History

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.

This course highlights the unique link between the school and the Republic. It first investigates the origins of the school in the West and the eventual establishment of elite education systems by the Church. It then examines how the political landscape throughout the centuries and the call for education for the masses evolved into the school model of today, particularly during the Fifth Republic following the election of the president by direct universal suffrage. The course addresses the web of crises and tensions surrounding the democratization of education that persist today.

This course discusses the main intellectual movements in the search for a modern Japanese identity. Since the Meiji period, Japanese intellectuals have devoted themselves both to introducing Western thought and to creating a Japanese identity in response. This course emphasizes the complicated interplay between Japanese traditions and modern Western thought. Following a discussion of the complex issues of tradition and reception, the course discusses Buddhism, Confucianism and Nativism (Kokugaku) and their impact on modern Japanese thought; then, the course explores liberalism and socialism in modern Japan. 

This course examines Hong Kong’s history since the early 1800s. Hong Kong sits at the intersection of Chinese history and world history. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it became a place with its own identity. Which persons or ideas influenced the shaping of Hong Kong? In what ways was Hong Kong connected to British empire and modern China? What were the main themes in Hong Kong’s development? How can historians make sense of Hong Kong’s past? How has Hong Kong’s past shaped its present?How should its past be represented?