Hitherto it had gone by the original Indian name Manna-hatta, or as some still have it, ‘The Manhattoes’; but this was now decried as savage and heathenish… At length, when the council was almost in despair, a burgher, remarkable for the size and squareness of his head, proposed that they should call it New-Amsterdam. The proposition took every body by surprise; it was so striking, so apposite, so ingenious. The name was adopted by acclamation, and New-Amsterdam the metropolis was thenceforth called.
—Washington Irving, 1808

In less tongue-in-cheek style, this course examines the evolution of New York City from 1607 to the present. The readings focus on the city’s social and physical histories, and the class discussions compare New York’s development to patterns in other cities.

This course surveys the history of the Middle East, from the end of the 19th century to the present. It examines major political, social, intellectual and cultural issues and practices. It also focuses on important events, movements, and ideas that prevailed during the last century and affect its current realities.

This course surveys the history of 19th and 20th century Africa. It focuses on the European conquest of Africa and the dynamics of colonial rule, especially its socioeconomic and cultural consequences. It looks at how the rising tide of African nationalism, in the form of labor strikes and guerrilla wars, ushered out colonialism. It also examines the postcolonial states, focusing on the politics of development, recent civil wars in countries like Rwanda and Liberia, the AIDS epidemic, and the history of apartheid in South Africa up to 1994. Finally, it surveys the entrepreneurship in the post-colonial period and China’s recent involvement in Africa.

This class provides an introduction to modern art and theories of modernism and postmodernism. It focuses on the way artists use the tension between fine art and mass culture to mobilize a critique of both. We will examine objects of visual art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, prints, performance and video. These objects will be viewed in their interaction with advertising, caricature, comics, graffiti, television, fashion, folk art, and “primitive” art.

This course discusses China’s emergence as a global power, which has arisen out of two centuries of significant change. It explores those transformations from 1800 to the present by examining the advent of foreign imperialism in the nineteenth century, the collapse of the last imperial dynasty in 1911, China’s debilitating war against Japan, the communist revolution, and the tumultuous history of the People’s Republic of China from 1949. Also, this course addresses the historical transformations that have shaped contemporary Chinese politics, ethnicity, gender, environment, economics, and international relations.

This course surveys Japanese history from the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 to the present and explores the local and global nature of modernity in Japan. It highlights key themes, including the emergence of a modern nation-state, the rise and fall of the Japanese Empire, the development of mass consumer culture and the middle class, and the continued importance of historical memory in Japan today.

This class is a selective survey of Latin American history from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. Issues studied include Latin America in the global economy, relations between Latin America and the U.S., dictatorships and democracies in the twentieth century, African and Indigenous cultures, feminism and gender, cultural politics, revolution in Mexico, Cuba, and Central America, and Latin American identity.

The goal of this course is to offer a general introduction to 20th and 21st century literature and cultural production about Modern Mexico. Emphasis will be placed on the way intellectuals and artists have presented the changes in Mexico City’s urban life, and how these representations question themes and trends in national identity, state control, globalization, and immigration.

This subject covers a specific branch of music history: Western concert music of first sixty years of the twentieth century. Although we will be listening to and studying many pieces (most of the highest caliber) the goal of the course is not solely to build up a repertory of works in our memory (though that is indeed a goal). We will be most concerned with larger questions of continuity and change in music. We will also consider questions of reception, or historiography - that is, the creation of history and our perception of it. Why do we perceive much of this music, so much closer in time to us than Mozart or Beethoven, to be so foreign? Is this music aloof and separate from popular music of the twentieth century or is there a real connection (perhaps hidden)? The subject will continue to follow some topics of central interest to music before 1960, such as serialism and aleatory, beyond the 1960 cutoff. Conversely a few topics which get their start just before 1960 but which flourish later (minimalism, computer music) will be covered only in 21M.263.

Welcome to Modern World History! This is the textbook for an undergraduate survey course taught at all the universities and most of the colleges in the Minnesota State system. Similar courses are taught at institutions around the United States and the world, so the authors have made the text available as an open educational resource that teachers and learners can read, adapt, and reuse to meet their needs. We’d like to hear from people who have found the text useful, and we’re always open to questions and suggestions.

Word Count: 132221

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Survey of World History from 1500 CE to the Present.
Chapter 1: The World at 1500
Chapter 2: New Encounters
Chapter 3: The Americas and the Impact of Columbus
Chapter 4: The Question of Freedom and the Age of Revolutions
Chapter 5: The Troubled Nineteenth Century
Chapter 6: Imperialism
Chapter 7: The Great War
Chapter 8: The Modern Crisis
Chapter 9: World War II
Chapter 10: Decolonization
Chapter 11: Cold War
Chapter 12: Globalization
Chapter 13: The Anthropocene

An adaptation of "Modern World History" by Dan Allosso and Tom Williford

Word Count: 72716

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Short Description:
Written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729, A Modest Proposal—full title A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick—is a satirical essay which mocks the heartless attitudes towards the poor. In order to improve their economic troubles, the essay suggests that the impoverished Irish sell their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies.

Long Description:
Written and published anonymously by Jonathan Swift in 1729, A Modest Proposal—full title A Modest Proposal For preventing the Children of Poor People From being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and For making them Beneficial to the Publick—is a satirical essay which mocks the heartless attitudes towards the poor. In order to improve their economic troubles, the essay suggests that the impoverished Irish sell their children as food to rich gentlemen and ladies.

Word Count: 4255

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically as part of a bulk import process by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided. As a result, there may be errors in formatting.)

This course is an introduction to selected musical traditions of West Africa. A variety of musical practices and their cultural contexts will be explored through listening, reading, and written assignments, with an emphasis on class discussion. The course includes in-class instruction in West African drumming, song and dance, as well as lecture-demonstrations by guest artists.
After an introductory unit, the course will be organized around four main geographical areas: Senegal, Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria. An in-depth study of music from these countries will be interspersed with brief overviews of Southern, Central, and East Africa.

(Version: 22 Mar 2021)

Short Description:
A family history of my great-grandmother Barbara (Kraus) Kirmse and her relatives from Franconia, Bavaria.

Long Description:
Barbara Kraus immigrated to Perry County, Missouri, USA from the Hutschdorf, Bavaria. This book is a summary of the results of family research to learn about Barbara Kraus, and her relatives of Franconia, Bavaria heritage.

Word Count: 42815

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Julius Kirmse Ancestral Home and Emigration (Version: 2 Apr 2019)

Short Description:
A summary of family research to learn about Julius Kirmse's Saxe-Altenburg relatives.

Long Description:
A family history of Julius Kirmse, my great-grandfather, and his ancestral relatives.

Word Count: 24933

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Research Journal - Documentation (Version: 06 Feb 2019)

Short Description:
Documentation of Julius Kirmse's Saxe-Altenburg relatives.

Long Description:
Documentation of Julius Kirmse’s Saxe-Altenburg relatives.

Word Count: 50796

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

Richard’s intention, after over 60 years of study and field work, was to publish his final thoughts on the subject and make them readily available for all scholars to use, free of cost, wherever they may live. Knowing that his time was limited, and that he would be unable to respond to reviewers’ comments, he chose, of necessity, not to submit his manuscript for peer review. It was his wish that the book be offered as-is.

This online textbook contains short articles on each major deity, hero, monster, etc., in Greek mythology. The text is supplemented with color photographs and maps to enhance the learning experience.