Online courses directory (19947)

The decades between roughly 1890 and 1960 witnessed unprecedented efforts to create new art, new values, and a new culture in Europe and the United States to distance itself from the more socially acceptable works of late Victorian poets and artists. During this time, Western writers, artists, and intellectuals questioned the accepted aesthetic norms and produced radically experimental works of art and new understandings of what it means to live in modern times. The first half of the 20th century also witnessed the most devastating conflicts in Western history the two World Wars and the Holocaust and these events accelerated and profoundly influenced cultural changes. Modernist poetry one of the most interesting cultural developments emerged during this time. While it is true that modernist poetic developments sprang up in unlikely and seemingly spontaneous ways, we will attempt to progress through this course in a roughly chronological manner. This is because, in many ways, even modern poetry retains a…

Many scholars consider Dante the ultimate Italian poet of his time.  He introduced innovative stylistic techniques to the poetic tradition while also drawing from the philosophy, history, and mythology of the ancient world.  As we will see in the course, he composed his works in the Italian vernacular, setting an important precedent in the literary world of his time, when most of his contemporaries wrote only in Latin.  In this course, we will consider Dante’s literature for its stylistic and thematic contributions to the body of Medieval and Italian literature, as well as for its inventive appraisal of Christianity. Before we look at Dante’s specific literary works, we will first consider him as a writer who worked in a particular historical context and will accordingly begin by taking a look at Dante’s life as well as the culture of Medieval Italy on a broader level.  We will then take a look at some of Dante’s shorter works, most notably his early philosophical treatises.  We will devote the…

The Victorian Period of English history (1837-1901) witnessed a set of complex political, social, scientific, medical and philosophical developments. Such developments influenced - and were influenced by - various modes of cultural production, most specifically the Victorian Novel. The reciprocal relationship meant that even as discoveries fed the imaginative worlds of fiction, fictive accounts helped a reading public re imagine the language of those discoveries. As the British Empire expanded its reaches across the globe, news of new societies and cultures circulated back to the British Isles to a degree never before witnessed in English history. At home, British intellectuals began raising important questions concerning the nature of the "Woman Question," or the proper place and role for British women in society, at home, and in the workplace. In addition, this period saw the rise of Darwinism, Marxism, and Freudian psychoanalysis - a set of theories that would forever change global society and culture. In…

African American literature grew out of the oral tradition of storytelling and spirituals.  In this course, you will consider these verbal modes and their impact on the literary production of African American authors from the Colonial period to the current day.  Along with considering the content of literary works, you will examine the cultural, historical, and political contexts of the literature, as well as how the issues of gender, race, and class affect the production and meaning of these works. In this course, you will examine the development of African American literature in seven units: Oral Traditions; The Literature of Slavery; Reconstruction to the  New Negro Renaissance Movement; Harlem Renaissance; Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism; Black Arts; and the Contemporary Period.  This course begins with a unit that studies African American literature’s inception through oral tradition.  This unit will teach you about the beginnings of narrative and will ground your understanding in the develop…

In this course, we will study the emergence of the major civilizations of the ancient world, beginning with the Paleolithic Era (about 2.5 million years ago) and finishing with the end of the Middle Ages in fifteenth century A.D. We will pay special attention to how societies evolved across this expanse of timefrom fragmented and primitive agricultural communities to more advanced and consolidated civilizations. To do this, we will rely upon textbook readings to provide historical overviews of particular civilizations and then utilize primary-source documents to illuminate the unique features of these individual societies. By the end of the course, you will possess a thorough understanding of important overarching social, political, religious, and economic themes in the ancient world, ranging from the emergence of Confucian philosophy in Asia to the fall of imperial Rome. You will also understand how many aspects of these ancient civilizations continue to remain relevant in today’s world.

This course will introduce you to historical research methods and familiarize you with the tools and techniques that historians use to study the past.  You will learn about the process of modern historical inquiry and gain a better understanding of the diverse resources that historians use to conduct research.  The course will be structured topically.  The first four units will focus on research methodology and examine how and why historians conduct research on the past.  Later units will examine how different historical resources can be used for historical research.  By the end of the course, you will understand how to conduct research on past events and be familiar with the variety of physical and electronic resources available for historical research.

