Who are you? This course asks: how have the 20th and 21st-century social sciences constructed the self, and what are the consequences of these understandings? Topics will include the major shifts in historical understandings of the self in the West, including the growth of "identity;" the development and impact of medicalization and scientization in the social sciences; the competing theoretical traditions of the self in sociology; cultural meanings and stigma; and how dominant Western constructions of the self influence global understandings.

This course situates ethnography as an engaged practice, and asks, how can scholars turn community engagement into formal research? With an emphasis on observation and community-based learning, this course requires time spent off campus in a domain of community-recognized need. Using a grounded theoretical perspective cultivated across the semester, students will build an actualizable research proposal as a final course product.

Marxist social theory has been and continues to be a powerful intellectual influence throughout the globe. Yet Marxist social theory is far from unified, as it has proliferated into a bewildering number of perspectives that are sometimes at odds with each other. This course will explore some of these different versions of Marxism. We will begin with brief excerpts from the revolutionary writings of Lenin and Mao, and then examine examples from Black Marxism, Marxist feminism, the Frankfurt School, critiques of capitalist realism, and degrowth communism, among other perspectives.

The concept of linguistic justice refers to the right to communicate and engage in the language and variety in which one feels more comfortable and powerful, as the foundation of equitable access to social and political life. Under this framework, this course examines the role of language in promoting or denying social justice. We will explore languaging -- language as a social practice related to constructing meaning and knowledge -- in areas such as education, law, immigration, health care, artificial intelligence, race and ethnicity ideologies, among others.

An introduction to the history and vocabulary of West African dance, emphasizing the central role that dance plays in African cultures. This class will introduce students to movements from traditional concepts to neo-traditional West African dance forms and the African Diaspora. Students will learn to identify the aesthetic principles and develop physical and artistic skills such as explicit sound, music, and movement connection; call and response; body isolation; and the individuality of movement expressions.

"Die before dying." "Set fire to heaven, and douse the fires of hell." "Be consumed by Love, until only the Beloved exists and you don't." "The perceptible world is like a mirage, veiling and disclosing the presence of the imperceptible Real." These are some of the aphorisms of Sufi Muslims who have sought a deeper relationship with the Divine or ultimate Reality. This course explores the contemplative, ascetic, and ecstatic practices through which Sufis pursued this goal and the philosophical, visionary, and poetical writings through which they expressed their devotion and speculation.

Cryptology is the study of secret communication between different groups of people. From ancient Egypt when secret hieroglyphs were used to communicate to today when credit card numbers are encrypted to be transmitted over the internet, cryptology has been a necessary part of human life. In this class we will read and write about some of the famous examples of cryptosystems. We study the mathematics needed for these systems and how these concepts connect to what you studied in high school.

In this hands-on course intended for advanced film/media students, we will explore contemporary documentary forms through readings, screenings, discussions, and practice. The course will cover the span of documentary storytelling as students develop production skills in research and writing, interviewing, camera and sound recording, and editing. We will also model the professional strategies documentarians use to fund and distribute their work, putting together film proposals and pitch decks. Students will practice pitching their film ideas to the class.

This class takes a ~look~ at the components of racial representation in audio-visual media: How can ideas and theories be conveyed or communicated through a visual mode? What ethical concerns emerge when representing others in different media? Drawing from written texts, documentaries, graphic novels, and artwork, we will explore the myriad ways media creatives construct racial representations, and question the perceived boundary between research and art.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are ubiquitous, ranging from digital personal assistants to healthcare management. While the benefits of AI are touted widely, how does AI negatively impact society? How do AI systems mirror and strengthen biases already embedded in the data used to train them and in our social structures? Via what mechanisms might AI stigmatize and further marginalize vulnerable populations?