This course focuses on the political economy of the Arab Middle East with emphasis on the social dimensions of economic development. It provides students with insight into the effects of shifting economic and social policies and economic conditions on the peoples of the Middle East and the social transformations that have accompanied post-colonial processes of state- and market-building. It explores how economic conditions shaped political activism, social movements, modes of protest, and broader patterns of state-society relations.

This colloquium explores the modern history of Egypt, known in Arabic as “Mother of the World” for its contributions to world civilization and enduring regional importance. Unlike most modern Egypt surveys, ours traces this history through the voices and experiences of Egyptian women. Starting on the eve of Napoleon’s invasion and ending with the Arab Spring, we examine major political transitions and cultural watersheds (e.g.

Offered as LSS 389 and ARS 389. This class is for students who have taken introductory landscape studios and are interested in exploring more sophisticated projects. It is also for architecture and urbanism majors who have a strong interest in landscape architecture or urban design. In a design studio format, the students analyze and propose interventions for the built environment on a broad scale, considering multiple factors (including ecological, economic, political, sociological and historical) in their engagement of the site.

This seminar course examines how designers and planners have theorized the interaction of natural processes and human-constructed systems in cities.

The urgency of the climate crisis calls us to examine how we conceive of our relationship with the world that surrounds us. Starting from this premise, we will examine various frameworks that philosophers, writers, cinematographers, and artists have developed to make sense of their interactions with built and natural landscapes.

Students in this course investigate the production of the built environment and the landscape of cities, focusing on key actors such as neighborhood activists, real estate developers, city officials, and environmentalists, among other advocates and interested parties. Organized thematically and supplemented by readings in urban theory and related fields, the course tackles questions of how urban places are made, why different cities look and feel the way they do, and who shapes the city. Prerequisites: LSS 100 or LSS 105 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 20.

LSS 200 is a credit linked colloquium to complement the LSS 100 series. Students will engage with the LSS 100 lectures more deeply via weekly class discussions, writing of synthesis papers, and presentations. LSS 200 is intended to provide interested students with an opportunity to grapple critically with topics raised in LSS 100 lectures and thoughtfully make connections between disparate lectures and their broader academic experiences. Can be taken twice for credit. Corequisite: LSS 100. Enrollment limited to 15.

Through readings and a series of lectures by Smith faculty and guests, we examine the history and influences out of which landscape studies is emerging. We look at the relationship of this new field with literary and cultural studies, art, art history, landscape architecture, history, biological and environmental sciences. What is landscape studies? Where does it come from? Why is it important? How does it relate to, for instance, landscape painting and city planning? How does it link political and aesthetic agendas?

Though the genre of the novel is usually identified with the modern era, many argue that its origins lie in works of prose fiction by Greek and Roman authors. This course examines the two such Latin works that survive, the Satyricon of Petronius, arbiter elegantiae in the court of Nero, and the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, a provincial form of what is now Algeria writing in age of the Antonines.

An introduction to the "Golden Age" of Latin literature, which flourished under Rome's first emperor. Reading and discussion of authors exemplifying a range of genres and perspectives such as Virgil, Ovid, and Horace, with attention to the political and cultural context of their work and to the relationship between literary production and the Augustan regime and its program. Practice in research skills and in reading, evaluating, and producing critical essays. Prerequisite: LAT 212 or equivalent.