We听believe that a critical understanding of the past cultivates a听deeper听appreciation听and understanding of both the present and future.听Upon graduation, you will have a听profound听knowledge of historical trends across cultures听in at least two different geographical or thematic areas; you will be able to critically assess the value of information by identifying, interpreting, and narrating significant historical data; you will听learn how to听discuss听a historiographical work听by听identifying the basic motivations and methodological approaches of the author within the discipline of History; and you will be prepared听for further study and work through your听mastery of reading primary texts and writing historical essays.
The educational goals for this major are as follows:
There is perhaps no better place than Paris to delve into the enriching exploration of history. You will find that the legacy of this vibrant city remains visible in its world-renowned monuments and museums, which is why regular visits to sites around Paris, as well as other important cities across the continent, are integral to our program. We also incorporate diverse disciplines into our curriculum, including art history, film, comparative literature, and psychology, in order to help you place history within its proper geographical, temporal, and cultural contexts. As you see the power of the past come alive in the classroom and in the city, you will recognize that ultimately, history is a way of understanding the full human experience.
With every single one of our majors, you鈥檒l find a carefully curated medley of core courses and electives, which will provide you with the tools you need to establish an unshakeable foundation in the principles and concepts fundamental to your growth within your disciplines of choice. Many majors also enable you to specialize further within the broader area of study.
We aim to help you develop a range of skills, capacities, and modes of inquiry that will be crucial for your future since employers and graduate schools are looking for the critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills that are associated with a liberal arts education, including sophisticated writing abilities, willingness to pose difficult questions, and an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts surrounding a topic or decision.
Each elective provides you with entry to听a variety of subject areas which you can choose among to further focus your studies. With the help of your academic advisor, you鈥檒l be able to tailor your major so that it most effectively prepares you for the next step in your academic and professional journey.
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The History core courses, which you must take as part of the major requirements, will provide you with the tools you鈥檒l need to ground your present and future studies. Your introduction to the fundamentals of History will help pave the way for your successful completion of other History courses.
Surveys the development of Western civilization and culture, from the ancient civilizations of the Levant, Greece, and Rome, through the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
This seminar surveys basic themes in world history from the origins of humanity until about the year 1500 AD. Major themes include the rise of civilizations in Mesopotamia, India, East Asia, Central Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, the role of technological change as a motor of historical development, the role of imperial states in the ancient world, the development of major world religions, the establishment of trade routes and other forms of contact between the main civilizations.
This course examines the major civilizational development of civilization in East Asia from prehistory to the end of the sixteenth century. We will examine the histories of China, Korea, Japan, with a focus primarily on China. You will also be asked to think comparatively, examining not only how the different countries and regions developed in East Asia, but also how East Asian developments compare with the 鈥淲est.鈥
Why do women have less power, make less money, and have fewer opportunities than men do? Why have women's bodies been controlled, stigmatized, and pathologized? This is the first half of a year-long investigation of the origins and impacts of gender inequality. We start with our pre-agricultural Sapiens ancestors up to the beginning of the early modern period, looking primarily but not exclusively at socio-cultural developments that shaped understandings of gender, patriarchy and the role of women in different early cultures around the world.
This course surveys major themes in the ancient (pre-Islamic) and medieval history of the Middle East. It is organized around two parts. The first surveys successive civilizations and empires that rose in the region or invaded and dominated it, from the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Hittites, the Phoenicians, the Persians, to the Greeks and the Romans/Byzantines. The birth of Judaism and Christianity is presented in this part. The Second covers the rise of Islam, its expansion and the Caliphate it established from the 7th to the late 13th century, when the Mongol seized Bagdad.
Continues History 1001, from the Renaissance and the Reformation through commercialism, Absolutism, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the industrial and social revolutions of the 19th century to nationalism and socialism in the contemporary Western world.
This course provides an introduction to world history from the early modern period to the late twentieth century. Students will attain a sound grasp of the world history approach through study of the political, economic, and social connections and networks generated within and among these societies.
This course examines the major development of civilizations in East Asia from the 16th century to the present. We will examine the histories of China, Korea, Japan, focusing primarily on China. You will also be asked to think comparatively, examining not only how the different countries and regions developed in East Asia, but also how East Asian developments compare with the 鈥淲est.鈥
Why do women have less power, make less money, and have fewer opportunities than men do? Why have women's bodies been controlled, stigmatized, and pathologized? This is the second half of a year-long investigation of the origins and impacts of gender inequality. We start with the early modern period, looking primarily but not exclusively at socio-cultural developments that shaped Western understanding of gender and the role of women. We will analyze the political and economic roles of women the emergence of nation states, slave economies and colonial empires, and the political and social revolutions that gave birth to a certain type of liberal feminism that continues to shape contemporary societies.
This course examines the historical development of the Middle East from the rise of the Ottoman Empire to its decline, and later from colonial rule to national independences. It covers the Arab World, Turkey and Iran and follows four main general themes: Reform, Colonialism, Nationalism and Revolution. The course is divided into two main sections which are organised chronologically and thematically. The first part of the course deals with the formation of the Ottoman Empire, its expansion, and the rise of Safavids in Persia. It then covers the reform movements in the Ottoman and Persian (Qajar) Empires, the influence of Europe and the political and social upheaval brought about by the outbreak of revolutions in the early 20th century. Indigenous responses to European penetration and indigenous reform are analysed through an understanding of revolutionary movements, and the rise of nationalism. The second part of the course examines the emergence of states in the Arab World, the British French accords and declarations, the question of Palestine and the Zionist activism and the debates around Secularism vs. Islam.
Beginning with the bipolar world of the Cold War, focuses on ideological struggles of the West, East, and Third World and the reactions of nations to the politics of the superpowers. Topics range from decolonization to the rise of the new Asia, African independence, the reemergence of the Muslim world, the collapse of communism, globalization and clash of world cultures.
The History Workshop is a course in the historian's craft that will give students an opportunity to learn about the discipline of history. Students learn how to pose researchable questions(problematiques), to gather evidence, and to present their findings before an audience of their peers in a seminar setting. May be taken twice for credit.
The Senior Seminar is designed to offer students an opportunity to discuss a series of topics or issues around a table in an intimate setting between students and a faculty director. Each student is expected to undertake a research project and to make an oral presentation in class. A final paper will be required. The Senior Seminar may be taken either junior or senior year, but only after completion of the Workshop.