UC | Bridging Disciplines Program

Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies

Bridging Disciplines Programs allow you to earn an interdisciplinary certificate that integrates area requirements, electives, courses for your major, internships, and research experiences.

The Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies BDP offers you the opportunity to both study and promote conflict resolution in interpersonal, institutional, societal, and global contexts. Students in this program will explore the causes and consequences of various forms of violence, as well as the conditions of peace. In exploring peaceful alternatives to violence, you will learn to understand peace as a multi-faceted vision for transformed human relations. In addition to gaining a more sophisticated understanding of peace and conflict, you will also learn about and practice skills necessary for the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Students in the Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies BDP might choose to focus on a wide range of topics, from disarmament to interpersonal and cross-cultural communication to political, religious, and social pluralism. Along with the opportunity to pursue their specific interests, all students in this BDP will gain a perspective for analyzing situations involving conflict, and for understanding how these situations can be resolved and how transforming these situations might improve lives.

Upon completion of 19 credit hours from the options listed below, you will earn a certificate in Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies.

Note: Course descriptions available here are from a recent offering of the course, and they may not reflect the description for the next offering of the course.

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Forum Seminar Courses (1 credit hours)

All students in the Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies BDP are required to take the Forum Seminar.

CRPS Forum

BDP 101 Intro to Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies

This course will survey the nature and role of conflict and its resolution at various levels, from the global to the interpersonal, focusing on certain key challenges, such as great power conflicts, civil wars, ethnic conflicts, and urban struggles. We will study the use of conflict as a tool by change agents as well as efforts to resolve conflicts in the interests of peace, justice, and welfare. Special attention will be given to nonviolent campaigns for social change. We will read interesting accounts of various conflicts and efforts to deal with them, along with writings by change agents employing conflict. Class sessions will include presentations by experts from various fields in the University community and beyond.

Foundation Courses (3 - 6 credit hours)

Foundation Courses introduce key methodologies and issues related to Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies. Choose one or two courses from the Skills Foundation Courses category. If you complete two Skills Foundation Courses, you will only be required to complete one Connecting Experience.

Skills Foundation Course

ANT 324L COMMUNICTN IN GLBL CONTEXTS

This course focuses on building skills and understanding for global communication contexts, from an anthropological perspective. Course materials include examples from research in anthropology, communication, and related fields. Students will learn principles that can be applied to any new or routine communication situation or human interaction, and students will have an opportunity to prepare for work settings where teams are made up of people from many different backgrounds, assumptions, and diverse habits of interpreting others people’s actions. We look at both principles of everyday interaction and the many creative ways people use these principles. It’s through language that people maintain power, cede power, express identity, manage conflict, collaborate, and much more that is essential to getting things done in the everyday world. Students will have an opportunity to sharpen their skills in observing behavior and through class projects. We’ll collaboratively analyze instances of language use in professional as well as informal situations.

CLD 332 FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP

Explores facilitation and consensus-building in leadership in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors; how to engage stakeholders in powerful, productive, and prudent ways; and how to collaborate with team members to advance a leader's vision. Includes experiential learning with a local company, organization, or public agency. In this course, students will learn how to integrate facilitation and consensus-building into their work as leaders in the private, nonprofit, or public sectors; how to engage stakeholders (like employees, financial supporters, customers, and voters) in powerful, productive, and prudent ways; and how to collaborate with team members to advance a leader’s vision. The course will include opportunities to apply lessons from the course in real-life scenarios and design and help implement a collaborative process for a local company, organization, or public agency.

CMS 310K Team-Based Communication

The purpose of this course is to provide an experiential understanding how individuals communicate in teams, how teams are created and defined through communication, and how teams communicate with other teams across organizations. Understanding team communication is crucial to understanding organizational communication and will strengthen future teamwork experiences.

CMS 333 Case Studies in Argumentation

Study of argumentation theories. Includes analysis of case studies taken from areas of law, public policy, popular culture, and history.

CMS 354 Conflict Resolution

Systematic analysis of conflict and communication to examine some of theeffects of communication on conflict and of conflict on communication. Readings, analysis of conflicts, and practice with and evaluation of communication behaviors thought to be effective in conflict talk.

CMS 354 CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Systematic analysis of conflict and communication to examine some of the effects of communication on conflict and of conflict on communication. Readings, analysis of conflicts, and practice with and evaluation of communication behaviors thought to be effective in conflict talk.

CMS 367 10-GLOBAL COMMUNICATION

This course will explore a broad history of global connections, global policies, and legal frameworks, develop global communication strategies and tactics, and examine intercultural communication, cultural humility, and cultural competence.

EDP 316 INTERGROUP DIALOGUE

Discussions about issues of conflict and community are needed to facilitate understanding between social and cultural groups. During this course, students will participate in a semesterlong dialogue about the psychology of race and gender. Students will read and discuss scholarly and editorial articles relevant to the scheduled topics within the psychology of race and gender. Class discussions will focus on reactions and insights to the readings, and other relevant topics and current events introduced in the discussion or by the instructor. In this class, students will acquire an introduction to the psychology of race and gender. Further, students will gain an understanding of the intersectionality in the psychology of social and cultural issues, specifically intersections of race and gender. This introduction is intended to prepare students for future in-depth learning about topics in the Psychology of Women and the Psychology of Race & Racism courses. Students will also learn and practice dialogic communication skills which include speaking respectfully, listening to process information, suspending judgement, and exploring assumptions and reactions through readings and dialogue activities. Students will use their understanding of intersectionality and dialogic communication skills to discuss course readings and current events. Students will apply their understanding of intersectionality to a relevant current event of their choosing for their final op-ed project. This course carries the skills and experience flag for Cultural Diversity in the United States. Cultural Diversity courses are designed to increase your familiarity with the variety and richness of the American cultural experience. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from discussions and assignments covering the perspectives and backgrounds of at least one U.S. cultural group that has experienced persistent marginalization.

LAH 350 FNDS OF INTERCUL COMPETNCY

*Restricted to Liberal Arts students eligible for LAH courses.

Intercultural competency is the ability to accurately understand and adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality (Hammer, 1998). The ability to communicate cross-culturally has far reaching implications in the classroom and outside the classroom. Intercultural competency has been identified as a critical skill in a number of studies focusing on overseas effectiveness of international sojourners, international business adaptation and job performance, international student adjustment, international transfer of technology and information, international study abroad, and inter-ethnic relations within nations (IDI, 2020). This course is designed to help students improve their self and other awareness, understand culture, improve cross-cultural communication, and increase intercultural competency.

