Below is the schedule for the upcoming semester’s courses listed as “AS International Studies” within the Student Information Services (SIS) website.
Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present
AS.100.104 (01)
Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
- Instructor: Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne
- Room: Gilman 132
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, INST-GLOBAL
Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present
AS.100.104 (02)
Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne
- Room: Gilman 132
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, INST-GLOBAL
Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present
AS.100.104 (03)
Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
- Instructor: Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne
- Room: Gilman 132
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, INST-GLOBAL
Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present
AS.100.104 (04)
Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne
- Room: Gilman 132
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, INST-GLOBAL
History of the Global Cold War
AS.100.106 (01)
The Cold War was a defining event of the 20th century. But what was it? Where did it take place? Who were the major contenders? And what were the consequences? This introductory course will examine the Cold War in a global context, looking beyond the United States and Europe. Students will learn about how the Cold War unfolded in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, in relation to the fall of European empires, the process of decolonization, and the rise of U.S. global power. This course will introduce students to key themes and primary sources in the study of the Global Cold War, as a foundation for further courses in History, Critical Diaspora Studies, International Studies, Political Science, etc.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Schrader, Stuart Laurence
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): HIST-ASIA, HIST-US, HIST-LATAM, HIST-AFRICA, CDS-EWC, INST-GLOBAL
History of the Global Cold War
AS.100.106 (02)
The Cold War was a defining event of the 20th century. But what was it? Where did it take place? Who were the major contenders? And what were the consequences? This introductory course will examine the Cold War in a global context, looking beyond the United States and Europe. Students will learn about how the Cold War unfolded in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, in relation to the fall of European empires, the process of decolonization, and the rise of U.S. global power. This course will introduce students to key themes and primary sources in the study of the Global Cold War, as a foundation for further courses in History, Critical Diaspora Studies, International Studies, Political Science, etc.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Schrader, Stuart Laurence
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): HIST-ASIA, HIST-US, HIST-LATAM, HIST-AFRICA, CDS-EWC, INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to the Middle East
AS.100.118 (01)
Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali
- Room: Krieger 170
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to the Middle East
AS.100.118 (02)
Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali
- Room: Krieger 170
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to the Middle East
AS.100.118 (03)
Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali
- Room: Krieger 170
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to the Middle East
AS.100.118 (04)
Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali
- Room: Krieger 170
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Antisemitism in Historical Perspective
AS.100.226 (01)
This course explores the origins and evolution of antisemitism, with focus on questions of historical continuity and rupture, comparison with other hatreds, and the politics of history.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Loeffler, James
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, HIST-US, HIST-MIDEST, INST-GLOBAL
History of Modern Germany
AS.100.233 (01)
There is more to Germany than beer, BMWs, and Bayern Munich. We explore politics, culture, economics and society to understand Germany and its role within Europe and the world from the 18th century, through imperialism, WWI and WWII, the Cold War to German unification, the ‘Refugee Crisis’, the rise of the AfD, and EU politics today.
- Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
- Instructor: Harms, Victoria Elisabeth
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 35/35
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, INST-GLOBAL, MLL-GERM, MLL-ENGL
History of Kabbalah
AS.100.256 (01)
This course surveys the history of Jewish magic, mysticism, and secret traditions from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. We will explore the concept of sod (mystery) and its historical variations, examining how it evolved over time. Readings will include excerpts from foundational texts of Jewish esotericism, such as Sefer Yetzirah, the Bahir, and the Zohar. Additionally, we will discuss practical Kabbalah—including the preparation and use of amulets and charms—as well as beliefs surrounding demonic (and angelic) possession.
- Days/Times: M 9:30AM - 12:00PM
- Instructor: Maciejko, Pawel Tadeusz
- Room: Gilman 308
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Race & Power in Modern South Africa
AS.100.282 (01)
From 1948-1994, South Africa was governed under the system of apartheid, which denied political and civil rights to non-white citizens. This class traces the rise of apartheid in South Africa as well as the liberation struggle that eventually defeated it.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Thornberry, Elizabeth
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Race & Power in Modern South Africa
AS.100.282 (02)
From 1948-1994, South Africa was governed under the system of apartheid, which denied political and civil rights to non-white citizens. This class traces the rise of apartheid in South Africa as well as the liberation struggle that eventually defeated it.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Thornberry, Elizabeth
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Animals in Chinese and Japanese History
AS.100.329 (01)
Everyday, we all have encounters with animals: the mosquito that bites our arm, the rat that runs in front of us on the sidewalk, the dog that greets us upon our return home. These interactions are quotidian, but rarely reflected in the histories that we read. In this class, we will bring the animal back into the narratives that we tell by considering history from a multispecies perspective. Taking the examples of China and Japan, we will see how animals, both real and metaphoric, played a critical role in the political, economic, religious, and social lives of our historical, human, actors. We will see how the inclusion of animals in history bolsters and challenges history as it has been written and gain a deeper understanding of how our current mores regarding animals came to be. Our class will begin with a discussion of Japan and China in the 17th century and end with contemporary controversies surrounding Japanese whaling and shark fin soup. Throughout the course we will consider the ethical and philosophical ramifications of our inquiries like the agency of non-human animals. Designed for upper-level undergraduate students interested in the history of East Asia, prior knowledge of the region will be useful but is not required.
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Sampias, Wesley Jordan
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): HIST-ASIA, INST-GLOBAL, ENVS-MAJOR
Soviet-American Cold War
AS.100.346 (01)
The focus will be on Soviet-American interactions, Cold-War Cultures, and the impact on both societies.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Schmelz, Peter John
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): HIST-EUROPE, HIST-ASIA, INST-GLOBAL
Early Modern China
AS.100.347 (01)
The history of China from the 16th to the late 19th centuries.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Rowe, William T
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, HIST-ASIA
Crime, Punishment, Felony and Freedom: Law and Society in Premodern England, 1066 to 1688
AS.100.373 (01)
This course explores the development of English law and the English legal tradition from the Norman Conquest through the English Revolution (ca. 1066-1688). We will begin by tracing the impact of the Norman Conquest of England and examine the origins and development of English legal and political institutions such as kingship, the common law, the evolution of legal procedure, and the court and jury system, ideas of franchise, treason and the emergence of Parliament. We will also consider how English law constructs legal categories including aliens, women, heirs, traitors as well as the legal framework for the emergence of the English Church under the Tudors. When applicable the implications of these institutions for developments in the contemporary American and British legal systems will be addressed.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Lester, Anne E.
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 25/25
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
History of Global Development
AS.100.395 (01)
This course explores development as an ideology and a practice. From colonialism to the Cold War to contemporary NGOs, we will interrogate the history of our attempts to improve the world. This iteration of the course will have a particular focus on the intersections between development and the environment. Graduate students welcome.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Lurtz, Casey Marina
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Society & Social Change in 18th Century China
AS.100.422 (01)
What did Chinese local society look like under the Qing Empire, and how did it change over the early modern era?
- Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Rowe, William T
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, HIST-ASIA
Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe
AS.100.426 (01)
Witchcraft, magic, carnivals, riots, folk tales, gender roles; fertility cults and violence especially in Britain, Germany, France, and Italy.
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Marshall, John W
- Room: Gilman 308
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 19/19
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, HIST-EUROPE
Historiography of the Maghreb, 1939 to the Present
AS.100.444 (01)
We will explore key texts in the historiography of post-1939 North Africa as well as key recent publications, in French as well as in English.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Shepard, Todd
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-AFRICA, INST-GLOBAL
Revolution, Anti-Slavery, and Empire 1773-1792: British and American Political Thought from Paine, Smith, and the Declaration of Independence to Cugoano, Wollstonecraft, and the Bill of Rights
AS.100.445 (01)
This seminar-style course will focus on discussing British and American political thought from the "Age of Revolutions", a period also of many critiques of Empire and of many works of Antislavery. Readings include Paine's Common Sense and Rights of Man, the Declaration of Rights, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers; works by Smith, Burke, and Wollstonecraft; and antislavery works by Cugoano, Equiano, Rush, Wesley, and Wilberforce.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Marshall, John W
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 19/19
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Nuclear Asia: History & Politics in a Multipolar 3rd Nuclear Age
AS.140.304 (01)
The emergence and spread of nuclear weapons were a defining characteristic of the 20th century and present trends indicate will also shape the 21st. This course is a political history of the development and impacts of multi-use nuclear science and technology in Asia, home to a majority of the world’s population and a contested geopolitical hotbed. Key themes of global nuclear politics relate to multi-use technoscience (civilian, military, and other applications), scientific (inter)nationalism, notions of peace/defense/security, and the shifting hierarchies of international relations. Course participants will explore these themes through seminar discussion, two writing assignments, and a wargame exercise.
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Haegeland, Hannah Elizabeth
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 22/22
- PosTag(s): MSCH-HUM, POLI-IR, HIST-ASIA, INST-GLOBAL
Race, Racism and Medicine
AS.140.308 (01)
How can we think about the interconnections between racism, theories of race and the practice of medicine? Living at a moment when racial disparities in health outcomes in the United States are still very stark, this course will provide a historically grounded approach to thinking about the roles that race and racism have played in healthcare, the production of health disparities as well as the role of medicine in the development of racist thought. While much of this course will focus geographically within the United States, this class will also explore global histories of medicine, encountering questions of race and medicine in Africa, the South Pacific and Asia. In addition to the analysis of primary source documents and historical texts, students will also be introduced to theoretical approaches to the study of race and racism from W.E.B. Dubois, Sylvia Wynter, Frantz Fanon and others.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: White, Alexandre Ilani Rein
- Room: Gilman 300
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to Political Philosophy
AS.150.240 (01)
This course begins by reviewing canonical texts in modern political philosophy beginning with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and ends by exploring classic questions in contemporary debates in race, gender, and identity.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Lebron, Christopher Joseph
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Introduction to Political Philosophy
AS.150.240 (02)
This course begins by reviewing canonical texts in modern political philosophy beginning with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and ends by exploring classic questions in contemporary debates in race, gender, and identity.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Lebron, Christopher Joseph
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (01)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, M 9:00AM - 9:50AM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (02)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, M 9:00AM - 9:50AM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (03)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, M 3:00PM - 3:50PM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (04)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, M 3:00PM - 3:50PM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (05)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, T 9:00AM - 9:50AM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Macroeconomics
AS.180.101 (06)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with emphasis on total national income and output, employment, the price level and inflation, money, the government budget, the national debt, and interest rates. The role of public policy. Applications of economic analysis to government and personal decisions. Prerequisite: basic facility with graphs and algebra.
- Days/Times: WF 9:00AM - 9:50AM, T 9:00AM - 9:50AM
- Instructor: Barbera, Bob; Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Microeconomics
AS.180.102 (01)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with an emphasis on demand and supply, relative prices, the allocation of resources, and the distribution of goods and services. It covers the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, and competition and monopoly, including the application of microeconomic analysis to contemporary problems. The course includes lectures twice a week, each 75 minutes, and a TA session once a week for 50 minutes. The TA session is highly recommended, and attendance in both the lecture class and TA section is crucial for a better performance in the course. Students must check the dates and times of the TA sections before registering for a particular section.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Husain, Muhammad Mudabbir
- Room: Remsen Hall 1
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Microeconomics
AS.180.102 (02)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with an emphasis on demand and supply, relative prices, the allocation of resources, and the distribution of goods and services. It covers the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, and competition and monopoly, including the application of microeconomic analysis to contemporary problems. The course includes lectures twice a week, each 75 minutes, and a TA session once a week for 50 minutes. The TA session is highly recommended, and attendance in both the lecture class and TA section is crucial for a better performance in the course. Students must check the dates and times of the TA sections before registering for a particular section.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Husain, Muhammad Mudabbir
- Room: Remsen Hall 1
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Microeconomics
AS.180.102 (03)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with an emphasis on demand and supply, relative prices, the allocation of resources, and the distribution of goods and services. It covers the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, and competition and monopoly, including the application of microeconomic analysis to contemporary problems. The course includes lectures twice a week, each 75 minutes, and a TA session once a week for 50 minutes. The TA session is highly recommended, and attendance in both the lecture class and TA section is crucial for a better performance in the course. Students must check the dates and times of the TA sections before registering for a particular section.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Husain, Muhammad Mudabbir
- Room: Remsen Hall 1
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): n/a
Elements of Microeconomics
AS.180.102 (04)
An introduction to the economic system and economic analysis, with an emphasis on demand and supply, relative prices, the allocation of resources, and the distribution of goods and services. It covers the theory of consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, and competition and monopoly, including the application of microeconomic analysis to contemporary problems. The course includes lectures twice a week, each 75 minutes, and a TA session once a week for 50 minutes. The TA session is highly recommended, and attendance in both the lecture class and TA section is crucial for a better performance in the course. Students must check the dates and times of the TA sections before registering for a particular section.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Husain, Muhammad Mudabbir
- Room: Remsen Hall 1
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): n/a
The Economic Experience of the BRIC Countries
AS.180.214 (01)
In 2001, Jim O’Neill, the Chief Economist at Goldman Sachs, coined the acronym BRIC to identify the four large emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India and China. These economies had an amazing run for the next decade, and emerged as the biggest and fastest growing emerging markets. However, since 2014 there has been some divergence in the BRICs’ economic performance. In this course, we look at the economic experiences of the BRIC countries for the past several decades. We discuss the reasons that contributed to their exceptional growth rates, with particular emphasis on their transformation into market economies, and the reasons for their eventual divergence. We also analyze some of the challenges that these countries continue to face in their development process.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Dasgupta, Somasree
- Room: Hodson 303
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, INST-CP, CES-FT, CES-PD
The Economic Experience of the BRIC Countries
AS.180.214 (02)
In 2001, Jim O’Neill, the Chief Economist at Goldman Sachs, coined the acronym BRIC to identify the four large emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India and China. These economies had an amazing run for the next decade, and emerged as the biggest and fastest growing emerging markets. However, since 2014 there has been some divergence in the BRICs’ economic performance. In this course, we look at the economic experiences of the BRIC countries for the past several decades. We discuss the reasons that contributed to their exceptional growth rates, with particular emphasis on their transformation into market economies, and the reasons for their eventual divergence. We also analyze some of the challenges that these countries continue to face in their development process.
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Dasgupta, Somasree
- Room: Hodson 303
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, INST-CP, CES-FT, CES-PD
Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
AS.180.223 (01)
Many sub-Saharan African countries are among the least developed countries in the world. In this course, we explore the economic development experiences of African countries, with more focus on sub-Saharan Africa. The course starts with a historical perspective, delves into development strategies, and examines evidence on successes and failures of some case study countries. We conclude by analyzing the many challenges that these countries continue to face in their development process. Elements of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics are required prerequisites. There would be group presentations on assigned readings.
- Days/Times: WF 1:30PM - 2:45PM
- Instructor: Seshie-Nasser, Hellen
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, CES-PD, CES-TI, CES-RI
Economics of Health and Education in South Asia
AS.180.229 (01)
Human capital is an important factor of economic growth in South Asian economies, along with physical capital and technology. Addressing health and education challenges has implications for improving a country’s human capital formation and income growth. In this course, we look at past and present health and educational outcomes in South Asian Countries. We discuss the gaps in access to education and health care services, the quality of education and health care services as well as the impacts on the productivity of the labor force. We also empirically analyze the link between economic growth and human capital development. Furthermore, we focus on some challenges and future policy options for economies in South Asia.
- Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
- Instructor: Fatehin, Sohani
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON
Economic Policymaking
AS.180.243 (01)
A key contribution of economics to the policymaking process is understanding and predicting reactions of agents affected by policy changes. Many policies have unintended or indirect effects that are at least as important as their direct impacts, but less obvious. Fortunately, economic theory provides us a framework to understand them. In this course, we will survey a wide variety of subjects, from taxation, to drug policy and harm reduction, to health insurance plan design and regulation, to bankruptcy codes. Working in groups, students will prepare presentations on specific policy proposals not directly covered in class, in which they will describe (with evidence) all the channels by which that policy will act.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Fourakis, Stelios Stephen
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON
Monetary Analysis
AS.180.261 (01)
This course analyzes the financial and monetary system of the U.S. economy and the design and implementation of U.S. monetary policy. Among other topics, we will examine the role of banks in the economy, the term structure of interest rates, the stock market, the supply of money, the role of the Federal Reserve in the economy, the objectives of monetary policy in the United States and current monetary policy practice.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Poliakova, Ludmila
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 60/60
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, ECON-FINMIN, CES-FT
Financial Markets and Institutions
AS.180.266 (01)
Understanding design and functioning of financial markets and institutions, connecting theoretical foundations and real-world applications and cases. Basic principles of asymmetric information problems, management of risk. Money, bond, and equity markets; investment banking, security brokers, and venture capital firms; structure, competition, and regulation of commercial banks. Importance of electronic technology on financial systems.
- Days/Times: W 3:00PM - 5:30PM
- Instructor: Feinman, Josh
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, ECON-FINMIN, CES-FT, CES-TI
Economics of Health
AS.180.289 (01)
Application of economic concepts and analysis to the health services system. Review of empirical studies of demand for health services, behavior of providers, and relationship of health services to population health levels. Discussion of current policy issues relating to financing and resource allocation.
- Days/Times: M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
- Instructor: De Broucker, Gatien
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, PHIL-BIOETH, SPOL-UL
Labor Economics
AS.180.351 (01)
The course discusses various issues in labor markets from the perspective of economic theory. We first study the major forces at work that shape labor market behavior; firms’ labor demand and workers’ labor supply. Then we discuss the equilibrium behavior of employment and wages. Using these tools, we also cover various applied topics in labor economics, such as minimum wage regulations, male-female wage differentials, human capital investment, worker mobility, and unemployment.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:45PM
- Instructor: Husain, Muhammad Mudabbir
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, CES-LC, CES-GI
Social Policy Implications of Behavioral Economics
AS.180.389 (01)
Economists increasingly incorporate insights from psychology into models of rational decision-making. Known as "behavioral economics", this line of research considers how, for example, emotions, rules-of-thumb, biased beliefs and time-inconsistent preferences influence how we make choices. Behavioral economics increasingly pervades policy discussions on topics as diverse as: obesity, the role of media, subprime mortgages and voting patterns. Behavioral models are certainly novel, but do they help us to design superior social policies? With the goal of preparing students to address this question, this course (1) provides a thorough overview of the main contributions of behavioral economics, highlighting departures from more traditional economic models and (2) emphasizes how behavioral economic models might (or might not) improve how we think about social policy.
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Papageorge, Nicholas W
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 25/25
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (01)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (02)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (03)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (04)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (05)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Introduction to American Politics
AS.190.101 (06)
This course examines the ideals and operation of the American political system. It seeks to understand how our institutions and politics work, why they work as they do, and what the consequences are for representative government in the United States. Emphasis is placed on the federal government and its electoral, legislative, and executive structures and processes. As useful and appropriate, attention is also given to the federal courts and to the role of the states. The purpose of the course is to understand and confront the character and problems of modern government in the United States in a highly polarized and plebiscitary era.
- Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: Lieberman, Robert C
- Room: Hodson 110
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (01)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (02)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (03)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (04)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (05)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (06)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (07)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 3:00PM - 3:50PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Contemporary International Politics
AS.190.108 (08)
An introduction to international politics. Emphasis will be on continuity and change in international politics and the causes of war and peace. The first half of the course will focus on events prior to the end of the Cold War, including the Peloponnesian War, the European balance of power, imperialism, the origins and consequences of WWI and WWII, and the Cold War. The second half will focus on international politics since 1990, including globalization, whether democracies produce peace, the impact of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and the prospects for peace in the 21st century. Theories of realism and liberalism will also be considered. This course was previously AS.190.209.
- Days/Times: MW 1:30PM - 2:20PM, F 3:00PM - 3:50PM
- Instructor: David, Steven R
- Room: Mergenthaler 111
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GATEWY, INST-IR
Introduction to Political Theory
AS.190.180 (01)
In the Republic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato posed three questions: what is justice? How would a just person live? How would a just society be governed? These three questions form the basic subject matter of of political theory. In this course we will survey the history of political theory, reading a series of political theorists who took up Plato’s questions in a wide range of contexts, from Renaissance Italy and early modern England to late colonial India and the Jim Crow US South. Throughout, we’ll consider whether there are better and worse answers to these questions, or simply different answers that appear better or worse depending on the perspective from which one considers them. We’ll look closely at how the circumstances in which political theorists lived influenced their thinking, and how those circumstances should influence our own evaluation of their thinking. And we’ll ask whether Plato’s questions were the right questions to ask in his time, whether they are still relevant in ours, and whether there are other questions that political theorists would do better to spend their time considering.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Simon, Josh David
- Room: Gilman 50
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Introduction to Political Theory
AS.190.180 (02)
In the Republic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato posed three questions: what is justice? How would a just person live? How would a just society be governed? These three questions form the basic subject matter of of political theory. In this course we will survey the history of political theory, reading a series of political theorists who took up Plato’s questions in a wide range of contexts, from Renaissance Italy and early modern England to late colonial India and the Jim Crow US South. Throughout, we’ll consider whether there are better and worse answers to these questions, or simply different answers that appear better or worse depending on the perspective from which one considers them. We’ll look closely at how the circumstances in which political theorists lived influenced their thinking, and how those circumstances should influence our own evaluation of their thinking. And we’ll ask whether Plato’s questions were the right questions to ask in his time, whether they are still relevant in ours, and whether there are other questions that political theorists would do better to spend their time considering.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
- Instructor: Simon, Josh David
- Room: Gilman 50
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Introduction to Political Theory
AS.190.180 (03)
In the Republic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato posed three questions: what is justice? How would a just person live? How would a just society be governed? These three questions form the basic subject matter of of political theory. In this course we will survey the history of political theory, reading a series of political theorists who took up Plato’s questions in a wide range of contexts, from Renaissance Italy and early modern England to late colonial India and the Jim Crow US South. Throughout, we’ll consider whether there are better and worse answers to these questions, or simply different answers that appear better or worse depending on the perspective from which one considers them. We’ll look closely at how the circumstances in which political theorists lived influenced their thinking, and how those circumstances should influence our own evaluation of their thinking. And we’ll ask whether Plato’s questions were the right questions to ask in his time, whether they are still relevant in ours, and whether there are other questions that political theorists would do better to spend their time considering.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Simon, Josh David
- Room: Gilman 50
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Introduction to Political Theory
AS.190.180 (04)
In the Republic, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato posed three questions: what is justice? How would a just person live? How would a just society be governed? These three questions form the basic subject matter of of political theory. In this course we will survey the history of political theory, reading a series of political theorists who took up Plato’s questions in a wide range of contexts, from Renaissance Italy and early modern England to late colonial India and the Jim Crow US South. Throughout, we’ll consider whether there are better and worse answers to these questions, or simply different answers that appear better or worse depending on the perspective from which one considers them. We’ll look closely at how the circumstances in which political theorists lived influenced their thinking, and how those circumstances should influence our own evaluation of their thinking. And we’ll ask whether Plato’s questions were the right questions to ask in his time, whether they are still relevant in ours, and whether there are other questions that political theorists would do better to spend their time considering.
- Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
- Instructor: Simon, Josh David
- Room: Gilman 50
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
The American Presidency
AS.190.228 (01)
Over the past several decades, the power and importance of America’s presidency have greatly expanded . Of course, presidential history includes both ups and downs, some coinciding with the rise and fall of national party systems and others linked to specific problems, issues, and personalities. We should train our analytic eyes, however, to see beneath the surface of day-to-day and even decade-to-decade political turbulence. We should focus, instead, on the pronounced secular trend of more than two and a quarter centuries of American history. Two hundred years ago, presidents were weak and often bullied by Congress. Today, presidents are powerful and often thumb their noses at Congress and the courts. For better or worse, we have entered a presidentialist era.
- Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Ginsberg, Benjamin
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): POLI-AP, INST-AP
Politics of Income Inequality
AS.190.231 (01)
This course is about the interplay of democracy and capitalism. A core principle of democracy is equality. A core principle of capitalism is inequality. In democracies, the resource-poor are vote-rich. In contrast, the resource-rich are vote-poor. This helps combining capitalist economic systems with democratic political systems (“democratic capitalism”). But the sharp increase in income inequality in recent decades raises questions about the viability of democratic capitalism. What are the patterns, causes, and consequences of (income) inequality? How does inequality influence how democracy and capitalism interact? Why are there large differences in terms of redistribution between countries? For concreteness, the course compares the U.S. case to other rich democracies.
- Days/Times: M 3:00PM - 5:30PM
- Instructor: Rehm, Philipp
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 16/16
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON, CES-LC, CES-RI, CES-GI
Climate Solutions: The Global Politics and Technology of Decarbonization
AS.190.246 (01)
This course provides an introduction to climate solutions by reviewing the politics and technologies in all major sectors: electricity, transportation, biofuels, hydrogen, buildings, heavy industry, and agriculture. In each area, we will first understand the existing technologies and potential solutions. But to understand decarbonization, we also have to study the political economy of these technologies. What role do the technologies play in the broader economy? Who will win or lose from the transition? What firms and countries dominate and control current and emerging supply chains? What makes a climate solutions project bankable? How can states design policies, regulations, and programs to successfully manage the politics of technology change?
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Allan, Bentley
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 80/80
- PosTag(s): INST-IR, INST-ECON, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR, ENGY-SCIPOL, CES-LE, CES-TI
Latinos and the American Political Landscape
AS.190.304 (01)
This course examines Latinos and the American political landscape – taking seriously the political lives of Latinos to sharpen accounts of American political development. In Part I: Latinos and American Empire, we will examine how American state building, American racial capitalism, and American empire created a varied set of racialized citizenship regimes that shaped the legality and membership of Latinos – depending on the interplay between domestic racial hierarchies and international projects. In Part II: Latinos and the Administrative State, we will examine how the regulation of Latino immigrants and asylum seekers from Latin America and the Caribbean have been an engine for American political development – including the making of border bureaucracies, networked policing that harnesses the institution of federalism, and the development of ocean-spanning detention infrastructure. In Part III: Latinos as Targets, we will examine how Latinos became racialized as ‘illegals’ and became the prime targets of state action – and how state efforts have led to the suppressing of political agency, mobilization of collective action, and even integration of Latinos into the enforcement apparatus. In Part IV: Latinos, Hierarchies, and Power, we will examine the political power of those most marginalized among the Latino population – including Black, Trans, Queer, Immigrant, and Undocumented Latinos – to learn about how these groups contend with intragroup and intergroup hierarchies, their role in intersectional movements, and their organizing under repressive conditions. In Part V: Latinos and Placemaking, we conclude with Latino placemaking across the United States to examine how Latinos – in relation with and to, and in coalition with Black, Indigenous, and Asian organizing – are cultivating and asserting political and policy influence in the face of climate change, policing, detention, and gentrification.
- Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Bautista-Chavez, Angie M.
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 19/19
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
What is Money?
AS.190.314 (01)
This undergraduate seminar will explore the mysteries of money. We will focus on a central and straightforward, but vexing question: what is money? Pursuing this question will take us from deep philosophical explorations of the nature of money, through the diverse history of money and theories of money, to today’s complex and dynamic financial instruments – from securities, to derivatives, to crypto.
- Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Chambers, Samuel Allen
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): POLI-PT, INST-PT, INST-ECON
Politics of Information
AS.190.327 (01)
Considers global and comparative politics of information, information technologies, and the Internet. Examines governance of information (ownership of information, rights to information, privacy) and governance of information technologies (domain names, social media websites, etc.).
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Marlin-Bennett, Renee E
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-IR, POLI-IR
Public Opinion
AS.190.345 (01)
This course provides an overview of public opinion in the United States. We will explore what affects people’s political opinions, how opinions change, and how opinions affect (and are affected by) politics. Some of the questions we will discuss are: What is public opinion? How much do Americans know about politics? How do the issue positions of leading politicians affect public opinion? How do race relations affect public opinion? What role does partisanship play in all this? When and how do people change their minds about politics? How can my voice be heard in politics? The class will read papers that include quantitative/statistical work; a prior knowledge of statistical methods would be helpful but it is not required for success in the course. The final paper will be based on an original research project, the successful completion of which does not require any statistical training.
- Days/Times: MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Trump, Kris-Stella
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 30/30
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
The Politics of China
AS.190.370 (01)
This course is designed to help students better understand the politics of China. Lectures will focus on the tools of governance that China has employed to navigate its transition from plan to market, provide public goods and services to its citizens, and to maintain social control over a rapidly changing society. The course will draw heavily from texts covering a range of subjects including China's political economy, social and cultural developments, regime dynamics, and historical legacies. Students interested in authoritarian resilience, governance, post-communist transition, and domestic will find this course particularly instructive.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Yasuda, John Kojiro
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-CP
Nationalism and the Politics of Identity
AS.190.379 (01)
Nationalism ties powerful organizations to political mobilization, territory, and individual loyalty. Yet nationalism is typically studied in isolation from other social formations that depend upon organizational – individual linkages. Alternative types of identity category sometimes depend similarly upon organizations that collect and deploy resources, mobilize individuals, erect boundaries, and promote strong emotional connections among individuals as well as between individuals and institutions. In this class, we study classic and contemporary works on nationalism, drawn from multiple disciplinary and analytic traditions, in the comparative context of alternative forms of identity. The focus of the class will be primarily theoretical, with no regional or temporal limitations.
- Days/Times: M 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Kocher, Matthew Adam
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-PT, CES-BM, CES-RI, POLI-CP, POLI-IR
Introduction to Economic Development
AS.190.392 (01)
Most wealthy countries are democracies, but not all democracies are wealthy—India, Costa Rica, and Mongolia are prominent examples. This course explores three fundamental questions: 1) What political institutions promote economic prosperity? 2) Under what conditions does democracy promote prosperity? 3) What are the mechanisms connecting political institutions and economic performance?
- Days/Times: MWF 3:00PM - 3:50PM
- Instructor: Mazzuca, Sebastian L
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 10/10
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-ECON, POLI-CP
The Politics of International Law
AS.190.397 (01)
This course introduces students of politics to international law. We will explore historical roots and current problems, recognizing along the way persistent contestation over the participants, sources, purposes, and interests associated with international law. The course situates formal aspects of law—centered on international treaties, international organizations, the World Court (ICJ), and the International Criminal Court (ICC)—within a broader field of global governance consisting of treaty-based and customary law, states and transnational actors, centralized and decentralized forms of legal authority. We will place special emphasis on the significance of international law to colonialism, decolonization, and contemporary forms of imperialism, keeping in mind that the law has been experienced differently in the Global South and by actors not recognized as sovereign by states in positions of power. Students will be exposed to a range of approaches, including rational choice, various species of legalism, process-oriented theories, critical legal studies, and postcolonial critiques.
