Fall 2008 History Department Offerings
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
HIST-10100 FOUNDATIONS OF THE WESTERN CIVILIZATION 1, g, h HU LA
3 CREDITS
01/02: Karin Breuer, Muller 419, Ext. 4-1489
03/04: TBA
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: None.
OBJECTIVES: This course will provide an overview of "western" (i.e.,
primarily European) history from the Ancient Greeks to the Treaty of
Westphalia (1648). Topics covered will include Greek democracy, the
Roman Empire, the medieval history of the Roman Catholic Church, the
Protestant Reformation, and the Age of Religious Wars.
STUDENTS: This is a beginning level survey course. As such it is designed for first year students and sophomores. Not open to seniors except by permission of instructor.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Primarily lecture, some discussion
REQUIREMENTS: Three examinations, several short analytical essays, class attendance and discussion.
GRADING: Based on class participation, examinations, and analytical essays.
HIST-11100-01, 02 UNITED STATES HISTORY TO 1865 1 h HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Pearl Ponce, Muller 406, Ext. 4-3606
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: None.
OBJECTIVES: Survey of historical development, 1492-1865. Stress will be placed on political and social developments through the end of the American Civil War.
STUDENTS: Usually first-year students and sophomores of all majors.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and Discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: 1) Mid-term; 2) final; 3) 2 short papers; and 4) weekly reading.
GRADING: Based on discussion, papers, and exams.
HIST-11100-03 UNITED STATES HISTORY TO 1856 HU LA 1b h
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Trotti, Muller 412, Ext. 4-1591
ENROLLMENT: 30 per section.
PREREQUISITE: None.
OBJECTIVES: To introduce students to some of the most important issues and themes in United State history from the Colonial Era through the Civil War. Of particular importance in this class will be the contact and conflict between cultures, the founding of our national government, and a discussion of the causes and effects of two of our most important wars – the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. In the process, the course will provide students with a basic understanding of the historical method, as well as practice with their critical thinking and writing skills.
STUDENTS: First year students and upperclassmen of all majors and disciplines; not open to senior.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Class periods will consist of a mixture of lecture and discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: Three books and a variety of shorter pieces and documents.
GRADING: Based upon a midterm, a final, one paper essay, and four quizzes.
HIST-11200-01, 02 UNITED STATES HISTORY SINCE 1865 1, h HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Smith, Muller 320, Ext. 4-1290
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: None.
OBJECTIVES: This course offers a unique approach to the study of U.S. history since 1865. Taking advantage of the presidential election in November, we will frame the course around the history of presidential elections and the issues of those elections. We will also examine the cultural and social history of the U.S. since the Civil War.
STUDENTS: First year students filling general education requirements or exploring the possibility of a major.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Some lecture, regular discussions and occasional films. 10 hours of service to a political campaign of your choice.
REQUIREMENTS: Reading three books and other short texts, regular attendance, several short papers and film critiques, final paper.
GRADING: A - F, Based on performance on each of the above requirements.
HIST-18100-01, 02 WORLD CIVILIZATION I 1, g, h HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Joanne Izbicki, Muller 416, Ext. 4-3035
ENROLLMENT: 30
PREREQUISITES: None
OBJECTIVES: What constitutes civilization? How did people thousands of years ago create structures, adornments, arts, ideas, and implements still admired today? How did people from distant places come into contact with each other and how did they interact? Why did some conquer others and when conquest was done, how did ruler and ruled coexist? This course considers the emergence of complex human societies and their interactions until the development of global avenues of intercommunication in the 16th century.
STUDENTS: Seniors allowed only by instructor’s permission.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion of readings, films, student presentations
REQUIREMENTS: Readings, quizzes, 2 midterm exams, student presentations, and a 5 to 8-page paper.
HIST-20300-01 INTRODUCTORY GEOGRAPHY 1 G LA SS
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jarett Powers
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: Shakespeare tells us “All the world’s a stage,” and geography is the study of the stage upon which almost all human events have taken place. This course will focus on world regional geography and will use specific situations as examples of broader issues. Far from being devoted to memorization of place names and locations, the course will attempt to explain, for example, why a city is located where it is, how earlier mistakes might frustrate current development programs, why some long established states are threatened with disintegration, and numerous other problems which appear in the daily news.
STUDENTS: Though designed with Social Studies majors in mind, the course is open to any who have an interest in geography or wish to view the interaction of humans with their environment from a different perspective.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion of readings and current events, and videos.
REQUIREMENTS: Readings, exams, active class participation, and a 5 to 8 page research paper.
