Ethnic Studies (ETHS)

ETHS 153. Introducing Chinese Religions. 3 Units.

This "topics" course offers an introduction to the academic study of Chinese religions. Whether approached through a particular theme or as a general historical introduction, each section of this course provides students with a general introduction to the academic study of religion and a basic religious literacy in the nuances and complexities in Chinese religions within various historical and socio-cultural contexts. Section topics might include, but are not limited to: Confucianism, Daoism, Chinese Buddhism, Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Religions. Students may repeat the course for credit once (two times total for 6 credits), provided that the two sections are different. Offered as RLGN 153, ETHS 153 and CHIN 253. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 218. Jews in Early Modern Europe. 3 Units.

This course surveys the history of Jews in Europe and the wider world from the Spanish expulsion through the French Revolution. Tracking peregrinations out of the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles, France, Holland, Italy, Germany, Poland-Lithuania, the Ottoman Empire, and the American colonies, it examines the diverse ways Jews organized their communities, interacted with their non-Jewish neighbors, and negotiated their social, economic, and legal status within different states and empires. What role did Jews play and what symbolic place did they occupy during a period of European expansion, technological innovation, artistic experimentation, and religious and political turmoil? What internal and external dynamics affected Jewish experiences in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries? Through a selection of inquisitorial transcripts, government records, memoirs, and historical literature, we will explore topics such as persecution, conversion, messianism, toleration, emancipation, and assimilation. Offered as HSTY 218, JDST 218, and ETHS 218. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.

ETHS 228. Asian Americans: Histories, Cultures, Religions. 3 Units.

This course introduces students to Asian American Studies as an interdisciplinary academic discipline. It critically examines the global and transnational dimensions of U.S. history, the constructions of "modernity" in the U.S., and the shaping of U.S. culture and religion, race and racialization, identity constructions and contestations, law and law-making, colonialism and empire building, labor and migration, politics and public policy making, and social movements through a critical study of Asian Americans and their diverse histories, cultures, religions, identity negotiations and contestations, social movements, and political activism. Offered as ETHS 228, HSTY 228 and RLGN 228. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

ETHS 234. France and Islam. 3 Units.

This seminar examines French encounters with the Muslim world from the Middle Ages to the present. Over the last millennium, France has viewed Saracens, Moriscos, Turks, Berbers, and Arabs with admiration and fear, disdain and incomprehension. Between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, French soldiers battled in the Holy Land; for several hundred years after that, France and the Ottoman Empire exchanged diplomats, traders and slaves. The colonial occupation of Algeria that began in 1830 ended violently in 1962. By then, the empire that struck back had also come home through large waves of immigration. Today, the social and economic status, religious affiliation, political significance and cultural impact of French citizens of North African descent are the subject of burning national debate. Taking a long view on Franco-Muslim relations, the course will explore such topics as the Crusades, Mediterranean piracy and captivity, Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, the Algerian War of Independence, the "veil affair," riots in the suburbs of Paris and World Cup soccer. Offered as ETHS 234 and HSTY 234. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.

ETHS 243. Bollywood and Social Justice: Contemporary Bollywood Movies with a Social Message. 3 Units.

India, where over-the-top, melodramatic films dominate, produces more than 1,000 films a year. With lavish action sequences punctuated by periodic songs in picturesque locales, these films, popularly referred to as Bollywood, traditionally have been known for depicting imaginary worlds, very far from reality. Among these are movies that are deeply immersed in issues of religion, religious conflict, caste, and social injustice. These issues range from ones concerning purity and the class system and Hindu-Muslim conflict, to women's rights and human trafficking. This class will be looking at a number of Bollywood films with focal points of matters pertaining to social justice. Students will learn about the foundations of these inequalities and intolerances so that they can more completely understand the themes addressed in the movies. The class will thus focus on the religion(s) of cultures outside the United States. It will address in a substantive way ethnic, gender, sexual, religious, or other cultural practices outside the United States, so as to provide students with fresh perspectives on their own cultural assumptions, traditions, and experiences. Offered as ETHS 243 and RLGN 243. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 251. Perspectives in Ethnicity, Race, Religion and Gender. 3 Units.

