At Brandeis, you are encouraged to learn about a wide variety of human societies, cultures, and countries and about causes and consequences of differences among
racial, ethnic, religious, and other groups. Listed below are a sampling of the Fall 2015 courses that address these issues; we hope that you will consider including
some of them in your studies. They are grouped under “Gender and Sexuality,” “Religion, Race, and Culture,” and “Global Perspectives,” though naturally many of
the courses intersect these groupings. For additional course offerings, please refer to the registrar’s website: www.brandeis.edu/registrar/.
PHIL 146A: Idea of God
LALS 170A: Sports, Games, and Politics in Latin
Religion, Race and Culture
Engages in a philosophical investigation, not of
America and the Caribbean
AAAS 115A: Introduction to African History
religion as an institution but of the very idea of God.
Sports are one of Latin America's biggest exports
Explores the history of African societies from their
Studies the distinction between human being and
and imports. This course, engaging with cultural
earliest beginnings to the present era. Topics include
divine being and addresses the issue of the relation
studies theory and interdisciplinary readings,
African participation in antiquity as well as early
of God's essence to his existence. (hum)
examines the politics and social forces behind sports
Christianity and preindustrial political, economic,
Mr. Yourgrau
M, W 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
such as soccer, cricket, baseball, wrestling, and
and cultural developments. (nw, ss)
bullfighting. (ss)
Mr. Wendorf
T, F 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM
POL 145B: Muslims in the West: Politics,
Ms. Brown
M, W, Th 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
Religion, and Law
AAAS 160B: If We Must Die: War and Military
This
seminar
looks
at
religious
discrimination
as
a
POL 134B: The Global Migration Crisis
Service in African American History
Looks at immigration from the perspectives of
barrier to the civic and political inclusion of Muslim
Examines the role war and the military has played in
policy-makers, migrants, and the groups affected by
immigrants, the responses of governments, courts,
the history of African Americans from slavery to the
immigration in sender nations as well as destination
and the general public, and what we know about the
present. We will explore themes of violence,
countries. Introduces students to the history of
balance among "fundamentalist, " "moderate," and
freedom, citizenship, manhood, internationalism and
migration policy, core concepts and facts about
"progressive" Muslim viewpoints. (ss)
civil rights. (ss)
migration in the West, and to the theories and
Ms. Klausen
T 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM
Mr. Williams
M,W 5:00 PM–6:20 PM
disagreements among immigrant scholars. (ss, wi)
RECS
135A:
Russian
Short
Fictions:
The
Art
of
AMST 55A: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration in
Ms. Klausen
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
Narrative
American Culture
Focuses
on
the
great
tradition
of
the
short
story
as
POL
144A:
Latin
American
Politics I
Provides an introductory overview of the study of
Revolution, order, and regime transition in northern
practiced by Russian and Russian Jewish writers
race, ethnicity, and culture in the United States.
Latin America. Specific examination of the Mexican
and the connection and divisions among them. This
Focuses on the historical, sociological, and political
and Cuban revolutions and their outcomes. (nw, ss)
genre invites extreme stylistic and narrative
movements that affected the arrival and settlement
Mr. Fried
M, W, Th 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
experimentation ranging from the comic to the
of African, Asian, European, American Indian, and
tragic, as well as being a vehicle for striking
Latino populations in the late nineteenth and
expressions of complex social, philosophical, and
twentieth centuries. (ss)
Gender and Sexuality
religious themes. (hum)
Ms. Powers
T, Th 3:30 PM–4:50 PM
AMST 127B: Women and American Popular
Ms. Miller
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
ENG 38B: Race, Region, and Religion in the
Culture
SAS 100A: India and Pakistan: Understanding
Twentieth-Century South
Using historical studies, advertising, film,
South Asia
Racial conflict, regional identity, religion, and
television, music, and literature, discusses how
An exploration of the history, societies, cultures,
modernization in fiction from both sides of the racial
constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality,
religions, and literature of South Asia--India,
divide and from both sides of the gender line. (hum)
ethnicity, and religion have shaped women's
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan,
Mr. Burt
T, Th 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
encounters with popular and mass culture. (ss)
and Sri Lanka. Uses perspectives from history,
Ms. Powers
T, Th 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
HINDI 10A: Beginning Hindi
anthropology, literature, and film to examine past
Introduces the student to the Hindi language with
ENG 87A: Sex and Race in the American Novel
and contemporary life in South Asia. (nw, ss)
instruction in script, grammar, comprehension, and
Reading texts across racial, geographical, and
Ms. Singh
T, F 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM
vocabulary.
temporal divides, this course investigates the
Ms. Ramlochan-Tewarie M, T, W, Th 1:00 PM –
representation of non-normative sexualities as
1:50 PM
Global Perspectives
signaled, haunted, or repaired by an appeal to race.
