This course will respond both to recent developments in the humanities and the social sciences and to challenges currently faced by democratic societies around the globe. It will do so especially by bringing the study of democracy together with notions of religious pluralism. How can democratic regimes adapt to increasing religious pluralism and avoid the pitfalls of creating fixed majorities and minorities?

Early scholars studied democracy primarily in the modern West, without paying particular attention to the complexities of religious and cultural traditions. One reason for this was that most early Western democracies were relatively homogeneous, in some cases as a result of the powerful coercive homogenizing processes following the rise of the modern state system. As we enter the third decade of the millennium, democratic governments around the globe manage societies that are broader and more diverse than the old nation states. Recent academic research has recognized that explaining variations in democratic experience requires close attention to sociological structures and historical traditions. In this course, we will study various examples ranging from Western Europe and the United States, to South Asia, the Middle East and North and West Africa. We will explore the differences between relatively homogeneous societies -which are themselves changing-- and many different societies where varieties of religious commitments as well as the now expanding religious publics inhabit democracy and pose a different set of issues.

AL QUDS BARD COLLEGE

The Law and Politics of State Violence, Dr. Amneh Badran, Al-Quds / Bard College, 300 level, time TBD, 4 US Credits

Max Weber says: “a state is a human community that (successfully) claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory” and politics means “striving to share power or striving to influence the distribution of power, either among states or among groups within a state”. Based on these foundations, this course addresses constitutional and non-constitutional state systems. It discusses the limits of using violence in democratic and non-democratic ones, how law is enforced and / or manipulated. Use of violence is examined by referring to different states’ behavior, how violence is deployed in their internal and external policies. Different forms of state violence (political violence, judicial violence and genocide) are examined. Also, issues such as structural inequalities and the incorporation of new technologies of violent governance are analyzed. This course brings theory to practice by linking theories of violence to empirical cases derived from different contexts. 300 and 400 level courses are designed for Upper College students.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ASIA

GIS 3xx:  Policy and Practice in Global Education - Critical Perspectives Tamo Chattopadhay, American University of Central Asia & Kata Orosz, Central European University, 2 US credits, Wednesday  9:40 am – 11:20 am (NY time)

This course is designed to introduce students to some of the key themes and critical issues in international educational development. It is widely understood that forces of globalization are profoundly changing the experiences and opportunity structures of young people in an increasingly inter-dependent world. While there is a growing recognition that the knowledge-based global economy requires a new paradigm for education in the 21st century, a significant number of children and adolescents in the world remain vulnerable, disengaged and disenfranchised from education. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the level and intensity of this inequality. Against this backdrop, the course will examine the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that keep children excluded from school and learning in different parts of the world.  The course adopts an intersectional framework – where thematic domain-specific issues will be explored in conjunction with socio-cultural and historical contexts. Students will analyze the issues and institutions in educational development from a comparative perspective, and develop a core set of skills in analysis and implementation evaluation of education policies and programs in early childhood, basic and higher education domains. The course will also critically examine some of the innovative policies and practices in diverse socio-cultural contexts that are addressing the challenges of educational access, quality and equity in our interconnected world.  This course cannot fulfill the seminar requirement for the GIS major.

Challenges of the 21st Century, Ekaterina Galimova, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Monday, Wednesday, 10:30 am (NY time) 12am (NY), 10:50 (Bishkek).

Challenges of the 21st Century is a seminar based multidisciplinary, Liberal Arts course that introduces students to the contemporary issues in such fields as politics, economics, environment, religion, culture, mass media, education, and psychology, etc. This course is designed to help students improve their critical and creative thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as encourage reflection and debate of the challenges of the global society in the 21st century. The course, Challenges of the 21st Century, is comprised of theoretical and practical components: the former is based on the selected authentic material taken from scientific journals, textbooks, non-fiction books, and documentaries, whereas the latter consists of student projects, research papers that would allow students to apply their knowledge in practice and improve their reading comprehension, listening comprehension, speaking and writing skills. The texts and assignments offered in the course expose students to issues that are relevant to their everyday life and experience of the world.

Islamic Feminism, Marie Hakenberg, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Monday and Wednesday, 5:35 am (NY), 3:35pm (Bishkek).

