| An exploration of those forces that profoundly changed the institutions and structures of society in the Twentieth Century including migrations within and across national borders, responses to environmental opportunities and threats, and uses and misuses of technology. Examines the rate, direction, and implication of societal and cultural change at national and global levels. |
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| Selected themes in the cultural, religious, economic, social, and political history of Europe from the end of the fourteenth century to about 1715. After a brief survey of the late Middle Ages, the course will then address focus on the Renaissance, Reformation, age of discovery, and finally state-making in the seventeenth century. Through the examination of these themes the course will chart the shift in the geographic centers of power in early modern Europe from Mediterranean to Northern Europe and the Atlantic seaboard. |
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| The course will chart the ways in which the French Revolution and the industrial revolution in Europe shaped the political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual development of Europe in the nineteenth century. The major themes of the course include the development of the political ideologies that emerged as a result of the French Revolution, industrialization, nationalism, the development of class societies, gradual democratization in parts of Europe, the beginning of the women's movement, challenges to liberalism, and finally, the causes of World War I. |
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| An introduction to the main political, social, economic and intellectual developments in twentieth-century Europe. The major themes of the course include the experience of the two world wars; the development of fascist and communist regimes under Lenin and Stalin, Mussolini, and Hitler; the weakness of the western democracies after World War I; the Holocaust; the Cold War; the Communist Bloc; the end to colonialism; the European Union; the development of the welfare state, and the new nationalism. |
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| A study of French history from 1750 to the 1980s. The course provides an overview of the political, social, economic, and cultural history of France from the late eighteenth to the late twentieth century. The course will address a variety of themes from the standpoint of France's place in European history as a whole but also in terms of the uniqueness of the French experience. Some of the themes covered by the course will include: France's revolutionary tradition; the development of a democratic society; the French pattern of gradual industrialization; the persistence of the French peasantry; the socialist movement and syndicalism; the evolution of the radical right; imperialism; French communism; intellectual movements in literature, philosophy and the arts; France and Europe in the post-war period; women in French society; and the role of minorities in France. The course will also examine the ways in which these themes relate to issues confronting contemporary France. |
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| A survey of Latin American history, society, political economy, and culture from the late colonial period through the Age of Revolution to the early 21st century, including consideration of major themes such as neocolonialism, dependency, race and racism, U.S.-Latin American relations, revolution, military dictatorship, democracy, the environment, indigenous and women's rights, poverty, and related historical and contemporary issues. |
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| Latin American civilization from the emergence of independent states, relationships with the United States and the modern regional distinctions. |
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| A seminar on the history of South Africa from the 1600's until the end of apartheid in the early 1990s. Topics include early colonization, conflicts between European settlers and natives and between the English and the Afrikaaner republics, the development of capitalism, the dynamics of black South Africans under apartheid, and the bloody struggle for and against national liberation in the early 1990s. |
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| A study of the history of Brazil from the colonial period through the present day. The primary focus will be on the period from the arrival of the Portuguese Court in 1808 until the "abertura," or re-democratization of the 1980s. Some of the topics that will be covered in the course include: 1) the historical development of the Brazilian nation-state and 2) the development of a Brazilian "national" culture. Thus recurrent themes will include political organization and participation, economic growth and development, nationalism, authoritarianism and re-democratization, social organization and stratification, cultural production, and race relations. |
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| This course examines Mexican history from before the Spanish conquest to the present day. The approach is chronological, topical, and thematic. Critically engaging with a wide variety of course materials, students will gain specific factual knowledge about Mexican history, including major figures, events, and trends; explore how the histories of the United States and Mexico have grown increasingly entwined; and examine diverse aspects of Mexican history, society, and culture. |
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| This course provides and in-depth study of World War I. The topics covered include the causes of the war; the military history of the war; the social, economic, and cultural changes that resulted; the terms and consequences of the peace; and ways in which the memories of the war were constructed. Although the course will focus on Europe where most of the war was fought, students will also examine the impact of the war on Russia and Europe's overseas colonies. |
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| This is an introduction to the study of comparative politics: the comparison of political systems in order to understand how and why these systems function differently. The course is built around three fundamental questions: What is comparative politics? What kinds of phenomena do we compare? What are the major theoretical approaches that guide our studies? We also examine distinctions between the "developing" and the "developed" worlds, and between authoritarian and democratic political regimes. |
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| A survey of the developing nations of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This class explores why some countries are "developed" and others not. The course examines some of the major explanations for development, both economic and political. Following an overview of each of the developing regions, the class will analyze some of the major issues facing developing nations today. Topics include democratization, religion and politics, ethnic conflict, women and development, and revolution. |
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| The course is designed as an introduction to Latin American politics. We focus on two major trends that have characterized the region throughout its post-independence history: episodic waves of political democratization and democratic breakdown, and a common but changing series of economic systems. We also examine the political role played by the military, the quest for political equality among various groups in society, and the evolving political and economic relationships between Latin America and the U.S. |
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| Sometimes called the cradle of civilization, the Middle East is home to approximately 330 million people, vast oil resources, and the world's fastest-growing religion. It also faces formidable political, social, and economic challenges. In fact, it may well be the most contentious region in the world today. This course examines selected domestic and international political developments in the modern Middle East. We discuss Arabism, political Islam, secular-religious tensions within and between Middle East states, and state-society relations (e.g., opposition movements, human rights, gender issues). We also analyze international relations within and without the region, namely the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Iraq-Iran conflict, and U.S. foreign policy toward the region (including the impact of the war on terrorism). We will supplement our readings and discussions with several films and periodic guest speakers (depending upon availability). An underlying theme of the course is the potential for democratization in the Middle East. |
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| This course examines key theories and contexts that shape American foreign policy strategy and important questions of foreign policy politics. It exposes students to foreign policy strategy as the means by which U.S. national interests and policies are formulated and to foreign policy politics as the roles played by institutions and actors within the foreign policymaking process. |
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| This course will examine contemporary conflict and the use of force in world politics. It introduces two schools of thought (security studies and strategic studies) and examines theories and concepts used to understand contemporary global security. |
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| This course will offer an enriching, hands-on, interdisciplinary exploration of the dynamic processes of policy formation in the core institutions of the European Union. Students will prepare for participation in the simulation held each November in Washington D.C., organized by the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation Consortium (MEUSC). This experiential learning program endeavors to connect American students to EU policy makers and policy making in a unique way, utilizing the simulation experience to bridge the gap between the academic study of the EU and the actual political processes of the European Union. Students will be engaged in discussions and debates about the EU that are current and topical in EU decision-making circles. A distinct theme is chosen as the focus of the simulation each year . |
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