History 200 Courses
These courses concentrate on broad chronological studies of countries or regions. They are generally intended for students with one prior college level history course.
HST-204 - Africa Before 1800 (Runcie)
This course will introduce students to the immensely diverse African societies across the continent from the earliest human origins up to 1800. Major themes of the course will include the politics of centralized and decentralized societies, gender and production, artistic expression, and religion. Through topics such as the development of Indian Ocean networks and the rise of the Atlantic slave system, students will build knowledge about Africa’s history in a global context. This course will also focus on the intellectual and political stakes of studying African history before European colonization, foregrounding the work of African intellectuals and societies to sustain and rejuvenate understandings of the deep African past.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-208 - The Inquisition (Ouellette)
This course explores the origins of the Inquisition, its place in the Spanish Reconquista, and its role in Colonial Spanish and Portuguese America. The institutional dynamics influenced religious, economic, political, and socio-cultural organization - particularly in the New World - and we will trace the diverse investigations of Jews, Africans, Spanish, Portuguese, mestizos, and women. The course relies heavily on inquisitorial records and unearths the prosecution of indigenous idolatry, the persecution of Jews, and the roles of race and gender in tribunal sentencing.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-209, 210 - Africa Since 1800 (Runcie)
This course is a survey of processes of historical change in sub-Saharan Africa from the nineteenth century to the present. We will explore the final decades of the Atlantic slave trade, the rise of colonial rule, the fraught process of decolonization, neo-colonialism and the Cold War, and historicize contemporary issues in Africa. Students will analyze how Africans participate in discussions about race, gender, sexuality, politics, and change on local, regional, and global levels. By examining key historical texts in the field, music, art, and literature, this course will introduce students to the diversity of experiences that define the rich and complex history of Africa.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-211 - Sex, Beauty & the Body in Brazil & the Caribbean (Ouellette)
This course examines Brazilian and Caribbean conceptualizations of sex, beauty and the body during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Beginning with the theoretical underpinnings of colonialism and the legacies of slavery, we will then examine how contemporary democracies and globalization have formed Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean identities, particularly among the female population. Major themes include sex work and sex tourism, constructions of beauty and plastic surgery, and the ways in which recent returns to democracy have shaped these actions and decisions.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-213, 214 - Seventeenth Century Europe (Tighe)
A detailed treatment of political, social, cultural, and intellectual developments in Europe from 1598 to 1715. The principal focus will be on Western Europe. Themes shall include the evolution of the dynastic monarchies, the “cultural crisis” and the Scientific Revolution, and the emergence of a European state system in the Age of Louis XIV.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-215, 216 - Eighteenth Century Europe (Tighe)
A detailed treatment of political, social, cultural, and intellectual developments in Europe from 1715 to 1795. The principal focus will be on Western Europe. Themes shall include the political and social structure of ancient regime Europe, the diplomacy of the European state system, the Enlightenment, and the transition from despotism to revolution.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-217, 218 - Revolution & the Birth of Modern Europe (c. 1787-1900) (Cragin)
A comparative overview of an era of violently dramatic change, one marked by an unprecedented incidence of revolution and reaction across the European continent. Monarchs were overthrown and restored, then overthrown again. Republics were founded and unmade. Liberalism and Socialism posed new challenges to the Old Order, but Conservatives found new means to preserve their political and social dominion. Millions lost their lives in these struggles. A new mass society was forming, seemingly founded on the twin pillars of growing economic prosperity for most and new respect for the rule of law, founded on political pluralism. Yet at the height of its apparent progress, Europe stood on the brink of its self-destruction.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-220 - Israel, Palestine, and their Neighbors (Stein)
The struggles in Palestine and Israel are difficult, divisive, and long-lived. This course will examine the origins and development of these conflicts. We will discuss a range of topics, including the emergence of Zionism, pan-Arabism, and Palestinian nationalisms, the war between Israel and the surrounding Arab states, the rise of paramilitary nationalist groups, the role of the world community and particularly the United States, and continuing efforts to find a peaceful settlement to the region’s problems. Particular emphasis will be placed on the diversity of perspectives regarding the region, its history, and potential solutions.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-221 - Colonial America (Yankaskas)
An examination of the peoples, places, and regions of early America from 1492 to 1763. Specifically, this course focuses on the interaction of Indian, European, and African peoples, the transformation of European (Spanish, French, Dutch, and English) colonies from frontier outposts to thriving communities, and the rise and eventual cultural and economic domination of British North America.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-223 - Revolutionary America (Yankaskas)
An examination of the political, economic, and cultural causes, contexts, and outcomes of the American Revolution, 1763-1800. Specifically, this course investigates the origins of the conflict in eighteenth century colonial America, its impact upon various peoples (White, African American, Indian, male and female) and the regions (New England, Mid-Atlantic, and South), and its eventual resolution in the political and social workings of the Confederation and Constitutional eras.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-231 - The American West (Antonovich)