The introduction of Islam improved women's status substantially, nevertheless Muslim women are often depicted as oppressed. This course explores this dichotomy by focusing on Islamic feminist discourses. Muslim and Islamic feminist thinkers propose and debate different methods and theories to challenge patriarchal structures and interpretations. While some employ secular arguments, many engage with Islamic materials: some use the rich history of women and gender relations in Muslim societies to challenge unjustified assumptions, and some use exegesis of holy texts to support their arguments and/or provide new interpretations. The focus of Muslim and Islamic feminists is not limited to questions of women’s equality (including challenging the dominance of Western feminism and their colonial approaches), but also broaches broader issues of social justice. After a brief introduction to Islam, including key historical developments and terminology, we will discuss primary texts written by academic and activist feminists, which will be contextualized through secondary literature. This approach engages with the diversity of perspectives and contexts, while including the academic framing of Islamic feminism.

Greek Tragedy and Philosophy, Anton Markoc, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Tuesday and Thursday, 12:50 am (NY), 10:50am (Bishkek)

The course is a study of ethical and metaphysical questions raised by the Ancient Greek tragedies and the tragic festivals with the intent to get a basic understanding of tragedy as a form of theater, its philosophical underpinnings, and the insights it gives to the lives of us, modern humans. We shall read and discuss Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Philoctetes, and Medea, as well as commentaries on the genre of Greek tragedy and on the tragedies themselves by Plato, Aristotle, Hegel, Nietzsche, Bernard Williams and Martha Nussbaum.

Literature and Art from the Soviet Union, Maryna Batsman, American University of Central Asia, 200 level 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Tuesday and Thursday, 12:50 am (NY), 10:50am (Bishkek)

The course offers an overview of the most important literature and art produced in the Soviet Union from the 1917 Revolution until the country’s dissolution in 1991. It examines works of prose and poetry from modernism to the 1950s - 1970s novel boom and early postmodernism of perestroika, as well as the concomitant movements in painting, film, and other fine arts. The required readings include short poems and stories of Mayakovsky, Akhmatova, Mandelshtam, Babel, Shalamov, and others, and some short novels (Solzhenitsyn, Bulgakov, Zamiatin, Yerofeyev, Platonov, or others). The art forms examined include the avant-garde (Malevich, Kandinsky, Eisenstein, etc.), Central Asian socialist realism (Chuikov, Aytiev, Obraztsov, etc.), and a few examples of the non-conformist art (Kabakov, Neizvestny, etc.). The course pays special attention to the changing and complex relationship between the artist and the state and the socio-political moment in which the particular work of art originated. The instructor will give a guided tour to the National Museum of Fine Arts in Bishkek. All readings and projections are in English.

Digital History, Daniyar Karabaev and Aijamal Sarybaeva, American University of Central Asia,200 level  3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Wednesday and Friday, 4:10am (NY), 2:10pm (Bishkek)

This course is designed to examine how social media and digital technologies are mediating all aspects of contemporary digital histories. It will investigate how digital communication shapes everyday life, cultures, communities, institutions, interactions and identities. Students will have an opportunity to learn about different scholarly frameworks, theories, and perspectives on digital histories. Students will also learn how to apply practices of liberal arts to examine social media platforms, digital communication, and history, ethics, and politics of digital histories. The ultimate goal of the course is to equip students with relevant scholarly debates about digital histories as well as let them think critically and to analyze problems and issues of digital histories from multiple perspectives. There are no prerequisites.

Migration, Climate Change, and Environment, Lira Sagynbekova, American University of Central Asia, 300 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Wednesday and Friday, 12:50am (NY), 10:50am (Bishkek)

Both fast-onset and slow-onset environmental disasters have direct and indirect impacts on migration. Lack of adaptive capacity to climate change and environmental challenges and limited livelihood opportunities often lead to internal and international migration. This course examines the nexus between migration, climate change and environment. The course aims to introduce students to the concept of migration and social-ecological resilience approach. The course will also cover an introduction to the types, causes and impacts of migration. It will contribute towards a better understanding of resilience and the impact of migration on socio-economic development of the communities and the environment. Based on case studies in Central Asia this course will help students to understand how people respond to environmental and climate-related shocks and why migration serves as a coping or adaptation strategy. This course will provide a deeper examination of the migration process and look at different positive and negative migration outcomes, for example, the investment of remittances in livestock creates an additional source of income for households, at the same time an increase in livestock contributes to pasture degradation and landslides. Students will delve deeper into the social, economic and environmental implications of migration, including implications for climate change adaptation. There are no prerequisites.

