Political and Social Thought at UVA

Over thirty years ago, the Program in Political and Social Thought was launched by a small group of University faculty from several departments committed to the idea of broad social inquiry. The interdisciplinary program offers diverse and qualified students the opportunity to study social topics in the context of politics — conceived both in its broadest and narrowest senses — without being limit

ed by the boundaries or the methodological preoccupations of the relevant disciplines. With the advice of associated faculty, independent and capable students can fashion a program of study that reflects their intellectual interests and goals. Instead of a traditional division between “theory” and “practice,” the program prepares students to engage with their subject from a broad perspective of critical inquiry, where the analysis of thought and thinkers serves as an overall grounding in a process of writing, and, in the fourth year, research. The year-long third year seminar develops the skills of disciplined discussion and persuasive writing on various issues of social and political thought. Through weekly essays and focused discussion, students learn to analyze texts with both imagination and rigor. In the fourth year, in consultation with advisors and within reasonable limits, students devise an interdisciplinary set of classes geared toward their broader interests and to the preparation of a substantial (80-100 page) thesis in their fourth year. The range of topics among the theses projects is extraordinary: the majority of students, however, focus on a topical event or policy, whether domestic or international. Occasionally, a student chooses a topic with a more literary bent. Recent topics have included an investigation of income inequality in the US, the status of art in post-colonial African monument building, and analysis of the role of American media in the Arab Spring. Encouraging students to explore their personal interests, the Program stimulates the production of thorough, passionate, and engaged theses. Among the departments and programs that have played a considerable role in this program are: History, Politics, Sociology, Anthropology, Studies in Women and Gender, Religious Studies, and Philosophy; more recently, students have included courses in Bioethics, Economics, English, and Media Studies.