What does it mean to be a human? What is the meaning and purpose of life? How do our identities, emotions, and relationships define us? Do we have intrinsic dignity as humans? What are our moral obligations to others and to the world around us? This seminar explores these and other fundamental questions about being human by drawing on various disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, literature, and arts. Throughout the course, students will develop their own ideas about what it means to be human by examining diverse philosophical, scientific, and cultural perspectives on key concepts such as human nature, identity, emotions, dignity, sociality, and morality.

What would an ideal society look like, and how can we build it? Who should govern the state, and how? What is the best way to organize the economy? This seminar explores how great minds from antiquity to the present day have addressed these and other “big” questions about society, politics, and economics. Throughout the course, students will develop the ability to think in critical and sophisticated ways about important concepts such as freedom, justice, equality, democracy, and economic development. They will also learn how to apply them to understand and address contemporary issues and challenges.

This course provides a comprehensive survey of global history from the origins of human civilization to the beginning of the modern era. Through an exploration of social, economic, political, cultural, ideological, and technological forces that shaped human interactions across time and space, students will be able to trace the evolution of ideas, institutions, and systems that laid the foundations of the modern world. They will also be exposed to diverse (i.e., non-Eurocentric) historical narratives and perspectives, which will help them to develop a greater awareness and appreciation of the complexity and diversity of human experience.

This course surveys the history of the world from the beginning of the modern era to the present day. Through a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, students will examine the social, economic, political, cultural, ideological, and technological changes at regional and global levels that have shaped today’s world. By engaging with diverse primary and secondary sources, they will attain a thorough and nuanced understanding of the complex and interconnected history of the modern world. They will also gain historical insight to make sense of contemporary political, economic, and social issues.