Courses

This course provides a survey of economic principles within both microeconomics and macroeconomics. It introduces students to the basic economic concepts that are fundamental to understanding economic observations in daily life, such as supply, demand, price, market equilibrium, national income, unemployment, inflation, economic growth, international trade, and so on. Through discussions of contemporary economic issues and policies, students will learn how households and firms make decisions under certain economic systems, how individual markets and the national and international economy operate, and how government policies affect economic outcomes.

This course examines various ways of studying, knowing, and understanding information and experience. It focuses on the axiomatic (or formal deductive), philosophical, historical, observational (or empirical), imaginative expressive, and interpretive paradigms of discovery and understanding. As a result of taking this course, students will understand the assumptions that underlie the various ways of inquiring used within and across disciplines, understand that every mode of inquiry has its own strengths and limitations in the exploration of a given question or problem, be able to sustain a line of argument using one or more modes of inquiry, and be able to articulate the commonalities and/or differences among various modes of inquiry.

This course is an introduction to the history of Indian Civilization from early times to its independence in 1947.  It traces major political events, economic, social and cultural developments.  Beginning from the Indus Valley Civilization in 2500 BCE, proceeds to the rise of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism and the advent of the Mughal Empire in the 16th C., through the history of British colonial rule, the struggle for independence, and the partition of India and Pakistan.  Lectures and readings will explore how political, social and cultural changes, invasions and migrations have shaped its diverse cultural heritage.  The course examines concepts such as caste, ethnicity, colonialism, nation, and nationalism, in the light of historical, religious and political environment.  Students will learn to analyze traditional methodologies as well as pre-conceived notions using multidisciplinary approaches and examining both primary and secondary sources.

Introduction to the basic structure and function of the modern Japanese language, covering the basic sound system, grammatical constructions, writing system, and basic vocabulary/expressions. Important cultural aspects of the language are discussed as well.

Continuing development of the fundamental aspects of the modern Japanese language as in JPN 101 with more Kanji characters and grammatical constructions.

This course introduces students to the core concepts, processes and issues of international relations. The goal of this course is to help students develop the intellectual tools to understand the complex international system in which we live. The first segment of this course introduces students to key concepts and theories used in the study of international relations allowing students to better understand the causes of international conflict and cooperation. The rest of the term is spent applying these concepts to better understand the challenges of international security, international political economy, and other global issues.

Ethnic Studies emerged in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s to address patterns of inequality through education and social justice mobilization. In this course students learn the history of Ethnic Studies, including its relationships to Third World Feminism, global anti-imperialism movements, and other critical approaches to the past and present. Classes focus on multiple media, discussions, lectures, and student presentations. We consider how ethnicity, race, and indigeneity intersect class, gender, disability, and sexuality to create complex and nuanced relations of power. How do ethnic studies approaches help us study migration, popular culture, education, imperialism, war, and peace? Students attain an understanding of core concepts and the growing global turn in ethnic studies. Students hone their communication skills through discussion posts, a midterm presentation, and a final project focused on any ethnic studies topic of interest, anywhere in the world.

This course explores the historical and contemporary issues of peace studies (including economic, national/ethnic identity, religious, ideological, security and other aspects), and it continues with a post-Cold War emphasis on the possibilities for nonviolent ways of dealing with conflict and for lasting peace in the future. It examines the internal/personal and interpersonal sources of conflict in daily life and introduces such topics as “cultures of peace.” Topics explored include grassroots peace movements, nonviolence, international law and NGOs, international systems, peacekeeping and peacemaking, the role of individual peacemakers in their local communities, and current research in the field of peace studies.

This course is a survey of East Asian history from the earliest time to the present. The course is restricted to those aspects of East Asian history that enable us to understand the complexities and diversities in the historical experience of three East Asian countries: China, Japan, and Korea. This course concentrates on how three East Asian societies have achieved their own economic, political, social, and cultural developments, sometimes by way of mutual inspiration, influence or actual interaction with each other, and, later, with a broader world.

This course is a detailed and systematic exploration of East Asia. The course helps students to appreciate rich histories, diverse societies, and their intricate connections in the East Asian region, particularly China, Japan, and North and South Korea. It examines areas of security, politics, society, culture, identity, and economy that pertain to the East Asian countries nationally and regionally. Students will reflect on legacies of imperialism and colonialism from the past, challenges of nationalism and authoritarianism at present, as well as post-war efforts in economic and trade liberalization, democratization, anti-democratization, and modernization. This course serves as a gateway into other courses on Asian studies at SUA.

This is an exploration and celebration of Latin America, the richly diverse and fascinating area of the world that includes Mesoamerica, South America and the Caribbean. We will use multiple perspectives that focus on race, gender, and class to understand the experiences and processes that have shaped the region. Students will reflect on identity, revolutions, social movements, nation-state formation, and modernization based on analysis of primary sources within cinema, music, literature, and historical documents along with many rich secondary sources. This class is a gateway into the study of Latin America at SUA and fulfills an enrollment prerequisite for several other courses. It is also highly recommended for students interested in traveling to Latin America for study abroad.

What is Europe, and what does it mean to be “European”? A region within the Eurasian continent, Europe has uncertain edges. It is home to considerable diversity, with subregions such as Western Europe, Iberia, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Baltics, the Balkans, and more. Europe has seen considerable out-migration, especially to the Americas, as well as growing in-migration, especially from Africa and the Middle East. This course provides an interdisciplinary look at the meaning of Europe and the emergence of a common European identity, especially through the European Union. Historically, we begin in Rome and Christendom, through the Enlightenment and colonialism, as well as the World Wars and Cold War through today. Thematically, we explore migration, religion, race, and nationalism, with particular attention to minority identities and the roles of institutions in shaping emergent European identities.

