History (HIST)
Chair: Associate Professor Harry McKinley Williams
Professors: Robert E. Bonner, Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Kirk Jeffrey, Diethelm Prowe, Carl D. Weiner
Associate Professors: Adeeb Khalid, Jamie Monson, Harry McKinley Williams
Assistant Professors: Jeane Hunter Delaney, Anna Rachel Igra, Victoria Morse, William North, Susannah R. Ottaway, SeungJoo Yoon
Visiting Assistant Professors: Helena Pohlandt-McCormick, Rachel Filene Seidman
Instructor: Parna Sengupta
Post-Doctoral Fellow: Serena R. Zabin
Visiting Fellow: Javier Morillo-Alicea
Requirements for a Major:
A total of 66 credits from courses taken in the History Department. First year seminars (History 110s) and the comprehensive exercise both count toward the total number of credits. Certain courses offered outside the History Department may count toward the major; consult the department chair for specific information. Courses in ancient history are taught in the Classics department. Credit toward the major will also be awarded for a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement examination in American or European History.
A student must take courses in at least three of the following eight fields: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Latin America, Middle East/Islamic history, Europe to 1450, Europe Since 1450, and the United States. The Department expects that a student majoring in History will complete four courses (24 credits) in his or her primary field and two courses (12 credits) in each of two secondary fields. At least one of the student's three fields must be non-western history--East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Middle East/Islamic history--and one of the fields must be in western history (Europe to 1450, Europe Since 1450, and United States). Courses in African-American history are categorized as U.S. History. The History major must complete a research seminar (History 395), normally in the primary field, the History Colloquium (History 298), and the senior integrative exercise (History 400).
Some courses numbered below 200 are open to first year students. First year students may not register in courses numbered 200 and above without the written permission of the instructor. It is recommended that students planning to major in history take History 110 and one or two other courses during their first year. History majors who are interested in study and research in a major library should consider the Newberry Library Seminar program. (See the index)
History Courses
HIST . The Archive and the Field-Exploring the Intersections of Anthropology and History Cross-listed with SOAN 208. This course will explore interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the past, focusing primarily on the intersections of history and anthropology and the concepts of the archive and Field. While for historians archives usually are central to research and interpretation, ethnographic cultural anthropology has stressed the "field" a period of research immersed within a culture begin studies, as the primary source for cultural analysis. This course, designed to encourage students to think across disciplinary boundaries, will explore these two poles in an effort to understand how different approaches to culture and history can inform our academic interpretations of the past. 6 cr., ND, Spring—J. Morillo-Alicea
HIST 110. Japanese-American Internment in World War II This course will examine the experience of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. between 1900 and 1941, the reasons behind the decision to intern West Coast Japanese-Americans during World War II, the experience of the internees, and the postwar reconciliation between Japanese-Americans and the country that had wronged them. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—K. Jeffrey
HIST 110. Saints, Sinners and Philosophers in Late Antiquity This seminar seeks to understand the spiritual, cultural, and social dynamics of the Roman world's transition from paganism to Christianity through a careful examination of its cultural and religious heroes: the philosopher, the martyr, and the saint. Using contemporary primary sources, we shall attempt to better understand how philosophers and saints related to the divine and to the world. What styles of life characterized the legitimate philosopher and true holy man from the imposter? What kinds of authority and power did these individuals wield and how did their roles in communities change over space and time? 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—W. North
HIST 110. English Revolutions In the middle of the seventeenth century, English society was "turned upside down" by civil war. Radical religious sects sprang up, preaching such subversive ideas as equal rights for all men and women, and government broke down at both national and local levels. This seminar examines this crucial time in English history using both primary and secondary sources. The course also focuses on some of the lively historical debates concerning the civil war period. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—S. Ottaway
HIST 110. An Introduction to African History: South Africa This seminar will introduce students to the historical experiences of men and women in South Africa. Topics include pre-colonial society, slavery, apartheid, resistance and post-independence. The emphasis will be on the historical analysis of documentary sources such as tales, epics, ethnographic materials, film, government documents, political pamphlets, oral narratives, colonial texts, art and artifacts, novels and autobiography. Students will also engage with the contentious debates that have shaped historical inquiry and meaning in Africa. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—H. Pohlandt-McCormick
HIST 110. The 1947 Partition of India The Partition of India into the post-colonial nation-states of India and Pakistan in 1947 was one of the most tumultuous events in modern history: over twelve million people were displaced and almost one million died. Memories of the partition continue to haunt present day politics in the subcontinent. This course will look at how questions of religious, caste, class and gender identities shaped the events leading up to Partition and the ensuing violence. Using political writings, oral history, films and literature, we will attempt to bring together the grand politics, public memory, and private voices that shape our understanding of 1947. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—P. Sengupta
HIST 110. Trials in Early America Women and men of all races, ethnicities, and classes passed through the courts of early America. This course will be based primarily on trial transcripts and other court papers from seventeenth- and eighteenth-century America. We will use these documents as windows onto the contemporary legal, cultural, and social issues that these trials contested. Using secondary sources, the seminar will then put these issues into the larger contexts of contact, conflict, and assimilation in Dutch, Spanish, and British America. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—S. Zabin
