Contemporary World History

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The Contemporary World History course offers students a comprehensive yet detailed approach to the study of key processes and junctures for a thorough analysis and understanding of the history of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Students are expected to acquire the tools and concepts to analyze a complex century characterized by geopolitical processes with profound social implications. Decolonization in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, as well as the persistence of genocide, terrorism, and civil wars, will be among the central themes addressed within the framework of: the world wars, their antecedents, and their devastating consequences; the Cold War and the ideological division of the world; and the geopolitical reconfiguration following the fall of state socialism and the attack on the Twin Towers. Likewise, students will address processes that have shaped societies culturally and politically to this day, such as the evolution of feminisms, the fight against racist segregation, the role of social movements, and efforts to safeguard and promote human rights through institutions like the United Nations. The course concludes with a historical analysis of current challenges, such as economic, migratory, and climate crises, as well as new pandemics and increasing international conflicts.