Undergraduate Program Status
Elective | 2nd year | Philosophy | |
Elective | 3rd year | Philosophy | |
Elective | Culture and Self | ||
Elective | Society and Culture |
This course will introduce students to the field of social philosophy. The first part of the course will examine general theories of the nature of social kinds such as money, borders, states, and corporations. We will consider how social kinds differ from natural kinds, the role of collective attitudes in the construction of social kinds, and the objectivity and reality of social kinds. The second part of the course will focus on social constructionist claims about purportedly natural kinds and categories. We will first consider how such claims should be understood. We will then examine social constructionist theses about a range of phenomena, including gender and sex, race, and disability.
Upon completing the course, students will gain an understanding of some of the central issues and debates in social ontology. Students will be able to explain and critically evaluate the views of various philosophers on these topics, and they will also develop their own views. This will equip them to engage in public discourse on these topics in a critical and reflective manner.