Fall 2013 Proseminars Every first year student in the SFS will take a proseminar during the fall

semester. Proseminars are small interdisciplinary courses, limited to 14-15 students in each topic and are taught by some of Georgetown's finest professors. The goals of the proseminars are:

To develop critical approaches to the study of global issues To gain the academic reading and writing skills necessary for success in SFS To promote intensive interaction and camaraderie among students and professors To explore new ideas

Students have the opportunity to provide their top two requests during registration, but are not guaranteed a spot in those sections. Rest assured that all sections of the proseminar provide students with the opportunity to accomplish the objectives outlined above, so we encourage you to take advantage of the variety of topics to expand your horizons and to explore the frontiers of international affairs. Syllabi for several of the courses are available at this link. SFS Proseminar - 11668 - INAF 100 01 Islam and the West Professor Jonathan Brown 2:00 4:30 pm T Academics, journalists and policy makers regularly refer to Islam, the West and the knotty question of Islam and the West. Stepping outside of 'Islam' and 'the West', however, we see that neither is a concrete and unchanging reality. Both exist as ideas conceived by particular communities and perceived by others. This course will examine these constructs through in-depth reading in the classics of both civilizations, such as the Aeneid, works by Rudyard Kipling, the Quran and pre-Islamic epic poetry. This course will explore the civilizations and heritages of the Islamic and Western worlds by reflecting on the form and content of their classic works, as well as by questioning how and why they earned such prominence. SFS Proseminar - 22641 - INAF 100 02 Guns Professor Charles King 2:00 3:15 pm TR The United States is the world's largest exporter of firearms, the only major democracy with a constitutional right for citizens to be armed, and one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the world. This course will explore the history, sociology, politics, and policy dimensions of guns in a global context. We will begin by examining theories of social violence and models of violent behavior. We will next analyze the global firearms industry and the particular place of small arms in fueling substate conflict. We will

finally turn to the "gun debate" in the United States, examining judicial rulings, the work of lobbying organizations, and social science scholarship on firearms in America. Throughout the course, we will focus on asking good social scientific questions and learning how to evaluate evidence and research design. The course will require one mandatory field trip, as well as weekly essays. SFS Proseminar 11670 INAF 100-03 The Devil in History: The Temptation of Fascism and Communism Professor Dennis Deletant 12:30 1:45 pm TR This course takes its name from the Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski. He argued that Communism and Fascism represent two incarnations of the disastrous presence of the devil in history. The argument is carried forward in Vladimir Tismneanus book (2012) on the subject. Both ideologies are seen as two sides of the same coin of totalitarianismand both were a political, social, and cultural construct that transformed earlier ideas regarding good and evil. The focus of this course will be on first, the relationship between communism and fascism, second, the degree to which both have been forged into a nationalist ideology and finally, examples of the repressive dimension in the application of both ideologies. According to their own professions, the two ideologies are foes. Yet fascism, in spite of its professed hostility to Marxism, claimed to be a form of socialism national socialism. The socialist aspects of fascism have been those most commonly overlooked, since to stress them conflicts with the intellectual identification of fascism as a right-wing movement. Communism, in turn, became in practice an increasingly nationalist ideology, in spite of its claim to be an internationalist creed. These are some of the issues which will be addressed in the course. This is a reading-oriented seminar; the emphasis will be on close reading and discussion of the assigned material. Each seminar will begin with a presentation by Dr Deletant, followed by a brief student presentation of an assigned text. The remaining class time will be spent discussing the assigned readings and their relationship to the themes of the course. SFS Proseminar - 11671 - INAF 100 04 1968: Protest and Rebellion in Europe Professor Anna von der Goltz 9:30 10:45 am TR From Paris to Prague, from Trento to Copenhagen, the years around 1968 witnessed an explosion of protest, a moment of political and cultural radicalism that challenged the authority of governments, institutions, and ways of thought. These protests often transcended the realm of conventional politics: long hair, colorful and exotic clothing, and ostentatiously casual behavior became distinctive marks of a rebelling youth. To this day, 1968 conjures up powerful images: the French night of the barricades in the Latin Quarter of Paris in May; large-scale anti-Vietnam War protests in numerous countries;

