Fall 2025 Special Topic Courses
HIST 100C: Century of Conflict
It goes without an argument, that the 20th century has been the most brutal and destructive one in human history. In this course, we are going to survey some of main as well as lesser known yet equally significant cases of human suffering and violence in the past 100 years. Additionally, we want to ponder on the questions of what roles modernity, the state (e.g. government) and the individual played in instigating and/or carrying out violence and causing devastation. Conflict shaped the 20th Century, provoked by potent ideologies like nationalism, militarism and communism and reactions thereto such as decolonizing forces. These modern conflicts carried out by states and individuals shaped the modern world and their legacies are still felt today.
Wednesday, 11:30-14:20
Instructor: Scott Sheffield
CRN: 90496
HIST 100H: Secrets of World War II
Eighty-years on, interest in the history of the Second World War remains strong. From coffeehouse literature by hobby historians to professionally-made documentaries on streaming platforms, perhaps no other event in History has attracted a larger output of work. This introductory-level course invites students to develop an interest in History and look at some of the enduring legacies, myths and secrets of the Second World War in Europe.
Monday, 11:30-14:20 (Note: This course has an additional session scheduled on Thursday, December 4th.)
Instructor: Sebastian Huebel
CRN: 91138
HIST 396P: From the Cold War to the War on Terror: The United States since 1945
This course aims to give students a greater understanding of the internal conditions and outside influences that drove the post - 1945 rise of the United states as a superpower. It examines America's domestic and foreign policies from the Cold War to the War on Terror; an era in which the country’s growing economic strengths and global influence gave birth to the notion of the “American Century” continuously challenged by the US adversaries. The course culminates in the analysis of Washington's post 9/11 military engagements abroad as part of the War on Terror doctrine and assesses the results of the 2016 and 2025 presidential elections through the prism of national security interests, ongoing international crises and changing realities of the domestic political agenda.
Tuesday, 17:30-21:20 (Note: This course has an additional session scheduled on Friday, December 5th.)
Instructor: Larissa Horne
CRN: 91144
HIST 397P: An Immortal Memory: The Life and Afterlife of Alexander The Great
This course is devoted to exploring the world and image of Alexander the Great both during his lifetime as well as in subsequent Greco-Roman times. Throughout the course, students will learn not only about Alexander's military expeditions and warfare, but also about the image that has been forged about this king and general. After all, why do we continue to study Alexander the Great almost 2400 years after his death? By the end of this course, students will be able to provide their own answers to this question.
Wednesday, 13:00-16:50
Instructor: Aleks Jovanovic
CRN: 90512
HIST 398G: Life and Death in Traditional East Asia
What does history tell us about what it is to live a full life in this world and confront the anxieties of death? Let’s explore some views with (funky) texts and studies on traditions of East Asia. Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, Shinto, and folk customs will be examined in terms of ways of being, values, conceptions of salvation, and ties to historical norms and structures. Includes contents on Japanese practices to set us up for a study tour planned for summer 2026.
Wednesday, 17:30-21:20 (online meeting times)
Instructor: Eiji Okawa
CRN: 90513
HIST 499Q: Democracy, Citizenship, and Belonging in the United States
This course examines the changing and contested definitions of citizenship in the United States from the late 18th century to the early 21st century. Through a chronological and thematic approach, we examine how membership in the U.S. political and civic community has been defined and experienced over centuries. Citizenship in the United States has been shaped by a variety of factors, ranging from legal and constitutional provisions to economic and social practices, ideological and cultural beliefs. We will occasionally use comparative frames that consider how legacies of racial slavery and emancipation in the Americas influenced the formation of U.S. citizenship over time and place as well as to consider the impacts of settler colonialism in global terms. Finally, we will pay special attention to the impact of ethnicity, economic status, and gender on citizenship rights and obligations as well as the role of religion.
Thursday, 13:00-16:50
Instructor: Ian Rocksborough-Smith
CRN: 90519
Winter 2026 Special Topic Courses
HIST 100G: Global History, 1870-1945
This course examines some of the main currents of world history from the late 19th Century through the first half of the 20th Century. The course reviews affairs in Europe in light of developments in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Examples of major topics include: turn of the 20th Century global empires and modern revolutions; industrialization and human migrations; depressions and wars; authoritarianism; nationalism; and anti-colonialism. In each class we will usually discuss at least part of one chapter from the textbook as well as primary sources, whether text, art, music, or film (viewed in class).
Wednesday, 11:30-14:20
Instructor: Ian Rocksborough-Smith
CRN:
HIST 397R: Spy Game: Modern Intelligence
This course will examine a multi-faceted world of secret intelligence organizations of the leading world powers in the 20th century and beyond. This includes looking at intelligence as a process, a product, and an organization of units to support intelligence information gathering, analysis, and dissemination. The list of topics will include country-specific analysis as well as general themes within the universal functioning of intelligence communities. Such themes encompass intelligence collection and analysis, types of intelligence gathering and reasons for intelligence failures; as well as intelligence and policy making, and intelligence and ideology.
Tuesday, 17:30-21:20
Instructor: Larissa Horne
CRN:
Summer 2026 Special Topic Courses
HIST 499L: Post Soviet: States of Eurasia
This course will explore the major domestic and foreign policy issues faced by the newly independent postcommunist states of Eurasia, which emerged as a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. The structure of this course is based on students’
independent readings and research, as well as weekly discussions and a conference at the end of the term. A thematic approach to seminars will allow students to compare and contrast the geo-political, economic, social and ethno-cultural developments within the post-Soviet states of Eurasia. The seminar will also examine both the tendencies towards greater cooperation among these states, and the sources of discontent and conflict among them in the greater context of world affairs.
Tuesday, 17:30-21:20
Instructor: Larissa Horne
CRN: