MESA Minor Requirements
2024 - 2025 Catalog
We have the following degrees:
- Middle East and South Asia Studies with Language Emphasis minor
- Middle East and South Asia Studies without Language minor
Middle East and South Asia Studies with Language Emphasis minor
A minor in Middle East and South Asia studies with language emphasis requires the completion of seven courses (at least 21 credits). In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor. Students should regularly consult with the Program Director about course substitutions due to changes in departmental offerings, and courses taken abroad.
1. Gateway course: One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following: HIST 170, 171; MESA 195, 255; REL 130, 235, 283
2. Distribution: Three additional courses (at least nine credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
a. Art History and Literature: ARTH 140, 141, 146, 242, 243, 245, 342, 343; LIT 273; MESA 260; REL 273, or, when appropriate, ARTH 195, 295, LIT 180, 295 (on a MESA-related topic)
b. Other Humanities: FILM 237S, 252S; HIST 170, 171, 172, 226, 280, 282 (REL 282); MESA 250, 252, 395; PHIL 223; REL 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 120, 131, 132, 172, 216, 226, 231, 250, 260 (on a MESA-related topic), 271, 282 (HIST 282), 284, 333, 335, 350, 381; or, when appropriate, HIST 195, 289; REL 195, 260, 351 (on a MESA-related topic)
c. Social Sciences: ECON 246, 376, 377, POL 384, 386, REL 220, 222, 246, SOAN 247; or, when appropriate, ECON 276, 295, 395; POL 274, 396
3. Language: Three additional 3- or 4-credit courses earned by completing through term five in one MESA-relevant language. The first two terms of language study are not applicable to the minor:
a. Arabic: successful completion of ARAB 211, 220, or 225, or an equivalent.
b. Sanskrit: successful completion of SKT 301 or its equivalent.
c. Other MESA-relevant languages (e.g., Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Tibetan, Turkish, Urdu, or potentially other languages) can be studied elsewhere (e.g., intensive language programs at other universities; language study abroad) and will be considered by the Program Director for credit towards the MESA with Language option.
The language component will conclude, as part of ARAB 211 or SKT 301, with a fifth-term project, in which each student will read sources in Arabic or Sanskrit, as well as relevant secondary literature, and write a paper in the target language on a topic that relates to the MESA region. At the end of the term, students in ARAB 211 or SKT 301 will present their fifth-term project in class in the target language.
- Gateway course:
- HIST 170 - The World of Islam: Origins to 1500
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 7th to 15th centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse geographical and cultural contexts in which pre-modern Islamic civilization flourished. Topics include the origins of Islam in late Antiquity; the development of Islamic religious, political, and cultural institutions; the flourishing of medieval Islamic education, science, and literature; the tension among state, ethnic, sectarian, and global Muslim identities; and the emergence of a distinctly Muslim approach to historiography.
- HIST 171 - The World of Islam: 1500 to the Present
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 16th to 21st centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse experiences of the various regions that make up the Islamic world. Topics include the emergence of the early modern centralizing states in Iran, Turkey, India, and elsewhere; the spread of Islamic religious and political practices in Africa and Asia; the colonial and post-colonial confrontation between the Islamic World and Europe; and the evolution of new political, cultural, and intellectual movements as Muslim nations in the context of globalization.
- MESA 195 - Gateway to Middle East and South Asia Studies
FDR HU Credits 3-4 A gateway course introducing Middle East and South Asia studies through the lens of a special topic, issue, or problem relevant to the MESA region.
- MESA 255 - Language Policies and Politics
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of language policies in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (broadly defined). Students are introduced to the concepts and theories involved in language planning and policy (LPP) and discuss topics such as the legal status of language(s); linguistic rights; language attitudes and ideologies; language in education; language standardization; multilingualism and nationalism; and language endangerment. Students investigate the factors that govern and influence different LPPs through a series of case studies from the MESA region.
- REL 130 - Us, Them, and God: Identity and Interaction in the Middle East and South Asia
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the historical and social dynamics that have contributed to the formation of religious identities in the Middle East and South Asia. These identities, shaped over many centuries by the rise, spread, and interaction of religious ideas, peoples, and institutions, become important factors in socio-political movements and conflicts. The course takes a long view of the historical roots of these religious identities, their shifting boundaries and significance in the era of European colonialism, and their role in the formation of post-colonial nations. Particular emphasis is placed on the cultural linkages between the various Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural spheres, and broader patterns of Identity-formation and cultural influence through forms of globalization, both modern and pre-modem
- REL 235 - Religions of the Silk Road: Gods in Transit
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of how deities and religious ideas and practices spread from one place to another through cultural, commercial, and political networks and interactions in the ancient and medieval world, and how this constituted a form of premodern globalization. The history of religions, from antiquity to the present day, is full of cases of a religion traveling from one place to another. The circumstances vary: it may happen as part of a conquest or colonization, or more peacefully through the work of missionaries or wandering monks, or as a by-product of trade or professional contacts. We highlight a series of case studies drawn from the full sweep of the Silk Road, from the eastern Mediterranean and Near East to eastern Central Asia, along with the parallel network of Indian Ocean routes
- REL 283 - Islam and Spirituality
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course explores Sufism, Shi'ism, and popular religious practices within the global Islamic community. Topics include Muslim meditative practices, popular festivals and celebrations in Islam and legal debates around their permissibility; mystical interpretations of the Qur'an.
- Distribution:
- Art History and Literature:
- ARTH 140 - Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A survey of artistic traditions from South (including the Himalayan region), East, and Southeast Asia from roughly the 1st to the 18th centuries CE. The course focuses on a wide range of media - including architecture, sculpture, painting, textiles, and book arts - that serve a spectrum of religious and secular functions. The broad temporal, geographic, and topical scope of this course is meant to provide students with a basic understanding of not only the greatest artistic achievements and movements in Asia, but also the historical and political contexts that gave rise to these extraordinary pieces of art.
- ARTH 141 - Buddhist Art of South and Central Asia
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course investigates the multivalent world of Buddhist art from South and Central Asia, particularly areas that now fall within the modern-day boundaries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, China, Tibet, and Nepal. We study the nascent forms of Buddhist imagery and its ritual functions from the Indo-Pak subcontinent, focus on monumental sculpture and cave architecture of Central Asia (Afghanistan and the Tarim Basin) and issues of iconoclasm, and study the art and iconography of the Himalayas, as well as current-day production and restoration practices of Tantric Buddhist art.
- ARTH 146 - Introduction to Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies: Problems of Ownership and Curation
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Cultural heritage objects are powerful artifacts to own, display, and even destroy. But why? This introductory course explores the ways art and cultural heritage objects have been stolen, laundered, purchased, curated, and destroyed in order to express political, religious, and cultural messages. Case studies and current events are studied equally to shed light on practices of looting and iconoclasm. Some of the questions we consider: What is the relationship between art and war? Under what conditions should museums return artifacts to the country/ethnic group from which the artifacts originated? What role do auction houses play in laundering art objects? What nationalist agendas are at work when cultural heritage objects are claimed by modem nation states or terrorist groups?
- ARTH 242 - Arts of India
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course explores the artistic traditions of India from the earliest extant material evidence of the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2500 BCE) to the elaborate painting and architectural traditions of the Mughal period (circa 16th - 18th centuries). The course analyzes the religious and ritual uses of temples, paintings, and sculptures, as well as their political role in expressing imperial ideologies.
- ARTH 243 - Imaging Tibet
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 An examination of images and imaging practices of the early 1900s to the present in order to define and analyze the ways in which both Western and Asian (particularly Tibetan and Chinese) artists have imagined Tibet and its people.
- ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course examines the art movements of the last one hundred years from India, China, Tibet, and Japan primarily through the lenses of the larger sociopolitical movements that informed much of Asia's cultural discourses: Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. We also address debates concerning non-Western 20th-century art as peripheral to the main canons of Modern and Contemporary art. By the end of the course, students have created a complex picture of Asian art/artists, and have engaged broader concepts of transnationalism, as well as examined the roles of galleries, museums, and auction houses in establishing market value and biases in acquisition practices. Meets simultaneously with ARTH 394B-01. Students may not register or receive credit for both.
