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Description: This class is an ambitious and demanding course designed as an introduction to global history in the last fifty years. The course will provide you with a framework for thinking about the recent past, world geography, and some general trends. The course is organized comparatively, and will emphasize selected "cases" in Asia (The People's Republic of China and the Republic of China), Africa (South Africa and Mozambique) and Latin America (Cuba and Guatemala). Throughout the course we will not only attempt to understand the big picture of global history (East West rivalry in the Cold War, the North South division in development, global ecology and economy) but also how changes have affected people's everyday lives. We do this through the concepts of livelihood and identity that reveal the impact of national and international forces at the personal level. We will seek out the "voices" of individuals by reading short stories and biographical accounts.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 40% Discussion. Peer Review of Writing
Work Load: 80 pages reading per week, 20 pages writing per term, 3 exams, 3 papers. 5 Map Exercises
Grade: 25% mid exam, 20% final exam, 30% reports/papers, 25% class participation.
Exam Format: Identification 20%; Essay 80%
Co-Instructor:
Farmer,Edward L
(Morse Alumni Award)
Co-Instructor: Hakim,Carol
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Description: This class is an ambitious and demanding course designed as an introduction to global history in the last fifty years. The course will provide you with a framework for thinking about the recent past, world geography, and some general trends. The course is organized comparatively, and will emphasize selected "cases" in Asia (The People's Republic of China and the Republic of China), Africa (South Africa and Mozambique) and Latin America (Cuba and Guatemala). Throughout the course we will not only attempt to understand the big picture of global history (East West rivalry in the Cold War, the North South division in development, global ecology and economy) but also how changes have affected people's everyday lives. We do this through the concepts of livelihood and identity that reveal the impact of national and international forces at the personal level. We will seek out the "voices" of individuals by reading short stories and biographical accounts.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 40% Discussion. Peer Review of Writing
Work Load: 80 pages reading per week, 20 pages writing per term, 3 exams, 3 papers. 5 Map Exercises
Grade: 25% mid exam, 20% final exam, 30% reports/papers, 25% class participation.
Exam Format: Identification 20%; Essay 80%
Co-Instructor: Hakim,Carol
Co-Instructor:
Farmer,Edward L
(Morse Alumni Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: freshman
Description: This seminar explores some salient issues of contemporary immigrant America, with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding and more knowledgeable appreciation of the diverse experiences of immigrants to the US; the challenges of living with difference, from the perspective of both immigrants and the majority population; and of future prospects for peaceful co-existence in a multicultural/multiracial United States. Utilizing readings from across the social sciences and humanities, films and videos, and short field trips into Minneapolis neighborhoods, we will attempt to gain insights into diversity of contemporary immigrant experiences and the specific opportunities and challenges they and their children face in making the U.S. their home. We will also examine the contributions that immigrants have made to U.S. society, economy, polity and everyday life, and their reception in our neighborhoods, communities and the nation.
Instructor:
Leitner,Helga
(Grad and Profl Teaching Award)
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: freshman
Description: In 2007, someone moved to the city. That move marked the tipping point of a new urban century in which more than half of the world's population now lives in cities. Most metropolitan growth is occurring in cities of the global South, such as Guangzhou (China) and Johannesburg (South Africa), where populations are expected to double over the next three decades. It is imagined that these global cities 'in the making' will cultivate new entrepreneurs that will catapult poor countries into rich players in the global marketplace. Is this the best hope for the world's poor, to become globally competitive urbanites? Does living in cities reflect new types of freedom, democracy, and opportunity? Does the growth of cities spark the diffusion of new artistic expression and creativity? We will explore these questions by reading fiction, watching films, and learning about the power of finance capital, real estate speculation, and subterranean urban cultures. We will visit a range of cities, experiencing them from street level, to gain a robust understanding of how cities work in this new era of globalization.