HIST 110. The Chinese Revolution of 1949 For the last half century the communist regime in China has made an indelible mark on the society comprising a quarter of the world's population. This seminar will examine various interpretations of different aspects and phases of Chinese life between the 1920s and 1990s. The emphasis will be on historical analysis of documentary sources. Students are introduced to materials in translation on the Chinese Revolution consisting of government publications, biographies, memoirs, personal letters, journalistic reports, travelogues, and novels. Topics include political ideology, class and gender, nationalism, agricultural development, and mobilization of intellectuals. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—S. Yoon
HIST 110. Historians and Antebellum American Slavery This seminar will investigate the rich outpouring of scholarship on the slave's experience in the American South. We will move from Phillips's classic study to revisionist monographs that treat slave personality, culture, community, and women, among other topics. We will examine the reasons historians arrive at conflicting interpretations of slavery and their methods of inquiry and analysis. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—H. Williams
HIST 110. Balzacs France: Manners and Morals, Power and Passion The title says it all. A number of Balzac's short stories, novels and "physiognomies" will be read plus a goodly assortment of critics and commentators from Tocqueville, Marx, Michelet, to Barberais, Guyon, Fargeaud and Peter Brook. Opportunity to read in French. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—C. Weiner
HIST 112. Introduction to Contemporary India Cross-listed with ASST 112. This course is intended both for students who want only a brief introduction to aspects of South Asian culture and for those who wish to add a multi-faceted look at contemporary India to a more serious study of South Asia. Lectures on aspects of India are presented in class with Monday evenings devoted to lectures by outside speakers, films, slide lectures, and performances. Topics change every year but may include: current political leadership; the status of women; modern writers; the untouchable movement; Indian classical music; the idea of a guru; the meaning of pilgrimage; and other topics. 3 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 118. Disease and History The impact of major infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera, plague, syphilis, and tuberculosis on the human population and its institutions. Relation of disease to nutrition, migration, urban growth, sanitation, and warfare. The decline of epidemic disease, the rise of modern medicine and public health, and the world population explosion since the eighteenth century. Basic demographic concepts will be introduced. The course has no prerequisites, but a general interest in world geography and history is desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 119. Frontiers in Early America Cross-listed with AMST 113. This introduction to colonial American history will consider the frontier as both place and metaphor in order to understand this period. More than a simple geographic line, the early American frontier was also a zone of racial, gender, economic, and military interactions between peoples, empires, and cultures. Through the idea of the frontier, this class will explore the wide range of ideologies and experiences in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century North America. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—S. Zabin
HIST 120. Rethinking the American Experience: American Social History to 1865 Cross-listed with AMST 120. A survey of the American experience from before Christopher Columbus' arrival through the Civil War. Some of the topics we will cover include: contact between Native and European cultures; the development of the thirteen mainland British colonies; British, French, and Spanish imperial conflicts over the Americas; slavery; the American Revolution; religious "awakenings;" antebellum politics; and the Civil War. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—R. Seidman
HIST 121. Rethinking the American Experience: American Social History since 1865 Cross-listed with AMST 121. A survey of the American experience from before Christopher Columbus' arrival through the Civil War. Some of the topics we will cover include: contact between Native and European cultures; the development of the thirteen mainland British colonies; British, French, and Spanish imperial conflicts over the Americas; slavery; the American Revolution; religious "awakenings;" antebellum politics; and the Civil War. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—K. Jeffrey
HIST 134. The Mediterranean in the Middle Ages The theory that the focus of affairs in Europe turned northwards after the Muslim conquests of North Africa and Spain has been highly influential in shaping courses on medieval Europe. More recently, however, attention has focused on the rich culture of contact among the peoples of the Mediterranean throughout the medieval period. Through lectures and critical discussion of primary sources, this course will explore the many faces of this contact, including trade, warfare, political ties, missions, and artistic and intellectual influences. Our primary focus will be on the Christian European experience, but we will also study Jewish, Muslim and Byzantine sources. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—V. Morse
HIST 138. The Making of Europe What are the origins of what we call "Europe?" How did this corner of the Eurasian continent come to play a predominant role in world history? What forces worked to create or to undermine a recognizably "European" culture? While cultural developments and new institutions offered powerful sources of shared experience and practice, national states and self-conscious localisms introduced new lines of fragmentation. Through lectures and discussion of a wide variety of primary sources from the period this class will examine these competing tendencies as they shaped the history of Europe's peoples during the later Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—V. Morse
HIST 139. Foundations of Modern Europe A narrative and survey of the early modern period (fifteenth-eighteenth centuries). General areas to be covered: economy and society of pre-industrial Europe; the Reformation Age; the rise of the secular state; the scientific revolution; the culture of the Renaissance and the Baroque. Students are invited but not required to take History 140 as a follow-up to this course. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—S. Ottaway
HIST 140. Modern Europe Cross-listed with FRST 140. An introduction to Europe in the age of political and social revolutions. Emphasis is given to the impact of industrialization and the evolution of the liberal and socialist traditions. Students are invited but not required to take History 141 as a follow-up to this course. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—C. Weiner
