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 2013 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/.
Religion, Race and Culture
ANTH 80A Anthropology of Religion
An introduction to the anthropological study of human
religious experience, with particular emphasis on religious
and ritual practice in comparative perspective. Examines the
relationship between religion and society in small-scale, nonWestern contexts as well as in complex societies, global
cultures, and world historical religions. (nw, ss)
Ms. Schattschneider T, Th 2:00 PM–3:20 PM
AAAS 114B Race, Ethnicity, and Electoral Politics in the
United States
Explores the role that racial and ethnic politics play in
American political campaigns and elections. Readings
provide historical, theoretical, and empirical overviews of
racial and ethnic politics in four contexts: political parties,
presidential elections, congressional campaigns, and state
legislative contests. (ss)
Mr. Mapps
T, F 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM
ANTH 131B Latin America in Ethnographic Perspective
Examines issues in contemporary Latin America and the
Spanish Caribbean from the perspective of sociocultural
anthropology, based primarily on books and articles drawing
on long-term ethnographic research. (ss, wi)
Mr. Lino e Silva
T, F 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM
CHIN 100A Introduction to Chinese Literature: Poetry,
Romance, and Fiction
Introduces Chinese literature, focusing primarily on Chinese
"classical" literary traditions and their metamorphosis in
modern times. (hum, nw)
Mr. Wang
T, Th 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
ENG 127A The Novel in India
Survey of the novel and short story of the Indian
subcontinent, their formal experiments in context of
nationalism and postcolonial history. Authors may include
Tagore, Anand, Manto, Desani, Narayan, Desai, Devi,
Rushdie, Roy, Mistry, and Chaudhuri. (hum, nw)
Ms. Anjaria
M, W, Th 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
FA 33B Islamic Art and Architecture
Introduces architecture and arts of the Islamic lands from
seventh-century Levant to post-modernism in Iran, India, and
the Gulf states. Provides an overview of major themes and
regional variations, and their socio-political and historical
context. (ca, nw)
Ms. Grigor
T, F 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM
FREN 164A Haiti, Then and Now
Studies Haiti's cultural history through literature, music,
painting, film, and journalism. Topics include: Haiti's first
inhabitants, the Arawaks and Taino; slavery and colonialism;
the world's first black republic; dictators and presidents;
Creole and French; Catholicism and Vaudou; the island's
ecology; the 2010 earthquake and international aid. (fl, hum,
nw)
Ms. Hale
T, F 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM
HIST 66A History of South Asia (2500 BCE - 1971)
Introduces South Asian history from the earliest civilizations
to the independence of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh. Surveys the formation of religious traditions, the
establishment of kingdoms and empires, colonialism and its
consequences, and post-independence political and economic
development. (nw, ss)
Mr. Sreenivasan
T, F 12:30 PM - 1:50 PM
HIST 157B The Secret Life of Slaves: African-Americans
and the Writing of History
Seeks to understand not only the system but the inner lives
and cultures of slaves within that system. This course is a
reading-intensive seminar examining both primary and
secondary sources on American slaves. Focuses on the
American South but includes sources on the larger African
diaspora. (ss)
Ms. Cooper
T 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM
NEJS 103A The Early History of God
Studies the background and development of monotheism in
ancient Israel. (hum)
Mr. Wright
M, W, Th 11:00 AM–11:50 AM
NEJS 130A The New Testament: A Historical
Introduction
A study of the main parts of the New Testament, with
emphasis on the contents of the books and the historical
development of early Christianity. (hum)
Ms. Brooten
M, W, Th 1:00 PM–1:50 PM
NEJS 190B Islamic Philosophy
An examination of the development and teachings of the
Islamic philosophical tradition, covering its development
from the Greek philosophical tradition and in response to
Islamic teachings, and the relationship between Islamic
philosophy and theology up to the Safavid period. (hum)
Mr. Lumbard
M, W 2:00 PM–3:20 PM
POL 124B Race, Inequality, and Social Policy
