Spring 2024 Courses
Course Descriptions
104.01, 20598 TR 8-9:15, Crosby
World History since 1500 CE. History 104 covers world history since 1500 CE, focusing on economic, social, political, and cultural aspects of people before the onset of western dominance and identifying major patterns and trends which characterized the world in each era.
115.01, 20263 MWF 8:00-8:50, Dingley
Maritime Cultures of the Indian Ocean World. From the Swahili city-states of the East African coast to the nomadic seafaring societies of the Southeast Asian archipelago, this course explores the cosmopolitan world of the Indian Ocean from antiquity through the rise of Islam to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498. Our focus will be on the diasporic movement of people and plants, language and culture, religion and technology over two thousand years of maritime history, and the underlying environmental forces and institutional forms that helped make the Indian Ocean the most dynamic cultural crossroads of the pre-modern era.
115.02, 20264 MWF 9-9:50, Dingley
Maritime Cultures of the Indian Ocean World. From the Swahili city-states of the East African coast to the nomadic seafaring societies of the Southeast Asian archipelago, this course explores the cosmopolitan world of the Indian Ocean from antiquity through the rise of Islam to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498. Our focus will be on the diasporic movement of people and plants, language and culture, religion and technology over two thousand years of maritime history, and the underlying environmental forces and institutional forms that helped make the Indian Ocean the most dynamic cultural crossroads of the pre-modern era.
115.03, 20266 MWF 8-8:50, Van Meer
A World of Inventions. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century, using the comparative method. The theme of this global history course is invention and technology. By contextualizing key inventions of the past, e.g. prehistoric cave paintings, early Egyptian and Chinese tombs, classical Greek and Roman (amphi)theaters, and medieval Byzantine and Islamic Domes, we will analyze how technological developments reflect the cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.04, 20267 MWF 9-9:50, Van Meer
A World of Inventions. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century, using the comparative method. The theme of this global history course is invention and technology. By contextualizing key inventions of the past, e.g. prehistoric cave paintings, early Egyptian and Chinese tombs, classical Greek and Roman (amphi)theaters, and medieval Byzantine and Islamic Domes, we will analyze how technological developments reflect the cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.06, 21173 TR 12:15-1:30, Crosby
Development of Society and Ruling Classes in Antiquity. History 115 is designed to help students gain a better understanding of world civilization from antiquity to early middle ages. We will examine many topics which directly shaped western and world history, including art, the development of written language, impact of military conflicts, philosophical thoughts, impact of religion upon western society, territorial discoveries, and numerous attempts of societies at extending their cultural and political hegemony. Particular emphasis will be focused on the study of the evolution of society and the monarchy through the earliest forms of ruling systems, the culture, customs, and governing practices- from the development of the first city-states ruled by chieftains and religious deities, Pharaohs, Caesars, and kings and queens. Some examples of studies will be the Kingdom of Israel, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Franks, with meticulous attention focused on important rulers, the good, the bad and the insane, along with the evolution of the ruling caste/monarchy as a historical phenomena. Attention will also be paid to the emergence of an elite group of rulers, the treatment of women of all social castes, and patriarchal lines.
115.07, 20610 MW 3:25-4:40, Phillips
Dangerous Appetites. This course analyzes the relationship between culinary history from the earliest Mesopotamian societies to 1500. Food has played a crucial role in the creation of what we often call “globalism.” In fact, trade in rice and rum forged the first global trade networks and, along with them, helped shape the nature of western and slavery create empires of trade and sea power.We will examine how food, in different culture and at different times, has been used as a symbol of hospitality and of domination. We will look at how food shaped a variety of global culture’s understanding of itself and others. We will see how food initiated the first European drive for domination Africa, Asia and the Americans and changed, not only political arrangements, but ecosystems and disease environments as well.
115.09, 20270 MWF 11-11:50, Lary
History of Philosophical and Religious Ideas in the Ancient World. In this course, we will trace the evolution of key philosophical and religious ideas in the ancient world. The ideas will be treated historically and comparatively, and within the contexts out of which they arise. While we will address many ancient philosophies and religions in this course, the primary focus will be on three case studies: the empires of ancient Greece, ancient India, and ancient Persia. In ancient Greece, the history of philosophy from the pre-Socratics through the Hellenistic thinkers will be highlighted and placed within the cultural and political context. In ancient India, we will pay particular attention to the development of the competing yet symbiotic teachings of ancient Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Finally, our study of ancient Persia will begin with the history of ancient Zoroastrianism.
115.10, 21174 TR 1:40-2:55, Crosby
Development of Society and Ruling Classes in Antiquity. History 115 is designed to help students gain a better understanding of world civilization from antiquity to early middle ages. We will examine many topics which directly shaped western and world history, including art, the development of written language, impact of military conflicts, philosophical thoughts, impact of religion upon western society, territorial discoveries, and numerous attempts of societies at extending their cultural and political hegemony. Particular emphasis will be focused on the study of the evolution of society and the monarchy through the earliest forms of ruling systems, the culture, customs, and governing practices- from the development of the first city-states ruled by chieftains and religious deities, Pharaohs, Caesars, and kings and queens. Some examples of studies will be the Kingdom of Israel, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Franks, with meticulous attention focused on important rulers, the good, the bad and the insane, along with the evolution of the ruling caste/monarchy as a historical phenomena. Attention will also be paid to the emergence of an elite group of rulers, the treatment of women of all social castes, and patriarchal lines.
115.11, 21468 MWF 2:00-2:50, Reilley
Pre-Modern Disasters, Catastrophes, and Plagues. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies in Mesopotamia until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century. The theme of this global history course is natural disasters. By contextualizing critical catastrophes of the past such as floods, earthquakes, plagues, and drought, we will analyze how environmental history and natural disasters influence and reflect cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.12, 20272 MWF 12-12:50, Lary
History of Philosophical and Religious Ideas in the Ancient World. In this course, we will trace the evolution of key philosophical and religious ideas in the ancient world. The ideas will be treated historically and comparatively, and within the contexts out of which they arise. While we will address many ancient philosophies and religions in this course, the primary focus will be on three case studies: the empires of ancient Greece, ancient India, and ancient Persia. In ancient Greece, the history of philosophy from the pre-Socratics through the Hellenistic thinkers will be highlighted and placed within the cultural and political context. In ancient India, we will pay particular attention to the development of the competing yet symbiotic teachings of ancient Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Finally, our study of ancient Persia will begin with the history of ancient Zoroastrianism.