(hum)
AAAS 158A: Theories of Development and
ITAL 106A: Advanced Italian through
Ms. Abdur-Rahman
T,F 11:00 AM–12:20 PM
Underdevelopment
Narrative, Film, and other Media
The purpose of this seminar is to acquaint students
Close study and analysis of representative Italian
NEJS 148B: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
with contending theories of development and
texts (prose, poetry, drama) and culture. Reading
Transgender Jews and Christians: Sources and
underdevelopment, emphasizing the open and
and listening activities followed by in-class
Interpretations
contested nature of the process involved and of the
discussions and presentations are designed to
Introduction to the classical Jewish and Christian
field of study itself. (nw, ss, wi)
strengthen communication and reading skills. (fl,
sources on same-sex love, on gender ambiguity and
Mr. Nyangoni
T 6:30 PM – 9:20 PM
hum)
to a variety of current interpretations of them, to
Ms. Wasson
M, W, Th 1:00 PM –1:50 PM
the evidence for same-sex love and gender fluidity
ANTH 158A: Urban Worlds
Explores some of the essential concepts of urban
among Jews and Christians through the centuries,
AMST/MUS 38A: American Music: From
theory and conducts an in-depth study of urban
and to current religious and public policy debates
Psalms to Hip-Hop
experiences around the world. Topics include the
about same-sex love and gender identity and
Will focus on select repertories, beginning with
city and marginality, urban modernity, gender and
expression. (hum)
Native American and African-American traditions
public space, gentrification, suburbanization,
Ms. Brooten
M, W 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
along with New England psalm singing from the
transgression, and urban nature. Case studies may be
eighteenth century and closing with musical theater,
NEJS 178A: Love, Sex, and Power in Israeli
from cities such as Lagos, New York, Paris, Dubai,
jazz, and art composers up to the twenty-first
Culture
and Rio de Janeiro. (ss)
century. (ca, ss)
Explores questions of romance, gender, marriage,
Mr. Menoret
T, Th 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
Ms. Musegades
T, F 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM
and jealousy in the Israeli context by offering a
feminist and psychoanalytic reading of Hebrew
ENG 32B: The Black Transnational Romance
NEJS 5A: The History of Judaism
Explores the romance in black diaspora fictions
texts, works of art, and film. (fl, hum)
A survey of the Jewish experience and thought,
spanning the 20th and 21st centuries, including
Ms. Szobel
T, Th 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM
focusing on the varieties of historical Judaism,
writers such as McKay, Kincaid, and Dangarembga.
including its classical forms, its medieval patterns
SQS 160A: Transnational Sexualities
Theoretical approaches will frame our
and transformations, and its modern options. (hum)
Explores the transnational production of gender
understandings of the making and unmaking of
Mr. Kimelman
T, F 9:30 AM – 10:50 AM
and sexualities across cultures. (nw, ss)
diaspora and genre. (hum)
Ms. Zengin
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
NEJS 124B: Divinity, Difference and Desire: An
Ms. Pugliese
T, Th 5:00 PM–6:20 PM
Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
WMGS 105B: Feminisms: History, Theory, and
HIST 71B: Latin American and Caribbean
A study of Jewish mysticism through history. (hum)
Practice
History II: Modernity, Medicine, Sexuality
Mr. Mirksy
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
Examines diverse theories of sex and gender within
Studies the idea of "modernity" in Latin America
a multicultural framework, considering historical
NEJS 130A: The New Testament: A Historical
and Caribbean, centered on roles of health and
changes in feminist thought, the theoretical
Introduction
human reproduction in definitions of the "modern"
underpinnings of various feminist practices, and
Introduces the New Testament and related early
citizen: post-slavery labor, race and national
the implications of diverse and often conflicting
Christian literature as sources for the history and
identity; modern politics and economics;
theories for both academic inquiry and social
theology of the early church. Focus on exegetical
transnational relations. (hum, nw, ss)
change. (oc, ss)
methods, literary genres, and relationship to Judaism
Mr. Childs
M,W 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
Ms. Freeze
T, F 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM
and the Roman world. (hum)
HISP 164B: Studies in Latin American Literature
Ms. Brooten
M, W, Th 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM
WMGS 140A: Diversity of Muslim Women’s
A comparative and critical study of main trends,
Experience
NEJS 164B: The Sociology of the American
ideas, and cultural formations in Latin America.
A broad introduction to the multidimensional
Jewish Community
Topics vary year to year and have included fiction
nature of women's experiences in the Muslim
A survey exploring transformations in modern
and history in Latin American literature, nation and
world. (nw, ss)
American Jewish societies, including American
narration, Latin American autobiography, art and
Ms. Shavarini M, W, Th 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM
Jewish families, organizations, and behavior
revolution in Latin America, and humor in Latin
patterns in the second half of the twentieth century.
America. (fl, hum, wi, nw)
(hum, ss)
Mr. Rosenberg
M, W 3:30 PM–4:50 PM
Ms. Fishman
T, Th 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM