All upcoming World History programs

The age of the Baroque roughly coincides with the 17th century, one of the most transformational periods in European history. Despite the many variants of this style, its most salient features include emphasis on sensual richness, drama, movement, and emotional exuberance. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine discusses the main currents of Baroque art in Italy, Spain, France, and Holland and how they reflected significant social and cultural developments sparked by forces including religion, government, global exploration, and science. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

In March 1945, the Rhine River was the last natural barrier left open to Germany’s heartland. As Allied troops advanced, the only bridge still spanning the river was the Ludendorff railroad bridge at Remagen. Military historian Mitch Yockelson examines how the 9th U.S. Armored Division took control of the strategically vital bridge only minutes before German forces had planned to destroy it and how this pivotal action ultimately shortened the war in Europe.

Long before royal exploits were splashed across the tabloids, England’s ruling clan played out their dramas on the national stage during the mid-to-late 15th century. The houses of Lancaster and York brawled through a series of family battles known as the Wars of the Roses, marked by enough drama, betrayals, and intrigue to fill a television series. Tudor and Renaissance scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger looks at the conflict from the inside out, finding truth in the warning “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”

With a dynamic and far-reaching history that spans the Neolithic period to the modern age, Chinese civilization has given rise to some of the world’s most remarkable artistic creations. Art historian Robert DeCaroli explores that complex legacy by examining how shifts in China’s social, religious, and political life have influenced transformations in its material culture. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

In 1943, the people of Denmark—led by King Christian X—dared to stand up for their Jewish citizens in one of the largest actions of collective resistance to aggression in the countries occupied by Nazi Germany. To keep the population of 8,200 Jews safe from arrest and deportation, the Danes hid, protected, and then smuggled most of them out of the country. Historian Ralph Nurnberger recounts this extraordinary act of courage on the part of a nation.

The history of art forgery is packed with stories of tricksters who, while more pranksters than gangsters, succeeded in fooling the art world and profiting while doing so. Art historian Noah Charney uncovers the "provenance trap," a methodology that has most often and most successfully led to forgers fooling experts. He illustrates with intriguing, quirky, and enlightening case studies involving five famous forgers. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The Borgias—a family synonymous with murder, rape, incest, and torture—have been immortalized by historians, authors, and a pair of dueling series on Showtime and Sky. But was it all sex, simony, and scandal? Art historian Elizabeth Lev examines their political aspirations, religious conflicts, fascinating artistic commissions—which, despite their extraordinary beauty, could not redeem the family's reputation—and the surprising epilogue to the clan’s inevitable downfall.

Starting in the 15th century, many European nations competed to acquire pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices from Asia, as well as porcelain, silk, tea, and more. In this quest to obtain goods from abroad, these countries built empires, established colonies, and left virtually no corner of the globe untouched. Former foreign correspondent Adam Tanner examines why this historic Western focus on Asia is essential to understanding our world today.

The Classic Maya city-states of Central America that flourished from the 3rd through the 9th centuries famously "collapsed" in the 9th and 10th. However, in the distinctive environment of the Yucatan Peninsula the Maya experienced a greater continuity, and a resurgent Post-Classic Maya culture arose that persisted uninterruptedly until the incursion of the Spanish in the 16th century. Cultural historian George Scheper examines its achievements and legacy.

Agrippina the Younger emerges from history as an ambitious political strategist and a ruthless killer. Ancient sources seem to both admire her power and guile while questioning her methods, suspicious of the many convenient deaths that paved the way for her ascendance as Roman empress. Historian Colin Elliott leads an exploration of Agrippina and the complexities of her legacy—forever intertwined with the rise and fall of Nero­—and how she impacted the history of ancient Rome.