- ARTH 342 - Love, Loyalty, and Lordship: Court Art of India, 1500s to1800s
FDR HA Credits 3 During the 16th-19th centuries, India's Hindu and Islamic courts, as well as British imperial forces, vied for political authority and control over the subcontinent. Despite the political and economic volatility of the time, the regional courts commissioned spectacular secular and religious arts in the form of illustrated narratives, miniature paintings, and architectural masterpieces. This course focuses on this rich artistic heritage. As we analyze the courts' painted and built environments, we investigate three recurring themes: love (of court, God and, in some cases, an individual); loyalty (to courtly values, religious ideals, and ruler); and lordship (over land, animals, and people).
- ARTH 343 - Art and Material Culture of Tibet
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Through a chronological presentation of sites and objects, we study Tibet's great artistic movements from the 7th-20th centuries. Our analyses of the art and material culture of Tibet, and its larger cultural zone, has an art historical and historiographic focus. This two-pronged approach encourages students to analyze not only the styles and movements of Tibetan art, but the methods by which this art world has been studied by and simultaneously presented to Western audiences.
- LIT 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as REL 273. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel.
- MESA 260 - From Travelogues to Blogs: American Depictions of the Middle East
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 What do stories and firsthand "insights" from tourists tell us about ourselves and the world? This course examines American representations of the Middle East from the nineteenth to the twenty-first centuries. Through the genre of travel writing, students explore tourist perspectives on issues such as religion, gender, politics, and society while learning about the rich history and culture of the region. The role that individuals from the Middle East play in shaping perceptions is also studied. Through discussion and the critical reading of primary sources, such as travelogues, blogs, and Instagram feeds, students learn how "the American" and "the Other'' are constructed in political, cultural, and religious discourses.
- REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as LIT 273. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel.
or, when appropriate,
- ARTH 195 - Special Topics in Art History
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3-4 Selected topics in art history with written and oral reports. May be repeated if topics are different.
- ARTH 295 - Special Topics in Art History
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3-4 Selected topics in art history with written and oral reports. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite first-year student class standing First-year seminar. Prerequisite may vary with the topic.
- LIT 295 - Special Topics in Literature in Translation
(on MESA-related topic)
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement A selected topic focusing on a particular author, genre, motif or period in translation. The specific topic is determined by the interests of the individual instructor. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- ARTH 140 - Asian Art
- Other Humanities:
- FILM 237S - Field Documentary
FDR HA Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. This course teaches students how to research, conceptualize and develop a non-fiction story idea into a film. Students receive instruction on effective research strategies, idea development, production planning, and proposal writing and pitching. They learn the theoretical, aesthetic, and technical principles of non-linear editing for documentary. Principally, students are taught how to: digitize and organize source material, create basic effects and titles, develop sequences, and organize and edit their raw materials into a polished final product. In addition to making films, we screen various documentaries, analyze the techniques, and put them to use in our own creation and editing.
- FILM 252S - Peoples and Culture of Ghana
Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. An immersion in Ghanaian culture through field trips, field documentary, and field visits to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and development organizations. We visit eight different regions of Ghana on weekend field trips plus one longer week-long excursion to the Ghanaian North. Students are divided into teams that create travel documentaries, each taking on different roles with camera, sound, and logistics. Students also work on creating policy proposals for one of the NGOs or development organizations of their choice. The short travel documentaries and policy proposals are presented in the final month of the term.
- HIST 170 - The World of Islam: Origins to 1500
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 7th to 15th centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse geographical and cultural contexts in which pre-modern Islamic civilization flourished. Topics include the origins of Islam in late Antiquity; the development of Islamic religious, political, and cultural institutions; the flourishing of medieval Islamic education, science, and literature; the tension among state, ethnic, sectarian, and global Muslim identities; and the emergence of a distinctly Muslim approach to historiography.
- HIST 171 - The World of Islam: 1500 to the Present
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 16th to 21st centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse experiences of the various regions that make up the Islamic world. Topics include the emergence of the early modern centralizing states in Iran, Turkey, India, and elsewhere; the spread of Islamic religious and political practices in Africa and Asia; the colonial and post-colonial confrontation between the Islamic World and Europe; and the evolution of new political, cultural, and intellectual movements as Muslim nations in the context of globalization.
- HIST 172 - Muslims in the Movies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 172. An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam.
- HIST 226 - Pillage, Peddling and Piety: Travel in the Middle Ages
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Perhaps contrary to expectation, Medieval people traveled extensively for trade and profit, pilgrimage and piety, conquest and gain, and even for pleasure. These motives cut across the cultures of the medieval world to encompass Muslims, Christians, and Jews and led these people to places both proximate to and far distant from Europe. We explore the medieval world as a world that moved. To that end, in addition to some more traditional academic exercises, students create a group mapping project using a host of digital tools that can communicate movement, exchange, and interaction. Topics include pilgrimage, trade, economic systems, holy war, gender, race, and chivalry.
- HIST 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(REL 282)
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 282. To Muslims, Muhammad is a prophetic figure whose model life is to be emulated; to non-Muslims, a controversial figure that has stirred the imagination for centuries. Through an analysis of the earliest non-Muslim sources on Muhammad, to insider Muslim narratives of the prophet's miraculous life, to polemical medieval Christian stories about him, to Deepak Chopra and Muhammad in hip-hop, this course explores the various historical, literary, and media representations of Muhammad. We will pay special attention to recent controversies on visual depictions of Muhammad, as well as contemporary ritual practices surrounding the embodiment of Islam's most important prophet.
- MESA 250 - Writing Mt. Lebanon: History, Language, and Politics
FDR HU Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 161 How did Mt. Lebanon become the nation-state of Lebanon? This interdisciplinary course asks students to question the local, national, and international contexts in which the modern Lebanese Republic (est. 1943) has been formed. Students explore the historical, linguistic, confessional, and political landscape of Mt. Lebanon, focusing on the 18th century up
to the present day. Visits to archeological sites, museums, historic mansions, cemeteries, and a university campus enrich classroom discussions. - MESA 252 - History Compounded: Experience Egypt
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 161 An exploration of the social, religious, historical, and political foundations of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Based in Cairo, a.k.a. Omm ed-Duniya (Mother of the World), students study the complex dynamics of state, culture, and society from a historical perspective. This course uses multiple academic lenses to understand the manifold pasts, interpret the ever-changing present, and speculate about possible futures of contemporary Egypt.
- MESA 395 - Special Topics in Religion and Human Rights of MESA
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This advanced course addresses the intersection of human rights and religion within the Middle East and/or South Asia. The course will consider the complex layers of political and legal issues as they relate to the many religious traditions of the Middle East and South Asia. The course will draw from both current and historical sources to investigate numerous case studies, e.g. the relationships between religion and women's rights, human rights and cultural heritage (often religious in content), iconoclasm and freedom of faith movements, among other concerns. The precise focus of the course will alter depending on instructor. Consequently, a student may repeat the course if the regional coverage specific to the course is different from a past offering.
- PHIL 223 - Buddhist Philosophy
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to Buddhist philosophy. We focus on the philosophical articulation and defense of Buddhism, and reflect on issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and ethics. We see how different philosophical traditions—including Indian, Chinese, and Western—can be mutually informing. We also discuss the relevance of Buddhist philosophy to empirical research and everyday practice.
- REL 101 - Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
- REL 102 - New Testament
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the New Testament.
- REL 105 - Introduction to Islam
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course familiarizes students with the foundations of the Islamic tradition and the diverse historical and geographical manifestations of belief and practice built upon those foundations. Throughout the course, the role of Islam in shaping cultural, social, gender, and political identities is explored. Readings are drawn from the writings of both historical and contemporary Muslim thinkers.
- REL 106 - Judaism: Tradition and Modernity
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course is an introduction to the rituals, concepts, and practices of Judaism from antiquity to the present day. Through a wide variety of sources, including rabbinic debate, fiction, drama, liturgy, memoirs, film, and history, we will consider how the Jewish tradition has developed, changed, and interacted with other traditions. Particular attention will be paid to the development of modern Jewish movements and communities.
- REL 108 - The Qur'an
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course approaches the Qur'an from a range of modern and pre-modern perspectives: as an oral recitation; as a material object; as a historical document; as a literary text; as a foundation for Islamic law, theology and mysticism; and as a source for ethics and social activism. Particular attention is devoted to issues of gender and politics raised by the Qur'an.
