Classes Offered by Other Departments: Descriptions
For students interested in the Western Hemisphere, we have
compiled the following list of relevant classes offered at MIT.
(A one-page summary — class numbers and titles
only — is also available; but for current information, see
the MIT Bulletin.)
GENERAL
17.55J/21A.224J/21F.084J Introduction to Latin American Studies
Interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary Latin America, drawing
on films, literature, popular press accounts, and scholarly
research. Topics include: economic development, ethnic and racial
identity, religion, revolution, democratization, transitional justice,
the rule of law, and the changing roles of women. Country examples
draw on a range of countries in the region, especially Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. This subject focuses on Latin American
politics and society using classic works of film and literature, as
well as scholarly research and articles from the popular press. Themes
include colonialism and conquest, economic development, race and
ethnicity, religious experience, revolution, democracy,
market-oriented reform, and the rule of law. The subject will be
taught by Chappell Lawson (Course 17), with guest lectures on
indigenous identity, race relations in Brazil, the work of Colombian
writer Gabriel GarcÌa M·rquez, and economic policy.
C. Lawson
17.02 Liberty: An Introduction to the Practice of Political Theory
Liberty is widely held to be a primary political value. But what is
liberty? Why is it valuable? And what form of state (if any) is
required to protect it? These are the basic questions addressed in
this introductory subject in political theory. First part examines the
concept and value of liberty. Second part considers whether respect
for liberty is compatible with acceptance of the state, in any form.
Third part examines the scope of specific basic freedoms (e.g., of
expression, association). Fourth part explores the relationship
between liberty and economic equality.
A. Lever
HISTORY
3.982 The Ancient Andean World
Examines development of Andean civilization which culminated in the
extraordinary empire established by the Inka. Archaeological,
ethnographic, and ethnohistorical approaches. Particular attention to
the unusual topography of the Andean area, its influence upon local
ecology, and the characteristic social, political, and technological
responses of Andean people to life in a topographically ``vertical''
world. Characteristic cultural styles of prehistoric Andean life.
H. N. Lechtman
3.983 Ancient Mesoamerican Civilization
Examines origins and florescence of the civilizations of ancient
Mesoamerica using archaeological and ethnohistorical
evidence. Identifies technological, environmental, social
organizational and ideological variables leading to the translation to
food production and sedentary life, and development of Olmec, Maya,
Teotihuacan, and Aztec civilizations.
D. Hosler
3.986 The Human Past: Introduction to Archaeology
Archaeology reconstructs ancient human activities and their
environmental contexts. Drawing on case studies in contrasting
environmental settings from the Near East and Mesoamerica, considers
these activities and the forces that shaped them. In laboratory
sessions students encounter various classes of archaeological data and
analyze archaeological artifacts made from materials such as stone,
bone, ceramics, glass, and metal. These analyses help reconstruct the
past.
H. V. Merrick
21A.450 First Americans
The native peoples of North America in anthropological and historical
perspective, with emphasis on ethnographic case studies of
representative cultures, past and present, including the Apache,
Iroquois, Tewa, Kwakiutl, and others. Topics include: hunting and
agriculture, religion and cosmology, humor, and Indian non-Indian
relations.
J. Howe
21A.220 The Conquest of America
The five-hundred-year encounter between native peoples of the Americas
and European power and culture. Exploration and conquest. European
ideology and fantasies about ``savages.'' Colonialism, resistance, and
adaptation. Missionizing and culture contact. Cases include struggles
of Maya, Iroquois, and native New Englanders. Students learn to use
primary documents.
J. Howe
21H.802 Modern Latin America: Revolution, Dictatorship, and Democracy,
1808-Present
Selective survey of Latin American history from the wars of
independence at the start of the nineteenth century to the
present. Issues studied include: independence and its aftermath,
slavery and its abolition, Latin America in the global economy,
relations between Latin America and the US, dictatorships and
democracies in the twentieth century, and revolution in Mexico, Cuba,
and Central America.