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Ross, Andrew
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 19/19
- PosTag(s): POLI-IR, INST-IR, CES-LSO
Race and Ethnic Politics in the United States
AS.190.437 (01)
Race has been and continues to be centrally important to American political life and development. In this course, we will engage with the major debates around racial politics in the United States, with a substantial focus on how policies and practices of citizenship, immigration law, social provision, and criminal justice policy shaped and continue to shape racial formation, group-based identities, and group position; debates around the content and meaning of political representation and the responsiveness of the political system to American minority groups; debates about how racial prejudice has shifted and its importance in understanding American political behavior; the prospects for contestation or coalitions among groups; the “struggle with difference” within groups as they deal with the interplay of race and class, citizenship status, and issues that disproportionately affect a subset of their members; and debates about how new groups and issues are reshaping the meaning and practice of race in the United States.
- Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Weaver, Vesla Mae
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 25/25
- PosTag(s): INST-AP, POLI-IR
Violence and Politics
AS.190.438 (01)
This seminar will address the role of violence–both domestic and international–in political life. Though most claim to abhor violence, since the advent of recorded history, violence and politics have been intimately related. States practice violence against internal and external foes. Political dissidents engage in violence against states. Competing political forces inflict violence upon one another. Writing in 1924, Winston Churchill declared–and not without reason–that, "The story of the human race is war." Indeed, violence and the threat of violence are the most potent forces in political life. It is, to be sure, often averred that problems can never truly be solved by the use of force. Violence, the saying goes, is not the answer. This adage certainly appeals to our moral sensibilities. But whether or not violence is the answer presumably depends upon the question being asked. For better or worse, it is violence that usually provides the most definitive answers to three of the major questions of political life--statehood, territoriality and power. Violent struggle, in the form of war, revolution, civil war, terrorism and the like, more than any other immediate factor, determines what states will exist and their relative power, what territories they will occupy, and which groups will and will not exercise power within them. Course is open to juniors and seniors.
- Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Ginsberg, Benjamin
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-IR, CES-LSO, POLI-CP
Politics of Outer Space
AS.190.443 (01)
Humans have long dreamed of leaving Earth and venturing into the vastness of cosmic outer space. During the 20th century space travel became a real possibility, stimulating an extraordinary outpouring of visionary space projects. Space Expansionists claim these projects are increasingly feasible and desirable. Advocates assert that human expansion into space will fundamentally improve the human situation by enabling perennial human goals (improved security from violence, expanded and protected habitat, and ultimately survival of the human species). In the first steps beyond the atmosphere, a variety of military, scientific, and utilitarian activities have been conducted. The history of space activities has been marked by sudden and unexpected spurts of activity, followed by periods of relative stagnation. Recent developments point to another period of rapid expansion: renewed military tensions, new space private sector initiatives, renewed interest in Luna, and growing efforts to divert and mine asteroids. A core part of the arguments for the desirability of space expansion are geopolitical in that they claim broadly political effects will result from humans interacting with extraterrestrial material environments composed of particular combinations geographies and human-built artifacts. Space expansionist arguments are advanced through analogies to Earth geographies (e.g. space is an ocean), as well as large-scale historical trends and patterns. Space expansion is advanced as the opening of a new frontier, reversing the contemporary global closure brought about by rising levels of interdependence. The goal of space expansionists is to make humanity a multi-world species, and it is anticipated that biological species radiation will occur. This course explores the causes and consequences of space activity; how space activities reflect and effect world political order; and whether human expansion into space is desirable, as its fervent advocates believe.
- Days/Times: M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
- Instructor: Deudney, Daniel Horace
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 40/40
- PosTag(s): INST-IR
Theories of Justice
AS.190.467 (01)
This course will explore the classic question, “What is justice?” While we will entertain several different answers to the question, the course will focus on how these answers speak to and past one another, illuminating contemporary quandaries related to intergenerational justice, global justice, and the justice of resistance. Guided by Nietzsche, we will read texts by authors including, among others, Plato, Kant, Bentham, Marx, Rawls, Nozick, and West. Over the course of the semester, students will write three papers. There will also be a final exam.
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Culbert, Jennifer
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): POLI-PT, INST-PT
Federalism, Sovereignty, and The State
AS.190.468 (01)
Federalism has become an increasingly widespread constitutional form in the world — in America, but also in Europe, the "cradle of the nation-state," and on other continents. While it typically resolves political problems, it also raises many questions about the nature of states and of sovereignty. This course will discuss scholarship that addresses federalism, sovereignty, and the state, both in contemporary politics and in historical perspective.
- Days/Times: W 12:00PM - 2:00PM
- Instructor: Jabko, Nicolas; Mazzuca, Sebastian L
- Room: Mergenthaler 366
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 5/5
- PosTag(s): POLI-CP, INST-CP
America in Comparative and International Perspective
AS.190.475 (01)
Over the last quarter millennium, the United States of America has been the most successful state in world politics. It has had the world’s largest economy since 1870, and was on the winning side of the three great world struggles of the 20th century. During these struggles, the fate of liberal capitalist democracy in the world has been closely connected with the rise and success of the USA. This course examines the rise and impacts of the USA in comparative and international perspective. What factors account for the success of the USA during the late modern era? How has the rise and influence of the USA shaped world politics? The course focuses on the causes, consequences and possible alternatives of three founding moments (1776-88, 1861-67 and 1933-36), the role of wars against illiberal adversaries in strengthening American liberal national identity, the ways in which the internal logics of the Philadelphian states-union (1787-1861) and the liberal international order among advanced industrial democracies (1945-) as alternatives to Westphalian state-systems, the role and consequences of the US as an anti-imperial power, and the internal dual between liberal America dedicated to the Founding principles and an ‘alt-America’ of slavery and white supremacy.
- Days/Times: T 4:30PM - 7:00PM
- Instructor: Deudney, Daniel Horace
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): POLI-IR, INST-CP, INST-IR, CES-PD
Arab-Israeli Conflict (IR)
AS.191.335 (01)
The course will focus on the origin and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its beginnings when Palestine was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, through World War I, The British Mandate over Palestine, and the first Arab-Israeli war (1947-1949). It will then examine the period of the Arab-Israeli wars of 1956, 1967, 1973, and 1982, the Palestinian Intifadas (1987-1993 and 2000-2005); and the development of the Arab-Israeli peace process from its beginnings with the Egyptian-Israeli treaty of 1979, the Oslo I and Oslo II agreements of 1993 and 1995, Israel's peace treaty with Jordan of 1994, the Road Map of 2003; and the periodic peace talks between Israel and Syria. The conflict will be analyzed against the background of great power intervention in the Middle East, the rise of political Islam and the dynamics of Intra-Arab politics, and will consider the impact of the Arab Spring.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Freedman, Robert
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): INST-IR, INST-CP
Russian Foreign Policy (IR)
AS.191.345 (01)
This course will explore the evolution of Russian Foreign Policy from Czarist times to the present. The main theme will be the question of continuity and change, as the course will seek to determine to what degree current Russian Foreign Policy is rooted in the Czarist(1613-1917) and Soviet(1917-1991) periods, and to what degree it has operated since 1991 on a new basis. The main emphasis of the course will be on Russia's relations with the United States and Europe, China, the Middle East and the countries of the former Soviet Union--especially Ukraine, the Baltic States, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. The course will conclude with an analysis of the Russian reaction to the Arab Spring and its impact both on Russian domestic politics and on Russian foreign policy.