- REL 120 - War and the Bible
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 From the battle of Jericho to the apocalyptic wars in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is full of violent conflict. Wars are waged between nations, peoples, and even gods. What ideologies of war underlie these depictions? How does the Bible understand warfare and its many facets? What is a just or holy war? Are there war crimes in the ancient world? What is the role of divine beings in these conflicts? Does the God of the Bible ever lose? Through close readings of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, we consider the different ways in which war is depicted by biblical texts in different historical periods. We also examine the ongoing influence of biblical warfare on later discourses about violent conflict around the world.
- REL 131 - Buddhism
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 A survey of the historical development of the doctrines and practices of Buddhism. After a discussion of the Hindu origins of Buddhism, the course focuses on the development of the Theravada, Vajrayana and Mahayana traditions. A class trip to at least one Buddhist center is included.
- REL 132 - Hinduism
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys Hindu religious traditions with a focus on the many ways in which Hindus visualize and talk about the divine and its manifestations in the world through mythic stories, use of images in worship, explanations of the nature of the soul and body in relation to the divine, and the belief in human embodiments of the divine in Hindu holy men and women. Topics include: the religious meanings of masculine and feminine in the divine and human contexts; the idea of local, family, and 'chosen" divinities; and differing forms of Hindu devotion for men and women.
- REL 172 - Muslims in the Movies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam.
- REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 A survey of sainthood in a variety of religious contexts: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist. The course asks: What makes someone holy? How do saints behave? How and why are they "worshipped?" Readings include sacred biographies (hagiographies), studies of particular traditions of saint worship, and interpretations of sainthood in both theological and cross-cultural perspectives.
- REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 According to Egyptologist Jan Assmann, all culture is a struggle against "oblivion." How, then, might different cultures respond to the potential oblivion caused by death - the loss of personhood, the deterioration of the body, and the fading memories of those who have die? What rituals and ideologies preserve memories of the dead among the living? Is this commemoration a kind of immortality? In this course, we explore such questions and critically examine the nature of memory as it relates to ancient conceptions of death and afterlife. Through close analysis of epic narrative, ritual texts, and material culture, we compare traditions from different regions, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in order to better appreciate the rich diversity of human responses to death in the ancient worlds. All ancient texts are read in translation.
- REL 231 - Body and Soul in India
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Seeking to understand the innermost self and its relation to the mind, the body, and the world, yogis and ascetics pursue extraordinary paths that invert the normal aims and values of society. This course surveys ideas on mental and physical training; their conceptual basis; the range of techniques used; and their philosophical development. Course material is drawn from a diverse range of religions that may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Christian. The course seeks to answer such questions as: "How can we live in our bodies while realizing spiritual potential?" "What roles do yogis and ascetics play in society?" and "What is their ethical status in the world?"
- REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Who decides what is orthodox [acceptable thought] and what is heretical [unacceptable], how are these decisions made, and what impact do they have on societal definitions of "insider" and "outsider?" What perennial questions emerge in debates about orthodoxy and heresy -- e.g., the powers of states to enforce religious orthodoxy, the joining of political ideologies with religious interests -- and how are those questions addressed in modernity? This course explores the shifting and perpetually uncertain boundaries of truth and identity in religion. The focal religion is Christianity, but comparative religions are in view. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, "Gnostic gospels", and other so-called heretical texts, writings from the Church Fathers (with special attention to St. Augustine), medieval heresy trials, a contemporary American novel, and recent scholarly treatments of the boundaries that define "insiders" and "outsiders."
- REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as HIST 271. From the discourse on the War on Terror, to debates about Muslim women's dress, Islam in America has attracted the attention of journalists, activists, government officials, and scholars of religion. This course takes a critical-historical approach to the topic by examining key themes in the history of Islam in America: the lives of enslaved African Muslims in the Antebellum period and the Founding Fathers' visions of Islam; the immigrant experience of Arab Muslims at the turn of the 20th century; the role of Muslim organizations in the Civil Rights movement; and, the changing representations of American Muslims after the Gulf War and post-9/11. In interrogating the history of Islam in America, we specifically pay attention to the ways in which religion, gender, class, race, and citizenship continue to inform representations of Muslims in the U.S.
- REL 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(HIST 282)
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 282. To Muslims, Muhammad is a prophetic figure whose model life is to be emulated; to non-Muslims, a controversial figure that has stirred the imagination for centuries. Through an analysis of the earliest non-Muslim sources on Muhammad, to insider Muslim narratives of the prophet's miraculous life, to polemical medieval Christian stories about him, to Deepak Chopra and Muhammad in hip-hop, this course explores the various historical, literary, and media representations of Muhammad. We will pay special attention to recent controversies on visual depictions of Muhammad, as well as contemporary ritual practices surrounding the embodiment of Islam's most important prophet.
- REL 284 - Gender and Sexuality in Islam
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 How have issues of gender and sexuality in Medieval and Modern Islamic societies been debated across the Middle East, South Asia, and the West? Students examine scholarly and public discussions of gender and Islam, and they build a vocabulary in which to talk about women. queer, and intersex history as they concern Muslim societies and their foundational sources in their regional and historical contexts.
- REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 For 2,500 years, Hindus and Buddhists have promoted meditation as a means to attain insight and liberation from suffering, a state sometimes understood in terms of divinity or Buddha-nature. Meditation has also been adopted by some in the West during the last century, often for psychological or physical benefits apart from any devotional context. What had traditionally been a practice of ordained monks was popularized in the West, a trend that then caught on in Asia as well. We look at the origins of meditative practices in Asian traditions using primary sources, social context, and personal experience of basic meditative techniques. The course concludes by noting that some contemporary neuroscientists are looking to meditation to better understand mind, brain, emotion, and cognition.
- REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 India produced one of the oldest legal systems in the world; one that offers some surprising contrasts with modern assumptions about the nature and scope of the law. Combining ethical and ritual obligations alongside rules for criminal and civil litigation, it was intended to cover every aspect of life, from personal habits to political institutions. The course begins with the ancient codes, Indian political theory, and documents from everyday legal practice in medieval times. The second half of the course begins with colonial-era British attempts to codify Hindu law; Hindu personal law in modern India; and the controversy over religion and secularism in the courts today, including the constitutional definition of Hindu; attempts to legislate against disapproved religious practices; and disputes over sacred spaces. We close with comparisons with legal reasoning about religion in America, Israel, and England, based on court cases.
- REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite REL 101, REL 102, REL 151, or REL 250 An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present.
- REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent This seminar introduces students to the Islamic understanding of shari'a (Path, "law") and its role in Muslim culture, history, and society. To be examined are: the key sources of law in the Qur'an and the model of the Prophet Muhammad, the early development of Islamic legal theories and institutions, the roles of these institutions in everyday life, and the struggle to re-imagine Islamic law and its place in contemporary Muslim communities. Case studies include the nature of political institutions, the rights and roles of women, and Islamic economics, courtroom procedure and the standing of shari'a in American courts.
or, when appropriate,
- HIST 195 - Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite first-year or sophomore class standing Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores
- HIST 289 - Topics in Asian, African, or Islamic History
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 A course offered from time to time depending on student interest and staff availability, on a selected topic or problem in Asian or African history. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- REL 195 - Special Topics in Religion
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion.
- REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to enduring issues in Christian theology and ethics through study of one or more of the classical Christian theologians. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies
(on MESA-related topic)
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present.
- FILM 237S - Field Documentary
- Social Sciences:
- ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major.
- ECON 376 - Health: A Social Science Exploration
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 203 Much of the work done by consulting companies, banks, insurance companies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, etc., is based on applied statistical and econometric analysis. This course helps prepare students for careers in these environments using a hands-on approach and emphasizing the use of data and student-directed research in the specific context of health-related issues. Example of these issues include obesity, vaccinations, pre- and post-natal care, contraceptive use, or child mortality; possible determinants include poverty, education, or distance to the nearest health clinic or hospital. An interdisciplinary perspective is highlighted, as is the use and importance of quantitative analysis for public policy.
- ECON 377 - Global Public Health
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 203 A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health.
- POL 384 - Seminar in Middle Eastern Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 105 This course examines contemporary politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Topics include the role of colonial legacies in state formation, the region's democratic deficit, nationalism, sectarianism, and the influence of religion in politics. We explore inter- and intrastate conflict, including the use of terrorism, economic development and underdevelopment, and the recent Arab uprisings (commonly referred to as the Arab Spring). Throughout, we consider why the Middle East attracts as much attention from policymakers and scholars as it does, how analysts have studied the region across time and space, and why understanding different cultural perspectives is critical to understanding the region.
