The Brandeis Core

Today’s world has been shaped by forces that cannot be understood without taking a broad global perspective.

Human experience has been influenced by the expansion of democracy; technological, environmental, moral and aesthetic changes; greater attention to the protection of human rights; and the improvement of economic conditions for many. However, progress has not been equal, and for many, circumstances have worsened.

Our world and its peoples continue to be deeply challenged by new forms of age-old problems. Religious, ethnic, racial, gender and sexual differences are used as grounds for persecution, exclusion and other forms of unequal treatment. The effects of climate change are likely to exacerbate already growing global economic inequality, food insecurity and competition for natural resources. These phenomena are interrelated with the legacy or colonialism; world, civil and regional wars; diasporic migration; and terrorism.

Difference and Justice in the World courses will allow students to focus on the social, cultural, political, environmental and economic diversity of human experience within the global/transnational context. Looking beyond singular or dominant understandings of the world, students will engage in the study of peoples outside the U.S., their histories, arts, cultures, politics, economies, environments and religions.

They will address problems such as:

• The ways in which different cultures, societies and social groups define and express themselves and are defined by others.
• How categories of difference are constructed, and how they intersect with one another.
• The production and mediation of social and cultural power in different contexts.
• The unequal effects of globalization and climate change on different cultures and groups in all spheres of human experience, across histories and geographies.

Contemporary U.S. society is marked by demographic and cultural changes that have both advanced and challenged the nation’s commitment to the realization of individuals unalienable rights as human beings.

Scientific, technological, legal, political and aesthetic developments have created significant opportunities throughout the U.S., even as they have also entrenched existing injustices. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Studies in the United States courses prepare students to engage with the dynamics, developments and divisions within U.S. society in the 21st century.

To be productive participants in a society undergoing significant ethnoracial, political, environmental and cultural change, students will need to understand the important role that a commitment to social justice has played in the advancement of the United States. They will also need to address the role that inequality has played in the country’s formation and continues to play in its development. Courses may draw on a variety of disciplinary approaches to address any of the following:

• The critical study of race, class, gender, sex, disability, ethnicity, sexuality, age, color, nationality and religion, with a specific emphasis on historically marginalized populations.
• The close assessment of laws, regulations, procedures, and policies that have enforced or opposed inequity and injustice.
• The analysis of theories that explain, analyze or critique inequality.
• The empirical examination of coalition and community-building, collaboration across difference and other practices aimed at increasing inclusion.

The World Languages and Cultures requirement at Brandeis reflects a belief in the importance of understanding language — our own and the language of others — as central to society and culture.

The goal of this requirement, therefore, is to prepare students to understand better and to participate in a different culture by developing basic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in another language.

Students satisfy the requirement by demonstrating an intermediate-level proficiency, which is usually achieved by successfully completing a third semester course (normally numbered in the 30s) or demonstrating equivalent proficiency.

Visit the World Languages and Cultures website

AAAS 124A: After the Dance: Performing Sovereignty in the Caribbean

Utilizing short fiction, essays, plays, poetry, and the visual arts, this class theorizes movement and/as freedom in the spectacular or mundane movements of the region, including Carnival and Hosay celebrations. (hum, oc, ss)

F. Smith
T, Th 12:00-1:30 PM

ANTH 123B: Lost Voices: Historical Archaeology of Oppression and Exploitation

The goal of historical archaeology is to analyze past history and material culture through a social lens to attempt an understanding of the human experience and gain better knowledge of how themes such as colonialism, globalization and race relations affect sites, materials and peoples. (djw, ss)

C. Goudge
M,W 10:00-11:30 AM

ANTH 152A: The Social Fabric: An Anthropology of Fashion

An ethnographic exploration of fashion as industry and cultural practice. Addresses how fashion shapes our gendered, ethnic and individual identities. (ss)

P. Alvarez Astacio
T,Th 6:00-7:30 PM

CLAS/ENG 153B: Race Before Race: Premodern Critical Race Studies

This course provides an introduction to ancient and medieval attitudes towards race and ethnicity through the theoretical lens of premodern critical race studies. (deis-us, djw, dl, hum, wi)

D. Kim/C. Gillespie
T,Th 8:00-9:30 PM

HIST 144B: Native North America

Explores the history of peoples Indigenous to Turtle Island, or the lands known today as the United States. The course will trace the diverse evolutions of distinct Indigenous societies as a result of their ordeals with colonization.  (deis-us, ss)

