Department of History
Course Descriptions, Spring 2009
HIST 101C 1W. Modern Japan
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: none.
We often think of modern Japanese history as the history of an exotic culture filled with samurai and geisha. However, who are the individuals that have formed these groups and what do they mean to Japan’s modern history? What other kinds of people have lived in Japan and shaped the evolution of their nation’s modern life? In this course, through historical essays, literature, and images we will look at modern Japan as a complex and diverse society filled with individuals who have fought for women’s rights, for environmental reform, and who have resisted the attempts of their government to define their identity as Japanese. Students’ work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. Writing intensive.
HIST 101H 1W. History of Sexualities
4.00 credits
Weeks, James
Prerequisite: none.
Students in this class will look at how western societies from the Ancient World through the twentieth century used religious and cultural ideals to define appropriate and inappropriate sexual acts and gender identity, and how secular laws and new ideologies of modernity and science transformed sexual acts into more fixed sexual identities. Students will discuss topics as diverse as trans-gender, heterosexuality, homosexuality, celibacy, and prostitution, and will come to understand how such modern identities and practices have been formed and defined historically. Over the term the course will illuminate how basic biological imperatives have been powerfully influenced and profoundly shaped by their historical-social contexts in the West. The course will be assessed with two take-home exams, a series of short writing assignments and a somewhat longer essay based on an outside reading. Writing intensive.
HIST 105C/H 1W. Pre Modern World
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: none.
Pre modern world history is fundamentally about the interconnectivity of the global system. In this class we will discuss kings, emperors, and philosophers from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas in addition to how the kingdoms and empires of the world interacted during this period. Key topics include the development of empire from Persia to China to Rome, the migrations of steppe peoples from Mongolia into Europe over the course of a thousand years, and the religious interactions (and their sometimes violent conflicts) in Eurasia and Africa that resulted in the spread of Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. In addition to discussing happenings within various kingdoms and fledgling states of the world, this class, specifically in lecture and discussion, is designed to look at how those kingdoms interacted with one another and what the consequences were—culturally, religiously, and economically. What was gained, and what lost? Writing intensive. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
HIST 105C/H 2W. Pre Modern World
4.00 credits
Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene
Prerequisite: none.
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. Students will be assessed on the basis of weekly quizzes, participation in class discussions and three exams. Writing intensive.
HIST 106C/H 1W. Modern World
4.00 credits
Proctor, Tammy
Prerequisite: none.
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, quizzes, short papers, and oral presentations. Writing intensive.
HIST 106C/H 2W. Modern World
4.00 credits
Proctor, Tammy
Prerequisite: none.
Description same as above – HIST 106C/H 1W.
HIST 162C 1W. Modern East Asia
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: none.
Over the course of modern east Asian history (1600 to the present), farmers, women, scholars, and bureaucrats have struggled to improve their lives and shape the direction of their governments and societies. Through historical essays, literature, and images, this course focuses on the history of multiple voices and movements in east Asia that contributed to the emergence of the modern nation-states of China, Korea, and Japan. This course is not intended to be a comprehensive history of each geographical region, but rather it is intended to expose you to a variety of thought and historical events that speak to the complexity and diversity of human life in the modern societies of East Asia. Students’ work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. Writing intensive.
HIST 170C 1W. Topics: Contemporary Africa : The Roots of Genocide
4.00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
Prerequisite: none.
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 and ethnicity. This class will explore a number of issues such as the construction of Africa's current national borders as well as ethnicity and "tribalism" which are often blamed for much of Africa's strife. This class will look closely at a number of violent liberation struggles as well as several civil wars that have occurred since liberation In particular, we will look at the civil wars/genocides of Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Sudan. Lastly, the question of AIDS in Africa will be addressed. Novels and films will be used to provide a more personal account of these events. Students will be evaluated on class participation, take-home exams, and papers based upon the readings. Writing intensive.
HIST 201H 1W. Medieval Eastern Europe
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: none.
This class will deal with a different medieval Europe than is traditionally covered – the medieval Slavic world. The East, West, and South Slavs were involved to differing degrees in Western European affairs, but they had their own kingdoms, empires, wars, marriages, cities, etc. It is this Slavic world that will be examined in this class, particularly in the period from the ninth through the fifteenth centuries. During that time we will see pan-European interaction, transition to regionalism, and eventually into an early East-West divide based in three factors: religious division, Mongol occupation or control, and internal cohesion (or lack thereof). The history of medieval Eastern Europe, is a key part of wider European history that sets up the divisions into the more familiar Eastern and Western European worlds. Writing intensive. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
History 201H 2W: The Crusades
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: none.
The Crusades continue to cast a long shadow over the history of the world. Recent political events have highlighted the importance of this conflict between Muslims and Christians has had on world events. This course will contextualize the Crusades in the medieval world by examining the following questions: Why did medieval people go on Crusade? What were the motives and experiences of the Crusaders? How did the Muslims view the Crusaders? How have scholars interpreted the Crusades? Students will read primary sources from the Crusades, as well as different interpretations of the Crusades, their history and their impact. Students will write a several short essays, two essay exams, as well as other shorter assignments, and make presentations. Writing intensive. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
HIST 202C 1W. Hiroshima’s Shadow
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
The course explores how historians write and interpret history by examining the historical debates and historical memory of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan from 1945 to the present. We will consider how the understanding of the atomic bombings and the reasons for the bombings have changed over time in Japanese public discourse by focusing on primary and secondary sources written by Japanese scientists, artists, and literary figures from 1945 to the present. The understanding of Japanese atomic bomb discourse will be deepened by also pursuing the changing historical memory of the atomic bombings in the United States, since the national narratives of the atomic bombing in the US and Japan are deeply intertwined. This course will engage students in the study of the diverse perspectives within Japan regarding the atomic bombing. In particular, the course will look at differing atomic bomb narratives (for example, those of Korean victims of the bombing and current cancer victims that continue trace their illness to the atomic bombings) in Japan that have been often excluded from public memory and that struggle to survive in the face of erasure from the political center. Students’ work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. Writing intensive.
HIST 202H 1W. Making Sense of the Vietnam Wars
4.00 credits
Wood, Molly
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
This course will introduce students to different modes of historical writing and to problems in historical interpretation by exploring the American experience in Vietnam in the twentieth century. We will seek to understand the ways in which historians have explained and interpreted the Vietnam War, as well as the reasons why those interpretations have changed over time. Some of the questions we will address: How do historians write about a topic as complex as war? What are the differences between a political and social history of war? What are the origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam? What are the primary sources historians use to understand the American wartime experience? How useful are memoirs and novels for understanding the American experience? How important is it for historians of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam to understand “Vietnamese perspectives?” What are the “rules” of writing history? This course will consist mainly of class discussion of reading assignments. Attendance is absolutely essential, as is the timely completion of reading assignments. Students are expected to take an active part in class, raise questions and form opinions based on material presented in class and in the reading assignments. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class and on their timely completion of all written and oral assignments. Writing intensive.
HIST 203H 1W. Negro Leagues
4. 00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
Prerequisite: ENGL 101E and sophomore standing.
The course will focus on the Negro Leagues that existed in the United States from the early 20th century until the late 1960s. We will also explore the experience of black baseball players both before and after the period of segregation in the United States. While it is essential that we come to grips with the broader political, social, and economic institutions that supported racial segregation, the main focus of this course is to expose the lives that black baseball players made for themselves. In exploring the lives of African-American baseball players, we will focus on an emerging culture and the evolution of race relations. Of particular interest will be the few successful Negro Leagues that operated from 1919 through the 1940s and the long process of breaking baseball's color barrier from 1946 through the 1960s. This course is designed to teach students the basic skills of researching and writing a historical paper. Assessment will be based on a book review, two take home exams, and the main component of the grade will be based on the research assignments and final paper. Writing intensive.
