Course Catalog

CDIN 101

Introduction to the Latin American and Caribbean World

This introductory course explores Latin American and Caribbean societies and cultures from the perspectives of various disciplines, and focuses on a wide range of themes. The course will enjoy the presence of some of the College’s experts, from historians to ethnomusicologists. The goal here is for the students to acquire a panoramic view of the Latin America and the Caribbean worlds while getting acquainted with various basic issues that are explored more deeply in 200- and 300-level courses at Trinity. We will touch on issues of demography, geography, basis historical periods processes, particular anthropological and cultural debates, fundamental political and gender, sociological approaches to daily life, aesthetic and literary movements, and the regions positions within the historic and contemporary world economy. (Also offered under Latin American and Caribbean studies.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 101

Introduction to Latin American and Caribbean in Transition

This course examines the history, societies, and cultures of various regions of the Americas (North and Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean rRegion, Brazil, the Southern Cone). The course moves from the major pre-Columbian civilizations, through the period of conquest and colonization (as European powers integrated the Americas to their own economic, political and cultural ends), the colonial times, and the first manifestations of the desire for independence. The second half of the course focuses onto the construction of national states and cultures during the 19th century as well as the main historical and political events of the 20th century. Discussions will be based on lectures, readings, documentaries, and feature films. Latin American newspapers on the Internet will also be used to inform our debates of current events. This course is taught in English and thus does not count toward the "language concentration" (or minor) in Spanish. Latin American studies majors and minors cannot use this course as one of the four language courses. Spanish majors can use it only as a related field course.

1.00 units, Lecture

LAIN 101

Intro Lat Am& Carib Wrld

This introductory course explores Latin American and Caribbean societies and cultures from the perspectives of various disciplines, and focuses on a wide range of themes. The course will enjoy the presence of some of the college's experts, from historians to ethnomusicologists. The goal here is for students to acquire a panoramic view of the Latin America and the Caribbean worlds while getting acquainted with various basic issues that are explored more deeply in 200 and 300 level courses at Trinity. We will touch on issues of demography, geography, basic historical periods and processes, particular anthropological and cultural debates, fundamental political and social structures, religious movements, questions of race and gender, sociological approaches to daily life, aesthetic and literary movements and the regions' positions within the historic and contemporary world economy.

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 105

Introduction to the Latin American and Caribbean World

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 110

Introduction to Japanese Religions

This course is an introduction to the religions of Japan, which are surveyed from pre history to the present. The course will cover the major religious traditions (Shinto, Buddhism, Shugendo, Japanese Christianity, and new religions) and themes in the study of Japanese religions.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 111

Introduction to East Asian Buddhism

A thematic survey of Buddhist thought, practice and social history in East Asia. The teachings and history of the major schools of Buddhism in China, Japan and Tibet will be considered alongside such themes as Buddhism and state, female bodhisattvas, and this worldly aid.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 112

Introduction to the Study of Africa

When the ancient Romans encountered the Afri people who lived in North Africa near Carthage, they called their land "Africa." Today, the term is used to describe the 840 million diverse people who live on the continent. By the 18th century, scientific racism justified slavery and colonialism by categorizing African people as a single, inferior race. Although these theories have been discredited, the legacy of this thinking continues to shape the way the world views and relates to Africa and Africans. This course is designed to look at how we understand, study, and represent Africa. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will examine how Africa has been constructed and imagined from "dark continent" to homeland, address theories of pan-Africanism and blackness, look at how ideas of "tradition" have shaped the study of Africa, critically engage with media representations of Africa, and examine how international policy has been shaped by these images.

1.00 units, Lecture

ASIN 120

South Asia to 1600

A survey of South Asian history before colonial rule. Central topics include the diversity and cosmopolitanism of pre-colonial South Asia, the development of Brahmanism and Buddhism, the dynamanism of the Indo-Persian culture of early modern South Asia, the slow pace of growth of agriculture and the majic of the Indian Ocean trading world. Lectures and discussion. Enrollment limited. (Satisfies requirements in the History major).

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 120

South Asia to 1600

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 120

South Asia to 1600

A survey of South Asian history before colonial rule. Central topics include the diversity and cosmopolitanism of pre-colonial South Asia, the development of Brahmanism and Buddhism, the dynamanism of the Indo-Persian culture of early modern South Asia, the slow pace of growth of agriculture, and the magic of the Indian Ocean trading world. Lectures and discussion. Enrollment limited. (Also offered under History and Asian Studies.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 120

Introduction to South Asia

South Asia, home to 1.5 billion people, is diversity incarnate. In thousands of languages, its residents worship in most of the world's religious traditions. From Nepal's mountains to Sri Lanka's beaches, the eco-system is vast and varied. This course will take us on a journey through South Asia, to engage with its long history and its dynamic present. Caste, religion, socio-economic relations, the Indo-Islamic world, colonialism, nationalism will be the main themes.

1.00 units, Lecture

ASIN 121

South Asia 1600-Present

An investigation of the social , economic, cultural and political history of South Asia from the consolidation of British and French domination to the contemporary crises of the various South Asian states (notably India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka). The main topics to be explored include: the deindustrialization of South Asia, the emergence of religion as the primary focus of Indian society, the development of South Asian feminism and the attempt by the various nations to negotiate a dignified place in the 20th century. Lecture and discussion. Enrollment limited. (Satisfies requirements in the History major).

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 121

South Asia 1600-Present

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 121

Modern India

While India has the fourth largest economy in the world, it is also home to one out of three of the world's malnourished children. India requires explanation. An exploration of India's modern history from the mid-19th century to the present will be coupled with an anthropological investigation of the contradictions of Indian social life. Readings will include historical and journalistic texts, government reports and novels.
Prerequisite: A grade of C- or better in International Studies 120 or permission of instructor

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 130

Daily Life in Middle Eastern History

In recent years, historians have adopted daily life as an analytical framework for historical inquiry. This course will approach the history of the Middle East from the 7th century to the 20th century through this framework. Topics such as housing, food, clothing, travel, cities, education, entertainment, trade, and ritual will shape our encounter with Middle Easterners of the past. Reading assignments will come from textbooks, monographs, and travel accounts for the pre-1900 period. Memoirs and fiction will provide our window onto the daily life of Middle Eastern men and women in the 20th century. This course defines Middle Eastern history in broad geographical and chronological terms, but its focus on daily life is intended to bring the minutiae of the lived experience of that history to life for students.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 131

Modern Iran

This course provides an introduction to 20th-century Iranian society, culture, and politics, examining secular and religious debates over gender roles, modernity, Islamism, democracy, and the West.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 150

Sanskrit/Tutorial

An introduction to the grammar, vocabulary, and translation of classical Sanskrit. Subsequent semesters can be taken as independent studies. First-year studies focus on epic materials, second-year on the Bhagavad Gita. (May be counted toward Asian Studies.)

