This course examines major social problems shaping contemporary life, including racism and inequality, economic precarity, access to healthcare and education, free speech controversies, student protest movements, the curtailing of DEI initiatives, artificial intelligence, and the growing crisis of affordability across key public institutions. A central focus of the course is how social problems are defined, measured, and governed. Students examine the role of political narratives, institutional practices, media, and data in shaping public understanding and policy responses. The course introduces key tools for critical inquiry, including media literacy, basic data interpretation, and analytical approaches to emerging technologies such as AI. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with conceptual frameworks and practical skills to critically engage contemporary social issues and to think carefully about questions of access, power, and collective responsibility.Social Science and History (SSHIS) courses develop students' critical thinking skills through the study of history and the social sciences (e.g. sociology, psychology, economics, political science, anthropology, geography), as well as through contemporary interdisciplines that draw heavily on these fields (e.g. feminist and queer studies, media studies, urban studies, ethnic studies). Subject matter in these courses contributes to students' cultural literacy while instructional materials and classroom assignments introduce basic research problems and techniques.

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