History
COURSES
Introductory Courses.
Courses numbered 100–199 are introductory in nature. They are introductions both to the
study of history and to the history of a particular part of the world. As
introductions to the study of history, they all aim at teaching students to
think historically and to understand that human activity must be understood
in the context of a specific time and place. In addition they contain a
number of “skills” components, though, in keeping with the
nature of history as a time and placelinked discipline, those “skills” are taught in
the context of a particular history rather than as abstract theory. 100
level courses will include attention to understanding the distinction
between primary and secondary sources, examining and evaluating evidence,
formulating an argument, analyzing competing arguments, and understanding
the nature of history as it is constructed by historians.
100 DISCOVERING WORLD HISTORY
An introductory survey treating all periods, regions,
and peoples, but focusing on contact and exchange between empires,
civilizations, and cultures as peoples encountered one another throughout
history in a process which accelerated dramatically at the beginning of the
modern era and ultimately made the very activity of studying world history
possible in our own time. Every year. (4 credits)
109 JANUARY IN CHINA (Same as Asian Languages and
Culture 109)
This introductory level course uses historical
frameworks and methodology to explore China in January. Through readings,
lectures, site visits and discussion, the students will be introduced to
the major changes in Chinese government, society, economy and culture from
the earliest times to the present day. Visiting Chinese cities such as
Beijing, Xian, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and/or Hong Kong for about two
weeks, the students will also experience the Chinese way of life through
tasting Chinese food, conducting interactive contacts with their Chinese
peers, and exercising close-up observation of social, economic and cultural
activities in China. There is no prerequisite for this course, but students
are required to work on a research project on a topic of their own choice.
Offered occassionally. (2 credits)
110 INTRODUCTION TO EUROPEAN HISTORY
A one semester introduction to the study of European
history focusing on a selected period; designed primarily for lower
division students who have no previous college-level background in this
general field. Every year. (4 credits)
112 THE GLOBAL IN THE LOCAL: MINNESOTA HISTORY IN
WORLDWIDE PERSPECTIVE/GLOBAL HISTORY FROM A MINNESOTA PERSPECTIVE
This introductory level course uses historical
frameworks and methodologies to explore the bumpersticker motto:
“Think Globally—Act
Locally.” Through readings, films, lectures, and discussion, this
course explores central trends in world history—economic change, from industrialization and commercialization to
globalization and the information economy; political activism, inside and
outside electoral politics; the construction of gender, race, and class,
and their impact on everyday lives; urbanization and the development of
neighborhoods; immigration and the transformation of communities. We will
use similar resources plus site visits, tours, guest lectures, and hands-on
activities to explore how these trends have shaped the state of Minnesota
and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. There will be key points where
we will explore how local developments have shaped national patterns.
Throughout, students will be positioned as historians to analyze the
changing relationships between “the global” and “the
local.” In the end, they will understand not only our local community
better, but they will be better prepared to analyze any community in which
they find themselves. Offered occasionally. (4 credits)
114 HISTORY OF AFRICA TO 1800
A study of the history of Africa before 1800, this
course covers the major themes relating to the development of African
societies and cultures from the earliest times. Students will engage with
themes of state-building, trade and religion as catalysts for change and
learn how historians have reconstructed the history of early Africa. This
course will provide students with knowledge of specific case studies from
North, South, East, West, and Central Africa. Offered occasionally. (4
credits)
115 AFRICA SINCE 1800
This course is designed to introduce students to the
history of Africa in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It examines
major themes relating to change in the colonial period such as European
conquest and imperialism, the development of the colonial economy, African
responses to colonialism and the rise of nationalist movements that
stimulated the movement towards independence. Students will examine these
themes by applying them to case studies of specific geographic regions of
the continent. Offered occasionally. (4 credits)
121 THE GREEK WORLD (Same as Classics 121)
This course surveys the political, economic, and
cultural development of the peoples of the ancient Greek world from the
late Bronze Age through the Hellenistic era. Students will hone their
critical thinking skills while working with translations of ancient
literature, archaeological remains and works of art. The basic structure of
the course is chronological, but we will examine major themes across time
and space, which may include the interaction between physical landscape and
historical change; rule by the one, the few and the many; the nature and
development of literary and artistic genres; the economic, military, and/or
cultural dimensions of empire; or the intersections of gender, sexuality,
ethnicity, slave/free status and civic identity in the Greek world.