1.00 units, Lecture

AMST 200

Hippies:Asia in America

Walt Whitman, in 1868, hoped that the wisdom and art of India might act as a foil against the functionalized personality of industrial America ("Passage to India"). From Whitman to New Age, Asia appears in the U.S. as an exotic antidote to industrial modernity, despite the fact that Asian labor participated actively in that very modernity. This class will study the ways in which North Americans have represented Asia as well as Asian Americans. We will explore immigration policy, the travels of Asian spiritual healers to the U.S., the many journeys of U.S. hippies to Asia, and the status of Asian goods in the U.S. marketplace. Readings include writings of (Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder) and about (Gita Mehta) hippies, legal documents, documents of exotica (Kung Fu, Sushi) and histories of New Age and alternative healing (Deepak Chipra, Chinese Medicine); we will also listen to music and watch movies (such as the work of Bruce Lee) that fashioned an "Asia" in the minds of Americans.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 200

Hippies: Asia in America

Asia in the American Imagination-Walt Whitman, in 1868, hoped that the wisdom and art of India might act as a foil against the functionalized personality of industrial America ("Passage to India"). From Whitman to New Age, Asia appears in the U.S. as an exotic antidote to industrial modernity, despite the fact that Asian labor participated actively in that very modernity. This class will study the ways in which North Americans have represented Asia as well as Asian Americans. We will explore immigration policy, the travels of Asian spiritual healers to the U.S., the many journeys of US hippies to Asia and the status of Asian goods in the U.S. marketplace. Readings include writings of (Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder) and about (Gita Mehta) hippies, legal documents, documents of exotica (Kung Fu, Sushi), and histories of New Age and alternative healing (Deepak Chopra, Chinese Medicine); we will also listen to music and watch movies (such as the work of Bruce Lee) that fashioned an "Asia" in the mind of Americans.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 201

Gender and Globalization

We will examine the intersection between the social processes of globalization and gender. Using an interdisciplinary approach, we will trace the role of the global political economy in relation to women's work (sweatshops, agricultural, industrial, domestic) and women's migration. We will also attend to the role of international agencies (the United Nations and non-governmental organizations), the development of transnational women's and feminist networks and of internationalist organizations.

1.00 units, Lecture

ASIN 202

Pacific Asia Fall&Resurg

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 202

Pacific Asia’s Fall and Resurgence: An Economic Response to Western Challenge

Although the prospect for many developing economics has been very dim, economics in East Asia have thrived since 1945. The next century is likely to be the Pacific century. The most recent evidence of this possibility comes from China, the awakening giant with enormous potential. In an era of accelerating integration and globalization, it is important to understand how and why the Pacific Asian economies have been able to respond to the modernization challenges from the West. Topics to be discussed include: East Asia’s geographical characteristics, the early experience of interaction between this region and the West, the various modernization efforts in the region from an historical perspective, the similarities and differences in the responses of the main economies in the region to Western challenges, the competition and integration among these economies, especially between China, the emerging economic power, and its neighbors including Japan, and their interaction with the rest of the world, particularly with the U.S. today. This course is designed for non-economics majors and has no economics.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 203

Human Rights in a Global Age

This course provides a broad survey of global human rights from an interdisciplinary perspective. The general framework for the course will be an ongoing discussion of the role of human rights as a moral discourse in an age of globalization. After an introduction to the fundamental concepts, we will examine a variety of case studies which exemplify the clash between the global and the local in the area of women’s rights, civil war and humanitarian intervention, and the impact of globalizing forces on social, economic, and cultural rights. (Also offered under Political Science)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 204

Global Labor

We will examine the impact of the globalization of production on work, and on workers. We will pay close attention to the breakdown of national economies, and to the role of various international institutions (the World Trade Organization, the International Labor Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund) in the creation of the new globalized regime. In addition, this course will trace the growth of international labor movements, from cross-border organizing to the new forms of self-organization in "export-processing zones."

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 205

Global Ideolgies & Anti-Ideologies

This course studies three world ideologies and their critics: liberal democracy, socialism, and political Islam. Emphasis on the relationship of these ideologies to the world-wide revolution of Westernization.

1.00 units, Seminar

CDIN 206

Arab/Israeli Conflict

An examination of the dynamics of the Arab/Israeli conflict, especially since the establishment of the State of Israel, in 1948. The course will focus on the changing interests and positions of the parties invovled: Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states and the important international players. It will also highlight contradictions within the major camps.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 206

The Arab/Israeli Conflict

An examination of the dynamics of the Arab/Israeli conflict, especially since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The course will focus on the changing interests and positions of the parties involved: Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the important international players. It will also highlight contradictions within the major camps.

1.00 units, Lecture

JWST 206

Arab/Israeli Conflict

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 206

Interests and Positions in the Arab/Israeli Conflict

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 209

Buddhism & Ecology

A thematic course on Buddhist perspectives on nature and Buddhist responses to environmental issues. The first half of the course focuses on East Asian Buddhist cosmological and doctrinal perspectives on the place of the human in nature and the relationship between the salvific goals of Buddhism and the natural world. The second half of the course examines Buddhist ethics, economics, and activism in relation to environmental issues in contemporary Southeast Asia, East Asia, and America. (Also offered under Religion) Enrollment limited.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 210

Japanese American History and Religion

A survey course on Japanese American history from the first immigrants who landed in Hawaii and California to the present. Viewed through the lens of religion (Buddhism, Christianity, and new religions), Japanese American ethnicity and identity will be the major theme of the course. The arrival of the issei to the West Coast, the wartime internment camp experience, and the transformations among the samsei-yonsei (third-and fourth-generation) are three focal moments in Japanese American history that will be treated in depth. (Also offered under Religion.)

