OSUN Online Courses Spring 2022

As of November 29, 2021

 

An OSUN course is a single course situated at one institution that enrolls students from multiple OSUN partners. This list provides an overview of the OSUN courses offered by the following partner institutions: Al Quds Bard, American University of Afghanistan, American University in Bulgaria, American University of Central Asia, Bard College Annandale, Bard College Berlin, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Brac University, Central European University and National Sun Yat-sen University. Enrollment is open to all eligible students at all OSUN institutional partners. To apply/register for courses, go to the link after the selected full course description to proceed to the application portal.

 

Contact OSUN administrators with questions: Jen Murray jmurray@bard.edu or

Leiah Heckathorn lheckathorn@bard.edu. OSUN courses offered by the following partners with spring semester dates:

 

Institution	Abbreviation	Semester Begins and Ends
Al Quds Bard	AQB	February 5-June 4
American University of Afghanistan	AUAF	January 23-May 21
American University in Bulgaria	AUBG	January 17-May 13
American University of Central Asia	AUCA	January 24-May 28
Bard College Annandale	ANN	January 31-May 24
Bard College Berlin	BCB	January 31-May 20
Bard College at Simon’s Rock	SRC	January 31-May 17
Brac University	Brac	January 22-May 14
Central European University	CEU	January 10-April 1
National Sun Yat-sen University	NSYSU	February 14-June 10

 

Please note all courses below are listed according to the following academic themes: Arts and Society, Democratic Practice, Human Rights, Inequalities, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Sustainability and Climate.

 

 

TABLE of CONTENTS by ACADEMIC THEME

 

ARTS and SOCIETY

Philosophy of Art, David Weberman, Central European University, 300 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 16:30-17:30 (Vienna Time). 10:30-11:30 (New York Time).

Playwriting: Writing Your Truth, Aimee K Michel, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time). 16:35-18:00 (Vienna Time).

Postmodern Fictions, Sean Homer, American University in Bulgaria, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-13:45 (Blagoevgrad Time), 05:30-06:45 (New York Time), 11:30-12:45 (Vienna Time).

DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE

Advanced Topics in International Law: Technology and Human Rights in The Twenty-First Century (Possibilities, Challenges and Threats), Jana Lozanoska, Al Quds Bard College, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 17:00-18:20 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-11:20 (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 (Vienna Time).

Asia-Pacific International Politics in the Post-Pandemic Era, Dr. Chiahao Hsu, National Sun Yat-sen University. 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday, 10:00-13:00 (Kaohsiung Time). Sunday, 21:00-24:00 (New York Time). Monday, 03:00-06:00 (Vienna Time).

Civic Action and Research, Jonathan Becker and Erin Cannan, Bard College Annandale, 300 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday 08:30-09:50 or Thursday 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). Tuesday 14:30-15:50 or Thursday 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Civic Engagement, Jonathan Becker and Erin Cannan, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Climate, Ecology, and Common Property: Perspectives From the Paleolithic to the Anthropocene, Christoper Reed Coggins, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:30-09:55 (New York Time). 14:30-15:55 pm (Vienna Time).

Contemporary Cultural Theory: Comparative Approaches to Race, Class and Gender, Kathy-Ann Tan, Bard College Berlin, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Friday, 09:00-12:15 (Berlin Time). 03:00-06:15 (New York Time). 09:00-12:15 (Vienna Time).

Contemporary Developments of Finance, Dimitri Papaditrimiou, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday, 09:10 to 11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Cyber Law, Md Saimum Reza Talukder, Brac University, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS.  Sunday and Tuesday, 15:30-16:50 (Dhaka Time). 04:30-05:50 (New York Time). 10:30-11:50 (Vienna Time).

Data and Democracy: Statistics and Data Science for Engaged Citizenship in the 21st Century, Richard Lopez, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

Dissent: Politics, Justice, Dignity, Pınar Kemerli, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

Economics for Non-Economists, Michael Dorsch, Central European University, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 16:30-17:30 (Vienna Time). 10:30-11:30 (New York Time).

EU Politics, Jean Crombois, American University in Bulgaria, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Thursday, 10:45-12:00 (Blagoevgrad Time). 03:45-05:00 (New York Time).  09:45-11:00 (Vienna Time).

Evolution of Global Environmental Governance, Frances O'Morchoe, Brac University, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:00-09:20 (Dhaka Time). 21:00-22:20 (New York Time). 03:00-04:20 (Vienna Time).

Introduction to Political Science, Fahmida Rahman, Brac University, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 09:30-11:00 (Dhaka Time). 22:30-00:00 (New York Time). 04:30-6:00 (Vienna Time).

Law for Life, Peace and Justice, Faustina Pereira, Brac University, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS.  Monday and Wednesday, 15:30-16:50 (Dhaka Time). 04:30-05:50 (New York Time). 10:30-11:50 (Vienna Time).

Leadership, Writing & Public Speaking for Social & Environmental Justice, Jennifer Browdy, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time). 16:35-18:00 (Vienna Time). March 29-May 10.

Political Communication, Chynara Bakyt kyzy, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

Political Economy of Media, Anas Alahmed, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Thursday, 18:00-20:40 (Bishkek Time). 07:00-09:40 (New York Time). 13:00-15:40 (Vienna Time).

Reproductive Health and Human Rights, Helen Epstein, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Thursday 09:10-11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Something Old, Something New, Erica Kaufman and Derek Furr, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

Special Topics in Social Thought: Dislocated Identities in a Fragmenting World, Jens Haendeler and Tom Selwyn, Al-Quds Bard College/ SOAS, 100 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Wednesday, 17:00-19:50 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-12:50 (New York Time). 16:00-18:50 (Vienna Time).

State Theory: Law, Politics, and Space, Boris Vormann, Bard College Berlin, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Thursday, 14:00-17:15 (Berlin Time), 08:00-11:15 (New York Time), 14:00-17:15 (Vienna Time).

Writing to Right the World, Jennifer Browdy, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time) 16:35-18:00 pm (Vienna Time). February 1-March 17.

HUMAN RIGHTS

Education and Development in a Global Era (Colloquium). Kata Orosz, Central European University and Tamo Chattopadhay, American University of Central Asia and Bard College, Master’s Level (Advanced Undergraduates are eligible). Audit only or to get credit, admittance into the GLOBALED Certificate Program (Fall 2022). 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Monday, 13:30-15:10 (Vienna Time). 07:30-09:10 (New York Time).

International Criminal Law, Saniia Tokyo Gazieva, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 14:10-15:25 (Bishkek Time). 03:10-04:25 (New York Time). 09:10-10:25 (Vienna Time).

INEQUALITIES

Architectural Entanglements with Labor, Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Friday, 13:30-14:50 (New York Time). 19:30-20:50 (Vienna Time).