J. Ravel
POLITICS
11.002J Fundamentals of Public Policy (Revised Content and Units)
Provides an introduction to policy-making. Explores policy questions
from the perspective of different focal actors, including
administrative agencies, citizen and interest groups, and the media.
Examines the interplay between policy development and institutions,
and reviews normative and empirical models of policy-making. Considers
the significance of the democratic context for policy-making. Primary
focus on domestic policy.
D. Laws, S. M. Meyer
11.003J Methods of Policy Analysis
Provides students with an introduction to public policy
analysis. Examines various approaches to policy analysis by
considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics,
political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique
these approaches through case studies of current public policy
problems.
Staff, J. M. Schuster
17.471 American National Security Policy (Revised Content and Units)
Examines the problems and issues confronting American national
security policy since 1945, with special attention to the politics of
policymaking. The nature of the international system (post-World War
II), the theoretical requirements for deterrence and defense, and
alternative strategies for implementing American national security
policy are discussed. The roles of the President, National Security
Council, Department of Defense and armed services, the Congress, and
public opinion in formulating national security policy are
examined. Subject fulfills undergraduate public policy requirement in
the major and minor.
S. M. Meyer
17.483J US Military Power (Revised Content)
Examines the evolving roles and missions of US General Purpose Forces
within the context of modern technological capabilities and Grand
Strategy, which is a conceptual system of interconnected political and
military means and ends. Topics include US Grand Strategies; the
organization of the US military; the defense budget; and the
capabilities and limitations of naval, air, and ground forces. Also
examines the utility of these forces for power projection and the
problems of escalation. Analyzes military history and simple models of
warfare to explore how variations in technology and battlefield
conditions can drastically alter effectiveness of conventional forces.
17.483 fulfills undergraduate public policy requirement in the major
and minor. Graduate students are expected to explore the subject in
greater depth.
B. Posen, T. Postol
17.503 Language and Politics (New)
Explores the multiple roles that language plays in politics and the
study of politics. Themes covered: the place of language in political
action (can speaking itself be a form of political action?);
linguistic relativism and political reality (are political views
shaped by the language one speaks?); language as a political resource
(how is language used as an instrument of both domination and
resistance?); language and concealment (what are the roles of truth,
lying, and jargon in politics?); and the language of political inquiry
(what is required of a language of scientific research?). Graduate
students are expected to explore the subject in greater depth.
F. Schaffer
17.507 Democratization and Democratic Breakdown
Examines the dynamics of regime change, both transitions to democracy
and the collapse of democratic systems. Readings focus on several case
studies, from the collapse of democracy in Weimar Germany to political
transition in Mexico today, that help to illustrate broader
theoretical issues. Graduate students are expected to explore the
subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
C. Lawson
17.51 Politics, Economics, and Democracy
Surveys the major types of democratic institutions, including
parliamentary and presidential regimes, federal and unitary systems,
coalition governments, and several other important distinctions.
Explores the implications of these institutional arrangements for
stability, good government, and economic development.
J. Rodden
17.53 Democratization in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
Recent years have seen an astonishing spread of democracy to many
Asian, African, and Latin American countries. Subject explores the
causes of these dramatic political transitions; the challenges
democratizing countries in the Third World face; and the question of
whether these new democracies will endure. Subject explores these
questions using film, fiction, popular journalism, and scholarly
research as a basis for discussion. Focus on a small number of
countries (Brazil, Mexico, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Senegal, and
Nigeria) allows exploration of relevant topics in greater depth.
F. Schaffer, C. Lawson
17.919 Declassify This! The Secret History of the United States
Reading and discussion of special topics in the field of social
science. What Uncle Sam didn't want you to know: Study of United
States foreign and domestic policy through declassified documents.