This course is designed to introduce students to the study of ethnicity. Basic concepts such as race, gender, class, and identity construction will be examined. Students are encouraged to use the tools and perspectives of several disciplines to address the experiences of ethnic groups in the United States. Offered as ETHS 251 and RLGN 251. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 252A. Introduction to African-American Studies. 3 Units.

This course is designed to introduce students to the study of Black History, cultures, economics, and politics. Students will learn about the development of the field by exploring theoretical questions, methodological approaches, and major themes that have shaped the study of black people, primarily in the U.S. context. This is a seminar-style, discussion-based course that emphasizes critical analysis and expository writing. Offered as ETHS 252A and HSTY 252A. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 252B. Introduction to Latina/o Studies. 3 Units.

Interdisciplinary introduction to the basis for a Latina/o ethnicity through an exploration of commonalities and differences in the peoples of Latin American and Caribbean origin within the continental United States. Topics include methodological and theoretical formulations central to the field (e.g., racial, gender, and sexual formations, modes and relations of production and class, nation and transnation), history and contemporary issues of identity, family, community, immigration, and the potential for a pan-ethnic identity. Discussions will focus on major demographic, social, economic and political trends: historical roots of Latinas/os in the U.S.; the evolution of Latina/o ethnicity and identity; immigration and the formation of Latina/o communities; schooling and language usage; tendencies and determinants of socioeconomic and labor force status; discrimination, segregation and bias in contemporary America; racial and gender relations; and political behavior among Latinas/os. Offered as: ETHS 252B and HSTY 259. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 253A. Introduction to Modern African History. 3 Units.

A general introduction to major themes in modern African history, with an emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics include oral tradition and narrative, economic structure and dynamics, religious movements, colonialism, nationalism, and the dilemmas of independent African states. Offered as AFST 135, ETHS 253A and HSTY 135. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 253B. Introduction to Latin American History. 3 Units.

This course provides an introduction to the historical and cultural development of Latin America, in an attempt to identify the forces, both internal and external, which shape the social, economic and political realities in present day Latin America. Beginning with its pre-Columbian civilizations, the course moves through the conquest and colonial period of the Americas, the wars of independence and the emergence of nation-states in the nineteenth century, and the issues confronting the region throughout the turbulent twentieth century, such as migration and urbanization, popular protest and revolution, environmental degradation, great power intervention, the drug trade and corruption, and the integration of the region into the global economy. Offered as ETHS 253B and HSTY 136. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 253C. Religion and Philosophy in China. 3 Units.

This course critically examines the three principal religious and philosophical traditions of China: the Confucian, Daoist, and Chinese Buddhist traditions. Through a combination of assigned print and online readings, video clips and documentaries, class discussions, and written assignments, students explore the origins and historical developments, principal thinkers, central religious and doctrinal themes, ethics, spirituality, popular devotions, social movements, and contemporary developments of these three major religious and philosophical traditions of China. Students will consider the wider social, cultural, ethical, economic, and political dimensions of Chinese religions and philosophies generally, and themes of community and society, identity constructions, personal experiences, movements, as well as their socio-cultural reproductions in contemporary China, and where appropriate, the Chinese Diaspora in North America. Offered as CHIN 253C, ETHS 253C, PHIL 253 and RLGN 253. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 254. The Holocaust. 3 Units.

This class seeks to answer fundamental questions about the Holocaust, the German-led organized mass murder of nearly six million Jews and millions of other ethnic and religious minorities. It will investigate the origins and development of racism in modern European society, the manifestations of that racism, and responses to persecution. An additional focus of the course will be comparisons between different groups, different countries, and different phases during the Nazi era. The class concludes with an examination of the memory of the Holocaust. Offered as ETHS 254, HSTY 254, JDST 254 and RLGN 254,. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

ETHS 255. Global Judaism: Diversity Across the Jewish World. 3 Units.

