English

This course covers the first half of Islamic history from 600 to 1300 C.E. At the beginning of this period, Arab Muslims established a new religion and a new empire. These developments took place at the intersections of religions (Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian faiths) and at the crossroads of empires (Roman and Sasanian states) in the Middle East. Within this context, we will study the construction of Muslim empires and the dynamics of life in Islamic societies during the classical and medieval periods. The course concludes in the 1300s, a pivotal moment when Islamic societies had to respond to invasions by Turks, Crusaders, and Mongols that contributed to the fragmentation of Islamic civilization. By studying the early years of Islamic history, we can witness the construction of a major civilization from its very beginnings.

This course explores a wide range of core topics in social psychology, including how psychological functioning is socially embedded; the influence of social and societal structures on the behavior of individuals, groups, and institutions; the importance of attitudes and norms for social action; individualization and identity development; and social integration and participation in social institutions and groups. The course introduces classic and contemporary theories and empirical research in social psychology, as well as the historical-embeddedness and development of its themes. Various methodological traditions are also introduced, along with their capabilities and limitations. 

This course introduces the dynamics of the world economy and the impact on Singapore in the last two centuries. It examines how Singapore grew through continual dependence on the rest of the world in different ways by focusing on major labor, capital, and technological factors, in which threats are also seen as opportunities.

This course introduces students to some central figures in the history of political thought: Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Rousseau, Marx, and Schmitt. Students look at why they wrote what they wrote, what they meant, and how well their arguments work. They ask why they give different answers to questions such as: What does it mean to be truly free? Is democracy possible or desirable? Should we educate citizens, or take them as they are? Are there absolute moral truths, and what sort of politics should we have in light of that? What rights do we have? What place should religion have in politics? Should citizens dedicate themselves to the state? The course particularly suits students who enjoy political theory and the history of political thought. There is a lot of reading, and much of it is very challenging. Great emphasis is put on understanding primary texts, which are usually dense and difficult. 

This course explores the violent, unremitting nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how it has shaped Israeli society. It examines topics such as Jerusalem's fate, the Palestinian refugees, the settlements, and security concerns. The course builds a multilayered perspective on conflict resolution efforts through examination of the Oslo peace process and other past and present activities by the Israeli peace camp.

This course studies emotion from different cognitive-social and biological perspectives and understands its role in guiding/motivating human behavior. The course starts with the classic theories of emotion and then continues with several relevant topics, including: cognitive and biological perspectives on causation of emotion and motivation; emotion regulation and self-determination; social-communicative functions of emotion expressions; the interaction between genes, stress, and affective-emotional behavior; the relation between sleep, emotion regulation, and affective behavior; topics related to emotion and motivational problems as seen in work stress or problems with goal setting.