Coursework

Completing these two certificates allowed me to alternate between the macro and micro, to truly analyze the position that Europe and the United States have on the global stage and likewise further understand through a closer focus with France as a case study.

TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES CERTIFICATE

I chose these five classes because of they all address prevailing sources of power and influence at the global scale. Upon reflection, I believe together they serve to offer a holistic understanding of the many factors that affect governance especially in Transatlantic relations. For instance, I was offered an opportunity to engage with many potential future leaders of tomorrow in my classes and found a common denominator of priority centered on intersectionality and sustainability. We are at the advent of a global political realignment period in which the established world order is subject to massive modifications to incorporate modern changes in technology, medicine, and politics. These five courses I have chosen to defend my theme of International law all serve to garner support for the need to update our legal theories to account for changing circumstances and rapid innovations. Despite differences in content, these courses collectively provide unique approaches to understanding major changes that are happening in society.

Transatlantic Studies Certificate: International Law

Law and Technology

Law and Technology, is a course that addresses how new technologies are revolutionizing legal systems. A formal understanding of how modern technologies are facilitating and likewise simultaneously disrupting legal processes is crucial in order to ensure proper transition and maintenance. In this class we discussed the history of the internet, its widespread incorporation into society, and finally its power and influence in contemporary affairs. The aim of the course was to analyze ways that governments can update themselves in an attempt to regulate cyberspace while still respecting privacy and the integrity of net neutrality and the freedom granted by the internet. Ultimately, this course discussed many topics ranging from the possibility of dismantling big tech to the loss of jobs due to automation.

I have included a paper I wrote for this course in the Papers, Presentation, and Publications section of this website.

Law and Society

In this course we analyzed the progression of law and legal theory throughout history focusing on influential figures such as Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, Michel Foucault, and Karl Marx. With a selective focus on the evolution of legal theory, we discussed how law has updated over the years and what political, economic, and social factors were at play. By understanding the history and theoretical underpinnings of modern legal systems, we were able to scrutinize how there are ideas that have withstood the test of time and other that have fallen due to their rigidity.

You can find my final paper in the Papers, Presentations, Publications section of this website.

Non-state Actors in International Affairs

The major take away I learned from this course is similar to the Peter Parker proverb and it’s that with great power comes great responsibility and likewise accountability. Through a deeper analysis of the different source of political influence we see how complex and convoluted power dynamics have become. We no longer live in an era where kings and queens call all the shots, this day in age the public demands justice and transparency from its leaders and rarely sits idly by when corruption takes place. In this course we learned that the Westphalian Paradigm of state sovereignty is losing its traction as we head toward a more interconnected future.

I have included a copy of my two-part final paper for this class in the Papers, Presentation, and Publications section of this website.

Public Law and Moral Reasoning

As suggested by the title of this course, the curriculum dealt with addressing the moral underpinnings surrounding contentious legal issues. Some of the questions we addressed were: Does the correction system need correction? What constitutes consent? Is abortion murder? Should euthanasia be legal? Is affirmative action just? and many more. Ultimately, we endeavored to determine the legality of many unclear philosophical and religious gray areas, many of which remain enigmatic and unable to appease everyone across various cultures.

Making Sense of Political Speeches

In this course we took a look at some of the most famous political speeches in history and dissected them to discover their intended purpose. To do this, we used applied rhetoric and looked at the different layers such as the context, intent, speech, meaning, medium, and reveal. A speech undergoes five main phases: the exordium, the narratio, the confirmatio, the confutation, and lastly the peroratio. To ensure we are not blind and ignorant consumers of rhetoric, it is crucial to remember no speech is fortuitous so we must always go past a superficial interpretation and seek the subliminal intentions of the speaker. This is most important when considering political rhetoric and when reading legislation and legal proposals.

WEST EUROPEAN STUDIES CERTIFICATE

I chose these five classes because they all offer a french perspective. On a more philosophical endeavor, I wanted to understand french culture in relation to the US under the interpretation of french theory. By studying both historical and contemporary topics of where France has had great influence, I sought to formulate a more holistic understanding of its position and status as a global super power.

West European Studies Certificate: French Studies

Introduction to French Theory

This course outlines the creation of the self through the perspective of many french philosophers. From the early skepticism of Descartes to the conceptions of power/knowledge relations of Foucault, this course sought to delve into the minds of many french visionaries with great scrutiny. Some of the topics discussed were: rationalism, existentialism, marxism, post-structuralism, post-colonialism, etc. Some of the historical figures discussed were: René Descartes, Roland Barthes, Jean Paul Sartre, Simone De Beauvoir, Luce Irigaray, Michel Foucault, Frantz Fanon, etc.

France is a Woman

This course was designed to teach french history from a feminist standpoint by concentrating on important female figures and their accomplishments. By learning about famous french women from Joan of Arc to Simone de Beauvoir, I feel as though I finally have a better grasp of the french culture.  We addressed what is known as “the woman question” or in french “querelle des femmes.” This refers to both the intellectual debates from the 1400s to the 1700s on the nature of women and the subsequent feminist social movements that ensued leading up to present day.

Construction of Man

This course served as an introduction to masculinity. We explored different aspects of manhood and images of Man, and their relation to power, sex and social order. The former part of the semester focused on theory and notable masculinities and gender scholars, the latter part of the course focused on different cultural and political case studies. A major discussion point for the course was normative in nature and it regarded the historical dominance of Western gender norms as portray through art, literature, and film.

Contemporary Challenges

Contemporary challenges was a course that dealt with topics currently affecting the state of the world ranging from dealing with technological advancements to preparing to find sustainable ways to fight climate change. We discussed secular stagnation and democratic fatigue and simply the general tendency to gravitate toward, and likewise ruminate on, the negative aspects of things. The course addressed many misconceptions regarding cultural and geographical facts and why we see such trends in society. We discussed the rise of populism and its relation to growing levels of inequality. Essentially, this class emphasized the importance of staying up to date with current events and fostered a creative environment where solutions could be proposed.

Strategies of Influence

In this course were discussed how to employ effective strategies of influence and how we can spot them being used in society. We began by taking a look at Aristotle’s Rhetoric and identifying what are the key components that create the art of persuasion. One must always keep in mind the three main audience appeals: logos, ethos, and pathos. We also discussed Isaiah Berlin’s notion of a Sense of Reality and how it relates to our understanding and appreciation of history. All in all, this course explained the different dynamics one can expect to encounter when dealing with people of all different types of cultures and taught useful transferrable soft skills when dealing with international diplomacy with a proper understanding of the french-style of presentation.