300-400 level courses are on special topics and are more advanced. They often presuppose some basic knowledge in the field and should be more difficult courses than courses at the 1-199 levels. The department is trying to insure that some 400 level courses, although substantially more difficult, are also small in size; they thus may be suitable for graduate students.
HIST 420 European International Relations
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
This course will examine the international politics of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, up to the outbreak of World War I. During these centuries, the European great powers experienced significant internal transformations and also a revolution in their relations, both of which reinforced and accelerated each other. In the process, Europe asserted a dominant position in world politics, but also sowed the seeds for the terrible catastrophes of the 20th Century. The course will address this transformation of European diplomacy with special attention to the rivalries between the great powers, the impact of nationalism and emerging mass politics, the interplay between military and economic power, and the relationship between the European powers and the rest of the world.