Topics may include the motivations and methods of U.S. foreign
policy in Latin America, the Middle East, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Afghanistan, as well as domestic political repression (such as
Cointelpro). Lecturers include Prof. Noam Chomsky and many local
academics and activists. Classes will cover background material,
and students will do original research on declassified documents.
There will be weekly discussions and project presentations by the
students, as well as potential publication of student projects.
Monday-Thursday classes will be lectures and Friday will be
discussion and research progress report back. Brice Smith.
(See also:
http://student.mit.edu/searchiap/fs-17-919.html.)
ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT
11.018 Solving the Infrastructure Crisis
Examines the influence of infrastructure planning and development on
cities and regions. Identifies the political, physical, and economic
forces that influence the construction (and maintenance) of roads,
bridges, water and sewer lines, etc. Considers different strategies
for repairing crumbling infrastructure, including privatization.
11.123 Big Plans
Explores social, technological, political, economic, and cultural
implications of ``Big Plans'' in the urban context. Local and
international case studies (such as Boston's Central Artery and
Curitiba, Brazil's bus transit system) are used to understand the
process of making major changes to the city fabric. The efficacy of
top-down and bottom-up planning and the applicability of planning
strategies across cultural boundaries are considered.
14.42 Environmental Policy and Economics
Evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of different ways in which the
government can act to protect the environment: pollution standards,
marketable rights, taxes, and citizen empowerment. Emphasis on
economic analysis, but also compares other policy perspectives
including law and politics.
14.54 International Trade
Introduction to the theory of international trade and finance with
applications to current policy issues.
14.64 Labor Economics and Public Policy
Theory and evidence concerning the functioning of the labor
market. Particular emphasis on the roles played by government and
institutions. Topics include minimum wages, labor market effects of
social insurance and welfare programs, the collective bargaining
relationship, discrimination, human capital, and unemployment.
J. Angrist
14.74 Foundations of Development Policy
Explores the foundations of policy making in developing
countries. Goal is to spell out various policy options and to quantify
the trade-offs between them. Special emphasis on education, health,
gender, fertility, adoption of technological innovation, and the
markets for land, credit, and labor.
K. Basu
14.75J Theories of Economic Development
Focus on alternative approaches to one basic question of why some
countries are rich and others poor. Reviews growth theory and the
corresponding evidence, goes on to examine approaches to
under-development which stress failure in assets and labor markets,
and concludes with a discussion of approaches based on the political
economy of developing countries.
A. Banerjee
21A.336 Globalization: From Mercantilism to Microchips
Examines economic, social, and cultural impacts of globalization on
people living in different parts of the world. Explores the dynamics
of globalization both historically and in the present, focusing on
such contemporary phenomena as the impact of new technologies in
Nigeria, Tibet, and the US; changes in the daily lives of workers in
Java and Silicon Valley; and the dynamics of cultural encounters, as
experienced by immigrants in France, tourists in the Amazon, and
baseball players in Tokyo.
C. Walley
SOCIETY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
11.020 Poverty, Public Policy, and Controversy
Introductory subject to the study of poverty in the United States,
viewed from an international perspective. Much social controversy in
the 1990s has been concerned with how society should respond to
poverty, race, and the related issues of the politics of welfare,
out-of-wedlock births, homelessness, crime, and drugs. Subject
investigates how particular research findings are brought to
controversies. Examines both knowledge about poverty and related
behaviors from social science research and how this knowledge is
incorporated into public discourse and politics. Experience of other
countries is introduced to make explicit the assumptions on which
American approaches to poverty are based.
M. Rein
11.166 Law, Social Movements, and Public Policy
Examines the role that courts and grassroots groups play in shaping
public policy, at the global level and in selected countries. Primary
focus on the impact of the relationship between courts and grassroots
activism, on current issues like trade, environmental regulation, and
human rights enforcement. In addition to recent international public
policy institutional processes including the World Trade Organization
and the World Bank, case studies from key countries like the US and
India are examined. Introduction to theoretical frameworks from legal
and social movement theories applied to court opinions, legislation,
treaties, law-related articles, and policy-oriented materials.