Alternate years. (4 credits)
122 THE ROMAN WORLD (Same as Classics 122)
This course introduces students to the Roman world,
which at its height stretched from Britain to Iran, from Germany to Africa,
and lasted well over a thousand years. Students will develop critical
thinking skills while working with Roman literature in translation, art,
architecture and other archaeological remains. The structure of the course
is chronological, but we will examine major themes across time and space,
which may include the development of Roman literature out of and in
response to Greek culture; the effects of the civil wars and the resulting
political change from a republic to a monarchy; the cultural, religious
and/or military aspects of the Roman empire and its immediate aftermath;
Roman conceptions of gender, sexuality, slave and free status, citizenship
and/or ethnicity, and how these social categories were used to legitimize
or exercise power. Alternate years. (4 credits)
135 AMERICAN VIOLENCE TO 1800: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF
WARFARE FROM THE AGE OF CONTACT TO THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
This course will interrogate the way scholars study
large-scale violence (a broad definition of war) between human communities.
Throughout class discussions we will consider the ways in which warfare has
been recorded and analyzed in early America. While major political
conflicts including King Phillips’ War, the French and Indian War,
and the Revolutionary War, will be discussed, the class will also engage
the meanings of violence through an investigation of intra and
intercultural violence within Euro-American populations, and those that
involved indigenous American peoples and Africans, The chronological focus
of the course, circ. 1500-1800, permits our examination of the idea of
American exceptionalism. Is there a specific form or pattern of violence or
warfare that can be called “American?” If so, does this type of
violence remain present in our contemporary world? Alternate years. (4
credits)
136 AMERICAN VIOLENCE 1800 TO 1865: A CULTURAL HISTORY
OF WARFARE FROM THE EARLY REPUBLIC TO THE CIVIL WAR
What does it mean to study war? Is the history of
warfare a history of generals, strategy, and developments in military
technology? Or perhaps it is the story of the common solider; that of first
aid workers, nurses, and doctors; or that of populations who conquer or are
conquered? This course will interrogate the way scholars study large-scale
violence (a broad definition of war) between human communities. Throughout
class discussions we will consider the ways in which warfare has been
recorded and analyzed in the early Republic. antebellum and Civil War eras.
While major political conflicts including the War of 1812, the
Mexican-American War, and Civil War will be discussed, the class will also
engage the meanings of violence through an investigation of intra and
intercultural violence diverse American populations. The chronological
focus of the course, cite. 1800-1865, permits our examination of the idea
of American exceptionalism. Is there a specific form or pattern of violence
or warfare that can be called “American’?” If so. Does
this type of violence remain present in our contemporary society? What
relationship does violence have with an American identity? Alternate years.
(4 credits)
140 INTRODUCTION TO EAST ASIAN CIVILIZATION (Same as
Asian Languages and Cultures 140)
This course introduces the cultures and societies of
China, Japan and Korea from the earliest times to the present day.
Primarily an introductory course for beginners in East Asian civilization,
this course considers a variety of significant themes in religious,
political, economic, social and cultural developments in the region. Every
fall. (4 credits)
181 INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
(Same as Latin American Studies 181)
This course offers a general survey of the complex and
heterogeneous region we somewhat reductively term Latin America. It follows
a roughly chronological approach, beginning with the eve of encounter and
continuing through the contemporary era. Discussions will consider themes
such as the institution and legacy of colonialism, the search for new
national identities, and the onset of modern racial and political strife.
