World History, 1945-Present

HIST 101 World History, 1945-Present introduces students to key issues and events that have unfolded since the end of the Second World War. The course will develop student's understanding of the period as one of ongoing change and contestation at global, national, regional, and local levels, the ramifications of which continue to impact us today. Topics typically addressed in the course include efforts toward the establishment of a postwar international order, including the United Nations; the Cold War; colonization, decolonization and the changing imperial and national political landscape; the evolution of political and economic systems and ideologies including Communism, Capitalism, Democracy, and Authoritarianism; globalization; developments in the arts and sciences; technological change; social movements; tensions and developments in areas of human rights, indigenous, racialized, ethnic, and gender identities; and human interactions with the environment. Upon the course’s conclusion, students will be able to identify and explain the significance of key issues and events from this period and to consider their ongoing influence.