Beyond Bollywood: Mapping South Asian Cinema, Fahmidul Haq, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Gazing at/through/within the Arab World. Issam Khoury, Al Quds Bard College, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 17:00-18:20 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-11:20  (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 (Vienna Time).

The Anthropology of Home, Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

LIBERAL ARTS and SCIENCES

Diplomatic History, Görkem Atsungur, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

Introduction to Information Security, Dr. Ala Abdulhakim Abdulaziz, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Thursday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 09:00-10:20 (New York Time). 15:00-16:20 (Vienna Time).

Literature in the Digital Age, Patricia Lopez-Gay, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday, 09:10-11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

Oral History Theories and Methods, Sarybaeva Aijamal, American University of Central Asia, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

Renewable Energy and Green Technology, Ahmed Aljanad, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Wednesday and Sunday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 10:00-11:20 (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 pm (Vienna Time).

Science in Islamic Culture, Dr. Rahim Ullah Shinwari, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Saturday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 09:00-10:20 (New York Time). 15:00-16:20 (Vienna Time).

SUSTAINABILITY and CLIMATE

Climate Change and Business, Syed M Rahman, Brac University, 200 level / 2nd year: may have prerequisites, appropriate for students with at least one year of college/university study (nb: new/1st year students may enroll in 200-level courses at the instructor’s discretion), 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday, 19:00-22:00 (Dhaka Time). 08:00-11:00 (New York Time). 14:00-17:00 (Vienna Time).

Climate Change Seminar and Lab, Harold M Hastings, PhD, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 100 level,  4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 09:00-10:25 and Thursday lab 14:40-17:35 (New York Time). 15:00-16:25 and 20:40-23:35 lab (Vienna Time).

Education for Sustainable Development, Amadeus DeKastle, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Thursday, 18:00-20:00 (Bishkek Time). 07:00-09:00 (New York Time). 13:00-15:00 (Vienna Time).

Ethics and Culture, S M Mahfuzur Rahman, Brac University, 100 level, appropriate for new or 1st year students, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Sunday and Thursday, 12:30-13:50 (Dhaka Time), 01:30-02:50 (New York Time), 07:30-08:50 (Vienna Time).

International Investment Dispute Settlement, Begaiym Esenkulova, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Friday, 15:35-18:15 (Bishkek Time). 04:35-07:15 (New York Time). 10:35-16:15 (Vienna Time).

Monitoring Environmental Change, Emily White, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday, 07:00-08:20 (New York Time). 13:00-14:20 (Vienna Time).

Reading the 2021 IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Reports, Beate Liepert, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Wednesday, 10:10-12:30 (New York Time). 16:10-18:30 (Vienna Time).

 

 

ARTS and SOCIETY

 

Philosophy of Art, David Weberman, Central European University, 300 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 16:30-17:30 (Vienna Time). 10:30-11:30 (New York Time).

Bard Distributional Area: MBV

Cross-listed: Philosophy

This introduction to the philosophy of art deals with the following questions: How to define art, whether art represents a break from or a continuation with our daily lives, whether taste and quality are completely subjective, whether (or what kind of) truth art might convey, how to think about the interpretation of artworks, whether and why art might demand avantgardism. We’ll read some historical texts, but mostly contemporary ones. Discussion-oriented classes. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69824

 

 

Playwriting: Writing Your Truth, Aimee K Michel, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time). 16:35-18:00 (Vienna Time).

 

Most writers will tell you that in order to write, you must read…and what you read should be the best.  I will add that what you read should also be diverse, in cultural and historical perspective, in style, and in origin.  Dramatic writing is meant to be performed, authentically, in front of a live audience.  It is visceral, immediate and speaks human truths powerfully. Over the course of the semester we will be reading plays as well as working on our own playwriting.  As we read drama from around the world, spanning almost two centuries, we will study how other dramatists have constructed their plays and solved problems that present themselves to the playwright. We will discuss these plays each week.  We will also be writing our own scenes in response to weekly writing prompts.  Each week, students will bring in an original scene and together we will read it aloud. We will then respond as a group to the writer with constructive feedback.  It is my hope that,  Inspired by the plays we are reading together and each others’ courage, students will begin to hone their authentic dramatic voices and write their own truths. 

 

At the end of the course, students will be required to revise at least three of their scenes based on the feedback from the class.  These revisions will be submitted with the final portfolio. Prerequisite: A writing class (it does not have to be dramatic writing) or permission of the instructor. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69827

 

Postmodern Fictions, Sean Homer, American University in Bulgaria, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30-13:45 (Blagoevgrad Time), 05:30-06:45 (New York Time), 11:30-12:45 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: LA

Cross-listed: Literature

This course provides an advanced study of contemporary North American and European fiction with particular reference to the concept of postmodernism. A broad range of authors from the 1960s to early 2000s will be studied including Kathy Acker, Sherman Alexie, Paul Auster, John Barth, Donald Barthelme, Angel Carter, E.L Doctorow, Thomas Pynchon, Ishmael Reed, Graham Swift and Gerald Vizner. The postmodern critique of metanarratives and the literary canon will be addressed through discussion of contemporary feminist, black, native American, post-colonial and post-human narratives. Key theorists of postmodernity, such as Jean Baudrillard, Umberto Eco, Donna Haraway, bell hooks, Linda Hutcheon, Fredric Jameson, and Jean François Lyotard will be read in conjunction with specific literary works. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69823

DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE

 

Advanced Topics in International Law: Technology and Human Rights in The Twenty-First Century (Possibilities, Challenges and Threats), Jana Lozanoska, Al Quds Bard College, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 17:00-18:20 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-11:20 (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: MBV

Cross-listed: Global and International Studies; Human Rights

Many approaches in examining technology exist of those that look at technology through ethics, utility but also through sustainable development and ecology. Twenty-first century is marked with increased technological developments which focus on automation, big data, artificial intelligence, algorithms and machine learning that at the same time provide for opportunities and challenges to human rights law and politics. The examples such as Cambridge Analytica and Brexit and some recent events demonstrate an urgent need to understand and develop firmer protections for human rights which otherwise could be evaded by technological advances. Moreover technological development raises not only anthropocentric but also questions related to transhumanism or the relation between the human and the machine which is discussed by Donna Haraway in a Cyborg Manifesto (1991); the relationship between the technology and justice by George Grant (1986); and more as popular overview in Homo Deus: Brief History of Tomorrow by Harari (2017). Furthermore, philosophers such as Heidegger and Foucault have been concerned with the question of  technology and technologies by way of explaining relations between technology and “being” - Heidegger and “technologies of power” - Foucault.  Hannah Arendt in the Human Condition (1958) provides a comprehensive critique and history of technological progress and expresses her fears that technological progress could undermine not only human rights but the ability to speak and act in public and by that threatening politics and plurality. Recently the UN Commissioner for Human Rights (September, 2021) has called for an urgent action in dealing with the threats that artificial intelligence poses on human rights. In the similar manner the Report by the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression (2018, A/73/348)  has stressed out that artificial intelligence is a challenge and a threat for human rights. Therefore, the course's main aim is to focus on the limits and threats of technology to human rights on the one hand, and possibilities on the other hand, by discussing some of the philosophers and political theorists mentioned above in conjunction with the developments within the United Nations and Council of Europe that pertain to human rights and technology. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69803

 

Asia-Pacific International Politics in the Post-Pandemic Era, Dr. Chiahao Hsu, National Sun Yat-sen University. 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday, 10:00-13:00 (Kaohsiung Time). Sunday, 21:00-24:00 (New York Time). Monday, 03:00-06:00 (Vienna Time).

