Critical Social Thought
Critical Social ThoughtProfessors—Anton, Grewal, Heather, Luft, Stolz
Associate Professors—Busacca, Caulfield, Kobashigawa, Oņate, Rivera, Rivera-Pinderhughes
Assistant Professors—Carillo, Quesada
Lecturer—Drescher
Minor in Critical Social Thought
Critical Social Thought is an intellectual and political tradition which takes a critical posture toward both society and the very process of thinking about society. It emerges from society in order to criticize it, to sharpen societal transformation, and to deconstruct society's categories of 'legitimate' order and domination. This tradition began with the philosophies and social critiques of Kant, Hegel, and Marx. In the twentieth century, it has been repeatedly and broadened. First, by a fundamental rethinking of Marx associated with Lukacs, Gramsci, the Frankfurt school, and Jurgen Habermas; second, by the French attempt to absorb Saussure, Nietzsche, and phenomenology--an attempt associated with Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Althusser, Foucault, Kristeva, Derrida, and Lacan; third, by the development of feminist and gender theory from Simone de Beauvoir to Gayatry Spivak to Judith Butler; fourth, by critical race theory and cultural studies; and finally, by the full range of postcolonial and postmodernist theory.
The minor seeks to acquaint the student with both the theoretical development of critical social thought and its links to social-political action in different social and historical settings.
Each student shall, in consultation with a faculty adviser, develop an individual program of 21 to 24 units that draws upon the following four areas and is organized around a coherent theme and/or methodology.
Online course descriptions are available.
| Program | Units | |
| Introduction--an overview of the tradition of critical social thought, required of all minors | ||
| CST 300 | Introduction to Critical Social Thought | 3 |
| Theoretical Courses--a set of courses concerned with the theoretical development of critical social thought. Depending on student qualification and with prior approval of adviser, each minor shall elect six to nine units from this segment; courses elected here must be topically or thematically integrated with those elected from the analytical segment. | 6-9 | |
| Suggested Courses (other appropriate courses may be used with consent of adviser) | ||
| CST/ANTH 320 | Racism: A Cross-Cultural Analysis | |
| ETHS 571 | Women, Class, and Race | |
| HIST 348 | Recent European Intellectual History | |
| HUM 410 | The Modern Revolution | |
| HUM 430 | Postmodern Criticism | |
| NEXA 330 | Marxian Revolution | |
| NEXA 331 | Feminist Revolution | |
| NEXA 391 | Biological Sex and Cultural Gender | |
| PHIL 303 | Modern Philosophy | |
| PHIL 382 | Women and Philosophy | |
| PHIL 425 | Topics in Existentialism and Phenomenology | |
| PLSI 351 | Political Theory: The Classical Tradition (4) | |
| PLSI 353 | Political Theory: The Twentieth Century | |
| S S 510 | Sociocultural Change | |
| SOC 370 | Theories of Society | |
| WOMS 530 | Women Studies and Social Theory | |
| WOMS 621 | Feminist Thought | |
| Analytical Courses--a set of courses concerned with the refinement and practical application of critical social thought in different social and historical settings. With prior approval of adviser, each minor shall elect nine units from this segment; courses here must be topically or thematically integrated with those from the theoretical segment. | 9 | |
| Suggested Courses (other appropriate courses may be used with consent of adviser) | ||
| ANTH 321 | Endangered Cultures | |
| ANTH 555 | Urban Anthropology | |
| ANTH 557 | Ethnography of Inner City | |
| ANTH 560 | Economic Anthropology | |
| ANTH 569 | Cross-Cultural Aspects of Sex and Gender | |
| CST 400 | Topics in Critical Social Theory | |
| CST 585 | Multinational Corporations and World Cultures | |
| CST 590 | Anthropology of Women | |
| BIOL 349 | Bioethics | |
| BL S 301 | Africa in Global Perspective | |
| BL S 302 | Black Diaspora | |
| BECA 485 | Women and Media | |
| CINE 373 | Film and Society | |
| CINE 444 | The Spectacle of Revolution: Politics in Theater and Film | |
| HIST 400 | History of Modern European Imperialism | |
| HIST 474 | History of Labor in the U.S. | |
| HIST 530 | Revolution and Reform in Latin America | |
| HIST 535 | History of Women in Latin America | |
| HMSX 458 | Introduction to Transgender Studies | |
| HUM 420 | Marxism and its Critics | |
| HUM 431 | Derrida and Deconstruction | |
| IAC 635 | Western Culture: Queer and Canonical | |
| I R 446 | Multinational Corporations in World Affairs | |
| LARA 415 | The Socio-economics of La Raza | |
| LARA 520 | North and South American Cultural Expression | |
| LARA 660 | Contemporary Movements in La Raza | |
| PHIL 330 | Political Philosophy | |
| PHIL 472 | Marx the Humanist | |
| PLSI 354 | Politics, the Environment, and Social Change | |
| PLSI 371 | Classical Marxism | |
| PLSI 466 | Racial Politics and the American Dream | |
| S S 350 | Homosexuality as a Social Issue | |
| S S 429 | The Sixties | |
| S S 520 | Modernization and Third World Countries | |
| S S 540 | Rich and Poor Nations | |
| S S 544 | Women in the World | |
| SOC 469 | Gender and Society | |
| SOC 472 | Social Inequality | |
| SOC 483 | Global Sociology | |
| SPCH 542 | Intracultural Communication | |
| WOMS 440 | Antisemitism, Misogyny, and Racism | |
| WOMS 514 | Incarcerated Women | |
| WOMS 531 | Women and International Development | |
| WOMS 532 | Politics of Reproduction | |
| WOMS 541 | Women Writers and Social Change | |
| WOMS 561 | Women of Color in the U.S. | |
| WOMS 564 | Women Writers and Colonialism | |
| WOMS 630 | Matriarchy/Patriarchy | |
| URBS 515 | Race, Poverty, and the Urban Environment | |
| URBS 560 | Urban Poverty and Policy | |
| URBS 565 | Social Policy and Family Systems | |
| URBS 582 | Homelessness and Public Policy | |
| Integrative Seminar--required of all minors | ||
| CST 680 | Integrative Seminar in Critical Social Thought | 3 |
| Minimum total | 21-24 | |