115.13, 20273 TR 10:50-12:05, Piccione
History, Legend and Mythology. This course surveys the major civilizations of the ancient world through the lens of legend and mythology. Beginning with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, it continues through the Minoans, Greeks and Romans (up to. AD 476). It focuseson the major myths and legends of these societies, including early creation mythologies, Egyptian and Mesopotamian legends of the gods and heroes, and legendary tales from Greece and Rome. Topics include the historical foundations of many of these legends, and the extent to which later legends of the Greeks and Romans were influenced by–or adapted from–earlier myths and legends of Egypt and the East. In this manner, the course explores not only what legends and mythology reveal about these historical civilizations, but also how those societies viewed themselves.
115.14, 21674 MWF 11-11:50, Luquer
State and Religion. History 115 is a thematically-driven premodern history class, intended to hone analytical thinking and writing skills while exploring an important aspect of world history. The theme of this class is religion and state building---how the two have woven together in antiquity and through the middle ages to create distinctive cultures based on religion. We will focus on the development of origin stories that help the indigenous peoples of the world develop and answer the questions they had about their surroundings. We will also examine how these stories developed into polytheistic and then the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, after the fall of imperial Rome by the Carolingian empire and medieval humanists, as well as the changing landscape of religion and government through the end of the middle ages.
115.15, 20275 ONLINE, Delay
Feast and Famine. This general education course examines pre-modern history through the topics of food and hunger. It asks how individuals, families, communities, and nations have created food culture, experienced both abundance and famine. It is comparative in focus, with a particular emphasis on Europe and the Americas. Specific topics covered include food and folklore, food traditions, food and religion, hospitality, childhood and food culture, kitchens as cooking spaces, and debates about the causes and effects of famine throughout time and space. Throughout the semester, we will read a variety of works, including writings by historians, primary-source documents, and memoirs.
115.16, 20276 TR 9:25-10:40, Mikati
Intertwined Histories: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course presents an historical survey of pre-modern civilizations and cultures through a study of the role played by religion in the rise and shaping of cultures and societies. The primary focus will be on the historical environment and central traditions of three of the main world religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam and their near eastern environment from their inception to circa 1500 C.E.
115.17, 20277 MWF 9:00-9:50, Reilley
Pre-Modern Disasters, Catastrophes, and Plagues. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies in Mesopotamia until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century. The theme of this global history course is natural disasters. By contextualizing critical catastrophes of the past such as floods, earthquakes, plagues, and drought, we will analyze how environmental history and natural disasters influence and reflect cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.18, 20278 MWF 10:00-10:50, Reilley
Pre-Modern Disasters, Catastrophes, and Plagues. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies in Mesopotamia until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century. The theme of this global history course is natural disasters. By contextualizing critical catastrophes of the past such as floods, earthquakes, plagues, and drought, we will analyze how environmental history and natural disasters influence and reflect cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.19, 21435 TR 4:00-5:15, Schaffer
Pre-Modern Maritime Piracy and Naval Conflict. This course will explore the roles maritime piracy and naval warfare played in shaping empires and kingdoms from Ancient Egypt to 16th-Century England. Piracy and naval conflict are topics often relegated to the modern era, but this class will explore how these issues transformed human civilizations and transformed empires in the premodern world.
115.20, 20995 TR 3:05-4:20, Halvorson
Egypt and its Neighbors. 3000+ Years of the Ancient Egyptian World. This class will cover over three millennia of history in Egypt and the surrounding civilizations with which they interacted. Egypt in its heyday was a world power which influenced three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Travel back in time with an Egyptologist to study, in detail, one of the greatest civilizations of the pre-modern world.
115.21, 21734 MWF 12-12:50, Luquer
State and Religion. History 115 is a thematically-driven premodern history class, intended to hone analytical thinking and writing skills while exploring an important aspect of world history. The theme of this class is religion and state building---how the two have woven together in antiquity and through the middle ages to create distinctive cultures based on religion. We will focus on the development of origin stories that help the indigenous peoples of the world develop and answer the questions they had about their surroundings. We will also examine how these stories developed into polytheistic and then the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, after the fall of imperial Rome by the Carolingian empire and medieval humanists, as well as the changing landscape of religion and government through the end of the middle ages.
115.22, 21436 TR 5:30-6:45, Schaffer
Pre-Modern Maritime Piracy and Naval Conflict. This course will explore the roles maritime piracy and naval warfare played in shaping empires and kingdoms from Ancient Egypt to 16th-Century England. Piracy and naval conflict are topics often relegated to the modern era, but this class will explore how these issues transformed human civilizations and transformed empires in the premodern world.
115.23, 23248 MWF 12:00-12:50, Gaspar
Pre-Modern History. This pre-modern course surveys the relationship between the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and its neighboring rivals throughout the Medieval period, with special attention paid to the Latin West. Covering a series of case studies in the empire's often fraught relationship with its neighboring states, students will gain a comprehensive grasp of Byzantine political, religious, social, and military history and analyze themes, such as conflict, cooperation, exchange, and co-existence. Additionally, students will be able to contextualize Byzantium and its neighbors within a Mediterranean backdrop, by tracing the evolution of the Byzantine Empire as a regional hegemon to a declining empire that finally fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
115.24, 20281 MWF 1:00-1:50, Reilley
Pre-Modern Disasters, Catastrophes, and Plagues. This course explores the history of our world, from the first hunter-gatherer societies in Mesopotamia until the dawn of modernity in the 15th century. The theme of this global history course is natural disasters. By contextualizing critical catastrophes of the past such as floods, earthquakes, plagues, and drought, we will analyze how environmental history and natural disasters influence and reflect cultural/religious values, political power, and gender/social beliefs of their respective societies.
115.27, 20608 MW 2:00-3:15, Phillips
Dangerous Appetites. This course analyzes the relationship between culinary history from the earliest Mesopotamian societies to 1500. Food has played a crucial role in the creation of what we often call “globalism.” In fact, trade in rice and rum forged the first global trade networks and, along with them, helped shape the nature of western and slavery create empires of trade and sea power.We will examine how food, in different culture and at different times, has been used as a symbol of hospitality and of domination. We will look at how food shaped a variety of global culture’s understanding of itself and others. We will see how food initiated the first European drive for domination Africa, Asia and the Americans and changed, not only political arrangements, but ecosystems and disease environments as well.