 

2019 saw the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing global humanitarian disaster, and the political situation in the Asia Pacific saw unprecedented developments. This course will cover the region’s recent political and economic changes, and use the lens of international relations to sharpen their analytical skills while cultivating their interest in the region. This course holds practical application of knowledge as its core, and will discuss US, Chinese, Taiwanese, Northeast Asia, Southwest Asia, New Zealand and Australia, India and Central Asia. It is designed to cultivate students’ analytical and research skills, as well as interest in Asia Pacific and international affairs.To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=70337

 

Civic Action and Research, Jonathan Becker and Erin Cannan, Bard College Annandale, 300 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday 08:30-09:50 or Thursday 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). Tuesday 14:30-15:50 or Thursday 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

In this upper level course, students who are leading a community engagement project deepen their understanding of civil society through participatory research and engagement that explores the structure of civil society organizations, the socio-political environment in which they operate, including the intersection between government and civil society, the root causes of social issues that they are attempting to address, and the context in which the community is addressing the issue. Students will also enhance their capacities and project management skills through a series of leadership workshops.  Each student will be required to produce a project analysis which incorporates primary and secondary research, as well as interviews of key actors in the field. Projects should focus on one of five tracks: Climate Change, Disability Justice, Youth Engagement, Social Entrepreneurship, Inclusion and Gender Equity.

 

The course will culminate in a peer-led, OSUN-wide conference on leadership and community engagement.  Prerequisites: Students must be involved in leading a civic engagement project and have taken the CE Network Collaboration Course, OSUN CE Course or equivalent or have received and implemented an OSUN microgrant or community action award. This is a 2 credit OSUN course. Select students can appeal for an accompanying two credit tutorial that would give them an option of completing four credits. Note: This course does not fulfill a post-moderation requirement in PS. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=70330

 

Civic Engagement, Jonathan Becker and Erin Cannan, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

This course examines historical, philosophical and practical elements of civic engagement while exploring the underlying question of what it means to be an engaged citizen in the early twenty-first century. It will examine notions of personal responsibility, civic duty, political participation (including voting), and social justice. It will examine important elements contributing to civic participation, including race, gender, education, and socio-economic status. It explores modes of community engagement on a number of levels, including governmental (especially local government), not-for-profit, various forms of associational life, and social movements. The course has a local focus, but national and international issues and comparisons will be explored.

 

This is both a Bard Network AND Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences class that involves guest lectures, out of class fieldwork, case studies and projects within the framework of analogous classes being offered simultaneously at several of Bard’s international partners, including Al-Quds Bard, American University of Central Asia, European Humanities University, Bard College Berlin, and refugee learners from Jordan and Kenya. The Bard class will be paired with some of these students and different points throughout the semester. The course incorporates diverse perspectives and promotes intercultural dialogue using blended learning formats featuring common texts, virtual lectures, virtual class meetings, and shared assignments that link students and faculty across multiple institutions. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69813

 

Climate, Ecology, and Common Property: Perspectives From the Paleolithic to the Anthropocene, Christoper Reed Coggins, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:30-09:55 (New York Time). 14:30-15:55 (Vienna Time).

 

This course examines the history, politics, and geography of common property institutions in cross-cultural perspective. Adopting a theoretical framework that incorporates cosmology, ecology, economy, and political organization (Cosmos, Oikos, and Polis), we contrast and compare studies of property and territoriality among human societies of the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and historical periods. Within the broad scope of the latter period, we analyze breaks and continuities in the institutional construction of property and ownership associated with the pre-imperial, imperial, colonial, and post-colonial eras. Unifying themes include sacred space and the sacralization of forests, water bodies, and ecosystems as common carbon and hydrological properties; private property, identity, mass consumption, and personhood in contemporary societies; the persistence of the nation, territoriality, and military-economic competition; and the search for new cultural foundations in the development of multiple, plural, interactive, and socially just commons in a period of complex and overlapping planetary climate emergencies. Our collaboration in the study of common pool resources includes active participation in the OSUN Open Society Climate Network and its project on Decision Theater for Sustainable Mobility. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69858

 

Contemporary Cultural Theory: Comparative Approaches to Race, Class and Gender, Kathy-Ann Tan, Bard College Berlin, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Friday, 09:00-12:15 (Berlin Time). 03:00-06:15 (New York Time). 09:00-12:15 (Vienna Time).

 

In this class, students will be familiarized with comparative approaches in contemporary (Anglophone) cultural theory that engage with the central issues of representation and discourse, memory, race, class and gender. We will discuss the central tenets of Critical Race Theory, intersectional feminism, decolonial theory and critical diversity studies, reading the seminal writings of American and continental European thinkers such as Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Lauren Berlant, Audre Lorde, Sylvia Wynter and others. Our discussion of the theoretical texts within a comparative framework and through practical examples will reflect and facilitate the adoption of a broader transnational and transcultural approach to contemporary (Anglophone) cultural theory, one that reflects a wealth of different perspectives that challenge the idea of a universal or homogenous “western” canon of cultural thought. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69839

 

Contemporary Developments of Finance, Dimitri Papaditrimiou, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday, 09:10 to 11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

The seminar will contrast the academic analysis of financial economics with the coverage it receives in the newspapers and on the nightly newscast. The stories on the news are almost always connected with people, whether we observe them shouting bids in a trading floor or talking on two phones simultaneously. Financial markets are dominated by people behaving in many different ways. Yet traditional finance theories concentrate on efficient markets, predictable prices that are determined by the concepts of present value, rates of return and analysis and pricing of computable risks. Human behavior has neither a place in the theory nor a need to be studied. This prevailing view has recently been challenged by the new paradigm of behavioral finance that considers the many anomalies of "rational" behavior and "efficiency" of markets. The new paradigm concerns itself with economic decision-making and investor psychology, and specifically with questions relating to how and why people exhibit a mixture of rational and irrational behavior. The seminar will examine the influence of economic psychology in the decision-making process of various agents as well as in the market's dynamics. Several guest lecturers will also offer their informed views in the development of contemporary finance. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=70340

 

Cyber Law, Md Saimum Reza Talukder, Brac University, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS.  Sunday and Tuesday, 15:30-16:50 (Dhaka Time). 04:30-05:50 (New York Time). 10:30-11:50 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

