Ethnic Studies (ETHS)

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, JWST 218, and ETHS 218. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.

ETHS 226. Southeast Asia And The World: History, Politics, Religions. 3 Units.

This course explores the background and factors contributing to the development and shaping of contemporary Southeast Asia, as well as the intersection and synthesis of the social, cultural, geographical, religious, and political dimensions by placing ordinary lives within the context of emerging postcolonial nation states in Southeast Asia. It analyzes major trends and transformations across the whole Southeast Asia region during different historical periods -- the conquest of traditional kingdoms, colonial rule, the impact of World War II, nationalist revolutions, and the emergence of new postcolonial nations. More broadly, it also examines the intersection and synthesis of the social, cultural, geographical, religious, and political dimensions by placing the ordinary lives of Southeast Asian peoples within the context of emerging postcolonial nation states. At the end of the course, students will gain a firm foundation in acquiring a foundational knowledge in the history, religion, culture, geography, and society of Southeast Asia, as well as understanding the implications of the continuing socio-cultural, economic, and political transformation of contemporary Southeast Asia and the significance that this region has for the rest of the world. Offered as ASIA 226, ETHS 226, HSTY 226, and RLGN 226. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives 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, Social Justice, Gender and Sexuality: 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 and that connect with gender and sexuality, and sexual orientation. 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 and WGST 243. 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 246. Food, Culture, Ethics, and Religion. 3 Units.

This interdisciplinary seminar explores the complex intersecting relationships between food, culture and ethnicity, ethics and religion, as well as society and globalization. It introduces students to the symbolic, socio-cultural, political and economic, as well as moral-ethical roles that food plays in shaping how peoples in different cultures and societies across history and geography have defined themselves through their foodways. It critically analyzes the multiple intersecting relationships between food, ethnicity and culture, ethics and morality, as well as the transnational forces of globalization in shaping contemporary food systems, food production and consumption in an increasingly diverse and pluralistic contemporary US society shaped by forces of ongoing transnational migration. It explores how food choices and preferences both influence, as well as influenced by intersecting socio-cultural, as well as moral-ethical forces arising from constructions of ethnicity, gender, class, nationality and national origin, as well as religion and human spiritualities. It will use historical and contemporary food practices as a lens through which we can understand the ongoing processes of globalization, intersecting dynamics of power, socio-economic class, ethnic identity, as well as the implications of colonialism, industrialization, and globalization on food in human cultures and societies. Offered as ETHS 246 and RLGN 246. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Prereq: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS).

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. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives 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, JWST 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, JWST 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 - Present. 3 Units.

This course examines the African American experience from emancipation to the present. The history of African peoples in the United States has primarily been a chronicle of strivings for liberation, justice, and equality. Much of this story represents Black people's desires to retain their racial identity and autonomy, to build community, and create a sense of nationalism, while simultaneously asserting their right to be treated as equal American citizens. During this course, student will gain insight into the conditions of life for people of African descent in America while also being introduced to the myriad ways in which African Americans have continually pushed for freedom. This course will discuss a variety of themes in African American history including slavery and freedom, politics, resistance, gender, culture, identity, economy, etc. The specific topics explored include: Reconstruction, the Racial Nadir, the New Negro Movement, Black Radicalism in the Depression Era, The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements, Black Feminism, Black Politics in the 1980s, and finally, the state of Black America in the New Century with particular emphasis placed on contemporary topics including mass incarceration and the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to lectures, readings, films, and class discussion that will enable them to analyze the impact of various forms of human difference on lived experiences and individual and collective choices made by black folks throughout American history. Offered as AFST 261, ETHS 261 and HSTY 261. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.

ETHS 263. African-American History in and through Film. 3 Units.

This course focuses on the history of black representation in film and television in the United States. In this course, students will be introduced to some of the earliest representations of Black folks on the silver screen as well as learn about emergence of Black cinema (black films made for, by and about Black people) in the 20th century. Through this exploration, students will become acquainted with some of the most significant films, actors, and directors in African American history. This course will also teach students how to critically analyze how African American history has been depicted in modern and popular "historical" films. Students will be encouraged to employ the analysis skills and particularly critical theories of race, gender, and class to examine how filmmakers have presented, and too often distorted, historical events related to the Black experience in the United States. Finally, throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think about the ways in which films and television, both in the past and present, have contributed to the constructions of race and racial stereotypes in the United States. Films and documentaries will serve as some of the major "texts" of this course. Students will be screenings films both at home and in class. Offered as AFST 263, ENGL 263, ETHS 263, and HSTY 263. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality 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 286. Jews in the Modern World. 3 Units.

