HTS 2037 looks at the course of war and peace during the long twentieth century in Western Europe from 1870 through 1970 by examining its three major military conflicts: the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, WWI, and WW2. We will study these wars through the combined lenses of geopolitics, ideology, and technology. The arrival of Germany as a nation-state in 1871 culminated the centuries-old geopolitical rivalry between France and its eastern neighbor; the “German question,” would dominate European diplomatic and military affairs through the outbreak of WWI. A tenuous, and ultimately unstable peace, resulted from the war. The ideological conflict between the competing visions of fascism, communism, and liberal democracy fueled a bitter thirty-year civil war that further fanned the flames of armed conflict. In terms of the sheer scale and technological complexity of its organized violence, WW2 that followed made the twentieth century the most destructive in world history for soldiers but especially civilians. Out of the ashes of the total destruction wrought by WW2 came the rudiments of a lasting peace, constructed through Franco-German reconciliation and shared economic prosperity – the European Union.

Evolution of business institutions from colonial period to present, including entrepreneurship, business-government relations, institutional innovation, and twentieth century managerial capitalism.

How do scientists establish scientific facts? What is the nature of scientific authority? And just who are these scientists in the first place? If scientists are just like you and me, how do their positions in society, their politics, and their culture shape their scientific work — and how does their work shape society, politics, and culture in return?

This course introduces you to the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), a methodologically diverse and interdisciplinary approach to understanding connections between the production of knowledge, the innovation of technology, and the conflicting values and demands of social life. Through case studies drawn from historical and contemporary science, you will learn key STS concepts and theories, apply novel methods, and develop skills for ethically navigating your own scientific career.

This course explores the history of African Americans from the abolition of chattel slavery to the present. In addition to examining Black people’s centuries-long striving for “community,” identity, and solidarity across local, national, and global contexts, we pay special attention to differences and diversity, particularly gender distinctions within African American communities.

We will consider the contours of Black life, thought, and resistance in the late 19th, 20th, and early 21st centuries, including the ways African American communities have confronted and resisted state-sanctioned policing and violence. Students will gain new insights into relationships between lynch victims and lynch mobs, working people and employers, and the rich and the poor. More importantly, students will come to understand how these relationships are interconnected with U.S. culture, the economy, politics, power, and tradition.

Our intention, therefore, is not to add more color to the painting, but to revise the painting altogether.

Advanced undergraduate topics in U.S. history. Designed for HTS majors, but open to other students with junior or senior standing.

Offers case studies of the multidisciplinary study of sports using the lenses of history, sociology, economics, science and technology to understand sports practices and controversies. This course looks specifically at mega-events in Atlanta such as the Olympics, Super Bowl, and World CUp.

Why does educational inequality persist in the United States, and how does schooling reflect, and shape, broader patterns of social inequality? This course explores the sociology of education with a special focus on the relationship between race, schooling, and American society.