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Northwestern University

FD-SBS: Social and Behavioral Sciences

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area III: Social and Behavioral Sciences page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

We all exist in a complex web of social relationships. Social phenomena, ranging from the most intimate interpersonal interactions to widespread global political conflicts, influence the quality of our lives in countless ways. Social scientists use qualitative and quantitative methodologies to help us understand how we influence, and are influenced by, societal forces. Courses in this area introduce students to theories, methodological approaches, and empirical research findings pertaining to a full range of the human experience, from the level of the individual to that of familial, cultural, political, and institutional structures. Through study of the social sciences, students develop a deeper understanding of their own behavior as well as the complex problems of modern society.

learning objectives

Courses in the Social and Behavioral Sciences prepare students to meet three of more of the following objectives:

Choosing courses

Each social science department offers one or more introductory survey courses, most of which can be followed by other approved courses that introduce major sub-fields or that provide an in-depth look at more specific areas of study.

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area III: Social and Behavioral Sciences page. The information above pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

 

Approved Courses

Foundational Discipline - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Subject Number Title
ANTHRO 211-0 Culture and Society2
ANTHRO 214-0 Archaeology: Unearthing History
ANTHRO 215-0 Study of Culture Through Language2
ANTHRO 221-0 Social and Health Inequalities1
ANTHRO 235-0 Language in Asian America (with ASIAN_AM 235-0)1
ANTHRO 322-0 Introduction to Archeology Research Design & Methods
ANTHRO 326-0 Archaeologies of Sustainbility and Collapse (with ENVR_POL 385-0)2
ANTHRO 357-0 Biocultural Perspectives on Water Insecurity (with GBL_HLTH 357-0)
ANTHRO 368-0 Latina and Latino Ethnography
ANTHRO 382-0 Political Ecology (with ENVR_POL 384-0)1
ANTHRO 383-0 Environmental Anthropology (with ENVR_POL 383-0)2
ANTHRO 389-0 Ethnographic Methods and Analysis
ASIAN_AM 218-0 Asian/Black Historical Relations in the U.S. (with BLK_ST 218-0)
ASIAN_AM 235-0 Language in Asian America (with ANTHRO 235-0)1
ASIAN_AM 251-0 Introduction to Critical Mixed Race Studies (with BLK_ST 251-0)1
BLK_ST 214-0 Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies1
BLK_ST 215-0 Introduction to Black Social & Political Life1
BLK_ST 218-0 Asian/Black Historical Relations in the U.S. (with ASIAN_AM 218-0)
BLK_ST 236-0 Introduction to African-Amercian Studies (or may be applied to FD-LA)1
BLK_ST 251-0 Introduction to Critical Mixed Race Studies (with ASIAN_AM 251-0)1
BLK_ST 317-0 Black Political Thought1
BLK_ST 320-0 Social Meaning of Race1
BLK_ST 325-0 Education for Black Liberation1
BLK_ST 327-0 Politics of Black Popular Culture
BLK_ST 334-0 Gender and Black Masculinity1
BLK_ST 365-0 Black Chicago1
BUS_INST 303-0 Leadership in Organizations
COG_SCI 110-0 Introduction to Cognitive Science
COG_SCI 207-0 Introduction to Cognitive Modeling
COG_SCI 211-0 Learning, Representation and Reasoning
COG_SCI 345-0 Presenting Ideas and Data (with PSYCH 345-0)
COMM_ST 381-0 Media, Movements, & Social Change
ECON 201-0 Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECON 202-0 Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 310-1 Microeconomics
ECON 311-0 Macroeconomics
ENVR_POL 212-0 Environment and Society (with SOCIOL 212-0)1
ENVR_POL 337-0 Hazard, Disaster and Society (with GBL_HLTH 337-0)2
ENVR_POL 338-0 Environmental Justice (with GBL_HLTH 338-0)2
ENVR_POL 339-0 Silent but Loud: Negotiating Health in a Cultural, Food, Poverty, and Environmental Caste (with GBL_HLTH 339-0)1
ENVR_POL 340-0 Global Environments and World History (with HISTORY 376-0) (or may be applied to FD-HS)2