This course examines the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the Jews in the modern world from the middle of the eighteenth century to the present. While particular emphasis will be on the Jews of Europe, we will examine the Jewish communities of the Middle East, pre-1948 Palestine, Israel, and the United States. Central themes of the course are the challenges to the traditional religious and social structures of pre-modern Jewry, migration, cultural innovation, and politicization. Offered as ETHS 286, HSTY 286, JWST 286, and RLGN 286. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives 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 303. Multicultural Spain: Christian, Jewish and Muslim Coexistence. 3 Units.

Why is Medieval Iberia so often depicted as an example of tolerant multiculturalism? What constituted tolerance in the Middle Ages? In what sense can we speak of medieval multiculturalism? Is Americo Castro's optimistic model of convivencia (coexistence) valid, or is Brian Catlos' idea of conveniencia (convenience) more accurate? In this course we will study cultural theory, medieval and modern historiography, and literature from medieval Castile to the present to approach an understanding of Medieval Iberian 'multiculturalism.' This class will allow students to get in contact with the history of Spain through the study of the presence and influence of the Roman Empire, the Jewish and Muslim cultures and religions in the Peninsula. Through literature, cinema and art students will learn how the Spanish civilization and culture developed through the years. The class will be offered during a regular semester, with a study abroad component at the end of it. Students will receive a handout about how to prepare for the class abroad. Offered as ARAB 303, ETHS 303, JWST 303, HBRW 303, RLGN 303, and SPAN 301. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.

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

Three to one-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. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement 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.

This course focuses on the history of black women in the United States. Moving from enslavement to the present, this course is designed to give you an overview of the lived experiences of women of African descent in this country. This course will focus on themes of labor, reproduction, health, community, family, resistance, activism, etc., highlighting the diversity of black women's experiences and the ways in which their lives have been shaped by the intersections of their race, gender, sexuality, and class. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to lectures, readings, films, and class discussion that will enable them to analyze the impact of various forms of human difference on lived experiences and individual and collective choices made by black women throughout American history. Offered as AFST 318, ETHS 318, HSTY 318, and WGST 318. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.

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 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 363H. African-American Literature. 3 Units.

A historical approach to African-American literature. Such writers as Wheatley, Equiano, Douglass, Jacobs, DuBois, Hurston, Hughes, Wright, Baldwin, Ellison, Morrison. Topics covered may include slave narratives, African-American autobiography, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Aesthetic, literature of protest and assimilation. Recommended Preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES first seminar. Maximum 6 credits. Offered as AFST 363H, ENGL 363H, ETHS 363H, WLIT 363H, ENGL 463H, and WLIT 463H. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality 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 365F. Afrofuturism and the Black Imaginary: Legacies and Futures. 3 Units.

This course explores the theoretical, literary and cultural expressions of Afrofuturism. The term Afrofuturism was developed in 1993 by scholar Mark Dery and is an all-encompassing term used to describe creative work - literature (especially science fiction), music, art - that focuses on Afro-diasporic ways of being and knowing. The course explores the multiple meanings and expressions of Afrofuturism and how it expands various literary traditions. Traditional speculative fiction canons have often distorted and/or erased the existence of people of color in the future. This course recenters these experiences. Readings will delve into the legacies of slavery, colonialism, entrenched inequalities to understand their impact on real and imagined technological futures. Students will spend time exploring how Afrofuturist writers and cultural workers imagine new possibilities that expand our sense of liberation and justice. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES First Seminar. Offered as AFST 365F, ENGL 365F, ETHS 365F, RLGN 365F, WGST 365F and WLIT 365F. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality 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. Recommended preparation: Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS) or SAGES First Seminar. Offered as ENGL 365Q, ENGL 365QC, ETHS 365Q, WLIT 365Q, ENGL 465Q, and WLIT 465Q. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.

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 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. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.