1.00 units, Seminar

CDIN 211

Minorities in the Middle East

The course examines the history and role of several national minorities that have affected the national definition and political development of nation states in the Middle East. Among the minorities included will be the Kurds, Maronites, Copts, Shi’ites, Druze, Sudanese non Muslims and Berbers. (Also offered under Political Science.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 211

Minorities in the Middle East

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 211

Way Out: Globalization, Human Rights and Popular Culture

This course is an introduction to the direct and indirect effects of globalization on popular artistic expression and performance in cross-cultural perspective. We will look at the ways in which globalization and modernity have transformed contemporary popular cultures around the world, examining pre-20th century developments and precedents for this process. We will also explore human rights issues that emerge at the nexus between economic and cultural globalization, as people in different parts of the world strive to maintain and express their dignity in the face of unequal political, financial and social conditions. Course topics include the "world beat" phenomenon, the effects of war and economic displacement on artistic expression, the folklorization of traditional culture, local appropriations of globalized cultural forms (including movie musicals, MTV and hip-hop), and the politics of international festivals as a new cultural space in our global era.

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 211

Minorities in the Middle East

1.00 units, Lecture

POLS 211

Minorities in Mideast

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 212

Global Politics

This discussion course, taking the entire globe and all its peoples as unit of study, will examine the unifying elements of the contemporary world system. Emphasis on struggles for justice, democracy, and basic human needs and rights in our global age. Particular attention to global crises originating in the Middle East.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 213

Worldly Islam, The Sacred and the Secular

This course explores the diverse domestic, regional, and international politics of the Islamic world. A rich historical perspective illuminates contemporary political struggles for justice, democracy, and basic human rights and needs. (Also offered under Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies.)

1.00 units, Seminar

MEIN 213

Politics in the World of Islam

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 214

Contemporary Southeast Asia in Historical Perspective

Southeast Asia is at the crossroads of intra-national political tensions, crimes against humanity and justice and truth seeking on the one hand and domestic and regional efforts to take its rightful place in an increasingly globalizing world on the other. This introductory course will discuss the socio-economic, religious and political challenges and prospects facing contemporary Southeast Asia.

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 215

Islam Without Fear

This course treats the complex of issues surrounding Islam as it appears in the Western popular and political imaginations.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 216

African and the World

This course examines Africa’s historical relationship with the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Through an examination of early trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trading networks, the Atlantic slave trade, colonial rule, and 20th century migration and global trade, we will consider changing patterns in the movement of people, ideas and commodities between Africa and other world regions. We will combine a critical historical understanding of Africa’s global economic position (from the slave trade to international development aid) with a consideration of key intellectual and cultural cross-currents (such as Islam and Christianity, Pan-Africanism, and international feminism and environmentalism). (Also offered under History.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 217

Postmodern Art as Language of (Non) conformism: Case of Russia

This course introduces the students to the theory of contemporary art and performance, exploring its social, political and historical contents from a semiotic perspective. Postmodern action and performance are described in terms of cultural strategies typical of nonconformist intellectual in the late 20th century. Special attention is paid to the artist's identity issues and to recent changes in the social status of artists. Russia with its rich history of dissent is discussed as a representative case, especially as opposed to and compared with the United States and Europe.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 218

Women, Gender, and the Family in the Middle East

The examination of women’s lives in the “man’s world” of the Middle East. Is there a conflict between modern and traditional gender roles and expectations? The course looks at the impact of 20th-century modernization and socio-political change on gender relations, sexuality, adolescence, family structure, local culture, and feminist movements across the Middle East and North Africa. Case studies survey male and female perspectives in a variety of ethnic/religious communities (Muslim, Jewish, Christian) and types of societies (Bedouin, agricultural, urban). (Also offered under women, gender, and sexuality.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 219

Black Paris

This course will explore the relationship of the French nation-state to its colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. We will address how French colonialism was created differently in comparison to the British system and examine experiences and reactions of people from the French colonies. The focus of the course will be on Paris during the first half of the twentieth century. Intellectuals from the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe migrated to and from Paris, connecting and disputing over issues of identity and ideology, transforming the ideas that they brought from and took back to their homelands. Paris symbolized the ambiguity of the era, as it was simultaneously the capital of a vast colonial empire and the capital of black intellectual and international dialogue. We will use diverse sources, including journals, photographs, manifestos, poetry, and personal correspondence to explore the world of black intellectuals in Paris. The scope of the course will allow students to connect issues of slavery, colonialism, racial consciousness, and social movements to issues of citizenship and identity that are critical in contemporary France.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 219

Singing the World: Genre of "Song" in Contemporary Multicultural Context

This course discusses cultural, social, psychological, and political dimensions of "song" as a genre. It explores diverse national traditions of singing and songwriting from ethnomusicological and typological perspectives. Special attention is paid to the social diversity of song and to topics and figures that exemplify historical traditions and contemporary processes in the realm of song. Lectures and assignments combine scholarly and artistic perspectives; students will be engaged in action and performance.

1.00 units, Lecture

AFIN 221

Empire & Nationalism

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

ASIN 221

Empire & Nationalism

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

CDIN 221

Empire & Nationalism

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 221

Empire & Nationalism

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 221

Empire & Nationalism

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 223

Anthro of Oppression

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

ANTH 224

Anthropology of Poverty

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 224

Anthropology of Poverty

Is "poverty" self-evident? Can we create universal statistical indices of "poverty"? Are the poor in Calcutta different from the poor in Hartford? This course offers a wide-ranging investigation of the representation of poverty, of the different notions of poverty across cultures, of the quest for universal justice through such documents as the 1948 UN Declaration of Human Rights, and of the various struggles against poverty. Readings include the work of George Orwell (on poverty in Europe), Jacob Riis (on poverty in NewYork), Gunter Grass (on poverty in Calcutta), Agnes Smedley and Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (on growing up poor), David Arnold (on famine), Malthus and Paul Harrison (on population) and finally, texts on the multiple causes of poverty. Enrollment limited. (Satisfies requirements in the Religion major).

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 225

Islam in Transition 19th & 20th Century

This course is a historical examination of changes in Islamic thought and practice in the 19th and 20th centuries. We begin with an Islamic principle which declares that Islam is suited for all times and places, provided one arrives at the proper interpretation. The 19th and 20th centuries were particularly difficult times for many of the major centers of Islamic intellectual activity. These difficulties manifested themselves in a reexamination of what Islam meant, what it meant to be a Muslim, what Islam's role was in bringing about the situation in which Muslims found themselves and what its role could be in ameliorating their social, political and economic condition. Readings will include translations of primary sources. No prior knowledge of Islam is required.

1.00 units, Lecture

ASIN 226

Gandhi King& Nonviolence

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

CDIN 226

Gandhi King& Nonviolence

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 226

Gandhi King& Nonviolence

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 228

Health, Disease and Medicine in South Asia

How did British administrators and Indian leaders respond to the plague epidemic of the late 1890s? Why have Indian feminists critiqued population control policies and reproductive technologies? Have the victims of the Bhopal disaster received compensation from Union Carbide or the Indian government? This course will examine health, disease, and medicine in South Asia in their relations to economic, political, and cultural history. We will focus on competing conceptions of the body, health, and disease; the relation of medicine to colonial expansion and nationalist assertion; the impact of state and private patronage of medical systems; the influence of gender, race, class, caste, and religion on disease patterns and access to health services; and the role of social movements organized around health issues. Excerpts from classical Ayurvedic texts and American medical missionary reports as well as selected anthropological and historical works will form the core readings for this course.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 230

Images of Africa

From where does the image of Africa as a continent of jungles, famines, warfare, and ‘tribes’ come? We will examine traveler’s accounts, social scientific research, ethnographies and ethnographic museums, and adult and children’s fiction in order to explore how representations of Africa in the West have changed from the 15th century to the present. The course will pay special attention to the 19th century, when the myth of the ‘dark continent’ prevailed and to the 20th century, when that image was challenged by Pan-Africanists in the diaspora and in Africa. (Also offered under History and African Studies.)

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 231

Intro Brazilian History

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 232

Terrorism or Armed Resistance: 20th-Century Political Violence in the Middle East

This course examines instances of political violence by non-state actors in the 20th-century Middle East. From separatist movements in the Ottoman Empire’s Arab provinces in the 1900s, to Zionist struggles for independence from the British Mandate in the 1930s, from the T.E. Lawrence’s Arab Revolt in 1916 to the Battle of Algiers in 1957, determining who is a rebel and who a freedom fighter, who a terrorist and who engaged in the armed struggle for political independence involves a number of subjective criteria. How violent acts are portrayed at the moment when they occur depends largely on who produces the portrayal. Likewise, how a chain of violent acts is interpreted in hindsight depends almost entirely on the “success” or “failure” of those events and who controls the production of interpretation. The course will balance examinations of historical events and their broader contexts with theoretical readings on the nature of state violence, individual violence, and terrorism. (Also offered under History and Middle Eastern Studies.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 233

Tale of Two Cities: Hong Kong and Shanghai

This course examines the unique roles Hong Kong and Shanghai have played in China’s search for modernization. Since they came into being in the latter half of the nineteenth century, these two cities have at important junctures provided the physical and imaginative space needed for various political, economic and cultural experiments. For better or for worse, they are, therefore, often in the vanguard of change, setting trends for the rest of the country. Through the study of literary and social science texts, this course will seek to understand this phenomenon by giving special attention to the commonalities between these two cities: their inception as trading ports, their colonial or quasi-colonial past, their cosmopolitan ambience with a significant foreign presence, and their status as places of opportunity and decadence in the popular imagination. Strongly recommended for students planning to participate in any of the following study-abroad programs: the Shanghai Semester, the Trinity-Lingnan (Hong Kong) Program and Trinity’s exchange program with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

1.00 units, Lecture

HIST 234

Confucius Ethics/E-A Dev

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 234

Gender and Education

What is gender equity in schooling and what impact does this have on gender equity more broadly? Different disciplinary perspectives on the impact of gender in learning, school experience, performance and achievement will be explored in elementary, secondary, post-secondary, and informal educational settings. The legal and public policy implications of these findings (such as gender-segregated schooling, men’s and women’s studies programs, curriculum reform, Title IX, affirmative action and other proposed remedies) will be explored. Findings on socialization and schooling in the U.S. will be contrasted with those from other cultures.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 235

Youth Culture in the Muslim World

Increasingly much of the Muslim world is young and with the expansion of media and cyberspace technologies, the circulation of globalized youth culture increasingly challenges taken-for-granted notions in local societies. This course examines the impact of youth and youth culture on personal, social, and political expression in a variety of Muslim communities around the world. We will examine intergenerational struggles over marriage, gender, and sexuality, the renegotiation of religion and morality, and the often 'revolutionary' disputes over conventional politics as conveyed through music, texts, fashion, personal memoirs, and cyberspace blogging.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 236

Japanese Crime Literature and Film

This course examines major works of Japanese crime literature and film from the works of Edogawa Rampo, known as the father of crime fiction in Japan, to those of contemporary writers to explore social and moral issues reflected in them. While Japanese writers and filmmakers of this genre readily acknowledge Western influences, the literary and cinematic explorations of crime in Japan have also developed ona trajectory of their own, producing works that are easily distinguishable from those of other cultures. The course will also consider the mixing of the crime genre with others, such as ghost and science fiction genres. Works studied in this course include those of Edogawa Rampo, Akira Kurosawa, Miyuki Miyabe, Seicho Matsumoto, and Kobo Abe, as well as yakuza movies. Readings and discussion in English.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 237

Lula's Brazil

This course introduces students to contemporary social, political, and economic issues pertaining to Latin America’s largest and most populous country. A brief introduction that covers the period of Portuguese colonization as well as early independence and national eras will be followed by an intensive focus on the period under current President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva. With regard to Lula’s Brazil, we will explore issues such as neo-liberalism, democratic rule, rural and urban poverty, social movements, and the globalization of cultural productions.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 238

Contemporary Africa: Resource Wars and Human Rights

Human civilizations and communities have been shaped by the ability and desire to gain access to critical resources for survival. Economic globalization has created competition for resources—ranging from oil to diamonds to water—that has influenced social and political structures in the contemporary world. This course looks at the impact of modern globalization on the continent of Africa. Situating Africa historically in its relationship to “the West” through the Atlantic slave trade and European colonialism, we will explore the consequences of Africa’s unequal role in this system. We will be investigating the links between civil conflict, resource control, social justice, poverty, and international movements that attempt to address these issues.
Prerequisite: at least one college-level course that addresses the history of Africa before or during the colonial era, including HIST 252, 253, 331, 377, 391, 401

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 240

Children and Childhood in African Studies

This discussion-based course focuses on the history and study of childhood in African societies and how children have affected the social history of their communities. We will discuss works of historical, sociological, and anthropological scholarship, along with memoirs, novels, and films about children and childhood in various African contexts. Themes covered in the course will include labor history, sexuality, and the history of the family. Course requirements will include 2-3 essays and weekly reading response papers.

1.00 units, Lecture

AMST 249

Immigrants & Refugees

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

ANTH 249

Immigrants & Refugees

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

CDIN 249

Immigrants & Refugees

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 249

Immigrants and Refugees: Strangers in Strange Lands

The post-cold war world is one of changing national boundaries and governments, environmental devastation and internal conflicts, resulting in an apparently unprecedented flow of people from their native homelands. At a time when multiculturalism is not a popular model for national integration, immigrants, refugees, and other sojourners find themselves in new places creating new lives for themselves. The processes by which this occurs illustrate some of the basic social, cultural, and political dilemmas of contemporary societies. Using historical and contemporary case studies from Europe and the Americas, this course looks at issues of flight, resettlement, integration, cultural adaptation, and public policy involved in creating culturally diverse nations. Questions to be raised include what are the conditions under which people leave, who can become a (authentic) member of society, what rights do non-citizens versus citizens have, are borders sacrosanct, are ethnic and racial diversity achievable or desirable, is multiculturalism an appropriate model, do people want to assimilate, what are the cultural consequences of movement, and how can individuals reconstruct their identities and feel they belong? This course includes a community learning component. (Also offered under American studies, comparative development, public policy and law, and women, gender, and sexuality.)

1.00 units, Seminar

PBPL 249

Immigrants & Refugees

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 250

Transnational Migration

Using historical, policy, and cultural contrasts between the U.S.A. and Germany as a starting point, this course will explore the entry, adaptation, diasporic identities, integration, and rights of immigrants and refugees to North America and Europe. Contrasts will be made with refugee and immigrant rights and state policies in home countries.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 251

Nationalism and History in East Asia: China vs. Tibet

Through the lens of the conflict between Tibet and China, this seminar examines the impact of nationalism on the writing of the history in East Asia. The course will first introduce theories of nationalism and their application to Asia in general and China in particular. We will then consider both Chinese and Tibetan nationalist representations of history, as well as the perspectives that these two extreme ideologies serve to limit.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 252

Asia through the Eyes of Western Travelers

This discussion course will look critically at the western perception of Asia as it was described by travelers from the 13th to the early 20th centuries. From Marco Polo’s travels in the Mongol Empire to the colonizing missionaries, merchants and militarists who explored modern Japan, China and Tibet, we will read these accounts for what they can tell us about Asia, the travel-writers, and the ways we continue to construct East Asia.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 253

Emperors and Lamas: Life in the Manchu Court

The last emperors of China were ethnic Manchus who expanded the Qing empire to include Mongolia and Tibet. This class will explore the social world of the imperial family (women played an important role) and the Tibetan Buddhist lamas who were responsible for court rituals.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 254

Women's Image in Contemporary Iranian Fiction

This course focuses on the role of secular voices in three historical periods–the post-Constitutional Revolution era, which led to the emergence of the novel and short story as literary genres in Iranian literature, the era of the Pahlavi dynasty, when modernization processes influenced the cultural context, and the of post-1979 Revolution era, when the Islamization of the country inhibited open secular practices. Examining through selected literary texts dominant gender relations, life styles, acceptance or rejection of women in the public sphere, and the extent of misogyny towards women, we will investigate the impact and spread of secular ideas throughout Iranian society. This course seeks to show that secular voices and life styles were not diminished over the 20th century. Rather, attempts to reproduce them have provided a dynamic challenge to fundamentalism in Iran. - Moossavi

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 258

The "Islamic" City: Places, Pasts and Problems

This course studies, across time, the notion of the Islamic city from its invention in the French colonial period, through its debunking in the 1980s, to its revival and appropriation by urban planners, social scientists and architects in the Islamic world today, ranging from Rabat, Morocco to Ahmadabad, India. Issues to be explored include public and private space, gendered space, notions of real estate and ownership, and various social and public institutions that were thought to characterize a city as Islamic. We will first examine how these topics were conceived by medieval and early modern Muslim scholars in different geographical places and different historical periods. Then we will study how French and British colonial scholars developed a set of criteria for evaluating the “Islamicness” of a city as they worked alongside and within colonizing projects. Finally, we will see how these issues and criteria have been re-interpreted and embraced as a vernacular urban planning style. The course will draw upon passages from translated Arabic texts that discuss and describe historical cities, writings by historians on cities in the Middle East and the Islamic world, and critiques of the concept of the Islamic city. Throughout the course references will be made to the other conceptions of the urban environment that existed alongside the so-called Islamic city in any specific region under consideration. (Also offered under History.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 259

The Colonial City

Born as trading centers, colonial cities grew into bifurcated social zones (the colonizer's city and the city of the colonized). Algiers, Batavia, Calcutta, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore are a few celebrated examples. We will trace the history of these cities, the way they were built and the way they were represented, as well as the kinds of popular urban cultures that grew across the segregated spaces, and the anti-colonial movements within the cities that incubated new forms of national urbanism.

1.00 units, Lecture

RELG 259

Confucius Ethics/E-A Dev

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 260

The City in African Studies: Past, Present, and Potential

Africa is a rapidly urbanizing region of the world; the most rapidly urbanizing by World Bank standards. Contemporary urbanization in Africa has stimulated new scholarship on the history of African cities, African urban economies, urban politics and urban identities, among other topics. African urban studies has produced some of the most thoughtful and engaged work on Africa to date. In this course we will be exploring major themes in the field of African urban studies to gain deeper appreciation of the history of African cities, their contemporary iterations, and their future possibilities.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 261

The Indian City

The modern Indian city is shaped by the processes of colonialism and nationalism, of neoliberal desires and the reality of inequity. We shall investigate the early development of colonial port cities (Bombay, Madras, Calcutta), the colonial urban formations (cantonments, civil stations, hill stations), the creation of capital cities (New Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar and Gandhinagar), the planning of refugee towns (Faridabad, Nilokheri, and Gandhidham), the formation of industrial cities (Jamshedpur and Bhadrawati), and the mega-cities of the present.

1.00 units, Lecture

CDIN 262

People/Culture of Caribb

A review of the attempt to develop generalizations about the structure of Caribbean society. Theoretical materials will focus on the historical role of slavery, the nature of plural societies, race, class, ethnicity and specific institutions such as the family, the schools, the church and the political structure.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 262

Peoples and Culture of the Caribbean

A review of the attempt to develop generalizations about the structure of Caribbean society. Theoretical materials will focus on the historical role of slavery, the nature of plural societies, race, class, ethnicity, and specific institutions such as the family, the schools, the church, and the political structure.

1.00 units, Lecture

LAIN 262

People/Culture of Caribb

1.00 units, Lecture

AFIN 270

Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Seminar

CDIN 270

Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 270

Peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 294

The Arts of Africa

An examination of the art and architecture of sub-Saharan Africa as modes of symbolic communication: the ritual context of art, the concept of the artist, the notion of popular art, and the decorated body.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 299

Independent Study

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units min / 2.00 units max, Independent Study

INTS 300

Transnational Urbanism

This seminar will explore urban history from a comparative and theoretical perspective. We will examine, first, the works on European urban history and theory by authors like Walter Benjamin, Henri Lefebvre, and David Harvey, followed by works on urbanism in the United States, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. We will focus on comparative assessments of urban space, planning and the built environment; on socioeconomic structures, ideologies and practices or production, reproduction, and consumption; and on urban politics and culture. Throughout, we will pay special attention to the relationship between the emergence and evolution of capitalism and modern urban life. Priority enrollment for INTS majors, but the course is open to non-INTS juniors and seniors with prior approval from the instructor.

1.00 units, Seminar

CDIN 301

Swahili: Merchants E Afr

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 301

Arab Politics

This seminar examines the outstanding features of the full range of politics in the Arab world, from regimes and resistances to the new forms of politics in civil society and private spheres. (Also offered under political science and Middle Eastern studies.)

1.00 units, Seminar

MEIN 301

Arab Politics

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 302

Adjustment and Transition: Political Economy in Sub-Saharan Africa

This course examines the state of African affairs at the beginning of the millennium, particularly the occurrence of democratic transformation in some cases and state collapse in others. We will begin with an analysis of the nature of structural adjustment during the 1980s and then link that experience to various transitions which have occurred since 1990. Particular focus will be on the interplay of global, regional, and local dynamics during those transitions. (Also offered under African Studies, Public Policy & Law, and Political Science.)

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 302

Bedouin Culture

A detailed study of nomadic, bedouin culture in the Middle East, viewed as an effort to survive under desert conditions. In addition to details from their material culture, economic and social organization, law, religion, and poetry, the course focuses on the unique values, attitudes, and out-looks of a people whose culture goes back to pre-biblical times.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 303

Globalization in Urban Southeast Asia

In this course we broadly examine how globalization has affected Southeast Asian cities. The course is divided into two sections. In the first section, students are introduced to some of the ways in which globalization has influenced Southeast Asia, covering such topics as global Islam, transnational flows and identity. The second section examines various ways in which cities are aspiring to be global, through high-tech zones, creative clusters, elite tourism, and cultivating cultural capital. Countries that will be examined include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

1.00 units, Lecture

AFIN 304

Environ Hist of Africa

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 304

Global Politics

This seminar, taking the entire globe as a unit of study, will examine the emerging unifying elements of the contemporary world system. Emphasis on issues of justice and basic human needs and rights.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 305

Global Self Governance

This course focuses on modern global movements for self-governance ranging from anti-colonial struggles, pro-democracy movements, and initiatives to promote local governance and democratic decentralization in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We will examine practices associated with self governance including economic and political devolution, collective decision-making, participatory budgeting, dispute resolution, and truth commissions. This course also focuses on the broader conceptions of self-governance in different societies by looking at what it means to govern the self and govern others.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 306

Literature, Politics & History: Middle Eastern Voices

In the modern Middle East, novelists, short story writers, and poets have been among the sharpest social critics. Many have addressed highly controversial topics or have defied cultural taboos, by writing about oppression, corruption, and violence in their political, religious, or sexual dimensions. In this reading- and discussion-intensive seminar, we will read works by writers from a range of Middle Eastern countries -- including Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Morocco, and Egypt -- in order to understand and analyze some of the major social issues and dilemmas that have confronted the region's peoples during a century of profound changes.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 307

Women's Rights as Human Rights

This course is a cross-cultural investigation of the gendered nature of human rights and of the changes in different societies that have resulted from struggles for human rights for women. Topics covered will include rights to protection against sexual abuse and gender violence (such as female genital mutilation), subsistence rights, reproductive rights, human rights and sexual orientation, and the rights of female immigrants and refugees. The course will make use of formal legal documents as well as cultural materials such as novels, films, personal testimonies, religious rituals, and folk traditions in music. (Also listed under Public Policy.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 308

Global Hartford

An examination, from the perspectives of geography and space, of the complex of processes often described as globalization. The course will focus on the changing spatial patterns of political and economic power since the 1970s and evaluate future scenarios in a world in which the territorial aspirations of political communities clash with globalizing flows. Particular attention will be given to the articulation of global and local processes in Hartford and their impact on everyday life in the city. Community learning projects will be an integral part of the course. (This course includes a community learning component.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 309

Islam and Muslim Migration

This course studies migration by exploring how Muslim communities from a variety of regions settled throughout the world. Readings will cover the early expansion of Islam into Spain, Central and Southern Asia, the movement of Muslims via Sufism into Africa and the Balkans during the 13th to 15th centuries and end with a comprehensive, interdisciplinary study of how Muslims in the modern era from South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe settled in the “West.” Emphasis will be placed on major developments in the last three decades in order to highlight the complex phenomena of political Islam that has entered into the social mainstream of many “western” societies. The student will focus on Muslim migration to Europe and North America in order to understand the growing reality that the U.S., much like Europe, is being permanently shaped by its growing Muslim population and how this reality affects race and gender relations in their respective societies. Students will also become acquainted with diverse theoretical perspectives that span disciplines as well as with the current trends that characterize Muslim diasporic experiences in an international setting.

1.00 units, Seminar

MEIN 309

Nationalism in the Middle East

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 310

Global South

In 1985, the South Commission reported that two-thirds of the world's people lived in distress. To rectify this, the Commission proposed a laundry list of reforms. At the same time, political and social movements in what had been the Third World grew apace. These movements and this report inaugurate the creation of the "Global South," which is both a place and a project. This course will investigate the contours of the Global South, the conferences held to alleviate its many problems (Beijing/Women, Johannesburg/Environment, Durban/Race), and the people who live in the "South."

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 310

Politics in the World of Islam

This course explores internal and international aspects of political culture in a variety of Islamic countries.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 311

Feminist Diversities: Cross-Cultural Women’s Movements and Thoughts

This course surveys the diversity of women's movements: religious and secular, urban and rural, black and white, struggling for sexual and reproductive rights, political and social representation, and equal opportunities from North America to Asia. Using historical contrasts of different feminisms from the 19th century to the present we will interrogate the meaning of "feminism," the possibilities of a transnational "feminism" of similarity with difference, the place of cultural relativism in assessing other cultures and movements, and the challenge of women's movements to state and society.

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 311

Islam and Political Community

This course treats the theory and politics of the Islamic mainstream, seen in national, regional, and world perspective. Primary readings by major Islamic intellectuals and political activisits of the modern and contemporary period, complemented by selected sacred texts with political relevance. Emphasis on Islamic identity, contemporary interpretations of the heritage, and the quest for Islamic community.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 312

Rethinking the Middle East and its Broader Context

This course takes as its starting point the assertion that the term “Middle East” is more a political reference that points to 19th and 20th century Europe and America than it is a self-defined marker designating a cohesive geographic region. After exploring some of the ways in which the Middle East has been understood as an integral regional “unit,” the course will embark upon a series of investigations that challenge this conventional understanding of how the region is defined. The primary trajectory of these investigations will be “outward”: in what ways do areas typically conceived of as being on the fringes of the Middle East actually function as centers of exchange, transit and contest between the Middle East and other parts of the world? Some particular areas of focus will be connections between Yemen and the Dutch East Indies (contemporary Indonesia) in the 18th century, Oman and Zanzibar (contemporary Tanzania) in the 20th century, Morocco and Senegal since the 19th century, Tunisia and Sicily, Upper Egypt and the Sudan, and the Mediterranean island of Crete. (Also offered under History.)

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 313

The Making of Modern Dubai

In this seminar for upper-level undergraduates, we look at the city of Dubai through historical, ethnographic, and urbanist-architectural lenses. Dubai's history and social reality has been obscured by recent headlines invoking facile conceptual and cultural stereotypes ("global city," "tribal society," "architectural utopia," Arabian democracy"). The social, historical, and cultural struggles that have shaped the making of Dubai are the focus in this course. We situate Dubai both conceptually (in debates about port cities of the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, ethnography and sociology, and critical theory) as well as geographically and geopolitically (as a city at the crossroads of the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, various empires, etc.).

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 315

Global Ideologies

From the 1920s to the 1980s, the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America forged a "Third World project." This project came undone in the 1980s, as debt, war and corruption overwhelmed the three continents. Along came neo-liberalism and globalization, which emerged as the dominant ideologies of the time. With the rise of Bolivarianism in Latin America, and with the financial crisis, neo-liberalism has lost its shine. This course will trace the "Third World project," neo-liberalism, and the emergent ideology of the Global South.

1.00 units, Seminar

MEIN 315

Globalization Theory

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 316

Gender Relations in Refugee Communities

Some observers believe that gender relations are strained when, during times of crisis, the social fabric is challenged. Being forced to flee and seek refuge is one such source of potential social change. Much of the gender and development literature also suggests that in many cases, women are more vulnerable to the hazardous situations caused by human disasters. This course will examine these observations in the case of Afghan women's experiences in Iran. Specifically this course will explore how Afghan families living, for long periods in Iran were affected by the challenges Iranian society was undergoing with respect to women's education, reproductive health, family planning, and other gender-related issues. Using a variety of materials, from video tapes to case histories, students will gain an understanding of the impact of the refugee experience on gender relations and the role of non-government organizations in the resettlement process.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 317

Planetary History

How have humans understood their relationship with each other and nature, over time and space? This course will investigate the various theories of planetary history, and will develop an understanding of the interdependency of our social ecology. In the main, we shall concentrate on the world after 1300, and trace the principle social processes of our time (such as capitalism, democracy, science, and religion).

1.00 units, Seminar

LAIN 317

Govt & Pol in Latin Amer

No Course Description Available.
Prerequisite: Political Science 103.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 320

Women, Health & Medicine: Comparative Perspectives

Over the last two decades women’s health has attracted unprecedented resources and attention in many parts of the world. What exactly is “women’s health” and by whom has it been defined? To what extent are biomedical or social science models useful for understanding the determinants of women’s health? How do we explain disparities in health among women divided by race, ethnicity, social class, and sexual orientation, both within nation states and across their boundaries? How have these disparities changed over time? Focusing on the United States, India, and Great Britain, this course will explore such questions from a comparative historical perspective, with additional selected readings from anthropology and public health. Topics will include malnutrition, anorexia, obesity; birth control; reproductive technologies; maternal health; heart disease; HIV-AIDS. (Also offered under Women, Gender, and Sexuality and Asian Studies.)

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 322

The Iranian Revolution

For many outsiders, the Iranian Revolution marks the global failure of secular development and the rise of religious fundamentalism. This course will examine the roots of the Iranian revolution, its promises, and its consequences through the review of a diverse set of official and unofficial documents, films and reports of interviews, and scholarly works. The course will consider the ways religion and politics worked together to lead and ultimately win over the 1979 insurgency in Iran. It will explore how this explosive combination of forces mobilized some social groups and suppressed others. During the course, current realities and future trends will be discussed.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 324

Secularism and Religious Thought in Iran

The forceful tension between secular and religious values in Iran has risen to unbelievable proportions over the last 25 years. At a time when almost everyone expected religious thought to undergo a slow but steady reform, another surge of fundamentalism is spreading. This course will examine the social dynamism of both trends of thought and practice in the life of Iranians in the last three decades, particularly the dilemmas facing the survival, expression, and practice of secular values. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the issues, the course will look at three different discourses-secularism, fundamentalism, and "religious intellectualism". Students will confront the dual character of religious fundamentalism in mobilizing certain social groups, on the one hand, and in controlling and manipulating them, on the other, and also consider whether identification with religious values in Iran is a complex protest against modernity and/or a means of maintaining political independence. Students also will explore the challenges [secularism faces in resisting the domination of fundamentalism and examine "religious intellectualism" which tries to intertwine religion and secularism in the social context of life and culture. And finally, they will consider how all these discourses use the women's rights issues to argue its points.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 325