The main focus of the 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. It is preferable that students should have basic ideas on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law and Law of Evidence, before taking this course. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69844

 

Data and Democracy: Statistics and Data Science for Engaged Citizenship in the 21st Century, Richard Lopez, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

 

In the 21st century, merely being informed about current events and happenings is no longer adequate. With the pervasive influence of misinformation on social media platforms, many facts that should not be controversial are readily called into question or discredited outright. This not only creates emotional tension among individuals, but—more alarmingly—also presents a systematic threat to democratic institutions and ideas across the globe. In an age of big and open data, we do not lack access to accurate information, but the average citizen often does not have sufficient quantitative reasoning skills to help them grasp fundamental statistical concepts such as effect size, absolute versus relative risk, sampling error, and the like. In this course, we will focus on these and other concepts across a wide range of topics and disciplines, from biomedical research on vaccine and drug development, to cutting-edge modeling techniques that link local extreme weather events to broader patterns associated with climate change. Along the way, we will learn about cognitive biases that can short-circuit rational thinking about risk and uncertainty, as well as ways to mitigate the influence of these biases. By the end of the course, students will strengthen their “data sense” and statistical thinking so they are better equipped to be engaged and effective global citizens. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69817

 

Dissent: Politics, Justice, Dignity, Pınar Kemerli, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

 

Why do citizens rebel? When is it legitimate to break the law? What makes resistance civil? This course surveys modern theories of dissent and resistance. We will examine the characteristics, justifications, and limitations of major forms of dissent including decolonization and civil disobedience, and focus on liberal, republican, and radical perspectives on what makes such resistance necessary and just. We will also study how contemporary technological transformations have changed the forms and means of resistance and what we perceive as justice and injustice. Our goal is to acquire a historically grounded understanding of key concepts in discussions and justifications of dissent including political obligation, independence, conscience, dignity, civility, refusal, self-defense, and violent/nonviolent action, and learn to form connections between philosophical debates we study and our contemporary political dilemmas. In addition to textual resources, the course includes analysis of several movies and documentaries on resistance including Chi-raq (2015), The Square (2013), and Malcolm X (1992). To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69815

 

Economics for Non-Economists, Michael Dorsch, Central European University, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 16:30-17:30 (Vienna Time). 10:30-11:30 (New York Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

This undergraduate class provides a gentle introduction to modern economics for students who are not following a major field of study in economics.  Economists rely heavily on models and quantitative methods in their analysis and most introductory courses provide a primer on the technical details of economic analysis. This course rather starts by identifying the most pressing policy issues of the day – environmental sustainability, inequality, the future of work, financial instability, innovation – and reviews what modern economics has contributed to the analysis of those issues.  While the course does equip students with some of the analytical tools that economists use, the focus is more on developing economic intuition and literacy, rather than technical mastery.  The primary goal of the course is to enable students to apply principles of economics to complex policy questions, analyze market scenarios and the distributional and efficiency aspects of government intervention.  There will be some sessions dedicated to in-class lectures, but students will find a variety of other activities to supplement the lectures, including empirical exercises that orient students with some of the kinds of data that economists typically analyze, in-class policy debates on economic case-studies, guest lectures by local economic policy-makers, and field trips to Viennese economic institutions. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69846

 

EU Politics, Jean Crombois, American University in Bulgaria, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Thursday, 10:45-12:00 (Blagoevgrad Time). 03:45-05:00 (New York Time).  09:45-11:00 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Global and International Studies; Political Studies

This course is an introduction to the structures, policies, and current political issues related to European integration. More specifically, the course deals with the institutional and political context in which the European Union operates, including its relationship with other international actors. It discusses the extent  to which the E.U. is increasingly shaping not only its member states' domestic  politics but state structures as well. The course will draw from the existing theories of integration as well as on selected key concepts of comparative politics. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69830

 

Evolution of Global Environmental Governance, Frances O'Morchoe, Brac University, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 08:00-09:20 (Dhaka Time). 21:00-22:20 (New York Time). 03:00-04:20 (Vienna Time).  

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

The question of global environmental governance has never been more pressing. In the context of accelerating climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and many other issues, this course investigates the twin questions of firstly, how human economies and societies have changed the environment over time, and secondly, how global environmental politics today seeks to solve these problems. This is an interdisciplinary course, spanning the fields of politics and policy, IR, education, history and environmental humanities. First, this course introduces students to a historical perspective on human-environment relations. We will study humans’ impact on the environment over the long duree, starting with the shift from hunting and gathering to agriculture, through the Industrial Revolution and shifts in energy consumption, to the emergence of the modern conservation and environmental movements. Second, this course will examine current political and policy responses to environmental issues. Students will evaluate the successes and failures of state-led attempts to solve environmental challenges, as well as the roles of NGOs, business, technology and education. Students will apply concepts of legitimacy, accountability and moral hazard to critically analyse current global environmental politics. Students will learn about what sustainable citizenship means, and how it applies to them. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69843

 

Introduction to Political Science, Fahmida Rahman, Brac University, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 09:30-11:00 (Dhaka Time). 22:30-00:00 (New York Time). 04:30-6:00 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

The course aims to introduce students to key concepts, approaches, and debates in political science by exploring some of the foundational and groundbreaking works in the discipline’s subfields of political theory, comparative politics, and international relations. Connecting important works in the discipline with salient current events will enable students to engage in critical evaluation of political outcomes and explanatory narratives about politics. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69842

 

Law for Life, Peace and Justice, Faustina Pereira, Brac University, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS.  Monday and Wednesday, 15:30-16:50 (Dhaka Time). 04:30-05:50 (New York Time). 10:30-11:50 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

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. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69845

 

Leadership, Writing & Public Speaking for Social & Environmental Justice, Jennifer Browdy, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time). 16:35-18:00 (Vienna Time). March 29-May 10.

 

It’s not enough just to care about an issue, you also have to learn how to communicate your passion in ways that inspire others to stand up and work for positive change. Drawing on the work of inspiring global leaders, we will explore the concept and practice of transformational leadership for social and environmental justice. Students will choose an issue to research and write about, working collaboratively to explore various rhetorical approaches to advocating for positive social and/or environmental change. Using TED guru Chris Andersen’s “official TED guide to public speaking” as a roadmap, students will practice writing and speaking in order to communicate their vision in as compelling a manner as possible. Students will come away from this course with a toolkit of skills and tactics for inspiring others, and a portfolio of their own efforts to speak out on issues of social and/or environmental justice. This is a six-week, half-semester class, with two synchronous 90-minute classes per week. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69847

 

Political Communication, Chynara Bakyt kyzy, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Political Studies

In this course we will discover how, why, and when humans claim, lose, or share power through symbolic exchanges. We will pay special attention to the media and its role in democratic processes. We will learn about the influences of the mass media, theories of media framing, the nature of news, recent trends and changes (rise of the Internet, social media, and partisan media), public opinion, perception, and culture. Three main topics will be discussed in significant details during the semester: Political Campaign Communication, Mass Media and Content, and Communication in Political Processes. The course aims to enrich students’ understanding and critical perspective on the political nature of events happening around them and their representation in the media. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69832

 

Political Economy of Media, Anas Alahmed, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Thursday, 18:00-20:40 (Bishkek Time). 07:00-09:40 (New York Time). 13:00-15:40 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

This seminar provides a critical lens on the media environment and how media systems and their structure operate in society. It focuses mainly on the relationship between media, politics, the economy in society, and empowered agents such as policymakers, media corporations, and international organizations and how the political and economic climate affects the content of the media. By taking a normative and critical approach to the media, this course aims to determine whether our current media system operates in such a way that supports and promotes a democratic society. The seminar applies the perspective through a series of political-economic case studies of the contemporary media and communication landscape, including media convergence and globalization; audience commodity and digital labor exploitation; platform capitalism; and global production networks in the media and communication industries. The seminar also covers the political economy of media and communication theories, media monopolies and private oligopolies; content and Information control; policy-making institutions, legislation, and censorship. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69809

 

​​Reproductive Health and Human Rights, Helen Epstein, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Thursday 09:10-11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

Centuries ago, a radical shift in attitudes and norms concerning sexual, reproductive and family life began spreading from one society to another.  Scholars call it the Demographic Transition, narrowly defined as a progressive reduction in the size of families and an increase in the survival of children, but its causes and consequences included political turmoil, personal and romantic upheavals, intellectual and artistic movements, the spread of diseases like syphilis and AIDS and new ideas about self and identity. This OSUN course will explore how individuals, groups and governments have responded, and continue to respond, to these changes through policy and social movements related to population growth, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sex work and sex trafficking, maternal mortality, abortion, gender violence and other issues.  The role of historical context, including the Industrial Revolution, the Cold War, the decolonization of the developing world and the Global War on Terror will be emphasized. To apply, click here:

https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69814

 

Something Old, Something New, Erica Kaufman and Derek Furr, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday 08:30-09:50 (New York Time). 14:30-15:50 (Vienna Time).

 

An introduction to reading, writing, and writing about poetry, Something Old, Something New pairs poetry of the past with poetry of the contemporary to examine how poets respond to each other and their social context. Poetry travels, so our scope will be global, with an emphasis on the ways that language, form, genre and convention transform as poets seek alternatives to their own traditions by reaching back to others, often across international borders, languages, and centuries. We will study how some modern poetries take song traditions as their point of departure—for instance, the relation between Native American song and contemporary Native American poets—and how others resonate with ancient spiritual poetries—for example, the influence of the Quran on Mahmoud Darwish. Matters of historical context and theories of translation will guide us, even as the principal focus will always be the practice of reading the poetry itself. We will give particular attention to lyric traditions from the regions represented by the OSUN network. Some of the contemporary poets we’ll read include: Ama Ata Aidoo (Ghana), Zeyar Lynn (Myanmar), Etel Adnan (Lebanon/France), Najwan Darwish (Palestine). We’ll also consider work from the Tang dynasty, medieval Japan, Renaissance and Romantic Europe, and the Latin American 20th century. As an introductory course, Something Old, Something New does not require previous experience reading poetry—in fact, we welcome students who are new to it, as well as students who thrive on it. To apply, click here:

https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69678

 

Special Topics in Social Thought: Dislocated Identities in a Fragmenting World, Jens Haendeler and Tom Selwyn, Al-Quds Bard College/ SOAS, 300 level available to undergraduate and master’s students, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Wednesday, 17:00-19:50 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-12:50 (New York Time). 16:00-18:50 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Anthropology, Human Rights

The proposed course is built around several interconnected OSUN research and teaching themes including conflict resolution, ethnic relations, migration, nationalism and transnationalism, human rights, and urban development as well as the more general intersections of religion and politics. The proposed course responds to a world framed by conflict-related refugees and asylum seekers, rising populism and exclusionary political rhetoric and policies. It builds on the study of, and participation in, progressive and critical movements formed by cosmopolitan values and practices based upon principles of universal hospitality and mutual recognition. The key terms of the proposed course include identity, migration, refugees, asylum, exclusion/inclusion, shared space, the city as refuge, memorialisation, notions of home and homecoming. The 11 proposed sessions of the course are: (i) Violence, migration, identity (ii) Critical responses to local/global fragmentation (iii) Hospitality (iv) Hostility (v) Critical Geography and theories of space and place (vi) Contested landscapes (vii) The city as refuge: urban ritual, sharing, belonging (viii) Populism and exclusionary/inclusionary politics (ix) Coming home: the self in the world and the world in the self (x) Conclusions and explorations: Towards and Open Society. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69804

 

State Theory: Law, Politics, and Space, Boris Vormann, Bard College Berlin, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Thursday, 14:00-17:15 (Berlin Time), 08:00-11:15 (New York Time), 14:00-17:15 (Vienna Time).

 

Law and politics are embedded in space and its many territorial categories. However, the spatial dimensions of law and politics are not always made explicit in the respective disciplinary traditions. Jurisdiction, sovereignty, non-intervention, even human rights – all these terms are relevant for contemporary debates and would be difficult to operationalize without a clear understanding of their spatial dimension. In past decades, the importance of territoriality has also been called into question, for instance through processes associated with digitalization and globalization. And yet, the importance of territory persists. At the intersection of legal studies and political science, this course explores key issues and concepts pertaining to space and territoriality with a view to a critical re-assessment of their contemporary importance. The last section of the course will be offered in cooperation between the Politics Section of Bard College Berlin (Professor Boris Vormann) and the Department of Law at Freie Universität Berlin (Professor Helmut Philipp Aust). To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69841

 

Writing to Right the World, Jennifer Browdy, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 200 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:35-12:00 (New York Time) 16:35-18:00 pm (Vienna Time). February 1-March 17.

 

This class is for students who care about issues of social and environmental justice, and want to communicate their passion to a variety of target audiences.  We will read the professionals in a range of genres, and try our own hands at writing about what matters to us, employing the most heartfelt, persuasive rhetorical strategies we can come up with as well as a variety of creative approaches.  Students will come away from this course with a portfolio of writing about the most pressing social and environmental issues of our time. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69848

 

HUMAN RIGHTS

Education and Development in a Global Era (Colloquium). Kata Orosz, Central European University and Tamo Chattopadhay, American University of Central Asia and Bard College, Master’s Level (Advanced Undergraduates are eligible). Audit only or to get credit, admittance into the GLOBALED Certificate Program (Fall 2022). 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Monday, 13:30-15:10 (Vienna Time). 07:30-09:10 (New York Time).

