political science to understand the causes and consequences of disagreement about social facts.
Recommended Preparation: POSC 122.
ECON 286 is cross listed with POSC 286.
- Winter 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 or ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam or received an ECON 110 requisite equivalency or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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POSC 295 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Nation-Building in Central and Eastern Europe between Politics and Art 6 credits
The state and its cultural politics played a pivotal role in building the Romanian nation. The first part of the course will analyze the difficulties of nation-building in modern Romania, with a special emphasis on the incapacity of Romanian liberalism to prevent the rise of extreme right wing politics. The second part will explore different images of Romanian national identity that art provided both during the communist regime and in the post-1989 decades, also in a comparative perspective with Hungary, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The course will include visits to galleries, architectural sites and neighborhoods in Bucharest and its surroundings.
Participation in Carleton OCS Central & Eastern Europe
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Cultural and Political (Central & Eastern) in Europe program.
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POSC 296 Central and Eastern European Politics Program: Challenges to the Nation-State in Eastern and Central Europe: Immigrants and Minorities 6 credits
How do democracies react when confronted with massive bodies of immigrants? Do the problems that Eastern and Central European countries face in dealing with immigrants reflect deeper challenges to their capacity of thinking of the nation along inclusionary lines? We will explore the legal and political issues that EU countries and their societies, particularly, in Eastern and Central Europe, face when confronted with a migration crisis. Then we will look at Roma’s history of exploitation and injustice in Eastern and Central Europe. The course will include visits with community groups and NGOs, as well as encounters with minority rights activists.
Participation in Carleton OCS Central & Eastern Europe
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Cultural and Political (Central & Eastern) in Europe program.
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POSC 302 Subordinated Politics and Intergroup Relations 6 credits
How do social and political groups interact? How do we understand these interactions in relation to power? This course will introduce the basic approaches and debates in the study of prejudice, racial attitudes, and intergroup relations. We will focus on three main questions. First, how do we understand and study prejudice and racism as they relate to U.S. politics? Second, how do group identities, stereotyping, and other factors help us understand the legitimation of discrimination, group hierarchy, and social domination? Third, what are the political and social challenges associated with reducing prejudice?
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POSC 312 The Rural-Urban Divide 6 credits
The rural-urban divide is a prominent fixture of partisan and political conflict in the United States. It is a source of profound social, cultural, and economic differences in how people think about the world and a major driver of political polarization. Yet, few people understand how fundamental geographic space is to understanding American politics today. This course is a research seminar designed to explore the yawning perceptual gap between how rural and urban Americans think about their communities and their politics. The course addresses critical questions related to partisan polarization, race and ethnicity, political and economic inequality, and the quality of representation.
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POSC 313 Legal Issues in Higher Education 6 credits
This seminar will explore pressing legal and policy issues facing American colleges and universities. The course will address the ways core academic values (e.g., academic freedom; the creation and maintenance of a community based on shared values) fit or conflict with legal rules and political dynamics that operate beyond the academy. Likely topics include how college admissions are shaped by legal principles, with particular emphasis on debates over affirmative action; on-campus speech; faculty tenure; intellectual property; student rights and student discipline (including discipline for sexual assault); and college and university relations with the outside world.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 324 Rebels and Risk Takers: Women and War In the Middle East 6 credits
How are women (and gender more broadly) shaping and shaped by war and conflict in the Middle East? Far from the trope of the subjugated, veiled, and abused Middle Eastern woman, women in the Middle East are active social and political agents. In wars and conflicts in the Middle East region, women have, for example, been combatants, soldiers, activists, spies, homemakers, writers, and political leaders. This course surveys conflicts involving Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Iraq–along with Western powers like the U.S., UK, and Australia–through the wartime experiences of women.
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 331 Cooperation and Conflict 6 credits
Why do countries go to war? What conditions promote a lasting peace? These may well be the two most important and enduring questions in international politics. The course combines an exploration of various theoretical approaches to war and peace—including rational, psychological and structural models—with an empirical analysis of the onset, escalation, and resolution of conflict. We investigate changing patterns in the frequency of global violence and identify where it occurs more (and less) often and assess whether there is an overall trend toward a more peaceful world.
