POL4635 International Politics of Asia
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsInternational Politics of Asia covers a variety of global issues in this key region of the world. The first section will provide a backdrop to understanding colonial legacies, nationalism, and the construction of East Asia's modern states. Subsequently, the course will turn our attention to the current real-world problems facing Asian leaders. We will look at the international security problems of North Korea, insurgencies, and alliance politics, before turning our attention to the international political economic issues of trade and development. Relatedly, we will pay attention to the environmental costs and degradation of industrial development in Asia. The final area of concern will be human rights issues in China, Burma, and the Philippines.

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

HSS2002: Introduction to Indigenous People's Politics and History

4 Intermediate Liberal Arts

This Intermediate level History and Society class is an Introduction to the study of the politics and history of Indigenous peoples. The class will focus mostly on the United States and Canada - two countries created through settler colonial conquest, genocide, and dispossession of Indigenous peoples from their territories. The course will offer opportunities for looking globally at Indigenous people's experiences, histories and politics. To understand Indigenous people's history and politics, one must learn about the intertwined history of colonialism, capitalism, white supremacy and heteropatriarchy, and their oppressive impacts upon Indigenous peoples. For example, what we call the "gender binary" is not natural but was imposed, in part, through colonial processes such as Indian Boarding/Residential Schools that brutally compelled children to conform to Euro-centric norms. Recently, in Canada on the grounds of old residential schools, unmarked graves have been discovered that contain the remains of children that went to these schools. This is just one of the difficult issues we will explore and grapple with in this class to understand Indigenous people's history and the colonial oppression they have and continue to face. We will spend a great deal of time on Indigenous political movements that resist and refuse these oppressive systems. The course materials will include scholarly studies, historical narratives, fiction, poetry, first person narratives, films, documentaries, podcasts and other media that help students understand the historical and contemporary reality of Indigenous peoples, colonialism, political movements and so on. Students will be expected to develop a strong and precise understanding of the fundamental elements of Native American and Indigenous studies and will have the opportunity to explore their own topics of interest in project-oriented assignments. This will be a highly participatory class that will require close attention to materials and active and consistent engagement to succeed.

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

CSP2025 Introduction to LGBTQ Cultural Studies

(Formerly CVA2025)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsCultural Studies borrows from history, political science, psychology, literature, sociology, anthropology, film studies, media studies, and other disciplines to dismantle and thereby understand the cultural forces and variables which work together to construct meaning. In this course, we will look specifically at how LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) identities and meanings have been and continue to be constructed, primarily but not exclusively in U.S. culture. We will actively consider how we, as human beings and agents of construction ourselves, contribute to or resist cultural meanings of LGBTQ. In our course of study, we will read theory, study film and other visual media, and interrogate texts, such as television shows, from popular culture. Each student will have an opportunity to develop a short individual project tailored to his or her interests.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring

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

CSP2007 Introduction to Philosophy

(Formerly CVA2007)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsIntroduction to Philosophy treats the most basic and pervasive human questions: Does God exist? What is the nature of the self? What is the relationship between our mind and our body? Do human beings have an immortal soul? Do we have free will? What is the difference between a human being and a computer? How can value judgments be justified? What is the proper relationship between the individual and the community? What is the best kind of human life?

ART1172 Introduction to Sculpture
4 General CreditsThis is an introductory level studio art course designed to engage you with basic sculptural concepts and processes through the creation of your own sculpture. Working with basic material such as plasticene, plaster, wood, and wire, we will learn carving, modeling, and other methods of construction as we explore assignments that parallel historical approaches and processes. As a means of developing a full range of approaches towards making sculpture, we will examine paleo-lithic sculpture; Egyptian, Greek, and Renaissance bas-relief sculpture; abstract, kinetic and minimal sculpture; and installation and conceptual art. Students will be asked to keep a sketchbook for the development and critique of visual ideas. Through visualization, drawing, design, construction, and critique of sculpture, students will expand their skills of observation, critical analysis, and creative problem solving.

Prerequisites: None

HSS2418 Introduction to Sociology
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsSociology explains human behavior in terms of group activities. The solidarity of a social group allows group members to work cooperatively towards common goals. But the dark side of group solidarity is that it often leads members to feel hostility towards individuals who are not a part of the group and for non-members to experience feelings of resentment towards the group and its members. How is solidarity achieved? How is the formation of social identity affected by group solidarity? How do groups competing for scarce resources construct a view of their group's needs, hopes, and desires? Where are group members and nonmembers situated in this view of social life? This course examines the relationship between group solidarity, resource scarcity, and the formation of social identity in everyday life.

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

ARB2200 Introduction to Arabic
4 Free Elective CreditsThis course is an introduction to Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and the Levantine dialect. It introduces students to Arabic sounds and alphabet, basic reading and writing, and essentials for everyday conversations. It is built on an interactive methodology using a variety of authentic materials such as news, film, songs, art, food and cooking. It emphasizes the active participation of students in the learning process. Project-based learning is the main instructional approach, and classes are designed to teach language through engaging projects set around specific cultural topics. Students will cook and taste food, virtually visit Arab cities and museums, research Arab artists, watch movie clips and music videos, and even learn and sing Arabic songs! Arabic 2200 is the initial course in the Arabic language sequence at Babson.

Students are precluded from taking more advanced courses in the sequence (Arabic 4610, 4640, 4650) prior to this course unless permitted by the instructor.

CSP2059 Introduction to Consumer Society
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits

This course addresses both long-standing and emerging debates about consumer society: Who is in control, consumers or advertisers and producers? How has the role of consumers changed in the digital era and with social media? How does consumption help us structure and communicate our identit(y/ies)? In what ways does consumption affect the environment and how does this then changed consumption patterns? How does the consumption of social media shape our lives? Special attention will be paid to the ways in which consumer culture structures division by class, status, gender, and race. Readings will include pieces by Adorno and Horkheimer, Bourdieu, Veblen, Sherman, Khan, Pittman, Duffy, and others.

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

CVA2059 Introduction to Consumer Society
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts Credits

This course addresses both long-standing and emerging debates about consumer society: Who is in control, consumers or advertisers and producers? How has the role of consumers changed in the digital era and with social media? How does consumption help us structure and communicate our identit(y/ies)? In what ways does consumption affect the environment and how does this then changed consumption patterns? How does the consumption of social media shape our lives? Special attention will be paid to the ways in which consumer culture structures division by class, status, gender, and race. Readings will include pieces by Adorno and Horkheimer, Bourdieu, Veblen, Sherman, Khan, Pittman, Duffy, and others.

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

HSS2039 Contemporary AfricaA
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis course is an interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary Africa. After a brief examination of the precolonial and colonial periods, it focuses on a variety of current topics. These topics include development challenges of education and health, regional security, gender, human rights, and environmental governance. Connecting present state of the continent and its past, the course ends by examining possible futures. Focused broadly on scholarship in the humanities and social sciences, the course will also draw on the arts, literature, and sports in order to provide a fuller picture of the continent.

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