Scattered across the globe over the course of millennia, Jews' diverse histories and environments have given rise to a great range of religious, cultural and social forms. Using ethnographies as our primary texts, we will think critically and comparatively about Judaism and Jewishness in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Along our journey, we examine how Jews have navigated their experiences as minorities in their many diaspora homelands, and how they have they adapted their cultural and religious practices to the various environments in which they have found themselves. In addition to exploring their Jewishness vis-à-vis others, we also examine questions of exclusion and belonging that Jews have faced as they have encountered each another in recent decades through tourism, mass migration, globalization, and the internet. How do the world's varied Jewish groups - who are of different skin colors, who speak different languages, and who carry different historical memories - navigate ethnic divides, race relations, and religious diversity? Should we speak of a single Jewish religion and Jewish people at all? Offered as ANTH 255, ETHS 255, JDST 255 and RLGN 255. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 258. History of Southern Africa. 3 Units.

A survey of southern Africa from about 1600. Topics include the social structure of pre-colonial African societies, the beginnings of European settlement, the rise of Shaka, the discovery of minerals and the development of industry, the rise and demise of apartheid, and comparison of apartheid to other systems of segregation. Through an examination of the complex society that has emerged the course addresses several categories of diversity: race, ethnicity, gender, class, among others. Offered as AFST 258, ETHS 258 and HSTY 258. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

ETHS 260. U.S. Slavery and Emancipation. 3 Units.

Begins with the African encounter with Europeans during the emergence of the modern slave trade. Students are introduced to the documents and secondary literature on the creation and maintenance of slavery, first in colonial America, and then in the United States. The course concludes with the destruction of slavery. Offered as AFST 260, ETHS 260 and HSTY 260. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 261. African-American History 1865-1945. 3 Units.

Explores the fashioning of a modern African-American culture between emancipation and the end of World War II. Emergence of a northern-based leadership, the challenge of segregation, emergence of bourgeois culture, the fashioning of racial consciousness and black nationalism, the shift from a primarily southern and rural population to one increasingly northern and urban, the creation and contours of a modern African-American culture, the construction of racial/gender and racial/class consciousness. Offered as AFST 261, ETHS 261 and HSTY 261. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 262. African-American History Since 1945. 3 Units.

Completes the three-term sequence of the African-American history survey (although the first two courses are not prerequisites for this course). Explores some of the key events and developments shaping African-American social, political, and cultural history since 1945. Offered as AFST 262, ETHS 262 and HSTY 262. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 280. History of Modern Mexico. 3 Units.

This course explores the major issues that have influenced the formation of modern Mexico. This class is organized around three major themes. First, we will examine Mexican identity formation and its political implications. Second, we will assess Mexican life in relation to the development of the Mexican economy. Finally, we will survey how elite and popular forms of violence have affected Mexican society. Throughout the course, we will discuss the significance of the colonial heritage, regional distinctions, racial and gender stratification, and the creation and reconfiguration of various types of borders. Offered as HSTY 280 and ETHS 280. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 295. The Francophone World. 3 Units.

The course offers an introduction to the Francophone World from a historical, cultural, and literary perspective. The Francophone World includes countries and regions around the globe with a substantial French-speaking population (and where French is sometimes, but not always, an official language): North America (Louisiana, Quebec, and Acadia); North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt); the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria); the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti); Southeast Asia (Vietnam); and Europe (France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg). FRCH 295 provides a comprehensive overview of the Francophone World, while focusing on a particular area or areas in any given semester. Offered as AFST 295, ETHS 295, FRCH 295, and WLIT 295. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 302. The Lemonade Class: Religion, Race, Sex and Black Music. 3 Units.

