Courses of Study
Sections
An interdepartmental program in International and Global Studies
Last updated: November 4, 2010 at 3:20 p.m.
Students who wish to major or minor in international and global studies should meet with the undergraduate advising head to select an adviser from the list of faculty members teaching or otherwise affiliated with the IGS program. Although IGS fulfills the university requirements as a major, students will often find it highly advantageous to combine it with another major or minor in a specific discipline or area studies curriculum.
Students should take IGS 10a (Introduction to International and Global Studies) during their first or second year; this course provides a systematic introduction to the key issues of contemporary global change, provides an overview of three distributional categories (from which the student will select their elective courses), and gives an orientation to the options for international internships and study abroad. In addition, students must take three core courses in the disciplines of anthropology (ANTH 1a, Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies), economics (ECON 8b, Global Economy, or IGS 8a, Economic Principles and Globalization), and politics (POL 15a, Introduction to International Relations). Ideally students should complete these four foundational courses by the end of the sophomore year.
(Sociology)
Laura Goldin, Internship Coordinator
(American Studies)
Paul Jankowski
(History)
Richard J. Parmentier
(Anthropology)
Affiliated Faculty
Ulka Anjaria
(English)
Kerry Chase (on leave fall 2010)
(Politics)
Talinn Grigor
(Fine Arts)
Janet McIntosh
(Anthropology)
Fernando Rosenberg
(Romance Studies)
Ellen Schattschneider (on leave academic year 2010-2011)
(Anthropology)
Successful completion of six courses are required for the minor:
A. Gateway course: IGS 10a (Introduction to International and Global Studies)
B. Core courses: ANTH 1a (Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies), ECON 8b (Global Economy) or IGS 8a (Economic Principles and Globalization), and POL 15a (Introduction to International Relations).
C.Electives: Two courses from any of the three distributional categories:
Media, Culture, and the Arts
Governance, Conflict, and Responsibility
Economy, Health, and Environment
D. No more than three of these courses may count toward another minor.
E. Minimum grade: All Brandeis courses used to fulfill the requirements of the IGS minor must be taken for a letter grade (not pass/fail) and must be C or above.
Successful completion of ten courses are required for the major:
A. Gateway course: IGS 10a (Introduction to International and Global Studies).
B. Core courses: ANTH 1a (Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies); ECON 8b (Global Economy) or IGS 8a (Economic Principles and Globalization); and POL 15a (Introduction to International Relations).
C. Electives: Six additional courses, two from each of the following three distributional categories:
Media, Culture, and the Arts
Governance, Conflict, and Responsibility
Economy, Health, and Environment
For specific courses in each category refer to the course lists below.
D. Global Issues: at least two of the six elective courses need to deal specifically with global issues--AAAS 117a, AAAS 145b, AAAS 158a, AMST 102a, ANTH 55a, ANTH 121a, ANTH 127a, ANTH 129b, ANTH 142a, ANTH 144a, ANTH 163b, ANTH 184b, BIOL 17b, BIOL 23a, BIOL 134b, BISC 2a, BISC 3b, CHEM 33a, CHSC 3b, COML 120b, COML 122b, ECON 141b, ECON 172b, ENG 77b, ENG 111b, ENG 141a, ENG 155a, ENVS 15a, ENVS 17b, ENVS 18b, ENVS 19a, GECS 160a, HIST 56b, HIST 61a, HIST 100a, HS 110a, HSSP 102a, LGLS 124b, LGLS 125b, MUS 31b, PHIL 19a, POL 127a, POL 127b, POL 158b, POL 161b, POL 163b, POL 165a, POL 172b, POL 175b, POL 180b, SOC 119a, SOC 120b, SOC 127a, SOC 128a, SOC 162a, WMGS 5a.
E. Auxiliary language: Completion of a fourth-semester course in a modern foreign language. The requirement may be fulfilled by enrolling in language courses at Brandeis or elsewhere, or by providing other evidence of proficiency, such as course work offered in that language.
F. International experience: Normally, students satisfy this requirement for a semester-long study abroad program (during the academic year) approved by Brandeis’s Study Abroad Office. Students may substitute an international internship for study abroad; the internship must include at least one hundred hours over at least six weeks (presumably during the summer) and must be at an organization concerned with the central issues of the IGS major. If extended international residence would be a hardship, IGS students may petition the IGS internship coordinator to undertake a U.S.-based internship directly involved in international and global issues.Students meeting this requirement with an international or domestic internship must receive permission of the IGS internship coordinator prior to starting the internship, and must enroll in IGS 89b (usually offered in the fall semester) either during or immediately after their internship.
G. Senior Thesis (optional): Exceptional students interested in completing an honors thesis as seniors should apply to the honors coordinator, preferably in the spring of their junior year. Thesis students must have a minimum GPA of 3.3 in the courses counted toward the IGS major, and be engaged on a thesis project closely tied to IGS themes (as determined by the IGS honors coordinator). The student's primary thesis adviser should be an IGS faculty member -- any faculty member who teaches an IGS or IGS cross-listed course. The examining committee for the thesis must include at least two other faculty members, at least one of whom teaches an IGS or IGS cross-listed course. Thesis students will register for IGS 99d (a full-year course) with the thesis adviser. The first semester of IGS 99d may be used toward the requirement of two IGS electives (see requirement D, above). IGS departmental honors are based on the examining committee's evaluation of the completed thesis and the record in courses for the IGS major.
H. No more than five courses from any one department will be counted toward the major.
I. Minimum Grade: All Brandeis courses used to fulfill the requirements of the IGS major must be taken for a letter grade (not pass/fail) and must be C or above.
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
IGS
8a
Economic Principles and Globalization
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Students who have previously taken ECON 2a and ECON 8b may not receive credit for IGS 8a.
An introduction to basic economic principles needed to understand the causes and economic effects of increased international flows of goods, people, firms, and money. Attention paid to international economic institutions (World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, World Bank), strategies for economic development, and globalization controversies (global warming, sweatshops). Usually offered every year.
Mr. Coiner
IGS
10a
Introduction to International and Global Studies
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"Globalization" touches us more every day. Introduces the challenges of globalization to national and international governance, economic success, individual and group identities, cultural diversity, the environment, and inequalities within and between nations, regions of the globe, gender, and race. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze or Mr. Ross
IGS
89b
Internship Seminar in International and Global Studies
This is an experiential learning course. Prerequisite: IGS 10a.
