History

This course is a survey of the history of the Jewish People with an emphasis on the modern period and the development of the State of Israel. Course topics include an introduction to the national memory: the TANAKH (Hebrew Scriptures or “OLD TESTAMENT”), First Temple Period, Second Temple Period, Jewish existence in the Byzantine and Islamic worlds, the European Middle Ages, Russian Jewry, antisemitism, the American experience, and Herzl and Zionism.

This course provides a historical and political introduction to modern Afghanistan. While it covers a historical timeline spanning from the late 19th century through 2021, it does not provide an exhaustive historical catalogue of events, but rather a genealogy of the political processes and factors that are pertinent to the evaluation of the processes of state-building and nation-building in Afghanistan through today. Covering the country's modern political history from its genesis during The Great Game and the birth of Afghan nationalism in the early 20th century, up to the occupations by the USSR and United States and their political consequences, the course attempts to identify the most salient patterns and trends about the country's political elites and institutions, as well as the interventions of foreign powers, all of which have affected the transformations of the state in Afghanistan.

This course examines Postcolonial Studies in dialogue with local voices of critique across fields and disciplines to reexamine (post)colonial experiences of Hong Kong and their legacy and imprints expressed in cultural, literary, cinematic, historical texts. By unpacking the anomality of the case of Hong Kong and organizing local critical scholarship on cultural production, this course also seeks to “reconfigure postcolonial discourse as a critical mode of imagination in a world altered now by global capitalism”.

This course examines the political, cultural, and economic situation of the Jewish community in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Students analyze various forms of Jewish cultural and political identity. Students develop a better understanding of the context that led to the Holocaust and its dramatic consequences. Lastly, students familiarize themselves with the most important Jewish political writers.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course focuses on research problems in a wide series of topics drawn from migration history, history of ideas and their circulation, material exchange and consumption patterns, global labor history, social protests, transnational mobilizations processes, power forms and resistance strategies. Through direct contact with specific research paths, students are able to apply research techniques and methodologies and to use sources and literature in a critical manner. The first part of the course focuses on theoretical and methodological aspects concerning a world-historical approach to European contemporary history: how to study Europe and contemporary European history with reference to analytical frames drawing on World history. The second part of the courses focuses on European migration history from a global perspective. Particular attention is devoted to different forms of migration in relation to the social and political impact exerted on the societies involved. The topic is presented through case studies of anarchist migration between the second half of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century that students are asked to present in class. The third and last part of the course focuses on decolonization, related social conflicts/movements and its impact on the European political sphere from the 1960s until the 1980s. How antiimperialist and anticolonial criticism addressed Europe and how European left-wing groups and parties reacted to the rising challenges. This topic is illustrated and discussed through case studies presented by the students. Readings are presented either individually or in small groups of students on a weekly basis accordingly to the syllabus.

This undergraduate research course provides opportunities to conduct independent research under the supervision of a faculty member at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Participants are expected to devote approximately 20 hours per week to their research project, with the exact time commitment determined in consultation with the faculty supervisor. The course requires the completion of an original research paper. It develops research methods, analytical thinking, academic writing, and the ability to communicate research findings effectively through scholarly papers and reports. As an independent research program, the course emphasizes initiative, self-directed learning, and regular consultation with the faculty supervisor throughout the research process.

This course examines the Jewish experience in the Czech Lands and the other countries of Central Europe. It touches upon the history of Jews in Russia, in addition to Central Europe, since Russia shares some commonalities with the history of Jews in Poland and the Czech Lands. The History of Jews in Central Europe is not only a story of prejudice and contempt, but also a story of hope and suffering which culminates in the worst tragedy of the Jewish people in history, the Holocaust. However, the issue of the Holocaust is not principal in this course. This course provides students with insights into the most flourishing center of Jewish life of Prague and Central Europe, exploring its many different facets. Although the course presents some Jewish philosophical ideas and practices, it is not primarily a course in the Jewish Religion.

This seminar addresses how specific historical events are commemorated in Southeast Asia and beyond (China, Japan, Korea). Students learn how historical memory is shaped by textbooks, museums, memorial sites, and debated in film, television and other forms of cultural production. This courses offers a n overview of the country's history at the beginning of each session.