HIST 141. Europe in the Twentieth Century A survey of the major political, socio-economic, and intellectual developments of twentieth-century Europe. Special emphasis will be placed on the rise of urban masses and private economic power and the attempts to integrate these new forces into a stable political system. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 142. The Peasants are Revolting! Popular Culture in Early Modern Europe Cross-listed with FRST 142. This course examines daily life in France, England and the German states from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Topics include popular recreation and literature; popular rebellions and protest; religious practices; and work habits. We will focus on the question of the division between elite and "plebeian" cultures in this period. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 150. Japan before 1868 An introduction to the history of Japan from its pre-historical past to the fall of the Tokugawa order in 1868. It examines the ways in which the Japanese civilization has been shaped by its political institutions, foreign relations, religious developments, social forms, and literary achievements. Topics include the sources and legitimization of ancient political power; aristocracy in medieval times; the popularization of various sects of Buddhism; the rise of the warrior class; agrarian society and peasant rebellions; urban lives of artisans, merchants, and entertainers; and the world of popular literature and arts. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—S. Yoon
HIST 151. History of Japan Since 1868 This course explores the modern transformation of Japanese society, politics, economy, and culture from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 to the present. It is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore basic issues and problems relating to modern Japanese history and international relations. Topics include the intellectual crisis of the late Tokugawa period, the Meiji Constitution, the development of an imperial democracy, class and gender, the rise of Japanese fascism, the Pacific War, and postwar developments. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 152. History of Imperial China An introduction to the history of China, the world's most populous and the oldest continuous civilization in human history, from ancient times to the fall of the last dynasty in 1911. This course surveys the formation and patterns of Imperial China with special emphasis on the thought and behavior of emperors, imperial concubines, eunuchs, ministers, Confucian literati, Taoist hermits, Buddhist monks, merchants, soldiers, and peasants. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—S. Yoon
HIST 153. History of Modern China This course, a continuation of History 152 ("History of Imperial China"), offers a critical survey of the modern transformation of politics, economy, society, and culture in Chinese history from the eighteenth century to the present. Topics include neo-Confucianism, the bureaucracy, the repudiation of civil society, the interaction with the West, peasant rebellions, nationalism, party politics, the dynamics of Communist rule, and alternative Chinese societies both inside and outside Mainland China. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—S. Yoon
HIST 160. History of Classical India This course will look at classical Indian civilization by examining the interconnectedness of its political and social institutions, religions, and material life. We begin with the Indus Valley civilization (2500 B.C.) and end with the Turkish Sultanate in Northern India (1525 A.D.). Ancient India has recently become the object of intense political debate; we will consider the implications of current debates and the challenges and methods of reconstructing India's history. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—P. Sengupta
HIST 161. History of Modern India A survey of the modern history of the Indian subcontinent, from the founding of the Mughal Empire to the Partition of India in 1947. We will focus on British colonialism, the nationalist movement, Gandhi, and the struggle for gender, caste, and class equality in South Asia. 6 cr., HU, Spring—P Sengupta
HIST 170. Modern Latin America Cross-listed with LTAM 170. An introduction to Latin American history with emphasis on the post-1750 period. Beginning with a discussion of the legacies of Iberian colonialism, we will trace the development of major Latin American nations as they have wrestled with the problems of political instability and economic dependency. Attention will also be paid to major intellectual developments and the distinctive cultural patterns of Latin American societies. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—J. DeLaney
HIST 180. An Historical Survey of East Africa and the Horn Linkages to the trade networks of the Indian Ocean and to the African interior provide excellent material for the study of the impact of long-distance trade on African social, political and economic development from the turn of the millennium to the present. Using case studies and primary documents, this course will survey the history of Eastern and Northeastern Africa from 1000 B.C. to the present. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 181. West African Societies in Historical Perspective Cross-listed with AFAM 181. West Africa was the location of the earliest development of large-scale state formation south of the Sahara. Beginning with Ancient Ghana, this course will examine the political and economic history of West Africa with a focus on long-distance trade (both the Saharo-Sudanese and Atlantic trade networks) and political centralization. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 182. A Survey of Southern African History Cross-listed with AFAM 182. This course will review the history of southern Africa from the Late Neolithic period to the twentieth century. The development of a multiracial society; the impact of the mineral/industrial revolution in the nineteenth century; and the growth of African resistance and nationalism up to the present will be the focal points. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 183. Farm and Forest Cross-listed with ENTS 183. This course will study the history of environmental change in Africa, using the concepts of "farm" and "forest" to analyze human intervention and ecological change in a variety of ecosystems. Our focus will be primarily on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as we look at the impact of such processes as urbanization, trade, colonial settlement and post-colonial development policy on African landscapes. As we investigate these topics, we will also discuss how African environmental issues have been represented in colonial and post-colonial discourses. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 190. Technology in American History Cross-listed with AMST 190,ENTS 190. What is technology? Why study its history? Is technology fundamentally different in modern times than it was in earlier periods of human history? How does technological change occur? Is technology out of control or is it subject to human shaping and direction? This course will investigate such questions using examples from throughout human history and from several different civilizations. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—K. Jeffrey
HIST 200. The Zen of Asian and Western Woodworking Cross-listed with AMST 200. This course will contrast traditional Chinese and Japanese philosophies of woodworking to those used in England and the U.S. through readings, museum visits, and hands-on projects in the woodshop. The focus will be on the history of the design and construction of furniture using traditional hand tools. Particular attention will be paid to the impact of Ming Dynasty furniture design on the furniture constructed in colonial America. We will also explore some of the complexities of cultural borrowing and cultural difference. Students will be responsible both for writing essays and for completing several small projects made out of wood. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—C. Clark
