Global Studies Coursework

Throughout my Global Studies track, I have been interested in colonialism and post-colonial domestic and international relations in the Middle East and North Africa. In tandem with this is an interest in both gender studies as well as an overarching theme of discourse analysis. That said, the vast majority of the courses I have taken to fulfill my BPhil requirements, as well as the other relevant courses I have taken, have aimed to create a cohesive understanding of how the media and state create narratives and how colonial and post-colonial conditions have manifested into modern, globalized state systems that are cultivated by particular narratives and historiographies.

My thesis, which looks at very specific instances of discourse analysis, in only one manifestation of this interest. The courses I have taken over my undergraduate career combine analyses (through both philosophical and communicative methodologies) of ideology, narratives, and presentation with historical and modern political systems that exist in an interconnected web of diplomacy, conflict, and economy. The ways in which states communicated dominance has shifted fundamentally in the modern, globalized era in which information is much easier to access. Thus, my Global Studies track has combined region specific study with a broader study of media, propaganda, and global state and historical systems and circumstances.

A note on listed papers: all attached papers can also be found on the Papers & Presentations tab with more extensive summaries of content and arguments.

Global Studies Coursework

Political Science 0550: Introduction to Global Studies

As the foundation for a Global Studies track, this course outlined the analysis, interpretation, and response to global interactions and their consequences for different regions, localities, and groups. In an increasingly interconnected world, this course highlighted how people, ideas, politics, and economies have deeply intwined systems by which varying aspects of human life are effected. By considering the most mundane of what we consider in our daily life, clothes, the course started out outlining the international and transnational impact of our decisions within the globalized, capitalist paradigm of the 21st century.

Revolving much of the class around the current system of neoliberalism, the course highlighted how various topics and ideas have been influenced by globalisation and how globalisation has impacted the interconnectedness of the current world order–through the highest levels of states, diplomacy, democracy and nationalism to social networks of housing, food to the prevailing economic forces of corporations and effective climate change.

Though I was aware of some of what was discussed in the course, many of the materials and discussions challenged how I consider my own actions in light of their effects. From the initial request of the professor to check our clothing tags before discussing the transnational nature of clothing production, often reliant on underpaid workers, to in depth discussions on the beauty industry and its wealth of propaganda throughout the world, to the intertwining problems of ecological sustainability and the powerhouse of neoliberal capitalism, the course challenged students to consider how their decisions resound on a wider scale and how the privileges of materialism have trickled down to an capitalist paradigm of inequality and environmental havoc.

Political Science 0700: Research Methods in Political Science

As the base for quantitative research in political science, this course intended to draw statistical and causal inferences from experimental and observational data to evaluate positive political theory. Though much of my own work has tended towards qualitative, this course laid the foundations for understanding inference, probability, random samples and statistical inference, causal inference, and the model-based approach to statistical and causal inference all as they relate to the analysis of data in political science.

Political Science 1604: Myth, Propaganda, & the State

One of the most important courses I took in terms of deciding my thesis topic, this course focused on the different mechanisms by which states build narratives to progress the aims of the nation. By looking at a diverse set of cases—from Imperial Japan to Cambodia to United States militarization—the course looked not only how different states employ propaganda, but also how propaganda and state narratives can be understood, identified, and reasoned on a more general level. That said, visual media, state activity, speeches, and more were all taken into consideration in identifying the origins and purposes of purported narratives.

Much like both Introduction to Global Studies and Media and Democracy, the course outlined the manner by which one can identify and understand the biases of historical and modern state narratives as well as the media and system that purports them. Thus, this course was particularly noteworthy in the span of my global studies degree. Much of my Global Studies track has focused on the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the relations of these regions with the west. Furthermore, I am often particularly interested in the angles of gender studies within a particular political paradigm. As I chose my thesis topic at the end of the semester that I took this course, I was interested in particular by different identifying factors utilized for a narrative by opposing states—the course considered the notions of identity, history, and culture but also of power and oppression the building of belief systems utilized for political and social purposes.

