English

This course addresses the following questions: What is the history of Human Rights discourse, and what is the place of Anthropology therein? Should Human Rights be universal or should they be listed or applied with reference to particular cultural worldviews? What critiques of the international human rights regime have been put forth by anthropologists thus far? How can international organizations that promote Human Rights, and state governments that sign on to international human rights legal instruments, benefit from the historical emphasis by the anthropological community on the notion of cultural relativism and respect for diversity? What is the role of NGOs in parallel to Anthropology in these processes? 

The first section of the course includes a revision of the history of International Human Rights Law. The second part addresses the anthropological critique of that body of law and its applications. 

This course adopts multi-disciplinary perspectives to examine significant and complex issues of China in the past and present. With a general survey of China, this course discusses China’s historical development, revolutionary past, cultural traditions, formal political structure, the market-oriented economic reform, and geographic, demographic and linguistic diversity, as well as contemporary issues of environment, resistance and mass media. Central themes throughout the course include China’s cultural identity, ethnicity, state-society relations, continuities and changes in China’s socio-political values, and China’s role in the global order. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a base of knowledge of China’s historical and contemporary experiences and contexts. 

In the discipline of International Relations, there are different perspectives on how and why war occurs. This course takes students through different perspectives on different conflicts, from interstate war to civil war to insurgencies and beyond. Students also consider some developments in warfare – for example the introduction of drones or the violent potential of cyberattacks – and how these affect war.

Through the reading of a selection of Arabic literary texts in English translation by leading authors from across the Arab world, the course introduces students to the language, style, and themes of postcolonial Arabic literature. Students look at the features and significance of the "postcolonial voice" in Arabic literature produced in the aftermath of national independence and the end of colonial rule, and analyze some theoretical concepts in the context of postcolonial literary criticism. The course also develops understanding of the political, historical, and cultural contexts of the postcolonial approach to Arabic literature. 

This course provides an overview of the venture capital market and exposes one to the agreements used to document venture capital transactions. It also covers the legal and financial implications of the terms within a venture capital transaction document.  

This course covers general concepts about auditing, auditing standards, major components of assurance services and audit profession, Code of Ethics for auditors, audit quality management, audit planning, errors and fraud, assessment of audit risks and related audit strategies, materiality, tests of financial reporting controls, audit sampling, tests of control and substantive tests of major cycles and accounts, critical applications of a questioning mindset and evaluations of reasonable alternatives to reach well-reasoned conclusions and to form an opinion in the auditor's report. Prerequisite: Intermediate Accounting 1 and 2.

This course is an introduction to the study of traditional narrative. Students explore the diverse ways that scholars have attempted to account for the origin, transmission, and practice of traditional tales, including psychoanalysis, Oral-Formulaic theory and the Historic-Geographical method. From this interdisciplinary vantage point, students give close attention to the storytelling heritage of Scotland and Ireland, using materials from the School of Scottish Studies Archives and other sources.

Beginning with the Young Turk and Iran’s Constitutional revolutions, this course follows the fate of Middle Eastern societies and states during the twentieth century, with a special focus on colonialism and nationalism; independence movements and decolonization; the Arab-Israeli conflict; society, politics, and culture. It focuses on the social, political, and intellectual history of this period to better understand the genealogy of trends and events that dominate our present time.

This course examines the relationship between colonialism, decolonization, and religion globally from both historical and contemporary perspectives. This includes the ways in which secularism and colonial modernity provided a context for the remaking of religion, as well as the many different forms of colonial power and anti-colonial resistance across the world. Special attention is paid to questions around gender, class, racialization, and religious minorities. Students critically examine formative concepts, theories, and texts related to the post-colonial study of religion, as well as historical arguments from anti- and decolonial perspectives. Examples may be drawn from a variety of contexts and religious traditions such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, as well as indigenous religious traditions. 

The course unit uses in-depth analyses of individual artworks to introduce students to key methods and concepts of art historical understanding. Each lecture is focused on the detailed exposition of one artwork and the critical debates surrounding its interpretation. The lectures as a whole are arranged chronologically from the Ice Age to the Baroque, covering art produced around the globe. This is neither the study of a canon nor a traditional survey of art history, although it will reflect upon both. It examines some well-known artworks of the past alongside others that have been considered marginal or have been neglected.