Apr 30, 2024  
College Catalog 2014-2015 
    
College Catalog 2014-2015 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses


 

International Studies

  
  • INTL 285 - Ethnicity and Nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe

    Cross-Listed as POLI 285 
    This course explores ethnic nationalism’s causes and consequences in Eastern Europe. Drawing on several disciplines, we begin by examining the core concepts and theories in the contemporary study of nationalism. We then explore both the historical roots of Eastern European nationalisms, and their implications for democracy, minority inclusion, regional stability, and European integration. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 288 - Identity, Race, and Ethnicity in Japan

    Cross-Listed as AMST 288  and JAPA 288 .
    From notions of the “pure self” to teenage ganguro (“face-blackening”), Japanese culture is rife with instances of ideology and performance that reflect a deep complexity in its engagement with issues of identity and foreignness. This course traces the roots of this complexity back to Japan’s beginnings as a modern nation and examines its cultural development into the present day. Works of fiction will be paired with readings in history and criticism to explore the meanings of identity, race, and ethnicity as they are expressed and contested in Japanese culture. The course will cover the literature of Korea and Taiwan, the experience of domestic minorities, and the contemporary cultures of cos-play (“costume-play”) and hip-hop. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 294 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 300 - Advanced Feminist/Queer Theories and Methodologies

    Cross-Listed as  
    This course is an in-depth study of some specific theories and methodologies on which contemporary feminist and queer thinkers have based their analysis, critique, and reconstruction of men’s and women’s roles. Some guiding questions are: What is a nation? Who are its citizens? How do language and gender roles shape the ways we imagine our roles as men and women? Do sexuality or economy affect how we subscribe to or resist political ideologies? In previous offerings, the course has explored the intersection of Postcolonialism (specifically gendered critiques of colonizing sociopolitical structures) with Postmodernism (specifically gendered critiques of language and sexuality). The course will include film, photography, music, and the writings of Butler, Foucault, Chodorow, Kristeva, hooks, Spivak, and Trinh, among others. It offers ways to create links with local community and social-work organizations. Prerequisite(s): junior standing or permission of instructor and at least one intermediate WGSS core course. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 301 - Power and Development in Africa

    Cross-Listed as POLI 333 
    In a notable turn around, a significant number of African societies, in recent years, have experienced both economic growth and renewal of the spirit of women and men acting as citizens. These are commendable achievements. Yet, old quotidian urgencies such as precarious personal safety, hunger, poor health, and political disorder are still prevalent. This is the dialectic of development. This course explores these contradictions. Most of the attention will be given to the concepts of power, politics, and development in contemporary Africa. The course concludes with each student submitting a research paper on a specific problem (e.g. environment, economic, social, cultural, political) confronting one country of the student’s choice. Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 317 - Writers and Power: The European East in the 20th Century


    Eastern European writers and filmmakers have long been prominent figures, reflecting their confrontation with the 20th century’s three most powerful ideologies: fascism, communism, and democracy. This course explores the interactions between writers and these systems of power in the works of major figures such as Ionesco, Kundera, Havel, Milosz, Forman, and Kusturica. We follow written and cinematic engagements with power at both social and individual levels, and extend to broad questions of history and community. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 320 - Global Political Economy

    Cross-Listed as POLI 320 
    Traces the evolution of (global) political economy as a peculiarly modern way of understanding and organizing (global) social life. Particular attention will be paid to how the distinction between the political and the economic is drawn and implemented in interconnected ways within nation-states and in international society. Course includes a detailed study of one of the key components of the international political economy: international trade, international finance, technological processes, etc. Prerequisite(s): POLI 120  recommended. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 323 - Economic Restructuring in Latin America

    Cross-Listed as ECON 323  and LATI 323  
    This course uses economic principles to examine the transition from Import Substitution Industrialization to trade liberalization in Latin America. The goal of the course is to understand the economic antecedents to free trade as well as the resulting impact on workers and resource allocation. The course also addresses peripheral aspects of economic restructuring, such as the drug trade, migration, and the maquiladora industry. This course counts as a Group A elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): Grade of C- or higher in any 200-level Economics course, ECON 221  preferred. Offered every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 325 - China, Russia and Central Europe in Transition

