First-year students considering a major in International Studies should take at least one of the core courses – ECON 110 (Principles of Economics), POLS102, POLS103, ANTH101 – during their first year.
If you are starting a new language, you will need to begin that as well during your first year in order to achieve the level of proficiency required for study abroad during your junior year.
It is a good idea to consult with the Director of International Studies, Prof. Denis Kennedy, as you consider course selection.
Courses
ANTH 101
Anthropological Perspective
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies or Social Science
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.
ECON 110
Principles of Economics
Common Area: Social Science
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.
HIST 196
African Colonial Lives
Common Area: Cross-Cultural or Historical Studies
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 The history, theory, and practice of colonialism (and neocolonialism) are presented in this course through historical documents, scholarly writing, literature, and film.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.
HIST 198
Modern Africa Since 1800
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies or Historical Studies
A survey of Africa's complex colonial past, examining dominant ideas about colonial Africa and Africans' experiences during colonialism, including important Historical Studies 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.
POLS 102
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Common Area: Social Science
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.
POLS 103
Introduction to International Relations
Common Area: Social Science
Introduces students to major theories and concepts in international poLiteratureics 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.
RELS 103
Race and Religion
Common Area: Studies in Religion
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.
RELS 106
Buddhism
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies or Studies in Religion
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.
RELS 107
Islam
Common Area: Cross-Cultural Studies or Studies in Religion
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.
RELS 108
Hinduism
Common Area: Cross Cultural or Studies in Religion
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.
RELS 147
Judaism
Common Area: Studies in Religion
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.
RUSS 258
Russian Cinema
Common Area: Arts or Cross-Cultural Studies
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.