The foundations of modern science and scientific method were laid in the Scientific Revolution of the late sixteenth and seventeenth century. This period would be seen as a golden age by the philosophes of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and the founders of the history of science in the twentieth century. Yet the period from 1550 to 1650 also saw widespread interest in occult powers and natural magic, and it was the height of the "witch craze" in Europe, a period in which about fifty thousand Europeans, most of them women, were executed for the crime of diabolical witchcraft.

The aim of this course is to introduce students to some of the many intangible issues surrounding museum and historic site interpretation. We will also be addressing some of these challenges through on-the-ground and digital collaborations with museums in Massachusetts and beyond. Seminar discussion will explore readings, including both theoretical and practical works. Writing assignments will be both practical (writing exhibit labels, digital history websites) and theoretical (analyzing meaning-making in museum exhibits and at historic sites).

The foundations of modern science and scientific method were laid in the Scientific Revolution of the late sixteenth and seventeenth century. This period would be seen as a golden age by the philosophers of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and the founders of the history of science in the twentieth century.

This course will examine the nexus of science, technology, and war in the 20th century United States and Europe. This course will cover topics such as the development and use of chemical and biological warfare; scientific, political, medical, and philosophical implications of nuclear technology; the Manhattan Project and Big Science; Nazi science; Soviet agriculture; Cold War technology and the Space Race; missile technology; and psychological research and the military.

Focus on major world religions and their history, teachings, and role today in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; the interrelations of religion and culture in the modern world. (Gen.Ed. I, DG)

Science in the modern world from the Enlightenment to the Cold War. Key scientific issues of the modern age, the social organization of science, the place of the scientific community in larger social and cultural context, and the expanding relationship between science and modern technology. (Gen.Ed. HS)

Science in the modern world from the Enlightenment to the Cold War. Key scientific issues of the modern age, the social organization of science, the place of the scientific community in larger social and cultural context, and the expanding relationship between science and modern technology. (Gen.Ed. HS)

Science in the modern world from the Enlightenment to the Cold War. Key scientific issues of the modern age, the social organization of science, the place of the scientific community in larger social and cultural context, and the expanding relationship between science and modern technology. (Gen.Ed. HS)

Survey of social, political and cultural change in the Middle East from the rise of the Ottoman Empire around 1300 to the present. Topics include the impact on the Middle East of the shift in world trade from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic; social, political, and cultural change; Ottoman and European relations; imperialism and revolution; World War I and the peace settlement; state formation; and the rise of nationalism and religious fundamentalism. (Gen.Ed. HS, DG)

The history and culture behind China's emergence as a modern power. Topics include: heritage of the Ming and Qing dynasties; Western maritime trade and naval power; Christian missionaries and Western educators; peasant rebellion and overthrow of imperial rule; Chinese nationalism, the Marxist-Maoist order; China as contender for superpower status. (Gen.Ed. HS, DG)