    Cross-Listed as   
    This course surveys the theoretic and empirical literature on Soviet-style central planning and the transition to a market economy. The economic history of central planning is examined with emphasis on the experience of the Soviet Union and its variants in Eastern Europe and China. The tool of analysis is the branch of economics known as the economics of organization and information, which will be used to analyze the operation, strengths, and limitations of central planning. The legacy of central planning forms the backdrop for an examination of the transition to a market economy. This course counts as a Group A elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119  and one 200s level ECON course from Group A electives; ECON 221  or ECON 225  are recommended. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 333 - Economics of Global Food Problems

    Cross-Listed as ECON 333  and ENVI 333 
    This course will examine food distribution, production, policy, and hunger issues from an economics perspective. It explores and compares food and agriculture issues in both industrialized and developing countries. Basic economic tools will be applied to provide an analytical understanding of these issues. Topics such as hunger and nutrition, US farm policy, food distribution, food security, food aid, biotechnology and the Green Revolution, the connection between food production and health outcomes, as well as other related themes will be explored in depth throughout the semester. This course counts as a Group A elective for the Economics major. Prerequisite(s): ECON 119  and a C- or higher in one 200-level Economics course from Group A electives;   or   recommended. Offered every other spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 345 - Advanced Themes in Human Rights


    This course closely investigates human rights violations and the dilemmas facing the actors and institutions that seek to address them. The specific focus may vary with each offering, responding to instructor expertise and focus, emerging and volatile situations worldwide, or new advances in the field. Prior coursework on human rights, or instructor’s permission required. Prerequisite(s): Prior coursework in human rights or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 352 - Transitional Justice

    Cross-Listed as POLI 352 
    This course explores the rapidly evolving field of transitional justice, examining how and why regimes respond to wide-scale past human rights abuses. Drawing on examples worldwide, it asks why states choose particular strategies and examines a variety of goals (truth, justice, reconciliation, democracy-building), approaches (trials, truth commissions, file access, memorialization, reparation, rewriting histories), actors (state, civil society, religious institutions), experiences, results, and controversies. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 362 - Culture and Globalization

    Cross-Listed as  
    The world is far more interconnected today than ever before, but what does this mean in terms of culture? This course looks at the impact of globalization on cultures and at examples of global cultures such immigrants, media and popular cultures, world cities, and transnational intellectuals, ethnicities and ideologies. It also looks at the way cultures interact at geographic borders and in the margins of society. Prerequisite(s):   or   (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 364 - Culture and Revolution

    Cross-Listed as  
    This course examines the relationship between cultural and political change during three very different revolutions: France 1789, Russia 1917, Iran 1979. How do people change when governments are overturned? How do revolutions shape popular consciousness? Do people understand events as revolutionaries intend? To answer these questions, we will examine symbols and political ideologies, mass media, education, social identities, the culture of violence, popular participation and resistance, and other issues. Readings will include revolution-inspiring works of Voltaire and Rousseau, Marx and Lenin, Khomeini and the Koran. We will read sympathetic and antagonistic contemporary accounts, and look at popular culture to see how events were understood. Fashion and etiquette, comics and caricatures, movies and plays will be used. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 367 - Postcolonial Theory

    Cross-Listed as ENGL 367 
    Traces the development of theoretical accounts of culture, politics and identity in Africa, South Asia, the Caribbean and related lands since the 1947-1991 decolonizations. Readings include Fanon, Said, Walcott, Ngugi and many others, and extend to gender, literature, the U.S., the post-Soviet sphere, and Europe. The course bridges cultural, representational, and political theory. Prerequisite(s): Prior internationalist and/or theoretical coursework strongly recommended. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 368 - Sustainable Development and Global Future

    Cross-Listed as ENVI 368 .
    This course examines the history and modern use of “sustainable development” as a framework for international development. Close attention is given to the role of philanthropies, NGOs and social movements in shaping projects and policies. The course examines a range of topics including appropriate technology, microfinance, ecotourism and ecovillages. Prior coursework in international development and/or environmental studies is strongly recommended Spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 372 - Post-Nationalism: The European Union


    The European Union aims to overcome nationality for the common good. Its successes have challenged traditional customs and identities, and it has stumbled over cultural questions, foreign policy, and constitutional foundations. Topics will include genesis of the EU; erosion of national sovereignty and consequent anxieties; European institutions vs. local control; cultural norms confronted with EU economic, political, and human rights; incorporating new member-states, and the very notion of “Europe.” Throughout we will ask whether one can get “beyond nationalism.” (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 380 - Global Leadership


