Course Type: Upper-level seminar
Institution: Bryn Mawr College
Semester Taught: Fall 2024
Enrollment: 15-20 students

Course Description

I designed and taught this seminar to introduce students to a variety of social theories or forms of social analysis from various regions of the world–men and women from African, South American, Middle Eastern, South, Southeast, and East Asian cultural basins–whose work reflected critically or analytically on their own social worlds. Students read work exploring Southern, autonomous, indigenous, and connected modes of sociological theorizing as alternatives to Euro- and Anglocentric approaches to sociology.

Pedagogical Approach

• Decolonizing curriculum: Centering voices and perspectives from the Global South
• Portfolio projects: Students explore non-Western theoretical frameworks in depth
• Critical reflection: Examining assumptions embedded in mainstream sociological theory
• Comparative analysis: Understanding how context shapes theoretical development
• Community of truth: Building inclusive learning environments across difference

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understanding sociology as a global, diverse discipline
• Recognition of how geographic and cultural location shapes theoretical perspectives
• Critical analysis of Euro-centric assumptions in mainstream sociology
• Application of non-Western theoretical frameworks to contemporary issues
• Development of more inclusive and globally-aware sociological imagination

Course Themes

• Southern Theory: Theoretical frameworks developed in the Global South
• Indigenous Sociology: Traditional knowledge systems and social analysis
• Postcolonial Perspectives: Understanding the ongoing effects of colonialism
• Connected Sociologies: Relationships between different theoretical traditions

Assessment

The course uses reflective assessment methods that encourage students to examine their own theoretical assumptions while engaging seriously with diverse intellectual traditions.

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Header image: Cultural mosaic artwork. Digital collage by David Sorge.