Social Sciences and Humanities

Ghana Today

This is an interdisciplinary course designed to study some of the major contemporary issues facing Ghanaian society after 50 years of independence from British colonial rule. Students interested in sociology, history, political science, economics, and cultural studies will find this course of particular interest as its subject matter dovetails with each of these related disciplines.

Human Rights in Latin America

This is a survey course covering the history, theory, and practice of human rights in Latin America. Emphasis will be placed on the normative context within which human rights discourses develop, followed by an explanation of how and why legal institutions support (or inhibit) the protection of human rights in local contexts throughout the region. Drawing on the instructor's legal background, students will also be introduced to the practice of human rights law in relevant domestic and international contexts, with a special emphasis on the Inter-American Human Rights System (e.g.

Intercultural Dynamics

Each actor in a globalized economy is increasingly likely to work with colleagues and partners from diverse cultural environments. Cross-cultural awareness and communication skills are therefore essential assets. This course aims to introduce you to the main issues of intercultural dynamics within groups of various cultural origins. Concepts from communication sciences will be introduced and a range of theories from the social sciences will be drawn upon that help make sense of the specific challenges of intercultural encounters.

Italo Calvino: History, Art and Science in the Modern World

Author Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was born in Cuba to Italian parents, and grew up in Sanremo on the Via Francigena. He studied botany at Pavia University but secretly wrote fiction, and worked as a journalist, novelist, and resistance fighter in World War II. This course focuses on selections from Calvino’s writings in various genres including his stories that attempt to express scientific theories such as quantum physics in literary form. Other pieces recreate conversations between Marco Polo and Khubilai Khan.

Transitional Justice in the Southern Cone

Transitional justice is an emerging field of law and inter-disciplinary academic study.  Latin America has been at the forefront of the transitional justice movement since the early 1980s, and countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Peru continue to serve as models for other societies seeking a peaceful post-conflict transition.  This course will introduce students to the study and application of transitional justice by exploring and analyzing the way South American societies have transitioned from dictatorship and war to democracy and peace.  Case studies of transitiona

Swahili Culture and History

Four quarter credits.An introduction to the cultural, social and political history of the Swahili Coast region of eastern Africa. Through a mixture of lectures, discussion, guest lectures and relevant field trips, this course will explore the unique identity of this region, long characterized by global mixing through centuries of contact with the larger Indian Ocean World.

Mythes et Fondements del la Société Française 1–Identités

 Ce cours est l'un de quatre cours (deux par semestre) réservés aux étudiants d'échange qui proposent une approche inter-disciplinaire (utilisant des apports et des sources provenant des sciences-politiques, de l'ethnologie, de la sociologie, de l'histoire…) permettant aux étudiants de mieux comprendre les fondements de la société française contemporaine et d'appréhender ses problèmes socio-culturels actuels de manière pertinente. Ce cours No. 1 tente de décrypter les formes de construction et les dynamiques identitaires qui sont à l'oeuvre dans la France d'aujourd'hui.

Mythes et Fondements del la Société Française 2–Patrimoine

Ce cours est l'un de quatre cours (deux par semestre) réservés aux étudiants d'échange qui proposent une approche inter-disciplinaire (utilisant des apports et des sources provenant des sciences-politiques, de l'ethnologie, de la sociologie, de l'histoire…) permettant aux étudiants de mieux comprendre les fondements de la société française contemporaine et d'appréhender ses problèmes socio-culturels actuels de manière pertinente. Ce cours No.