This course explores the history of the American West, focusing on the period since 1850. We start in an era of consolidation and incorporation, when the U.S. surveyed a West that had only recently become American in name, and worked to make it a West that was American in fact. This process had political, economic, military, social, and cultural dimensions, and it was one that westerners resisted as often as they welcomed it. By the end of the nineteenth century, the West had emerged as an identifiable region of the U.S., with regional economic features, unique ties to the federal government, distinctive patterns of race relations, and a unique place in U.S. cultural memory. Throughout, we will attend to the aspirations of a variety of western peoples: people of all genders; workers and captains of industry; sexual majorities and sexual minorities; people of North American, Latin American, European, African, and Asian origin or descent. We look at how the varied aspirations of such peoples both clashed and coalesced, sometimes producing dissension and violence, and other times producing new social movements. Using films, monographs, memoirs, letters, academic articles and literary fiction, we will explore the struggle for land, resources, identity, and power, all of which have characterized "The West" and its role in the history of the United States.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-235 - American Civil War & Reconstruction (Antonovich)
A study of the period from the end of the Mexican War to the end of Reconstruction (1848-1877). Explores the causes of the Civil War, the course of the war, and reconstruction following the Confederate surrender. Focus will be on the campaigns, battles, and generals of the war, as well as social, cultural, economic, and political developments of the period.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-238 - Disability History in the United States (Antonovich)
This course is a thematic exploration of the history of disability in the United States, and is designed to give students a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the lived experiences of people with disabilities or mental illness. We will consider the experience of disability in the United States across time, space, and theme, from the colonial foundation of asylums, to the diverse experiences of disabled people of color, to the discrimination against disabled immigrants. We will consider the changing needs and treatment of disabled veterans, as well as the federal government's response to the demands of disabled citizens. The course will culminate in the successes and challenges posed during the twentieth century, such as deinstitutionalization, the rise of the disability rights movement in the twentieth century, and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-247, 248 - Civil War, Holocaust, Crisis: Europe 1900-1945 (Cragin)
Though the twentieth century began with great promise for a peaceful and prosperous future for more and more Europeans, its first fifty years were instead decades of tragedy and slaughter: an era dominated by two world wars and the Holocaust. The course will examine the political, social, economic, intellectual, and cultural history of Europe from 1900-1945. Students will pay particular attention to the great conflict of ideas (Communism, Fascism, Democracy, Capitalism) that created what many Europeans consider to be a European-wide civil war stretching across the period.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-249, 250 - From Cold War to Unification: Europe 1945-Present (Cragin)
After World War II, Europe emerged a divided continent, a series of weak states allied to two rival superpowers. The course examines the political and ideological struggle that divided Europe and the social and economic forces at work beneath the surface that brought Europeans together in the wake of the Second World War. Drawing heavily on the use of European cinema, students will pay particular attention to the development of European culture and the cultural construction of social experience.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-251, 252 - Foundations of the British Peoples to c. 1485 (Tighe)
This course surveys the prehistory and early history of Great Britain and Ireland. It focuses on the formation of the English and Scottish monarchies and on the interactions of the English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh peoples from early times until the early modern period. Some emphasis will be placed on the development of government and law in England during this period.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-253, 254 - From England to the United Kingdom: c. 1399-c. 1800 (Tighe)
This course emphasizes the consolidation of national monarchies in England and Scotland, as contrasted with the politically subordinate position of Ireland, and the often conflicted interactions of their peoples. The effects of the Reformation, seventeenth century constitutional conflicts stemming from the Anglo-Scottish dynastic union of 1603, the growth of an English/British Empire, and the subordination of Scotland (1701) and Ireland (1800) to England are all principal themes, as is the impact of the American and French Revolutions.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-255, 256 - The British Empire/Commonwealth: Rise & Decline, c. 1760-c.2000 (Tighe)
This course focuses on Britain’s period of imperial hegemony, roughly from the Napoleonic Wars to the aftermath of World War II. In addition to Britain’s changing international role and influence, the course treats the reforms of the 1820s and 1830s which created the governing institutions of modern Britain and looks at the slow unraveling of the “United” Kingdom in the twentieth century and its ambivalent position in the European Union today and tomorrow.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-259 - Korean History
This course surveys the history of Korea from the earliest times to the present. With a focus on primary sources (in translation) this course explores changes in Korea's long history in society, politics, economy, culture, literature and arts. Topics will include origin myths, the spread of Buddhism, the complex relations with China and Japan through the centuries, as well as the Korean war and the split between North and South Korea, and the globalization of Korean pop culture. Appropriate for students with no prior college level history.