115.29, 20797 TR 10:50-12:05, Halvorson
Egypt and its Neighbors. 3000+ Years of the Ancient Egyptian World. This class will cover over three millennia of history in Egypt and the surrounding civilizations with which they interacted. Egypt in its heyday was a world power which influenced three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Travel back in time with an Egyptologist to study, in detail, one of the greatest civilizations of the pre-modern world.
115.31, 20673 TR 9:25-10:40, Halvorson
Egypt and its Neighbors. 3000+ Years of the Ancient Egyptian World. This class will cover over three millennia of history in Egypt and the surrounding civilizations with which they interacted. Egypt in its heyday was a world power which influenced three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Travel back in time with an Egyptologist to study, in detail, one of the greatest civilizations of the pre-modern world.
115.33, 20938 TR 1:40-2:55, Halvorson
Egypt and its Neighbors. 3000+ Years of the Ancient Egyptian World. This class will cover over three millennia of history in Egypt and the surrounding civilizations with which they interacted. Egypt in its heyday was a world power which influenced three continents: Africa, Asia, and Europe. Travel back in time with an Egyptologist to study, in detail, one of the greatest civilizations of the pre-modern world.
115.34, 22516 MWF 10:00-10:50, Gaspar
Pre-Modern History. This pre-modern course surveys the relationship between the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and its neighboring rivals throughout the Medieval period, with special attention paid to the Latin West. Covering a series of case studies in the empire's often fraught relationship with its neighboring states, students will gain a comprehensive grasp of Byzantine political, religious, social, and military history and analyze themes, such as conflict, cooperation, exchange, and co-existence. Additionally, students will be able to contextualize Byzantium and its neighbors within a Mediterranean backdrop, by tracing the evolution of the Byzantine Empire as a regional hegemon to a declining empire that finally fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
115.35, 23449 MWF 8:00-8:50 and ONLINE, Martin
Pre-Modern Travelers and their Worlds. In this course, we will interpret case studies in movements in Eurasia and Africa from roughly 3500 BCE to 1500 CE. We simply cannot cover every instance of travel in these roughly five- thousand years, but we will learn of how Eurasian nomads helped to establish Indo-European languages, what Romans valued in their leisure time, and perhaps most importantly, how members of different ethnic and religious groups sought to understand each other when traveling in foreign lands. The course as a whole will demonstrate that the pre-modern world was abuzz with life, perhaps challenging what you may have heart of history before 1500. You can furthermore expect a visually stunning course, as we will not only read primary source excerpts, but also interpret works of art and architecture. You will do a combination of response papers on primary sources, essay exams, and possibly quizzes.
116.02, 20288 TR 1:40-2:55, Cropper
The History of the Atlantic World, Climate Change, and the Anthropocene. This course focuses on the history of the Atlantic World and the Anthropocene from the fifteenth century to the present and will consider how broad historical processes of transformation and change, from the Age of Exploration and the Industrial Revolution to the Great Acceleration and Climate Change, have catalyzed a new epoch in human and natural history: the Anthropocene. First, we will explore large-scale historical process, such as the dynamism of precolonial African states, interpretations of African slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, the Age of Revolutions, and European conquest and colonialism. Second, we will consider the rise of European industrial nations and explore the various causes and effects of industrialization from the nineteenth century to present day. In focusing specifically on energy and natural resources, we will trace the development of the fossil fuel economy from its British origins to present day. In doing so, we will consider how various populations of the Atlantic World have contributed to anthropogenic climate change, and how exponential economic growth and intensive energy use have triggered unprecedented processes of environmental change. Indeed, one of the primary objectives of this course is to reflect on what it means to be living in this new epoch of natural history and how we—as humans—have arrived at this point. By considering the challenging realities of the Anthropocene, from climate change to environmental degradation and mass extinction, students will consider Earth as a global ecosystem that is shaped by a variety of dynamic and interactive systems—both natural and anthropogenic.
116.03, 20289 MWF 9-9:50, Boucher
Western Representations of Native Americans since the Renaissance. This course will survey the history of Western societies from the Renaissance to the present and focus on the following question: How have changing cultural values in the Western world shaped local perceptions of Native Americans over time? As this class will show, Western depictions of Native Americans have often revealed more about the societies that produced them than about the indigenous peoples they intended to describe. Whether it was during the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, or the late nineteenth century, the Western discourse on American Indians has been deeply colored by the values, anxieties, and fantasies that characterized each period. Therefore, such representations cannot be understood without reference to the historical context that informed them.
116.04, 21437 TR 1:40-2:55, Schaffer
Modern Piracy and Naval Conflict. This course examines global piracy and naval warfare from the 1500s-2000s, with a special focus on Anglo-American piracy/privateering and its intersection with imperial rivalries and colonization in the 1600s and 1700s. Warfare and maritime piracy not only transformed our world's past, but continue to impact the economic and political realities of modern nations as well.
116.05, 20290 MWF 10-10:50, Boucher
Western Representations of Native Americans since the Renaissance. This course will survey the history of Western societies from the Renaissance to the present and focus on the following question: How have changing cultural values in the Western world shaped local perceptions of Native Americans over time? As this class will show, Western depictions of Native Americans have often revealed more about the societies that produced them than about the indigenous peoples they intended to describe. Whether it was during the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, or the late nineteenth century, the Western discourse on American Indians has been deeply colored by the values, anxieties, and fantasies that characterized each period. Therefore, such representations cannot be understood without reference to the historical context that informed them.
116.06, 20291 MW 2:00-3:15, Luquer
Revolutions in the Modern World. Over the course of the semester we as a class will be discussing the continuities and discontinuities of change and connection. We will start in the latter part of the Renaissance (ca. 1450) as Europe begins a new relationship with the greater world, while the European continent suffers from the divisions in religion and war as it enters the modern era. This course will follow the religious, social and political upheavals of the modern era. The material in this course includes the Protestant Reformation, the Age of Exploration and the Discovery of New Worlds, the French Wars of Religion and the Thirty Years War, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, both the American and French Revolutions, Imperialism and the Western World, the World Wars (I & II), the Cold War and the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
116.07, 20292 MW 3:25-4:40, Luquer
Revolutions in the Modern World. Over the course of the semester we as a class will be discussing the continuities and discontinuities of change and connection. We will start in the latter part of the Renaissance (ca. 1450) as Europe begins a new relationship with the greater world, while the European continent suffers from the divisions in religion and war as it enters the modern era. This course will follow the religious, social and political upheavals of the modern era. The material in this course includes the Protestant Reformation, the Age of Exploration and the Discovery of New Worlds, the French Wars of Religion and the Thirty Years War, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, both the American and French Revolutions, Imperialism and the Western World, the World Wars (I & II), the Cold War and the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.
