Course Matching – Fall 2023

The faculty members teaching the courses listed below would like to offer their course as a Globally Connected Course in fall of the 2023-24 academic year and are looking for a course partner from an Alliance institution. The courses are organized by academic division, but some of the richest course connections are cross-disciplinary, so you are strongly encouraged to search broadly.

If you are interested, please contact the instructor to explore connecting their course to a course you teach. Visit the Global Course Connections page for information on how to submit a course description and how to submit a connection proposal.

Also review the list of courses for spring 2024.

ANTH 105: Cultural Anthropology
Jennifer Grubbs, [email protected], Antioch College
This course is designed to acquaint students with the anthropological approach of studying the structures and institutions, worldviews and belief systems of other peoples. Cultural Anthropology is dedicated to the study of cultural diversity, and thus, the primary goal is to understand social differences (through experienced and socially-constructed, power-laden aspects such as: cultural, ethnic, race, gender, sexuality, class, or religion) and the relationship to political, economic, linguistic, historical, and other social realms. Students will have the opportunity for learning through their experiences (both past and present), the primary methodologies of cultural anthropology, participant observation, data collection and analysis. [Expected enrollment: 15]

ANTH235 Rhetoric, Resistance, Repression
Jennifer Grubbs, [email protected], Antioch College
This course examines the anthropology of social movements through the lenses of the theoretical, historical, methodological, ethical, and political. We will begin by understanding critical themes and ideas generated through the social scientific study of social movements such as civil society, hegemony, social change, identity politics, and the rhetoric of agitation and control. We will apply these concepts, among others introduced throughout the course, to examine a range of contemporary social movements. These diverse movements address issues ranging from racism, sexism, environmental degradation, reproductive choice, classism, heterosexism, to transphobia. This course is designed to facilitate and encourage active engagement with the texts and discussion. [Expected enrollment: 15]

History 257 Race/Ethnicity in U.S. History
Fred L. Johnson III, [email protected], Hope College
The history of the impact of race and ethnicity in the founding and development of the United States as a democratic republic. [Expected enrollment: Capped @ 22]

SOCY 312: Ageing and the Life course
Tannistha Samanta, [email protected], FLAME University
This course is an introduction to the sociological study of aging across the life course. The course will adopt an intersectional lens and rely on interdisciplinary approaches to examine questions of gender, the body, family, identity, social practices, and medical and legal discourses surrounding aging. Specific topics include (1) Theorizing aging across disciplines (history, demography, economics, anthropology and feminist studies); (2) cultural representations of age and aging (body, self-image advertising, consumer culture and ageism); (3) family structure, intergenerational relationships and personhood (social networks, care ethics and later life intimacies); (4) later life in a transnational era (questions of identity, ethnicity, nation/transnationalism and digital sociality); (5) the politics of aging; and social policy. [Expected enrollment: 20]

LING 413 Sociolinguistics
Maheen Zia, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course addresses the interdependence of language and culture in various sociological contexts and covers basic sociolinguistic theoretical models and methodologies. It also focuses on various aspects of human behavior and sociocultural interaction that affect language use, and explores diversity in language in relation to age, gender, region, social class, ethnicity and national origin. An exploration of attitudes and ideologies about the language varieties and choices with an emphasis on speech community and dialect will be of particular importance to understanding this relationship in diverse cultures. Students will have to apply the knowledge acquired throughout the course to real world examples and their personal experiences as language users. They must also engage critically in class discussions and be able to undertake and critically appraise research in this area. [Expected enrollment: 15-20]

PLSC 101: Introduction to Political Science
Shehzadi Zamurrad Awan, [email protected] , Forman Christian College
Introduction to Political Science is a core course for entry-level students to study politics and power from domestic, international, and comparative perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies, processes, and behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war. The prominent feature of this course is studying the branches of government: legislature, executive, and judiciary. The detailed analysis of the Parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systems, along with the features of unicameral and bicameral legislatures, enable students to understand different political systems worldwide. [Expected enrollment: 35]

POL 2315 Global Issues
Anna Kensicki, [email protected], International University of Grand-Bassam
This course familiarizes students with the most important issues affecting life on the planet. It explores how these problems came about and challenges them to seek solutions. We examine issues related to power, wealth and poverty, demographics, food supply, energy, and the environment. At the course’s end, students consider alternative futures for the world. [Expected enrollment: 25]

POL 3330 Introduction to Political Research
Anna Kensicki, [email protected], International University of Grand-Bassam
This course consists of research techniques in political research including data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It is designed to introduce students to the logic of research design and the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of political science and for investigating political issues. [Expected enrollment: 5 to 10]

