Search Results
Your search for courses · during 2025-26 · meeting requirements for HI, Humanistic Inquiry · returned 149 results
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AFST 102 Sports and the Black Experience 6 credits
With an emphasis on critical reading and writing in an academic context, this course will examine the role of sports in American politics and social organizations. The course pays attention to the African American experience, noting especially the confluence of race and sports. What can sports tell us about freedom, equality, and the pursuit of happiness? How has the Black community contributed to our appreciation of these American virtues? We will read short texts and biographies, and we will watch movies such as King Richard and The Blind Side. Students will produce short writing exercises aimed at developing their critical thinking and clear writing.
Not available to students who took AFST 100 Fall 2024 and Fall 2023.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Not open to students who have taken AFST 100 Sports and the Black Experience and the American Dream.
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AFST 113 Introduction to Africana Studies 6 credits
This course is designed for first and second-year students who are interested in learning about the experiences, movements, and perspectives of various African-descendant peoples. In addition, we will cover the history of how Black Studies entered the contemporary university, and how the university responded to its arrival. We will explore topics in Black history; Black expressive cultures; Black religion & spirituality; Black social thought (like Black feminism and critical race theory); Black economic & labor history; Black political theory; and critical university studies. No prior knowledge is assumed nor required.
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AFST 113.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jorge Banuelos š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 402 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 402 12:00pm-1:00pm
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AFST 215 Contemporary Theory in Black Studies 6 credits
This course examines the major theories of the Africana intellectual tradition. It introduces students to major concepts and socio-political thoughts that set the stage for Africana Studies as a discipline. With the knowledge of the historical contexts of the Black intellectual struggle and the accompanying cultural movements, students will examine the genealogy, debates and the future directions of Black Studies. Students are invited to take a dedicated dive into primary scholarship by focusing on foundational thinkers to be studied such as Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and bell hooks, among others.
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AFST 215.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Chielo Eze š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 402 1:15pm-3:00pm
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AFST 225 Black Music, Resistance, and Liberation 6 credits
For every defining moment in black history, there is a song. Every genre of black music makes a statement not only about the specific historical epoch it was created but also about the peopleās dreams. For black people, songs are a means of resistance to oppression and an expression of the will to live. Through the analysis of black music, this course will expose students to black peopleās struggles, hopes, and aspirations, and also American history, race relations, and much more. The class will read insightful texts, listen to songs, watch films, and engage in animated discussions.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One course that applies toward the Humanistic Inquiry requirement with a grade of C- or better.
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AFST 225.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Chielo Eze š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 330 1:15pm-3:00pm
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AMST 115 Introduction to American Studies 6 credits
This overview of the āinterdisciplinary disciplineā of American Studies will focus on the ways American Studies engages with and departs from other scholarly fields of inquiry. We will study the stories of those who have been marginalized in the social, political, cultural, and economic life of the United States due to their class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, citizenship, and level of ability. We will explore contemporary American Studies concerns like racial and class formation, the production of space and place, the consumption and circulation of culture, and transnational histories.
Sophomore Priority
- Fall 2025, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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AMST 115.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Christopher Elias š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 402 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 402 9:40am-10:40am
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AMST 225 Beauty and Race in America 6 credits
In this class we consider the construction of American beauty historically, examining the way whiteness intersects with beauty to produce a dominant model that marginalizes women of color. We study how communities of color follow, refuse, or revise these beauty ideals through literature. We explore events like the beauty pageant, material culture such as cosmetics, places like the beauty salon, and body work like cosmetic surgery to understand how beauty is produced and negotiated.
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AMST 231 Contemporary Indigenous Activism 6 credits
Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island and the Pacific Islands are fighting to revitalize Indigenous languages, uphold tribal sovereignty, and combat violence against Indigenous women, among many other struggles. This course shines a light on contemporary Indigenous activism and investigates social justice through the lens of Indian Country, asking questions like: What tools are movements using to promote Indigenous resurgence? And what are the educational, gendered, environmental, linguistic, and religious struggles to which these movements respond? Students will acquire an understanding of contemporary Indigenous movements, the issues they address, and the responsibilities of non-Native people living on Indigenous lands.
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AMST 231.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Meredith McCoy š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 330 1:15pm-3:00pm
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AMST 234 American Identities in the Twentieth Century 6 credits
What does it mean to be an American and how has that definition changed over time? This course examines how individual Americans have explored the relationship between their selves and their country’s recent history. We will read memoirs and autobiographies to explore American identities through a variety of lenses, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, citizenship status, region, and ability. Key texts will include works by Alison Bechdel, Audre Lorde, Malcolm X, and Mine Okubo.
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AMST 234.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Christopher Elias š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THAnderson Hall 329 10:10am-11:55am
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AMST 239 The Death Penalty: An American History 6 credits
A critical examination of the history of capital punishment in the United States, including its origins, development, and current status. Students will engage with broad questions and themes related to the death penalty, including its legal intricacies, religious implications, ethical components, racial and class dynamics, and political meanings. Multiple disciplinary lenses will be applied to a variety of texts, including history, journalism, memoir, court decisions, and documentary film.
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AMST 239.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Christopher Elias š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WWillis 114 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FWillis 114 1:10pm-2:10pm
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AMST 396 AIDS in America 6 credits
This junior seminar for AMST majors studies AIDS in America as a means of preparing students to write their own research papers. The AIDS crisis made deep impact on various areas of American society, resulting in a robust, interdisciplinary discourse about the pandemicās origins, scope, impact, and legacy. We will utilize a variety of media, including poetry, music, memoir, fiction, oral history, film, visual art, performance art, and scholarship. Using the tools of inquiry encountered in this class and throughout their work in the major, students will then prepare an original research paper on a topic of their choice.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): AMST 115 with grade of C- or better.
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AMST 396.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Christopher Elias š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 301 1:15pm-3:00pm
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ARCN 101 The Human Story: Archaeology and the Anthropocene 6 credits
What are the origins of our species? How did our ancestors evolve in Africa and disperse to nearly every corner of the globe? How did people create tools and homes, transform landscapes, and build cities? What are the origins of art? Of agriculture? Of mass-transport and communication technologies? Writing is about 5000 years old, meaning over 99% of the human past (c. 4 million years) is documented only through the material record of fossils, artifacts, and environmental impacts. This course examines the material worlds of humanity, and how archaeology provides a unique, ābig-pictureā story of our shared past.
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ARCN 101.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sarah Kennedy š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:15pm-3:00pm
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ASST 285 Mapping Japan, the Real and the Imagined 6 credits
From ancient to present times, Japan drew and redrew its borders, shape, and culture, imagining its place in this world and beyond, its From ancient times to the present, Japan drew and redrew its borders, reimagining its cultural and racial identity, and its place in this world and beyond. This course is a cartographic exploration of this complex and contested history. Cosmological mandalas, hell images, travel brochures, and military maps bring to light Japanās religious vision, cartographic imagination, and political ambition that dictated its geopolitical expansion and the displacement of minority peoples at home, defining its real and imagined boundaries. We will explore a variety of maps, focusing on those in Carletonās unique library collection.
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ASST 285.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Asuka Sango š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 236 1:15pm-3:00pm
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CCST 208 International Coffee and News 2 credits
Have you recently returned from studying or living abroad?Ā This course is designed to help you keep in touch with the culture you left behind, while deepening your understanding of current issues across the globe. Relying on magazines and newspapers in the local language or in English-language media, students will discuss common topics and themes as they play out in the countries or regions where they have livedĀ or studied. Conducted in English.Ā
Recommended preparation: Participation in an off-campus study program (Carleton or non-Carleton), substantial experience living abroad, or instructor permission. Not recommended for first-year students.
Repeatable: This course can be retaken once, for a total of four credits.
- Fall 2025, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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CCST 208.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Seth Peabody š« š¤
- Size:25
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- WLanguage & Dining Center 335 3:10pm-4:20pm
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CCST 208.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:David Tompkins š« š¤
- Size:25
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- M, WLeighton 301 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 301 1:10pm-2:10pm
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CCST 230 Worlds of Jewish Memory 6 credits
Transmitting Jewish memory from one generation to the next has always been a treasured practice across the Jewish world. How have pivotal environments for Jews lived on in Jewish collective memory? How do they continue to speak through film, art, photography, music, architecture, museum/ memorial/ summer camp design, prayer, cuisine, and more? We'll compare dynamics of remembering and memorializing several Jewish worlds: ancient Egypt, medieval Spain, early modern Germany, pre- through post-Holocaust Europe and Russia, colonial into contemporary New York City, 1950s Algeria, and pre-State into contemporary Israel. Research projects can include family history explored through scholarship on cross-cultural memory.
CCST 230 is equivalent to MELA 230.
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CCST 230.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Stacy Beckwith š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 244 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 244 2:20pm-3:20pm
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CCST 398 The Global Panorama: A Capstone Workshop for European Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies 2 credits
The work of Cross-Cultural Studies and European Studies traverses many disciplines, often engaging with experiences that are difficult to capture in traditional formats. In this course students will create an ePortfolio that reflects, deepens, and narrates the various forms of experiences they have had at Carleton related to their minor, drawing on coursework and off-campus study, as well as such extracurricular activities as talks, service learning, internships and fellowships. Guided by readings and prompts, students will write a reflective essay articulating the coherence of the parts, describing both the process and the results of their pathway through the minor. Considered a capstone for CCST and EUST, but for anyone looking to thread together their experiences across culture. Course is taught as a workshop.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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CCST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 303 1:15pm-3:00pm
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CHIN 212 Discovering Chinese Medicine 6 credits
Unveil the ancient world of Chinese medicine by exploring a rich blend of historical sources, from classical texts and excavated manuscripts (in translation) to medical images, tools, and artifacts. Spanning two millennia from the dawn of Chinese civilization, this course invites students to discover the social and material history behind the foundational concepts, diagnostic techniques, and treatment methods of traditional Chinese medicine. No prior knowledge is requiredājust curiosity!
In translation.
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CHIN 212.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Lin Deng š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 244 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 244 1:10pm-2:10pm
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CHIN 258 Classical Chinese Thought: Wisdom and Advice from Ancient Masters 6 credits
Behind the skyscrapers and the modern technology of present-day China stand the ancient Chinese philosophers, whose influence penetrates every aspect of society. This course introduces the teachings of various foundational thinkers: Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, Sunzi, Zhuangzi, and Hanfeizi, who flourished from the fifth-second centuries B.C. Topics include kinship, friendship, self-improvement, freedom, the art of war, and the relationship between human beings and nature. Aiming to bring Chinese wisdom to the context of daily life, this course opens up new possibilities to better understand the self and the world. No knowledge of Chinese is required.
In translation
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CHIN 258.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Lei Yang š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLanguage & Dining Center 104 10:10am-11:55am
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CLAS 130 The Greek and Latin Roots of English 6 credits
We speak it every day on campus, and it is the second most common language on the planet, but where did English come from? While its basic grammar is Germanic, much of its vocabulary—probably around 60 percent—comes from Greek and Latin. This course explores the varied and fascinating contributions that these two languages have made to English, focusing on the basic building blocks of words—bases, prefixes, and suffixes—while also considering the many routes the Classical languages have taken to enter modern English. This course is suitable for students of science, linguistics, and literature, as well as language lovers generally.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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CLAS 130.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Chico Zimmerman š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 104 2:20pm-3:20pm
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CLAS 200 Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture 6 credits
This course provides a long-term view of the history, landscape, and material culture of Greece, from prehistory to the present day.Ā While the monuments of ancient Greece are cultural touchstones, Greece has a remarkablyĀ diverseĀ past, occupying a borderland between continents, empires, and cultures, both ancient and modern.Ā ClassroomĀ study andĀ on-site learning examine the wide range of sources that inform us about the Greek past (texts, archaeology, the environment), and focus especially on the stories told by places and things. Site visits in Athens and on trips throughout GreeceĀ highlight the importance of local and regional contexts in the ābig historiesā of the eastern Mediterranean.
