Courses

Although often considered homogenously white, Europe's population is and always has been racially diverse. This diversity is the culmination of centuries of colonialist interventions around the globe, particularly in Africa and the West Indies. This course will explore the history and contemporary reality of this population diversity, with a particular focus on the African diaspora in Europe. Beginning with Europe's simultaneous expulsion of Jews and Muslims and "discovery" of Caribbean islands in 1492, the students will trace Europe's colonial history in Africa and the West Indies that ultimately resulted in return migration of current and former African colonial subjects to multiple metropoles in Europe. Students will then focus on the experiences of the African Diaspora in Europe, broadly, and in five countries (Britain, France, The Netherlands, Germany, and Italy) before addressing contemporary debates (the racialization of Muslims as the "new Blacks" in Europe, citizenship laws within and across the EU, and anti-racist movements) and concluding with discussion of the future of race and Africans in Europe.

A one-semester introduction to the main modes of cultural anthropological analysis of non-Western cultures, such as those of Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Melanesia, Polynesia, sub-Saharan Africa and Native America. Topics include: ethnographic methods; concepts of culture; symbolic communication; ecological processes; introduction to anthropological approaches to kinship, religion, gender, hierarchy, economics, medicine, political life, transnational processes.

The UN reports that 2/3 of the global workforce operates in the "informal economy." This course develops an anthropological approach to that fact. Our foundation is the literature on the informal economy in Africa and other parts of the global south, but we will also explore economic processes closer to home. Topics include: the origin, development, and use of the "informal economy" concept, precarious livelihoods, micro-credit and "bottom of the pyramid" ventures, informal networks, illicit trade, smuggling, black markets, and organized crime.

This course explores cross-cultural variation within and among legal institutions. Through the medium of ethnography, as well as original primary-source research into court proceedings and legal disputes, we consider how law becomes a mechanism for the maintenance of social order at the same time that it can contribute to social inequity. We will address central questions in the anthropology of law: How does our cultural background influence how we conceptualize justice? What are the consequences of finding oneself between competing legal systems? Why are questions of legality so often tied up with our conceptions of human nature? Our focus will be to examine critically the social and cultural dynamics behind dispute resolution, corporate law, crime, torts, religious law, and international courts, as well as dilemmas around policing and other ways people encounter the law in everyday life. Case studies from diverse legal environments in both industrialized and small-scale societies will help place Western law traditions in a comparative, global perspective.

Is there any validity to the claim that women in the Global South have largely been "left out", "marginalized" and even "harmed" by development programs and ideologies? And is development a new form of imperialism? The course begins with discussion of anthropological and feminist critiques of "development" and then examines successes and shortfalls of different strategies used to "bring women back" into development. We then evaluate the gendered impacts of development policies, programs promoted by international development agencies.

In this course, we will explore anthropological work on debt, then use it to think through contemporary issues, both here in the US and elsewhere in the world. We will start by discussing the focal role of debt in a variety of religious traditions and revisiting the classical anthropology of exchange. Then we'll explore connections between debt, money, and finance, as they have appeared in different times and places. Along the way, we will consider everything from feuds and blood money, to debt peonage and slavery, to the origins of central banking and state finance, to structural adjustment programs and anti-debt activism. As we wrap up, we'll look at a number of recent trends in our own milieu, including the bail/bond system, subprime loans, and student debt, as well as matters from further afield, like microcredit schemes and the role of debt in migration.

The main focus of this course will be the perennial question of inequality in Latin America a region of the world beleaguered by a long history of immense differences between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the ruling elites and the people. We will pay close attention to the ways in which gender, race and sexuality inform those economic and political inequalities, and how they are being challenged by the region's important transformations over the last couple of decades. Throughout the course, we will keep in mind that Latin America cannot be examined in isolation, but in relation to foreign powers (including the United States) that have had vested interests in the region. We will tackle controversial topics such as the School of the Americas, the Rigoberta Menchú testimonial and affirmative action policies in Brazil. By the end of the course, students will be expected to have a good grasp of the amazing cultural diversity in Latin America, and its unique quandaries, social movements and hopes for the future.

An introduction to the issues, methods, and concepts of economic anthropology. This course places economic features such as markets, commodities, and money into a larger cross-cultural context by exploring relations of power, kinship, gender, exchange, and social transformation.

A comparative, cultural anthropological exploration of fashion and consumption as tools for the creation, expression, and contestation of social, cultural, economic, political and individual identities. Topics include: anthropological and semiotic theories of materialism and consumption, subcultural styles, colonialism, race, gender, religious dress, globalization and ethnic chic.

This course provides an introductory anthropological account of 20th- and 21st-century Africa. The central theme is the "representation" of Africa and Africans, including the manner in which outsiders have portrayed the continent and its peoples in the past, African responses and rejoinders, and current scholarship and forms of self-representation. We will cover a number of broader themes, including music, race, art, ethnicity, youth, economic activity, "tradition" and "modernity," and the politics of cultural translation.

Since the latter half of the nineteenth century, voluntary and forced migration from across the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa to the Western Hemisphere has taken place for a number of economic, political, cultural, and other motivations. Individuals and their descendants from the region went on to create powerful diasporic communities in Latin America, making significant contributions to various social, political and cultural landscapes. While some readily assimilated into their new homes, others retained an indelible sense of dislocation from and belonging to their homeland.

This course will critically examine the wide variety of approaches, tactics, discourses and objectives adopted by activists from around the globe in the effort to further LGBTQ+ rights, and discuss the ways that this activism centered on sexuality and/or gender identity intersects with race, class, religion, nationality and cultural identity. Although many nations around the world have experienced important advances over the last few decades in the effort to include LGBTQ+ populations, we cannot assume that progress on these issues is uniform or that it will look the same in different contexts. The course will push students to consider the ways that Western LGBTQ+ identities cannot be imposed on other contexts uncritically, and to consider how global activism can complicate efforts in different localities, render certain identities vulnerable, or participate in neocolonialist forms of pinkwashing. Queer activism that is truly global and sensitive to cultural difference requires queering activist practices themselves, and creating equal partnerships rather than top-down approaches to spreading LGBTQ+ rights.

It is recognized that poverty plays a central role in many preventable diseases. With the development of nations have come improvements in health. The linkages between health and development can only be understood within the broader context of socio-political and economic factors. In the landscape of globalization and international development there has emerged a vast international health regime. This course focuses on these linkages in the context of this international political economy of health. Key aspects are critically examined including the concepts and architecture of global health, the global burden and epidemiology of disease, health and development of nations, and political-economic determinants of health and development. This foundational course in global health will use a variety of analytical perspectives including political, legal, economic and epidemiological. The course focuses on developing countries. One unit.