    Leadership is among the deepest features of associational life, pervading every profession and institution, especially in the age of complex global change. Thus this seminar explores leadership. We begin with the relationship between structure and agency, and then focus on vision and invention, integrity and legitimacy, flexibility and decisiveness. Readings draw from Western, Islamic, and Indian sources. The main paper will focus on a major individual from any century or locale, chosen by the student. Prerequisite(s): Open to all but first year students (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 381 - Transnational Latin Americas

    Cross-Listed as HIST 381  and LATI 381 
    Examines critical and primary literatures concerning the transnational, hemispheric, Atlantic, and Pacific cultures that have intersected in Latin America since the early colonial era, with a particular focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 382 - Poverty, Health, and Development


    This course explores the links among poverty, health and socio-economic development in low-income countries. Key principles, methodologies and approaches to designing and evaluating programs to improve the health of poor populations will be discussed. We will explore several contemporary approaches to linked poverty reduction, public health improvement, and development. Enrollment limited to International Studies majors, Community and Global Health Concentrators, or International Development concentrators, or by permission of the instructor. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 384 - Langston Hughes: Global Writer

    Cross-Listed as   and AMST 384 
    The great African American writer Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is best known as the poet laureate of the Harlem Renaissance. But his career was vaster still. He was a Soviet screenwriter, Spanish Civil War journalist, African literary anthologist, humorist, playwright, translator, social critic, writer of over 10,000 letters, and much more. This course engages Hughes-s full career, bridging race and global issues, politics and art, and makes use of little-known archival materials. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 394 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 415 - Cultural Resistance and Survival: Indigenous and African Peoples in Early Spanish America

    Cross-Listed as LATI 415  and HISP 415 
    In the Old World, Spain defined its national identity by locating its “others” in Jews, conversos, Muslims, moriscos, Turks, gypsies, pirates and Protestants. In the New World, Spaniards employed many of the same discursive and legal tactics—along with brute force—to subject Amerindian and African peoples to their will and their cultural norms. But indigenous and African populations in the Americas actively countered colonization. They rejected slavery and cultural imposition through physical rebellion, the use of strategies of cultural preservation and the appropriation of phonetic writing, which they in turn wielded against European hegemony. We will examine a fascinating corpus of indigenous pictographic codexes, architecture, myths, and histories and letters of resistance, along with a rich spectrum of texts in which peoples of African descent affirm their own subjectivity in opposition to slavery and cultural violence. What will emerge for students is a complex, heterogeneous vision of the conquest and early colonization in which non-European voices speak loudly on their own behalf. This course satisfies the Area 1 requirement for the Hispanic & Latin American Studies major.  Prerequisite(s): HISP 307  or consent of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 416 - Mapping the New World: Exploration, Encounters, and Disasters

    Cross-Listed as HISP 416  and LATI 416 .
    Europeans were by no means the first peoples to explore new territories and human populations. Renaissance scientific methodology, however, led European travelers to meticulously document each New World encounter in writing and develop new tools with which to navigate and represent space, devices that subsequently became weapons of colonial domination. But as Nature and indigenous populations refused to be subjected to European epistemology, failure and disaster were frequent events: shipwrecks left Old World survivors stranded among unknown lands and peoples in the Americas; Amerindians rejected the imposition of a foreign culture and religion, murdering colonists and missionaries; Africans rebelled against slavery and escaped to mountains and jungles to form autonomous communities. An examination of maps, exploration logs, missionary histories, travel literature, historiography and colonial documents will provide the foundation for this course on the ambivalent reality of the Old World’s encounter with the Americas, in which Europeans were often the losers. This course satisfies the Area 1 requirement for the Hispanic & Latin American Studies major. Prerequisite(s): HISP 307  or permission of instructor. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 477 - Comparative Environment and Development Studies

    Cross-Listed as  
    A concern for the relationship between nature and society has been one of the pillars of geographic inquiry and has also been an important bridge between other disciplines. By the 1960s, this area of inquiry was referred to variously as “human ecology.” Over the last decade, certain forms of inquiry within this tradition have increasingly referred to themselves as “political ecology.” The purpose of this seminar is to review major works within the traditions of cultural and political ecology; examine several areas of interest within these fields (e.g., agricultural modernization, environmental narratives, conservation, ecotourism); and explore nature-society dynamics across a range of geographical contexts. Towards the end of the course we will explore how one might begin to think in practical terms about facilitating development in marginal environments. Prerequisite(s): GEOG 232  or permission of instructor. Offered occasionally. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 485 - Senior Seminar: Confronting Global Hatred


