Modern Mongolia is a little-known country confronting issues that encompass a number of contemporary concerns. This course will consider climate change, resource extraction, conservation, Buddhist revival, Indigenous rights, and diplomatic and geopolitical concerns through the lens of modern Mongolia. We will address the foundations of the Mongolian state with a brief look at the Mongol Empire and the Qing dynasty, and then spend most of the class considering the Socialist era (1921-1991) and the transition to democracy (1991-present.) Class will include invited guest speakers and multi-media material to gain diverse perspectives on the country.
INSTRUCTOR: Rebecca Watters is a wildlife biologist and writer who has worked in Mongolia for the past 12 years. She is fluent in modern Mongolian, decent at Classical Mongolian, and currently runs a wildlife research project in collaboration with the Ulaan Taiga Protected Areas Administration in northern Mongolia. She grew up in Massachusetts and when she isn’t in Mongolia, she is based in Bozeman, Montana.
NO REQUIRED BOOKS
