History

The course covers the most important developments in the history of the media concerning how historical studies are conducted today in theory and practice. Special emphasis is placed on how digital tools and digital sources influence the conditions for historical inquiries. The course introduces methods and tools for digital history, e.g. text analysis and data visualization.

This course provides insights into one of the darkest, most disturbing, and most formative eras of European history in the 20th century. The place of the Third Reich in German and European history, as well as reflections on continuity, modernity, and radical change, are discussed in detail. The seminars pay particular attention to conflicting interpretations of how the Third Reich came into being, the reasons for its "success," and how a complete breakdown of a civilization was possible. The seminars develop students' capacity to distinguish between fundamental knowledge and historical interpretations. Different methodological approaches to key questions are presented and discussed next to different political interpretations of the Third Reich. The critical use of different theoretical models is presented and encouraged throughout the course.

This course is an overview of the major events, actors, and developments that have shaped the course and character of Europe since the French Revolution. Students examine the rise of nationalism, industrialization, and imperialism that paved the way for World War I and the making and remaking of Europe during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Henry Kissinger might be the most controversial American statesman of the 20th century. More than 40 years since he left office, he remains the focus of intense popular and scholarly debate concerning the uses of American power during the Cold War. This course explores these controversies in the study of "America and the World" in the 1970s. The course begins by examining how Kissinger’s ideas about foreign policy evolved during his early life in wartime Germany and his career as a foreign policy intellectual at Harvard University. The majority of the course is then concerned with the central controversies of Kissinger’s time in office as national security adviser and secretary of state between 1969 and 1976. Each week students will examine Kissinger’s role in shaping and implementing American foreign policy in a particular theater of the global Cold War, focusing on the major crises and conflicts of the decade. Students read and reflect on extracts from Kissinger’s memoirs as a primary source, in conjunction with the latest historical research on that topic. 

This course covers roughly the time 500-1500, including Islamic civilization, Byzantine civilization and Western civilization, and an introduction to political and socio-cultural dimensions. Lecture topics include differences of the Roman Empire; establishment of Germanic kingdoms; the early Christian church; Mei Luowen dynasty; and medieval culture. Assessment: written reports, oral reports, participation and attendance, midterm and final exams.

This course offers a study of Mayan civilization from a multidisciplinary perspective, exploring the geographic and linguistic distribution, and the overlaps between archaeology; social anthropology; and religious theory.

Global integration is not only a fact of modern life, but of modern history writing. The interconnectedness of distant societies and states, and powerful forces making for social, cultural, and economic interaction have prompted significant scholarly assessment. This course investigates some of the events and processes which have led to a more integrated world order between the mid-19th century and the later 20th century. For most of that period much of the world was carved up between a number of inter-continental empires centered in Europe. How those empires grew, exerted control, and in due course retreated is the particular focus of the course. But other processes, too, are considered, not least the integrating force of economic changes and the spreading power of capitalism across the globe. Attention is given to the evolution of ideologies of imperialism and social Darwinism and to whether or not such ideologies impacted upon changing global power relationships. The course is designed on a comparative model, though course reading is provided in English, and while broadly chronological in approach focuses on a wide range of themes in cultural, economic, and political history.

At the heart of the course is a consideration of what is the institution of slavery, how it manifested itself across different contexts and the connections across various slave societies. There is a specific, though not exclusive, focus on the transatlantic slave trade and slavery. The first part of this course considers the origins, development, and core characteristics of slavery from the ancient world to the early modern period. The second part of the course explores the dismantling of the slave system beginning with a consideration of forms of enslaved resistance including a specific focus on the only successful slave revolt in the Atlantic World, the Haitian Revolution. From here, the course examines the rise of the abolitionist movement and the emancipation of slavery. The final part of this course considers the short and long-term legacies of slavery. First, it considers what life looked like for formerly enslaved persons in postemancipation societies. Next, it focuses on the transition to other labor systems. The course concludes with a reflection of some of the present-day legacies of slavery and current efforts to address concerns.

This course examines the theory, study and writing of History, and includes an analysis of the changes in the methods, assumptions and purposes of historical investigation over time. It covers the development of the discipline of History; methodological themes connected to History in order to demonstrate how historical materials, interviews, etc., and perspectives can come together in the production of History; research methods; and the basics of historical composition writing.