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Academic Year 2004/2005


World History: A Psychohistory of the Modern World
HIST 251 FA

We will examine the often neglected psychological dimension of modern history. First, we will explore processes of global change in the modern period. Then, using a variety of materials, including memoirs, fiction, and film, we will examine how peoples in widely differing cultures and with very different levels of wealth and power adapted to modernization. Several variants of psychoanalysis will be critically examined and applied to a range of topics, among them, the impact of global economic change on the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe; the adoption of new cultural forms and accompanying changes of psychology and identity; racism and anti-Semitism; the impact of European imperialism and cultural exportation on the Americas, Africa and Asia; the effects of world wars, civil wars, and revolutions; Nazism, Stalinism, and Maoism; Gandhi and Satyagraha; postcolonialism, the Cold War, and the disintegration of the Communist bloc; the USA as a psychological laboratory; the women's movement, gender revolution, and the emergence of "postmodern," protean psyches.

MAJOR READINGS

E. Erikson, CHILDHOOD AND SOCIETY
F. Fanon, BLACK SKIN, WHITE MASKS
S. Freud, CIVILIZATION AND ITS DISCONTENTS
Eric Hobsbawm, THE AGE OF EXTREMES
C. Lasch, THE CULTURE OF NARCISSISM
Eric Wolf, EUROPE AND THE PEOPLES WITHOUT HISTORY
There will also be shorter readings on a variety of topics and four films.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

There will be three medium size essays and a longer final essay.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: SBS HIST    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Pomper,Philip    
Times: .M.W.F. 11:00AM-11:50AM;     Location: PAC004;
Reserved Seats:    (Total Limit: 40)
SR. major: 0   Jr. major: 0
SR. non-major: 0   Jr. non-major: 5   SO: 15   FR: 20

Special Attributes:
Curricular Renewal:    Writing, Focused Inquiry Course
Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005


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