Author: dunger

ASIAN MYTHOLOGY
FALL 2014
RLST 104 Ÿ/ ASST 104
What does good and evil look like in Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, and the Chinese traditions? Who
are the gods, goddesses, and other (semi-) divine beings and what role do they have in these
traditions? What role do women, animals, and water play in mythology? What are the religious and
philosophical tenets and themes that inform these narratives? Why are these mythological narratives
of South and East Asia still important today? This course explores these questions and much more.
Professor Jessica Vantine Birkenholtz
T/TH 10:00 – 10:50, plus weekly recitation section
*Fulfills Gen Ed requirements*
Questions? Contact jvanbirk@illinois.edu

Introductory survey of the mythologies of India, China, and Japan.
Fulfills General Education Criteria for a Non-Western Cultures course , and UIUC: Hist&Philosoph Perspect course

This popular introductory course explores the rich diversity of South and East Asian mythology, and aims to provide a basic understanding of the form, content, and function of these mythologies. The primary area of focus is India and the mythology of South Asia’s Hindu and Buddhist traditions, with a secondary focus on Chinese and Japanese mythology. We will explore the dominant mythologies of these cultural and geographic regions and their religious/philosophical traditions. Themes discussed may include, but are not limited to, those related to the origins and organization of the universe and its divine and human populations; the main divine and/or immortal figures, and; popular social and cultural traditions, beliefs, and practices. Films will periodically be used to supplement readings, lectures, and class discussions to further bring to life the vividness and continued importance of these mythological traditions.

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SEATS in PS 101!

Just a reminder as Summer II begins next week, there are still seats available in summer versions of both on-line (30314) and in-person (30315) sections of PS 101: U.S. Government and Politics, a social science general education course that examines the organization and development of national, state, and local governments in the U.S.; the federal system; the U.S. Constitutions; civil and political rights; the party system; and the nature, structure, powers, and procedures of national political institutions.

SEATS in SPECIAL TOPICS,  PS 300!

Due to new hires and temporary appointments, the Department of Political Science has recently added several special topics classes — all have open seat.  The classes on Human Rights and Terrorism have just had the descriptions below added to UI-Integrate.  Students can take upto six hours of these classes on distinct topics. Students wishing to take both of these classes in the same semester will need a duplicate course override and should contact the Department of Political Science Undergraduate Studies Office at 333-7491 to request an override.  These courses are not suitable for freshman. The topics, course reference numbers and a brief description for each appears below.

PS 300: TERRORISM (56251) Terrorism, a violent tactic with a strikingly long history of use, has become a central security concern and political issue in the U.S. in recent years. This course relies on both theoretical and empirical literature to examine a host of questions about terrorism in an advanced, intensive, discussion-based seminar. In particular, we investigate the definition(s) of terrorism, its historical use and evolution, the motivations of various types of groups that employ or have employed this tactic, different forms of terrorism, variation in state responses to terrorism (or, where and when terrorism successfully results in concessions), and the effectiveness of a range of counterterrorism strategies and tactics. Open to students with sophomore or higher standing.”

PS 300: POLITICS OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY  (56252) This seminar addresses 4 main questions: (1) How do people react to diversity? (2) How do states deal with diversity? (3) How do people react to policies that states develop to deal with diversity? and (4) What is the relationship between diversity and the provision of social welfare? Some of the topics covered in the course include multicultural policies, representation, segregation, social capital, the public opinion and political participation of majority and minority groups in society, and intergroup contact, conflict, and cooperation.

PS 300: BUREAUCRATIC POLITICS (56260) This course examines the origin of public agencies, the nature of public management, the behavior of individual bureaucrats and the procedures used by the U.S. Federal bureaucracy. It also lays a theoretical foundation for why politicians delegate authority to bureaucracies and why bureaucratic actions may diverge from politicians’ expectations

PS 300: HUMAN RIGHTS (59400) and (56253) [Two different 25 student sections.] This course is an exploration of the meaning, basis, historical roots, and practical significance of human rights, with special attention given to questions of the universality of human rights. The course focuses first on setting up the context and the background within which the role of human rights in international relations must be understood. This includes an examination of different emphases in key international human rights covenants. The second section of the course addresses war crimes and crimes against humanity. This involves analyzing cases of ethnic cleansing and evaluating the importance of the International Criminal Court. This is followed by a section examining the impact of 9/11 and the global ?war on terror? on international humanitarian law and international human rights organizations. The course concludes with a brief section expanding our analysis of contemporary human rights issues to include examinations of minority rights (e.g., LGBTQIA rights and the rights of people with disabilities) in the United States and abroad.