    Drawing on several disciplines, this course confronts global hatred from three angles. The first is the hater’s internal world and looks at how human nature, genetic structure/instincts, and individual psychology may foster hatred. The second is external, exploring the role history, culture, ideology, social structure, religion, and mass psychology play. The third seeks to apply the insights gained from the first two, asking: how might we break the devastating cycles of hatred so present in our world? Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 487 - Senior Seminar: Rule of Law and the Chaos of Globalization


    Globalization has helped the international community to come together with an unprecedented immediacy. It has also enabled individuals and on-state actors to assume powers and duties formerly exclusive to state. The dispersion of state prerogatives can be liberating, as when oppressed people use new communication technologies to overthrow their masters. It can also provide opportunities for criminal enterprises and other agents of disorder to act with impunity. Our senior seminar will explore the tensions between the centripedal forces that bring us together, and the centrifugal forces that tear the global community apart. The state will most often be the law. The Westphalian sovereign state has often been declared vanquished by globalization, yet it is still very much alive, and has proven creative in deriving new means to control its subjects. It must do so because those subjects have proven equally creative in resisting state control; and globalization, in both its modern and older forms, has provided those subjects with many tools of resistance. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 488 - Senior Seminar: Thinking on a World Scale


    For more than a century, many fine minds - St. Lucian poets, Russian linguists, Mexican mystics, German forest historians, American sociologists, Bengali novelists, and Macalester International Studies students among them - have been drawn to thinking on a world scale. This senior seminar begins by reading some of them at essay length, then tackles current world-scale books the instructor himself has not yet read. Finally we generate some world-scale writing of our own. Open to all geographies and disciplinary specialties.  Corequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 489 - Senior Seminar: Paradigms of World Order


    The end of the Cold War eliminated a large divide in international society. However, the initial astonishments of this event now give way to arguments about the nature and direction of transnational life. For some, the situation is seen as the disappearance of an aberration, and the return of the “natural” processes of Western modernization and progress, guaranteed by free markets and liberal democracy. Others read the changes as the unveiling of a deeper, more complicated divide, requiring fundamental rethinking as well as reconstitution of world order. Through various readings, this senior seminar interrogates these and other interpretations of the interregnum and their correlative visions. Prerequisite(s): Senior standing or permission of instructor. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 494 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 601 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • INTL 602 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • INTL 603 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • INTL 604 - Tutorial


    Closely supervised individual or small group study for advanced students on a subject not available through regular offerings. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 611 - Independent Project


    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • INTL 612 - Independent Project


    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • INTL 613 - Independent Project


    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • INTL 614 - Independent Project


    An opportunity for advanced students to pursue independent research under the supervision of a sponsoring faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, junior standing, and a written proposal to the faculty supervisor and department chair. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 621 - Internship


    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/D/NC) only, but may be included on I.S. major plans. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • INTL 622 - Internship


    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/D/NC) only, but may be included on I.S. major plans. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • INTL 623 - Internship


    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/D/NC) only, but may be included on I.S. major plans. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • INTL 624 - Internship


    Internships join the intellect with practical internationalist experience. Students first identify a specific placement, and agree on objectives and means to gauge progress, including a 1500-word objective midterm report and 3000-word final reflective essay. Course is pass/fail (S/D/NC) only, but may be included on I.S. major plans. Prerequisite(s): Introduction to International Studies, sophomore standing, and International Studies faculty sponsorship. Work with Internship Office. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 631 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (1 Credits)

  
  • INTL 632 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (2 Credits)

  
  • INTL 633 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (3 Credits)

  
  • INTL 634 - Preceptorship


    Work assisting a faculty member in planning and teaching a course. Prerequisite(s): Advanced proficiency in the area of study and invitation by a faculty member. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester, depending on instructor need. (4 Credits)

  
  • INTL 641 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • INTL 642 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • INTL 643 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • INTL 644 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of a senior honors thesis. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)


Japanese

  
  • JAPA 101 - First Year Japanese I


    Introduction to Japanese language and culture. Practice in basic sentence patterns and conversational expressions to enable students to speak and write Japanese. Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 102 - First Year Japanese II