posters of the Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara; naked German communards, and Soviet tanks rolling into Prague on 21 August, ending the so-called Prague Spring which had inspired hopes in Socialist reform across much of the Eastern bloc. While many of the most iconic moments took place outside of Europe, the divided continent was a microcosm for global political events during the Cold War. The conflicts on both sides of the Iron Curtain were at once similar and different, and the relative importance accorded to 1968 in historiography and popular memory differs from country to country; in some places it is considered an important caesura, whereas elsewhere it has been almost completely overshadowed by other events. Understanding the complexity of what 1968 meant in different European settings is a central aim of this proseminar. Students will gain a strong grasp of an important and colorful chapter in the history of postwar Europe, the events of 1968 and their main actors. They will learn to interpret the ways historians have weighed the causes of 1968, the multiple forces at play during these turbulent years, and the varying legacies and outcomes of the protests. One emphasis of the proseminar will be on teaching students to think critically about and to question historians narratives of 1968. Familiarizing students with some of the different analytical perspectives from which historians have examined 1968 in different European settings is a central aim of this proseminar. Students will learn to deal with a range of conceptual tools (such as gender & generation) that historians have developed (or adopted from neighboring disciplines) to study the protests across Europe. By the end of the proseminar, students will be able to transfer and apply the conceptual knowledge gained to other historical cases. SFS Proseminar - 11672 - INAF 100 05 The Politics of the African Safari Professor Scott Taylor 3:30 4:45 pm TR Africa has long evoked the image of the safari, big game hunting and intrepid exploration. Throughout the 20th Century, Africa was seen as the ultimate tourist destination: from the wanderings of Teddy Roosevelt; from Animal Planet to the Lonely Planet, our collective interest has been steadily piqued. The continent beckons with the promise of experiencing breathtaking wildlife, primitive cultures, and unparalleled adventure. African countries have largely continued to embrace and promote this imagery, endeavoring to establish tourism as a main pillar of their own economies. Often left out of this alliance between African governments and (predominantly) Western tourists, however, are the interests of African citizens. Some observers insist that free-spending Western tourists have a right to see wildlife preserved in its native habitat. Others argue that not only do human populations always take precedence, but that tourism itself is merely an extension of colonial domination and exploitation. How do various stakeholders balance international ideals particularly the preoccupation with nature and the human interest; can these coexist? Does tourism aid human understanding, or simply reinforce stereotypes? Does it foster broad-based economic development or impede it? This course will consider these questions by drawing on academic and popular literatures in history, political economy, and

anthropology, as well as film. We will explore the origins and impact of the safari in Africa and its implications for political, social and economic development. Other areas of inquiry will include nature-based tourism, conservation policy, cultural tourism and conflict. SFS Proseminar - 11688 - INAF 100 - 06 Politics of International Economics Professor Abraham Newman 9:30 am 12:00 pm M Economists often argue that free trade lifts all boats. But some boats rise higher than others. This class will examine why? Why are some countries better positioned to succeed in the global economy? In order to answer these questions, we will spend the semester confronting literature concerned with the political economy of competitiveness. Topics covered will include trade theory, national economic strategies, new challengers (like China), and new challenges (like digital technology). The course is divided into three sections. The first sets out a series of theoretical frameworks. The second examines a set of historical cases and the third raises current issues that confront the major industrial democracies as they seek their fortune in the global economy. You should come away from the course with both an understanding of the diversity of global issues concerning economic competitiveness, as well as an appreciation of the questions and concepts that inform the work of professional political scientists. SFS Proseminar - 11673 - INAF 100 07 The Russian Revolution Professor Michael David-Fox 2:00 3:15 pm TR This course delves deeply into one of the most consequential and far-reaching upheavals in the modern world, the Russian Revolution. One major aim of the course is to examine the roots, course, and results of the revolution as they can be interpreted both in narrative histories and primary sources. Major historical topics to be explored include late tsarism; revolutionary agendas in Russia before and after 1917; perspectives on World War I and the triumph of Bolshevism; different social groups and figures in the revolutionary upheaval; the history of revolutionary and political violence; everyday life in extraordinary times; the birth of the new Soviet regime in the Russian Civil War and after; and the triumph of Leninism and Stalinism in the world's first socialist state. Another major aim of the course is to give students the tools to judge how the revolution has been interpreted from a variety of angles and perspectives. The course will survey leading theoretical literature on modern revolutions, starting with Marx, Tocqueville, and Weber and ending with successive generations of modern social science literature. Finally, the Russian/Soviet case will be into comparative perspective. In what ways was the Russian Revolution distinctive, and in what ways typical? What processes were most particular to Russia, and which were present in all modern revolutions? How can the tools in this course help us to ask the right questions about revolts, upheavals, and revolutions in the world today? The proseminar takes the Russian Revolution as a case