Instructor: Goldman,Michael R
Grading basis/credits:
Equivalencies:
Prereq: 6 cr in social sciences including [Geog 1301 or Hist 1015 or Hist 1019 or Hist 1012 or Hist 1018 or Pol 1025]
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Kaminsky,Amy K
Grading basis/credits:
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Prereq: honors, 6 cr in social sciences [including Geog 1301 or Hist 1015 or Hist 1019 or Hist 1012 or Hist 1018 or Pol 1025]
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Kaminsky,Amy K
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: [3101, 3144] or instr consent
Description: International Human Rights law is designed to introduce students to issues, procedures and advocacy strategies involved in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. The class encourages students to analyze case situations and to evaluate the most effective methods to prevent human rights violations. Because of the evolving nature of the laws and issues in this field, students can participate as strategists and investigators on human rights issues. The instructor, Barbara Frey, is a lawyer and human rights activist.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 25% Discussion. guest speaker, debates and other exercises
Work Load: 60 pages reading per week, 10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 40% final exam, 25% reports/papers, 10% class participation.
Exam Format: Take home with 7 short answer questions and 1 essay question
Co-Instructor: Frey,Barbara A
Co-Instructor: Strunk,Chris
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: [3101, 3144] or instr consent
Description: International Human Rights law is designed to introduce students to issues, procedures and advocacy strategies involved in the promotion and protection of human rights worldwide. The class encourages students to analyze case situations and to evaluate the most effective methods to prevent human rights violations. Because of the evolving nature of the laws and issues in this field, students can participate as strategists and investigators on human rights issues. The instructor, Barbara Frey, is a lawyer and human rights activist.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 25% Discussion. guest speaker, debates and other exercises
Work Load: 60 pages reading per week, 10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers.
Grade: 25% mid exam, 40% final exam, 25% reports/papers, 10% class participation.
Exam Format: Take home with 7 short answer questions and 1 essay question
Co-Instructor: Strunk,Chris
Co-Instructor: Frey,Barbara A
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: dept consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Craddock,Susan L
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: dept consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Payne,Leigh A
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: [3101, 3144] or instr consent
Description: "Globalization: Capital and Culture" focuses on transnational business which, as supported by neoliberal policies, has played a large role in transforming both the economic and cultural sectors. We will explore the problems in of their subsectors: economic inequality, low-wage labor, trade, and migration; the media, apparel, and food industries and cultures; the spectacles of Hollywood, beauty pageants, and shock-and-awe war; and finally globalization theory. Course readings illuminate three kinds of diversity: demographic/cultural (sex, race/ethnicity, class, nationality); disciplinary; and modality (scholarship, journalism government documents, mass-market nonfiction, etc). In addition, we will emphasize globalization's problems so that we can practice solving them as if we were public leaders and grassroots groups. To that end, the semester project can be an academic paper or a piece of writing designed to make a public intervention such as a legislative proposal or NGO report.
Class Time: 10% Lecture, 80% Discussion, 10% Web Based. Percentages are approximate and may be adjusted to include other activities depending upon student needs/desires.
Work Load: 60-80 pages reading per week, 15-20 pages writing per term, 1 papers. May also include a few 1-2 page problem-solving exercises. Paper will be 12-15 pp. not including prior paper abstract and partial draft. No quizzes or exams if everyone works hard and well.
Grade: Around week 10, the students and I will negotiate the percentages to assign to careful reading, active class discussion, email contributions, and writing projects.
Instructor: Messer-Davidow,Ellen
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Bloch,Stefano
Grading basis/credits:
Description: We will explore past and present attempts by elites to exterminate targeted civilian groups beginning with the mass murder of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire; the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews and the handicapped, gypsies, and gays; the Communist-led genocide in Cambodia; the brutal genocides in Rwanda and Yugoslavia in the 1990s; and the 21st century?s first genocide in Darfur, Sudan. We will look at the uniqueness of each catastrophe as well as their similarities to understand geopolitical, economic, socio-cultural, and environmental factors involved in decisions to eliminate innocent people. We will assess humanitarian intervention and peacekeeping, and study the complex issues involved in addressing needs of internally-displaced and refugee populations. The course concludes by examining post-genocidal issues of ongoing generational impact, justice, reparations, denial, and the responsibility to protect innocent civilians when their own governments are unwilling or unable to do so.
Class Time: 15% Lecture, 10% Film/Video, 20% Discussion, 5% Small Group Activities, 5% Student Presentation, 20% Guest Speakers, 25% Service Learning.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 10 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers, 1 presentations, 1 special projects. Note that specific readings have not yet been selected.