- POL 386 - Poli-Wood: Indian Epics, Myth, and Cinema as Political Philosophy
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 111 The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the two major Classical Indian (Hindu) epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, while reading them as works of political thought with relevance to both modern Indian politics and contemporary cinematic culture. This class begins by exploring the epics' mythological, theological, and political content. In the second part of the course we examine how the epics, along with their major themes and characters, have been deployed for various Indian nationalist causes in the 20th and 21st centuries. Finally, the third part of the course examines two globally popular Indian action/drama films, which represent major characters, themes, and ideology drawn from the epics. In this part of the course we consider how these filmic representations exhibit political ideas that seek to impact a contemporary audience and instantiate a Hindu nationalist ethos, further considering how a politicized entertainment industry may impact the world's largest democratic nation.
- REL 220 - Whose Law? Pluralism, Conflict, and Justice
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Society is made up of schools, corporations, religions, guilds, associations, tribes, etc., each defined by a set of more-or-less formal rules that apply in various ways depending on the status of each member. Individuals are thus subject to overlapping obligations and claims, so authorities often come into conflict. This is legal pluralism. This seminar explores the various ways in which such interactions can play out in a range of social, religious, and political environments, and how they can affect people of different statuses differently. Examples range from the Roman empire, the Middle East and South Asia, past and present, to the modern United States and Europe. In each case, we examine the ways in which legal status is defined in relation to the state, religious community, ethnicity or race, and social class. Given different, overlapping, conflicting claims to authority, rights, and obligations, how is justice to be defined, and how can it be served?
- REL 222 - Law and Religion
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Drawing on examples from diverse periods and legal cultures, this seminar addresses "law" and "religion" as two realms of life that have much shared history and continue to intersect in the modern world. Several important topics in comparative law and jurisprudence are covered, including authority and legitimacy, the relation between custom and statute, legal pluralism, church-state relations, and competing models of constitutional secularism. A selective survey of legal systems and practices rooted in particular religious traditions is followed by an examination of how secular legal systems conceptualize religion and balance the protection of religious freedom with their standards of equity and neutrality.
- REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Same as ECON 246. Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students.
- SOAN 247 - Food, Culture, and Politics in Israel
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 In this course, students will explore the political and social histories of food in Israel. They will analyze how specific culinary traditions have become contested symbols of sociopolitical and religious groups. They will also discover how chefs in the region, utilizing culinary diplomacy, cook across ethnic and religious divides to bring peace and understanding. For their projects, students will produce a mini food memoir - a personal and political history of a recipe associated with their family - by utilizing concepts explored in class.
or, when appropriate,
- ECON 276 - Health Economics in Developing Countries
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A A survey of the major issues of health economics. with a focus on developing countries (although the issues are also relevant for developed countries, including the U.S. Economic modeling of health-related issues, supply and demand of health, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, health goals, and policy alternatives. Economic epidemiology, including HIV/AIDS. Selected case studies. Group project, where the group selects a developing country for which a policy proposal is then developed for a health-related policy issue of the group's choice.
- ECON 295 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits 3-4 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and are announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major. Prerequisites may vary with topic. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years.
- ECON 395 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits 3-4 Prerequisite ECON 203 Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and will be announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major. Prerequisite varies with topic. Prerequisite: ECON 203.
- POL 274 - Terrorism
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 The principal goal of this course is to help students understand the complexities of contemporary terrorism. We discuss definitional issues, the historical roots of modern terrorism, and various micro- and macro-explanations for this form of violence. We also investigate the life cycles of terrorist groups: How do they emerge? What kinds of organizational challenges do they face? How do they end? Other topics include leaderless movements (e.g., lone "wolves") and state sponsorship. Throughout the course, students observe that terrorism is not a phenomenon unique to one class of people. The course ends with three weeks focused on a certain kind of terrorism which some have called violent Islamic extremism.
- POL 396 - Seminar in Political Philosophy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite POL 111 An examination of selected questions and problems in political philosophy and/or political theory.
- ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
- Language:
One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following:
Three additional courses (at least nine credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
Three additional 3- or 4-credit courses earned by completing through term five in one MESA-relevant language. The first two terms of language study are not applicable to the minor:
a. Arabic: successful completion of ARAB 211, 220, or 225, or an equivalent.
b. Sanskrit: successful completion of SKT 301 or its equivalent.
c. Other MESA-relevant languages (e.g., Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Tibetan, Turkish, Urdu, or potentially other languages) can be studied elsewhere (e.g., intensive language programs at other universities; language study abroad) and will be considered by the Program Director for credit towards the MESA with Language option.
The language component will conclude, as part of ARAB 211 or SKT 301, with a fifth-term project, in which each student will read sources in Arabic or Sanskrit, as well as relevant secondary literature, and write a paper in the target language on a topic that relates to the MESA region. At the end of the term, students in ARAB 211 or SKT 301 will present their fifth-term project in class in the target language.
Middle East and South Asia Studies without Language minor
A minor in Middle East and South Asia studies without language requires the completion of seven courses (at least 21 credits). In meeting the requirements of this interdisciplinary minor, a student must use at least nine credits not also used to meet the requirements of any other major or minor. No more than two language courses can count toward this minor. Students should regularly consult with the Program Director about course substitutions due to changes in departmental offerings, and courses taken abroad.
1. Gateway course: One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following: HIST 170, 171; MESA 195, 255; REL 130, 235, 283
2. Distribution: 3 additional courses (9-11 credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
a. Art History and Literature: ARTH 140, 141, 146, 242, 243, 245, 342, 343; LIT 273; MESA 260; REL 273, or, when appropriate, ARTH 195, 295; LIT 180, 295 (on a MESA-related topic)
b. Other Humanities (no more than two of which can be ARAB or SKT): ARAB 111, 112, 161, 162, 210, 211, 212, 395; FILM 237S, 252S; HIST 170, 171, 172, 226, 280, 282 (REL 282); MESA 250, 252, 395; REL 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 120, 130, 131, 132, 172, 216, 226, 231, 250, 271, 282 (HIST 282), 283, 284, 333, 335, 350, 381; SKT 101, 102, 201, 202, 301; or, when appropriate, HIST 195, 289; PHIL 223; REL 195, 260, 351 (on a MESA-related topic)
c. Social Sciences: ECON 246, 376, 377, POL 384, 386, REL 220, 222, 246, SOAN 247; or, when appropriate, ECON 276, 295, 395; POL 274, 396
3. Further Courses: Two additional 3- or 4-credit courses from MESA course offerings.
4. Capstone Experience: MESA 393, taken after the completion of all other requirements, culminates in a major research paper on a topic proposed by the student and approved by the Program Director and supervising faculty adviser.
- Gateway course:
- HIST 170 - The World of Islam: Origins to 1500
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 7th to 15th centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse geographical and cultural contexts in which pre-modern Islamic civilization flourished. Topics include the origins of Islam in late Antiquity; the development of Islamic religious, political, and cultural institutions; the flourishing of medieval Islamic education, science, and literature; the tension among state, ethnic, sectarian, and global Muslim identities; and the emergence of a distinctly Muslim approach to historiography.
- HIST 171 - The World of Islam: 1500 to the Present
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 16th to 21st centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse experiences of the various regions that make up the Islamic world. Topics include the emergence of the early modern centralizing states in Iran, Turkey, India, and elsewhere; the spread of Islamic religious and political practices in Africa and Asia; the colonial and post-colonial confrontation between the Islamic World and Europe; and the evolution of new political, cultural, and intellectual movements as Muslim nations in the context of globalization.
- MESA 195 - Gateway to Middle East and South Asia Studies
FDR HU Credits 3-4 A gateway course introducing Middle East and South Asia studies through the lens of a special topic, issue, or problem relevant to the MESA region.
- MESA 255 - Language Policies and Politics
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of language policies in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (broadly defined). Students are introduced to the concepts and theories involved in language planning and policy (LPP) and discuss topics such as the legal status of language(s); linguistic rights; language attitudes and ideologies; language in education; language standardization; multilingualism and nationalism; and language endangerment. Students investigate the factors that govern and influence different LPPs through a series of case studies from the MESA region.