study for how to analyze a complex, multi-layered event of world-historical significance, and suggests how to appreciate (and ultimately interrelate) major historical and social-scientific modes of studying and examining it. Each week, the first session will be devoted to discussion of key historical and analytical issues; the second will be a hands-on practicum on reading primary source documents and theoretical texts. SFS Proseminar - 11674 - INAF 100 08 Women and Politics in Africa Professor Lahra Smith 12:30 1:45 pm MW It is an exciting time for women and girls in Africa. With two women presidents in subSaharan Africa, and record numbers of women in Parliaments and Cabinets, Africa has become a leader in the representation of women in government. There have also been dramatic legal and institutional reforms in support of agendas for women and girls. Still, poverty and economic development issues are very important issues for women across Africa. Health, education, physical security and the changing socioeconomic conditions strain families and communities. This course will analyze the formal and informal roles that women play in politics in sub-Saharan Africa, the impact this is having on their lives and the challenges that remain. Case studies will include Liberia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Somalia. SFS Proseminar - 11675 - INAF 100 09 Policy & Strategy: the Pursuit of National Goals in Crisis Professor Keith Hrebenak 6:30 9:00 pm T This course will be an examination of the historic application of the traditional elements of national power: diplomatic, economic and military, in the pursuit of national goals in crises. We will begin with general and theoretical discussions to form a systematic framework for case studies. Then, we will progress through nine case studies, varying from the Peloponnesian Wars to the present day, to apply this framework. Discussion, vice lecture or formal presentation, will be the normal mode of the class. Our emphases will be on research, critical reading, analytical thinking, and their communication through seminar discussion, oral presentation, and discursive writing. SFS Proseminar - 11676 - INAF 100 10 The People and Politics of Australia Professor Alan Tidwell 9:30 10:45 am TR Australia is a land of paradoxes and peculiarities. It is far away from the United States, yet seems culturally and politically close. The historical origins of the US and Australia appear very similar, drawing as both did on dispossessed British subjects as early settlers. In recent years, Australia has won the title of being the state that has the other special

relationship with the United States. Yet, unlike the US, Australia has managed to avoid slipping into the current recession that enmeshes the US. The perceived cultural and political proximity hides tremendous complexity. Who are the Australians? What is their story? In this course we will examine in depth the people and politics of Australia. SFS Proseminar - 11677 - INAF 100 11 Politics and Memory Professor Eric Langenbacher 6:30 9:00 pm M Collective memory is an important component of most nations identity, culture and political life. Indeed, it difficult to find a country where the influence of memory is not marked: from Jewish communities worldwide and the Holocaust; to the United States with our wars and now the effects of 9/11; to Argentina and Chile, trying to work through the last dictatorships; to Germany, France and Japan, with their pasts, that wont go away. This proseminar delves into the nature and effects of collective memory in contemporary political systems. We explore issues like national identity, forms of commemoration, effects on political values, influences on domestic policy and international relations. Several texts, films and a fieldtrip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum structure the class. SFS Proseminar - 11678 - INAF 100 12 TBD 9:30 10:45 am MW SFS Proseminar - 11679 - INAF 100 13 Political Economy of Contemporary China Professor Kristen Looney 2:00 4:30 pm W Since the initiation of "reform and opening" in 1978, China has experienced sweeping economic, social and political changes. De-collectivization stimulated the agricultural sector, and the creation of special economic zones along the coast gave rise to a dynamic export sector, enabling China to transition away from the planned economy under Mao. For the past three decades, China's impressive GDP growth has made it the fastest growing major economy in world history. China's development, however, is extremely uneven. Coastal provinces are significantly wealthier than provinces in the interior, urban residents earn at least three times more than rural residents, and high levels of inequality can be found across regions and even between neighboring communities. What factors explain the "China miracle" and its uneven effects? How can China be both capitalist and communist? This course will consider the impact of various reforms on China's political economy. Potential policy areas and themes to be examined include: family planning, social welfare policy, agricultural reform, labor migration, SOE (state-owned enterprise) reform, and the rise of the private sector.

