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Asteroids, meteors, and comets that orbit near the Earth (collectively referred to as Near-Earth Objects, or NEOs) pose an existential threat to all of humanity. Mitigating the danger posed by NEOs is a complex issue and one that must involve scientists and policy makers from around the world working together. In this course students learn about the nature of NEOs (their orbits, masses, compositions, etc.); explore what methods are currently available that can be used to try and stop a NEO from colliding with the Earth, and what new technologies may need to be developed; and take a cross-cultural view of the various public policy approaches to preparing for and dealing with an impact on Earth. Students work in teams to respond to a hypothetical NEO impact scenario.

Professor Aaron Grocholski

Through an examination of three flashpoints of conflict in Asia: Taiwan Strait, the East/South China Sea, and the Korean Peninsula, this course addresses why interstate conflicts occur, what causes them to become intractable or to escalate in intensity such that they threaten regional or international security, and to what extent the United States could, or should, play a role in helping to defuse or resolve them The course explores the origins and dynamics of each of these disputes and the interplay between them insofar as U.S. interests and involvement are concerned. Students investigate the tangled roots and evolution of these disputes through various lenses, focusing on competing historical narratives and grievances, geopolitical and resource-related rivalries, and issues related to domestic politics and national identity. In looking at dispute dynamics, the relative military and other capabilities of and the tools deployed by the disputants, as well as the interests and involvement of extra-regional powers, the United States in particular, are considered. In addressing the issue of whether and how these conflicts can be managed or resolved, students consider the various initiatives and instruments that have been, or could be, employed.

Professor��John Calabrese

Indigenous peoples persist in spite of concerted efforts to exterminate them across many centuries to the present day. What does it mean to be an indigenous person in a society that is built on your erasure? This course explores this question as a conversation with indigenous voices in different settler states, beginning locally in indigenous North America and also casting our lens globally in areas as diverse as South Africa, Oceania, and the Arab World. The focus on being indigenous emphasizes that indigeneity is a living, dynamic, politics, one that is shaped through historical processes, ongoing colonial practices, and indigenous lifeways of resistance. Through analysis of texts, reflective assignments, excursion to sites, films, and interaction with activists and speakers, the course examines topics that are central across diverse indigenous-settler spaces, including history-making, the people-land bond, identity politics, knowledge and power, moralities, and decolonization. The course also considers why, in the settler state, everyday citizens are part and parcel of indigenous politics and assesses how colonial myths continue to shape society at large and what that means for the descendants of settler colonialism. In this way, students can begin to understand how their own lives are connected to wider processes that inform being indigenous, as well as what being a partner to indigenous struggles might involve.

Professor Irene Calis

This course provides students with an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills through a specific focus on the concept and empirical phenomenon of competitive advantage in business (i.e., superior stakeholder value creation). The course addresses a variety of sources of competitive advantage and the interactions between them including macroenvironmental and industry forces, corporate, business, and functional strategies, as well as issues associated with the history and role of business in society, stakeholder engagement, and performance measurement. Readings and assignments focus on critically analyzing current media coverage of competitive advantage in business, as well as cases.

Professor Heather Elms

There are few debates globally that are attracting more attention than the issues embedded in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment and business practices. Students in this seminar find themselves at one of the most significant inflection points in the history of the debate. This seminar explores the ideals, events, debates, individuals, and institutions that have started and transformed ESG engagement since its conception in the 1960s until today. Students analyze the evolution of the global ESG definition and the understanding of the importance of each of the factors. Moreover, students evaluate its impact on governmental, corporate, and societal behavior and its continuous feedback loop emanating from new environmental, governance and social megatrends. Via readings, discussions, guest speakers, and Washington, DC site visits, students are positioned to contribute to the future ESG dialogue.

Professor Julie Anderson

Political and social leaders accuse each other of it and are accused by media that is then condemned for it. It is tweeted, re-tweeted, articles are written, journals published, and blogs devoted to it, but what is corruption and how has the mention of it become so pervasive, while there seems to be no set definition or even direction. Has anyone ever asked you for a favor? Have you ever asked for one? Are these simple favors or quid pro quos? Were you bartering or bargaining for a service or good? When does a favor become corruption? There are governments accused of being kleptocracies, governments of organized thieves composed of individuals whose only goal is to legally take as much money and resources from others as possible in order to enrich themselves. This kind of corruption seems easy to define. But what about a payment to a border guard to let you pass? You have the legal right to pass, but a token of your appreciation for the job the guard is doing is expected. This course examines values, systems, and institutions across the globe, and down the street.

