The magnificent temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia marks the rise of the Khmer Empire in Southeast Asia and its incorporation of Indic cultural influences into the architecture of one of the largest religious monuments in the world. Historian Justin M. Jacobs also explores how it became a center of Buddhist worship, a symbol of French imperial pretensions, and finally an icon of the modern Cambodian nation and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The euro is the second–most-used currency worldwide. But the official adoption of this currency by 20 of the 27 European Union countries had a storied start as a currency without a state. Historian Christopher Brooks traces the euro’s evolution from the formation of the European Economic Community in 1957 to the creation of the eurozone in 1999. Brooks discusses the implementation of the euro, the advantages it brings to member states, its role in global finance, and its competition with the U.S. dollar.
From its start in the early 1950s, the talk show has been one of television’s most durable formats. Pioneering programs like “Today,” “Person-to-Person,” and “Tonight” established the basic features that have guided the format, later embraced by Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and Jon Stewart, among others. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the history of the television talk show and examines its changing appeal.
Historian Eleanor Barraclough digs into the day-to-day lives of the real Vikings—not the storied kings, raiders, and saga heroes but the ordinary people: the merchants, artisans, slaves, and storytellers who shaped the medieval Nordic world. Barraclough’s tools are artifacts such as a comb engraved with the earliest traces of a new writing system, a pagan shrine found deep beneath a lava field, and a note from an angry wife to a husband too long at the tavern.
In our modern world, arms and armor reign supreme in the fantasy realms of pop culture. One of the world’s largest private collections of arms and armor holds more than 6,000 objects, spanning 6,000 years. It includes pre-Middle Age Viking swords, a rare ancient Greek iron breastplate, and one of the best examples in the world of a Chalcidian bronze helmet (ca. 450 B.C.E.). Nick Richey, “keeper of the arms,” introduces the collection and discusses avenues of preservation that range from traditional restoration to cutting-edge digitization for a burgeoning metaverse.
The radical innovations made by European and American painters and sculptors between 1900 and 1960 forever altered the way we think about visual art. In a richly illustrated 5-session series, art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses major works by the period’s seminal painters and sculptors, emphasizing their broader socio-political and aesthetic contexts. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
The island of Santorini boasts one of the most well-preserved archaeological sites of the Greek Bronze Age. It is often described as the “Pompeii of the Aegean” because around 1600 B.C.E., a cataclysmic volcanic eruption engulfed the island in layers of pumice and ash up to 60 yards deep. It was not until 1967 that systematic excavations began in earnest. Art historian Renee Gondek delves into the ancient site and discusses the colorful frescoes found in many of the preserved structures.
From the 8th to the 14th centuries, Andalusia—Spain under Muslim rule—flourished as an artistic, cultural, scientific, and intellectual hub for the Mediterranean world. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic artisans, translators, philosophers, architects, and scientists all contributed to a vibrant cultural exchange. Art historian Louisa Woodville discusses the region’s artistic legacy and this unique convergence of influences. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