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POSC 358 Comparative Social Movements 6 credits
This course will examine the role that social movements play in political life. The first part of the course will critically review the major theories that have been developed to explain how social movements form, operate and seek to influence politics at both the domestic and international levels. In the second part of the course, these theoretical approaches will be used to explore a number of case studies involving social movements that span several different issue areas and political regions. Potential case studies include the transnational environmental movement, religious movements in Latin America and the recent growth of far right activism in northern Europe.
Extra Time
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 364 Capitalism and Its Critics 6 credits
This research seminar examines the contemporary institutions, processes, and challenges of modern capitalism in advanced and developing countries. The course begins with a review of key thinkers on modern capitalism: Marx, Weber, Schumpeter, Hayek, Polanyi, Offe, Tilly, and Piketty. It then proceeds to an analysis of the sweeping debate concerning inequality and democracy. Student work in this course focuses on the research and composition of a 20-25-page original work on a topic relevant to the questions covered in the seminar. Intense course participation, including classroom discussion and periodic debates, is required. Majors may develop their comps based on this seminar.
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PSYC 110 Principles of Psychology 6 credits
This course surveys major topics in psychology. We consider the approaches different psychologists take to describe and explain behavior. We will consider a broad range of topics, including how animals learn and remember contexts and behaviors, how personality develops and influences functioning, how the nervous system is structured and how it supports mental events, how knowledge of the nervous system may inform an understanding of conditions such as schizophrenia, how people acquire, remember and process information, how psychopathology is diagnosed, explained, and treated, how infants and children develop, and how people behave in groups and think about their social environment.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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PSYC 238 Memory Processes 6 credits
Memory is involved in nearly every human activity: We use our memory not only when we reminisce about the past, but when we study for our exams, talk to our friends, and tie our shoes. This course explores the psychological science of human memory. We will examine different types of memory, how we encode new memories and retrieve old ones, how to ensure a memory is never forgotten, and how to implant a false memory in someone else. In doing so we will look at both old and new research, and discuss how memory research can be applied to some real world environments, such as courtrooms and classrooms. By the end of the course you will be familiar with the major issues in the field of memory research and be able to evaluate the quality of the studies used as evidence in these debates.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 246 Human Sexuality 6 credits
Humans are a sexual animal. Not only do we engage in sexual behavior for procreation, but also at times for pleasure, intimacy, affiliation, and profit. Furthermore, we maintain sexual and gender identities that affect our behaviors and help us organize our social worlds. These identities develop over time, through our childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. We also place boundaries on sexuality and gender through norms, laws, and social conventions. Sexuality is at once commonplace and private, ubiquitous yet taboo. In this course, we will explore the many dimensions and paradoxes of human sexuality and its connection to our psychology. We will also consider these topics in the context of real-world phenomena and cross-cultural examples.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 251 Lifespan Development 6 credits
This course explores the concepts, theories, and research on human development as it occurs over the lifespan and across contexts. We will learn about physical, cognitive, and psychosocial developmental milestones and challenges unique to each stage of human development. This exploration “from womb to tomb” includes infancy, early and middle childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood, and old age. Through readings, class discussions, and group and individual activities, students will have the opportunity to apply the concepts we are learning to the world around us.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 254 Psychopathology 6 credits
This course will focus on causal factors and clinical presentations of mental disorders, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, dissociative disorders, and psychotic disorders, among others. We will use an integrative approach that incorporates psychological, biological, interpersonal, and sociocultural perspectives. Methods of assessment and treatment will also at times be discussed.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 263 Sleep and Dreaming 6 credits
This course will examine recent experimental findings and current perspectives on sleep, dreaming, sleep disorders, and states of consciousness.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 354 Counseling Psychology 6 credits
This course provides an introduction to the field of counseling psychology, exploring its fundamental principles and practices. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of various counseling theories and treatment modalities, including their historical development and practical application. Students will also explore research methodologies utilized in counseling psychology and critically analyze empirical studies to inform evidence-based practice. Additionally, the course addresses professional issues, ethical considerations, and multicultural factors that influence counseling psychology, fostering cultural competence and awareness of diverse populations.
