Global Arc

The course aims to show the various regulatory methods used by constitutional democracies worldwide, present the relevant case law, and help students understand why emergency measures could be dangerous in constitutional democracies. It is one of the main tasks of this course to draw attention to the link between autocratic transitions and exceptional measures to help better understand the importance of preserving the values of the rule of law and to discuss the relevant examples from the origins of the ancient Roman dictatorship to the recent developments related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

An introduction to political theory that explores the relevance of theory to a critical understanding of political and social problems. The course will examine the major classical and contemporary expressions of liberal, conservative, and socialist theory and relate them to the problems of order, freedom, equality, and justice. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course will focus on the process of democratic transition and consolidation in a comparative and historical manner. In particular, we will analyze the democratic revolution that has swept the globe during the last 30 years by examining the communist and authoritarian backgrounds of newly democratized countries, the factors influencing the emergence of democracy, the problems associated with building stable democratic systems, and finally, the prospects for a regime shift in parts of the world still under autocratic rule. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

A study of the writings of some major political theorists from the 17th through the 19th centuries, including Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and J. S. Mill. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

This course will examine traditions of political thought--mostly, but not only, on the Left--which challenge mainstream conceptions of liberal democracy and modern capitalist society. The main focus will be on Marxism, anarchism, feminism, religious radicalism, ecological thought, and critiques of alienation in everyday life. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between political and cultural criticism, and to the philosophical anthropologies underlying different theories as well as the mechanisms for social change they envisage. We also ask if liberal democratic thought can effectively respond to radical challenges.

Hunger and under-nutrition are widespread in poor countries while an obesity crisis is growing in rich countries. Rural-urban income inequality occurs throughout the world and farming and food industry practices everywhere have significant adverse effects on public health and the environment/climate. What are the economic causes of these problems? Are agricultural, food, nutrition and environmental policy measures currently proposed to deal with these problems effective? This course uses theoretical and empirical economic analysis to study the agricultural and food sector and related government policies in rich and poor countries.

The course explores the increasing weight of Asia in global financial markets. It frames the discussion in the context of the globalization of financial markets, with emphasis on concepts of economic development, institutional reform of markets, and public and private market investments. Discussions combine analysis of historical trends and recent events with insights from practical experience in Asian markets. Particular focus is devoted to China and Japan. The course explicitly considers China's gradual shift toward a capital market-based financial system and prospects for the development of the renminbi into an international currency.

The course will focus on postcolonial writing from the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, which have come increasingly to be viewed as sites where issues of global import are conspicuously articulated. Against the historical background of slavery and colonialism, questions to be discussed will feature some that loom especially large: the genesis of a distinct multiethnic and multilingual community; the phenomena of migration and diaspora; ongoing tensions between former colonies now incorporated, as peripheral departments, by the "center," that is, France and the European Union; and not least, the matter of geography and the environment.

An introduction to English literary history. Centered on four great writers--Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, and Pope. Two lectures, one 50-minute preceptorial.

The 21st century has seen many Greek classics re-told in ways that challenge dominant power structures. We will analyze some of these new versions of old stories while interrogating the very idea of a 'classic'. Why re-tell a story from over 2,000 years ago to begin with? What are the politics of engaging with texts that have been used to underpin ideas of a superior Western civilization? What challenges do writers have to overcome in working with ancient texts? Students will consider these questions as readers but also as writers who will work towards a classics re-write of their own.