INTL Core Courses
All ISP majors, regardless of their chosen disciplinary track, complete three required gateway courses (INTL 100, 101, and 102) that introduce students to the curriculum's interdisciplinary approach. These courses focus on developing analytical reading and writing skills, understanding modern cultural and social development, and examining domestic and international sources of economic and political change. The International Studies Program also offers capstone and honors seminars (INTL 190, 190H, and 196H) that require students to produce an independent research paper.
Course Offerings
2024 - 2025 Tentative Course Offerings |
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Fall 2024 |
Winter 2025 |
Spring 2025 |
Summer 2025 |
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INTL100
INTL 102 INTL 190 |
INTL100 INTL 101 INTL 102 INTL 190 |
INTL100 INTL 101 INTL 102 INTL 190 |
INTL 100, 101, 102, and 190 are not offered in Summer.
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Note: The tentative schedule of course offerings is subject to change. Please check the Schedule of Classes. Should you have additional questions, please send a message through the Virtual Advising Center.
Important Information about INTL Courses
- All INTL courses must be taken at UCSD.
- All INTL courses must be taken for a letter grade C- or better.
- Students should not enroll in an INTL course that conflicts with another course. Special accommodations will not be made if there are course conflicts.
For detailed course descriptions, please review the INTL Index.
To view previous INTL offerings, course descriptions, and syllabi, please visit INTL Course Offerings Archive.
Enrollment for INTL 190: Enrollment will be managed by the International Studies Program to ensure seats are allocated to graduating students. Students seeking enrollment should send a message through the VAC.
Spring 2025 (draft)
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 100 Analysis, Argument, and Real-World Problems |
Barham, Brad - Visiting Focuses on developing skills in analytic reading and writing while using an interdisciplinary approach to asking and answering real world questions. Lectures are topical and will be structured around a series of readings that build in complexity and nuance; students work in an iterative process that strives toward a final policy memo project. The course focuses on how to make the best argument about policy and best practices in circumstances where differing perspectives may be in play. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or above and completion of at least one quarter of a university-level writing course. |
|
INTL 101 Culture and Society in International Perspective |
McIntosh, Justin - Linguistics Analysis of the cultural and social developments of the modern era from the perspective of interaction among societies. Particular attention is paid to the definition, representation, and the negotiation of social and cultural boundaries over time. Prerequisites: completion of INTL 100 with a grade of C– or better. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Broz, James Lawrence - Political Science Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. Prerequisites: completion of INTL 100 with a grade of C– or better. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Introduction to International Law |
Appel, Ben - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course provides an overview of the legal principles related to international law from a social scientific perspective. The purpose of this class is to introduce the important theoretical and empirical concerns in the international law literature. No prior knowledge of international law is assumed or necessary to be successful in this class. The course is organized into two sections. In the first part, we will cover the basics of international law using introductory texts from the legal literature. We will also review the international law compliance literatures from both international law scholars and social scientists. We will then examine substantive topics, including, but not limited to international trade, human rights, laws of war, and so forth. By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the international legal system, and be familiar with the theoretical and empirical debates on international law. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Comparative Social Policy: Origins, Processes, and Impacts |
Feeley, Maureen - Political Science This seminar is designed to deepen your knowledge of key public policy areas in advanced industrialized democracies in the 21st century as well as explore how, and why, these policies differentially impact the social, economic, and political standing of their citizens. Specifically, we’ll focus on four main areas of national policy making: family policies, health care policies, labor market policies, and corporate governance policies. For each policy area, we’ll compare different policy trajectories and outcomes on human development indicators in three advanced industrialized democracies: Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Questions we’ll ask include: What explains central differences in national policy trajectories and outcomes? What role can public policy play in promoting or inhibiting equitable processes and conditions of social, political and/or economic development? Why are some public policies more effective in addressing key indicators of human development than others? What are dominant obstacles that might prevent development and implementation of more effective and equitable policies? Can these obstacles be overcome in specific case studies? If so, how? If not, why not? |
|
INTL 190 - Section Food, Culture, and Society |
Fortier, Jana - Anthropology This course is designed to deepen your knowledge of key issues in food studies as an emerging field of significance in international studies. Students will delve into weekly topics concerning some challenges of food culture with attention to topics such as food security, food markets, restaurant and commercial foods, foods among diaspora communities, the origins of modern crops, genetically modified foods, trends in health foods, and problems of malnutrition. While we’ll discuss concerns of people in various world areas, the focus will be on Old World food traditions. Some of the questions we’ll ask include, 'How has wheat crop insecurity in places such as Ukraine influenced geopolitics?'; 'Why is rice significant across Asian cuisines?'; ‘What are the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops?’; ‘How are cultural tastes for ethnic foods satisfied in diaspora communities?'. For the capstone research component, students will write a theoretically informed paper on a food commodity's history, politics, trade, economics, cultural ties, or market trends. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Mexican Democracy at a Crossroads |
