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Spring 2024 - Global Change Biology - 01

Global change – or planetary-level changes to land, oceans, and the atmosphere – is one of the most critical societal challenges of the 21st century. In this course, students will use multiple forms of science communication to explore the ‘global’ part of global change, including by writing a new Wikipedia article for a BIPOC scientist, highlighting a solution to a global change challenge for a pop science audience, and practicing scientific technical writing by proposing a global change biology experiment. We will work through different global change “modules” that look at climate change, land use change, biodiversity loss, and environmental health, with a strong interdisciplinary link to environmental justice issues throughout. We aim to focus on environmental problems and solutions on a changing planet while pointing a spotlight at regions that will be impacted first and most severely by global change. Prerequisite(s): BIOL/ENVI 170

Spring 2024 - Global History of Caste - 05

Is caste a centuries old mode of organization or is it a modern construct produced by colonialism? Is it a structure, an object, or a practice? Does caste exist only among Hindus in South Asia or is it a practice that shapes the lives of billions of people across the globe?

In this course, we will unpack caste as a practice. We will study the ways in which caste works by producing and policing knowledge and by adapting to new historical contexts through its intersections with other hierarchies such as race, gender, and sexuality. We will also track how caste moves across conceptual and physical borders and boundaries. We will scrutinize how knowledge about caste is produced in sources such ethnographies, censuses, and legislation. We will juxtapose these readings with the scholarly and artistic production of anti-caste struggles that have challenged dominant paradigms. In doing so, this course will introduce you to a range of textual and visual archives for examining caste in a global historical context.

Starting in the 19th century, we will study how colonial rule remade existing hierarchies of caste and created possibilities for marginalized communities to resist Brahmanical authority. We will also look at the formation of new caste practices among diasporic communities in the Afro-Caribbean. Finally, we explore the new forms of caste based social mobility and marginalization engendered by contemporary global migrations and movements. In sum, this course will introduce students to new frameworks and primary sources for a global history of caste

Spring 2024 - Global Political Economy - 01

This course explores the intersections of politics and economics on a global scale, consisting of three parts: 1) global trade, 2) international finance, and 3) the outcomes of globalization. The first part examines the determinants of trade from individual, institutional, and political regime perspectives, explores the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in governing global trade, the rise of regionalism in trade, and the (changing) role of China in global trade. The second part focuses on international finance, exploring the politics of currency exchange and money markets, international financial governance, the new financial actors, such as the BRICS nations, and the role of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in development. In the final part, the course addresses how globalization has led to environmental challenges, transformed immigration patterns, exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities, and stimulated illicit economic activities. Alongside a theoretical and empirical foundation, the course provides students with hands-on experience in navigating the complexities of global economic governance through simulations of the WTO and World Bank. By the end of the course, students will gain a critical perspective on the interplay between global politics and economics and be equipped with the analytical tools to interpret the evolving global economic landscape.

Spring 2024 - History: Then and Now - 01

Spring 2024 - Imagining the American West - 01

Spring 2024 - Mathematical Statistics - 01

Spring 2024 - Philosophy of Science (Mental Illness, Science, and Society)

What is “madness”? Can the concept of mental illness be a valid one? What assumptions underlie attempts to classify mental disorders? And can we be justified in compelling people to submit to psychiatric treatment?

In this course we will examine these and other questions raised by mental disorder and our attempts to understand and treat it. We will also address ethical issues like the social implications of clinical categories, the proper aims of clinical discourse and practice, and the prospects of alternative models (besides the medical model) for conceptualizing mental “dysfunctions.”