Civil Society Organizations Law, Shutii Viktoriia, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 1.5 US credits, September 1 - December 10, 5:35am (NY), Wednesday 3:35pm (Bishkek)

CSO Law Course is designed to explore legal issues affecting civil society organizations (CSOs).The course aims to provide the theoretical and substantive knowledge base regarding civil society legal issues. To this end, the course will expose students to a wide range of topics, including: international law; right and freedom of association and its limits; the right to peaceful assembly, national legislation affecting the CSO lifecycle; public benefit status and tax environment of CSOs; economic activities and public policy activities of CSOs; and etc.

Investment Law and Sustainable Development, Begayim Esenkulova, American University of Central Asia, 300 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, 5:35am (NY), Wednesday 3:35pm (Bishkek) and 7am (NY), 5pm (Bishkek)

This course is focused on legal aspects of foreign direct investment (FDI) and sustainable development. As the world is moving towards the new generation of investment promotion and regulation, the comprehension of this field of law has become essential. Classes are aimed at providing students with the knowledge and critical understanding of main investment law as well as sustainable development concepts and issues. Students will study how investment law can protect investment and how it can be used to advance hoststates’ sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. Special attention is paid to the study of key multilateral and bilateral investment agreements, investment contracts, and major court, arbitration cases. The course is interactive and practice-oriented; it has a number of practical assignments among which are international investment agreement and investment contract negotiation rounds. All of the course activities are aimed at helping students not only to put substantive knowledge gained into practice but also further improve their proficiency in verbal and written communication as well as their analytical and problem-solving skills.The prerequisites are Civil Law, Business Entities, Intro to Law, Business Legislation, and Intro to Civil Law Property.

International Public Law I, Kamila Mateeva and Hannepes Taychayev, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Tuesday and Thursday, 2:45am (NY), 12:45pm (Bishkek)

The International Public Law I course is a required course for second-year law students and an elective course for other students, who may take it as a general education course or as a course under the minor program.  This course is intended to introduce students to the basic concepts and problems of public international law. International law commonly is defined as the rules, principles and norms, which govern the interaction among states. The course will cover the traditional major topics in this field such as the sources and subjects of international law, human rights law, the concept of state responsibility and the relationship between international law and the municipal law of states. The course will review and discuss a number of international law cases, as well as certain treaties, resolutions and other international legal instruments of importance.  Upon successful completion of this course, a student should have a sound working familiarity with the basic principles of International Public Law. The prerequisites are Intro to Law, Constitutional Law of the Kyrgyz Republic, Intro to Human Rights, Business Legislation, and Theory of Law.

Literature and the Big Questions

instructor- Andrew Wachtel

3 credits

Tuesday / Thursday 4pm - 5:20pm, September 1 - December 10

From the dawn of recorded history until today, in every corner of the world, literature works have embodied and vivified the most vexing questions facing humankind: what is love? What is death? Why are we here? Is the world rational? Are human beings rational? How do people behave when placed in extreme situations? What makes human beings human? As opposed to other genres, such as the philosophical tract or scientific paper, great literary works do not attempt to provide a single definitive answer.  Rather, they provoke questions and allow for many potential answers. In this class, through guided readings of six works composed over some 4000 years, students will learn to read deeply, analyze carefully, and appreciate the power of literature to force us to confront our fears, prejudices, and desires.

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY BULGARIA

EUR 405: EU Diplomacy: Policies and Instruments, Jean Crombois, American University in Bulgaria, 3 US credits, September 1 - December 10, Monday and Thursday, 4:45am - 6am (NY), 10:45am - 12:00pm (GMT)

The course explores, both theoretically and empirically, the increasingly assertive presence of the European Union as a diplomatic actor. The course is divided into four main parts. The first part addresses EU diplomacy and foreign policy in the 21st century from its theoretical and decision, legal and institutional dimensions. The second part addresses the different policies in which the EU develops its diplomatic activities such as economic diplomacy, trade diplomacy, human rights, energy and climate change. The third part addresses the different instruments used by EU diplomacy such as partnership instruments, instruments for peace and stability, sanctions, and elections observation missions. The fourth part discusses EU diplomatic in multilateral fora such as the UN, the WTO, the Word Bank/IMF and NATO as well as in bilateral relations with an emphasis on the Eastern partnership countries, Russia and Turkey.  The course put an important emphasis on the use of primary EU documents related to EU diplomacy. Course aimed at juniors and seniors. There are no prerequisites, but interest in diplomacy, international law, and international relations is a plus.