Lettieri, Michael - Center for U.S. - Mexican Studies In June, Mexicans elected the country’s first woman president. Yet this monumental event offered little to celebrate. The campaign had been overshadowed by violence—scores of candidates were killed—and Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum took office amid a nationwide security crisis. Moreover, after her party won a sweeping victory at the polls, congress passed a series of controversial reforms to the country’s constitution that threaten to eliminate judicial independence and increase the role of the military in domestic affairs. What lies ahead for Mexico and its democracy? This course will explore how the country might find solutions to violence, build peace, and strengthen citizen rights, examining the roots of the current crisis and possible paths forward. |
Winter 2025
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 100 Analysis, Argument, and Real-World Problems |
Barham, Brad - Visiting Focuses on developing skills in analytic reading and writing while using an interdisciplinary approach to asking and answering real world questions. Lectures are topical and will be structured around a series of readings that build in complexity and nuance; students work in an iterative process that strives toward a final policy memo project. The course focuses on how to make the best argument about policy and best practices in circumstances where differing perspectives may be in play. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or above and completion of at least one quarter of a university-level writing course. |
|
INTL 101 Culture and Society in International Perspective |
McIntosh, Justin - Linguistics Analysis of the cultural and social developments of the modern era from the perspective of interaction among societies. Particular attention is paid to the definition, representation, and the negotiation of social and cultural boundaries over time. Prerequisites: completion of INTL 100 with a grade of C– or better. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Broz, James Lawrence - Political Science Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. Prerequisites: completion of INTL 100 with a grade of C– or better. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Introduction to International Law |
Appel, Ben - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course provides an overview of the legal principles related to international law from a social scientific perspective. The purpose of this class is to introduce the important theoretical and empirical concerns in the international law literature. No prior knowledge of international law is assumed or necessary to be successful in this class. The course is organized into two sections. In the first part, we will cover the basics of international law using introductory texts from the legal literature. We will also review the international law compliance literatures from both international law scholars and social scientists. We will then examine substantive topics, including, but not limited to international trade, human rights, laws of war, and so forth. By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the international legal system, and be familiar with the theoretical and empirical debates on international law. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Comparative Social Policy: Origins, Processes, and Impacts |
Feeley, Maureen - Political Science This seminar is designed to deepen your knowledge of key public policy areas in advanced industrialized democracies in the 21st century as well as explore how, and why, these policies differentially impact the social, economic, and political standing of their citizens. Specifically, we’ll focus on four main areas of national policy making: family policies, health care policies, labor market policies, and corporate governance policies. For each policy area, we’ll compare different policy trajectories and outcomes on human development indicators in three advanced industrialized democracies: Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Questions we’ll ask include: What explains central differences in national policy trajectories and outcomes? What role can public policy play in promoting or inhibiting equitable processes and conditions of social, political and/or economic development? Why are some public policies more effective in addressing key indicators of human development than others? What are dominant obstacles that might prevent development and implementation of more effective and equitable policies? Can these obstacles be overcome in specific case studies? If so, how? If not, why not? |
|
INTL 190 - Section Food, Culture, and Society |
Fortier, Jana - Anthropology This course is designed to deepen your knowledge of key issues in food studies as an emerging field of significance in international studies. Students will delve into weekly topics concerning some challenges of food culture with attention to topics such as food security, food markets, restaurant and commercial foods, foods among diaspora communities, the origins of modern crops, genetically modified foods, trends in health foods, and problems of malnutrition. While we’ll discuss concerns of people in various world areas, the focus will be on Old World food traditions. Some of the questions we’ll ask include, 'How has wheat crop insecurity in places such as Ukraine influenced geopolitics?'; 'Why is rice significant across Asian cuisines?'; ‘What are the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops?’; ‘How are cultural tastes for ethnic foods satisfied in diaspora communities?'. For the capstone research component, students will write a theoretically informed paper on a food commodity's history, politics, trade, economics, cultural ties, or market trends. |
|
INTL 190 - Section Mexican Democracy at a Crossroads |
Lettieri, Michael - Center for U.S. - Mexican Studies In June, Mexicans elected the country’s first woman president. Yet this monumental event offered little to celebrate. The campaign had been overshadowed by violence—scores of candidates were killed—and Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum took office amid a nationwide security crisis. Moreover, after her party won a sweeping victory at the polls, congress passed a series of controversial reforms to the country’s constitution that threaten to eliminate judicial independence and increase the role of the military in domestic affairs. What lies ahead for Mexico and its democracy? This course will explore how the country might find solutions to violence, build peace, and strengthen citizen rights, examining the roots of the current crisis and possible paths forward. |