A weekly seminar combined with an internship placement at an organization focusing on global matters. Academic components include readings on globalization, oral presentation on research, and a paper reflecting on the internship experience. Students are responsible for arranging their own internship placement and for contacting the instructor before the start of their internship. This course may count toward the IGS major requirement as an elective outside the student's specialization. Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
92a
Global Studies Internship
This course is offered only for non-IGS majors, or for IGS majors engaged in approved credit-bearing internships who have been exempted from IGS 89b. Signature of the IGS internship coordinator is required. Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
97a
Senior Essay
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
97b
Senior Essay
Prerequisite: IGS 97a.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
98a
Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
98b
Independent Study
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IGS
99d
Senior Research
Seniors who are candidates for degrees with honors in IGS must register for this course and, under the direction of a faculty member, prepare an honors thesis on a suitable topic. Usually offered every year.
Staff
International and Global Studies: Core Courses
ANTH
1a
Introduction to the Comparative Study of Human Societies
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This is an experiential learning course. Examines the ways human beings construct their lives in a variety of societies. Includes the study of the concept of culture, kinship and social organization, political economy, gender and sexuality, religion and ritual, symbols and language, social inequalities and social change, and globalization. Consideration of anthropological research methods and approaches to cross-cultural analysis. Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Lamb, Ms. McIntosh, or Mr. Urcid
ECON
8b
The Global Economy
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Prerequisite: ECON 2a. This course is not a writing-intensive course.
Applies the basic tools and models of economic analysis to a wide range of topics in micro-, macro-, and international economics. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.
Staff
IGS
8a
Economic Principles and Globalization
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Students who have previously taken ECON 2a and ECON 8b may not receive credit for IGS 8a.
An introduction to basic economic principles needed to understand the causes and economic effects of increased international flows of goods, people, firms, and money. Attention paid to international economic institutions (World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, World Bank), strategies for economic development, and globalization controversies (global warming, sweatshops). Usually offered every year.
Mr. Coiner
IGS
10a
Introduction to International and Global Studies
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"Globalization" touches us more every day. Introduces the challenges of globalization to national and international governance, economic success, individual and group identities, cultural diversity, the environment, and inequalities within and between nations, regions of the globe, gender, and race. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze or Mr. Ross
POL
15a
Introduction to International Relations
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General introduction to international politics, emphasizing the essential characteristics of the international system as a basis for understanding the foreign policy of individual countries. Analysis of causes of war, conditions of peace, patterns of influence, the nature of the world's political economy, global environmental issues, human rights, and prospects for international organizations. Open to first-year students. Usually offered every semester.
Mr. Art or Mr. Chase
IGS: Governance, Conflict and Responsibility
AAAS
18b
Africa and the West
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Focuses on the relationship between Africa and the "West" from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the postcolonial period. It also assesses the dilemma neocolonialism poses for the West. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Sundiata
AAAS
125b
Caribbean Women and Globalization: Sexuality, Citizenship, Work
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Utilizing perspectives from sociology, anthropology, fiction, and music to examine the relationship between women's sexuality and conceptions of labor, citizenship, and sovereignty. The course considers these alongside conceptions of masculinity, contending feminisms, and the global perspective. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Smith
AAAS
163b
Africa in World Politics
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Explores the impact of African states in world affairs; the African and Afro-Asian groups in the United Nations; relations with Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and the Americas; the Afro-Asian movement; nonalignment; the Organization of African Unity; and Pan-Africanism. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Nyangoni
ANTH
140a
Human Rights in Global Perspective
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Explores a range of debates about human rights as a concept as well as the practice of human rights work. The human rights movement seeks the recognition of universal norms that transcend political and cultural difference while anthropology seeks to explore and analyze the great diversity of human life. To what extent can these two goals--advocating for universal norms and respecting cultural difference--be reconciled? The course examines cases from various parts of the world concerning: indigenous peoples, environment, health, gender, genocide/violence/nation-states and globalization. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Ferry or Ms. McCullough
FREN
111a
The Republic
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Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
The "Republic" analyzes how the republican ideal of the citizen devoid of religious, ethnic, or gender identity has fared in different Francophone political milieux. Course involves understanding how political institutions such as constitutions, parliaments, and court systems interact with reality of modern societies in which religious, ethnic, and gender identities play important roles. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Randall
HIST
56b
World History to 1960
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An introductory survey of world history, from the dawn of "civilization" to c.1960. Topics include the establishment and rivalry of political communities, the development of material life, and the historical formation of cultural identities. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Sreenivasan
HIST
61a
Cultures in Conflict since 1300
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Explores the ways in which cultures and civilizations have collided since 1300, and the ways in which cultural differences account for major wars and conflicts in world history since then. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze and Mr. Jankowski
HIST
71b
Latin American History, 1870 to the Present
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Modern Latin America, with stress on the interactions of economics, politics, and external dependency in the region. Usually offered every year.
Staff
HIST
80b
East Asia: Nineteenth Century to the Present (China and Japan)
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The civilization of East Asia at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the impact of the West, the contrasting responses of China and Japan to the confrontation, and the development and nature of their present societies. Usually offered every year.