MAN 336 Organizational Behavior

The goal of this course is to enhance your managerial, organizational, and leadership skills by developing a clear understanding of the key principles of organizational behavior (OB). The course will cover many OB topics, such as motivation, teamwork, communication, conflict, and organizational culture. A variety of instructional techniques are used: lectures, cases, exercises, discussion boards, and video clips – to ensure you understand the practical application of the theoretical concepts covered in the course.

MAN 337 Art and Science of Negotiation

Analysis of contemporary management problems. Designed to help students develop a broad array of negotiation skills and to understand negotiations in useful analytical frameworks. Emphasisis placed on simulations, role-playing, and cases.

MAN 337 Intercultural Management

This course offers undergraduates a conceptual framework and specific tools for interacting successfully in international teams, negotiations, and partnerships. You will gain analytical and collaborative skills for interacting effectively with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We will discuss cultural patterns characteristic of world regions and particular countries in terms of their implications for corporate management. Using a framework of cultural dynamics in business interaction, you will analyze international people and contexts, predict challenges you would have dealing with them, and identify strategies for managing culturally-based conflict. Coursework, exercises, research and assignments offer a chance to not only study but actually apply a methodology for success in international interaction.

RHE 330C Nonviolent Communication

An advanced course that examines the role of information technologies in communication. Taught using networked computers.

S W 360K Perf of Theatre For Dialogue

This course focuses on using Theare for Dialogue methods to raise awareness and educate on issues of interpersonal violence including relationship violence, sexual violence and stalking. Students trained in interactive and applied theatre methods perform scenarios to facilitate investigation of and conversations around power and control, supporting survivors, and identifying warning signs or red flags of unhealthy relationships. Student performers and facilitators offer audience participants the opportunity to examine perceptions and assumptions and to actively rehearse change.

Connecting Experiences (3 - 6 credit hours)

Your BDP advisor can help you find internships and research opportunities that connect Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies to your major and interests. We call these opportunities “Connecting Experiences” because they play such an important role in integrating your studies. Each Connecting Experience counts for 3 credit hours. You will need to complete at least one Connecting Experience. If you complete two Connecting Experiences, you will only be required to complete one Skills Foundation Course.

For more information and for examples of past Connecting Experiences, visit the BDP website and consult your BDP advisor. BDP students must propose Connecting Experiences to the BDP office. Current BDP students should view the BDP Advising Canvas site for Connecting Experience resources and proposal instructions.

Strand Courses (9 credit hours)

In addition to your Foundation Courses and Connecting Experiences, you must complete 9 credit hours of Strand Courses drawn from two or more of the following concentrations. You should work with your BDP advisor to choose Strand Courses that will focus your BDP on your specific interests, and that will provide you with an interdisciplinary perspective on your BDP topic. In order to create an interdisciplinary experience, you must choose courses from a variety of disciplines.

Please speak with your BDP advisor about your plan for fulfilling your Strand Course requirements. Note that only one of your Strand Courses may come from your major department(s), or from courses cross-listed with your major department(s).

Global Conflict Resolution

ANS 340V Religions in Contact

What happens when religions come in contact with each other? This course discusses the ways in which religious actors respond to challenges posed by the encounter with people, beliefs, or practices which, for them, do not belong to their own religion. Such responses range from curiosity, dialog, or acceptance to apologetics, hostile polemic, or persecution. Examining case studies from several geographical regions and time periods, we will discuss various forms of rhetorical and practical responses to the “religious other.” Part of this discussion is an analysis of the respective motives, which are sometimes related not only to religious conviction but also to competition over economic resources, social status, and political power. The course will introduce students to relevant theories and scholarly categories, such as religious othering, conversion, reinterpretation, appropriation, subordination, eclecticism, syncretism, intersection, tolerance and intolerance, dialogue, inclusivism, pluralism, and more. These will be critically discussed and tested on the case studies. The goal of the course is to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which religious actors grapple with religious plurality, draw boundaries – or ignore them –, and form religious identities. At the end of the semester, students (1) will have gained insights about important features of the religions discussed in the case studies (especially Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Greek and Roman religion); (2) will have learned to analyze various aspects and dimensions of religious encounter in a systematic way; and (3) will be able to suggest alternative perspectives that may help to resolve conflicts related to religious encounter.

ANS 361 24-THE TWO KOREAS AND THE US

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (commonly called North Korea) is often described as closed or unknowable, and simultaneously characterized in much U.S. public discussion as alternatively threatening, crazy/irrational, or simply pathetic. It is very rare to hear something about North Korea other than nuclear weapons, famine, or human rights/refugees; it is sometimes hard to imagine that there is an actual society there. Yet in recent years, there has emerged a growing scholarly literature precisely concerned with understanding North Korea’s historical development and its current workings as a social, cultural, and political/ideological system. Self and Culture in North Korea is focused on the questions this literature raises.

ANT 320L Cross-Cul Comm in Middle East

Relationship of language to culture and society, and of folk classifications to principles of social organization and cognition.

BDP 319 Human Rights: Theories and Practice

This course will introduce students to the interdisciplinary study and practices of human rights at home and around the world. Drawing on materials from the humanities, social sciences, law, fine arts, and public policy, the course will engage both historical precedents and contemporary debates over the relevance of a human rights discourse to academic inquiry and extracurricular advocacy. Divided into five sections, the syllabus is designed not only to encourage a broad understanding of human rights’ emergence into current public policy and persistent humanitarian narratives, but to facilitate as well the opportunity to research these concerns through specific topical examples, both issue-oriented and regionally-grounded.

E 343I IMMIGRATION LITERATURE

We will devote ourselves in this course to the study of late twentieth and early twenty-first century novels about immigration, primarily but not exclusively to the United States, from a diverse range of home countries. We will think about these works of fiction within the contexts of U.S. history and literary history; immigration debates in the U.S. in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s; 9/11, terrorism, and surveillance; and the immigration policies of the U.S. presidents in the last three decades, for example. Key questions will include how class, education, gender and sexuality, race, and religion shape the content as well as the form of immigration narratives.

GOV 355M WAR AND GLOBAL POLIT CHANGE

This class examines how war has remade the larger global order since the onset of the twentieth century. It begins with a brief overview of foundational models developed in political science to explain the origins and termination of war. It then uses World I and its extended aftermath as an empirical case to illustrate and evaluate these theoretical foundations. We then build on these theoretical and empirical foundations to examine some of the broader political, social, economic, and ideational consequences of war. Among others, we will look at how war contributes to: imperial collapse and national self-determination movements; democratization; economic recessions and recovery; refugee flows; and humanitarian catastrophes associated with famine, the targeting of civilians, and genocide.

