The past is present
In this assignment for the course "The 2000s," students write a response to the 2008 film Wall-E. The assignment asks them to consider the film's messages about key early 21st-century issues, including technology and the environment.
This course is a survey of US History from 2000 to 2015. It examines the US through political, social, cultural, economic, and diplomatic lenses. Students will learn about major historical developments, including the War on Terror, culture-war battlegrounds, neoliberalism, and the expansion of the Internet.
The first 100 days of President Trump's second term marks a departure from established US foreign policy, focusing on dismantling international aid and agreements. His administration’s actions, including cuts to USAID and skepticism toward NATO, jeopardize global partnerships. Trump's approach favors unilateralism and transactional relations over multilateral cooperation, risking America's leadership and security in an increasingly authoritarian world.
This course traces hip hop culture's emergence and development in the United States and globally from the 1970s to the present. With a strong emphasis on rap music, the course investigates the culture's intersections with local, urban, and regional histories, as well as technology, politics, capitalism, race, gender, sexuality, and class.
Barbie has been breaking barriers for over 60 years—but can she be characterized as a feminist?
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism due to allegations of corruption and wide scale human rights abuses in the country in the lead up to the tournament. Criticism of Qatar must be seen in the wider historical context of corruption and "sportswashing," which reveals that global sporting bodies are inherently political despite claims of being apolitical.
History and prior political science research forecast a dismal 2022 midterm for Democrats. However, Donald Trump, the consequences of his presidency, and his chosen candidates dragged the Republicans down.
This course explores the history of the United States since 2000. It pays particular attention to the historical developments that have shaped students’ lives—the global “war on terror,” widening income and wealth inequality, the explosion of the Internet and social media, and intensifying battles over immigration and national and cultural identity.
Clio and the Contemporary 