Staff
HIST
112a
Nationalism in the Middle East
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Seminar examining the history of nationalism in the modern Middle East. Covers divergent theories and practices of nationalism in the region, and explores the roles of gender, memory, historiography, and art in the formation and articulation of Middle East nationalisms. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Sohrabi
HIST
115a
History of Comparative Race and Ethnic Relations
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Explores and understands the origin and nature of racial and ethnic differences in the United States, South Africa, and Brazil. Explores how theoreticians explain and account for differences, and how race and ethnicity relate to economic class and social institutions. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Sundiata
HIST
148b
Central Asia in Modern Times
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Surveys the modern history of Central Asia, emphasizing the twentieth century and contemporary history; it gives particular attention to the processes of colonialization and modernization and their impact on the traditional social order and Islamic religious life. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Freeze
HIST
164b
The American Century: The U.S. and the World, 1945 to the Present
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America's global role expanded dramatically in the aftermath of World War II. Explores key aspects of that new role, from the militarization of conflict with the Soviets to activities in the Third World. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Engerman
HIST
174a
The Legacy of 1898: U.S.-Caribbean Relations since the Spanish-American War
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This seminar explores relations between the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic) and the United States during the twentieth century. Topics include interventions, cultural misunderstandings, migration, transnationalism, and Puerto Rican status. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Arrom
HIST
182a
Sino-American Relations from the Eighteenth Century to the Present
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A seminar providing a historical overview of two centuries of Sino-American relations. Diplomacy and war, mutual perceptions, Americans in China, Chinese emigration and communities in the United States, and relations between the United States and the People's Republic. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
HIST
186b
A Global History of the Vietnam Wars
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A reading and research seminar on the American involvement in Vietnam. Focuses on teaching the history of America's longest war, as well as improving the student's ability to write a research paper using source materials. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Engerman
IMES
104a
Islam: Civilization and Institutions
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Provides a disciplined study of Islamic civilization from its origins to the current state of affairs. Approaches the study from a humanities perspective. Topics covered will include the Qur'an, tradition, law, theology, politics, Islam and other religions, modern developments, women in Islam, and Islam and Middle Eastern politics. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
LGLS
124b
International Law and Development
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Surveys public and private forms of international law with special application to developing countries, and to political and social development in the global economy. Examines basic legal concepts of property, contract, and rule of law in the context of national and cultural transformations. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
LGLS
125b
International Law and Organizations
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Introduction to international law, its nature, sources, and application, for example, its role in the management of international conflicts. Topics may include international agreements, international organizations including the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, states and recognition, nationality and alien rights, territorial and maritime jurisdiction, international claims, and the laws of war and human rights. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
LGLS
128b
Networks of Global Justice
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Compares constitutional practices in the United States; the reformed communist nations of Eastern Europe; and the modernizing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Focuses on the creation and evolution of constitutional structures, problems of federation and ethnicity, and protection of fundamental rights. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
NEJS
189a
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
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Consideration of Arab-Jewish relations, attitudes, and interactions from 1880 to the present. Emphasis on social factors and intellectual currents and their impact on politics. Examines the conflict within its international setting. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
PHIL
19a
Human Rights
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Examines international human rights policies and the moral and political issues to which they give rise. Includes civilians' wartime rights, the role of human rights in foreign policy, and the responsibility of individuals and states to alleviate world hunger and famine. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Teuber
POL
127a
Ending Deadly Conflict
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Prerequisite: POL 127b or permission of the instructor.
Examines strategies for ending violent internal (primarily ethnic) conflicts, with emphasis on identifying conditions conducive to negotiated settlements. Case studies are examined in light of analytical literature. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Burg
POL
127b
Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict
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Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
Comparative study of the sources and character of interethnic conflict, with emphasis on the processes by which groups become politicized, and the strategies and techniques for managing conflict in a democratic system. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Burg
POL
128a
The Politics of Revolution: State Violence and Popular Insurgency in the Third World
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Introduction to twentieth-century revolutionary movements in the Third World, focusing on the emergence of peasant-based resistance and revolution in the world beyond the West, and on the role of state violence in provoking popular involvement in protest, rebellion, and insurgency. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Thaxton
POL
131b
Social Movements in Latin America
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Origins, dynamics, and social and cultural impact of movements among indigenous groups, women, peasants, and blacks in Latin America since the 1980s. Comparative study of other social movements in Latin America and elsewhere in the world. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Thorne
POL
144a
Latin American Politics I
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Revolution, order, and regime transition in northern Latin America. Specific examination of the Mexican and Cuban revolutions and their outcomes. POL 144a is independent of POL 144b. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL
144b
Latin American Politics II
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Emphasis on elite control, the military, the political role of populist politics, and the uncertain process of democratization. Brazil and Argentina are examined specifically. POL 144b is independent of POL 144a. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL
145b
The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe and the United States
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Few issues have caused more public furor than the accommodation of Islam in Europe and the United States. It is often overlooked that Muslims are developing the institutions of their faith in societies that offer everyone the freedom of choice and expression. This seminar looks at religious discrimination as a barrier to the civic and political inclusion of Muslim immigrants, the responses of governments, courts, and the general public, and what we know about the balance among "fundamentalist, " "moderate," and "progressive" Muslim viewpoints. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Klausen
POL
146b
Seminar: Topics in Revolutions in the Third World
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May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.
Explores revolutionary situations, revolutionary movements (successful and unsuccessful), and revolutionary regimes in the Third World since World War II. Specific topics may vary from year to year. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL
147a
The Government and Politics of China
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Introduction to major themes of Chinese politics, emphasizing the rise of the Chinese Communists and the post-1949 trends in domestic politics, while also surveying historical, sociological, and cultural influences in Chinese politics. Attention to the nature of the traditional state, impact of colonialism, national revolution, and the course of contemporary state development. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Thaxton
POL
149a
Germany and European Unification
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Course to be taught at Brandeis summer program in Berlin.
Examines the political structure, formation, and development of the European Union, as well as Germany's role in the process of European unification. With special emphasis on the analysis of the political challenges that lie ahead, examines the integration of Eastern European countries and its consequences. Usually offered every summer.
Mr. Maleck
POL
150a
Politics of Southeast Asia
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Introduction to the politics of modern Southeast Asia, with the focus on the indigenous peoples and their cultures, societies, and histories. The greatly changed and changing political systems of Indonesia and Thailand are examined individually in some depth. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Hindley
POL
153a
The New Europe: European Economic and Political Integration
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The institutions and policymaking processes of the European Union (EU). Western European political and economic integration since 1945 and the resurgence of European integration since the mid-1980s. Social policy issues, policy harmonization and economic integration, European citizenship, and the reorientation of national politics in response to community expansion. The future of European unity and national cultures. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
POL
158b
Comparative Perspectives on the Law and Politics of Group Rights
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Prerequisite: POL 11b or POL 14b.
The creation of new group rights for disadvantaged populations in democratic states through constitutional reform and affirmative action, and the legal and political dilemmas raised by efforts to implement these rights. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Klausen
POL
160b
World Politics since 1945
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The dominant issues, alignments, and antagonisms in world politics since the conclusion of World War II. The extent to which these configurations of world politics have been determined by systemic and structural forces and have been the product of deliberate human choice. Alternative future configurations of the world's political system. Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL
163a
Seminar: Human Rights and International Relations
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Prerequisite: POL 15a or equivalent.
How human rights issues are affecting and being handled by the nation-state system. Traditional vs. reformist views. Universalism vs. cultural relativism. Contemporary case studies. Usually offered every year.
Staff
POL
163b
Gender in International Relations
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An introduction to the "gendered lenses" used to observe and study international politics. Addresses the (separate but related) questions of women's experiences in international politics and the influence of gender on international political relations. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
POL
164a
Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East
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Evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the efforts to resolve it. Focuses on key documents and developments with particular emphasis on the Palestinian-Israeli dimension, and the different narratives adopted by the parties on the conflict. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Feldman
POL
165a
Seminar: Globalization and Governance in the Trading System
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Examines three tiers of governance in the trading system: the rules and authority of international agencies such as the World Trade Organization; the policymaking functions of national political institutions; and the role and influence of corporations, labor unions, citizen groups, and other private actors. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Chase
POL
169b
U.S. Policy in the Middle East
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Provides students with an understanding of the evolution of U.S. policy in the Middle East and the manner in which the local parties have perceived it. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Feldman
POL
172b
International Political Economy
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Prerequisite: POL 15a.