E. Connolly
M,W 4:00-5:30 PM

HIST 152B: European Occult Tradition, 1200-2021

Is the universe alive? Yes . . . according to the European occult tradition, a coherent intellectual stream that has roots in religion, philosophy and history and the more supernatural elements of conventional religion, such as providence, prophecy and messianism. (ss)

D. Katz
M,W 2:00 –3:20 PM

HIST 153B: Slavery and the American Civil War: #1619 Project

A survey of the history of slavery, the American South, the antislavery movement, the coming of the Civil War, and Reconstruction. (deis-us, dl, ss)

A. Cooper
M,W 6:00-7:30 PM

IMES 104A: Islam: Civilization and Institutions

Provides a disciplined study of Islamic civilization from its origins to the modern period. Topics covered will include the Qur'an, tradition, law, theology, politics, Islam and other religions, modern developments, and women in Islam. (hum, nw)

C. El-Tobgui
M,W 12:00-1:30 PM

NEJS 3A: Religions of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam

An introduction to the three major religions originating in the Near East: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Areas of focus include historical development, sacred texts, rituals, and interpretive traditions. (hum)

J. Decter
M,W 2:00-3:20 PM

THA 144B: Black Theater and Performance

Explores aesthetic innovations and transformations in African American theater and performance and examines the crucial role the stage has played in shaping perceptions and understandings of blackness. (ca, deis-us)

I. Wooden
M,W 4:00-5:30 PM

AAPI/HIST 171A: The U.S. in the Pacific World

How have U.S. imperial ventures—cultural, military, political, and economic—reconfigured local societies and geographies? This course explores the history of American incursion into places such as China, Hawai’i, the Philippines, Guam, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Samoa from the nineteenth century to present. (deis-us, djw, ss)

Y. Doolan
T,Th 10:00-11:30 AM

ANTH 130B: Visuality and Culture

Introduces students to the study of visual, aural, and artistic media through an ethnographic lens. Course combines written and creative assignments to understand how culture shapes how we make meaning out of images and develop media literacy. Topics include ethnographic/documentary film, advertising, popular culture, viral videos and special effects, photography, art worlds, and the technological development of scientific images. (dl, ss)

P. Alvarez Astacio
T,Th 2:00-3:30 PM

ENG 62B: Contemporary African Literature, Global Perspectives

What is "African" in African literature when the majority of writers are somehow removed from the African societies they portray? How do expatriate writers represent African subjectivities and cultures at the intersection of Diaspora and globalization? Who reads the works produced by these writers? Usually offered every third year. (hum, nw)

J. Williams                                 
M,W 12:00-1:30 PM

ENG 127B: Migrating Bodies, Migrating Texts

Beginning with the region's representation as a tabula rasa, examines the textual and visual constructions of the Caribbean as colony, homeland, backyard, paradise, and Babylon, and how the region's migrations have prompted ideas about evolution, hedonism, imperialism, nationalism, and diaspora. (djw, hum, nw)

F. Smith
T,Th 8:00-9:30 PM

FA 166B: Representing Globalism

Through examination of writings by artists, theorists, and historians in the context of art since the turn of the millennium, this course seeks to uncover stories of the global present and possible futures. (ca)

P. Kalb                 
M,W 8:00-9:30 PM

HIST 109b: A Global History of Sport: Politics, Economy, Race and Culture

Examines soccer, boxing, baseball, cricket and other sports to reflect on culture, politics, race, and globalization. With a focus on empire, gender, ethnicity, this course considers sport as the battleground for ideological and group contests. (ss)

A. Singh
T,Th 6:00-7:30 PM

HIST 134b: The Ottoman Empire: From Principality to Republic by way of Empire

The Ottomans in history: how did a tiny principality grow from 1300 to be a global empire by 1550 and become a modern nation state by 1923? Who were the Ottomans? What are their legacies in today's world? (ss)

A. Singer
T,Th 2:00 PM–3:30 PM

NEJS 158B: Yiddish Literature and the Modern Jewish Revolution

Surveys and analyzes Yiddish fiction, poetry, and drama of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Taught in English using texts in translation. (hum, wi)

E. Kellman
T,Th 8:00-9:30 PM

NEJS 177A: The Holocaust in Israeli and Jewish Literature

Examines the psychological, social, moral, and aesthetic challenges involved in representing the Holocaust in Israeli, American, and European context through literary texts, theoretical research, works of art, and film. (hum)

