History

This course introduces contemporary India through a study of society and culture. Taking a thematic approach, it examines caste and class, religion and identity, language and region, displays of modernity and popular forms of culture. It assesses the social and cultural change that India has undergone since 1947 and the remarkable continuity of its social institutions. Factors and processes that have held India together despite its diversity and cultural heterogeneity are highlighted.

This class introduces the most recent academic results in the study of Korean history. Subjects and issues under current critical investigation are emphasized and further studied.

This is a reading and discussion-intensive course that examines the development of modern Korea in the context of modernity, imperialism, and capitalism. Using a combination of lecture and class discussion, the course examines the facts and arguments surrounding the transitions from Chosŏn Korea to colonial Korea to the postwar divisions of North and South Korea. Special attention is paid to the dominant arguments surrounding key moments in modern Korean history.

This course offers a study of the history and cultures of the United states from its origins to the end of the 18th century. Topics include: indigenous cultures; the meeting of different cultures-- European arrival and African slaves in the American colonies; the cultural and political context of the 18th century.

This course covers the history of Islam in France. It explores the great influence of Islam and Islamic nations on the French language and terminology used in France and Francophone cultures as well as the diversity among nations within the Islamic culture and religion. The general focus of this course is the impact that Islam has had in France from long ago to today and how Islamic culture in France is largely underrepresented in French history.

During the course students study primary sources from the Viking period from Sagas and chronicles to rune stones and material culture, and use classic textbooks to further their understanding of the Vikings.

This course explores the history of clothing and fashion from a gender perspective. It emphasizes the way constructions and norms on gender identities and roles determine what we consider appropriate or inconvenient, in terms of appearances.