- REL 130 - Us, Them, and God: Identity and Interaction in the Middle East and South Asia
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the historical and social dynamics that have contributed to the formation of religious identities in the Middle East and South Asia. These identities, shaped over many centuries by the rise, spread, and interaction of religious ideas, peoples, and institutions, become important factors in socio-political movements and conflicts. The course takes a long view of the historical roots of these religious identities, their shifting boundaries and significance in the era of European colonialism, and their role in the formation of post-colonial nations. Particular emphasis is placed on the cultural linkages between the various Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural spheres, and broader patterns of Identity-formation and cultural influence through forms of globalization, both modern and pre-modem
- REL 235 - Religions of the Silk Road: Gods in Transit
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of how deities and religious ideas and practices spread from one place to another through cultural, commercial, and political networks and interactions in the ancient and medieval world, and how this constituted a form of premodern globalization. The history of religions, from antiquity to the present day, is full of cases of a religion traveling from one place to another. The circumstances vary: it may happen as part of a conquest or colonization, or more peacefully through the work of missionaries or wandering monks, or as a by-product of trade or professional contacts. We highlight a series of case studies drawn from the full sweep of the Silk Road, from the eastern Mediterranean and Near East to eastern Central Asia, along with the parallel network of Indian Ocean routes
- REL 283 - Islam and Spirituality
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course explores Sufism, Shi'ism, and popular religious practices within the global Islamic community. Topics include Muslim meditative practices, popular festivals and celebrations in Islam and legal debates around their permissibility; mystical interpretations of the Qur'an.
- Distribution:
- Art History and Literature:
- ARTH 140 - Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 A survey of artistic traditions from South (including the Himalayan region), East, and Southeast Asia from roughly the 1st to the 18th centuries CE. The course focuses on a wide range of media - including architecture, sculpture, painting, textiles, and book arts - that serve a spectrum of religious and secular functions. The broad temporal, geographic, and topical scope of this course is meant to provide students with a basic understanding of not only the greatest artistic achievements and movements in Asia, but also the historical and political contexts that gave rise to these extraordinary pieces of art.
- ARTH 146 - Introduction to Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies: Problems of Ownership and Curation
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Cultural heritage objects are powerful artifacts to own, display, and even destroy. But why? This introductory course explores the ways art and cultural heritage objects have been stolen, laundered, purchased, curated, and destroyed in order to express political, religious, and cultural messages. Case studies and current events are studied equally to shed light on practices of looting and iconoclasm. Some of the questions we consider: What is the relationship between art and war? Under what conditions should museums return artifacts to the country/ethnic group from which the artifacts originated? What role do auction houses play in laundering art objects? What nationalist agendas are at work when cultural heritage objects are claimed by modem nation states or terrorist groups?
- ARTH 242 - Arts of India
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course explores the artistic traditions of India from the earliest extant material evidence of the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2500 BCE) to the elaborate painting and architectural traditions of the Mughal period (circa 16th - 18th centuries). The course analyzes the religious and ritual uses of temples, paintings, and sculptures, as well as their political role in expressing imperial ideologies.
- ARTH 243 - Imaging Tibet
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 4 An examination of images and imaging practices of the early 1900s to the present in order to define and analyze the ways in which both Western and Asian (particularly Tibetan and Chinese) artists have imagined Tibet and its people.
- ARTH 245 - Ancient Cultures, New Markets: Modern and Contemporary Asian Art
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 This course examines the art movements of the last one hundred years from India, China, Tibet, and Japan primarily through the lenses of the larger sociopolitical movements that informed much of Asia's cultural discourses: Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Socialism, Communism, and Feminism. We also address debates concerning non-Western 20th-century art as peripheral to the main canons of Modern and Contemporary art. By the end of the course, students have created a complex picture of Asian art/artists, and have engaged broader concepts of transnationalism, as well as examined the roles of galleries, museums, and auction houses in establishing market value and biases in acquisition practices. Meets simultaneously with ARTH 394B-01. Students may not register or receive credit for both.
- ARTH 342 - Love, Loyalty, and Lordship: Court Art of India, 1500s to1800s
FDR HA Credits 3 During the 16th-19th centuries, India's Hindu and Islamic courts, as well as British imperial forces, vied for political authority and control over the subcontinent. Despite the political and economic volatility of the time, the regional courts commissioned spectacular secular and religious arts in the form of illustrated narratives, miniature paintings, and architectural masterpieces. This course focuses on this rich artistic heritage. As we analyze the courts' painted and built environments, we investigate three recurring themes: love (of court, God and, in some cases, an individual); loyalty (to courtly values, religious ideals, and ruler); and lordship (over land, animals, and people).
- ARTH 343 - Art and Material Culture of Tibet
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3 Through a chronological presentation of sites and objects, we study Tibet's great artistic movements from the 7th-20th centuries. Our analyses of the art and material culture of Tibet, and its larger cultural zone, has an art historical and historiographic focus. This two-pronged approach encourages students to analyze not only the styles and movements of Tibetan art, but the methods by which this art world has been studied by and simultaneously presented to Western audiences.
- LIT 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as REL 273. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel.
- REL 273 - Modern Jewish Literature in Translation
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement Same as LIT 273. Readings in the works of 20th-century Jewish authors, studied as literary responses to the historical and religious crises of modern Jewish life in Europe, the United States, and Israel.
or, when appropriate,
- ARTH 195 - Special Topics in Art History
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3-4 Selected topics in art history with written and oral reports. May be repeated if topics are different.
- ARTH 295 - Special Topics in Art History
FDR HA Fine Arts Distribution Credits 3-4 Selected topics in art history with written and oral reports. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- LIT 180 - FS: First-Year Seminar
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite first-year student class standing First-year seminar. Prerequisite may vary with the topic.
- LIT 295 - Special Topics in Literature in Translation
(on a MESA-related topic)
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite completion of FDR:FW requirement A selected topic focusing on a particular author, genre, motif or period in translation. The specific topic is determined by the interests of the individual instructor. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- ARTH 140 - Asian Art
- Other Humanities (no more than two of which can be ARAB or SKT):
- ARAB 111 - First-Year Arabic I
Credits 4 Prerequisite has not completed ARAB 162 or ARAB 164 An introductory course in written and spoken Arabic, focusing on basic grammar and speaking. Aspects of Arab culture introduced.
- ARAB 112 - First-Year Arabic II
Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 111 with a grade of C- or greater and has not completed either ARAB 162 or ARAB 164 This course builds communicative skills in written and spoken Arabic, emphasizing foundational grammar and speaking. Continued introduction to cultural practices of the Arab world.
- ARAB 161 - Second-Year Arabic I
Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 112 or ARAB 151 either with a grade of C or greater and has not completed either ARAB 162 or ARAB 164 Building on basic grammar and vocabulary knowledge, this course emphasizes speaking and writing, as well as listening comprehension and reading. Students introduced with popular Arab culture.
- ARAB 162 - Second-Year Arabic II
FDR FL World Language Foundation Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 161 with a grade of C or greater A continuation of Second-Year Arabic focused on speaking and writing, in addition to listening comprehension and reading. Increased familiarization with popular Arab culture. Students with credit in ARAB 162 may not receive subsequent credit in a lower numbered Arabic course. Students may not receive degree credit for both ARAB 162 and 164.
- ARAB 220 - Media Arabic
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite ARAB 211 A language-focused course that provides students with vocabulary and discourse structures common in today's Arabic media coverage. Weekly topics are culled from various news outlets (e.g., Al-Jazeera, AJ-Arabiyya, BBC Arabic, YouTube, AJ-Ahram, An-Nahar, AI-Dustour) which serve to familiarize students with a broad range of current sociopolitical, economic, and cultural issues.
- ARAB 211 - Third-Year Arabic I
Credits 3 Prerequisite ARAB 162 or ARAB 164 This course expands on grammar concepts and vocabulary knowledge with practical applications of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Social and political aspects of Arab culture are introduced.
- ARAB 212 - Third-Year Arabic II
Credits 3 Prerequisite ARAB 211 A continuation of third-year Arabic reinforces grammar and vocabulary through listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Continued emphasis on social norms and political dimensions of Arab culture.
- ARAB 395 - Special Topics in Arabic Literature and Culture
Credits 1-3 Prerequisite ARAB 211 with a grade of C or greater An advanced seminar on a particular author, period, or genre. Topics may include Arab Short Stories, Classical Arabic Poetry, Travelogues in Arabic Literature, Arabic Pop Culture and Music, and Arabic Media. Conducted in Arabic. The subject changes annually. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- FILM 237S - Field Documentary
FDR HA Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. This course teaches students how to research, conceptualize and develop a non-fiction story idea into a film. Students receive instruction on effective research strategies, idea development, production planning, and proposal writing and pitching. They learn the theoretical, aesthetic, and technical principles of non-linear editing for documentary. Principally, students are taught how to: digitize and organize source material, create basic effects and titles, develop sequences, and organize and edit their raw materials into a polished final product. In addition to making films, we screen various documentaries, analyze the techniques, and put them to use in our own creation and editing.
