Junior Social Science & Humanities Program

Global Revolutions in the Twentieth Century

Faculty Advisor: Visiting Assistant Professor of History, Southern Methodist University; Ph.D., History, Yale University

Research Program Introduction

This course introduces students to the problem of revolution in a comparative global context. We will first focus on the revolutions in Mexico (1910-1920), Russia (1917-1923), and China (1911 & 1948) as examples. Later in the course, students will also have the opportunity to research other twentieth-century revolutions or to learn more about one of the examples we studied together. 

Through this practicum, students will understand the following: 

  • What constitutes a revolution? 

  • Why do revolutions occur? 

  • Who participates in them? 

  • When and why do revolutions end? 

  • How should we assess their impact? 

We will draw on a combination of humanistic and social scientific approaches; our readings will include a combination of primary (firsthand accounts) and secondary (scholarly studies) sources. All materials will be in English.

During the second and third parts of the course, students will conduct their own individual research. Students will complete several assignments that will prepare them for individual research projects. These include the topic proposal, bibliography, and source analysis paper; the draft of final papers for in-class peer reviews and the revised version based on that exercise; and the final presentation in the form of a PowerPoint with the final paper itself. Students will receive additional instructions for each assignment as the deadlines approach.   

At the end of the program, students will complete a short research proposal or paper on their topic of choice and also give a 3 to 5-minute presentation about their project during the final session of the program.

Program Details

  • Cohort size: This cohort is limited to 5 to 10 students

  • Duration: 12 weeks

  • Workload: Around 3 hours per week (including class and homework time)

  • Target students: 7 to 9th graders interested in Humanities and Social Science subjects. Students must be fluent in English and demonstrate self-management skills. This project is best for students with genuine curiosity in the subject, diligence, and initiative. 

  • Schedule: TBD . Meetings will take place for around one hour per week, with a weekly meeting day and time to be determined one week prior to the class start date.