HIST 201. Greek History: The Greek World From the Rise of the City-State to the Rise of the Hellenistic Kingdo Cross-listed with CLAS 227. A survey of the civilization of the ancient Greeks, emphasizing the evolution of the city-state as a cohesive social, political, and economic organism. The development of the city-state as a response to the physical environment of Greece will form a component of this study, as will a discussion of the historical method: how do we use the few surviving archaeological remains and little written evidence to reconstruct the history of these people and their institutions? The period covered in depth will run from the beginning of the city-state ca. 750 B.C. to the conquests of Alexander the Great (336-323 B.C.) and the legacy of international monarchies that followed. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—D. Lateiner
HIST 202. Roman History, Republic and Principate Cross-listed with CLAS 228. Introduction to the basic facts of political history from the Etruscan period to the early third century A.D. Readings in literary works and primary sources with emphasis on historiography and interpretation of evidence. Some attention to art and architecture. May be counted toward the History major. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 203. The Later Roman Empire, Byzantium and Islam Cross-listed with CLAS 229. Introduction to the basic facts of political history of the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic empires from the third to the ninth centuries A.D. Readings and discussion of primary texts from the points of view of social, intellectual, and particularly religious history. Some attention to art and architecture; individual projects of research and interpretation. An important goal is to understand the phenomena of Christianity and Islam in their native context, the Mediterranean world of late antiquity. May be counted toward the History major. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—J. Bryce
HIST 209. Colonial Cultures in the Modern World Cross-listed with SOAN 210. What exactly is colonialism, and what is meant by "modern" colonialism? Are imperialism and colonialism purely European phenomena? What does our study of the past tell us about the colonized and their colonizers? What does it mean to be "post-colonial"? Who, if anyone, is living in a post-colonial world? This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to nineteenth- and twentieth-century imperialism and colonialism, drawing from both history and anthropology. Case studies from Latin America, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—J. Morillo-Alicea
HIST 210. Studies in Traditional Societies: Bandits, Outlaws and Other Rebels: A Comparative History Theft has been called "the most primitive form of protest," a direct path to the redistribution of resources in an unequal society (Engels). Images of the bandit-hero abound in history and folklore, from Robin Hood to Pancho Villa to Mau Mau. In this seminar, we will examine criminality as a form of resistance in the history of selected societies around the world. Using both theoretical texts and examples from case studies, we will discuss whether smuggling, poaching, riots and plunder can be considered rebellious acts. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 212. The American Revolution Cross-listed with AMST 212. This class will examine the American Revolution as both a process and a phenomenon. It will consider the relationship of the American Revolution to social, cultural, economic, political, and ideological change in the lives of Americans from the founding fathers to the disenfranchised, focusing on the period 1750-1800. The central question of the course is this: how revolutionary was the Revolution? Students without a solid grounding in early American history should read Edmund S. Morgan, The Birth of the Republic (Chicago: 1993), before the first class. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—S. Zabin
HIST 214. The Civil War Era Cross-listed with AMST 214. This course will examine the American Civil War as a defining moment in this country's history. We will study the years leading up to the war as well as the Reconstruction period following it, and trace such themes as the definitions of citizenship to freedom; the role of the federal government and race relations. Not open to students who completed History 110 Winter 1998. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—R. Seidman
HIST 217. From Ragtime to Football, U.S. History in the 1890's Cross-listed with AMST 217. The 1890s were a period of turmoil. From the closing of the frontier West to the debates over imperialism, immigrants, ragtime music, and football, Americans tried to come to terms with the changing standards and social relationships of the modern world. Using original sources from the period, this course will explore the various debates over war, women's roles, sports, art, music, politics, and popular culture in the 1890s. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 218. History, Memory, and the Vietnam War Cross-listed with AMST 213. What is the difference between history and memory of past events? Do members of different generations remember historical events differently? In this course we will first examine the political, diplomatic, and military events of the Vietnam War, then look at oral histories and memoirs as historical sources about the war. Students will then put their knowledge about oral history into practice by taking oral histories from elderly residents of Northfield. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 219. Postwar U.S.: 1945-1975 Cross-listed with AMST 218. Major events of American history from 1945 to the mid-1970s, including the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, McCarthyism, the civil rights movement, Vietnam, Watergate, and the first energy crisis. Some attention to popular images of American life in the 1950s and 1960s. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 220. African American History I Cross-listed with AFAM 220,AMST 220. The transition of the slave from an African to an African-American either directly or indirectly through the institution of slavery until 1865. Special attention will be given to individuals, organizations, and philosophies proposing solutions to the African- and Euro-American dilemma. Previous knowledge of American history is desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—H. Williams
HIST 221. African American History II Cross-listed with AFAM 221,AMST 221. The transition of the African-American from slave to citizen through the development of freedom in industrial and post-industrial America since 1865. Special attention will be given to individuals, organizations and philosophies proposing solutions to the African- and Euro-American dilemma. Previous knowledge of American history is desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—H. Williams
HIST 222. U.S. Women's History to 1900 Cross-listed with AMST 222,WMST 222. Gender, race, and class shaped women's participation in the arenas of work, family life, culture, and politics in the U.S. from the colonial period to the late nineteenth century. We will examine diverse women's experiences of colonization, industrialization, slavery and Reconstruction, religion, sexuality and reproduction, and social reform. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining major frameworks and debates in the field of women's history. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—A. Igra
