A study of the mixture of Indian and Spanish civilizations. Concentration on sixteenth-century culture of Aztecs and Incas, the evolution of Spanish colonial empire, the historical background to strongman government, the art and architecture of the colonies, and the Independence Period 1810-25.
In 1791, enslaved Africans in the French Caribbean colony of Saint-Domingue rose up in a coordinated attack against their colonial masters. In so doing, they directly challenged the plantation regime and the system of racial hierarchy that prevailed throughout the Atlantic world. By 1804, the Haitians declared their independence from France and constructed the first “Black Republic” in world history. Exploring primary sources ranging from the Code Noir to slave narratives, accounts by revolutionary black leaders, and worldwide reactions to the insurrection, the course examines some of the major themes and debates surrounding the Haitian Revolution and its immediate aftermath.
This course introduces students to the history of a particular kind of early modern museum: the curiosity cabinet or Wunderkammer. These striking collections of curious objects, marvels, and "monsters" had become key research and educational venues in many European cities by 1500. They generated discussion about the relation between local and global knowledge, between the natural and artificial, the extent and causes of biodiversity, and much more. The course explores the history and politics of these collections while recognizing their role as nodes in global circuits of information transfer and exchange. Also considered is the Wunderkammer's impact on the development of museums of art, science and technology, natural history, and anthropology.
This seminar deals with the historical interaction of Latin America with the United States from 1898 to the present. Specific topics to be examined include U.S. views of Latin America, imperialism, economic nationalism, the Cuban Revolution, guerrilla warfare, the Chilean and Nicaraguan cases, and the drug problem. The course will discuss the goals, perceptions, and actions of the United States and various Latin American governments during this period.
An examination of the history of the practices of human slavery in the Atlantic World. Topics include the conduct of the transatlantic trade, the Middle Passage experience, plantation systems in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, the role of Atlantic slavery in the transition to industrialism, slave resistance and revolt, and the abolitionist movements.
A course concerned with analyzing how international and global integration shape local development. After reflecting on this integration during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and its impact on nation-state formation and economic development, students analyze the construction of the post-World War II international system around the Bretton-Woods institutions. Attention is also given to how international norms pertaining to human rights and democracy apply to diverse countries during the current period of globalization, and to how transnational linkages shape economic and cultural transformations. The course concludes with discussion of living abroadincluding topics such as language acquisition and personal transformation. Required core course for IGS majors.
A course concerned with analyzing how international and global integration shape local development. After reflecting on this integration during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and its impact on nation-state formation and economic development, students analyze the construction of the post-World War II international system around the Bretton-Woods institutions. Attention is also given to how international norms pertaining to human rights and democracy apply to diverse countries during the current period of globalization, and to how transnational linkages shape economic and cultural transformations. The course concludes with discussion of living abroadincluding topics such as language acquisition and personal transformation. Required core course for IGS majors.
This course focuses on how African urban youth have confronted the challenges of life and the forces of globalization, through examination of local and global socio-political, cultural and linguistic patterns in major African cities. It interrogates the social practices that characterize African urban youth culture, questioning how these practices and youth identities contrast with those socially-ascribed within local cultural frameworks. The course draws reading material from contemporary literature on youth culture, globalization, and social change in Africa. It also uses African films to showcase the opportunities and challenges brought about by the globalization of youth culture in Africa.
This course examines how different cultures construct narratives about global catastrophe and climate change. It deconstructs common concepts related to natural and anthropogenic disaster to understand how conceptual affordances and constraints affect mitigation efforts, shape preparation, and guide response to disaster across global contexts. This course emphasizes a comparative approach including perspectives on both past and present societies. It interrogates how contemporary society incorporates tropes of archaeological “collapse” into catastrophic imaginaries. This course aims to foster a more critical, nuanced understanding of the courses of action available to global society in the face of a changing climate.
An interdisciplinary seminar required of all seniors in international and global studies. Shared readings on key topics and concepts in globalization are discussed in relation to students' geographic concentration and abroad experiences. Additionally, each student produces and presents a major research paper related to the student's course work as well as abroad experience and language study. This seminar is normally offered in the fall, in part to reintegrate majors who were abroad in the spring or summer as well as to draw best on the abroad experience while still fresh. This course also serves as the writing intensive credit within the major.
An interdisciplinary seminar required of all seniors in international and global studies. Shared readings on key topics and concepts in globalization are discussed in relation to students' geographic concentration and abroad experiences. Additionally, each student produces and presents a major research paper related to the student's course work as well as abroad experience and language study. This seminar is normally offered in the fall, in part to reintegrate majors who were abroad in the spring or summer as well as to draw best on the abroad experience while still fresh. This course also serves as the writing intensive credit within the major.
This course focuses on Italian cinema from Neorealism to the present day. Through films, the course examines the social, cultural, and political history of Italy from the 1940s to today. Taught in English.
This course examines 1) some of the major social and political ideologies of the 20th century (such as liberalism, socialism, nationalism, feminism, environmentalism); 2) theories of social and political movements in modern societies and market democracies; and 3) concrete examples of such social and political movements in the contemporary world.
This course compares international organizations, regimes, and policy processes and discusses the central concepts, principles, and processes that are employed in studying global governance. It also examines the different organizational forms and mechanisms through which international political actors structure their interactions and relationships. Self-contained regimes are studied in several issue areas: nuclear weapons proliferation, human trafficking, product standardization, global commons, and terrorism, among others.
This course examines the dynamics of international political and economic relations. Issues of trade, monetary and financial networks, investment, North-South relations, and the international system will be explored. The international context of development will receive particular attention.
This course involves systematic consideration of the key concepts, theories, and methods that can be applied to the study of terrorism. It analyzes contesting theories -- and the empirical grounds of such theories -- for why actors employ terrorist instruments. Among the theories of terrorism considered are those linked to psychological, ideological, cultural, and structural explanations. Finally, the course discusses and evaluates the effectiveness of various counter-terror methods and operations.
An introduction to the culture of Spain emphasizing literature, the arts, and history from the Middle Ages to 1700. This course, along with SPAN 302 SPAN 303, and SPAN 304, constitutes the core of the major in Spanish. Students are strongly encouraged to take all four of these courses before undertaking more advanced study.
An introduction to the study of Latin America emphasizing literature, history, and the arts from Pre-Columbian cultures to the nineteenth-century wars of independence. This course, along with SPAN 301, SPAN 302, and SPAN 304, constitutes the core of the major in Spanish. Students are strongly encouraged to take all four of these courses before undertaking more advanced study.
An introduction to the study of Latin America emphasizing literature, history, and the arts from Pre-Columbian cultures to the nineteenth-century wars of independence. This course, along with SPAN 301, SPAN 302, and SPAN 304, constitutes the core of the major in Spanish. Students are strongly encouraged to take all four of these courses before undertaking more advanced study.
A study of literature, film, and other cultural expressions of Latin American and Latinx women. Examines the portrayal of gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, social class, and other issues in their work.