IR-490 Introduction to Migration Studies
Clarissa Tabosa, [email protected], Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts (BISLA)
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the study of international migration, its main categories, trends, theories, and challenges. The focus of our study will be on immigration to liberal democracies, where the commitment to protecting human rights often clashes with the interests of states to keep borders closed and repel some categories of migrants. The evaluation methods chosen, which include (but are not limited to) interviews with members of migrant communities, reading a novel that addresses migrant integration and watching movies followed by an analysis and discussion, will allow students to have direct contact with immigrant communities in Slovakia and a better understanding of some of the main issues and challenges faced by migrants in the destination countries. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to critically think about migration, migration policies, and integration of migrants and conduct research on migration. [Expected enrollment: 12]

PLSC 203 International Relations
Mudassir Farooqi , [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course examines the evolution of IR and the international systems it describes, focusing especially on ways in which social structures bring order to our otherwise anarchic international society. In doing so it considers: the evolution of IR in practice and theory during the twentieth century; the impact of international history on the development of the discipline prior to 1919; the end of the Cold War and the failure of IR to predict this epochal shift; the nature of globalisation and its influence on the discipline’s main theories and concepts; the similarities and differences between mainstream approaches to IR; the alternatives presented by some of the discipline’s newer theoretical schools; the difficulties implicit in defining and limiting war between and within states; the contentious place of peace in international society; the role and responsibilities of the state as one actor among many in the international system; our changing understanding of international power; the impact of globalisation and the end of the Cold War on actors’ definitions of security; the difficulties of global governance in an anarchic international society; and the likely impact of Asia’s (especially China’s) rise on the units, processes and structures of the international system. [Expected enrollment: 15]

PLSC 335 Public Opinion
Shakila Noor Sindhu, [email protected], Forman Christian College
General nature of public opinion and its development and application to Pakistan, modern techniques of measurement. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 201 News Reporting
Adeel Ahmad Aamir, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course is an Introduction to basic news writing and reporting for newspapers, magazines, electronic media, and new media. This course teaches students the fundamental elements of a simple news story such as leads, structure, and body. It also covers reporting techniques and processes relevant to the coverage of political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Annually the craft of journalism is adapting itself to digital media currently. While the principles and fundamentals remain the same, pressures the of editing and deadlines are tougher. This course has been adapted to prepare students for web reporting and writing challenges requiring precision, speed, accuracy, and abiding respect for language, grammar, and the rules of honest journalism and clean writing. The study of news reporting is among the oldest sub-disciplines of the field of human communication and journalism. News reporting is also of central interest in fields such as television production and new media production (e.g., citizen journalism, social media reporting, and radio), sociology, political science (e.g., voting studies, political campaigns), and interpersonal influence. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 203: Media & Peace Building
Saleem Abbas, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course explores the crucial role that media and journalists play in promoting conflict resolution and peace-building. Our objective is to familiarize students with the concepts of peace, conflict, and violence and evaluate the various ways in which media and journalists can contribute to these areas. We will examine the principles of peace journalism, conflict-sensitive and solutions-oriented reporting, and ethical considerations. Through the exploration of various case studies, we will analyze how journalism can facilitate non-violent approaches to conflict resolution. We will delve into the critiques and challenges of peace journalism and examine future developments in this field. Additionally, by comparing war journalism with peace journalism, students will gain a greater appreciation for the alternative approach offered by peace journalism and inspiration to become agents of change in their respective fields. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 290: Fundamentals of Research Methods
Saleem Abbas, [email protected], Forman Christian College
The course ‘Fundamentals of Research Methods’ is an essential component of the Mass Communication program, aimed at providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the social-scientific process of research used in the field of Mass Communication. This course covers the basics of research, including its concepts, process, elements, measurement, and methods, and enables students to explore the mass media phenomenon in society. By utilizing their understanding of research, students will also be able to measure the effects and impacts of mass communication. Prospective students of this course must have a good understanding of the fields of Mass Communication and the process creation, production, distribution, and consumption of media content. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 304 Principles of Advertising
Shamail Zehra, [email protected], Forman Christian College
The course introduces scope, function, and socio-economic aspects of advertising. It also looks at advertising research, functions of advertising agencies, designing and evaluation of advertising campaigns. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 401 Radio Broadcasting A Theoretical Introduction
Shamail Zehra, [email protected], Forman Christian College
The course introduces the origin and development of radio, functions of broadcasting house, distinctive features of radio news, interviewing for radio programs, duties of a radio producer, trends in FM radio in public and private sectors in Pakistan. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 402 TV. A Theoratical Introudction
Adeel Ahmad Aamir, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course is a combination of both visual theory and practice. What is television today? How have representations of gender, race, and class changed due to television’s transformation from a single-channel mass medium to a multi-channel niche-oriented medium? How television programming has improved democratic norms and political awareness in developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. How national and international media conglomerates operate and set public agenda. We’ll be addressing such key televisual questions along with the technical learning of the production phases for TV programs. Students will learn all kinds of camera shots, movements, production rules, editing techniques, and visual analysis through different practical demonstrations and projects. [Expected enrollment: 35]