HIST 223. U.S. Women's History Since 1900 Cross-listed with AMST 223,WMST 223. In the twentieth century women participated in the redefinition of politics and the state, sexuality and family life, and work and leisure as the U.S. became a modern, largely urban society. We will explore how the dimensions of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality shaped diverse women's experiences of these historical changes. Topics will include: immigration, the expansion of the welfare system and the consumer economy, labor force segmentation and the world wars, and women's activism in civil rights, labor, peace and feminist movements. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—A. Igra
HIST 224. Machine Civilization in America, 1800-1900 Cross-listed with ENTS 224. Through an assortment of case studies, contemporary writings, and historical accounts, this course will examine the nature and impact of machine technology on everyday life and popular culture in America from the era of the Early Republic to the end of the nineteenth century. During this century, vast changes took place in people's ways of working and enjoying leisure, in how they transported themselves and their goods, and in the speed of communication. Central to the course will be the question of whether the new technology enhanced, undermined, or recast the democratic aspirations of the American people. Prerequisites: History 120 or 121 or History/ENTS 190 or consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 226. Race and Gender in the American South Cross-listed with AMST 231,WMST 227. This course will examine the prominent and dramatic role that race and gender have played in shaping the life experiences of Southern women and men. Issues to be covered include slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, industrialization and the New South, the KKK, and the Civil Rights movement. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 227. History of the American West Cross-listed with AMST 227,ENTS 227. This course treats the history of a distinctive region, the arid section of the United States between the 100th Meridian and the Sierra Nevada, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will study cultural interactions among the indigenous populations and the Euro-American immigrants, the development in the area of institutions and economic systems characteristic of European civilization, and the political and environmental consequences of those developments. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—R. Bonner
HIST 228. American Indian History: Removal to Present Cross-listed with AMST 228. This course is a survey of American Indian history ranging from Removal (1830s) to the present. The class will encompass the larger themes of America Indian history such as removal, the reservation and boarding school eras, the Indian New Deal, termination and relocation, and contemporary issues. We will emphasize American Indian individual and community efforts to maintain sovereignty, identity, religion, and culture. Moreover, we will examine the cultural, political, economic, and religious changes and continuities in American Indian communities. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 229. Gender and Work in U.S. History Cross-listed with AMST 236,WMST 229. Historically work has been a central location for the constitution of gender identities for both men and women; at the same time, cultural notions of gender have shaped the labor market. We will investigate the roles of race, class, and ethnicity in shaping multiple sexual divisions of labor and the ways in which terms such as skill, bread-winning and work itself were gendered. Topics will include domestic labor, slavery, industrialization, labor market segmentation, protective legislation, and the labor movement. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—A. Igra
HIST 230. Power, Sanctity, and the Search for Order: The Early Medieval World, 300-1000 The emergence of Latin/Germanic, Byzantine, and Islamic societies in the Mediterranean region; the nature and sites of political power and legitimacy; gender roles in medieval society; medieval conceptions of ethnicity; the nature of sanctity and the role of ascetics in society, and the dynamic interactions between universalist religions (Christianity and Islam) and local cultures. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—V. Morse
HIST 231. Order, Innovation, and Resistance: Europe in the Later Middle Ages, 1000-1400 This course will examine new ways of organizing, governing, and imagining the world that shaped the idea of what we call "Europe." We will pay particular attention to the national monarchies and bureaucracies, the Papacy, heresy and radical new interpretations of Christian life, the growing influence of the universities, courtly literature and ideals, and social and cultural discontent and resistance. All served to structure human thought and action in new ways, at times promoting, at times exploiting, and at times discouraging or violently repressing a variety of behaviors, experiences, and ideas. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 232. The Renaissance Through lectures and careful reading and discussion of primary sources and secondary essays, we will enter the creative, turbulent world of Renaissance Europe to assess continuities with and changes from the "medieval" world and to examine the differences between the northern and southern Renaissances. We will listen to contemporaries discuss the meaning of being human and ideal forms of civil society and government; the nature of God and mankind's duties toward the divine; the family and gender roles; definitions of beauty and the goals of artistic achievement; accumulation of wealth; and exploration of new worlds and encounters with other peoples. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—V. Morse
HIST 233. Cultures of Empire: Byzantium, 850-1453 Heir to the Roman Empire, Byzantium proved to be one of the most enduring and fascinating polities of the medieval world. Through written and visual evidence, we will examine the central features of Byzantine culture from the period of Iconoclasm to the Empire's fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, concentrating on the nature and function of imperial rule; Byzantine aesthetics and religiosity; Byzantium's response to the Crusades and Islam; and the changing nature of the Byzantine thought world. No prerequisites, but Classics 229 would be useful background. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 237. The Enlightenment Cross-listed with FRST 237. This course focuses on the texts of Enlightenment thinkers, including Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau, Kant and Mesmer. Emphasis will be on French thinkers and the effect of the Enlightenment on French society. The course covers the impact of the Enlightenment on science, religion, politics and the position of women. Students will have the opportunity to read the philosophies in French. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—S. Ottaway
HIST 238. Topics in Medieval History: Gender and Ethics in Medieval France Cross-listed with RELG 238,FRST 238,WMST 233. Acknowledged by contemporaries as one of the leading intellects of her time, Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-ca. 1431) was an author of unusual literary range and perceptiveness. In addition to romances, poetry, and a quasi-autobiographical Vision, she composed works on political theory, arms and chivalry, and her famous defenses of women--The City of Ladies and the Treasure of the City of Ladies. Using Christine's writings as a foundation, we will explore problems and perceptions of gender, love, the ethics of personal relations, and the exercise of power in domestic and public spheres in late medieval France. 3 credits cr., HU, Winter—W. North
