History

In this course, students examine the development of Jewish life across Europe. Topics include emancipation and integration; Jewish life in the Russian empire and in Eastern Europe; the emergence of different forms of Judaism; antisemitism; mass migration; and radical politics, gender issues, and varieties of Jewish national politics.

Reflecting on the causes and consequences of war involves some of the most fundamental questions facing any student of conflict, and this course is an introduction to thinking about them. Students explore the theoretical and methodological questions that arise when studying the causes of war. They consider the definition of war, and examine the role of theory in explaining and understanding its causes. Students utilize historical case studies, explore contemporary international politics, and explore political change over time. They also investigate some of the consequences of war – on the international system, on society, and on individuals. The course also addresses ways in which war and conflict can be prevented and mitigated. This is the spring-only version of this course.

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.