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Course Level: Undergraduate

Topics vary by section, may be repeated for credit with different topic. Usually offered every term. Prerequisite: permission of University Honors program director.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Legal Issues in Globalization

This course examines the legal aspects of international trade and investment. This course explores the nature of international investment law, the private customary law of trade, and both domestic and international schemes for the regulation of international trade. Students become familiar with the legal mechanics of engaging in direct foreign investment as well as questions surrounding the "choice of law" issues in national regulation. Emphasis is placed on trade protection laws of the United States and the development of the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Although the course examines these issues from a legal perspective, it also deals with the political, social, economic, and environmental aspects of trade regulation and economic regulation in this era of globalization.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Contract Law: The Law of the Deal

In our increasingly capitalist world, the "deal" takes on great importance and the law of contracts sets the rule by which this game is played. This course studies the U.S. laws governing the creation, performance, and breach of contracts from the perspective of the allocation of risk, an element that exists in every deal. When is a "deal a deal," and when do circumstances allow for releasing parties from their legal obligations? It also examines the legal rules governing the sale of goods and services in the United States and compares them to laws governing contracts internationally. Students debate politically-divisive issues such as the use, or abuse, of punitive damages and the allocation of the legal fees and other costs of litigation between parties. Emphasis is placed on the distinctions between the legal and ethical obligations of individuals and enterprises and students are introduced to legal research and writing.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Guerillas, Insurgents, and Paramilitaries

Since the 1980s, the nature of violence has changed. Increasingly, organized violence is conducted by non-state actors--guerillas, insurgents, or paramilitaries, which range from rag-tag fighters with old weapons to sophisticated armies with clear chains of command, well-stocked arms caches, and steady cash flow. While even the most organized of these groups are small in comparison to standing state armies, they have been capable of enacting wide-scale violence. This class explores the patterns of violence guerillas, insurgents, and paramilitaries create, as well as the organizational structure they follow, the tactics they employ, and the ideologies they marshal. The class is organized around a series of case studies including the Interhamwe in Rwanda, the Zapatistas in Mexico, and the Ulster Volunteer Force in Northern Ireland, selected to capture regional diversity, divergent political leanings, and varied levels of success.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

The Death of Privacy?

Are privacy considerations today merely in the process of being rebalanced or are these rights endangered, if not extinct? This seminar explores the nature and extent of privacy, both as it currently is and as it should be. The class examines issues and politics of infringement on informational privacy ranging from domestic government surveillance to instantaneous Internet videos to drug testing by schools and employers. To wrestle with these topics, the class relies on primary sources such as case law and statutory material as well as secondary materials to provide context. Although the main focus is on the United States, privacy in other countries is included to gain a comparative perspective. In addition, the course considers non-government entities and corporations to see what they are doing (or failing to do) to protect privacy.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Media Myth and Power

This colloquium offers a sweeping assessment of the roles of mass media in the emergence, spread, tenacity, and implications of popular myths and legends in the United States and abroad. It considers the news media and several war-related myths, and other cases of media-driven myths. Course assignments include a research paper drawn from primary source material at the Library of Congress.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Living a Good Life: The Psychology of Happiness

In this course students explore the nature of happiness, why people so often misunderstand what makes them happy, and whether steps can be taken to increase happiness. One view of happiness emphasizes cultivating our strengths. Given that, the class discusses some human strengths including consciousness, forgiveness, compassion, relationship, love, and positive emotions such as gratitude, hope, and elevation. Ways in which culture might shape our experience of and beliefs about the good life are also examined.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

American Identity: The Challenge of Islam

This multidisciplinary course examines how the Muslim experience in the United States challenges and relates to core features of American identity. It is based on an unprecedented research trip across the United States and includes notes, films and ethnography from Muslims and non-Muslims, encompassing the full range of American life and culture. The course examines how American identity was shaped over American history through the work of writers such as Alexis De Tocqueville and the role that minorities played in shaping that identity. Using the Muslim experience as a case study, the course examines how American ideals key to its identity, such as pluralism, have held up in a post 9/11 society. Meets with SIS-619 007.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

The Politics and Policy of Health Care

Comprising more than one-sixth of U.S. GDP, health care has become a driving force in American economics and politics. This course provides historical background on the forces that shaped our current health care system, analyzes its impact on businesses and individuals, compares its effectiveness with other health systems overseas, and studies potential future effects on national politics and fiscal policy. The course is intended to serve as a primer on health care policy for individuals contemplating a career in the field, be it in politics, economics, business, or medicine.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Politics in Cuba

This course examines the political, social and economic history of Cuba, with primary emphasis on the period since the revolution of 1959. The first few weeks concentrate on pre-revolutionary Cuba, the causes of the 1959 revolution, and the political dynamics of the breakdown of the old regime. In subsequent weeks, we examine the development of the post-revolutionary political system, its economic and social policies, and its foreign relations with the United States, the Soviet Union and the Third World. The last several weeks are devoted to contemporary Cuba and the changes set in motion by the collapse of European communism. Meets with GOVT-637 001.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

