An exploration of the historical foundations and the development of black life in Africa and its later diffusion in the Black Diaspora. Its purview will range from pre-colonial dynamics to the more contemporary manifestations of global Black History in North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, Latin America and Melanesia. Topics may include: African cultures before European contact, the slave trade and its impact on Africa and the Atlantic economy, the middle passage, internal migration in Africa and case studies of the creation of diasporic communities and cultures. Cross-listed with HIST 281.

By tracing the history of Middle Eastern societies from the 16th to the early 21st century, this course focuses on the transition from world empires centered in this region, to colonialism and then to modern, independent nation-states. This transition was neither smooth nor unique to this region, and so the course engages, in a comparative framework, with how these societies confronted and responded to industrialization, colonialism and nationalism. The course will examine closely the religious, socio-cultural and ideological dimensions of these large-scale transformations. The course will help students also recognize the underbelly of modernization and of US involvement in the region since the second half of the 20th century.

The seminar surveys European integration in its historic context and emphasizes the project for European unity since the Second World War. Topics for consideration include historic conceptualizations of East and West and the 'Idea of Europe', integration as a response to the World Wars experience and its evolution in a divided Cold War Europe. Theoretical assessments of integration and the comparative significance of both international and domestic factors are discussed as well as controversies over supra-nationalism, 'European identity' and the expansion of membership.

This course surveys the process of conflict, including conflict management, from a multidisciplinary perspective. As such, it deals with the causes, dynamics, types, levels, management functions and outcomes of conflict. The implementation of the course involves, in part, case-study simulations and occasional guest lecturers from various disciplines on campus. This course is a prerequisite for upper-level courses in conflict studies and required for the conflict studies major and minor.

An introductory course to a systematic field of philosophy, history, philosophical movement, or set of philosophical problems.

This course is designed to introduce students to Comparative Politics (the study of domestic politics around the world), one of the main subfields in political science. The course will address concepts and theories of comparative politics such as democratic and non-democratic institutions, modernization and development, political culture, systems analysis, and public policy. The course will apply these concepts and methods of comparative politics to understanding political phenomena and outcomes in different regions of the world, such as, Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. The political experience in each case will be studied in the context of its own cultural and historical settings. Such an approach will allow us to see the differences within a particular form of government. We shall inquire, for example, why Chinese communism is different from communism in the former Soviet Union; what factors are responsible for both the endurance of and challenges posed to democratic institutions globally; and why do economic and social welfare institutions differ across capitalist economies.

The underlying theme of this course is the contemporary crisis of liberal democracy. We are witnessing the phenomenon of a gradual shift away from democracy to authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, in countries from Russia, Brazil, and Hungary, to Turkey, India, and the United States. Is democracy dying? Are we witnessing the end of the democratic century and the global ascendance of autocracy? Is American democracy in danger? What will democratic failure look like in the twenty-first century? And what will come after? Will the ethno-nationalist and far right parties in Europe and elsewhere continue to rise? Why is there extreme polarization in political discourse in mature democracies? Is the proliferation of conspiracy theory, which is anti-ideological, a threat to liberal democracy? Why does the Chinese autocratic model appeal to the peoples and leaders in the developing world? Is the notion of democratic decline around the world an exaggeration or scholarly hyperventilation? The course will answer these and other questions by examining the forces that have contributed to the regression of liberal democracy. In particular, we will focus on the ideologies challenging liberal democracy: Globalism, 'Neo-Fascism,' Populism, Nationalism, and Asian authoritarianism (Xi's new type of one-party authoritarian system).

An examination of selected topics in political science.

An examination of selected topics related to political science.

This course examines the different actors, interests, and institutions that aim to govern or regulate the environment and its resources. Students will learn how environmental policy has evolved over time to deal with changing needs and threats, ranging from domestic pollution issues to longer-term threats such as climate change and drought. Much of the course material will focus on environmental policy at the federal level in the US, though students will also look at more local and international efforts to address the global issue of climate change. Throughout the class, we will also examine the societal implications of environmental threats and policy in order to better understand how environmental outcomes and policies affect issues such as inequality, health, and global conflict.