Requires participation in OCS Program: Greece at a Crossroads: History, Landscape, and Material Culture
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Greece at a Crossroads program.
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CLAS 229 The Collapse of the Roman Republic 6 credits
The class will investigate the factors that led a Republican government that had lasted for 700 years to fall apart, leading to twenty years of civil war that only ended with the rise of a totalitarian dictatorship. We will look at the economic, social, military, and religious factors that played key roles in this dynamic political period. We will also trace the rise and influence of Roman warlords, politicians, and personalities and how they changed Roman politics and society. We will study many of the greatest characters in Roman history, as well as the lives of everyday Romans in this turbulent time.
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CLAS 229.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Jake Morton š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 104 2:20pm-3:20pm
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CLAS 230 Hellenistic Greek History 6 credits
Alexander the Great united the Greek states by force before waging a ten-year campaign that brought Greek influence all the way to India. In the aftermath of Alexanderās death, his generals divided the world into kingdoms that presided over an extraordinary flourishing of arts and science over the next 300 years. However, this period also saw these kingdoms continuously strive for domination over one another until they were in turn dominated by Rome. This class will explore one of the most exciting periods in ancient history, a time of great cultural achievements, larger than life characters, and devastating conflicts.
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CLAS 230.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jake Morton š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 104 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 104 1:10pm-2:10pm
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DGAH 110 Hacking the Humanities 6 credits
The digital world is infiltrating the academy and profoundly disrupting the arts and humanities, posing fundamental challenges to traditional models of university education, scholarly research, academic publication and creative production. This core course for the Digital Arts & Humanities minor introduces the key concepts, debates and technologies that shape DGAH, including text encoding, digital mapping (GIS), network analysis, data visualization, 3D imaging and basic programming languages. Students will learn to hack the humanities by making a collaborative, publishable DH project, while acquiring the skills and confidence necessary to actively participate in the digital world, both in college and beyond.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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EDUC 275 Inclusion or Refusal?: Educational Justice Models 6 credits
This era of local, state, and national pushback against policies and practices of ādiversity, equity, and inclusionā provides us with an opportune moment to examine the possibilities and limitations of this framing as a pathway for educational justice. Drawing on critiques of liberal frameworks of educational equity by Indigenous scholars and scholars of color, this course will ask what educational justice might look like beyond representation and belonging, especially in higher educational institutions.
Recommended Preparation:Ā One 100-level Educational Studies course.
Extra Time Required: There will likely be off-campus site visits to schools and/or engagement with relevant campus programming around the topic.
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EDUC 275.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Anita Chikkatur š« š¤
- Size:20
- T, THWillis 114 1:15pm-3:00pm
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ENTS 220 Sovereignty and Sustainability 6 credits
This course explores the legal, cultural, and environmental foundations of Tribal and Indigenous environmental stewardship and natural resource management. Students will examine the historical significance of treaties, Tribal sovereignty, and federal trust responsibility, as well as key laws that have shaped Tribal resource use. The evolution of Tribal co-management with federal and state agencies will be analyzed through case studies, highlighting challenges and successful partnerships. Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous worldviews on land stewardship will complement critical discussions on climate change, environmental justice, and the ongoing balance between economic development and ecological sustainability in Tribal resource use.Ā
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ENTS 220.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Roger Faust š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 426 9:40am-10:40am
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ENTS 320 Seminar: Listening to the Land 6 credits
For many Indigenous peoples, land is a relative, a teacher, and a source of knowledge. This seminar examines Indigenous relationships with land through the writings of Native authors, scholars, and activists, exploring Traditional Ecological Knowledge, stewardship, and environmental challenges. We will consider how Indigenous knowledge informs responses to climate change, land use, biodiversity loss, and other environmental threats, while also recognizing land and non-human beings as active participants in cultural and ecological systems. Through a reading-group format, discussions will foster critical reflection and connections to broader environmental issues. Students will also conduct an independent research paper, applying course themes to a focused topic of inquiry.
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EUST 110 State of the Nation: the Politics of Citizenship 6 credits
This course explores the politics of citizenship in Modern Europe. Students will be introduced to the history of the European nation-state with a special focus on France, Germany and the UK. They will become familiar with basic concepts such as state, nation, ethnic and civic citizenship and how these are used by scholars and practitioners. This historical and conceptual backdrop will prepare them to understand post-war developments in West European politics, most importantly the politics of welfare and migration and their continued salience. Students will be challenged to think critically about larger questions about national and non-national identity and political membership.
EUST 110 is cross listed with POSC 110.
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EUST 398 The Global Panorama: A Capstone Workshop for European Studies and Cross-Cultural Studies 2 credits
The work of Cross-Cultural Studies and European Studies traverses many disciplines, often engaging with experiences that are difficult to capture in traditional formats. In this course students will create an ePortfolio that reflects, deepens, and narrates the various forms of experiences they have had at Carleton related to their minor, drawing on coursework and off-campus study, as well as such extracurricular activities as talks, service learning, internships and fellowships. Guided by readings and prompts, students will write a reflective essay articulating the coherence of the parts, describing both the process and the results of their pathway through the minor. Considered a capstone for CCST and EUST, but for anyone looking to thread together their experiences across culture. Course is taught as a workshop.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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EUST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Paul Petzschmann š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 303 1:15pm-3:00pm
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FREN 208 French and Francophone Studies in Paris Program: Contemporary France: Cultures, Politics, Society 6 credits
This course seeks to deepen students’ knowledge of contemporary French culture through a pluridisciplinary approach, using multimedia (books, newspaper and magazine articles, videos, etc.) to generate discussion. It will also promote the practice of both oral and written French through exercises, debates, and oral presentations.
Requires participation in OCS Program: French and Francophone Studies in Paris
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS French and Francophone Studies in Paris Program and student has completed any of the following course(s): FREN 204 or higher level course with a grade of C- or better.
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FREN 210 Coffee and News 2 credits
Keep up your French while learning about current issues in France, as well as world issues from a French perspective. Requirements include reading specific sections of leading French newspapers, (Le Monde, LibƩration, etc.) on the internet, and then meeting once a week to exchange ideas over coffee with a small group of students.
Sophomore Priority
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): FREN 204 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the French Language and Culture AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the French: Language B IB exam or received a score of 205 on the Carleton French Placement exam. .
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FREN 210.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Ćva PĆ³sfay š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- WLanguage & Dining Center 345 3:10pm-4:20pm
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FREN 210.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Ćva PĆ³sfay š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MLanguage & Dining Center 330 3:10pm-4:20pm
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FREN 210.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Sandra Rousseau š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- WLanguage & Dining Center 330 3:10pm-4:20pm
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GERM 209 German for Music Enthusiasts 2 credits
From chart-topping hits to old classics, explore the sounds of the German-speaking world while honing your language skills. Each weekly session explores the cultural and social context of selected songs, providing valuable insights into contemporary German society. Engage in interactive singing sessions to learn and perform these songs, improving your pronunciation and language fluency. No prior musical experience is required.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): GERM 204 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the German Language and Culture AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the German: Language B IB exam or received a score of 205 on the Carleton German Placement exam.
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GERM 225 The Alps: Heights (and Depths) of Modernity 6 credits
The Alps have been a focal point for developments of modernity: modern infrastructures supported the growth of tourism already in the 1800s. With the rise of nationalism, idealized notions of traditional alpine cultures were used as propaganda. Today, tensions have emerged between small alpine farms and ārewildingā efforts, and political discourses around these environmental tensions have intensified a perceived rural/urban divide. Throughout, the alpine environment, culture, and politics are deeply entangled. Students will analyze creative and nonfiction texts as well as numerical data that depict these developments, and then choose a course topic to pursue through independent research. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
Recommended Preparation: Student has completed at least one German course at the 210-219 level.
Taught in German.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): GERM 204 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the German Language and Culture AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the German: Language B IB exam or received a score of 205 on the Carleton German Placement exam.
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GERM 225.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Seth Peabody š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLibrary 344 10:10am-11:55am
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GERM 262 German Studies in Austria Program: Cultural History of Food and Drink in Vienna 6 credits
What are the cultural, historical, environmental, social, and political forces that shape our experience with food and drink? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to learning about the important food and drink culture in Vienna and Austria. Site visits to the city’s iconic markets, taverns, producers, breweries and cafés deepen understanding and language skills.
Requires participation in OCS Program: German Studies in Austria
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS German Studies in Austria program.
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GERM 325 The Alps: Heights (and Depths) of Modernity 6 credits
The Alps have been a focal point for developments of modernity: modern infrastructures supported the growth of tourism already in the 1800s. With the rise of nationalism, idealized notions of traditional alpine cultures were used as propaganda. Today, tensions have emerged between small alpine farms and ārewildingā efforts, and political discourses around these environmental tensions have intensified a perceived rural/urban divide. Throughout, the alpine environment, culture, and politics are deeply entangled. Students will analyze creative and nonfiction texts as well as numerical data that depict these developments, and then choose a course topic to pursue through independent research. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
Recommended Preparation: Student has completed at least one German course at the 210-219 level.
Taught in German.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): GERM 204 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the German Language and Culture AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the German: Language B IB exam or received a score of 205 on the Carleton German Placement exam.
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GERM 325.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Seth Peabody š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLibrary 344 10:10am-11:55am
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GWSS 114 Love and Sex 6 credits
From Disney fairytales to blockbuster rom-coms; dating apps to hook-up culture; and ongoing debates in mainstream media concerning reproductive, trans, and LGBTQ rightsā love and sex are ever-present concepts in our day-to-day lives. This course offers an opportunity to critically explore, discuss, and challenge our understanding of love and sex through an interdisciplinary lens. We will explore questions like: What is the difference between the way we love our friends, parents, and lovers? How do intersections of race, gender, class, and ability affect experiences of love and sex? How does technology affect the future of love and sex?
GWSS 114 is cross listed with PHIL 114.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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GWSS 114.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 330 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 330 1:10pm-2:10pm
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GWSS 212 Foundations of LGBTQ Studies 6 credits
This course introduces students to foundational interdisciplinary works in sexuality and gender studies, while focusing on the construction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer identities in the United States. In exploring sexual and gender diversity throughout the term, this seminar highlights the complexity and variability of experiences of desire, identification, embodiment, self-definition, and community-building across different historical periods, and in relation to intersections of race, class, ethnicity, and other identities.
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GWSS 212.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Candace Moore š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 402 10:10am-11:55am
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GWSS 225 Women’s Studies in Europe Program: Gender and the Biopolitics of Health across Europe
This course investigates the concept of biopolitics and applies intersectional feminist theories to examine how European states control the biological aspects of human life, including birth, health, mortality, and sexuality. It examines how health serves as a domain of power, shaping the lives and well-being of individuals and populations while reinforcing disparities based on race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability. Analyzing the biopolitics of health across different Western and East Central European political systems, case studies include medicalized childbirth, forced sterilization, immigration policies, and LGBT rights. Critical theories of gender, sexuality, and race are central to the courseās analysis. This course is offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
Requires Participation in Women's Studies GEP program. Students register either for GWSS 225 or 325. Students without previous Gender Studies course should register for GWSS 225 unless they obtain permission from the instructor. Students who have completed a 100- or 200-level Gender Studies course may choose to register for either GWSS 225 or 325.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has enrolled in any of the following course(s): Any Carleton OCS course or Non-Carleton OCS course with a grade of C- or better.
