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What do old and young people share in common? With a focus on Japan, a country with a large long-living population, this seminar spotlights older people's lives as a reflectiion of culture and society, history, and current social and personal changes. Through discussion of multidisciplinary studies on age, analysis of narratives, and films, we will gain a closer understanding of Japanese society and the multiple meanings of growing up and older. Students will also create a short video/audio profile of an older individual, and we will explore cross-cultural comparisons. Held in Knight Bldg. Rm. 201.

Reviews the history of genocide from ancient times until the present. Defines genocide, both in legal and historical terms, and investigates its causes, consequences, and global dimensions. Issues of prevention, punishment, and interdiction. Main periods of concern are the ancient world, Spanish colonial conquest; early modern Asia; settler genocides in America, Australia, and Africa; the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust; genocide in communist societies; and late 20th century genocide.

Food is an essential aspect of the human experience. The decisions and choices we make about food define who we have been, who we are now, and who we want to become. nnThis seminar examines Jewish culture and the food practices and traditions that have shaped and continue to shape it. Why has Jewish culture been centered around food practices? How have religious laws and rituals about food and food production shaped Jewish culture and vice versa? Dietary laws prescribe which animals are and are not "kosher" and what can be eaten with them, holidays are celebrated with traditional foods, and regional foods contribute to the formation of distinct Jewish ethnic identities. More recently, American Jews have begun to organize around issues of food justice, and joined the sustainability movement, adapting Jewish traditions about food production into their cause. What is the significance of animal welfare, environmental issues, and labor practices in Jewish culture?nnThis multi-disciplinary seminar explores the connection between food practices and ethnic and religious identity(ies), the history of the dietary laws and their multiple interpretations, the cultural significance of the phenomenal success of kosher certification in the U.S. food market, and the rise of the Jewish food justice movement. These issues raise a multitude of comparative questions, and you are encouraged to engage in research into other religious and ethnic food cultures. Course materials include: biblical and later religious, legal, and philosophical texts; cook-books (as cultural and historical sources); literature (both fiction and academic); films; news media, and food experts. We will visit an urban farming community (Urban Adamah) to learn from those involved in the Jewish sustainability movement.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Zionism emerged as a political movement to establish a national homeland for the Jews, eventually leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. This seminar uses novels to explore the changes in Zionism, the roots of the conflict in the Middle East, and the potentials for the future. We will take a close look at novels by Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, in order to understand multiple perspectives, and we will also consider works by authors from the North America and from Europe.

For over a decade now, South Korea has established itself as a tireless generator of soft power, the popularity of its pop-culture spreading from Asia to the rest of the world. This class will look into the economic engine that moves this "cultural contents" industry, and will examine some of its expressions in the form of K-pop. Will be held in Rm. 212, Lathrop Library.

Most Americans know that discrimination on the basis of race, sex and religion is unlawful. Seems simple enough. But advertisements in the back of newspapers still announce: Single White Female Seeks Single White Male? Isn't that discrimination on the basis of race and sex? Most businesses don't consider men for women's locker room or bathroom attendant. And why aren't those men and women's bathrooms and locker rooms illegal segregation? After all we know what would happened if some business set up separate bathrooms for blacks and whites. Isn't it discrimination for an employer to insist that men wear a jacket and tie and women to wear nylons and a skirt? Why are some forms of discrimination unlawful and others not? Why is discrimination against short people, overweight people or people with annoying personalities not against the law? We'll answer these and many other questions by looking court cases, legal theory and philosophy. We may also have conversations with guest lecturers who work in civil rights enforcement and the seminar may include a field trip to visit the offices of civil rights lawyers (lawyers tend to be busy people so these opportunities will depend on their schedules.) No prerequisites other than an open mind and a willingness to delve into unfamiliar material. Evaluation will be based on class participation and a short final paper.

Is race an irrelevant characteristic to which we should all be blind? Do only racists pay attention to race? Or must we take account of race, as one Supreme Court Justice has urged, in order to get beyond it? Indeed, is race something that we should want to "get beyond"? This seminar will consider the nature and extent of racial inequality, and how we as a society might and should respond to it. We will consider specific dilemmas regarding the propriety of taking account of race, in, for example, placing children with adoptive parents, selecting individuals for police investigation, hiring and college admissions. Readings will be drawn from law, history and social science. The goal of the course is to enable you to think more deeply about the moral, social and practical dimensions of how to regulate race in specific settings.

What are the origins of the human rights movement and where is it headed? What does it mean to be a human rights activist? What are the main challenges and dilemmas facing those engaged in human rights advocacy? In the space of sixty years, human rights advocates have transformed a marginal utopian ideal into a central element of global discussion, if not practice. In this seminar we will examine the actors and organizations behind this remarkable development as well as the vast challenges faced by advocates in the recent past and today. Together, we will learn to be critical of, as well as to think, and act, like human rights advocates. This seminar will introduce you to some the main debates and dilemmas within the human rights movement. We will consider and understand the differing agendas of western international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and their counterparts in the frequently non-western) developing world, as well as tensions between and among rights advocates along other important dimensions (civil and political vs. economic, social and cultural rights; rights promotion through engagement of powerful actors vs. challenging structures of power, etc.). The seminar seeks to develop your ability: 1) to understand human rights and social justice issues as contested political, legal and cultural phenomena; 2) to review advocacy texts, videos and other interventions critically; 3) to appreciate the political dimensions of efforts to promote human rights; 4) to understand how recent history constrains and structures options and possibilities for social intervention to promote rights and justice. During the course of the quarter you will be required to submit several short reflection papers and develop a human rights advocacy campaign.

This course will study the main international human rights declarations, treaties, covenants, committees, courts and tribunals. It will look at the effect of nation states, regional bodies, and key economic and military organizations upon human rights. Categories of rights -- civil, political, social, economic and cultural -- will be analyzed, with a particular focus on the rights of women and children, and the right to culture.