Nuclear Energy and Public Policy, Edward A. Friedman, American University in Bulgaria, 300 level, 1 US credit, September 1 - December 10, Saturday time TBD

The course will seek to elucidate the underlying causes for the sharp distinctions that exist among countries regarding policies for inclusion of nuclear in plans to achieve the objectives of the Paris Accords. Contrasting attitudes are particularly evident in Europe where Germany is eschewing the use of nuclear power, while neighboring countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, are actively expanding their nuclear energy capacity, while the U.K. and France have evolving approaches. The course hopes to provide an objective analysis of the policy decisions regarding nuclear energy as countries confront the need to reduce carbon emissions. The military origins of fission followed by the development of the first nuclear reactor in 1942 will be discussed. Next will be an overview of the development of nuclear energy in the period between 1960 and 1980 that came to an end with the accidents at Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986) and Fukushima (2011). After a presentation of the emerging advanced reactors that promise low waste, fail-safe design, and low risk of promoting weapons proliferation, the course will conclude with an analysis of the potential for achieving zero carbon levels by 2050 by adopting strategies for developing power grids using nuclear, wind and solar. Students are only expected to have studied secondary school / lycee level physics and chemistry.

The course will seek to elucidate the underlying causes for the sharp distinctions that exist among countries regarding policies for inclusion of nuclear in plans to achieve the objectives of the Paris Accords. Contrasting attitudes are particularly evident in Europe where Germany is eschewing the use of nuclear power, while neighboring countries in Eastern Europe, including Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, are actively expanding their nuclear energy capacity, while the U.K. and France have evolving approaches.

CENTRAL EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY (CEU)

GIS 3xx:  Policy and Practice in Global Education - Critical Perspectives Tamo Chattopadhay, American University of Central Asia & Kata Orosz, Central European University, 2 US credits, Wednesday  9:40 am – 11:20 am (NY time)

This course is designed to introduce students to some of the key themes and critical issues in international educational development. It is widely understood that forces of globalization are profoundly changing the experiences and opportunity structures of young people in an increasingly inter-dependent world. While there is a growing recognition that the knowledge-based global economy requires a new paradigm for education in the 21st century, a significant number of children and adolescents in the world remain vulnerable, disengaged and disenfranchised from education. COVID-19 has further exacerbated the level and intensity of this inequality. Against this backdrop, the course will examine the social, political, economic, and cultural forces that keep children excluded from school and learning in different parts of the world.  The course adopts an intersectional framework – where thematic domain-specific issues will be explored in conjunction with socio-cultural and historical contexts. Students will analyze the issues and institutions in educational development from a comparative perspective, and develop a core set of skills in analysis and implementation evaluation of education policies and programs in early childhood, basic and higher education domains. The course will also critically examine some of the innovative policies and practices in diverse socio-cultural contexts that are addressing the challenges of educational access, quality and equity in our interconnected world.  This course cannot fulfill the seminar requirement for the GIS major.

SS 3xx Policy and Practice in Global Education – Critical Perspectives, Dr. Tamo Chattopadhay, American University of Central Asia / Bard College and Dr. Kata Orosz, Central European University, 2 credits, 300 level, OSUN Certificate in Global Educational Development (GLOBALED)

This course will explore the challenges of educational inequity in diverse socio-cultural contexts, and examine the issues and institutions in educational development in an interconnected world. Students will be also introduced to key aspects of policy analysis and implementation evaluation in early childhood, basic and higher education domains. There will be no prerequisites for taking this course. The course will be co-taught by Dr. Tamo Chattopadhay (AUCA / Bard) and Dr. Kata Orosz (CEU). The intended student audience for this course is Upper College students, as well as students enrolled in graduate programs at OSUN institutions.

SIMON’S ROCK BARD COLLEGE

Women Write the World, Jennifer Browdy, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, September 1 - December 10, Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35am - 11:30m (NY) , 3 credits

This course introduces students to a series of contemporary women writers who have used writing to fight for their values and lead the way for others to follow. Drawn from different countries and cultural backgrounds, representing various facets of the interconnected global struggles for social and environmental justice, and working in a range of literary genres (essay, testimonial, memoir), these writers provide inspirational models of the ways in which women activists have melded their art and their politics into effective rhetorical strategies of “writing to right the world.” Recent required authors have included Winona LaDuke, Wangari Maathai, Zainab Salbi, Vandana Shiva, Naomi Klein, Eve Ensler and Terry Tempest Williams. Required coursework includes regular reading response journals and in-class writing, an Inquiry log project with two presentations, and a final exam. There are no prerequisites. 200 level courses are primarily for Lower College students.

Counterpoint: The Essence of Western Musical Traditions, John Myers, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, September 1 - December 10, Thurs 2:40 - 4:05pm (New York) /time subject to change , 4 credits

This course offers an accelerated survey of species counterpoint, up to three parts in fifth species. The tonal segment of this course includes the study of Baroque counterpoint, and an introduction to analysis based on Schenker's concepts of tonal layers. The work of the second half of the semester culminates in the composition of an extended polyphonic work utilizing contrapuntal techniques. This class will be taught in hybrid mode, combining remote access with optional in-person attendance. Prerequisites: familiarity with staff notation and previous study of music theory.

BARD COLLEGE BERLIN

LT355: Critical Diversity and Decolonial Methodology in the Liberal Arts, Kathy-Ann Tan, Bard College Berlin, Fri 8am - 11:15am (NY) 14:00-17:15 (Vienna) , 4 US Credits

In this class, we will combine theory and practice to develop a critical methodology that harnesses the potential of a Liberal Arts higher education in fostering antiracist, critical diversity and decolonial ways of thinking and doing. This is a methodology that draws on a growing body of intersectional research and scholarship from the fields of literary and cultural theory, as well as the cultural politics of education, in particular, decolonial and antiracist education. It engages with pedagogies of dissent, survival, and resistance, and provides one means of answering the question that postcolonial feminist scholar Chandra Mohanty asks, "What does it mean to think through, theorize, and engage in questions of difference and power?" The objective of this class is thus to address the conditions of cultural and knowledge production and dissemination in higher education, particularly in the Liberal Arts, the oldest program of higher education in Western history, while attuned to notions of accountability and social justice. Texts will include: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We Should All Be Feminists, Sara Ahmed, On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life, Julie Cupples and Ramón Grosfoguel (eds.), Unsettling Eurocentrism in the Westernized University, Kimberlé Crenshaw, On Intersectionality, Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, bell hooks, Engaged Pedagogy, bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, Chandra Mohanty, Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity, Fred Moten and Stefano Harney, The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study. 

PS292: Urbanization and the Nation-State, Boris Vormann, Bard College Berlin, Tues / Th 8am - 9:30am (NY) 14:00-15:30 (Vienna) , 4 US Credits

Much of contemporary discussions about global city networks tend to put little emphasis on how flows of trade and exchange depend on the persistent work of states. Instead, since the late 1980s, many authors have argued that, as command and control centers in networks of global flows, world and global cities grew more and more disconnected from their national hinterlands. But this way of looking at things risks pitting cities against states in a way that distorts the actual processes at play. Networks of cities, from that perspective, seem to be superseding the traditional order of the nation-state system, implanting a new governance logic on existing institutions and ultimately rendering them obsolete. This course explores the intricate relationships between cities and nation-states through a theoretical, historical lens and reflects on questions of global governance at the current moment in which traditional power hierarchies are increasingly in question. Our debates about urbanization and the social and political relationships at stake will be informed by urban and state theory.

PL205 The Gaze, Katalin Makkai, Bard College Berlin, Tues/Th 9:45am - 11:15am (NY) 15:45 - 17:15 (Vienna),  4 US credits

This course explores a range of ways in which human relationships—with each other, with society at large, with the world in which we live—have been conceived as structured in terms of a “gaze” or “look”. We begin with the idea of the human being as (in part) constituted by a need—or desire—for recognition in the eyes of another (Rousseau and Hegel). We then turn to analyses and critiques of modern Western society as based on a pernicious culture of seeing, drawing from work in philosophy (e.g., Sartre), cultural criticism (e.g., Foucault), feminist theory (e.g., Mulvey), psychoanalysis (Lacan), and film (Hitchcock).