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One course from the Psychology Social Behavior, Development and Personality group of courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PSYC 366 Cognitive Neuroscience 6 credits
It should be obvious that every process that goes on in the mind has physiological underpinnings. But, whether we can unlock the secrets of learning, memory, perception, language, decision-making, emotional responding, empathy, morality, social thinking, deception, and manipulation as they are supported by neurons and neural connections is a longstanding and elusive problem in psychology. Contemporary primary source articles are mostly used for this discussion-driven course, but a brief textbook/manual on brain processing is also required. The student should leave the class with a working understanding of brain processes and of contemporary theories of brain processes that may support many mental processes in humans.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 or BIOL 125 or PSYC 216 or NEURO 127 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP Exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam or received a score of 5 on the Biology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Biology IB exam.
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PSYC 375 Language and Deception 6 credits
In this course we will examine deception and persuasion in language use. We will take up three main issues. The first is what it means to deceive and how people deceive others through language. What methods do they use, and how do these methods work? The second issue is why people deceive. What purposes do their deceptions serve in court, in advertising, in bureaucracies, in business transactions, and in everyday face-to-face conversation? The third issue is the ethics of deception. Is it legitimate to deceive others, and if so, when and why?
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 232 or CGSC232/PSYC 232 or PSYC 234 or PSYC 238 or CGSC 236 with a grade of C- or better.
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PSYC 384 Psychology of Prejudice 6 credits
This seminar introduces students to major psychological theories and research on the development, perpetuation and reduction of prejudice. A social and historical approach to race, culture, ethnicity and race relations will provide a backdrop for examining psychological theory and research on prejudice formation and reduction. Major areas to be discussed are cognitive social learning, group conflict and contact hypothesis. Psychology 256 or 258 recommended preparation.
- Winter 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 386 Intervention Science: Using Psychology to Advance Social Good 6 credits
Many of the most pressing issues facing our world today, including prejudice/discrimination, climate change, health, conflict, and polarization/radicalization, ultimately stem from human behavior. As a science centrally focused on human behavior, psychology is well-poised to contribute meaningfully to developing solutions to these and other issues. In this class, we will review the rapidly expanding literature on intervention science, which involves employing psychological concepts and principles to change real-world outcomes. We will also study relevant behavioral science and motivational theories, as well as examining how findings from the lab can be translated to real-world applications. Students will also complete a final project that will involve conducting their own intervention experiment in the field. Students will leave the class equipped to use their knowledge of behavioral science to effect change in the real world to address the issues they care about.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 389 LGBTQ+ Psychology 6 credits
In this seminar, we will examine the psychology of LGBTQ+ people, focusing on topics such as LGBTQ+ identity development; predictors and consequences of anti-LGBTQ+ bias and discrimination; the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ people; and familial and relationship dynamics of LGBTQ+ populations. We will consider psychology's history of—and potential for—both contributing to and dismantling the inequities faced by LGBTQ+ populations.
- Winter 2026
- IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 or GWSS 110 or GWSS 200 or GWSS 212 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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SOAN 110 Introduction to Anthropology 6 credits
Anthropology is the study of all human beings in all their diversity, an exploration of what it means to be human throughout the globe. This course helps us to see ourselves, and others, from a new perspective. By examining specific analytic concepts—such as culture—and research methods—such as participant observation—we learn how anthropologists seek to understand, document, and explain the stunning variety of human cultures and ways of organizing society. This course encourages you to consider how looking behind cultural assumptions helps anthropologists solve real world dilemmas.
Sophomore Priority.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2 CX, Cultural/Literature
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SOAN 111 Introduction to Sociology 6 credits
Sociology is an intellectual discipline, spanning the gap between the sciences and humanities while often (though not always) involving itself in public policy debates, social reform, and political activism. Sociologists study a startling variety of topics using qualitative and quantitative methods. Still, amidst all this diversity, sociology is centered on a set of core historical theorists (Marx/Weber/Durkheim) and research topics (race/class/gender inequality). We will explore these theoretical and empirical foundations by reading and discussing influential texts and select topics in the study of social inequality while relating them to our own experiences and understanding of the social world.