Charles Long suggests that black musical forms are creative responses to the particular circumstances of black peoples' presence in the U.S and black notions of the sacred. In April of 2016, Beyoncé released her visual album Lemonade two days after the death of Prince. This course is organized around the album's title cuts and links these two artists together in an examination of religion and musical performance as creative response to the racial and gendered conditions of black life. The course investigates how both artists have used music as a platform to explore issues of race, gender, commerce, sexuality, power and divinity. The course also looks at examples from the works of earlier artists who address similar themes such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Little Richard, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and Aretha Franklin. Offered as AFST 302, ETHS 302, MUHI 316, RLGN 302, RLGN 402, and WGST 302. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 306. The Cuban Experience: an immersion in its culture and society. 3 Units.

This is a three-week study-abroad intensive course that takes place in Matanzas and Havana, Cuba. The course combines the unique advantages of a total immersion environment in the Cuban culture with a classroom curriculum that includes the study of relevant cultural, literary and historical issues. Students complete three hours of classroom instruction and an hour and a half of workshop four days per week. Also, they participate in organized visits to historic sites and museums connected to the culture curriculum. The focus of the culture curriculum is the study of Cuban history and culture through its literature, visual arts, films, and music. After applying and being accepted into the program, students meet for personal advising with the program director and attend four different one-hour orientation-information meetings in the spring semester. After successful completion of the study-abroad program, students receive three upper-level credits in Spanish or Ethnic Studies. The course is interdisciplinary in its approach and provides students with the tools they need to analyze and understand the complexities of modern Cuba. Students will have formal classes taught by their professor and talks, and meetings with specialists on Cuban literature, art, architecture, history and other aspects of culture and society. Also, they will attend lectures, participate in discussions, and take field trips that will expose them to many aspects of Cuban culture, such as art, architecture, music, dance, film, literature, artisan work, folklore, history and urban growth. Offered as SPAN 306, SPAN 406, and ETHS 306. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 308. Immigration and the Paris Experience. 3 Units.

Three-week immersion learning experience living and studying in Paris. The focus of the course is the culture, literature, and the arts of the African, Arab, and Asian communities of Paris. At least half of the course looks at issues surrounding immigration that affect women in particular. Students spend a minimum of fifteen hours per week visiting cultural centers and museums and interviewing authors and students about the immigrant experience. Assigned readings complement course activities. Students enrolled in FRCH 308/408 do coursework in French. WLIT 308/408, ETHS 308, and WGST 308 students have the option of completing coursework in English. Graduate students have additional course requirements. Offered as FRCH 308, WLIT 308, ETHS 308, WGST 308, FRCH 408, and WLIT 408. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 314. Cultures of the United States. 3 Units.

This course considers the rich ethnic diversity of the U.S. from the perspective of social/cultural anthropology. Conquest, immigration, problems of conflicts and accommodation, and the character of the diverse regional and ethnic cultures are considered as are forms of racism, discrimination, and their consequences. Groups of interest include various Latina/o and Native peoples, African-American groups, and specific ethnic groups of Pacific, Mediterranean, European, Asian, and Caribbean origin. Offered as ANTH 314, ETHS 314, and ANTH 414.

ETHS 318. History of Black Women in the U.S.. 3 Units.

Chronologically arranged around specific issues in black women's history organizations, participation in community and political movements, labor experiences, and expressive culture. The course will use a variety of materials, including autobiography, literature, music, and film. Offered as AFST 318, ETHS 318, HSTY 318, and WGST 318.

ETHS 333. Contemporary Caribbean Literature. 3 Units.

In addition to developing a general familiarity with the literature and history of this region, students will acquire an awareness of the interrelation of national identity, memory, and language in the texts produced by contemporary Caribbean authors, and of the cultural hybridity characteristic of this production. The themes treated by these authors include colonialism and postcolonialism, cultural and religious syncretism, and sexual politics. Offered as SPAN 333, SPAN 433, and ETHS 333. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 337. Women in the Arab World. 3 Units.

