POLS 131 Current World Problems

Overview of Course

Current World Problems is a fast-paced, discussion-driven course that tackles the biggest challenges shaping the 21st century. Designed for undergraduates of all majors, this class explores how global systems – economic, political, and environmental – interact to produce both extraordinary progress and deepening crises. This course introduces students to the politics of current global problems with a special emphasis on the countries visited during our Semester at Sea. Although this course focuses on important problems that affect the world today, it does more than just discuss current events. Through readings and multi-media resources, in-class discussion, debates, role-play simulations, and real-world case studies, this course provides students with insights into the causes and trends that led to the problems as well as some of the possible solutions. Over the course of the voyage, we will examine issues of war and civil strife, political development and democratization, the rise of nationalism and authoritarianism, human rights, racial reconciliation, transnational crime, environmental degradation, economic inequality, political economy of global supply chains, the human consequences of pollution and biodiversity loss, and global public health challenges. Students whose main interest is not politics will benefit from the course by learning how to analyze and to interpret current political developments around the world. By the end of the course, students will have a toolkit for thinking critically about key global issues and will have a clearer sense of the economic, social, and policy choices that will shape the planet’s future.