Course Spotlight

There's more than one way to see the world.

Strengthen your schedule

The Hamilton Lugar School (HLS) offers hundreds of courses that strengthen your global knowledge and regional expertise while helping you meet degree requirements. We've highlighted a few here, but check out the complete lists below:

Hands holding with a Ukrainian Flag overlayed on top.

INTL-I 300: Russian Foreign Relations & Eastern Europe

This course will examine Russian foreign relations in Eastern Europe since the Second World War, exploring topics such as the rise and fall of the Soviet bloc, economic interdependence, and the security challenges of the post-Cold War order. Lectures, readings, and discussions will also consider how Russian relations with other parts of the world, particularly the West, affected Moscow's behavior in the region during the Cold War and after.

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People riding bikes in a town.

INTL-I 300: Experiencing Culture Through Literature, Cinema, and Lived Experiences: Germany, Russia, and Hungary

The goal of this course is to explore the cultural diversity of Europe through three different cultures: German, Russian, and Hungarian. Culture is understood as a complex phenomenon that is both defined by practices and perception and is transmitted through the examples of fiction, cinema and lived experiences, especially the culture surrounding food.

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A flag with a globe icon.

INTL-I 300: Queering International Relations

This course reimagines the political, individual and international structures in which individual actors are embedded today. As Marcus Thiel writes in his Intro to Queer Theory in the text International Relations Theory, "In its application to IR, queer theory challenges many assumptions about world politics unrelated to sexuality and gender. It aims to deconstruct established simplistic binaries -- such as insecurity/security or war/peace -- and recognises the inherent instability of political and social orders.

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Sustainable Development Goals

INTL-I 300: Global Voices for Change: Working Towards the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

This course seeks to empower students with knowledge and skills necessary to address these global challenges and become agents of positive change in the world. Students will learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as a roadmap towards a more inclusive, sustainable, and just future.

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A city view a night with a beach.

MELC-M 306: Youtubing the Middle East: Watching, Learning, and Reflecting

Through the platform of YouTube, students will learn interesting facts about the Middle East. From renowned poets reciting their poetry to documentaries about Middle Eastern countries to Middle Eastern stand-up comedy, They will have a visual, intellectual, and educational trip to the Middle East.

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A party for Eid Mubarak.

MELC-M 306: Crash Course in Arabic Language and Culture I

Crash Course in Arabic Language and Culture.

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A food restaurant along the street.

SGIS-S 300: Highlights in East Asian Travel Literature: Over Mountains and Along Perilous Shores

Highlights in East Asian Travel Literature: Over Mountains and Along Perilous Shores.

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Shanghai cityscape at sunset.

SGIS-S 400: Advanced Chinese Writing & Reading

This course, designed for students in 4th and 5th year Chinese, will guide students in the creative delivery of their ideas, opinions, and arguments coherently on practical, social, and professional topics. Activities include reading articles that require students to synthesize, determine cause and effect, and draw comparisons and conclusions.

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