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In this course, students will refine skills related to academic English and will have an intensive study of academic vocabulary. Students will study the authentic use of the English language in reading and writing and will examine advanced concepts related to academic English. This course works as a support for other courses and will help prepare students to be successful in their academic career. Non-native English speakers only.

This one-semester course is an introduction to the basic concepts and inter-relationships needed to understand the complexities of environmental problems. A survey of the characteristics of natural environments and human populations is followed by a study of environmental degradation and alternative solutions to environmental problems. The student is introduced to the roles of many disciplines (including both the natural and social sciences in the study of environmental problems. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary thinking.

This is the first course in a sequence that examines the structures, techniques, history and theory of film. Questions of history and theory are treated only in passing; the prime focus is on learning to identify, analyze and articulate what we see when we watch a film. The course studies the terminology used to describe film techniques and applies this terminology to the films viewed. The goal is to pass from close analysis of film technique and film construction to interpretation.

An analysis of international relations as a political process with particular emphasis on patterns of conflict and cooperation. Major areas of study include theories concerning the nature of the international system, nationalism, balance of power, collective security, alliance systems, international law and organization, political economy, war, deterrence, arms control and disarmament, the emerging international order, human rights and the environment. Also offered through Peace Studies.

A study of the answers that philosophers from Plato to Marx have given to the question, “How should political life be organized?” This question leads us to consider the related problems of justice, power, equality, freedom and human nature. The course includes discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of liberal democracy. Also offered as GOVT 103 and through European Studies and Peace Studies.

This seminar looks at the relation between public policy and ethical dilemmas in the arenas of corporate life and professional service. The course asks students to examine the sorts of moral dilemmas they can expect to encounter in their chosen fields of work and takes a case-study approach to such topics as employee rights, information disclosure, Affirmative Action, sexual harassment and whistleblowing, and the roles that public policy should — or should not — play in relation to these issues.

This course examines the political development of the Arab and non-Arab states in the Middle East since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The course adopts both a thematic approach, comparing history, culture, religion and the role of foreign intervention, as well as a country-based approach, examining the politics and policies of specific Arab and Non-Arab countries. The objective of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the challenges facing the region and those studying it.

Ecology reminds us that our activities are embedded within natural systems. What is the significance of this fact for politics? This course examines how various actors, such as citizens, consumers, social movements, scientific experts and governmental agencies, conceptualize the relationship between humanity and the natural world. We evaluate the merits and shortcomings of a variety of approaches to environmental politics, including survivalism, sustainable development, deep ecology, ecofeminism and the environmental justice movement.

This course explores the complex relationship between states and economies at the global level. Its primary purpose is to provide a critical understanding of the major theoretical and analytical issues that constitute the crucial challenge to the study of global political economy today.

In this course we examine the lives of the Native American, European, and African inhabitants of Colonial British America. The history of colonial British America includes more than stereotypes of Puritans, Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving, and witches. By focusing on the social, economic, and intellectual factors that comprised the colonial world, we come to understand the influences that reach beyond this era into the present day.