MMW Courses

MMW prepares students to:

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the global past and its impact on the present and the historical and multi-cultural diversity that has shaped the modern world 
• Assess differing interpretations of the past  
• Demonstrate proficiency in formulating a thesis 
• Demonstrate proficiency in structuring and presenting an effective argument in academic writing 
• Critically analyze, effectively utilize, properly cite historical evidence in argumentative writing
• Understand and adhere to UCSD standards of academic integrity
• Demonstrate competency in critically engaging and analyzing course content in discussion section 
• Engage in experiential activity related to the academic dimension of the MMW program, including study abroad, service programs, internships, etc.

MMW is a five-course, lower-division sequence for students entering as freshmen. Courses are open to Eleanor Roosevelt College students only and must be taken for a letter grade. 

R courses are taught in a remote and asynchronous format. Lectures, discussion sections, and exams will occur through your course Canvas site, except for faculty/TA office hours and synchronous group meetings.

MMW-011 / MMW-011R Prehistory and Ancient Foundations (4 units)
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.
Terms taught: Fall and Summer
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and one TA-led discussion section each week.

MMW-012 / MMW-012R Transforming Traditions and Emerging World Communities, circa 100 BCE–1200 CE (6 units)
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-012 is the first of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence.
Terms taught: Winter and Summer
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and two TA-led discussion sections each week. 
Prerequisites: satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

MMW-013 / MMW-013R A Globalizing World: Exchanges, Entanglements, and Exploitation, Thirteenth–Eighteenth Century (6 units)
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-013 is the second of two writing-intensive courses in the MMW sequence.
Terms taught: Spring and Summer. MMW/Taiwan COIL in spring fulfills the course.
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and two TA-led discussion sections each week. 
Prerequisites: MMW-012 or MMW-012R with a grade of D or better.

MMW-014 / MMW-014R / MMW-014GS Divergent Paths to the Modern World, Eighteenth–Twentieth Century (4 units)
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.
Terms taught: Fall, Winter, and Summer. MMW Serves and MMW Global Seminars (MMW-014GS) fulfill the course.
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and one TA-led discussion section each week. 
Prerequisites: MMW-012 or MMW-012R and MMW-013 or MMW-013R with a grade of D or better.

MMW-015 / MMW-015R / MMW-015GS The Contemporary Era: Conflict and Aspirations in a Globalized World, Twentieth–Twenty-First Century (4 units)
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. MMW-015 and MMW-015R satisfy the Jane Teranes Climate Change Education Requirement.
Terms taught: Fall, Winter, and Summer. MMW Serves and MMW Global Seminars (MMW-015GS) fulfill the course.
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and one TA-led discussion section each week. 
Prerequisites: MMW-012 or MMW-012R and MMW-013 or MMW-013R with a grade of D or better.

Transfer students are required to take one of the upper-division courses. Courses are open to Eleanor Roosevelt College transfer students only and must be taken for a letter grade.

R courses are taught in a remote and asynchronous format. Lectures, discussion sections, and exams will occur through your course Canvas site, except for faculty/TA office hours and synchronous group meetings.

MMW-121 / MMW-121R Exploring the Premodern World (4 units)
This course addresses themes and topics from the premodern world (from antiquity to the eighteenth century) and strengthens students’ analytical, research, and writing skills.
Terms taught: TBA
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and one TA-led discussion section each week.
 

MMW-122 / MMW-122R Exploring the Modern World (4 units)
This course 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.
Terms taught: Fall, Winter, and Summer. MMW Serves, MMW CA Seminar, and all MMW Global Seminars fulfill the course.
Course format: Faculty-led lectures and one TA-led discussion section each week.