History classes at Ohio State: 101 is just the start
The History Department offers a wealth of courses that dig into special topics and times. Here are 10 fascinating options.
(Illustrations from Getty Images)
1. Food in World History: Survey of the history of food, drink, diet and nutrition in a global context
2. History of the Car: The car has shaped the world we live in. Ideas of capitalism, technology and consumerism are inherently linked to it. This course traces the development of the car, first in the United States and then how its global expansion has come to define society.
3. HIV: From Microbiology to Macrohistory: An exploration of HIV/AIDS, tracing the evolution of the virus both at the molecular level and in global historical context. This course is team-taught by a virologist and a historian.
4. Happiness in History and Practice: The intellectual history of happiness in Europe from Ancient Greece to the present, particularly the ways it emerged, evolved and impacted various historical societies.
5. History of Agriculture and Rural America: The economic, social and political history of agriculture and the countryside from the pre-Columbian period to now. Topics: labor, public policy, abundance, activism and technology.
6. Solving Crime in Medieval Europe: This course explores the interaction between the development of criminal law and social change, examining English common law and the continental courts of law. Topics: trial by ordeal, forensic medicine, homicide, treason, sanctuary and fearmongering.
7. Applied Public History: Museum Pasts, Practices, and Challenges: Want to work in museums? This course explores the global history through historical/theoretical study and practical projects. Students work with artifacts, conduct research and create their own exhibits while analyzing the challenges and ethics of the work.
8. History of Nuclear Energy: Nuclear energy has been vaunted as a sustainable energy source yet remains a controversial part of the world’s energy matrix. This course traces its development from WWII scientific tests to its promise in the 1960s and ’70s, to Chernobyl and Fukushima, to present-day advances and issues.
9. Global Hotspots of the Early Modern World: Buenos Aires: Focusing on 18th-century Buenos Aires, this course studies cities that connected Old and New Worlds and served as places of innovation in commerce, political structures and ideas. International travel is a component.
10. History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict: The history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its inception in the late 19th century to the early 21st. Materials provide an in-depth understanding from multiple perspectives.
