CSP2010 Gender Studies

(Formerly CVA2010)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to gender studies. Designed as an intermediate course, Introduction to Gender Studies aims to identify and critically examine the interactive relationships among gender, cultural/social institutions, and individuals in contemporary American society. This implies two foci of attention. First, through readings and discussion, we will explore gender roles and resulting power inequities in contexts such as families, the music industry, conceptions of both race and sexuality, and novels. Equally important, we will analyze how the behaviors of individuals reflect, sustain and sometimes alter social conceptions of gender. In concert, these two emphases serve to underline the relationships among gender, culture, and individuals.

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

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

HSS2042: Germans and Others: Germany in the 20th and 21st Centuries

4 intermediate liberal arts credits

**This course is for students in the Babson Leadership in a Global Context program in Berlin and is not open to students not enrolled in the program.**

What does it mean to be German in the 20th-21st centuries? Who decides who living within Germany is German and who is Other? Using this theme, you will be introduced to the political, social, economic, and cultural history of contemporary Germany within Europe and the world in the past 100 years. After a brief overview of German history, we will examine four moments: 1.The Holocaust
2. The Guest Worker (Gastarbeiter) Phenomenon
3. The Division and Reunification of East and West Germany
4. Refugees and Migrants in the 21st Century

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001 or RHT1001)

LTA2035 Ghost Stories and the Grotesque in Literature
Intermediate Liberal ArtsBecause a "ghost" is a haunting by political history, personal choices, and social expectations, they do exist. Therefore, this course will look at the genre of the ghost story (and esthetic considerations of the grotesque) in relation to both the eighteenth-century gothic (from which it emerged) and the horror story (from which it needs to differentiate itself). Class discussion will focus on how the ghost story explores ideas of identity, both national and personal. Mostly comprised of short stories and films, the narratives we will enjoy can teach us about what haunts us as humans and why. Authors included are Morrison, Poe, Kubrick, James, and the HBO series "LoveCraft Country", among others.

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

LTA2013 Global Cinema

4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsGlobal Cinema provides an overview of the history and aesthetics of films from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. Students will analyze films as cultural artifacts and will consider the interrelationship among various national film movements and aesthetic approaches. Weekly film viewings will be complemented by readings in the history and practice of several national cinemas and of post-colonial, transnational cinemas. Films are in their original language with English subtitles.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Fall

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

HIS4626 Global Cities
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course explores global cities to understand the varied and discrepant historical experiences of urban modernity. Drawing on a wide variety of literature from different disciplines and regions, we will critically examine the shaping of cities across the world: Boston, London, Paris, Shanghai, Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Bangalore, and Brasilia among others. We will examine city-space at two levels: first, at the more formal level of the state and town planners; and, second, at an everyday level, where city dwellers contest and redraw town plans in their daily lives.

The course begins with an analysis of race, class, and gender that segregated the industrial metropolis. We will then discuss colonial cities using space as a lens to review empire and imperialism. Next, our focus will be on neoliberal governance; megacities; the conceptualization of 'community' in a neoliberal city; gentrification; privatization of urban space; urban informality; and the new language of urban inclusion/exclusion.

A specific focus of this course will be on the impact of globalization on South Asian city space: has globalization sharpened class, caste, and religious divides in these cities?

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

SCN3665 Global Climate Change
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsGlobal climate change is one of the most contentious, yet critically important issues facing the world today. However, the science behind climate patterns and the influence of human actions on global climate are not always well understood. This course is designed to investigate scientific knowledge and uncertainty regarding past, present and future changes in the earth's climate, and how scientists study and predict patterns of climate change. We will investigate the known relationships between the earth's atmosphere and global climate, historic patterns of climate change, recent observations of changes in global climatic conditions, how scientists develop models and conduct experiments to predict future change, and the myriad of predicted ecological, economic and societal shifts that may occur. Finally, we will discuss options to mitigate climate change impacts, public perception and media portrayals of climate change, and ethical considerations related to climate change.

Prerequisites: Foundation Science

EPS3532 Global Entrepreneurship

(Formerly International Entrepreneurship)
4 General CreditsThis Global Entrepreneurship course will explore the many dimensions and challenges of global venture creation and growth. The course offers a framework for understanding the entrepreneurial process in global contexts and exposes students to key issues and problems specific to international ventures. As the world becomes increasingly global, this course hopes to (1) encourage students to consider exploring entrepreneurial activities outside the domestic setting, (2) prepare them to see through a different set of lenses in order to better and more accurately identify vast global opportunities, and (3) equip them with various skills to better meet and tackle complex global challenges.

ENV4605 Global Environmental Activism
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits"It has never been more important to protect the environment, and it has never been more deadly. The battle for the environment is emerging as a new battleground for human rights." (Global Witness).

This course examines environmental activism around the world. The impact of anthropogenic activity on the environment has raised serious global concern and triggered several efforts to tackle the problem from the global to local level. Individuals and groups are using various tools to create awareness and help curb the growing environmental menace from different sources. Activists - especially local and indigenous ones - often face danger, including persecution by powerful actors like states and multilateral corporations, and the murder rate of environmental activists continues to rise globally. Environmental activism has thus become increasingly perilous. Nonetheless, advocacy for environmental responsibility remains vibrant around the world. This course uses various cases in different regions of the world to help understand the global environmental movement These cases include Shell in Nigeria's Niger Delta; Tahoe Resources in the Guatemalan town of Mataquescuintla; and Coca-Cola in India. The course will use these cases to examine: 1) the theoretical basis of environmental activism; 2) motivations of and challenges for activism; 3) the nature and composition of actors - activists, perpetrators and collaborators, policy communities, and governments; 4) nature and scope of issues and activism in the various regions of the world; and 5) relationships between environmental degradation, advocacy for its protection, and climate change.

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

FIN4570 Global Financial Management
4 General Elective CreditsThe central theme of this course is how to manage the finances of a multinational firm. It devotes attention to managing the short-term finances of a multinational, including topics like centralizing cash management, netting, and transfer pricing. It then deals with long-term financial management of the multinational. That section includes capital budgeting in the multinational context, capital structure decisions, and also studies how a multinational can sometimes have a lower cost of capital than a single-country firm of the same size. The third major theme is how the multinational can optimize its relationship with the capital markets, including the national stock markets where its subsidiaries operate. This section includes a discussion of the opportunities created for multinational companies by international portfolio investment. If time permits, there will be a section on how to operate in countries with inconvertible or hyperinflationary currencies. The course deals with the international financial environment, meaning topics such as exchange rates, balance of payments, and cross-border capital flows, only to the extent necessary to put the financial decisions for firms operating in more than one currency into proper context.

Prerequisites: SME2021

GDR4605 Global Gender Politics
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course aims to help students develop a comprehensive understanding of gender in contemporary domestic and international politics. It covers a variety of themes, such as feminist theory, intersectionality, gender performance, comparative legal regimes, and the political economy of gender. Students will have an opportunity to explore various case studies on gender from around the globe, to deepen their understanding of core concepts.

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