HIST 203H 2W: Fact and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: ENGL 101E and sophomore standing.
Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, has stirred up a lot of controversy. What was so controversial? This course will examine the fact and fiction of The Da Vinci Code. Students will read primary sources and historical monographs relevant to the topics covered in the novel to determine what is “fact” and what is “fiction” in the novel. Specifically the course will examine the historical figure of Mary Magadalene, analyze the Gnostic Gospels, and understand the historical Knights Templar. The aim of the course is to help students determine what is the “real” history behind The Da Vinci Code. This course is designed to teach students the basic skills in researching and writing a history paper. As a result, class time will be devoted to discussion of writing skills and research techniques. Production of a piece of historical research relevant to The Da Vinci Code will be the main criteria for assessment. Part of this assessment, however, will be assignments key to the production of a research paper, including a paper proposal, outline, bibliography, revised proposal, etc. In addition, students will be required to write analyses of primary and secondary sources and two written exams. Writing intensive. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
HIST 221H 01. United States History to 1877
4.00 credits
Taylor, Thomas T.
Prerequisite: none.
United States History I explores early American history from HIST 221 provides an introduction to early American history (colonization through the Civil War and Reconstruction) with a particular emphasis on human institutions and the social processes of migration, self-government and the blending of cultures into American society. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of government and to the ways American resolved thorny problems and justified their actions. In other words, the course literally deals with institutions, processes, and behavior. Chief vehicles for assessment include series of quizzes and tests. The Colonial unit examines the processes of colonization, the establishment of early institutions (government and church), and the values among the half dozen or so largest ethnic groups that settled in the English colonies in the 1600s. The Revolution unit examines the origins, course and consequences of the Revolutionary War, with special attention to the creation of the new government under the constitution of 1787. The Early Republic unit considers westward expansion of the early political development of the new republic. The final unit, on the Civil War era, discusses the economic, political and social origins of that conflict, the war itself, and the struggle over equality that dominated the postwar era known as Reconstruction. Throughout the course we approach history as stories based on facts that need interpreting. Required books include James L. Roark et al, The American Promise, Volume I, 4/e, 2009; The Bedford Glossary for U.S. History, 2007; Francis G. Couvares, Martha Saxton, Gerald N. Grob, George A. Billias, Interpretations of American History, 8/e, 2009.
HIST 222H 1W. The U.S. Since 1877
4.00 credits
Wood, Molly
Prerequisites: none.
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? How and why did Harry Truman decide to use the atomic bomb on Japan? How did Americans react to the Vietnam War? These are just a few of the questions we will discuss in HIST 222, a survey of some of the major themes, topics and issues in American history from 1877 to the present. We will focus on selected social, political, diplomatic, economic and cultural developments that have shaped the nation, its varied regions and peoples. This course will consist of lecture, class discussion and numerous reading and writing assignments. Attendance is very important. 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 assignments. Writing intensive.
HIST 230H 1W. African-American History
4.00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
Prerequisite: none.
This course will investigate Africa-American history by focusing on slavery and the struggle for equality after emancipation. The first part of the course will examine the institution of slavery, however, greater emphasis will be placed on the lives that slaves made for themselves. We will ask questions such as “how much control did slaves have over their own lives,” and “how did they resist servitude?” The second half of the course will dedicate itself to the study of the struggle for equality. This class will move beyond the political struggle and will explore the role that culture and an emerging and evolving identity played in shaping the quest for equality. Assessment will focus on the student’s ability to express ideas in take-home essay exams, papers, and oral presentation. Grading will be based on discussions of a variety of readings, 3-4 papers and a take-home midterm and final. Writing intensive.
HIST 281C 1W. Modern Middle East
4.00 credits
Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene
Prerequisite: none.