GOV 360F Global Governance

This course examines the forces that shape global stability (and instability). Building on a basic framework outlining how and why actors interact in the international system, this course will explore how states design and agree to international agreements, what those agreements consist of, and how those agreements influence state behavior. The course will also expose students to studies of international law and organizations across several issues areas, including security, international trade, international finance, the environment, and human rights.

GOV 360G CAUSES OF WAR

This course uses the tools of political science, including the logic of inference and the modern theory of war, to develop an understanding of the outbreak, duration, and termination of war—as well as what those processes mean for the stability of peace. By the end of the semester, students will be able to • use the theory of war to better understand international and domestic politics • evaluate arguments for their logical consistency and explanatory value • hold their own arguments same high standards

GOV 365L War/Peace: China/Japan/Taiwan

None

GOV 365N Religious Ethics and Human Rights

Do religions support human rights or conflict with human rights? This course examines the grounds for human rights, and the relations between rights and religions. Can religions reinforce human rights to protect against genocide, torture and disappearances, hate speech, and discrimination? Can religious leadership within religions effectively combat violence against women, even when the violence is upheld by that same religion? Students will study religions as providing grounds for human rights, as sometimes challenging conceptions of human rights, and as needing protections through human rights. With this basis in the relations between religion and human rights, students will study the significance of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, and the following application of international human rights since the mid-twentieth century. The course will begin with key formulations of ethics and human rights, and examples in which religion, ethics, and human rights interact. The second unit of the course will study religious support or criticism of human rights by intellectual leaders. The third unit will situate the consideration of religion in a political science treatment of international human rights since 1948.

GOV 365W Human Rights and World Politics

Human rights feature prominently in contemporary world politics. Today there exists a large and highly legalized international human rights regime consisting of the United Nations (UN) and several regionally-based human rights systems. Focusing on the UN, this course introduces you to the legal, political, and policy dimensions of international human rights. In so doing, it addresses: (1) legal and institutional infrastructures and processes that exist at domestic and international levels for the promotion and protection of human rights; (2) the main actors involved in human rights advocacy, including states, international organizations, activists, nongovernmental organizations; (3) the interests of these actors as well as the tactics that they employ to advance their interests; and, (4) the challenges of assessing the effectiveness of human rights advocacy and how these challenges can be met by employing basic precepts of quantitative and qualitative political science research.

GOV 366F Iss Third-World Development

This course surveys important topics in the politics of developing countries. The course begins conceptually with a closer look at the idea of “development” and the classification of cases along such lines. We then examine the historical foundations of political systems in the developing world. We briefly explore the constraints of geography before turning to aspects of colonialism, the rise of nationalism, the movements for independence, and transitions to and from democratic rule. The second part of the course then investigates particular demographic challenges to (and policy solutions for) governance in the developing world, including the problem of population, urban migration, and agrarian reform. In the third part, we turn to sources of political change and upheaval in these societies, including globalization, ethnic violence, and the role of women in politics.

HIS 346T Cuban Revolution & the US

This course provides a comparative analysis of two social revolutions in twentieth-century Latin America: the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Both of these revolutions caused a profound transformation of political, economic and social relationships and both challenged the hegemony of the United States. Yet, the different outcomes of the Mexican and Cuban Revolutions leave us with an important paradox: why did the Mexican Revolution, despite the massive participation of peasants and workers, not result in the same degree of radicalism as did the middle-class revolution in Cuba?The course will focus on such key themes as liberalism, racial and gender relations, populism, religion, communism, revolution and democracy. Alongside these key themes we will devote a significant portion of the semester examining Mexico and Cuba’s relation with the world – especially the United States – and how this connection shaped the outcome of revolution.

IRG 301 Intro Intl Rels & Global Stds

This course serves as an introduction to the College of Liberal Arts’ new interdisciplinary major, International Relations and Global Studies. Students will engage with many broad questions relating to the contemporary world, including: How has the modern international system come into being? What are the major opportunities and challenges related to the world-wide movement of capital, goods and ideas we have come to define as globalization? To what extent does the United States dominate the geopolitical, economic and cultural landscape today? Finally, are we entering a “post-American world,” and if so, what global repercussions might this entail? This course will attempt to transcend the disciplinary boundaries of social sciences—whether political science, economics, or anthropology—and instead ask students to take a more holistic view of global issues, rooted in historical inquiry.

J 359S COVERING THE MIDDLE EAST-WB

"This course will guide introduce students to the tropes and tactics by which the Middle East is covered and encourage students to think about how to report on and write about the region in their own way. Meeting time and reading assignments will be divided between introducing students to the region’s main flash-points — starting with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; to September 11th and the invasion of Iraq; the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War; the rivalry between regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran; and finally the current confrontation between the U.S. and Iran -- and preparing students for the physical reality of being in the Middle East and the basics of working as a foreign correspondent."

J S 364 25-ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

The Arab-Israeli conflict has been central to the making of the modern Middle East and its political and cultural movements. It has shaped national mythologies, influenced intellectual conversations, and configured the ways past historical events were memorized, celebrated and mourned. The main goal of this course is to help students understand the elements of the conflict, the main figures involved, events, and turning-points in its long history. Starting with the first World War through the 1948 War, the Oslo process in the 1990s, to the second Intifada in the 2000s, this course offers a historical survey of one of the most enigmatic conflicts in the twentieth century. In the course, we will grapple together with historical events that long bewildered historians, explore primary documents reflective of events that shaped the lives of millions, and engage with the different narratives that emerged at critical points in the conflict. This history class adopts an interactive learning methodology. This means that lectures are focused on students’ participation in class discussion. Students must come to class prepared to engage in a discussion of the readings that provide a background on wide range of themes, historical approaches, and interpretations. All readings will be done in English, and no knowledge of a Middle Eastern language is assumed.

J S 365C Multicultural Israel

This multidisciplinary, two-way interactive seminar is designed to foster conversation, research, and creative projects about Israel’s multicultural population between upper-division students with interests in Jewish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Anthropology. What makes this course unique is that much of it is live-streamed from Israel using Zoom and/or video-recorded material using GoPro to observe cultural interaction and capture conversation. This year, we will also enhance the absorption of course texts and materials by teaming up with MA students in International Development at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who are either members of Israel’s multicultural populations and/or studying marginalized groups within Israel, to join us for discussion, interviews, and exchange of ideas throughout the semester. The aim of these exchanges is to bring Israel’s contemporary populations and the people who study them to Austin, through a new type of Global Classroom, a Global Virtual Exchange. The virtual component of the course is supplemented with in-class meet-ups, during which I lead face-to-face seminars and workshops. The course content is based on the premise that Israel is not only a heterogeneous society but also has the highest proportion of migrants of any country in the world. The notion of absorption—the social and economic integration of Jewish immigrants—has remained an explicit ideal since the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Yet, absorption is also an ideological tool that often runs counter to the contemporary lived experience of citizenship, participation, nation-building, minority rights, and the conflicting interests of Israel’s multicultural publics today. Taking these tensions as a starting point, this course explores the complex social fabric that comprises contemporary Israeli society, and that shapes Israeli identity, practice, and politics. We will focus on the lived experience of Israel’s increasingly diverse population. This includes populations associated with the majority: veteran Ashkenazim and Mizrahim; more recent Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Latin America and France; religious communities such as Haredim and modern-Orthodox. It also includes ethnic and religious minorities such as Palestinian citizens of Israel, Bedouins, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Black Hebrews, as well as laborers from all over the globe who migrate to Israel and refugees from Sudan and Eritrea. How fluid are the boundaries between these groups? How different are their interests, tastes, desires, and needs? How committed or hostile are various publics to a coherent nation-building project, and to contemporary Zionism? To explore the breadth of multicultural Israel without sacrificing cultural specificity and theoretical depth, the course is organized into three integrated units that cover: 1) Israel’s contemporary social context; 2) Israel’s historical context; 3) ethnographic case studies of Israel-specific multicultural issues and 4) Israel’s citizen-state relationships, identity and belonging, and, and general contemporary multicultural theory.

M E 379M Issues in Humanitarian Engineering

This course examines the opportunities for engineering solutions to positively impact marginalized groups such as low- income communities, disaster areas, and refugee camps. The course will take place in Paris, France and will include visits to various humanitarian and development organizations. A two-day field trip is planned to Geneva where the class will visit the International Federation of the Red Cross and UN Refugee Agency, each of which will provide specialists to talk on a number of different subjects. Topics considered in the class will include the challenges faced in working with marginalized communities, appropriate technology for these communities, key humanitarian organizations and their roles in aiding communities. Class time will be divided between formal lectures by the instructor and guest speakers, field trips, and student presentations on key topics. What will I learn? Main skills and attitudes to be developed: • Awareness and knowledge of how engineering applies to marginalized communities • Awareness and knowledge of challenges faced in working with marginalized communities • Awareness and knowledge of major humanitarian aid organizations • Knowledge of appropriate technology for vulnerable communities • Expertise in literature and web research and evaluation of sources • Experience in making concise and clear presentations

MEL 323 Engaging the Middle East

As the its name indicates, this capstone course on Middle Eastern Studies looks in depth into some of the issues that form and give the Middle East its identity or lack of it thereof. The course’s content will be evenly distributed among the major players in the area. A non-exhaustive list of topics that may be addressed throughout is: Arab countries Israel, Turkey, Iran, National/ethnic groups: Copts, Arabs, Kurds, Amazigh. Tuareqs, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Baha'is, Yazidis, Languages: Arabic/dialects, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish, Aramaic, Amazigh, Kurdish, Coptic, Syriac, Religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Baha'ism, Yezidism, History: Romans/Byzantines, Persians Islamic Conquests, Islamic empires/Andalusia Crusades, Mongols, Byzantines/Ottomans, Colonial powers, Literature: Poetry, Fiction, Drama, Travel Lit. Arabian Nights, Food Music Cinema Modern conflicts: Palestine, Syria, WWI, Zionism, National Liberation movements, Ataturkism, Musaddaqism, Nasserism, Ba'athism, Communism, Fundamentalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Refugees, This is a course for students majoring in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures. Students will focus on a research issue or problem pertaining to the Middle East, and they will conduct a research project that will lead to a publishable paper. Students will develop skills in seeking and retrieving sources, in evaluating the bias and credibility of sources, and in scholarly writing. All reading materials will be posted on Canvas.

MES 342 Youth/Violence Mid East/Eur

Often called “the most violent century in human history”, the 20th century brought unprecedented forms of war and destruction to the Middle East and Eurasia. In the 21st century, too, new generations of young people have “come of age” during international wars, their lives indelibly marked by coercive political force, national and revolutionary struggle, ethnic and racial cleansing, and/or interpersonal and domestic violence. Yet, this region of the world – known for its rapidly changing borders, political constellations, and cultural norms – has also seen a remarkable explosion of creativity in the arts, literature, science, politics, philosophy, and social organization, as well as extraordinary technological innovation and invention. Participants in this course will discuss and analyze literary and cinematic depictions of what it means to “come of age” in the modern Middle East and Eurasia. Weekly readings, post-viewing discussions and response papers about the memoirs, novels and films selected will deepen participants’ insight into the socio-cultural dilemmas and political conflicts experienced by the young men and women of this region in the past 100 years, and also heighten their awareness of the artists’ political and aesthetic concerns.

P A 325 CNFLCT MGMT PRVNT END CVL WARS

This course examines the theory and practice of peaceful means of conflict management. During the first half of the semester, we assess the scholarly literature. Then each student writes a research paper on an instance of conflict management that succeeded or failed. Several past papers from the course have been published in scholarly journals.

R S 307 INTRO TO INTERRELIGS DYNAMICS

This course teaches students to analyze situations of interreligious encounter. There is a broad spectrum of such encounters, from interreligious dialogue, at one end, to religious persecution, at the other. The course will introduce students to relevant scholarly approaches in religious studies and provide them with a general theoretical framework for analyzing interreligious dynamics. We will take a close look at selected cases of religious encounters – in the U.S. and in Asia, past and present – and discuss the observed dynamics with the help of theoretical categories. In team fieldwork projects, students will then apply those interpretative tools to cases of interreligious dynamics in local organizations.

RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate

For topics courses labeled as “When Topic is Appropriate” on a BDP curriculum sheet, please note that all topics for this course number are not automatically approved to count toward your BDP. In advance of registration for a particular semester (and as part of the BDP seat request process), the BDP office will inform current BDP students of the topics for the course number that are approved for their BDP.

RHE 309J RHETORIC OF BORDERS

None

SPN 355R East/West/New Wrld Encntrs

Study of important themes or issues in the cultural production of the Latin American world. Among the regions studied are Spain; North, Central, and South America; the Caribbean; and related areas in Africa. Survey of works mostly in the Latin American and Hispanic literary tradition in which images or themes related to the East (Asia, Eastern Africa, the Middle East) are developed.

