Global History

Why did the West develop? This module is a research-intensive and practice-based seminar in global history, focusing on some popular debates which considerably stirred up academic circles around this question. Module topics revolve around key issues in global history, such as colonialism and imperialism, the rise of the West, global development and Eurocentric history. Our schedule begins with two introductory classes serving to equip students with the basic knowledge, concepts and methods for discussions. The bulk of the module consists of six debate sessions, in which students are asked to form groups of 3-4 and prepare for each discussion based on the session topic. Assessment is primarily based on debate performance and a short summary report covering their discussion inputs. Students interested in the social sciences or the humanities, especially history, geography, international relations, economic history, development studies and political science and who are wishing to advance their argumentative skills are highly encouraged to apply.