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 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017
IGST 0250 - Intl Diplomacy & Mod. S. Asia
International Diplomacy and Modern South Asia
In this course we will examine current political and economic issues in the countries of South Asia - Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. We will first examine the background of the South Asian region in general (pre-colonial and colonial eras) and of South Asian countries after independence. We will look at specific interstate and intrastate issues, focusing on the combined quests for political stability and economic development. Students will look at topical issues from the perspective of an officer working in a U.S. Embassy or in a U.S. foreign policy agency. The course will combine rigorous academic understanding of the region with current policy issues. Readings will include both academic studies and contemporary policy/issues papers. This course is equivalent to PSCI 0250. 3 hrs. lect./disc. AAL SOC
Spring 2014, Fall 2015
IGST 0251 - Identity/Conflict South Asia
Identity and Conflict in South Asia
In this course we will examine political development and conflict in South Asia through the concept of identity. South Asians take on a variety of identities -- ethnic, religious, linguistic, caste, national, etc. These identities often form the basis of political mobilization and both inter- and intrastate conflict. We will study the general concept of identity, including how identities are constructed and used, and then specific manifestations in South Asia. We will also examine the question of whether these identities were constructed during colonial or post-colonial times, or have an earlier basis. AAL SOC
Spring 2015
IGST 0273 - Diasporas and Homelands
Diasporas and Homelands
War, mass migration, and globalization have spurred development of diaspora communities and heightened scholarly interest in the phenomenon. In contrast to other groups of exiles and immigrants, diaspora communities seek integration within host countries as well as ongoing political, economic, and cultural ties to their homelands. A number of questions arise from these complex and dynamic relationships: How do diaspora communities maintain cultural distinctiveness within host countries? How do they maintain and reproduce cultural ties with homelands and other centers of diaspora life? What influence do diaspora communities have on political relationships between host countries and homelands? What influence do they have on internal homeland politics? Finally, what are the implications of the diaspora phenomenon for the future of the nation state and globalization? Case studies will be drawn from a variety of diaspora communities, including Armenians, Nigerians, Jews, Palestinians, Dominicans, and South Asians. 3 hrs. lect. CMP SOC
Fall 2014
IGST 0404 - GeoLabor and Youth
Global Geographies of Labor and Youth
In this seminar we will examine the relationship between the spatial organization of the global political economy and the lives of working people and youth. We will investigate a variety of industrial and agrarian contexts in North America, Latin America, South Africa, India, and China. We will place an emphasis on the problems posed by labor and capital mobility, and global production networks that impact worker organization and the lives of children and young people. Students must have advanced reading ability in a language other than English as they will be required to work with foreign language sources. This course is equivalent to SOAN 0404 and GEOG 0404. (Approval required) 3 hrs. sem. AAL CMP SOC
Spring 2014
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 0406 - The Global Sixties
The Global Sixties: Exploding Visual Cultures
In this seminar we will explore the global upheavals of 1968 through the transdisciplinary lens of visual culture. Through a focus on architecture, film, and art we will unpack the political, social, and cultural climate that helped to define1968. Signature features of this historical moment such as the anxieties of modernism, feminist, sexual, and race-based movements, and postcolonial formations will be studied in sites and aesthetic experiments around the globe. While 1968 is often seen as uniquely Western, we will explores the implications of this epochal moment as it plays out in India, Brazil, Japan, and other non-Western centers of cultural production. This course is equivalent to JAPN 0406 and GSFS 0406. 3 hrs. sem. ART CMP
Fall 2013
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
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 0434 - War and Consequences
War: Causes, Conduct, Consequences
Why do human beings organize themselves in armed groups to attack and kill other human beings? What is it like to experience war, both as a combatant and a non-combatant caught in its vortex? How has warfare evolved over time? Which legal or moral considerations affect how wars are fought? What are the mechanisms of war propaganda? What are the immediate and long-term consequences of war? What is the future of war? These are some of the questions we will try to answer. Readings include works by psychologists, political scientists, historians, philosophers, poets, fiction writers, dramatists, film-makers, and participants. This course is equivalent to PSCI 0434. EUR SOC
Spring 2014
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 0447 - Democ/Develop/Globalization
Democracy, Development, and Globalization
In this course we will address crucial issues that both economists and political scientists have considered fundamental to their disciplines: how nations become democratic, develop economically, and confront globalization and regionalism. We will focus on theories that come from various disciplines to explain these phenomena. Following several weeks of theoretical discussion, we will focus on case studies from Latin America, Europe, Russia, Eastern Europe, and China. Our approach will focus on integrating various disciplines to understand these inherently interdisciplinary issues. Students will be expected to write research papers that will utilize foreign language sources, as appropriate. This course is equivalent to ECON 0337 and PSCI 0337. AAL CMP SOC
Fall 2013
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 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 2014, 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. This course is equivalent to PSCI 0483. 3 hrs. sem. AAL CMP SOC
Fall 2013, 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 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0501 - LAS Independent Project ▲ ▹
Latin American Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0502 - MES Independent Project ▲ ▹
Middle East Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0503 - African Studies Ind. Project ▲ ▹
African Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0504 - SAS Independent Project ▲ ▹
South Asian Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0505 - EUS Independent Research ▲ ▹
European Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0506 - REES Independent Project ▹
IGST 0700 - Senior Work ▲ ▹
Senior Work
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0701 - REES Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Russian and East European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0702 - EUS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
European Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0703 - LAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Latin American Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0704 - EAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
East Asian Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0705 - African Studies Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
African Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0706 - MES Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
Middle East Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
IGST 0707 - SAS Senior Thesis ▲ ▹
South Asian Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
INTL 0502 - MES Independent Project
Middle East Studies Independent Project
(Approval Required) Winter Term
Winter 2014, Winter 2015, Winter 2016, Winter 2017