Fall 2024
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 100 Analysis, Argument, and Real-World Problems |
Gilson, Nancy - School of Global Policy & Strategy Focuses on developing skills in analytic reading and writing while using an interdisciplinary approach to asking and answering real world questions. Lectures are topical and will be structured around a series of readings that build in complexity and nuance; students work in an iterative process that strives toward a final policy memo project. The course focuses on how to make the best argument about policy and best practices in circumstances where differing perspectives may be in play. Prerequisites: sophomore standing or above and completion of at least one quarter of a university-level writing course. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Prather, Lauren R - Political Science Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. Prerequisites: completion of INTL 100 with a grade of C– or better. |
|
INTL 190 - Section A00 International Relations of South Asia |
Nadkarni, Vidya - School of Global Policy & Strategy The South Asian region comprises seven countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. India is the region’s dominant power and shares land or maritime borders with all South Asian states, except Afghanistan. This course will introduce students to the theoretical approaches that help to explain the region’s bilateral and multilateral security and economic dynamics, the role of external powers, and the impact of transnational challenges. |
|
INTL 190 - Section B00 Pursit of Morality Amid Democratization: Politics of the Philippines |
Segui, Alan S - School of Global Policy & Strategy The purpose of this course is to explore the Philippine Political System as it has gone through a transformation since the mid-1980s, after the People Power Revolution and the subsequent downfall of the Ferdinand Marcos regime. This course will investigate the moral struggles of achieving democracy, maintaining political stability, mitigating social inequality, and presidential leadership and management. This course will analyze the impact of social class, language, education, and the factors that have facilitated or impeded democratization, good governance, and economic modernization. |
|
INTL 190 - Section C00 Seeking Refuge from Utopia: Communism, Nationalism, and Vietnamese Immigration to the US |
Segui, Alan S - School of Global Policy & Strategy What makes for an ideal political world and society? How does radical socialism intend to punish or scare straight the self-interested actor who has been corrupted by capitalism and Western imperialism? Why is nationalism a compelling force in facilitating political change? How did these narratives lead to mass persecutions? This course will uncover answers to these questions by explaining the political ascendance, division, and reunification of Vietnam. The course will also analyze the waves of Vietnamese immigration to the United States, from the Fall of Saigon evacuees to the “boat people” to the Amerasians to the Comprehensive Plan of Action for “bona fide” refugees, while providing insights into international, national, and local responses to and coordination of mass migrations caused by political upheaval. This course will also investigate the struggles of Vietnamese immigrant acculturation in the United States, among those who arrived here between the 1970s to 1990s, given the circumstances that facilitated their arrival. |
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INTL 190 - Section D00 Technology, Music, & Festivals: How the Business is Shaped |
Auerbach, Bradford C - Auerbach, Bradford C This class will examine the massive changes that technology has had on the entertainment world, with a focus on the music business. We will examine how technology often shapes the art. By tracing the development of recorded music technology from the Gramophone to the LP to MP3, we will consider how musicians have worked with technology and how technology has shaped their music. We will look closely at the evolution of business models and how musicians are compensated. As such, we will examine the increasing role of the live concert experience for the musician, the fan, and the promoter. That will require analysis of relatively recent phenomena such as EDM, merchandise and the music festival. Each was unheard of in the age of Woodstock, but are completely expected at Coachella. The class will also examine the international influence of music, from several perspectives. We will examine the role of rock and roll and its ‘soft power’ in playing a seminal role in the collapse of the Iron Curtain. We will likewise look at the effect of ‘world music’ as it has come to permeate the listening preferences of people across borders, and how that has been accelerated by technology. Indeed, many music festivals are increasing including world music artists in the lineup. Finally, we will also examine the claims of many observers that internet startups like Facebook, Google and Amazon have shifted to themselves billions of dollars of value from musicians and other creators of content. |
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INTL 190 - Section E00 The Korean Economy |
Lee, Munseob - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course is designed to provide students with analytical review of South Korea’s economic performance. The class consists of three parts: (i) basic facts on economic growth, (ii) six decades of Korean economic growth, and (iii) contemporary economic issues in Korea. |
Past Course Offerings
Summer 2024
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
Summer Session 1 INTL 190 - Section A00 Beyond the Killing: Genocide, Khmer Rouge, and Cambodian Immigration in the United States |
Segui, Alan - Visiting This course will examine the factors that led to the rise of Genocide and the Khmer Rouge, explain the circumstances leading to the initial wave of Cambodian refugees to the U.S. after the fall of Phnom Penh, describe the extent of the Cambodian genocide during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), point out the refoulement of Cambodian refugees by the Thai government (and the significance of the Khao I Dang Camp), compare Cambodian immigration to the U.S. before and after the normalization of U.S. and Cambodian diplomatic relations in 1992, and analyze the resettlement experience of Cambodian Americans (including issues confronting the community today). |
|
Summer Session 2 INTL 190 - Section A00 Before and After the Inferno: Relations between the Korean American and African American communities |