Grade: 17% mid exam, 17% final exam, 32% special projects, 17% in-class presentation. Students' active engagement with the material and with course activities is expected. The class will provide opportunities for students to explore the political and social consequences of genocide in activities outside of the classroom.
Exam Format: Students will receive essay questions several days before the exams and will be expected to prepare thoughtful and critical responses in class.
Instructor:
Kennedy,Ellen Jane Nar
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Syllabus
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Description: The course covers the historical trajectory of hip-hop from its inception in New York City during the 1970?s in the form of four elements - break dancing, rap, turntablism, and graffiti art - to its contemporary identity as a global youth phenomenon. The historical development of hip-hop will be accompanied with the analysis of scholarly works ranging from contemporary academic research to old-school rap lyrics. Literature, lectures, films and multi-media projects will individually analyze each element and question the four-element paradigm that defines hip-hop today. We will review legal cases filed against hip-hop artists and/or their publications as well as examine the role gender, class, politics, urban geography, economics, and race play in the use of hip-hop as a tool for social change versus a capitalist marketing device. Weekend workshops with local well-known hip-hop artists will amplify the theoretical focus of the course to an applied learning of lyricism, break dance, DJing, and aerosol art. The course aims to re-structure stereotypes and offer a deeper perspective into how hip-hop simultaneously defines the identities of individuals as well as the consciousness of masses Previous class highlights from 2006 & 2008 include: ? Hands-on weekend workshops with community hip-hop artists Desdamona, DJ Fundamentalist, Carnage, b-boy Daylight, & aerosol artist CHEN (AKB). ? In class speakers filmmaker Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, producer Will Ways, MC/singer/songwriter Maria Isa, & DJ Drea. ? Live interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, b-girl Rokafella, & Jeff Chang.
Instructor: Riviere,Melisa
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Description: This course is an introduction to European history in the 20th century. It will be useful for first and second year students in all fields who are thinking of concentrating in European affairs, as well as for students thinking of studying abroad in Europe in their junior or senior years. It is also geared to the general student who simply wishes to better understand the dramatic events that unfolded on the European continent during the past 100 years. Its goal is to provide a basic vocabulary of events, persons, and processes that shaped this tumultuous era. After all, this century saw two catastrophic world wars, political revolutions, depressions, a four decade long Cold War, as well as dramatic revolutions that brought the Cold War to an end. We will examine in particular the evolution of the virulent nationalisms that propelled these wars, and that brought European statesmen in the late 1940s to create supranational institutions to make future European wars impossible, institutions that in 1992 became the European Union. It will provide students with a valuable foundation for further study of contemporary European history, politics, culture and society.
Class Time: 50% Lecture, 50% Discussion.
Work Load: 100 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 2 papers.
Grade: 20% mid exam, 25% final exam, 40% reports/papers, 15% class participation.
Exam Format: Essay
Instructor: Wolfe,Thomas C
Grading basis/credits:
Description: Today, we all live in a secular age. Even those who are religious must, regardless of whether they live in `religious' or `secular' societies or states, contend with the global power of the secular vision and secular institutions. This course will explore the intertwined emergence of modern secularism and modern religion. It will have two themes. First, it explores some key elements of the modern secular vision. It will ask questions such as: what is secular tolerance? What would be involved in a secular ethics and politics? Why have so many groups been dissatisfied with such an ethics and politics. Second, it will look at the modern remaking of religion. How and why did secularism come to identify some practices as religious? Which practices came to be thought of as religious? How and why did the right to religious freedom simultaneously become the confinement of religion to the private sphere? How and in what ways does religion come to be identified with intolerance? And what do we make to the apparent resurgence, around the world, of 'religion'? The course will be conducted primarily through discussions of readings. Grades will be on the basis of two essays (40%), as well as weekly responses (60%). Our required text will be Charles Taylor's recent A Secular Age. All other readings will be available online.
