Social Structures

The “(selections)” notation suggests focusing on key chapters or sections of longer, foundational works. This provides a more accessible and manageable entry point for high school students to grasp core arguments and potentially spark further interest.

  • Power and Inequality

      
    The Prince
    Niccolò Machiavelli
    A classic work on political power, strategy, and the acquisition and maintenance of rule.
    Philosophy/Political Science
      
    Discourse on Inequality
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau
    Explores the origins of social inequality and its impact on human nature.
    Philosophy/Political Science/Sociology
      
    The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte
    Karl Marx
    A brilliant analysis of class struggle, revolution, and the rise of authoritarianism in 19th-century France.
    History/Political Science
      
    On Power
    Bertrand de Jouvenel
    A wide-ranging exploration of the nature, history, and dynamics of power in human societies.
    Political Science/Sociology
      

    Globalization and Interconnectedness

      
    The Modern World-System I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in the Sixteenth Century
    Immanuel Wallerstein
    A foundational text in world-systems theory, analyzing the historical development of a global capitalist system and its inherent inequalities.
    Sociology/History
      
    Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism
    Benedict Anderson
    Explores the social and cultural processes through which national identities are constructed and maintained, even though most people within a nation will never personally know each other.
    Political Science/Sociology/History
      
    Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization
    Arjun Appadurai
    Examines the complex cultural flows and interactions that characterize globalization, including the movement of people, ideas, technology, finance, and media.
    Anthropology/Sociology
      
    Globalisation: A Very Short Introduction
    Manfred B. Steger
    A concise overview of the key dimensions and debates surrounding globalization.
    Sociology/Political Science