HIST 105H/C - 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 exams. Writing intensive.
HIST 106H/C - Modern World - (4 credits) - Proctor
Are you interested in what the Aztecs thought of the Spanish? Have you ever thought about how Japanese farmers experienced life in the 19th century? In "The Modern World," we will examine such questions in an attempt to re-examine our assumptions about non-western cultures since 1400, while seeing the connections between these cultures and western civilizations. Using a global framework, students will explore the development of modern civilizations in the Near and Far East, Eastern/Western Europe, Africa and the Americas. Assessment will focus on the students' ability to express their ideas in essay exams, short papers, and oral presentations. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: None. (Satisfies certification requirements.)
HIST 111H - Medieval Civilization - (4 credits) - Staff (Two sections)
This course examines the civilizations of Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome and medieval Europe. The great people, places and events of early western history are examined, with special emphasis on cultural history, namely the literary, artistic and musical expressions of Western ideals and experience. Class time will consist of a mix of lecture and discussion, and students will be assessed through class participation, papers and essay exams.
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.
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 201H - Origins of Modern Science - (4 credits) - Adkins
This course will examine the history of the sciences from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, focusing both on works of early modern scientists and natural philosophers as well as on the cultural, social, political, and intellectual contexts within which a modern scientific outlook arose. In particular, we will seek to understand how radical changes in European life beginning in the fifteenth century--the voyages of discovery, the recovery of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, the Reformation, and the religious wars--established the conditions necessary for a revolution in scientific innovation. Course assessment will focus on reading, discussion and lecture, with essay exams.
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 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 and Israeli 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 one mosque and one Eastern 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 202H - Silences of the Past - (4 credits) - Staff
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 202 - Luther - (4 credits) - Taylor
Both an introduction to writing about history and to the study of the life, work and influence of Martin Luther, the sixteenth-century German Protestant reformer. We will read and contrast classic accounts of Luther's life by Erik H. Erikson (Young Man Luther: A Study in Psychoanalysis and History), Roland Bainton (Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther), and Heiko Oberman (Luther: Man between God and the Devil). Writing intensive, several papers and two tests.
HIST 203C/R - Holy Antique Women! - (4 credits) - Brooks Hedstrom
"Holy Antique Women!" will explore the religious world of Byzantine Orthodox women from the 3rd to 15th centuries. We will establish a basic framework for Byzantine history from which we will examine the rise of ascetic communities and the tradition of modeling one's behavior after holy women. Through studying female monastics, the students will learn how women were able to find the freedom to become teachers of spirituality in a world that was still heavily dominated by male voices. One component of the course will include a visit to a contemporary female monastic and to an Orthodox church to consider the continuity with the ancient ideals of female asceticism.
The course will be designed with several pre-writing, writing, and revision exercises to train students how to write a well-designed research paper. Pre-writing exercises would include summaries of journal articles, revised thesis statements, outlines, and peer reviews of early sections of the final product. The main project will include a bibliography, footnotes, and the main research text relating to the life of a particular Byzantine female monastic. Writing intensive. (Satisfies certification requirements.)
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 the United States from Reconstruction to the Present. The course will include the use of a standard text, biographical readings, book reviews, viewing historical documentaries, student oral presentations, and numerous other 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 252C - Russia since 1917 (4 credits) - O'Connor
This course will deal with some of the factors which have shaped Russia and the Soviet Union, including the revolutions of 1917, the regimes of Lenin and Stalin and the collapse under Gorbachev and Yeltsin. There will be a mid-term and a final, and the course will require a fair amount of reading and writing. Writing intensive.
HIST 319 - European Women's History - (4 credits) - Proctor
Examination of European women in the modern period, focusing particularly on social conditions, struggles for political and legal equality, and cultural ideological issues. Assessment: essay exams, papers, presentations, class participation. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: One course in history or WMST 100 or 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 362C - Japan since 1945 - (4 credits) - Huffman
The course will examine the evolution of Japan since 1945, from defeat in war to international power to economic doldrums. With a focus on reading, writing and discussion, we will examine both the forces that propelled Japan's post war development and the culture that gave it its special character. There will be a research paper and a book review. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: a previous course in East Asian history or permission of the instructor.
HIST 370 - Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Gender Rosenberg in 20th Century Africa - (4 credits) -
During the 20th century, Africans fought against a range of inequalities, both during and after colonial rule. In their creative resuscitations of the past they have struggled over the production and reproduction of social categories such as nationalism, ethnicity, and gender. This class will explore a number of issues such as: ethnicity and "tribalism" which are often blamed for much of Africa's strife, the construction of Africa's current national borders, and how the European presence drastically altered the modes of production for many Africans which has in turn altered gender roles in modern Africa. Prerequisite: A previous course in African history or HIST 106 or permission. Writing intensive.
HIST 390 - The Cold War - (4 credits) - Wood
This reading colloquium is intended for history majors. In this course students will explore multiple scholarly interpretations on the Cold War in the United States. We will be looking at the impact of the Cold War on American foreign policy, on American society as a whole, and on the American people. Some of the questions we will address: Who started the Cold War? Who won the Cold War? What affect did McCarthyism have on American society? Why did the U. S. fight in Vietnam? How has the nuclear arms race changed America? What is a "realist" appraisal of the Cold War? How did the Cold War affect American popular culture? Along the way, we will discuss the tools and methods historians use to write good history and we will struggle with the process of understanding history. Class will be based on student discussion. Attendance is essential. The reading load will be heavy, and this course is writing intensive. Prerequisite: HIST 222 or permission of instructor.
HIST 411 - Senior Seminar - (4 credits) - Proctor
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!) Prerequisite: Senior standing in history and HIST 202 and HIST 203 and permission. Writing intensive.