Anthropology of Islam

This course examines Islam as lived religious practice in a context defined by both local constraints and global possibilities. Variations in local practices of Islam reflect accommodation to distinct cultural, political, and economic contexts while at the same time reflecting global connections. We will examine topics such as religious identity and community, gender as the site of religious and political struggle, new forms of Islam in diaspora communities, and contemporary political and moral debates over modernity, democracy, and reform in a variety of Islamic societies from North America to the Middle East and Asia.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 326

Baghdad in History

Founded in 762 CE by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur as “The City of Peace,” Baghdad has acted as a center for politics, commerce, science, art, and religion – as well as human conflict – throughout its long history. This course will approach Baghdad through the lens of social and cultural history by examining the complex and ever-changing relationship between people and a city. How was Baghdad peopled? And how did people make and remake Baghdad over the centuries? Through rigorous seminar discussions of primary sources, recent scholarship, journalism, and literature, we will consider Baghdad from the 8th century to the present as a locus of human interaction, of memory and myth, of empire and nation, and of colonialism and war.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 326

Baghdad in History

Founded in 762 CE by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur as "The City of Peace," Baghdad has acted as a center for politics, commerce, science, art, and religion - as well as human conflict - throughout its long history. This course will approach Baghdad through the lens of social and cultural history by examining the complex and ever-changing relationship between people and a city. How was Baghdad peopled? And how did people make and remake Baghdad over the centuries? Through rigorous seminar discussions of primary resources, recent scholarship, journalism and literature, we will consider Baghdad from the eighth century to the present as a locus of human interaction, of memory and myth, and empire and nation, and of colonialism and war.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 335

Comparative Medical Traditions of Asia

This course will survey the religious philosophies and practices of Indian Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and Tibetan medicine within their respective cultural contexts. A close reading of key religious, medical, anthropological, and historical texts will be complemented by consultation with contemporary practitioners in the field of Asian medicine. Previous study of Asian religion(s) strongly recommended. (Also offered under Religion.)

1.00 units, Lecture

CDIN 344

Pol Dynamics of Mid East

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 344

Political Dynamics in the Middle East

An examination of political behavior in the Middle East during the second half of the 20th century. The course will focus on the clash between social, political, and religious legacies in the area, and the ideas that seek to integrate it into the modern world. The experience of government in eight major middle Eastern states will be studied.

1.00 units, Lecture

MEIN 344

Political Dynamics in the Middle East

1.00 units, Lecture

POLS 344

Pol Dynamics of Mid East

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 349

No Easy Walk to Freedom: The Political Economy of Southern Africa

While the process of formal decolonization was completed in most of Africa during the 1960s, southern Africa’s struggle for independence was much more drawn out and was characterized by organized violence, some of which has persisted until today. The purpose of this class is to investigate the historical roots of this development and, based on an analysis of existing local, regional, and global forces, analyze the prospects for development and democracy in the region.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 350

The Making of Moder Dubai

This is a seminar for upper-level undergraduates in which we look at the city of Dubai through historical, ethnographic, and urbanist—architectural lenses. Dubai’s history and social reality has been obscured by recent headlines invoking facile conceptual and cultural stereotypes (“global city,” “tribal society,” “architectural utopia,” “Arabian democracy”). The social, historical, and cultural struggles that have shaped the making of Dubai are the focus in this course. We situate Dubai both conceptually (in debates about port cities of the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, ethnography—sociology, and critical theory) as well as geographically and geopolitically (as a city at the crossroads of the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, various empires, etc.)

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 354

Ethics and International Community

It is generally agreed that a nation and its citizens have moral rights and obligations with respect to one another. But do these rights and obligations extend beyond national boundaries? Does a wealthy nation have an obligation to provide aid to starving citizens of other nations? Do wealthy individuals have an obligation to alleviate the suffering of persons with whom they do not share nationality? This course seeks to assist students in formulating and evaluating answers to these and other questions concerning international relations. Enrollment limited

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 399

Independent Study

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and director are required for enrollment.

1.00 units min / 2.00 units max, Independent Study

INTS 401

Development, Dissent, and the Media

Is ‘development’ a tool for universal human advancement, a way out of poverty, or else simply a multi-billion dollar business? The course explores development from the bottom-up. We will look at resource use, human displacement, and gender bias in development, as well as the role of non-governmental organizations, people’s movements, child labor, and affirmative action in different social contexts. The role of the media and its relation to entrenched power will be an important dimension in our discussions. As will an examination of dissent and unconventional thinking in both the media and development.
Prerequisite: C- or better in Political Science 103, 310 and INST 212 or permission of the instructor.

1.00 units, Lecture

INTS 403

Democracy, Development, and the Media in the Global South

This course will examine the relationship between three central categories of modernity: democracy, development, and the media. We will look at case studies from several countries in the Global South to examine how the relationship between these concepts has been conceptualized, prescribed, and realized. In the context of the increasing dominance of commercial media and the Internet, we will examine the challenges facing those who believe that the media should be a powerful force for the democratization of societies in the Global South.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 404

Grand Strategies of Liberation in the Global South

For a long time, the study of grand strategy has by and large been a vocation for and in the West, featuring the rest on the receiving end. With a focus on anti-colonialism, this course aims to navigate the concept of grand strategy in non-Western milieus. We will also examine how the grand strategies that liberation movements adopt may influence the political systems that emerge in those countries after they gain independence: from India/Pakistan, where despite their military capacity, the nationalists pursued a pacifist path to independence, to Vietnam, where the nationalists sought to cooperate with the United States in order to avoid the restoration of French colonialism only to find themselves fighting the Americans, to African independence movements (from Algeria to South Africa and from Eritrea to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde), whose emergence was founded on the principle of forcefully doing away with their colonial subjugation.

1.00 units, Seminar

INTS 466

Teaching Assistantship

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and director are required for enrollment.

0.50 units min / 1.00 units max, Independent Study

MEIN 497

Senior Thesis

No Course Description Available.

1.00 units, Independent Study

INTS 498

Senior Exercise Part I

Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar's Office, and the approval of the instructor and director are required for each semester of this year-long project. (2 course credits are considered pending in the first semester; 2 course credits will be awarded for completion in the second semester.)

2.00 units, Independent Study

INTS 499

Senior Exercise Part 2

No Course Description Available.

2.00 units, Independent Study