The purpose of this course is twofold: It is a course that allows students an in-depth look at the diverse women who represent a number of cultures in the Arab world in nations from the Mashrek to the Maghreb. The second primary goal of the course is to study such women through the eyes of leading Arab women theorists who have made an impact not only in their own countries, but also on disciplines intersecting with women's studies worldwide. We will study the Arab woman's place in her respective society, in political and economic systems, in education, and in the family. We will also analyze her contributions to art and literature as well as to the sciences. The course will provide an overview of the Arab woman throughout history, from her origins to her place within recent movements within the Arab Spring and other current world events. As Arab women are Muslim, Christian, and Jewish, views of women within these major world religions will also be taken into account as we study the Arab woman as well as religion's impact on culture in the Middle East and in the Maghreb in particular. In the course, we will utilize theoretical texts, but also case studies as well as examples from media and the arts. During the semester, we will take advantage of teleconferencing opportunities between CWRU and two major academic units for Women's Studies in the Arab world: The Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) in Beirut, Lebanon, and the University of Jordan's Center for Women's Studies in Amman. Offered as FRCH 337, FRCH 437, ARAB 337, ETHS 337 and WGST 337. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 342. Latin American Feminist Voices. 3 Units.

Examination of the awakening of feminine and feminist consciousness in the literary production of Latin American women writers, particularly from the 1920s to the present. Close attention paid to the dominant themes of love and dependency; imagination as evasion; alienation and rebellion; sexuality and power; the search for identity and the self-preservation of subjectivity. Readings include prose, poetry, and dramatic texts of female Latin American writers contributing to the emerging of feminist ideologies and the mapping of feminist identities. Offered as SPAN 342, SPAN 442, ETHS 342, and WGST 342. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 343. The New Drama in Latin American. 3 Units.

Representative works of contemporary Latin American drama. Critical examination of selected dramatic works of twentieth-century Latin America provides students insight into the nature of drama and into the structural and stylistic strategies utilized by Latin American dramatists to create the "new theater," one which is closely related to Latin American political history. Offered as SPAN 343, SPAN 443 and ETHS 343. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 349. The Arab World Experience. 3 Units.

Taught and led by Case faculty, The Arab World Experience is a spring semester course with a spring break study abroad component in a Middle Eastern or North African country supplemented by course meetings before and after travel. It will rotate among countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, etc. and be taught by faculty with appropriate area expertise in Arabic, Women's and Gender Studies, and/or Ethnic Studies. The course focuses on topics such as history, politics, culture, and gender relations within the society of study. Workload and learning outcomes are commensurate with a semester-long three credit hour course. Guest lectures in the host country are an important component of the course as they bring a fresh, authentic perspective to the aforementioned topics discussed. There will be three three-hour meetings prior to travel, required reading, and one three-hour meeting after travel. In the host country, students will spend seven days (five-eight hours per day) in seminars, discussions, and site visits. Student grades are determined on the basis of participation, attendance, a daily experiential learning journal, interviews with guest speakers, and a final exam. Offered as ARAB 349, ETHS 349 and WGST 349. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 352. African Feminisms. 3 Units.

This course traces the history of African feminism from its origins within traditions through to a more contemporary theoretical analysis of gender, marriage, and motherhood seen from a Afrocentric perspective. Approaches studied are those that pertain to anthropology, history, literature, sociology, and culture. African feminist theory of scholars such as Filomina Steady, Cheikh Anta Diop, Buchi Emecheta, Ifi Amadiume, Obioma Nnameka, Oyeronko Oyewumi, and Calixthe Beyala will be studied and there will be some comparative analysis of Western theories to show how African feminisms are clearly distinct. Theories on these feminisms will be presented, and in the process, students will look at cases of women in Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Senegal. It is commonly believed that African women were defined for a long time according to constructs of Western anthropology. This course will thus look at social institutions such as woman-to-woman marriage, matriarchy, and various women's rituals in order to identify African constructs of gender, family, kinship, marriage, and motherhood. Offered as ETHS 352 and WGST 352. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 353. Hindu and Jain Bioethics: Special Focus on Women's and Gender Studies. 3 Units.

