Featured Courses

HISTORY 952: Citizens, Subjects, and Others in the Modern World

Instructors: Stephen Kantrowitz & Kathryn Ciancia
W 1:20 – 3:15
2-3 credits

How have modern states created categories of political belonging, and how have these processes developed hand-in-hand with exclusionary practices? How have states fashioned tools–such as passportization, denaturalization, and banishment–to manage and control populations, both within and beyond their physical borders? And how do these questions continue to reverberate in our own times of persistent systemic inequality at home and abroad, in ways as varied as the resurgence of ethnonationalist movements and the rise of the so-called “golden passport” (citizenship as pay-to-play)? Highlighting cutting-edge scholarship on Europe and North America—both imagined expansively to include their internal and global empires—this course will foster a series of exciting comparative discussions, putting literatures that are often explored separately in conversation with one another. We will focus in particular on “test case” populations, as modernizing states sought to define the gendered, religious, and racialized characteristics of the so-called “civilized” citizen: from the Jews and Muslims of French Algeria and the “almost citizens” of Puerto Rico to the Native peoples of North America, the Roma of Eastern Europe, and the Bedouins of Israel/Palestine.

HISTORY 229 - Empires in Eurasia

Instructor: Geoffrey Durham
MW 2:30-3:45
3 credits

The Eurasian landmass has been the site of the world’s largest empires led by some of history’s most infamous figures, from Chinggis (Genghis) Khan in the thirteenth century to Stalin in the twentieth. The gargantuan size of these polities and the staggering ethno-linguistic, racial, religious, political, and ecological diversity that they encompassed provokes a number of questions: What held them together? What were the sources of their power? How did they relate to other parts of the globe? And, lastly, how did they shape the modern world? In this course, we will examine the rise and fall of the Mongol, Ottoman, Chinese, and Russian-Soviet empires as well as other regional powers. We will focus on themes of settler colonialism, enslavement, science, revolution, capitalism/anticapitalism, and geopolitics.

GNS 332: Second Semester Kazakh

Instructor: Gulnara Glowacki
MTWR 11:00 – 11:50
4 credits

Welcome to the Second Semester Kazakh! It is a Pre-intermediate level Kazakh language course, which is designed for students with elementary level of knowledge in it. The language of instruction is mostly Kazakh. The course enhances speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. It is aimed at further development of language skills as well as building of confidence in speaking about issues related to daily life, such as shopping, health, weather, etc. The course also includes teaching  cultural aspects of Kazakhstan, its people and traditions.

SLAVIC 101 - First Semester Russian

MTWRF 9:55 – 10:45
4 credits

Welcome to the First Semester Russian course! Take advantage of the unique opportunity to start learning Russian this spring. Throughout the course, you will develop four key language skills of speaking, reading, listening and writing in Russian, you will be able to conduct basic conversations in Russian, you also will learn some aspects of Russian and Russophone cultures and more!

POLI SCI 344 - The Russian War on Ukraine

Instructor: Yoshiko Herrera
MW 1:20 – 2:10
3 credits

This course will introduce students to political science literature relevant to Russia’s invasion of and war on Ukraine. We will begin with the question of why Russia invaded, and consider factors related to domestic politics and international relations in order to develop an answer to the question throughout the semester. We will also consider the implications of the war on Ukraine, Russia, and the international system.

In terms of domestic politics, we will cover topics related to: Democracy and Dictatorship in Ukraine & Russia; National Identity in Ukraine & Russia; Media and Public Opinion in Ukraine & Russia, and Social Movements & Protest in Ukraine & Russia. We will then turn to international relations and examine: International Institutions and Norms; Military Strategy and Capabilities
in Ukraine & Russia; Nuclear Weapons; International Political Economy of Ukraine & Russia; and Sanctions against Russia. In the last section of the course we will consider post-war challenges including Migration and Politics of Immigrants; and War Crimes and Accountability.

POLI SCI 846 - Racial and Ethnic Diversity: Causes and Effects

Instructor: Yoshiko Herrera
W 1:20 – 3:15
3 credits

Focuses on the causes and effects of racial and ethnic diversity in a range of contexts across different countries. Includes the following topics: 1) definitions of diversity and how ethnic and racial diversity is measured; 2) the causes of diversity including migrations and state actions such as ethnic cleansing and colonialism, and later processes of immigration and segregation; 3) the effects of diversity or segregation, including on social relations, conflict, public good provision, and political behavior; and the effects of ethnic and racial diversity in organizations; and 4) considers ways of increasing diversity including affirmative action and quotas, and the effectiveness of diversity training. Readings will include cases studies from different countries and different time periods and will include a range of different racial and ethnic groups around the world.