Sophomore Priority.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 114 Modern Families: An Introduction to the Sociology of the Family 6 credits
What makes a family? How has the conception of kinship and the ‘normal’ family changed over the generations? In this introductory class, we examine these questions, drawing on a variety of course materials ranging from classic works in sociology to contemporary blogs on family life. The class focuses on diversity in family life, paying particular attention to the intersection between the family, race and ethnicity, and social class. We’ll examine these issues at the micro and macro level, incorporating texts that focus on individuals’ stories as well as demographics of the family.
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SOAN 125 Southeast Asian Migration and Diasporic Communities 6 credits
2025 is the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Many Southeast Asian (SEAn) refugees resettled in the U.S. in the aftermath. First, we begin in Southeast Asia (SEA) to understand the social, political, and historical circumstances that have led to SEA migration. Then we will examine how SEAn have adapted to life in the U.S. and how those communities—many are here in Minnesota—are thriving today. We’ll work on a project in collaboration with SEAn organizations to commemorate the 50th anniversary and also travel to SEAn communities in the Twin Cities, dates TBD.
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SOAN 209 Language, Culture, and Power 6 credits
This course introduces linguistic anthropology, the study of language in social contexts. People use language to navigate the world and to make judgments about others. Has anyone ever correctly guessed your background after you used a specific word (pop vs. soda)? Have you ever been teased due to your accent? By surveying cross-cultural research from around the world, we ask: How do linguistic practices contribute to the construction of social identity and social difference? How might perceptions of language create and reinforce social divisions and inequality? Students will also consider ways they may advocate for linguistic social justice.
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 228 Public Sociology of Religion 6 credits
This course focuses on special topics in the public sociology of religion. We will look at the intersection of race, religion, and politics in the U.S.; the intersection of science and religion in Indigenous-led environmental and land back movements; secular and Islamic feminism in Egypt and Indonesia; and democracy, secularism, and religious tolerance in Indonesia, Egypt, and globally. As we do so, we will examine core theoretical perspectives and empirical developments in the contemporary study and sociology of religion.
Recommended Preparation: Completion of SOAN 110 or SOAN 111 with a grade of C- or better.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 233 Anthropology of Food 6 credits
Food is the way to a person’s heart but perhaps even more interesting, the window into a society’s soul. Simply speaking understating a society’s foodways is the best way to comprehend the complexity between people, culture and nature. This course explores how anthropologists use food to understand different aspects of human behavior, from food procurement and consumption practices to the politics of nutrition and diets. In doing so we hope to elucidate how food is more than mere sustenance and that often the act of eating is a manifestation of power, resistance, identity, and community.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 240 Methods of Social Research 6 credits
When sociologists and anthropologists conduct their research, how do they know which method to choose? What assumptions guide their decision? What challenges might they encounter? What are their ethical obligations? In this course, we'll explore a diverse range of methods, from in-depth interviews to large-scale surveys and participant observation fieldwork. Students will also learn how to craft feasible research questions, select the right method, collect and analyze data, and communicate research methods effectively. This course is an essential foundation for SOAN majors, equipping students with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in their comps experience.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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First-year students are ineligible to enroll. Student must have completed one 200- or 300-level SOAN course, along with, (i) either SOAN 110 or SOAN 111 with a grade of C- or better, AND (ii) STAT 120 or STAT 250 with a grade of C- or better, or received a score of 4 or better on the Statistics AP exam.
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SOAN 252 Growing Up in an Aging Society 6 credits
Both the U.S. and global populations are trending toward a world with far fewer young people than ever before. So, what does it mean to grow up in a rapidly aging society? This course explores age, aging, and its various intersections with demographic characteristics including gender, sexuality, race, and social class. We situate age and aging within the context of macro-structural, institutional, and micro-everyday realms. Some topics we will examine include: media depictions and stereotypes; interpersonal relationships and caregiving; the workplace and retirement; and both the perceptions and inevitable realities of an aging population.
