GEOG 410/510 “Mexican-US Borderlands” / Prof. Scott Warren

This regional geography course explores the environment, history, culture, politics, and  economy of the United States and Mexico borderland. The borderland is a contact zone  where cultures come together and break apart, where multibillion dollar industries exist alongside intense poverty, and where crises and problems (both real and imagined)  seem to never end. As a geography course, we are especially interested in the  relationship between people and place in the borderland, and how people’s lives are  impacted by the international line. In this class we will put the problems of the border  into a larger context and move toward a deeper understanding of this important region. 

GEOG 410 “Identities in Borderlands” / Prof. Belén Noroña (Our Program’s First Class Taught in Spanish)

Este curso explora identidades y raíces Latinas en los Estados Unidos. Abordamos este tema desde las perspectivas de las relaciones coloniales de poder, nuestra relación con el espacio que habitamos, así como nuestra relación con territorios habitados por nuestros ancestros, familias, y comunidades dentro y fuera de los Estados Unidos. En este curso vamos a generar pensamiento crítico sobre nuestras identidades Latinas, y vamos a explorar las ricas transformaciones culturales de las poblaciones Latinas y su aporte en los Estados Unidos y en espacios fronterizos. En este curso aprenderemos sobre conceptos de colonialidad y raza, pensamiento Indígena Latinoamericano, pensamiento Chicano/a, y conceptos geográficos sobre identidad, lugar, y territorio.

PHIL 102 “Ethics” / Prof. Caroline Lundquist’s

The fundamental assumption behind this course is that reading, writing, thinking and talking  about ethics can help us to become better people, live richer, more meaningful lives, and  inspire us to work together to improve our world. Hence the chief purpose of this course is to  foster a meaningful and ongoing engagement with key ethical questions (also called moral  issues). The philosophical aim is for us all to practice analyzing and honestly assessing our  opinions and the opinions of others. This process of analysis and assessment may lead to changes  in our ethical views, or it may strengthen those we already hold.

We will begin by examining a selection of potential “threats” to ethics, including relativism,  egoism, false consciousness and moral luck, and then consider whether or to what extent moral  theories can help mitigate those threats and guide our ethical thinking. In the process, we will  consider numerous questions that have historically posed, and continue to pose, serious  challenges to ethical philosophers. We end by applying our tentative beliefs and conclusions to a  selection of contemporary moral issues.

PS 275 “Legal Process” / Prof. Alison Gash

This class explores the nature of the American judiciary—its structure, its players and its impact on American public policy–in order to understand its capacity to handle these stressors. We will start from the premise that the American judicial system displays a unique set of characteristics, specifically a focus on what some scholars refer to as “adversarial legalism.” During the first half of the class we will analyze the components of the American judicial system. How did American law develop? What is the role of law in American culture? What contributions have lower courts, state courts and the Supreme Court made to American public policy and the functioning of government? What is the impact of professional legal culture on the practice of law? How do plaintiffs experience the American legal system? The second half of the course explores the role of the courts in adjudicating over issues regarding civil rights, civil justice, criminal rights, and politics.

CAS 407/507 “Intercultural Communication and Conflict Resolution” / Prof. Katie Dwyer

This course will explore concepts in intercultural understanding as well as build skills in conflict resolution, cross-cultural work, coalition building, and individual self-reflection. We will examine both the broad frameworks for discussing cultural differences as well as thinking through the ways identity and context influence our experience of the world and our encounters with one another. Conflict resolution theories and skills will be a focus. We will also discuss intercultural encounters in a variety of specific contexts, including education, the workplace, and in humanitarian efforts. We will ground these concepts in our own experiences, and include real-world applications in our own lives. 

GEOG 410 “Landscapes in Lit and Life” / Prof. Shaul Cohen

GEOG 468 / CONTEMPORARY FOOD SYSTEMS / LESLIE MCLEES 

This class explores different ways of understanding how food systems have developed and how they both reflect and impact our society. In this class, we will explore some of the roots of what constitutes healthy eating, the role of race in the production and consumption of food, and how policy, the economy, and even religion impact the availability of certain types of food today.

PS 410/510 DEMOCRACY AND POWER IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POLITICS / GERRY BERK

In this class, we will examine the ongoing debate about the health and future of American democracy. Some argue that the problem is that politicians violate norms that are necessary to keep the system healthy.  Others argue that there are deeper causes of the threats to democracy.  The US has seen a massive rise in economic inequality in the past generation and has also failed to solve the problem of racial hierarchy. Vigorous social movements have emerged to address these problems with some success, but problems remain.  Students will read 4 contemporary books (graduate students will read 5); write 4 response papers and a longer final paper at the end of the class. 

PPPM 410 END-OF-LIFE CARE IN THE U.S. / NICOLE NGO

We will discuss issues around end-of-life care, including what it means to die in the U.S. and problems with our current healthcare system and ways to improve it. This includes discussions of health policy, medical ethics, different philosophies toward death, as well as end-of-life care for incarcerated individuals. This issue has become more urgent in the U.S. for both the general and incarcerated populations; by 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be elderly (aged 65+) and exceed the number of children for the first time in the history of the U.S. It is well recognized that the current system is not working and is incredibly costly. 

CAS 407 / INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION / KATIE DWYER

This course will explore concepts in intercultural understanding as well as build skills in conflict resolution, cross-cultural work, coalition building, and individual self-reflection. We will examine both the broad frameworks for discussing cultural differences as well as thinking through the ways identity and context influence our experience of the world and our encounters with one another. Conflict resolution theories and skills will be a focus. We will also discuss intercultural encounters in a variety of specific contexts, including education, the workplace, and in humanitarian efforts. We will ground these concepts in our own experiences, and include real-world applications in our own lives.