HIST 238. Topics in Medieval History: Papacy, Church and Empire Cross-listed with RELG 238,FRST 238,WMST 233. In the late eleventh century, the foundations of medieval society began to shake. Monks and clerics, kings and princes, lay men and women, challenged the traditional order of European society, demanding purity, freedom, and justice for their church and the reform of institutions grown corrupt. Yet the traditional order had its defenders, too. In this course we will examine their struggles--verbal and physical--as they debate such issues as clerical marriage and purity, institutional corruption, the relationship of Church and King, the meaning of canon law, the concept of just war, and the power of the pope within the Church. 3 credits cr., HU, Winter—W. North
HIST 239. Britain in the Atlantic World In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, England struggled to increase its social, political and economic domination over Ireland and Scotland. At the same time, the British crown sought to extend its holdings in North America. This course examines English attitudes and actions regarding those people who were most affected by English expansion, particularly the Irish, North Americans (both Native Americans and Colonists), and the Africans caught up by the Atlantic slave trade. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 240. History of Russia to 1861 A survey of selected topics in Russian history including the emergence of Kievan Rus, the period of Mongol domination, the rise of Muscovy, Westernization under Peter the Great, and Russia's emergence as a major European power. We will pay special attention to social and cultural issues. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 241. History of Russia Since 1861 A continuation of History 240, this course focuses on the dilemmas of modernization and industrialization faced by both the Late Imperial and Soviet regimes in Russia after the Great Reforms of the 1860s. We will also deal with the social, cultural, and political responses to the regimes. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 242. History of the Working Class in Modern Europe This course will look at the social and political evolution of the Western European working class from its pre-industrial origins down to its reputed demise at the dawn of a post-industrial society. Topics under discussion will include: peasants into workers; from Guild to Trade Union; Utopian Socialism; the Marxist break; working class collective action and rebellion; mass trade unionism and mass-working-class parties; from Social democracy through Leninist vanguard; "middle class" respectability and the new militancy. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 244. History of European Diplomacy A study of modern European diplomacy from the seventeenth to the twentieth century. Special attention will be given to the evolution of diplomatic principles, concepts and methods. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 245. The Origin of the Troubles: England in Ireland in the Early Modern Period This course will focus on the troubled relationship between England and Ireland from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. The course balances the history of English colonization and repression with an analysis of Irish collaboration with the resistance to the English. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 246. Julie's France, Pamela's England: Women in Society in the Age of Sensibility Cross-listed with FRST 246,WMST 247. The eighteenth century witnessed the rise of the sentimental novel as a popular genre in both France and England. This course will examine the historical context of novels that depicted women as creatures that were often defined by their "sensibility." We will look at debates about the "nature of women" as well as at the social and economic roles actually played by women in this period. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 248. Germany: Nation and History, 1648-1998 An exploration of the political, social, and cultural history of Germany from the perspective of the turbulent evolution of German national identity from the Thirty Years War to the present. The readings will include historical as well as philosophical and literary texts. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 249. The New Central Europe in Historical Perspective An examination of the new Central Europe in historical perspective. We will explore the evolution of state and civil society from the early nineteenth century to the present in the multicultural/multinational regions of present-day Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, as well as eastern Germany and Austria. Much of the course will focus on the common experiences of authoritarianism, anti-Semitism, fascism/nazism, and especially the Communist totalitarian/post-totalitarian era and its dissolution. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 250. Twentieth Century Japan A study of political, social, and economic developments in Japan from the Meiji Restoration to the present, with special attention to the emergence of the Western model, the Meiji Constitution, the development of party politics, the rise of Japanese fascism, overseas expansion, the postwar economy, and Japan's relationship to the United States. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 251. Late Imperial China This course will examine major political, social, and cultural forces that shaped China from the Ming Dynasty (1363-1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Topics include the autocratic monarchy and the bureaucracy, neo-Confucianism, high and popular literature, urban and rural life, women and marriage, material culture, peasant uprisings, and the coming of the West. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 252. The Chinese Revolution This course will examine major political and social changes from the Revolution of 1911 to the present. Specific topics will include the May Fourth Movement, warlordism, the Guomindang regime, the genesis of Chinese Communism, the rise of Mao Zedong, and the People's Republic of China. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 258. Foreign Relations of East Asia in Modern Times This course explores the history of foreign relations in East Asia, with special attention given to its cultural underpinnings. It covers the seventeenth century to the present, the period during which the Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese became integrated into the modern world. Students will first examine the distinguishing characteristics of multilateral exchanges in the context of empires, kingdoms, modern states, and Western Powers. The course then attempts to define a system of regional order in theoretical terms and, by extension, the role of east Asia in the world. Topics include the collapse of the tributary system, colonialism, nationalism, and post-colonialism. Some previous work on East Asian history is recommended. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Winter—S. Yoon
