Below is a draft version of the INTS Spring 2023 Course Schedule. Also included are links to course descriptions.
Also- a reminder that for any course, you can log into Portal and check out syllabi from previous years, which can help give you a better sense of what a course is about (but do feel free to contact the instructor for an updated version).

In Spring 2023, INTS will offer four Special Topics courses for students. Special Topics (courses that end in 90) are new courses not yet in the catalogue. Unlike other courses, students can take the same course number multiple times, provided it is a different course. Please see below descriptions, and feel free to reach out to the instructors with questions!

INTS 290: The Politics of Developing Countries           Dr. Murrell Brooks
This course is a general introduction to the political, economic, social factors that has shapes the growth and history of developing countries from the pre-colonial period to the present day. The course’ method of analysis will be grounded in international political economy. Through an inter-disciplinary approach, the course will expose students to the main theoretical schools and conceptual approaches used by political economists to grasp the monumental changes occurring in developing countries.   Students will examine factors that have propelled the development of countries such as China, Ethiopia, South Africa, Iran, Turkey, Brazil, and their role in a twenty-first century international system that will be dominated by ‘great power’ competition. Students will interrogate important ideas in the study of developing countries including modernization theory, dependency, neo-liberalism, neo-colonialism, the state, nationalism, and the role women in development. A central question for this course is what role will developing countries play in the Twenty-first century’? To answer this and other questions, we will make use of the lectures, empirical data, documentary film, discussion, and the course readings.

INTS 290: Traditional Ecological Knowledge               Dr. Chika Esiobu
Research into environmental sustainability is increasingly leading to a renewed interest in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). TEK includes knowledge about geography, plants, forestry, landscapes, animals, animal husbandry, natural events, water management, soil science, the atmosphere, spirituality, and the connections between humans, animals, and plants. Different aspects of TEK will be explored in this course. At the end of this course, students will understand Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a valid way of knowing, as distinct from Western science. Students will have a better idea of how TEK can be used to manage the environment in a way that is sustainable at both local and global levels.

INTS 390: Race, Ethnicity & Human Rights                Dr. Lisa MacLeod
The principle of non-discrimination (“on the grounds of race, color, sex, language, religion or social origin”) comprises the core of the international human rights regime. This course explores the international human rights system focusing on the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race and ethnicity and the protection of minority and indigenous people’s rights. Students explore a range of questions examining the link between social, political, and legal processes, from the local to the global and back again.

INTS 390: Ancient and Medieval African History         Dr. Chika Esiobu
Africa is the origin of humankind. The study of African history is fundamental to understanding global history, dissecting contemporary issues, as well attempting to predict the course of future events. This course focuses on the history of ancient and medieval Africa, with emphasis on the realities and complexities of those times. At the end of this course, students’ understanding of the role Africa has played in global geo-political considerations will be considerably enhanced.

In Spring 2023, INTS will feature the new course, INTS 140: Introduction to European Studies, joining our existing Intro Area courses on Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The course will be offered by Shane Barter Monday Wednesday 1-230pm

          Course Description
What is Europe, and what does it mean to be ‘European’? A region within the Eurasian continent, Europe has uncertain edges.  It is home to considerable diversity, with subregions such as Western Europe, Iberia, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Baltics, the Balkans, and more. Europe has seen considerable out-migration, especially to the Americas, as well as growing in-migration, especially from Africa and the Middle East. This course provides an interdisciplinary look at the meaning of Europe and the emergence of a common European identity, especially through the European Union. Historically, we begin in Rome and Christendom, through the Enlightenment and colonialism, as well as the World Wars and Cold War through today. Thematically, we explore migration, religion, race, and nationalism, with particular attention to minority identities and the roles of institutions in shaping emergent European identities.

          Learning Objectives
-To understand the politics of identity, at various levels, in Europe
-To critically deconstruct Europe as a singular, given identity
-To identify and analyze significant historical events across Europe in shaping its identity
-To develop an understanding of political, social, cultural, economic, and legal institutions such as the European Union
-To understand the roots of contemporary challenges faced by Europe such as EU enlargement, refugee crises, Brexit, right-wing parties, Russia, and more

On Tuesday October 4th at 5pm, Mr. Spencer Potiker will present his work, “Understanding the Cross-Border Supply Chain: Transnational Migration, Urban Development, and Labor in San Diego-Tijuana”. The talk will be held in Maathai 207.

Author Bio: Spencer Potiker holds a B.A. from California State University, Long Beach in Sociology and Economics and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He is a doctoral candidate in the Global and International Studies department at UCI. His research and teaching interests center on global political economy, labor and social movements, immigration, urban and regional development, border studies, critical logistics studies, and anarchist political thought. Spencer’s published research focuses on supply chains, labor movements, and social movements in the global south. His dissertation entitled, “Cross Border Supply Chains and Mobility Regimes: Migration, Labor and Urban Development in the San Diego-Tijuana Transfrontier Metropolis” analyzes how the border effects supply chains, labor movements, and urban development in the San Diego-Tijuana border region.

Please join INTS in congratulating Dr. Jeannie Shonizuka on the new book, Biotic Borders: Transpacific Plant and Insect Migration and the Rise of Anti-Asian Racism in America, 1890–1950. Published by the University of Chicago Press, the book provides “A rich and eye-opening history of the mutual constitution of race and species in modern America.” For more information, or to purchase, please click here.

International Studies would like to welcome two new faculty members to Soka University of America. The concentration will be joined by Dr. Murrell Brooks (PhD UCLA) and Dr. Chika Esiobu (PhD Howard University), bolstering our course offerings in African Studies, politics, and Indigenous knowledge. This Fall, Dr. Brooks is offering INTS 190: Introduction to African Studies, while Dr. Esiobu will offer INTS 290: Approaches to Indigenous Wisdom.

To check out some of their work- see Dr. Esiobu’s recent TED Talk and Dr. Brooks’ new article on the Tanzanian coffee industry appearing in African Studies.

Please join us in welcoming them to SUA!

Dr. Fatima Rahman, a Visiting Assistant Professor in International Studies, has had a manuscript accepted for publication with the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion (IJRR). The forthcoming article analyzes varied attitudes among Muslim American toward Islamic Law. Please join us in congratulation Dr Rahman, and look for a link on the INTS site as the article becomes available.

15 courses, 9 lower division and 6 upper division

INTS alumnus Mahesh Kushwaha (class of 2019) and INTS professor Shane Barter have published a new co-authored book chapter, “Civil War and Peace in the Asia Pacific”. Their chapter provides an overview of different forms of armed conflict in Asia, and how different forms of conflict might be mitigated. The chapter is part of Mark S. Williams (editor), The Politics of the Asia Pacific: Triumphs, Challenges, and Understandings (Toronto: University of Toronto Press).

INTS is proud to be part of SUA’s liberal arts tradition of scholar-teachers, with faculty mentors working with students to gain research and publishing experience. Well done, Mahesh!