SSP 90-10; CRN 6794
4 Credits
TR 13:10-14:25 
Professor Ziad Munson
 

The Politics of Morality in America

This course examines the social and moral debates that have become politically divisive in the United States.  From pornography, sex education and gay rights, to capital punishment, abortion, physician-assisted suicide and gambling, we will examine the social origins of moral politics, the emergence and growth of social movements around these issues, and the ways in which battles over morality continue to shape our society.  The seminar will begin with a focused look at the abortion debate—one of the most divisive issues in the country today and the only issue over which public opinion has grown more polarized over the last thirty years.  We will then broaden our discussion to consider other moral issues selected by seminar participants.  Students will learn about the politics of morality as well as have the opportunity to conduct a collaborative research project on a topic chosen by the class as a whole.

Course Materials

We will begin with two books on abortion as a moral debate: Kristin Luker’s (1984) Abortion and the Politics of Motherhood and Faye Ginsburg’s (1989) Contested Lives.  Subsequent material will be dependent on the specific interests of the seminar participants.

Required Assignments

Students are required to attend and participate every class session, respond to weekly discussion questions, write a short (4-5 page) report on a moral issue of their choosing, assist in the class research project, write a final research paper of 10-12 pages, and give an in-class presentation.  There are no tests or exams in the seminar.


Ziad Munson is an Assistant Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.  He received his B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1993 and his PhD from Harvard University in 2001.  His research  interests are in the fields of political sociology and the sociology of religion and he has conducted studies on the Christian Right in the United States, Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East, and political violence around the world.  He teaches classes on politics and society, religion in social life, the social origins of terrorism, social movements, and social theory.