This course will investigate the scientific and political factors that have shaped responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. We begin by establishing the biological, historical, and national institutional context for pandemic response, tracing the development of epidemiology and public health mechanisms through cases including the Great Plague, cholera, and the 1918 influenza pandemic. We then move to address the evolution, and sources of authority, of international cooperative mechanisms like the World Health Organization, nongovernmental organizations, and epistemic communities by analyzing the response to recent public health crises, including the outbreaks of H1N1 influenza and Ebola. Thus prepared, we turn to COVID-19. We will first discuss the biology of the virus, the research that underpins our understanding of its transmission, epidemiological models of disease spread, and the biological bases of the treatments currently under development. This scientific understanding will allow us to make recommendations about ideal public health guidelines. We will then compare these ideal responses to those actually taken by national and international actors, while analyzing the reasons - social, political, and scientific - for the diverse policies pursued and the implications for future pandemic response.

This course will critically evaluate global health theory and practice. Through the use of detailed case studies, students will discuss actual global health interventions and examine how and why some interventions work and others fail. We will interrogate the notion of global health: what it is exactly, who the main players are and who benefits from global health interventions and how. We will also examine health systems in the Global South and how they can be strengthened. Through exploration of these issues, students will become familiar with the doing of global health and with the notions of social determinants of health and health systems strengthening. An interdisciplinary perspective that draws on anthropological, feminist and public health concepts will be used throughout the course.

This course will use an interdisciplinary perspective that draws from anthropology, development studies, human rights, gender studies and public health to examine how economic and social "development policies and initiatives influence human health and wellbeing around the world. We will discuss how notions of development and progress have been imagined and implemented at four key moments in history: during colonization, industrialization, the age of science and mass production, and the current digital/technological age. We will explore how human health and wellbeing have both been positively and negatively affected by the economic and social policies of each era. This course will broaden students understanding of the factors that influence health and wellbeing beyond the narrow biological and behavioral categories that are commonly used in publichealth. This will be accomplished by focusing on the political-economy as a key structural determinant of health. Case studies will be drawn from around the world and will include, among others, working conditions in multinational factories in Asia, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, privatization of water in Bolivia, racism and income inequality in the US and colonial policies in Africa. We will conclude the course with a discussion of the potential rise of the cyborg, which is typically imagined in science fiction movies as representing the culmination of human economic development and, ostensibly, the end of disease and perhaps even the end of death. By the end of the course, students will:a. Have developed a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between notions and practices of development and health outcomes in different parts of the worldb. Be able to apply theories of development to explain both positive and negative health outcomes within and between countriesc. Be able to use a gender lens to examine the differential impact of economic and social policies on the health of men, women and non-gender conforming personsd. Develop and refine their critical reading, thinking and writing skills

Of the 1.8 million new HIV infections recorded worldwide in 2017, 1.2 million were in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) alone. Why has this region been hardest hit by the HIV epidemic and why are prevention efforts seemingly not making much of a difference? Furthermore, who is at risk of HIV infection and why are some individuals more at risk than others? Why, for instance, do women in SSA account for 59% of HIV infections in the sub-region, while men account for 63% of HIV infections in the rest of the world. We will use an interdisciplinary approach to examine these questions in depth. We will also explore how notions of risk and vulnerability have changed over time as the epidemic increasingly evolves from a death sentence to being a treatable condition. Throughout the course we will critically evaluate the dominant public health and biomedical approaches that have been used to tackle the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. For comparative purposes, we will draw frequently on examples from other parts of the world, such as Cuba, Thailand, the US, Europe and China. Because HIV has not been all doom and gloom, we will also discuss some surprisingly positive effects of the epidemic (e.g., improved health care systems, employment creation etc).

This seminar deals with the historical, social, political and cultural forces, ideas and events leading up to the Holocaust, the attempted annihilation of all Jews and the almost complete destruction of the European Jewish communities. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the course offers a detailed study of this genocide across victims, perpetrators, bystanders and rescuers drawing upon historical documentation, first-person testimonies, photography, visual arts and music. One unit.

Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources among competing uses. This course is an introduction to economic issues and the tools that economists use to study those issues: supply and demand, decision making by consumers and firms, market failures, economic output and growth, fiscal and monetary policy in relation to unemployment and inflation, interest rates, technological progress, and international economics. Topics include both the study of markets and the need for public policy/government action to address market failures. Course is intended for students who are considering all majors or concentrations which require an introductory economics course. Course makes use of graphing and algebra, and meets for four hours per week.

Applies economic theory (e.g., market equilibrium, externalities, optimal exchange rate arrangements, and welfare effects of free trade) to understand multiple facets of the process of the EU integration. Discusses the history of European integration (with the emphasis on political motivations of different national and political leaders); free mobility of goods, services, capital, and labor; regional income inequality; trade and environmental issues related to Common Agricultural and Common Fisheries Policies; the Euro; labor market policies and unemployment; sustainability of the government-provided pension systems; and the EU as a political player on the world stage.

Aims to provide the student with a sophisticated understanding of economic development in China. The historical circumstances and resource endowments which have constrained Chinese economic development are examined as a basis for analyzing the intentions and success of policies adopted since 1949.

Review and analysis of the economic history and development of Latin American countries. After a brief introduction to the general topic we will spend the first part of the class on historical perspectives of Latin American economies, especially their colonial legacy. We then review the rise of economic development theory post World War II with particular attention to alternative theories and those originating from Latin America. The latter sections will focus on debt crises, stabilization policies, trade and development, the agricultural sector and issues of gender, inequality and rural poverty. We conclude with a look at contemporary macroeconomic issues in Latin America.

This course is about the relationship between gender issues and economic development in Latin America. We will examine the evolution of women's property rights, access to resources and employment, and socio-economic position with respect to men. We will use economic tools to understand the role that gender plays in various development models as well as in the analysis of poverty, inequality, credit, land, and labor markets. The course will look at the impact of economic change and economic development on gender, families and the household, as well as women's responses to such changes via movements for social and gender justice. Finally, we examine 'post-development' feminist alternatives to modernization that are emerging from the Global South.

This course will prepare you to understand why countries trade with each other and if countries benefit from trade with each other. Starting with the foundations of trade theory and gradually developing contemporary trade theories, this course will explain present-day trade patterns between countries. You will analyze trade policies both in a historical context as well as with reference to the recent trade war between China and the US, and the trade crisis post-pandemic, and evaluate their impacts globally.

First segment develops an analytical framework for the comparison of economic systems. Second segment uses this framework to examine and compare the economic systems of various countries including the United States, Germany, France, Japan, China, the former Soviet Union and other East European states.

This course introduces students to the field of development economics, a field that emphasizes the study of issues surrounding low- to middle income individuals and countries. The course will cover economic theory and provide an introduction to the empirical evaluation of development policies and programs. This course teaches students how to make the transition to the practice of development analysis in a way that is disciplined by economic theory, informed by empirical research, and connected to contemporary development efforts in a framework that is built on microeconomic foundations. The course will highlight the importance of transaction and transportation costs; risk; information problems; institutional rules and norms; education, health and labor sectors; and insights from behavioral economics. It then presents examples of rigorous evaluation of development policies and issues from around the world.

