GLAS Electives on offer in Semester 1 in 2025/26 AY

The following elective courses are available for students in the coming semester:

GLAS2113 Political Transitions in Africa

Prof. Samson Abebe Bezabeh

Sem 1 | Wednesdays 12:00 to 13:50 | CPD-2.38

Political transitions in Africa have been a prime source of information about Africa in the international media. Narratives of conflict, tribal warfare and famine dominate impressions of Africa. In this predominant narrative, political transitions are often associated with internal dynamics of Africa. This course aims to show how this simple often misleading narrative of Africa clouds our understanding of the continent's actual political and social conditions. The course will show African politics is not only constructed internally but also through international dynamics that came to have a bearing on the continent. This course illustrates how Africa's politics have always been integrated in major international affairs. Students will pursue this goal through a comparative historical perspective that sheds light on Africa's international engagement in the ancient, medieval and modern periods.

GLAS2115 Latin America/US Cultural Relations

Mr. Daniel Hamilton

Sem 1 | Mondays 10:00 to 11:50 | CPD-2.13

This course will explore the relationship between US and three specific Latin American cultures during the twentieth century. Each context will offer a different way in which US and Spanish-Speaking Latin American cultures interact with each other. The first case will be the Latino presence in the US through the reading of the most canonical work by a Chicano author: The House on Mango Street (1984) by Sandra Cisneros (1954-). The following context will see interactions between the Harlem Renaissance author Langston Hughes (1902-1967) and Afro-Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989). Finally, the course will delve into poetic responses to US military and political intervention in Nicaragua from one of the fathers of Latin American poetry, Rubén Dario (1867-1916) and two contemporary poets, priest and political activist Ernesto Cardenal (1925-2020) and feminist poet Gioconda Belli (1948-)

GLAS2137 The Americas on Stage: Theatre, Family and Society Mr. Daniel Hamilton

Sem 1 | Mondays 13:00 to 14:50 | CPD-3.06

In this course we will examine the representations of society, family and relationships in various countries of the Americas through the stage plays of those countries. The various aspects of society include inequality, racism, sexism, poverty, political oppression and others. The various aspects of family life include straight, gay and bisexual relationships, marriage, infidelity, betrayal, sibling rivalry, and inheritance. We will also examine the literary and theoretical influences on the plays and playwrights. The class is in English and all readings are in English. Some are English translation from source texts in Spanish or Portuguese. (Reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is not required.) We will read authors from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, México, Puerto Rico/USA.

GLAS3102 The European Union as a Global Actor

Prof. Roland Vogt

Sem 1 | Thursdays 17:00 to 18:50 | CPD-2.39

This course is about Europe's role, influence and voice in global affairs. It investigates different foreign and security policy traditions in Europe, tracks how the behaviour of European powers has changed over time and introduces students to key concepts and theories in the study of international relations. Particular attention will be paid to the so-called 'Europeanisation' of foreign and security policy, as well as Europe's key relationships with the US, Russia, China, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. The course will work with cutting-edge scholarship and topical issues facing Europe. Students will learn to make sense of the challenges, opportunities and limitations of European foreign and security policy, and they will develop methodologies to identify broader

shifts within the international system.