Segui, Alan - Visiting What were the factors that led to South Korean immigration to the United States starting in the late 1960s? What were the factors that led to the large migration of African Americans away from the South to the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, and California, starting in the late 1910s? How did the migration of both groups lead to their coexistence in urban communities throughout the United States? How did their coexistence lead to violence, such as what occurred during the Los Angeles Riots in 1992? How has the relationship between these two groups been since then? This course will examine the push-pull theory of South Korean immigration to the United States (and the reverse migration of Korean Americans to South Korea after the Los Angeles Riots), the effects of American industrialization and (subsequent) outsourcing of jobs on urban African Americans, and the socioeconomic factors that fueled tensions between both racial groups. More specifically, this course will investigate the events in the metropolitan Los Angeles area to analyze Korean American x African American race relations in the 1980s and 1990s. |
Spring 2024
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 101 Culture and Society in International Perspective |
Day, Joel - School of Global Policy & Strategy Analysis of the cultural and social developments of the modern era from the perspective of interaction among societies. Particular attention is paid to the definition, representation, and the negotiation of social and cultural boundaries over time. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Fisk, David - Political Science Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. |
|
INTL 190 - Section A00 The Future of the Global Economy |
Samphantharak, Krislert - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course discusses the global megatrends and their impacts on the economy. What are the consequences of digitalization on the future of money and finance, jobs, and other economic activities? What are the impacts of climate change on consumers and businesses, and how do we mitigate and adapt to the change? Why should aging society and generation gaps be of critical concern? How do geopolitical tensions impact the economies around the world? We will combine analytical frameworks with imagination and look into the future, considering that we are in a world with increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, and that we have limited knowledge and information to analyze these issues with precision |
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INTL 190 - Section B00 Language and Language Policy, a Global Perspective |
McIntosh, Justin - Linguistics This course presents an overview of language policy from a global perspective and explores the social and political issues that surround these policies for language users. As we are all users of at least one language, our personal linguistic and cultural background(s), and language ideologies are fundamental to this course. The themes we will discuss revolve around us, our co-existence as language users, and how our beliefs shape language practices and policies. The content and the perspectives of this course require an ongoing dialogue that should allow us to reflect critically and analytically about our existence as language users, social beings, and how these themes shape our linguistic practices. *Students who took INTL 101 with Professor McIntosh will not be permitted to enroll in this course due to content overlap. |
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INTL 190 - Section C00 Reproduction (Books & Bodies) |
Vos, Stacie - Literature This course considers reproduction as the means by which works of visual and literary art are produced and disseminated. We will also think about how reproduction is an important theme within works of literature, whether it be reproduction of plants, human bodies, or concepts. The task of copying texts and images by hand (scribes), through movable type (printers), and through photography will form the basis of our transhistorical research. |
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INTL 190 - Section D00 International Political Boundaries |
Nadkarni, Vidya - Visiting What do inter-state boundaries signify in twenty-first-century international politics? Do they represent lines of political and legal division separating citizens from foreigners or have boundaries been rendered invisible by the movement of people and trade across borders?Transnational challenges dealing with the environment, drugs, human migration, and terrorism do not stop at borders. How may we conceptualize borders that serve both as lines of division and points of exchange? Drawing on historical examples from around the world, this will examine cross-border flows of people, goods, ideas, and all manner of natural and human-induced challenges. |
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INTL 190 - Section E00 Strategic Thinking: From Sun Tzu to Michael Porter and After |
Scott, Jeffrey - School of Global Policy & Strategy Strategy was originally the rarified domain of kings, emperors, and their generals. In the 20th century, strategy became a shared responsibility of military and civilian leaders. By mid-century, strategic thinking had taken hold in Corporate America, as business leaders faced challenging choices in the growing post-war economy. By century’s end, strategic planning was ubiquitous, as government agencies and nonprofits alike embraced strategic planning as a vehicle for decision-making. While adopting a practitioner’s perspective, the seminar will review the rise of early strategic thinking through a review of its greatest contributors – from Sun Tzu to Machiavelli and Clausewitz. With this insight, we will focus on optimization and game theory, then shift to modern-day business theorists. We will explore the current practice and future of strategic planning in an environment characterized by innovation, competition, and collaboration. Student research will focus on the identification and evaluation of strategic planning efforts and outcomes in a public or private organization of their choice. |
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INTL 190 - Section F00 Implications of Digital Technology on Core Business Principles of Media, News, Politics and Music |
