History

This course examines Chinese traditional culture. Topics include origin and context, social background, historical influence, core elements, and future developments.

This course examines the changing use made of the concept of time in economic theory and in UK economic policy-making from the 1930s. The policy areas covered include exchange rates, trade, labor markets, human capital, the distribution of income and wealth, housing, social security, health, the ownership and structure of utility industries, public investment, transport, and taxation.

This course focuses on the history of South Africa from 1948 and the institutionalization of Apartheid onward. It covers the National Party leaders as well as African National Congress leaders on the way to the fall of Apartheid. It discusses the various ways people fought against the regime as well as the lasting effects of Apartheid on South Africa today.

How did the Maya civilization collapse? Why did the bubonic plague kill over one third of 14th century European population? How long can current rates of global population be continued? 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. We draw analogies 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.

This course examines how documentary films have both represented and revised the past. From the earliest radical Bolshevik pioneers to the home movies of the forties, to the current use of the phone camera to record emergency and war, and even to the wildlife documentary, this course explores how documentary films interpret history, make history and in some cases, have even changed history.