This course explores the geography, history, culture, society, government and economies of Southeast Asia. Focusing on the historical background of Southeast Asian societies, the course examines the ethnic and religious composition of the region, colonialism, nation-building and economic development, efforts at regional cooperation such as ASEAN, and some of the major choices and controversies that Southeast Asians face today.

This course provides students with an introduction to the modern Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We use the conventional definition of the MENA which includes most of the Arab speaking world, Turkey, and Iran. It offers students a thematic exploration of the modern history, cultures, languages, religions, ethnic groups, and politics of the MENA. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with a region that, despite its significance in current events, continues to be misunderstood and stigmatized. The course aims to break commonly held stereotypes about the region, including the status of women, modernity, and religion.

This course offers an introduction to how political, economic, cultural, religious, and social phenomena in Africa are approached from the origins of the “African Studies” subfield to the present day. The course will place an emphasis on the inter-disciplinary nature of African Studies by exposing students to the various theoretical schools and conceptual approaches used by Africanist scholars to understand this diverse continent. We will examine African Studies within a broader context of global events that are shaping Africa and its role in a twenty-first century international system dominated by new ‘great power’ competitions. What role will Africa play in the twenty-first century? To answer this and other questions, we will make use of the lectures, empirical data, documentary film, discussion, and the course readings.

Selected topics in various special areas within international studies, which may vary from semester to semester or within semesters.

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the molecular biology of cancer and the underlying chemistry of cell biology. Students will learn how proteins are encoded and the impact of genomic instability on protein structure and function; alterations of normal metabolism in cancer cells; and basic pathways of cell division and death. Complementary chemistry topics include chemical structure and bonding, biological polymerization, thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, and redox reactions. Laboratory research will use model systems to understand cancer biology. Prevents co- or later enrollment in BIO 115 and BIO 130.

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the molecular biology of cancer and the underlying chemistry of cell biology. Students will learn how proteins are encoded and the impact of genomic instability on protein structure and function; alterations of normal metabolism in cancer cells; and basic pathways of cell division and death. Complementary chemistry topics include chemical structure and bonding, biological polymerization, thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, and redox reactions. Laboratory research will use model systems to understand cancer biology. Prevents co- or later enrollment in BIO 115 and BIO 130.

Students will continue from IBC200 to learn protein structures, excretory systems (kidney structure, nephron structure, urine formation), and homeostasis (thermoregulation and osmoregulation). IBC 201-BIO and IBC 201-CHEM are integrated into one course. In this interdisciplinary course, students will learn both chemistry and biology topics in an integrated way and then apply these topics to understand the homeostasis, particularly the excretory system, of cells and human bodies. 

Students will continue from IBC200 to learn structures of organic molecules, intermolecular forces, metal-ion complexes, thermodynamics, phase diagram, and chemical equilibrium, and colligative properties.
IBC 201-CHEM and IBC 201-BIO are integrated into one course. In this interdisciplinary course, students will learn both chemistry and biology topics in an integrated way and then apply these topics to understand the homeostasis, particularly the excretory system, of cells and human bodies. 
 

Aims at further developing students’ Japanese language proficiency in the six aspects of listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding.

Continuation of JPN 201 while further enhancing students’ proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and cultural understanding. Necessary linguistic, cultural, and mental preparations for Study Abroad studies are included.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the major themes and concepts of international human rights. Ideas supportive of contemporary international human rights norms can be found in a number of religious and philosophical traditions. This course exposes students to those traditions as well as to the development of movements that aspire to enshrine a growing list of rights into legal, social and political institutions and practices.

This course provides a robust introduction to the history, ethics, and practice of global health. Using a multidisciplinary framework, drawing on clinical, ethical, socioeconomic, political, and geographical knowledge, the course identifies how key stakeholders, including Intergovernmental organizations (e.g. the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and affiliated organizations), government entities (e.g., ministries of health, defense departments), non-governmental organizations (e.g., Médecins Sans Frontières, Partners in Health, PATH, GAVI, CEPI), other humanitarian organizations (e.g., ICRC), academic institutions, donor agencies (e.g., Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), clinical groups, and consulting firms, shape global health agendas, policies, programs, and outcomes. We discuss global burden of disease, the sustainable development goals related to health, social determinants of health, global research prioritization and clinical trials, disease surveillance networks, and the adoption and spread of global health technologies. The course also covers a basic introduction to epidemiology.

This class begins when the Spanish colonies were much richer and more powerful than the British or Portuguese. Considering American ascendancy after independence, students will explore the reasons for uneven hemispheric development in institutions, governance, and patterns of colonialism. Students will look closely at the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the US often pursued its interests at the expense of its southern neighbors. Case studies of overt and covert operations include Mexico (1848), Nicaragua (1856), Cuba (1898), Guatemala (1956), Chile (1973), and Panama (1989). Despite the fact that the United States has also supplied billions of dollars in humanitarian aid to the region and remains its largest trading partner and important ally, Latin Americans retain a highly ambivalent attitude toward its northern neighbor. Many are attracted to American popular culture and goods, but are deeply distrustful of American political intent and economic power. Students who have completed Introduction to International Relations are encouraged to enroll.