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GWSS 244 Women’s & Gender Studies in Europe Program: Ethics and Politics of Cross-Cultural Research
This course explores the following questions: What are the ethics and politics of cross-cultural research? What is the relationship between methodology and knowledge claims in feminist research? What are the power interests involved in keeping certain knowledges marginalized/subjugated? How do questions of gender and sexuality, of ethnicity and national location, figure in these debates? We will also pay close attention to questions arising from the hegemony of English as the global language of WGS as a discipline, and will reflect on what it means to move between different linguistic communities, with each being differently situated in the global power hierarchies.
Acceptance in OCS Women's & Gender Studies in Europe Program
- Fall 2025
- IS, International Studies SI, Social Inquiry
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Women's and Gender Studies in Europe program.
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GWSS 265 Black Feminist Thought 6 credits
This seminar offers students an opportunity to engage closely with key concepts, figures, and arguments in the Black Feminist intellectual tradition. We will focus primarily on texts by key figures/scholars from the Americas/Caribbeanāin order to situate Black Feminisms within a transnational feminist context. We will take a historical approach, starting in the 19th century and work our way to more contemporary figures and texts throughout the term. Some of the key figures we will examine are Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, Angela Y. Davis, Sylvia Wynter, Hortense Spillers, Saidiya Hartman, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Patricia Hill Collins. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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GWSS 312 Queer and Trans Theory 6 credits
This seminar offers students familiar with the foundational terms and concepts in gender and sexuality studies the opportunity to engage in more advanced explorations of relevant topics and debates in contemporary queer and trans theory. Seeing queer theory and trans theory as theoretical traditions that are historically and philosophically entangled but which at times necessarily diverge, the course focuses on “state of the field” essays from Gay and Lesbian Quarterly and Transgender Studies Quarterly as well as works that put gender and sexuality studies into conversation with disability studies, critical race theory, indigenous studies, and critiques of neoliberalism and imperialism.
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GWSS 312.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Candace Moore š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 402 3:10pm-4:55pm
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GWSS 325 Women’s & Gender Studies in Europe Program: Gender and the Biopolitics of Health across Europe
This course investigates the concept of biopolitics and applies intersectional feminist theories to examine how European states control the biological aspects of human life, including birth, health, mortality, and sexuality. It examines how health serves as a domain of power, shaping the lives and well-being of individuals and populations while reinforcing disparities based on race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability. Analyzing the biopolitics of health across different Western and East Central European political systems, case studies include medicalized childbirth, forced sterilization, immigration policies, and LGBT rights. Critical theories of gender, sexuality, and race are central to the courseās analysis. This course is offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
Acceptance in OCS Women's & Gender Studies in Europe Program. Students register either for GWSS 225 or GWSS 325. Those who have not taken a previous Gender Studies course should register for GWSS 225, unless they obtain permission from the instructor. Students who have completed a 100- or 200- level Gender studies course, may choose to register for either GWSS 325 or GWSS 225.ā
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS Women's and Gender Studies in Europe program.
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GWSS 365 Black Feminist Thought 6 credits
This seminar offers students an opportunity to engage closely with key concepts, figures, and arguments in the Black Feminist intellectual tradition. We will focus primarily on texts by key figures/scholars from the Americas/Caribbeanāin order to situate Black Feminisms within a transnational feminist context. We will take a historical approach, starting in the 19th century and work our way to more contemporary figures and texts throughout the term. Some of the key figures we will examine are Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, Angela Y. Davis, Sylvia Wynter, Hortense Spillers, Saidiya Hartman, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Patricia Hill Collins. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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GWSS 398 Transnational Feminist & Queer Activism 6 credits
This course focuses on transnational feminist, queer and trans activism in an era of neoliberal globalization, militarism and religious fundamentalism. We will learn about theories of collective action, the pitfalls of global sisterhood and homonationalism and pedagogies for crossing a variety of borders. We will explore case studies of how feminist, queer and trans activists have collaborated, built networks, mobilized resources and coalitions for collective action, in addition to the obstacles and constraints they have encountered and surmounted in their search for gender and sexual justice.
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GWSS 398.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Meera Sehgal š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 301 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 111 Uncharted Waters: The History of Society and the Sea 6 credits
This course introduces students to maritime history, marine environmental history, the history of oceanography, and contemporary issues in marine policy. While traditional histories have framed the ocean as an empty space and obstacle to be traversed, we will examine how people have come to understand, utilize, and govern the world ocean. In doing so, we will explore how the āblue humanitiesā can inform contemporary issues in maritime law and marine environmental conservation.
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HIST 111.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Antony Adler š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 402 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 402 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 112 Freedom of Expression: A Global History 6 credits
Celebrated as the bedrock of democracy, freedom of expression is often seen as an American or western value. Yet the concept has a rich and global history. In this course we will track the long and turbulent history of freedom of expression from ancient Athens and medieval Islamic societies to the Enlightenment and the drive for censorship in totalitarian and colonial societies. Among the questions we will consider are: How have the parameters of free expression changed and developed over time? What is the relationship between free speech and political protest? How has free speech itself been weaponized? How does an understanding of the history of free speech help us think about the challenges of combating hatred and misinformation in today’s internet age?
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 112.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Amna Khalid š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 426 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 114 Indigenous Histories, Time Immemorial to 1887 6 credits
Indigenous presence in North America pre-dates the United States by millennia and persists in spite of colonial attempts to eliminate Indigenous peoples. As Part I of the Indigenous Histories in the United States survey, we begin with Indigenous Knowledges of place, time, and identity since time immemorial. We then move through thousands of years of stories of diplomacy, captivity, colonialism, resistance, removal, and reconstitution. We conclude in the mid-1880s, a drastic period of change for lands, humans, and more-than-human relations. This course takes an ethnohistorical approach which centers Indigenous perspectives and draws on History, Indigenous Studies, and Anthropology.
Extra Time Required: If the ACE collaboration continues, students will travel to Hocokata Ti in Prior Lake, MN for a training and archives tour.
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HIST 114.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Meredith McCoy š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THWillis 203 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 122 U.S. Women’s History to 1877 6 credits
Gender, race, and class shaped women’s participation in the arenas of work, family life, culture, and politics in the United States from the colonial period to the late nineteenth century. We will examine diverse women’s experiences of colonization, industrialization, slavery and Reconstruction, religion, sexuality and reproduction, and social reform. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining major frameworks and debates in the field of women’s history.
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HIST 122.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Annette Igra š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 330 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 123 U.S. Women’s History Since 1877 6 credits
In the twentieth century women participated in the redefinition of politics and the state, sexuality and family life, and work and leisure as the United States became a modern, largely urban society. We will explore how the dimensions of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality shaped diverse women’s experiences of these historical changes. Topics will include: immigration, the expansion of the welfare system and the consumer economy, labor force segmentation and the world wars, and women’s activism in civil rights, labor, peace and feminist movements.
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HIST 123.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Annette Igra š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 330 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 126 Black Freedom: Reconstruction to #BlackLivesMatter 6 credits
This course analyzes Black Freedom activism, its goals, and protagonists from Reconstruction until today. Topics include the evolution of racial segregation and its legal and de facto expressions in the South and across the nation, the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance, Black activism in the New Deal era, the effects of World War II and the Cold War, mass activism in the 1950s and 1960s, white supremacist resistance against Black rights, Black Power activism and Black Internationalism, the “War on Drugs,” racialized welfare state reforms, and police brutality, the election of Barack Obama, and the path to #BlackLivesMatter today.
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HIST 126.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Rebecca Brueckmann š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 402 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 136 The Global Middle Ages 6 credits
Encounter, interaction, and communication across space and between cultures are fundamental parts of the human story yet are often marginalized when we use national, regional, or religious frameworks to shape our study. In this course, we will center our investigation of the medieval time period (roughly 500-1500CE) on interactions among cultures and peoples across Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas. We will think comparatively about how peoples around the globe approached similar questions and problems and ask how a global approach helps improve our understanding of this dynamic and creative period. Extra time required for one field trip.
Extra time for one field trip
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HIST 136.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Victoria Morse š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 304 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 137 Early Medieval Worlds in Transformation 6 credits
In this course we will explore a variety of distinct but interconnected worlds that existed between ca.300 and ca.1050. We will interrogate primary sources, especially written and visual materials, as they bear witness to people forming and transforming political, social, religious, and cultural values, ideas and structures. We will work to understand how communities adapt to new conditions and challenges while maintaining links with and repurposing the lifeways, ideas, and material cultures of the past. We will watch as new and different groups and institutions come to power, and how the existing peoples and structures respond and change. Projects in this course will build capacity to interpret difficult primary documents, formulate research questions, and build arguments that combine rigor and humane sympathy.
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HIST 137.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:William North š« š¤
- Size:35
- M, WLeighton 304 8:30am-9:40am
- FLeighton 304 8:30am-9:30am
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HIST 141 Europe in the Twentieth Century 6 credits
This course explores developments in European history in a global context from the final decade of the nineteenth century through to the present. We will focus on the impact of nationalism, war, and revolution on the everyday experiences of women and men, and also look more broadly on the chaotic economic, political, social, and cultural life of the period. Of particular interest will be the rise of fascism and communism, and the challenge to Western-style liberal democracy, followed by the Cold War and communism's collapse near the end of the century.
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HIST 141.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:David Tompkins š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 304 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 304 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 145 History of Computing in England Program: World War II History 6 credits
This course will consider the broad context of World War II, from the British perspective. Topics will include a variety of aspects of the British experience both at home and abroad, including military, political, and social; the course will include a number of excursions to relevant sites, including the Churchill War Rooms, Bletchley Park, and buildings damaged or destroyed in the Blitz.
Participation in OCS History of Computing in England program.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS History of Computing in England program.
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HIST 159 Age of Samurai 6 credits
Japan’s age of warriors is often compared to the Middle Ages. Sandwiched between the court society and the shogunate, the warrior population in Japan is often compared to the vassals in feudalism. This course examines the evolution of the samurai from the late twelfth to the seventeenth century, with the thematic focus on the evolving dynamics between violence and competing political regimes (monasteries, estate holders, opportunistic households, regencies, cloistered government). With analyses of many different types of primary sources (chronicles, poems, letters, diaries, travelogues, thanatologues, maps) students will develop critical skills to frame key historical questions against broader historiographical contexts.
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HIST 159.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 303 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 303 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 161 From Mughals to Mahatma Gandhi: An Introduction to Modern Indian History 6 credits
An introductory survey course to familiarize students with some of the key themes and debates in the historiography of modern India. Beginning with an overview of Mughal rule in India, the main focus of the course is the colonial period. The course ends with a discussion of 1947: the hour of independence as well as the creation of two new nation-states, India and Pakistan. Topics include Oriental Despotism, colonial rule, nationalism, communalism, gender, caste and race. No prior knowledge of South Asian History required.
