How can we understand the events, ideas, and conflicts that have featured in the news cycle during the past year? “The History of 2025” offers historically informed reflections on this year’s momentous events, providing an opportunity to understand our world in its historic context. Each week will feature a different History faculty member speaking on a major news topic of the year, showing what we can learn by approaching it from a historical perspective. The course is open to all students (newcomers and history veterans alike) who want to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of 2025, and who are curious to consider how studying history can offer a deeper and richer understanding of tumultuous times.
See HISTORY 1 on ExploreCourses
See HISTORY 1 on the Course Navigator
Course Coordinator:
Professor Anne Twitty
Details:
- 1 unit, Credit/No Credit
- One lecture every week
- Attendance required
- Short readings may be posted in conjunction with lectures
- Tuesdays, 9:30-10:20 AM
- Lane History Corner (Building 200), Room 002
Speakers and Topics:
September 23 Charles Petersen
What is an Elon Musk?
September 30 Jennifer Burns
How to Understand Trump’s Tariffs
October 7 Steven Press
Trump and Greenland
October 14 Kathryn Olivarius
Anti-Vaxx America: MAHA and the Abuses of History
October 21 Partha Shil
Police Power in World History
October 28 Robert Crews
The Death of Humanitarianism?
November 4 No Class - Democracy Day: Day of Civic Service
November 11 Thomas S. Mullaney
AI Cold War?: From ChatGPT to DeepSeek (and beyond)
November 18 Fiona Griffiths
How to Choose a Pope
November 26 No Class - Thanksgiving Recess
December 2 Pedro A. Regalado
Migrants, Money, and Panic