The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above
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SOAN 256 Africa: Representation and Conflict 6 credits
Pairing classics in Africanist anthropology with contemporary re-studies, we explore changes in African societies and in the questions anthropologists have posed about them. We address issues of representation and self-presentation in written ethnographies as well as in African portrait photography. We then turn from the visual to the invisible realm of African witchcraft. Initiation rituals, war, and migration place selfhood and belonging back in this-world contexts. In-depth case studies include, among others: the Cameroon Grassfields, the Bemba of Zambia, and the Nuer of South Sudan.
The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
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SOAN 278 Urban Ethnography and the American Experience 6 credits
American sociology has a rich tradition of focusing the ethnographic eye on the American experience. We will take advantage of this tradition to encounter urban America through the ethnographic lens, expanding our social vision and investigating the nature of race, place, meaning, interaction, and inequality in the U.S. While doing so, we will also explore the unique benefits, challenges, and underlying assumptions of ethnographic research as a distinctive mode of acquiring and communicating social knowledge. As such, this course offers both an immersion in the American experience and an inquiry into the craft of ethnographic writing and research. The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
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SOAN 283 Immigration, Citizenship, and Belonging in the U.S. 6 credits
Immigration has been a defining feature of the United States that is tied to legal and cultural forms of citizenship, and more broadly, to questions of belonging. This course explores these three concepts through multiple aspects of immigration, including the migration experience, immigration policy, community, education, culture and others, for both immigrants and the children of immigrants. Special attention is given to how differences among immigrants–such as race, gender, class, national origin, and others–matter in all of these areas. These questions and issues are explored through academic readings, popular and public discourse, immigrant voices, and civic engagement in local communities.
The department strongly recommends that 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses number 200 or above.
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SOAN 287 Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil: Afro-Descendant Identities and Society 6 credits
This course will examine Afro-descendant identities through local and site-based topics, including political and social history of race and blackness; urban spaces and neighborhoods; Afro-descendant communities in the economy and education system; community organizing and social movements; representation and commemoration; music, dance, and cultural expression. Topics will be based on expertise of host country lecturers and community specialists.
Participation in Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil OCS program.
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Afro-descendant Identities in Cuba and Brazil Program.
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SOAN 312 How Rude: (Im)politeness and (Dis)respect in Language 6 credits
Expressions of politeness and impoliteness differ between societies. From smiling at strangers to addressing a woman as “ma’am,” what is polite in one setting can be strange or antagonistic in another. This course focuses on cross-linguistic expressions of (im)politeness and (dis)respect, but also touches upon non-verbal behavior and communication. Older cross-cultural literature has focused on the positive valuations of politeness, deference, and respect in language. By balancing past scholarship with recent works on linguistic impoliteness and disrespect, we’ll explore language’s role in social relations, from creating harmony to sowing conflict. Expected preparation: prior Sociology/Anthropology course or instructor permission is recommended.
The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 327 Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture Program: The Culture of Modern Greece: The Ethnography of a Society in Transition 6 credits
This course focuses on the culture(s) of Modern Greece from the 1960s onward, drawing on authors from across the social sciences to identify key realms that make life in Greece distinct. Theories and methods of anthropology will be discussed with special attention to how ethnographies in Greece have changed over the past decades. Students will try on different lenses as they conduct ethnographic research and examine the world through theories of space, ritual, performance, gender, and symbol. This structure will allow students an understanding of contemporary Greek society and a developing awareness of their own cultural conditionings and ethnocentrisms.
Requires participation in OCS Program: Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Greece at a Crossroads program.
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SOAN 330 Sociological Thought and Theory 6 credits
Many thinkers have contributed to the development of sociology as an intellectual discipline and mode of social inquiry; however, few have had the influence of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber. This course focuses on influential texts and ideas generated by these and other theorists from sociology’s “classical era,” how these texts and ideas are put to use by contemporary sociologists, and on more recent theoretical developments and critical perspectives that have influenced the field.
