History

This course is intended not just for historians, but also for humanities students, social scientists, and scientists and engineers who want to learn not only how the world has been transformed by innovation, by imitation, and by historically novel machines, structures and processes which have resulted.  It is concerned primarily with innovation in the material, and that taking place in the context of capitalism. However, it also covers the socialist world, and the poor world, of the 20th century. It is also an invitation to learn about how to think about this central transformation in human history. The course also provides tools for examining such elusive yet important notions as invention, innovation, science, technology, and introduce key debates surrounding questions of machines, production, and efficiency in the historiography of the 20th century, relating them to various different forms of analysis from political economy to gender studies, in sites from the factory to the field and the home, covering the globe.  

This course introduces students to the history and culture of Rome under the emperors. It focuses both on the city of Rome and its vast empire, from the Antonine Wall to the Euphrates. The course covers the political and social history of Rome from the death of Augustus to the late 3rd century AD, together with the material culture, monuments, art, literature and thought of the Romans during this period. Lectures cover topics such the expansion of the empire, the Roman army, Roman religion, monuments of the city of Rome, Roman villas, and Roman poetry and drama, as well as the various imperial dynasties. 

This course examines the evolution of British imperial power from the early 19th century to World War I, focusing on its maritime foundations, global ideology, and inherent contradictions between humanitarian discourse and military conquest. It then shifts to a contemporary perspective, analyzing Australia and New Zealand as middle powers in the Indo‑Pacific region, with attention to strategy, security alliances, diplomacy, economic interests, and environmental challenges.

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to Indigenous Studies in the United States, with a focus on key concepts, historical contexts, and contemporary themes relevant to Native American peoples. Through an interdisciplinary approach grounded in Indigenous epistemologies, it examines the plurality of worldviews, histories, and experiences of Indigenous peoples in the United States – and beyond – to understand the historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous communities, settler-colonial systems, and current governance structures. Through the study of the relationship between Native American peoples and the U.S. government, the course critically examines topics such as sovereignty, self-determination, governance, land and the use of natural resources, Indigenous justice systems, gender-based violence, Indigenous education, linguistic and cultural transmission, among others. Additional discussions address the history of treaty rights in the United States, the U.S. federal and state recognition processes, the recognition of specific rights for Indigenous peoples at the international level, and evolving concepts of identity and indigeneity. While the primary focus is on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Nations within the United States, comparative perspectives on Indigenous Peoples worldwide are also provided. Interactive discussions, group exercises, and presentations by guest scholars and practitioners also provide interdisciplinary insights that bridge theory, practice, and community-based experience.

This course provides an overview of some of the major changes, challenges, and evolutions of global media starting in the late 19th century and until the current moment. Drawing on historical and more recent examples of the best work of print and broadcast journalists, it explores the development of the institution of journalism and address topics such as: the changing economic pressures on journalism; the evolution of the role and work of the reporter; the shifting values, practices, ethical standards, and social roles that have been linked to the practice of journalism; and the changes of what core ideals of journalism mean, including truth and objectivity.

This course examines the relationship between humans and animals in the Middle Ages. The recent "animal turn" in the Humanities and Social Sciences has prompted a re-evaluation of assumptions about the relationship between humans and their ever present animal neighbors. The course investigates key aspects of that relationship in the Medieval world, investigating and contrasting materials from a range of medieval societies, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and "pagan". How were animals and the natural world interpreted by medieval people? The course examines various types of medieval sources, visual as well as textual in this exploration of the interface between humans and animals.

This course explores how the United States has engaged with the world since 1776. After gaining independence from Britain, the United States looked westward, expanding its territory through indigenous dispossession and a pursuit of hemispheric dominance. By the end of the 19th century, the United States held overseas colonies. Soon thereafter, it became involved in one, and then a second, world war followed shortly by the Cold War and more recently the “forever wars.”  Students think broadly about who has been involved in shaping U.S. foreign relations with the world. They explore decisions made by diplomats and policymakers in Washington as well as the voices of a wide range of people who influenced and resisted U.S. power including missionaries, American Indians, businesspeople, women, workers, and immigrants. 

Global interaction and exchange have increased on a dramatic level since the 1970s. This course offers the opportunity to examine the real life of globalization by treating it as a historical phenomena, helping us to think precisely about what was globalized when, and how understandings of it have changed through time. Students trace the emergence of technologies and practices which facilitate global interaction, from the container ship to the internet. Students examine the emergence of the idea of globalization, and trace the history of arguments about what it is and whether it is a good thing or not. Finally, students study its political consequences, charting debates about the effects of global interaction on the choices available to publics and their leaders, and how far institutions and individuals are able to shape phenomena which occurs on such a large scale. In taking course, students develop a crucial set of tools for understanding one of the major issues of our age.

This course emphasizes the identification of the main researchers and institutions created for the study of the indigenous past of Mexico as well as the explanation of the development and cultural characteristics of the peoples who inhabited the different cultural areas between the Epiclassic and Late Postclassic periods. This elective is offered to first-semester students so that the historical overview also allows them to make the best use of the courses Historiography of Mexico II, other electives in the area of Ancient Mexico, and seminars (general, specialized, or research) that focus on indigenous peoples.

This class provides an overview and analysis of the socio-political history of Latin American countries during the 19th century.  The course explores how domestic social movements and civil wars; international conflicts based in Europe, as well as how the United States and neighboring countries laid the foundation for these nations in their foundational century.