Geographic Sub-categories
Courses in this category deal with the culture, history, and society of specific geographic contexts, as well as the ways these contexts are integrated into broader global interactions.
Africa
Courses in this sub-category enable students both to comprehend and to move beyond established geographic, political, and popular understandings of Africa and Africans. Emphasis placed on unsettling Africa, focusing on its location within academic, literary, and popular discourses and within regional systems (e.g.: East Africa and the Indian Ocean World, West Africa and the Atlantic World, and North Africa and the Mediterranean and European World). These courses also examine how Africans have throughout history and to this day challenged the diplomatic, political, economic, cultural, and environmental constraints to living their lives, and their efforts to construct and re-imagine their local and regional relationships.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
ANTH 304 | Peoples and Cultures of Africa | 4 |
FREN 417 | Topics of the French-Speaking World | 4 |
HIST 214 | Africa Inside Out | 4 |
HIST 215 | Southern African History | 4 |
HIST 219 | History of Africa to 1880 | 4 |
HIST 220 | History of Africa Since 1880 | 4 |
HIST 385 | Missionaries, Mullahs, and Marabouts: African Encounters with Christianity and Islam | 4 |
HIST 386 | African Environmental History | 4 |
HIST 387 | Slavery and the Slave Trade in Africa | 4 |
HIST 410 | Five Centuries of Atlantic Slavery, 1400-1900 | 4 |
HIST 420 | The History of International Development | 4 |
INGS 201 | African Youth Cultures in Post-Colonial Urban Africa | 4 |
INGS 203 | Sociolinguistics of Africa | 4 |
INGS 207 | Globalization, Popular Culture, and Politics in West Africa | 4 |
INGS 208 | West and Central Africa in the Atlantic World | 4 |
INGS 309 | Society and Culture in Zambia | 4 |
INGS 312 | Africa and the West Since 1800 | 4 |
INGS 406 | From Berlin to Addis Ababa: Africa and International Summitry | 4 |
POLS 227 | Africa in World Politics | 4 |
POLS 230 | Politics in Nigeria and South Africa | 4 |
POLS 329 | Comparative African Politics | 4 |
POLS 339 | The Political Economy of Development in Zambia and Botswana | 4 |
Asia
Courses in this sub-category contribute to students’ understanding of Asia as a region that was shaped by a number of cultural traditions such as Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism that traveled across countries, as well as a set of countries that developed distinct responses to capitalist integration and interactions with western powers. With new economic and political ideas transforming countries in this part of the world, Asia is today a vibrant example of globalization. At the same time, the cultures of Asia have global reach and influence through their arts and manufacturing, and as models for poverty alleviation and industrialization. Asia is an area of remarkable diversity, growth, and dynamism that both influences and is influenced by the cultures outside of Asia.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
ANTH 341 | The Culture and History of Southeast Asia | 4 |
ASIA 203 | Chinese Martial Arts Cinema | 4 |
ASIA 204 | Themes in New Chinese Cinema | 4 |
ASIA 209 | Japanese Literature and Culture | 4 |
ASIA 217 | Modern Japanese Literature | 4 |
ASIA 232 | Father Emperor, Mother Land: Family and Nationalism in Modern Japan | 4 |
ASIA 235 | Love in Modern Japan | 4 |
ASIA 320 | Gender and Sexuality in Japanese Culture | 4 |
HIST 211 | China: Inside the Great Wall | 4 |
HIST 212 | China: Manchus to Massacre, Dynasty to Dictatorship | 4 |
HIST 216 | History of Japan | 4 |
HIST 221 | History of India and South Asia I | 4 |
HIST 222 | History of India and South Asia II | 4 |
HIST 351 | History of Modern India through Cinema and Literature | 4 |
HIST 388 | The United States and Vietnam since 1945 | 4 |
HIST 455 | European Empires in Asia | 4 |
INGS 304 | Politics and Society in Modern India | 4 |
PHIL 215 | Chinese Philosophy | 4 |
POLS 248 | China's Environmental Crisis | 4 |
POLS 249 | China and the World | 4 |
POLS 250 | States and Markets in East Asia | 4 |
POLS 326 | Comparative Asian Politics | 4 |
POLS 360 | Chinese Politics | 4 |
POLS 367 | Political Economy of Asia and Latin America | 4 |
RELG 162 | Introduction to Asian Religions | 4 |
RELG 262 | Buddhist Traditions | 4 |
RELG 264 | Hinduism | 4 |
RELG 364 | Buddhist Ethics | 4 |
Europe
