This course dives into past and recent works of literature and film to contextualize the term “reality” and its understanding during different points in time. We primarily analyzed dystopias that questioned our understanding of past, present, and future societies and structures, reading novels such as Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Unwind. Additionally, we watched the films Tomorrowland and Ready Player One. The class was completely discussion based allowing us to form our own arguments and opinions about justice, equality, and authenticity today, and the role these societal values play today, and will play in the future.

This course gives a brief introduction to Islamic and Middle Eastern history from the time of the Prophet to the modern day period. We primarily focused on the politics of early Islamic societies, and how tradition and cultures were spread geographically and the effects of this expansion. As we progressed to more contemporary study, we analyzed social, political, and cultural factors involved in Islamic societies both from within, and from the outsider perspective.

The readings, lectures, and class discussions give a historical perspective and understanding that is vital when studying Islam and Islamic societies. The common problem with essentializing an entire group of people was broken down, as we began to learn the importance of contextualizing present-day events and ideologies.

We took a class trip the local Islamic Center, and were given a tour and had a Question/Answer session with the center’s director. It was interesting to see how the rhetoric today, towards marginalized Islamic groups, affects groups of people and the actions they are taking to combat current prejudices and misunderstandings. We were given the freedom to analyze any aspect of Islamic culture, in a distinct region of the world, for our final paper. I chose to focus on the position of Muslim women in post-colonial India, and learned a great deal about both the achievements and challenges many muslim women face in present day India. This paper can be found under the “Papers and Presentations” tab on the left.

This course dealt with building a better understanding of East asian culture, and the current mutual perceptions that exist between East Asian and Western populations. First, we spent several weeks analyzing the novel, The Art of War, by Sun Tzu, discussing and learning about Chinese military strategy and tactics, and the manner in which these teachings have been used in politics and everyday life in China. Ad the course progressed, we broke down and analyzed the shifting attitudes people in the US have had towards the Chinese and Japanese, and major historical events, such as the Sino-Japanese War and the Meiji Restoration in Japan, that have contributed to these perceptions.

This is an upper level elective course offered through the Spanish department. Taught completely in Spanish, this class examines the construction of sexuality through literature, artwork, and film in Latin America. We discuss various models of gender, relationships between nationality and homosexuality, increasing activism in favor of sexual diversity, and sexual dissidence. It is through these concepts that we analyze the different paintings and articles and movies produced by Latin American artists, and their significance.

This course dived into the 4 major religions present in India: Hindusim, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. We not only studied the major principles of each religion, but also the geography, distinct figures and deities, and common practices and rituals involved. This was a particularly interesting course as India is so religiously rich and diverse. Dr. Hayden, our professor, would also give a historical context to a lot of the current relationships between religions and ideologies, helping to foster a thorough understanding of religion in India pre- and post-colonialism.