 

This course is part of the 3-course OSUN GLOBALED certificate program; a new blended certificate program that enrolls 3-5 students from a diverse group of OSUN partner institutions. This online course comprises a series of 100-minute online seminars held by invited speakers: leading scholars, experts, and practitioners of educational development from around the globe. Faculty members from a diverse group of OSUN institutions, along with experts and practitioners in the Open Society Foundations network and beyond, will present their research findings, case studies, and reflections on their professional practice, with a view to educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders and policy makers in the field of global educational development.

 

The course builds on the conceptual foundations laid in the gateway course “SOPP 5650 - Policy and Practice in Global Education – Critical Perspectives”. It encourages course participants to consider what can be done to disrupt the status quo that leaves behind millions of children worldwide in a vicious cycle of poverty and under-education. The seminars will feature discussion of policies and interventions related to early childhood education, eradication of child labor, teacher training and curriculum design, inclusion and equity, school choice, digitalization in education, and more.

 

Please note that this course is open to all OSUN students to audit, but only students already enrolled in the OSUN GLOBALED certificate program will be able to take this course for grade. For information about enrolling in the GLOBALED Certificate Program, please write to Co-Directors Prof. Kata Orosz (oroszk@ceu.edu) or Prof. Tamo Chattopadhay (tamo.chattopadhay@gmail.com).

 

International Criminal Law, Saniia Tokyo Gazieva, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 14:10-15:25 (Bishkek Time). 03:10-04:25 (New York Time). 09:10-10:25 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

Widespread violations of human rights had become a common practice in the contemporary world. Thus, the growing concern of the international community resulted in a demand for international criminal persecution of those who committed grave and heinous breaches of international human rights and humanitarian laws. The course will explore the dynamic development of this procedure where impunity was replaced by international criminal accountability of individuals in various historical trials. Namely, it will address the particularities of so-called historical trials, the multiple functions these types of trials are expected to accomplish and the difficulties they are faced with. Following a brief description of the historical background of the creation of the International Criminal Court and the analysis of the operation of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal, the ad-hoc international tribunals and hybrid and internationalized courts the procedure to be followed by the ICC will be discussed in detail in the light of grave violations of human rights. Furthermore, students will also be able to employ multi-faceted views on International Criminal Law, namely from the perspectives of victims of crimes and also fair-trials rights of the defendants. After introducing students to the main principles and sources of International Criminal law, the course will discuss in detail four main crimes under the international criminal law. First, we will explore the war crimes and respective

elements of this crime along with contemporary challenges revolving around it. Following the same logic, the course will continue with the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69810

 

INEQUALITIES

Architectural Entanglements with Labor, Ivonne Santoyo-Orozco, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Friday, 13:30-14:50 (New York Time). 19:30-20:50 (Vienna Time).

 

Architecture is both the product of labor and the organizer of its relations, yet often these issues remain overshadowed by aesthetic considerations and the broader discourse of design. This course aims to shift the question of labor in architecture to the foreground by inviting students to reflect on the spatio-political role architecture has played in mediating bodies, work and capital. To do this, the course will introduce not only a set of paradigmatic spaces of work by situating genealogically its spatial transformations alongside socio-political histories; but it also seeks to understand the forms of labor that have been produced to feed architectural production and its endless cycles of extraction and maintenance. With the former, ‘Spaces of Labor’, we will seek to understand how various architectural typologies (offices, factories, houses, etc.) organize labor and social relations; with the latter, ‘Labors of Architecture’, we will aim to analyze architecture as a commodity, as an instrument of capital that mobilizes various labor practices beyond its object (construction, maintenance, resource extraction). If the former is concerned with broadening the understanding of architecture to present it instead as a lens with which to understand labor histories and struggles, the latter is interested in understanding what architecture reproduces: labor as an effect of architecture. Together the two parts, which are often indistinguishable from each other, aim to introduce architecture as a site entangled in socio-political histories, not only shaping the lives of those working within their walls but also broader socio-political contexts far beyond its envelope. The two main themes cut across the following sites of work that we will reflect upon during the term: construction work, extraction work, factory work, logistic work, office work, remote work, unpaid housework, domestic work, maintenance work, farm work, and carceral work. All of these will contribute to the analysis by intersecting architectural discourse with other disciplines that complement the spatial histories of the worksites in question. Each site will be presented through a series of case studies that will vary in terms of geographical context and scale allowing the possibility to highlight structural and systemic issues. As such this course does not present a comprehensive history of the relation between architecture and labor, rather it serves as an opening to the field. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69863

 

Beyond Bollywood: Mapping South Asian Cinema, Fahmidul Haq, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

South Asian Cinema is nearly synonymous with Indian Cinema to the international audience, though all other countries have a long tradition of filmmaking. India produces the highest number of films in the world. Globally, Indian Cinema is largely known by Bollywood productions, but some South Indian film industries are no less vibrant than Bollywood. Bengali art cinema produced globally acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak and a few low-budget indie-esque films (we call it “the other Bollywood”) are made within the studio system of Bollywood. Though influenced by Indian Cinema, other South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have developed strong film cultures too. Since the 1947 Partition of India, South Asian countries have been going through different cultural, religious and political experiences and their cinema has also developed increasingly different identities. This course will use case studies across a range of South Asian cinema cultures to explore their common as well as different cultural backgrounds, historiography, and sociopolitical realities. Topics will include both historical and contemporary cinematic practices in South Asian countries, such as the Partition of India in South Asian Cinema, cinematic representation of the Liberation War of Bangladesh, Bollywood’s cultural influence in other South Asian countries, portrayal of Kashmir in Indian cinema, diasporic Indian cinema and “other Bollywood” cinema. Films by artists such as Raj Kapoor, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Anurag Kashyap from India; Zahir Raihan, Alamgir Kabir and Tareque Masud from Bangladesh; Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Shoaib Mansoor from Pakistan; and Lester James Peries from Sri Lanka will be studied closely. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69861

 

Gazing at/through/within the Arab World. Issam Khoury, Al Quds Bard College, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Monday and Wednesday, 17:00-18:20 (Abu Dis Time). 10:00-11:20  (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Global and International Studies

This course aims to provide students with multiple perspectives from which to understand the modern Arab world. Using both social sciences and humanities approaches, this course will give students a wide variety of texts through which they can enhance their understanding of the Arab world. The course will be structured around the theme of “the gaze”.  In the first section, we will explore philosophical and historical approaches to “gazing at” the Middle East.  How has the Middle East been understood by non-Arabs, and how did this define an understanding of the Arab self? In the second section, we will “gaze through” the Arab Gulf States, a region of the Middle East that has, in the span of twenty short years, made a name for itself as the epicenter of commerce and industry. More recently, and specifically in the last ten years, since the rise of the so-called Arab Spring, the region has attempted to assert itself politically by influencing regional politics, and creating intra-regional alliances. Far beyond the simplistic paradigm of oil, in this section, we will explore underlying currents that have come to characterize the Arab Gulf States.