The course will emphasize the import of global economic, political, and
cultural trends on the formation of the region. No prerequisites. Offered
every year. (4 credits).
190 TOPICS IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
A topical analysis of United States history stressing
the historical antecedents of selected contemporary issues; designed
primarily for underclassmen who have no previous college-level background
in this general field. Alternate years. (4 credits)
Intermediate Courses
Courses numbered 200–299 are intermediate in nature and are driven by specific content.
Some are surveys of a relatively broad period; others may examine a
narrower topic. 200–level courses are appropriate to
majors and non–majors alike, and may be taken by
students of any class–standing
though the bulk of students enrolled in these classes will probably be
sophomores and juniors.
213 WOMEN IN AFRICAN HISTORY
The objective of this course is to explore the role
that women have played in the development of African history and to
understand the major issues that define their experience as women from this
region of the world. This course introduces students to the ways in which
gender is studied in African history and to the major
“break-through” works on women in African history. An important
component of this course is the study of life histories of women from
various geographical regions of the continent. Offered occasionally. (4
credits)
222 IMAGINING THE AMERICAN WEST (Same as American
Studies 222)
Fantasies about the U.S. West are central to American
history, popular culture, and collective memory. From John Wayne to Zane
Grey to Disneyland, ideas about the West have shaped the ways we think
about settlement, conquest, race, gender, and democracy. This course
examines the myths that have circulated about the West alongside what has
been called new western history, in an attempt to make sense of western
Americans and the societies they created. Beginning with notions of the
frontier, we will consider the scholarship that challenges our thinking
about a region that has defied simple constructions. Alternate years. (4
credits)
224 AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY: SLAVERY, EMANCIPATION,
AND RECONSTRUCTION (Same as American Studies 224)
This course explores the Afro-American experience from
the villages of West Africa to the cotton plantations of the antebellum
South. Considers West African social structure and culture, the
international slave trade, the development of racism, the development of
American slavery, the transformation of Afro-American culture over more
than two centuries, the struggle, the possibilities of reconstruction, and
the ultimate rise of share-cropping and segregation. Alternate years. (4
credits)
225 NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY (Same as American Studies
225)
Historian Daniel Richter once wrote, “for better
or worse, native history belongs to all of us.” What could Richter
have meant by this statement? What is native history and why would it
belong to “all of us?” The history of America covers a much
longer span than that usually covered in U.S. history courses. The coasts,
plains and mountains of the North American continent may have been a
“new world” to European traders and explorers, but to the two
million people who already inhabited these lands, America was as much the
“old world” as was Europe. In this course we will examine the
history of North America from the age of contact to the end of the 19th
century. Instead of approaching American Indian history from the
perspective of Europeans, we will attempt to reconstruct the history of
16th-19th century North Americans from an indigenous perspective. In our
class meetings, Mondays and Wednesday will be devoted to
chronologically-oriented, broad issues in American Indian history prior to
1900. Alternate years. (4 credits)
227 COLONIAL ENCOUNTERS: RELIGION, RACE, AND SEX IN
EARLY AMERICA (Same as Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 227)
Through an examination of primary documents from the
sixteenth through the early nineteenth centuries and historical articles
and monographs, students will examine and discuss the forces at work on the
conflict and exchange between the diverse peoples that populated North
America. In this course we will use critical analysis to arrive at our own
conclusions about the following questions: Who populated early America?
What types of religious and spiritual practices came into contact through
these populations? What political function did religion and spirituality
have (if any) in this time period? What competing ideas about gender and
sex existed in the colonies and the early republic? In what ways did ideas
about gender and race intersect? Gender and religion? What are the ways in
which the emergence of a United States of America was contingent on
conflict and exchange about religion, race and sex? Alternate years. (4
credits)
228 GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN COLONIAL AMERICA AND THE
EARLY REPUBLIC (Same as Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
Since the 1960s historians have revisited early
American history to identify populations on the margins and historical
actors whose stories and experiences were neglected in the traditional
canon of history. Historians of women made some of the first forays into
this important work of recovery. Building up the foundations produced by
women’s historians, the field of gender and sexuality studies have
flourished and enriched the narratives of American history. This course
examines American peoples and cultures from the 16th through early 19th
centuries to uncover the ways in which gender and sexuality shaped the
formation of an early American society. Particular attention will be given
to the way that ideologies of gender and sexuality shaped early concepts of
race and the development of North American political institutions.
