HSOC-295: World Histories

The course examines the major political, economic and social developments of the world from the beginnings of World War I to the present. The focus of lectures, readings and writing assignments will be on factors that contributed to the outbreak of World War I and World War II, and the issues that remained unresolved by these global conflicts. New challenges presented by these conflicts include the role of nationalism and socialism as political forces, the impact of Western imperialism on Africa and Asia, and the world's increasing economic interdependence.