History

A topic-based survey class of American Literature, this course focuses on understanding and analyzing the main changes and important aspects of American culture, society, politics, and history by exposing students to the works of various kinds of American literature authors. Class readings include not only prose writings but also letters, diaries and several official documents written by American influential writers from the 15th century to the 19th century. From time to time, the course will also analyze rare photographs, musical CDs, and films. Students are expected to be interested in basics of modern literary theory which are widely associated in American literary studies. As we challenge the process of creating the notions such as “America,” “American History/Literature,” “race,” “class,” and “borders,” our readings will sometimes go beyond narrowly-defined “American” texts. Through these readings and analyses, students will learn various cultural aspects to approach social issues seen in American society, past and present. This course is conducted in a mixed style of lecture/seminar, and research works at the main library; therefore, participants will be assigned to make presentations, discussion, research and other activities. In the library survey sessions, students are expected to write and submit 2-3 page long paper each time during the class hours. 

The course introduces students to the history, literature, and culture of those who spoke and wrote in Greek over almost two millennia beginning in late antiquity, and still do today. The first half of the module focuses on the Byzantine period, from the foundation of the capital city of Constantinople in 330 AD to the conquest of the Byzantine empire in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks (who renamed the city Istanbul). The second half follows the fortunes of Greek speakers during and after the breakup of the empire, and focuses on the building and consolidation of a Greek nation state in the early 19th century, the cultural achievements of Greeks since, particularly in literature, and their troubled relationship with Europe that lies at the root of the financial and social crisis that broke out in Greece in 2010.

This course reflects on the foundations and modalities of the advent of political modernity in the 19th century. It traces the major stages in the evolution of Europe and its imperial extensions, from the democratic revolutions of the end of the 18th century to the advent of the era of the masses at the beginning of the 20th century. Topics include the emergence of currents of thought such as liberalism, conservatism, and socialism; the changes in the instruments of mobilization, violent (wars, revolutions) or peaceful (civil society, electoral processes); the affirmation of nation states and the persistence of empires. Particular attention is paid to the place claimed and obtained by women in political society. The course also questions the place of Europe in the world and evokes the processes of political modernization (and its limits) on the other continents.

This course examines the major political and economic trends in African history since 1800. Through exploring the wide-ranging debates about the origins of modern Africa, the course equips students with critical analytical tools with which to understand Africa's complex pasts and place in world history and in the contemporary world. Topics include the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, colonial conquest and rule, socio-economic changes, and the decolonization process. Through a selection of regional case studies, the course covers the entire continent so as to understand the diversity of the historical forces that have shaped contemporary Africa.

The class presents a historical analysis of economic events and changes. Students examine the evolution in the quality of life; Western industrialization; convergence in various historical periods; the evolution of international economics; and institutions and development. Other topics include: modern economic growth; institutions and markets; population and natural resources; contemporary business; globalization; technological change and growth. NOTE: course is the same as ECON/HIST 103, but taught in English.

This course examines key issues and themes relating to Australian society and culture across a wide time-frame including before colonization and the most recent past. It covers the brutalities of the colonial process; the relationships of the Europeans to this 'new' land; the developing society in the Antipodes; the new cultural forms of nationalism in the late nineteenth century; the importance of White Australia; the impact of wars and Depression; and the cultural shifts of liberation movements.

What does it mean to live in a surveillance society? How does the digital age challenge questions regarding privacy, individuality, and freedom? When does surveillance as care tip over into surveillance as control? And how does the Stasi system of vigilance prefigure contemporary surveillance culture? This course on the one hand examines the impact of surveillance on society by looking at the multifaceted ways technologies, societies, and the arts interact; and on the other hand, reflects on surveillance in a totalitarian context while comparing observation techniques in the GDR with contemporary surveillance methods. The course also explores how surveillance is represented in contemporary literature, film, and popular culture. The course maps out important themes with regards to surveillance and its repercussions (e.g., visibility, identity, privacy, and control). The course provides an overview of the interdisciplinary field of surveillance and covers the latest research in the following major areas: 1. Relationship between surveillance, power, and social control; 2. Histories of Surveillance: GDR and the Stasi (especially in the context of Berlin) 3. The concept of privacy; 4. Surveillance in the arts and popular culture.