Alternate years. (4 credits)
230 WOMEN AND WORK IN U.S. HISTORY (Same as American
Studies 230)
An historical overview of women’s changing
experiences with work—both
paid and unpaid—from the mercantilist economy of
colonial times to the post-industrial era of the late twentieth century.
This course is designed primarily for students who have no previous
college-level background in U.S. history. Approved for Women’s,
Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Offered occasionally. (4 credits)
232 IMMIGRATION AND ETHNICITY IN U.S. HISTORY (Same as
American Studies 232)
An overview of U.S. history as seen through the
experiences of newly arriving and adjusting immigrant groups. This course
is designed primarily for students who have no previous college-level
background in U.S. history. Alternate years. (4 credits)
233 INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. WORKING
CLASS (Same as American Studies 233)
This course traces the development of the U.S. working
class—men and women, native-born and
immigrants, black and white—from
the artisan era to the post-industrial age. This course is designed
primarily for students who have no previous college-level background in
U.S. history. Alternate years. (4 credits)
234 AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY (Same as
Environmental Studies 234)
People have always had to contend with the natural
world, but only recently have historians begun to explore the changing
relationships between people and their environment over time. In this
course, we will examine the variety of ways that people in North America
have shaped the environment, as well as how they have used, labored in,
abused, conserved, protected, rearranged, polluted, cleaned, and thought
about it. In addition, we will explore how various characteristics of the
natural world have affected the broad patterns of human society, sometimes
harming or hindering life and other times enabling rapid development and
expansion. By bringing nature into the study of human history and the human
past into the study of nature, we will begin to see the connections and
interdependencies between the two that are often overlooked. Fall
semester. (4 credits)
235 COMPARATIVE FREEDOM MOVEMENTS: THE U.S. AND SOUTH
AFRICA (Same as American Studies 310)
This intermediate course explores two of the most
important movements to challenge institutional racism in the second half of
the 20th century—the U.S. civil rights movement
and the South African anti-apartheid movement. The course places both of
these movements within their specific historical contexts and, therefore,
opens with an examination of the historical role(s) of racism in each of
these societies. It then explores dimensions of these movements in a
comparative fashion: the leadership produced by both movements; the
functioning of both movements and the roles played by particular cohorts
(women, young people, workers, allies); the internal tensions within each
movement, particularly around ideologies, strategies, and tactics; the uses
of culture (music, theater, poetry, visual art) within each movement. We
also explore the methodologies of comparative history, particularly the
critique that insists that the movements’ influences on each other
need to be considered. Finally, we assess the impact of each movement on
its respective society. Alternate years. (4 credits)
236 CONSUMER NATION: AMERICAN CONSUMER CULTURE IN THE
20TH CENTURY (Same as Environmental Studies 236)
“Of all the strange beasts that have come
slouching into the 20th century,” writes James Twitchell, “none
has been more misunderstood, more criticized, and more important than
materialism.” In this course we will trace the various twists and
turns of America’s vigorous consumer culture across the twentieth
century, examining its growing influence on American life, its implications
for the environmental health of the world, and the many debates it has
inspired. Spring semester.
