All upcoming World History programs

René Lalique, the daring jeweler of Belle Époque Paris, revolutionized adornment by rejecting gemstone traditions and blending metals with enamel, horn, glass, and semi-precious stones. His nature-inspired creations—dragonflies, orchids, and nymphs—elevated jewelry to fine art, embodying Art Nouveau’s union of art and life. Collaborating with Sarah Bernhardt and elite patrons, Lalique gained acclaim at the 1900 Paris Exposition. Art historian Tosca Ruggieri’s illustrated lecture explores his evolution, techniques, patrons, and rarely seen masterpieces. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

The recent canonization of Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15, demonstrates that the desire to venerate holy people is undimmed in the contemporary Catholic Church, says historian Kate E. Bush. She explores how saints have been made through the centuries, detailing how Catholicism moved from accepting saints by popular acclamation to papal canonization. Even today, though, the devotion of everyday people is the main ingredient needed to make a saint, Bush argues.

The picture-perfect snowcapped cone of Mount Fuji has attracted Japanese artists and pilgrims for more than a thousand years. Historian Justin M. Jacobs examines the history of human influences on this dormant volcano and its dynamic—and symbolic—role in Japanese history, including the elaborate network of Shinto and Buddhist shrines that that have drawn countless pilgrims from far away.

Historian Alexander Mikaberidze looks beyond the caricature of the frivolous queen to rediscover Marie Antoinette as a complex political actor—a woman negotiating power, motherhood, and identity in an age of revolution. Drawing on art, private correspondence, and contemporary accounts, he re-examines how Marie Antoinette’s image was constructed, weaponized, and ultimately transformed from royal scapegoat to enduring cultural icon.

The American War of Independence freed the 13 British colonies in North America from Crown rule and set the stage for the United States’ bold experiment in self-government. Drawing on primary sources, historian Christopher Hamner traces the war from its roots in the crises of the 1770s through the opening campaigns of the conflict, culminating in the American victories at Trenton and Princeton and an examination of British strategy in a springtime series. This session focuses on Dunmore's Proclamation of November 1775.

World’s fairs have long served as global showcases for innovation, culture, and progress. In a 3-part series, art historian Jennie Hirsh delves into the pivotal exhibitions held in St. Louis in 1904, San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and Paris in 1925, examining how these landmark events showcased each era’s groundbreaking achievements in technology, culture, science, art, and architecture. This session focuses on the Paris 1925 World's Fair.

The Amber Room, dazzling, invaluable, and considered the “eighth wonder of the world,” was constructed for Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin in the early 18th century and gifted to Peter the Great. Composed of amber, semi-precious stones, and gold, it symbolized Russian imperial wealth. Looted by Nazis, destroyed or hidden, and later reconstructed, it has shifted from emblem of global power to phantasm of imperial ambitions. Art historian Molly Brunson explores its history, craftsmanship, and enduring fascination nearly a century after its disappearance. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

In Elizabethan England, feasts were grand, daylong spectacles overflowing with a sumptuous array of fanciful foods (but without knives or forks). Food historian Francine Segan, author of Shakespeare’s Kitchen, serves up rich tidbits of culinary history, introducing Elizabethan cooks, their recipes, and the extravagant dining customs of 16th- and 17th-century Europe. Fire-breathing roast peacock anyone?

Historian Daniel Schlafly and limnologist Michael Meyer explore the intertwined natural and human histories of Lake Baikal, from its geological origins at least 25 million years ago to the present. The lake is both the deepest and the most voluminous in the world. More than a thousand plant and animal species live here and nowhere else. Its human history has been touched by Cossacks and the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and its waters hold profound spiritual meaning for the indigenous Buryat Mongols.

Cappadocia in central Türkiye is best known for its surreal landscapes of sculpted tuff, fairy chimneys, and ancient underground cities. But Cappadocia is more than just a natural marvel. Its valleys and rock-cut dwellings reveal a rich tapestry of history, from Hittite strongholds and Persian satrapies to Roman and Byzantine settlements to cave churches. Turkish tour guide Serif Yenen brings Cappadocia to life by weaving together its natural beauty, historical depth, and religious significance.