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HIST 161.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Amna Khalid š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THHulings 316 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 165 A Cultural History of the Modern Middle East 6 credits
This course provides a basic introduction to the modern history of the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the present. We will focus on the enormous transformations the region has witnessed in this period, as a world of empires gave way one of nation-states and new political and cultural ideas reshaped the lives of its inhabitants. We will discuss the cultural and religious diversity of the region and its varied interactions with modernity. We will find that the history of Middle East is inextricably linked to that of its neighbors and broader currents of modern history. We will read both the works of historians and literary and political texts from the region itself.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 165.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 304 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 169 Colonial Latin America 6 credits
This course examines the formation of Iberian colonial societies in the Americas with a focus on the lives of “ordinary” people, and the ways scholars study their lived experience through the surviving historical record. How did indigenous people respond to the so-called Spanish conquest? How did their communities adapt to colonial pressures and demands? What roles did African slaves and their descendants play in the formation of colonial societies? How were racial identities understood, refashioned, or contested as these societies became ever more globalized and diverse? These and other questions will serve as the starting point for our study of the origins and formation of contemporary Latin America.
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HIST 169.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Andrew Fisher š« š¤
- Size:35
- M, WLeighton 236 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 236 1:10pm-2:10pm
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HIST 203 American Indian Education 1600-Present 6 credits
This course introduces students to the history of settler education for Indigenous students. In the course, we will engage themes of resistance, assimilation, and educational violence through an investigation of nation-to-nation treaties, federal education legislation, court cases, student memoirs, film, fiction, and artwork. Case studies will illustrate student experiences in mission schools, boarding schools, and public schools between the 1600s and the present, asking how Native people have navigated the educational systems created for their assimilation and how schooling might function as a tool for Indigenous resurgence in the future.
Extra time
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HIST 203.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Meredith McCoy š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 304 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 205 American Environmental History 6 credits
Environmental concerns, conflicts, and change mark the course of American history, from the distant colonial past to our own day. This course will consider the nature of these eco-cultural developments, focusing on the complicated ways that human thought and perception, culture and society, and natural processes and biota have all combined to forge Americans’ changing relationship with the natural world. Topics will include Native American subsistence strategies, Euroamerican settlement, industrialization, urbanization, consumption, and the environmental movement. As we explore these issues, one of our overarching goals will be to develop an historical context for thinking deeply about contemporary environmental dilemmas.
- Fall 2025, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies
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HIST 205.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:George Vrtis š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 8:15am-10:00am
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HIST 205.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:George Vrtis š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 212 The American Revolution at 250 6 credits
This course explores the causes, experiences, and consequences of the American Revolution, from the radical ideas and the alarming deeds that created the United States to the diverse array of individuals who shaped and who were shaped by its creation. In connection with the 250thĀ anniversary of the Revolution, this course will take a fresh look at how historians, museum curators, and filmmakers explain this pivotal story and its meaning. Ken Burnsās new PBS documentary,Ā American Revolution, will anchor this course.
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HIST 212.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 236 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 213 Politics and Protest in the New Nation 6 credits
In the first years of the United States, men and women of all races had to learn what it meant to live in the nation created by the U.S. Constitution. This class will focus on the American attempts to form a more perfect union, paying close attention to the place of slavery, Native dispossession, sexuality, and politics during the years 1787-1840. Throughout the course we will examine the ways in which the politics and protests of the early Republic continue to shape the current United States.
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HIST 213.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 304 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 214 Creatures and Cultures: The History of Animals and Society 6 credits
How have animals shaped human societies and cultures, and how have humans in turn influenced the lives of animals? We will examine several historical contexts, cultures, and regions to gain a global understanding of the complexities of human-animal interactions. Other historical topics may include the ethical and political implications of these relationships as well as the impact on human societies and the environment of animal husbandry, wildlife conservation, and the display of exotic animals.Ā Students will write a 25- to 30-page paper based on primary research and will read and critique each otherās papers. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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HIST 216 History Beyond the Walls 6 credits
This course will examine the world of history outside the walls of academia. Looking at secondary-school education, museums, and public policy, we will explore the ways in which both general and specialized publics learn and think about history. A central component of the course will be a civic engagement project.
Extra Time Required.
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HIST 216.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 236 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 217 Pirates, Rebels, Voodoo Queens: Black New Orleans 6 credits
Founded as La Nouvelle-OrlĆ©ans in 1718, New Orleans was an imperial arena for France, Spain, and the US. It has a unique, diverse heritage, and its motto, āLet the Good Times Roll,ā champions joy for life. The Big Easy is a distinct space for African, African American, and Caribbean histories and cultures. Through the 20thĀ century, one third or more of the cityās population has been Black. This course uncovers NOLAās Black and Creole populations' lives from the 1700s to Hurricane Katrina, including enslaved people's resistance, cultural expressions (such as music, carnival, cuisine, and religious practices like Voodoo), environmental challenges, race, class, and gender.
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HIST 217.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Rebecca Brueckmann š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 330 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 226 U.S. Consumer Culture 6 credits
In the period after 1880, the growth of a mass consumer society recast issues of identity, gender, race, class, family, and political life. We will explore the development of consumer culture through such topics as advertising and mass media, the body and sexuality, consumerist politics in the labor movement, and the response to the Americanization of consumption abroad. We will read contemporary critics such as Thorstein Veblen, as well as historians engaged in weighing the possibilities of abundance against the growth of corporate power.
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HIST 226.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Annette Igra š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 330 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 234 Constantinople, 1453: History, Experience, Narrative 6 credits
In the spring of 1453, the inhabitants of the city of Constantinople foundĀ themselves besieged and eventually conquered by the rising power of the Ottoman Turks. The density and variety of the surviving historical evidenceĀ offer a distinctive opportunity to explore and to understand the ways in which people, structures, interests, beliefs, and circumstances interacted to bring about this transformative event. The contemporary and, at times, eyewitness nature of the sources also pose profound questions about historical analysis, narrative, explanation, and story-telling. In this collaboration between the History department and the Theater program, we will develop our own historically informed narratives along with performances that do justice to the events' many facets and implications.Ā
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 234.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:William North š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WWillis 114 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FWillis 114 1:10pm-2:10pm
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HIST 235 Making and Breaking Institutions: Structure, Culture, Corruption, and Reform in the Middle Ages 6 credits
From churches and monasteries to universities, guilds, governmental administrations, the medieval world was full of institutions. They emerged, by accident or design, to do particular kinds of work and to benefit particular persons or groups. These institutions faced hard questions like those we ask of our institutions today: How best to structure, distribute, and control power and authority? What is the place of the institution in the wider world? How is a collective identity and ethos achieved, maintained, or transformed? Where does corruption come from and how can institutions be reformed? This course will explore these questions through discussion of case studies and primary sources from the medieval world as well as theoretical studies of these topics.
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HIST 235.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:William North š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WWillis 204 8:30am-9:40am
- FWillis 204 8:30am-9:30am
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HIST 239 Plague, Pox, Poverty: Public Health in Britain 6 credits
From plague protocols and smallpox vaccinations to community care provisions for vulnerable populations, England and its neighbors have been at the forefront in addressing health challenges through public policy.Ā This course moves from the 16th through the 19th century, tracing ways in which scientific and political developments in history shaped changing attitudes and actions towards health and welfare challenges throughout the lifecourse.
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HIST 240 Tsars and Serfs, Cossacks and Revolutionaries: The Empire that was Russia 6 credits
Nicholas II, the last Tsar-Emperor of Russia, ruled over an empire that stretched from the Baltic to the Pacific. Territorial expansion over three-and-a-half centuries had brought under Russian rule a vast empire of immense diversity. The empire’s subjects spoke a myriad languages, belonged to numerous religious communities, and related to the state in a wide variety of ways. Its artists produced some of the greatest literature and music of the nineteenth century and it offered fertile ground for ideologies of both conservative imperialism and radical revolution. This course surveys the panorama of this empire from its inception in the sixteenth century to its demise in the flames of World War I. Among the key analytical questions addressed are the following: How did the Russian Empire manage its diversity? How does Russia compare with other colonial empires? What understandings of political order legitimized it and how were they challenged?
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HIST 240.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLeighton 304 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 241 Russia through Wars and Revolutions 6 credits
The lands of the Russian empire underwent massive transformations in the tumultuous decades that separated the accession of Nicholas II (1894) from the death of Stalin (1953). This course will explore many of these changes, with special attention paid to the social and political impact of wars (the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the Civil War, and the Great Patriotic War) and revolutions (of 1905 and 1917), the ideological conflicts they engendered, and the comparative historical context in which they transpired.
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HIST 241.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 304 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 247 The First World War as Global Phenomenon 6 credits
This course will explore the global context for this cataclysmic event, which provides the hinge from the nineteenth century into the twentieth. We will spend considerable time on the build-up to and causes of the conflict, with particular emphasis on the new imperialism, race-based ideologies, and the complex international struggles for global power. In addition to the fighting, we will devote a significant portion of the course to the home front and changes in society and culture during and after the war. For History majors, the field will be determined by the student's research project.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 247.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:David Tompkins š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 304 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 249 Two Centuries of Tumult: Modern Central Europe 6 credits
An examination of the political, social, and cultural history of Central Europe from 1848 to the present day. We will explore the evolution of state and civil society in the multicultural/multinational regions of the present-day Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, as well as eastern Germany and Austria. Much of the course will focus on the common experiences of authoritarianism, anti-Semitism, fascism/Nazism, and especially the Communist era and its dissolution.
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HIST 250 Modern Germany 6 credits
This course offers a comprehensive examination of German history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will look at the German-speaking peoples of Central Europe through the prism of politics, society, culture, and the economy. Through a range of readings, we will grapple with the many complex and contentious issues that have made German history such an interesting area of intellectual inquiry.
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HIST 250.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:David Tompkins š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 402 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 402 1:10pm-2:10pm
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HIST 252 Social Movements in Modern China 6 credits
Working with evidence is what allows historians to encounter past societies and people. What kind of evidence we have and our approaches to interpreting it shape the questions we can ask and the interpretations we can offer. This course will provide interested students with hands-on experience in working with various kinds of evidence and learning about the process of writing histories with a focus on the origins and developments of the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976.Ā Themes will include practices and reflections on personality formation, knowledge and power, class and nation, legitimatization of violence, and operations of memory.Ā Ā
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 252.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 304 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 253 Social Movements in Modern Korea 6 credits
This course examines rich traditions of social movements in Korea from its preindustrial times to the present. It will analyze how the movement organizers came to claim the space between households and the state by organizing themselves around various groupings (religious societies, labor unions, and SMOs). Thematically, it will scrutinize the intersections of multiple value orientations (e.g., feminist consciousness and fight for democracy and social justice) and unintended consequences (state violence and traumatic memory). Engaging with different sources (e.g., films, testimonies, memoirs, autobiographies, journals, and government reports), students will develop skills to frame key historical questions against broader historiographical contexts.
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HIST 253.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 426 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 255 Carleton in the Archives: Carleton in China 6 credits
What stories do pictures and voices tell? What roles did Carleton people play in the making of the twentieth century China during WWII, the Chinese Civil War, and the Communist revolution? What are the reflux effects of select Carlsā experiences in China under transformation? How do Carls project their voices and images to their audiences? The Gould Library Archives Carleton-in-China Collection consists of photographs, film footage, field reports, interviews, and public lectures. Students will be introduced to a wide range of visual and aural methods (e.g., oral history, deep mapping) to help complete a research paper based on their archival work. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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HIST 255.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 402 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 402 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 260 The Making of the Modern Middle East 6 credits
A survey of major political and social developments from the fifteenth century to the beginning of World War I. Topics include: state and society, the military and bureaucracy, religious minorities (Jews and Christians), and women in premodern Muslim societies; the encounter with modernity.
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HIST 261 Partition Imagined: 1947 in Literature, Art & Film 3 credits
British departure from the Indian subcontinent led to the creation of two new nation-states, India and Pakistan, sparking one of the greatest migrations in history. Millions perished en route. Those who survived were scarred for life. Only fiction writers of the time had the courage to narrate the horrors of partition. Since then literary, artistic and cinematic treatments of this conclusive moment in Indian history have shaped collective memories of 1947. This course explores how artistic representations of partition intersect with official narratives. Open to all students; an excellent complement for students enrolled in HIST 262: Borders Drawn in Blood.
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HIST 261.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Amna Khalid š« š¤
- Size:25
- TLeighton 402 3:10pm-4:55pm
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HIST 262 Borders Drawn in Blood: The Partition of Modern India 6 credits
Indiaās independence in 1947 was marred by its bloody partition into two nation states. Neighbors turned on each other, millions were rendered homeless and without kin, and gendered violence became rampant, all in the name of religion. Political accounts of Partition are plentiful, but how did ordinary people experience it? Centering the accounts of people who lived through Partition, this course explores how divisions and differences calcified, giving birth to national and religious narratives that obscure histories of intersecting identities. With right wing Hindu nationalism ascendant in India and Islamic nationalism in Pakistan on the rise, Partition alas is not over.Ā
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HIST 262.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Amna Khalid š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 266 History of Islam and Hinduism in South Asia 6 credits
This course explores the emergence and development of the two major religions in South Asia, Hinduism and Islam. We will study the rich history of these traditions' beliefs, textual sources, architecture, political systems, culture, and social developments. Of particular interest will be a look into the ways Hindu and Muslim communities in local contexts understood their respective religions traditions, how this changed over time, and how this informed relations between followers of these traditions.
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HIST 266.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Brendan LaRocque š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 236 1:10pm-2:10pm
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HIST 270 Nuclear Nations: India and Pakistan as Rival Siblings 6 credits
At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947 India and Pakistan, two new nation states emerged from the shadow of British colonialism. This course focuses on the political trajectories of these two rival siblings and looks at the ways in which both states use the other to forge antagonistic and belligerent nations. While this is a survey course it is not a comprehensive overview of the history of the two countries. Instead it covers some of the more significant moments of rupture and violence in the political history of the two states. The first two-thirds of the course offers a top-down, macro overview of these events and processes whereas the last third examines the ways in which people experienced these developments. We use the lens of gender to see how the physical body, especially the body of the woman, is central to the process of nation building. We will consider how women’s bodies become sites of contestation and how they are disciplined and policed by the postcolonial state(s).
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HIST 270.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Amna Khalid š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 202 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 272 The Mexican Revolution: History, Myth and Art 6 credits
The Mexican Revolution was the twentieth-century’s first major social and political upheaval and a watershed moment in Latin American history. This course examines the factors that precipitated the conflict, as well as its main domestic and international dimensions. It explores how an official myth of “The Revolution” was created and contested by the Mexican state, artists, intellectuals, and peasants through the means of education, murals, photography, protest, commemorations, and shrines. The mythification of martyred agrarian leader and rebel chieftain Emiliano Zapata will be examined. Students will work with the College’s collection of Mexican silkscreen posters created in commemoration of the ninetieth anniversary of Zapata’s assassination in 1919.
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HIST 272.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Andrew Fisher š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 202 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 202 12:00pm-1:00pm
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HIST 278 The Aztecs and Their World 6 credits
Come explore the world of feathered serpents, smoking mirrors, flower songs, and water mountains! This course examines from multiple disciplinary perspectives the Nahuatl-speaking people of central Mexico under both Aztec and early Spanish rule (spanning approximately the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries). Students will gain experience working with a range of sources produced by Nahua authors, scribes, and artists, including ritual calendars, imperial tribute records, dynastic annals, and translated documents. The College’s rich collection of Mesoamerican codex facsimiles will play a prominent role in our investigation. No prior knowledge is required or expected.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 287 From Alchemy to the Atom Bomb: The Scientific Revolution and the Making of the Modern World 6 credits
This course examines the growth of modern science since the Renaissance with an emphasis on the Scientific Revolution, the development of scientific methodology, and the emergence of new scientific disciplines. How might a history of science focused on scientific networks operating within society, rather than on individual scientists, change our understanding of “genius,” “progress,” and “scientific impartiality?” We will consider a range of scientific developments, treating science both as a body of knowledge and as a set of practices, and will gauge the extent to which our knowledge of the natural world is tied to who, when, and where such knowledge has been produced and circulated.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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HIST 287.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Antony Adler š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 236 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 298 Junior Colloquium 6 credits
In the junior year, majors must take this six-credit reading and discussion course taught each year by different members of the department faculty. The course is also required for the History minor. The general purpose of History 298 is to help students reach a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of history as a discipline and of the approaches and methods of historians. A major who is considering off-campus study in the junior year should consult with their adviser on when to take History 298.
Required for History majors and minors
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): Two 6 credit History courses excluding HIST 100, Independent Study and Comps with a grade of C- or better.
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HIST 298.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Rebecca Brueckmann š« š¤
- Size:18
- T, THLeighton 202 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 298.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Andrew Fisher š« š¤
- Size:18
- M, WLeighton 202 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 202 9:40am-10:40am
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HIST 302 Creatures and Cultures: The History of Animals and Society 6 credits
How have animals shaped human societies and cultures, and how have humans in turn influenced the lives of animals? We will examine several historical contexts, cultures, and regions to gain a global understanding of the complexities of human-animal interactions. Other historical topics may include the ethical and political implications of these relationships as well as the impact on human societies and the environment of animal husbandry, wildlife conservation, and the display of exotic animals.Ā Students will write a 25- to 30-page paper based on primary research and will read and critique each otherās papers. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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HIST 307 Arctic Environmental History 6 credits
The Arctic world faces enormous interconnected environmental challenges. Climate change, wildlife threats, toxic pollution, human livelihoods and cultural practices ā all of these and many more are colliding at a time when the region is also responding to shifting economic, geopolitical, and technological forces. This course will consider the deeper historical nature of these intertwined eco-cultural developments over the past two centuries, giving particular attention to animals and marine life, energy and mining, Indigenous resource strategies and well-being (including exploring Carletonās Inuit art prints), storytelling and meanings, and ideas and policies focused on conservation, sustainability, and environmental justice.
Recommended Preparation: HIST 205
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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HIST 307.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:George Vrtis š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLibrary 344 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 314 Crime and Punishment: Early American Legal History 6 credits
In this advanced seminar, you will learn to research and write a compelling microhistory about early America (1607-1860) through legal documents such as depositions, complaints, accusations, confessions, and laws themselves. The archives of American law are rich with evidence about a diverse array of people, events, and places; your 20- to 25-page paper, based on your original research, will have many topics from which to draw. The seminar will include common readings with a variety of approaches to legal history as well as extensive peer review.
Recommended Preparation:Ā At least one US History course and/or HIST 298.
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HIST 314.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Serena Zabin š« š¤
- Size:20
- T, THLeighton 202 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 335 Finding Ireland’s Past 6 credits
How do historians find and use evidence of Ireland's history? Starting with an exploration of archaeological methods, and ending with a unit on folklore and oral history collections from the early twentieth century, the first half of the course takes students through a series of themes and events in Irish history. During the second half of the course, students will pursue independent research topics to practice skills in historical methods, and will complete either a seminar paper or a public history project.
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HIST 335.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Susannah Ottaway š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 202 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 338 Digital History, Public Heritage & Deep Mapping 6 credits
How do new methods of digital humanities and collaborative public history change our understanding of space and place? This hands-on research seminar will seek answers through a deep mapping of the long history of Northfield, Minnesota, before and after its most well-known era of the late nineteenth-century. Deep mapping is as much archaeology as it is cartography, plumbing the depths of a particular place to explore its diversity through time. Students will be introduced to major theories of space and place as well as their application through technologies such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), 3D modeling, and video game engines. We will mount a major research project working with the National Register of Historic Places, in collaboration with specialists in public history and community partners.
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HIST 338.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Austin Mason š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THWeitz Center 138 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 341 The Russian Revolution and its Global Legacies 6 credits
The Russian revolution of 1917 was one of the seminal events of the twentieth century. It transformed much beyond Russia itself. This course will take stock of the event and its legacy. What was the Russian revolution? What was its place in the history of revolutions? How did it impact the world? How was it seen by those who made it and those who witnessed it? How have these evaluations changed over time? What sense can we make of it in the year of its centenary? The revolution was both an inspiration (to many revolutionary and national-liberation movements) and used as a tale of caution and admonition (by adversaries of the Soviet Union). The readings will put the Russian revolution in the broadest perspective of the twentieth century and its contested evaluations, from within the Soviet Union and beyond, from its immediate aftermath, through World War II, the Cold War, to the post-Soviet period. The course is aimed at all students interested in the history of the twentieth century and of the idea of the revolution.
X-list FRST 341
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Modern European History course (with tag HIST Early Modern Europe) with a grade of C- or better.
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HIST 341.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Adeeb Khalid š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 202 10:10am-11:55am
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HIST 355 Carleton in the Archives: Carleton in China 6 credits
What stories do pictures and voices tell? What roles did Carleton people play in the making of the twentieth century China during WWII, the Chinese Civil War, and the Communist revolution? What are the reflux effects of select Carlsā experiences in China under transformation? How do Carls project their voices and images to their audiences? The Gould Library Archives Carleton-in-China Collection consists of photographs, film footage, field reports, interviews, and public lectures. Students will be introduced to a wide range of visual and aural methods (e.g., oral history, deep mapping) to help complete a research paper based on their archival work. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
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HIST 355.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Seungjoo Yoon š« š¤
- Size:15
- M, WLeighton 402 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 402 2:20pm-3:20pm
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HIST 398 Advanced Historical Writing 6 credits
This course is designed to support majors in developing advanced skills in historical research and writing. Through a combination of class discussion, small group work, and one-on-one interactions with the professor, majors learn the process of constructing sophisticated, well-documented, and well-written historical arguments within the context of an extended project of their own design. They also learn and practice strategies for engaging critically with contemporary scholarship and effective techniques of peer review and the oral presentation of research. By permission of the instructor only.
Concurrent enrollment in HIST 400 is required.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
- HIST 400: Integrative Exercise
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HIST 398.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:David Tompkins š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 301 1:15pm-3:00pm
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HIST 398.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:George Vrtis š« š¤
- Size:15
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- T, THLeighton 301 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251 Windows on the Good Life 2 credits
Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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IDSC 251.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251.02 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 8:00pm-9:45pm
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IDSC 251.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251.02 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 8:00pm-9:45pm
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IDSC 251.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 3:10pm-4:55pm
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IDSC 251.02 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:18
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- MHasenstab 105 8:00pm-9:45pm
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LTAM 398 Latin American Forum 2 credits
This colloquium will explore specific issues or works in Latin American Studies through discussion of a common reading, public presentation, project, and/or performance that constitute the annual Latin American Forum. Students will be required to attend two meetings during the term to discuss the common reading or other material and must attend, without exception. All events of the Forum which take place during fourth week of spring term (on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning). A short integrative essay or report will be required at the end of the term. Intended as capstone for the Latin American Studies minor.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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PHIL 111 Bullshit: How To Spot It and Protect Yourself 6 credits
Bullshit is all around us. A potent mix of lies, half-truths, clickbait, AI-generated content, and half-baked reasoning makes it difficult to separate truths from falsehoods. Weāll categorize different kinds of bullshit and study the strategies bullshit artists use to confuse and deceive us. Weāll learn how to distinguish good and bad reasoningāand the psychological mechanisms that trick even trained scientists and philosophers into being snookered by poor reasoning. That knowledge will help us devise strategies to protect our communities from misinformation and determine whether politicians, AI, and professors are giving us good reasons to believe their claimsāor just bullshitting us.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 111.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Andrew Knoll š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WWillis 211 11:10am-12:20pm
- FWillis 211 12:00pm-1:00pm
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PHIL 112 Intelligence, Agency and Autonomous Machines 6 credits
What exactly is artificial intelligence (AI)? We will engage this question by reading foundational texts in the philosophy of AI to clarify what things in the world are, or should be, classified as āAIā. This foundation will help us think about what it might mean to be autonomous, intelligent, or agential. We will consider some of the conditions that might lead us to believe certain technologies are (or could be) moral agents or moral patients, and whether (or to what extent) these conditions bear on the AI systems of the present and those of the future.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 112.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Jessie Hall š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 304 12:00pm-1:00pm
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PHIL 112.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THWeitz Center 230 10:10am-11:55am
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PHIL 114 Love and Sex 6 credits
From Disney fairytales to blockbuster rom-coms; dating apps to hook-up culture; and ongoing debates in mainstream media concerning reproductive, trans, and LGBTQ rightsā love and sex are ever-present concepts in our day-to-day lives. This course offers an opportunity to critically explore, discuss, and challenge our understanding of love and sex through an interdisciplinary lens. We will explore questions like: What is the difference between the way we love our friends, parents, and lovers? How do intersections of race, gender, class, and ability affect experiences of love and sex? How does technology affect the future of love and sex?
GWSS 114 is cross listed with PHIL 114.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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PHIL 114.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 330 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 330 1:10pm-2:10pm
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PHIL 124 Friendship 6 credits
What is friendship? Are there different types of friendships? What makes a friendship good? While this course will familiarize you with a variety of scholarly views on friendship from both historically canonical and contemporary sources, our main goal is to become more reflective about our lived experience of friendship here and now.
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PHIL 124.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Allison Murphy š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 304 1:10pm-2:10pm
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PHIL 202 Philosophy Lab: Leading a Pre-Collegiate Philosophy Program 3 credits
In this course, Carleton students will collaborate with local high school students from the Area Learning Center (ALC) to develop and articulate views on philosophical issues of interest to Carleton students and students at the ALC. Our overarching objectives are to promote the joy of doing philosophy and to foster skills among Carleton and ALC students for having good philosophical conversations. These skills include, but are not limited to listening, empathy, intellectual humility, and flexibility.Ā
Meets M/W only
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): Two Philosophy (PHIL) courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PHIL 202.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Daniel Groll š« š¤
- Size:25
- Grading:S/CR/NC
- M, WLeighton 303 12:30pm-1:40pm
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PHIL 203 Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion 6 credits
What is important to individuals, how they see themselves and others, and the kind of projects they pursue are shaped by traditional and moral frameworks they didn’t choose. Individual selves are encumbered by their social environments and, in this sense, always ‘biased’, but some forms of bias are pernicious because they produce patterns of inter and intra-group domination and oppression. We will explore various forms of intersubjectivity and its asymmetries through readings in social ontology and social epistemology that theorize the construction of group and individual beliefs and identities in the context of the social world they engender.
Extra time
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PHIL 203.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Anna Moltchanova š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 3:10pm-4:55pm
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PHIL 213 Ethics 6 credits
How should we live? This is the fundamental question for the study of ethics. This course looks at classic and contemporary answers to the fundamental question from Socrates to Kant to modern day thinkers. Along the way, we consider slightly (but only slightly) more tractable questions such as: What reason is there to be moral? Is there such a thing as moral knowledge (and if so, how do we get it)? What are the fundamental principles of right and wrong (if there are any at all)? Is morality objective?
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 213.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Daniel Groll š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 8:15am-10:00am
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PHIL 215 Objectivity in Science 6 credits
It is often thought that science is aimed at āobjectiveā knowledge. Philosophers of science have tried to pin down exactly what āobjectivityā meansā is it a feature of scientific methods, or theories? Is it one property or many different properties? Supposing we can pin down a satisfactory account of objectivity, do our theories, current or past practices obtain that property? Is it even possible in principle to have objective knowledge? We will explore these and related questions from both a historical and contemporary philosophical lens, from the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle to contemporary feminist epistemology of science. Offered at both the 200 and 300 levels; coursework will be adjusted accordingly.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 215.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THWeitz Center 136 1:15pm-3:00pm
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PHIL 218 Virtue Ethics 6 credits
What is a good human life? Who is a good person? From the time of Plato and Aristotle onwards, many philosophers have thought about these questions in terms of two central ideas. Virtues, such as justice or courage, make us a certain type of person (they give us a certain character). Wisdom enables us to make good judgments about how to act. How do virtue and wisdom work together to produce a good human life? Is a good life the same as a happy life?Ā We will reflect on these and related questions as we read texts from Alasdair MacIntyre, Philippa Foot, and other significant thinkersĀ in the contemporary virtue ethics tradition. We will also consider the application ofĀ virtue ethics to specific areas, such as environmental ethics, as well as the parallels between Western virtue ethics and the tradition of Confucianism in ancient China.
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PHIL 218.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Allison Murphy š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLibrary 305 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLibrary 305 1:10pm-2:10pm
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PHIL 221 Philosophy of Law 6 credits
This course provides students with an opportunity to engage actively in a discussion of theoretical questions about law. We will consider the nature of law as it is presented by natural law theory, legal positivism and legal realism. Then we will deal with responsibility and punishment, and challenges to the idea of the primacy of individual rights from legal paternalism and moralism. We will next inquire into the explanations of why individuals should obey the law, and conditions under which civil disobedience is justified. Finally, we will discuss issues raised by feminist legal theory and some theories of minority rights.
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PHIL 221.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Anna Moltchanova š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 3:10pm-4:55pm
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PHIL 225 Philosophy of Mind 6 credits
What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Are they identical? Or is there mental “stuff” in addition to physical stuff? Or perhaps some physical stuff has irreducibly mental properties? These, and related questions, are explored by philosophers under the heading of “the mind-body problem.” In this course, we will start with these questions, looking at classical and contemporary defenses of both materialism and dualism. This investigation will lead us to other important questions such as: What is the nature of mental representation, what is consciousness, and could a robot have conscious states and mental representations?
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 225.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Jason Decker š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 305 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 305 2:20pm-3:20pm
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PHIL 260 Critical Philosophy of Race 6 credits
What is race? Is āraceā real? Is it a biological fact, a social category, or a cultural production? How do we define racism? This course introduces students to the major issues and debates from the emergent subfield referred to as the āCritical Philosophy of Race.ā Throughout the course, we will examine the ways in which philosophers first defined the concept of race, how the definition of this concept has evolved since its introduction, and the philosophical/societal implications of these shifts. In doing so, we will investigate how race relates to issues of identity, culture, knowledge, and social difference.
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PHIL 260.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Cynthia Marrero-Ramos š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 304 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 304 2:20pm-3:20pm
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PHIL 261 The Individual and the Political Community 6 credits
Are human beings by nature atomic units or oriented towards community? What does the difference amount to, and why does it matter for our understanding of the ways in which political communities come into existence and are maintained? In this course we will explore these and related questions while reading two foundational works in political theory, Platoās Republic and Hobbesās Leviathan, as well as several related contemporary pieces.
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PHIL 261.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Allison Murphy š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 426 9:40am-10:40am
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PHIL 270 Ancient Greek Philosophy 6 credits
Is there a key to a happy and successful human life? If so, how do you acquire it? Plato and Aristotle thought the key was virtue and that your chances of obtaining it depend on the sort of life you lead. Weāll read texts from these authors that became foundational for the later history of philosophy, including the Apology, Gorgias, Symposium, and the Nicomachean Ethics, while situating the ancient understanding of virtue in the context of larger questions of metaphysics (the nature of being), psychology, and ethics.
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PHIL 270.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Allison Murphy š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 330 9:40am-10:40am
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PHIL 272 Early Modern Philosophy: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Philosophy 6 credits
Our inquiry into seventeenth and eighteenth century philosophy is not limited to any geographic region: it is open to Indigenous philosophical traditions as well as those of Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. We will cover selections from Anton Wilhelm Amo, Mulla Sadra, Sor Juana InƩs de La Cruz, Im Yunjidang, Isaac Newton, Baruch Spinoza, Immanuel Kant, and more. The topics include, but are not limited to, the mind body distinction, divinity, love, freedom, virtue, and the good life. The final paper project for this course asks you to creatively connect philosophical concepts, themes, or problems from different units of the course.
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PHIL 272.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Hope Sample š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THWeitz Center 233 10:10am-11:55am
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PHIL 274 Existentialism 6 credits
We will consider the emergence and development of major themes of existentialism in the works of Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, as well as “classical” existentialists such as Heidegger, Sartre and De Beauvoir. We will discuss key issues put forward by the existentialist movement, such as “the question of being” and human historicity, freedom and responsibility and look at how different authors analyzed the nature and ambitions of the Self and diverse aspects of subjectivity.
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PHIL 274.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Anna Moltchanova š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 426 2:20pm-3:20pm
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PHIL 276 Existentialism and Literature 6 credits
Against the background of the Industrial Revolution, the rise of secularism, the spread of mass consumption and technocracy, and the devastation of war, the question of the human beingās place in the world became increasingly pressing. āExistentialismāĀ became the term associated with intellectuals and artists who grappled with questions of authenticity, freedom, and our responsibilities to others, all while seeking new forms of meaning and value that were not rooted in traditional sources of authority. Weāll read texts that give voice to modernityās social upheaval and alienation as well as works of philosophy and literature that responded to this predicament. Authors include Kafka, Heidegger, Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, and Viktor Frankl.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 276.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Allison Murphy š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 305 1:15pm-3:00pm
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PHIL 317 Objectivity in Science 6 credits
It is often thought that science is aimed at āobjectiveā knowledge. Philosophers of science have tried to pin down exactly what āobjectivityā meansā is it a feature of scientific methods, or theories? Is it one property or many different properties? Supposing we can pin down a satisfactory account of objectivity, do our theories, current or past practices obtain that property? Is it even possible in principle to have objective knowledge? We will explore these and related questions from both a historical and contemporary philosophical lens, from the logical positivism of the Vienna Circle to contemporary feminist epistemology of science.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Philosophy course excluding Independent Studies or Directed Research courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PHIL 317.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Jessie Hall š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THWeitz Center 136 1:15pm-3:00pm
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PHIL 319 Self-Knowledge 6 credits
Inscribed above the entry of Apolloās temple at Delphi is the imperative āKnow Thyself!ā But what does it mean to know yourself and how do you go about acquiring such knowledge? Is it fundamentally the same as coming to knowĀ otherĀ people? Or is self-knowledge fundamentally different ā both in terms of content and how we come to acquire it ā from other kinds of knowledge (including knowledge of other people)? Finally, how does self knowledge relate to questions about agency? Can it sometimes be rational to decide to do something that one's self-knowledge suggests one is unlikely to succeed in doing? This course will explore all these issues by reading Richard MoranāsĀ Authority and EstrangementĀ and/or Barislav MarusicāsĀ Evidence and Agency: Norms of Belief for Promising and Resolving.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Philosophy course excluding Independent Studies or Directed Research courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PHIL 319.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Jason Decker š« š¤ · Daniel Groll š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THHasenstab 105 10:10am-11:55am
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PHIL 320 Surviving Death 6 credits
āDeath is the great leveler; if the good and the bad [person] alike go down into oblivion, if there is nothing about reality itself that shores up this basic moral difference between their lives, say by providing what the good deserve, then the distinction between the good and the bad is less important. So goodness is less important.ā This is the challenge Mark Johnston articulates and aims to answer in his book Surviving Death, where he argues, āwith no recourse to any supernatural meansā, that a good person āquite literally survives death.ā We will make our way through Johnstonās book, which covers copious ground in general metaphysics, the metaphysics of personal identity, and ethics.
