Global Arc

This course, taught at Ashoka University (India), is an introduction to Indian politics. The first half is structured as chronological 'political history'. We begin with the colonial period (1757-1947), before studying the eras of Nehru (1947-64), Indira Gandhi (1965-1984) and the contemporary period (1985-2014). The second half looks at 'concepts' in Indian politics such as: the state, democracy, federalism, judiciary, political parties, social movements, identity politics, and welfare schemes. The final weeks will focus on the Narendra Modi years from 2014 to 2022, applying what we have learned in the course to the present day.

Why do development projects succeed or fail? This course examines how to design a human-centered development project using anthropological theory and methods. It looks closely at what anthropologists mean by culture and why most development experts fail to attend to the cultural forces that hold communities together. By examining development projects from the vantage in North Africa, students learn the relevance of kinship, power, religion, and ontologies. Students will also work with local organizations in the High Atlas Mountains as a way to study development in practice.

Modern agriculture is the most environmentally consequential activity that humans engage in. It has a profound impact on climate change, soil quality, water availability and risk of pandemics. However, agriculture itself is highly sensitive to climate change. This course covers the challenges of climate change, food availability and health in India. Traditional and novel solutions to carbon sequestration, and livestock practices that offer alternatives to the use of antibiotics will be discussed. Students will meet scientific and policy experts who will describe how India will have to adapt to tackle its 21st century challenges.

This seminar, taught at University of Tokyo, with students from Princeton University and the University of Tokyo, focuses on developing an understanding of contemporary Japanese and Chinese societies - their histories, cultures, politics, and economies - through lectures, readings, discussions, and tours in Japan and Hong Kong. Excursions include an overnight trip to rural Japan to examine the role of population aging and rural depopulation on peripheral regions and a three-day trip to Hong Kong to experience a rapidly changing Chinese cultural setting.