Current Year's Catalog 2005-06

Undergraduate Studies

Evening and Weekend Studies

Evening and Weekend Class Listing

Summer Studies

Summer Class Listing

Graduate Studies

Master of Environmental Studies

Master of Public Administration

Master in Teaching

About Society, Politics, Behavior and Change

At Evergreen, the Society, Politics, Behavior and Change area weaves together the various social science disciplines that enable us to better understand society and the way in which society operates in local, regional, national and international arenas. In so doing, we place a particular emphasis on:

Society: Many of our programs examine how social groups, such as races, genders, religions and classes, interact to construct a complex society. We also study how that society and other social forces affect the experiences and opportunities of the individuals and groups within.

Politics: Many of our programs consider how societies and governments are organized to allow collective decision-making. Our study of politics focuses on political economy, the interplay of politics and economics, with an emphasis on the international political economy and its implications for race, gender and class in U.S. society.

Behavior: Many of our programs study the social, psychological and biological forces that influence human health and behavior. Our faculty have particular strengths in the areas of cognitive, clinical and social psychology, and our senior-level multicultural counseling program is unique in the state.

Change: Our programs study strategies for bringing about social change. We examine historical examples of successful social change and ongoing struggles to improve society, and to consider positive alternatives for the future.

Our management programs study the role of organizations in society, and the ways in which various types of organizations, including for-profit, nonprofit, public and entrepreneurial ventures, may be structured and financed. Recognizing that Puget Sound has proved to be a rich laboratory for the study of economics and social change, our management programs often integrate the study of leadership development, international business and ocean transportation with our maritime studies program.

Many of our programs examine society from a multicultural perspective that seeks to understand and show respect for peoples with different ethnic and cultural heritages and to build bridges between them. As part of our work, we identify the factors and dynamics of oppression and pursue strategies for mitigating such oppression.

Our area includes faculty from the following disciplines: anthropology, economics, history, public policy, public administration, labor studies, management, political science, international affairs, philosophy, sociology, health sciences, psychology, teaching and learning.

Students who graduate from Evergreen after studying in social science programs go on to start their own businesses and social ventures, and frequently attend graduate school in fields such as psychology, law, public administration and political science.

Several of the faculty members in this area teach regularly in the Master in Teaching Program or the Master of Public Administration program. All our faculty work collaboratively to develop our undergraduate curriculum.