This undergraduate elective course offers an introduction to basic elements of understanding and explaining human social behavior from the perspective of both contemporary social sciences and philosophy of science. The course is held exclusively in English. It is open to all students enrolled in any study program of the University of Zagreb.

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to: 

  1. understand the specific character of social phenomena
  2. master the basic theoretical vocabulary of social scientific thinking;
  3. differentiate interpretation of social phenomena from their explanation;
  4. recognize the connection between individual and collective explanation levels of social phenomena;
  5. explicate the basic structure of social scientific explanations;
  6. name and explain the basic causal patterns ("mechanisms") underlying social phenomena (selfishness and altruism, rational choice, unintended consequences, collective beliefs and collective decision making, norms and institutions);
  7. identify valid explanations of social phenomena and differentiate them from pseudo-explanations.

Students are required to regularly read the selected texts (“reading assignments”), or watch the selected short videos, and to participate in the discussions during classes. These activities will be evaluated and fed into the final grade together with the points acquired from the written exam (at the end of the semester). The number of ECTS points after absolving this course if four (4).

Ciljevi kolegija:

Upoznati studente sa sustavnim pregledom znanstvenih pojmova i spoznaja iz područja emocija te s razvojem, obogaćivanjem i primjenom znanstvenog pojma emocija.

Poseban naglasak stavit će se na primjenu teorijskih spoznaja psihologije emocija u svakodnevnom životu i profesionalnoj praksi.