 This course is a historical and cross-cultural examination of women's and gender issues from a transnational perspective. The multidisciplinary approach draws on the humanities, social sciences, life/physical sciences, environmental sciences, and other fields of study. Course materials are based on research that views women from their perspectives as they engage with issues of patriarchy, sexism, racism, heteronormativity, and more. The course offers a holistic approach to the study of sex, gender, and sexuality. It considers how these are reflected in culture and history, how they shape social, political, economic, and institutional organization as well as personal experience and perception, and how they interact with issues of race, ethnicity, nationality, and class, among others. The course engages students in finding solutions as they examine historical and intellectual roots in worldwide movements for social change and equality.

This course is a historical survey of East Asian-American relations from around 1800 to the present, with special emphasis on the origins and changes of American thinking about three East Asian countries: China, Japan, and Korea. It also examines American interests in East Asia.

This course briefly reviews the complex history, politics, economics, and international relations of West Asia, aka the Middle East. The term “Middle East” was probably first coined by Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan in his 1890 book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783. Because of its strategic significance, the term has found currency. But it is alien to the heterogeneous peoples and cultures of the region. The region’s unique historical circumstances (ecological, religious, and oil) have given it the appearance of a culture-area.

The course examines the historical development of educational thought and practice in the West from the early Greeks to the present, focusing on the theme of humanism – its interpretation by the early Greeks, its reformulation in the Christian era, its eclipse and later revival during the Renaissance and its tenuous existence in the age of the modern and pre-modern state (1600-1900). Students will read from the works of such writers as Plato, Dante, Pico Della Mirandola, Erasmus, Vico, Comenius, Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Rousseau.

This course is a survey of modern China from around 1600 to the present. The course helps students to understand the origins, processes, and outcomes of the revolution in 20th century China. The course analyzes the complex and contradictory process of revolution, including the Communist Revolution and the many other revolutions that have transformed Chinese society and politics.

This course provides a survey of China’s economic development under the centrally planned socialist system since 1949, and the on-going economic reform since 1978. China’s role in regional economic growth and its economic relationship with the world economy are also be addressed.

This course will examine three central questions of the stage: What are the literary and cultural origins of the theater? How does an actor relate to the written word? How can the actor influence the audience? To investigate these questions, the course will provide basic training in theater exercises for motion, speech, and concentration, in-class discussion and performance of plays, and analysis of both Eastern and Western philosophical ideas of the theater.

This course provides students with a foundation in empirical research both quantitative and qualitative, with the objective of equipping students with the tools to carry out their own original research in all of the fields that comprise International Studies including but not limited to political science, area studies, international relations, history, anthropology, international political economy, sociology, history, and law.

Our course is organized around the major stages of the research process including choosing a topic, developing a research question, conducting a literature review, constructing a thesis or hypothesis, and finally supporting a thesis or testing a hypothesis through different qualitative and quantitative research design strategies.

By the end of the course, students will feel confident to carry out their own original research projects in various fields. Through the process of learning how to carry out research, students will develop their logical thinking skills such as reasoning, analytical thinking, and problem solving which are fundamental skills for future careers and graduate school.

This course examines the emergence of the Third World in modern history, the response to and reformulation of the question of modernity among Third World peoples and intellectuals, and the formation of modern global relation, beginning around 1450 to the present, in which Euro-Americans played a central part. This course also explores recent changes in the status and the meaning of the Third World and lays out numerous historical problems that still remain in this increasingly globalizing and interactive world.

This class begins with a question: What do the two largest and, arguably, most powerful nations in Latin America have in common? Brazil and Mexico are postcolonial societies of fallen Iberian empires. They are also regionally commanding, exceedingly diverse, devoutly Catholic, socially unequal and traditionally exploitative of their poor and weak (especially the indigenous peoples of Mexico or descendants of African slaves of Brazil). These countries also attract thousands of foreign visitors who marvel at their natural beauty and celebrate their rich multicultural traditions. Through history, politics, culture and current events, this class will compare and contrast these two diverse nations. Text, film, music and images will be used in a classroom environment that stresses multiple pedagogical styles. This class may be of special interest to students who wish to study abroad in Latin America.

The United Nations system serves as both a forum for multilateral diplomacy and as an influential actor in the international system in its own right. Following the end of the Second World War, the UN was created with the hope that this new international organization would (according to the preamble of the UN Charter) "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war," as well as promote human rights, and social and economic progress. As both forum and agent, the UN system has fulfilled this mandate with mixed results. The goal of this course is to understand better what, how, and why the United Nations System does what it does. Special focus is given to the work of the United Nations in International Peace and Security, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, and Development.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

What is democracy? Why is democracy desirable? Is ti desirable? How has democracy evolved over time? What causes countries to democratize -- does democracy come from within a country or from global influences? How do countries transition to democracy? Is democracy better suited to some peoples than others? How does democracy vary across world regions? Who benefits from it, and who loses? What are the alternatives?

This course addresses these and other questions in a comparative context. Students are expected to leave the course with a critical, nuanced view of democracy as well as knowledge of both democratic and non-democratic countries. We will keep tabs on elections from around the world as we examine key theories related to democracy. Above all, I want students to understand more fully why we have democracy and why people fight to create it, but also to recognize its shortcomings. Democracy is not the only thing that matters in politics, but it matters a great deal. I hope this course encourages you to value democracy and consider how to contribute to its strength in wherever you find yourself.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

The course explores the history and development of the American West, a space of settlement and contestation. It examines one of America’s more enduring myths, the idea of the frontier as a continuous line of expansion westward over time. Students compare and contrast the real and the symbolic West as a zone of encounter between different people, empires, and societies.

