English

This course begins with an introduction to Economic History as an interdisciplinary subject, and to the methods and sources economic historians use. It then explores key events of the past 500 years, including the Transatlantic slave-trade, colonialism, and the Industrial Revolution, examining their links to the phenomenon known as the 'Great Divergence', when levels of wealth in the Western world separated from everywhere else. It then considers the more recent phenomenon of 'Convergence', and investigate why certain countries, including Japan and China, managed to catch up with their European counterparts, whilst others fell further behind. In the final part of the course students reflect on the limits of 'Convergence', and assess whether inequality has become an immovable feature of global development. The course introduces frontline research and a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, with a particular focus on quantitative methods.

This course offers students an introduction to world cinema through a range of debates and concepts that problematize its delineation. It addresses the development of world cinema through key historical junctures within the 20th and 21st centuries: such as the crises of modernity and the cultural ruptures emerging as a result of a confluence of geo-historical and political developments. Students learn to read cinema in and of the world as both bound by national formations while simultaneously exceeding them, through an understanding of the dynamics of cultural flows across histories and political formations. 

This course explores how the United States has engaged with the world since 1776. After gaining independence from Britain, the United States looked westward, expanding its territory through indigenous dispossession and a pursuit of hemispheric dominance. By the end of the 19th century, the United States held overseas colonies. Soon thereafter, it became involved in one, and then a second, world war followed shortly by the Cold War and more recently the “forever wars.”  Students think broadly about who has been involved in shaping U.S. foreign relations with the world. They explore decisions made by diplomats and policymakers in Washington as well as the voices of a wide range of people who influenced and resisted U.S. power including missionaries, American Indians, businesspeople, women, workers, and immigrants. 

This course examines the social psychology of groups, bias, and prejudice. Students read original scientific articles spanning from classic pieces to recent, high-impact updates. Throughout, we learn about foundational psychological processes (e.g., attitudes) that, when applied to social groups, can result in discrimination and group-based hierarchies. We take both a micro approach, considering evidence for social biases in individual minds, as well as a macro approach, considering evidence for biases in collective systems.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of financial management within the global context. It examines the unique roles and challenges of the MNC, the structure of the international financial system, and the dynamics of cross-border investment. Building upon foundational knowledge in economics, finance, and quantitative methods, students will develop the analytical skills necessary to critically assess and solve complex financial problems through practical MNC and investment case studies.

This course offers a range of analytical tools to address controversies, broadly understood as any instance of disagreement around scientific, technological, medical, or environmental issues. Students are exposed to different methods that enable them to better understand how the actors involved in the controversies and their arguments evolve over time. By introducing historical, sociological, philosophical, and political science perspectives, students seek to overcome simplistic views of controversies as easily solvable debates between truth and falsehood. Students also present controversies as involving actors outside the scientific community and reflect on normative agendas for not only studying but also critically intervening in controversies. 

This course introduces molecular cell biology: the study of the interactions between molecules and systems in a cell. Students will learn how cells function individually and as part of a tissue or organism. Students will study the processes that determine how and when a cell communicates, grows, interacts with its neighbors, divides and dies, and how these processes go awry during cancer.

This course explores the origins of the modern museum and trace the development of the Oxford collections as a paradigm for the assembly of a material analog for every kind of historic and scientific record. It considers the museum as an instrument for the promotion of national and racial ideologies and asks how we can constructively confront a past that has often embodied ideas that are deeply at odds with 21st century sensibilities. Most importantly, classes will be taught among the peerless collections of the Ashmolean. Students will handle and examine objects ranging from Palaeolithic hand axes to 19th century silver and from neo-Assyrian sculpture to Renaissance drawings by Michelangelo and Raphael, considering fundamental questions of sources, research, and what it is truly possible to know.

This course provides a study of Spanish artistic movements from the 16th century to today. It analyzes the stylistic characteristic of the Renaissance, Baroque, Romanticism, Cubism, and Surrealism. Particular attention is given to Spanish art within the European context, as well as aspects of patronage or the art market. The course includes examination of fundamental artists such as El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Picasso, or Dalí, and their works in relation with artists from other areas of Europe.

The city of Paris is a constantly evolving structure, shaped by 2,000 years of history. Its urban layout and buildings reflect and stand on a substrate resulting from a balance between political, religious, social, demographic, heritage, and environmental aspects. This course provides an understanding of the city and its architecture during key periods through the analysis of notable buildings and neighborhoods. More specifically, it investigates constructions composed over a long period of time (on the scale of a building or site where different architectural styles coexist). Structures, materials, aesthetics, and ornamentation: the art of building reflects technical skill and thinking of an era. Thus, it is proposed to study this question of palimpsest architecture through a historical, cultural, and stylistic approach, through the transmission of essential urban and architectural vocabulary, as well as through bibliographical references. Furthermore, by focusing on strategic points in the city, this study connects to the history of architectural history and urban history, as well as themes that, beyond Paris, are linked to French and European history. Theoretical instruction is supplemented by field trips where students train their observation skills, making sketches that help them memorize and become familiar with architectures from ancient times to the present day.