Auerbach, Brad - Visiting This course will explore several intertwined issues that have resulted from the mammoth growth of digital technology. As Google, Amazon and Facebook command more and more of our time, their influence quietly pervades nearly every aspect of society. We will look first at the origin and original purpose of computers and the internet. That perspective will help us examine the way digital technology has disrupted the reporting of news, and the consequent effect on the way we make political decisions small and large. Facebook may be helpful on an individual level, but has it been a net positive result on a global scale? Similarly, Amazon and Google provide products and answers almost immediately, but at what cost? Does ‘creative destruction’ by digital technology always benefit society? Will the New York Times and bookstores go the way of buggy whips? Should we care? After examining the broad economic, political and social implications, we will narrow our focus on one industry – how does the music business help us better understand society at large? Fewer musicians are commanding a larger piece of the dollars in the music business, and this is also seen in society at large. The growing disparity among musicians tracks what has happened to US income distribution as a whole, all of which was a result of the rise of digital technology. Five of the six wealthiest Americans (Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Michael Bloomberg and Jeff Bezos, whose combined wealth equals nearly half of the world’s population) made their fortunes because of digital technology. |
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INTL 190 - Seciton G00 Anatomy of a Deal: Technology Meets New Media |
Auerbach, Brad - Visiting This course will examine the issues that permeate the current technology and media landscape. As a means to reveal the ongoing challenges in this landscape, we will examine three industries that have undergone tectonic changes over the last few decades: video, music and computer. It is at the intersection of these industries that some of the most intriguing developments and hence the most innovative deals are being made. After establishing an understanding of these evolving issues, we will review the provisions generally encountered in negotiating a deal involving emerging technology and traditional entertainment media. The basic fundamentals of copyright and contract law will be introduced to ensure a foundation for the exploration of new technology business development and contract formation. We will analyze several of these issues through an international lens, to examine nuances particular to certain territories. |
|
INTL 190 - Section H00 Politics and Democracy in the Philippines |
Segui, Alan - Visiting The purpose of this course is to explore the Philippine political system as it has gone through various transformations since the mid-1980s, after the People Power Revolution. This course will investigate the moral struggles of achieving democracy, maintaining political stability, and mitigating social inequality. This course will also analyze the impact of social class, language, education, and the factors that have facilitated or impeded democratization, good governance, and economic modernization. Finally, this course will analyze the apparent disconnect between democracy and classical liberalism in the current system. |
|
INTL 190 - Section I00 Refuge from Utopia: Early Vietnamese Immigration to the US |
Segui, Alan - Visiting What makes for an ideal political world and society? How does radical socialism intend to punish or scare straight the self-interested actor who has been corrupted by capitalism and Western imperialism? Why is nationalism a compelling force in facilitating political change? How did these narratives lead to mass persecutions? This course will uncover answers to these questions by explaining the political ascendance, division, and reunification of Vietnam. The course will also analyze the waves of Vietnamese immigration to the United States, from the Fall of Saigon evacuees to the “boat people” to the Amerasians to the Comprehensive Plan of Action for “bona fide” refugees to current wave of "family reunification" immigrants, while providing insights into international, national, and local responses to and coordination of mass migrations caused by political upheaval. Finally, this course will also investigate the struggles of Vietnamese immigrant acculturation in the United States. |
Winter 2024
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 101 Culture and Society in International Perspective |
McIntosh, Justin - Linguistics Analysis of the cultural and social developments of the modern era from the perspective of interaction among societies. Particular attention is paid to the definition, representation, and the negotiation of social and cultural boundaries over time. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Nellis, Gareth - Political Science Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. |
|
INTL 190 - Section A00 The Advertisement as Literature |
Vos, Stacie - Literature The modern advertisement has replaced the sacred text, speaking to the particular individual and to the universal consumer at once. This course looks back to some of the first advertisements, including the biblical text, the saint’s life, and the printer’s device, working up through the advertisements placed in early modern books and in modern art, fiction, and visual culture. Are all texts asking us to buy? |
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INTL 190 - Section C00 Democratic Engagement With Authoritarian Regimes |
Draper, Mathew - Political Science How should democracies react to an international system characterized by powerful authoritarian states? Are authoritarian states potential partners in a stable framework of international cooperation? Or will attempts at cooperation ultimately collapse into conflict? This course examines the various ways that democracies have engaged with rising authoritarian powers. After reviewing several case studies of engagement between democratic and authoritarian states, we will attempt to derive general principles that can help us understand engagement in the 21st century. Topic covered include the democratic peace, change through trade, relative gains, credible commitment problems, leadership constraint, and the interaction between domestic political theory and international behavior. |
|
INTL 190 - Section D00 Nationalism, Ethnic Cleansing, and Genocide in Yugoslavia — Before, During, and After |
