Chinese Politics
INST/PLSC 3340
M/W/F 10:55-12:20
Dr Zhang
With nearly one fifth of humanity, a Communist-Leninist political system, and one of the world’s fastest growing large economies, China is among the most complex and unusual political systems. How did China get to this point? Can this unusual combination keep working for much longer? What roles has the Communist Party of China played in shaping modern China? How are the Chinese state and Chinese people navigating the various types of political and socioeconomic changes and challenges today? What does the rise of modern China mean to the rest of the world? These are some of the substantive questions to be addressed in this course. In the context of China’s imperial past and revolutions in the 20th century, this course examines the political institutions, policy-making processes, state-society relations, and some of the most pressing domestic and international consequences of economic and political development in contemporary China.
» Find this course on MySeattleU [opens new window]
(De)Constructing Community Development in Mexico (Housing Justice with Fundación Esperanza de Mexico), 1-3 variable credit
INST 3910-02
Th/ 6:00–8:00pm
Dr Hudgins
The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." The challenges families face in Tijuana of finding stable and dignified housing are being addressed by Fundación Esperanza de Mexico (FEM), a Mexican non-governmental organization (NGO) that focuses on community development and empowered citizenship. This variable credit course immerses you in the complexities of community development in the borderlands, with a focus on empowering community members for lasting social change. The immersion also provides a personal lens through which to critically reflect on your own aspirations for social change and global citizenship.
» Find this course on MySeattleU [opens new window]
(De)Constructing Community Development in Mexico (Migration Justice with Kino Border Initiative), 1-3 variable credit
INST 3910-03
T/ 6:00–8:00pm
Dr Hudgins
The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." While migration is more a natural phenomenon in response to social, economic, political, and environmental drivers than a ‘common problem,’ this describes the emergence of the Kino Border Initiative and its work with migrants in Nogales. This variable credit course immerses you in the complexities of migration in the borderlands, with a focus on making humane, just, workable migration between the US and Mexico a reality. The immersion also provides a personal lens through which to critically reflect on your own aspirations for social change and global citizenship.
» Find this course on MySeattleU [opens new window]
US–Mexico Border
INST 3910-01 / UCOR 3600-05
T/Th 3:45–5:50
Dr Hudgins
US - Mexico Border: Contemporary Perspectives will examine the complexities of im/migration in the US-Mexico borderlands and beyond. The course is built on an understanding that borders are everywhere and are often conditional: between dominant and non-dominant cultures, peoples, and systems. Borders are both real and imagined, often a liminal space of othering that results from structural violence. Using a human security lens and an interdisciplinary (e.g. social, economic, cultural, historical, political, and environmental) approach, you will deepen your understanding of the existing contexts, consequences, and challenges of im/migration in a borderlands context. An explicit goal of the course is to contribute toward positive change in the dynamic reality faced by those who experience myriad forms of human insecurity. This will take the form of a quarter-long community-based participatory action research (CBPR) project in our local community that investigates the impact of borders on western Washington’s im/migrant population.
Depending on university decisions on fall quarter study abroad programs, over winter break, you may choose to participate in the Global Citizenship Research Project, the purpose of which is to investigate the development global citizenship through empowerment of a community of learners consisting of Seattle University students and community members in Tijuana, Mexico, all of whom serve as participant-observers in the assessment process. This CBPR project was collaboratively constructed by faculty, staff, student, and community partners representing the 25-year campus-community partnership between Seattle University (SU) and Fundación Esperanza de Mexico (FEM), a non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes empowered citizenship and responsible community development. Our goal is to better understand how the collaborative work of FEM and SU develop empowered global citizens. A one-credit companion course (HUMT 3910-02, (De)constructing Community Development in Mexico) provides a mixed methods research experience while offering a personal lens through which to view your own aspirations for social change and empowered global citizenship.
» Find this course on MySeattleU [opens new window]
Writing Resistance-Women in Non-Western Cultures
ENGL 4720-01
T/Th 3:45–5:50
Dr Iyer
This course will explore how women in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East produce literary works (fiction, memoir, poetry, drama) to resist colonialism, patriarchal structures, neo-colonialism, and globalization. The course will also include postcolonial/transnational feminist theories. Some of the writers and theorists we may study include Ama Ata Aidoo, Rokeya Begum, Shashi Deshpande, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Nawal el Saadawi among others. Assignments will include Canvas discussions, short analytical papers, and a research paper (10-15 pages).
» Find this course on MySeattleU [opens new window]
Borders and Boundaries
UCOR 1600-03
T/TH 10:15-12:20pm
This course examines the construction and consequences of borders across the world. Students develop their analytical, presentation and writing skills as they learn how international boundaries work on local, national and transnational levels. Substantive topics include borderland cultures, collective identities, international order, migration processes, and security policies. Assignments involve written essays, oral presentations, in-depth research, and group collaboration.
» Find this course on MySU [opens new window]