Focuses on current issues in contemporary France. Politics, society, the arts, domestic and international affairs, education, the media, feminism, etc., are among the topics analyzed and discussed. Conducted in French.

A critical examination of contemporary Francophone music and new poetic forms such as slamming across Africa, Europe, North-America and spanning genres such as afro-pop, hip hop, reggae, zouk. The course seeks to highlight the use of music and spoken work as instruments to contest the prevailing political discourse and a platform to engage social changes.

European history from the end of the French Revolution to the aftermath of the collapse of communism in Europe: industrialization, the rise of liberalism and nationalism, the revolutions of 1848, the creation of national states in Italy and Germany, evolution of a consumer culture, European imperialism in Asia and Africa, art and culture of the 19th and 20th centuries, World War I, the rise of Bolshevism, fascism and Nazism, world War II, the history of the cold War, Western European integration, the collapse of communism in eastern Europe, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the formation and growth of the European Union.

Surveys the history of 19th- and 20th-century Latin America, focusing on six countries. Topics include the formation of nation-states, the role of the military, the challenges of development and modernization, the Catholic church and liberation theology, social and political movements for reform or revolution, slavery, race relations, the social history of workers and peasants, and inter-American relations. Fulfills one non-Western requirement for the major.

The regional and global wars in the 1930s and 1940s were in many ways crucial in the making of modem East Asia. The history and popular memory of these conflicts have continued to inform national self-understandings in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the relationships between these regions and the rest of the world, including the United States. This course provides a comprehensive examination of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45 and the Asia-Pacific War of 1941-45, focusing not only on political and military history, but also cultural developments and social changes in China, Japan, and the Japanese empire throughout Asia, as well as connections to the United States and the world during the global Second World War. Themes include imperialism and revolution, diplomacy and politics, refugees and environment, resistance and collaboration, labor and economy, race and gender, literature and arts, as well as postwar history and memory.

This course analyzes the colonial experience of African people in sub-Saharan Africa, from the late 19th century and throughout the twentieth century. European colonialism in Africa transformed customs, traditions, and social organizations, introduced new boundaries between peoples and erased others through the institutionalization of racism and the creation of new ethnicities. The history, theory, and practice of colonialism (and neocolonialism) are presented in this course through historical documents, scholarly writing, literature, and film. The course also explores the long-term economic, psychological, and cultural effects and legacies of colonialism on the colonized.

A survey of Africa's complex colonial past, examining dominant ideas about colonial Africa and Africans' experiences during colonialism, including important historical debates on Africa's colonial past and the legacy of colonialism; pre-colonial Africa's place in the global world; resistance and response to the imposition and entrenchment of colonialism; and the nature of colonial rule as revealed in economic (under) development, ethnicity and conflict, and the environment.

From the Revolution of 1789, which gave birth to the nation, to human rights and to citizenship, to the creation of the European Union in the 1990s, France has been at the center of European culture. Paris was rebuilt in the late 19th century as "the capital of Europe," a center of artistic modernism as well as an expanding global empire. During three wars with Germany between 1870 and 1945, the French suffered the devastating effects of total war on their own soil. France played a crucial role in the creation of the European Union but was forced to adapt to becoming a diminishing power in the world since World War II. One unit.

By the end of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), Britain had emerged as a genuine world power, with holdings larger and richer than any other in the Western world. During the next 150 years, Britain would eclipse its European rivals in industry, trade, and sea power. At the height of its power in the late 19th century, Britain controlled one quarter of the world's population and one-fifth of its land surface. This course surveys the history of Britain and its empire from the late 18th century to the turn of the 20th century. This course rethinks certain familiar topics in British history by considering the intersections between home and empire and by highlighting how imperial considerations influenced Britain's social formation. Topics include the slave trade and slavery, rise of capitalism, industrialization and consumer culture, political reform movements (e.g., anti-slavery, Chartism, and Irish Hone Rule), imperialism, religion, and British identity.

In this course, we will focus our attention on the social, economic, cultural and political transformations within Britain and its empire over the course of the twentieth century. This course recognizes that the experience of empire is not merely about the impact of the British overseas, but rather also about the relationship, often unequal and hierarchical, between Britain and its colonies. This course rethinks certain familiar topics in British history by considering the intersections between home and empire and by highlighting how imperial considerations influenced Britain's social formation. The aim in this course will be to foreground the ways in which imperialism was constitutive of much of the domestic history of Britain from 1901 to 2019, even after Britain lost most of its colonies. During the course we will focus on Britain's declining role as a world and imperial power and interrogate the meaning of Britain's national and imperial identities, particularly in the wake of Brexit referendum and Brexit. A good deal of attention will be devoted to a discussion of the two World Wars with analysis of their economic, social, and ideological repercussions within Britain and its empire.

This course traces the cataclysmic history of the USSR from its unpredictable beginnings amid the chaos of the First World War, to its consolidation as a giant Communist power, to its surprise disintegration in 1991. It explores the project of socialist revolution and the violent efforts of leaders such as Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin to transform an agrarian Russian Imperial Empire into an industrialized Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, abolish private property, and create an egalitarian, atheist, non-capitalist state. We look at the hopes and fears the Revolution inspired, the mechanisms of power in Soviet dictatorship, the practice of repression, and the struggles of everyday life. We pay particular attention to the Soviet experience of the monumental Second World War against Nazi Germany and to the wars aftermath, including the onset of superpower struggle with the US. Attentive to the politics of memory, we consider how WWII and the Cold War are remembered in Vladimir Putins Russia of today.

This course examines the Soviet dictatorship from the death of Josef Stalin in 1953 to the sudden, surprise dissolution of the USSR in 1991. While it delves into some of the "high politics" of the era - a narrative shaped by major figures such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev - it also explores social and cultural tensions. What led to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991? What did Soviet citizens think about the world in which they lived and the relationship of their world to that of the West? How did the USSR experience the 1960s? Topics include destalinization, the Space Race, Soviet and U.S. competition in the Third World, resistance movements in Eastern Europe, the roles of science, surveillance, and secrecy in Soviet culture, the rise of the black market, problems of bureaucratic corruption and socialist legality, the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown, and the peaceful revolutions of 1989. Above all, this class considers why Soviet leaders failed in various post-1953 attempts to reform their country's political and economic system. What can the fate of the Soviet Union teach us about ideology and dictatorship, and what kind of legacy has the Soviet era has left on Russia today?

From the high point of European global power and cultural influence, Europe moved into an era of world war, popular millenarian ideologies, dictatorships, and unprecedented mass murder. This course examines the origins, evolution, and impact of the modern European ideological dictatorships, from the cultural ferment and socioeconomic change that characterized the pre-1914 "belle époque" through the two world wars. Topics include: modern art; liberalism and its discontents; the origins and nature of World War I; the Russian revolutions; the Versailles peace settlement; the struggling interwar democracies; the economic crises; communism and fascism; the Italian, German, and Soviet dictatorships; the Spanish Civil War; and the origins of World War II.

Postwar Europe was shaped in part by four major influences: the clash between Western liberalism and Soviet communism; the withdrawal from overseas empires; the effort to come to terms with the legacy of world war; and the creation of integrative European institutions. Concentrating on Europe, this course examines reciprocal influences between the Europeans and the two peripheral superpowers (USA and USSR) of the Atlantic community. Topics include: World War II, the Holocaust, science and government, the Cold War, the division of Europe, the revival and reinforcement of western European democracy, de-Nazification, Christian democracy, the economic miracle, European integration, the strains of decolonization, the rise of Khrushchev, the Berlin crises, De Gaulle and his vision, protest and social change in the sixties, the Prague Spring, Ostpolitik and détente, the oil shocks, the Cold War refreeze, the Eastern European dissidents, the environmental movement, Gorbachev's reforms, and the collapse of communism. One unit.

Late to unify, late to industrialize, and late to acquire democratic institutions, Germany had to cope with all three processes at once, with tragic consequences for human rights and international order. This course analyzes the development of German nation-building from the time of Metternich, through the age of Bismarck and the Kaisers, to the Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler. We explore the trends and circumstances in German and European history that came together to produce Nazism. But we also explore the presence of diversity, the alternative pathways, and the democratic potential in pre-Nazi German history. Topics include religious tension and prejudice (Catholics, Protestants, and Jews), Prusso-Austrian duality, the German confederation, the revolution of 1848, German national liberalism, Bismarck's unification and its legacy, imperial Germany under the Kaisers, German socialism, World War I, the revolution of 1918, the Weimar Republic, and the Nazis.

In Western Germany after World War II, a people that once had followed Hitler now produced perhaps the most stable democracy in Europe. At the same time, eastern Germans lived under a communist dictatorship that lasted more than three times as long as Hitler's. What is the place of the two postwar Germanies in the broader context of German and European history? To what degree were the two German states a product of their shared past, and to what degree were they products of the Cold War? What are the implications for reunified Germany? This course explores these questions by examining the history of democracy, dictatorship, political ideology, and social change in modern Germany. Topics include: Marx as a German; liberalism, socialism, communism, and political Catholicism in pre-Nazi Germany; popular attitudes toward Nazism; the legacy of Nazism and the Holocaust; the Allied occupation; de-Nazification, the Cold War, and the partition of Germany; Christian Democracy and Social Democracy; the Adenauer era, the Berlin crises, and the economic miracle; German-German relations and the Ostpolitik of Chancellor Willy Brandt; protest politics, Euromissiles, and the Green movement; the development and collapse of East Germany; and Germany since reunification.

This course examines the history and culture of the region encompassing the modern American southwest and Mexican north from Spanish imperialism to modern immigration debates. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of Native, Latinx, and Anglo American societies in creating unique borderlands society through the present day. This history offers important insight into processes of religious conflict, political revolution, economic dependency and globalization through Latin American and U.S. history.

This course examines the African Diaspora in Latin America from the aftermath of slavery to the present. We will study the struggles of Afro-Latin America in establishing citizenship and a dignified existence, emphasizing topics such as: liberation movements; gender and racial politics; art; African religions in the Americas; national policies of whitening; and Afro-centric ideologies of the Caribbean. The course extensively uses music as both art and historical text.

This course analyzes the history of Puerto Ricans from the moment their island became a US territory in 1898 to the present. It analyzes the political status of the island and the cultural, economic and social world of Puerto Ricans both in the island and the mainland United States. The course also highlights how Puerto Ricans have shaped and/or undermined US colonialism.

This course takes us on an intellectual journey through India's past and present. The course begins with important vignettes of Indian society, culture, and politics prior to the arrival of the British. We will examine how and why various facets of Indian society, namely: economic, legal, religious, and gender relations underwent radical transformation during the British rule. In the second segment of the course, we will study the causes and consequences of the Indian struggle for Independence that ended the British rule, but also led to a violent partition of India in 1947. The third segment of the course will look at some key individuals who sought to implement differing visions of India in the post-colonial era. By following the stories of the historical actors, events, and ideas we will seek to understand how colonial legacy, caste and gender relations, political corruption, and religious fundamentalism have shaped the contemporary Indian society.

This course presents a survey of Chinese history from 1800 to the present, a period marked by multiple reforms, rebellions, revolutions, and wars as China transformed from an empire to a modern nation-state in search of a coherent identity and a new global role. Major themes will include shifting state-society relations; cultural and intellectual movements; responses to imperialism and modes of nationalism; war and revolution; industrialization and urbanization; changing gender relations; evolving ethnic tensions; scientific culture and environmental challenges; as well as the legacy of history, reform, and revolution in the contemporary era.

This class traverses the stunning transformations of Japanese society between 1850 and the present day. The course begins with the birth of the modern Japanese nation-state amidst internal revolution and international pressure from the great powers of the day. In the years that followed, Japan quickly emerged as the worlds first non-Western society to undergo a modern industrial revolution and as an expansionist empire on the world stage. Japan imposed a massive empire in Asia only to lose it in infamy in the Second World War. In the post-World War II decades, Japan rivaled the US as an economic and technological power, yet still grapples today with the environmental, social, and cultural legacies of its rapid transformations. Through the twists and turns of Japanese history, this course interrogates broad questions about global struggles with empire and colonialism, economic change, and social conflict.

The nineteenth century was a time of profound change in the region we today call the Middle East. Over the course of the 1800s, European powers began to encroach on the Ottoman and Qajar empires, exerting informal imperial influence as well as actively seizing and administering Ottoman and Qajar territories. During this period, the Ottoman Empire, Qajar Iran, and a semi-independent Egypt carried out a series of reforms in a bid to push back against European interference in their domestic affairs and ensure their territorial integrity. This course explores the transformations that colonial intrusions and local reforms engendered and their consequences for the peoples of the region in the build up to the First World War. In doing so, it aims to challenge overarching teleological, Orientalist, and historicist perspectives on the region as well as long-standing narratives about Ottoman decline, Oriental despotism, and eternal and inherent sectarianism in the Middle East. The three main themes of this course are imperialism, anti-imperialism, and reform.

This course examines the cultural and political history of the Middle East (Egypt, the Levant, Palestine/Israel, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and the Gulf States) from World War II until the recent Arab Uprisings. Through literature and film, the course highlights the major trends and themes in the history of the region including the effects of European imperialism and the Cold War, the Iranian Revolution, the birth of the oil economy, the rise of political Islam, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the U.S. led invasions of Iraq, and most recently, the Arab Uprisings and the rise of ISIS.

