This course provides students with an understanding of international history from the early nineteenth century to the end of the Cold War, and of the major transformations that have shaped today’s international system. In particular, we will examine the political, military, economic, and cultural forces that have influenced the development of modern international relations, from the Congress of Vienna through the major conflicts, ideological confrontations, and structural changes of the twentieth century. This is not a comprehensive survey of all world regions, but a course that focuses primarily on the interactions between the great powers of a given era and their significant impacts on global political and economic order. Our purpose is not to have you memorise dates, but to understand the interplay of historical forces and the historical approaches that seek to explain these events.

Studying history requires critical thinking and determination: a historian must gather evidence and examine it carefully to write a story about the past. This course introduces the critical and analytical skills necessary for the study of history, through an examination of women in the Roman Empire. While the course focuses on Rome, the skills students will learn will be useful to students interested in any area of history. We will look at literature and trash, graves and gems, to study how we know what we know about the past. Our course will take us through fascinating and monstrous stories, into the world of magic and religion to give us a picture of the lives of ancient Roman women.

This course offers an introduction to the musical traditions of Afghanistan and their cultural, social, and historical contexts. Students will explore a range of musical genres, instruments, and performance practices, while also learning about the intersections of music with identity, migration, gender, politics, and religion. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of music in preserving Afghan cultural heritage during times of war, displacement, and diaspora.

This course focuses on the benefits of exercise for physical and mental health, the history of women’s sports, and the intersection of politics and women’s sports. The course has a particular emphasis on successful Muslim women athletes and the barriers they have faced and continue to face. We also highlight the experiences of women athletes in Afghanistan. The course includes in-class discussions and videos, breakout groups, pre-class readings, and short writing assignments to supplement lectures and presentations. No background in the topic is required; intermediate level English recommended.

We begin by considering the general relationship between languages and power. Within any given country, some languages are more powerful than others; speaking those languages gives individuals relatively more power. On a global level, languages are arranged in hierarchical patterns – with English at the top. Language learning and translating are activities which are thus always intimately connected with questions of power. We move on to consider some of the more specific ways in which translating can strengthen or challenge existing power structures. First, in relation to feminism, we explore translation’s potential to challenge patriarchal structures within society (e.g. by giving women access to knowledge) or within language itself. Second, in relation to activism, we use case studies to understand the ways in which translation can be harnessed in support of a variety of causes such as human rights or climate justice. Finally, taking a closer look at the mechanics of translation, we explore the ways in which word choices can perpetuate or contest dominant worldviews.

This course will take students through historical and ethnographic perspectives on food as a cultural, socioeconomic, symbolic, historical, sensory, and political domain. We will begin by reading seminal historical and theoretical texts that have formed the foundations of approaches to food. Our further readings will consist of case studies that explore the ways food and eating communicates ideas about class, gender or ethnicity.This course will give students a chance to look more closely at taken-for-granted categories, asking questions like, How do we learn what counts as food and not-food? What can we learn by looking at what disgusts us or what we consider taboo? How is food a vehicle for social inclusion and exclusion?