(4 credits)
237 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (Same as Environmental
Studies 237)
Poor and minority populations have historically born
the brunt of environmental inequalities in the United States, suffering
disproportionately from the effects of pollution, resource depletion,
dangerous jobs, limited access to common resources, and exposure to
environmental hazards. Paying particular attention to the ways that race,
ethnicity, class, and gender have shaped the political and economic
dimensions of environmental injustices, this course draws on the work of
scholars and activists to examine the long history of environmental
inequities in the United States, along with more recent political movements—national and local—that seek to rectify environmental injustices. Offered Fall
2009. (4 credits)
244 U.S. SINCE 1945
This course examines the tumultuous changes that define
the postwar era in U.S. society and culture. Themes of the course will vary
depending on instructor. Topics may include: cultural tensions of the Cold
War era, the civil rights movement and Black Power, the women’s
movement, postwar prosperity, suburbanization, the Vietnam War, and the New
Right. Alternate years. (4 credits)
248 JIM CROW (Same as American Studies 248)
This course examines the political, cultural, economic,
and social ramifications of segregation in the United States from
approximately 1865 to the present. While much of the course will focus on
the South, we will also consider how racial boundaries were drawn in the
West and North. The course will pay special attention to the ways racial
boundaries became “fixed,” and how black men and women defied
Jim Crow in the streets, courts, and in their homes. Additionally, this
class examines how segregation has been forgotten and how and when it is
remembered. Alternate years. (4 credits)
249 AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE
CITY: 1890–1945 (Same as American Studies
249)
This course investigates two mutually influencing
transformations of the first half of the twentieth century: 1) the
urbanization of the Afro-American people; and 2) the emergence of the
modern American metropolis as the site of congregation and segregation of
distinct racial and ethnic groups. Principal points of focus for this
course include the causes and patterns of black migration from the rural
South to the urban North; the formation of ghettoes in major northern
cities; the internal life of those ghettoes, including changing gender
roles and the development of new cultural forms; and the rise of new
political and social ideas within these communities. Offered occasionally. (4
credits)
256 TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE (Same as American Studies
256)
This class examines the Atlantic commerce in African
slaves that took place roughly between 1500 and 1800. We will explore,
among other topics, transatlantic commerce, the process of turning captives
into commodities, the gendered dimensions of the slave trade, resistance to
the trade, the world the slaves made, and the abolitionist movement on both
sides of the Atlantic. Students will read a range of primary and secondary
sources in order to gain a more complex understanding of the slave trade
and how it changed over time. Alternate years. (4 credits)
257 EMPIRES
This course will survey the evolution of modern
European empires from their inception in the mid-nineteenth century to
their aftermath in the 1980s and 1990s. The course will be organized
topically, separate modules being devoted to theory, imperial
administration, race and segregation in the colonies, cultural and economic
exploitation of colonies, European culture and imperialism, indigenous
anti-colonial movements and decolonialization, and the issue of
colonialism’s role in globalization. Materials will be drawn from the
experiences of the British, French, German, Dutch and Russian empires.
Lectures, class discussions and films. Essay exams prepared outside of
class and quizzes. Alternate years. (4 credits)
258 EUROPE SINCE 1945
A survey of European history from the end of World War
II to the present, emphasizing social and economic history and including
both western Europe and the former socialist republics of eastern Europe.
The course tests the hypothesis that Europe constitutes a social and
political entity as well as a geographic one. Among the topics the course
will cover are a comparison of European post-World War II reconstruction
(East and West), Europe’s power decline in a global context, Europe
as a tool and a participant in the Cold War, political trends and their
roots in social and economic change, and the origins and European-wide
implications of the collapse of the socialist states of eastern Europe.
Alternate years. (4 credits)
260 RISE AND FALL OF TSARIST RUSSIA
A survey of the development of Russian social and
political institutions from Peter the Great (1682–1724) to 1917. The course will explain the growth of the
tsar’s authority, the origins and outlooks of Russia’s major
social/gender groups (nobility, peasants, merchants, clergy, women,
minorities, Cossacks) and the relations which grew up between the tsar and
his society. The course will conclude with an appraisal of the breakdown of
the relationship in 1917, and the tsarist legacy for Russia’s social
and political institutions in the Soviet Union and beyond. Alternate years.
