Greek Prose & Poetry Classical

An introduction to different genres of prose and poetry in the Classical period with attention to linguistic differences over time and region. Readings are from works such as Herodotus' History of the Persian War, the poetry of Solon the wise Athenian lawmaker, the philosophical dialogues of Plato, the Athenian courtroom speeches of Lysias, the tragedies of Euripides. Prerequisite: three semesters of Greek or equivalent.

Elementary Greek

A year-long course in the fundamentals of Attic Greek, the dialect of Greek spoken in antiquity in the region of Attica and its capital, Athens, and used by canonical writers such as the tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, the historian Thucydides and the philosopher Plato. This course prepares students to read the works of these authors and a wide range of others through a combination of grammatical study, composition and graded reading practice, while learning about the history and culture of classical Greece.

Sem-T-Pol Theory-Environmentl

What is the political significance of nature? In this seminar engages this question through a critical analysis of readings in classic and contemporary environmental political thought with special emphasis on the political relationship between human beings and nature. Topics to be considered include wilderness conservation, political ecology, environmental justice and more. The question which emerges through these readings, which is in the background of the entire course, is to find a democratic and just response to the challenges of the climate crisis. Enrollment limited to 12.

Sem:T-Climate Migration

Humans have long migrated in response to environmental change, but in recent decades (in the context of climate change), “climate migration” has become the focus of intense ideological, normative and empirical debates. This seminar approaches these debates, how they have evolved, and what is at stake. The course treats the implications for various policy domains and issue areas – e.g., border control, refugee reception, adaptation to climate change already in the pipeline, reparations, constructions of ideological whiteness, future scenario-building and apocalypticism.

Res Sem: Political Networks

Offered as GOV 338 and SDS 338. How does the behavior of a state, politician or interest group affect the behavior of others? Does Massachusetts’s decision to legalize recreational marijuana influence Vermont’s marijuana policies? From declarations of war to the decision of who congressmembers will vote with, social scientists are increasingly looking to political networks to recognize the inter-connectedness of the world around us. This course presents an overview of the essentials of social network analysis and how they are applied to give us a better understanding of American politics.

Sem:Amer-PolitclBehavr

An examination of selected topics related to American political behavior. Themes include empirical analysis, partisanship, voting behavior and turnout, public opinion and racial attitudes. Student projects involve analysis of survey data. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only. Instructor permission required.

Colq:America/21st C.

This class is a cross sectional exploration of the politics and major policy debates of the 21st century thus far. Organized around the George W. Bush, Obama and Trump presidencies, the course covers each president’s path to election, their relationships with Congress and the Supreme Court, their major domestic successes and failures, their foreign policies, and the politics of race and gender that permeated all three administrations. Designation: American. Enrollment limited to 20.

Colq: Desire & Power

The desire for power is often the engine of politics (and much else). This class considers the relationship of desire, power and politics through the lens of psychoanalysis. It covers classic and contemporary work in psychoanalysis and texts in political thought, gender and sexuality studies, and critical theory. Throughout the semester, the course focuses on the role that desire and power play in political life through topics such as anxiety, trauma, the body, sexuality, group dynamics, aggression, colonialism and fascism. Enrollment limited to 20.

Conceptualizing Democracy

In the contemporary world, democracy is often considered not merely a form of government or one type of regime among many, but the very condition of political legitimacy. But what exactly does democracy entail? Is it an institution, a practice, a value, a virtue? This lecture course provides a survey of different historical and theoretical answers to these questions, from the foundations of self-government in ancient Athens through the present day. Designation: Theory. Enrollment limited to 30.

Colq: Global Cities

This course studies different urban experiences across the world. The course introduces the process of urbanization and addresses the complex relationship between urbanization, globalization and inequality. Throughout the course, students explore a series of case studies to provide concrete examples of how different cities such as London, New York, Berlin, Shanghai, Stockholm and Istanbul responded to globalization by paying attention to different topics such as pandemics, migration and urban movements.
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