Nazi Germany
Professor: K. Schweizer
This course comprises in depth seminar investigation of important issues and themes central to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi state: a permanently fascinating theme that compels us to address some of the most profound questions perplexing mankind, past, present, and future (i. e., ethics, free will, and the nature of ultimate evil). The approach in this course is less narrative than biographical and analytical, focusing on the intellectual roots of Nazism and Nazi ideology, the Hitler phenomenon, its explanatory contexts and legacy, the structure and governing style of National Socialism, Nazi war making as well as other key issues. Generally, the course will concentrate on leading personalities, their ideas and objectives, how these shaped their major policies and how these policies in turn influenced the course of German and world history during the interwar period and beyond.

Robots in History & Culture
Professor: Nocks
While some of the most advanced capabilities depicted in robot stories are not yet a reality, many of the practical challenges to building smart, autonomous machines described decades ago by science fiction writers are now being met in robotics and AI labs around the world. We examine the long history of the quest to build robots that can replace human beings in difficult, tedious, or dangerous tasks, as it is expressed in both technical initiatives and science fiction.