European identities and culture have been shaped by global movements in religion and philosophy, politics, science and the arts over the course of the last two thousand years. The successful integration of most of its countries into a stable economic and political union established Europe as one of the biggest players in the global economy. But Europe is also facing difficult challenges. Colonialism and capitalism have shaped contemporary European realities, giving rise to growing immigration, cultural and political struggles related to religion and gender, as well as growing concerns about social inequity. Courses in this sub-category enable students to comprehend Europe’s unique heritage as well as its role and place in today’s world.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
ANTH 222 | Celtic Culture and Archaeology | 4 |
ANTH 303 | The Anthropology of Europe | 4 |
ANTH 387 | Archaeology of Ireland | 4 |
ARTH 350 | Spanish Painting | 4 |
ARTH 496 | Islamic Spain and Spanish Art | 4 |
FREN 301 | Discovering Paris | 4 |
FREN 314 | Introduction to Literature, Culture, and History of the French-Speaking World | 4 |
FREN 321 | Studies in Culture and Literature Abroad | 4 |
FREN 322 | Langue, Littérature, Culture in Paris | 4 |
FREN 324 | Contemporary France | 4 |
FREN 411 | Culture through History | 4 |
FREN 413 | Modern France Through Film and Text | 4 |
FREN 415 | The History of French Cinema | 4 |
FREN 417 | Topics of the French-Speaking World | 4 |
GRMN 300 | Advanced German | 4 |
GRMN 311 | German Culture and Composition I | 4 |
GRMN 312 | German Culture and Composition II | 4 |
GRMN 313 | Contemporary Language and Usage | 4 |
GRMN 350 | Berlin: Impressions of a City | 4 |
GRMN 352 | Kafka/Grass in Translation | 4 |
GRMN 353 | German Film | 4 |
GRMN 354 | Modern German Civilization | 4 |
GRMN 356 | The Nazi Period | 4 |
HIST 205 | History of Britain and Ireland I | 4 |
HIST 206 | History of Britain and Ireland II | 4 |
HIST 209 | Early Modern Europe | 4 |
HIST 217 | Renaissance and Reformation | 4 |
HIST 267 | Early Modern Germany: Reformation to Revolutions | 4 |
HIST 268 | German History Since 1850 | 4 |
HIST 270 | European Women in War, Revolution, and Terrorism | 4 |
HIST 271 | The French Revolutionary Era, 1789-1814 | 4 |
HIST 272 | France Since 1815 | 4 |
HIST 313 | Youth and Families in Early Modern Europe | 4 |
HIST 335 | Monsters, Marvels, and Museums | 4 |
HIST 337 | Nature, Magic, and Machines in Early Modern Europe | 4 |
HIST 350 | Berlin: Impressions of a City | 4 |
HIST 353 | The Nazi Period | 4 |
HIST 369 | Muslim Spain: Glory, Decline, and Lasting Influence in Contemporary Spain | 4 |
HIST 378 | Sexuality and the Self in Modern Europe | 4 |
HIST 379 | Honor, Shame, and Violence in Modern Europe | 4 |
HIST 389 | European Cultural and Intellectual History, 1750-1890 | 4 |
HIST 397 | The Origins and Conduct of World War II | 4 |
HIST 406 | From D-Day to Berlin: World War II Sites in England, France, Germany | 4 |
HIST 455 | European Empires in Asia | 4 |
HIST 472 | Marriage and Imagined Families in the Modern World | 4 |
INGS 303 | Transition to Democracy: The Case of East Germany, 1989 | 4 |
INGS 306 | Spain in the European Union | 4 |
INGS 307 | Polish Film | 4 |
POLS 351 | Modern European Politics | 4 |
POLS 364 | European Union | 4 |
POLS 431 | Ethnicity and Political Violence | 4 |
RELG 220 | Holocaust, Religion, Morality | 4 |
SPAN 301 | Cultural Survey of Spain I | 4 |
SPAN 302 | Cultural Survey of Spain II | 4 |
SPAN 322 | Introduction to Medieval Spain and the Road to Santiago | 4 |
SPAN 323 | Contemporary Spanish Culture and Civilization | 4 |
SPAN 334 | The Culture of Chivalry | 4 |
SPAN 361 | Modern Spanish Literature II | 4 |
SPAN 364 | Spanish Women Writers | 4 |
SPAN 365 | Modern Spanish Drama | 4 |
SPAN 391 | Contemporary Spanish and Latin American Cinema | 4 |
SPAN 404 | Spanish Civil War and its Legacy | 4 |
SPAN 405 | Spanish Detective Novel 1975-present | 4 |
SPAN 495 | Senior Seminar | 4 |
Latin America and the Caribbean
Courses in this sub-category contribute to students’ overall understanding that this geographic region has been shaped in complex ways by globalizing processes such as colonization, capitalist production and exchange, imperialism, the migration of people and the exchange of ideas. This is not a static or isolated geographic area, as both Latin America and the Caribbean are also characterized by a great deal of cultural diversity and resulting concerns about national and ethnic identity, social inequality and unrest, political struggle and democratization. Dynamism is a profound source of creativity as these countries are also home to some of the most vibrant social movements, artistic productions, and scholarship of our time.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
ANTH 305 | Cultures of Latin America | 4 |
ANTH 311 | Gender and Class in Latin America | 4 |
ANTH 314 | Colonialism and Culture | 4 |
HIST 223 | Latin American History to 1825 | 4 |
HIST 224 | Latin American History Since 1826 | 4 |
HIST 358 | Women in Latin America | 4 |