MCOM 404 Community Journalism
Adeel Ahmad Aamir, [email protected], Forman Christian College
All stories of Journalism contain some relation to political, economic, behavioral, and social issues in our communities. This course is designed to immerse students in current events, which they will be required to place in a broader social context. This course will explain the differences and similarities between community journalism with other types of journalism like Civic, Development, Citizen, and Advocacy Journalism. Topics include finding and focusing story ideas in the community, exploring how journalists report on the agenda of governments and social groups, and how journalists set their own agendas within a community setting. This course builds on reporting prevailing issues in the areas of race, gender, sexuality, religion/beliefs, migration, minorities, and indigenous communities. [Expected enrollment: 35]

BUSA 132 – Organizational Behavior
Freda Addu Dzradosi, [email protected], Ashesi University
How can managers motivate employees to go beyond the call of duty to get the job done? How can managers be sure their decisions are not biased? What influence tactics can managers use when they do not have formal authority to tell someone what to do? This course will help students understand life in complex organizations by covering topics that span microanalysis dealing with individuals and macro analysis dealing with the organization. The course is managerial in orientation and focuses on the processes necessary to organize, motivate, direct, and control people engaged in collective activities. The emphasis is on the understanding of concepts and strategies that enable students to become managers that are more effective and efficient. The course uses readings, cases, exercises, skits, group debates, and videos to illustrate the conceptual and applied aspects of the individual, group, and organizational behavior. [Expected enrollment: 70 (2 cohorts)]

BUSA 451-Development Economics
Stephen Armah, [email protected], Ashesi University
Why countries do countries with low incomes have similar problems such as hyperinflation, corruption, debt, teenage pregnancy, slums, poor governance, inadequate infrastructure, and weak institutions. What can be done about this? Can these economies transform into wealthy advanced economies? How did the Asian Tigers, Qatar, Ireland and China etc. become wealthy recently even though they were poor half a century ago and were in situations similar to Sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana at the time. This course discusses the problems faced by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Lower Middle-Income countries and their efforts to improve the lives and well-being of their people. It incorporates different aspects of the development process including traditional development topics like economic growth, education, population studies, migration and rural-urban migration, and poverty as well as less traditional but equally pertinent topics like the role of leadership in development, how culture impacts corruption and development, economic and political institutions, competition policy & antitrust laws, foreign aid, and corruption.  [Expected enrollment: 30]

WTG 150 Academic Writing: Crossing Borders
Andra Yount, [email protected], Franklin University Switzerland
Designed as a discussion/workshop seminar, this writing course develops students’ awareness of scholarly discourse and their participation in it: what makes academic discourse different from other kinds of writing, how different disciplines approach analysis and evidence, and what counts as effective communication within scholarly communities. Through the study of borders — what they are, how they shape culture, politics and society, and why they change — the course helps students develop academic communication strategies that are applicable across the curriculum at Franklin. The main focus of the course is to help students develop strategies for joining the academic conversation, covering skills such as close reading and responding to texts; generating, supporting and sharing ideas in both oral and written form; and scholarly researching. [Expected enrollment: 15]

ENGL 110 Migration & Return in African Diaspora literature
Ernest Cole, [email protected], Hope College
The course explores the theme of migration and return through selected works of African writers in the continent and the diaspora. Drawing from migration narratives in the United Kingdom, France, and African writers in the United States including Taiye Selasi, Brian Chikwava, NoViolet Bulawayo, Benjamin Kwakye and Chimamanda Adichie, the course examines both the authors’ engagement with themes of disillusionment, institutionalized racism, reversal of expectation, and difference in Western societies, as well as the complications of return. Caught between the struggle to integrate in a new environment and nostalgia about their homeland, the works depict the struggles of characters to navigate the difficulties of integration in the adopted country and the complications of return to the home country. [Expected enrollment: 30 students]

ENGL 220 Partition Fiction
Fatima Syeda, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course aims to introduce students specifically to short stories and novels about the Partition of the Sub-continent. These fictional works record the trauma of this historic phenomenon witnessing the mass migrations, brutality and psychological trauma of the division. The authors studied during this phase will include Saadat Hasan Manto, Khushwant Singh, Bapsi Sidhwa, Joginder Paul, Bhisham Sahni, Rajinder Singh Bedi and others. This will include stories written in English and translated into English from other languages. [Expected enrollment: 25]

CLCS 100W The Stories We Live By
Kate Roy, [email protected], Franklin University Switzerland
Stories are everywhere. We use them, consciously or unconsciously, to make sense of identities, experiences, and desires. And, at the same time, we are shaped by the stories that we absorb and interpret. This course explores how storytelling both reflects and shapes our lives. It introduces students to keywords and terms for reading and reflecting upon stories, both in the pages of books and in everyday life. The course considers a variety of narrative forms, including short stories, novels, fairy tales, self-help manuals, comics, films, podcasts, and political discourse. The course introduces students to fundamental questions about the nature of storytelling, while developing the vocabulary and critical skills for analyzing and discussing stories. [Expected enrollment: 15]

350 Advance Creative Writing
Mussarat Shahid, [email protected], Forman Christian College
Writing is both an art and a craft. Just as we cannot sit down at a piano and break someone’s heart as Beethoven could, or pick up a guitar and make it cry like Hendrix, we cannot “whip up” a story that will touch a universal chord in every human being. What we can do, however, is to find ways to connect with our inner feelings and activate our sensory pathways to unravel “our own true nature.”We will embark on this journey of creative writing with the understanding that writing is nothing but an extension of the human need to communicate however, it is more demanding, a more conscious and a more complex skill than is speech. Not only does it need the commitment to move another person’s emotions with written words, but it also necessitates creating an environment that is kind to the writer yet demanding of the story. The course will enable participants to discover a spark which has not yet been ignited; to tantalize senses that so far have been numb. And a promise to rekindle the passion for creative writing like never before. [Expected enrollment: 12 to 15]

Ling 217: Introduction to Linguistics
Dr. Ambreen Javed, [email protected], Forman Christian College
Introduction to Linguistics deals with the theoretical concepts and empirical findings of modern linguistics on a non-technical level. It highlights the connection between linguistics and other related disciplines. The course aims to differentiate various key components of linguistics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse, discourse analysis, pragmatics and diachronic/synchronic; paradigmatic/syntagmatic relations, langue and parole respectively. It also talks the basic concepts of sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics along with the computational aspect of linguistics. [Expected enrollment: 35]

CORE 1010 Freshman Seminar: Creative Expressions of Resistance
Yara El Masry, [email protected], The American University in Cairo
In Creative Expressions of Resistance, students are introduced to theories of Resistance Studies as well as the creative forms that this resistance often takes whether in form of Fiction, Film, Art, and/or Music. Through critical reading, class discussion, reflective writing and collaborative work students will consider how these genres have been utilized throughout time as a means to express human resilience and resistance to political and social injustice within specific contexts of suffering and/or encounters with power. We will focus on Middle Eastern contexts as well as diverge to more International contexts/issues though investigations of colonialism, racism, environmentalism, displacement and equality. The big questions that we will be reflecting on include the initial question of the relation between power and resistance, violent versus nonviolent means of resistance, as well as the many forms that this non-violent (creative) resistance often takes especially in the face of repression and censorship. [Expected enrollment: 17]

Math 128: History of Mathematics in the Islamic World
Nuh Aydin, [email protected], Kenyon College
This course examines an important and interesting part of the history of mathematics and, more generally, the intellectual history of humankind: the history of mathematics in the Islamic world. Some of the most fundamental notions in modern mathematics have their roots here, such as the modern number system, the fields of algebra and trigonometry, and the concept of algorithm, among others. In addition to studying specific contributions of medieval Muslim mathematicians in the areas of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and trigonometry in some detail, we will examine the context in which Islamic science and mathematics arose, and the role of religion in this development. We will also discuss the reasons why Islamic contributions to science have been largely forgotten and the damage caused by a Eurocentric narrative of the history of science that has been dominant around the world. The rise of Islamic science and its interactions with other cultures (e.g., Greek, Indian, and Renaissance Europe) tell us much about larger issues in the humanities. Thus, this course has both a substantial mathematical component (60-65 percent) and a significant history and social science component (35-40 percent), bringing together three disciplines: mathematics, history, and religion. The course counts toward the Islamic Civilization and Cultures concentration but does not count toward any math major requirement. Prerequisite: solid knowledge of algebra and geometry. [Expected enrollment: 15]

