The modern historical profession is very much a European creation, originating in the Age of Enlightenment. Championing reason and challenging religious views of the past, the philosophes linked the new secular study of man and his society to a view of historical progress, of which they were the preeminent spokesmen. History as the story of progress continued unabated through the early-twentieth century, until challenged by critics within and critics without. Some of these have argued that the very nature of the historical discipline is Eurocentric, based as it is on Western concepts of reason, science, and historical evolution. In this course, we will study some of the important spokesmen for historical progress (Voltaire, Condorcet, Marx, von Ranke) as well as some of their important critics. The first half of the course will survey the history of the historical profession from the Enlightenment to the present. In the second half of the course, we will read some of the great works of history which have attempted to explain the rise of the west, grappling with how and to what extent these interpretations are Eurocentric. Evaluation will be based on informed class participation, class debates, two short papers (5 pages), one long paper (10 pages) and a self-scheduled final exam. Restricted to junior History majors.