(Offered as HIST 470 and ASLC 470) The rise of Shanghai as a cosmopolitan modern city in the nineteenth century and the vicissitude of its fortune in the twentieth century closely paralleled China’s modern history–in fact, many of China’s most important modern transformations first took place in the metropolis. Shanghai was the largest treaty port with the first foreign concessions in China, and thus emerged as the primary conduit for western ideas and culture.

(Offered as HIST 370 and ASLC 370) Japan, the only non-Western colonial empire to emerge during the second half of the nineteenth century, shaped itself and East Asia through imperialism. This course engages that history by paying attention to shifts in scholarly approaches to empire. We will consider, for example, how theories of imperialism and post-colonialism apply to Japan and East Asia.

(Offered as ASLC 354 and HIST 354.) What does it mean to talk of “Asia,” if the term itself is largely the product of modern imperialism and its attendant discursive formations? This seminar adopts Kuan-Hsing Chen’s framework of “Asia as Method” to combine post-colonial studies, critical area studies, and the emerging field of “Asian studies in Asia” to grapple with the intellectual history of East Asia from the late-nineteenth century onwards.

(Offered as HIST-344 and EUST-344.) Many see today’s world resembling some features of the world in the 19th century. Unlike in the Cold War, there is no stability of two superpowers system. Like in the 19th century some powers today claim regional hegemony, attempt to pursue the course of supranationalism, and encounter the challenge of diversity.

(Offered as HIST 326 and BLST 326) Diamonds have a long history in global trade; for centuries, they were scarce enough to be among the most precious commodities. But in 1867, the discovery of diamonds in a remote part of the Cape Colony in southern Africa turned them into a commodity that helped finance the construction of the British empire on the continent through conquest and African labor.

(Offered as HIST 265, LLAS 265 and ENST 265) This course focuses on the links between ecological transformations and human problems, and between rural social movements and environmentalism. Questions we will engage include: How has imperialism impacted the environment? How have these environmental impacts shaped the possibilities for political resistance by subaltern groups?

(Offered as HIST 265, LLAS 265 and ENST 265) This course focuses on the links between ecological transformations and human problems, and between rural social movements and environmentalism. Questions we will engage include: How has imperialism impacted the environment? How have these environmental impacts shaped the possibilities for political resistance by subaltern groups?

(Offered as HIST 235, EUST 245 and RUS 235) Joseph Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, created a particular type of society in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Stalinism became a phenomenon that influenced the development of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea. The course will begin with the exploration of Stalin’s own life and then focus on what historical forces enabled the emergence of Stalinism.

(Offered as HIST 235, EUST 245 and RUS 235) Joseph Stalin, the infamous Soviet dictator, created a particular type of society in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Stalinism became a phenomenon that influenced the development of the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, and North Korea. The course will begin with the exploration of Stalin’s own life and then focus on what historical forces enabled the emergence of Stalinism.