(4 credits)
274 HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL CHINA (Same as Asian
Languages and Cultures 274)
A study of the culture and society of China from
earliest times to the eighteenth century, when the impact of the West was
strongly felt. The course will feature themes in Chinese history, including
the birth of the Great Philosophers, the story of the Great Wall, the
making and sustaining of the imperial system, the Silk Road and
international trade and cultural exchange, the emergence of Chinese
Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism, Genghis Kahn and his Eurasian Empire, the
splendid literary and artistic achievements, the Opium War and its impact
on modern China. Lecture/discussion format. Alternate years. (4 credits)
275 HISTORY OF MODERN CHINA (Same as Asian Languages
and Cultures 275)
A study of leading institutions and movements of
nineteenth- and twentieth-century China. Major emphases include the impact
of Western imperialism, intellectual and cultural changes, the
transformation of peasant society through revolution, the rise of Mao
Tse-Tung, and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and the rise of
China as a world power. Special attention will be given to China’s
international relations. Every year. (4 credits)
276 HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL JAPAN (Same as Asian
Languages and Cultures 276)
A survey of the major political, social, religious,
intellectual, economic and artistic developments in Japan from earliest
times to the opening of Japan in the 1850s. The course will revisit
Japan’s emperor system, Shintoism, feudalism, Samurai as a class,
selective borrowing from China, Korea, and the West, and the background of
Japan’s rapid modernization after the Meiji Restoration. Alternate
years. (4 credits)
277 HISTORY OF MODERN JAPAN (Same as Asian Languages
and Cultures 277)
Japan’s rapid industrialization in the latter
part of the nineteenth century, and its phenomenal rise as the number two
economic power in the world after the devastation wrought by World War II,
have led many scholars to declare Japan a model worthy of emulation by all
“developing” nations. After an examination of feudal Japan,
this course probes the nature and course of Japan’s “amazing
transformation” and analyzes the consequences of its strengths as a
nation-state. Considerable study of Japanese art, literature, and religion
will be undertaken and American attitudes toward the Japanese and their
history will also be examined. Every year. (4 credits)
281 THE ANDES: RACE, REGION, NATION (Same as Latin
American Studies 281)
This course provides a survey of Andean history with an
emphasis upon the formation of collective identities. Class discussion will
treat continuities and divergences between the Andean colonial and
post-colonial experiences, especially the intersection between racial and
regional tensions and their impact upon the emergence and construction of
nation-states. Recent topics explored have included the role of landscape
in Andean culture, Incan and neo-Incan cultural mythologies, the conflation
of racial and class identities in the twentieth century, violence and
guerrilla movements, urbanization, and the various shades of indigenismo. No prerequisites.
Offered every year. (4 credits).
282 LATIN AMERICA: ART AND NATION (Same as Latin
American Studies 282)
This course presents an historical overview of the
interaction between artists, the state, and national identity in Latin
America. After an introduction to the import of images to crafting
collective identities during the colonial era and the 19th century, we will
focus on the 20th century. Topics to be discussed include the depiction of
race, allegorical landscapes and architectures, the art of revolution, and
countercultures. Multiple genres will be explored with an emphasis on the
visual arts, architecture, and popular music. No prerequisites. Alternate
years. (4 credits)
Advanced Courses
Courses numbered 300–399 are aimed at history majors and minors, though they may also
enroll other students who have an interest. They are generally narrower in
focus than 200–level courses and many will
involve some degree of independent research. History 379, The Study of
History, which is a required course for majors also is designated a 300–level course. Completion of one 100–level course or permission of the
instructor is prerequisite for enrolling in a 300–level course.