I. Szobel   
T,Th 2:00-3:20 PM

POL 133B: Politics of Russia and the Post-Communist World

Topics include the fall and legacy of communism, trends of democracy and dictatorship, European integration, resurgent nationalism, social and economic patterns throughout the former Soviet Bloc, and Putin’s rise and influence both within Russia and abroad. (ss)

S. Wilson
T,Th 4:00-5:30 PM

SAS 100A: India and Pakistan: Understanding South Asia

An exploration of the history, societies, cultures, religions, and literature of South Asia--India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Uses perspectives from history, anthropology, literature, and film to examine past and contemporary life in South Asia. (djw, hum, nw, ss)

A. Singh
T,Th 2:00-3:30 PM

SOC148B: The Sociology of Information: Politics, Power, and Property

Examines the claim that information is a key political and economic resource in contemporary society. Considers who has access to information, and how it is used for economic gain, interpersonal advantage, and social control. (ss wi)

L. Miller
M,W 4:00-5:30 PM

AAAS/WGS 125A: Intellectual History of Black Women

Explores major themes and events in U.S. history from the perspectives of black women. Highlights black feminisms’ intersections with other black intellectual traditions and freedom struggles (deis-us, ss)

S. Roach
T,Th 10:00-11:30 AM

ANTH/WGS 176B: Queer/Trans Theories from Elsewhere

Centers the notion of “elsewhere” in relationship to studies of gender, sexuality, power, and desire. While terms like “queer” and “transgender” have become useful analytics for exploring gender, sexuality, feeling, space, place, relationality, and time, the academic theories that focus on these categories have remained mostly within white, US- and European academic spaces. (deis-us, djw, ss)

B. Horton/V. Chaudhry
T,Th 4:00-5:30 PM

CLAS/NEJS 118a: Queens of Ancient Mediterranean World

Investigates the depiction of queens in the ancient world in terms of gender, power, difference, and sexuality. Readings include translated Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Arabic literature, including the Bible and Homer, as well as modern studies on the historical-critical method and academic feminism. Special one-time offering. (hum)

J. Stinchcomb
M,W 4:00-5:30 PM

ENG 64A: Queer Readings: Before the Binary

Explores vectors of desire, intimacy, and relationality prior to 1800 that do not always neatly line up with post-Enlightenment taxonomies of gender, sexuality, race, and humanness. What possibilities of pleasure, intimacy, love, and friendship existed alongside male- female reproductive sex/marriage before 1800? (hum, oc)

T. King
T, Th 4:00-5:30 PM

HIST/SOC 170B: Gender & Sexuality in South Asia

Explores historical and contemporary debates about gender and sexuality in South Asia; revisits concepts of "woman," "sex," "femininity," "home," "family," "community," "nation," "reform," "protection," and "civilization" across the colonial and postcolonial periods. (djw, nw, ss)

H. Muller/G. Vijayakumar
M,W 2:00-3:30 PM

HIST/WGS 120B: Queer History in the U.S.

Traces shifting concepts and practices of gender and sexual deviance in the United States from the colonial period to the present. We will treat queer identity and experience as a topic of historical inquiry as well as a theoretical problem, following the way that currently distinct concepts of sex, gender, and sexuality historically defined each other in shifting configurations. (deis-us, ss)

A. Murphy                                       
M,W 6:00-7:30 PM

NEJS 130B:  Sexuality and Early Christian Communities

Investigates how Christians (1st-4th C.) contested and reshaped attitudes toward the family, gender expectations (for nonbinary persons, men, and women), sexuality, and aging in cities, the countryside, and in monasteries. (hum)

D. Brooks-Hedstrom   
T,Th 4:00-5:30 PM

NEJS 174B: Israeli Women Writers on War and Peace

An exploration of nationalism and gender in Modern Hebrew literature. By discussing various Hebrew texts and Israeli works of art and film, this course explores women's relationship to Zionism, war, peace, the state, politics, and processes of cultural production. (fl, hum)

I. Szobel            
T,Th 4:00-5:30 PM

SOC 116B: Social Inequalities in the Media

Using sociological theories of media, students will examine how difference is constructed across race, gender, and sexuality and how those representations are connected to larger processes of inequality. (deis-us, oc, ss)

S. Mayorga                                   
T,Th 10:00-11:30 AM

WGS 171A: Transgender Studies

Introduces students to key terms and debate in the field of transgender studies, while critically interrogating how ideologies of race, class, gender, and sexuality have informed the category's rapid institutionalization. (deis-us, ss)

V. Chaudhry     
T,Th 2:00-3:20 PM