The History Department annually offers a two-quarter sequence in History and Theory (History 200A and History 200B), which is mandatory for Ph.D. students but is an elective or field option for Masters students.  These classes explore a variety of theoretical issues and methodological concerns that have sparked lively debate in the humanities and social sciences in past decades and which remain of urgent concern to twenty-first century historical writing. Topics may include the relationship between materialist approaches and cultural analysis; subjectivity and governance; gender and sexuality; ethnicity and racial formation; the politics of religion; "the archive" and archival practice; nationalism and post-colonialism; world history and transnational studies. Course readings comprise a mix of texts from different disciplines, encouraging students to think of history as a type of theory (arguments about the past) as well as to explore what other disciplinary approaches have to offer historical scholarship.