The politics and modern evolution of international economic relations, comprising trade, money, multinational productions, and development. Also the role of states and transnational actors in international markets and the global differentiation of power, and distribution of wealth. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Chase
POL
174b
Seminar: Problems of National Security
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Analysis of the role and utility of military power in international politics. Selected case studies from the last fifty years. Selected topics on post-Cold War military issues, including the spread of weapons of mass destruction, collective approaches to coercion, and the role of U.S. military power in world stability. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Art
POL
175b
Global Civil Society
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The role of international organizations in the contemporary global political and economic system, the ways in which they influence or contribute to major international policy issues, and the interactions between international organizations and global civil society. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Thorne
POL
176a
Seminar: International Intervention
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The evolution of international law and practice in use of force for the resolution of conflicts. Case study of major post-cold war cases of international intervention, including humanitarian intervention. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Burg
SAS
110b
South Asian Postcolonial Writers
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Examines the postcolonial novel written in English within the shared history of colonialism, specifically British imperialism, for South Asia. Writers include R.K. Narayan, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Arundhati Roy, Mohsin Hamid, Romesh Gunesekera and Daniyal Mueenudin. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Singh
SAS
140a
We Who Are at Home Everywhere: Narratives from the South Asian Diaspora
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Looks at narratives from various locations of the South Asian Diaspora, while paying close attention to the emergence of an immigrant South Asian public culture. Examines novels, poetry, short stories, film, and music in order to further an understanding of South Asian immigrant culture. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Singh
SAS
170b
South Asia in the Colonial Archive
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Looks at colonial constructions of gender and race through a historical and literary investigation of British colonialism in South Asia. Examines intersections and constructions of gender, race, class, and sexuality in literature, public culture, and film within the parameters of British colonialism. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Singh
SOC
119a
War and Possibilities of Peace
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Ponders the possibility of a major "paradigm shift" under way from adversarialism and war to mutuality and peace. Examines war culture and peace culture and points in between, with emphases on the role of imagination in social change, growing global interdependence, and political, economic, gender, social class, and social psychological aspects of war and peace. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Fellman
SOC
122a
The Sociology of American Immigration
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Most of us descend from immigrants. Focusing on the United States but in a global perspective, we address the following questions: Why do people migrate? How does this affect immigrants' occupations, gendered households, rights, identities, youth, and race relations with other groups? Usually offered every second year.
Staff
SOC
127a
Gods and Nations: Identity in Global Relations
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Prerequisite: SOC 1a or SOC 3b. Registration priority given to juniors and seniors.
Examines three sources of identity that are influential in global affairs: religion, ethnicity and nationalism. Considers theories of the relationship among these identities, especially "secularization theory," then reviews historical examples such as Poland, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Rosenberger
SOC
128a
Religion and Globalization
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Examines the experience of religion as a social and individual identity. Looks into the social-psychology of religious resurgence movements (Islamic, Evangelical, and others) with special attention paid to the role and character of globalization and religious consciousness in the world today. Readings cover comparative classical and contemporary thought and research. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Hayim
SOC
162a
Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics
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Examines the role of intellectuals in modern politics, especially their relationship to nationalism and revolutionary movements. In reading across a range of political revolutions(e.g. in Czechoslovakia, Cuba, and Iran), students will have the chance to compare the relative significance of appeals to solidarity based on class, religion, ethnicity, and national identity. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Rosenberger
WMGS
105b
Feminist Theories in Historical and Cross-Cultural Perspective
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Prerequisite: Students are encouraged, though not required, to take WMGS 5a prior to enrolling in this course.
Examines diverse theories of sex and gender within a multicultural framework, considering historical changes in feminist thought, the theoretical underpinnings of various feminist practices, and the implications of diverse and often conflicting theories for both academic inquiry and social change. Usually offered every spring.
Ms. Smith
IGS: Media, Culture, and The Arts
AAAS
117a
Communications and Social Change in Developing Nations
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Examines the role of communications and information systems within and between developed and underdeveloped nations. Addresses the larger perspective of global communications. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
123a
Third World Ideologies
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Analyzes ideological concepts developed by seminal Third World political thinkers and their application to modern political analysis. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
134b
Novel and Film of the African Diaspora
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Writers and filmmakers, who are usually examined separately under national or regional canonical categories such as "(North) American," "Latin American," "African," "British," or "Caribbean," are brought together here to examine transnational identities and investments in "authentic," "African," or "black" identities. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Smith
AMST
132b
International Affairs and the American Media
[
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Examines and assesses American media coverage of major international events and perspectives, with special emphasis on the Middle East. In addition to analyzing the political, economic, cultural, and tactical factors that influence coverage, students will be challenged to consider the extent to which the American media have influenced their own understanding of the crisis in the Middle East and the relationship the United States has with that part of the world. Students will engage in online chats with students in the Middle East, and they will write and edit their own television news pieces about developments in the region. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Farrelly
AMST
134b
The New Media in America
[
ss
]
Analyzes the adaptation of new media in American society and culture. Examines the ways Americans have thought about and utilized new methods of mass communication in the twentieth century. Usually offered every year.
Staff
AMST
140b
The Asian American Experience
[
oc
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. Examines the political, economic, social, and contemporary issues related to Asians in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Topics include patterns of immigration and settlement, and individual, family, and community formation explored through history, literature, personal essays, films, and other popular media sources. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Davé
AMST
142b
Love, Law, and Labor: Asian American Women and Literature
[
hum
]
[
ss
]
Explores the intersection of ethnicity, race, class, gender, and sexualities in the lives and literatures of diverse Asian American women. Discusses the historical, social, political, and economic forces shaping those lives and how they are reflected in literature. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Davé
ANTH
26a
Communication and Media
[
ss
]
An exploration of human communication and mass media from a cross-cultural perspective. Examines communication codes based on language and visual signs. The global impact of revolutions in media technology, including theories of cultural imperialism and indigenous uses of media is discussed. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. McIntosh
ANTH
80a
Anthropology of Religion
[
nw
ss
]
An introduction to the anthropological study of human religious experience, with particular emphasis on religious and ritual practice in comparative perspective. Examines the relationship between religion and society in small-scale, non-Western contexts as well as in complex societies, global cultures, and world historical religions. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Lamb or Ms. Schattschneider
ANTH
112a
African Art and Aesthetics
[
ca
nw
ss
]
This is an experiential learning course. The visual arts and aesthetics of sub-Saharan Africa and the African Diaspora, with attention to the spiritual, social, and cultural dimensions of art and performance. Special emphasis on the historical dynamism and cultural creativity of "tradition-based" and contemporary African artists. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Auslander
ANTH
114b
Verbal Art and Cultural Performance
[
ss
]
Cross-cultural and interdisciplinary study of genres of verbal art and oral performance. Complex social uses of verbal arts in festival, drama, ritual, dance, carnival, and spectacle. Difficulty of reconstructing original context of narrative, oratory, poetry, and epic. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Parmentier
ANTH
121a
Crossing Cultural Boundaries
[
ss
]
May not be taken for credit by students who have taken ANTH 33b in prior years.