BRAC UNIVERSITY

Alternate Worlds, Dr. Mahruba Mowtushi, BRAC University, 300 level , Mon/Wed 7:00 am to 8.20 am (NY) 13:00 - 14:20 (Vienna), 3 US Credits

This course brings together ‘alternate’ dimensions from the global South that crosses linguistic, national and geographic borders. We will read a fascinating range of short stories and novels written in the local vernacular that came out in the last century from colonial West Africa (D.O Fagunwa and Amos Tutuola), the newly established Republic of China (Lao She) and the Bengali speaking regions of pre-independent India (Rokeya S Hossain, Hemendrakumar Roy and Jagadish Chandra Bose). While Lao She’s dystopian satire 'Cat Country' invites discussion on nationalist re/formation vis-à-vis conflict between human and non-human agencies, Bose’s ‘Polatok Tufan’ (The Runaway Cyclone) and Roy’s 'Meghduter Marte Agaman' (When Martians came to Earth) probe into questions of human survival in the face of ecological cataclysms and fantastical Martian (mis)adventures. One of the earliest examples of feminist utopia is envisioned by Rokeya S Hossain’s 'Sultana’s Dream' that locates an alternate space for women without the trappings of patriarchy. With Fagunwa ('Forest of a Thousand Daemons') and Tutuola ('My Life in the Bush of Ghosts'), we journey into the realms of Yoruban folklore, of talking ghosts and vengeful gods, which do not conform to the generic utopian/dystopian binary but occupy a mytho-historical neutropia. We will explore the art of storytelling and the relationship between imagination and ‘reality’ while asking ourselves what roles visions of utopian and dystopian world orders play in the current scheme of things. Aside from weekly meetings, there will be guest lectures by eminent scholars in the field and joint seminars between two or more campuses.

For the final project, all students are expected to create their own 'Alternate Worlds'. They may do so by writing a piece of short fiction, a poem, a manifesto, a description of a utopia or dystopia, or an instance of counterfactual history; by painting a picture; by shooting a video; by composing and performing a piece of music; by designing a video game; or by engaging in any other form of creative endeavour they see fit. These projects may be collaborative, involving multiple students in one Alternate Worlds course, in more than one Alternate Worlds course at Bard, or on more than one OSUN campus. They may also be solitary.

The only stipulations for these final projects are (a) they must be capable of being uploaded onto our Padlet side (https://padlet.com/dashboard) and (b) they must be accompanied by a 750-word reflective statement about the project. The reflective statement should address the project’s connection to Alternate Worlds and to the particular Alternate Worlds course the student is taking; students should refer explicitly to texts and ideas they have discussed in this class. Each student participating in a collaborative project is asked to submit a separate reflective statement.

Demystifying Documentaries: Truth, Ethics and Storytelling in Non-Fiction Filmmaking, Dina Hossain, BRAC University, 300 level , Mon/Wed 2:30 am - 3.50 am (NY) 8:30 am - 9:50 am (Vienna)  3 US Credits

The objective of this course is to develop critical thinking and analysis skills of students about documentaries. After completion of this course students will know about the different types of documentaries and be able to understand how truth is constructed in documentaries and the implications this has for using documentaries as sources of information. They will also explore ethical issues involved in making documentaries. Students will also gain basic skills on the creative aspects of documentary filmmaking. 300 and 400 level courses are designed for Upper College students.

Cyber Law, Md Saimum Reza Talukder, BRAC University, 300 level , Mon/Wed 7:00am to 8.20 am (NY) 13:00 - 14:20 (Vienna) 3 US Credits

The main focus of Cyber Law course is to get students acquainted with 'ICT in the arena of Law' and would denote the entire interaction between law and cyberspace. The course would be divided into several themes covering introductory concepts of cyberspace, digital rights and responsibilities, freedom of expression online, media freedom and right to information, misinformation and disinformation,  infodemic, privacy and data protection, legal aspects of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, cybercrimes and cyber security, transparency of mass-surveillance, jurisdictional issues over internet, e-governance, tech contracts, intellectual property rights over internet and global internet governance.  The course would also consider the possibilities for the use of ICT by lawyers and the impact of ICT on legal practice. Attempts would be made to briefly introduce students to the issues behind the concept of cyber law- a cross disciplinary field that addresses the application of information technologies in the practice of law. Thus, students would be exposed to the contested narratives of latest information and communication technologies that are used to enhance the functions of litigation and critical issues arising from their use. There is no prerequisite, but it is preferable that students should have basic ideas on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Law of Evidence.