Grade: 40% Essays (2); 60% Weekly responses
Instructor: Skaria,Ajay
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Description: October 1, 2009 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. To mark the occasion, in November the University of Minnesota and the Walker Art Center will offer an unprecedented series of films showing the history of revolutionary and post-revolutionary China through the lens of PRC filmmakers from the 1940s to the 2000s. Films range from Mao era classics in which the young PRC establishes a 'Red' version of history, to post-Mao films that in many ways challenge the revolutionary legacy, to more current films that experiment with form and look critically at the market-driven culture of China during its current economic boom. This unique 1-credit course will meet only during the month of November. Students will attend four 2.5-hour lecture/discussion sessions on Tuesday evenings throughout the month, and students will attend a minimum of seven of the thirteen films in the series, including at least three at the Bell Auditorium (on DVD) and three at the Walker Art Center (on 35mm film). Besides film and class attendance, course requirements include regular postings to a film series blog, participation in class discussions, small group work, and short assignments. Film screening attendance and work obligations can be negotiated if advance notice is given. Film Screening Schedule: Screenings are held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00pm at the Bell Auditorium throughout the month of November. Films to be shown at the Walker Art Center will be announced in the near future. Please contact Jessica Ka Yee Chan for further information (chan0770@umn.edu). Schedule is subject to change.
Instructor: Chan,Ka Yee
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Description: Investigating in particular the significance of photographs in coping with migration, this course touches upon a central feature of photography--its ability to make present the absent. Rather than as recipients of images produced by mass media we look at immigrants as producers of images: Our point of departure is the socially extremely effective but often-underestimated individual image production. We will focus on private photographs, on photos taken, owned and circulated by migrants. These photographs, which may or may not depict immigrants, refugees or displaced persons open insights into immigrants' lives on multiple levels. Beyond the study of the narratives of those who are in the photo and of those, who took it and who hold on to it, the study of practices of collecting, framing, and displaying of photographs allows us to better understand processes of identification. By comparing earlier photograph collections of migrant families to more recent snapshots - analogue and digital - as well as to migrants - video, internet, and mobile pone practices, we will explore immigrants' changing sense of place and their migratory concepts. We will hence discuss legacies of first generations of immigrants and constructions of neighborhoods, real and virtual. In a second step we juxtapose these visual practices with visual representations of migration in the press and other mass media, using them as a key to public discourses on migration, shaping immigration policies and integration politics.
Class Time: 40% Lecture, 5% Film/Video, 40% Discussion, 10% Student Presentation, 5% Field Trips.
Work Load: 20-50 pages reading per week, 15-18 pages writing per term, 2 papers, 2 presentations, 1 special projects, 10 homework assignments, 2 quizzes. 2 papers (1 short essay of 2-4 pages & 1 final paper incl. project proposal; project description, peer review of first draft (12-14 pages), 2 presentations, 1-2 quizzes & 10 homework assignments (1/2-1 page).
Grade: 55% reports/papers, 10% quizzes, 15% in-class presentation, 20% class participation. Journal for Extra-Credit
Instructor:
Wolbert,Barbara
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Description: This introductory course will focus on the ways immigrant communities have transformed the foundations of American life. We will tackle three particular themes that have a significant presence within public discourse surrounding immigrants and immigration: new racial transformations, the immigrant narrative, and social citizenship. In doing this, we will discuss the impact of immigrants on the ideologies and institutions that structure our communities and society. Required texts include: Whiteness of a Different Color, by Matthew Frye Jacobson Domestica, by Pierrette Hongdagneu-Sotelo Homebound, by Yen Espiritu Black Identities, by Mary Waters The Latehomecomer, by Kao Kalia Yang Entry Denied, by Eithne Luibheid
Instructor: Park,Lisa Sun-Hee
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Description: What holds Europe together, what drives it apart? Processes of geographic integration and fragmentation characterize contemporary Europe. Performances of apparently opposite phenomena take place simultaneously, e.g., of homogeneity and heterogeneity, of political integration and declining political affiliation, and of emerging local identities as well as nationalism. This course systematically addresses the changing demographic, ethnic/cultural, economic, political and urban landscapes of European regions. The purpose of the course is not only to describe the similarities and differences in the landscapes, but also to provide geographic explanations of the observed phenomena, patterns and processes. With the country project you will learn about one country in greater detail and can apply the content of the readings, debates and lectures. You are encouraged to complement the in-class discussions on the geography of Europe with your in-depth study of the country of your choice. This class fulfills the "International Perspectives" and "Social Science Core" Liberal Education requirements. The instructor, Albertine van Diepen, is a visiting professor from the University of Amsterdam.
