HIST 105 C/H 1W. Pre-Modern World History
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Christian
Prerequisite: none. Supplemental Instruction available.
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 105 C/H 2W. Pre-Modern World History
4.00 credits
Brooks Hedstrom, Darlene
Prerequisite: none. FRESHMEN STUDENTS ONLY. Supplemental Instruction available.
This course considers how in the world ancient history matters in shaping the modern world. We will discard memorization of dates to consider real questions that have historical importance in thinking about the past. We will develop skills in reading, debating and argumentation as we consider issues such as how telling stories about the world reflect core values of society, what medical beliefs about the body tell us about gender roles in the past, what beliefs were foundation to the Islamic empire, how Genghis Khan ushered in the modern age, and to what degree ancient religious beliefs predetermine the political and ethical history of a community. We will read primary sources from period, examine archaeological remains of material culture and read historical fiction as a way to engage with these questions and establish skills in thinking critically about the past. Reading and writing intensive.
HIST 106C/H 1W.Modern World
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: none.FRESHMEN STUDENTS ONLY.Supplemental Instruction available.
From the fifteenth century, global exploration and imperial expansion within our world's history created new networks in which individuals throughout much of the world could discover new cultural identities and define themselves and their regional identities in relation to the other. This course seeks to give students a basic framework for understanding the history of the modern world, while at the same time revealing how global changes during the modern period created new and creative ways for individuals to redefine both self and society in relationship to other cultures and social organizations throughout the world. Students' work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. This course counts as Writing Intensive and may be taken for an H or C credit. (This course is required for the History/Integrated Social Studies Major.)
HIST 106C/H 2W.Modern World
4.00 credits
Maus, Tanya
Prerequisite: none.
From the fifteenth century, global exploration and imperial expansion within our world's history created new networks in which individuals throughout much of the world could discover new cultural identities and define themselves and their regional identities in relation to the other. This course seeks to give students a basic framework for understanding the history of the modern world, while at the same time revealing how global changes during the modern period created new and creative ways for individuals to redefine both self and society in relationship to other cultures and social organizations throughout the world. Students' work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. This course counts as Writing Intensive and may be taken for an H or C credit. (This course is required for the History/Integrated Social Studies Major.)
HIST 111H 01. Medieval Europe
4.00 credits
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: none. Students who have earned credit for HIST 101H Life, Love and War in the Middle Ages may not earn credit for this class.Supplemental Instruction available.
Knights in shining armor, peasants toiling in the fields, damsels in distress, castles, cathedrals, crusades….these are some of the enduring images of the medieval world. This course will explore the social, cultural, and economic changes that made up the dynamic period we call the middle ages. Through lectures, discussion, films, debates and readings, the important developments, accomplishments and failings of the medieval centuries will be brought to life. Students will write thematic and analytical essays examining a particular topic or source of medieval history. This course counts toward the PAST minor.
HIST 161C 1W. Pre-Modern East Asia
4.00 Credits
Maus, Tanya
Elegant courtiers and eunuchs, ethical scholars, powerful Buddhist nuns, and impudent commoners were some of many groups that created the fabric of East Asian societies during the pre-modern period. This course looks at how such groups within China, Korea and Japan developed the foundations for powerful states and societies with flourishing economies and rich cultural diversity. In particular, we will focus on the inter-relationship of politics, religion, and culture as sources of East Asian interchange and identity. Students' work will be evaluated through in-class participation, in-class quizzes, presentations and a variety of written assignments. This course is Writing Intensive and may be taken for a C credit.
HIST 172C 1W. Africa Since 1500
4.00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
Prerequisite: none.
This course will examine how African political, cultural, religious, economic, and social institutions have responded to the penetration of outsiders over the last 500 years. These outsiders include European slave traders, missionaries, and colonizers as well as Arab traders and Islamic scholars. The impact of the slave trade and later European colonization will be explored in depth. Africans were not passive victims in their own history, and we will focus on how Africans responded to these challenges and struggled for their independence, and how these movements helped shape the fact of Post-Colonial Africa. It is this dynamic interplay between Africans and outsiders which has shaped the formation of modern Africa. Assessment will be based on discussions of the readings, four papers as well as a take-home midterm and final. Writing Intensive.
HIST 201H 01. Topics: US Constitutional History II
4.00 credits
Taylor, Thomas T.
Prerequisite: none. Sophomore Standing.
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 202H 1W. Writing and Interpreting History: Americans and a World at War
4.00 credits
Wood, Molly
Prerequisite: ENGL 101E. Sophomore standing.
This course will introduce students to many different modes of historical writing and problems in historical interpretation by exploring the history of the U.S. during World War II. This class will not cover the military history of the war, nor does it look at the war in a global perspective, but rather will focus on the experiences of Americans from the late 1930s through 1945. These are 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? How useful are memoirs and novels for understanding the American wartime experience? Why have historians only recently studied the role of women in wartime? Why do historians disagree about the extent of American involvement in world affairs in the years between the world wars? This course will consist mainly of class discussion and projects, with occasional lectures. Attendance is absolutely essential. 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.Historian's Craft:Medieval Conversions in Europe
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Chris
Prerequisites:ENGL 101E.Sophomore standing.
