Race and Ethnicity
Professor: Brooks
This course studies the terminology and meaning of race and ethnicity as understood by anthropologists, sociologists, and other social scientists. We will look at race and ethnicity from both the macro socio-political perspective, and the micro personal, psychological, interactional level. The course will speficially address global issues where ethnicity is a component. These include issues of personal identity; social construction of ethnicities; cross-cultural interaction; ethnic nationalism; ethnic conflict; and geo-political implications of ethnicity, especially those related to globalization. Other specific topics will be decided by the class.

Religion and Culture
Professor:  Brooks
This seminar will explore the world's religions from the earliest times to the present, considering their relationships with social structure, politics, economy, technology, moral and ethical systems, and cross-cultural interactions. The course will be developed through reading classic articles on religion and culture, reading articles by contemporary scholars on religion and society, and viewing selected video resources on the world's religions. The last phase of the seminar will focus on contemporary issues in religion, especially the nature of current conflicts.