History

Reflection on and analysis of Western traditions organized thematically: the Age of Absolutism; the Enlightenment;the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic period; the liberal, national, and industrial forces of the 19th century; imperialism and the issue of power and domination, the political and moral crises of the 20th century.

Survey of the history of China, Korea, and Japan, from mythical times to 1600. Although this survey outlines the individual histories of China,Korea, and Japan, it emphasizes the cultural continuities and historical interactions that have made "East Asia" a coherent cultural region: shamanism, writing systems, rituals of kingship, Buddhism, Confucianism, literature and visual arts,technological development, travel, commerce, and war.

Although the Cold War formally ended twenty-five years ago its repercussions can still be felt in United States relations with Russia, in the partial warming of ties between the US and Cuba, and in the national security challenge posed by North Korea. The Cold War can also be linked to "failed states" in the Middle East and elsewhere which are a major concern for US foreign policy today. This course will trace the origins and conduct of US-Soviet or "East-West" rivalry after World War II. It will include the division of Europe in its political, economic, military, and cultural aspects. It will consider mutual perceptions and fears that informed both US and Soviet foreign policies. Last but not least, this course will encompass the impact of the Cold War on a global scale, taking account of the ways that US-Soviet rivalry intersected with the European retreat from empire in Asia and Africa, helping to shape anti-colonial struggles and post-colonial "nation-building."

1692 saw an explosion of violence and fear. In little more than a year around Salem, Massachusetts, dozens of people were accused, and nineteen were hanged as witches. Across New England, it seemed, the devil reigned. Ever since, historians, playwrights, and authors have struggled to explain and make sense of these events. This course will focus on the culture and religion of colonial New England. We will also use Salem in 1692 as a lens into historians' differing methods and changing ways of writing about history. For example, how did historians writing in during 1950's Communist Red Scare era approach Salem differently than historians in the early 21st century? What is the difference between a legal historian, a social historian, and a gender historian, and how might they approach the puzzle of what happened in Salem differently? What do these events tell us more broadly about colonial New England religion and culture? The course will also examine the role of the witch craze and witch hunts in popular culture, literature and films.