SFS Proseminar - 11680 - INAF 100 14 Economic Development and International Politics Professor James Vreeland 3:30 6:00 pm T Why do some countries suffer from extreme poverty, and how can we promote their economic development? What role do international organizations play? What about the role of democratic government? In this highly demanding and quantitatively-based research seminar, students develop original research proposals to address these questions from a statistical perspective. In this "research-oriented" seminar, students perform written exercises throughout the semester to develop their own original statistical projects pertaining to international politics and economic development. The goal of the course centers on producing research proposals that students can use throughout their Georgetown educational experience. The course is heavily quantitative. Students will learn how to manage and analyze large datasets of the political institutions and development indicators of countries all over the world. Students can find the web-based syllabus here: http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/jrv24/INAF_100-14.html SFS Proseminar - 11681 - INAF 100 15 Revolutions and Revolutionary Leaders in Modern Latin America Professor Thomas Dodd 9:30 am 12:00 pm T In autobiographies and biographies, this course will study the upheaval and violence along with political, social and cultural changes in several revolutions during the twentieth century in Latin America. Specifically, it will explore the leadership roles of figures such as Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zaputa of Mexico (1910), Bolovans (1952), Juan Lechin, Victor Paz Estensorro and Hernan Siles, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara (Cuba 1959) and Sandinistas during the Nicaraguan Revolution of 1979. SFS Proseminar - 11682 - INAF 100 16 Imperialism and Resistance in the Third World Professor Maria Luise Wagner 11:00 am 12:15 pm TR This course will examine the interaction of imperialism and resistance from the 15th century until present. We will study the theoretical framework and will cut across disciplines when we examine the role of European and non-European actors in the dynamics of global dominance. In our critical analysis of imperial expansion and patterns of active and passive resistance in the Third World we will compare and contrast Western and non-Western perspectives. Topics include the indigenous response to the Spanish conquest in Latin America and de-colonization and revolution in the 20th century and finally, we study different views of globalization and imperialism in the 21st century.

SFS Proseminar - 11683 - INAF 100 17 The Rise of Global Capitalism Professor Raj Desai 3:30 6:00 pm T This proseminar explores the emergence and evolution of the modern global economic order connecting financiers, merchants, traders, and states, over the course of four centuries. In particular, it examines the important role governments have played in shaping global patterns of finance and commerce. Among the topics to be explored: what explains the rise of the first financial centers? Why did some nations prosper while others did not? Under what conditions did the global economy become more financially integrated? How have governments responded to financial crises and other periods of economic distress? What is unique about the experience of developing nations? Finally, what imbalances exist in global capitalism today? The objective of the proseminar is to familiarize students with the historical, economic, and political underpinnings of modern capitalism as well as key concepts in international political economy. Through readings that combine various historical and analytical perspectives, students will: Learn of the roles that ideas, incentives, and financial instruments have played in shaping markets from the mercantile era to the present; Better understand how individuals, institutions, and governments have historically interacted in the global capitalist system; and Examine he principal debates about the functioning, vulnerabilities, and effects of global markets, including critiques of capitalism and globalization. SFS Proseminar - 11684 - INAF 100 18 Ataturks Turkey: Then and Now Professor Mustafa Aksakal 11:00 am 12:15 pm TR Something new is happening in the region that once comprised the Ottoman Empire, from Istanbuls Taksim to Cairos Tahrir Square. In recent years, students, environmentalists, bloggers, old and new political parties, religious and secular groups have forcefully confronted their governments and ruling elites. This course brings historical and other scholarly perspectives to bear on questions of political and religious identities in Turkey; the contested, and often violent, processes of nation-building and nationalism; the legacy of Turkeys first president, Ataturk (the Father of the Turks), and his contemporary role as a political football; the demise and legacy of the Ottoman past, and the so-called neo-Ottomanism today, i.e., Turkeys new leadership role in the Middle East, including Stephen Colberts fear of the Ottoman Empires return.

