Common Core Courses
CCCH9065
What Archaeology Tells Us about Chinese Civilization
Semester 2, 2025-26
Course Description
This course explores the roots and development of Chinese civilization from the Paleolithic era (ca. 2.5 million years ago) to the Han Dynasty (ca. 220 AD), focusing on major archaeological discoveries and their significance. Through a multidisciplinary approach, it integrates history, anthropology, sociology, and natural sciences to examine the evolution of complex societies, early state formation, and cultural practices in ancient China. Key themes include the origins of agriculture, urbanization, material culture, ritual, writing, and the development of social complexity. The course encourages critical thinking by addressing debates and unresolved questions in Chinese archaeology and history, while also engaging students through tutorials, hands-on activities, and museum visits. Additionally, it connects early Chinese civilization to global contexts, fostering an understanding of cultural diversity and comparative analysis with other early civilizations. By exploring the material foundations of ancient China, the course also provides insights into the resilience and continuity of Chinese civilization, offering a deeper appreciation of its influence on contemporary China.
CCHU9096
From Malthus to Modernity: A Global History of Economic Growth
Course Description
This course examines some of the central questions of global economic history: why some nations became rich while others remained poor, and how modern patterns of economic growth and inequality emerged. It traces the long-run evolution of the world economy from the era of Malthusian constraints to the onset of sustained modern growth, focusing on the historical interactions among population dynamics, agriculture, technology, institutions, and culture. Particular attention is given to the processes that culminated in the Industrial Revolution and to the debate over the “Great Divergence” between Europe and Asia.
Adopting a comparative historical perspective, the course explores how demographic behaviour, economic incentives, and institutional structures shaped long-term development. Students engage with both qualitative historical evidence and quantitative data used in economic history. Through the analysis of major historical transformations, including changes in agriculture, population regimes, technological innovation, and global trade, the course encourages students to develop a deeper understanding of how historical processes continue to influence contemporary economic challenges. By placing global developments alongside Chinese historical experiences, the course also highlights the diverse paths through which societies have approached modern economic growth.
CCAI9035
History in the Machine: Can AI Simulate Human Civilizations
Course Description
History is full of “what ifs”. What if it were not the Qin state that unified China? What if Rome had never fallen? What if the Black Death had been less devastating? For centuries, historians and philosophers have debated whether history is shaped by individual choices, structural forces, or pure chance. Today, with the rise of artificial intelligence, agent-based modeling, and big data, these questions take on new urgency.
This course explores whether human civilization can be simulated—and what such simulations reveal about our past, present, and future. Students will critically engage with AI-driven approaches, ranging from large language models that reimagine historical voices to agent-based modeling of ancient societies. At the same time, the course emphasizes the limits of simulation, asking whether human culture, institutions, and historical contingency can ever be reduced to data.
Through readings, discussions, presentations, hands-on experiments, and group projects, students will grapple with the intersection of artificial intelligence, computation, and history, gaining both a critical understanding of digital tools and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of human society.
CCGL9069
Multinationals and the Global Economy
Not being offered in current academic year
Course Description
What are the drivers of globalization? When you read this question, you will most likely think of major nation-states such as China or the United States, international organizations such as the United Nations, and technological innovations, such as the internet or the airplane. However, there is another important driver that fuels globalization: multinational companies. These are companies that do business in multiple countries and move, manufacture and market capital, commodities and services across borders, often owning assets and employing people throughout the world. Multinational companies are major pillars of the global economy, but at the same time shape our daily lives locally. In this course, you will explore how these multinational companies operate across the world and influence globalization. We will discuss the positive and negative effects the ever-growing presence of multinationals have on our lives, not only economically, but also in terms of the larger impact multinationals have on local cultures.