116.08, 20293 MWF 9:00-9:50, Griffin
Modern History. From the standpoint of the twenty-first century, slavery seems like an aberration, despite a growing awareness of the ways that slavery and its legacies continue to shape contemporary forms of exploitation and inequality. Yet for much of the last 500 years, enslaved labor was broadly accepted and widely deployed, not only in the United States and the European colonies of the Americas, but throughout the Early Modern world. While it is clear that American slavery grew simultaneously with the rise of democratic politics, independent nation-states, and capitalist economic systems in the West, the precise nature of slavery’s role in shaping these developments continues to be hotly contested.
This course will offer a comparative analysis of slavery and antislavery in the development of political institutions and ideologies associated with emerging democracy, while examining slavery’s links to empire, commerce, and capitalism in the Atlantic World and beyond. While our primary focus will be on the United States and the colonies of British North America, this course will compare the rise and spread of slavery and antislavery in these areas with related developments in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Throughout the semester, we will examine how slavery and the resistance to it impacted revolutions, independence movements, civil wars, and the formation of the modern nation states and political ideologies that we are familiar with today.
116.09, 20294 MWF 10:00-10:50, Griffin
Modern History. From the standpoint of the twenty-first century, slavery seems like an aberration, despite a growing awareness of the ways that slavery and its legacies continue to shape contemporary forms of exploitation and inequality. Yet for much of the last 500 years, enslaved labor was broadly accepted and widely deployed, not only in the United States and the European colonies of the Americas, but throughout the Early Modern world. While it is clear that American slavery grew simultaneously with the rise of democratic politics, independent nation-states, and capitalist economic systems in the West, the precise nature of slavery’s role in shaping these developments continues to be hotly contested.
This course will offer a comparative analysis of slavery and antislavery in the development of political institutions and ideologies associated with emerging democracy, while examining slavery’s links to empire, commerce, and capitalism in the Atlantic World and beyond. While our primary focus will be on the United States and the colonies of British North America, this course will compare the rise and spread of slavery and antislavery in these areas with related developments in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Throughout the semester, we will examine how slavery and the resistance to it impacted revolutions, independence movements, civil wars, and the formation of the modern nation states and political ideologies that we are familiar with today.
116.10, 21438 TR 9:25-10:40, Crosby
Monarchs and Revolutions in Modern Europe. History 116 will adopt a traditional approach to the study of Modern European history by examining different revolutions and the monarchs that were attributed to them- The English Revolution, Glorious Revolution, French Revolution to just name a few. The course will examine the institution of the monarchy as a historical phenomenon, with particular focus paid to individual rulers who were involved. The course will explore events that shaped the history of the continent and the world, as well as feature the many colorful and controversial figure heads of this time period. This course will also delve into the many facets of this institution-the culture, politics, evolving role of the monarchial system, crises, scandalous behavior, family feuds, powerful queens, warfare, upheavals, coups, and the absurd incompetence of those who have worn the crown.
116.11, 21439 TR 12:15-1:30 and ONLINE, Ruggles
Modern History in Film and Public Memory. This survey class focuses on Modern World History, from 1500 to as present-day as possible, and focuses on history as film. Using film, the textbook, primary sources, and a secondary textbook, this class debates what constitutes a historical film through the eyes of historians. While this survey course covers a broad area of geography and chronology, the focus remains on history as film and how it provides the public with both historical and ahistorical information. Using a comparative method, the class will view multiple films, read about multiple cultures, and determine what Hollywood did well and where Hollywood adversely affects public memory of certain events, places, and people. The goal of this class is not only to learn about history throughout the modern world but also to become discerning scholars of Hollywood's often time fictionalized version of history while also gaining a better understanding of the challenges filmmakers and historians face when educating the public about historical events. Ultimately, the students will be better equipped to know "What is history?" as well as "what is a historical film?"
116.12, 20911 MWF 11:00-11:50, Davila
Slavery and the Slave Trade. This course explores the issues of slavery and the slave trade in American history. Students will be introduced to historical thinking using primary sources, readings, and discussions. Students will grapple with the lasting impacts of slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, and the domestic slave trade to gain a deeper understanding of historical processes. This course will focus on answering several questions. What were the transatlantic and domestic slave trades, and how have they shaped the United States? How has race played into forms of oppression?
116.13, 21440 TR 1:40-2:55 and ONLINE, Ruggles
Modern History in Film and Public Memory. This survey class focuses on Modern World History, from 1500 to as present-day as possible, and focuses on history as film. Using film, the textbook, primary sources, and a secondary textbook, this class debates what constitutes a historical film through the eyes of historians. While this survey course covers a broad area of geography and chronology, the focus remains on history as film and how it provides the public with both historical and ahistorical information. Using a comparative method, the class will view multiple films, read about multiple cultures, and determine what Hollywood did well and where Hollywood adversely affects public memory of certain events, places, and people. The goal of this class is not only to learn about history throughout the modern world but also to become discerning scholars of Hollywood's often time fictionalized version of history while also gaining a better understanding of the challenges filmmakers and historians face when educating the public about historical events. Ultimately, the students will be better equipped to know "What is history?" as well as "what is a historical film?"
116.14, 20912 MWF 2:00-2:50, Davila
Slavery and the Slave Trade. This course explores the issues of slavery and the slave trade in American history. Students will be introduced to historical thinking using primary sources, readings, and discussions. Students will grapple with the lasting impacts of slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, and the domestic slave trade to gain a deeper understanding of historical processes. This course will focus on answering several questions. What were the transatlantic and domestic slave trades, and how have they shaped the United States? How has race played into forms of oppression?
116.15, 21485 TR 5:30-6:45 p.m., Jenkins
Empires in the Modern West. This class covers the history of the Modern West, focusing on the rise and fall of empires. Along the way we’ll discuss colonialism, nationalism, industrialization, capitalism and war—all the things that helped hasten both the rise and the fall of empires. The empire has been a dominant form of government in the western world for over 4000 years. In this class we’ll discuss why, and question whether that’s changed.
116.16, 20297 MWF 8-8:50, Lary
Ideologies in the Modern World. A close examination of the influence of ideologies frames this history of the modern world. Our starting point will be the French Revolution, beginning in 1789, as it unleashed dreams of fraternity, liberty and equality. Next, we will examine 19th century ideologies such as liberalism, nationalism, and socialism and their relationship to the unique economic, cultural and political contexts of that time. Lastly, we will study key 20th century ideologies such as communism and fascism, as well as more recent ideologies such as pan-Africanism and political Islam. Because this is a modern global history course, our focus is not on American history. The countries we will study in most detail are: former Belgian Congo, former Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, India and Pakistan, Iran, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Italy, Kenya, Russia, and former Yugoslavia.
116.17, 20298 MWF 9-9:50, Lary
Ideologies in the Modern World. A close examination of the influence of ideologies frames this history of the modern world. Our starting point will be the French Revolution, beginning in 1789, as it unleashed dreams of fraternity, liberty and equality. Next, we will examine 19th century ideologies such as liberalism, nationalism, and socialism and their relationship to the unique economic, cultural and political contexts of that time. Lastly, we will study key 20th century ideologies such as communism and fascism, as well as more recent ideologies such as pan-Africanism and political Islam. Because this is a modern global history course, our focus is not on American history. The countries we will study in most detail are: former Belgian Congo, former Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, India and Pakistan, Iran, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Italy, Kenya, Russia, and former Yugoslavia.
116.18, 20299 MWF 9-9:50, Tsahiridis
The American Wild West: Myths and Legacy. This course will examine the changing image of the American West from the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century to present-day U.S. and Mexico. Special attention will be given to the interactions between indigenous peoples, settler colonists, and nation-states in the North American borderlands, as well as the West's portrayal in folklore, art, and films to show how popular impressions have reflected both national and international attitudes and values.
116.19, 21676 MWF 9:00-9:50, Davila
Slavery and the Slave Trade. This course explores the issues of slavery and the slave trade in American history. Students will be introduced to historical thinking using primary sources, readings, and discussions. Students will grapple with the lasting impacts of slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, and the domestic slave trade to gain a deeper understanding of historical processes. This course will focus on answering several questions. What were the transatlantic and domestic slave trades, and how have they shaped the United States? How has race played into forms of oppression?
116.20, 20996 MWF 9-9:50, Phillips
Industrial Revolutions: From Steam to the Atomic Age. This course will trace how technology changed the world between the Industrial Revolution and the end of the 20th century in Europe and the United States. How did inventions ranging from the steam engine to the cash register to the internet change people’s lives? What effect did these changes have on different groups, such as women and immigrants? How did they change gender roles? How did they change foreign policy and warfare? How did technology become a source of anxiety in the 20th century?
116.21, 23522 MWF 1:00-1:50, Griffin
Modern History. From the standpoint of the twenty-first century, slavery seems like an aberration, despite a growing awareness of the ways that slavery and its legacies continue to shape contemporary forms of exploitation and inequality. Yet for much of the last 500 years, enslaved labor was broadly accepted and widely deployed, not only in the United States and the European colonies of the Americas, but throughout the Early Modern world. While it is clear that American slavery grew simultaneously with the rise of democratic politics, independent nation-states, and capitalist economic systems in the West, the precise nature of slavery’s role in shaping these developments continues to be hotly contested.
This course will offer a comparative analysis of slavery and antislavery in the development of political institutions and ideologies associated with emerging democracy, while examining slavery’s links to empire, commerce, and capitalism in the Atlantic World and beyond. While our primary focus will be on the United States and the colonies of British North America, this course will compare the rise and spread of slavery and antislavery in these areas with related developments in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Throughout the semester, we will examine how slavery and the resistance to it impacted revolutions, independence movements, civil wars, and the formation of the modern nation states and political ideologies that we are familiar with today.
116.22, 21112 ONLINE, Ingram
Race and Imperialism in America. In this course we will explore efforts to both support and challenge ideas about empire by studying global conflicts, cultural revolutions, and major social movements in the U.S. and abroad between the 1890s and the present. By re-thinking topics such as western imperialism alongside Jim Crow segregation in the U.S.; international Cold War Diplomacy alongside the American Civil Rights Movement; and American proxy wars within the context of decolonization, we will re-evaluate major events in American History during Long Twentieth Century within a global context. While this class focuses on a ~125-year period, we will explore a much broader period for most of the topics we study in order to better understand the historical contexts in which they occurred.
116.23, 21229 MW 4:00-5:15 p.m., Jenkins
Empires in the Modern West. This class covers the history of the Modern West, focusing on the rise and fall of empires. Along the way we’ll discuss colonialism, nationalism, industrialization, capitalism and war—all the things that helped hasten both the rise and the fall of empires. The empire has been a dominant form of government in the western world for over 4000 years. In this class we’ll discuss why, and question whether that’s changed.
116.24, 21679 TR 5:30-6:45 PM, Stone
History of Violence in the Atlantic World.This course focuses on the Barbadian connection with colonial South Carolina. Specifically, the readings, lectures, and other assignments aim to uncover how enslaved Africans, Bardadians, and colonizers from England curated an era of mass violence, all for the primary motivation of profit and establishing a new colony in Carolina. This course approaches historical empathy, sensitive topics, and inclusive historiography. We will have guest speakers that will share their scholarship related to the course and their experiences as former history majors in the career field.
116.25, 20711 MWF 12:00-12:50, Van Meer
Modern History. This course investigates the history of “Modern Europe” and its relationship to “the wider world.” We start in the Renaissance (ca. 1450) when Europeans set out to dominate the world; we follow Europe’s contested history across two world wars, through the Cold War, ending our examinations in the midst of today’s critical debates about the future of NATO. To gain a better understanding of how that history is relevant to our lives today, the historical thread uniting all our topics is “the Arctic”; it is the one place in the world that has been the subject of competition and conquest, by Europeans, Americans, and Russians alike, from the 1490s until today.
116.27, 20300 MWF 10-10:50, Tsahiridis
The American Wild West: Myths and Legacy. This course will examine the changing image of the American West from the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century to present-day U.S. and Mexico. Special attention will be given to the interactions between indigenous peoples, settler colonists, and nation-states in the North American borderlands, as well as the West's portrayal in folklore, art, and films to show how popular impressions have reflected both national and international attitudes and values.
116.28, 20301 MWF 12-12:50, Tsahiridis
The American Wild West: Myths and Legacy. This course will examine the changing image of the American West from the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century to present-day U.S. and Mexico. Special attention will be given to the interactions between indigenous peoples, settler colonists, and nation-states in the North American borderlands, as well as the West's portrayal in folklore, art, and films to show how popular impressions have reflected both national and international attitudes and values.
116.29, 21122 MW 5:30-6:45 p.m., Jenkins
Empires in the Modern West. This class covers the history of the Modern West, focusing on the rise and fall of empires. Along the way we’ll discuss colonialism, nationalism, industrialization, capitalism and war—all the things that helped hasten both the rise and the fall of empires. The empire has been a dominant form of government in the western world for over 4000 years. In this class we’ll discuss why, and question whether that’s changed.
116.32, 20302 MWF 1-1:50, Tsahiridis
The American Wild West: Myths and Legacy. This course will examine the changing image of the American West from the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century to present-day U.S. and Mexico. Special attention will be given to the interactions between indigenous peoples, settler colonists, and nation-states in the North American borderlands, as well as the West's portrayal in folklore, art, and films to show how popular impressions have reflected both national and international attitudes and values.
116.37, 20672 MWF 11:00-11:50, Van Meer
Modern History. This course investigates the history of “Modern Europe” and its relationship to “the wider world.” We start in the Renaissance (ca. 1450) when Europeans set out to dominate the world; we follow Europe’s contested history across two world wars, through the Cold War, ending our examinations in the midst of today’s critical debates about the future of NATO. To gain a better understanding of how that history is relevant to our lives today, the historical thread uniting all our topics is “the Arctic”; it is the one place in the world that has been the subject of competition and conquest, by Europeans, Americans, and Russians alike, from the 1490s until today.
116.42, 20714 MWF 10:00-10:50, Davila
Slavery and the Slave Trade. This course explores the issues of slavery and the slave trade in American history. Students will be introduced to historical thinking using primary sources, readings, and discussions. Students will grapple with the lasting impacts of slavery, the transatlantic slave trade, and the domestic slave trade to gain a deeper understanding of historical processes. This course will focus on answering several questions. What were the transatlantic and domestic slave trades, and how have they shaped the United States? How has race played into forms of oppression?
116.43, 20939 MWF 11-11:50, Phillips
Industrial Revolutions: From Steam to the Atomic Age. This course will trace how technology changed the world between the Industrial Revolution and the end of the 20th century in Europe and the United States. How did inventions ranging from the steam engine to the cash register to the internet change people’s lives? What effect did these changes have on different groups, such as women and immigrants? How did they change gender roles? How did they change foreign policy and warfare? How did technology become a source of anxiety in the 20th century?
116.44, 21381 TR 12:15-1:30, Schaffer
Modern Piracy and Naval Conflict. This course examines global piracy and naval warfare from the 1500s-2000s, with a special focus on Anglo-American piracy/privateering and its intersection with imperial rivalries and colonization in the 1600s and 1700s. Warfare and maritime piracy not only transformed our world's past, but continue to impact the economic and political realities of modern nations as well.
117.01, 21837 TR 9:25-10:50, Jones
Race and Religion in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Religious violence and toleration were pressing concerns in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, just as they are today. This course will explore how medieval conceptions of religion and access to rights were tied to the development of medieval society. Ideas about nation and race will be studied through examples of violence, toleration, and conversion, laying the foundations for long-term discussions about rights and tolerance. The ways that this history is used and misused in the modern world will also be examined as we separate fact from fiction. The course will begin with examples of conflict, coexistence, and resistance between and among Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Middle Ages in Europe and the Mediterranean worlds, and continue through the consolidation of political rule, the European expulsions of Muslims and Jews, and the fracturing of Latin Christendom in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, culminating in the debates over the natural rights and self-determination of indigenous peoples and the enslaved in the New World. This course meets both the Pre-Modern History and the Global Race, Equity, and Inclusion General Education Requirements.
118.01, 21838 TR 12:15-1:30, Eaves
Slavery in the Americas. In this course, we will focus on one of the most important aspects of world history—slavery in the Atlantic World from its beginnings in the late 1400 to its abolition in the 1800s. With a broad regional scope, we will look at slavery and the slave trade on both sides of the Atlantic—in Africa, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Through the course, we will gain a better understanding of the significant role slavery, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and abolitionist movements played in shaping the Atlantic world socially, culturally, politically, and economically. We will pay particular attention to themes such as slave taking, resistance, agency, labor, gender, and enslaved community and family, and the slave economy. As we live in Charleston, one of the most significant ports through which thousands of Africans forcibly entered the would-be United States, we will pay particular attention to slavery in the southern region of the US, but will gain an appreciation for how slavery looked throughout the Caribbean and Brazil.
118.02, 23207 MWF 9-9:50, Gordanier
Performing History and Identity in East Asia: From Confucianism to K-Pop (and beyond). In East Asia in the premodern and modern era, the performing arts were (and are) more than just entertainment. Music, dance, story, and acting were tools for building and shaping human identities through education, social networking, diplomacy, and religious ritual. But the arts could also, according to authorities, be dangerous vehicles for corruption, sedition, and debauchery. What makes performance so powerful? This course explores East Asian cultural and social history with a particular focus on China, Korea, and Japan in the modern era. Using the performing arts as a window into both everyday life and grand politics, we will investigate the ways people and states in this region have defined themselves and others in terms of class, gender, ethnicity, and eventually new racial categories. We will discover, too, how those definitions have changed over time: from the heights of premodern empires, through nineteenth-century foreign imperialism and the revolutions of the twentieth century, to our complex 21st-century global present.
