This course offers an advanced survey of current debates about the ontology, methodology, and aims of the social sciences. It also features an extensive list of readings with corresponding reading questions. Core readings will address questions such as:

- Should explanation in the social sciences follow the model of explanation in the natural sciences, or are there peculiarities about human beings and social phenomena that demand a different approach?


- Is there a difference between expl more...

This online full course provided by MIT focuses on issues that arise in contemporary public debate concerning matters of social justice. Topics will likely include: euthanasia, gay marriage, racism and racial profiling, free speech, hunger and global inequality. Students will be exposed to multiple points of view on the topics and will be given guidance in analyzing the moral frameworks informing opposing positions. The goal will be to provide the basis for respectful and informed discussion of more...

UC Irvine is in the process of developing OpenCourseWare to be hosted on its OCW portal. A first online course untitled "Training and Human Resources Development" is already available online. It is composed of 13 lessons focusing on how to use Training and Development to address human resource needs.

Fahamu organization offers a full course related to human rights. This very complete course is available online and published on the organization's new OpenCourseWare Web site. This short introductory course provides a grounding in the basic principles of human rights. It also introduces participants to the international and regional conventions and instruments which encode human rights. It is one of an integrated collection of courses developed by Fahamu in conjunction with the University of Ox more...

Fahamu is the first NGO partner in the OpenCourseWare Consortium. The organization supports the struggle for human rights and social justice in Africa. Fahamu OpenCourseWare Web site, available since recently, offers two full open courses related to human rights and social justice.

The organization has developed a range of distance-learning courses aimed at strengthening the capacity of human rights and civil society organisations. The topics covered are the result of extensive research condu more...

Fahamu organization offers a full course related to access to information. This very complete course is available online and published on the organization's new OpenCourseWare Web site. Combining the freedom of information campaigning expertise of Article 19 (http://article19.org) with the extensive distance learning experience of Fahamu, this course is meant for people and organizations from a broad spectrum of areas in Africa who have an interest in the issue of access to information. This inc more...

This year's Design Science Lab, held at the UN and UN International School June 22-29 for college and high school students and professionals, will focus on poverty. After being briefed by UN personnel, Lab participants will develop strategies for reaching the Millennium Development Goal. At end of Lab, students will present their strategies to the UN. Also available are reports from previous Labs that dealt with food, energy, education, health, and the environment.

By featuring educational resources, articles, stories and opinions about how economic policy and development can be made more inclusive, Global Envision provides models of how free markets can be a positive force in creating a more fair, just, and stable future. Here you will find also articles on Microfinance.

This course explores how globalization impacts everyday life in the First and Third World; how globalization leads to a common cosmopolitan culture; the emergence of a global youth culture; and religious, social, and political movements that challenge globalization. Materials examined include pop music, advertisements, film posters, and political cartoons. The course is available in Portugues and Spanish.

MIT OpenCourseWare provides free, searchable, access to MIT's course materials for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. This site provides links to all STS courses available (undergraduate and graduate level). For each course accessed, see left column for available resources (e.g. Syllabus, Calendar, Readings, Lecture Notes, Assignments, Study Materials).
This interdisceplenary department is an amalgamation of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the sciences of th more...