History

This course addresses various topics in German and European 20th century history: different political ideas, systems, and movements, as well as social and cultural developments. The course compares and contrasts the German variety of these phenomena with other European varieties. Two major themes are the struggles between democracy and dictatorship, and capitalism and communism, which played out through the 20th century. The course connects these essentially ideological struggles to the two World Wars and the ensuing "Cold War," to memories of trauma, to the history of everyday life, pop culture, and gender, and to the experience of youth and immigrants in Germany. Through analyses of the interconnections and distinctions between all these aspects, the course provides participants with a better understanding of German society today.

This course offers a study of the pre-Hispanic cultures that populated Mexico including means of production, scientific development, and daily life. It analyzes the concept of Mesoamerica, Aridoamerica, and Oasisamerica. Other topics include: languages and linguistic map; systems of production and subsistence; Mesoamerican numbering and calendar; Mesoamerican worldview.

At the center of this course is film as historical sources. The course presents and applies the methods for analyzing audiovisual sources, and it examines how historical events were depicted. Using the example of the history of National Socialism, students examine both documentaries and feature films with regard to their handling of National Socialism and its (audio) visual legacy.

This course examines in depth the extensive structural and economic changes which have characterized Sweden since the mid-18th century and the concept of "The Swedish Model". This takes the form of a chronological analysis of the rapid transition from a typical poor agrarian society to an industrial welfare state. The course considers the following questions: Which were the driving forces behind the development? Why did they occur so late? Which were the production factors so favorable to Sweden? 

This general education course explores the formation, development, and change of the East Asian world. It also analyzes its common characteristics and cultural basis.