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 301 1W. Nazi and Fascist Europe
4.00 credits
Proctor, Tammy
Prerequisite: HIST 106 or permission of instructor.
This course will explore the development of fascism and national socialism and their impacts on European history from 1919 to 1945. In particular, students will be asked to read and write intensively in an attempt to better understand these political ideologies in their various forms in Eastern and Western Europe. While the focus will be primarily on Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy, the class will also examine the ideological roots of fascism and its manifestations in a variety of European settings. Assignments will include reading presentations in class, research and analytical papers, and class participation. Writing intensive.
HIST 301 2W. Topics: The Age of Cathedrals
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: one course in History or permission of instructor.
One of the most enduring images of the medieval world is the cathedral. Have you ever wondered why medieval people felt compelled to create such monumental structures? How did they build cathedrals? Who built them? This course will explore the society that produced these magnificent monuments. Our discussion will begin with the art and society of the period preceding the Age of Cathedrals: the Romanesque. Key to our discussion will be the pilgrimage churches that came to cover much of France and Northern Spain. How did faith and religious practice, as well as social and economic factors, contribute to the construction of these churches? Next we will examine how the Romanesque period transformed into the age of Gothic. Again the focus will be not only the artistic and aesthetic changes, but what economic, social and political changes led to the construction of cathedrals such as Chartres, St. Denis, Notre Dame, Amiens and Rheims. Why were cathedrals designed to capture light and to seem to ascend toward heaven? How do cathedrals reflect intellectual and philosophical developments of the central Middle Ages? Finally we will consider what impact cathedrals had on medieval civilization. How do cathedrals reflect the social and cultural changes that characterized the twelfth and thirteenth centuries? Students will write three short papers, an in-depth research paper, and a synthetical essay. They will present their research to the class at the end of the semester. Writing intensive. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
HIST 332 1W. American Constitutional History II
4. 00 credits
Taylor, Thomas T.
Prerequisite: HIST 222H or POLI 101S or permission of instructor.
HIST 332 provides an introduction to constitutional history since the Civil War era, paying attention to the workings of the Supreme Court in particular and the federal courts in general, and to the expansion of the powers of the federal government. A prominent theme of the course is the question of whether American constitutional law and history is better understood as a result of the internal dynamics of the courts or as a product of the broad social and political currents of the times. The course draws on history, law and political science. The chief vehicles for assessment of all these issues are tests, a research paper, oral presentations and mock trials. Class sessions tend to be interactive. Required books include: Michael Les Benedict, The Blessings of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States, 2/e, and Michael Les Benedict, Sources in American Constitutional History. HIST 332 does not presume knowledge from HIST 331 or HIST 222. Writing intensive.
HIST 390 1W. Martyred Bodies in Late Antiquity
4.00 credits
Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene
Prerequisite: HIST 202C/H or permission of instructor.
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 and the historiographic issues of studying late antique history. 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. This course counts toward the PAST minor. This course may be taken for credit in Women’s Studies.
HIST 411 1W: Senior Seminar
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: Senior history majors only and HIST 202, HIST 203, and HIST 390
and instructor’s permission.
This class is the capstone to your history major, and as such, it will allow you to pull together much of what you’ve learned in your years as a history major. The department hopes this course makes you reflect about the historical process, the history and theory of history, and your own research and writing skills. Senior history majors will participate in class readings and discussions on the nature and study of history and will produce a major piece of original historical writing. All members of the class will also participate in an end-of-semester History 411 Conference at which they will present the results of their research to other history majors and history faculty. Writing intensive.
HIST 490 00. Independent Study
1.00-4.00 credits
Staff
Prerequisite: Permission only.
HIST 491 00. Internship
1:00-4.00 credits
Staff
Prerequisite: Permission only.
HIST 499 00. Senior Honors Thesis
0.00-8.00 credits
Staff
Prerequisite: Permission only.