Professor Shawn Bates

This course explores how students can be more resilient to and actively fight against disinformation and conspiracy theories at the local and national levels. Students examine what motivates people to create and believe disinformation and the political, personal and social impacts of its spread. In discussions and short response papers, students combine history, psychology, and communication theories with engagement with experts in the field to understand and defend against disinformation and conspiracy theories.

Professor Kurt Braddock

"This course partners with Horton's Kids (HK), an afterschool program that empowers children growing up in DC's most under-resourced communities. The course examines the complex problem of community-based work through 20 hours of direct service with children (ages 5-12) in one of HK's community resource centers in the Anacostia neighborhood. Students explore how HK has evolved since 1989 to reflect the dynamic needs of the community and more inclusive, antiracist practices. Community-based learning requires critical reflection with a focus on reciprocity between students, community, and faculty, combining the current conversation on social justice with on-the-ground action based on community voices. Students volunteer with peers, HK staff, and community volunteers once per week throughout the semester. Students work with children, gain experience in DC beyond the AU campus, and develop relationships with the HK community.��

Professor Amanda Choutka

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This course explores the dynamic and complex relationship between identity and post-modern intra-state and international conflict with emphasis on the role of different forms of identities, both in the emergence of conflicts and in processes of conflict resolution and transformation. Ethnic groups participate in civil wars more than any other types of dissident groups (e.g., conflicts in the Balkans, Syria, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, and many others). At the same time, religion plays an increasing role in global civil conflict, where sexual violence is a widely acknowledged threat. The common theme across these problems is identity in all its forms such as race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, and others. The course explores questions of what identity is and where identities originate, including why most contemporary conflicts center, one way or another, on identity, and what are some solutions to conflict where perpetrators and targeted individuals or groups often espouse divergent identities. Students gain a deeper understanding of how identity is embedded in context, how identity is manipulated for political ends, and how identity conflict may be resolved. By exploring the origin of diversity and thinking critically about their own instrumental and sincere identity preferences as well as that of others, students learn the complexity of the interaction between identity and conflict as well as some fundamental principles of conflict resolution.

Professor Gul Gur

Born between 1995 and 2012, iGen, who have literally had the world at their fingertips since birth, is the most diverse and transformational generation in U.S. history. Reportedly they have been experiencing multiple crises and getting closer attention from psychologists and journalists trying to identify the crises and find remedies. Can they do that without asking the iGens to participate in problem-solving? Do the iGens know what obstacles they are facing and their learning potential? In this course students learn about diverse perspectives and reflect on intergenerational understanding through texts and conversations with guest speakers, identify and explain the challenges for the iGen/Generation Z via existing case studies, observation, and primary data gathering, develop viable strategies for removing such obstacles, and recognize the potentials of this generation so that they become empowered learners, more resilient, creating a ripple effect among their peers. The interactive course is built on the design thinking process to find ways in order to become a woke iGen in every aspect.

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Professor Krisztina Domjan

What does it mean to live a good life? Prominent thinkers throughout history and from around the world have considered to what extent such ideals as social mobility, contributions to social change, personal growth and development, or acts of virtue facilitate happiness and well-being. This course explores these ideas about the possibility of humans flourishing through political theory, economics, the arts, activism, and religion using texts from multiple cultural traditions. While the course is not an instruction manual for happiness, it facilitates engagement with some of the most compelling ideas about what goes into living happily and well.

Professor Brigid Maher or Professor Naima Hachad

The Arab/Persian Gulf region, home to vast oil/gas resources and situated at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Europe, is an area of vital importance to the global economy. Over the past several decades, however, the region has experienced a series of revolutions, wars, insurgencies, and other violent upheavals. This course, which explores the military and non-military sources, manifestations, and responses to insecurity in the Arab/Persian Gulf, is organized around the central questions of whose security is at risk--the ruling establishment, segments of society, the entire country, the region as a whole--and in which ways; and whether the actions taken to address this insecurity ameliorated or worsened it.