This course will provide both an introduction to basic Hinduism and Jainism and an introduction to Hindu and Jain bioethics. We will focus primarily on bioethical issues that pertain to women and that are gender related. These issues include abortion, menstruation, surrogacy, intersex, and other topics of controversy. Offered as ETHS 353, RLGN 353, RLGN 453, and WGST 355. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 356. Afro-Hispanic Literature. 3 Units.

This course will survey the literary and cultural production of writers and artists of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean, paying attention to both their creative and theoretical texts. Discussion of questions of race and ethnicity will allow students to explore the ways in which these texts reformulate the idea of national identity and cultural belonging in the context of the nation-state, whose traditional centrality is being weakened through the effects of migration and exile. Readings include works by writers from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru. Offered as SPAN 356, SPAN 456 and ETHS 356. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 358. Latin American Cinema. 3 Units.

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic tools of film analysis as well as to the major trends and movements in Latin American cinema from the 1960s to the present. Through the analysis of representative films from Latin America, the course will examine the development of a variety of cinematic styles, paying particular attention to the historical contexts in which the films were produced and to the political, cultural, and aesthetic debates that surrounded their production. Offered as SPAN 358, SPAN 458 and ETHS 358. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 364. Dictatorship and Democracy in Modern Latin America. 3 Units.

This course focuses on political leadership and political parties in Latin America. It addresses the nature, causes, and consequences of dictatorship and democracy in the region, touching on politicians from Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and on the evolution of political parties in contemporary Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. Offered as ETHS 364, POSC 364, and POSC 464. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 365N. Topics in African-American Literature. 3 Units.

Selected topics and writers from nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century African-American literature. May focus on a genre, a single author or a group of authors, a theme or themes. Maximum 6 credits. Offered as AFST 365N, ENGL 365N, ETHS 365N, WLIT 365N, ENGL 465N, and WLIT 465N. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Prereq: ENGL 150 or passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in FSCC, FSNA, FSSO, FSSY, FSTS, or FSCS.

ETHS 365Q. Post-Colonial Literature. 3 Units.

Readings in national and regional literatures from former European colonies such as Australia and African countries. Maximum 6 credits. Offered as ENGL 365Q, ENGL 365QC, ETHS 365Q, WLIT 365Q, ENGL 465Q, and WLIT 465Q. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Prereq: ENGL 150 or passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in FSCC, FSNA, FSSO, FSSY, FSTS, or FSCS.

ETHS 369. Social Justice Issues in Latin America. 3 Units.

This course explores ethnicity, gender, and religion in Latin American politics and society, and then tackles revolution, democracy, and populism. Throughout, the region's history, geography, and culture are taken into account--for example, the European and indigenous legacies in Mexico and Perú, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador; the Asian presence in Perú and Brazil; the African contributions to Cuba and Brazil; female heads of state, such as Nicaragua's Violeta Chamorro, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Costa Rica's Laura Chinchilla, and Brazil's Dilma Rousseff. Liberation Theology and the current Pope's worries about the declining number of Catholics in the region are also addressed. Today's multiparty democracy in Mexico, Hugo Chávez's legacy in Venezuela, and Cuba's international humanitarian aid and ideological aims would not be possible without revolution(s) and populism. They are inevitably intertwined with ethnicity, gender, and religion. This course aims to encourage a better understanding of Latin America and its relation to the rest of the world. Offered as ETHS 369, POSC 369 and POSC 469. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

ETHS 374. Politics of Development in the Global South. 3 Units.

Exploration of the post-World War II emergence of the Global South nations of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Eastern Europe arena. Offered as ETHS 374, POSC 374, and POSC 474.

ETHS 393. Advanced Readings in the History of Race. 3 Units.

This course examines the concept of race as a social construction that carries political and economic implications. We begin by examining the histories of the early racial taxonomists (e.g., Bernier, Linnaeus, and Blumenbach among others) and the contexts that informed their writings. We then assess how the concept of race changed from the nineteenth to the twentieth century in the United States. We conclude by evaluating how the ideology of race has influenced U.S. domestic life and foreign policy at specific historical moments. Offered as AFST 393, HSTY 393, HSTY 493, and ETHS 393. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.