- FILM 252S - Peoples and Culture of Ghana
Credits 4 Prerequisite Instructor consent Experiential Learning. Taught by W&L faculty at the University of Cape Coast as part of the W&L in Ghana program. An immersion in Ghanaian culture through field trips, field documentary, and field visits to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and development organizations. We visit eight different regions of Ghana on weekend field trips plus one longer week-long excursion to the Ghanaian North. Students are divided into teams that create travel documentaries, each taking on different roles with camera, sound, and logistics. Students also work on creating policy proposals for one of the NGOs or development organizations of their choice. The short travel documentaries and policy proposals are presented in the final month of the term.
- HIST 170 - The World of Islam: Origins to 1500
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 7th to 15th centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse geographical and cultural contexts in which pre-modern Islamic civilization flourished. Topics include the origins of Islam in late Antiquity; the development of Islamic religious, political, and cultural institutions; the flourishing of medieval Islamic education, science, and literature; the tension among state, ethnic, sectarian, and global Muslim identities; and the emergence of a distinctly Muslim approach to historiography.
- HIST 171 - The World of Islam: 1500 to the Present
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic World from the 16th to 21st centuries, with particular attention paid to the diverse experiences of the various regions that make up the Islamic world. Topics include the emergence of the early modern centralizing states in Iran, Turkey, India, and elsewhere; the spread of Islamic religious and political practices in Africa and Asia; the colonial and post-colonial confrontation between the Islamic World and Europe; and the evolution of new political, cultural, and intellectual movements as Muslim nations in the context of globalization.
- HIST 172 - Muslims in the Movies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 172. An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam.
- HIST 226 - Pillage, Peddling and Piety: Travel in the Middle Ages
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Perhaps contrary to expectation, Medieval people traveled extensively for trade and profit, pilgrimage and piety, conquest and gain, and even for pleasure. These motives cut across the cultures of the medieval world to encompass Muslims, Christians, and Jews and led these people to places both proximate to and far distant from Europe. We explore the medieval world as a world that moved. To that end, in addition to some more traditional academic exercises, students create a group mapping project using a host of digital tools that can communicate movement, exchange, and interaction. Topics include pilgrimage, trade, economic systems, holy war, gender, race, and chivalry.
- HIST 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(REL 282)
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 282. To Muslims, Muhammad is a prophetic figure whose model life is to be emulated; to non-Muslims, a controversial figure that has stirred the imagination for centuries. Through an analysis of the earliest non-Muslim sources on Muhammad, to insider Muslim narratives of the prophet's miraculous life, to polemical medieval Christian stories about him, to Deepak Chopra and Muhammad in hip-hop, this course explores the various historical, literary, and media representations of Muhammad. We will pay special attention to recent controversies on visual depictions of Muhammad, as well as contemporary ritual practices surrounding the embodiment of Islam's most important prophet.
- MESA 250 - Writing Mt. Lebanon: History, Language, and Politics
FDR HU Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 161 How did Mt. Lebanon become the nation-state of Lebanon? This interdisciplinary course asks students to question the local, national, and international contexts in which the modern Lebanese Republic (est. 1943) has been formed. Students explore the historical, linguistic, confessional, and political landscape of Mt. Lebanon, focusing on the 18th century up
to the present day. Visits to archeological sites, museums, historic mansions, cemeteries, and a university campus enrich classroom discussions. - MESA 252 - History Compounded: Experience Egypt
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite ARAB 161 An exploration of the social, religious, historical, and political foundations of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Based in Cairo, a.k.a. Omm ed-Duniya (Mother of the World), students study the complex dynamics of state, culture, and society from a historical perspective. This course uses multiple academic lenses to understand the manifold pasts, interpret the ever-changing present, and speculate about possible futures of contemporary Egypt.
- MESA 395 - Special Topics in Religion and Human Rights of MESA
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This advanced course addresses the intersection of human rights and religion within the Middle East and/or South Asia. The course will consider the complex layers of political and legal issues as they relate to the many religious traditions of the Middle East and South Asia. The course will draw from both current and historical sources to investigate numerous case studies, e.g. the relationships between religion and women's rights, human rights and cultural heritage (often religious in content), iconoclasm and freedom of faith movements, among other concerns. The precise focus of the course will alter depending on instructor. Consequently, a student may repeat the course if the regional coverage specific to the course is different from a past offering.
- PHIL 223 - Buddhist Philosophy
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to Buddhist philosophy. We focus on the philosophical articulation and defense of Buddhism, and reflect on issues in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and ethics. We see how different philosophical traditions—including Indian, Chinese, and Western—can be mutually informing. We also discuss the relevance of Buddhist philosophy to empirical research and everyday practice.
- REL 101 - Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).
- REL 102 - New Testament
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to the history, literature and interpretation of the New Testament.
- REL 105 - Introduction to Islam
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course familiarizes students with the foundations of the Islamic tradition and the diverse historical and geographical manifestations of belief and practice built upon those foundations. Throughout the course, the role of Islam in shaping cultural, social, gender, and political identities is explored. Readings are drawn from the writings of both historical and contemporary Muslim thinkers.
- REL 106 - Judaism: Tradition and Modernity
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course is an introduction to the rituals, concepts, and practices of Judaism from antiquity to the present day. Through a wide variety of sources, including rabbinic debate, fiction, drama, liturgy, memoirs, film, and history, we will consider how the Jewish tradition has developed, changed, and interacted with other traditions. Particular attention will be paid to the development of modern Jewish movements and communities.
- REL 108 - The Qur'an
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course approaches the Qur'an from a range of modern and pre-modern perspectives: as an oral recitation; as a material object; as a historical document; as a literary text; as a foundation for Islamic law, theology and mysticism; and as a source for ethics and social activism. Particular attention is devoted to issues of gender and politics raised by the Qur'an.
- REL 120 - War and the Bible
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 From the battle of Jericho to the apocalyptic wars in the Book of Revelation, the Bible is full of violent conflict. Wars are waged between nations, peoples, and even gods. What ideologies of war underlie these depictions? How does the Bible understand warfare and its many facets? What is a just or holy war? Are there war crimes in the ancient world? What is the role of divine beings in these conflicts? Does the God of the Bible ever lose? Through close readings of both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, we consider the different ways in which war is depicted by biblical texts in different historical periods. We also examine the ongoing influence of biblical warfare on later discourses about violent conflict around the world.
- REL 130 - Us, Them, and God: Identity and Interaction in the Middle East and South Asia
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys the historical and social dynamics that have contributed to the formation of religious identities in the Middle East and South Asia. These identities, shaped over many centuries by the rise, spread, and interaction of religious ideas, peoples, and institutions, become important factors in socio-political movements and conflicts. The course takes a long view of the historical roots of these religious identities, their shifting boundaries and significance in the era of European colonialism, and their role in the formation of post-colonial nations. Particular emphasis is placed on the cultural linkages between the various Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural spheres, and broader patterns of Identity-formation and cultural influence through forms of globalization, both modern and pre-modem
- REL 132 - Hinduism
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course surveys Hindu religious traditions with a focus on the many ways in which Hindus visualize and talk about the divine and its manifestations in the world through mythic stories, use of images in worship, explanations of the nature of the soul and body in relation to the divine, and the belief in human embodiments of the divine in Hindu holy men and women. Topics include: the religious meanings of masculine and feminine in the divine and human contexts; the idea of local, family, and 'chosen" divinities; and differing forms of Hindu devotion for men and women.
- REL 216 - Sainthood in Four Traditions
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 A survey of sainthood in a variety of religious contexts: Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist. The course asks: What makes someone holy? How do saints behave? How and why are they "worshipped?" Readings include sacred biographies (hagiographies), studies of particular traditions of saint worship, and interpretations of sainthood in both theological and cross-cultural perspectives.
- REL 131 - Buddhism
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 A survey of the historical development of the doctrines and practices of Buddhism. After a discussion of the Hindu origins of Buddhism, the course focuses on the development of the Theravada, Vajrayana and Mahayana traditions. A class trip to at least one Buddhist center is included.