Explores the causes and consequences of economic, social,
and political inequality in the United States. Examines trends
from the perspective of both liberal and conservative social
scientists. Asks what forms of inequality matter and what
should be done about them. (ss)
Mr. Mapps
T, F 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM
POL 132A Religion, Nationalism, and Violence in South
Asia
Examines the phenomenon of religious nationalism in South
Asia with focus on violent conflict in Sri Lanka, India, and
Pakistan. Theoretical analysis of the nature of religious
mobilization, the politics of holy space, and the logic of
religious violence. (ss)
Mr. Isaacs
T, Th 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM
POL 145B Muslims in the West: Politics, Religion, and
Law
This seminar looks at religious discrimination as a barrier to
the civic and political inclusion of Muslim immigrants, the
responses of governments, courts, and the general public, and
what we know about the balance among "fundamentalist, "
"moderate," and "progressive" Muslim viewpoints. (ss)
Ms. Klausen
W 2:00 PM–4:50 PM
THA 147A Latino Theater
A survey and practice oriented course for students interested
in learning about the history and legacies of U.S. Latino
theater. Students will read assigned work, write critical
reflections and create original works. (ca)
Ms. Svich
W 2:00 PM–4:50 PM
Global Perspectives
AAAS 115A Introduction to African History
Explores the history of African societies from their earliest
beginnings to the present era. Topics include African
participation in antiquity as well as early Christianity and
preindustrial political, economic, and cultural developments.
(nw, ss)
Mr. Asiedu-Acquah
T, F 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM
AAAS 132B Introduction to African Literature
Examines the cultural production of African writers and
filmmakers and their critiques of the postcolonial state.
Topics include their exploration of gender, sexuality,
language choice, the pressures placed on "authentic"
identities by diasporic communities, and the conflicting
claims of tradition and modernity. (hum, nw, ss, wi)
Ms. Smith
M, W 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM
ANTH 121A Crossing Cultural Boundaries
An examination of situations where individuals, either
actually or imaginatively, willingly or unwillingly, cross over
the boundaries separating their own culture and other cultural
traditions. The understandings and misunderstandings that
result from these encounters are examined in primary texts
and images and in scholarly reconstructions. (ss)
Mr. Parmentier
T, Th 5:00 PM - 6:20 PM
ECON 176A The Household, Health, and Hunger in
Developing Countries
Examines aspects of poverty and nutrition that are
confronted by households in low-income countries.
Examines these issues primarily from a microeconomic
perspective, although some macroeconomic angles are
explored as well. (nw, ss)
Ms. Menon
T, F 11:00 AM - 12:20 PM
FREN 110A Cultural Representations
Examines how alienation, which is often understood as
exemplifying western modernity, manifests itself in literary
works and films from throughout the Francophone world and
French history. We will look at authors such as Assia Djebar,
Cheikh Hamidou Kane, Mohammed Dib, Albert Camus,
Joachim Du Bellay, Pierre Corneille, and Molière. (fl, hum,
wi)
Mr. Randall
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
HISP 175B Contemporary Latin American Fiction
We will discuss how young writers in Latin America depart
from their famous predecessors (Gabriel García Márquez and
Mario Vargas Llosa) and set out to explore a range of new
topics, including global pop culture, the Latin American drug
trade, and love relationships in cyberspace. (fl, hum)
Mr. Arellano
M, W 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM
HIST 71A Empire and Its Discontents: Latin America
from Conquest to Independence
Examines the relationships among human and natural
Introduction to the historical foundations of Latin America:
Amerindian civilizations, Spanish conquest, colonial
economy and society, independence movements, and their
aftermath. (hum, nw, ss)
Mr. Fernandez
M, W 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM
HIST 180A The Global Opium Trade: 1755-Present
Investigates the history of the opium trade from early times
to present. Coverage will include the Anglo-Indian opium
trade, the Opium Wars; the political economy of the legal
trade; and the complex ramifications of its prohibition.