GRADING: A-F.
HIST-22400-01 Modern South Asia HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jason Freitag, Muller 423, Ext. 4-5798
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: None
OBJECTIVES: This course will consider the history of modern South Asia, “modern” being broadly defined as the period from about 1500 until the present day. We will begin with an overview of the early cultural and political history of India to provide a general background and context for the course. We will then proceed through major social, cultural and political developments on the subcontinent, including the rise of the Mughal Empire, the coming of the British, the Sepoy mutiny/rebellion, the rise of nationalism, the Indian Nationalist Congress and the Muslim League, Hindu/Muslim communal tensions, partition and the formation of India and Pakistan. We will conclude with an exploration of contemporary cultural and political issues, such as human rights, particularly the rights of women (including analyses of such issues as sati, dowry deaths, literacy and sex selection), dalits (historically known as “pariahs” or “outcastes,”) and religious minorities; the rapid emergence of the “middle class” in India and the recent dramatic economic changes on the subcontinent; Indo-Pak relations and the development of nuclear powers in South Asia.
STUDENTS: Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors of all majors.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Interactive lectures, discussion of assigned readings, student presentations.
REQUIREMENTS: Readings, response papers, class attendance and participation, critical essay (which will forms the basis of an end-of-semester presentation).
GRADING: Based on performance on each of the above requirements.
HIST-23200-01 MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION HU LA 1b h g
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: TBA
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: This course begins with Rome amidst the chaos of decline. We will investigate the arduous process by which the modern European kingdoms and countries emerged. We will look at the: political, artistic, and especially the intellectual development of Western Europe, and how all of this still shapes our own modern age. The course ends with the intellectual revolution which is the dawn of the Renaissance.
STUDENTS: All are welcomed; this is not designed for History majors, exclusively. Students in the Park School, majors in Art, Literature, Philosophy, and Art History, for example, have found this course useful in their majors. It is not necessary to have had previous, college level, history courses to understand the material, and to do well in the course.
FORMAT AND STYLE: A large portion of this course will depend upon class discussions, which will be based upon our readings. Questions and discussion is encouraged during the lecture portions of the course. In other words, the Socratic method is utilized primarily.
REQUIREMENTS: TBA.
GRADING: Reasonable and fair.
HIST-23400-01 MODERN LATIN AMERICA
3 Credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Ablard, Muller 403, Ext. 4-3558
ENROLLMENT: 25
Objectives: This course analyzes major political, economic and social developments that have shaped Latin America since the late colonial period. Important frameworks of analysis will include, class, race and gender. Emphasis will be placed on integrating different forms of historical scholarship in order to gain a more synthetic picture of modern Latin America. Throughout the course, we will pay close attention to Latin America’s relationship with the United States, in terms of trade, foreign relations, and immigration.
STUDENTS:
FORMAT AND STYLE: Discussion and presentations
REQUIREMENTS/GRADING: Two exams, three short papers and a research paper.
HIST-27200-01 HISTORY OF THE FUTURE 1 H HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Smith, Muller 320, Ext. 4-1290
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: How have societies in the past thought about and represented the future? In this course we will examine a wide range of material from a variety of cultures (primarily the cultures of Western civilization) that will help us answer this question, to religious tracts, science fiction, and utopian literature, film and television, and popular science writing. Central to our investigation of the history of the future will be how the idea of progress has evolved over the past two millennia, especially the past 500 years. How a society imagines the future can reveal a great deal about the values and assumptions, the hopes and fears of that society. Students in the course can expect to practice historical interpretation, both orally and in writing.
STUDENTS: This course is open to all students of all majors and schools of at least sophomore standing.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Interactive lectures, discussions, collaborative learning – this is not a course for those who want to hide in the back row.
REQUIREMENTS: There will be an extensive course packet of primary and secondary sources, on-line reading assignments, and Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake.
GRADING: Standard A - F breakdown with evaluation based on written and oral performance.
HIST-27500-01/02 THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES POPULAR CULTURE1 H HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Trotti, Muller 412, Ext. 4-1591
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences and sophomore standing.
OBJECTIVES: Popular Culture has become synonymous with America – it is one of our chief exports and a defining part of what America is in the late 20th century. This course explores the history of American popular culture from the earliest mass media and genres – minstrelsy, dime novels, photography, movies, baseball, vaudeville, radio, TV – that were the most popular pastimes of their respective eras. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the role of pop culture in a number of important historical themes, differences in the experience of popular culture by men and women, changes in technology and the business of pop culture, and how different media expressed the racial stereotypes of their times.