Spring 2024 - Politics of the Middle East - 06

The Middle East has often been portrayed as a stronghold of entrenched authoritarian leadership and a nexus for intense ethnic and religious conflict, including political violence. This course seeks to dissect the underlying reasons for the endurance of such perceptions and to investigate the motivations that have propelled citizens throughout the region to challenge and attempt to dismantle autocratic regimes. It probes the extent to which colonial legacies have contributed to and sustained these political quandaries. Furthermore, the course interrogates the ascendancy of Islamist movements in numerous Middle Eastern nations and examines the causes behind the surge in sectarian conflict. The course is crafted to provide a nuanced understanding of Middle Eastern politics, blending in-depth analysis of essential questions with a comprehensive examination of particular events and patterns across different countries within the region. The course addresses themes such as the endurance of authoritarianism, the dynamics of Political Islam, the patterns of sectarian conflict, the trajectory of economic growth and stagnation, as well as the catalysts and underpinnings of the Arab Spring(s) and Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Spring 2024 - Racism/Digital Technology - 01

History 394 is a discussion-based seminar course. We will examine the ideological, political, economic, and cultural changes the digital representations of African Americans in the twentieth century United States. The basic themes of this course will include: search parameters, digital semiotics, radio representations, comedy and comedians, sports and professional athletics, evolution of television, film and movie influences, literature and short stories, historical stereotypes and their origins, economic and political effects of these images.

Spring 2024 - Remembering the Modern City - 01

Spring 2024 - Reproductive Justice - 01

This course draws on the Reproductive Justice framework (Sister Song 1994) to anchor the experiences of marginalized and racialized bodies that gestate in the Americas. Thus, the focus of the class goes beyond access to abortion to include comprehensive sex education, the right to have children and to parent them in safe and sustainable communities. While we will start out with analyzing the U.S. case and then move to learn about the work in other countries of the Americas, the guiding question will be: what can the U.S. learn from the feminist movements in the Americas? In so doing, the readings and class discussions will pay particular attention to feminist movements and the coalitions they have formed to fight for social justice in the region.

Spring 2024 - Social Theories - 01

Spring 2024 - Sociology of Race/Ethnicity - 01

The course focuses on access to water as a case to learn about how racialized populations have been historically marginalized in the Twin Cities. In doing so, the class will study the ways Latinx women navigate and resist such marginalization in their role of caring for others in their families. Theoretically, we will engage with the concept of “environmental suffering” (Auyero and Swistun 2007) and extend it to analyze racial marginalization to analyze how racialization constrains Latinx women’s life chances, and of their families. The course will include two visits to Latinx neighborhoods to learn about local women’s stories. Also, we will partner with COPAL MN to learn about the experiences of current Latinx communities’ experiences regarding women’s water use. Specifically, we will support COPAL MN’s storytelling work in the Twin Cities. Thus, as part of their final project, students will complete an oral history project that will be part of the archive COPAL MN is compiling.

Spring 2024 - The Art of Play - 01

Making Theatre is a messy business. In this studio course there are no scripts, no lines and no stage directions. We will invent everything ourselves by learning how to play with skill. We will explore improvisation, games, object manipulation, masks and the haphazard world of the clown. Training includes basic acrobatics, balancing and juggling. The goal of the course is to encourage curiosity, and to engage the student as creator, designer, and performer.

Spring 2024 - The Art of Writing in China - 02

Spring 2024 - The Domestic Object - 01

Spring 2024 - The Earth's Climate System - 01

Spring 2024 - The Maghreb - 01

Spring 2024 - The Politics of Colonialism - 05

The specter of colonialism continues to loom large in contemporary society. Aiming to unpack this persistent influence, this course offers an in-depth examination of its enduring impacts. Utilizing scholarly debates and a curated selection of films, it offers a comprehensive exploration of colonialism’s multifaceted legacies, integrating academic and cinematic perspectives for deeper understanding. The first half of the course delves into theorizing the colonial experience and expansion, while the second half critically examines colonialism’s profound shaping of various aspects of today’s international order. This analysis includes a focus on the United Nation’s role in creating and perpetuating global inequalities during the decolonization process, alongside an exploration of colonialism’s impact on democracy, development, human rights, the environment, and ethnic conflicts. Ultimately, this course is not just an academic study; it is a journey into understanding the enduring influence of colonialism, revealing the persistent historical shadows that continue to shape our present and future.

Spring 2024 - The Power of the Dancing Body - 01

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