HIST 260. The Making of the Modern Middle East Topics include: state and society, the military and bureaucracy, religious minorities (Jews and Christians), and women in premodern Muslim societies; the encounter with modernity. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 261. The Modern Middle East A study of the major political and social developments in the Middle East since World War I. Topics discussed: the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of nation-states; the impact of Western imperialism; the domination of military regimes; "Islamic fundamentalism;" women and gender in contemporary Muslim societies. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 262. India Constructed/Contested Between 1890 and 1947, the modern nation of India was debated, contested and ultimately constructed. This course will consider two distinct but related questions: How did the 'nation-state', emerging in 1947, differ from earlier political and territorial formations? How did the colonialism and nationalism shape the political, economic and social issues of independent South Asia? We will explore both the larger history of the struggle for independence and the complex issues of gender, caste and religion in the South Asian subcontinent. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—P. Sengupta
HIST 263. Inventing the Nation This course will explore theories of nation-building, nationalism, and anti-colonial struggle in the 19th and 20th centuries. Using the examples of Britain and India, we will study the 'invention' of the nation through images and text, particularly the centrality of imperialism and colonialism to the process of nation building 6 cr., HU, Spring—P. Sengupta
HIST 272. Mexico in Historical Perspective Cross-listed with LTAM 272. The evolution of a bi-cultural society. Studies of the origins of indigenous civilizations, Spanish-Indian relations in the colonial period, independence and underdevelopment in the nineteenth century, the revolution of 1910-1920, and the subsequent interaction of radical reform, industrialization, and an authoritarian state. The fate of a primarily Indian peasantry in an industrializing and urbanizing world is a concern throughout the course. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 274. Brazil from Colonial to Modern Times Cross-listed with LTAM 274. A study of the evolution of Brazilian society from its origins as an export colony based on black slave labor to the twentieth century drive toward industrialization. Topics to be examined include race relations, cultural and economic nationalism, the military, liberation theology, and the transition to democracy. A concern throughout will be the relationship between elites and the masses, and how popular religious and cultural movements have often served as a way for the latter to challenge the status quo. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 275. Twentieth Century Cuba Cross-listed with LTAM 275. If, as Ernesto "CHE" Guevara once remarked, "Revolutions are made of passions," it is equally true they provoke them. Since the victory of Fidel Castro's guerrilla army over forty years ago, Cuba's revolution continues to generate controversy and to inflame the passions of both friends and foes. What is the real story behind the Cuban revolution, and what will the future hold for the Western Hemisphere's sole socialist country? This course will offer some insight by examining the historical conditions leading up to Castro's victory, the early decades of the socialist regime, and recent changes as Cuba struggles to survive in the post-Soviet era. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—J. DeLaney
HIST 280. Women and Work in African History Cross-listed with AFAM 280,WMST 280. African women have frequently been termed the "invisible workers" of their societies. Using the theoretical concepts of gender, class and patriarchy, this course will analyze the productive and reproductive roles of women in African history, in order to improve their "visibility." 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 282. Women in African History: (Re-)Production, Representation, and Resistance Cross-listed with WMST 283. This course will explore several themes that are central to understanding the changes n African women's lives and experiences in the countryside and the city from before colonialism to the present: work, education, labor migration, marriage, sexuality, motherhood, political action and creativity. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources, as well as historiographic articles outlining issues in African women's history and the novels and autobiographies through which African women have begun to make their voices heard. But women in Africa do not speak as one, and thus we will also study the differences of race, gender, class and culture. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 283. Africa Before the Europeans: The Dark Continent? Cross-listed with AFAM 283. Through epics, origin myths, praise songs, poetry, ethnographic materials, historical works and novels, this seminar will explore Africa's rich pre-colonial past, paying particular attention to material and social change and the ways in which both ruling elites and "ordinary" men and women--farmers, herders, traders, slaves--helped to shape their worlds. The course challenges Western depictions of Africa as the "dark continent" by showing that African peoples had vibrant cultures and sophisticated technologies, participated in far-reaching commercial and political networks, and maintained dynamic (and internally differentiated) social systems for centuries before the arrival of Europeans on African shores. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—H. Pohlandt-McCormick
HIST 298. Junior-year History Colloquium In the junior year, majors must take six-credit reading and discussion course taught each year by different members of the department faculty. The general purpose of History 298 is to help students reach a more sophisticated understanding of the nature of history as a discipline and of the approaches and methods of historians. A major who must be off-campus in his or her junior year should take History 298 in the fall term of the senior year. 6 credits cr., ND, Winter,Spring—W. North, C. Weiner
HIST 322. The Civil Rights Movement in America, 1942-1965 Cross-listed with AFAM 322,AMST 322. This course will examine the development of the Civil Rights movement from the formation of CORE (the Congress of Racial Equality) to the Voting Rights Act. It will focus upon significant individuals, groups, and campaigns in an effort to assess the impact of the movement on both African-American and American cultures. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—H. Williams
