Why do people create borders? Are there borders we perceive but do not acknowledge? How do borders shape the ways we see each other, within and across borders? In what ways do borders influence the way people interact with those they encounter within and across borders? In this course, students will examine borders in a global perspective. The course will begin by discussing the specific ways that borders have shaped notions of similarity and difference within and across borders. The second unit will examine how borders shape and are shaped by social, economic and political relations. The course will then explore how racial, class, ethnic and gendered ideas of national difference are experienced as people cross borders. We will examine migration between regions including the Balkans, the Middle East and Europe; Asia and the Middle East; and Latin America and the United States.