How to Survive the International Financial Crisis

The challenges facing international financial markets underscore the impact of our increasing global interconnectedness. No longer just a Wall Street problem, international financial concerns are now part of everyday discussion that affects each of us individually. The length, breadth, and depth of the crisis, and the decisions that influence its path to recovery, are in many ways unprecedented and still being felt. Decisions are being made under extraordinary uncertainty and anxiety, from the Congressional bailout debates to firm bankruptcy decisions to homeowners' foreclosures to student loan availability. While cited initially as a U.S. problem, it is apparent that the extent of the financial turmoil is far-reaching and global. This course presents a how-to guide for understanding the complexities underlying events in the international financial markets and what it means for us as individuals. It takes a comprehensive look at the constantly changing global financial landscape and the role of demographic, economic, political, social, and behavioral factors in shaping its future. The class then discusses the benign economic times that fueled significant financial innovation, and considers the overexuberance that led to its unraveling.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Cultural Citizenship in an Obama Presidency

Cultural citizenship deals with aspects of life that create a sense of identity and belonging. What does it mean to feel as though you "belong" to American society? Notions of cultural citizenship point to the importance of the symbolic, legal, and material dimensions of community. A crucial element of cultural citizenship is the dignity that arises from seeing one's own perspectives and needs valued through the equal application of laws, and equal access to employment, education, healthcare, and media. It is also critically important to see one's history and experience represented in education, arts, and media. How might the Obama presidency transform notions of cultural citizenship? This course explores contemporary social and economic inequalities in the United States within the context of the unfolding Obama administration. It highlights contemporary debates regarding the potential of the new administration to affect progressive social transformation both nationally and globally. The course investigates domestic issues in a broad global context that includes global warming, war, human rights, and economic crises and includes a strong emphasis on language and media analysis.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Public Policy and the Politics of Talk

This course examines the way political elites manipulate language to build support for their causes. The class first explores a phenomenon called framing, a strategic message manipulation that elected officials (lawmakers and executives), lobby groups, and some in the media employ to sway opinion and arouse action. Next, the underlying conditions that correspond with this form of political persuasion are examined. Through a review of scholarly research and case-study examples, students learn about the challenges that policymakers face as they attend to their conflicting goals for office, influence, and good policy. It is often forgotten that between elections we, the governed, are an integral part of this policymaking partnership. Contending elites know this as they woo their respective, though fickle, supporters. In this course students become more sophisticated consumers of political communication, as well as an increased appreciation for the delicate balance that exists between the government and the governed.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

AIDS Crisis in Africa: Origins, Impacts, and Responses

This course treats the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa as both an object of study as well as a lens through which to understand the dynamics of African states and societies. It starts by focusing on the cultural, economic and political causes of HIV/AIDS, looking at how the disease has disproportionately affected some groups (such as women and migrants) and some countries (such as those in southern Africa). The impacts of the disease on the labor force, the family, and on Africans' ways of thinking about the world, are then examined. Next, the class looks at local, national, and international responses to the disease, which have included the creation of small organizations to support those afflicted by the disease, national policies and programs, and massive influxes of funding for prevention programs and anti-retroviral therapy. The effectiveness of these interventions, as well as their implications for everything from intellectual property debates to the crowding out of other health concerns are considered. In the end, students learn about AIDS in Africa, but also about Africa more generally, and about their own role in the global community as it struggles to find a way to slow the AIDS pandemic.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

War and Personal Responsibility

The U.S. war on terror, and the invasion and occupation of Iraq, have once again raised issues about the responsibility of individuals (both those who make policy and those who carry out policy) for crimes against humanity. This course examines these issues by focusing on three major events--the massive bombing of Japanese cities in World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War--and on former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was involved in all three.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Economic Blocs: Division in the World Economy/Future of WTO

Rapidly proliferating economic blocs are increasingly undermining the autonomy of governments and influencing the operations of multinational corporations since they go beyond tariff elimination to comprise new rules on foreign investment, competition policy and financial liberalization. The stagnation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) raises a pressing question: Are we transitioning to a world economy defined by regional preferences and discrimination?

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Politics of Peace in Northern Ireland

Using Northern Ireland as a case-study in the resolution of ethno-regional conflicts, this course examines the Anglo-Irish conflict with a focus on the period from 1969 to the present. The class analyzes the changes that led to the peace process of the 1990s, and the dynamics of the all-party talks, the Good Friday Agreement, and the implementation of that agreement. The role of violence in the conflict, the role of women in Northern Ireland politics, the use of institutions to channel conflict, the challenges of consolidating the post-conflict transformation and the lessons that can be drawn for other situations of intense and violent conflict are also explored.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Media and the American Mind

Movies, TV shows, newspapers, and advertising all influence who we vote for, how we define America's role in global politics, and where we stand on such major issues as same-sex marriage and stem-cell research, while at the same time helping to shape our moral values and to determine how we dress, how we spend our leisure time, and what kind of sexual activities we engage in. This course explores the vital role that the various media genres play--historically as well as in contemporary times--in affecting American society writ large and simultaneously influencing the individual attitudes and actions of those who make up that society.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Sustainable Design: Building an Environmental Future