This course is geared primarily for students who have completed JPN 202 and are preparing to study abroad in the following semester. Focuses on developing listening and speaking skills for conversations in various situations where the appropriate use of grammatical constructions and knowledge of language functions/sociolinguistics are required.

Aims at further developing listening and speaking skills while learning more advanced language functions and sociolinguistics.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to some of the great – popular and classical works – written in Western Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Readings include the bawdy tales of Chaucer, Boccaccio, Rabelais, and Cervantes; Dante’s great epic poem, Inferno (from “The Divine Comedy,”) Erasmus’ Praise of Folly, More’s Utopia, and Montaigne’s Essays. These timeless pieces have shaped and continue to shape the Western imagination from Shakespeare to James Joyce and Thomas Pynchon. Attention is paid to the historical contexts although emphasis will be on genres and forms.

This course provides an overview of the major issues in international and intra-state conflict resolution, transformation and peace building. Using case studies and simulations, students will examine the causes of violent conflict, the conditions for peace and the ways in which negotiation, mediation and peace building strategies can facilitate the transformation from violent political conflict to sustainable peace.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Intends to develop reading and writing skills while strengthening the mastery of vocabulary, expressions, Kanji characters, and grammar. Main reading materials are short essay and expository readings. Writing activities include message, letter, and journal writing.

This course is about the way that Latin American immigration to the US, and often their return back to Latin America, affects the communities, families, racial identities, and even sex lives of both immigrants and the people they leave behind. The course will draw on readings primarily from Anthropologists and Sociologists who see immigration, not as a linear process of arrival and eventual integration, but as a transnational process of the movement of people, money, culture, and politics back and forth across borders in complex ways that affect both the US and Latin America. Thus, while the course will cover the overall historical trends of Latino immigration to the US, changing demographics, the effects of US immigration laws on immigrants and their families, and the overall economic and political trends in Latin America that explain why people migrate, the real focus of the course is on the effects of these overall trends on communities and families in both the US and Latin America as illustrated through ethnographically rich case studies based on participant observation with migrants, return migrants, and members of the sending communities.

Many scholars have argued that the whole idea of Asia is an invention, since geographically speaking the separation of Asia from “Europe” (or West, in a strict sense) makes little sense. This is the point of departure for this course, which will examine constructions and representations of East (Asia) and West, as ideas, in significant scholarly and literary works, and films, both Euro-American and Asian. The course examines each work in its relationship to its historical circumstances in order to convey a sense of changes historically in such constructions and representations.

Many scholars have argued that the whole idea of Asia is an invention, since geographically speaking the separation of Asia from “Europe” (or West, in a strict sense) makes little sense. This is the point of departure for this course, which will examine constructions and representations of East (Asia) and West, as ideas, in significant scholarly and literary works, and films, both Euro-American and Asian. The course examines each work in its relationship to its historical circumstances in order to convey a sense of changes historically in such constructions and representations.

Home to over half the world’s population, the 24 countries of South, Southeast, and East Asia present diverse political worlds. This course is intended to provide students with a detailed understanding of the diverse political systems and issues in (and between) Asian countries. It examines colonial legacies, struggles for democracy, the challenges of military and populist rule, ethnic politics, development, armed resistance, regional cooperation, and more. Students are expected to develop deeper knowledge of and appreciation for politics in Asian countries. Far from being a story of top-down power politics, students will also learn about grassroots struggles and forms of resistance. Above all, this course emphasizes diverse political contexts across Asia’s political landscapes.

This course investigates the economic performance and development of the economies of Pacific Asia; covering Japan, Asian NIEs (Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore), ASEAN-4 (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines), China and Vietnam. Through this class, students will gain factual knowledge on the economic characteristics of and policies on these economies’ structural change, economic growth, and development; and the economic relationship among these economies as well as between this region and the world economy in the era of globalization. The emphasis of this course is on the application of proper economic analytical tools to examine the effectiveness of various development strategies and policies on each economy’s development process. The applicability of the development experiences of these economies to other developing countries will also be briefly discussed.

How do we create a vibrant social-economy that gives opportunity to all, especially in a region where sustained growth and equality have long been elusive goals? In the last three decades, millions of Latin Americans have risen out of dire poverty, much of the region overthrew military dictatorships, and Latin American commodities have expanded into vast new markets (especially Chinese). Nevertheless, the promises of ending poverty, sustained growth, and governments that work for the best interest of the majority of Latin Americans have been maddeningly elusive. Arguments for revolution or authoritarianism are again on the rise and Latin America may be a bellwether for the world. For example, the region's policymakers have been among the first to experiment with the possible "limits" or extremes of economic policy, such as communism and central planning, or neoliberalism and unregulated markets. In addition, there is no other region in the world that can compare to Latin America's mix of 1) enormous natural resources relative to small population; 2) inequality in multiracial societies; and 3) high levels of violence without formal warfare. The elite of Latin America, like almost everywhere, have no intention of creating egalitarian societies if it means a reduction in their own resources. Therefore, across these diverse societies, "development" is utopian in its ultimate imagined manifestations. For this reason, cultural studies and anthropology are not excluded, but students will mostly read texts by economists and political scientists.

