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The Making of the Modern World

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All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

Courses

For course descriptions not found in the UC San Diego General Catalog 2024–25, please contact the department for more information.

MMW 11. Prehistory and Ancient Foundations (4)

This course explores human origins, the development of early forms of social and political organization, the strategies that early societies used to negotiate their physical and social environments, and the appearance of influential cultural traditions across the ancient world (to circa 100 BCE). Topics include the emergence of agriculture, the relationship between nomad and settled, the birth of the city and the expanding human “footprint,” the development of writing, foundational religious and cosmological ideas and narratives, influential models of visual and material culture, and changing forms of social stratification and inequality. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 11 and MMW 11R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement.

MMW 11R. Prehistory and Ancient Foundations (4)

MMW 11R is a distance education course. This course explores human origins, the development of early forms of social and political organization, the strategies that early societies used to negotiate their physical and social environments, and the appearance of influential cultural traditions across the ancient world (to circa 100 BCE). Topics include the emergence of agriculture, the relationship between nomad and settled, the birth of the city and the expanding human “footprint,” the development of writing, foundational religious and cosmological ideas and narratives, influential models of visual and material culture, and changing forms of social stratification and inequality. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 11 and MMW 11R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement.

MMW 12. Transforming Traditions and Emerging World Communities, circa 100 BCE–1200 CE (6)

This course provides a global perspective on the past from circa 100 BCE to circa 1200 CE, examining the emergence of interregional networks and empires and their relationship with the advent and expansion of diverse religious movements, including Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, as well as cross-cultural contacts and exchanges. The course also explores forms of identity (ethnic, religious, and other); models of inclusion and exclusion; systems of power, hierarchy, and slavery; and the human-environmental relationship. MMW 12 is the first of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 12 and MMW 12R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Prerequisites: satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

MMW 12R. Transforming Traditions and Emerging World Communities, circa 100 BCE–1200 CE (6)

MMW 12R is a distance education course. This course provides a global perspective on the past from circa 100 BCE to circa 1200 CE, examining the emergence of interregional networks and empires and their relationship with the advent and expansion of diverse religious movements, including Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, as well as cross-cultural contacts and exchanges. The course also explores forms of identity (ethnic, religious, and other); models of inclusion and exclusion; systems of power, hierarchy, and slavery; and the human-environmental relationship. MMW 12 is the first of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 12 and MMW 12R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Prerequisites: satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

MMW 13. A Globalizing World: Exchanges, Entanglements, and Exploitation, Thirteenth–Eighteenth Century (6)

This course presents a global perspective on the connections, exchanges, and transformations that linked Afro-Eurasia and the Americas during the period from 1200 to 1750 CE. The course examines the nature and consequences of this increasingly connected world. It focuses on spaces of cross-cultural contact and exchange, including the transfer of technologies, ideas, commodities, and customs and their environmental impact; encounters in the form of travel, trade, migration, and invasion; and exploitation through empire, colonization, and slavery, and their manifestation in state violence, intolerance, discrimination, and racism. MMW 13 is the second of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 13 and MMW 13R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Prerequisites: MMW 12.

MMW 13R. A Globalizing World: Exchanges, Entanglements, and Exploitation, Thirteenth–Eighteenth Century (6)

MMW 13R is a distance education course. This course presents a global perspective on the connections, exchanges, and transformations that linked Afro-Eurasia and the Americas during the period from 1200 to 1750 CE. The course examines the nature and consequences of this increasingly connected world. It focuses on spaces of cross-cultural contact and exchange, including the transfer of technologies, ideas, commodities, and customs and their environmental impact; encounters in the form of travel, trade, migration, and invasion; and exploitation through empire, colonization, and slavery, and their manifestation in state violence, intolerance, discrimination, and racism. MMW 13 is the second of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 13 and MMW 13R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Prerequisites: MMW 12.

MMW 14. Divergent Paths to the Modern World, Eighteenth–Twentieth Century (4)

This course explores divergent paths to modernity between the mid-eighteenth century and World War I. The course examines the influence of “the West” as a hegemonic force that disrupted global connections and forged new ones, changing the social, economic, political, and ecological norms of societies worldwide. The course investigates how groups and individuals around the world adopted, contested, and/or resisted this influence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 14 and MMW 14GS. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Prerequisites: MMW 12 or MMW 12R and MMW 13 or MMW 13R with a grade of “D” or better.

MMW 14GS. Divergent Paths to the Modern World, Eighteenth–Twentieth Century (4)

This course explores divergent paths to modernity between the mid-eighteenth century and World War I. The course examines the influence of “the West” as a hegemonic force that disrupted global connections and forged new ones, changing the social, economic, political, and ecological norms of societies worldwide. The course investigates how groups and individuals around the world adopted, contested, and/or resisted this influence. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 14 and MMW 14GS. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Program or materials fees may apply. Prerequisites: MMW 12 or MMW 12R and MMW 13 or MMW 13R with a grade of “D” or better. Students must apply and be accepted to the Global Seminars program.

MMW 15. The Contemporary Era: Conflict and Aspirations in a Globalized World, Twentieth–Twenty-First Century (4)

This course explores the sociocultural, economic, and political forces that shaped the twentieth and twenty-first century and contestations over them, with particular focus on the complex interaction between humans and the natural world. It examines the overlapping causes and impact of the global and local conflicts and inequalities that have defined the contemporary era. The course addresses efforts to defend and expand freedom, improve quality of life, and increase transnational cooperation and communication that challenge those hierarchies that perpetuate inequality. The course reflects on what this recent history may mean for our collective future. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 15 and MMW 15GS. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Satisfaction of the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement. Prerequisites: MMW 12 or MMW 12R and MMW 13 or MMW 13R with a grade of “D” or better.

MMW 15GS. The Contemporary Era: Conflict and Aspirations in a Globalized World, Twentieth–Twenty-First Century (4)

This course explores the sociocultural, economic, and political forces that shaped the twentieth and twenty-first century and contestations over them, with particular focus on the complex interaction between humans and the natural world. It examines the overlapping causes and impact of the global and local conflicts and inequalities that have defined the contemporary era. The course addresses efforts to defend and expand freedom, improve quality of life, and increase transnational cooperation and communication that challenge those hierarchies that perpetuate inequality. The course reflects on what this recent history may mean for our collective future. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 15 and MMW 15GS. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement. Program or materials fees may apply. Prerequisites: MMW 12 or MMW 12R and MMW 13 or MMW 13R with a grade of “D” or better. Students must apply and be accepted to the Global Seminars program.

MMW 121. Exploring the Premodern World (4)

This course is the first of two required courses for ERC transfer students, addresses themes and topics from the premodern world (from antiquity to the eighteenth century) and strengthens students’ analytical, research, and writing skills. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 121 and 121R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) transfer students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement.

MMW 121R. Exploring the Premodern World (4)

MMW 121R is a distance education course. This course is the first of two required courses for ERC transfer students, addresses themes and topics from the premodern world (from antiquity to the eighteenth century), and strengthens students’ analytical, research, and writing skills. Students may not receive credit for both MMW 121 and 121R. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) transfer students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement.

MMW 122. Exploring the Modern World (4)

This course is the second of two required courses for ERC transfer students, addresses specific themes and topics from the modern world (from the eighteenth century to the present) and strengthens transfer students’ analytical, research, and writing skills. Students may not receive credit for MMW 22 and 122. Students who previously took MMW 22 and received a grade of D or F should contact Eleanor Roosevelt College academic advising for guidance. Open to Eleanor Roosevelt College (ERC) transfer students only. Must be taken for a letter grade to meet the ERC graduation requirement.