Professor John Calabrese

Central for the three Abrahamic traditions, Jerusalem has been a locus of worship and dispute for over two-thousand years. The course proceeds thematically, beginning with the role of Jerusalem in the mythic imagination of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students then turn to writings reflecting the history of Jerusalem as a physical place and a source of contention for the Assyrians and Babylonians, the Persians, the Romans, the empires of medieval Europe and the Ottomans, the British, the Arabs and the modern State of Israel. Finally, the course turns to the modern era and examines Jerusalem as a modern city and a proxy for disputes over identity, culture, language, and religion. Students visit different places of worship in Washington, DC and invite guest speakers representing a diversity of cultures to class.

Professor Martyn Oliver

This course begins by exploring how we understand "the international." Usually, we tend to think of the international as being defined by the line between the "domestic" and the "foreign." However, this line is often moving, blurrier than we think, and even appears in new places. By engaging students with a range of material that contains expressions of the international from different scholarly fields, the course first asks what makes a topic or idea international, and what are international issues or problems. The course draws on the history of empires, law, and international relations, spy literature and film, diplomatic memoirs, environmental studies, and contemporary and historical business studies and mass media. By analyzing and discussing this material together, the course attempts to develop a sense of how the international is constituted and defined. Students then explore different ethical foundations to consider the questions that arise with the variety of interpretations of the international. In other words, what are the intersections between what is the international and what is the good. What are the different ethical perspectives that form the foundation for different obligations and responsibilities to the international? Philosophical selections are drawn from Greek, modern European, Confucian and other non-Western, and contemporary philosophy.

Professor��Jason Rancatore

Have you ever thought about how podcasts influence your knowledge and opinions? Any topic or theme you can imagine has a podcast covering it. Podcasts are modern, flexible modes of storytelling. But the sense of shared experience and bond between listener and host means listeners are less likely to challenge the purpose, presented information, and analysis. Through listening and analyzing podcasts, the course explores how podcasts inform and shape our experiences and our understanding of ourselves and others in complex, compelling ways.

Professor Kristina Oakes

Watergate, Iran-Contra, the Clinton impeachment and the Trump impeachment; major scandals have been a recurring feature of several modern American presidencies. This course provides insight into key questions including how we define a presidential scandal, how presidents have used the powers of their office to respond to them, how changes in political norms, technology, the media environment, and other factors have influenced scandals in recent years, and what impact presidential scandals have on our political system. The course focuses on several examples of important recent presidential scandals, considering the behavior of the major actors from the perspectives of presidential leadership, executive power, presidential-congressional relations, and the legal system.

Professor Jeffrey Crouch

In this multidisciplinary course, students explore the meaning of financial citizenship and if it can be a great equalizer, analyze the role of financial citizens in today's world, and critically assess the importance of financial citizenship in personal development and for the needs of many. Classroom discussions draw from readings and students' own perspectives to evaluate the challenges and opportunities of financialization to individuals, their communities, and society overall. Topics are student-driven and may include cryptocurrency, inflation, and federal interest rates viewed through multiple lenses such as psychology, sociology, policy, and business.

Professor Timothy Timura

Popular culture plays a huge role in shaping the public's perception of science. Consider whether a metal like vibranium from the Black Panther movie could one day be discovered or synthesized in a lab, if Mark Watney from The Martian could really have survived life on Mars, and whether nanobots depicted in Michael Crichton's novel, "The Prey", can take over mankind one day. What is the likelihood of a "super vaccine" to fight all forms, mutations, and strains of coronaviruses for availability in the near future? If today's athletes are getting faster, better, and stronger, does this mean that we are also getting better as a human race? Science is multi-faceted, and popular culture's representation of science can lead to complex problems and issues that need equally diverse discussions and solutions. This course aims to investigate and resolve such questions by discussing scientific theories, examining current advances in research, and exploring present challenges and dilemmas. Students look at fictional and non-fictional representations of science and technology in various media such as film, comic books, television, and digital media to evaluate not only how scientific ideas are utilized, explored and critiqued, but also how their portrayal impact society and our lives.

