HSS2041 Global Goods: Histories of Commodities, Exchanges, and Cultures
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsHow have inanimate commodities served as active agents in human history?
How have global exchanges of commodities shaped socio-political boundaries?

This course will move chronologically from the late fifteenth century to the present, demystifying commodities that we have often taken for granted and studying them as drivers of transregional economies and cultures. We will survey a wide variety of commodities and market spaces: from exotic Indian tea to cotton produced in the American South to Qatar's oil reserves to Tokyo's fish markets, for example, to understand the transformation of _commodities_ into _global goods_. The course will offer factual knowledge and analytical tools for understanding the political circumstances and shifting cultural values implicated in the rise and transformation of commodities into global goods. We will explore how this transformation has left indelible marks on religion, science, democracy, race, gender, class, and ideas of human rights. We will also examine the social, cultural, and political boundaries that global exchanges of commodities demand, calling to question the idea of the _global_. Part economic, part cultural, and part environmental history, this course relies on the histories of commodities to illuminate the idea of what is global.

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

HSS2028 Global Politics
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits

This intermediate course will begin by examining different perspectives on the role of power, anarchy, institutions, and identity in the international system. These ideas will then be used to explore a wide range of current global issues, including war, trade, human rights, humanitarian intervention, and environmental problems. The goal of this course is to learn how various theories can bring both a richer understanding of the nature of international problems and of the motivations and perspectives of various international actors. This semester special attention will be given to the topics of international migration and conflicts in the Middle East.

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

MUS4620 Global Pop: Mass-Mediated Musics in a Transnational World
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits"Global pop" is music that results from contact between two or more cultures. Examples include rap français, flamenco, reggaetón, afrobeat, K-pop, and Bollywood film music, among many others. This course examines how global pop acquires ideological force and accrues historical layers as it circulates around the world. In scrutinizing the musical style, discourse, and business of global pop, we will focus on such issues as authenticity, hybridity, cultural imperialism, nationalism, personal identity, censorship, political protest, ownership, and appropriation - in short, all the ways in which music means. No previous musical knowledge necessary.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)

HSS2050

4 Credits

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

HIS4606 Cultural History of American Business
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsHow have generations of Americans used business to define their ambitions and identities? How has commerce influenced the nation's mythology and ideals? What are the social and personal costs of the U.S.'s veneration of the marketplace? In this advanced-level history course, students will examine how business has shaped American culture and society. Selected subjects for the class include the rise of the corporation, the icons of American business, the power and politics of consumption, ethnic and immigrant entrepreneurship, and the role of the marketplace in the nation's economic and cultural development.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)

HSS2052

4 Credits

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

HIS4617 The History of Boston
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsIn this Advanced Level course, students will explore Boston's history, from the seventeenth century to the present, and consider how the city's religious values, economic leadership, and intellectual traditions shaped American identity. Selected topics for the class include Boston's Puritan heritage, its place in the American Revolution, the city's intellectual and social movements, the creation of its museums and civic institutions, and struggles with immigration and race. As part of their responsibilities for the course, students will participate in field trips to the historic sites of Beacon Hill, Boston Common and the Public Garden, the North End, Back Bay and Copley Square, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)

CSP2026 Immigrants, Race and the American Promise

(Formerly CVA2026)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis intermediate course will consider the nature of American culture and identity through the experiences of the nation's immigrants and its ethnic citizens. What sacrifices have immigrants and ethnic Americans made in order to become members of the national community? How have they contributed to the development of modern America? How have they re-shaped the culture, politics, and economy of the U.S.? How have immigrants and citizens of color adapted the mythology of the American Dream to achieve success? What does the larger narrative of immigration, race, and ethnicity tell us about our nation's values and our own identity as citizens? Throughout the semester, students will use historical texts, novels, and selected works of film and music to consider these questions. Selected themes for the course include the _Melting Pot_ and multiculturalism, race and ethnicity, anti-immigrant agitation and legislation, the nature of the American Dream, and the development of ethnic communities and businesses. The class will cover the time period from the late nineteenth century to the present.

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)

WRT1000 Intensive Rhetoric Writing Tutorial
Foundation Liberal ArtsPrerequisites: None

LIT4682 In the Extreme: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Human Rights
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThe philosophy of basic human rights originates with the earliest records of humans, and humans have struggled to define and defend these most basic tenets of ethical human conduct and rights ever since. This course will focus upon grave human rights abuses such as torture, genocide, and rape, and will consider the increasingly blurred line between "peacetime" and "wartime" violations. We will begin with philosophical, political, and legal definitions of human rights, then move quickly to specific cases related to the impacts and legacies of imperialism and the resurgence of nationalism and white supremacy. In this context, we will examine challenges to international human rights law from military and technological developments, mass migration, and climate change, paying special attention to the role of art, literature, and film in addressing these challenges.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)