HIST 359 | United States and Latin America since 1898 | 4 |
HIST 360 | Latin American Topics | 4 |
HIST 367 | Writing the Nation: Literature, Nationalism and Search for Identity in Latin America (1810-Present) | 4 |
HIST 401 | Contemporary Chile, 1970-2011 | 2 |
HIST 410 | Five Centuries of Atlantic Slavery, 1400-1900 | 4 |
INGS 310 | Brazilian Tropicália: The Myth and Reality of an Emerging Power | 4 |
MUSC 224 | Musics of Latin America | 4 |
POLS 311 | Politics of Central America and the Caribbean | 4 |
POLS 318 | Comparative Politics: South America and Mexico | 4 |
POLS 367 | Political Economy of Asia and Latin America | 4 |
SPAN 303 | Cultural Survey of Latin America I | 4 |
SPAN 304 | Cultural Survey of Latin America II | 4 |
SPAN 380 | 20th- and 21st-Century Latin American Poetry | 4 |
SPAN 381 | History of Latin American Cinema | 4 |
SPAN 383 | Spanish-American Novel | 4 |
SPAN 384 | Contemporary Hispanic Caribbean Literature and Culture | 4 |
SPAN 385 | Spanish-American Short Fiction and Film | 4 |
SPAN 386 | Contemporary Central American Literature and Film | 4 |
SPAN 387 | Latin American Women Authors | 4 |
SPAN 388 | Women Authors of the Hispanic Caribbean and Diaspora | 4 |
SPAN 389 | U.S. Latino and Latina Literature and Culture | 4 |
SPAN 390 | Latin American Literature and the Environment | 4 |
SPAN 391 | Contemporary Spanish and Latin American Cinema | 4 |
SPAN 401 | Latin American Literature in Neoliberal Times | 4 |
SPAN 406 | Cultural Icons in Latin America | 4 |
SPAN 408 | Migrations in Latin American and Latino Literature and Film | 4 |
SPAN 409 | Marvel and Margin in Latin American Culture | 4 |
Middle East
Courses in this sub-category analyze the region’s place in world history, international politics, and the global economic system. Challenging stereotypes of the region as monolithic, timeless, and isolated from world events, classes on the Middle East and North Africa emphasize the diversity and dynamism of a region that has frequently influenced the course of world events. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the region’s encounters with outside powers and global forces including Western imperialism, capitalism, and transnational religious forces, in order to understand how the Middle East shapes and is in turn shaped by our modern globalized world.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
ARTH 210 | Islamic Art and Architecture | 4 |
FREN 417 | Topics of the French-Speaking World | 4 |
HIST 296 | History of the Middle East I | 4 |
HIST 297 | History of the Middle East II | 4 |
HIST 298 | History of Islam | 4 |
HIST 307 | Revolutions and Revolutionaries in the Middle East | 4 |
HIST 310 | Modern Iraq and the US-Iraq Conflict | 4 |
HIST 319 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | 4 |
HIST 430 | Political Islam | 4 |
INGS 204 | Representing Egypt | 4 |
INGS 311 | Islam and Ecology | 4 |
INGS 313 | "Foreigners" of the Middle East | 4 |
INGS 314 | The History of Current Events in the Middle East | 4 |
Russia and Eurasia
Courses in this sub-category consider the region from the perspectives of history, politics, literature, and culture. They examine the Russian Revolution, world wars and other conflicts; authoritarian regimes; experiments in socialism and communism; and more recent democratization efforts. Other important themes include nationalism, migration and shifting borders, and attempts at defining identity in relation to East and West via a narrative of exceptionalism. The cultural richness of the region, including ethnic and religious diversity as well as innovations in literature, film, art, and music, is a central area of focus. These courses study the complex history of the region with emphasis on how past events continue to shape its current geopolitical, economic and environmental realities.
Code | Title | Semester Hours |
---|---|---|
HIST 207 | Russia: Autocracy, Orthodoxy, Serfdom, Revolution | 4 |
HIST 208 | Russia: Revolution and Repression, War and Cold War, Collapse and Renewal | 4 |
HIST 346 | History of Socialism | 4 |
HIST 364 | Topics in Russian History | 4 |
HIST 397 | The Origins and Conduct of World War II | 4 |
POLS 351 | Modern European Politics | 4 |
POLS 364 | European Union | 4 |
POLS 431 | Ethnicity and Political Violence | 4 |
RUSN 304 | Contemporary Russian in Cultural Context | 4 |
RUSN 310 | Russian Civilization | 4 |
RUSN 352 | 20th-Century Russian Literature in English Translation | 4 |
RUSN 354 | Real Men, Real Women? Gender in 20th and 21st-Century Russian Literature and Culture | 4 |
RUSN 355 | Russian and Soviet Film | 4 |
RUSN 356 | Nabokov | 4 |
RUSN 363 | Environmentalism and Ecocide in Russian Literature and Culture | 4 |
RUSN 364 | Putin's Russia and Protest Culture | 4 |