Global Studies II (GS2)
GLST 23102
Seminar: MW, 3:00-4:20 PM, Cobb 107
Professor Anindita Chatterjee
This second part of the introductory course sequence for Global Studies will familiarize students with empirical work within this interdisciplinary field, and will guide them through the practical steps of putting together a research project. How do we move from a research interest to a research question? How do we approach the study of social dynamics from a global perspective that emphasizes interconnectedness? How do we track the movement of ideas, people, culture, and capital across borders? How do we incorporate considerations of power, positionality, and reflexivity in our research practice? We will engage with scholarship across the social sciences and cover topics related to the four thematic tracks in the Global Studies major. As we analyze a variety of empirical cases, we will discuss approaches to case selection, theoretical grounding, data collection and analysis, and ethical research practices. At the end of the course, students will produce an annotated bibliography and a preliminary draft of their thesis proposal.
Crossing Boundaries: Virtual Reality, Embodiment, and the Reimagining of Social Space
GLST 25474
Seminar: TR, 11:00-12:20 PM, Crerar Library 134
Lab: R, 12:30-1:50 PM, Crerar Library 134 (Students are required to register for and attend the course lab)
Professor Caterina Fugazzola
In this course, we explore the potential for Virtual Reality (VR) experiences to push multiple boundaries: redefining bodies, crossing borders, and reimagining social spaces. In the first weeks of the course, as we think about bodies in the virtual space, we will be asking questions related to embodiment and representation: how does the process of avatar creation reinforce or dismantle assumptions about gender readability and performance? How do immersive experiences induce feelings of gender euphoria and dysphoria? The following weeks we will explore and discuss the way VR experiences can engage with the concept of physical borders-calling their existence into questions in some cases, making them particularly salient in others. We will discuss virtual travel, digital border-crossing, and explore art installations that reflect on migration experiences. The final weeks will build on our previous conversations, and together we will reflect on the fluid meaning of space in a virtual setting and on the creative possibilities that such fluidity entails: What does it mean to reimagine space beyond physical limitations? How do we understand the political salience of taking up space in digitally built social environments? The course combines readings and theoretical conversations with hands-on experiences in VR and explorations of virtual worlds. Previous experience with VR is not required. We will share a limited number of headsets that will be available for use in class.
BA Seminar II
GLST 29801
Seminar: Mon, 10:30-1:20 PM TBA
Professor Anindita Chatterjee
This weekly seminar, taught by GLST faculty, offers students continued BA research and writing support. Students present drafts of their work and critique the work of their peers.
PQ: GLST 29800; Required of Global Studies fourth-year majors who have selected the BA thesis plan of study. Students planning to graduate in winter quarter are not permitted to enroll.
BA Thesis: Global Studies
GLST 29900
STAFF
ARR
PQ: Consent of instructor and program directors required; students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form
This is a reading and research course for independent study related to BA research and BA thesis preparation.
BA/MA Thesis Workshop
GLST 29998/INRE 46505, INRE 26505
Professor Austin Carson
ARR
This course helps BA/MA students meet their undergraduate major requirements for writing a single BA/MA thesis paper.
PQ: Open only to CIR BA/MA students