History

Focusing on the Anglophone world (USA, Canada, Ireland, Britain, and Australia in particular), this seminar course examines the emergence of the radical labor ideologies of syndicalism (or industrial unionism) and communism in the early 20th century. It considers the organizational forms and cultures of the principal movements espousing these ideologies (i.e., the 'Wobblies', originating in the US, c.1905; the Russian-dominated Communist movement, post-1917), discuss the relationship of one to the other, and compare their orientations towards social democratic and nationalist movements.

This course discusses the role of men and women in the Spanish Civil War. Topics include: background and possible causes of the Spanish Civil War; development of the conflict; gender relations during the war; women's presence and public participation; post-war society.

This course covers the history modern East Asia from the 19th to the 20th century. It focuses on China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The relations between these countries as well as the colonial forces from the West are among the topics covered.

This course focuses on the establishment of the post-war democratic system, explaining the type of authoritarian rule in Taiwan, the struggles of democratic movements in various periods, the characteristics and achievements of Taiwan's democratic transition, how to deal with the legacy of authoritarianism, and the current challenges and solutions for Taiwan's democratic system. The course is divided into six themes and each unit takes approximately two to three weeks: (1) Political conflict in Taiwan in the early postwar period;(2) White terror and Taiwanese society; (3) The characteristics of the party-state authoritarian system; (4) Early democratic movements and goals; (5) Taiwan's democratic transition, and (6) Democratic Defense, Transitional Justice and Taiwan.

This course consists of weekly lectures accompanied by readings and film viewings outside the classroom. Each week, it studies and explores a different writer, literary genre, or event pertaining to the French Revolution through a rhetorical and literary lens. Authors include Victor Hugo, the Chenier brothers, Michelet, and Chateaubriand.

This course offers an introduction to Norwegian history, life, and society. Topics include: Norwegian history, geography, the political system, foreign politics, economics, the welfare state, religion, the judicial system, the role of the family in Norwegian society, Norwegian literature and language, Norwegian visual arts, culture, and identity. The course provides insight into Norwegian way of life and Norwegian identity seen in the light of historical, political, and cultural development.

This course explores the history of Chilean society and the state between 1900 and 1990. Topics include: historical formation of the democratic republic (c. 1900-1964); a democracy between reform and revolution (1964-1970); Chile in the first line of the Cold War in Latin America-- the Chilean road to socialism (1970-1973); Chile under the dictatorship between the Cold War and globalization (1973-1990); Post-authoritarianism and democracy (1990- c. 2000).

The goal of this course is to increase students' cultural sensitivity through an in-depth examination of the many layers that make up French history while at the same time exposing them to how this history shaped the physical city of Paris itself. Through comparative examination of current events in France and the US, the course also sensitizes them to differences in cultural norms. Lastly, the course seeks to increase students' understanding of how a nation's “eternal values and universal truths” develop in response to a people's particular historical experiences (e.g., the place of religion in the public sphere). The assigned readings and topics in the syllabus vary from year to year in order to align them with recent major events. Past units have included a variety of topics, such as: “The Veil”, Health insurance as a social or a socialist program; Presidents and the use and extent of power/elections; Women in the public eye; War and terrorism; Income distribution and the human costs of urban development. In each unit, the current issue is paired with careful study of related moments in French history (e.g., Huguenots in the 16th c. with Muslims today; a president with Napoleon). Readings expose students to the various ways history is/can be written. Readings include: First-hand accounts and editorials; Essays by specialists in political, social, economic, and urban history; Seminal texts of reference (e.g., “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”). In this course students develop written and oral rhetorical skills as well as their analytical skills through class discussion on readings, in which close attention is paid to both style and the use of evidence to support an argument, in-class analysis of things like political cartoons, and the deciphering of political messages embedded in the iconography of monuments' façades. Students are presented techniques to read visual evidence. Students engage in a photo-essay project that sends them to the Invalides in small groups. The final exam tests students on their ability to compare a set of recent newspaper articles/editorials to explain the differences in American and French attitudes by providing the appropriate historical background.