Central America is often known as a region of rich cultural heritage but also a legacy of vast inequalities and forms of violent repression and rebellion. The purpose of this course is to understand the cultural, political, and economic factors that have led to this particular situation. We begin by looking at the process of conquest and colonization in shaping new societies and social structures, then explore the socio-economic processes that set the stage for many of the conflicts and problems that Central America faces today, and finally we explore the current situation in Central America as it relates to changing ideas about gender and the role of women, racism and race mixing, immigration and exile, and forms of violence caused by over 30 years of civil war and economic upheaval. 

This course introduces historical complexities and issues, and various constraints that have shaped the lives and struggles of East Asian women from the “pre-modern period” to the present, in their dealings with the questions of their own culture and, later, modernity. Literary works and films will be widely used. 

This course introduces historical complexities and issues, and various constraints that have shaped the lives and struggles of East Asian women from the “pre-modern period” to the present, in their dealings with the questions of their own culture and, later, modernity. Literary works and films will be widely used. 

This course examines historical issues and problems of modern China (such as women, family, and revolution) through their representations in literature and film. The course considers literature and film in their relation to historical circumstances. Film and literature provide a multiplicity of class, ethnic, gender, generational, and regional perspectives.

This course examines historical issues and problems of family, women and revolution in modern Chinese history through their representations in literature and films, both Chinese and foreign, with the emphasis on the analysis of the Chinese revolution through family and women narratives. The course considers literature and film in their relation to historical circumstances. Film and literature have been selected to cover a multiplicity and complexity of class, ethnic, gender, generational, and regional perspectives.

This course investigates the unfolding of the idea of “China” in history. The course examines the “invention” of the Chinese past and present according to the circumstances of different periods, political needs, and cultural self-images of the population inhabiting this area of the world a population that changed quite significantly over time in its constitution.

This is an intensive upper-division course designed for Humanities majors and non-majors who seek to prepare themselves to engage issues of graphic literacy in an increasingly visual global and professional culture. This course will pursue landmarks in the history of cinema and establish analytic vocabularies for interpreting film masterpieces as well as emerging visual technologies. Our curricular emphasis will be upon “film texts” of the highest artistic status. Our analytic emphasis will focus on (i) critical approaches to those texts and (ii) interpretive disputes carried out across the last century’s divergent critical viewpoints, now under siege by aesthetic and conceptual norms that seek consensus (hegemonic unity) in a world only recently opened to multiple cultural perspectives.

This course is intended as an advanced survey of the People’s Republic of China from its beginnings in 1949 to the present. The survey will cover internal developments in Chinese socialism and its global context as well as developments in Chinese society and culture since 1949.

Between 2000 and 2030, the urban populations of the developing regions in the Global South will double from two to four billion people, accounting for the vast majority of urban growth on this planet. Taking a comparative view of urbanization and development, this course focuses on the many cities in the Global South where millions of urban dwellers lack adequate shelter and access to clean water, sanitation and other basic infrastructure. What are the causes and environmental consequences of rapid urbanization and urban expansion in cities as diverse as Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Lagos, Mumbai or Chongqing? What strategies, programs and policies exist that can steer future urban development in a more environmentally sustainable direction?

This course is intended as an advanced survey of the People’s Republic of China from its beginnings in 1949 to the present. The survey will cover internal developments in Chinese socialism and its global context as well as developments in Chinese society and culture since 1949.

This course introduces students to the basic histories, social structures, cultures, and current issues facing indigenous peoples in Central and South America. It explores how indigenous communities and identities have been formed, from the conquest and through today, examining a range of processes and events, such as colonialism, integration into the global economy, racism and racial hierarchies, civil wars, indigenous social movements, and migration and exile. It also examines the responses of indigenous peoples to these processes and events, looking specifically at topics such as retreat, revolution, and political activism. The goal of the course is to understand indigenous peoples as products of complex processes through which communities, identities and inequalities are produced.  

This is a multidisciplinary course designed to generate a critical and comparative understanding of both the history and contemporary state of Asian America. Particular emphasis is placed upon issues of globalization, labor and refugee migrations, racial discrimination and nativism in U.S. society, and Asian American challenges to structural forms of exclusion.

This course is designed for students to gain a critical understanding of key contemporary social issues as expressed in the cinema of Pacific Asia, a center of global cultural production. Mainstream Hollywood films have retained a dominant position in global markets, including Asia, and are an important factor in transnational filmmaking. On the other hand, films produced in Japan and Korea, in particular, have become important sources of "borrowing" by Hollywood filmmakers. By and large, however, Hollywood films continue to reiterate stereotypical images of Pacific Asia. In lieu of rehearsing these tropes, this course incorporates the voices of independent Asian American filmmakers.

The course explores diverse approaches to questions such as: What do we mean when we talk about cinematic realism, subjective reality, and objective reality? How do we make sense of and understand the connotations and contradictions inherent in the ways social relations and history are expressed in popular cinema? What is the relationship between national and transnational cinema in Pacific Asia? What role does cinema play within broader social, economic, and political contexts, and how does cinema reinforce or challenge structural desires and fantasies? What is the relationship between cinematic representations of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and material reality? In other words, this course will focus on the relationship between cinematic narratives and the societies in which they are produced and/or consumed.  

This course uses ethnographic case studies to understand how sex, gender, and sexuality are socially constructed in different societies around the world and how these social constructions generate different identities, social categories, and relations of power. The course uses analytical tools of Anthropology to understand the cultural logic behind practices and beliefs that are informed by culturally specific sex/gender/sexuality systems; how those cultural logics and practices are related to relations of power between individuals; how they become embedded in institutions of the state that affect the way rights are distributed and often violated; and what happens when they come into contact through various types of transnational movements of people and ideas. The course will also expose students to debates about how we use these understandings of the cultural logics of gendered practices and ideologies in order to address specific examples of gender/sexuality discrimination, gender violence, and international human rights discourse and policies.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

The course aims to study the ideology and Programs of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) on peace and non-violence, in the context of British colonial rule. The emphasis of the course is on concepts such as colonialism, imperialism, nation, community and nationalism, in the light of historical, religious and political environment. Students will learn to analyze primary and secondary sources as well as pre-conceived notions using multidisciplinary approaches.

A product of the Indian reform and nationalist movements, Gandhi’s philosophy highlighted the importance of peace, human dignity and social inclusion. This has allowed other societies elsewhere to adopt his methods to resolve political, economic, and social disputes. Gandhi stirred the social conscience of his nation and the world through his use of non-violence (ahimsa) and active civil disobedience.

The course aims to study the ideology and Programs of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) on peace and non-violence, in the context of British colonial rule. The emphasis of the course is on concepts such as colonialism, imperialism, nation, community and nationalism, in the light of historical, religious and political environment. Students will learn to analyze primary and secondary sources as well as pre-conceived notions using multidisciplinary approaches.

A product of the Indian reform and nationalist movements, Gandhi’s philosophy highlighted the importance of peace, human dignity and social inclusion. This has allowed other societies elsewhere to adopt his methods to resolve political, economic, and social disputes. Gandhi stirred the social conscience of his nation and the world through his use of non-violence (ahimsa) and active civil disobedience.

This seminar focuses on critiques of social relations of power by black intellectuals and artists of the African Diaspora. We study works by Jean-Jaques Dessalines, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, W.E.B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells, Susie King Taylor, Marcus Garvey, Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, Jr., Audre Lorde, Malcom X, Kwame Nkrumah, Angela Davis, Bessie Smith, Audre Lorde, Cheryl Harris, and others. To contextualize these voices, we examine central themes in a Pan-African, African American History: slavery/abolition, the rise of Islam and Christianity in Black communities, Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, Decolonization, Pan-Africanism and Black Nationalism, The Civil Rights Movement, Neocolonialism, Black Power and Black Feminism. The course is an incitement to creative and critical thinking about the endurance of racism and the possibilities of social justice solutions. We take inspiration from Critical Race Studies and students acquire a nuanced understanding of black critiques of race and the history and future of struggles against anti-black racism.

The course examines episodes of genocide and mass atrocities in the 20th and 21st centuries and analyzes theoretical, legal, political, and sociocultural underpinnings of genocide prevention. Today we see a growing body of scholarship, early warning and risk assessments, legal doctrines and practices, the responsibility to protect debate, and state and non-state institutions devoted to preventing genocide and mass atrocities. Through integrating these resources, we will deepen our understanding of “genocidal” processes and explore ways to prevent them.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

The study of American trade politics occupies a special place in the history of political science and policy studies. It has contributed to new insights into the role of economic groups in American politics, the creative and often independent role of state and public officials in the national policy process and the impact of international structures and processes on domestic politics and policymaking. This course examines the formation of American trade policy since World War II, when the United States assumed the mantle of global leadership and embarked on a world historic project designed to create an open international trading system. Organized around an exploration of state-society relationships at the intersection of international and domestic economies, the course seeks to answer an interrelated set of questions: who defines America’s national trade interest; under what conditions do they define it; and where does their power come from?

This course introduces students to one of the major issues of the world economy: the process of economic development. It provides an understanding of the causes and consequences of underdevelopment and poverty in developing economies and attempts to explore possible means to overcome obstacles to development. Topics covered include: economic growth, sources of growth (capital formation, population and human capital, technology), economic structural change, income distribution, institutional factors, development strategies, government policies, international trade, foreign aid, foreign investment, and debt crisis. 

This course provides an introduction to international economic concepts and contemporary issues related to international trade and international finance. It illustrates the philosophical foundations and historical context of various theories of trade and finance and their applications to trade policies and trade relations. Other areas examined include balance of payment, determination of exchange rate, foreign investment, multinational enterprises, financial market internationalization, international economic policies, and international economic organizations. Emphasis is on the critical evaluation of and debates on current trade policies and other international economic issues, such as North-South trade relations, free trade vs. protectionism, and international resources movement.

What is the state?  How is it organized?  How do different countries select leaders, where is power located, who rules, and who is excluded?  Under what conditions do people obey the state, resist it, or transform it?  Which societal configurations challenge state control?  How do states gain the legitimacy to rule?

INTS/POLI 365, State - Society Relations in Comparative Context, provides students with a conceptual understanding of the composition of states in diverse societal contexts.  The course begins with a discussion of regimes, leading to the first assignment, in which students assess the regime of a country of their choice.  The second part of the course is concerned with defining the state and understanding its institutions.  This will motivate the second assignment, in which students will design what they feel to be an ideal institutional configuration for their country.  The third part of the course pushes back, looking at societies and how they undermine your designs.  Your third paper will consider resistance from various societal forces.  You will then assemble and revise your three papers to form a broader paper on state / society relations.

