Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
IGST 0101 - Intro to Intl & Global Studies ▲
Introduction to International and Global Studies
This is the core course of the International and Global Studies major. It is an introduction to key international issues and problems that will likely feature prominently in their courses at Middlebury and study abroad. Issues covered will differ from year to year, but they may include war, globalization, immigration, racism, imperialism, nationalism, world organizations, non-governmental organizations, the European Union, the rise of East Asia, politics and society in Latin America, and anti-Americanism. 3 hrs. lect./disc. CMP
Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018
IGST 0405 - iFeminism/Viral GlobalActivism
iFeminism: Virality and Transnational Activism
With a focus on transnationally-circulating digital media, we will think through how feminist engagements are thickened by new technologies. Working with instances from across the world we will examine whether digital media users rewrite feminism, feminist practices, and activism. What are the creative ways in which virality has altered feminism, similarly and differently across the world? Informed by postcolonial theories, we will remain attentive to the global inequalities within which social media narratives circulate. Similarly, a theoretical engagement with the intersectional entanglements of power will ensure a comparative analysis of feminist activism that is engaged with regionally-specific concerns about power disparities. 3 hrs. sem. CMP SOC
Fall 2015
IGST 0411 - The Racial Life of Power ▲
The Racial Life of Power: (Trans)national Experiences of Race
In this course we will explore the emergence of race as a category of classification, social construct, and real experience in conjunction with the consolidation of different forms of power including colonialism, slavery, nationhood and globalization. We will take a global and interdisciplinary approach to our study by examining how race operates in national, transnational, and transcontinental power dynamics and imaginaries. Our interrogation of race will consider its central intersections with class, gender, and sexuality in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and North America at different moments in history. Course materials will include visual media, literary texts, primary historical sources, critical theory, and music. (Taught in English) 3 hrs. sem. AAL CMP SOC
Spring 2017, Fall 2018
IGST 0412 - "We": Representing Collectives ▹
The “We”: Representing Collectives
“Who are we?” This may be the fundamental question underlying any community. Rather than propose a particular answer to this question, in this course we will attempt to develop a historical poetics of social formations: how are communities (“we”) maintained and represented under different political paradigms, how do communities appear, and how do they disintegrate? Readings will include foundational texts of modern Western political philosophy, with responses from beyond Europe (Russia, the Global South, and the Americas), and case studies from literature, cinema, protest, and mass media. Students taking this class for a Russian requirement meet one extra hour per week to discuss selected texts in Russian. 3 hrs. sem PHL SOC
Spring 2019
IGST 0420 - Visual Culture of the Americas
Visual Cultures of the Americas
From murals to monuments and telenovelas to veladoras, this bilingual [Spanish/English] seminar will explore the role of visual expression in the history of cultural formation throughout the Americas. We will take a hemispheric and transnational approach to our studies. As such, two related premises inform the material we will examine: images traverse the boundaries of nation-states, and they are intrinsically tied to the developments of modern history. We will combine theoretical works with a variety of still and moving images (artifacts of mass culture, photography, artwork, film, mixed media, and performance) to study the relationship between "visuality" and flows of culture throughout Latin and Anglo Americas. This course is equivalent to AMST 0420. 3 hr. sem. ART CMP
Fall 2014, Fall 2016
IGST 0428 - Dictators and Democrats
Dictators and Democrats
In this course we will explore the processes through which charismatic individuals create, use, transform, or circumvent state institutions to seize and maintain political power. We will examine individual, national, and international factors that propel dictators and democrats to leadership positions. We will also look at the historical context and personal circumstances leading to leaders' demise, sometimes resulting in regime change. Cases from Africa, America, Asia, and Europe will help students describe, classify, explain, and predict leadership outcomes (Comparative Politics) 3 hrs. Sem. CMP SOC
Spring 2018
IGST 0433 - Democ Deliberation Citizenship ▲
Democracy, Deliberation, and Global Citizenship
Around the world, democratic self-governance is celebrated as a political ideal, but the fundamentals of informed and engaged citizens are difficult to achieve. Power, institutions, information, and culture can each facilitate or impede political dialogue and civic action. In this seminar, we will explore local and global conceptions of democracy and citizenship, and employ practical approaches to facilitating deliberation and action in our various communities. 3 hrs. sem. (International Relations and Foreign Policy) CMP SOC
Fall 2018
IGST 0436 - Terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism, the act of violent resistance against real or perceived oppression, has taken on new dimensions in an age dominated by mass media and technology. Can we make reliable distinctions between terrorism, anarchism, guerrilla warfare and random mass murder? What are the political, social, and cultural conditions that favor terrorism? What makes an individual a terrorist? How have governments coped with terrorist movements? What is "state terrorism"? Looking at terrorist movements across the globe, as well as the historical evolution of terrorism, this course will examine explanations for this disintegrative phenomenon given by social scientists, historians, writers, and filmmakers. This course is equivalent to GEOG 0436. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2015, Fall 2017
IGST 0437 - Risk
Risk: Tempting the Fates or Securing the Future?
How does our understanding of risk vary across cultures and historical periods? What does risk have to do with magic, religion, or gambling? What is the link between globalization, modernity, and risk? Building risk management into initiatives anywhere on the globe has become a critical leadership skill. We will study classic risk scenarios and risk theories from various disciplines (social science, economics, environmental studies, politics). Guest lectures by risk management experts will help us discuss real-life scenarios. We will read texts by Herodotus, William Shakespeare, Theodor Storm, Ulrich Beck, Peter Bernstein, Deborah Lupton, and Robert Jungk. We will view films by Wolfgang Petersen, Charles Ferguson, and Ilan Ziv. CMP SOC
Spring 2016
IGST 0440 - Islam and Human Rights
Islam and Human Rights
Modern human rights formulations and Islamic legal prescriptions both make universal and, at times, conflicting claims. In this course, we consider various attempts by religious and legal scholars to reconcile such tensions through assessing and reinterpreting Islamic sources with reference to contemporary human rights principles. We explore international human rights charters and declarations as well as Islamic jurisprudential interpretations and legal practices, paying special attention to questions of religious freedom, minority and women’s rights, and gender identity. Readings and student projects emphasize course themes through individual case studies drawn from varied settings. 3 hrs. sem. CMP HIS PHL
Spring 2017
IGST 0448 - Debt in Global Capitalism
Dreams, Pyramid Schemes, and Debt in Global Capitalism
Debt is as old as the human condition, but in the sense of reciprocity between kin. Once debt is monetized, it has a long history of replacing mutual social obligations with the extraction of profit and the formation of social classes. In this course we will study the evolution of exchange from kin-based societies to states and empires, then apply the anthropology of exchange to ethnographies of globalization in Latin America, Africa, and East Asia. The ethnographies will focus on how different political economies and cultural interpretations of capitalism encourage people to financialize their obligations to their families, generating unsustainable business models that deepen indebtedness. 3 hrs. sem. (Anthropology) AAL AMR CMP SOC
Spring 2016
IGST 0452 - Global Environmental Justice ▹
Ecocriticism and Global Environmental Justice
Many global environmental problems—climate change, biodiversity, deforestation, clean water, and transboundary waste movement—are ineffectively managed. In this course we will take a critical look at these failures and ask: do existing norms and attitudes make effective, sustainable environmental management more difficult? In doing so, we will examine institutions and phenomena such as the sovereign nation-state, free market capitalism, and the authority of scientific knowledge. We will ask whether sustainable management is compatible with these institutions and phenomena, or whether they contribute to environmental injustice, racism, political marginalization, and gender and class inequity by studying contemporary and historic examples. 3 hrs. sem. (International Relations and Foreign Policy)/
Spring 2019
IGST 0460 - Global Consumptions
Global Consumptions: Food, Eating, and Power in Comparative Perspective
Using interdisciplinary approaches, we will examine the practices and politics of food and eating in a range of regions. Food sustains not only bodies, but national, ethnic, and social identities as well. Notions of time and space, order and transgression, nature and culture have long affected what people eat and how they do it. How does eating, this most basic and universal of human practices, both reflect difference and create it? How are food systems, symbolic and “real,” linked to national and international politics: Finally, how are contemporary food practices influenced by “modernization” and “globalization”? We will consider these and other questions as they apply to Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2016, Spring 2018
IGST 0475 - Imperial/Anti-Imperial Asia
Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism in Asia
In this seminar we will examine patterns of Euro-American and Japanese imperialism in South, East, and Southeast Asia during the 19th and 20th centuries. We will focus on the ways in which scholars and revolutionaries have made sense of the workings of colonial power and formulated strategies for resistance. By engaging with novels, films, and political manifestos, students will gain a broad understanding of how imperialism transformed lifeworlds, how its cultural, social, and economic dimensions have been critiqued, and the formation of nationalist, Marxist, and Pan-Asianist movements. Readings will include works by V.I. Lenin , Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and Ranajit Guha. This course is equivalent to HIST 0475. 3 hrs seminar. AAL CMP HIS NOA SOC