HIST 324. The Concord Intellectuals Cross-listed with AMST 324. The social and intellectual history of the American Renaissance with focus on selected works of Emerson, Thoreau, Amos Bronson Alcott, and Margaret Fuller. Special emphasis will be placed on the one common denominator uniting these intellectuals: their devotion to the possibilities of democracy. Prerequisite: History 120 or consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 327. Southern Women: Black and White This course will examine the intertwined histories of black and white women in the southern United States from the colonial period through the 1960's. Race, gender and class have historically played prominent and dramatic roles in shaping the life experiences of southern women. We will bring these categories of analysis to bear on topics that will include women's involvement in slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization and the new south, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Civil Rights Movement. We will read autobiographies and fiction as well as historians' accounts in our exploration of southern women's lives. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 341. France, Third-Fifth Republic Modern France from 1870 to the present. The politics, culture, society and economy of modern France will be studied in relation to such topics as agriculture and industry, archaic and modern; mass politics, class struggle and the rise of socialism; perceiving Paris; modernism in art and life, Bohemia, the belle epoque and the post-industrialist society; Gaullism and the prospect of European unity. History 341 can be taken as one of the core courses in the French and Francophone Studies Concentration. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—C. Weiner
HIST 343. Empire and Nation in Russian History This course provides a historical survey of the imperial dimension of Russian history. We will discuss the evolution of national identities among the peoples of the Russian empire and the Soviet Union (including the Russians). This is a reading-intensive, discussion based course. Prerequisite: History 240 and/or 241 desirable. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 346. Imperialism An analytical study of the phenomenon of imperialism, its impact on the evolution on mass as well as world politics, and its economic, social and cultural-ideological implications in the classical era of European imperialism, c.1880-1914. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 350. Yangtze: Nature, History and the River The goals of this course, from specific to general, are (a) to become familiar with the Yangtze River and its watershed--geographically, socially, and culturally; (b) to provide a many-sided introduction to Chinese history and culture; and (c) to look at history in ways different from conventional chronological and narrative approaches. Prerequisite: Course in Chinese History or permission of instructor. 6 credits cr., HU, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 360. Modern Muslim Movements Through readings in primary sources in translation, we will discuss the major intellectual and cultural movements that have influenced Muslim thinkers in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics include modernism, nationalism, "Islamic socialism," and fundamentalism. A knowledge of modern Islamic history is assumed. Prerequisite: History 260 or 261, or the consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 363. Regions-Languages-Religions: Issues in Postcolonial India This course will address issues, problems and developments in post-colonial India. Focus will be on the dilemmas facing the nation on economic, political and social levels. We will pay special attention to Nehruvian Socialism, the regime of Indra Gandhi, rise of ethnic and subnational movements, Hindu fundamentalism, changing role of women. Previous knowledge of Indian history is required, or permission of instructor. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Not offered in 2000-2001.
HIST 395. Topics in African American History Cross-listed with AFAM 395,AMST 395. Black Conservatism: Uncle Toms or Black Messiahs? This seminar will investigate Black Conservatism as a response to the crisis of liberalism in Afro-America. We will discuss the works of influential black intellectual conservatives including Booker T. Washington, George S. Schuyler, and Shelby Steele, among others. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—H. Williams
HIST 395. Topics in South Asian History This course will provide students with the opportunity to do independent research in any field of South Asian History. This seminar will explore different historical methods and historiographical debates; each student will write an original research paper. 6 credits cr., HU, Winter—P. Sengupta
HIST 395. Topics in African History Cross-listed with AFAM 395. This seminar will focus on major debates and issues in the field of African history. Readings and discussions for 2000 will focus on topics like resistance (e.g. armed struggle and exile), African systems of thought (e.g. Negritude, Black Consciousness), and intersections of race and gender in Africa, but students are encouraged to pursue their own research interests in this course. Each student will research and write a major research paper using primary sources where possible. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Fall—H. Pohlandt-McCormick
HIST 395. Progressive Era Cross-listed with AMST 395. Was the Progressive Era progressive? It was a period of social reform. Labor activism, and woman suffrage, but also of Jim Crow, corporate capitalism, and U.S. imperialism. These are among the topics that can be explored in research papers on this contradictory era. We will begin by reading a brief text that surveys the major subject areas and relevant historiography of the period. The course will center on the writing of a 25-30 page paper based on primary research, which will be read and critiqued by members of the seminar. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—A. Igra
HIST 395. Topics in East Asian History Designed for advanced students who wish to pursue independent research in histories of China, Japan, and/or Korea, from ancient times to the present. Students will be introduced to major historiography in the field, key documentary collections, and important research aids. Students will write and present a major research paper. Open primarily to juniors with some background in East Asian history, but open to others as well. Prerequisite: History 110, 150, 151, 152, 153, 258, or with the instructor's permission. 6 credits cr., HU,RAD, Spring—S. Yoon
HIST 395. European Family History Some historians claim that family structures and family relationships were transformed in the early modern period. They assert, for example, that childhood became a recognized stage of life, and marriages were newly characterized by companionship and love. In this course we study works that emphasize change over time as well as historians who challenge these models by showing the level of continuity that existed in such areas as conceptions of childhood, marriage choices and marital relations, family structure and household formation. 6 credits cr., HU, Spring—S. Ottaway
HIST 395. War, State and Society Mankind has waged war as long as organized societies have existed. Once, almost all history was about warfare and warriors. That age has long since passed. Still, viewing the culture and institutions of a particular society through the prism of warfare can yield incredible insights into the anatomy and workings of "civilized" communities. Cutting across chronological, cultural and geographic sub-divisions, we will study warfare using sources from the time of the tribe and polis to modern twentieth-century societies. This is an advanced research seminar; students will prepare one short analysis of a source and/or an author and write and present a larger final essay. 6 credits cr., HU, Fall—C. Weiner
HIST 400. Integrative Exercise Required of all seniors majoring in History. Students approved to write a thesis should register for section 1 or 2 (winter term); those approved to write an essay should register for section 3 or 4 (winter term). 6 credits cr., S/NC, ND, Winter,Spring—A. Igra, K. Jeffrey, C. Weiner