Friendship and Personal Life

Three credits · Undergraduate

Is friendship only personal and private, or does it have broader public, social, and political significance? This seminar addresses contemporary scholarship on the sociology of friendship as well as classic accounts of friendship by philosophers and social theorists. Through studying beliefs and practices of friendship we will address themes such as the self and personhood, gifts and exchange, trust and intimacy, sexuality and gender, social capital and networks, and the relation of friends to strangers and enemies. Prerequisite: 12 credits SOCI. Three credits.