Nations and Empires in the Modern World

Pre-requisites: History students are required to have passed the exam from General History of the 19th Century. All students from other departments should possess knowledge of general modern history.

Course objectives: This course is an introduction to key events in modern history; practical work in practicing the historical method; developing critical thinking by applying it to concrete examples in history.

Course description: The subject of this course is dedicated to exploring the phenomena of empire and nation, imperialism and nationalism, and the dynamic relationships between empires and nations in the modern era. The timeline will begin with american independence from the British empire and the creation of the United States of America, to the dissolution of european kingdoms during the First World War. After going through general historical theory, the class will focus on case studies and examples. We will research different types of empires and imperialism, as well as nations and nationalism, confirm origins of conflict, but also cooperation between empires and nations. The practical component will be composed of seminar labs and will be tailored to suit student's particular fields of interest. Essay and oral presentation topics will be decided upon depending according to student's final project papers.

Learning Outcomes: Gaining a deeper insight into the modern world, which provides students with a foundation for working in a broad range of fields – from academia to scientific institutions and governmental administration to media and non-governmental organizations.