B. Rajagopal
11.122 Environment and Society
Examines the environment and social impacts of industrial society with
a focus on the regulation of pollution, eliminating sweatshops,
urbanization, and new risks. Analysis of current and emerging policies
and programs that seek to respond to environmental problems, including
governmental, private sector, and non-governmental responses through
policies, plans, and campaigns.
D. O'Rourke
17.509 Social Movements in Comparative Perspective
Subject explores why people join mass political organizations and
social movements; what accounts for the ultimate success or failure of
these organizations; how social movements have altered political
parties and institutions. Critically considers a range of theoretical
treatments and a variety of national cases. Graduate students are
expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and
individual research.
M. Nobles
17.513J Human Rights and Political Trials
Explores ways in which politics and international human rights norms
intersect in the international courtroom. Students become familiar
with human rights standards, with a focus on gender-based
discrimination. Examination of international juridical institutions
and the characteristics and limitations of public adversarial
proceedings. Consideration of historic as well as current conflicts.
M. Burnham
17.523 Ethnicity and Race in World Politics
Ethnic and racial conflict appear to be the hallmark of the new world
order. What accounts for the rise of ethnic/racial and nationalist
sentiments and movements? What is the basis of ethnic and racial
identity? What are the political claims and goals of such movements
and is conflict inevitable? Introduces students to dominant
theoretical approaches to race, ethnicity, and nationalism, and
considers them in light of current events in Africa, Europe, and the
Americas.
M. Nobles
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
21F.701 Spanish I
Introduction to understanding, speaking, reading, and writing
Spanish. Maximal use of fundamentals of grammar in active
communication. Audio- and video-based language laboratory program
coordinated with and supplemented to class work.
M. Ribas Groeger
21F.702 Spanish II
Increased practice in listening comprehension, reading, and group
interaction
A. GutiÈrrez Gonz·lez
21F.703 Spanish III
Aims at consolidation and expansion of skills in listening
comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. Uses short stories and
other readings, Hispanic television programs, and interactive video to
study issues of current interest in Hispanic culture.
D. Morgenstern
21F.704 Spanish IV
Continued study of the language, literature, and culture of
Spanish-speaking countries. Materials are from Spain and Latin America
and include films, short stories, novels, plays, poetry, and
journalistic reports in various media.
A. GutiÈrrez Gonz·lez, M. Ribas Groeger
21F.705 Oral Communication in Spanish
Gives students the necessary language skills to successfully employ
Spanish in a variety of social situations. Focus on oral
communication. Uses popular media for listening practice. Student
projects involve reading, oral presentations, and classroom
interaction. Emphasizes communication skills needed by students in
engineering and management for work in Latin America or Spain.
D. Morgenstern
21F.711 Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition: Perspectives on
Technology and Culture
Subject designed as a logical complement to Advanced Reading and
Writing in Spanish. Unlike 21F.713, which focuses primarily on
literary language, subject focuses on expository and journalistic
writing that examines the social and cultural impact of science and
technology in Hispanic societies. Topics considered are: family
structure and community, personal identity, gender relations,
relationship to natural world, value systems and religion, education
and work-life. Ethical implications of technological decision-making
also discussed. Improves oral and written skills through discussions
of audiovisual materials, simulations, interviews, guided
compositions, regular journal writing, and participation on an online
forum. Readings include: journalistic reports, essays, and literary
selections offering diverse perspectives. Taught in Spanish.
M. Ribas Groeger
21F.712 Spanish Conversation and Composition
Systematic training in spoken and written skills to improve fluency
and style. Oral reports by participants on individual
topics. Discussions with native speakers, analyses of selected
literary texts, periodicals, and Spanish-language media.
