Lora Wildenthal

Course provides an introduction to European history from 1500 to the French Revolution, tracing Europe's rise to world dominance via capitalism, the nation-state, science and technology, and a secular world view. It asks how conditions in the rest of the world allowed European imperialism and colonialism to triumph.

What are human rights, and what does it mean to call them “universal”? How do rights across borders, such as those needed by refugees, fit with rights within borders that citizens use to exercise sovereignty? How do new (or previously unrecognized) rights emerge, such as rights for sexual minorities? And how can we write histories of ideas that are claimed to be timeless? This advanced history seminar draws on multiple disciplines, especially anthropology and law, to answer these and other questions. Students undertake independent research on an issue of their choosing. This class is important for students considering law school or graduate study in history. Open to juniors and seniors. Open to others only with permission of instructor. (Please note that class rank is determined by year of matriculation, not credits.)