History

This course examines the history of Berlin during the Cold War, with a specific emphasis on the Berlin Wall. Literary texts, historical documents, photographs, and films are used to analyze this period of time. The course explores perspectives from both sides of the wall on the two cultural, social, and political societies that existed in Berlin during the Cold War. The course discusses whether at this point in time the “wall in the head” (Peter Schneider) has degraded completely or persists in contemporary Berlin. Students actively participate in class and attend a number of excursions in the city.

The course begins by exploring the historical background of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, starting with the events which led to the creation of the state of Israel. Particular attention is paid to studying the development of the conflict over the course of the 20th century from a domestic, regional as well as international perspective. The impact of various Israeli and Palestinian movements on the conflict is studied as well as the ongoing involvement of regional and international state and non-state actors. The course concludes with an analysis of the conflict in the 21st century, which includes studying what proposals for peace have been put forward and evaluating their merits. The course is organized according to key events, themes as well as case studies.

This course interrogates the resilient power of racism in American history from the founding of the United States to the recent past. Students survey African American history from slavery through the Civil Rights era, broadly defined, and to more contemporary struggles. Students embed this history in the larger sweep of American history, covering topics such as plantation slavery, abolitionism and emancipation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, the "New Negro," the long Civil Rights Movement, and the age of recent presidents. Students discuss the legacy of prominent African-American thinkers, activists, and political leaders, as well as the perspectives of ordinary black men and women. 

This course examines the evidence for one of the most successful forms of state society in the ancient Mediterranean, namely the polis or city-state, making use of evidence from archaeology, ancient history, epigraphy, numismatics, and ancient literature. It explores the emergence of the first city-states in Greece following a period of economic decline, the so-called Greek “Dark Age” and slow recovery. The key features of the city-state and particularly the features of the urban environment are discussed as are the political structures required to govern large urban populations. The re-emergence of writing, in an alphabetic system, is given attention due to the importance of written law and constitutions for social and political stability. The course considers different systems of government used at various city-states and the economic and social systems that emerge alongside and within the various poleis. The connection between the emergence of the polis and the foundation of new Greek communities overseas – colonization – are discussed. The course makes a comparative study of early constitutional history of Athens and Sparta. The invention of coinage is studied as are relations between different Greek city-states. The course concludes with a consideration of the first contact and conflicts between the world of the city-states and the imperial power of Persia.

This course explores the origins of various types of deductive argumentation by working through the arguments of proofs in a historical context. The course looks at the sources of different approaches to mathematical demonstrations in many diverse cultures and periods. It focuses on the continuous tradition that began in Greece; was adopted by Arabic and Hebrew scholars and was further cultivated in the Latin west. Finally, the course confronts contemporary challenges to the idea of proof such as the delicate relationship between rigor and intelligibility and the possibility of computer-generated proofs.   

Although this is not a mathematics course, enrollees should have some familiarity with mathematics and mathematical ideas. The texts demand careful attention to reasoning but they do not require advanced mathematical training. Although it is important to understand mathematical arguments, one must pay attention to the historical and philosophical aspects of the text. The class will work on several proofs on the board at each class meeting.   

This course is part of the LM degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course is subdivided into two parts. Part one discusses topics including an introduction to the study of the history and culture of the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations (Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians); and introduction to the cuneiform writing; elements of the Sumerian language; a guide to the electronic resources for the study of Sumerian; and reading, translation, and grammatical analysis of elementary Sumerian texts in cuneiform writing. Part two of the course discusses topics including Sumerian royal inscriptions: typology, structure, and contents; and reading, translation and historical-philological comment of Sumerian royal inscriptions in cuneiform writing.

We live in a world profoundly shaped by science and technology. Yet few are equipped to analyse these aspects of the modern world, understand how they arose historically, and construct and assess arguments concerning the problems they raise. This course gives students the intellectual tools to do so — to live in and contribute to such a world as a historian and citizen. Accessible to students with no science background, each topic begins from a familiar controversy, newsworthy problem, or challenge in today’s world. Topics are drawn from controversy over the environment, animal rights, science and religion, race in science, modern sexuality, climate change, sustainability, IQ testing, technological disaster, eugenics, automation and robotics (in the workplace, medicine, and war), human experimentation, clinical trials in Africa and Asia, scientific experts in democratic societies, population and famine, intellectual property and biopiracy, what counts as a disease. The course introduces students to history of science, technology and medicine (STM) and their reciprocal relations with society, politics, government, economy, and culture.

The course focuses on the development of modern Sweden from a political, economic and social perspective, with particular attention to the welfare state and the development of democracy.

This course deals with some of the most fundamental questions concerning the development of the European Identity: what have been the decisive common experiences that have fostered a sense of European community and identity, and how have they evolved over time? The course provides an overview of the concept of Europe and the development of European identity, highlighting the specific characteristics of European political/social/cultural history, notably in comparison with that of other (non-European) societies, that contributed to a sense of European community and the European identity.