International and Global Studies

An introduction to the main concepts, tools, fields of study, global problems, and cross-cultural perspectives that comprise international and global studies. No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI’s global Project Centers.

This course examines the major theoretical and methodological approaches that characterize global studies. Since the end of the Cold War, new forms of transnational integration, interdependence and conflict have been considered examples of globalization. Yet this period is not the first to undergo such transformation, and the “global” is often experienced in disparate ways around the world. This course examines the diverse ways of understanding globalization in the past and present. No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI’s global Project Centers.

What is justice during an era of globalization? What are the rights and responsibilities of individuals, groups, nations, or supranational organizations in a world of profound inequalities of wealth or disparities of power? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical, literary, religious, and ethical debates about global justice as well as the political and practical responses by various actors in the global South and North. Themes will vary each time the course is taught and may include globalization and distributive justice, climate justice, migration, citizenship, cosmopolitanism, human rights, ideology, reparations, racial or gender equity, nationalism and internationalism, and global democracy. No prior background required. 

This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.

TikTok, WeChat, Tai chi, anime, K-dramas, Hello Kitty, C-pop, yin and yang, Pokémon, manga. All of these have become part of global culture, but where did they come from and what meaningdo they hold as cultural phenomena? In this class, we will explore topics in the popular cultures of East Asia to better understand the influences that have shaped the region’s contemporary societies and their cultures. Focus will be on one or a combination of the following: China, 
Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Korea. Students will study various media and genres of popular culture, which could include films, songs, dramas, advertisements, video games, manga, and anime, to explore the larger societal, political, and cultural issues behind them, situating popular culture within historical contexts, transnational currents, and exchanges when appropriate. Students may not receive credit for HU 2340 and INTL 2210.

This course may be repeated for different topics. 
This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.

This course explores East Asian traditions and modernity through an interdisciplinary approach. We will explore East Asia by looking at the history, philosophy, and society of the core countries of the region: China, Japan and Korea. Topics can include the impact of Confucianism and other philosophies, conceptions of rulership, colonialism, nationalism, and identity and how they impact the lives of East Asian peoples through time. We’ll use a variety of sources, including films and primary readings. This course is particularly appropriate for students interested in WPI project centers in East Asia. No prior knowledge of Asian history or culture is expected. Students may not receive credit for INTL 2220 and INTL 1200.

This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.

This course uses interdisciplinary, thematic, and case study approaches in the examination of modern Latin America. It draws from the Latin America’s diversity to explore topics in the past and present that are critical for students’ development of a more advanced understanding of the region and its residents. The course may include the study of topics such as cultural production, nationalism, urban and rural development, migration, social and racial inequality, democracy, and social justice through the disciplines of history and global studies, literature and creative arts, social sciences, environmental studies, and others. Examples and case studies from the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries will be drawn especially from locations in Latin America where WPI maintains Global Project Centers. Students may not receive credit for both INTL 22IX and INTL 2310. This course will be offered in 2022-23 and in alternating years thereafter.

Latin America and the Caribbean are center stage in discussions about the inequalities and injustices of our current global ecological crisis. This course offers a two-fold approach. 1) It examines historical and contemporary processes producing—and contesting—environmental injustices in Latin America and the Caribbean Basin. 2) It analyzes the role of this region in the politics and policy of global environmental inequalities, including the region’s relationship with the United States, China, and other major international actors in issues such as climate change and sustainable development. This course is especially appropriate for students interested in environment and sustainability issues and international/global affairs, and for students who expect to complete their HUA, IQP, and/or MQP at WPI Project centers in Latin America or the Caribbean.

This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to modern Africa. Topics and themes will vary each time the course is taught, and may include African kingdoms, the influence of Islam, the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade, imperialism and decolonization, democratization, the politics of language, or African literature and art. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in this diverse and dynamic region. No prior background required. Students may not receive credit for both INTL 2410 and HU 2441. 

This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.

This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to the Middle East, North Africa and Mediterranean region. Themes and topics will vary each time the course is taught, and may include religion and culture, national, ethnic and linguistic identities, the Mediterranean as a contact zone, U.S. political and economic involvement in the region, postcolonialism, war and conflict, migration, forced displacement and refugees, human rights, religious freedom, popular culture, the politics of Islam and secularism, the regional intersections of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, representations of Islam and other religions in visual culture, gender and media, and the circulation of U.S. culture. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in this diverse and dynamic region. No prior background required.

This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.

This interdisciplinary course takes a thematic approach to contemporary Europe, especially since the establishment of European Union’s single market and common currency. Topics and themes will vary each time the course is taught and may include expansion of the EU and Euro, the impact of the free movement of goods, capital, services and people, migration and refugees, populist and nationalist movements, uneven development between regions within Europe, postcolonial relations with other parts of the world, and debates over national heritage and cultural change. Examples and case studies will include locations where WPI has programs in Europe. No prior background is required. 

This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.

This seminar course takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical and contemporary topics in global studies. Topics vary each year and may include international development, global inequality and justice, global public health, war and terrorism, international organizations and governance, humanitarianism and human rights, travel and tourism, the Anthropocene, climate change. This course may be repeated for different topics. No prior background is required. Especially appropriate for students interested in any of WPI’s global Project Centers.

In this seminar course, students will reflect on their own experiences of global learning and analyze contemporary global issues. Through reflection and analysis, students will develop the habits of lifelong learning and translate their global experiences and personal values into future professional opportunities. This course may be repeated for different topics or a different thematic/regional focus. Students may not receive credit for INTL 3100 and INTL 3050 or INTL 4100.