- REL 172 - Muslims in the Movies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An examination of the history of visual representation of Islam and Muslims in classical and modern cinema. We approach movies produced by both Muslims and non-Muslims over the last century as historical sources: visual monuments that have captured the specific cultural and political context in which they were produced. We examine a selection of these movies through the lens of critical theory and the study of religion in order to pay attention to how questions surrounding identity and representation, race and gender, Orientalism and perceptions of difference have historically influenced and continue to influence cinematic images of Islam.
- REL 231 - Body and Soul in India
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Seeking to understand the innermost self and its relation to the mind, the body, and the world, yogis and ascetics pursue extraordinary paths that invert the normal aims and values of society. This course surveys ideas on mental and physical training; their conceptual basis; the range of techniques used; and their philosophical development. Course material is drawn from a diverse range of religions that may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Christian. The course seeks to answer such questions as: "How can we live in our bodies while realizing spiritual potential?" "What roles do yogis and ascetics play in society?" and "What is their ethical status in the world?"
- REL 226 - Death and Immortality in the Ancient World
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 According to Egyptologist Jan Assmann, all culture is a struggle against "oblivion." How, then, might different cultures respond to the potential oblivion caused by death - the loss of personhood, the deterioration of the body, and the fading memories of those who have die? What rituals and ideologies preserve memories of the dead among the living? Is this commemoration a kind of immortality? In this course, we explore such questions and critically examine the nature of memory as it relates to ancient conceptions of death and afterlife. Through close analysis of epic narrative, ritual texts, and material culture, we compare traditions from different regions, including Mesopotamia, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Greece, and Rome, in order to better appreciate the rich diversity of human responses to death in the ancient worlds. All ancient texts are read in translation.
- REL 250 - Truth, Belief, Dissent: Defining Insiders and Outsiders in Ancient, Medieval and Modern Religion
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Who decides what is orthodox [acceptable thought] and what is heretical [unacceptable], how are these decisions made, and what impact do they have on societal definitions of "insider" and "outsider?" What perennial questions emerge in debates about orthodoxy and heresy -- e.g., the powers of states to enforce religious orthodoxy, the joining of political ideologies with religious interests -- and how are those questions addressed in modernity? This course explores the shifting and perpetually uncertain boundaries of truth and identity in religion. The focal religion is Christianity, but comparative religions are in view. Readings include selections from the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, "Gnostic gospels", and other so-called heretical texts, writings from the Church Fathers (with special attention to St. Augustine), medieval heresy trials, a contemporary American novel, and recent scholarly treatments of the boundaries that define "insiders" and "outsiders."
- REL 271 - Islam in America: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as HIST 271. From the discourse on the War on Terror, to debates about Muslim women's dress, Islam in America has attracted the attention of journalists, activists, government officials, and scholars of religion. This course takes a critical-historical approach to the topic by examining key themes in the history of Islam in America: the lives of enslaved African Muslims in the Antebellum period and the Founding Fathers' visions of Islam; the immigrant experience of Arab Muslims at the turn of the 20th century; the role of Muslim organizations in the Civil Rights movement; and, the changing representations of American Muslims after the Gulf War and post-9/11. In interrogating the history of Islam in America, we specifically pay attention to the ways in which religion, gender, class, race, and citizenship continue to inform representations of Muslims in the U.S.
- REL 282 - Picturing Muhammad? Perceptions of the Prophet from the Hijra to Hip-Hop
(HIST 282)
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Same as REL 282. To Muslims, Muhammad is a prophetic figure whose model life is to be emulated; to non-Muslims, a controversial figure that has stirred the imagination for centuries. Through an analysis of the earliest non-Muslim sources on Muhammad, to insider Muslim narratives of the prophet's miraculous life, to polemical medieval Christian stories about him, to Deepak Chopra and Muhammad in hip-hop, this course explores the various historical, literary, and media representations of Muhammad. We will pay special attention to recent controversies on visual depictions of Muhammad, as well as contemporary ritual practices surrounding the embodiment of Islam's most important prophet.
- REL 283 - Islam and Spirituality
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 This course explores Sufism, Shi'ism, and popular religious practices within the global Islamic community. Topics include Muslim meditative practices, popular festivals and celebrations in Islam and legal debates around their permissibility; mystical interpretations of the Qur'an.
- REL 284 - Gender and Sexuality in Islam
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 How have issues of gender and sexuality in Medieval and Modern Islamic societies been debated across the Middle East, South Asia, and the West? Students examine scholarly and public discussions of gender and Islam, and they build a vocabulary in which to talk about women. queer, and intersex history as they concern Muslim societies and their foundational sources in their regional and historical contexts.
- REL 333 - Meditation and Self-Knowledge
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 For 2,500 years, Hindus and Buddhists have promoted meditation as a means to attain insight and liberation from suffering, a state sometimes understood in terms of divinity or Buddha-nature. Meditation has also been adopted by some in the West during the last century, often for psychological or physical benefits apart from any devotional context. What had traditionally been a practice of ordained monks was popularized in the West, a trend that then caught on in Asia as well. We look at the origins of meditative practices in Asian traditions using primary sources, social context, and personal experience of basic meditative techniques. The course concludes by noting that some contemporary neuroscientists are looking to meditation to better understand mind, brain, emotion, and cognition.
- REL 335 - Hindu Law in Theory and Practice
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 India produced one of the oldest legal systems in the world; one that offers some surprising contrasts with modern assumptions about the nature and scope of the law. Combining ethical and ritual obligations alongside rules for criminal and civil litigation, it was intended to cover every aspect of life, from personal habits to political institutions. The course begins with the ancient codes, Indian political theory, and documents from everyday legal practice in medieval times. The second half of the course begins with colonial-era British attempts to codify Hindu law; Hindu personal law in modern India; and the controversy over religion and secularism in the courts today, including the constitutional definition of Hindu; attempts to legislate against disapproved religious practices; and disputes over sacred spaces. We close with comparisons with legal reasoning about religion in America, Israel, and England, based on court cases.
- REL 350 - Seminar in Biblical Studies
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite REL 101, REL 102, REL 151, or REL 250 An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present.
- REL 381 - Islamic Law in Society
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent This seminar introduces students to the Islamic understanding of shari'a (Path, "law") and its role in Muslim culture, history, and society. To be examined are: the key sources of law in the Qur'an and the model of the Prophet Muhammad, the early development of Islamic legal theories and institutions, the roles of these institutions in everyday life, and the struggle to re-imagine Islamic law and its place in contemporary Muslim communities. Case studies include the nature of political institutions, the rights and roles of women, and Islamic economics, courtroom procedure and the standing of shari'a in American courts.
- SKT 101 - Elementary Sanskrit I
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Sanskrit, sister to Greek and Latin and aunt to most of the languages of Europe, was used to compose most Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts. and much other literature of India, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, lyric poetry, drama, fables, works on yoga and meditation, poetics, logic, political theory, law (Dharma), the exact sciences, and the erotic arts. The discovery by Western scholars of the remarkably systematic ancient grammar of Panini (around 400 BCE) led to the development of the modern science of linguistics. This elementary course presents the basic grammar of the language over the course of the year. From the very first day, students begin reading texts and using simple spoken Sanskrit. We also discuss the role of Sanskrit in religious history and in Indian and Nepali society up to the present.
- SKT 102 - Elementary Sanskrit II
Credits 3 Prerequisite SKT 101 Continuation of SKT 101.
- SKT 201 - Intermediate Sanskrit I
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent An integrative review of grammar, focusing on syntax and idiomatic usage, and put into practice in reading and oral textual analysis using the traditional method for glossing and analyzing compounds. Readings are drawn from Lanman's Reader and other passages in prose and verse. Meeting times are arranged.
- SKT 202 - Intermediate Sanskrit II
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Continuation of SKT 201. Meeting times are arranged.
- SKT 301 - Advanced Readings in Sanskrit
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Readings are selected to match the skills and (where possible) interests of the student. The course presents the readings in the context of their social, historical, and intellectual situation, the conventions of the genre, and their impact on the tradition to which they belong. Texts are read with traditional commentary, where it is available. A portion of each term is given over to reading texts from manuscript or inscription to give the student an understanding of the philological problems posed by the material form of the text, of variant readings, and the constitution of printed texts. Grammar and syntax are reviewed as needed. May be repeated for degree credit when readings are different. Meeting times are arranged.
or, when appropriate,
- HIST 195 - Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite first-year or sophomore class standing Topics in History for First-years and Sophomores
- HIST 289 - Topics in Asian, African, or Islamic History
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 A course offered from time to time depending on student interest and staff availability, on a selected topic or problem in Asian or African history. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- REL 195 - Special Topics in Religion
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3-4 A course offered from time to time in a selected problem or topic in religion.
- REL 260 - Seminar in the Christian Tradition
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 An introduction to enduring issues in Christian theology and ethics through study of one or more of the classical Christian theologians. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.
- REL 351 - Seminar in Biblical Studies
(on a MESA-related topic)
FDR HL Literature Distribution Credits 3 An exploration of a topic in Biblical studies, focusing on ancient texts and their interpreters from antiquity to the present.
- ARAB 111 - First-Year Arabic I
- Social Sciences:
- ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students. ECON 100 or 101 required only for credit as an elective in the Economics major.
- ECON 376 - Health: A Social Science Exploration
Credits 4 Prerequisite ECON 203 Much of the work done by consulting companies, banks, insurance companies, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, etc., is based on applied statistical and econometric analysis. This course helps prepare students for careers in these environments using a hands-on approach and emphasizing the use of data and student-directed research in the specific context of health-related issues. Example of these issues include obesity, vaccinations, pre- and post-natal care, contraceptive use, or child mortality; possible determinants include poverty, education, or distance to the nearest health clinic or hospital. An interdisciplinary perspective is highlighted, as is the use and importance of quantitative analysis for public policy.
- ECON 377 - Global Public Health
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 203 A survey of the major issues of public health, with case studies from across the world. These include water and sanitation, vaccinations, contraceptive use, obesity, child work and health outcomes, quality of medical care and provider choice, and HIV-AIDS. Further explorations of regression models, building on the material from ECON 203, using a hands-on approach. The course emphasizes understanding of the use and analysis of data and student-directed research using policy-relevant applications related to public health.
- POL 384 - Seminar in Middle Eastern Politics
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 105 This course examines contemporary politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Topics include the role of colonial legacies in state formation, the region's democratic deficit, nationalism, sectarianism, and the influence of religion in politics. We explore inter- and intrastate conflict, including the use of terrorism, economic development and underdevelopment, and the recent Arab uprisings (commonly referred to as the Arab Spring). Throughout, we consider why the Middle East attracts as much attention from policymakers and scholars as it does, how analysts have studied the region across time and space, and why understanding different cultural perspectives is critical to understanding the region.
- POL 386 - Poli-Wood: Indian Epics, Myth, and Cinema as Political Philosophy
FDR HU Humanities Distribution Credits 3 Prerequisite POL 111 The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the two major Classical Indian (Hindu) epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, while reading them as works of political thought with relevance to both modern Indian politics and contemporary cinematic culture. This class begins by exploring the epics' mythological, theological, and political content. In the second part of the course we examine how the epics, along with their major themes and characters, have been deployed for various Indian nationalist causes in the 20th and 21st centuries. Finally, the third part of the course examines two globally popular Indian action/drama films, which represent major characters, themes, and ideology drawn from the epics. In this part of the course we consider how these filmic representations exhibit political ideas that seek to impact a contemporary audience and instantiate a Hindu nationalist ethos, further considering how a politicized entertainment industry may impact the world's largest democratic nation.
- REL 220 - Whose Law? Pluralism, Conflict, and Justice
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Society is made up of schools, corporations, religions, guilds, associations, tribes, etc., each defined by a set of more-or-less formal rules that apply in various ways depending on the status of each member. Individuals are thus subject to overlapping obligations and claims, so authorities often come into conflict. This is legal pluralism. This seminar explores the various ways in which such interactions can play out in a range of social, religious, and political environments, and how they can affect people of different statuses differently. Examples range from the Roman empire, the Middle East and South Asia, past and present, to the modern United States and Europe. In each case, we examine the ways in which legal status is defined in relation to the state, religious community, ethnicity or race, and social class. Given different, overlapping, conflicting claims to authority, rights, and obligations, how is justice to be defined, and how can it be served?
- REL 222 - Law and Religion
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 Drawing on examples from diverse periods and legal cultures, this seminar addresses "law" and "religion" as two realms of life that have much shared history and continue to intersect in the modern world. Several important topics in comparative law and jurisprudence are covered, including authority and legitimacy, the relation between custom and statute, legal pluralism, church-state relations, and competing models of constitutional secularism. A selective survey of legal systems and practices rooted in particular religious traditions is followed by an examination of how secular legal systems conceptualize religion and balance the protection of religious freedom with their standards of equity and neutrality.
- REL 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 4 Prerequisite instructor consent Same as ECON 246. Social stratification touches every aspect of life, and South Asia's traditional caste structure is a special case: this highly complex, strictly-adhered-to system has been religiously legitimized and criticized over a 3,000-year history, and is nowadays seen as being at odds with the modern world. Yet it remains a crucial factor in social identity, economic roles, legal status, and religious practice. This course offers a 360-degree survey of caste both historically and in practice today in Nepal. The course addresses four themes, respectively providing for each a combination of historical background, social scientific analysis of the modern situation, and direct field experience for the students.
- SOAN 247 - Food, Culture, and Politics in Israel
FDR SS4 Social Science - Group 4 Distribution Credits 3 In this course, students will explore the political and social histories of food in Israel. They will analyze how specific culinary traditions have become contested symbols of sociopolitical and religious groups. They will also discover how chefs in the region, utilizing culinary diplomacy, cook across ethnic and religious divides to bring peace and understanding. For their projects, students will produce a mini food memoir - a personal and political history of a recipe associated with their family - by utilizing concepts explored in class.
or, when appropriate,
- ECON 276 - Health Economics in Developing Countries
Credits 3 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 101, ECON 180, or ECON 180A A survey of the major issues of health economics. with a focus on developing countries (although the issues are also relevant for developed countries, including the U.S. Economic modeling of health-related issues, supply and demand of health, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, health goals, and policy alternatives. Economic epidemiology, including HIV/AIDS. Selected case studies. Group project, where the group selects a developing country for which a policy proposal is then developed for a health-related policy issue of the group's choice.
- ECON 295 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits 3-4 Prerequisite ECON 100, ECON 180, or ECON 180A; or both ECON 101 and ECON 102 Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and are announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major. Prerequisites may vary with topic. Preference to ECON majors during the first round of registration. Other majors are encouraged to add to the waiting list after registration re-opens for all class years.
- ECON 395 - Special Topics in Economics
Credits 3-4 Prerequisite ECON 203 Course emphasis and prerequisites change from term to term and will be announced prior to preregistration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different. A maximum of nine credits chosen from all special topics in economics courses may be used, with permission of the department head, toward requirements for the economics major. Prerequisite varies with topic. Prerequisite: ECON 203.
- POL 274 - Terrorism
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3 The principal goal of this course is to help students understand the complexities of contemporary terrorism. We discuss definitional issues, the historical roots of modern terrorism, and various micro- and macro-explanations for this form of violence. We also investigate the life cycles of terrorist groups: How do they emerge? What kinds of organizational challenges do they face? How do they end? Other topics include leaderless movements (e.g., lone "wolves") and state sponsorship. Throughout the course, students observe that terrorism is not a phenomenon unique to one class of people. The course ends with three weeks focused on a certain kind of terrorism which some have called violent Islamic extremism.
- POL 396 - Seminar in Political Philosophy
FDR SS2 Social Science - Group 2 Distribution Credits 3-4 Prerequisite POL 111 An examination of selected questions and problems in political philosophy and/or political theory.
- ECON 246 - Caste at the Intersection of Economy, Religion, and Law
- Further Courses:
- Capstone Experience:
- MESA 393 - Capstone in Middle East and South Asia Studies
Credits 3 Prerequisite instructor consent Capstone project. Independent research project on a topic in Middle East and South Asia studies, under the guidance of a faculty adviser, including regular individual meetings and at least four group workshops, culminating in a formal presentation of the finished project to MESA faculty and students.
One course introducing the MESA area through comparative, broad-scale consideration of cultural processes, chosen from among the following:
3 additional courses (9-11 credits) selected from the following, with at least one course from at least two of the following three areas. Additional courses may be used when the topic is relevant and the program director approves in advance:
Two additional 3- or 4-credit courses from MESA course offerings.
MESA 393, taken after the completion of all other requirements, culminates in a major research paper on a topic proposed by the student and approved by the Program Director and supervising faculty adviser.