- Days/Times: W 4:30PM - 7:00PM
- Instructor: Freedman, Robert
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 20/20
- PosTag(s): POLI-IR, INST-IR, INST-CP
Trade Wars: Easy to Win, Good, or Fantastically Disruptive?
AS.192.345 (01)
Changing technologies, economic and market conditions challenge the international system of rules governing trade and make it more susceptible to the possibility of trade wars. This course will take an interdisciplinary approach toward understanding current trade wars and the world trading system. You will learn what international trade policy is about, why it becomes politicized, how trade policies are formulated in the U.S., the European Union and East Asian countries, especially China, and how current trade policies are governed by international agreements and laws (i.e., the WTO). Along the way, the course will explore current trade trends and how they affect consumers, workers, firms, and industries globally, as well as whether trade wars boost the fortunes of countries/regions that remain outside the fray, have shaped and changed relationships among world’s big and small trade partners, aided or damaged bilateral, multilateral trade agreements, or the relevance of the WTO.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Dore, Giovanna Maria Dora
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-ECON
Introduction to Civic Life
AS.196.201 (01)
What does it take for people to engage productively as informed, skilled, and effective members of democratic communities and the world? Whether we are scientists, doctors, engineers, advocates, public servants, or anything else, we are all members of pluralistic communities. This introductory course seeks to introduce students to the theory and principles of civic life and the rights and responsibilities of active citizenship. We’ll examine the history of and struggles for freedom, inclusion, and civic participation, the role of information, deliberation, and free expression in the public sphere, and the threats and opportunities for global democracy. Students will read and discuss materials by civic studies and democracy scholars, building a foundational understanding of civic life across disciplines and perspectives. Many of these scholars and practitioners will appear in class to discuss their work directly with students. The course will pay particular attention to the ways that students from all backgrounds can apply these ideas in their everyday lives, regardless of the professions they pursue. This course is also the first course for students interested in minoring in the SNF Agora Institute Minor on Civic Life, but is designed to inspire a commitment to participation in civic life for all students, including those who do not major or minor in related fields.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Wright Rigueur, Leah M
- Room: Wyman Park N325F
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 24/24
- PosTag(s): INST-AP, INST-CP, INST-IR
Brazilian Culture & Civilization: Colonial Times to the Present
AS.211.171 (01)
Did you know that Brazil is very similar to the United States? This course is intended as an introduction to the culture and civilization of Brazil. It is designed to provide students with basic information about Brazilian history, politics, economy, art, literature, popular culture, theater, cinema, and music. The course will focus on how Indigenous, Asian, African, and European cultural influences have interacted to create the new and unique civilization that is Brazil today. The course is taught in English. No Prereq. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM.
- Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: De Azeredo Cerqueira, Flavia Christina
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 25/25
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Representing the Holocaust
AS.211.333 (01)
How has the Holocaust been represented in literature and film? Are there special challenges posed by genocide to the traditions of visual and literary representation? Where does the Holocaust fit in to the array of concerns that the visual arts and literature express? And where do art and literature fit in to the commemoration of communal tragedy and the working through of individual trauma entailed by thinking about and representing the Holocaust? These questions will guide our consideration of a range of texts — nonfiction, novels, poetry — in Yiddish, German, English, French and other languages (including works by Primo Levi and Isaac Bashevis Singer), as well as films from French documentaries to Hollywood blockbusters (including films by Alain Resnais, Claude Lanzmann, and Steven Spielberg). All readings in English.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Spinner, Samuel Jacob
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Latin American Ecocriticism
AS.211.378 (01)
Increased awareness of climate change has led to a shift in the way we address and intervene in environmental issues in the new millennium. Yet the interest in making sense of the environment has a long history in literature and the arts. How have Latin American writers and artists understood and depicted their environments and environmental questions? How do the form and content of texts and cultural artifacts influence our understanding of the non-human world? Can works of fiction shape ecological transformations? In this course we will discuss texts from the early colonial period to the present, including the literary works of Graciliano Ramos, Horacio Quiroga, and Clarice Lispector; political ecology; film; Ana Mendieta’s earth-body art; contemporary experiments in bio-art; postcolonial theory; and the intersection of environmental justice with such topics as nationalism and human rights. Going beyond ecocriticism’s original focus on the Anglo-American world, we will engage recent scholarship on Latin America that sheds light on the region’s cultural and geopolitical importance to the global climate, with particular attention to Brazil. This course aims to introduce students to current debates in Latin American Ecocriticism and the Anthropocene and thus contribute to an incipient but expanding field.
- Days/Times: W 3:00PM - 5:30PM
- Instructor: Bedran, Marina
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 10/10
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR
Latin American Ecocriticism
AS.211.378 (02)
Increased awareness of climate change has led to a shift in the way we address and intervene in environmental issues in the new millennium. Yet the interest in making sense of the environment has a long history in literature and the arts. How have Latin American writers and artists understood and depicted their environments and environmental questions? How do the form and content of texts and cultural artifacts influence our understanding of the non-human world? Can works of fiction shape ecological transformations? In this course we will discuss texts from the early colonial period to the present, including the literary works of Graciliano Ramos, Horacio Quiroga, and Clarice Lispector; political ecology; film; Ana Mendieta’s earth-body art; contemporary experiments in bio-art; postcolonial theory; and the intersection of environmental justice with such topics as nationalism and human rights. Going beyond ecocriticism’s original focus on the Anglo-American world, we will engage recent scholarship on Latin America that sheds light on the region’s cultural and geopolitical importance to the global climate, with particular attention to Brazil. This course aims to introduce students to current debates in Latin American Ecocriticism and the Anthropocene and thus contribute to an incipient but expanding field.
- Days/Times: W 3:00PM - 5:30PM
- Instructor: Bedran, Marina
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 5/5
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR
Climate Change Narratives
AS.211.424 (01)
In The Great Derangement Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh writes that “the climate crisis is also a crisis of culture, and thus of imagination.” Worldwide, climate and environmental change is stirring the imaginary of novelists, filmmakers, and artists who are finding ways to frame, emplot, or even perform, an unmanageable phenomenon like climate change. How is climate change shaping new modes of storytelling and aesthetics? How do film, literature, and environmentally conscious art transform our perception of the world we inhabit and its unpredictable changes? Can climate change narratives help us to imagine futures of possibilities, maybe dystopian, uncertain, or even happy, but futures nonetheless? This multimedia course explores, through a transnational perspective, a variety of contemporary novels, films, and other media that attempt answer these questions.
- Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Di Bianco, Laura
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, CDS-MB, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR
From the Shtetl to the Ghetto: Remembering and Imagining European Jewish Life
AS.211.447 (01)
The two most distinctive forms of Jewish urban settlement in Europe were the ghetto and the shtetl. Shtetls were small market towns in eastern Europe with large Jewish populations; in western European cities that restricted Jewish residence, ghettos were the small neighborhoods where Jews were permitted to live. Both arose in the 16th century - shtetls in Polish lands, while the first ghetto was in Venice - but their development took very different paths in the modern period. With industrialization, urbanization, and mass migration transforming Jewish life in the 19th century, shtetls became ubiquitous elements of Jewish art and literature as objects of nostalgia and metaphors for a range of ideas about Jewish identity and history. Ghettos, after disappearing in the 19th century, were revived by the Nazis as an integral part of their genocide of Europe's Jews. This course will survey shtetls and ghettos in history and culture, considering their role in antisemitic policy and fantasy as well as in literary and artistic representations of Jewish culture, identity, and social autonomy. Our focus will be on literature (including novels, travelogues, and journalism) and art from the 19th century to the present. All readings in English.