And in the final section, we will attempt to “gaze within” the Middle East, and explore those themes that most in the Arab world would prefer not to discuss. What are the undercurrents in these societies that continue to remain undiscussed? What of the role of gender, sexuality, and subaltern identities? What role does the citizen play (if any, or indeed if citizenship does exist) in the Arab world? How have shifting dynamics (political and social) affected how its people see themselves? To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69802

 

The Anthropology of Home, Sophia Stamatopoulou-Robbins, Bard College Annandale, 200 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 10:10-11:30 (New York Time). 16:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

What makes a home? Are homes political? This course will examine the meanings, materialities, and effects of homes across cultural contexts and through time. It will seek to understand how homes are unmade and remade, and what the effects of those processes are on human relationships and on relations between humans and the nonhuman world. It will investigate the relationship between homes and wealth in different societies, and what kinds of ownership emerge out of humans’ relationships to the infrastructures of shelter. The course will explore cases when homes appear to operate as extensions of colonial, state and nationalist ideologies. And it will highlight contexts in which homes can become spaces that counter hegemonic ideologies or cultural norms, or that can preserve lifeways that such ideologies and norms seek to eradicate. It will examine the kinds of labor and attention it takes to keep a structure stable enough over time, and against erosion caused by the elements, asking what socialities are formed out of the different kinds of--often gendered--labor that go into maintaining a home? It will investigate the question of whether homes are always spaces of intimacy. And it will explore the relationship between homes and the seemingly natural division between public and private realms. Our readings will draw on works of earlier anthropologists and theorists (e.g. Bourdieu, Hurston, Arendt, Levi-Strauss, Foucault, Laporte, Weiner), as well as on more contemporary ethnographies of places such as Palestine, Greece, Argentina, Vietnam, and the United States. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69862

 

LIBERAL ARTS and SCIENCES

 

Diplomatic History, Görkem Atsungur, American University of Central Asia, 200 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

This course provides students with a survey of international relations history with a focus on European diplomacy. The main aim of this course is to provide the historical background to current affairs in international relations. With a broad introduction to European history, students are provided an in-depth explanation of the historical development of ideas, institutions, regulations, systems, and actors of international relations. In this course, the modern history of the European civilizations and nations are examined and discussed by referring to the interactions between nations and their impact on the shaping of the current international relations, systems, beliefs, institutions, economic ties, and diplomacy. The course, therefore, focuses on the diplomatic interactions and the social, economic, political, and cultural contexts in which they take place in Europe. Topics covered include The Thirty Years’ War and The Peace of Westphalia, The Great Powers, The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, The Congress of Vienna, The Concert of Europe System, The Unifications of Italy and Germany, World War I and II, The Russian Revolution, The Rise of Communism and Fascism, The Cold War, Decolonization, Fall of Berlin Wall, Dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Post-Cold War period to the present. At the end of the course, the significant periods, events, and historical diplomatic perspectives will be covered, and the most important details of each will be discussed. On completion of the course, students will be able to analyze the system of international relations from the past to present with a historical perspective. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69807

 

Introduction to Information Security, Dr. Ala Abdulhakim Abdulaziz, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Monday and Thursday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 09:00-10:20 (New York Time). 15:00-16:20 (Vienna Time).

 

This course relates to global information security and the role it plays in international relations. Citizens of countries around the world have grown accustomed to the ever-present threat of a terrorist attack, which could come in the form of a bomb, a hijacking, release of a biological agent, or other means. Most people have not given much thought to the possibility of cyber terrorism. This introductory-level course provides an overview of global cybersecurity. In addition, the course will cover some recent prominent cases of cyber terrorism. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69805

 

Literature in the Digital Age, Patricia Lopez-Gay, Bard College Annandale, 300-400 level, 4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday, 09:00-11:30 (New York Time). 15:10-17:30 (Vienna Time).

 

The proliferation of digital information and communications technologies over the past half-century has transformed and continues to transform how literary works are composed, produced, circulated, read, and interpreted. What new forms and practices of reading and writing have emerged in this late age of typography? What is the nature, extent, and significance of these changes? This course re-assesses questions and themes long central to the study of literature including: archiving, authorship, canon formation, circulation and access, materiality, narrative, poetics, and readership, among others. The course aims to understand our present moment in a historical global context by pairing contemporary works with texts from and about other shifts in media from the ancient world to the contemporary era. Readings include Augustine, Borges, Eisenstein, Flusser, Hayles, Jenkins, and Plato, as well as works of HTML/hypertext fiction, Twitter literature, online poetry, fan fiction, and so on. Coursework will include online and off-line activities in addition to traditional papers. This course is cross-listed with Experimental Humanities. Please contact the professor prior to registering for this course. To apply, click here:

https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=70331

 

Oral History Theories and Methods, Sarybaeva Aijamal, American University of Central Asia, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 19:00-20:15 (Bishkek Time). 08:00-09:15 (New York Time). 14:00-15:15 (Vienna Time).

 

Oral history is a method of research used primarily by historians, but also by many other social scientists and cultural studies researchers. The goals of an oral history project may be to collect, archive, and make public individual recollections about specific events or themes, or the goals may be to collect and analyze such recollections as sources for understanding a historical moment, trend, or change. This course will show how to do oral history research making use of best practices and research ethics. Students will carry out oral history interviews and use them as sources for scholarly analysis. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69808

 

Renewable Energy and Green Technology, Ahmed Aljanad, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Wednesday and Sunday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 10:00-11:20 (New York Time). 16:00-17:20 pm (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies

This course will introduce green technology, renewable energy, and why renewable energy and green technology is necessary for our societies. This course is intended for students in other fields of study who want to learn the fundamental engineering principles of renewable energy. The primary focus of this course is the application of renewable energy to electrical power generation. As each renewable energy technology is explained, the student is shown how to do a basic energy analysis of the corresponding power-generation system. Students will also be introduced to different types of renewable energy technology such as: wind energy, solar, hydro-electric, geothermal energy, fuel cells, heat pump systems, and high voltage DC energy transport. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69869

 

Science in Islamic Culture, Dr. Rahim Ullah Shinwari, American University of Afghanistan, 100 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday and Saturday, 18:30-19:50 (Kabul Time). 09:00-10:20 (New York Time). 15:00-16:20 (Vienna Time).

