WHAT IS HISTORY
50:509:101:01
T/TH 11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Professor Kapur
Gen Ed: AAI (Art and Aesthetic Interpretation), XPL (Experiential Learning)
What is the past, and how is it remembered (or forgotten)? How have conceptions of “history” evolved over time? In what ways does history differ from other disciplines or modes of analysis? How have various notions of the past been used (or abused) to support specific policies or course of action? Why should we study the past at all? In pondering these and other questions about the nature of history and the past, we will draw upon examples from American, European, and nonwestern history. This class is designed to be both fun and informative and is open to both majors and non-majors alike.
ATHENS: IN THE GOLDEN AGE
50:510:303:01
T/TH 3:35 pm – 4:55 pm
Professor Jewell
Gen Ed: GCM (Global Communities), WRI (Writing Intensive), HAC (Heritages and Civilization)
Athens of the 5th century BCE is often held up as the birthplace of democracy. But was it? How did Athens gain this reputation, and how did Athenian democracy compare to other city-states in the Greek world from the same period and their forms of government, such as oligarchy, tyranny and monarchy? What was it like to be a citizen (a free male) in these city-states, or to be excluded from citizenship or its full rights (women, enslaved people, foreign residents)? This course will tackle these questions and more, offering a survey of Greek history (Athens, Sparta, and other, less famous city-states) from the Persian Wars down to the fall of the Thirty Tyrants at Athens in 403 BCE and its aftermath. The core of the class involves a historical role-playing game, called Reacting to the Past: students will be assigned roles to play, and in these roles they will compose speeches, form alliances, make strategic decisions—and possibly change the course of history within the game. In addition to being assessed for their participation in, and preparation for, the game and their (written) speeches, students will complete: comments on weekly ancient source readings; a historical source paper on an aspect of one city-state; and a creative, analytical assignment which considers the legacy of classical Greece in the history of the American Republic up to today.
KINGS, QUEENS, AND IDEAS
50:510:321:01
T/TH 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Professor Mokhberi
This course provides a general overview of the dynamic changes in European ideas, politics, and culture during the 17th and 18th centuries. We will examine monarchies, such as France, Prussia, England, and Russia and the commercial and dynastic competitions that resulted in devastating wars. France under Louis XIV served as the model of strong kingship but critics of the French state abounded. Enlightenment intellectuals called Philosophes, challenged traditional institutions and called for reform, raising issues of religious tolerance and freedom from injustices that resonate today. Our class will have the fun opportunity to create its own eighteenth-century salon, in which students will debate the pressing issues of the day, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, immunization, women’s rights, slavery, warfare, and other issues which continue to concern our world today.
EUROPE AND THE WORLD:
From Marco Polo to the “Thousand and one Nights”
50:510:333:01
T/TH 11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Professor Mokhberi
Gen Ed: GCM (Global Communities)
This course examines European interactions with people around the globe, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. Students will learn about the writings of Marco Polo in the Middle Ages to the tales of the Thousand and One Nights in the early eighteenth century. The course traces European portrayals of foreigners in travel writings, descriptions of diplomatic visits, and various art forms. We will discuss European criticism of foreign customs and politics and investigate Europe’s fascination with the exotic, which often resulted in imitation and adoption of foreign habits and luxury goods, such as coffee, tea, tobacco, chocolate, cottons, and silks. The class will explore how Europeans imagined and reimagined distant places and used them as models for comparison.
DEVELOPMENT OF UNITED STATES I
50:512:201:01
M/W 9:30 am – 10:55 am
Professor Bayker
Gen Ed: USW (US in the World)
This course provides an introduction to American history from the colonial era to the Civil War and Reconstruction. We will examine key political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the period. Topics covered include interactions between Native Americans and Europeans, the experience of African Americans in slavery, the place of women in early American society, the political ideology of the American Revolution, and the sectional conflict that precipitated the Civil War. This is an introductory course and no prior knowledge of the subject is assumed or required.
AMERICA’S BIRTHDAYS: THE HISTORY OF CELEBRATION
AND MEMORY
50:512:304:01
M/W 3:45 pm – 5:05 pm
Professor Goodman
This course explores how Americans have commemorated the nation’s milestone birthdays, from the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia to the Semiquincentennial events of 2026. The past is not static, but rather something societies continually reinterpret in the context of shifting economic, political, social, and cultural conditions. Students will reckon with the shifting meanings and modes of memory and gain hands-on public history experience that will help them better understand the stakes of America’s “birthday” celebrations.
THE CIVIL WAR
50:512:281:01 and 50:512:319:01
M/W 2:05 pm – 3:25 pm
Professor Epstein
Gen Ed: USW (US in the World)
The Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict in American history. In a nation of 32 million people, some 720,000 Americans lost their lives—in percentage terms, equivalent to more than 7 million today. In this course, we will begin by studying the emergence of the sectional crisis over slavery. Then we will turn to the war itself, covering not only the famous battles and leaders but also some of its lesser known aspects: how each government tried to pay for the war, how whole economies mobilized for war, how the two sides fought for foreign recognition, how the war changed women’s roles, how African-Americans forced the pace of emancipation, and how the war affected Native Americans. Finally, we will examine the war’s consequences, ranging from the destruction of slavery to the rapid industrialization of the US economy, as well as the post-war battle over the war’s meaning. Readings will include a wide range of sources, and the course will help students to acquire vital skills—such as evaluating information and writing well—that Artificial Intelligence cannot perform.
Students may opt to take this course at either the 200-level or the 300-level. All students will listen to the same lectures and complete the same readings, but the major assignments will differ. Students at the 200-level will take two in-class exams and write one take-home paper, while students at the 300-level will take one in-class exam and write two take-home papers. This choice is being offered to enable students to take the course at a higher or a lower intensity, as they may prefer.
