HIS4674 The Personal is Political: Gender in Modern US History
(Advanced Liberal Arts)

Activists in the women's movement made the personal political, bringing previously "private" issues such as sex, reproduction, birth control, and intimate relationships into the realm of public debates. This course focuses on the changing social and political roles of women and men in twentieth- and twenty-first century America. Using primary and secondary sources, films, and other texts, we will study "womanhood" and "manhood," femininity and masculinity, and the intersection of these identities with the categories of class, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, and sexuality. We will discuss people in straight and GLBTQ family arrangements, in the diverse, globalized workplace, in the formation of public policy, and in social movements.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 3 Intermediate Liberal Arts Courses (CVA, LVA, HSS)

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring or Fall

HSS2010 The US in the World in the 20th Century
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis course explores the role of the United States throughout the world from 1900 to the present. We will investigate the people, institutions, and processes that influenced American diplomatic and military engagements, and analyze the impact and effectiveness of America's role. We will begin by exploring the emergence of America as an empire, and how American power and influence evolved and changed over the course of the century to the present day. We will explore America's role in shaping the Cold War, in particular in Latin American and the wars in Vietnam, as well as more recent engagements in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.

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

GDR4610: Topics in Women's Studies
4 Advanced Liberal ArtsThis course provides a forum to examine and discuss contemporary women's and girls' roles and positions. The course will address the following topics: first and second waves of feminism, sexuality, psycho-social influences on gender construction, paid work and structures of inequality, women and social protest and family configurations. At the beginning of the course, we will read some historic documents as background to the women's movement in the United States. Although the main focus will be on women and girls in the United States, we will also discuss women's positions in other countries as well. Because femininity and images of women are balanced, and often countered, by masculinity and images of men, we will spend time discussing men in relation to women. Integral to this course is recognition of how race, class, ethnicity and sexuality converge to influence how women negotiate their political, social and cultural roles. Finally, we will attempt to become _enlightened witnesses_ to the social construction of femininity and masculinity, and use our understanding to notice stereotypical portrayals as well as new, liberating images of women and men.

Prerequisites: 2 Intermediate Liberal Arts Courses (CSP, LTA, HSS)

HSS2030 US Politics
(Formerly American Politics)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThe course begins with a focus on significant ideas, major political and economic institutions, and key social conflicts and events that have shaped the character of American politics. We will position American politics in its historical context, recognizing and contending with the legacies of enslavement, white supremacy, and imperial violence in its development. As such, the fundamental role of race, colonialism, gender, sexuality, and class will be addressed throughout so that we can understand key and persistent features of American politics. The latter half of the course will examine contemporary ideologies, struggles over civil liberties and rights, the forces generating economic inequality, and the origins of mass incarceration and systemic racism. We will also spend the beginning of classes discussing the news, so the class will be flexible enough to respond to and address political events as they occur. The course will involve a combination of lecturing, discussion, and small-group activities, so class participation is important.

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

HIS4610 Virtuous Capitalism in Malaysia and Thailand

(FormerlynSocial Responsibility in Malaysia & Thailand)
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Elective Abroad CreditsProgram fee and group international airfare is paid to Glavin Office - program fee includes accommodations, breakfast, group flights (2), airport transports, ground transportation, site visits, program planned meals, and cultural excursions. Not included: tuition, visa costs, additional meals and personal expenses.

The purpose of our course is to explore the question: "How do Malaysians and Thais think about 'Social Responsibility' and how do they act in order to achieve it?" By extension, we will be asking about how approaches to business ethics in our own countries differ from Malaysians' and Thais'? Often in Western discussions of business ethics, it is assumed that the West is far ahead of Asia in business ethics. We will make no such assumption, but rather, we will ask if Malaysia and Thailand have anything to teach our countries.

More particularly, we will focus on three Asian faiths and cultural traditions - Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism. We will visit 3 socially responsible companies, each representing, respectively, an approach to social responsibility consistent with one of those 3 traditions. We will aim not only to learn about the implications of Islam, Buddhism, and Confucianism for business ethics. We will also aim to understand what qualities those 3 Asian traditions share which may distinguish them generally from Western traditions in business ethics.

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

HIS4682 Women in China
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsCourse considers Chinese history through an emphasis on the social and cultural roles of Chinese women and their changing role over time. Topics include women and the family, and women as shamans, prostitutes, nuns, rulers, writers, revolutionaries, and politicians. Close attention is given to the social-historical context, regional class, and ethnic differences in order to counter the common misconception that pre-modern China is an unchanging monolith. Through this approach and concentration on the roles of women, students gain a more realistic understanding of traditional Chinese society and of the complex legacy of the pre-Communist past in contemporary China.

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

AMS4672 Working in America: Labor in the US Since 1892
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

How has blue, white, and pink collar work changed in the U.S. across the past centuries, and how sustainable are our models of work? This course focuses on the historical experiences of American workers, beginning with the mills of early industrialization and ending with the global corporations and big box chain stores of the contemporary U.S. We will study workers' unions, and also look at how workplaces have changed with the liberation movements of women, people of color, and LBGTQ+ workers. We will use written texts, films, and other rich sources to study how workers have shaped and adapted to the new, global economies of labor.

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