(nw, ss)
Mr. James
T, Th 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM
POL 127B Seminar: Managing Ethnic Conflict
Comparative study of the sources and character of interethnic
conflict, with emphasis on the processes by which groups
become politicized, and the strategies and techniques for
managing conflict in a democratic system. (ss, wi)
Mr. Burg
T, F 9:30 AM - 10:50 AM
SAS 100A Introduction to South Asia
An exploration of the history, societies, cultures, religions,
and literature of South Asia--India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Uses perspectives
from history, anthropology, literature, and film to examine
past and contemporary life in South Asia. (nw, ss)
Ms. Singh
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
Gender and Sexuality
AAAS 136A Black Feminist Thought
Critical examination of the historical, political, economic,
and ideological factors that have shaped the lives of AfricanAmerican women in the United States. Analyzing foundation
theoretical texts, fiction, and film over two centuries, this
class seeks to understand black women's writing and political
activism in the U.S. (ss)
Ms. Abdur-Rahman
T, Th 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM
AMST 40A Women in American History
Examines the private and public experiences of womenfamily life, sexuality, work, and activism-as reflected in
historical and autobiographical sources, fiction, and many
films. The diverse experiences of women of different races,
ethnicities, and classes are highlighted. (ss)
Ms. Antler
T, Th 5:00 PM - 6:20 PM
ENG 157B American Women Poets
Students imagine meanings for terms like "American" and
"women" in relation to poetry. After introductory study of
Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley, and Emily Dickinson,
readings of (and about) women whose work was circulated
widely, especially among other women poets, will be
selected from mainly twentieth-century writers. (hum)
Ms. Campbell
T, Th 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM
FA 178A Frida Kahlo: Art, Life and Legacy
Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) has become an
international cultural icon. Her innovative paintings
brilliantly re-envision identity, gender and the female body,
inspiring celebrities from Madonna to Salma Hayek. This
course explores the art and life of Frida Kahlo, as well as her
immense influence on contemporary art, film and popular
culture. (ca, nw)
Ms. Ankori
M, W 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM
NEJS 29A Feminist Sexual Ethics in Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam
Analyzes a variety of feminist critiques of religious texts and
traditions and proposed innovations in theology and religious
law. Examines biblical, rabbinic, and Qur'anic texts.
Explores relation to U.S. law and to the social, natural, and
medical sciences. (hum)
Ms. Brooten
M, W 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM
NEJS 165B Changing Roles of Women in American
Jewish Societies
The lives of American Jews, and especially American Jewish
women, have been radically transformed by demographic
changes and by American Jewish feminism. These dramatic
transformations affect secular and Jewish education for
women, personal options and the formation of Jewish
families, a growing participation of women in public Jewish
life, and a new awareness of women's issues. (hum)
Ms. Smith
W 9:00 AM – 11:50 AM
NEJS 178A Love, Sex, and Power in Israeli Culture
Explores questions of romance, gender, marriage, and
jealousy in the Israeli context by offering a feminist and
psychoanalytic reading of Hebrew texts, works of art, and
film. (hum)
Ms. Szobel
T, Th 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM
POL 125A Women in American Politics
Addresses three major dimensions of women's political
participation: social reform and women-identified issues;
women's organizations and institutions; and women
politicians, electoral politics, and party identification. Covers
historical context and contemporary developments in
women's political activity. (ss)
Ms. Greenlee
T, Th 2:00 PM - 3:20 PM
SOC 131B Biography, Gender, and Society
Through reading biographies of intellectuals, political
leaders, artists and "ordinary" people and exploring the
biographical method, this seminar investigates the
relationship between everyday life, history, social patterns of
behavior, and the sex/gender system. (ss)
Ms. Hansen
T 9:00 AM - 11:50 AM
WMGS 89A When Violence Hits Home: Internship in
Domestic Violence
Combines fieldwork in domestic and sexual violence
prevention programs with a fortnightly seminar exploring
cultural and interpersonal facets of violence from a feminist
perspective. Topics include theories, causes and prevention
of rape, battering, child abuse, and animal abuse. Internships
provide practical experience in local organizations such as
rape crisis, battered women's violence prevention, and child
abuse prevention programs.
Ms. Hunter
Th 2:00 PM - 4:50 PM
WMGS 160A Transnational Sexualities
Explores the transnational production of gender and
sexualities across cultures. This course examines how the
acceleration of the circulation of information, people, and
capital across borders intersects with the development of
gender and sexual identities, practices and communities.
(ss)
Ms. Garrido
M, W, Th 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM