History

Since at least the 1980s gender has been considered a "useful category of historical research." In this class we will use this lens in order to understand major events and developments in U.S. history. By focusing on gender as a relation of power in social contexts we will explore changing images of masculinity and femininity as well as mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion. In addition to that, we will also discuss intersectional connections to other categories of identification (e.g. race and class).

This course is offered exclusively to visiting and exchange students and offers students with little or no background in Scottish studies an introduction to the development of Scotland through the ages from an interdisciplinary perspective. With contributions from academic staff in archaeology, Celtic and Gaelic, history, and Scottish literature, this course addresses how Scotland has been affected by change over time, and how – through the years – Scotland has sought expression in language and literature and the physical environment. 

This course explores the making of a modern metropolis: London in the 20th century. Using the city as a classroom, students take a social and cultural approach to London’s history. The course attends to differences in the urban space, thinking about the dividing line of the Thames that separates the city North and South, or the East/West divide. They consider the multiplicity of lives lived in London, as shaped by structures including gender, class, race, and age. Students study some of the major events of this period including suffrage campaigns, two world wars, mass migration, and decolonization. They also think about how the public history of the city has been constructed through museums, walking tours, podcasts, documentaries, fiction, and film.

This course examines histories of sovereignty, land and water protection, decolonial activism, and artistic movements, focusing on connections between Indigenous peoples' in Aotearoa, the Pacific, Australia, and the Americas, as well as Asia, and Northern Europe.

The roots of the modern world can be found in ancient Greece and Rome. This course addresses some of the defining and formative aspects of the cultures of modernity (from c.1800 to the present) by comparing them with their ancient origins and equivalents. This comparative model provides the essential structure throughout the module; in each week, a major theme of modern culture/s is considered in relation to its classical equivalent/s, through a combination of lectures, case-studies, screenings and debates, involving teaching staff from a range of Schools. A variety of themes are addressed, such as racism, gender, political discourse, religion, Empires, sexism, high art, war and peace, expertise and education, and popular cultures. No particular previous experience is required for the module which is designed to appeal to students on any degree program.

This course introduces students to key themes and debates in early modern history (c. 1500-1800), using selected case studies from Britain, Europe and the wider world. Particular attention is paid to the usefulness (or otherwise) of the concept of "early modernity," and the extent to which it can be applied to the world beyond Europe.

The course covers inter-religious relations between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from a variety of thematic and interdisciplinary perspectives. The content provides an understanding of the historical roots and contemporary effects of the relations between the three religions. The basics of inter-religious relations are learned and analyzed. Themes covered include gender and sexuality, eschatology and apocalypticism, the intersection of religious and civil law in Western societies, and the challenges of maintaining individual and community identity in a shifting cultural, social, and political landscape.

The course is based on a religious studies perspective to discuss the concepts of antisemitism and islamophobia concept which refers to fears and prejudices relating to Jews, Judaism, Muslims, and Islam. By focusing on the historical, theological/ideological, political, and cultural aspects of antisemitism and islamophobia, the historical roots and the contemporary forms of these fears and prejudices are explored. The course starts by problematizing the concepts of antisemitism and islamophobia and continues by analyzing how these concepts have been used to designate "the enemy" and in processes of religious, cultural, and political "alienation". Thereafter, the historical roots and ideological contexts in which antisemitism and islamophobia arise and develop are studied. The course concludes by focusing on modern and contemporary manifestations of antisemitism and islamophobia, such as, how conspiracy theories are used to heighten hostility towards Jews and Muslims today.

The course reviews the inception of present-day complex societies of West Africa, how they evolved, and their vicissitudes in the period 500 B.C. to A.D. 1950. Themes include general characteristics of West African societies in the Iron Age, origins of copper and iron technology and their effects on local societies, megalith and tumuli sites of the Western Sudan, urbanism, and trade networks and contacts in West Africa.

This course introduces students to global history, transcending the traditional focus on single states, regions, and culture. After an introduction to concepts and methodologies the course focuses on mobility, using commodities, people, and empires over the period from c. 1500 to the present to explore some of the ways in which the connected modern world came into being.