330 ADVANCED STUDIES: HISTORIANS AND CRITICAL RACE
THEORY
This two credit course is designed for advanced
students, particularly those who might participate in the Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellowship Program. The course—using different materials and pursuing different emphases—each semester examines the development
and application of critical race theory, its place within the
historiography of various disciplines, and its intersections with feminist,
postcolonial, and other perspectives. The course pays particular attention
to the development (structurally, ideologically, culturally) of race and
racism within not only a US context but also within transnational and
diasporic frameworks. The course also provides an opportunity to explore
graduate programs and the processes of application and self-presentation.
This course is intended not only to further the goals of the MMUF Program
but also to encourage the intellectual success and development of students
who might be drawn to the goals and activities of this program. Signature
of instructor required. Every year. (2 credits)
340 U.S. URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY (Same as
Environmental Studies 340)
In the minds of many Americans, cities are places where
nature is absent—places where nature exists only
in the crevices and on the margins of spaces dominated by technology,
concrete, and human artifice. This course confronts this assumption
directly, drawing on the scholarship from the relatively young field of
urban environmental history to uncover the deep interconnections between
urban America and the natural world. Among the other things, we will
examine how society has drawn upon nature to build and sustain urban
growth, the implications that urban growth has for transforming ecosystems
both local and distant, and how social values have guided urbanites as they
have built and rearranged the world around them. Using the Twin Cities has
a backdrop and constant reference point, we will attempt to understand the
constantly changing ways that people, cities, and nature have shaped and
reshaped one another throughout American history. Fall 2011. (4 credits)
343 IMPERIAL NATURE: THE UNITED STATES AND THE GLOBAL
ENVIRONMENT (Same as Environmental Studies 343)
Although the United States accounts for just five
percent of the world’s population, it consumes roughly twenty-five
percent of the world’s total energy, has the world’s largest
economy, and is the world’s largest consumer and generator of waste.
Relative to its size, its policies and actions have had a significantly
disproportionate impact on global economic development and environmental
health. Mixing broad themes and detailed case studies, this course will
focus on the complex historical relationship between American actions and
changes to the global environment. Not offered 2011-2012. (4 credits)
345 CAR COUNTRY: THE AUTOMOBILE AND THE AMERICAN
ENVIRONMENT (Same as Environmental Studies 345)
At the dawn of the twentieth century, automobiles were
newfangled playthings of the very wealthy; by century’s end, they had
become necessities of the modern world. This momentous change brought with
it a cascading series of consequences that completely remade the American
landscape and touched nearly every aspect of American life. This course
will explore the role that cars and roads have played in shaping
Americans’ interactions with the natural world, and will seek an
historical understanding of how the country has developed such an extreme
dependency on its cars. In the process, we will engage with current debates
among environmentalists, policymakers, and local communities trying to
shape the future of the American transportation system and to come to grips
with the environmental effects of a car-dependent lifestyles and landscapes. Spring 2012.
(4 credits)
350 RACE, GENDER, AND SCIENCE
How has science informed definitions of race, sex, and
gender in the past? This class examines the scientific discourses and methodologies
that have, historically, sought to explain racial and sexual difference. We
will examine scholarship that considers the social effects of science and
the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and science. Among the topics
under consideration: the definitions of deviance in colonial and
post-colonial societies, eugenics, contemporary debates on race, sexuality, and genetics. Alternate years. (4
credits)
352 MODERN BRITAIN
The development of English politics and society from
the time of George III to the twentieth century. Among the topics to be
considered are: the transition from rural to urban society; the American
Revolution; the rise and decline of Britain as world leader; Victorian and
Edwardian society; England and Ireland; and the future of Britain in the
modern world. Offered occasionally.(4 credits)
362 HISTORY OF THE SOVIET UNION AND ITS SUCCESSORS
A survey of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet history and
its controversies from the Russian Revolution to the present. Topics
include the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, Bolshevik rule and its tsarist
heritage, Soviet “monocratic” society under Lenin and Stalin,
