GSS - General Social and Behavioral Sciences

 

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General Social and Behavioral Sciences courses aid students in understanding human behavior and interactions – how people live, produce, distribute resources, develop institutions, and resolve conflicts.  These courses may focus on topics, problems, and methods of concern to the social sciences. 

 

 

The purposes to be served by GSS courses are the following:

To expose students to what is available in the social sciences and, hence, to provide them with the basis for intelligent curricular choice. 

To create enthusiasm in students about a variety of areas in the social sciences and, hence, to encourage them to sample widely. 

To provide students with an integrative framework which will render more meaningful the information which they have derived or will derive from more specialized courses. 

To accomplish all of the above within the boundaries set by the necessity to maintain the integrity of the materials presented. 

Types of Courses

Multiple Introduction Courses

These courses are designed to expose students to each of the social science disciplines as distinctive, if related, bodies of knowledge.  In particular, they will deal with the distinctive subject matter, modes of reasoning, core concepts, and vocational values of each of the social science disciplines. 

Topics Courses

These courses are designed to focus on a specific topic and bring the perspectives of the various social sciences to bear on it.  In doing this, the instructor may either emphasize the distinctiveness of each perspective, or synthesize those perspectives.