History

This course addresses major issues in the history of anti-Semitism in the last seventy years. Topics include: origins of modern anti-Semitism and its difference from older theological forms of anti-Judaism; variations in anti-Semitic patterns in eastern, central, and western Europe; anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of the State of Israel; anti-Semitism in music, literature, and cinema; Jewish self-hatred and the internalization of anti-Semitic stereotypes by Jews; patterns of post-Holocaust anti-Semitism in America; Holocaust denial; the ambiguous religious connection between evangelical Christian pro-Zionism and anti-Semitism; anti-Semitism on the Internet; and contemporary debates on the persistence and new forms of anti-Semitism. A strong emphasis is placed on the Jews’ political, social, and ideological responses to this hatred. 

This course examines the main historical events of the region from the beginning of the 19th century. It covers the various controversies surrounding the population of the sub-continent and analyzes the formation of large pre-Columbian civilizations. This part of the course explores the population that preceded the Tawantinsuyu in the Andres and the Empire of the Triple Alliance in Mexico, often dismissed in the analysis. It examines the consequences of the arrival of the Spanish and the Portuguese by considering the large events of the "Conquest" and colonization.

This course offers a study of the physical and natural environment of Spain. It examines Spain's territory in relation to its social environment and economy, both nationally and regionally. This course also discusses Spain's diversity through examination of its natural regions and its autonomous communities. Finally, it focuses on the transition to democracy, the Spanish constitution and current institutions, and Spanish society today.