Both the 200-level and 300-level will qualify for “US in the World” (USW) credit, which is being applied for now.
HISTORY OF U.S. ADVERTISING
50:512:280:01 and 50:512:380:01
T/TH 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Professor Woloson
This course is a survey of the history of advertising, marketing, and persuasion in the United States, spanning four centuries. We begin in the 18th century by talking about early forms of advertising, such as the classified advertisements found in newspapers and three-dimensional street signs for taverns and shops. As we shift into the 19th century, we discuss newly emerging forms of advertising and marketing, including large posters plastered to public walls, signs painted on storefronts, roving peddlers, and promotional give-aways. As we move in the 20thcentury we will talk about the creation of celebrity endorsements, how advertising was used to promote the American efforts during the two World Wars, and the rise of the field of consumer psychology. Bringing advertising up to the present, we will cover the newest forms of advertising and marketing, from early internet pop-up ads to today’s influencers.
Because the course considers advertising in a broad context, we will also talk about persuasion and promotion, discussing the advent of professional ad agencies, public relations (PR) firms, and propaganda. We will also cover the technologies of advertising, including printing, broadcasting, and the internet.
This course is offered at two levels: 50:512:251 and 50:512:351. All students must do all of the readings and attend all of the classes. Students on the 50:512:251 track will be evaluated on short assignments, quizzes, and exams. Students on the 50:512:351 track will be evaluated on short essays and a longer research paper.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY II
50:512:204:01
M/W 12:30 pm -1:50 pm
Professor Boyd
This course provides an overview of the major events and developments in African American history from 1877 to the present. Starting with Reconstruction, the course traces African Americans’ quest for freedom through the Jim Crow Era, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. It then examines key political, social, and cultural developments of the post-war period focusing on social movements such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, Black Feminism, and the Prisoners’ Rights movement. We will end with a discussion on race in the Obama years and the Black Lives Matter movement.
20th CENTURY U.S. MILITARY HISTORY
50:512:276.91 and 50:512:376:01
M/W 12:30 pm -1:50 pm
Professor Epstein
Gen Ed: USW (US in the World), WRI (Writing Intensive)
Cuba, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan: War has been central to modern US history. Even when the United States is nominally at peace, its military power reaches across the globe. There was not a single year in the 20th century that the United States did not have forces fighting or stationed overseas. Why did war become so important to the United States? How has the growth of US military power affected its position in the world? This course attempts to answer those questions. It begins with the United States’ first major overseas conflict, the Spanish-American War of 1898, and continues through the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will study battles and generals, as well as the evolution of military institutions, labor markets, doctrine, technology, finance, logistics, and culture. Throughout, we will explore the relationship between Americans and their military in war and peace. Readings will include a wide range of sources, and the course will help students to acquire vital skills—such as evaluating information and writing well—that Artificial Intelligence cannot perform.
Students may opt to take this course at either the 200-level or the 300-level. All students will listen to the same lectures and complete the same readings, but the major assignments will differ. Students at the 200-level will take two in-class exams and write one take-home paper, while students at the 300-level will take one in-class exam and write two take-home papers. This choice is being offered to enable students to take the course at a higher or a lower intensity, as they may prefer.
The 300-level section of this course qualifies for “US in the World” (USW) and “Writing Intensive” (WRI) General Education credit. For the 200-level section, USW credit is being applied for now and will be granted.
ACTIVISM AND PROTEST
IN US HISTORY
50:512:341:90
ONLINE – ASYNCHRONOUS
Professor Bayker
This course provides an overview of social movements and the history of collective action in the United States since the 19th century. What sets off collective action? What moves people to get involved in protests? What tactics have activists used to bring attention to their causes and to create change? How do historians measure the success or failure of social movements? We analyze why collective, non-violent action has dominated the historical memory of activism in the United States and learn how protests have impacted American society.
AMERICAN LIVES: HISTORY
AND BIOGRAPHY
50:512:392:01
M/W 9:35 am – 10:55 am
Professor Boyd
This course provides an overview of the major events and developments in African American history from 1877 to the present. Starting with Reconstruction, the course traces African Americans’ quest for freedom through the Jim Crow Era, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. It then examines key political, social, and cultural developments of the post-war period focusing on social movements such as the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, Black Feminism, and the Prisoners’ Rights movement. We will end with a discussion on race in the Obama years and the Black Lives Matter movement.
LATIN AMERICA II
50:516:212:91 (Hybrid)
M/W 2:05 pm – 3:25 pm
Professor Thomas
Gen Ed: GCM (Global Communities)
This course traces the history of Latin America from the 19th to the 21st centuries, beginning with how the legacies of Spanish and Portuguese colonialism shaped the region’s new independent republics. We will examine the ways major historical issues and events played out across the twenty-plus nations of Latin America, including wars for independence; political culture and nation-building after independence; “boom and bust” cycles of the developing economy; economic and political relationships with foreign nations (especially the U.S.); labor struggles and populist leaders; the Cold War and leftist revolutions; political violence and dictatorship; and the massive changes wrought by urbanization and migration in the late 20th century. By the end of the course, you will have gained an understanding not only of what happened in Latin America, but also an understanding of whythis history developed the way it did—and how historians piece together their analysis through the interpretation of documents and other historical sources.
SAMURAI JAPAN
50:516:233:01
T/TH 3:45 pm – 4:55 pm
Professor Kapur
Gen Ed: HAC (Heritages and Civilizations)
In this course we will examines the history of Japan from the earliest times up to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, including the rise of the samurai class, the emergence of the imperial state, and the development of traditional Japanese culture, including religion, literature, and the arts. Along the way, we will consider the extent to which myths and legends about the samurai are true or false, as well as the role played by women in the making of Japanese culture.