This seminar is an introduction to some dimension of the history of a nation, region, people, culture, institution, or historical phenomenon selected by the respective instructor. Students will come to understand, and develop an appreciation for: the origins and evolution of the people, cultures, and/or political, economic, and/or social institutions of a particular region(s) of the world. They may explore how human encounters shaped individual and collective identities and the political, economic, and social orders of the region/nation/communities under study. Instructors prioritize critical reading, engaged participation, and focused writing assignments.

Neoliberalism has become a catchword in academia and media. In History it is often used to describe the profound economic and social changes that took place in the 1980s after the election of Margareth Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the US. However, the roots of neoliberal thinking promoted by economists such as Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman go back to the end of the Second World War. In this seminar we will explore how these ideas found their way into conservative and social democratic party programs in the 1980s and 90s. We will specifically discuss the role of think tanks in promoting neoliberal ideas and economic policies on both sides of the Atlantic. In a next step we will look at the impact of neoliberalism in countries in the Global North (UK and US) as well as in the Global South (Chile and South Africa). We will end the seminar by discussing the future of neoliberalism.

Repeat Rules

Requirements class fulfills