State Myth, Identity, and the Nation: Imperial Japan

Content Analysis of Israeli and Palestinian Propaganda

Political Science 1511: American Foreign Policy

Concentrated on United States foreign policy after World War II, this course combined the sentiments of US society and political perceptions with the influences of international political developments in order to trace the developments of international and transnational ideological evolution and how ideology was manifested into policy during and after the Cold War. Given that much of my Global Studies has concentrated on developments in the Middle East and North Africa is connection with post-colonial relationships with the west, the course combined an understanding of how the combative relationship between communism and capitalism during the Cold War transitioned into proxy-wars and ideological battlefields throughout the the Middle East, North Africa, and so on. Furthermore, the relationship between colonial-era destabilization discussed in a number of my other courses, leftover Cold War era tensions, a policy manifested throughout the second half of the twentieth century amassed into a post 9/11 unipolar paradigm of military strength.

American Imposition of Authoritarian Regimes During the Containment Era – A Case Study in Iran

History 0187: World War II in Europe

The most conflict specific course I took related to my Global Studies certificate, the course outlined both the factors leading to World War II as well as the nuances of war-time diplomacy and occupation policies. As a foundation to later courses, this course detailed the transnational nature of conflict, diplomacy, and ideology as well as the increasingly globalized network of political tension and diplomatic relations that grew throughout the 20th century. Though less focused on what would manifest into my interests over my Global Studies track, which revolved around the political and social narratives crafted by colonial and post-colonial regimes in the Middle East and North Africa, this course gave a specific base for the general relationships between diplomacy, conflict, and ideology. In particular, throughout the course, primary source documents such as speeches, laws, war images, and essays were considered in empirical and contextual terms in order to build on and understand wartime narrative, policies, and positions of various figures and states, something I later built on for following courses as well as my thesis.

Religious Studies 1450: Islam, Law, and Politics

This course, a historical and comparative study of the manifestation of religious law, discussed the origins and nature of classical Islamic jurisprudence and how to understand 19th and 20th century political, legal, and social developments within the context of shifting legal codes and perceptions. That said, the course began with an understanding that common perceptions of Islamic law and society were and are more complicated than they are made out to be, and the current paradigms of law and society are built on centuries of growing legal code, the violent and turbulent changes of colonialism, and the modern conceptions of law in the post-colonial order. Thus, the analysis of primary source documents was paired with in-depth sociological, anthropological, and historical studies in order to challenge perceptions of Islamic law and replace them with empirically grounded understandings of the complex transition of Islamic law from the pre-modern period to post-colonial states.

In respect to global studies, the course was crafted in a way that allowed one to see the transition of legal codes as transnational phenomena from the pre-modern period to the pre-colonial period as ideas were spread, empires fell or were conquered, and scholars established precedent. The colonial and post-colonial period, on the other hand, the course outlined a systemic relationship between power and elitism that contributed to transformative changes in legal codes that spread throughout colonies and became regional norms based on the colonial power. In a world very often focused and critical of Islamic law, this transformative relationship is important in understanding the current disconnect between precolonial law and post-colonial norms—where a relationship with power created a transnational, long lasting change in what was acceptable and what was not.

Personal Status Law, Modernity, and Women in Tunisia and Algeria

Arabic 1635: Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature

Taken in my last semester, this class allowed me to look at some of the more nuanced culture customs, ideologies, and traditions of the post-colonial Arab world. Focused particularly on the theme of rebellion is Arabic literature and poetry, the course looked at Arabic literature spanning from the pre-Islamic age to the modern day in consideration of the different conflicts and events that influenced both the changes in literature as well as the traditions and themes that remained the same.

Having taken a number of courses that looked at looked at the conflicts in the Middle East on a broad and overarching scale, this course allowed me to understand my interests in global studies in a much deeper manner. Already having an understand of the conflicts and events that have dominated the region in the modern age, looking at Arabic literature allowed me to see how events resounded among the populace and how the modern world has manifested certain ideologies, rebellion, and grievances. Rather than looking at law and history, literature and poetry permit a more accessible reflection of popular opinion—accessible to both those within the context of the culture, and those looking in. That said, by taking this course during my last semester, this course tied in much of what I’ve learned and researched over the course of my undergraduate career into a more direct understanding of how state and international events resound in varying manners across a population. This is important, particularly in understanding my Global Studies concentration, in cementing that it is important to look at different levels when evaluating a conflict or event in the modern era—international levels, transnational, national, and so on are all important to consider, but one must consider the state as well as the people who make up it in order to trying evaluate something.

Communication: Media and Democracy

Taken in the Spring semester of during my study abroad in Paris, this course aimed the analyze the roles media biases, influence, and verity play in the structure and representation of politics and government. By not only looking at news sources, and often looking at different sources as a point of comparison, but also citizen journalism as well as the social acceptance of different types of news (such as satire), the course aimed to provide an extensive strategy for students in analyzing what the media portrays, why it portrays it as such, and what the affects are and are intended to be.

The course often put particular focus on the differing representation and biases of media in different countries, particularly France and the United States. That said, though the course was not limited to the two countries in terms of discussion (as many news sources, such as Al Jazeera and BBC, as well country specific stories were discussed) the contrast of the two countries allowed one to see the differing perceptions of media, the different relationships between media and society, and the differing perceptions of what is acceptable by the media. For example, the author of a book detailing the Charlie Hebo attacks came during one class to discuss the differing acceptance of satire between the two countries—where much of the satire in France could be seen as unacceptable in the United States and why this this so.

Many projects in the course involved collaborative group work, which was particularly important when combining different analyses of media bias and activity. Furthermore, students were expected to present a current media story three times over the semester and relay intentions, biases, and portrayal of a particular story in order to provide an analysis of how to read media in consideration of more than what is written. That said, this course was incredibly relevant to Global Studies–with the vast amount of access to internet and different news sources as well as access to information from all over the world, the ability to critically think, read, and watch media is vitally important.

Other Relevant Courses

Political Science 0500: World Politics

Much like Introduction to Global Studies, this course introduced the framework of international politics and cooperation in the age of globalisation. That said, however, rather than focus on social, political, and economic mechanism of interconnectivity, this course focused on the historical trends in international relations and the international institutions that make up the world system.

The class first introduced various theories in international and domestic politics, including but not limited to hard and soft powers as well as realism, liberalism, and constructivist thought. By introducing core concepts in tandem with historical and modern political developments, the class was able to consider and explore debates relating to foreign policy issues as well as world affairs relating to human welfare and security based on different ideological foundations. Taken in my first semester at Pitt, many of the themes and concepts of this course appeared throughout my Global Studies track, thus helping understand the positions and debates of various political happenings in the both international and domestic structures. Paired with Introduction to Global Studies, these courses garnered both an understanding of the international political system on a formal and official level of international relations as well as the less formal interconnectedness of human livelihood in the neoliberal paradigm of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Political Science 1351: Government and Politics in the Middle East

Utilizing concepts in comparative politics and international relations to provide an understanding of the complex politics of the Middle East, this course combined the historical frameworks of colonialism, legitimacy, regional relations, and international conflict and diplomacy to create an understanding of the development of the modern Middle East and North Africa. Given my interests in the colonial and post-colonial relationships between the west, the Middle East and North Africa, and the development of the modern political sphere as it relates the above, this course was not only one of my favorites that I took over my Global Studies track but also one of the most important in understanding the post-colonial paradigms that govern the region today.

By looking at a number of countries individually—including but not limited to Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq—the course crafted an understanding of unique state developments in the context of broad regional circumstances and maneuvers by both international and domestic political forces. The course connected country-specific developments to transnational phenomenas and ideologies. For example, the development of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt was tied into the manifestation of this organization and others like it in Palestine, just as the ideologies of Egypt’s President Nasser on the Arab world considered in the historical chronology of the conflict with Israel. By considering topics such as political legitimacy, neocolonialism, political efficacy, and identity, the course created an understanding of the development of the region as a system of interconnected conflict ideology tied to a history of international interventionism.

Colonial and Post-Colonial Development in Egypt, Iran, and Syria

Political Science 1358: Politics of Oil and Natural Resources

Given the vast power oil and natural resources often have over international political and economic systems, this course explored the historiography of natural resources as well as the circumstances of a rising world demand for oil coupled with a geographically concentrated and exhaustible supply that has defined the nature of global economic competition. By exploring concepts such as energy nationalism, “the paradox of the plenty,” and resource dependence, among other things, the course traced domestic, transnational, and international power politics, domination, and trade as they relate to the continued sourcing of natural resources. The relationships between both producer and consumer economies, and often the conflicts between them, were considered and discussed in terms of the role natural resources have played in creating modern paradigms of domestic and international politics.

Though much of the class did focus on eastern Europe and the Middle East, many of the projects and papers I worked on in this course focused on South America, and particularly Venezuela, as seen in the term paper I’ve included below. Though much of my interest revolve around Global Studies as it relates to the Middle East and North Africa, in this course I pushed myself to look at another region of the world and consider the effects of natural resources on politics stability, global relations, and domestic politics.

Oil, Populism, and the Decay of Democracy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

French 0027: The French Atlantic

During my Global Studies track, I also pursued a French major, given my interest in both the language as well as the country’s colonial history. That said, much of my focus of French colonial history has been on North Africa and the Middle East. In comparison, this course considered French colonial history in the Atlantic, looking at early exploration in the Americas and surrounding islands to the present day relationship between French territories such as Martinique and Guadalupe with the metropole. This allowed me to consider not only the broader scope of colonial history, but also contrast a historiography of settlement, revolution or negotiation, and independence in many North African, Middle Eastern, and Asian states with the continued territorial holding of Atlantic states in the modern system.

Furthermore, the course considered« l’approche atlantique, » an expression utilized to describe the interconnectivity of relations between Europe, Africa, and the New World in the early colonial period—giving students an opportunity to consider what one might call an early manifestation of globalisation, as trade, slavery, and relations passed through an interconnected and reliant system. By looking at a number of primary sources, including essays, historical anthologies, documents, and laws as well as modern documentaries, literature, and so on, students were able to tie together the development and ideology of French presence in the Atlantic with current relations and holdings of territory.

Philosophy 1340: Feminist Philosophy

Throughout the course of my Global Studies track, I have often been interested in looking at conflicts and situations through the angle of gender studies. That said, this course looked at distinct philosophical approaches to questions about sex and gender, as well debates around oppression, social construction, and the relationships between gender and race, class, and colonialism. By looking at various writings that considered notions of feminism in light of these debates and relationships, the course outlined philosophical frameworks for considering the varying ways in which gender relations can manifest in different situations, as opposed to western, white, middle-class, heteronormative assumptions of femininity.

Given this focus on considering and debating the manifestation of gender studies in different contexts, the course played a significant role in understanding my Global Studies track. My thesis, for example, is heavily focused on the different narratives around gender in the context of both colonialism, tradition, and revolution. By looking at debates on intersectionality, the manifestation of feminism in colonial contexts, the different social constructions, the course guided students to look outside the traditional frameworks of femininity to understand contextualized gender and feminism. When looking specifically at Global Studies, and the colonial and post-colonial situations of the Middle East and North Africa, this is particularly important in understanding how the roles of women manifest rather than fitting feminism into assumptions of western historical progress. In the increasingly globalized world, it is important to consider the varying factors that effect gender in different ways in order to put history and progress into context.

The papers I have listed below both deal with these ideas in some capacity, with both of them considering specific writings and theories in order to look at contextual, intersectional approaches to gender and feminism.

Intersectionality and Identity Politics

Sexual Labor and Human Rights- Sex Work, the Military, and Community Development

Philosophy 1400: Rights and Human Rights

Beginning with consideration and discussion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, both adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, this course aimed to look at the ways in which we view human rights in light of 20th and 21st century conflict and ideology. By looking at both the aforementioned documents and historical treatises on rights, such as John Locke’s defense of the rights to life, liberty, and property, the course began but considering how we conceive and conceptualize rights, and continued into debates on how these rights can apply. That said, the theorization of rights by philosophers and the declaration of rights by the UN was placed in tandem with war, inequality, and ideology in recent decades. Samantha Power’s book, A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide was a major focus point for tying together what we have declared as rights and how states act (or, more often, do not act) to defend these right in the international political and social sphere.

Various historical issues were both considered and debated, ranging from the Rwandan Genocide to the allocation of Native Americans to reservations to the moral storm of climate change responsibility. By discussing issues that have had global repercussions or have been heavily influenced by international intervention (or the lack thereof) or influence, the course tied in the concept of global studies into rights theory. In the neoliberal, globalized age, the international institutions that declare rights rarely have the ability to enforce them, and with the interconnectedness of the global political and economic sphere, and application and enforcement of rights is often left up to the consideration of net positive and negative advantages by the state system. Thus, in Global Studies it is important to consider  that our actions weigh on the allocation, or lack thereof, of rights, and that we can often see as much through the global media.

My term paper for this course focused on how one can consider human rights to a tribe completely isolated from globalization—the Sentinelese of the North Sentinel Islands—and if complete autonomy from the global sphere respects the concept of human rights when one considers the risk of cultural destruction.

The Sentinelese- Indigenous Tribes. Globalism, and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage