The Social Side of College: Understanding the Lives of Undergraduate Students (337-0-20)

Instructors

Simone Zinaida Ispa-Landa

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall 303: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

What explains the distinctive nature of the North American residential college experience? Why do American college students live, eat, and socialize together on campus in ways that differ from universities worldwide? How do campus architecture and physical spaces shape student interactions and social hierarchies? How can we explain US college party cultures and nightlife? How do aspects of the college environment influence college students' romantic and sexual relationships with one another? How do family backgrounds and parenting styles affect students' college trajectories? How does college athletics both create opportunities and reinforce inequalities? And what social divisions and connections define elite college communities? In this course, we will learn to view the four-year residential North American college as the product of historical and contemporary institutional structures. Instead of taking elements of the college experience for granted, we will learn to question and ask where they came from and discuss the pros and cons of viewing them from different vantage points.

Class Attributes

Prerequisites apply, see description

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: ANTIREQ: Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in SOC_POL 351-0 "The Social Side of College: Understanding the Lives of Undergraduate Students" may not enroll.