History

The institutional church never had the kind of control over the populace of medieval Europe that modern people think it did. This course explores the multiplicity of types of belief and practice amongst those who lived in accordance with the church’s teaching—monks and nuns, wandering preachers, pious families—and the varieties of resistance among those who did not—Jews, Muslims, and heretics, social revolutionaries, sexual nonconformists, practitioners of the occult, student wastrels. The course discusses the kinds of sources that tell us about these groups, including saints’ lives, chronicles, Inquisition registers, letters, and poetry. This course helps students appreciate how people in the past operated much as people do today, but in a very different world with a different set of assumptions. Continuous emphasis is placed on the geographical and cultural diversity of medieval Europe and the Mediterranean, and the decentralized and multivocal nature of medieval religion.

This course begins with Japan’s early history then focuses on the different stages of modernization, extending into the twenty-first century. Following a chronological sequence, the thematic design introduces students to different aspects of Japan, including the “myth” of the country, and its multifarious relations with East Asia, the West, and the world. Japan serves as a non-Western case to understand (post-)modern world history.  

This course covers the history of colonial Brazil to the history of Portuguese colonization in America using historiographical trends and perspectives. Topics include: the Portuguese maritime empire and colonizing experiences, from the coast to the interior and the construction of colonial regions; the colonial city, and power structures and sociocultural dynamics; colonial slave society: ethnic-racial relations; differences and inequalities; pluralities and antagonisms; Portuguese America and the South Atlantic since the Restoration; the construction of Rio de Janeiro as the capital and its articulation with colonial regions; the formation of colonial identities, and history and culture of Africans and Indigenous peoples in the colonial world.

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach by introducing contemporary development issues in the Global South. It draws on literature from Political Science, Economics, History, and Sociology. The module explores and analyzes the intersection of politics, history, sociology, governance, and economics in relation to development in the Global South. It does so by investigating the influence of colonialism, governance, culture, institutions, conflicts, and external forces on the development trajectories in the Global South. Empirically, the course addresses important questions such as: What is the connection between colonial history and development in the Global South; Why have some countries within the Global South developed faster than others since the WWII; What has been the impact of institutions on development in the Global South; What has been the impact of natural resources on politics and development in the Global South; Are there forms of corruptions compatible with development in the Global South; What is the role of foreign aid and foreign direct investments in development, including the China-effect in the Global South? e module also introduces students to important political economy theories such as Neo-patrimonialism, Corruption and Clientelism, Developmental state, Decoloniality. It achieves all the above by offering space for a diversified body of literature and perspectives.
 

This course provides an introduction to the diverse and dynamic history of the United States. Through a range of historical approaches—including political, social, cultural, and foreign policy perspectives - students investigate the forces that have influenced the development of the United States. Themes such as popular culture, multiculturalism, the role of the state, sexuality, gender, race, religion, class, and varied identities are explored, alongside foreign policy, the presidency, and the evolution of America as a global power. The course provides a broad yet nuanced understanding of how power, politics, and different groups of people have intersected across different eras, equipping students with the analytical tools to engage critically with historical narratives and debates. The course is designed to encourage students to think critically about the forces that shaped American politics and culture and empower them to engage with debates about its past, present and future.

This course examines how the world's oldest liberal democracy has become such a vital and fraught force in the contemporary world. It focuses particularly on the peculiar 20th-century US histories of class, race, religion and global engagement. 

This course offers a historical and panoramic overview of the relationship between music and social and political processes of Latin America from the colonial period until the 19th century, reflecting upon the importance of these musical expressions in considering the possibiitlies of a Latin American identity. 

China underwent dramatic changes through the course of the first half of the twentieth century in politics, society and culture. Colonial exploitation at the hands of many different foreign powers fired up a young revolutionary generation who expressed their desire for change in cultural movements and political action. Women and men, students and workers united to oppose imperialism and explore ways of transforming society. The development of a new form of urban capitalism was followed rapidly by the emergence of a Chinese communist movement, which grew from obscure beginnings to govern the country from 1949. Civil war and the Japanese invasion of China in China’s long Second World War accelerated some changes and stymied others.

This course enables students to explore these trends that shaped the world’s most populous country.

This course studies Western European history, especially focusing on political, cultural and social aspects of French history from medieval to modern times. 

This course examines the history of modern terrorism; its methods, motives, aims, and state responses stretching from its origins in the wake of the French Revolution (when the 'infernal machine' of 'terrorism' is first labeled), through the anarchists of the 1880s and 1890s to the left- and right-wing clashes of the 20th century and the multinational operations of Islamic groups today. Guided by talks from our expert tutor and discussion with classmates, students have the opportunity to examine primary sources from these events and evaluate conflicting historical perspectives to understand better how modern terrorism relentlessly evolved while still caught in the old cliché that 'one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter'.