HIST 88: How Harvard Became HARVARD

In its nearly 400 years of existence, Harvard has been transformed from a tiny educational institution in a colonial outpost to the world’s most famous and envied university.  How did this transformation take place? This course will explore this change, focusing on three ithemes: students and their experiences; role in the dissemination and production of knowledge; and connections to the larger society.  We will trace these themes through three phases of Harvard’s development, first as an institution of local significance (1630s-1850s), next as an institution of national significance (1860s-1950s), and finally as an institution of global significance (1960s to present).