STUDENTS: Any interested students at the sophomore level or above.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and discussion, liberal use of media.
REQUIREMENTS: Five books, essay exams, a short research project, and smaller assignments.
HIST 28100-01 THE NATION-STATE AND ITS OTHERS, 1789-1914
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Karin Breuer, Muller 418, Ext. 4-1489
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or social sciences.
OBJECTIVES: This course will examine the rise of nationalism and the nation-state in the wake of the French Revolution. Topics discussed will include the rise of national and independence movements in the early nineteenth century as well as national unifications in the late nineteenth century. This class will also examine the European nations' shifting processes of inclusion and exclusion in the nineteenth century.
STUDENTS: Sophomore standing or above.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and Discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: In-class midterm and final, four mid-length (4-5 page) papers, active participation in class discussions and debates.
GRADING: Based on class participation, examinations, and analytical essays.
HIST 28500 01 ST: Historical Studies “The Civil War”
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Pearl Ponce, Muller 406, Ext. 4-3606
ENROLLMENT: 25
PREPREQUISITES: None
OBJECTIVES: Examination of how this crucial conflict in American History, from the election of 1860 to the defeat of the Confederacy in 1865, transformed the nation. Although military strategy and tactics will be considered, this course will emphasize the American Civil War as a revolutionary experience.
STUDENTS: All
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture and Discussion
REQUIREMENTS: 1) 6 books; 2) midterm exam; 3) 2 short papers; and 4) final exam.
GRADING: Based on discussion, papers, and exams.
HIST 30300-01: The Colonial Period of American History: 1607-1763 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Vivian Bruce Conger, 408 Muller Center, Ext. 4-3572
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITE: Three courses in the humanities and/or social sciences; sophomore standing.
OBJECTIVES: This course examines the complex relationship between a wide range of people and institutions in early America from initial settlement to the eve of the American Revolution. By exploring the many ways in which people interacted with each other and with other groups of people, you will gain a better understanding of the foundations upon which Spanish, French, Dutch, and English colonists settled North America. In addition, you will gain an appreciation of the historical process by looking at the questions scholars address and why. Through primary and secondary sources, we will explore issues of race, gender, religion, the family, the economy, politics, and the meaning of community.
STUDENTS: Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors of all majors
FORMAT AND STYLE: In-depth analysis of (that is, reading and discussion of) major books and journal articles in the field—which will be supplemented by primary source readings, videos, and student presentations.
REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the readings assigned, you will have two take-home exams and a major research paper on the topic of your choice.
GRADING: Based on attendance, class participation, and the above requirements.
HIST-31300-01 THE OTHER EUROPE: MODERN EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE HU LA 1b h g
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Zenon Wasyliw, Muller 427, Ext. 4-1587
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the humanities and/or social sciences and sophomore standing.
OBJECTIVES: The peoples of Eastern and Central Europe experienced revolutionary transformations in their political systems, economy, society and the structures of everyday life and values. We shall begin with a general political and cultural overview of Eastern and Central Europe from the pre World War I period through World War II. The course will concentrate on the recent history of post World War II Eastern and Central Europe. An interdisciplinary assessment of dissident and reform movements, popular revolts and other events and trends (e.g. Titoism, Hungary 1956, Prague Spring 1968, the Solidarity movement, underground music, etc.) will be discussed and analyzed within the framework of intellectual, social and cultural challenges to the existing communist order and the competing political influences of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the west. Finally, we shall use our acquired historical expertise to assess transformations, conflicts and concerns experienced throughout Eastern and Central Europe in the nineties and into the new century.
STUDENTS: Any interested students.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
REQUIREMENTS: Readings To be announced.
GRADING: Research paper, examinations, semester project, thoughtful discussion.
HIST-34400-01 JAPAN’S WAR IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, 1931-1945 HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Joanne Izbicki, Muller 416, Ext. 4-3035
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the humanities or social sciences; sophomore standing or above.
OBJECTIVES: Long before its attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japan had seized power in Manchuria (1931) and invaded China proper (1937). Therefore, in the Asian context the conflict is sometimes called the Fifteen-Year War. This course concentrates on the background to Japan’s military aggression in Asia, how its conflict expanded into war with the U.S. in the Pacific, why the war was conducted with exceptional brutality, why Japan continued the war long after victory was beyond its grasp, and why the war’s repercussions are still felt 60+ years after war’s end. To develop some grasp of the Asia-Pacific War’s complexity and Japan’s motivations, we will read translated materials written primarily by Japanese nationals.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion, student presentations
REQUIREMENTS: Discussion of readings, midterm exam, brief presentation, extended panel presentation, and a major research paper.