Though there is no pre-requisite, it is preferable that students should have basic ideas on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Law of Evidence in order to have a better understanding of this course.

The course will follow mixed methodologies of teaching. It will be a combination of one way lectures, guest lectures, personal/group assignments, and group presentations. Students will be given various reading materials including powerpoint presentations, reference of e-books, journals, newspapers, website, blogs etc., and audio-visuals.

The course will be conducted by a course teacher. However, the course teacher will engage teachers, human rights defenders, professionals from various concerned fields all around the world as guest lecturers.

Law for Life, Peace, and Justice, Faustina Pereira, BRAC University, 300 level  , 3 US Credits

Section 1 - Sun/Tues 2:30 to 3:50 am (NY) 8:30 am - 9:50 am (Vienna) (Dr. Fautina Pereira)

Section 2 - Mon/Wed 1:00am to 2:30 am (NY) 7:00 am to 8:30 am (Vienna) (Aisha Binte Rob)

The objective of this course is to develop the ability of students to think critically and innovatively about the application of law in one’s life as a means to achieve justice at the individual, community and national/global levels. To this end, the course views the institution of law through a number of disciplinary lenses, including those of philosophy, anthropology, literature, neuroscience and psychology. After completion of the course, students will be able to analyse the ways laws help navigate life choices and negotiate spaces for political positioning and social engineering to achieve a peaceful and just society. The course is designed to help develop students as thoughtful and responsible agents in different politico-legal orders. Students will gain a set of conceptual tools and practical competencies to critically examine law’s role in society, across its diverse institutional forms and across variegated ideologies and ends.

UNIVERSITY DE LOS ANDES, COLOMBIA

Art and Travel*, Verónica Uribe, University de los Andes, Wed/Fri, 10:00am - 11:45am (NY) 16:00 - 17:45 (Vienna), 2 US credits

This course proposes a visual and conceptual tour to understand the cultural relevance that travelling has had both in European and American art history and the way that voyages have been traditionally represented in Western culture. The course is divided into four parts with different case studies that deal with the relationship between art and travel:

Module 1: Works of art that travel. Module 2: Materials and techniques that travel. Module 3: Ideas, images and concepts that travel. Module 4: Traveling artists

Examples of the subjects proposed for each two-week module are: art related to the pilgrimage in the Middle Ages; printmaking and its relationship to travel during the Renaissance; the importance of the artist’s sketchbook in travelling; the Quimbaya Treasure as an official gift that travelled from Colombia to Spain; Paul Gauguin and Tahiti and the artistic contents of the Westmoreland ship. The course focuses on examples of historical and cultural events that created a modern notion of travelling by showing that the relationship between art and travel is dynamic and in constant change.

*This course is blended. The face-to-face sessions will be recorded for students that are abroad and cannot attend.

De la habanera al tango. La canción popular latinoamericana, Ian Middleton, University de los Andes, Mon/Wed, 10:00am - 11:45am (NY) 16:00 - 17:45 (Vienna), 2 US credits

Course taught in Spanish, Spanish proficiency required.

La canción es uno de los medios de expresión histórico de uso colectivo e individual, un medio de comunicación y manifestación social. En algunos casos, los textos permiten descubrir el contexto histórico y cultural, lo que convierte a las canciones en una narración de las costumbres y tradiciones locales o regionales, estilos de vida, festividades, política y conflictos entre otros.

El curso propone una visión general del desarrollo de la canción popular latinoamericana entre 1900 y 1950, centrándose en las expresiones que aparecieron en Cuba, México y el sur de América, así como su relación con los sucesos históricos más importantes de la época.

