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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
59
The Freshman years
Junior Freshman (first) year
There are approximately 22 hours of classes
per week.
Senior Freshman (second) year
There are approximately 22 hours of classes per week.
Languages 1 & 2:
Grammar and structures of the languages, written
and spoken expression and comprehension
Languages 1 & 2:
Grammar and structures of the languages, written and spoken expression
and comprehension
Introduction to the history of ideas
Introduction to the evolution of European thought
and culture in the 20th century, and to the
techniques of analysing texts in their historical
context.
This module examines the intellectual and
cultural climate in Europe before and after the
two World Wars. In particular you will examine
how intellectual and cultural trends reacted or
contributed to the threat of war and how they
dealt with catastrophes in their aftermath.
Topics covered include:
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The Fin-de-Siècle mood around 1900
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The urban culture of the European metropolis
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The pre-war crisis of values (Nietzsche)
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Social Darwinism
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Socialist ideologies
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The upsurge of right-wing thought after
the First World War
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The role of new media
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Culture and politics in the inter war years
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The idea of Europe after 1945
Culture and politics in Europe 1700-1815
Studies the emergence and development of modern society and culture since
the Enlightenment. The core of the course concerns itself with political culture
by analysing the political ideologies created from, and in opposition to, the
French Revolution. You will be introduced to the central texts and figures who
defined the meaning of modernity and to the social and cultural changes that
carried forward the project of a modern society.
The making of Modernity 1750-1820
Introduces students to key concepts of modernity as they constituted themselves
during the saddle epoch around 1800. It covers the main philosophical and
cultural trends in the European Enlightenment and Romanticism and elucidates
how cultural and aesthetic discourses interact with politics and society. It identifies
elements of the Dialectics of Enlightenment and the interaction of Enlightenment
trends with counter movements and cross-currents.
It follows and builds on the Michaelmas Term History module ‘Culture and
Politics in Europe 1700-1815’.
Europe, c. 1500-1700: Power and belief
Examines the political, social and cultural history
of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Europe.
By the end of this module, students will
have been introduced to a variety of primary
sources and some of the different methods and
approaches that can be used in their analysis.
This module addresses key themes of the
period including intellectual changes during the
Renaissance and Reformation, the emergence
of rival churches across most of the Continent,
the impact of the printing revolution, the
increasing power of territorial states, the
expansion of states into new colonial spaces,
and military and political rivalry between states.
Select one of:
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History of Continental Europe since 1870
Social, economic and political history are given equal emphasis in this
course, which concentrates on Germany, France and Russia, as well as
looking at Italy and Spain.
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Comparative politics
This module is an introduction to the study of comparative politics. We will
be studying both developing and developed countries, democratic and
authoritarian regimes as well as countries that are in the midst of political
and economic transitions. Among other things, we will learn about (i) why
countries like Israel have a multitude of parties, while the United States
has only two, (ii) what determines why some countries are capable of
making the transition to democracy (e.g. Chile), while in other countries
authoritarian regimes prevail and autocrats manage to hold onto power
for a long time (e.g. Zimbabwe), and (iii) why some countries have seen
tremendous economic growth (e.g. Ireland), while others have struggled
to spur economic development (e.g. most African countries). We will begin
the course by discussing the micro foundations of political decision-making.
Specifically, we will study the role of preferences and beliefs, which are
essential for understanding political cleavages, conflict and culture. Next,
we will move to the study of collective decision-making and group politics,
covering a variety of topics ranging from political parties and interest groups
to social movements (e.g. the American civil rights movement in the 1960s
and the East European revolution in 1989). We will then shift to the study
of political institutions as a key source for differences in individual as well
as collective decision-making. The effects of political institutions will be
studied at the micro level by looking at political decision-making (e.g. voting
behaviour in plurality systems like the United States versus proportional
systems like Italy) and at the macro level by looking at political and
economic development.