HISTORY 425:  Global History of Childhood and Youth 

J-term 2025 – fully online 

Prof Julia Rodriguez 

Fulfills Discovery World Cultures requirement! 

 Deborah Roberts, Sisterly Love, 2021. Acrylic and collage on canvas. 

Childhood is commonly assumed to be “natural” and unchanging. Yet historical studies have shown us that the meaning and experience of childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood are constructed daily, and differently, around the world. This course explores the diverse experiences of children and youth in a variety of geographic and historical settings, including their interaction with family, community, religion, schools, government, the military, and medical and legal professionals. We explore the debates over children’s capacities and rights and learn about the many ways that children and youth have contributed to culture, politics, and social change. 

The Vikings spread terror and destruction for hundreds of years throughout modern Britain, northern France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Russia. They also developed remarkable art forms and cutting edge naval technology, constructed important new cities (such as Dublin) and new kingdoms, including Novgorod and Kiev, and explored the New World half a millennium before Columbus. So who were these fierce warriors, intrepid explorers, and famed poets? In this course, we will investigate the origins of the Vikings in Scandinavia, the impetus for their explosion onto the European stage, as well as their culture, technology, and art. Students will read scholarly articles about the Vikings as well as source materials produced by the Vikings, themselves, and their enemies. Students will write short response papers to scholarly articles and participate in live discussions about important sources such as the Norse Sagas. This course fulfills the Historical Perspectives Discovery Category and History Category II.