HIST 520: History of Paris

This graduate course offers a survey of the history of Paris from just before the Revolution of 1789 through about the year 2000 – an era the French call “contemporary” or “modern” history. Our approach to Paris’s history is broad, since we will examine developments in economics, society, politics and culture, as well as the lives of a handful of important, sometimes fascinating individuals.

Among the particular themes we will consider are the city’s revolutionary tradition; the Parisian style of modernization; the ongoing relationship between Paris and “the Provinces” and between Paris and the Francophone (French-speaking) world; the political tendencies of republicanism, socialism and fascism; and the city’s artistic legacy. There may or may not be patterns discernible in the history we will consider. The history of Paris is worth knowing because that history may be seen as a microcosm of larger trends in the Atlantic World.

This is a synchronous course that meets Thursday evenings from 4-6:45 pm Central / 5-7:45 pm Eastern.

Please review the syllabus for full course information.

This is a Full Semester course. Participants may register for one Full Semester course OR one course each in Fall I and Fall II.

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