International Studies

INTL-I 205 Culture and Politics

This course focuses on communication as a process governed by culture-specific and institution-specific rules. Among the subjects to be discussed are: the circulation of ideas, images and artistic expressions across national borders; interpersonal and cultural forms of communication; the role and relevance of digital media in the world; the importance of communicative practices in different cultures; and what is at stake for individual and group identities in the process of communicating on a global level. We will also discuss topics such as cultural globalization, public culture and artistic presentation, freedom of artistic expression, the relations between culture, art and religion and the political economy of culture. Finally, we will also examine the role of the arts in the formation and transformation of identity. By the end of the semester, students will be able to evaluate the complexity of global communication and the intricacy of different cultural and linguistic identities around the world.

INTL-I 212 Introduction to Refugee Studies

Through this course, students will gain a deeper understanding of the legal, political, and social complexities of forced migration in both global and national contexts. Students will explore the lived experiences of refugees in camps and urban settings and consider humanitarian responses to refugee situations around the world.

INTL-I 300 Russian Foreign Relations & Eastern Europe

Why did Russia annex Crimea in March 2014? Why does Moscow continue to support pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine? What can the Ukrainian crisis tell us about Russia's relationship with Eastern Europe more broadly? This course will examine Russian foreign relations in Eastern Europe since the Second World War, exploring topics such as the rise and fall of the Soviet bloc, economic interdependence, and the security challenges of the post-Cold War order. Lectures, readings, and discussions will also consider how Russian relations with other parts of the world, particularly the West, affected Moscow's behavior in the region during the Cold War and after.

INTL-I 302 Covid and the World Order

COVID has interrupted all of our lives, but it is also transforming the international order. It has revealed hitherto unnoticed aspects of international governance and cooperation; it has accelerated trends already in motion; and it has disrupted norms and practices once thought to be well established. In this course we will pursue three themes: 1) the global response to previous epi- and pandemics to examine what history can tell us about our current predicament; 2) the institutionalization of global health in the form of multilateral organizations, patterns of cooperation, and technologies of measurement and control; and 3) the repercussions of the current pandemic and economic crisis for other issues of global importance, such as climate change, trade, and security. COVID is our subject, but we will also survey the global health field to examine some of the relevant problems, theories, and histories.

INTL-I 304 Women, Gender, and Human Rights Movements

How do social movements fighting for human rights for women and LGBTQI individuals accomplish their goals? This course considers the way groups organizing around gender issues strategize and utilize the various tools available to them in their attempts to effect political and social change. In particular, the ways in which these attempts intersect with the media - both traditional media and new media - is given attention. These topics will be examined on a global scale as we consider the specific challenges faced by movements given differences in political, social, and cultural circumstances. NOTE: See optional one-credit discussion class taught in Spanish - INTL-I325 #9901.

INTL-I 325 Women, Gender, and Human Rights Movements

How do social movements fighting for human rights for women and LGBTQI individuals accomplish their goals? This course considers the way groups organizing around gender issues strategize and utilize the various tools available to them in their attempts to effect political and social change. In particular, the ways in which these attempts intersect with the media - both traditional media and new media - is given attention. These topics will be examined on a global scale as we consider the specific challenges faced by movements given differences in political, social, and cultural circumstances.

Students will discuss - in Spanish - the way groups organizing around gender issues strategize and utilize the various tools available to them in their attempts to effect political and social change. (See optional companion class INTL-I304 #7301, Women, Gender and Human Rights Movements, which is taught in English.)

Course taught in Spanish