 

This course intends to give an overview and a basic introduction to the achievements of Muslim civilization in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and astronomy. Its focus is on the contributions of Muslim scientists and philosophers to world history, science and culture. The course is a foundational step for those who wish to further read about, or study, the contributions of Muslims in the diverse areas of knowledge. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69806

 

SUSTAINABILITY and CLIMATE

 

Climate Change and Business, Syed M Rahman, Brac University, 200 level / 2nd year: may have prerequisites, appropriate for students with at least one year of college/university study (nb: new/1st year students may enroll in 200-level courses at the instructor’s discretion), 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Tuesday, 19:00-22:00 (Dhaka Time). 08:00-11:00 (New York Time). 14:00-17:00 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Climate change is one of the most discussed issues in the local, national, and global contexts for the last half century, since it creates risk for natural, human, and social systems. The multi-dimensional impact of climate change has attracted researchers and policymakers along with other stakeholders including investors who want to keep their investment in business safe. Business entities require adjustment to the policy initiatives national governments and/or intergovernmental organizations make with an aim, for instance, to address climate change and its impacts including emissions of greenhouse gases. This process brings enormous opportunities. Resource optimization resulting in cost minimization and innovation help companies to gain higher market share. Since global production and consumption have been increasing dramatically due to versatile demand from consumers, doing business as usual will have some obvious consequences. Thus, an improved and inclusive education of business is pertinent. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69866

 

 

Climate Change Seminar and Lab, Harold M Hastings, PhD, Bard College at Simon’s Rock, 100 level,  4 US credits / 8 ECTS. Tuesday and Thursday, 09:00-10:25 and Thursday lab 14:40-17:35 (New York Time). 15:00-16:25 and 20:40-23:35 lab (Vienna Time).

Cross-listed: Environmental & Urban Studies

This course examines the science of the Earth’s climate, with a focus on understanding the recent scientific realization that human activity could be changing it in profound ways. Topics include solar radiation, the carbon cycle, greenhouse gases, measuring the climate of the past, and predicting the climate of the future. Laboratory exercises include data analysis and forecasting, measurement of the solar constant (solar radiation), design of solar cookers, and effects of surface (vegetation, pavement, etc.) on local climate. (Students in Asia will participate in some labs asynchronously due to time differences from Eastern US time.)  Finally, we will also discuss ways that humans might lessen or correct their impact on the climate. In particular, we will consider the global climate system as a commons and management of the commons, especially Decision Theaters (Manfred Laublichler, Arizona State University) as a means of developing local, shared management.  The course is designed to be suitable for all students, regardless of previous science background. Corequisite: College algebra or higher mathematics or permission of the instructor (via email discussion – students or their advisors should email hhastings@simons-rock.edu if they have questions about corequisites.). To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69868

 

Education for Sustainable Development, Amadeus DeKastle, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Thursday, 18:00-20:00 (Bishkek Time). 07:00-09:00 (New York Time). 13:00-15:00 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.  Of course, all 17 goals work together to achieve this.  However, it is important that we are not just “aware” of these goals, but that we can integrate them into our classrooms.  Not just in a superficial way of talking about a few of the goals in a couple pre-planned lessons, but in a more visceral way where these goals pervade everything from our personal educational philosophy to the way we run daily classes.  Why? Because for these goals to become reality by 2030, our students need to see them as something that is part of our/their lives, not just something we give lip service to in a few token lessons throughout the school year.  This class endeavours to educate you on the background and importance of a selection of the goals as well as model a few ways to incorporate them into your classroom in conjunction with some fun new tech tools. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69812

 

Ethics and Culture, S M Mahfuzur Rahman, Brac University, 100 level, appropriate for new or 1st year students, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Sunday and Thursday, 12:30-13:50 (Dhaka Time), 01:30-02:50 (New York Time), 07:30-08:50 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: MBV

Cross-listed: Philosophy

This course will introduce students to the major theoretical debates and practical applications in the field of ethics. The philosophy of ethics examines the question of how we ought to live and act. Since ancient times, philosophers in different parts of the world have considered ethics as one of the central concerns in the study of individual and social life. Drawing on classical and modern perspectives, and issues taken from different historical and geographical settings, the course engages students to identify challenging moral dilemmas and ethical questions, reflect on major ethical traditions and theories, and apply the concepts and theories to both enduring and real-life ethical problems. During the first part of the course we will consider ethical debates and philosophies from the classical Chinese and Greek traditions, Classical Islamic philosophy, and Buddhist ethics. In the second part of the course we will preview the major schools of modern ethics, such as egoism, utilitarianism, deontology, feminist ethics, and Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of morality. While the ethical concepts and theories are related to pragmatic or “real-life” problems throughout the course, the final part of the course is specifically dedicated to the application of ethical concepts and practices in different fields and professions, such as gender and ethics, business ethics, environment ethics, and ethical issues related to the global coronavirus pandemic. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69867

 

International Investment Dispute Settlement, Begaiym Esenkulova, American University of Central Asia, 300-400 level, 3 US credits / 6 ECTS. Friday, 15:35-18:15 (Bishkek Time). 04:35-07:15 (New York Time). 10:35-16:15 (Vienna Time).

Bard Distributional Area: SA

Cross-listed: Human Rights

This course is focused on the study of legal aspects of international investment dispute settlement. As the number of multimillion-dollar investment arbitration cases filed by investors against host states is increasing, the comprehension of this field of law has become essential. Classes are aimed at providing students with the knowledge and critical understanding of key issues surrounding international investment dispute settlement. The course is focused primarily on international investment arbitration and covers topics ranging from the drafting of an arbitral agreement to the holding of arbitral proceedings and enforcement of awards. Special attention is paid to the analysis of leading arbitration cases under the rules of the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). At the same time, attention is also dedicated to alternatives to investment arbitration, including but not limited to international investment mediation.  As the course is interactive and practice-oriented, there are a number of practical assignments, such as international investment arbitration simulations. Course activities allow students not only to apply the substantive knowledge gained in practice, but also help improve their proficiency in verbal and written communication as well as their analytical and problem-solving skills. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69811

 

Monitoring Environmental

 

 Change, Emily White, Bard College Annandale, 100 level, 2 US credits / 4 ECTS. Tuesday, 07:00-08:20 (New York Time). 13:00-14:20 (Vienna Time).

 

In the face of climate change, communities are tasked with the equitable management of shared natural resources. Environmental monitoring provides local and global communities with the data needed to inform planning to ensure the availability of drinkable water, fertile soils, and clean air. This course will introduce students to the practical aspects of environmental monitoring while exploring the related climate change and public health connections. Case studies will cover a range of approaches including worldwide programs (e.g., the United Nations Global Environment Monitoring System program) and local community-based initiatives. Students will learn how water, air, and soil quality can be monitored using sophisticated scientific instruments as well as simpler tools that enable public participation. Online course content and activities will guide students from across the Open Society University Network through the process of identifying potential local climate-related challenges. Based on identified community needs, students will find available data, evaluate environmental conditions and trends, and design an environmental monitoring study, resulting in a project proposal. Following review, selected proposals will be eligible for further development and support as pilot projects (through the OSUN Community Science Coalition program). Additional assignments will include readings, video lectures, completion of modules, and one-on-one and small group sessions. To apply, click here: https://bard.studioabroad.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=69864

 

 

 

 

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