51³ÉÈËÁÔÆæ

Course Description

Summary

We all do it multiple times a day without giving it a second thought. Everyone has to go. But while easy access to a private, safe toilet is simply taken for granted in our part of the world, two-thirds of the world's population do not have adequate sanitation. 2.6 billion people living today do not have access to a toilet. As a result, millions of people die every year because of disease spread by bodily waste--more than any other single cause of death. In this course, students will be introduced to the basic methods and principles of the social sciences. We will focus on a topic that is intensely personal, and yet has far-reaching social, cultural, and political significance: bathrooms. We will examine our topic from historical, anthropological, psychological, philosophical, political, and economic perspectives. Students will gain a greater understanding of one of the world's least-talked-about yet most pressing health problems, and at the same time familiarize themselves with the analytical tools and methodologies that will aid them in this understanding.