An examination of situations where individuals, either actually or imaginatively, willingly or unwillingly, cross over the boundaries separating their own culture and other cultural traditions. The understandings and misunderstandings that result from these encounters are examined in primary texts and images and in scholarly reconstructions. Transient experiences are compared with sites that develop over a long period of time (colonial settlements, plantations, frontiers). Potentials for reflexive self-understanding and meaningful dialogue are sought in fictional and nonfictional representations of boundary crossings. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Parmentier
ANTH
129b
Global, Transnational, and Diasporic Communities
[
ss
]
Examines social and cultural dimensions of globalization from an anthropological perspective. Topics include the impact of global capitalism upon indigenous communities, global forms of popular culture and consumerism, transnational migration and diasporas, changing inequalities and gender systems, global sexual cultures, and the AIDS pandemic. Includes a focus on the South Asian diaspora when taught by Ms. Lamb. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ferry or Ms. Lamb
ANTH
130b
Visuality and Culture
[
ss
]
Explores the nature of the visual image in sociocultural theory and in ethnographic representation. Topics include the history of ethnographic film, development of indigenous arts, visuality in popular culture and mass consumption, and film in postcolonial representation. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Schattschneider
ANTH
139b
Language, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
[
ss
]
It is often assumed that language differences divide people, while a common language unites them. To what extent is this true? Taking cross-cultural and historical approaches, we examine the role of language in creating concepts of tribe, ethnicity, and nation. Explores what kinds of social groupings these terms might label, some ideologies connected with their use, and their relationship with communication systems. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. McIntosh
ANTH
144a
The Anthropology of Gender
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Anthropology majors have priority for enrollment.
An examination of gender constructs, sexuality, and cultural systems from a comparative perspective. Topics include the division of labor, rituals of masculinity and femininity, the vexing question of the universality of women's subordination, cross-cultural perspectives on same-sex sexualities and transsexuality, the impact of globalization on systems, and the history of feminist anthropology. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lamb or Ms. Schattschneider
ANTH
153a
Writing Systems and Scribal Traditions
[
nw
ss
]
Compares graphic forms of communication, ranging from semasiographic to alphabetic systems, from archaeological and ethnographic perspectives. Explores the social functions of early writing systems, the linkage of literacy and political power, and the production of historical memory. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Urcid
ANTH
184b
Cross-Cultural Art and Aesthetics
[
nw
ss
]
A cross-cultural and diachronic exploration of art, focusing on the communicative aspects of visual aesthetics. The survey takes a broad view of how human societies deploy images to foster identities, lure into consumption, generate political propaganda, engage in ritual, render sacred propositions tangible, and chart the character of the cosmos. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Auslander or Mr. Urcid
COML
120b
Dangerous Writers and Writers in Danger
[
hum
]
Examines the works of modern, twentieth-century writers from different areas of the world who have suffered exile, imprisonment, or death for their free thinking. Writers include: Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Wole Soyinka, Gao Xinjan, Breyten Breytenbach, Reynoldo Arenas, and Salman Rushdie. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ratner
COML
122b
Writing Home and Abroad: Literature by Women of Color
[
hum
nw
]
Examines literature (prose, poetry, and memoirs) written by women of color across a wide spectrum of geographical and cultural sites. Literature written within the confines of the "home country" in the vernacular, as well as in English in immigrant locales, is read. The intersections of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and class as contained by the larger institutions of government, religion, nationalism, and sectarian politics are examined. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Singh
COML
160a
Contemporary East European Literature
[
hum
]
Open to all students. Conducted in English.
Examines works of major East European (Polish, Czech, Russian, and other) authors in the historical context of late Communist and post-Communist experience. Special attention to reading for artistic qualities and engagement of historical and political problems. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Powelstock
ENG
22a
Filmi Fictions: From Page to Screen in India
[
hum
nw
]
An introduction to filmic adaptations of Indian novels from Bollywood, Indian art cinema, and Hollywood. Readings include novels as well as theoretical approaches to adaptation. Films include Slumdog Millionaire, Pather Panchali, Devdas, Guide, Umrao Jaan, and others. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Anjaria
ENG
37a
Postimperial Fictions
[
hum
]
In what ways, and for what purposes, has postcolonial Britain sought imaginatively to recreate its imperial past? Discusses recent literary and cinematic representations of empire, in which critique, fascination, and nostalgia are, often problematically, blended. Authors include Paul Scott, Rushdie, Ishiguro, and Zadie Smith. Usually offered every fourth year.
