Perspectives (PERS)

The Perspectives designation was proposed by students who wanted to affirm the importance of developing awareness, skills, and knowledge of others’ perspectives. Many departments and programs offer opportunities for development in this area. The faculty have approved a set of learning outcomes to distinguish courses that meet the Perspectives objectives.

In the following approved courses, students do all of the following:

demonstrate acquired knowledge of underrepresented and/or non-Western viewpoints or analytical lenses;
recognize how identities, such as gender, sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, and/or class, may intersect and uniquely influence the issues covered in the course; and
gain a critical understanding of the connections between such identities and systemic inequities, locally, regionally, and/or (inter)nationally.

Approved Perspectives courses (permanent designation):

EALL 493 - Honors Thesis
HIST 276 - History of South Africa
HIST 277 - Speaking and Being Zulu in South Africa
HIST 279 - Africa in the Western Imagination
HIST 378 - African Feminisms
HIST 379 - Queering Colonialism
JAPN 100 - Supervised Study Abroad: Beginning Japanese
JAPN 115 - Supervised Study Abroad: First-Year Japanese
JAPN 265 - Supervised Study Abroad: Second-Year Japanese
JAPN 365 - Supervised Study Abroad: Third-Year Japanese
PHIL 242 - Social Inequality and Fair Opportunity  (WGSS 242)
PHIL 244 - Feminist Social and Political Philosophy  (WGSS 244)
PHIL 246 - Philosophy of Sex  (WGSS 246)
PHIL 254 - Philosophy of the Family: Beyond Tradition  (WGSS 254)
SOAN 101 - Introduction to Anthropology: Investigating Humanity
SOAN 205 - Power and Status: An Introduction to Social Influence
SOAN 240 - Food, Culture, and Society
SOAN 250 - Revolutions and Revolutionaries
SOAN 263 - Poverty and Marginality in the Americas
SOAN 266 - Neighborhoods, Culture, and Poverty
SOAN 268 - Migration, Identity, and Conflict  (POL 268)
SOAN 278 - Health and Inequality: An Introduction to Medical Sociology
SOAN 288 - Childhood

Approved Perspectives courses (flexible designation (by section or topic)):

SOAN 102 - Introduction to Sociology: Investigating Society
SOAN 290 - Special Topics in Sociology : Belonging in College (Spring, 2019)