Students must also register for PHIL 321.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Philosophy course excluding Independent Studies or Directed Research courses with a grade of C- or better.
- PHIL 321: Surviving Death: Writing Lab
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PHIL 320.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Jason Decker š« š¤ · Daniel Groll š« š¤
- Size:15
- M, WLeighton 303 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 303 9:40am-10:40am
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POSC 110 State of the Nation: the Politics of Citizenship 6 credits
This course explores the politics of citizenship in Modern Europe. Students will be introduced to the history of the European nation-state with a special focus on France, Germany and the UK. They will become familiar with basic concepts such as state, nation, ethnic and civic citizenship and how these are used by scholars and practitioners. This historical and conceptual backdrop will prepare them to understand post-war developments in West European politics, most importantly the politics of welfare and migration and their continued salience. Students will be challenged to think critically about larger questions about national and non-national identity and political membership.
EUST 110 is cross listed with POSC 110.
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POSC 160 Political Philosophy 6 credits
Introduction to ancient and modern political philosophy. We will investigate several fundamentally different approaches to the basic questions of politics–questions concerning the character of political life, the possibilities and limits of politics, justice, and the good society–and the philosophic presuppositions (concerning human nature and human flourishing) that underlie these, and all, political questions.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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POSC 160.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Mihaela Czobor-Lupp š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THWeitz Center 233 1:15pm-3:00pm
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POSC 160.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THHasenstab 105 3:10pm-4:55pm
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POSC 232 PS Lab: The Comparative Method 3 credits
In this lab, students will examine the epistemology, history, and application of the comparative method in contemporary political science with a particular focus on the subfields of comparative politics and international relations. Instruction will begin with an examination of methods of similarity and difference in paired comparisons and move to large-N comparative methods employing both qualitative and quantitative techniques.
1st Five Weeks
- First Five Weeks, Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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POSC 232.01 First Five Weeks, Winter 2026
- Faculty:Alfred Montero š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WHasenstab 002 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FHasenstab 002 1:10pm-2:10pm
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POSC 232 PS Lab: Interview Techniques 3 credits
This class provides a hands-on introduction to how researchers devise, conduct, and analyze interviews in political science. Students will learn about different types of interview methodologies with a particular focus on semi-structured techniques. Over the course of the class, students will considerĀ the types of questions most appropriately answeredĀ by interviews, the fundamentals of different sampling strategies, how to devise questionnaires, and how to use the information collectedĀ for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We will also cover interview ethics, how to employ culturally sensitive techniques, and how to employ interviews in individual, group, and crowd situations.
- Spring 2026
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POSC 232.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Summer Forester š« š¤
- Size:18
- THasenstab 109 10:10am-11:55am
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POSC 232 PS Lab: Political Philosophy and the Art of Reading 3 credits
Required course for Data Analysis for POSC major, specific section description available each term
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 232.02 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WHasenstab 109 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FHasenstab 109 1:10pm-2:10pm
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POSC 250 Kings, Tyrants, Philosophers: Plato’s Republic 6 credits
In this course we will read Platoās Republic, perhaps the greatest and surely the most important work of political philosophy ever written. What are the deepest needs and the most powerful longings of human nature? Can they be fulfilled, and, if so, how? What are the deepest needs of society, and can they be fulfilled? What is the relation between individual happiness and societal well-being? Are they compatible or in conflict with one another? And where they are in conflict, what does justice require that we do? The Republic explores these questions in an imaginative and unforgettable way.
Crosslisted with POSC 350
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 256 Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil 6 credits
Nietzsche understood himself to be living at a moment of great endings: the exhaustion of modernity, the self-undermining of rationalism, the self-overcoming of morality–in short, stunningly, the “death of God.” He regarded these endings as an unprecedented disaster for humanity but also as an unprecedented opportunity, and he pointed the way to a new ideal and a new culture that would be life-affirming and life-enhancing. This course will center on close study of Beyond Good and Evil, perhaps Nietzsche’s most beautiful book and probably his most political one. Selections from some of his other books will also be assigned.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 256.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THHasenstab 105 1:15pm-3:00pm
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POSC 262 Displaced Lives: Freedom and Meaning 6 credits
To feel secure and accepted by society are essential human needs. However, even a cursory look at the 20th century shows how often and unexpectedly the lives of individuals were profoundly disrupted and crushed by the forces of nature and history. Security and social acceptance are fragile gifts of history. If so, what freedom and meaning, if at all, are to be found in living a displaced life, against and through the destructive tidal waves of history? The course tries to answer this question through an engagement with the memoirs and writings of Stefan Zweig, Edward Said, Norman Manea, Mikhail Bulgakov, Karl Ove Knausgaard, and James Baldwin.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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POSC 262.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Mihaela Czobor-Lupp š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THWeitz Center 233 1:15pm-3:00pm
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POSC 352 Political Theory of Alexis de Tocqueville 6 credits
This course will be devoted to close study of Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, which has plausibly been described as the best book ever written about democracy and the best book every written about America. Tocqueville uncovers the myriad ways in which equality, including especially the passion for equality, determines the character and the possibilities of modern humanity. Tocqueville thereby provides a political education that is also an education toward self-knowledge.
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POSC 352.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Laurence Cooper š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THHasenstab 109 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 110 Understanding Religion 6 credits
How can we best understand the role of religion in the world today, and how should we interpret the meaning of religious traditions–their texts and practices–in history and culture? This class takes an exciting tour through selected themes and puzzles related to the fascinating and diverse expressions of religion throughout the world. From politics and pop culture, to religious philosophies and spiritual practices, to rituals, scriptures, gender, religious authority, and more, students will explore how these issues emerge in a variety of religions, places, and historical moments in the U.S. and across the globe.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IDS, Intercultural Domestic Studies WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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RELG 110.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Lori Pearson š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 330 12:00pm-1:00pm
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RELG 110.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 11:10am-12:20pm
- FLeighton 330 12:00pm-1:00pm
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RELG 110.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 426 9:40am-10:40am
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RELG 120 Judaism: Text, History, Practice 6 credits
What is Judaism? Who are Jewish people? What are Jewish texts, practices, ideas? What ripples have Jewish people, texts, practices, and ideas caused beyond their sphere? These questions will animate our study as we touch on specific points in over three millennia of history. We will immerse ourselves in Jewish texts, historic events, and cultural moments, trying to understand them on their own terms. At the same time, we will analyze them using key concepts such as ‘tradition,’ ‘culture,’ ‘power,’ and ‘diaspora.’ We will explore how ‘Jewishness’ has been constructed by different stakeholders, each claiming the authority to define it.
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RELG 120.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni š« š¤
- Size:30
- M, WLeighton 330 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 330 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 122 Introduction to Islam 6 credits
This course is a general introduction to Islam as a prophetic religious tradition. It explores the different ways Muslims have interpreted and put into practice the prophetic message of Muhammad through analyses of varying theological, legal, political, mystical, and literary writings as well as through Muslims’ lived histories. These analyses aim for students to develop a framework for explaining the sources and vocabularies through which historically specific human experiences and understandings of the world have been signified as Islamic. The course will focus primarily on the early and modern periods of Islamic history.
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RELG 122.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Kambiz GhaneaBassiri š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 301 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 301 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture 6 credits
An introduction to the major religious traditions of Japan, from earliest times to the present. Combining thematic and historical approaches, this course will scrutinize both defining characteristics of, and interactions among, various religious traditions, including worship of the kami (local deities), Buddhism, shamanistic practices, Christianity, and new religious movements. We also will discuss issues crucial in the study of religion, such as the relation between religion and violence, gender, modernity, nationalism and war.
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RELG 152.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Asuka Sango š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 236 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism 6 credits
This course offers a survey of Buddhism from its inception in India some 2500 years ago to the present. We first address fundamental Buddhist ideas and practices, then their elaboration in the Mahayana and tantric movements, which emerged in the first millennium CE in India. We also consider the diffusion of Buddhism throughout Asia and to the West. Attention will be given to both continuity and diversity within Buddhism–to its commonalities and transformations in specific historical and cultural settings. We also will address philosophical, social, political, and ethical problems that are debated among Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism today.
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RELG 153.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Asuka Sango š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 426 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 155 Hinduism: An Introduction 6 credits
Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion (or, as some prefer, “way of life”), with about 1.2 billion followers. It is also one of its oldest, with roots dating back at least 3500 years. “Hinduism,” however, is a loosely defined, even contested term, designating the wide variety of beliefs and practices of the majority of the people of South Asia. This survey course introduces students to this great variety, including social structures (such as the caste system), rituals and scriptures, mythologies and epics, philosophies, life practices, politics, poetry, sex, gender, Bollywood, and—lest we forget—some 330 million gods and goddesses.
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RELG 155.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Kristin Bloomer š« š¤
- Size:30
- T, THLanguage & Dining Center 104 10:10am-11:55am
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RELG 162 Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings 6 credits
Who was Jesus? What’s in the Bible? How did Christianity begin? This course is an introduction to the ancient Jewish texts that became the Christian New Testament, as well as other texts that did not make it into the Bible. We will take a historical approach, situating this literature within the Roman Empire of the first century, and we will also learn about how modern readers have interpreted it. Along the way, we will pay special attention to two topics of enduring political debate: (1) Whether the Bible supports oppression or liberation and (2) What the Bible says about gender and sexuality.
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RELG 162.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 330 2:20pm-3:20pm
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RELG 213 Religion, Medicine, and Healing 6 credits
How do religion and medicine approach the healing of disease and distress? Are religion and medicine complementary or do they conflict? Is medicine a more evolved form of religion, shorn of superstition and pseudoscience? This course explores religious and cultural models of health and techniques for achieving it, from ancient Greece to Christian monasteries to modern mindfulness and self-care programs. We will consider ethical quandaries about death, bodily suffering, mental illness, miraculous cures, and individual agency, all the while seeking to avoid simplistic narratives of rationality and irrationality.
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RELG 213.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 236 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 236 9:40am-10:40am
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RELG 214 Irish Studies In Ireland Program: Sacred Place & Pilgrimage in Ireland 6 credits
Encounters with the sacred on the landscape present a thorough line of Irish religion: pre-Christian, Christian, and post-Christian. Holy mountains, islands, stones, and wells materialize the sacred and organize the practices of lived religion. Such places are also charged sites of historical memory, colonization, and resistance. Long wellsprings of Irish cultural nationalism, they now capture spiritual imaginations of global seekers of earth-based spirituality. Through readings, field visits, and walking several pilgrimage routes, this course explores narratives and practices of sacred places, engages the blurry boundary between the sacred/secular entailed in pilgrimage, and queries the modern romance with āCeltic Spirituality.ā
Pariticipation in Ireland Program
- Summer 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS English Religion in Ireland Program.
