Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Fall Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
HUMA 143 001 (CRN: 16180)
WHAT IS A BORDER?
Long Title: WHAT IS A BORDER? AND WHO CAN CROSS IT?
Department: Modern Classic Lang, Lit, Cult
Instructor: Linhard, Tabea
Meeting: 1:00PM - 2:15PM TR (24-AUG-2026 - 4-DEC-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 25
Section Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 26-APR-2026 1:24PM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: Throughout history, people have moved across natural and political borders, but migration has become one of the most contentious issues of our time. This course examines what happens when border crossing becomes a crisis—both a period of acute struggle, danger, or instability and a moment when difficult or consequential decisions must be made. We will consider who defines such situations as crises, who is deemed responsible, and who bears the heaviest burdens. Students will explore how different groups—migrants on the move, host communities, and institutional actors—experience border crossings, and how institutions shape, manage, or intensify these crises. The course concludes with a further question: can engaging with individual accounts of border crossings—whether written, audio, or visual, and accessed through testimonies, oral histories, literature, and other cultural materials—help alleviate or prevent crisis conditions?