    Continuation of JAPA 101. Spring semester. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 101  or its equivalent. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 150 - Language and Gender in Japanese Society

    Cross-Listed as  ,   and WGSS 150 
    Japanese is considered to be a gendered language in the sense that women and men speak differently from each other. Male characters in Japanese animation often use “boku” or “ore” to refer to themselves, while female characters often use “watashi” or “atashi.” When translated into Japanese, Hermione Granger (a female character in the Harry Potter series) ends sentences with soft-sounding forms, while Harry Potter and his best friend Ron use more assertive forms. Do these fictional representations reflect reality? How are certain forms associated with femininity or masculinity? Do speakers of Japanese conform to the norm or rebel against it? These are some of the questions discussed in this course. Students will have opportunities to learn about the history of gendered language, discover different methodologies in data collections, and find out about current discourse on language and gender. Offered alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 194 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 203 - Second Year Japanese I


    Continuation of JAPA 102. While the emphasis is placed on listening and speaking skills, students continue their study of kanji and begin to work with short texts. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 102  or its equivalent. Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 204 - Second Year Japanese II


    Continuation of JAPA 203. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 203  or its equivalent. Spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 235 - Communicative Strategies in Japanese Society

    Cross-Listed as  
    This course aims at understanding communicative strategies employed by Japanese speakers. Students of Japanese language often wonder what cultural assumptions and strategies lie behind the language they are studying. In language classrooms such issues are touched upon but never fully explained in the interest of time. This course offers in-depth explorations of the interrelationship between Japanese language and society. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon their own communicative strategies. They will also read about strategies used by American English speakers as a point of comparison. How is gender articulated in Japanese society? Is the so-called feminine speech in Japanese real? If the feminine speech is considered “powerless,” how do women in authoritative positions speak? Problems in U.S.-Japan business and other negotiations are often reported in the popular press. How are they related to how people in each country communicate with one another? Japanese people are supposed to be “polite.” How, to whom, and in what context do they express politeness? Are their politeness strategies markedly different from those of other countries? Students will have opportunities to explore issues such as these. No Japanese language ability required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 250 - Postwar Literature in Translation: At the Center, From the Margins


    This course is designed to explore the richness of postwar and contemporary Japan, and begins with an examination of how Japanese literature came onto the “world scene” after WWII, as the works of Tanizaki, Mishima, and Kawabata appeared in English translation. We’ll read several novels by these authors, and consider what kind of image of Japan developed from and through that literary canon, then we’ll “deconstruct” that image of Japan by reading work by less well-known authors. Although Japanese society is often presented as homogenous and monoracial, there are people of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and language traditions living in the islands of Japan today, as there have been for many centuries. We will read literature and non-fiction about and by Okinawans, residents of other southern islands, Koreans and people of Korean descent in Japan, burakumin (traditional outcasts), and Ainu. We will read work by women that challenges traditional role expectations, and we will read work about and by people who experienced atomic bombing. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 251 - Fiction of Modern Japan


    This course introduces major authors, texts, and issues in modern Japanese literature from 1868 to the present. The focus will be on works of fiction (mainly novels, novellas, and short stories) and how they mediate and complicate the relationships between: self and other, tradition and modernity, nation and empire, and history and memory. One of the central themes of the course is the role of literature in the production, transformation, and contestation of the national narratives and cultural constructs-or the fictions-of modern Japan. In addition to the literary or textual aspects of individual works (such as language, style, and narration), we will consider the specific historical, political, and socioeconomic factors informing these works. No prior knowledge of Japan or Japanese is required. Readings are in English or English translation. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 254 - Japanese Film and Animation: From the Salaryman to the Shojo

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 254 
    This course surveys the history of Japanese film from the “golden age” of Japanese cinema to the contemporary transnational genre of anime. While introducing methodologies of film analysis and interpretation, it develops knowledge of how major works of Japanese film and animation have expressed and critiqued issues of modern Japanese society. In doing this, we trace the development of two related archetypes: the middle-class salaryman and the adolescent girl (shojo). These figures - as well as their incarnations as cyberpunks and mecha-warriors, sex workers and teen rebels - help us explore Japanese film’s engagement with the strictures of middle-class society, the constrained status of women, fantasy and escapism, sexuality and desire. Weekly screenings and discussion will be supplemented by readings in film theory and cultural criticism. Directors include Ozu Yasujiro, Akira Kurosawa, Oshima Nagisa, Miyazaki Hayao, Anno Hideaki, and Hosoda Mamoru. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 260 - Narratives of Alienation: 20th Century Japanese Fiction and Film

