Tomorrow in class I’ll be surveying you about the History Department’s Special Topics classes for Fall 2010. History has been doing this for almost thirty years: polling students to find out what topics they’d like to study, and crafting special topics courses that are both historically sound and interesting. Special topics courses can cover almost anything historical, up to and including the history of the present (such as Dr. Harmon’s class this semester: US Involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan), the history of a country we don’t normally teach (such as my course this semester: Korean History since 1700), or a topic which isn’t covered by our usual catalog choices (Samurai, for example, or migration, or military history). As long as it’s a history course, and one of us can teach it, we’ll consider it. Top choices will be voted on later this semester to help us finalize the offerings.