Melissa Lane '88, Professor of Politics, Princeton University
Thesis Title: The Flight to Nature as a Mode of Social Critique: A Study of Rousseau and Thoreau
“Judy Vichniac [Head Tutor in Social Studies] equipped us with an understanding of the basic structural tensions in social life – and at the same time, she modeled for us a way to live with those tensions, to navigate through them and to integrate them, in order to make sense of society, of history, and of ourselves.”
Jessica Marglin '06, MA '06, Ruth Ziegler Early Career Chair in Jewish Studies, University of Southern California
Thesis Title: Missions of the Civilized: A Reconsideration of the Alliance Israélite Universelle as a Colonial Arm of the French Government in Morocco (1862-1912)
“Soc Stud 10 lay a foundation for my academic work—and for the way I think more generally—that continues to ground my research and my teaching today. Almost all of the texts we read that year continue to show up in my work on a regular basis; they are referred to in the books and articles I read, I teach parts of them to my students, and I draw on them in my own research.”
Seth Pearce '12, Middle School Social Studies Teacher, Brooklyn, NY
Thesis Title: What's So Bad About Educational Inequality?
“Although the curriculum [I teach] is focused on history, my love of social theory has become a core part of the curriculum over the years. As we study the Industrial Revolution, my students wrestle with the question of whether or not an economic system based on self-interest benefits all members of society. For the Cold War, students debate whether it is possible to ‘spread freedom.’”
Nadine Rubinstein '13, Elementary School Math Coach, Waltham, MA
Thesis Title: Only the "Most Motivated" Need Apply? Comparing the Involvement and School Interaction Practices of Charter-Seeking and Non-Charter-Seeking Parents
“I feel fortunate to have entered the education field with the historical and sociological perspective I gained through my Social Studies coursework. I am especially grateful for the continued mentorship of many of my Social Studies professors, who have kept in touch and have always been willing to offer advice, perspective, and a listening ear.”