The city: history, economics, politicsProfessor: Friederike Fleischer 

Faculty: Anthropology  

2 credits

MW 2:00 – 3:45 pm      August 9th – October 2nd 

For the first time in history, today more people live in urban areas than in the countryside. According to ourworldindata.org (https://ourworldindata.org/urbanization#number-of-people-living-in-urban-areas), in 2017 over half of the world’s roughly seven billion inhabitants resided in cities and this proportion is predicted to increase to over 70% by 2050. The majority of the fastest growing cities in the world are in developing countries. The study of this phenomenon, and the urban form of life, is therefore more important than ever. This course approaches the city from different angles: history, economy, politics, society, and culture. Within these different fields we will examine the interrelation between the city and human development; between the city, the economy and globalization; between the city and forms and practices of everyday life; between the city, art and popular culture; and between technology and the future of the city. More specifically we will explore questions relating to the emergence of cities; factors that contribute to the continuing urbanization of the world; cities’ structures and shapes; urban politics and the challenges of urban planning; forms and problems of urban life and culture; imaginations and representation of cities across time; and how the city of the future can be imagined and planned. 

Poder, Género y Sexualidad / Power, Gender and Sexuality

Professor: José Fernando Serrano Amaya 

Faculty: Languages & Culture 

3 credits 

Tuesday  & Thursday 12.00 – 1:45 pm

9 august – 4 December 2021 

In this course we will observe gender and sexuality as processes that structure personal, professional, social and cultural life. The course offers an overview of key issues and debates in these fields in the national and regional context and promotes their critical and applied gaze. Gender and sexuality issues are today, perhaps as never before, at the center of important public debates in Colombia and Latin America. State reforms, the deepening of democracy, the development of civil society, migrations and demographic transformations, the struggles for social justice that the region is experiencing, among other factors, have at the center of their dynamics, dimensions of gender and sexuality. In Colombia and other countries in the region there have been a variety of social mobilizations against the persistence and deepening of gender inequalities. Thanks to these mobilizations, and in particular the activism of women and organizations of sexual and gender diversity, these issues have entered the agendas of public institutions and academia. At the same time, there have been reactions against these demands for change and resistance to transforming the positions of power that maintain inequalities in gender and sexuality relations. Thus, gender and sexuality are fundamental categories to understand processes of social change and to generate transformation strategies.

Colombia, país de Desigualdades: Clase, Raza, Género / Colombia, Country of Inequalities: Class, Race, Gender

Professor: María José Álvarez Rivadulla

Faculty: Sociology

credits: 2
Monday & Wednesday 2:00 – 3:45 pm, 9 august – 4 December 2021

This course aims to sensitize students with the different types of inequalities that cross the country and their own realities. It offers an overview of empirical studies and theories that allow their understanding and interpretation and suggests some lines of action to transform them that students should be able to critically analyze. What does it mean that Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in the world? Why is that important? Why is there still inequality if poverty went down? What is the Gini index? Why do women pay a maternity penalty and men don't? What is inequality in the use of time? Is there racial inequality in Colombia or is it simply a class problem? Is class the same as stratum? What is your family's mobility history? Is it a common or extraordinary story for Colombia? What inequalities exist in the labor market? In this course we will reflect on different perspectives that define and explain inequality sociologically, and we will use them to think about Latin American societies in general and the Colombian one in particular. In addition, we will work on how socioeconomic inequality is intertwined with other inequalities such as gender and race.

Disruptive Sustainable Design

Professor: Carolina Obregón Tarazona
Faculty: Industrial Design 

3 credits 

WF 9:30 – 10:45 am / August 9th – December 4th  

Information and Telecommunications Technologies (ICT) are increasingly ubiquitous in our world. Despite using them every day, many times we do not take advantage of their full potential nor do we stop to reflect on it. This course seeks for students to recognize the ethical and social challenges and implications of the use of ICT. Starting from the history of computers and the Internet, we will review the rapid evolution of these technologies, focusing on some of those that have the greatest impact on society, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things and social networks. We will address ethical, social and legal aspects of these technologies around current debates such as security and hacking, fake news, free vs hate speech, responsibility in intelligent systems, dangers of social networks such as cyberbullying, information privacy, etc. The course is developed around four strategies: presentations by invited experts on the different topics, reflections throughout the course on challenges and opportunities of technologies in the professional and personal life of each student, practical activities on the use of technologies and a group research.It is expected that, at the end of the course, the student can explain in general terms the operation of the Internet and the world of digital technology, as well as describe some of its applications and social, economic and legal implications, in a way that can make use of informed, responsible, thoughtful and critical of these technologies.