- Days/Times: W 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Spinner, Samuel Jacob
- Room: Gilman 479
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 12/12
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Italian Cinema: the Classics, the Forgotten, and the Emergent
AS.214.418 (01)
From the epic movies of the silent era to neorealist and auteur films of the post-war period, all the way to contemporary Academy winner The Great Beauty, Italian cinema, has had and continues to have a global impact, and shape the imagination of filmmakers all over the world. This course traces Italian film history from its origins to recent times, highlighting its main genres and trends beyond the icons of neorealist and auteur cinema, including the so-called ‘comedy Italian style,’ spaghetti westerns, horror, mafia-mockery films, feminist filmmaking, and ecocinema. While learning to probe the cinematic frame, and examine composition, camera movements, cinematography, editing, and sound, and interrogating issues of gender, class, and race, we will screen classics such as Bicycle Thieves, La Dolce Vita, and L’Avventura, but also forgotten archival films by pioneer women filmmakers, and works by emergent, independent filmmakers.
- Days/Times: T 3:00PM - 5:30PM
- Instructor: Di Bianco, Laura
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL
Modern Spanish Culture
AS.215.111 (01)
This course will explore the fundamental aspects of Spanish culture from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. The course will offer a general survey of the history of Spain and will discuss texts, movies, songs, pictures, and paintings in relation to their social, political, and cultural contexts. This course will be of particular interest for students planning on spending a semester abroad in Spain—specially for those students going to the JHU Fall Semester in Madrid, at Carlos III University. Taught in Spanish. Recommended Course Background: AS.210.311 or appropriate Webcape score. AS.215.390 was formerly numbered AS.211.390
- Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
- Instructor: Williams, Rachel C
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL
Modern Latin American Culture
AS.215.112 (01)
Taught in Spanish. This course will explore the fundamental aspects of Latin- America culture from the formation of independent states through the present—in light of the social, political, and economic histories of the region. The course will offer a general survey of history of Latin- America, and will discuss texts, movies, songs, pictures, and paintings, in relation to their social, political, and cultural contexts. May not be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.
- Days/Times: MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Rios Saavedra, Veronica
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL
Introduction to Islam Since 1800
AS.230.147 (01)
This course is an introduction to contemporary Islam and Muslim societies from approximately 1800 to the present. Key themes will include the colonial encounter, state formation and reform, revolution, Islamic revival, and globalization. Reflecting Islam’s status as a world religion, the course will touch on developments in both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority regions.
- Days/Times: MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM
- Instructor: Calder, Ryan
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, INST-CP
Chinese Revolutions
AS.230.175 (01)
This survey course examines the foreign influence on China’s political changes between the nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. The topics include Chinese Christians and anti-dynastic revolutions, Japanese imperialism and Chinese nationalism, Chinese overseas and federalist movements, as well as global connections of Chinese communist movements between 1921 and 1949.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Kuo, Huei-Ying
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL
Social Theory
AS.230.213 (01)
This course will focus on four classical social theorists whose ideas have greatly influenced how we study and understand society: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and W.E.B. DuBois. Much of the course is devoted to applying their theories to analyze current social issues, especially those involving social inequality, conflict, cohesion, and change.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: White, Alexandre Ilani Rein
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Race and Ethnicity in American Society
AS.230.244 (01)
Race and ethnicity have played a prominent role in American society and continue to do so, as demonstrated by interracial and interethnic gaps in economic and educational achievement, residence, political power, family structure, crime, and health. Using a sociological framework, we will explore the historical significance of race and its development as a social construction, assess the causes and consequences of intergroup inequalities and explore potential solutions.
- Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
- Instructor: Greif, Meredith
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-AP
Housing and Homelessness in the United States
AS.230.370 (01)
This course will examine the role of housing, or the absence thereof, in shaping quality of life. It will explore the consequences of the places in which we live and how we are housed. Consideration will be given to overcrowding, affordability, accessibility, and past and existing housing policies and their influence on society. Special attention will be given to the problem of homelessness.
- Days/Times: TTh 3:00PM - 4:15PM
- Instructor: Greif, Meredith
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-AP, CES-CC, CES-LE
Refugees, Human Rights, and Sovereignty
AS.230.378 (01)
What is a refugee? Since World War II, states that have pledged to offer protection to refugees have frequently been drawn instead to the dictates of nationalism and communitarianism, which prioritize concern for their own citizens, rather than to the needs of forced migrants. As a result, even those migrants that have been formally recognized as refugees according to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention have not been assured of protection, and other migrants have been even less assured. In this course, we will locate the reasons for this reality in the legal, political, and historical underpinnings of political asylum. What is the difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee? How has the refugee category been redefined and contested by international bodies since 1951? How are the ambiguities of real-life violence and persecution simplified in asylum adjudication interviews that require clear, factual narratives? What kinds of protections are offered to asylum seekers, whether by UN bodies, NGOs, or host governments, and how have such protections varied geographically and historically? Finally, what protections, if any, are afforded to those migrants who are fleeing not persecution but rather “merely” endemic poverty or climate-induced displacement? The course draws on literature from sociology, history, anthropology, and international refugee law in order to understand the capacity (or lack thereof) of human rights discourses and declarations to contravene state sovereignty in the name of protecting the rightless.
- Days/Times: TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM
- Instructor: Naveh Benjamin, Ilil
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-GLOBAL, INST-IR
The Making of the Asian Races Across the Pacific in the Long 20th Century
AS.230.386 (01)
Focusing on the race-makings of the Asians across the Pacific in the long twentieth century, the course employs the reading materials that elucidate the constructions about the demographic categories of the Asian "races." We use prewar Japanese materials and Chinese nationalist thoughts to elaborate on the following themes: the internal distinction among the peoples grouped under the racial category of the Asians; the overall presentation about the generic category of the "Asian" peoplehood, as well as their alleged shared civilization and interests. The theoretical framework include concepts of capitalist reconfiguration of social boundaries through racism and the question of power behind the reproduction of racial hierarchy.
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Kuo, Huei-Ying
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL
Global Health and Human Rights
AS.230.393 (01)
Is access to healthcare a fundamental human right? If so, then which global actors are obligated to provide healthcare to whom, and for how long? How do meanings of health and illness vary across time and place? And finally, how are human rights principles translated into frontline practice in order to promote well-being? This course takes a critical interdisciplinary approach to these questions through a series of global case studies ranging from humanitarian aid in post-tsunami Sri Lanka to anti-FGM (female genital mutilation) campaigns in Ghana. How do international NGOs, UN bodies, and governments collaborate (or compete) to distribute healthcare in places beset by dire resource shortages? Do human rights principles carry legal weight across borders, and if so, could access to healthcare services and essential medicines be litigated in order to compel governments to provide it? And finally, what cultural assumptions do human rights discourses carry with them, and what happens if rights-based approaches are poorly received by recipient populations? Moving beyond the basic principle of healthcare as a human right, this course aims to bring this idea’s history and politics into focus by offering an in-depth exploration of its ethics and implementation.
- Days/Times: TTh 12:00PM - 1:15PM
- Instructor: Naveh Benjamin, Ilil
- Room:
- Status: Reserved Open
- Seats Available: 18/18
- PosTag(s): n/a
Global Social Democracy
AS.230.419 (01)
Can social democracy offer an alternative to neoliberal capitalism? This course begins with an investigation of the history of social democracy in Europe, from origins to crisis to reconstruction, and then globalizes this in three ways: first, by asking how colonial relations affected social democracy in Europe; second, by examining welfare states in Asia, Latin America, and Africa; and third, by considering the possibilities of global redistribution.
- Days/Times: Th 9:00AM - 11:30AM
- Instructor: Prasad, Monica
- Room: Mergenthaler 526
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 5/5
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL
China, Southeast Asia, and U.S. National Security
AS.310.305 (01)
The global political and security landscape of the 21st century will be shaped by the rivalry between two superpowers -- China and the U.S. For the foreseeable future, the geographic focus of that contest will be Southeast Asia and the surrounding maritime space, particularly the South China Sea. Southeast Asia is a complex, highly differentiated region of ten-plus nations, each with its own unique history and relationship with China. This course will introduce Southeast Asia as a key region -- geographically, economically, and strategically -- often overlooked by policymakers and scholars. It will also focus on the craft of national security strategy as the best tool for understanding the multi-sided competition, already well underway involving China, the U.S., and the Southeast Asian states.