PS 300: JUDICIAL POLITICS (56259) This course examines questions, such as, Why are the votes of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia so often conflicting when both justices are presented with the same case facts? Does the Supreme Court have the final say on issues relating to the U.S. Constitution? These and many other questions will be answered in this course. This course will introduce students to the study of courts and judges as political institutions and actors. We will focus primarily on federal courts in the United States, but will also cover courts in the American states. We will tackle a number of questions including: how are judges selected?; who or what determines which cases are heard?; do judges decide cases based on their ideology or the law?; what relationships exist between the courts in the judiciary?; what role do the president and the Senate play in the decisions that judges make?; do judges make decisions that go against the public’s wishes?

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Political Science has just opened seats in several classes for Fall, 2014.  Please keep these classes in mind as you talk to transfer students or help current students make adjustments in their schedule These courses include:

PS 199: Civic Careers CRN 55924 This experimental, second-eight weeks, one-credit class meets 3:00-4:50 on Mondays.  This class invites students to consider developing their own civic careers in the contemporary social and political economy. The course will emphasize the development of personal and civic objectives and skills, as well as professional development in a dynamic and fragmented local, national and global community. Topics include: taking stock of values and skills, examining contemporary civic careers, evaluating educational opportunities, preparing career narratives, networking, and selecting career opportunities. Restricted from seniors until first day of class.

PS 300: Terrorism CRN 56251  This special topics course meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-3:20. It concerns terrorism, a violent tactic with a strikingly long history of use, has become a central security concern and political issue in the U.S. in recent years. This course relies on both theoretical and empirical literature to examine a host of questions about terrorism in an advanced, intensive, discussion-based seminar. In particular, we investigate the definition(s) of terrorism, its historical use and evolution, the motivations of various types of groups that employ or have employed this tactic, different forms of terrorism, variation in state responses to terrorism (or, where and when terrorism successfully results in concessions), and the effectiveness of a range of counterterrorism strategies and tactics.

PS 300 Human Rights CRN 59400 (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:50) and CRN 56253 (Mondays and Wednesdays 2:00-3:20)  Taught by Professor Jesse Ramsey, this course will be an exploration of the meaning, basis, historical roots, and practical significance of human rights, with special attention given to the questions of their universality. International relations subfield.

PS 339: Political Violence CRN 56951 (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-2:00)  This course surveys various forms of political violence and examination of competing theories about why these types of political violence occur and their implications. The different “categories” of violence under examination constitute pressing topics in the study of conflict in both international relations and comparative politics. These categories, which may overlap conceptually or empirically, include phenomena such as mass collective action in protests, riots, repression and torture, coups, civil war and insurgency, genocide and massacres, sexual violence during war, self-sacrifice, and terrorism.

PS 381: International Conflict CRN 45301 (Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-4:50) Taught by Professor Gennady Rudkevich, this advanced composition course examines the conditions that promote war and peace between states. General topics covered are: historical patterns in warfare; causes of war, including arms races and power distributions; outcomes of war; and approaches to peace.

PS 387: National Security Policy CRN 52687 (Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30-4:50) Taught by Professor Todd Robinson,  paying particular attention to nuclear weapons, this course examines principal theories of international security and evaluates their capacity to explain the security behavior of states and other key international actors.

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We still have openings in this class taught by Sarah West. Please see her note below. This class can count for an advanced elective for the literature or cultural areas of the minor.

SPAN 314: Early Literary Identities of Spanish America

CRN: 62930

Swashbuckling pirates, swindling bandits and disobedient women. These are but a few of the many identities that we will explore in SPAN 314: Early Literary Identities of Spanish America. Students will embark upon a survey of pre-colonial to early national texts from Spanish America as we answer the following questions: How does Spanish American literary and cultural production engage notions of identity? How do the notions of gender, race, nationalism, and space change as Latin America shifts from a system of colonies to a system of nation-states? Readings, assignments and classroom discussions will be in Spanish. PREREQUISITE: SPAN 250 or 254 or consent of instructor.

I also have a smore.com flyer, which can be found here: https://www.smore.com/kqwj3-need-a-spanish-class-for-fall-2014

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