Patterson, Patrick - History This course will examine the circumstances that led to the breakup of socialist Yugoslavia. From 1945-1991, this country was a fairly successful and well-functioning multi-ethnic federation grounded in the idea of the "brotherhood and unity" of the various peoples — with many diverse ethnicities, religions, languages, and cultures — but it is now divided into seven independent countries, following a series of bloody wars in the 1990s that were marked by acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing designed to drive members of other ethno-religious groups out of what the secessionists intended to create as more ethnically "pure" independent territories. Hundreds of thousands died in the violence, and many more were wounded and displaced or were the victims of war crimes. We will examine the factors that made Yugoslavia an unusual "success story" among the world's communist-led countries, investigate how and why it fell apart in such a spectacular and catastrophic way, and seek to understand what lessons the case may hold for other multi-ethnic, multi-language, multi-religious societies. |
|
INTL 190 - Section E00 Comparative Social Policy: Origins, Processes, and Impacts |
Feeley, Maureen - Political Science This seminar is designed to deepen your knowledge of key public policy areas in advanced industrialized democracies in the 21st century as well as explore how, and why, these policies differentially impact the social, economic, and political standing of their citizens. Specifically, we’ll focus on four main areas of national policy making: family policies, health care policies, labor market policies, and corporate governance policies. For each policy area, we’ll compare different policy trajectories and outcomes on human development indicators in three advanced industrialized democracies: Sweden, Germany, and the United States. Questions we’ll ask include: What explains central differences in national policy trajectories and outcomes? What role can public policy play in promoting or inhibiting equitable processes and conditions of social, political and/or economic development? Why are some public policies more effective in addressing key indicators of human development than others? What are dominant obstacles that might prevent development and implementation of more effective and equitable policies? Can these obstacles be overcome in specific case studies? If so, how? If not, why not? |
|
INTL 190 - Section F00 Food, Culture, and Society |
Fortier, Jana - Anthropology This course is designed to deepen your knowledge of key issues in food studies as an emerging field of significance in international studies. Students will delve into weekly topics concerning some challenges of food culture with attention to topics such as food security, food markets, restaurant and commercial foods, foods among diaspora communities, the origins of modern crops, genetically modified foods, trends in health foods, and problems of malnutrition. While we’ll discuss concerns of people in various world areas, the focus will be on Old World food traditions. Some of the questions we’ll ask include, 'How has wheat crop insecurity in places such as Ukraine influenced geopolitics?'; 'Why is rice significant across Asian cuisines?'; ‘What are the costs and benefits of genetically modified crops?’; ‘How are cultural tastes for ethnic foods satisfied in diaspora communities?'. For the capstone research component, students will write a theoretically informed paper on a food commodity's history, politics, trade, economics, cultural ties, or market trends. |
|
INTL 190 - Section G00 International Political Boundaries |
Nadkarni, Vidya - Visiting What do inter-state boundaries signify in twenty-first-century international politics? Do they represent lines of political and legal division separating citizens from foreigners or have boundaries been rendered invisible by the movement of people and trade across borders?Transnational challenges dealing with the environment, drugs, human migration, and terrorism do not stop at borders. How may we conceptualize borders that serve both as lines of division and points of exchange? Drawing on historical examples from around the world, this will examine cross-border flows of people, goods, ideas, and all manner of natural and human-induced challenges. |
|
INTL 190 - Seciton H00 Political Violence: Causes, Consequences, and Remedies |
Day, Joel - School of Global Policy & Strategy The course will define political violence as a field, introduce students to the leading theorists and empirical foundations, present the top topical debates including terrorism, insurrection and revolt, religiously motivated political violence, nationalist and polarized violence, and outline ways that political violence interacts with other political arenas. The course will be globally comparative in nature, but also include contemporary debates in the United States. The course will also introduce students to key research practices, methods, and qualitative and quantitative strategies for conducting original research in the field of political violence. Students will produce an original research paper on a related topic of their choosing. |
|
INTL 190 - Section I00 Understanding Violence in Mexico |
Lettieri, Michael - Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies Songs glorifying death and killing. Pink AK-47s and women drug lords. An epidemic of femicide and domestic violence. Mothers searching for missing children. Fifteen years after the start of Mexico’s drug war, it is increasingly clear that the violence cannot be understood solely as a story of cops and cartels. This course will examine the cultural dimensions and gendered dynamics of the violence, in order to better explain what is happening in Mexico and how the country might find peace. |
Fall 2023
| Course Name | Faculty |
|---|---|
|
INTL 101 Culture and Society in International Perspective |
Day, Joel - School of Global Policy & Strategy Analysis of the cultural and social developments of the modern era from the perspective of interaction among societies. Particular attention is paid to the definition, representation, and the negotiation of social and cultural boundaries over time. |
|
INTL 102 Economics, Politics, and International Change |
Appel, Ben - School of Global Policy & Strategy Examination of the domestic and international sources of economic and political change. Topics include the rise of the nation-state, comparative economic development, authoritarian and democratic regimes, international and civil conflict, globalization and its domestic and international implications. |
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INTL 190 - Section A00 Political Boundaries: Contested Borders in International Politics |
Nadkarni, Vidya - Visiting This seminar examines what boundaries between states signify in twenty-first century international politics. Do they represent lines of political and legal division separating citizens from foreigners? Or have boundaries been rendered invisible by the movement of people and trade across borders? Transnational challenges dealing with the environment, drugs, and terrorism do not stop at borders. How may we conceptualize borders that serve as lines of division and points of exchange? What guidance do religious and ethical traditions offer on the making and unmaking of boundaries? Drawing on historical examples from around the world, we will examine boundary narratives, explore the causes of border conflicts that often spill over into violence, and investigate the conditions for the creation of zones of peace in border areas. |
