SOC 1800 - Tough Choices, Conflicting Values

Credits: 4

This course will analyze difficult decisions that most of us grapple with in the U.S. As we study works by sociologists, psychologists, and ethicists, we will explore how people wrestle with complex choices such as:

• What fuels the epidemic of lying and cheating in classrooms, bedrooms, boardrooms, sports, medicine, and politics? How can you align your behaviors with your beliefs about honesty and morality?
• When does the pursuit of wealth, status, and pleasure (from alcohol, drugs, digital technology, food, sex, etc.) conflict with caring for and staying connected to self and others? How do you discover your core values and live accordingly?
• Why do many people who support “justice for all” sometimes, through words and deeds, disrespect or discriminate against females, people of color, LGBTQ folks, etc.?
• What helps people to challenge cultural beliefs and resist social pressures that encourage us to cheat and mistreat others, and how can this ability be strengthened?

The course is based on the assumption that learning, at its best, opens minds, changes lives, and is fun.  Instead of analyzing abstract ideas that are often hard to relate to, we will constantly connect the issues we explore to your questions, beliefs, and dreams.
Fulfills: D in LS Core