MATH100-Quantitative Skills
Dr. Farheen Ibraheem, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course is meant to help students build and strengthen fundamental knowledge of arithmetic, algebra and geometry which are crucial to enhance and develop numerical, logical, critical and problem solving skills. The course content includes Basic algebra and number theory, rounding, estimating and scientific notation, algebraic expressions, fractions, factoring, solving linear and quadratic equations, linear system and their applications to daily life problems, percentage problems, ratio and proportion, work problems, distance problems, basic geometry, mean, median, and mode. [Expected enrollment: 30]

CSCS202-Computational Linear Algebra
Farheen Ibraheem, [email protected], Forman Christian College
This course teaches students how to understand, work with, and use linear systems of equations and, more broadly, linear connections between variables. In a wide range of application areas, such as big data, machine learning, economics, physics, data visualization, engineering, and statistics, the concepts and methods learned in this course are immensely helpful. Students will gain a basic understanding of matrices, vectors, systems of linear equations, vector space, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, matrix factorization, and singular value decomposition through this course. In this course, mathematical solutions to problems from the real world are also covered, including those involving image filtering, Markov chains, Google’s page rank algorithm, and cryptography. For computation and application objectives, MATLAB software package is used. [Expected enrollment: 30]

CS3151 Software Engineering
Passent Elkafrawy, [email protected], Effat University, Collage of Engineering,
This course covers the fundamental concepts and methodologies of software engineering. It emphasizes on main phases of the software lifecycle, such as requirements, design, implementation, testing, project planning. Software product and process shall be clearly defined. Students will work in groups to analyze, design and build a prototype for a software of their choice. They should experiment the software production life cycle by gathering requirements from stockholders, proposing their design and verifying and validating their architecture. Based on object oriented based modeling they should submit a complete UML design. Also, support activities for software development will be explained and provided in their project. Teams should be able to recognize coding design patterns, version management systems, project management, and system maintenance activities. [Expected enrollment: 50]

DRPT101 Introduction to Visual Art
Suniti Vadalkar, [email protected], FLAME University
Folk arts all over the world are indigenous arts. History reveals that even before civilizations came into existence, human beings were painting. The caves in Altamira and Lascaux have paintings that date to 35,000 years ago stand testimony to this fact. Folk art paintings are seen all around the world. They depict the peculiar culture, and style of rendering of communities. In this course, we shall learn about seven Indian folk art paintings (Madhubani, Pattachitra, Pithora, Phad, Warli, Kalamkari and Tanjore) – their themes, narratives, methods of depiction, and uniqueness. We will also create our own visual stories (folk art) based on these Indian folk art paintings. [Expected enrollment: 20]

MLL 2055 Intermediate Spanish: Perspectives on Spanish-Speaking Cultures
Lucia Lopez Vazquez, [email protected], American University in Bulgaria
This course offers a contemporary, interactive, and interdisciplinary approach at the intermediate level to the study of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures. It introduces students to the analysis of topics such as education, family values, traditions, work ethic, urban life, multicultural society, migration, consumption of resources, politics, identity, stereotypes, and cultural heritage, as well as notions relevant for intercultural communication, such as politeness and formality of interactions. Aiming to promote an in-depth cross-cultural understanding, this course exposes students to a large variety of print and electronic media, film, music, literature, and other forms of Hispanic cultural expression. Students perform individual reflection tasks and work in small teams and other collaborative formats that allow them to consolidate and expand their understanding and their writing and speaking skills, as well as to refine their grammatical and lexical competence. [Expected enrollment: 20]

EDU 315 Learning Theories
Ammar Husnain Khan, [email protected], Forman Christian College
“Learning Theories” is intended to help the prospective teacher to better understand how students learn. It exposes a number of Learning Theories and looks at the pros and cons of each. A timeline of the development of the various theories also takes a look at the background that led to the development of each theory. It is for the aspiring teacher who is ultimately responsible for the kind of experience provided to the taught. Doing things differently so that students regardless of learner types benefit is the essence of this course. Not only will this course provide an insight into “learner ways” but will also highlight the interest and motivation that students display when teachers not only do things right, but do the right things. The course allows you to experience the joys of teaching coupled with the struggle that goes into creating and experiencing the privilege of educating! [Expected enrollment: 30]

CORE 2098: Selected topics: Building for Underdeveloped Egyptian Communities
Mohamed Darwish, [email protected], The American University in Cairo
Conventional and innovative low-cost housing systems in Egypt that are suitable for local communities around Egypt. Building with wood, bricks, straw-bale, sand bags and earth. The different stakeholders in the building process and how they drive the final livable space. Incorporation of the community-based learning within the process of delivering low-cost buildings for underdeveloped Egyptian communities and cost comparisons for different low-cost traditional building alternatives in Egypt. [Expected enrollment: 20]