In a war that resulted in the deaths of more than 640.000 soldiers, the US Civil War (1861-1865) remains the bloodiest conflict in American history. It is also the most actively remembered and passionately debated of all the wars, with countless books written and numerous movies made about it. At the same time, more historians have begun to argue that the Civil War cannot be fully understood in purely domestic terms. Many of its key themes – slavery, migration, liberalism, nationalism, to name just a few – tied the war to broader global developments. This seminar will examine the question of the war’s transnational significance on the basis of the newest historical scholarship. Given its entry-level character, the course will also focus on imparting basic knowledge about the war itself, including the causes that led to war, the war experience, and its enduring political and social aftermath. Designed specifically for students who are in the early phase of their academic training (BA or Lehramt), this seminar will introduce participants to historical research methods and acquaint them with analytical tools that historians use to investigate the past.