118.03, 21865 ONLINE, Pennebaker
Oppression & Resistance in the Black Atlantic World. The history of the Black Atlantic World allows us to follow a people in motion. HIST 118 presents the African American experience as an experience of movement — a history of those who moved by force and by choice, and of those who moved others. Throughout this semester we will reflect on and analyze a range of sources and materials to explore the historical groundings and contemporary iterations of white supremacy, as well as the countless methods of Black resistance from the moment of globalization to the present. Rather than a tangent to the American story, we will treat Black history as the central strand in the creation, growth, dis- and reunification, industrialization, and urbanization of North American and Caribbean countries.
118.04, 23208 MWF 11-11:50, Gordanier
Performing History and Identity in East Asia: From Confucianism to K-Pop (and beyond). In East Asia in the premodern and modern era, the performing arts were (and are) more than just entertainment. Music, dance, story, and acting were tools for building and shaping human identities through education, social networking, diplomacy, and religious ritual. But the arts could also, according to authorities, be dangerous vehicles for corruption, sedition, and debauchery. What makes performance so powerful? This course explores East Asian cultural and social history with a particular focus on China, Korea, and Japan in the modern era. Using the performing arts as a window into both everyday life and grand politics, we will investigate the ways people and states in this region have defined themselves and others in terms of class, gender, ethnicity, and eventually new racial categories. We will discover, too, how those definitions have changed over time: from the heights of premodern empires, through nineteenth-century foreign imperialism and the revolutions of the twentieth century, to our complex 21st-century global present.
201.01, 21839 MWF 10-10:50, Smith
United States to 1865. The purpose of this course is to incorporate peoples’ actions into the context of early American history, beginning with Native American contact and concluding with the final shots of the Civil War. By weaving together the social, political, economic, and environmental aspects of the American experience, this course will seek to explain how and why particular people of various backgrounds crucially shaped a nation. In doing so, we will see how Native Americans, colonists, the enslaved, and United States citizens transformed the land and each other while developing an overall American identity. Ultimately, we will focus on the theme of freedom and answer the following question: what has freedom meant to Americans from initial settlement until the end of the Civil War, and how have those meanings changed over time? With a driving narrative of noteworthy and ordinary people, events, and institutions, this course will (hopefully) provide you with a concise, yet diverse, understanding of this nation’s evolution.
201.02, 23185 MWF 11-11:50, Slater
United States to 1865. A general and thematic study of the culture, society and politics of the United States from colonial origins through the Civil War.
202.01, 21176 MWF 12-12:50, Smith
United States since 1865. We will incorporate peoples’ actions into the context of modern American history, beginning with the final shots of the Civil War and concluding in the present time. By weaving together the social, political, economic, and environmental aspects of the American experience, this course will seek to explain how and why particular people of various backgrounds crucially shaped a nation. In doing so, we will see how United States citizens and immigrants transformed the land and each other while developing an overall American identity. Ultimately, we will focus on the theme of freedom and answer the following question: what has freedom meant to Americans since the end of the Civil War, and how have those meanings changed over time? With a driving narrative of noteworthy and ordinary people, events, and institutions, this course will (hopefully) provide you with a concise, yet diverse, understanding of this nation’s evolution.
210.01, 21834 MWF 12:00-12:50, Boucher
Special Topic: Indigenous Southeast to Removal. This course surveys the history of Native Americans in the Southeastern U.S. from the pre-contact period to the Removal era. Its goal is to refocus and enrich the traditional narrative by placing the indigenous peoples of the region at the center of the historical stage.
210.02, 23184 MW 2:00-3:15, Griffin
The Civil War & Reconstruction. What if the Civil War did not end with the peace between the armies of Grant and Lee at Appomattox Court House in 1865? This course examines the Civil War not as an isolated conflict between the United States and the Confederacy between 1861 and 1865, but as a broader struggle over the meaning of the nation and the place of slavery in it, a conflict that did not end until after the occupation of the South by Federal troops during Reconstruction. Tracing the origins of the Civil War to the Founding Era and antebellum period, we will consider the ways in which the issues it attempted to resolve remain relevant today and attempt to situate the “War Between the States” in a wider “Age of Civil Wars” that were intertwined with issues of slavery, antislavery, and national identity throughout the Western Hemisphere.
210.03, 23288 MW 2:00-3:15, Veal
Special Topic: Heritage Interpretation. Heritage Interpreters connect visitors to natural, cultural, and historical resources at parks, nature centers, historical sites, aquariums, zoos, museums and anywhere that people come to learn about places. Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives and inspire engagement with the world around us. This course is designed for students who are currently employed or will seek employment at sites where they will conduct tours, lead programs/demonstrations, present living history, lead hikes and other recreational activities, etc. It will cover the history of the interpretive profession, basic interpretive principles and techniques, creating an interpretive program outline and presenting a thematic interpretive presentation. Students who complete the requirements of this course will be eligible for a Certified Interpretive Guide (CIG) certificate with the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) for an additional $150 fee. The CIG certificate is a 4-year certification and includes a one-year membership with NAI. Limited CIG scholarships will be available.
217.01, 20303 TR 9:25-10:40, Eaves
African American History since 1865.
Ancient Rome.
241.01, 23182 TR 10:50-12:05, Coy
Reformation Europe. This course will examine the cultural, social, and political developments of the Reformation era in Continental Europe and their historical impact. We will investigate recent historiography on the Reformation and major primary sources from the period in order to assess its most important preconditions, events, and consequences. Central questions of the course include: What was the Reformation? How did it affect European society and culture? What is its lasting significance?
241.03, 21631 TR 9:25-10:40, Steere-Williams
Health & The Environment in Victorian Britain. The period from the late 18th to the early 20th century brought fundamental changes to the health of British people and to the British environment. This historic shift was fueled by the industrial revolution, the expansion of empire, and the demographic transition to urban development. New technologies—the railway, the factory, steam power, gas illumination, the telegraph, and many others—relied on extractive strategies for depleting and polluting the natural environment. This class explores the way in which politicians, scientists, and everyday people unequally understood, and sought to solve, environmental pollution and ill health. The issues explored in this class are tied to emerging scholarly ideas of the Anthropocene, and have broad and fundamental resonance to our world today.
250.01, 21678 TR 10:50-12:05, Cropper
Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1400-1850. This course explores the history of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade (TAST) in Africa and the African Diaspora. In examining primary sources, novels, films, and documentaries on slavery and the TAST from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries, this course will push students to think both historically and critically about the past and how it has informed contemporary discussions of race and racism. We will also engage in the historiographical debates on slavery and the slave trade, as well as the methodological, theoretical, and practical applications of scholarly work on this topic. In so doing, this course will provide students with examples of how historians approach the same field of history through different forms of research and critical analysis.