Staff
ENG
77a
Screening the Tropics
[
hum
]
How territories and modes of life are designated as "tropical," and how this is celebrated or "screened out" in film, photography, national policy, travelogues, and fiction. Films by Cozier, Cuaron, Duigan, Denis, Fung, Henzell, Ousmane, and Sissako. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Smith
ENG
77b
Literatures of Global English
[
hum
nw
]
Survey of world Anglophone literatures, in translation, with attention to writers' literary responses to aspects of English as a global language with a colonial history. Focus on Indian subcontinent, Africa, the Caribbean, North America. Writers may include Rushdie, Devi, Coetzee, Kincaid, Atwood, Anzaldua. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
ENG
111b
Postcolonial Theory
[
hum
]
Seminar in postcolonial theory with relevant background texts, with an emphasis on the specificity of its theoretical claims. Readings from Spivak, Said, Bhabha, Appiah, Mudimbe, Marx, Lenin, Freud, Derrida, Césaire, and Fanon, among others. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Anjaria
ENG
127a
The Novel in India
[
hum
nw
wi
]
Survey of the novel and short story of the Indian subcontinent, their formal experiments in context of nationalism and postcolonial history. Authors may include Tagore, Anand, Manto, Desani, Narayan, Desai, Devi, Rushdie, Roy, Mistry, and Chaudhuri. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Anjaria
ENG
127b
Migrating Bodies, Migrating Texts
[
hum
]
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. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Smith
ENG
141a
Literature and Geography
[
hum
oc
]
This is an experiential learning course. What does where mean? This course studies the arguments of geographers, philosophers, and literary theorists who test spatial categories such as the city, the nation, and the globe. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Irr
ENG
167a
Decolonizing Fictions
[
hum
nw
]
An introduction to basic concepts in postcolonial studies using selected literary works from South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Specific themes covered include the colonial encounter; colonial education and the use of English; nationalism; gender, violence, and the body; and postcolonial diasporas. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Anjaria
ENG
187b
American Writers and World Affairs
[
hum
wi
]
An exploration of early twentieth century American prose (mainly novels). Examines bold innovations in literary form made by authors such as Hemingway, Faulkner, and James. Considers how American works responded to and participated in world affairs. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Irr
ENG
197b
Within the Veil: African-American and Muslim Women's Writing
[
hum
]
In twentieth-century United States culture, the veil has become a powerful metaphor, signifying initially the interior of African-American community and the lives of Muslims globally. This course investigates issues of identity, imperialism, cultural loyalty, and spirituality by looking at and linking contemporary writing by African-American and Muslim women. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Abdur-Rahman
FA
182b
Politics of Public Space
[
ca
]
An exploration of the politics of public space primarily in the Middle East and North Africa in the 20th and 21st centuries. Examines architectural monuments, urban landscapes, urban fabrics and square, and the use of historical landmarks as contentions of modern identity politics and power. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. Grigor
FA
192a
Studies in Modern Art
[
ca
]
Topics may vary from year to year; the course may be repeated for credit.
Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ankori, Mr. Kalb, or Ms. Scott
FREN
110a
Cultural Representations
[
fl
hum
wi
]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Compares literary works and other forms of cultural phenomena from different Francophone countries and from different historical periods. Usually organized around a theme such as alienation, integration, or cultural identity, it also develops written and spoken expression in French. Usually offered every year.
Staff
FREN
131a
Orientalism and Literature
[
hum
]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b. This course may not be taken for credit by student who took FREN 190b section 1 in fall 2006.
An examination of how French literature has often represented the "Orient" or "the East," in particular North Africa, parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia, as its opposite, its imaginary "other." Will also look at how some twentieth-century writers of North-African backgrounds have reacted to these misrepresentations. The course includes paintings, film, and readings in many different genres (novels, travel literature, etc.). Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Voiret
FREN
137a
Literary Responses to Mass Violence
[
hum
]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Studies writers’ responses to humanitarian and political crises of the past hundred years, e.g., Camus’ La peste, Duras’ Hiroshima mon amour, Beckett’s Catastrophe, Diop’s Murambi, Sijie’s Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise, as well as texts written in response to the 2010 Haitian earthquake. Usually offered every fourth year.
Ms. Hale
FREN
165b
Subsaharan Africa and the French Language
[
hum
nw
]
Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Studies writing in French in Subsaharan Africa, with particular emphasis upon its cultural and historical contexts. Topics include Negritude, African languages, defining "tradition,' oral and written literature, Islam, film, and gender. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Hale
GECS
160a
In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Global Encounters
[
hum
]
Traces the experience of German exiles in different parts of the world. Addresses issues of identity, linguistic displacement, problems of integration, (post) colonial encounters, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, nostalgia, and the experience of those who eventually returned to Germany. Usually offered every third year.
Ms. von Mering
HECS
169a
Travel Writing and the Americas: Columbus's Legacy
[
hum
]
Open to all students. Conducted in English with readings in English translation.
Following the arrival of Columbus, the continent later known as America engaged with other continents in a mutual process of cultural, historical, geographical, and economic representation. The development of some of those representations is explored, beginning with travel writing and ending with recent images of the encounter. Usually offered every second year.
Staff
HISP
192b
Latin American Global Film
[
hum
]
Prerequisites: HISP 109b, HISP 110a, HISP 111b, or permission of the instructor. May not be repeated by students who took SPAN 193b in fall 2007.
An examination of films from Latin America or about Latin American topics. Considering film production and circulation, the class focuses on how images travel, how local stories and images are projected globally, and how Latin America and its "local" cultures are processed outside of their borders. Close analysis of visual representation complemented by a historically and culturally informed background. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Rosenberg
NEJS
144a
Jews in the World of Islam
[
hum
nw
]
A social and cultural history of Jewish communities in the Islamic world. Special emphasis is placed on the Jewish communities in the Middle East since 1492. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Decter
SOC
120b
Globalization and the Media
[
ss
]
Investigates the phenomenon of globalization as it relates to mass media. Topics addressed include the growth of transnational media organizations, the creation of audiences that transcend territorial groupings, the hybridization of cultural styles, and the consequences for local identities. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
146a
Mass Communication Theory
[
ss
]
An examination of key theories in mass communication, including mass culture, hegemony, the production of culture, and resistance. Themes discussed include the nature of media effects, the role of the audience, and the extent of diversity in the mass media. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Miller
SOC
162a
Intellectuals and Revolutionary Politics
[
ss
]
Examines the role of intellectuals in modern politics, especially their relationship to nationalism and revolutionary movements. In reading across a range of political revolutions(e.g. in Czechoslovakia, Cuba, and Iran), students will have the chance to compare the relative significance of appeals to solidarity based on class, religion, ethnicity, and national identity. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Rosenberger
THA
115b
The Avant-Garde
[
ca
hum
]
Explores the avant-garde movements including symbolism, decadence, futurism, constructivism, Dada, surrealism, expressionism, existentialism, pop art and happenings, performance art, minimalism, and postmodernism as alternative forms of expression that challenge mainstream art. Attention is paid to the interactions among theater, painting, dance, music, and film. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Holmberg
WMGS
5a
Women and Gender in Culture and Society
[
ss
]
This interdisciplinary course introduces central concepts and topics in the field of women's and gender studies. Explores the position of women in diverse settings and the impact of gender as a social, cultural, and intellectual category in the United States and around the globe. Asks how gendered institutions, behaviors, and representations have been configured in the past and function in the present, and also examines the ways in which gender intersects with many other vectors of identity and circumstance in forming human affairs. Usually offered every fall and spring.
Ms. Fox, Ms. Freeze, Ms. Lanser, or Ms. Singh
IGS: Economy, Health, and Environment
AAAS
60a
Economics of Third World Hunger
[
nw
ss
]
Employs the tools of social science, particularly economics, to study causes and potential solutions to problems in production, trade, and consumption of food in the underdeveloped world. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
80a
Economy and Society in Africa
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Perspectives on the interaction of economic and other variables in African societies. Topics include the ethical and economic bases of distributive justice; models of social theory, efficiency, and equality in law; the role of economic variables in the theory of history; and world systems analysis. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
122a
Politics of Southern Africa
[
nw
ss
]
Study of clashing nationalisms, alternative patterns of development, and internationalization of conflict in southern Africa. The political economy of South Africa in regional context and its effect on the politics of its neighbors, particularly Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
126b
Political Economy of the Third World
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Development of capitalism and different roles and functions assigned to all "Third Worlds," in the periphery as well as the center. Special attention will be paid to African and Afro-American peripheries. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AAAS
158a
Theories of Development and Underdevelopment
[
nw
ss
wi
]
Humankind has for some time now possessed the scientific and technological means to combat the scourge of poverty. The purpose of this seminar is to acquaint students with contending theories of development and underdevelopment, emphasizing the open and contested nature of the process involved and of the field of study itself. Among the topics to be studied are modernization theory, the challenge to modernization posed by dependency and world systems theories, and more recent approaches centered on the concepts of basic needs and of sustainable development. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Nyangoni
AMST
30b
American Environmental History
[
ss
]
May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 101a in prior years.
Provides an overview of the relationship between nature and culture in North America. Covers Native Americans, the European invasion, the development of a market system of resource extraction and consumption, the impact of industrialization, and environmentalist responses. Current environmental issues are placed in historical context. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Donahue
AMST
102a
Environment, Social Justice, and the Role of Women
[
oc
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by collaborating in projects with local organizations, and assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic.Usually offered every semester.
Ms. Goldin
AMST
102aj
Environment, Social Justice, and Empowerment
[
oc
ss
wi
]
Yields six semester-hour credits towards rate of work and graduation.
This community-engaged course involves students first-hand in the legal, policy, science, history and social impacts of current environmental health issues challenging individuals and families and communities today, with a particular focus on low-income, immigrant communities and the profound and unique roles played by women. Students will engage directly in the topics through field trips, visiting speakers and discussions with stakeholders themselves. They also will address the issues by assisting low income residents in Waltham at the Tenant Advocacy Clinic, and collaborating in projects with EPA, DEP and local organizations such as Healthy Waltham, the Waltham Family School, Waltham Family YMCA, Jewish Family and Children's Service, Joseph Smith Community Health Center and others. Offered ast part of JBS program.
Ms. Goldin
AMST
106b
Food and Farming in America
[
ss
wi
]
This is an experiential learning course. American food is abundant and cheap. Yet many eat poorly, and some argue that our agriculture may be unhealthy and unsustainable. Explores the history of American farming and diet and the prospects for a healthy food system. Includes extensive fieldwork. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Donahue
ANTH
55a
Anthropology of Development
[
nw
ss
]
This course combines an examination of the historical development of "development" concepts and institutions with case studies of particular developmental projects in the United States and abroad. Throughout the course, we will sustain a dynamic interplay between development theory and practice. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ferry
ANTH
127a
Medicine, Body, and Culture
[
nw
ss
]
Examines main areas of inquiry in medical anthropology, including medicine as a sociocultural construct, political and economic dimensions of suffering and health, patients and healers in comparative medical systems, and the medical construction of men's and women's bodies. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Lamb
ANTH
142a
AIDS: Science, Society, and Policy
[
ss
]
An examination of the AIDS pandemic from cross-cultural and anthropological perspectives. Topics include biosocial approaches to disease, epidemiology of transmission, national and international institutions, prevention and treatment, and ethical issues; case studies from the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Usually offered every third year.
Staff
ANTH
163b
Production, Consumption, and Exchange
[
nw
ss
]
Prerequisite: ANTH 1a or ECON 2a or permission of the instructor.
We read in newspapers and books and hear in everyday discussion about "the economy," an identifiably separate sphere of human life with its own rules and principles and its own scholarly discipline (economics). The class starts with the premise that this "commonsense" idea of the economy is only one among a number of possible perspectives on the ways people use resources to meet their basic and not-so-basic human needs. Using extensive cross-cultural case studies, looks at the satisfaction of these needs (which we might call economic activity) as they interact with other aspects of life: gender, kinship, ideas of morality and taste, spirit possession, politics, and so on. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Ferry
BIOL
17b
Conservation Biology
[
sn
wi
]
First- and second-year students should contact the instructor before enrolling in this writing-intensive course.
Considers the current worldwide loss of biological diversity, causes of this loss, and methods for protecting and conserving biodiversity. Explores biological and social aspects of the problems and their solutions. Usually offered every year.
Mr. D.L. Perlman
BIOL
23a
Ecology
[
sn
]
Prerequisites: BIOL 22a or 15b, or a score of 5 on the AP Biology Exam, or permission of the instructor.
Studies organisms and the environments in which they live. Focuses on the physical factors and intra- and interspecies interactions that explain the distribution and abundance of individual species from an evolutionary perspective. Usually offered every year.
Staff
BIOL
134b
Topics in Ecology
[
oc
sn
]
Prerequisites: BIOL 23a or permission of the instructor. Topics may vary from year to year. Please consult the Course Schedule for topic and description. Course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor.
Annually, a different aspect of the global biosphere is selected for analysis. In any year the focus may be on specific ecosystems (e.g., terrestrial, aquatic, tropical, arctic), populations, system modeling, restoration ecology, or other aspects of ecology. Usually offered every year.
Staff
BISC
2a
Human Reproduction, Population Explosion, Global Consequences
[
sn
]
Does NOT meet requirements for the major in biology.
Appropriate for students interested in a broad range of fields, including biology, environmental studies, and the social sciences. This course progresses from a molecular and cellular biology description of basic facts in human genetics and reproduction, AND an evolutionary description of human origins in Africa and global migration, to a demographic and epidemiological view of human population growth, and a consideration of some of the very complex problems arising from the presence of more than six billion people on Earth today. Readings include scientific papers appropriate to students with high school backgrounds in biology and chemistry, essays in the social sciences, and a wide variety of other texts and media. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Wangh
BISC
3b
Humans and the Environment
[
sn
]
Does NOT meet requirements for the major in biology.
Explores a range of interactions between organisms and their environments. Focuses on human interactions with and impacts on the natural world. Usually offered every third year.
Mr. D.L. Perlman
CHEM
33a
Environmental Chemistry
[
sn
]
Prerequisite: A satisfactory grade (C- or higher) in CHEM 11b or 15b or the equivalent.
The course surveys the important chemical principles and reactions that determine the balance of the molecular species in the environment and how human activity affects this balance. The class evaluates current issues of environmental concern such as depletion, global warming, sustainable energy,toxic chemicals, water pollution, and green chemistry. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Rose
CHSC
3b
Solving Environmental Challenges: The Role of Chemistry
[
sn
]
Does not meet the requirements for the major in chemistry.