South Africa's past is a painful history of deep racial discrimination, racialized violence, and segregation. But it is also a history of human resilience and the struggle for equality. This resilience is exemplified by the participation of women and men from diverse racial and social backgrounds, who struggled to end the racist policies of apartheid in South Africa. A course such as this one therefore draws students to debate some of the most important philosophies of an engaged Jesuit education, including a deep commitment to the well-being of the human community and the pursuit of a more just society. In dealing with the many controversies that mark South African history, students will develop their abilities to think critically and logically via weekly journal responses to course readings.

The superpower struggle that shaped the world post-1945 involved a competition not only for military might, but also for moral supremacy. During this time, the United States and the Soviet Union came to define themselves in opposition to each other, both seeking to demonstrate the superiority of their respective social and political systems and advertise the alleged degeneracy of those of their arch-rivals. This course looks at how each country portrayed its own society and imagined that of its major global foe, and the way these representations often differed from reality. Because the major emphasis is on the shaping and re-shaping of values and identities, it draws heavily on cultural sources such as novels, short stories, films, cartoons, and music lyrics, as well as other more traditional primary and secondary historical texts. One unit.

What led to the surprise collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and how has Russia defined itself since the USSRs sudden disintegration? What has replaced the Soviet system and how is the capitalist Russia of today different from the country as it was under Communist rule? What kind of lessons about power, ideology, and freedom are to be found in the fate of the former Soviet superpower? This course will explore Russias troubled transition from one political and economic system to another, and the consequent evolution of Communist and post-Communist identities and values. In addition, the course will examine the politics of history, looking at the different accounts of Russias past, present and future that have been championed by different groups with different agendas at different times.

This course examines revolutionary movements in Latin America from the early 1900s to the present, focusing on the radical ideas that inspired the rebels. The course will discuss both the words and actions of some of the most salient radicals of the region--e.g., Emiliano Zapata, Jose Carlos Mariategui, Frantz Fanon, and Che Guevara, and their relevance today. We will also trace some of these ideas/rebels as depicted in films-produced either in Latin America, the United States or Europe-analyzing their significance in popular culture. This course fulfills one cross­ cultural requirement.

A critical study of anti-colonial nationalist struggles and their outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. The course traces the political economy of colonialism; the origins, rise and dynamics of anti-colonial nationalism; the strategy of armed insurrection and the role of revolutionary socialism. Lastly, it grapples with aspects of post-colonial Africa that reveal the changing balance between internal and external forces in specific African nations, the ambiguities of African independence, and post-colonial debates on nation and nationalism.

This course focuses on emerging writers whose increasingly ¿ourishing literary production has been reshaping Italys contemporary literature, but whose voices have been often excluded by the dominant literary discourse. These writers narratives o¿er an original, multifaceted, and complex portrait of contemporary Italy while providing insights into the ways in which they express their feelings of belonging and/or alienation.

Explores the history and the culture of Italy from Fascism to contemporary Italy, passing through the economic boom, the ¿Leaden Years,¿ and the Mafia. Along with historical and cultural information, students will read newspaper articles, letters, excerpts from novels and short stories from authors such as Calvino, Levi, and others. They will also see films by directors like Scola, e Sica, and Giordana.

This course explores the historical, cultural, and social dimensions of the African diaspora and its impact on Italy. The course delves into the experiences of people of African descent in Italy, examining topics such as migration, identity, racism, integration, and cultural exchanges. It also explores the contributions of Black Italians to various aspects of Italian society, including arts, literature, sports, and music. The aim is to foster a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between race, ethnicity, and nationality within the Italian context and to encourage critical thinking about issues of diversity and inclusion.

A study of 20th-century Italian narrative that focuses on the experience of the war. Topics include Fascist policies, the partisan resistance, the Holocaust and Italian Jews. Authors studied include Ignazio Silone, Giorgio Bassani, Cesare Pavese, Natalia Ginzburg, Primo Levi, and Renata Viganò. Students will also view and discuss films adapted from several of the works in class. Conducted in Italian.

This course examines Latinx migration and mobility across North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean. It explores why Latinx migrants move to new places, what happens to them along the way, and their experiences in new destinations, such as the U.S. We will consider how race, class, age, gender, and nationality, among other things, influence and shape the migration process. We will reflect on how the act of migration transforms migrants, those left behind, and those encountered along the way. We will discuss topics such as borders, citizenship, diaspora, globalization, and immigration enforcement. We will analyze migration as a social, cultural, political, and economic phenomenon and study the mobility of people, ideas, and capital. Above all, we will investigate the role of Latinx migration in producing and transforming our contemporary world.

This course examines the history and political economy of Latin America through the lens of commodity production, guided by but not limited to the histories and economies of cacao, sugar and coffee. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine the impact these and other commodities have had on Latin American economies, global food culture and globalization. We will look critically at Latin America's long history of dependence on primary product exports as a strategy for economic growth and well-being. We begin with pre-Columbian Americas, continuing with an analysis of colonial Latin America, followed by post-independence / post-colonial Latin America. We end with a review of contemporary Latin America, touching on such themes as fair trade, direct trade, organic production.

Whether your interest is Chinese culture, history, economics, international relations, politics, human rights, or environmental thought, this introductory course on Chinese Political Philosophy will help you understand China today. The U.S. and China must deal with one another regardless of whether the dealings are friendly or hostile. How can we better understand China and what underlies its economic and political aspirations? In President Xi Jinpings own words, Studying Confucius and Confucianism is key to understanding the national characteristics of the Chinese. Xi points to the rival schools of thought during the Warring States period that include the Confucians, Mohists, Daoists and Legalists, saying that the development of Chinese ideology and culture has been plural and multi-dimensional. In his recent speech to the World Economic Forum Conference in Davos, Xi alludes to Chinas Legalism saying, we should stay committed to international law and international rules instead of seeking ones own supremacy. Ancient Chinese believed that the law is the very foundation of governance. This introductory course considers Chinese Political Philosophies from Confucianism, Mohism and Daoism to Legalism. We will examine how these political ideas are related to their respective accounts of ethics, social, economic and cultural concerns, as well as justifications for political norms. Well question what resources these political philosophies can offer to contemporary concerns regarding international law, justice, freedom, human rights, and flourishing in the face of conflicting values and environmental challenges.

What is the ultimate goal of human existence, if any? Are there qualities of persons or actions that promote harmony with the community or with nature at large? Is there a soul that exists beyond this life? Is there really a 'self' at all? Is there a permanent reality beneath the visible world of change - or is the motley of change all there is to the world? We shall explore these fundamental philosophical questions through key Asian traditions of wisdom such as Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. Not only is an understanding of these wisdom traditions valuable in themselves, it'll also help us understand better the Asian nations which social, political, ethical and cultural practices are founded on Asian philosophy.