    Cross-Listed as ASIA 260 
    The sense of being out of place in one’s society or one’s nation, estranged from one’s self or the world - this is the feeling that has motivated man of the narratives of modern Japanese fiction. Through stories of precocious adolescents, outcast minorities, vagabond women, disillusioned soldiers, and rebellious youth, this course examines the social implications of narrative fiction (including film, anime, and manga) within the context of modern Japanese history. While introducing methods of literary analysis and developing a familiarity with major works of Japanese fiction, the course aims to cultivate an understanding of how stories can be used to engage and think about the quandaries of modern society. We will explore the way these narratives express marginal experiences, rethink the foundations of human and societal bonds, and articulate new ways of being in the world. Works covered include stories by Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Kawabata Yasunari, Oe Kenzaburo, Mishima Yukio, and Murakami Haruki, as well as films by Akira Kurosawa, Koreeda Hirokazu, and Otomo Katsuhiro. No knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 288 - Race and Ethnicity in Japan

    Cross-Listed as AMST 288  and INTL 288  
    From notions of the “pure self” to teenage ganguro (“face-blackening”), Japanese culture is rife with instances of ideology and performance that reflect a deep complexity in its engagement with issues of identity and foreignness. This course traces the roots of this complexity back to Japan’s beginnings as a modern nation and examines its cultural development into the present day. Works of fiction will be paired with readings in history and criticism to explore the meanings of identity, race, and ethnicity as they are expressed and contested in Japanese culture. The course will cover the literature of Korea and Taiwan, the experience of domestic minorities, and the contemporary cultures of cos-play (“costume-play”) and hip-hop. No prior knowledge of Japanese required. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 294 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I


    Continuation of JAPA 204. Emphasizes continued development of conversation skills, while not neglecting the development of reading skills. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 204  or permission of instructor. Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 306 - Third Year Japanese II


    Continuation of JAPA 305. Emphasizes strong development of reading and writing skills. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305  or permission of instructor. Spring semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 335 - Analyzing Japanese Language

    Cross-Listed as  
    Our perception is greatly influenced by the language we use. Without knowing, we limit ourselves to thinking that our current perspective is the only way by which to view ourselves and the world. By analyzing Japanese, students can experience perceptual and cultural systems that are different from their own. At the same time, students may also discover that there are certain qualities that are common even in “exotic” languages such as Japanese. What is the function of the topic marker? Why can’t you translate “he is cold” into Japanese word for word? Why are there so many different personal pronouns in Japanese? How do you express your feelings in Japanese? What is the relationship between your identity and gendered speech? This course provides opportunities to discuss these questions that students of Japanese commonly have. Students will also experience examining authentic Japanese data. Japanese Language and Culture majors who are juniors and seniors may count this course as their capstone experience. Prerequisite(s):  JAPA 204  or permission of instructor. Offered every three years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 394 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 407 - Fourth Year Japanese I


    This course aims at the acquisition of advanced level proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are given opportunities to develop abilities to narrate and describe, to understand main ideas and most details of connected discourse on a variety of topics, to read prose several paragraphs in length, and to write routine social correspondence and join sentences in simple discourse of at least several paragraphs in length on familiar topics. In addition, students will practice language that is sociolinguistically appropriate in specific situations. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 306  or permission of instructor. Fall semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 408 - Fourth Year Japanese II


    This course is a continuation of Fourth Year Japanese I. It continues work on the acquisition of advanced level proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students are given opportunities to understand the main ideas of extended discourse, to read texts which are linguistically complex, and to write about a variety of topics. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 407  or permission of instructor. Spring Semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 488 - Translating Japanese: Theory and Practice

    Cross-Listed as  
    This workshop for advanced students of Japanese explores the craft and cultural implications of Japanese-to-English literary translation. It aims to give students not only a facility and sophistication in translating Japanese, but also a closer familiarity with the Japanese language itself. Through weekly translation assignments, we will examine the expressive qualities of the Japanese language, tracing major developments of prose style in the modern period and studying the socio-historical context manifested in those linguistic innovations. Our work will be informed and enhanced by engagements with theories of translation as well as essays on Japanese-to-English translation specifically. We will cover a broad range of genres, including essays, poetry, manga, and film (subtitles). The course will culminate in an original project translating a Japanese work of one’s choice. Prerequisite(s): JAPA 305 - Third Year Japanese I  or higher. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 494 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 601 - Tutorial