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RELG 216 Irish Studies in Ireland Program:Irish Landscape in Myth, Literature, History 3 credits
The past is a strong presence in Ireland.Ā Ā People live with Iron Age tombs in their backyards and Irish language place names rehearse ancient epics.Ā Places resound with collective memory as they have been storied through myth, literature, and folklore.Ā So too are Irish political identities made and remade through evocations and practices of sacred place. This course explores the Irish epicĀ TĆ”in BĆ³ Cuailnge, Celtic Revival spiritualizations of the landscape, and materials by and about āNew Irishā communities.Ā The course centers place-based learning: curated experiences at archaeological sites, historical walking tours of Galway and Dublin, and an immersive week in the politically charged cityscape of Belfast.
Participation in OCS Ireland Program
- Summer 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS English Religion in Ireland Program.
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RELG 219 Religious Law, Il/legal Religions 6 credits
The concept of law plays a central role in religion, and the concept of religion plays a central role in law. We often use the word ‘law’ to describe obligatory religious practices. But is that ‘law,’ as compared with state law? Legal systems in the U.S. and Europe make laws that protect religious people, and that protect governments from religion. But what does ‘religion’ mean in a legal context? And how do implicit notions of religious law affect how judges deal with religion? We will explore these questions using sources drawn from contemporary religions and recent legal disputes.
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RELG 219.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 426 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 426 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 224 Religion, Science, and the Moral Imagination 6 credits
How do we imagine the relationship between religion and science? Are they at odds, in harmony, or different ways of imagining ourselves, our world, and our futures? This course explores historical understandings of religious and scientific thought, asking how the two came to be separated in the modern era. We use the imagination to explore power dynamics and moral judgments embedded in assumptions about matter, nature, mind, bodies, persons, and progress. We draw on literature, philosophy, and theology to consider questions about ethics, focusing on climate change, ecofeminism, technology and personhood, AI, and the possibility of alternative futures.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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RELG 224.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Lori Pearson š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 305 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 225 Faith and Doubt in the Modern World 6 credits
Is religion an illusion we create to explain what we donāt understand? An elaborate means to justify the violence we commit? A way to hold onto meaning in the face of radical doubt? This course explores how Western theologians and philosophers have grappled with the loss of traditional religious beliefs and categories. What is the appropriate response to losing one's religion? It turns out that few abandon it altogether, but instead find new ways of naming the sacred, whether in relation to existential courage, aesthetic experience, moral hope, prophetic insight, or passionate love.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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RELG 225.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Lori Pearson š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 402 1:15pm-3:00pm
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RELG 243 Native American Religious Freedom 6 credits
This course explores historical and legal contexts in which Native Americans have practiced their religions in the United States. Making reference to the cultural background of Native traditions, and the history of First Amendment law, the course explores landmark court cases in Sacred Lands, Peyotism, free exercise in prisons, and sacralized traditional practices (whaling, fishing, hunting) and critically examines the conceptual framework of “religion” as it has been applied to the practice of Native American traditions. Service projects will integrate academic learning and student involvement in matters of particular concern to contemporary native communities.
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RELG 243.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Michael McNally š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 330 10:10am-11:55am
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RELG 251 African American Religious History 6 credits
African American religions are a mix of African, European, and indigenous American influences. The unique social, political, and economic concerns of Black people shape their spiritualities in intricate and surprising ways. This course explores the history of African American religions through a consideration of historical works, historiographical debates, and hermeneutical trends. Readings survey themes of race, gender, reproduction, natal alienation, and political struggle in African American religious experiences through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Course assignments introduce students to the practice of method and theory in the historical study of religion by emphasizing how historiography informs narrations of the past.
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RELG 251.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Jorge Banuelos š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 402 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLeighton 402 1:10pm-2:10pm
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RELG 266 Modern Islamic Thought 6 credits
Through close reading of primary sources, this course examines how some of the most influential Muslim thinkers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the Middle East and South Asia conceptualized God and the ideal God-human relationship to address such pressing questions as: How should religion relate to modern technological and scientific advancements? Can Islam serve as an ideology to counter European colonialism? Can Islam become the basis for the formation of social and political life under a nation-state, or does it demand a transnational political collectivity of its own? What would a modern Islamic economy look like?
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RELG 266.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Kambiz GhaneaBassiri š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLibrary 344 10:10am-11:55am
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RELG 286 Judaism in America 6 credits
With Jews and Jewishness front and center in American political contestations, it is increasingly urgent to understand formations of Judaism, past and present, in relation to normative concepts of the "American." This course will consider the ways that Judaism interacts with, is shaped by, and in turn shapes, America and Americanness. We will apply historical, anthropological, and theoretical lenses to explore the many aspects of what Jewishness means and has meant in this country.
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RELG 286.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Chumie Juni š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WLeighton 330 9:50am-11:00am
- FLeighton 330 9:40am-10:40am
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RELG 287 Many Marys 6 credits
Christianity, by its very name, focuses on Jesus. This course shifts the focus to Mary, his mother: her various manifestations and her contributions to the myriad experiences of peoples around the world. Race, gender, class, and feminist and liberation theologies come into play as Mary presents as: the Mother of God; queen of heaven; a Black madonna; a Mestiza madonna; an exceptional woman with her own chapter in the Qur'an; various goddesses in Haitian Vodoun, Hinduism, and Buddhism; a tattoo on the backs of U.S. prisoners–and so on. In addition to considering Miriam (her Jewish name) as she appears in literature, art, apparition, and ritual practice around the world, we will also consider Mary Magdalene, her foil, who appears in popular discourse from the Gnostic gospels to The Da Vinci Code.
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RELG 287.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Kristin Bloomer š« š¤
- Size:25
- T, THLeighton 402 3:10pm-4:55pm
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RELG 300 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion 6 credits
What, exactly, is religion and what conditions of modernity have made it urgent to articulate such a question in the first place? Why does religion exert such force in human society and history? Is it an opiate of the masses or an illusion laden with human wish-fulfillment? Is it a social glue? A subjective experience of the sacred? Is it simply a universalized Protestant Christianity in disguise, useful in understanding, and colonizing, the non-Christian world? This seminar, for junior majors and advanced majors from related fields, explores generative theories from anthropology, sociology, psychology, literary studies, and the history of religions.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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RELG 300.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Kambiz GhaneaBassiri š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 303 10:10am-11:55am
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RELG 322 Apocalypse How? 6 credits
When will the world end, and how? What’s wrong with the world that makes its destruction necessary or inevitable? Are visions of “The End” a form of resistance literature, aimed at oppressive systems? Or do they come from paranoid minds disconnected from reality? This seminar explores apocalyptic thought, which in its basic form is about unmasking the deceptions of the given world by revealing the secret workings of the universe. We begin with ancient Jewish and Christian apocalypses and move into modern religious and “secular” visions of cosmic collapse, including doomsday cults, slave revolts, UFO religions, and Evangelical fantasies about armageddon in the Middle East. We will also create a giant handwritten manuscript of the book of Revelation using calligraphy pens, paint, and gold leaf.
X-List WMST 322
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RELG 322.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Sonja Anderson š« š¤
- Size:15
- M, WLeighton 303 1:50pm-3:00pm
- FLeighton 303 2:20pm-3:20pm
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RELG 372 Sensory Cultures of Religion 6 credits
What makes a sound noise to someone and God's self-disclosure to another? What makes a statue a decorated stone to someone and a living deity to another? Are these distinctions rooted in faith or in peopleās sensory experiences in different cultures? Together, we will explore such questions by inquiring into how sensory experiences and religious beliefs relate to one another. The course is designed as a practicum in which students will learn to develop sensory histories of objects and to practice exhibiting religious objects in museums or elsewhere for public understanding.
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RELG 399 Senior Research Seminar 6 credits
This seminar will acquaint students with research tools in various fields of religious studies, provide an opportunity to present and discuss research work in progress, hone writing skills, and improve oral presentation techniques.
- Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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RELG 399.01 Winter 2026
- Faculty:Lori Pearson š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 301 10:10am-11:55am
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15 seats held for Religion majors with Senior Priority until the day after senior priority registration.
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SOAN 320 The Anthropology of the End of the World 6 credits
We live on a planet marked by ruin, devastation, and destructionāconditions associated with the concept of the Anthropocene, a geological era that recognizes the inescapable consequences of human activity on the planet. This course examines these consequences through the lens of environmental anthropology to explore various socio-cultural strategies implemented by societies around the world. Themes explored include notions of unpredictability, precarity, resilience, and survivance as avenues for understanding the impacts of profound environmental change, as well as new opportunities for place-making, community, and sustainable futures.
Recommended preparation:Ā Introductory courses in SOAN or ENTS.
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SOAN 320.01 Fall 2025
- Faculty:Constanza Ocampo-Raeder š« š¤
- Size:15
- T, THLeighton 236 10:10am-11:55am
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SPAN 213 Madrid Program: Pragmatics and Conversation in Context 3 credits
Pragmatics entails the relationship between language and context. This subfield of linguistics can help us become more aware and critical of what we say, whether it be in our native language or a second language. After reviewing some basic theoretical components, students will use their experiences in Spain as a ālaboratoryā to reflect on their own interactions and observations during their daily lives abroad. Although the concepts covered are applicable to any language, this class focuses primarily on Spanish, often contrasted with cultural and linguistic differences in English regarding conversational styles, speech acts, politeness and verbal interaction in general.
Requires participation in OCS Program: Spanish Studies in Madrid
- Fall 2025
- No Exploration WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Acceptance in the Spanish Studies in Madrid Program and student has completed the following course(s): SPAN 205 or a higher course with a grade of C- or better.
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SPAN 246 Not by Blood: Family Beyond Kinship 6 credits
Motherhood is central in Latin-American literature of the twenty-first century. Beyond the tendency to represent motherhood as a paradise of love and snuggles, Latin-American writers have been proposing new reconfigurations of family. Families that are not bonded by blood. In this class we will study novels, poems, and short stories about these non-traditional families, for example, families that are led by trans-women, families that are formed between species (with plants or animals), among others. We will analyze what insights these fictional families can offer on topics such as race, reproductive rights, legalization of abortion, marriage equality, and new feminisms.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): SPAN 205 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 205 on the Carleton Spanish Emmersion Placement exam.
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SPAN 246.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Ingrid Luna š« š¤
- Size:20
- M, WLanguage & Dining Center 242 12:30pm-1:40pm
- FLanguage & Dining Center 242 1:10pm-2:10pm
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SPAN 320 Death and Dying Under Capitalism: An Ecological and Humanistic Perspective 6 credits
Within the capitalist system, the concept of dying well (Ars moriendi) has progressively lost its collective sense and meaning, relegated instead to the realm of individual responsibility. Simultaneously, the notion of a dignified death has ceased to be an inalienable right for all individuals, becoming contingent upon inherited privileges and access to private resources. Death, transformed into a taboo, coexists with an apocalyptic culture and a state of eco-anxiety stemming from ecological crises and the looming extinction of numerous species, potentially including humans. Some of our guiding questions will be: What implications does dying under capitalist conditions entail? Can cultural representation do more than merely comply with, comment or oppose these scenarios? Our exploration will encompass a diverse array of texts, films, and workshops featuring various guest speakers.
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry IS, International Studies
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One SPAN course numbered 205 or higher excluding Independent Studies with a grade of C- or better.
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SPAN 320.01 Spring 2026
- Faculty:Palmar Ćlvarez-Blanco š« š¤
- Size:25
- M, WWeitz Center 233 11:10am-12:20pm
- FWeitz Center 233 12:00pm-1:00pm