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INTL 190 - Section B00 Pursuit of Morality Amid Democratization: Politics of the Philippines |
Segui, Alan - Visiting The purpose of this course is to explore the Philippine Political System as it has gone through a transformation since the mid-1980s, after the People Power Revolution and the subsequent downfall of the Ferdinand Marcos regime. This course will investigate the moral struggles of achieving democracy, maintaining political stability, mitigating social inequality, and presidential leadership and management. This course will analyze the impact of social class, language, education, and the factors that have facilitated or impeded democratization, good governance, and economic modernization. |
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INTL 190 - Section C00 Seeking Refuge from Utopia: Communism, Nationalism, and Early Vietnamese Immigration to the United States |
Segui, Alan - Visiting What makes for an ideal political world and society? How does radical socialism intend to punish or scare straight the self-interested actor who has been corrupted by capitalism and Western imperialism? Why is nationalism a compelling force in facilitating political change? How did these narratives lead to mass persecutions? This course will uncover answers to these questions by explaining the political ascendance, division, and reunification of Vietnam. The course will also analyze the waves of Vietnamese immigration to the United States, from the Fall of Saigon evacuees to the “boat people” to the Amerasians to the Comprehensive Plan of Action for “bona fide” refugees, while providing insights into international, national, and local responses to and coordination of mass migrations caused by political upheaval. This course will also investigate the struggles of Vietnamese immigrant acculturation in the United States, among those who arrived here between the 1970s to 1990s, given the circumstances that facilitated their arrival. |
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INTL 190 - Section D00 Introduction to International Law |
Appel, Ben - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course provides an overview of the legal principles related to international law from a social scientific perspective. The purpose of this class is to introduce the important theoretical and empirical concerns in the international law literature. No prior knowledge of international law is assumed or necessary to be successful in this class. The course is organized into two sections. In the first part, we will cover the basics of international law using introductory texts from the legal literature. We will also review the international law compliance literatures from both international law scholars and social scientists. We will then examine substantive topics, including, but not limited to international trade, human rights, laws of war, and so forth. By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the international legal system, and be familiar with the theoretical and empirical debates on international law. |
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INTL 190 - Section E00 Technology, Music, & Festivals: How the Business is Shaped |
Auerbach, Brad - Visiting This class will examine the massive changes that technology has had on the entertainment world, with a focus on the music business. We will examine how technology often shapes the art. By tracing the development of recorded music technology from the Gramophone to the LP to MP3, we will consider how musicians have worked with technology and how technology has shaped their music. We will look closely at the evolution of business models and how musicians are compensated. As such, we will examine the increasing role of the live concert experience for the musician, the fan, and the promoter. That will require analysis of relatively recent phenomena such as EDM, merchandise and the music festival. Each was unheard of in the age of Woodstock, but are completely expected at Coachella. The class will also examine the international influence of music, from several perspectives. We will examine the role of rock and roll and its ‘soft power’ in playing a seminal role in the collapse of the Iron Curtain. We will likewise look at the effect of ‘world music’ as it has come to permeate the listening preferences of people across borders, and how that has been accelerated by technology. Indeed, many music festivals are increasing including world music artists in the lineup. Finally, we will also examine the claims of many observers that internet startups like Facebook, Google and Amazon have shifted to themselves billions of dollars of value from musicians and other creators of content. |
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INTL 190 - Section F00 Anatomy of a Deal-Technology Meets New Media |
Auerbach, Brad - Visiting This course will examine the issues that permeate the current technology and media landscape. As a means to reveal the ongoing challenges in this landscape, we will examine three industries that have undergone tectonic changes over the last few decades: video, music and computer. It is at the intersection of these industries that some of the most intriguing developments and hence the most innovative deals are being made. After establishing an understanding of these evolving issues, we will review the provisions generally encountered in negotiating a deal involving emerging technology and traditional entertainment media. The basic fundamentals of copyright and contract law will be introduced to ensure a foundation for the exploration of new technology business development and contract formation. We will analyze several of these issues through an international lens, to examine nuances particular to certain territories. |
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INTL 190 - Section G00 The Rise (and fall?) of Populism in Western Democracies |