D. Morgenstern
21F.713 Advanced Reading and Writing in Spanish
Students read and discuss works by authors from diverse quarters of
Hispanic culture, consider basic problems of interpretation, improve
their ability to read, discuss, and write about literary texts, and
review advanced Spanish grammar. Materials for class discussion and
composition include: Hispanic novels, novellas, short stories, plays,
and poems.
A. GutiÈrrez Gonz·lez; N. Wey-Gomez
21F.714 Spanish for Bilingual Students
Designed for students of Hispanic descent and raised in the
US. Expands oral and written grammar study and increases contact with
standard Spanish. Studies recent fiction and poetry as well as
specific historical, social, economic, and political aspects of
Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban cultures. Many of the
nonliterary readings are in English; class discussions in Spanish.
D. Morgenstern
21F.716 Introduction to Contemporary Hispanic Literature
Studies important twentieth-century texts from Spain and Latin America
that represent the principle fictional genres -- poetry, theatre,
short story, and the novel. Includes works by Bombal, Lorca, Neruda,
Vallejo, Machado, and GarcÌa M·rquez. Not offered Spring 2002.
N. Wey-GÛmez, M. Resnick
21F.729 Making the Other Speak: Narratives From the Spanish Conquest
of the New World
Explores how New World people might be thought to ``speak'' in key
stories of Spain's colonization of America, and how individual and
collective, Old and New World views shape these stories. Selections
include: Columbus on the Discovery; Cortes on his conquest of Mexico;
Sahagún's Indian informants on Mexico's fall; Las Casas on the
unlawfulness of Spain's expansionism; Cabeza de Vaca on shipwreck and
survival; Cieza, Garcilaso, and various Andean chroniclers on the
conquest of Peru; and Ursua on Aguirre's search for El
Dorado. Includes some cinematic versions. Students asked to reflect on
the relationship among storytelling, ideology, and historical truth.
N. Wey-GÛmez
21F.730 Twentieth-Century Hispanic American Literature
Concentrates on the classics of this century, with a few surprises:
Quiroga's and Borges' short stories, poetry by Vallejo and Neruda,
Teresa de la Parra's Las memorias de Mama Blanca, Rulfo's Pedro
P·ramo, GarcÌa M·rquez's Cien aÒos de soledad, and more.
E. Garrels
21F.735 Advanced Topics in Hispanic Literature and Film
Close study of a cluster of works reflecting a theme, a grouping of
authors, or a historical period not covered in depth in other subjects
taught in Spanish.
N. Wey-GÛmez
21F.736 The Short Story in Spain and Hispanic America
Studies the evolution of the short story in Spain and Hispanic America
from the sixteenth century to the present. Considers the short story
as a genre with unique possibilities for expression. Some semesters
students write their own short stories in Spanish. Authors include:
Borges, Cort·zar, Quiroga, Cervantes, Maria de Zayas, Emilia Pardo
Baz·n, and Ana Lidia Vega.
E. Garrels
21M.665 Theater of Latin America
Explores Latin America's cultural richness and socio-political
diversity through the work of major Latin American
playwrights. Students experience Latin American collective creation
methods through classroom exercises. Subject is a blend of academic
study and theatrical play. Students have the option of doing reading
and writing assignments in Spanish.
B. Cotto-Escalera
21M.851 Special Topics in Drama, Afro-Brazilian Dance
I. Oliviera
21F.010 Introduction to European and Latin American Fiction
Studies great works of European and Latin American fiction. Attention
to a variety of forms including: the picaresque, epistolary, realist,
naturalist, and magical realist fiction. Emphasizes ways in which the
unique history of each country shaped the imaginative responses of its
writers. Authors include: Cervantes, Laclos, Goethe, Mann, Dostoevsky,
Flaubert, Zola, Unamuno, Wolf, GarcÌa M·rquez, and Allende. Taught in
English.