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Ott, marvin C
- Room: Mergenthaler 266
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-IR
Ethnicity in China
AS.310.332 (01)
Ever since the Chinese Empire fell in 1911, Chinese have tried to think of themselves as modern and to build a modern Chinese state. Among the Western concepts that Chinese appropriated to define and comprehend themselves were the notions of ethnicity, culture, nationality, and race. We will try to answer the following questions: What was the allure of arcane and elusive Western categories on culture, ethnicity, and race for Chinese scientists in the 20th century, and how did these categories come to underpin the rule of the Chinese state over its enormous population since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949? How have the Chinese state’s policies on nationality and ethnicity shaped the minds of American China scholars as they study ethnicity and nationality in China?
- Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
- Instructor: Henning, Stefan
- Room: Mergenthaler 266
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, INST-GLOBAL, CES-RI
Rebellion and Its Enemies in China Today
AS.310.336 (01)
On 13 October 2022, a middle-aged upper-middle class Chinese man staged a public political protest on an elevated road in Beijing. Peng Lifa, or “Bridge Man,” as he has become known in allusion to Tank Man from the Tiananmen demonstrations in 1989, demanded elections and reforms. How have urban Chinese been able to be so content or even happy despite their lack of political freedom? The class readings will introduce you to different kinds of activists who have confronted the authoritarian state since the late 1990s, among them human rights lawyers, reporters, environmental activists, feminists, religious activists, and labor activists. We will ask whether freedom, an obviously Western notion, is useful as an analytical category to think about China. Does freedom translate across the West/non-West divide?
- Days/Times: TTh 4:30PM - 5:45PM
- Instructor: Henning, Stefan
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): INST-CP, CES-LSO
Humanities Research Lab: Making Maps of Mexico
AS.360.420 (01)
Learn the basics of ArcGIS, data management, and the history of maps and censuses as you help Prof. Lurtz build a digital historical atlas of Mexico. No experience necessary, graduate students welcome.
- Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
- Instructor: Lurtz, Casey Marina
- Room: Gilman 308
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 15/15
- PosTag(s): HIST-LATAM, INST-GLOBAL
Nope. Black Resistance in Theory and Practice
AS.362.305 (01)
What role does resistance play in black political thought and action? How do black concepts of resistance shape broader political processes? How are these concepts essential in understanding political development past and present?
- Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
- Instructor: Spence, Lester
- Room:
- Status: Open
- Seats Available: 25/25
- PosTag(s): INST-PT
Course # (Section) | Title | Day/Times | Instructor | Location | Term | Course Details |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS.100.104 (01) | Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present | MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM | Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne | Gilman 132 | Fall 2025 | Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change. |
AS.100.104 (02) | Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present | MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM | Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne | Gilman 132 | Fall 2025 | Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change. |
AS.100.104 (03) | Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present | MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM | Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne | Gilman 132 | Fall 2025 | Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change. |
AS.100.104 (04) | Modern Europe in a global context, 1789-Present | MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM | Hindmarch-Watson, Katherine Anne | Gilman 132 | Fall 2025 | Modern Europe familiarizes students with key moments, ideas, communities, individuals, and movements which have defined European experiences in global encounters since the Revolutionary era. We will particularly focus on European imperial expansion, the formation of the modern nation-state, the history of political ideas and their global ramifications, and popular culture and social change. |
AS.100.106 (01) | History of the Global Cold War | MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM | Schrader, Stuart Laurence | Fall 2025 | The Cold War was a defining event of the 20th century. But what was it? Where did it take place? Who were the major contenders? And what were the consequences? This introductory course will examine the Cold War in a global context, looking beyond the United States and Europe. Students will learn about how the Cold War unfolded in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, in relation to the fall of European empires, the process of decolonization, and the rise of U.S. global power. This course will introduce students to key themes and primary sources in the study of the Global Cold War, as a foundation for further courses in History, Critical Diaspora Studies, International Studies, Political Science, etc. | |
AS.100.106 (02) | History of the Global Cold War | MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM | Schrader, Stuart Laurence | Fall 2025 | The Cold War was a defining event of the 20th century. But what was it? Where did it take place? Who were the major contenders? And what were the consequences? This introductory course will examine the Cold War in a global context, looking beyond the United States and Europe. Students will learn about how the Cold War unfolded in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, in relation to the fall of European empires, the process of decolonization, and the rise of U.S. global power. This course will introduce students to key themes and primary sources in the study of the Global Cold War, as a foundation for further courses in History, Critical Diaspora Studies, International Studies, Political Science, etc. | |
AS.100.118 (01) | Introduction to the Middle East | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM | Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali | Krieger 170 | Fall 2025 | Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive. |
AS.100.118 (02) | Introduction to the Middle East | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM | Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali | Krieger 170 | Fall 2025 | Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive. |
AS.100.118 (03) | Introduction to the Middle East | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM | Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali | Krieger 170 | Fall 2025 | Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive. |
AS.100.118 (04) | Introduction to the Middle East | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM | Noor, Rao Mohsin Ali | Krieger 170 | Fall 2025 | Where is the Middle East? What is it exactly in the Middle of? What, if anything, defines it, and who gets to do the defining? This introductory course poses such questions. Whilst promising no easy answers, it will nevertheless introduce students who have no prior knowledge of the Middle East to the region. Emphasis will be placed on the history, geography, languages, religions, and culture of the pre-modern and modern Middle East. Students will also be exposed to different methods and approaches to the academic study of the region. The course, while at the introductory level, is reading and writing intensive. |
AS.100.226 (01) | Antisemitism in Historical Perspective | MW 12:00PM - 1:15PM | Loeffler, James | Fall 2025 | This course explores the origins and evolution of antisemitism, with focus on questions of historical continuity and rupture, comparison with other hatreds, and the politics of history. | |
AS.100.233 (01) | History of Modern Germany | TTh 1:30PM - 2:45PM | Harms, Victoria Elisabeth | Fall 2025 | There is more to Germany than beer, BMWs, and Bayern Munich. We explore politics, culture, economics and society to understand Germany and its role within Europe and the world from the 18th century, through imperialism, WWI and WWII, the Cold War to German unification, the ‘Refugee Crisis’, the rise of the AfD, and EU politics today. | |
AS.100.256 (01) | History of Kabbalah | M 9:30AM - 12:00PM | Maciejko, Pawel Tadeusz | Gilman 308 | Fall 2025 | This course surveys the history of Jewish magic, mysticism, and secret traditions from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. We will explore the concept of sod (mystery) and its historical variations, examining how it evolved over time. Readings will include excerpts from foundational texts of Jewish esotericism, such as Sefer Yetzirah, the Bahir, and the Zohar. Additionally, we will discuss practical Kabbalah—including the preparation and use of amulets and charms—as well as beliefs surrounding demonic (and angelic) possession. |
AS.100.282 (01) | Race & Power in Modern South Africa | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM | Thornberry, Elizabeth | Fall 2025 | From 1948-1994, South Africa was governed under the system of apartheid, which denied political and civil rights to non-white citizens. This class traces the rise of apartheid in South Africa as well as the liberation struggle that eventually defeated it. | |
AS.100.282 (02) | Race & Power in Modern South Africa | MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM | Thornberry, Elizabeth | Fall 2025 | From 1948-1994, South Africa was governed under the system of apartheid, which denied political and civil rights to non-white citizens. This class traces the rise of apartheid in South Africa as well as the liberation struggle that eventually defeated it. |