ENVR_POL 360-0 Animal Law (with LEGAL_ST 360-0)
ENVR_POL 383-0 Environmental Anthropology (with ANTHRO 383-0)2
ENVR_POL 384-0 Political Ecology (with ANTHRO 382-0)1
ENVR_POL 385-0 Archaeologies of Sustainbility and Collapse (with ANTHRO 385-0)2
GBL_HLTH 201-0 Introduction to Global Health2
GBL_HLTH 221-0 Beyond Porn: Sexuality, Health and Pleasure (with GNDR_ST 221-0)1
GBL_HLTH 222-0 The Social Determinants of Health
GBL_HLTH 303-0 (Re)mixing Qualitative Methods1
GBL_HLTH 306-0 Biomedicine and Culture2
GBL_HLTH 309-0 Biomedicine and World History (with HISTORY 379-0) (or FD-HS)2
GBL_HLTH 318-0 Community-based Participatory Research1
GBL_HLTH 319-0 Trauma and its Afterlives
GBL_HLTH 320-0 Qualitative Research Methods in Global Health
GBL_HLTH 321-0 War and Public Health2
GBL_HLTH 323-0 Global Health from Policy to Practice2
GBL_HLTH 337-0 Hazard, Disaster and Society (with ENVR_POL 337-0)2
GBL_HLTH 338-0 Environmental Justice (with ENVR_POL 338-0)2
GBL_HLTH 339-0 Silent but Loud: Negotiating Health in a Cultural, Food, Poverty, and Environmental Caste (with ENVR_POL 339-0)1
GBL_HLTH 340-0 Mental Health and the Arts
GBL_HLTH 357-0 Biocultural Perspectives on Water Insecurity (with ANTHRO 357-0)
GNDR_ST 221-0 Beyond Porn: Sexuality, Health and Pleasure (with GBL_HLTH 221-0)1
GNDR_ST 331-0 Sociology of Gender and Sexuality
GNDR_ST 332-0 Gender, Sexuality, and Health
GNDR_ST 340-0 Gender, Sexuality and the Law (with LEGAL_ST 340-0)1
GEOG 240-0 Economic Geography
GEOG 312-0 Geography of Chicago & Its Region
GEOG 313-0 North America
GERMAN 213-0 History, Politics, and Culture in 21st Century German
HISTORY 215-0 History of the American Family (or FD-HS)1
HISTORY 249-0 The End of Citizenship (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 251-0 The Politics of Disaster: A Global Environmental History (or may be applied to FD-HS)2
HISTORY 254-0 Global Entrepreneurs (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 260-2 History of Latin America (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 353-0 History of Capitalism (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 354-0 History of Socialism (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 367-0 History of Mexico (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 370-0 Music and Nation in Latin America (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 376-0 Global Environments and World History (with ENVR_POL 340-0) (or may be applied to FD-HS)2
HISTORY 379-0 Biomedicine and World History (with GBL_HLTH 309-0) (or FD-HS)2
HISTORY 386-3 Southeast Asia: Decolonization & Independence (or FD-HS)2
HUM 213-0 Humanities in the World IV
HUM 220-0 Health, Biomedicine, Culture, and Society (with SOCIOL 220-0)1
HUM 325-3 Humanities in the Digital Age
HUM 370-3 Special Topics in the Humanities
INTL_ST 393-SA Development in the Global Context: Participation, Power, and Social Change (variable credit course; 1 unit can count towards the Foundational Discipline)2
LATINO 203-0 Introduction to Latina & Latino Cultural Studies
LATINO 392-0 Topics in Latina and Latino Social and Political Issues
LEGAL_ST 206-0 Law and Society (with SOCIOL 206-0)1
LEGAL_ST 207-0 Legal Studies Research Methods (with SOCIOL 227-0)
LEGAL_ST 308-0 Sociology of Law (with SOCIOL 318-0) (or may be applied to FD-EET)1
LEGAL_ST 315-0 Corporation in US Law and Culture
LEGAL_ST 332-0 Constitutional Law I (with POLI_SCI 332-0)
LEGAL_ST 333-0 Constitutional Law II: Civil and Political Rights (with POLI_SCI 333-0)1
LEGAL_ST 340-0 Gender, Sexuality and the Law (with GNDR_ST 340-0)1
LEGAL_ST 348-0 Race, Politics, and the Law (with SOCIOL 348-0)1
LEGAL_ST 350-0 Psychology and Law (with PSYCH 340-0) (or may be applied to FD-EET)1
LEGAL_ST 356-0 Constitutional Challenges in Comparative Perspective (with POLI_SCI 356-0)2
LEGAL_ST 360-0 Animal Law (with ENVR_POL 360-0)
LEGAL_ST 383-0 Gender, Sexuality and the Carceral State1
LING 220-0 Language and Society1
LING 312-0 Experimental Sociolinguistics1
LING 315-0 Experimental Approaches to Word Form Processing
LING 320-0 Sociolinguistics1
LING 321-0 Bilingualism
MENA 290-3

Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies

MENA 390-3 Advanced Topics in Middle East and North African Studies
PHIL 253-0 Introduction to the Philosophy of Language
POLI_SCI 201-0 Introduction to Political Theory
POLI_SCI 211-0 Introduction to Interpretive Methods in Political Science
POLI_SCI 220-0 American Government and Politics1
POLI_SCI 230-0 Introduction to Law in the Political Arena1
POLI_SCI 240-0 Introduction to International Relations2
POLI_SCI 250-0 Introduction to Comparative Politics2
POLI_SCI 320-0 The American Presidency
POLI_SCI 321-0 Urban Politics1
POLI_SCI 323-0 Public Opinion and Voting Behavior
POLI_SCI 324-0 Political Parties and Elections
POLI_SCI 325-0 Congress and the Legislative Process
POLI_SCI 326-0 Race and Public Policy1
POLI_SCI 327-0 African American Politics1
POLI_SCI 328-0 Public Policy
POLI_SCI 332-0 Constitutional Law I (with LEGAL_ST 332-0)
POLI_SCI 333-0 Constitutional Law II: Civil and Political Rights (with LEGAL_ST 333-0)1
POLI_SCI 334-0 Latino Politics1
POLI_SCI 335-0 Political Psychology
POLI_SCI 336-0 Immigration Politics and Policy1
POLI_SCI 337-0 Gender and Politics
POLI_SCI 338-0 Labor Politics in America1
POLI_SCI 340-0 International Relations Theory
POLI_SCI 341-0 International Political Economy2
POLI_SCI 343-0 Politics of International Law2
POLI_SCI 344-0 U.S. Foreign Policy
POLI_SCI 345-0 National Security
POLI_SCI 346-0 European Union in International Affairs
POLI_SCI 348-0 Globalization
POLI_SCI 350-0 Social Movements2
POLI_SCI 351-0 Politics of the Middle East2
POLI_SCI 352-0 Global Development (with SOCIOL 317-0)2
POLI_SCI 353-0 Politics of Latin America 
POLI_SCI 354-0 Politics of Southeast Asia2
POLI_SCI 355-0 Politics of China
POLI_SCI 356-0 Constitutional Challenges in Comparative Perspective (with LEGAL_ST 356-0)2
POLI_SCI 359-0 Politics of Africa2
POLI_SCI 361-0 Democracy and Autocracy
POLI_SCI 362-0 Politics of Europe2
POLI_SCI 364-SA France: Politics, Culture & Society
POLI_SCI 374-0 Politics of Capitalism2
POLI_SCI 376-0 Civil Wars2
POLI_SCI 377-0 Drugs and Politics2
POLI_SCI 378-0 America and the World
POLI_SCI 382-0 Religion, Law, & Politics: Politics of Religious Diversity (with RELIGION 382-0) (or FD-EET)1
POLI_SCI 383-0 War and Change in International Politics2
POLI_SCI 384-0 International Responses to Mass Atrocities2
POLI_SCI 388-0 Institutions and Society (with SOCIOL 288-0)
PSYCH 110-0 Introduction to Psychology
PSYCH 213-0 Social Psychology
PSYCH 215-0 Psychology of Personality
PSYCH 221-0 Introduction to Neuroscience (or may be applied to FD-NS)
PSYCH 228-0 Cognitive Psychology
PSYCH 244-0 Developmental Psychology
PSYCH 248-0 Health Psychology 
PSYCH 303-0 Psychopathology
PSYCH 313-0 Relationship Science
PSYCH 317-0 The Holocaust: Psychological Themes & Perspectives2
PSYCH 328-0 Brain Damage and the Mind (or may be applied to FD-NS)
PSYCH 333-0 Psychology of Thinking (or may be applied to FD-EDR)
PSYCH 340-0 Psychology and Law (with LEGAL_ST 350-0) (or may be applied to FD-EET) 1
PSYCH 345-0 Presenting Ideas and Data (with COG_SCI 345-0)
RELIGION 382-0 Religion, Law, & Politics: Politics of Religious Diversity (with POLI_SCI 382-0) (or FD-EET) 1
SOCIOL 110-0 Introduction to Sociology
SOCIOL 202-0 Social Problems
SOCIOL 206-0 Law and Society (with LEGAL_ST 206-0)1
SOCIOL 207-0 Cities in Society
SOCIOL 210-0 Families and Society1
SOCIOL 212-0 Environment and Society (with ENVR_POL 212-0)1
SOCIOL 216-0 Gender and Society1
SOCIOL 218-0 Education and Inequality: Focus on Chicago1
SOCIOL 220-0 Health, Biomedicine, Culture, and Society (with HUM 220-0)1
SOCIOL 223-0 Masculinities and Society1
SOCIOL 227-0 Legal Studies Research Methods (with LEGAL_ST 207-0)
SOCIOL 235-0 Critical Thought on Race and Ethnicity1
SOCIOL 276-0 Introductory Topics in Sociology
SOCIOL 288-0 Institutions and Society (with POLI_SCI 388-0)
SOCIOL 302-0 Sociology of Organizations
SOCIOL 305-0 Population Dynamics2
SOCIOL 307-0 School and Society1
SOCIOL 309-0 Political Sociology
SOCIOL 310-0 Sociology of the Family1
SOCIOL 317-0 Global Development (with POLI_SCI 352-0)2
SOCIOL 318-0 Sociology of Law (with LEGAL_ST 308-0) (or may be applied to FD-EET)1
SOCIOL 320-0 Gender, Health and Medicine1
SOCIOL 327-0 Youth and Society1
SOCIOL 343-0 Social Networks
SOCIOL 348-0 Race, Politics, and the Law (with LEGAL_ST 348-0)1
SOCIOL 356-0 Sociology of Gender1
SOCIOL 376-0 Topics in Sociological Analysis
SOCIOL 392-0 Seminars

1 Also Overlay 1: U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

2 Also Overlay 2: Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

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