Professor Michele Lansigan

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The informal settlements or slums of Africa make up nearly 60% of residential living on the African continent. Lack of infrastructure and multidimensional factors that have led to the growth of informal settlements make it hard to know how to resolve basic housing and human rights issues in these communities. In this course, the example of a settlement in Nairobi, Kenya serves as a focus for students to consider what should– and, perhaps what should - be done to “settle the informal settlements”. Course work includes dialog and development approaches spanning health, inequality, climate, gender, economics, and more. Studentsl work in groups and individually to explore diverse approaches from local governments, international organizations, NGOs and people living in these communities.

Professor Angela��Pashayan

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Great minds of every generation have struggled to explain why bad things happen to good people, why humans are cruel to one another, and, especially for the followers of the Abrahamic faiths, how a world can have evil in it if it's been created by a god who is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good. This course discusses the religious origins of the classic "problem of evil," scientific contributions to the discussion, and the legal ramifications of beliefs about evil. ��This reading- and discussion-heavy course looks for guidance from texts and films, nonfiction and fiction, such as philosopher Susan Neiman's Evil in Modern Thought, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and writings on neuroscience from David Eagleman.

Professor Adam Tamashasky

Approximately half of human populations live in urban areas and this is expected to increase drastically within the next decade. As the built environment of cities becomes the prevalent feature of our planet, it is imperative that we understand how living things are impacted by and woven into our urban landscapes. This course explores the emerging interdisciplinary field of urban ecology, including topics such as environmental justice, biodiversity, public health, and disease ecology. Students engage with diverse perspectives through critical readings and communicate through classroom discussion and activities. Out of class, students use the discussion topics as a lens for investigating the urban ecology of Washington, DC, sharing personal blogs that link to an interactive map. They also develop an independent project that synthesizes a literature review with experiential learning in the community.

Professor Rebecca Hazen

Every year more people die from unsafe drinking water than from all forms of violence, including war. Global demand continues to rise, with a large part of humanity, some 25 percent, living with water scarcity. It is a crisis that is only becoming more severe. This course surveys the factors that are driving this dire situation, such as rapidly expanding world population, increase in diet and lifestyle demands (with a resulting impact on agriculture and electricity), growing impact of urbanization, climate change, and water pollution. It also examines the politics and policies available to navigate this difficult environment, including technology (desalination, wastewater reuse and drip-irrigation), markets (start-ups, pricing, and business ethics), and sustainable development (empowering women and building state-capacity).

Professor Jeffrey Sosland

Now that every smart phone has a translation app, and English is increasingly used around the world, what are the benefits of learning another language? This course explores developments in language technology and the spread of English as an International language, then surveys perspectives on the value of multilingualism from various disciplines (including Psychology, Neurology, Education, Literature, Political Science, Economics, Religious Studies, and Cultural Studies). Reading, discussion, guest speakers, and visits to local multilingual communities will allow students to critically examine multiple perspectives on language, multilingualism, and communication, thereby developing the ability to think critically about complex issues from a variety of perspectives.��

Professor Tabitha Kidwell

This course provides an overview of the history and modern issues of peace and war with an emphasis on the institutions in Washington, D.C. (i.e., Pentagon, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Amnesty International, Department of State, CIA). Through reading ethnographic and historical case studies, as well as theoretical, journalistic, and polemical works, students explore why and how the United States has engaged in and continues to engage in war. The course simultaneously helps students understand the policy and activist communities at work trying to stop interventions and actions abroad. At its core, the debate over war and peace revolves around key perspectives on the relationships among governance, power, politics, and economics. The course examines media coverage of war and also engages in fictional representations of heroes, patriotism, and the debate about war in society.

Professor William Gentile

In the first decades of the twenty-first century, fantastical stories have seen an explosion of popularity, attributable to, or perhaps in spite of, the many challenges our world faces. Why are we so drawn to stories of the unreal? This cultural moment is a starting point to investigate the role of the fantastic in our lives: how fantastical fictions reflect and refract lived realities, how humanity's fantastical storytelling changes over time, how and why writers use fantasy and other forms of speculation to explore political, social, and ethical issues. Through readings, discussions, and assorted projects, students explore how imagination is a vital tool not only for entertainment, but also for making meaning.

Professor Charles Cox