Class URL: http://www.geog.umn.edu/courses/3161
Class Time: 55% Lecture, 30% Discussion. multimedia
Work Load: 40-50 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers. 1 quiz
Grade: 20% mid exam, 35% final exam, 35% reports/papers, 10% quizzes.
Instructor: STAFF
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: dept consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Craddock,Susan L
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: dept consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor:
Payne,Leigh A
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Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: instr consent , dept consent , college consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: STAFF
Grading basis/credits:
Description: This course introduces students to the theoretical and historical foundations of environmental racism and environmental inequality. We will examine and interrogate both the social scientific evidence concerning this phenomenon and the efforts by governments, residents, workers, and activists to combat it. We will consider the social forces that create environmental inequalities, so that we may understand their causes and consequences. We will also consider ideas and practices that may lead to 1) a more equitable social distribution of the costs and benefits of markets and 2) more ecologically sustainable forms of production. Students will be expected to master several social scientific theories and concepts related to the subject matter. In particular, we pay close attention to the ways in which the concept of race intersects with gender, class, citizenship, and nation in order to better understand how systems of power and inequality are constructed, reinforced, and challenged.
Class Time: 65% Lecture, 10% Film/Video, 15% Discussion, 5% Small Group Activities, 5% Guest Speakers. service learning component is optional
Work Load: 60-80 pages reading per week, 15 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 3 homework assignments, 3 quizzes.
Grade: 30% mid exam, 30% final exam, 10% quizzes, 20% written homework, 10% class participation.
Exam Format: Both the midterm and final exams will be take home tests requiring the use of course readings, lectures, discussions, and films to answer questions.
Instructor:
Pellow,David
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Equivalencies:
Prereq: SOC 1001 or 3101 or 3102 or 3111 or instr consent
Description: This course takes a broad sociological look at both international law and global culture. Students will consider particular international laws, such as the Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and also look at international legal institutions, such as Interpol, the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice. Students will explore the effect of international law on civil and political rights, economic rights, rules of war, child labor, female genital cutting, and immigration. Finally, students will engage critical questions such as the likely implications of "opting out" of international law and the circumstances under which international law is likely to lead to real changes. The course grade is based on two take-home exams, one paper, and a short documentary project.
Class Time: 40% Lecture, 40% Discussion. video/audio presentations
Work Load: 60-75 pages reading per week, 16 pages writing per term, 2 exams, 1 papers. 10-15 minute documentary
Grade: 20% mid exam, 30% final exam, 15% reports/papers, 10% class participation, 25% other evaluation. documentary
Exam Format: take-home exam
Instructor:
Boyle,Elizabeth Heger
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Prereq: Grad student or instr consent
Description: This 3-credit seminar will study the histories, philosophies and activities of human rights activists and organizations. The course examines the theoretical basis of the human rights movement, the principles underlying key organizations in the human rights field, as well as their strategies, tactics and programs. The class provides an opportunity to put in perspective students' previous experiences as interns or staff with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the human rights field. The class will use case studies and other active methods to understand and to evaluate the work of human rights activists. Topics to be considered include fact-finding and documentation, campaigns on human rights issues, cultural relativism, economic rights, and corporate responsibility for human rights. Students will consider the basic organizational structure and fundraising needs of NGOs. Students will design and present a research project based on their selection of in-class topics. Readings include material on the history of NGOs; roots and development of the human rights movement; analysis of key NGOs; advocacy within international institutions; and reports and publications from NGOs working in the field.
Class Time: 15% Lecture, 75% Discussion. 10% Group Work
Work Load: 60 pages reading per week, 30 pages writing per term, 0 exams. 2 short papers and 1 long paper; group advocacy presentations
Grade: 50% reports/papers, 35% special projects, 15% in-class presentation.
Instructor: Frey,Barbara A
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Jr or sr or grad student
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Chambers,Sarah C
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: Jr or sr or grad student
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: Greiman,Brad
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: instr consent , dept consent , college consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: STAFF
Grading basis/credits:
Prereq: instr consent , dept consent , college consent
Description: Student may contact the instructor or department for information.
Instructor: STAFF