Meets Department Modern OR pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-260 - Constitutional History of the United States (Yankaskas)
This course traces the evolution and application of constitutional theories and concepts from our English forebears to the US today. The great controversies which reached the Supreme Court are examined in light of contemporary political and cultural values and of their enduring national importance.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-267 - Introduction to Traditional Japan
This course surveys the traditional culture and history of Japan down to the beginning of modernization. Major topics are the court culture, the samurai, and the culture of the townspeople. Appropriate for students with no prior college level history.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-269 - Introduction to Traditional China
Introduction to Traditional China surveys the culture, society, and political institutions of China before the onset of modernization. Pre-imperial China, traditional Chinese ways of thought, the development of the imperial structure of state, and the introduction of Buddhism will be covered in the course.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-271 - Modern China
China’s last imperial dynasty, the increasing impact of Western influence, China’s collapse, and the development of the Communist state will be examined through lectures, readings, and discussion.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-273 - Modern Japan
The Tokugawa period, the Meiji Restoration, Japan’s emergence as a major power in East Asia, World War II, and Japan’s postwar transformation will be examined through lectures, readings, and discussion.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-275 - Rise of Islam (Stein)
This course will explore the period of Middle Eastern History [600-1800 CE] which witnessed the emergence of Islam as a religion, political system, and cultural tradition. Topics include the life and career of Muhammad, the basic tenets of Islam, the Arab Conquests and rise of a unitary Islamic Empire, the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, the development of a high Islamic culture, the Mongol invasions and the states that grew in the aftermath of those invasions, the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the Ottoman Empire, and the Safavid.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-277 - Modern Middle Eastern History (Stein)
A history of the Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics covered include attempts at reform in the Ottoman Empire and Iran, the impact of developing nationalisms and European imperialism, the impact of World War I and World War II, the emergence of new states, and the Arab/Israeli conflict.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST-291 - Colonial Latin America & the Caribbean (Ouellette)
Colonial Latin American History begins with the study of Original Empires and concludes with the movements of Independence from Portugal and Spain. Course materials introduce students to major themes emerging from Spanish and Portuguese Colonialism in Latin America and the Caribbean, and encourage students to reflect upon the interplay of systems of power with human experience. Topical areas of study include racial and caste systems, sex and gender, religion and spiritual beliefs, slavery and coerced labor, and rebellion and revolution.
Meets Department pre-Modern Requirement.
HST-293, 294 - Modern Latin America & the Caribbean (Ouellette)
This course presents a broad, chronological study of the region known as Latin America and the Caribbean from the nineteenth century to the present day. We will investigate some of the profound transformations and accomplishments throughout the Americas beginning with Independence, and reflect on some of the challenges that Latin America currently faces. This course analyzes patterns of continuity and change around the region, including revolutions, social transformations, and economic growth and decline. Course materials encourage reflection on the interplay of economics and politics with race, gender, and ethnicity throughout the region.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST 295 Revolutions in the Middle East (Stein)
“Down with the ruler! Power to the people!” Throughout the twentieth century these calls echoed across the Middle East as Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and Egypt experienced revolutions that sought to remove repressive governments and led to great political, cultural, and social change. While all these revolutionary movements called for greater democracy and often produced constitutional governments, most ended with autocratic rulers who were possibly worse than the kings they overthrew. This course will investigate the history of revolutions in the Middle East, focusing on Iran's 1905 Constitutional Revolution, the Young Turk Revolution of 1908, Egypt's anti-British revolution of 1919 and Nasser's anti-monarch 1952 revolution there, and the 1979 Iranian Revolution which led to the rise of the Islamic Republic.
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
HST 297 Palestine Before Israel (Stein)
Palestine witnessed many transformations in the half century before the 1948 independence declaration of the State of Israel: a constitutional revolution, a World War, transfer from Ottoman to British imperial rule, waves of settlement, and the emergence of two competing nationalist projects. In this course we will examine these many transformations, investigating topics from the policies of empires to the lived experience of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in a land that all viewed as “holy.”
Meets Department Modern Requirement.