Provides a basic understanding of the chemistry of natural environmental cycles, and how these cycles are adversely affected by society. Student teams develop case studies on "hot topics" such as mercury, brominated flame retardants, MBTE, perchlorate, dioxin, and others. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Peavey
CHSC
4b
Understanding the Chemistry of Sustainability
[
ss
]
Prerequisites: High school-level chemistry or environmental science/studies is required. Students missing this background may petition the instructor for permission to enroll.
An exploration of the role of green chemistry, nanotechnology, bioengineering, innovative design, and greater reliance on renewable resources in achieving environmental sustainability. Topics include sustainable energy, recognized green sector industries, green chemicals, environmentally preferable products, and sustainable manufacturing. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Peavey
ECON
26a
Latin America's Economy
[
nw
ss
]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a.
Introductory survey of economic, financial, and institutional problems, distortions, and reforms in Latin America. Topics include the role of government, privatization, liberalization of trade and capital flows, pension funds reforms, inflation, stabilization, and international debt crisis. Current and future trends will be discussed. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Tovar
ECON
30a
The Economy of China
[
nw
ss
]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a.
Analysis of China's economic transformation with particular emphasis on China's economic reforms since 1978, including the restructuring of its enterprise, fiscal, financial, and political systems and the roles of trade, foreign investment, and technology in driving China's economic advance. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Jefferson
ECON
122b
The Economics of the Middle East
[
nw
ss
]
Prerequisite: ECON 2a or the equivalent. Does not count toward the upper-level elective requirement for the major in economics.
Examines the Middle East economies--past experiences, present situation, and future challenges--drawing on theories, policy formulations and empirical studies of economic growth, trade, poverty, income distribution, labor markets, finance and banking, government reforms, globalization, and Arab-Israeli political economy. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Habibi
ECON
141b
Economics of Innovation
[
ss
wi
]
Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.
Technological change as the central focus of modern economies. Topics include changing industrial and international specialization, economics of research and development, innovation, diffusion and technology transfer, appropriability, patents, information markets, productivity, intersectoral effects, and global competitiveness. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Carter
ECON
172b
Money and Banking
[
ss
]
Prerequisites: ECON 82b and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.
Considers the relationship of the financial system to real economic activity, focusing especially on central banks. Roughly one-half of the course is devoted to a study of the design and operation of central banks in the modern economy. The other half of the course considers the structure, management, regulations and supervision of bank and nonbank financial intermediaries; including examination of the globalization of the financial system. Students are assumed to know intermediate macroeconomics and elementary financial theory. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Redenius
ECON
176a
The Household, Health, and Hunger in Developing Countries
[
nw
ss
]
Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 184b, or permission of the instructor. ECON 175a is recommended. Primarily recommended for juniors and seniors.
Examines aspects of poverty and nutrition that are confronted by households in low-income countries. Examines these issues primarily from a microeconomic perspective, although some macroeconomic angles are explored as well. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Menon
ENVS
15a
Reason to Hope: Managing the Global Commons for Peace
[
sn
]
Explores global security arrangements that would tend toward peace within the objective constraints that delimit our options; the laws of physics, energy and food availability, human population, global wealth, geography, weather, and the presence of nuclear weapons. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Tsipis
ENVS
17b
Global Warming and Nuclear Winter
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sn
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Prerequisite: high school-level math and science course work.
Global climate change is the biggest challenge now facing the planet, equal to the nuclear war threat of the past half-century. This course examines the characteristics of these two major threats and looks for possible responses to climate change. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Tsipis
ENVS
18b
International Environmental Conflict and Collaboration
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ss
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A study of the development of international environmental law and policy through a historical lens. Examines how early diplomatic initiatives have--and importantly, have not--shaped the contemporary structure of international environmental relations. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Chester
ENVS
19a
Climate Change and Conservation
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Examines the nexus between climate change and conservation. through both conceptual and practical approaches, students focus on devising answers to the key question: What effects will climate change have on human capacity to conserve resources? Usually offered every year.
Mr. Chester
HIST
100a
Ice and Fire: An Ecological Approach to World History
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ss
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A survey of world history through the past 10,000 years, with particular attention to the choices that people have made in relation to their changing environment. Usually offered every second year.
Mr. Fischer
HS
110a
Wealth and Poverty
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ss
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Examines why the gap between richer and poorer citizens appears to be widening in the United States and elsewhere, what could be done to reverse this trend, and how the widening disparity affects major issues of public policy. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Shapiro
HSSP
102a
Global Perspectives on Health
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ss
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A primer on major issues in health care in developing nations. Topics include the natural history of disease and levels of prevention; epidemiological transitions; health disparities; and determinants of health including culture, social context, and behavior. Also covers: infectious and chronic disease incidence and prevalence; the role of nutrition, education, reproductive trends, and poverty; demographic transition including aging and urbanization; the structure and financing of health systems; and the globalization of health. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Bhalotra
POL
159a
Seminar: The Politics of the Modern Welfare State: Women, Workers, and Social Citizenship
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ss
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Capstone course for Social Justice and Social Policy Program.
How voting and political mobilization have helped women's organizations and trade unions obtain social rights by means of welfare state expansion. Historical perspective on collective action and political reform movements and their role in creating the modern welfare-state in twentieth-century Europe and the United States. Strategies of political mobilization, interest groups, and the politics of the advanced welfare state. Usually offered every second year.
Ms. Klausen
POL
178a
The Rise of East Asia and the Pacific in the Global Political Economy
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ss
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An introduction to East Asia and the Pacific in the global political economy. The focus is on the major players in East Asia--China, Japan, the two Koreas, and Vietnam--and their relations with India, Oceania, and the United States. Topics include the challenges posed to key global economic actors, including the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, by the rise of authoritarian China--as a global actor. Usually offered every year.
Mr. Thaxton
POL
180b
Sustaining Development
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Prerequisite: Some familiarity with development issues.
Explores different institutionalized approaches to development. Examines how institutions affect development in selected geographic areas, at levels ranging from local to national and international. Considers why similar policies when implemented in different ways may lead to quite distinct outcomes. Usually offered every year.
Ms. Thorne
SOC
126b
Global Perspectives in Women, Work and Families
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ss
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Integrating sociological and anthropological theorizing on gender, families, kinship, and work, with development perspectives on the formal/informal economy and gender nexus, the course explores the similarities and differences in gender regimes and shifting work-family domains in several societies globally. Special on-time offering, spring 2011.
Ms. Zaidi