Scott, Jeffrey - School of Global Policy & Strategy Much has been written on the rise of populism in Western democracies and around the world. But how have policy makers and governments responded to this rise of populism. The seminar will review the drivers in the rise of modern populism, e.g., economic instability, immigration, globalization, and shifts in political influence. The focus will then shift to how these factors have affected policy initiatives and outcomes in economics, trade, employment, education, social welfare, agriculture, energy, election reform, and foreign policy. Using a comparative approach, the seminary will seek to inventory the public policy and institutional responses, impacts, and outcomes of modern-day populism, identifying whether and how the public interest has been served or hindered. The course will provide the tools and other resources to engage in comparative research on several policy areas or countries of your choosing. |
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INTL 190 - Seciton H00 World Heritage: Development and Change |
Fortier, Jana - Visiting This course is designed to deepen your knowledge of key issues in heritage studies as an emerging field of significance in international studies. Students will delve into topics concerning some challenges of heritage site management, cultural patrimony, heritage tourism, heritage site related nationalism, the politics of site nominations, preserving heritage in emigrant communities, invented traditions, etc. We’ll discuss heritage concerns of people in various world areas, but with a focus on societies in Asia and the Americas. Some of the questions we’ll ask include, 'How have armed conflict and war impacted major heritage sites?'; 'Can damaged heritage sites rebuild after climate change related disasters?'; 'Why is heritage often a contested past?'; 'How can we properly honor the ancestral past of others in complex, multicultural nation-states?'. Students should plan on writing a research paper which addresses one country's world heritage site and current issues of preservation, tourism, disaster mitigation, or another central issue involving potential sustainable solutions. |
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INTL 190 - Section I00 The Economy of Korea |
Lee, Munseob - School of Global Policy & Strategy This course is designed to provide students with analytical review of South Korea’s economic performance. The class consists of three parts: (i) basic facts on economic growth, (ii) six decades of Korean economic growth, and (iii) contemporary economic issues in Korea. |
Summer 2023
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SS1 - INTL 190 - Section A00 Democratization and Morality: Politics of the Philippines |
Segui, Alan - Visiting The purpose of this course is to explore the Philippine political system as it has gone through various transformations since the mid-1980s, after the People Power Revolution. This course will investigate the moral struggles of achieving democracy, maintaining political stability, and mitigating social inequality. This course will also analyze the impact of social class, language, education, and the factors that have facilitated or impeded democratization, good governance, and economic modernization. Finally, this course will analyze the apparent disconnect between democracy and classical liberalism in the current system. |
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SS1 - INTL 190 - Section B00 Seeking Refuge from Utopia: Communism, Nationalism, and Vietnamese Immigration to the United States |
Segui, Alan - Visiting What makes for an ideal political world and society? How does radical socialism intend to punish or scare straight the self-interested actor who has been corrupted by capitalism and Western imperialism? Why is nationalism a compelling force in facilitating political change? How did these narratives lead to mass persecutions? This course will uncover answers to these questions by explaining the political ascendance, division, and reunification of Vietnam. The course will also analyze the waves of Vietnamese immigration to the United States, from the Fall of Saigon evacuees to the “boat people” to the Amerasians to the Comprehensive Plan of Action for “bona fide” refugees to current wave of "family reunification" immigrants, while providing insights into international, national, and local responses to and coordination of mass migrations caused by political upheaval. Finally, this course will also investigate the struggles of Vietnamese immigrant acculturation in the United States. |
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SS2 - INTL 190 - Section A00 Climate Justice |
Gagnon, Jeffrey - Warren Writing, Program Director Climate change is real, and the impacts of climate disruption are already being felt across the globe. As the 2017 Paris Climate Agreement made clear, some nations around the world are preparing to meet the challenges of a carbon-neutral future. However, the poorest and most politically vulnerable populations around the world will disproportionately bear the greatest consequences. Is this just? Is it fair? Do the developed nations and people that are most responsible for climate change have an ethical obligation to address climate disruption on behalf of those less fortunate? If so, what should those responsibilities be and how should they be implemented? In this course, students will explore these questions and others as they investigate the causes of the climate crisis and the unequal distribution of its effects. In this advance research seminar, students will learn different aspects of the writing and research process and will produce an independent research project on a related topic of their choosing. |
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SS2 - INTL 190 - Section B00 Understanding Violence in Mexico: Human Rights and the Drug War |
Lettieri, Michael - Center for U.S. - Mexican Studies Last year, more than 30,000 people were murdered in Mexico. Some cities experienced an average of seven killings per day. What can be done to resolve this human rights crisis? How do we make sense of the killing? How do we count the dead? To understand and solve modern Mexico’s challenges, we must look beyond drug kingpins like El Chapo and pop culture depictions like Narcos. We must examine how the country’s current human rights crisis emerged from a decades-long drug war, shaped by domestic and international forces. We must also examine the ways in which the prevailing narratives about Mexico continue to shape policy responses. Mexico’s problems are complex and intertwined. Drug violence stems, in part, from a history of political corruption, and the country’s authoritarian past continues to exercise a powerful influence on its fragile democracy. There are no easy solutions. But Mexico also has a legacy of peacebuilders: activists and journalists who have struggled to confront these challenges, and their stories suggest a path forward. This course examines responses to violence in Mexico, considering questions of memory, reconciliation, international law, and peacebuilding. |
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