HIST 105C/H Pre-Modern World (4 credits) Brooks Hedstrom
This World History course will closely examine how pre-modern people regarded those who differed from themselves during the period from 3000 BCE-1400 CE. We will consider how travel, motivated by the need for conquest, conversion, and/or commerce, reveals the history of those who ventured to areas outside of their own empires. In reading accounts referring to the "Other," as perceived by these ancient individuals, we will learn about how civilizations become more interconnected until at 1250 CE there was what some historians have called a "world-system" that allowed the Afro-Eurasian landmass to be connected in a way not seen before in history. Students will be assessed on the basis of weekly written assignments, participation in the form of in-class discussions and on-line work, maps, analytical essays and a final paper.
Writing intensive.

HIST 111H Medieval Civilization (4 credits) C. Oldstone-Moore
This course examines the civilizations of medieval Europe. The great people, places and events of medieval history are examined, with special emphasis on cultural history, namely the literary, artistic and musical expressions of Western ideals and experience. Teaching and Assessment: Class time will consist of a mix of lecture and discussion. Most days will feature a discussion of a document from the past which might be a masterwork of art and music. There will be weekly discussion questions to hand in, along with a film review, two other short papers, and two exams.

HIST 112H Western Civilization (4 credits) O'Connor, Johnson (2 sections)
An introductory course designed to give students a basic understanding of the traditions of western Europe since the 16th century. Significant emphasis is placed upon acquainting the student with the distinctive features and problems of the historical approach and on furthering his or her skills of critical reading, analysis, and reflection. The final grade will be based on class participation, several short papers, a few quizzes and a mid-term and final exam of essays.
Writing intensive.

HIST 135H Latin American History (4 credits) Wood
HIST 135 is an introduction to the history, culture and civilization of Latin America from the fifteenth century to the present. Since we cannot begin to cover all of Latin American history in one semester, we will focus instead on selected major questions and issues. We will discuss indigenous civilizations in Latin America and the events surrounding the Conquest of Mexico by Spanish conquistadors. We will explore the impact and legacy of Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule in Latin America. We will analyze the development of a multiracial society, the process and consequences of revolution and the strategies used by Latin American nations to compete in the worldwide economy. We will also attempt to understand the causes and consequences of chronic poverty, political violence and underdevelopment. Class time will consist of lecture and discussion. Students will grapple with problems of historical perspective and interpretation and are expected to participate in discussion, raise questions and form opinions based on material presented in class and in reading assignments. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class and on their timely completion of all written assignments.
Writing intensive.

HIST 161C Pre-Modern East Asia (4 credits) Huffman
This course surveys the history of East Asia's three major countries--China, Japan, and Korea--from earliest times until the beginning of the seventeenth century. Themes include the birth of the region's major religions, China's brilliant cultural and technological innovations, Korea's fierce maintenance of independence from its larger neighbors, and the fluctuating influence of nobles and warriors in Japan's political and cultural life. Lectures will predominate, with a number of sessions devoted to discussions and videos. A text and several paperbacks will be used. Requirements will include quizzes, several short papers, and three tests.
Writing intensive.

HIST 171C African Societies to 1500 (4 credits) Rosenberg
This class will cover the major themes and issues of African history before the arrival of Europeans and the Atlantic Slave Trade. Topics will range from the African roots of human society, to placing ancient Egypt within African history. We will also examine the role of Islam in Africa. In particular, this class will explore the role of oral traditions and "myth" in African societies and will attempt to ascertain their usefulness as historical documents. Additionally, in our examination of these societies we will focus on the roles of trade, environment, and religion in African political and social systems.
Writing intensive.

HIST 201C/R Modern Middle East (4 credits) Brooks Hedstrom
This course provides an overview of Middle East history from the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by the Ottomans until the present day. Specific attention will be directed toward the topic of religious diversity in the region (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) and how the various groups have impacted the present configuration of the Middle East. The sources read for the class will include a variety of historical texts and also contemporary novels by prominent Arab writers, such as Naguib Mafouz (1988 Nobel Laureate in Literature). Films made in the Arab world will also be used as a basis for analyzing how those who grew up in the region or live there today perceive changes in the Middle East. As a class, we will visit two Muslim mosques and one Christian orthodox church to develop first hand experience with the current experience of the diverse history and religious traditions of the Middle East.
Writing intensive.

HIST 201H The American Revolution - 1st half semester (2 credits) Taylor
Overview of the revolutionary era in American history, from 1750 to 1800. Topics include the French and Indian War; cultural variety in pre-Revolutionary America; the British colonial crises of the 1760s and 1770s; the New England, northern, southern, and western phases of the war for independence; the slave trade and the rise of the anti-slavery movement; the Articles of Confederation and the origins of the Constitution; Washington and Adams administrations; the first party system and the election of 1800; the Indian wars of the 1790s. Students may not receive credit for this section of 201 and for HIST 221. This course and HIST 201H-02 America's Civil War, if taken together, may be substituted for HIST 221 in the History/Social Studies major. Likely books include Roark et al, The American Promise: A History of the United States to 1877, Volume I; and Thomas Paine, Common Sense.