dissent in the USSR, the “command economy” in the collapse of
Communist political power, and national consciousness as an operative idea
in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Alternate years. (4 credits)
364 GERMANY FROM 1871 TO THE PRESENT
A survey of the history of German society and politics
from the Bismarckian unification to the present with emphasis on the
origins of the German and world catastrophe of 1933–45. Among the major issues covered will be Bismarck and his
legacy for German politics, the army and German political life, the Weimar
Republic and German political culture, the origins and development of the
Nazi party, Germany between the United States and the USSR, and
Germany’s significance in post-Cold War Europe. Alternate years. (4
credits)
366 EUROPE IN THE AGE OF UPHEAVAL AND REVOLUTION
A study of European politics, culture and society
during the years (1780–1850)
in which Europe experienced the most profound social and political
transformations in its history. Among the topics to be considered are the
French Revolution, urbanization, industrialization, new concepts of the
family, Darwin, and the growth of new ideologies. Alternate years. (4
credits)
378 WAR CRIMES AND MEMORY IN CONTEMPORARY EAST ASIA
(Same as Asian Languages and Cultures 378)
This course’s main goal is to introduce evidence
of the major crimes and atrocities during World War II in East Asia such as
the Nanjing Massacre, biochemical warfare (Unit 731), the military sexual
slavery (“comfort women”) system, the forced labor system, and
inhumane treatment of POWs. The course will also help students understand
the contemporary geo-political and socio-economic forces that affect how
East Asians and Westerners collectively remember and reconstruct World War
II. Alternate years. (4 credits)
379 THE STUDY OF HISTORY
This advanced course is required for majors. It
examines the various forms of analysis used by historians through a study
of different kinds of historical texts and sources. It provides an
opportunity for students to develop the skills and habits of thinking
essential to practicing the discipline of history. This course invites
students to address some of the myriad questions and controversies that
surround such historical concepts as “objectivity,”
“subjectivity,” “truth,”
“epistemology,” and thereby to develop a
“philosophy” of history. At the same time, it stresses the
acquisition of such historical tools as the use of written, oral, computer
and media sources and the development of analytical writing skills. The
subject matter for study changes each year. Recent themes of the course
have been memory, empires, and class formation. Prospective majors are
strongly encouraged to take “The Study of History” during their
sophomore year. Every year. (4 credits)
381 TRANSNATIONAL LATIN AMERICAS (Same as International Studies and Latin American Studies 381)
This course examines critical and primary literatures concerning the transnational, hemispheric, Atlantic, and Pacific cultures that have intersected in Latin America since the early colonial era, with a particular focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Alternate years. (4 credits)
Courses 400–649 are advanced seminars and independent projects ordinarily
taken by seniors.
490 SPECIAL ADVANCED STUDIES
The senior seminar is team taught every fall by 1–2 members of the department, around
themes that easily cross chronological and geographic lines. Recent topics
include Documenting History, and Texts and Contexts. Every fall. (4
credits)
604 TUTORIAL
A student or a small group of students may get together
with a department member to examine a theme in which the latter has
considerable expertise but which is not normally covered in his or her
regular courses. Every semester. (1–4 credits)
614 INDEPENDENT PROJECT
Students may carry out independent research on specific
topics under the supervision of a member of the department with expertise
on that particular field. The work should result in an original paper or
series of papers. Only one independent study may count toward the ten
courses required for a history major. Every semester. (1–4 credits)
624 INTERNSHIP
A student may register for an internship with any
member of the department. Off campus learning experiences must have
explicit historical content. The student, the faculty sponsor, and the site
supervisor will negotiate a learning agreement which specifies the
student’s goals, means of achieving them, and the manner in which the
internship will be evaluated. A standard internship will involve ten hours
per week and earn four credits. Only one internship may count toward the
ten courses required for a history major. Every semester. (1–4 credits)
634 PRECEPTORSHIP
Students may arrange to precept a course with a
department member. They will normally be expected to attend the course, do
the reading and participate in discussion, look over student writing, and
provide guidance or tutor as necessary. Preceptorships do not count toward
the ten courses required for a history major. Every semester. (1–4 credits)
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