Students will develop a heightened understanding of democratic and non-democratic regimes, how electoral systems turn votes into seats, the tradeoffs in different systems, and how these systems interact with a myriad of societal forces that may resist the state (sometimes for good reason).

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This course examines the ambiguities of the intellectual's role as both a critic of society and an advocate for its highest values and assumptions. Students study the lives of notable Western and non-Western thinkers, public and official reaction to their ideas, and the relation in general between ideas and actions. Some of the thinkers studied include Socrates, Erasmus, Voltaire, Heine, Nietzsche, Kang-Youwei, Yoshida Shoin, and Franz Fanon.

This course is a survey of modern Japan from the mid-19th century to the present, with emphasis on historical issues that have led to diverse understandings and interpretations. The course focuses on the development of modern ideology, social relationships, and economic and political institutions in a global context. The course takes the development of Japanese capitalism in the global economic system as the central event of modern Japanese history and of Japan’s changing place in the world during the 20th century.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This course is a survey of modern Japan from the mid-19th century to the present, with emphasis on historical issues that have led to diverse understandings and interpretations. The course focuses on the development of modern ideology, social relationships, and economic and political institutions in a global context. The course takes the development of Japanese capitalism in the global economic system as the central event of modern Japanese history and of Japan’s changing place in the world during the 20th century.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This course engages students in an examination of how indigenous peoples of Oceania have been deeply engaged in global cultural, political, and economic processes since the time of their earliest encounters with representatives of the West. This class incorporates classic and contemporary studies from Anthropology and Pacific History together with the voices and views from islander writers and artists. Social science perspectives are helpful for understanding natural and cultural environments, cultural history and change, language issues, and current socioeconomic and educational issues facing the Islands today. Writers and artists can show how islanders are active in shaping their views of themselves, and the larger political-economic processes in which they participate. By combining these two points of view, the class will examine the tensions between cultural traditions and globalization and how we, as outsiders and as islanders, come to know and empathize with the peoples of Oceania.

In this course we examine “education” by looking beyond the typical setting of the school. Instead, we will consider education in the context of learning and culture. As scholars in history and anthropology have shown in recent decades, learning can be found in classrooms, families, churches, and public places. It can be thought of broadly as the process by which people acquire knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills. We will study the past as a deeply constitutive force in the present. Historians call this approach cultural history, anthropologists call it historical ethnography. Specific topics will include prominent and influential theories of pedagogy and learning as well as the historical and cultural dynamics of race and ethnicity in learning. Throughout we will keep the long history of education reform in – including contemporary initiatives. The course is a reading and writing intensive seminar, with students expected to complete an original research paper testing or applying principles discussed in class. 

INTS381, Political Islam in Comparative Context, provides a multidisciplinary glimpse into the various ways that Islam manifests itself politically around the world. Part One looks to the faith--the scripture and organization of Islam. Part Two examines the rise of Islamic politics in the post-colonial world. The course then shifts to discuss different manifestations that speak to the Janus-faced, conservative and progressive nature of Political Islam, in relation to war, Sharia law, social justice, and human rights. The course concludes by considering democracy in the ongoing evolution of Political Islam. The primary objective of this course is to help students understand the fragmented, and at times contradictory, nature of Political Islam. Even terms such as jihad or sharia contain diverse meanings, ranging from demands for resistance to the promotion of education. Students are expected to move beyond images of Islam as monolithic and instead approach Islam as a living religion, one struggling with many of the same social issues facing other world faiths.

This course seeks to unravel the Janus-faced nature of Political Buddhism. It provides a multidisciplinary glimpse into the ways that Buddhism manifests itself politically around the world. Part One looks to the faith – the beliefs, scripture and organization of Buddhism. Part Two looks to the rise of Buddhist politics in the post-colonial world. Part Three, the heart of the course, looks at key themes in Political Buddhism, such as democracy, war, gender, and other political issues. 

This course is more about the intersections between faith and politics more than it is about the faith in and of itself. Students are expected to overcome images of Buddhism as monolithic and as necessarily peaceful, even if it does contain a great wealth of peaceful, non-violent teachings. Buddhism is a living religion, one struggling with the same social issues facing all world faiths.

The Americas were populated for millennia before European colonization transformed the hemisphere and the lives of its indigenous inhabitants. The descendants of these people live in many parts of North America – including Orange County, California. This seminar explores the histories and cultures of selected Native American peoples from Canada, Mexico, and the United States during selected eras from before colonization to the contemporary period. Reading current and classic scholarship on Native Americans and writing a research essay on a topic of the students’ choosing, students will acquire an understanding of the historical and cultural processes that have defined Native American lives. Cross-listed as ANTH 384.

This course examines anthropological and sociological perspectives of race and ethnicity. Drawing on studies from many different parts of the world, the course explores the nature of ethnic identity, the cultural construction and social meaning of race, the dynamics of race relations and ethnic stratification, and current theories of ethnic conflict and minority rights. The aim of this course is to develop the theoretical tools for comparing the politics of identity and cultural and racial difference cross-culturally and to be able to think critically about our own common sense understandings of race and ethnic relations.