SFS Proseminar - 11686 - INAF 100 19 Borders Professor Elizabeth Stephen 12:30 1:45 pm MW Borders examines the immigration process as portrayed in film and text, including fiction and non-fiction. Some of the films include: Le Havre, Maria Full of Grace, and Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant. Representative texts include: The Namesake, The Arrival, Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, and Coyotes. Collegelevel writing skills are emphasized and reinforced in the class. Writing assignments range from a letter to the editor of the WASHINGTON POST to literary analysis. Students also develop oral skills through a formal debate and informal classroom discussions on current immigration-related topics in the United States and internationally. This class analyzes historical and modern forces that shape immigration policy, and in turn how those policies affect individuals as well as the economic, social, and political fabric of sending and receiving immigrant countries. Culinary excursions are an integral part of this course in which we deepen our understanding of the immigrant experience. The course is the first step in building a Community of Scholars among class members, which is intended to continue as an informal support system and as an opportunity for intellectual exchange across all four years that you are at Georgetown. Borders is a lively and interactive course that culminates in each student adding an artifact into an on-line immigration museum, which can be viewed at: https://apps.cndls.georgetown.edu/projects/borders/. SFS Proseminar - 11687 - INAF 100 20 Global Pathways: Competing Visions Professor Marilyn McMorrow-BAD RATING SUPER HARD, BITCHY WOMAN WHO YOU CANT DISAGREE WITH 9:30 10:45 am TR Born in the twentieth century, you will live your academic and professional life in the twenty-first. The world welcomed a new millennium with great hope. Even so, on September 11, 2001, we passed "through a gate of fire (Kofi Annan). You begin to study international relations during a time of marked uncertainty and change, interconnected violent conflicts, and fervent demands for sweeping change. When you confront contradictory explanations of what is actually going in world politics, and review competing policy prescriptions about what political leaders should do, how do you decide where you stand? To assist you in developing that skill, this Proseminar asks you to probe divergent-sometimes contradictory--analyses of the same important topic in world politics. For example, in the last several years, students in the proseminar have faced competing questions like these: * Do individuals and groups have the capacity to bring out positive change in world politics? Or do military and economic power relations routinely hold sway? * Does human security depend on the use of force? Or can non-violent direction action

become a reliable means to peaceful international relations? * Is there substance to the claim that the advance of liberal democracy leads to peace and protection for human rights--and, if so, what policies does this call for? * To reduce absolute poverty, should the International Society reform Official Development Assistance [ODA] or phase it out? * Do "suicide terrorists" act largely for religious or for secular motives? * Is the fashionable distinction between so-called "hard power " and "soft power" substantive? Or illusory? Each of us may have hunches or opinions in response to such questions, but how do we test these out? The approach in this Proseminar is to think through competing analyses, methodologies, evidence, and perspectives in contemporary literature about international relations to assist each one in building his/her own intellectual foundation. SFS Proseminar - 22642 - INAF 100 21 Green Politics Professor Shiloh Krupar-GOOD RATING 5:00 6:15 pm MW What does it mean to be green? What does it mean to act green? What are the differences between environmentalisms as political programs, social movements, subcultures, party lines, economic rationales, religious practices, and rhetorical strategies? What does thinking green mean practically? This course will explore an array of green discourses, environmental issues, and green actions historically, theoretically, and practically. No course is able to cover the diversity of green political topics and environmental controversies. Our goal is to develop analytic tools and new understandings of the intersections between ecology and society, green politics and everyday life. Through weekly readings, artifacts, films, and featured topics, you will cultivate critical thinking skills and a keen eye for the discourses, patterns, and strategies that shape meaning and action on social and ecological issues. Weekly topics foreground several keywords related to different green agendas, such as sustainability, wilderness protection, water markets, GMOs, conservation, cap-and-trade, environmental justice, climate change, toxic tort law, biomimicry, ecoterrorism, deep ecology, population. Course materials will include key environmental texts, case studies, and theories, spanning the eco-humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. Course work involves weekly readings, film viewings, conceptual map exercises and written applications, a paper that critically dissects an environmental crisis, an in-class forum and roleplaying, several student-run sessions, and a final portfolio project that includes a paper on thinking green about Washington DC, Georgetown, or another site.

SFS Proseminar - 22809 - INAF 100 22 A Second Look at the Holocaust Professor Dennis D. McManus 2:00 4:30 pm F Many scholars have come to see the Holocaust as a discrete event of the 20th century, symbolizing the worst of human action. But what if the Holocaust and the religious history that under girds it represents not an event but a set of unresolved issues that still plague us today? Could the Holocaust be repeated? This course will examine the influential historiographies of the Holocaust and look closely at the how the religious and racial questions underneath it remain a challenge into the 21st century.