syllabus- complete schedule and readings for the course This interdisciplinary course is designed to introduce students to the study of global socioeconomic and political processes, interactions, and changes that affect the contemporary world. Since the end of the Cold War in 1990, the world has changed radically. The break-up of the Soviet Union, the decline of European and American power, the rise (and fall) of economic strength in East Asia, the increase in religious and ethnic tensions in South Asia and the Middle East, the US military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the emergence of global environmental problems and the rapid spread of new communications technologies around the world have given birth to new forms of social and political interactions. In this class, we will try to understand these developments in their regional and global contexts. Roughly half of the lectures and readings will focus on global issues as manifest in particular regions of the world. The other half will look at these issues transnationally. At the same time we will also look at the ways that scholars have tried to analyze world systems and global processes and trends. The class is one of the gateway courses for the Global Studies major.