This course will introduce you to the history of Europe from the medieval period to the Age of Revolutions in the eighteenth century.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in Europe during this 800-year period.  The course will be structured chronologically.  Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, European expansion overseas, and the French Revolution.  By the end of the course, you will understand how Europe had transformed from a fragmented and volatile network of medieval polities into a series of independent nation-states by 1800.

This course will introduce you to the history of Europe from 1800 to present day.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in Europe during this period.  This course is structured chronologically, with each unit focusing on a particular historical event or trend.  Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the Industrial Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, imperialism, and the Cold War.  By the end of this course, you will understand how nationalism, industrialization, and imperialism fueled the rise of European nation-states in the nineteenth century, as well as how world war and oppressive regimes devastated Europe during the 1900s.

This course will introduce you to United States history from the colonial period to the Civil War and Reconstruction. You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in America during this 250-year period. The course will be structured chronologically, with each unit focusing on a significant historical subject in early American history. The units will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the development of British America, the founding of the American republic, and the crisis of the federal union that led to the Civil War. By the end of the course, you will understand how the American federal union was founded, expanded, and tested from 1776 to its collapse in 1861.

This course will introduce you to the history of Latin America from the early 19th century, when many Latin American colonies declared their independence from European rule (predominately Spain and Portugal), to the present day. This course fulfills one of the required six geographical concentration courses for the History major [1]. This course also fulfills one of the requirements for the History minor [2]. In this course, you will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout Latin America during this crucial 200-year period of nation-state formation and engagement with the rest of the world. The units in the course are set up chronologically, but at the same time the units address the development and history of specific Latin American regions, including Mexico, Central America, and South America, and nation-states. Each unit includes representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as ef…

This course will introduce you to the history of the nations and peoples of the Middle East and Southwest Asia from 1919 to the present.You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place throughout the region during this 100-year period.This course will have a chronological structure.Each unit will include representative primary source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the emergence of nationalist movements following World War I, European political and economic imperialism during the first half of the 20th century, the creation of the nation of Israel, regional economic development, and the impact of secular and religious trends on Middle Eastern society and culture during the second half of the 20th century.By the end of this course, you will understand how the countries of the region have overcome significant social, economic, and political problems as they have grown from weak former colonies into modern natio…

This course will introduce you to the history of East Asia from the early Yellow River civilizations to the Qing Dynasty in the late eighteenth century.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam during this period.  The course will be structured chronologically.  Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the development of a coherent Chinese identity, Chinese imperial aspirations in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, the expansion of Western influence and trade networks, the Mongol invasions, and the role of Confucianism and Buddhism in East Asian culture.  By the end of the course, you will understand how East Asia transformed from fragmented and warring societies into consolidated imperial states that sought to separate themselves from Western religion and commerce.  The course will present a variety of resources that will d…

Only 150 years ago, the empires and states of Northeast Asiafor many centuries far more developed than their contemporaries in most of Asia, and all of Europe, the Americas and Africafound themselves powerless in the face of the military, technological and economic might of the European imperialist powers and the United States. Yet, today, most of these states have once again become key players in the contemporary world order: economically, politically, culturally, and, in many instances, militarily. In this course, we will study how and why the ‘modern’ transformation of Northeast Asia came about, examining both the indigenous and foreign ideas and institutions on which the transformations were based, and comparing how change manifested in different times and places. We will analyze many of the problems faced both domestically and internationally during this transformation, and will evaluate the prospects for the region in the 21st century. In order to do so, we will trace the political, economic and c…

This course will introduce you to the history of Africa from 300,000 BCE to the era of European imperialism in the nineteenth century. You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in Africa during this period and examine the experiences of Africans who lived during this period. You will also explore the relationships between Africans and people living in other regions of the world. The course will be structured chronologically except for units 3 and 4, which will divide the continent geographically while covering the classical period of African history. Each unit will include representative documents and other resources that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes. By the end of the course, you will understand how Africans transformed their continent beginning with human evolution and concluding with the era of global capitalism. The story then continues in HIST 252, which covers the last 120 years of African history.

This course will introduce you to the major events and dynamics of three distinct periods in African history, namely (1) the colonial period, (2) the era of decolonization, and (3) the post-colonial period.  We will survey African history from the “Scramble for Africa” in the late nineteenth century and the establishment of colonial rule to the challenges of independence spanning roughly the last five decades, learning about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place in Africa during these periods. In exploring the dominant trends and patterns in African history during these time periods, we will focus primarily on sub-Saharan Africa.  While the northern African states of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt share many of the same experiences with sub-Saharan Africa, the histories between northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa (as exemplified by the strong Arab influence in northern Africa and the natural dividing line of the Sahara desert) are significantly different to…

This course will focus on the history of Greek and Roman civilizations beginning with the origins of ancient Greek culture in the Aegean Bronze Age (c. 30001100 BCE) through the period of the Roman Empire at the height of its greatest extent and prosperity (c. 31 BCE235 CE). We will focus on the political, economic, and social factors that shaped the development and maturation of these two influential Mediterranean civilizations. The course will be structured chronologically. Each unit will include representative primary source documents that illustrate important overarching themes, such as the emergence and development of Greek civilization from the Aegean Bronze Age through the Greek Archaic period (c.700500 BCE), the contrast between democratic and oligarchic forms of government in Greek city-states of the classical era (c. 500350 BCE), the decline of the Greek city-states, the rise of Macedon and the spread of Greek culture to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia in the Hellenistic period (c. 35031…

This course will introduce you to the history of the European Middle Ages and Renaissance.  You will learn about the major political, economic, and social changes that took place between the fourth century and 1500.  The course is structured chronologically.  Each unit includes representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the collapse of the Roman Empire, the rise of the Christian Church, the emergence of the feudal system, the advent of the Renaissance in Italy and northern Europe, and the significance of the European Age of Exploration.  By the end of the course, you will understand how Europe transformed from a collection of barbarian kingdoms into a continent with a sophisticated cultural and economic life that would later come to dominate the globe.

This course will introduce you to the history of the Age of Revolutions in the Atlantic World from 1776 to 1848. You will learn about the revolutionary upheavals that took place in the Americas and Europe during this period. Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as the secession of the American colonies from the British Empire, the outbreak of the French Revolution, the dissolution of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in the Americas, and the spread of revolutionary ideals throughout the Atlantic World. Running alongside and extending beyond these political revolutions is the First Industrial Revolution. By the end of the course, you will understand how an Atlantic World, dominated by European empires in 1776, was transformed through revolution into a series of independent states by 1848 and of the profound changes that Europe would experience, and continue to experience, through the development and…

This course will introduce you to the history of the Atlantic slave trade from 1500 to 1900. You will learn about the slave trade, its causes, and its effects on Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The course will be structured chronologically and geographically; each unit with focus on a particular aspect of the Atlantic slave trade. Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching political, economic, and social themes, such as slavery and the slave trade within African societies, the growth of plantation societies in the New World, the advent of European slave dealing in western Africa, the simultaneous growth of European empires and the Atlantic slave trade, the nature of slave trading and the Middle Passage, and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade in the nineteenth century. By the end of the course, you will understand how the Atlantic slave trade began as a fledgling enterprise of the English, Portuguese, and Spanish in the 1500s and why, by the mi…

The purpose of this course is to trace the twin paths of capitalism and democracy through American history.  This course is premised on the idea that capitalism and democracy are intertwined, though they have often conflicted with one another.  One reason that democracy and capitalism often conflict is because capitalism has the capacity for both enormous construction and enormous destruction; these contradictory impulses often appear in tandem.  This course is structured to provide students with a brief introduction to the history of capitalism and democracy in Europe and then to explore how they evolved in North America between 1600 and the present.  Throughout the course, students will be exposed to primary and secondary readings as well as video and audio lectures that will explore the connections between America’s economic and political development This course assumes a basic working knowledge of U.S. history.  A good resource for review is http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/US_History [1]. Also ava…