The goal of this class is to understand the particular forms of violence that exist in Latin America, the causes of these forms of violence, and how they are connected to particular local and national histories, cultural ideologies, and social structures. It is also the goal of this class to understand the meaning of violence: that is, how do people in Latin America make sense of the violence around them? How do they justify and/or condemn it? How is violence sometimes used as a way to make meaning, to protest inequality and impunity, and to assert subjectivity? The course will be based primarily on ethnographic case studies of different forms of violence (structural, institutional, state-sponsored, intra-familial, vigilante, armed resistance, etc.) that look at its socio-economic-political context but also its cultural meaning to the perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. The rationale of the course is that it is by understanding the meaning of violence, the context within which it is carried out, and its cultural logic, that we are best equipped to begin to address it. 

This course sets out to analyze the historiography of the Pacific War with particular reference to problems of memory, interpretation, authentication, and politicization of history. During the course of the semester students are introduced to a wide range of primary and secondary materials drawn from both national and sub-national sources. These are supplemented by cinematic representations of the Pacific War that have become an important channel for the preservation of historical memories.

This course approaches the study of human rights regimes in contemporary East Asia from a comparative perspective and within a global framework. Among the topics covered will be: (1) the relationship between state and international organizations in shaping human rights regimes; (2) the activities of subnational agencies and citizen-based advocacy groups; and (3) case studies in human rights as reflected in, for example, the emergence of social welfare provision, and the rights of patients, indigenous and national minorities.

This course examines how epidemiology informs global health policy and governance. Students will develop the ability to design, critique, and interpret epidemiological studies, with direct application to human health, disease, and clinical medicine in global contexts. They will practice integrating scientific evidence into policy and governance decisions, producing professional work such as policy memos, consulting presentations, and grant proposals modeled on the application structure required by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The course emphasizes critical analysis, clear communication, and the integration of liberal arts perspectives to address complex challenges in global health.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Through lectures, discussion, student presentations, and other pedagogies, this class aims to achieve four primary objectives: 1) To explore the role that disease and medicine played in important historical events; 2) to study the social, institutional and cultural dimensions of disease, ailments and medicine in today’s global societies; 3) to become familiar with some of the basic mechanics of epidemic diseases, such as smallpox, influenza, yellow fever, cholera, bubonic plague, syphilis, AIDS and Covid-19; 4) and to understand how some of the most important policy debates in international studies take (or should take) infectious diseases into consideration. Western (bio-)medicine is emphasized, but Eastern traditions and alternative medicine are not excluded. Students interested in careers in medicine, public health, and global health policy may consider this class.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This course introduces students to the study of public international law. Traditionally called the law of nations, international law provides one mechanism by which states can avoid, manage, or resolve international conflicts. As this system of law has evolved, it has expanded to cover an increasing number of issue areas as well as a broad range of international actors. Students develop an understanding of how international law is created and implemented as well as explore the role of legal norms in contemporary international politics and global governance.

The goal of this course is twofold: to examine the evolution of Greek philosophy from the earliest known stages and explore the way in which philosophical and literary issues permeated and continues to permeate the work of contemporary thinkers and writers; and to provide a take on the antique world.

This course will explore the development of the cinema of Japan over the past 120 years, with particular reference to its cultural relevance and aesthetic principles, as one of the only global film traditions that has emerged independent of a Western model. We will investigate its historical origins and the different genres created by the growth of the film industry in Japan, as well as various influences on its forms from literary and artistic sources.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Media have a long history. The term refers to the means of encoding and transmitting information beyond its original setting. It covers all technologies of inscription, not only the latest ones: from rhyme and writing to the Internet and virtual reality. "Mediology" (or the science of the media) argues that transmission alters the nature of the message -- the world encoded is the world reconfigured to be otherwise than it used to be. Do media function as prosthetic enhancements of our senses? Or do they bend hearing, seeing and sensing into shapes that would never emerge in the first place? Does the experience of the media obscure the nature of their impact? Who is the media subject: Narcissus or Orpheus? In addition to classic theories of the media (Marshall McLuhan, Walter Benjamin, Niklas Luhmann), this advanced seminar will also consider the emerging environmental media theories.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

European empires created the historical context out of which the United States emerged. Since the US attained national independence, it has pursued its own imperial and colonial ambitions around the world. Many of the twenty-first century's international arrangements--from the United Nations to the global trade system--reflect this imperial history, at least in part. However, although often described as a global hegemon, the US, in fact, must negotiate its power as it frequently encounters resistance at home and abroad. Investigating the imperial and colonial dimensions of contemporary life and understanding the resources of hope and resistance in the cultures of people all around the world are central themes of this seminar. Students read current and classic scholarship in the traditions of Critical Ethnic Studies, Imperial Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Settler Colonial Studies to interpret both empire and the cultural dynamics of power and resistance of colonized peoples. While course content focuses special attention on the US, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, the themes and methods of the course are global, and students are free to write their final research paper comparing any region of the world.

European empires created the historical context out of which the United States emerged. Since the US attained national independence, it has pursued its own imperial and colonial ambitions around the world. Many of the twenty-first century's international arrangements--from the United Nations to the global trade system--reflect this imperial history, at least in part. However, although often described as a global hegemon, the US, in fact, must negotiate its power as it frequently encounters resistance at home and abroad. Investigating the imperial and colonial dimensions of contemporary life and understanding the resources of hope and resistance in the cultures of people all around the world are central themes of this seminar. Students read current and classic scholarship in the traditions of Critical Ethnic Studies, Imperial Studies, Postcolonial Studies, and Settler Colonial Studies to interpret both empire and the cultural dynamics of power and resistance of colonized peoples. While course content focuses special attention on the US, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, the themes and methods of the course are global, and students are free to write their final research paper comparing any region of the world.