History

This trans-disciplinary course provides details on past and current systems and cases of censorship to allow for in-depth study of certain landmark plays, novels, and film adaptations that have caused the greatest scandals and most intense censorship over the past century. It brings together notions of media studies, sociology, history, law and key legal battles, publication processes, as well as literary and film analysis. The course mainly focuses on banned and censored books and film adaptations in Great Britain and the United States, and students have the opportunity to bring in such cases in other countries during the weekly round table debates and in-class discussions.

The Hundred Years War was in reality a series of wars, on both land and sea, arising primarily from the political and dynastic conflicts of the kings of England and France. It was fought mainly in France but also engulfed Brittany, Scotland, the Iberian kingdoms, the Netherlands, and other countries. The first part of the wars is retailed in considerable detail by the contemporary chronicler, Jean Froissart, whose powerful portrait of warfare and political rivalry is set against a backdrop of chivalric endeavor and glory. The module takes its lead from Froissart’s vivid chronicles. Tutorials are focused exclusively on various aspects of his chronicles and students are expected to write an essay on Froissart’s work. Lectures concentrate on key themes associated with Froissart’s world, such as kingship, chivalry and warfare, diplomacy, and popular revolt.

This course covers the types of economic activities that were pursued on the sub-continent before colonialism and how economics were influenced by the coming of the Europeans. Particular emphasis is placed on the African initiative and how economic activities developed during the colonial era. The course is a study of the patterns of production and exchange of surplus goods and services, which have influenced the fortunes of the sub-region, and the creation of wealth and power from traditional beginnings to the present structure. The course explores: natural and human resources of West Africa, development of labor, organization of trade, international trade, intra- and inter-state trade, the trans-Saharan trade, sources of traditional or pre-colonial state revenue, West Africa's early trade with Europeans, legitimate trade, and partition of West Africa.

The course focuses on the long 17th century in Sweden - a period often referred to as the Great Power Era. The  course provides an understanding of this period in Swedish history, including the most important structures and the main events and processes. 

This course provides a wide ranging introduction to the study of history through an examination of the medieval and modern history of Scotland. Key highlights include the Wars of Independence, the Union of the Crowns and Scotland's social and industrial transformation in the 20th century.

This course introduces the fascinating field of environmental history, focusing on the tensions between economic growth, resource scarcity, and environmental degradation in the distant past as well as in present-day societies. The course pays ample attention to the transition from pre-industrial to industrial modes of production and the environmental consequences thereof - the making of the Anthropocene. Analogies are drawn from the collapse of ancient civilizations to contemporary environmental problems, such as global warming and mineral resource depletion. The course also specifically addresses the various strategies that historical civilizations have developed in order to survive climate change, deforestation, soil erosion, or other ecological threats to human livelihood. Finally, the course addresses the emergence of present-day environmental consciousness in the wake of modern urbanization, industrialization, and unprecedented demographic growth.