HIST-39200-01 Special Topics: “Disease and Health in Latin America”
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jonathan Ablard, Muller 403, Ext. 4-3558
ENROLLMENT: 20
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the humanities or social sciences; sophomore standing or above.
OBJECTIVES: In the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in historical scholarship on topics relating to disease and health in Latin America. Influenced by the growing field of the social history of medicine, many of these works challenge assumptions about the motives, design and implementation of public health initiatives since the period of early independence. Scholars have demonstrated that popular and professional notions of health and illness were not static but changed over time in response to an array of social, political and economic forces. By the late nineteenth-century, health and disease had transcended biological categories, and were frequently discussed within broader discussions about racial degeneration, gender norms, sexuality, immigration, and political disorder. The course has three goals for students: to develop an historical awareness of the political and social dimensions of disease and health in Latin America, to gain an awareness of the cultural and political dimensions of health and disease and to consider how interactions between medical practitioners and their clients have shaped public health policy in Latin America, perceptions of what constitutes “ill-health,” and notions of race, class and gender.
STUDENTS: 20
FORMAT AND STYLE: Discussion and student presentations
REQUIREMENTS: Readings - TBA
GRADING: Two exams, research paper, and response papers.
HIST 48100-01 HISTORY SEMINAR, NON-UNITED STATES
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Karin Breuer, Muller 418, Ext. 4-1489
ENROLLMENT: 10
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor and senior standing or equivalent; must be taken at home campus.
OBJECTIVES: This course will explore the complex relationship between citizenship and gender in Europe from the late eighteenth century to the present. It will examine numerous different contexts for the gendered nation, including the following: the creation of citizenship in the French Revolution, the relationship between gender and class in the era of industrialization, gendered concepts of race and empire, the limits of female inclusion in militarized states, and the gendered order of fascist and socialist states.
STUDENTS: Juniors and Seniors
FORMAT AND STYLE: Discussion
REQUIREMENTS: Readings, active participation in discussion, annotated bibliography, and two drafts of a 20-25 page research paper.
GRADING: Based heavily on active and informed class participation and research paper.
HIST 48200-01 SEMINAR, Global
TOPIC: Caste, Class and Race in South Asia
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Jason Freitag, Muller 423, Ext. 4-5798
ENROLLMENT: 10
PREREQUISITE: Junior or Senior standing
OBJECTIVES: This class will explore the notions of caste, class and race in the South Asian context. We will begin with an examination of the classical treatments of caste in religious primary sources. We will then look to the social operation of caste as the institution was read in relation to eighteenth and nineteenth century ideas of race and the racial analyses at the base of British colonial ethnology, historiography and administration. Finally, we will examine the modern intersection of caste and class in the secular state, and the political ramifications of the ongoing operation of caste on the sub-continent. We will pay particular attention to key historical moments and issues: the first British census of India; the “martial races”; the nationalist movement, Gandhi, Ambedkar and the Constitution of India; and the controversial Mandal Commission recommendations.
STUDENTS: Junior and Senior history and social studies majors and minors have preference; others welcome.
FORMAT AND STYLE: Weekly discussion of readings. Each week one student will be responsible for leading the seminar discussion on the readings.
REQUIREMENTS: Readings, response papers, class attendance and participation, final research paper (which will forms the basis of an end-of-semester presentation).
GRADING: Based on performance on each of the above requirements.
HIST-48300-01 HISTORY SEMINAR: United States HU LA
3 CREDITS
INSTRUCTOR: Michael Smith, Muller 320, Ext. 4-1290
ENROLLMENT: 10
PREREQUISITES: Permission of instructor.
OBJECTIVES: There are few ideas more central to American identity and the master narrative of the American past than the frontier. Disentangling the myth from reality in frontier history has been a central focus of historians during the past 25 years, especially for historians of the West. Any reckoning with the historiography of United States history must engage both the actual history of frontiers in North America and of the idea of frontier. This seminar will examine several of the seminal historical treatments of the frontier, with particular attention being paid to the environmental history of frontier history. We will also spend some time comparing the role of the frontier in American history with the role of the frontier in other national histories.
STUDENTS: This is primarily a graduate seminar for MAT students and is intended not only to provide an overview of frontier historiography but prepare students for teaching this material at the secondary level.
REQUIREMENTS: Several books and articles, short response paper, final research project.
GRADING: Based on written and oral performance.