Education

Examines American populism from the age of President Andrew Jackson through Donald Trump. The course reviews how populism has been used and abused in U.S. life and history, giving particular attention to social relations, the electoral arena, and the causes of political violence.

An examination of factors that helped sustain the territorial and ideological unity, military strength, and international influence of the Soviet Union, and the reasons behind the gradual liberalization of society, the fall of Communism, and eventual disintegration of the USSR.

Examines the social and cultural history of early modern Japan. Places emphasis on the richness and complexity of social aspirations and experiences, as well as the arrangement of power that reproduced hierarchy while also fostering a vibrant popular culture.

An examination of the interrelation between war, reform, and revolution in Russia/Soviet Union, focusing on the centralization of the state, messianic character of its foreign policy, and evolution of its national idea before and after the historic 1917 Revolution.

Examines the state terror policies of the Argentine and Chilean military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s, the struggle for human rights in both countries, the transition to civilian government and the legacies of repression, and the ensuing—and ongoing—debates over impunity, justice, and historical memory.

The course provides a survey of Japanese history from the early 19th century to recent decades, with emphasis on its major social, cultural, and political developments. Japan’s relations with other countries will also be studied.