Global Arc

Nestled in the Caucasus, Azerbaijan offers an unparalleled perspective on the processes that birthed and continue to shape the modern world. Azerbaijan at the beginning of the twentieth century was a global pacesetter, the center of world oil production and then the first secular democratic republic in the Muslim world. After seven decades of Soviet Communism, Azerbaijan is again an independent state and global energy hub. We will study timeless debates on Islam and identity, empire and independence, autocracy and democracy, and energy and development.

This course will trace the ways in which Greek photographers, the modern Greek poets George Seferis, Odysseus Elytis, Andreas Embirícos, and Yannis Ritsos, and the Canadian poet Anne Carson reflect on the relation between Greece and photography. Visiting Delphi, the site of the Oracle of Apollo, the god of the Sun, Mycenae, the mythical birthplace of Greek literature, and the island of Crete, where Greek history and geology encounter each other, we will be able to see the light and landscape that inspired these photographers and these extraordinary literary texts.

The aim of this course is to track and understand the structural and architectural engineering leadership of Italy in the context of social-political-economic circumstances. The course studies various structure of Italy in three distinct time frames: creativity in structural and architectural engineering during the classical and medieval period, vaulted reinforced concrete structures of the 1900s, and modern times of lightweight structures and advanced technologies. In all parts of the course, calculations are made to examine the structural integrity. The course is open to all majors, no prerequisites.

We'll be based in Galway, a university town in the western part of the country with a rich tradition of Irish folk culture and performance. In addition to reading canonical and avant-garde drama from the 20th and 21st centuries, and studying and experiencing local theatre and performance, students will study the Irish language and will participate in performance-based community service activities. Daily seminars and performance workshops will be supplemented by frequent evenings of theatre-going. Performance experience is not necessary to enroll in this seminar.

The seminar begins with ancient civilizations and ends with Turkey in the twenty first century. It provides an analysis of change and continuity in Turkish society with a strong focus on history. Emphasis will also be on major cultural transformations. Students read at least one book on a major subject to be discussed in the course.

For most of history, political regimes have glorified their past. Only recently do we seem to observe a new form of political legitimacy: governments acknowledge misdeeds in the past, leaders officially apologize, and atonement is literally set in stone through monuments and museums. Germany is often seen as a prime example of the trend and has even been held up as a model for `dealing with a difficult past'. This seminar examines the German case in order to address the following questions: is there an ethical obligation to remember the past?Do collective memories remain tied to nation-states, or can memory practices transcend them?

This course traces the birth and spread of the ghetto as a social form and as an idea throughout world history. We begin with the first Jewish residential zone in a European city, the Jewish quarter of pre-Christian Rome, and end with what some prominent observers are calling a paradigmatic ghetto of the 21st century: Gaza. As we trace the spread and evolution of the ghetto concept, we explore how the social form emerged in different historical moments and what people inside and outside have made of the experience.

This Global Seminar explores Zen practice and its religious connections to monastic life and its secular links to Japanese arts. Studies of the essential aspects of Japanese History, the mechanics of East Asian writing systems, and Mahâyâna Buddhism will be complemented by opportunities in Kyoto to practice Zen meditation. Students will visit many sites around Kyoto, including Nanzenji, Shôkokuji, and Daitokuji temples. Attending a daily class in the elements of the Japanese language is required.

This course will study language and history through the lens of a regional collection of fairy tales, and will allow students to develop a working knowledge of the richly collaborative process through which musical theater is created. We'll learn how artists interpret, adapt, and create work, as well as give feedback to the creative development process. By working closely with professionals, students will also gain valuable experience in the craft of musical theater writing - learning some of the basic principles of form we well as how to shape songs and musicalized scenes for maximum storytelling clarity and effectiveness.

This course explores the drama of ancient Athens through reading, performance, and observation. Students will confront the interpretative and performative challenges the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes offer, culminating in a performance of student-generated scenes. Students will attend performances as well as participate in workshops and conversations with actors, directors, and designers. The seminar investigates the connection between the ancient world and Greece's complex multicultural present though trips to ancient sites and the modern city. The seminar features community service and classes in Modern Greek.