WHAT IS HISTORY
50:509:101:01
T/TH 11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Professor Kapur
GEN ED: AAI (Art, Aesthetics and Theories of 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.
WESTERN CIVILIZATION II
50:510:102:90
online/asynchronously
Professor Fischer
GEN ED: GCM (Global Communities)
This course explores the development of modern politics, society and culture in Europe and beyond from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. With such a vast time span under consideration, this course is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of modern European history. Rather, we will use a combination of lectures and primary texts as points of entry into the major historical events and trends of the era—the Enlightenment, the rise of capitalism, the French Revolution, industrialization, nationalism, imperialism, the World Wars, and decolonization. Coursework includes attending lectures, participating in discussions, analyzing primary sources, writing short papers, completing daily homework assignments, and taking a final exam.
EUROPEAN HISTORY ON FILM
50:510:378:01
M/W 3:45 pm – 5:05 pm
Professor Marker
GEN ED: GCM (Global Communities)
This course examines history and film in Europe from the early twentieth century to today. We will consider how the political and social struggles that have shaped modern European history have been refracted and interpreted on the silver screen. Throughout the term, we will work through a set of guiding questions: How did Europeans experience the twentieth century? How have filmmakers reflected upon those experiences? How can film help illuminate our understanding of European history? How can history help illuminate our understanding of European film? Coursework will include lectures, class discussion, short readings, and remote weekly film viewings
SPECIAL TOPICS: GROWING UP IN ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
50:510:380:01
cross listed w/50:443:390:01
M/W 2:05 pm – 3:35 pm
Professor Jewell
GEN ED: GCM (Global Communities)
How do we write the history of childhood and adolescence in the ancient world? This course examines a variety of possible answers to this question through the case studies of ancient Greece and Rome, from the Classical period in Greece down to the rise of Christianity in the Roman empire, following a structure along the life-course, from birth to marriage. Throughout the class and in the final project, students will assess the applicability of modern theoretical approaches to ageing, childhood and youth, drawn from disciplines such as cultural anthropology and performance studies, alongside previous social, political and cultural approaches in the field of ancient history. Students will encounter the early stages of the ancient life-course through various media, from portraits of youths and the material culture of childhood (e.g. dolls, games) to comedies, graffiti, tombstones, and biographical texts. Equal emphasis will therefore be placed on analysis of the ancient textual sources, as well as material culture from archaeological contexts, including the use of local and online museum collections in an artefact-as-history digital assignment. Classes will revolve around short lectures, where needed, and weekly discussion of thematic topics, such as demography and premature death, gendered notions of childhood and youth, coming-of-age rites, intergenerational conflict, the historical development of a youthful aesthetic, and the differences between elite and non-elite experiences of growing up, among others. Even as we compare two ancient societies—Greece and Rome—we will also look to how changes at large within these societies
DEVELOPMENT OF UNITED STATES I
50:512:201:01
M/W 9:35 am – 10:55 am
Professor Finger
GEN ED: USW (United States in the World)
This course traces the path of American history from before European colonization through the colonial period, the Imperial Crisis, Revolution, Civil War, and Reconstruction. We will examine the most important political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the 17th – 19th centuries, and observe how different groups of people shaped and were affected by such developments. Learning about the past involves a careful effort to understand the ideas and beliefs that motivated people to act in certain specific ways, within particular historical circumstances. Development of U.S. I is an introductory course, intended to acquaint students with various ideas, events, and people from this particular segment of America’s past, and to introduce students to some of the questions and debates that animate the study of early American history.
DEVELOPMENT OF UNITED STATES II
50:512:202:01
T/TH 9:35 am – 10:55 am
Professor Riley
GEN ED: USW (United States in the World)
This course examines the political, economic, social, and military history of the United States from the 1860s through the 1970s. The course will also examine the roles played by ethnicity, race, gender, class, the development of a national market economy, and the emergence of a powerful national state in shaping ideas about American identity and its place in the world.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY I
50:512:203:01
T/TH 11:10 am – 12:30 pm
Professor Ruffin
GEN ED: USW (United States in the World)
DIV (Multicultural Diversity in the US)
African American History I explores the history of black people from the time of ancient African origins up to the Civil War-Reconstruction period. It examines the cultural, economic and epidemiological factors that contributed to the rise of the Atlantic slave system and the use of Africans as slaves in the United States and the Atlantic world. The course will also examine the impact of slavery on gender roles and the black family, and resistance to slavery and the rise of the abolitionist movement. Finally, the course will look at the role of black activists such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and the slave revolts and conspiracies.
THE CIVIL WAR
50:512:219:01
cross listed with 50:512:319:01
T/TH 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Professor Epstein
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. The fundamental issue at stake in the war was the future of slavery. 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.
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 no exams and write three 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.
Hopefully, there will be an opportunity for students to visit Gettysburg for a “staff ride”—that is, walking the battlefield so as to see how the battle unfolded. But pending travel arrangements, that cannot be guaranteed.
Because this is a new course, it has not yet been approved for General Education credit, but both the 200-level and 300-level will qualify for “US in the World” (USW) credit.
SPECIAL TOPICS IN AMERICAN HISTORY: War in the US, 1898-Present (also referenced as 20th Century US Military History)
50:512:281:01
cross listed with 50:512:376:01
T/TH 2:00 pm – 3:20 pm
Professor Epstein
GEN ED: USW (United States in the World)
Cuba, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan: War has been central to modern US history. The nation currently spends about $800 billion a year on its military, or more than the next seven nations combined. 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.
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 no exams and write three 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.
NDEPENDENT STUDY HISTORY
50:510:499:01
By Arrangement, Staff
Independent reading under the supervision of a member of the department.
INDEPENDENT STUDY HISTORY
50:510:499:02
By Arrangement, Staff
Independent reading under the supervision of a member of the department.
JAPAN IN THE ERA OF THE SAMURAI
50:516:341:01
cross listed with 50:480:391:01
T/TH 3:35 pm – 4:55 pm
Professor Kapur
GEN ED: HAC (Heritages & 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.