    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 602 - Tutorial


    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 603 - Tutorial


    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 604 - Tutorial


    Tutorials may be arranged for special kanji study or for supervised reading. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 611 - Independent Project


    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 612 - Independent Project


    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 613 - Independent Project


    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 614 - Independent Project


    Sophomores and above may pursue an independent research project under the supervision of a Japanese Language and Culture faculty member. Prerequisite(s): Three college-level courses related to Japan. Permission of instructor must be obtained prior to the start of the semester. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 631 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (1 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 632 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (2 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 633 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (3 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 634 - Preceptorship


    Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 641 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor (1 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 642 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor (2 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 643 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor (3 Credits)

  
  • JAPA 644 - Honors Independent


    Independent research, writing, or other preparation leading to the culmination of the senior honors project. Instructor permission required. Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor (4 Credits)


Latin American Studies

  
  • LATI 141 - Latin America Through Women’s Eyes

    Cross-Listed as   and WGSS 141  
    Latin American women have overcome patriarchal “machismo” to serve as presidents, mayors, guerilla leaders, union organizers, artists, intellectuals, and human rights activists. Through a mix of theoretical, empirical, and testimonial work, we will explore issues such as feminist challenges to military rule in Chile, anti-feminist politics in Nicaragua, the intersection of gender and democratization in Cuba, and women’s organizing and civil war in Colombia. Teaching methods include discussion, debates, simulations, analytic papers, partisan narratives, lecture, film, poetry, and a biographical essay. This class employs an innovative system of qualitative assessment. Students take the course “S/SD/N with Written Evaluation.” This provides a powerful opportunity for students to stretch their limits in a learning community with high expectations, but without a high-pressure atmosphere. This ungraded course has been approved for inclusion on major/minor plans in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 151 - Caribbean Literature and Culture: Aesthetics of Resistance

    Cross-Listed as  
    Explore literary, visual and musical expressions of resistance against colonialism and neocolonialism in the Caribbean, and examine street performance as a means of redefining public space and creating community. Students will learn about the tensions between culture and capital. Offered as a First Year Course only. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 171 - Susurros del Pasado: Whispers Toward the 21st Century

    Cross-Listed as  
    This course explores expressions of indigenismos both past and present throughout the Americas. Students will examine literary, historical and political texts that convey the ongoing struggle of Native Americans to retain cultural and sociopolitical autonomy in North and South America. Offered as a First Year Course only. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 181 - Introduction to Latin America and the Caribbean

    Cross-Listed as HIST 181 
    This course offers a general survey of the complex and heterogeneous region we somewhat reductively term Latin America. It follows a roughly chronological approach, beginning with the eve of encounter and continuing through the contemporary era. Discussions will consider themes such as the institution and legacy of colonialism, the search for new national identities, and the onset of modern racial and political strife. The course will emphasize the import of global economic, political, and cultural trends on the formation of the region. Offered every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 194 - Topics Course


    Varies by semester. Consult the department or class schedule for current listing. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 244 - Urban Latino Power

    Cross-Listed as   and  
    Comparative study of Latino and Latina political struggles in the United States. We will explore the themes of subordination and empowerment through issues such as anti-immigrant ballot initiatives in California, the election of Latino mayors in Denver and San Antonio, Cuban dominance in Miami politics, multiracial violence in Los Angeles, and battles over labor conditions, affirmative action, bi-lingual education, and racial profiling. Student projects will involve field research among the Latino communities and organizations of the Twin Cities. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 245 - Latin American Politics

    Cross-Listed as POLI 245 
    Comparative study of political institutions and conflicts in several Latin American countries. Through a mix of empirical and theoretical work, we analyze concepts and issues such as authoritarianism and democratization, neoliberalism, state terror and peace processes, guerrilla movements, party systems, populism, the Cuban Revolution, and U.S. military intervention. Themes are explored through diverse teaching methods including discussion, debates, simulations, partisan narratives, lecture, film, and poetry. This class employs an innovative system of qualitative assessment. Students take the course “S/SD/N with Written Evaluation.” This provides a powerful opportunity for students to stretch their limits in a learning community with high expectations, but without a high-presure atmosphere. This ungraded course has been approved for inclusion on major/minor/concentration plans in Political Science, Latin American Studies, and Human Rights and Humanitarianism. Every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 246 - Comparative Democratization