A. Bannerjee
21F.018 Topics in Bilingualism: Language, Culture, and Experience
(Revised Content)
Topic for Spring 2002 is The Childhood Memoirs of Bilingual
Writers. Explores the linguistic, historical, political,
psychological, cultural, and literary aspects of bilingualism in the
US and internationally. Examines the history of hegemonic languages
and of linguistic and cultural resistance. Covers issues of
immigration, exile, and borderlands. Focuses on the personal
alienation and enrichment to which bilingualism leads, on generational
conflict, and on the role language and culture play in the
construction of identity. May be repeated for credit with permission
of the instructor. Taught in English.
I. de Courtivron
21F.020J After Columbus: Literature of Exploration, Exile, and Cultural Contact
Examines writing inspired by the experience of peoples brought into
contact by the commercial, colonial, and military expansion of Europe
beginning in 1492. Geographical and historical focus may vary, but
always includes several literatures (e.g., colonial French,
Anglo-American, South Asian, African, and Latin American) and
non-English works read in translation. Readings vary from term to
term, but include literary works (novels, poetry, and song lyrics) and
non-fictional writing (diaries, historical accounts, and legal
documents).
S. Raman
21F.022J International Women's Voices (Revised Content)
Introduces students to a variety of fictional works by contemporary
women writers. Subject's international perspective emphasizes the
extent to which each author's work reflects her distinct cultural
heritage and to what extent, if any, we can identify a female voice
that transcends national boundaries. A variety of interpretive
perspectives, including sociohistorical, psychoanalytic, and feminist
criticism is used to examine the texts. Authors include: Mariama B‚
Isabel Allende, Anita Desai, Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison,
Doris Lessing, Alifa Riyaat, Yang Jiang, Nawal Al-Saadawi, and Sawako
Ariyoshi. Taught in English.
M. Resnick
21F.028J Sex Roles in Fiction: Europe and Latin America (Revised Content)
Examines the representation of sexual roles in fiction. Studies works
by European and Latin American authors in their cultural and
historical contexts. Themes include: bourgeois women, women rebels,
and redefinition of sex roles. Comparative analysis of works by de
Laclos, MoliËre, Zola, Lorca, Wolf, Wittig, Machado de Assis, Colette,
and Puig. Materials include: films by Godard, BuÒuel, Saura,
M. v. Trotta. Taught in English
M. Resnick
21F.053 Topics in Global Culture (Revised Content)
The globalization of capitalism, the proliferation of media and
communications networks, and the increasing mobility of the world's
population have in recent decades destabilized conventional notions of
ethnicity and nationhood, redefined the meaning of community and led
to the emergence of new hybridized forms of culture. Each year subject
examines new forms of cultural production in a variety of media and
discourses. Topic for Spring 2002: Redrawing the Borders: Nationhood,
Ethnicity, and Artistic Commitment in Contemporary Africa and the
Caribbean. Taught in English.
O. Cazenave
21F.082 Contemporary US Hispanic Literature and Film: Lives in Translation
Examines the experience and dilemmas of Cubans, Mexicans, Puerto
Ricans, and other established and immigrant US Hispanic/Latino groups
by studying recent writers and filmmakers. Topics include:
marginality, transculturation, and acculturation in works such as
Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent, Gloria
Anzaldua's Borderlands, Sandra Cisneros' Woman Hollering Creek, Jesus
Colon's A Puerto Rican in New York, Oscar Hijuelos' The Mambo Kings
Play Songs of Love, and Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory. Includes
TV series ``I Love Lucy'' and the film Mambo Kings. Taught in English.
N. Wey-GÛmez
21F.222 Expository Writing for Bilingual Students
Formulating, organizing, and presenting ideas clearly in
writing. Reviews basic principles of rhetoric. Focuses on development
of a topic, thesis, choice of appropriate vocabulary, and sentence
structure to achieve purpose. Develops idiomatic prose style. Gives
attention to grammar and vocabulary usage. Special focus on
strengthening skills of bilingual students. Successful completion
satisfies Phase I of the Writing Requirement.
P. Brennecke
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