OCW covers 17 MIT special subject areas in History
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “I believe that the more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future.”
At MIT, the study of History teaches different ways to think critically about the past, present and future of the world. Students develop a rich, empathetic understanding of the people, events, and circumstances that ultimately prepares them to be active members of their local communities and an increasingly global society today.
Tailored to put the modern world in historical perspective, MIT History subjects explore the social, cultural, economic, and political transformations that shape the present.
On OCW, You Can Browse Lists of Courses On 17 History Subtopics:
African History
American History
Ancient History
Asian History
Comparative History
European History
Historical Methods
Historiography
History of Science and Technology
Intellectual History
Jewish History
Latin American History
Medieval History
Middle Eastern History
Military History
Modern History
World History
OCW Has Recently Published These History Courses:
21H.102 American History Since 1865, Spring 2018
This course examines the social, cultural, political, and economic history of the United States, from the Civil War to the present. It uses secondary analysis and primary documents, such as court cases, personal accounts, photographs, and films, to examine some of the key issues in the shaping of modern America, including industrialization and urbanization, immigration, the rise of a mass consumer society, the emergence of the US as a global power, and the development of civil rights activism and other major social movements.
21H.132 The Ancient World: Rome, Spring 2017
This course covers the history of Rome from its humble beginnings to the 5th century A.D. The first half covers Kingship to Republican form; the conquest of Italy; Roman expansion: Pyrrhus, Punic Wars and provinces; classes, courts, and the Roman revolution; Augustus and the formation of empire. The second half covers Virgil to the Vandals; major social, economic, political and religious trends at Rome and in the provinces. There is an emphasis on the use of primary sources in translation.
21H.357 South Asian Migrations, Spring 2018
This course provides a global history of South Asians and introduces students to the cultural, social, economic, and political experiences of immigrants who traveled across the world. It studies how and why South Asians, who have migrated to America, Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East, are considered a model minority in some countries and unwanted strangers in others. Through literature, memoirs, films, music, and historical writing, it follows South Asian migrants as they discovered the world beyond India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
21H.155 Modern Japan: 1868 to Present, Spring 2017
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.