Recommended Preparation: The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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SOAN 331 Anthropological Thought and Theory 6 credits
Our ways of perceiving and acting in the world emerge simultaneously from learned and shared orientations of long duration, and from specific contexts and contingencies of the moment. This applies to the production of anthropological ideas and of anthropology as an academic discipline. This course examines anthropological theory by placing the observers and the observed in the same comparative historical framework, subject to the ethnographic process and to historical conditions in and out of academe. We seek to understand genealogies of ideas, building on and/or reacting to previous anthropological approaches. We highlight the diversity of voices who thought up these ideas, and have influenced anthropological thought through time. We attend to the intellectual and political context in which anthropologists conducted research, wrote, and published their works, as well as which voices did/did not reach academic audiences. The course thus traces the development of the core issues, central debates, internecine battles, and diversity of anthropological thought and of anthropologists that have animated anthropology since it first emerged as a distinct field of inquiry to present-day efforts at intellectual decolonization.
The department strongly recommends that 110 or 11 be taken prior to enrolling in courses number 200 or above.
- Winter 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student must have completed any of the following course(s): SOAN 110 or SOAN 111 AND one 200 or 300 level SOAN course with a grade of C- or better.
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SOAN 343 Advanced Ethnographic Workshop 6 credits
This advanced methods course is designed to have students think about the complexities of ethnographic fieldwork by showcasing a powerful and rigorous mode of inquiry that informs societal questions in unique ways. The main goals are to explore classic ethnographies with an eye towards methods and experience ethnographic research in its entirety: from exploratory observations, into the process of defining cultural hypotheses, to the coding of various kinds of qualitative and quantitative ethnographic evidence. Ethnographic methods explored include: participant observation, semi-structured interviewing techniques, cultural mapping, pile sorting activities, photo-essays, and network analysis. The department strongly recommends that Sociology/Anthropology 110 or 111 be taken prior to enrolling in courses numbered 200 or above.
- Spring 2026
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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SOAN 395 Ethnography of Reproduction 6 credits
Using ethnographies, this seminar explores the meanings of reproductive beliefs and practices in comparative perspective, particularly the relation between human and social reproduction. It focuses on (but is not limited to) ethnographic examples from the United States/Canada and from sub-Saharan Africa (societies with relatively low fertility and high utilization of technology and societies with mostly high fertility and low utilization of technology). Topics examined include pregnancy and birth as rites of passage and sites of racialization; abortion; biological vs. social motherhood; maternal morality; stratified reproduction in reproductive technologies and care work; love and sexual economies.
Expected preparation: Sociology/Anthropology 110 or SOAN 111 or GWSS 110, and an additional SOAN course, or instructor permission.
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SOAN 396 Advanced Sociological and Anthropological Writing 6 credits
This course explores different genres of writing and different audiences for writing in the social sciences, focusing particular attention on scholarly articles published in professional journals in sociology and anthropology. To that end, students both analyze sociological and anthropological articles regarding commonalities and differences in academic writing in our two sister disciplines. Students work on their own academic writing process (with the help of peer-review and instructor feedback). The writing itself is broken down into component elements on which students practice and revise their work.
Prerequisite: Completion of Sociology/Anthropology 240 or submission of a topic statement in the preceding spring term and submission of a comps thesis proposal on the first day of fall term or instructor permission
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student is a Sociology and Anthropology (SOAN) major AND has Senior Priority.
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SPAN 347 Madrid Program: Welcome to the Spanish Revolution. From the “Spanish Miracle” to the “Indignant Movement” (1940-2021) 6 credits
The 'Spanish economic miracle' refers to the period of accelerated economic growth in Francoist Spain from 1959 to 1973. This unprecedented economic expansion laid the groundwork for the rapid development of a capitalist system within a dictatorship, resulting in a profound transformation of Spanish social structure. This course will analyze the underlying factors that supported this structural transformation, the subsequent 2008 financial crisis, the Indignados Movement and the rise of the Commons—a system promoting equitable and sustainable life for all. This course features engaging workshops with expert guest speakers, exciting travel opportunities, and meaningful interactions with diverse social collectives.
Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Spanish Studies in Madrid Program.
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Acceptance in the Spanish Studies in Madrid Program and student has completed the following course(s): SPAN 205 or a higher course with a grade of C- or better.