Topics in Medieval Japanese History
This book differs from many other textbooks in that it contains relatively less political, institutional and military history and relatively more social and cultural history than is typically the case. Within the cultural history of medieval Japan, Buddhism is of the utmost importance. This book therefore contains an introduction to the origin and major teachings of Buddhism. Subsequent chapters expand on this introduction in the context of Japanese history.
Making Japanese
This book emphasizes a succession of topics rather than strict adherence to the flow of time. In a general way, the chapters move from earlier periods of time to later periods of time, but their content and organization gives top priority to coverage of topics. While the "mainstream" narrative of politics and institutions is present in these pages, the emphasis is on social and cultural history wherever possible.
Topics in Pre-Modern Japanese History
This book emphasizes a succession of topics rather than strict adherence to the flow of time. The chapters move from earlier periods of time to later periods of time, but their content and organization gives top priority to coverage of topics. While the "mainstream" narrative of politics and institutions is present in these pages, the emphasis is on social and cultural history wherever possible.
Environments of Africa
EARTH 105 investigates the interrelationships between geology, hydrology, land use and human development in several areas of Africa. We focus primarily on regions north of the equator, although there is a brife segment on South African mining. Specific topics include the Nile River (sources of the Nile, agricultural practices, effects of damming the Nile, and hydropolitics), the Sahara and Sahel (salt mines, climate change, drought, and wather resources), and natural resources and their role in
Introduction to Cyberpunk Literature
This course covers the works of the four major writers of cyberpunk: William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, Neal Stephenson, and Pat Cadigan. Other theoretical and scholarly texts that articulate cyberpunk as a site of intellectual and literary investigation will be read and will inform discussions . Popular films (Blade Runner and The Matrix) which are good examples of cyberpunk films are will also be referred to. The thematic concerns of cyberpunk, that speak directly to contemporary issues like gl
Poker and Strategic Thinking
In this course we will work from the idea that there is merit in a poker way of thinking when analyzing real life situations. We think the skills important to playing winning poker, and ideas behind these skills, have merit in other fields.
The goals of the course are to introduce the use of ideas from the poker world in skills of life, business, politics and international relations. We will specifically delve into the use of poker in:
1.Strategic thinking
2.Game Theory, Risk and Business
3.So
Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War was a complex and significant event that should be examined from all angles and perspectives. Students may be particularly interested in Spanish-American War issues that remain relevant today, namely the role of the media in the war and questions regarding foreign intervention. Educators are encouraged to use the film CRUCIBLE OF EMPIRE: THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR to complement their lessons in history, journalism, government, and political science classrooms.
The Time of the Lincolns
The film Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided and this companion Web site, The Time of the Lincolns, offer insights into topics in American history including women's rights, slavery, abolition, politics and partisanship, the growth of the industrial economy, and the Civil War. You can use part or all of the film, or delve into the rich resources available on this Web site to learn more, either in a classroom or on your own.
Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
That Jim Crow was a tremendously important period in United States history is undisputable. Less obvious is how to properly address the violence, politics, and complexities that mark the era. This site looks at the century of segregation following the Civil War (1863-1954). Jim Crow, a name taken from a popular 19th-century minstrel song, came to personify government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the U.S. This website describes pivotal developments during that time – the Eman
FatWorld
FATWORLD is a video game about the politics of nutrition. It explores the relationships between obesity, nutrition, and socioeconomics in the contemporary U.S. The game's goal is not to tell people what to eat or how to exercise, but to demonstrate the complex, interwoven relationships between nutrition and factors like budgets, the physical world, subsidies, and regulations.
Automobile Choices and Alternative Fuels
In this lesson students will compare and make distinctions among 5 alternative fuels. They will understand the impact of different types of fuel on: a. the environment b. lifestyle c. the economy/personal finances of car choices. They will also use critical thinking skills to support multi-step decision-making for buying a car.
Social Studies
This section encourages objectivity as students are offered information about the historical context for the works of art. The pre-visit activity, Analyzing Political Cartoons, asks students to find and interpret a political cartoon. This exercise continues to encourage students' exploration of symbols as tools for delivering messages, in this case politically and socially motivated ones. The on-site activity, Analyzing Art, asks students to look at a work of art subjectively through a facilitat
Game Theory
This course is an introduction to game theory and strategic thinking. Ideas such as dominance, backward induction, Nash equilibrium, evolutionary stability, commitment, credibility, asymmetric information, adverse selection, and signaling are discussed and applied to games played in class and to examples drawn from economics, politics, the movies, and elsewhere.
The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877
This course explores the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War, from the 1840s to 1877. The primary goal of the course is to understand the multiple meanings of a transforming event in American history. Those meanings may be defined in many ways: national, sectional, racial, constitutional, individual, social, intellectual, or moral. Four broad themes are closely examined: the crisis of union and disunion in an expanding republic; slavery, race, and emancipation as national
France Since 1871
This course covers the emergence of modern France. Topics include the social, economic, and political transformation of France; the impact of France's revolutionary heritage, of industrialization, and of the dislocation wrought by two world wars; and the political response of the Left and the Right to changing French society.
Global Problems of Population Growth
This survey course introduces students to the important and basic material on human fertility, population growth, the demographic transition and population policy. Topics include: the human and environmental dimensions of population pressure, demographic history, economic and cultural causes of demographic change, environmental carrying capacity and sustainability. Political, religious and ethical issues surrounding fertility are also addressed. The lectures and readings attempt to balance theor
The Psychology, Biology and Politics of Food
This course encompasses the study of eating as it affects the health and well-being of every human. Topics include taste preferences, food aversions, the regulation of hunger and satiety, food as comfort and friendship, eating as social ritual, and social norms of blame for food problems. The politics of food discusses issues such as sustainable agriculture, organic farming, genetically modified foods, nutrition policy, and the influence of food and agriculture industries. Also examined are prob
European Civilization, 1648-1945
This course offers a broad survey of modern European history, from the end of the Thirty Years' War to the aftermath of World War II. Along with the consideration of major events and figures such as the French Revolution and Napoleon, attention will be paid to the experience of ordinary people in times of upheaval and transition. The period will thus be viewed neither in terms of historical inevitability nor as a procession of great men, but rather through the lens of the complex interrelations
Dante in Translation
The course is an introduction to Dante and his cultural milieu through a critical reading of the Divine Comedy and selected minor works (Vita nuova, Convivio, De vulgari eloquentia, Epistle to Cangrande). An analysis of Dante's autobiography, the Vita nuova, establishes the poetic and political circumstances of the Comedy's composition. Readings of Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise seek to situate Dante's work within the intellectual and social context of the late Middle Ages, with special attenti
Digital Government 2: Information Technology and Democratic Administration, Winter 2009
Course is the second of a two-part sequence exploring contemporary practices, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of information technology and democratic governance. Whereas the first course (SI 532) focuses on tensions and innovations in democratic politics, this course takes on emerging directions in democratic administration and the shifting role of information technologies in supporting, transforming, and understanding these. The first part of the course sets contemporary disc
