Sociology

Trust in Society: SOCY 26

(Course Syllabus)

Social Science and popular press literature of the past decade suggests that trust is the cause of many "good" things, such as the source of group cooperations, the basis of democracy, the foundation of the market economy, the source of national economic power, the key, even, to morality itself. Given its relation to all things good, it is not surprising that some commentators speak with alarm when they claim that "trust is declining" in society. Is trust declining? What exactly is trust anyway, and why does it matter? In this course we explore the concept of trust by reading and discussing theoretical and empirical research from across the social sciences. Prerequisite: Sociology 1 or 2 and one other Sociology course.

Instructor: Anthony