The Kenyon College faculty voted to change from Kenyon units to semester hours. This change will go into effect for all students who start at the College in the fall of 2024. Both systems will be used throughout the course catalog with the Kenyon units being listed first.
This course will explore the development of the modern international society of nation-states, from its beginnings in Western Europe in the sixteenth century, through the two major waves of European colonization of other areas of the world, to the decolonization following the Second World War. We will examine the roles of economic change, the spread of individualist ideas and attitudes, and power politics in promoting the expansion of the state system, capitalism, and aspects of Western culture from Europe to the rest of the world. The political and cultural resistance of colonized peoples to European expansion and the incorporation of colonial economies into the world economy will be examined. Chronologically, topics to be considered include the rivalry between emerging European empires and Islamic empires at the beginning of Western expansion; the conquest of the New World; nineteenth-century imperialism--explanations for the new wave of imperialism and consequences of it; and the rapid growth of independent states due to decolonization in the postwar period. Finally, the political, economic, and cultural/religious consequences of imperialism and decolonization will be explored. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Offered every year.
This seminar will examine some of the problems inherent in cross-cultural comparison and will explore the ways in which a variety of disciplines grapple with these difficulties by investigating contemporary themes in international affairs. These themes will include some or all of the following: (1) ethnic conflict; (2) comparative perspectives on development; (3) religion and socioeconomic development; (4) contemporary environmental problems; (5) the ethics of armed intervention; (6) the emergence of a world popular culture and its consequences for national cultures; (7) the challenges of democratization in the countries of the former Soviet bloc; and (8) perceptions of the United States, Americans, and U.S. foreign policy abroad. Open only to international studies majors with senior standing. Offered every year.
The Honors Program is designed to recognize and encourage exceptional scholarship and to allow able students to do more independent work than is otherwise feasible. The senior honors candidate works with a member of the International Studies Committee to prepare an extended essay (thesis) on a topic of mutual interest, which is defended before an outside examiner in May. Note: students standing for honors also take the senior seminar.
Continuation of INST 497Y.