250.02, 22264 TR 10:50-12:05, Gibbs
A History of Lies.
250.04, 23600 TR 9:25-10:40, Ayalon
The Arab-Israeli Conflict.
261.01, 21175 MWF 11:00-11:50, Dingley
African Religion & Ritual. This class offers an introduction to a broad range of African religious beliefs and ritual practices, as well as to a variety of theoretical approaches to their study. We will explore several “classic” topics in the field—spirit possession, divination, initiation, witchcraft, healing, sacrifice, etc.—together with the history of so-called “world religions” (like Christianity and Islam) in Africa. We will approach these through case studies drawn from across the continent from the precolonial period to the present, carefully situating each in their social and historical context. Along the way, we will query each of the three terms of the course title: What is “ritual,” for example? How do we know it when we see it? What do we mean by “religion”? And in what sense are any of these “African”?
261.02, 23210 MW 2:00-3:15, Covert
Special Topic: Mexico Past & Present. We hear a lot about Mexico in the news and in popular culture, but most portrayals of our vast, diverse, dynamic southern neighbor are one-dimensional and lack proper historical context. This course will examine Mexico’s recent past with the goal of developing a better understanding of Mexico in the 21st century. Students will engage with the history from pre-Hispanic times to the present, while also becoming immersed in Mexican history and culture.
Ancient Egypt: History, Land, and Environment. This course focuses on the role of environment in the formation and progress of ancient Egyptian history and culture from the Neolithic Era to Alexander the Great (7000-332 BC). Using Egyptian inscriptions and archaeology as a basis, it examines the geography and topography of the Nile River Valley (river, cultivation, deserts, climate, seasons, etc.) to explain how the Egyptians adapted these for development, and to understand the extent to which environmental issues impacted the course of political, social, and economic history. Students will be assigned a special project to present a report on the geography and history of specific Egyptian cities.
Topics include: the flood cycle of the Nile River, its connection to the agricultural system, land tenure, ownership and organization, the distributive economy and taxation, the river as a means of communication and transportation, the irrigation system, the calendar and reckoning of time, the influence of geography on conceptions of cosmos and religion, the relationship of time and space in the Egyptian psyche, specific towns and cities. Textual genres in this course include: political and historical inscriptions, religious texts (hymns, prayers and myths), Nile flood-level records, tax and rental accounts, land leases and bills of sale, wills, deeds of endowment, royal exemption decrees, graffiti, private letters and autobiographical inscriptions, etc.
History 270 can also be applied to credit in African Studies and Archaeology with the permission of the directors of those programs.
299.02, 20764 MWF 10:00-10:50, Slater
The Historian's Craft. The Historian's Craft. This is a topics-based course in which students deal with different types of historical materials and techniques to develop skills in research, writing, critical thinking, and oral presentation, focused on the discipline of history. Topics will vary and will selected by the professor.
299.03, 20778 MWF 12:00-12:50, Covert
The Historian's Craft. The Historian's Craft. This is a topics-based course in which students deal with different types of historical materials and techniques to develop skills in research, writing, critical thinking, and oral presentation, focused on the discipline of history. Topics will vary and will selected by the professor.
310.01, 23197 MW 2:00-3:15, Walters
Special Topic: Southern Jewish History.
310.02, 23249 TR 3:05-4:20, Daniels
Special Topic: Race and Jews in the United States.
335.01, 23200 MWF 12:00-12:50, Jestice
Crusades. The objectives of this course are straightforward. It is intended to introduce students to that great meeting of Christian and Islamic civilizations in the Middle Ages known as the Crusades. Often dismissed as a simple “mistake” in the history of Christianity or as a horrific catalyst to modern radical Islam’s condemnation of the West, crusading was in fact a complex phenomenon that changed enormously over the course of the Middle Ages. The Crusades are a lens through which we can examine not just warfare but attitudes toward religion, social order, monarchy, and many other elements of both western and near eastern civilization. With probably well over a million crusaders in the period covered by this course (roughly 1095–1300), this is clearly a subject for serious investigation. Students, by the end of the course, should have greater understanding of the ideologies of both crusade and jihad, of the logistics and conduct of medieval war, and of medieval attitudes and aspirations in general.
350.01, 23186 MW 3:25-4:40, Shanes
Special Topic: Modern Jewish Politics.
370.01, 21836 TR 12:15-1:30, Gerrish
Special Topic: The Five “Good” Emperors.
Research Seminar: Crime & Punishment in America. This is the capstone research seminar for history majors. Your primary objective this semester is to produce an original, carefully researched, and well-written ~25-30 page research paper. Assignments related to these papers will be due throughout the semester, and toward the end of the term we will not meet regularly in order to give you the time you need to complete your research and writing. I will be available for extra office hours during those weeks in order to answer questions, read portions of your drafts, and advise you on peer review sessions.
Before we turn our attention entirely to your research projects, however, we will use the first several weeks of the semester to explore examples of original research, thoughtful historical analysis, and solid writing. Regardless of whether or not these readings relate topically to your own research projects, you can use them as models for your own research projects. The course is loosely focused on Crime and Punishment in the post-Civil War U.S., and we will cover topics ranging from criminal justice reforms to the roles of racial and gender bias in sentencing to the deep roots of mass incarceration. Some paper topics may be from an earlier time period or cover a range of other related issues.
450.01, 23487 MW 2:00-3:15, Jestice
Catastrophe. The purpose of the History capstone seminar is to create significant, research-based, original, thesis-driven paper. Which sounds more intimidating than it is. Yes, your final product will be a 25-30 page work of original research, but you'll be mentored through every step of the process. And, to allow for a variety of interests, the topic of this capstone—catastrophe—was chosen to allow students to study parts of the world and chronological periods they find particularly interesting. How humans have reacted to catastrophic events has defined us as a species, for both good and ill. Sometimes people have grown from disaster to ever greater heights; at other times societies have collapsed in ruin. You'll be limited in topic only by whether or not adequate sources exist for you to study. Your choices are endless: will it be earthquake, foreign invasion, destruction of a belief system, epidemic? Or at a more localized level, how about a bridge collapse, a flood, or a hurricane?