Spring 2015
IGST 0476 - Disability in a Global Context
Disability in a Global Context
Approximately 650 million people currently live with a disability, making this population the largest minority in the world. In this seminar we will explore the meaning of disability (as a condition) as well as the lived experience of people with disabilities in global, continental, and national contexts. Using an integrated perspective that applies knowledge about disability from diverse disciplines and methodologies, we will assess core models of disability: social, medical, linguistic, historical, political, institutional, educational, technological, attitudinal, and economic. Using the term disability within an analytical framework, we will examine the meaning of such fundamental concepts as identity, community, citizenship, and "normalcy." (Approval required) 3 hrs. sem. CMP
Spring 2015
IGST 0482 - Public/Private Governance
Private and Public Governance in an Era of Globalization
Although the study of international affairs has traditionally focused on states, other actors play important roles in governance. Working alongside the public sector, private actors bring innovative approaches and substantial resources to social problems, but effective collaboration between public and private actors remains elusive. In this seminar we will examine general theories of private and public governance, followed by specific discussion of issues such as economic development, environmental protection, and public health. This course is equivalent to PSCI 0482. CMP SOC
Fall 2014
IGST 0483 - Rise of Asia and U.S. Policy
The Rise of Asia and US Policy
In this course we will study what is arguably the most important strategic development of the 21st century: how the rise of Asia presents security challenges to the region and the United States. Drawing from international relations scholarship, the course will focus on foreign policy challenges and potential responses. These challenges include both traditional security and nontraditional areas such as water and the environment. We will integrate the analysis of these issues in South, East, and Southeast Asia with study of the policy process, in part through simulations and role-playing exercises. 3 hrs. sem. AAL CMP NOA SOC
Fall 2014, Fall 2017
IGST 0484 - Political Econ of Regionalism
The Political Economy of Regionalism
In this course we will address the political economy of regionalism in a variety of national and regional contexts. We will consider both integration projects—such as the European Union and South America’s Mercosur—as well as subnational local autonomy movements, such as those in Catalonia and Scotland. We will study theories of integration as well as case studies from Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa, focusing on the political and economic forces driving both integration and disintegration in their historical and contemporary contexts. We will also consider how globalization affects regional integration projects. (Comparative Politics) 3 hrs. sem. AAL CMP SOC
Fall 2015, Fall 2017
IGST 0500 - EAS Independent Research ▲ ▹
East Asian Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0501 - LAS Independent Project ▲ ▹
Latin American Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0502 - MES Independent Project ▲ ▹
Middle East Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0503 - African Studies Ind. Project ▲ ▹
African Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0504 - SAS Independent Project ▲ ▹
South Asian Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0505 - EUS Independent Research ▲ ▹
European Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0506 - REES Independent Project ▹
IGST 0700 - Senior Work ▲ ▹
Senior Work
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0701 - REES Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Russian and East European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0702 - EUS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0703 - LAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Latin American Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0704 - EAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
East Asian Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0705 - African Studies Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
African Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0706 - MES Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Middle East Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019
IGST 0707 - SAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
South Asian Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Winter 2018, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019