This course studies the challenges of designing a sustainable world. It focuses on the political, economic, social, and philosophical dimensions of environmental harm and the ways in which we can design our own lives, communities and global structures to advance environmental protection. The School of International Service building on the AU campus is used as an example and metaphor for appreciating the challenge and promise of sustainable design.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

The Politics of Human Rights

This colloquium examines the theory and practice of human rights. Its goal is to provide students with an knowledgeable and critical perspective on: the historic origins and development of modern human rights law from the Medieval period forwards; the juxtaposition of civil and political, social and economic, modern and post-modern rights, with a focus on the issue of gender; domestic and transnational implementation and enforcement of human rights, with special emphasis on the European Union; and the modern and practical implications of human rights through the lens of contemporary rights issues.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Visions of Post-Cold War Europe

At the time of the fall of Communism in Europe in 1989, there were several competing visions of the post-Cold War Europe and the role of NATO, envisioning various forms of European political, economic, and military integration. This colloquium is based on reading and analyzing original historical documents and first-hand accounts of the end of the Cold War in Europe and different visions of post-Cold War European integration. The course covers the Soviet withdrawal from Eastern Europe, the East European revolutions, German unification, European integration, European security structures and the expansion of NATO, U.S. role in Europe, and the current relations between Russia and the European Union. It also addresses the question of different interpretations of the events of 1989 and the end of the Cold War and their repercussions in today146s international politics. The course features in-depth discussion of current issues of European security and identity, tracing their evolution in the last 20 years. Students work on individual projects using additional primary sources to produce a substantial research paper. The course specifically focuses on methodology of research using archival materials, oral history, and other primary sources.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Do States Have Hearts? Ethics and International Relations

This course examines the particular ethical questions posed by international relations. It covers material on whether national leaders have ethical duties to foreigners and whether it is meaningful to discuss a shared international morality and include the ethics of waging war, the concept of sovereignty and intervention in a state146s internal affairs, foreign aid, the meaning of international law, obligations to the environment, and questions of redistributive justice. The course draws on the work of political philosophers including Machiavelli, Weber, Mill, E.H. Carr, Morgenthau, and Walzer, as well as examination of several contemporary case studies.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Future of the World's Currencies: Will There Be One or Many?

This course examines monetary integration and the economic requirements for countries to form a currency union. The class studies the theory of optimum currency areas and looks at the economic implications of surrendering a sovereign currency in favor of a regional currency with monetary policy administered by a single central banking institution. In addition to economic theory, the class examines the political conditions necessary for monetary integration; the cost and benefits of monetary union for firms operating in the region; less democratic forms of monetary integration such as currency boards and dollarization; historical examples of currency unions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In addition, the class studies the well-known present-day monetary union in Europe that uses the Euro as its currency; as well as examining other regions of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, North America, and South America, looking at plans for monetary integration (if they exist) or the prospects (both economic and political) for monetary integration or monetary union in the future.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Social/Science/Fiction

This course proceeds from a pair of linked observations: social science is a human endeavor which promises to elucidate social reality in such a way as to make it comprehensible, and, science fiction is part of a human literary endeavor in which authors explore the relationships between characters, technology, and the physical world through the fantastic setting in which the events of the work are situated. Both genres aim to explore the contours of the future, and to elucidate complex issues by means of deliberate analytical oversimplification. This suggests the potential for a dialogue, or at least an intriguing set of contrasts: is social science a form of science fiction and is science fiction a form of social science? The class explores these issues by reading and discussing illustrative works from both genres. Students also have the option to view and discuss selected science-fiction films at optional screenings throughout the semester.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Tourism and Development

This course examines the challenges and contradictions of tourism development in the twenty-first century. It traces the historical origins of tourism, i.e., eighteenth century European grand tour/elite travel, to contemporary manifestations of packaged and specialized tours for the middle classes worldwide. Key topics covered include sustainable tourism as a development strategy; the branding of nation states; emerging tourist identities and issues of authentic/inauthentic experiences; niche tourism (e.g., ecotourism, medical tourism, heritage tourism); the commodification of culture; and intercultural relations among tourists and host communities.

Course Level: Undergraduate

Honors Colloquium in Social Sciences (3)

Localizing Peace: Community Embedded Capacities

This course is premised on a comprehensive understanding of peace that explores local capacities for peacebuilding and sustainable development in a multitude of diverse cultural and religious contexts. Peace at global, regional, and national levels is unlikely to take root unless such capacities are established, for ultimately peace must be made and practiced on a local basis. This course addresses the vital need to make active use of local peace resources and to pursue forms of local-international collaboration that sustainably yield locally valid and effective solutions, currently an emerging area in the field of conflict resolution. The course also develops practical frameworks and raises critical questions for identifying, eliciting, and tapping local resources to enhance capacity for local solutions to conflict. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Meets with SIS-619 002.