    Cross-Listed as POLI 246  and RUSS 246 
    This course focuses on theories of democratic breakdown, regime transitions, and democratization in Southern Europe, Latin America, and Post-Communist Europe. Some of the cases we will study include Pinochet’s coup and Chile’s return to elections, the end of the South African apartheid regime, and Russia’s post-Cold War shift toward both democratic elections and new strands of authoritarianism. Building on the literatures on transitions, consolidation, civil society, and constitutional design, the course culminates in an examination of democratic impulses in Iran and the Middle East. Themes are explored through diverse teaching methods including discussion, debates, simulations, partisan narratives, lecture, film, and poetry. Prerequisite(s): POLI 140  or LATI 141  recommended. Offered every year. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 249 - Regional Geography of Latin America

    Cross-Listed as GEOG 249 
    This course explores one of the world’s most vibrant regions, Latin America. Extending from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego, this world region stretches across diverse landscapes, from tropical rainforests to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes, from mega-cities to empty deserts and plains. This variety of environments fosters great cultural diversity, as well: although the nations of Latin America share similar historical roots, each one has its own character and its own complex geography. This course explores the geography of Latin America through a combination of thematic and regional approaches. Major topics include physical geography and the natural environment; pre-Columbian, colonial, and modern history; race and identity; urbanism; agriculture and land use; major environmental problems; economy and development; international migration; Latino culture and identity in the U.S.; and the economic and cultural impacts of globalization. Along with such general themes, we will also examine the cultural geography of specific core regions, including The Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, the Andean Countries, and the Argentine Pampas. Through projects that explore different elements of Latin America’s cultural geography, students will get a close-up perspective on the region. Offered every fall. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 255 - Peoples and Cultures of Latin America

    Cross-Listed as ANTH 255 
    This course is an introduction to the cultural diversity and complexity of Latin American societies. We will examine regional differences from an anthropological perspective and discus how social institutions and cultural practices and traditions have been shaped, and how they have dealt with continuity and change. Ethnographic case studies will allow us to explore relevant topics related to ethnicity, social stratification, gift-giving/reciprocity, kinship, rural/urban relationships, cosmology and religion, and gender. These issues will be examined within the context of particular histories, considering the legacy of colonialism, the formation of the nation-state, the emergence of social movements, post-colonial nationalism, the impart of migration and urbanization, and the effects of neo-liberalism and globalization. We will conclude with a critical examination of forms of representation of Latin America, which involve notions such as -indigenismo-. Prerequisite(s): ANTH 101  or ANTH 111  Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 269 - Economics of International Migration

    Cross-Listed as ECON 269  and INTL 269 
    This course will examine the global movement of people through an economic lens. The course will study the impact that emigration has on the economy of the home country, such as brain drain and population change, the historic role that migration has played in economic development, and finally the effect that immigration has on immigrant-receiving countries. The various economic issues in the current immigration debate in the United States will be analyzed including the economic assimilation of immigrants, and the impact of immigration on native born workers. Cross-listed with ECON 269 and INTL 269. Every other spring. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 281 - The Andes: Race, Region, Nation

    Cross-Listed as HIST 281 
    This course provides a survey of Andean history with an emphasis upon the formation of collective identities. Class discussion will treat continuities and divergences between the Andean colonial and post-colonial experiences, especially the intersection between racial and regional tensions and their impact upon the emergence and construction of nation-states. Recent topics explored have included the role of landscape in Andean culture, Incan and neo-Incan cultural mythologies, the conflation of racial and class identities in the twentieth century, violence and guerrilla movements, urbanization, and the various shades of indigenismo. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

  
  • LATI 282 - Latin America: Art and Nation

    Cross-Listed as HIST 282 
    This course presents an historical overview of the interaction between artists, the state, and national identity in Latin America. After an introduction to the import of images to crafting collective identities during the colonial era and the 19th century, we will focus on the 20th century. Topics to be discussed include the depiction of race, allegorical landscapes and architectures, the art of revolution, and countercultures. Multiple genres will be explored with an emphasis on the visual arts, architecture, and popular music. Alternate years. (4 Credits)

 

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