Discourse about Confucian values, frequently known as "Asian Values," provided strong resistance to Western rights. Arguing that human rights are not universal because of their origin in the West, Asian nations urge that consideration be given to their cultural and historical situations which justify their own brand of human rights. Confucian values are being invoked by the Chinese government in political discussions with the U.S. This seminar focuses on primary texts by Confucius, Mencius and two other early Confucian texts, in order to understand the philosophical concepts which constitute Confucian values. We will survey some contemporary literatures on human rights to come to an understanding of the highly contested concept of human rights. Ultimately, we examine what values are Confucian, whether they are compatible with human rights, (especially the first- and second-generation rights), and if one of these is prior to the other for Confucianism. We ask if there are resources within Confucian values which can contribute to a better understanding of human rights.

A comparative analysis of political processes and institutions in Western liberal democracies, Communist and post-Communist states, and developing nations. Focuses on alternative models of economic and political modernization and on the causes of and prospects for the current wave of democratization throughout the world.

Introduces students to major theories and concepts in international politics and examines the evolution of the international system during the modern era. Principal topics include: the causes of war and peace, the dynamics of imperialism and post-colonialism, the emergence of global environmental issues, the nature and functioning of international institutions, the legal and ethical obligations of states, and the international sources of wealth and poverty.

Examines the interpretation and operation of the U.S. Constitution in times of war. Investigates how the Constitution's war powers are allocated between the branches of government and the ways in which constitutional rights and liberties are protected - or not protected - in wartime. The inquiry includes a series of historical and contemporary case studies, including the Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, and the war on terror. American Politics.

Political movements inspired by Islam continue to shape politics across the world. In this course we will attempt to get behind the headlines and familiarize ourselves with the various currents of political thought in Islam. We will study the historical origins of political thought in Islam, the fundamentalist currents, and the efforts to present a liberal understanding of Islam. We will consider a range of political issues including: Islam and democracy, Islam and women's rights, Islam and the rights of minorities, and Islam and political violence. We will study a range of authors from the medieval period to present day.

This course will offer students the opportunity to study the politics surrounding immigration in the developed democracies, as well as to consider the various policy approaches that developed democratic states have adopted toward immigration. The course will also provide students with insight into various approaches and methods that political scientists have adopted in their research on immigration, and with opportunities to assess these approaches and methods critically. Finally, it will also enable students to gain a more subtle, informed, and comparative perspective on the American immigration debate than can be obtained from reports in the popular media.

How can the world's less developed countries achieve sustainable development (in environmental, economic, and political terms)? This course discusses structural and institutional challenges to sustainable development in the global South, investigates different responses to these challenges (and their different degrees of success), and assesses the impact of development--and underdevelopment--on both societies and the environment.

The course examines the historical development and current state of politicalinstitutions and processes in select European countries through a comparativepolitics approach. Country cases include Britain, France, Germany, as well as Italy Poland and/or Sweden. Comparisons will be made between countries, as well asamong different historical periods within each country, to develop a generalunderstanding of the history, current challenges and future trends in Europeanpolitics.

The course examines the historical development, the institutions, andpolicy-making processes of the European Union (EU). It also explores recent crisesand challenges, including the Eurozone crisis, the refugee crisis, the rise ofpopulism, and/or Brexit.

This course is designed to examine the countries of Africa in comparative perspective. In doing so, the class highlights the most important issues in African politics and governance and the most difficult problems that African states face. The course presents a holistic view of Africa and a multifaceted look at countries found on the continent. Instead of merely focusing on the various problems facing the continent, this course looks at examples of both the successes and failures of African states in addressing the challenges they face. Comparative Politics.

An examination of politics in selected Middle Eastern countries. Begins with a brief overview of the rise and spread of Islam in the region and the establishment of Muslim empires, then turns to an exploration of the role of European colonialism in post-independence Middle Eastern politics. Analyzes various explanations for the difficulty of establishing durable democracies in the region, explores the political implications of religious identity and secular nationalism, and assesses prospects for peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This course is designed to be an introduction to international political economy. Provides an overview of theories of international political economy, a historical review of the international political economy in light of these theories, and an application of the theoretical approaches to issues of trade, monetary relations, finance, and development. Readings and discussion focus on issues of conflict and cooperation; the relationship between the international system and domestic politics; economic growth, development, and equity; and the connections between the study of economics and politics. International Relations.

This course offers an introduction to the politics of South Asia, broadly understood to consist of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Myanmar, and Bhutan. A core organizing principle of the course is the concept of the state and variations in state strength as observed in the South Asian region. Why are some states able to better provide for the needs of their populations than others? This organizing principle is leveraged to illuminate several key themes pertinent to the study of South Asia, including democracy and authoritarianism, civil-military relations, gender politics, and nuclear proliferation.

This course examines the challenges of cyber security from a strategy and policy perspective. Our main focus will be challenges to achieving cyber security; and of building cyber security capacity in national security (including cyber war and critical infrastructure security), economic development, and international security contexts. Wherever possible, we will incorporate diverse perspectives; including global and non-western, as well as corporate, government, and non-governmental organizational perspectives. We start by working toward what 'cyber,' 'security,' 'strategy,' and 'power' mean in different contexts; and develop an understanding of the policy issues faced by public and private sector stakeholders (e.g. the military, industry, the energy production and delivery sectors, communications, and so on). We will analyze a combination of historical case studies and current events to understand the impact of cyber events on state and non-state actors (such as terrorists and organized criminals). Familiarity with international relations theory is helpful, but no technical background is needed.

This course examines China's emergence as a major power, and surveys the relationships of East Asian states with each other and with external powers including the United States. In addition to China, substantial attention is given to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Topics covered include military competition and regional security, trade relations, globalization, human rights, and potential conflict flashpoints such as North Korea and Taiwan. International Relations.

Although the international system is characterized by anarchy by the absence of central government it is not without order. Relations among states and other actors are increasingly characterized by transnational rules, regulations, and authority relationships. How is global order produced, sustained, and regulated? Whose order is it? This course examines the structures through which international actors attempt to organize their relations with each other. Topics include the history and function of international organizations (including the United Nations), rules governing the use of force, economic integration, and global civil society. International Relations.

Explores major themes in U.S. foreign policy, focusing on the longstanding and ongoing debate between international engagement and isolationism. Topics discussed include the historical evolution of U.S. foreign policy, the roles played by specific institutional and societal actors in the formulation of policy, and contemporary issues facing the United States including international trade and finance, proliferation and regional security, the resort to force, human rights, and humanitarian intervention. International Relations.

Since World War II, questions of human rights have come to occupy a central place in international politics. This course examines the historical evolution and political effects of international human rights norms. Topics include the philosophical and legal basis of human rights, the origins of modern human rights, the origins of modern human rights covenants in the aftermath of Nazi atrocities, the effects of the Cold War on human rights politics, the tensions between national sovereignty and international human rights standards, the debate between universalist and particularist conceptions of human rights, patterns of compliance with human rights agreements, and the development of human rights enforcement mechanisms. International Relations.

