GLOBAL STUDIES DISTINCTION The Global Studies Program at King takes a multi- disciplinary and multicultural approach to examining and understanding global issues. Interested students engage in intensive study of global problems and responses to them: environmental, socio-economic, diplomatic, and intellectual. Emphasis is placed on the study of the historical and anthropological origins and effects of global expansion; post-World War II and post-colonial world affairs; globalism and globalization; environmental changes and how they impact the globe; the growth of interdependent economies and their ramifications; global institutions such as the IMF and World Bank; global problems facing the United Nations; how new mentalities impact the globe and are impacted by it, as well as the global effects of mass media. Students examine those problems from diverse perspectives, in an effort to overcome ethno- centrism and foster multi-cultural understanding. The Global Studies Distinction is an opportunity for a student to distinguish him/herself as one who is interested in and has seriously pursued a variety of topics and experiences related to global study. The Distinction appears on the student’s transcript. The requirements for earning this distinction are as follows: 1) Required Courses: • Introduction to Global Studies • World Religions • World History (Ancient and Modern) • Four High School years of a foreign language • Final Capstone Project: independent study / research paper on a Global Studies Committee (GSC) approved topic during the spring semester of junior year. Candidates will present their Capstone Project to the GSC at the end of April 2) Two of the following elective courses: English Department • World Literature: Psychic Journeys (First semester senior English elective) • World Literature: Bearing Witness (Second semester senior English elective) Social Science Department • Cultural Anthropology • Topics in Global Studies • Ancient Greek or Modern Philosophy Science Department • Environmental Studies and Sustainability History Department • America, the Sixties, and the World th • Genocides of the 20 Century Department of World Languages • Second Language Elective (2 years minimum of a second language at the US) Visual Arts • Global Art, the Phenomenon of Human Expression 3) A Two-Year Commitment to Two of the Following Clubs: • Global Students Club • Rwanda Service Club • Model UN Club • Build On • Environmental Club • Unicef Club • World Language Clubs (Spanish, French & Chinese)
GLOBAL STUDIES COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Introduction to Global Studies This course introduces students to the concept of globalization as a dynamic process and condition. It explores the causes and effects of globalization and asks questions such as: What is globalization? How does globalization occur? Is globalization a new phenomenon? Is globalization driven by conflict or consensus? Does globalization create new forms of inequality and social hierarchy? This is an inquirybased course that surveys the socioeconomic, socio-political, technological, and ecological dimensions of globalization, as well as the ideologies of globalization. Attention is also given to how globalization affects popular culture and daily life through the media and various other communication channels. (Semester, .50 credits) World Religions This honors-level course takes a global approach by incorporating how world cultures have been impacted by their religions and by their diffusion. More emphatically, the course considers the “return” of religion into the 21st century socio-political arena, and examines the causes and forces shaping it. This return, and Topics around it, is the crux of the global importance of the course, alongside its intent to get students acquainted with diverse religious cultures, how religion impacts humanity, and how it is important to under- stand religion to understand humanity and its variety of cultures. The course also includes a philosophical approach to the meaning of religion, examining definitions and metaphysical problems pertaining to religion, including the problematic of theodicy. The course includes classical primary sources: Gilgamesh, The Koran, The Bible, The Upanishads, The Bhagavad- Gita, Buddhist and Sufi texts, among others. Further- more, the course takes on the distinction between secular and religious culture, and attempts a unifying approach. (Semester, .50 credits) World Literature, Psychic Journeys Readings for this course will focus on the various ways in which characters react when confronted with challenges and dilemmas that induce pressure, both internal and external. We will explore works of fiction that focus on the psychology of the individual as he/she undergoes a journey of the heart, mind, and soul. We will also incorporate the study of film into the course, as an adjunct to short stories, novels, poems, and plays written by authors from around the world. Reading list: Antigone by Sophocles, The Tempest by Shakespeare, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge, The Metamorphosis by Kafka, The Stranger by Camus, Death of a Salesman by Miller; selected poems and short stories by world authors. (Semester, .50 credits) World Literature, Bearing Witness This second semester English elective course will focus on literature written in response to trauma and will incorporate several genres of writing. In studying these pieces of literature from around the world, students may perceive the socially affirmative act of bearing witness to tragedy ("I Was There"), in order to join the chorus stating “never again.” Films will be used to supplement the readings. Reading list: "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge, Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut, Night by Wiesel, Left to Tell by Ilibagiza, I'm Not Leaving by Wilkens, Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, Against Forgetting by Carolyn Forche. (Semester, .50 credits) Cultural Anthropology This course examines living cultures – both traditional and westernized – around the globe. The focus is on a number of themes including the development of economic and political systems, trade and exchange, social structure, and the rise of complex societies. Archaeological cultures are also included to provide comparisons for analyzing the material record of group behavior. Culture contact, assimilation, and the forging of artificial identities as a result of colonialism and imperialism are also examined. Students read case studies of cultures and conduct anthropological projects of their own. (Semester, .50 credit) Topics in Global Studies This course is meant to explore the concept of globalization as it affects specific global issues and problems. Through extensive research into these issues, students will gain a thorough understanding of the effect such issues have on the economic, political, cultural, and environmental elements of our daily lives. In the process, students will develop critical thinking skills to arrive at a consensus about how to solve the issues and problems they are studying. Learning and using research skills will be a strong
component of the course. (Semester, .50 credits) Ancient Greek or Modern Philosophy This honors-level course is designed to inspire in stu- dents a sense of philosophical wonderment through the study of classical Greek and modern philosophy. The course involves students in such discussions as the problem of self-identity, the Soul, free will and determinism, happiness and virtue, appearance and reality, and the nature of knowledge. The first semester concentrates on Plato and Aristotle, and the second semester on modern philosophy from Des- cartes to present. Plato’s universalism and Aristotles’ cosmopolitanism are integral to the first semester course, and continue to resonate in the second semester course as the world becomes increasingly glo- balized. The course will include a unit on Japanese Philosophy based on the Kyoto School, which combines European Existentialism and Zen Buddhism. The course also engages students in philo- sophical thought through film. A major research paper is required as the final assessment for each semester. Students may take this course in either semester, or for both semesters, resulting in a year- ong experience. (Semester, .50 credit; Full year, 1 credit) Environmental Science and Sustainability During this course, students study the relationship be- tween humans and natural systems. The topics focus on the components of functionally healthy ecosystems, the impact of human activity on ecosystems, and how the global community can function in harmony with those ecosystems. Students engage in numerous projects with particular attention to producing ideas and materials that will be passed on to future classes and the King community. (Semester .50 credit) America, the Sixties, and the World As the most controversial and divisive period to face America since the Civil War, the Sixties tore at the moral fiber of the United States and profoundly changed America. This honors-level course is an in- depth examination of a variety of questions regarding that tumultuous decade. What was the Vietnam War about and how did the U.S. get involved? Why was the War so controversial? How does this period serve as a model for exploring American foreign policy, interactions, relations, and the Cold War? How did the civil rights movement and the students’ rights movement shape those years? What led to the development of a unique counterculture by the mid-Sixties? What were the experiences of those who fought in the War and those who participated in the various movements at home? How has the legacy of all these developments impacted the America we experience today? The course seeks to examine these issues through the eyes of those who lived during the Sixties, and thus makes use of “eyewitnesses” from the period, who visit class or welcome off-campus visits. The course also accesses memoirs, short stories, film, and music from or about the era. HIS 300 or HIS 301 are prerequisites to this course. (Semester 1, .50 credit) th
Genocides of the 20 Century To understand the history of genocide in the 20th century, we examine the Armenian genocide of the Christians serving in the Ottoman army, the genocide of the Jews at the hands of the Germans in the Holocaust of World War II, and the genocide of the Tutsi at the hands of the Hutus in Rwanda. The German Nazis and European Jews serve as the central focus of this inquiry. From this focal point, the discussions branch out into related areas showing how prejudice can escalate into genocide. (Semester, .50 credits) Global Art, The Phenomenon of Human Expression This course explores how humans around the globe and throughout history have made art, in order to document and express their experiences and ideas. The course looks at art as it relates to specific themes that reflect our shared human experience. Themes covered include: Self and Society; Power; Politics and Glory; Love and Sex; Mortality and Immortality. In addition to quizzes, students will be able to choose their own mode of assessment including d a research paper, or creating a relevant art work.