Faculty with the Bob Graham Center for Public Service will be offering these courses for Fall 2023.
New! IDS 4930/POS 4931: Contemporary Middle East
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The Middle East and North Africa is a vast region that spans across three continents, and can include countries from Morocco to Iran, from Turkey to Yemen, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. This course examines the histories, politics, economics, and cultures of this expansive region, and analyzes the complexities and challenges of the area’s past, present, and future. Specifically, the course will explore a range of topics, including colonialism, the rise of nationalism, the formation of modern states, and the region’s integration into the global economy. In addition students will learn about political systems and structures of Middle East countries, such as authoritarianism, democracy, and hybrid regimes, and how those systems interact with other dynamic cultural and social issues such as religion, identity, the role of women and youth, and the growth of social media in shaping public discourse and activism.
AMH 2020: American History 1877-present
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American History, 1877-present examines the major social, economic, and political developments that have shaped America from l877 to the present. AMH 2020 is an introductory course designed to expose students of all majors to important themes, interpretations, events, and primary sources in U.S. History. As a part of the course, the instructor will include a special focus on how communities strove forward in the face of unyielding challenges to expand and secure our democracy, civil liberties, and basic human rights.
New! IDS 4930: Current Controversies in Public Policy
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Certain issues transcend national boundaries. Countries across the globe struggle to provide services such as health care and education while balancing national needs for safety and economic security. How do policy makers across contexts determine the best approaches to meet the needs of their populations? What drives policy makers’ agendas? This course will use a comparative approach to explore how current controversial topics such as health, education, crime and justice, and environmental policies impact different areas of the world. The course will also examine and analyze how policy makers tackle common concerns across country contexts. This course is cross-listed with the department of Political Science.
IDS 2338: Democratic Engagement and Public Leadership
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Being a citizen implies a certain set of individual responsibilities that are essential to a healthy and functioning democracy. Fulfilling one’s role as a citizen requires engaged and informed participation. This course provides the tools and skills needed to be an effective citizen and offers opportunities for engagement and experiential learning. From the founding documents to the role of the press in politics, this course provides an understanding of how the past informs current political debate.
IDS 4930: Human Rights in Asia
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Since the end of World War II, the framework of human rights has dominated international discourse about social justice. This class critically investigates and applies the framework of human rights with reference to Asian countries and cultures, analyzing the tensions related to the application of universalist ideals onto culturally diverse localities. We will begin with the origins of different national and global standards of human rights, including perspectives from relevant Asian belief systems. Next, we look to Asia’s 20th century history of political violence, identifying how basic rights can become eroded and how societies continue to memorialize past atrocities and seek justice and accountability. Finally, we will examine the contemporary experiences of ethnic minorities in Asia facing legal obstacles and persecution, both at home and as workers abroad. The class draws upon case studies from Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan.
INS 3004: Perspectives in International Studies
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This course serves as the introduction to the International Studies major, but you do not need to be in the International Studies major to take it. Students will be introduced to the contemporary international system and the major regions of the world, as well as to the academic disciplines that make up the field of International Studies. Students will learn about a range of issues that have been important historically, become increasingly more important over the last couple of decades, and will remain significant for the foreseeable future — international conflict, the role of technology and media in societies, the international economy, the question of development and poverty, the role of culture and globalization, and the challenges of the global commons. The course will help set you up to do well in the International Studies major if you choose to pursue it, but will also help you become a more engaged participant in the world you inhabit.