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Social Sciences

SSCI E-100a Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences: Anthropology and Psychology
Graduate proseminar. 4 units. Graduate credit $1,575. Limited enrollment.
Students who do not have Harvard ID cards must purchase $100 special borrower's cards at Widener Library.

Fall term (12423) (Syllabus) (Print View): Noelle L. Huntington, PhD, Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Director of General Pediatrics Research Office, Children's Hospital, Boston. Monday, Sept. 19, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 212.

Spring term, section 1 (22409) (Syllabus) (Print View): Dante S. Spetter, PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 5:30-7:30 pm, 51 Brattle Street, Room 121.

Spring term, section 2 (21714) (Syllabus) (Print View): Scott E. Lukas, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry (Pharmacology), Harvard Medical School. Wednesday, Feb. 1, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 304.

This proseminar introduces students to basic behavioral science research methods in anthropology and psychology. It teaches them how to read and evaluate research papers and translate their ideas into viable research projects. Topics include library and archival research, scholarly writing and argument, descriptive research methods, quasi-experimental and experimental design, ethical issues, and analytical methods. Prerequisite: at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
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SSCI E-100b Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences: Government and History
Graduate proseminar. 4 units. Graduate credit $1,575. Limited enrollment.
Students who do not have Harvard ID cards must purchase $100 special borrower's cards at Widener Library.

Fall term, section 1 (12576) (Syllabus) (Print View): Vincenzo Bollettino, PhD, Affiliate, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University. Monday, Sept. 19, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 105.

Fall term, section 2 (12301) (Website) (Print View): Sarah M. Dix, PhD, Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University. Tuesday, Sept. 20, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 205.

Fall term, section 3 (11878) (Website) (Print View): Steven J. Harris, PhD, Associate, History of Science, Harvard University. Wednesday, Sept. 21, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 211.

Spring term, section 1 (22224) (Syllabus) (Print View): David Meskill, PhD, Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 111.

Spring term, section 2 (22383) (Syllabus) (Print View): Doug Bond, PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University. Joseph Bond, PhD, Affiliate, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 104.

Spring term, section 3 (22116) (Website) (Print View): Steven J. Harris, PhD, Associate, History of Science, Harvard University. Thursday, Feb. 2, 5:30-7:30 pm, Sever Hall, Room 111.

This proseminar addresses problems and methods related to the study of government, history, history of science, and allied disciplines. It stresses the critical analysis of sources, constructing explanatory models, standards of logical demonstration, and organizing and presenting research results. Emphasis on developing both writing and research skills. In the fall, section 1 examines the theories and methods used in the social sciences and emphasizes government and international relations, section 2 focuses on protest and social change in Latin America, and section 3 focuses on the research and writing skills required for advanced work in historical and social studies. In the spring, section 1 examines Nazism and Stalinism, section 2 focuses on the evolution of conflict processes and addresses the scientific study of inter- and intranational relations, and section 3 focuses on the research and writing skills required for advanced work in historical and social studies. Prerequisite: at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
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SSCI E-106 Qualitative Research Methods: The Ethnography of Urban Life (22421)
(Syllabus) (Print View)
Jonathan Eastwood, PhD, Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University.
4 units. Noncredit $325, undergraduate credit $550, graduate credit $1,450.
Monday, Jan. 30, 7:35-9:35 pm, Harvard Hall, Room 102. Spring term

This course explores the theory and practice of ethnography or field research, the principal method of qualitative research in the social sciences. We focus on exemplary ethnographies of urban life, viewing the city and its inhabitants across a whole spectrum of socioeconomic circumstances. We are particularly attentive to research design and the presentation of results in each case. In addition to learning a great deal about the contemporary urban landscape, students develop essential research and writing skills for further work in the field.
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SSCI E-107/W Advanced Analytical Reasoning in the Social Sciences (12397)
(Website) (Print View)
Nadine Weidman, PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University.
Writing-intensive course. 4 units. Noncredit $325, undergraduate credit $550, graduate credit $1,450.
Thursday, Sept. 22, 5:30-7:30 pm, William James Hall, Room 1. Fall term

This course develops skills and strategies for critical reading and original research in the social sciences. Students learn how to analyze texts (extract the argument and express it clearly and succinctly); how to present, develop, and support clear, logical, and compelling arguments; distinguish between assertion, opinion, and argument and understand the relationship between argument and evidence; frame original research questions and develop approaches to answer them; locate, interpret, and assess primary and secondary sources--in archives, in libraries, and on the Web--and learn how to judge the worth of a source. Aspects of quantitative reasoning are also covered. Emphasis is placed on rewriting and revision. Readings are drawn from history, anthropology, sociology, and political science.
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SSCI E-130 The Madness of Crowds (10792)
(Syllabus) (Print View)
William Henry Anderson, MD, Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.
4 units. Noncredit $325, undergraduate credit $550, graduate credit $1,450.
Monday, Sept. 19, 7:35-9:35 pm, William James Hall, Room 1. Fall term

This course examines behavioral phenomena of groups, crowds, and mobs. Witchcraft manias, financial crashes and panics, behavior during plagues, cults and mass movements, prophecies of apocalypse, and similar events are studied. The approach is eclectic, with biological, psychological, historical, and anthropological perspectives considered. Prerequisite: introductory biology, psychology, or anthropology.
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SSCI E-132 Conspiracy (22156)
(Syllabus) (Print View)
William Henry Anderson, MD, Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School.
4 units. Noncredit $325, undergraduate credit $550, graduate credit $1,450.
Monday, Jan. 30, 7:35-9:35 pm, Sever Hall, Room 113. Spring term

This course examines conspiracies, both real and imagined: their origins, development, and consequences. What psychobiologic factors, personality traits, and social institutions predispose to this perspective? What parts have been played by sects, secret societies, and political parties? How are these beliefs formed, and how may they be supported or refuted? Prerequisite: introductory course in biology, psychology, or anthropology.
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SSCI E-182/W Psychology of the Gendered Self (21673)
(Syllabus) (Print View)

Writing-intensive course. 4 units. Noncredit $325, undergraduate credit $550, graduate credit $1,450.
Required sections Monday, 7:35-8:35 pm. Spring term

*** SSCI E-182/W has been CANCELLED.***

This course examines the major psychological theories about how women and men develop a personality and sense of self that is congruent with cultural norms about gender. We compare traditional psychological theories (behaviorism, social cognition, and psychoanalysis) with feminist models (Chodorow, Stone Center, and Gilligan) and with recent ideas about the social construction of gender.
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