HIST 201H America's Civil War - 2nd half semester (2 credits) Taylor
Overview of the Civil War era. Topics include the plantation economy of the antebellum South; slavery, antislavery, and antebellum reform; the ideology of free labor; expansionism and the west; the political crises of the 1850s; the secession crisis and the outbreak of war; the major military campaigns; the home front, North and South; internal and international wartime politics; the battle over black equality during and after the war; Reconstruction, equality and the restoration of white rule in the South. Students may not receive credit for this section of 201 and for HIST 221. This course and HIST 201H-01 The American Revolution, if taken together, may be substituted for HIST 221 in the History/Social Studies major. Likely books include Roark et al, The American Promise: A History of the United States to 1877, Volume I.

HIST 202C Writing History: Origins of the Balkan Wars (4 credits) O'Connor
The disintegration of Yugoslavia in a series of four wars in the 1990's produced the most vicious slaughter that Europe has seen since World War II and introduced the world to a new euphemism for genocide: ethnic cleansing. This course will examine those wars and their causes, giving special attention to the role of historical myth. Grades will be based on a midterm and final exam, several short papers, a number of quizzes and student participation.
Writing intensive.

HIST 202H Writing History: Silences of the Past (4 credits) Livingstone
What are the "silences of the past?" How have recent historians attempted to restore voice to some of those silences? Over the centuries the study of history has tended to focus on the achievements of "great" and "powerful" men. More recently, historians have begun looking beyond the experiences of elites to try to uncover how common people lived and their experiences in the past. In this class we will explore such topics as the lives of medieval peasants, family life in Reformation Germany, the experiences of women, the culture of a sixteenth-century miller and the construction of identity. This course will also examine how historians "do" history. What methods, theories, and philosophies inform reconstruction of the past? What are the issues that confront historians in regard to the use of primary sources and historiographic traditions? Should historians be objective? Can they be objective? Each of those questions is fundamental to the task, vocation, and obligation of the historian. To address such issues, students will read, analyze and critique primary sources. The history of historical interpretation, or historiography, will also be explored through a series of monographs. Students will write several short analytical essays, as well as a longer historiographic paper, and participate in discussion and debate.
Writing intensive.

HIST 203C The Historian's Craft: Meiji Japan (4 credits) Huffman
Japan's rush from feudalism to modernity in the late 1800s will be the focus of this course. Using a variety of historical sources (novels, documents, film, monographs), we will examine both the causes and the results of Japan's rapid transformation: its forced entry into the imperialist world, the creation of a constitutional system, the explosion of mass culture, its own imperialist turn in wars against China and Russia. There will be one or two essay exams, and students will learn research and writing skills by writing and presenting a lengthy research paper, and completing several shorter assignments.
No prerequisite.
Writing intensive.

HIST 215H German History (4 credits) Johnson
This course will study the political, social, economic, and cultural history of Germany from its unification in 1871 to its reunification in 1990. Themes will include the rise of nationalism, the growth of the organized working-class, the causes and consequences of WWI, the cultural and political experimentation of the Weimar Republic, the rise of the Nazis, WWII and the Holocaust, the postwar division of Germany, and the promises and problems of German reunification. Special emphasis will be given to how gender, social class, race, ethnicity, and region have shaped the experiences of many different German citizens. In addition to a textbook, students will read primary source documents, novels, and a memoir, and will also explore visual imagery in the form of art and film. Assessment will involve several short analytical essays, a research paper, and a final essay exam, as well as class participation in the form of class discussion, an oral presentation, and participation in in-class debates.
No prerequisites.
Writing intensive.

HIST 222H United States History II (4 credits) Wood
How did new technology change the lives of average Americans in the late nineteenth century? What role did American women play in World War I? How did the Civil Rights Movement change American society? Was the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima right or wrong? These are just a few of the questions we will discuss in HIST 222, a survey of the major themes, topics and issues in American history from 1877-present. We will focus on selected social, political, diplomatic, economic and cultural developments which have shaped the nation, all its regions and all its people. This course will consist of lecture, class discussion and numerous reading and writing assignments. Students will grapple with problems of historical perspective and interpretation, and are expected to participate in discussion, raise questions and form opinions based on material presented in class and in reading assignments. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class and on their timely completion of all written assignments.
Writing intensive.
Required for Social Studies History major.

HIST 229A American Film (4 credits) Taylor
This course provides an overview of American film history from its origins in the 1890s to the present day, in four parts: the silent era; the "golden age" of Hollywood; the postwar to modern cinema; and contemporary film. Throughout we will concern ourselves with film content, the mechanics and business of making films, and the socio-historical context of American film-making. Likely texts include: Louis Giannetti & Scott Eyman, Flashback: A Brief History of Film, 3rd edition; and Steven Bach, The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era.

