| Part One: Introduction |
| Week 1: What is a Revolution? |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Recitation: definitions of revolution | |
| Part Two: Inventing the People |
| Weeks 2-4: Athenian Revolution |
| 3 | Introduction to inventing the people | |
| 4 | Oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny: 600-400 BC | |
| 5 | Recitation: metastasis and revolution in the Athenian Constitution
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| 6 | The emergence of the Athenian demos: 594 BC | |
| 7 | Popular action and constitutional reform: 508/7 BC | |
| 8 | Recitation: when is a democracy not a democracy? | |
| 9 | Democracy top to bottom: 462-450 BC | |
| 10 | Recitation: How Revolting? Wallace vs. Ober vs. Raaflaub | |
| Weeks 5-6: Atlantic Revolutions |
| 11 | American Revolution | Paper 1 due |
| 12 | French Revolution | |
| 13 | Recitation: declarations of rights: America and France | |
| 14 | Haitian Revolution | |
| 15 | Recitation: framing constitutions in the U.S., France, and Haiti | |
| Part Three: Inventing the Modern State |
| Weeks 7-8: Russian Revolution |
| 16 | Introduction to inventing the modern state: empires, states, and peoples in Russia and China | Paper 1 revisions due |
| 17 | Russia's ancien regime; 19th century revolutionary traditions; the Revolution of 1905 | |
| 18 | Recitation: how European was the Russian Revolution? | |
| 19 | 1917: the Bolshevik seizure of power | |
| 20 | The Bolsheviks consolidate their rule; the end of revolution? 1917-1926 | |
| 21 | Recitation: who led the revolution, the Party or the masses? | |
| Weeks 9-11: Chinese Revolution |
| 22 | The Qing dynasty and Western imperialism | |
| 23 | The collapse of the Qing and creation of the Republic, 1911-1927 | |
| 24 | Recitation: reform vs. revolution: a debate | |
| 25 | The Nationalist Party and the War of Resistance against Japan | |
| 26 | The Communist Party, the Yenan way, and the Civil War, 1927-1949 | Paper 2 due |
| 27 | Recitation: countryside and revolution: Nationalists and Communists | |
| 28 | The Maoist era, 1949-1976; reform and the end of revolution? | |
| 29 | Recitation: assessing Mao's legacy | |
| Weeks 12-13: Reagan Revolution |
| 30 | Introduction to reinventing revolution | Paper 2 revisions due |
| 31 | Revolt against liberalism | |
| 32 | Reaganomics | |
| 33 | Morning in America | |
| 34 | Recitation: Reagan revolution: myth or reality | |
| Week 14: Other Revolutions? |
| 35 | U.S. and the world | Paper 3 due |
| 36 | 1989 | |
| 37 | Recitation: revolution in the global age | |
| Week 15: Concluding Thoughts |
| 38 | Revolution in the Middle East | |
| 39 | Panel discussion: the future of revolution? | |