The aim of this course is to develop a nuanced understanding of the history and practice of humanitarianism, defined as the desire to relieve the suffering of distant strangers. Once the domain of volunteers, humanitarianism is today an expansive, professional field of endeavor; its study offers insights into the motivations as well as consequences of organized forms of compassionate action. Students in this course investigate current themes and debates in the field of humanitarianism, including questions of politicization and military intervention, professionalization, human rights and advocacy, and accountability; explore different hypotheses regarding the causes and consequences of humanitarian crises; and critically analyze the effects intended and unintended of humanitarian action. International Relations.

Economic globalization has wrought far-reaching changes on the United States and the world. Although globalization has made the world wealthier, it has not met with universal approval. In the United States, some of the changes associated with globalization such as the outsourcing of large numbers of factory jobs and the influx of large numbers of immigrants have provoked a political backlash. This course examines the political consequences of globalization, especially in the United States, and asks how the United States might adapt itself more effectively to a globalized world. International Relations.

Given the anarchical structure of the international system, the very existence of international law is paradoxical. Nevertheless, despite the emphasis often placed upon conflict and discord in global politics, for centuries states have propagated rules to facilitate cooperation and mutual restraint. What motivates these efforts? How successful are they in moderating the effects of international anarchy? This course will address these questions. Topics will include the historical development of international law, defenses and critiques of international law in theories of global politics, how international law is made, interpreted and enforced in international institutions, and the working of international law in various issue-areas, including the use of military force, the regulation of global trade, and the protection of the global environment. International Relations.

Focuses on contemporary national security problems faced by the United States as it seeks to manage the post-Cold War international order. Topics include relations with other major powers and with the Islamic world, U.S. military interventions abroad, terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear strategy. Attention is also given to the domestic dimensions of U.S. security policy, including the politics of weapons procurement and the longstanding ideological debate regarding American national interest. International Relations.

Can considerations of justice and morality be incorporated successfully into national foreign policies, given the will to do so? Or must a successful foreign policy always be amoral? This course examines problems of ethical choice as they relate to international politics. Topics include the relationship between ethical norms and international law, the laws of war, the tension between human rights and state sovereignty, the ethical implications of global inequity, and the difficulties involved in applying standards of moral judgment to the international sphere.

A refugee is someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin for fear of persecution. Following World Wars I and II, governments committed themselves to the protection and adequate treatment of refugees: international and nongovernmental organizations have also advanced the rights of displaced people. This seminar examines the development of the ideas and institutions underpinning the global refugee regime. It then turns to explore the practical, political, and personal challenges posed by the cross-border movement of people, addressing topics such as: camp management and aid work, international cooperation, protection and security, resettlement and integration, and economic migration.

This course examines the role that political parties play in modern European democracies. The course is organized around the following questions: What factors shape party systems in different countries? How do parties craft electoral rules? How are governments formed? Does it matter who governs for policy outcomes? How to explain the rise of populist and far-right parties? Are European democracies in peril? The first part of the course focuses on Western Europe, while the second examines Eastern Europe.

What can be learned of biomedical ethics from a study of the Holocaust? How did a healing profession justify its murderous actions? Were physicians and scientists pawns of a totalitarian regime, or were they active contributors to the racial Nazi ideology? Is the study of genetics susceptible to the same political forces that corrupted the field of eugenics? How did the Holocaust come to shape our current code of ethics in human experimentation? This seminar will seek answers to these and many related questions from a voluminous literature that is populated by contributions from historians, biomedical ethicists, philosophers, theologians, journalists, and artists. Far from a value-free discipline, ideological forces will be shown to be at the core of scientific inquiry. This lesson is of particular importance to aspiring scientists and health practitioners.

This course explores the intersection of race and religion. Given the ambiguity in their constructions and articulations throughout history, it is a challenging yet ultimately worthwhile endeavor to trace their historical and contemporary contours in cultural, social, political, and economic spheres. Though they are often thought of as separate, this course assumes that race and religion are intimately and intricately intertwined. Thus, we will ask such questions as: What is religion? What is race? How have and do religious traditions coöpt race and racism as effective tools for their structure, organization, and propagation, and vice versa? This interdisciplinary course will ask students to form critical theoretical perspectives on race and religion, and to take up the above questions as they arise in the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and American indigenous religious traditions. Spanning 15th c. Europe to modern North America, the course will also explore questions related to gender/sexuality, indigeneity, sovereignty, capitalism, nationalism, and identity.

Survey of the Buddhist tradition, from its origins in ancient India through its evolution as a pan-Asian faith. Topics include the legends of the Buddha, the early monastic community, the emergence of Theravada and Mahayana teachings, Buddhist ethics and social philosophy, meditation traditions, and the later development of distinctive Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese schools. Utilizes textual and anthropological sources.

Examination of Islamic religious beliefs and practices from the origins of Islam to the present. Particular stress is placed on Islamic religious ideals, institutions and personalities. Central topics include: Islamic scripture and traditions, prophecy, law, rituals, theology and philosophy, sectarianism, mysticism, aesthetic ideals, art and architecture, pedagogy, and modern reinterpretations of the tradition. Also explores wider issues of religious identity by looking at the diversity of the Islamic tradition, tensions between elite and popular culture, and issues of gender and ethnicity.

An examination of Hinduism and the Hindu tradition from the Vedas to the present day. Among the subject considered: the Upanishads; the Ramayana and Mahabharata; village Hinduism; Gandhi; and contemporary Hindu political thought. Evaluation will include both examinations and essays.

This class will consider the theological dimensions of protest. We will draw on a number of historical sources to explore what options are available to Christians in times of crisis, and we will examine the religious nature of some contemporary protest movements.

Introduction to the history, theology, and practices of the Jews which uses the evidence of Judaism to exemplify the interrelationship between a religious civilization and the historical and cultural framework within which it exists. How does what happens to the Jews affect their formulation of their religion, Judaism? By answering this question and by learning the details of Jewish belief and practice, students will come to comprehend both Judaism and the social construction of religion in general.

Based on the principle of God's special identification with history's oppressed, liberation theology explores the problems of biblical interpretation, church teaching and Christian commitment in the contemporary world. This course examines the relationship between the socio-political consciousness of marginalized peoples and their Christian faith. Among the topics to be covered will be racism, global poverty, sexism, and environmental degradation. This course has three primary sections: (1) Black Theology; (2) Latin American Liberation Theology; (3) Feminist Theology.

Focuses on critical and analytical readings of sacred writings in translation from the Asian religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daosim. The genres sampled include law codes, works of ascetic mysticism, religious biography, popular narrative, and scholastic treatises. Also examines the cross-cultural definition of "text," the idea of a "scriptural canon," and the construction of tradition in the western historical imagination.

This seminar will give students a window into the religious and spiritual world shaped and filled by the Quran. The topics covered will relate to Islam in general and the Quran in particular, such as language, law, mysticism, theology, art, and comparative religion. This will involve a study of the exegesis of the text, which records the ways in which Muslims have interpreted and taught the Quran through the ages up to our present day.