HIST 230H African-American History (4 credits) Lewis
The African American Historical Experience is a study of the accomplishments, contributions and experiences of African derived people in America from Reconstruction to the present. Course will include the use of a standard text, biographical reading, historical documentaries and numerous student-centered activities. It is African and African American centered. Additionally, the course will include frequent writing exercises as well as a term-ending writing exercise.
Writing intensive.

HIST 251C Russia to 1917 (4 credits) O'Connor
The history of Russia from the formation of the Kievan state to the collapse of the tsarist autocracy. Primary emphasis is on the relevance of political and social history to the developments in the 20th century. The final grade will be based on class participation, several short papers, a few quizzes and a midterm and final exam of essays.
Writing intensive.

HIST 270C Settlers and Liberators of South Africa (4 credits) Rosenberg
This course will focus on conflicts in southern Africa from a historical perspective. We will consider the nature of the European colonial societies and the Africans who resisted them. Africans fought not only against a range of inequalities, but in their creative resuscitations of a suppressed past, fought over descriptive languages, social and cultural categories that are themselves the product of domination. Africans used passive, hidden, and violent methods to overcome a variety of difficulties in achieving independence and survival. The main focus of this class will be South Africa, but neighboring countries such as Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe will also be considered. Readings will include novels, biographies, and a few manuscripts. Students will be evaluated on class participation, take-home exams, and papers based upon the readings.
Writing intensive.
No prerequisite.

HIST 301 Martyred Bodies in Late Antiquity (4 credits) Brooks Hedstrom
Some thought of the ascetics as trained athletes who regulated their diet and daily indulgence, others thought of them as holy fools who were mad for God, and still others regarded them as intellectuals who recognized that the body held no meaning in this life. Martyred Bodies in Late Antiquity will explore the ascetic imperative that existed in the late centuries of Antiquity as the Mediterranean world moved from the practice of Hellenistic religions to the practice of Christianity. Various communities to be studied will include the Neo-Platonists, the Gnostics, the early Church Fathers and Christian monastics. The course will include a research component that explores the theme of the body within one or more of these traditions. The members of the class will be prepared for weekly discussions and presentations of material. Since the class meets once a week, student participation will be a central component of the course as we discuss the sources associated with asceticism and the intellectual traditions of the late antique period. As a class, we will visit one Christian ascetic community in the Miami Valley to explore how ideas from Late Antiquity shape the religious life and history of monks and nuns today.
Writing intensive.
Prerequisite: HIST 105, or HIST 111, or RELI 237, or permission of instructor.

HIST 301 Directed History Research (4 credits) Taylor
Students do research, as directed, related to various projects in local and American history, with the intention of giving each student experience in a variety of research methods. The research group meets once a week to organize and plan, but most work is done on the student's time. For four hours of credit, the student should expect to devote as much time to this course as one would to a typical history course.
Prerequisite: At least one course in history and permission of instructor.

HIST 332 American Constitutional History II (4 credits) Taylor
A survey of American constitutional and legal history since the Reconstruction Era: the rise and expansion of the regulatory state; the emergence of civil liberties law; centralization of governmental power in the mid-twentieth century; civil rights and liberties in the postwar decades; and the contemporary struggle between liberal and conservative constitutionalism. Projects will include preparing briefs from an FBI file and impeachment of president Clinton.
Writing intensive.
Prerequisite: HIST 222 or POLI 101 or permission of instructor.

HIST 390 European Imperialism (4 credits) Proctor
Using a global framework, students will explore European imperialism as it developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries around the world. Students will assess the impact of and motivations for expansion by European nations, and the course will also allow students to compare methods and goals of the various imperial countries, with particular emphasis on France and Britain. The class will look at political and ideological change from a European perspective, but it will also delve into the actions and reactions of indigenous peoples to European encroachment. Assessment will focus on the students' ability to express their ideas in essay exams, papers, discussion and oral presentations, and the course will ask students to assume a heavy reading load. As a class, we will explore major questions and themes using a variety of sources (text, documents, novels, film) in order to gain an understanding of how historians interpret the past.
Writing intensive.
Prerequisites: HIST 202 and either HIST 106 or HIST 112, or permission of instructor.

HIST 411 Senior Seminar (4 credits) Livingstone
A seminar designed for SENIOR HISTORY MAJORS. This capstone course examines historical and historiographical problems, philosophical issues pertaining to substance and methods of history as a discipline, and the process of research and writing history. A long analytical paper, an analysis of a historian, oral presentations, and active class participation are required. (And it all promises to be fun!)
Writing intensive.
Prerequisites: Senior standing in history and HIST 202 and HIST 203, and permission.