Conversion is a tremendously important process, not only spiritually, but also historically. The type of conversion examined in this class will be "political conversion," which is both a religious and a political experience. As Christianity spread throughout medieval Europe, people and political entities encountered Christianity, the Christian Church, and its Roman legacy in their own ways. This class will deal with that interaction and examine the process of conversion, the experience of conversion, and the ramifications of conversion. This examination will serve as a laboratory for the study of history, and specifically our sources and our relationship with them. It will also serve as the background for the main purpose of this class, which is to teach students the basic skills in researching and writing a history paper. As a result, class time will be divided between a study of medieval conversion and a discussion of writing skills and research techniques. The ultimate goal of the class and the main component of your grade will be the creation of a piece of historical research relevant to medieval conversion. Leading up to that will be completion of all of the relevant portions of the paper, including a proposal, outline, bibliography, and multiple revisions.This course counts toward the PAST minor. Writing intensive.
HIST 227H 1W. The United States since 1945
4.00 credits
Wood, Molly
Prerequisite: none.
In 1945, as World War II ended, a new ideological conflict engulfed the world. The "Cold War" would dominate U.S. history and international relations for the next five decades. This class will explore how and why the Cold War began, and how it shaped U.S. foreign and domestic policy. We will assess U.S. relationships with other areas of the world as well as the important social, political and economic changes taking place at home in the post-war era. We will explore both broad questions (Why do we remember the 1950s as a time of domestic tranquility? How do we assess the social disruptions and activism of the 1960s?) and specific questions (What was Watergate? What happened during the Iranian Hostage crisis?) This class will give students the opportunity to examine recent U.S. history in detail, to place U.S. history in a larger global context, and to learn basic skills of historical analysis. The course will consist of lecture, class discussion and reading and writing assignments. Attendance is required. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class, and the timely completion of all reading and writing assignments. This class is writing intensive and satisfies the HIST 222 requirement for those students in the History/Integrated Social Studies Major. Students may not take both HIST 227 and HIST 222 for credit.
HIST 229A. American Film
4.00 credits
Taylor, Thomas
An introduction to and overview of film in America since the 1890s, the course includes the origins of the film industry and aesthetics of silent film; the rise of the studio system and sound film; the studio era and the "golden age" of Hollywood; the breakdown of the studio system in the 1960s and the rise of the independents; and the globalization of film in the contemporary era. In each era we consider the intersection of art, craft, technology and business, as well as the major directors, stars and writers. Quizzes and tests. Books include Flashback and The Making of Citizen Kane.
HIST 230H 1W. African-American History
4.00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
Prerequisite: none.
This course will investigate African-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 240H 1W. Topic: Medieval Eastern Europe
4.00 credits
Raffensperger, Chris
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.
HIST 301 1W. TOPIC: Civil War
4.00 credits
Taylor, Thomas
Prerequisite: HIST 221 or equivalent.
Intensive examination of the origins, course, and aftermath of the American Civil War. Specific topics include the antislavery movement, the political crises of the 1850s, and secession; the outbreak of war and its evolution in the western and eastern theaters; major leaders and the strategic shifts of 1864; the postwar battles over Reconstruction, racial equality, and federalism. Each student will write a ten-page research paper on a topic of the student's choice. Tests, quizzes, and writing
HIST 325 1W. Topics in Diplomacy: The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
4.00 credits
Wood, Molly
Prerequisites: HIST 106C/H or HIST 222H or HIST 227H or permission of instructor.
In an increasingly interdependent world it is important to understand the historical forces responsible for creating the current international climate and the relationships between the U.S. and the rest of the world. This seminar-style course will explore the origins and outcomes (so far) of the current U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Class sessions will mix some lecture with substantial discussion based on common readings (books, articles and documents). Attendance is required. Students will be evaluated on their participation in class, and the timely completion of all reading and writing assignments. Writing Intensive.
HIST 370 Race in South Africa and the U.S .
4.00 credits
Rosenberg, Scott
This course will compare the political, economic, and cultural motivations behind the construction of racially discriminatory systems in the United States and South Africa. White settlers in both the United States and South Africa turned to the exploitation of slave labor; why did they do this and how did they justify it? After the abolition of slavery each society developed new forms of institutional racism, Jim Crow and Apartheid. We will also devote a considerable amount of our attention to the responses of African-Americans and Black South Africans to these systems. In our analysis of their responses, we will explore why certain communities opted for violent and non-violent measures. We will also explore why some strategies for equality were successful for one group and not the other. This class will conclude with an examination of the state of race relations today. Grading will be based on: Class participation, short papers based on readings and exams. Writing intensive.
HIST 390 1W.Reading Colloquium: 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
Livingstone, Amy
Prerequisite: Senior history majors only and HIST 202, HIST 203, and HIST 390.
The primary focus of the course is on a senior-level research paper, on a topic of the student's choosing and in accord with the student's previous course work. The course also includes discussion of differing philosophies of history and of the evolution of the discipline of history.Quizzes and research paper. 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.