Religion and Violence considers religious justifications of violence. The course begins with an examination of sacrifice through a survey of Aztec culture in relation to the theory of generative scapegoating articulated by Rene Girard. The course then moves to discuss religious justifications of warfare as crusade and jihad. The class also reads the Hindu epic The Mahabharata and examines its theory of ethical obligation in extreme circumstances. The course then considers terrorism through a comparative discussion of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and Palestinian organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. A crucial part of this discussion is engaging ethical theories regarding the classification of non-combatants as well as considering both critiques and defenses of asymmetrical forms of violence. Substantial attention will be given to analyzing the category terrorism and to what extent it has value as a classification for certain kinds of violence. The class concludes with a consideration of violence to the body as reflected in asceticism, torture, and ordeal.

A study of religion, culture, and theology in the Andean region of Bolivia. The course examines the way in which Christian faith has been appropriated by the Aymara and Quechua people, and it introduces students to a worldview that is both distinctive and challenging in its focus on the earth (the Pachamama) and community life. The course also studies the history of cultural and social oppression that paved the way for contemporary efforts in the region at religious and political self-expression. Taught in Spanish; requires the ability to read, speak, and write in Spanish.

Examination of Zen Buddhism and its influences on East Asian civilizations. Surveys the texts and monastic practices that define Zen spiritual cultivation and the history of the Soto and Rinzai schools' evolution. Special attention is also devoted to the distinctive poetic (haiku), fine arts (painting, gardening, tea ceremony)) and martial arts (swordsmanship) disciplines that this tradition has inspired in China and Japan. Recommended but not required: previous course on Asian arts, religion, philosophy or history.

Introduction to the major issues, figures, and texts of Islamic philosophy and theology. Attempts to answer the question of what Islamic philosophy and theology are and how they figure in Islamic tradition. While dealing with such towering figures as Kindi, Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Bajjah, Suhrawardi, the school of Ibn al-Arabi, Nasir al-Din Tusi, and Mulla Sadra, also discusses central issues and concepts of Islamic philosophy, including existence and essence, God's existence and knowledge of the world, knowledge and its foundations, cosmology, causality and its role in sciences of nature and political thought. Kalam or Islamic theology is the focus of the second part of the course. Examines classical debates around such issues as God's names and qualities, free will and determinism, reason and revelation, ethics, and political philosophy.

Seeks to interpret an event that defies representation and lacks discernible logic or meaning. By evaluating how others have depicted, attempted to create meaningful narratives about, and drawn conclusions from the Holocaust, we hope ourselves to reach some understanding of this event, of its significance for modern society, and of its potential for helping us to recognize our own responsibilities in a world in which ultimate evil is possible.

This course examines the development of Russian cinema from its silent pre-Revolutionary stage up to the Post-Soviet blockbusters. It focuses on the artistic and technical achievements of Russian filmmaking and their contribution to practical and theoretical aspects of western cinema. We will discuss the distinction between Russian cinema as an ideological tool of a totalitarian state, and western cinema as an entertainment industry. Screenings will include a variety of cinematic genres and styles such as Eisenstein's legendary The Battleship Potemkin (1925) and the Oscar-winning films Moscow Does not Believe in Tears (1979) and Burnt by the Sun (1994). Conducted in English.

This course asks what it means to be a good citizen, good consumer, and good corporation in light of contemporary social and environmental problems by focusing on the relationship between democracy and capitalism. It investigates the complexities of understanding and implementing social responsibility on the local, national, and global level.

As global responses to Black Lives Matter make clear, the struggle to end racism is not unique to the United States. This course will examine movements to end racism, racial violence, discrimination and structural disparity around the world. Issues of concern include memory, identity, justice, rights, social repair and politics, among others. Movements for justice include the Roma in Europe, indigenous and Afro-descent peoples in Latin America, the Dalits in India and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa.

This course will examine the way social identities and everyday cultural practices are linked to global circulations of capital, taste, fashion, and power. Through a comparative analysis of representations of globalization, cultural products such as McDonald's and Sesame Street, mega-events such as the Olympics, virtual cultures and technologies, and leisure and consumption practices such as shopping, eating, and international tourism, students will gain a critical understanding of the debates surrounding cultural imperialism, cultural homogenization, and the hybridization of culture.

This course focuses on the relationship between tourism and social life by considering how tourist practices are socially shaped and made meaningful within social contexts. This course explores tourism as a lens through which we can understand many of the features of contemporary social life, including modernity, late capitalism, and postcolonial legacies, consumption and cultural commodification, gender and sexual politics, and life in a risk society, especially in the wake of a global pandemic.

This course is an interdisciplinary introduction to feminist theories produced by womxn of color (broadly understood). In this course, we will decenter white Eurocentric feminisms and pay particular attention to the complex narratives, issues, oppressions, resilience, and movements for liberation undertaken by Black and African womxn, Chicana and Latina womxn, Indigenous womxn, East Asian and South Asian womxn, and Arab and Muslim womxn. We will be critically interrogating the diverse and interconnected struggles and identities of these populations across the social categories of race, class, gender, sexuality, immigration, religion, culture, and national origin. We will explore womxn of color feminisms through empirical studies, fiction and non-fiction texts, imagery, poetry, music, and film, gaining an appreciation for the multiple ways in which womxn have produced feminist thought.

This course explores different cultural aspects of Spain, focusing on key historical, cultural, artistic, and social developments that have shaped conceptualizations of national, regional, and individual identities on the Iberian peninsula. A key goal is to gain a deeper understanding of what Spain is like today. Conducted in Spanish.

This course focuses on the most relevant historical, political, and social issues in 20th -and 21st-century Spain as depicted through film and literature. We will read several literary texts and view eleven films plus one documentary which portray Spain at its different historical stages: the pre-Franco era (before 1939); the Spain of the civil war and the dictatorship years (1936-1975); the transition era (1975-77); and modern, democratic Spain (1975-present). Although the course is focused specifically on Spanish culture, it will foster intercultural reflection by contextualizing our analyses of the works within a global framework. Theoretical texts will help to guide our discussions on timely and universal topics such as the threat of authoritarianism; the role of democracy and democratic values; social and environmental justice; gender inequality; and human rights. Students will be expected to reflect critically on their own cultural assumptions and perceptions as we approach the study of culture from the perspective of our ethical responsibilities and civic engagement. All films will be watched outside of class. Conducted in Spanish.

A topical examination of contemporary African societies and cultures as expressed through the camera lens. A study of films from across the continent focusing on the dynamics of change, gender, migrations, conflicts, politics, globalization, and marginalization. The course aims to highlight the internal diversity of perspectives and aesthetics in the representation of such issues. The course focuses less on the technical or theoretical considerations of the films and more so on the examination of the themes and issues they raise, internally and globally. (Films from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South Africa, etc.)