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution

CMS 334K Nonverbal Communication

Survey of the effects of space, physical appearance, movement, eye behavior, and vocal behavior on interpersonal communication.

CMS 344K Lying and Deception

Examines lying and deception as civil, strategic, and manipulative behavior. Secrets, privacy, disclosures, and confidentiality are examined in a variety of familiar contexts.

CMS 345P Communication & Public Opinion

We will explore how public opinion changes and how the media affect public opinion. Further, we will examine whether we are influenced by our perceptions of public opinion. If we hold a minority viewpoint, will we behave differently than if we hold a major

CMS 357 Family Communication

Some of the common issues that face those who live in, counsel, and conduct research with families. The development of traditional families in the United States, different family structures that make up modern society, current issues that affect families, and the impact of communication on family experiences.

CMS 358 Communication and Personal Relationships

Communication and Personal Relationships is a class designed to acquaint students with the forms and functions of verbal and nonverbal communication in romantic relationships. The overall goalof the class is to help students better understand some of the factors affecting relationships and to appreciate the impact of communication on their relational lives.

CMS 358C IDENTITY IN RELATIONSHIPS

Examine the influence of the unique combination of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, education, income, ability, and more as they relate to relationships with friends, families, partners, and selves.

HDF 337 Personal Relationships

The purpose of this course is to deepen your understanding of how romantic relationships are formed and maintained. To this end, we will examine what the scientific literature (i.e., research and theory in social psychology, family studies, sociology, communications studies, clinical psychology, and related disciplines) has to say about the kinds of relationship processes/behaviors that are associated with healthier romantic relationships. In addition, we will be asking where the capacity for adaptive relationship functioning comes from. In other words, who is most likely to engage in the kinds of relationship behaviors associated with good relationship outcomes? What kinds of environments foster healthier relationship behaviors? Along the way, we also will be discussing the different types of methodologies used in studies of intimate relationships. The purpose of this course is three fold: (1) to familiarize everyone with classical and contemporary theorizing in the field of intimate relationships; (2) to understand and critique the key issues and debates in the field; and (3) to identify what critical questions must be asked (and eventually answered) if a stronger, more complete, and more integrated science of relationships is to emerge. This will be a difficult course. Why should a course on romantic relationships be so hard? Because relationships are hard. If you have ever been in one, you know this.

HED 370K Foundations of Peer Support and Social Wellness

All students in this course have been selected to participate in the Longhorn SHARE Project, a new mental health and social connection-focused peer support program in the Longhorn Wellness Center. Our goal is to increase all students’ capacity to: a) confidently and effectively provide empathetic, non-clinical peer-to-peer support, and b) co-create inclusive group spaces where self-exploration, growth, and genuine social connection can occur. Students will learn relevant health, behavioral, and social theories, explore common concerns of today’s college students, hone a variety of interpersonal and helping skills, and receive guidance in maintaining ethical boundaries, managing conflict, making appropriate referrals, and responding to peers in distress. Students in this course will also be required to complete Mental Health First Aid training to become certified in MFHA (more details below). In preparation for the Fall 2022 semester, students will give group presentations on common challenges faced by college students with suggestions for peer-based interventions; record and reflect upon a peer support roleplay scenario with a partner to demonstrate active listening skills; and submit a proposal with a partner for a peer support group relevant to their lived experiences and/or interests.

J 358N ONLINE INCIVILITY

This course explores online incivility – defined as nasty remarks that often contain profanity, all capital letters to indicate yelling, put-??downs or name-??calling, or promote homophobia, racism, sexism, xenophobia, or bigotry. The aim of this course is to lead students in critically assessing the impact of incivility on public discussions online. By the end of the course, students will understand the roots of incivility and the particular attributes of online communication that help incivility flourish. They also will learn what tools and practices help prevent incivility or calm it once it occurs. By the end of the semester, students will understand: -The extent and types of incivility across social media and news story comments. -The roots of uncivil speech in American culture and politics. -What attributes of the online environment make it so hospitable to incivility. -Why specific groups (minorities, women, etc.) are more frequent targets of incivility online. -How people’s beliefs (such as political beliefs) influence how they view and respond to incivility. -How incivility and disagreement differ in their effects on people and online discussions. -Best practices for preventing incivility online and diffusing it once it occurs.

MAN 337 Art and Science of Negotiation

RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate

RHE 309J RHETORIC OF APOLOGY

None

RHE 330E 6-NONARGUMNTATV RHET IN ZEN

If you have ever tried to write about a meaningful experience, you will recognize the problematic relationship between language and reality. This course engages students in exploring the surprising uses of language and image to create meaning in Zen tradition and practice. Students do not need any prior experience or knowledge of Zen rhetoric or Zen practices. The first part of the class will provide background on Zen concepts including ethical precepts and koans, then consider the emergence of the American Zen rhetorical tradition. This class is not an introduction to Zen practice, but rather an exploration of an alternative rhetoric, a different method of using language to construct meaning and shape relationships that help foster care and respect rather than antagonism and aggression

S W 360K Perf of Theatre For Dialogue

T D 357T Theatre for Dialogue: Exploring Interpersonal Violence

Institutional Conflict Resolution

EDU 331 RESTORATIVE PRACTICES

Focus on community engagement and social justice issues related to schooling access and equity. Includes a field-based component that promotes practices needed to implement restorative practices in multiple settings.

HDO 350 Identities in Organizations

Regardless of what organizations we are part of—education, business, non-profit, military, religious, political, social—our spaces are increasingly diverse, yet all too often they remain exclusionary and inequitable. We will explore how identities are experienced in various organizations, with an emphasis on how identities intersect in individual’s experiences and are lived differently in different contexts. We will begin the semester by laying a foundation for understanding the complexity of identity by exploring relevant theories. Using a wide range of texts, students will investigate how our identities manifest in a myriad of ways at the micro, meso, and macro levels in various organizations.

MAN 336 Organizational Behavior

MAN 337 3-INTERCULTURAL MANAGEMENT

This course offers undergraduates a conceptual framework and specific tools for interacting successfully in international teams, negotiations, and partnerships. The course will explore concepts of ethnorelativism and cultural engagement and what it means to have a “global perspective”. You will gain analytical and collaborative skills for interacting effectively with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. We will discuss cultural patterns characteristic of world regions and particular countries in terms of their implications for corporate management. Using a framework of cultural dynamics in business interaction, you will analyze international people and contexts, predict challenges you would have dealing with them, and identify strategies for managing culturally-based conflict. Coursework, exercises, research and assignments offer a chance to not only study but actually apply a methodology for success in international interaction.

PHL 325N ORGANIZATIONAL ETHICS

This course examines ethical questions relating to organizations from theoretical and practical points of view. The basic questions of ethics, in an organizational context, arise at several different levels. We can ask about my obligations to the organization, to my coworkers, to my supervisors, to the people I supervise, to shareholders, to stakeholders, and to the public. We can ask about the organization’s obligations to its members, its shareholders, and the public. We can ask about ways of structuring institutions to encapsulate the values of the organization and minimize ethical risks. Finally, we can ask about the extent to which ethical problems can be addressed by formal codes, policies, and institutional structures. Our hypothesis throughout the course will be that ethics, strategy, psychology, and organizational structure interact in important ways and need to be studied together. We will combine perspectives of game theory, business strategy, psychology, social and organizational structure, and ethics as traditionally conceived to develop approaches to ethics in the context of organizations.

RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate

Societal Conflict Resolution

AAS 330G URBAN UNREST

How and when do cities burn? The modern US city has seen its share of urban unrest, typified by street protests (both organized and spontaneous), the destruction of private property, looting and fires. Interpretations of urban unrest are varied: some describe it as aimless rioting, others as political insurrection. Most agree that the matter has something to do with the deepening of racism, poverty and violence in U.S. cities. This course takes a closer look at the roots of urban unrest, exploring a range of origins: joblessness, state violence, white flight, the backlash against civil rights gains, new immigration and interracial strife. Urban unrest is often cast as an intractable struggle between black and white, yet this course examines the ways in which multiple racial groups have entered the fray. Beyond race and class, the course will also explore unrest as a mode of pushing the normative boundaries of gender and sexuality in public space. Course material will draw from film, literature, history, geography and anthropology. Course format:

AAS 335 MIGRATION CRISIS

This course provides an overview and analysis of contemporary U.S. migration policies and practices, focusing particularly on the most recent period of crisis defined by bans, restrictions and retrenchments. The course begins with an overview of the major epochs in US immigration history. It then explores five thematic areas: 1) Refugees and Asylees; 2) Bans and exclusions; 3) Family Separation; 4) Raids, Detention; 5) Sanctuary and Resistance. Course materials are primarily historical and sociological.

AFR 315N THE BLACK POWER MOVEMENT

The Black Power movement was a distinct period in African American life from the late 1960s and early 1970s that emphasized racial pride, the creation of black political and cultural institutions, self-reliance, and group unity. The expression of black power ideology ranged from the desire to create an all-black nation-state to the promotion of black economic power. This course will look at the major organizations, key figures, and ideologies of the black power movement.

AFR 317D MLK Jr: A Moral Obligation

This course will explore the Civil Rights Movement focusing on the specific work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The history of the MLK statue on the UT campus will be the main unit of the course. The course will incorporate the use of lectures, readings, video, simulation exercises, research and extensive class discussions to assist students as they explore the impact of the Civil Rights Movement, using The University of Texas at Austin as one case study.

AFR 360I BLACK FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Black people have engaged in a centuries-long, global struggle for freedom. For many, the high tide of this struggle occurred in the United States from the 1950s into the 1970s. Others might look to the national liberation movements in Africa and the Caribbean, which created a series of autonomous Black nations, as the watermark of Black freedom. More recent commentaries have pointed to the global currency of Black Lives Matter to suggest that the quest for freedom by Black people continues. This course explores the history of Black people’s twentieth-century struggles for freedom, taking as its focus the U.S. Civil Rights and Black Power movements, and anticolonial movements in Africa and the Caribbean. This course will ask and seek to answer several questions, including: What is freedom? Is there a difference between liberation and freedom? How have Black people thought about these concepts? Why have the arts (music, literature, visual arts, film, sports, etc.) been so central to how Black people have thought about the possibility of freedom? This course will examine key historical events and figures in the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, and to a lesser extent Europe, with particular attention to intellectual currents, organizational formations, the arts, and mass mobilization. We will also consider how culture, religion, and social deviance inform how we might think about Black freedom.

AFR 370 RACE AND US SOCIAL POLICY

Race is a critical factor that affects the development and implementation of U.S. social policy. While its influence on public policy can be traced to the early colonization of the United States, its relevance continues to be observed in the contemporary period. The relationship between race and social policy is however multi-dimensional. On one hand, perspectives on racial difference can be used to develop policies that create or reinforce social inequality. On the other hand, public policies can be designed to have ameliorative effects that reduce racial and ethnic inequality. This course, therefore, examines how and why race influences various dimensions of U.S. social policy and how U.S social policy influences racial inequality. It begins by reviewing the origins of the development of racial minority status in the United States. Thereafter, it examines policy issues associated with specific domains of social wellbeing (e.g., housing, employment, wealth, the criminal justice system) that are critical for understanding the disadvantage of African Americans and other racial minorities. Where possible, the course draws insights from other societies to examine whether the implications of race for social policy in the United States are unique. Furthermore, it offers opportunities to students for critically thinking through the process of developing rudimentary policy solutions to everyday social problems.

AFR 372F Urban Unrest

ANT 326L Cultures in Contact

"Cultures in Contact" is a multi-disciplinary course which combinesHistorical, Anthropological, Geographical and Literary analyses of thecontinuing "contact period" in the New World. The issues addressed span the last 500+ years of cultural interaction in the Americas, looking especially at the processes of cultural conflict, competition, cooperation, and synthesis that have taken place among people from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

BGS 370 BEHV INTRV ENTRPR MAN PLCY MKR

The 20th century was defined by humanity’s ability to invent a pill, vaccine, or device to overcome our biggest challenges. As the current COVID pandemic makes clear, those days are not over entirely. But, in this century, the most serious threats to human health and well-being are largely driven by individual and collective behavior choices we all make every day—whether we maintain healthy diets, wear face masks, save for retirement, persist in school, put our phones away while driving, use energy and other resources responsibly, and adhere to basic ethical standards. Consequently, behavioral science has emerged as a major new frontier in the policy sphere. Behavioral interventions are policies or programs that are designed to influence individual behavior choices in ways that benefit individuals, the organizations they are part of, and/or the broader society without the use of any significant economic incentives (e.g., fines, subsidies). Instead, to shape behavior, behavioral interventions rely on a sophisticated understanding of the psychology that drives people’s decisions—usually by tapping into underappreciated and powerful internal sources of motivation, by alleviating hidden psychological barriers to the desired behavior, or a combination of these. In the past decade, large numbers of governments at every level (e.g., US, UK, City of Chicago), social entrepreneurship ventures (e.g., the One Acre Fund, Innovations for Poverty Action), major corporations (e.g., Bank of America, Pepsico, Google, Facebook, Uber, Morningstar Financial), and non-governmental organizations (e.g., the World Bank, the World Health Organization) have launched their own in-house behavioral science teams to conduct research to inform the design of new policies and programs. And countless other organizations are making use of outside behavioral insights consultants (Ideas 42, Behavioral Insights Team, BEworks, Behavioral Sight) to inform key decisions in a wide range of domains.

CMS 340K Communication and Social Change

Analysis of how persuasion is used in mass movements: civil rights, consumerism, feminism, pacifism, religious sects.

CMS 345P Communication & Public Opinion

CMS 355K Intercultural Communication

Theories of speech and language that concern interaction between persons from different cultures who speak different languages or dialects.

CMS 356C Collective Action

Collective action is a fundamental part of our social behavior and refers to any process whereby groups of people attempt to make decisions and act towards a common good. Collective action covers a vast field and include both collaborative and contentious forms of social action. Two interrelated factors have irrevocably changed how we view collective action: globalization and digitization. In this class, students will obtain insight into how globalization and technology have impacted how we organize and communicate to achieve better collective outcomes about the public good. It will review a range of perspectives on collective action, and examine communicative elements of collective action in a variety of global contexts, focusing on India and New Zealand as global contexts in the last portion of the course.

CMS 367P 1-SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICS

Explore how ordinary citizens, politicians, and activists engage with politics on social media platforms. Trace the effects such political engagement has on both the political landscape and the platforms themselves. Analyze how communication theories around self presentation, imagined audience, affordances, and identity shape political communication on social media.

E 314L Banned Books and Novel Ideas

Books are dangerous. In this course, we will focus on a number of dangerous texts that have been censored in one way or another for challenging the status quo in matters of war, sex, religion, aesthetics, and politics. The primary aim of this course is to help you develop and improve the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for success in upper-division courses in English and other disciplines. To that end, you will work collaboratively to generate multimedia, annotated editions of the texts discussed in class. Approaching literature as editors and critics will encourage you to read closely and with a keen appreciation for context. It will also allow you to engage more intimately with difficult texts and reconsider your own positions as passive readers by appropriating the critical work implicit in curating digital texts. This process will provide the inspiration for further research and, eventually, the composition of a long (5-7 page) research paper.

GOV 355M THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION

The purpose of this course is to develop a working knowledge of immigration policy in the United States; to understand the institutional development of immigration policy over the US’s history; and to explore the challenges posed for American democracy by immigration enforcement in the contemporary era. Such issues include the use of local police to enforce federal policy, the liminal legal space occupied by immigrants, the complicated relationship between federal, state and local agencies, and the relationship between historical institutional racial exclusion and the current era of mass detention and deportation. Throughout the course of the class, students will develop skills in project management, collaboration, critical analysis and research.

GOV 371D Race, Policing & Incarceration

In a number of American states, almost 25% of black men are not allowed to vote due to a felony conviction. Researchers have estimated that almost 70% of young black men will, at some point in their lives, spend at least one night behind bars. Decades after the height of the Civil Rights Movement, we are confronted by glaring inequalities between black Americans and white Americans that can be observed over a myriad of indicators that cover health, employment, income, education, and incarceration. We will explore racial gaps through the numbers, considering their origins and their social and political consequences. In particular, the course will focus on the criminal justice system (from everyday police patrols to the death penalty) both historically and as it operates today. A major goal is to understand how inequalities in criminal justice influence elections and alter the state of representation in Congress and other representative bodies in the United States.

GRG 320J ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

This course offers an introduction to environmental justice, the premise that all people have a right to an environment free from hazardous contamination as well as access to resources that sustain health and livelihood. Throughout the semester, we will examine the meaning of environmental justice as a spatial and land-based—that is, a geographical—project. We will also examine the definition and significance of its inverse: environmental racism, meaning unequal access to life-sustaining environment resources along racial lines. We will engage in an ethnic studies approach to together explore the geographies of indigeneity, race, and environmental justice. We will also highlight the relationship between environmental racism to capitalism and ongoing processes of colonialism and exploitation. Last, and importantly, this course highlights the role and importance of local and global movements for environmental justice.

HIS 317L Immigration and Ethnicity

Widely considered a wellspring for U.S. greatness, immigration has also been an abiding site of our deepest conflicts. The republican foundations of the United States with its promises of democracy and equality for all seem to strain against ever increasing numbers of immigrants from parts of the world barely conceived of by the Founding Fathers, much less as sources of new citizens. What is the breaking point for the assimilating powers of U.S. democracy and how much does national vitality rely upon continued influxes of a diversity of immigrants with their strenuous ambitions and resourcefulness? Today we remain embattled by such competing beliefs about how immigration shapes our nation’s well-being and to what ends we should constrain whom we admit and in what numbers. This course emphasizes the following themes: the changing population of the United States from colonial times; ethnic cultures, communities, and cuisines; ideologies concerning eligibility for citizenship and for restricting immigration; the development of immigration law as an aspect of sovereign authority; the entwining of immigration policy with international relations; and the evolution of institutions for immigration enforcement.

HIS 317L The Black Power Movement

HIS 356P The United States in the Civil Rights Era

This upper-division lecture course allows students to gain deeper understandings of civil rights movements in the U.S. by placing them alongside significant historical developments from World War II to the 1970s such as postwar urbanization, economic change, new media technologies and more. We reassess well-known narratives of the Civil Rights Movement such as those in Black History Month annual commemorations and social studies textbooks. We reexamine the idea of King and Malcolm X as polar opposites and revisit the Montgomery Bus Boycott by taking a critical look at the identity of Rosa Parks as a seamstress too tired to give up her seat and Dr. King as the planner and leader of the boycott. We also explore lesser-known movements that may have involved more than desegregation and voting rights and we use original documents and oral histories to examine local struggles in Texas. That approach allows us to discern activism and perspectives of women and young people. Although the Black Freedom Movement forms the spine of the course we pay significant attention to Mexican American movements, considering the two on their own and in relation to each other. How many current UT students realize that 50 years ago Black, Mexican American, and white students demanded an end to what they considered racist practices here? By considering not only what people did, but their motivations and perspectives in specific historical contexts, we open possibilities for new understandings of today.

J 358N ONLINE INCIVILITY

J 358N Online Incivility

Explores online incivility - defined as nasty remarks intended to hurt that often contain profanity, capital letters to indicate yelling, and put-downs or name-calling - in news story comments and social media. Critically assess the impact of incivility on public discussions online and how that influences journalists and other media practitioners.

LAS 324L CULTURES IN CONTACT

Culture contacts and European colonization after 1492 continue to influence our society in the 21st century. This course is designed to provide a large-scale context for thinking about the roots of American diversity and how they shape modern inequalities. We will will trace patterns of European colonization, indigenous responses, experiences of the African diaspora, and the treatment of new immigrant populations over time. The course will highlight the ways that Spanish and American policies toward Native Americans have changed over time. Cultural Diversity Flag: This course carries the Cultural Diversity flag.

MAS 374 LA CAUSA, FARMWORKER MOVMNT-WB

None

R S 307 INTRO TO INTERRELIGS DYNAMICS

This course teaches students how to analyze situations of interreligious encounter. There is a broad spectrum of such encounters, from interreligious dialogue, at one end, to religious persecution, at the other. The course will introduce students to relevant scholarly approaches in religious studies and provide them with a general theoretical framework for analyzing interreligious dynamics. We will take a close look at selected cases of religious encounters – in the U.S. and in Asia, past and present – and discuss the observed dynamics with the help of theoretical categories. In team fieldwork projects, students will then apply those interpretative tools to cases of interreligious dynamics in local organizations. This is a required course of the new minor degree program “Global Interreligious Dynamics,” which is designed to help students develop a competency that they may be able to utilize in their future professional careers.

RHE 309J When Topic is Appropriate

RHE 330D ARGUING WITH CONSERVATIVES

Geographically and historically situate and examine figures, movements, traditions, and productions in rhetoric and public argument. Note: Though there isn't much of a description available for this course, here's a description for a course taught by this instructor called "Arguing with Liberals."

RHE 330E Peacemaking Rhetoric

We will use these questions to begin our explorations of the rhetoric of peacemaking, focusing on its exigence, nature, features, functions, and goals. The discipline of rhetoric has an enduring investment in countering injustice and pursuing justice and peace. In this course, we will explore this enduring investment. In specific terms, we will study the (1) relation between rhetoric, violence, and peacemaking, (2) ways in which our rhetorical practices can cause/exacerbate conflict/violence or alternatively guide us to peacemaking, and (3) rhetorical theories, choices, practices, and stances that are consistent with peaceful communication. As we reflect on the rhetoric of peacemaking, we will engage scholarship on the rhetoric of nonviolence, reconciliation, and (human) rights/duty. We will also address discourses critiquing injustice and advocating for justice and peace.

S W 325 Foundations of Social Justice

This course focuses on recognizing injustice and constructing socially conscious responses to inequity using generalist social work practice. You will gain skills to identify and communicate about inequality affecting various identities and social statuses. You will understand different forms of marginalization by dominant groups and how unequal power relations adversely affect individuals, groups, and communities. You will also learn about frameworks that support discourse about inequity, marginalization, injustice, and exclusion, including the cycle of socialization, the tension between private troubles and public issues, systemic oppression, human rights, and strategies for socially conscious change. You will have the opportunity to explore your role in the promotion of social, racial, and economic justice.

S W 360K Confronting LGBTQ Oppression

*Must be admitted into Peers for Pride program.

SOC 307L Gender/Race/Class Amer Soc

This course examines the intersection of gender, race, class, and sexuality in the United States. Drawing on sociological research and analysis, we investigate how these identities operate not only as ways of categorizing people, but as interrelated structures that shape our experiences, life chances, and social worlds. Inequities and oppressions pertaining to body size, citizen status, religion, ethnicity, and disability are also addressed. Attending to the various ways that social construction rationalizes power imbalances in institutions (e.g., work, family, education, health, media, the carceral system) is a key focus. We conclude with movements for social change.

SOC 307P Intro Sociology of Health/Well-Being

Examination of the social causes and context of illness, death, longevity, and health care today in the United States. Subjects include historical perspectives on health and mortality, social class, race/ethnicity, gender, religious involvement, marital status, family, age, and psychosocial factors. Emphasis on the tension between individualistic and public health perspectives on illness.

WGS 335 2-LGBTQ OPPRESSION: DIALOG

This fall course is the first half of the Peers for Pride Program and prepares students to become peer facilitators of performance-based workshops designed to address macro and micro constructs of LGBTQIA+ justice, racial justice, and multiculturalism, specifically within the context of power, privilege, and identity. Topics will include, but not limited to race, class, ability, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. This semester we build a foundational knowledge of LGBTQIA+ identities, the intersectional systems of oppression that affect LGBTQIA+ people, and approaches to our core question: “What do thriving LGBTQIA+/queer communities look like?” We are also working together to establish our practice of theatre for dialogue, a form of applied theatre in preparation for your facilitation in the spring. This semester you will establish your relationship with each other as an ensemble, you will reflect on your role in collaborative facilitation, and you will work together to propose activating and message scenes to engage audiences in the spring in conversation around LGBTQIA+ justice. Along the way, you will put your work in a relationship with student and community organizers also doing this work. This semester, you will build skills in intersectional analysis of texts, events, and daily life; ensemble performance work; community alliances; and critical reflection in writing, speaking, and performance.

Integration Essay

A 3-4 page essay in which you reflect on what you learned and accomplished through your BDP experience.

Important Notes on Fulfilling Your BDP Requirements

PREREQUISITES: Some courses may have prerequisites. Please consult your BDP advisor to determine your eligibility for enrolling in specific courses.
CROSS-LISTINGS: Note that many courses on this list may be cross-listed with other departments. You may take these courses under any of the cross-listed numbers. Please consult the course schedule or your BDP advisor for cross-listing information.
GRADES AND GPA REQUIREMENTS: In courses taken for a letter grade, you must obtain a grade of C- or better to meet BDP requirements. The cumulative GPA of all courses counting toward your BDP certificate must be at least 2.0.
PASS/FAIL: Only one BDP course, including connecting experience courses, may be taken pass/fail. Any exceptions will be considered by the faculty panel on an individual basis.
SIGNATURE COURSES: Many of the First-Year Signature Courses (UGS 302 and UGS 303) that include significant content related to Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies may also count toward your certificate; please consult your BDP advisor for more information.
PETITIONS: You may be able to count courses toward your BDP certificate that do not appear on this curriculum sheet, if enough of the course content relates to your BDP topic. Please consult your BDP advisor if you would like to petition for a course to count toward your BDP. See the BDP calendar for fall and spring petition deadlines. Current BDP students can find the petition form on their MyBDP dashboard.

For more information on courses, please consult your BDP advisor (bdp@austin.utexas.edu) or the course schedule.