Course |
Day/Time |
Professor |
Description |
HST 102: America Since 1865 *This course includes the lecture and a weekly discussion section. By enrolling in discussion, you automatically enroll in the lecture. |
M/W 10:35-11:30 |
Gonda |
This semester offers a broad look at the history of the United
States in the 150 years from the end of the Civil War through the first decade
of the 21st Century. Throughout the course, we will engage with the social,
political, and cultural changes, ideas, and events that have profoundly shaped
modern American society.
Key questions include: How have we defined being American? How has
the nation’s relationship with the world changed? How have the rights of citizens evolved over
time? How have various groups in American society articulated their claims to
citizenship and national belonging? What factors have affected the development
of American political leadership?
Concentration:
U.S. / Period: Modern
|
HST 112: Napoleon to Present *This course includes the lecture and a weekly discussion section. By enrolling in discussion, you automatically enroll in the lecture. |
M/W 10:35-11:30 |
Ebner |
This course examines the major developments in European history
since the late 18th century, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic
Era, the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, the First World War, the Bolshevik
Revolution, the Fascist and Nazi seizures of power, the Second World War, the
Holocaust, the Cold War, and European Unification. The thematic focus of this
course is the relationship between the individual and the state. How does this
relationship change over time – what makes it “modern”? To address this question,
we will examine ideologies (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism,
fascism), the birth of mass society, poverty, violence, women’s rights, and
racism. There are two lectures and one discussion section per week. Discussions
emphasize primary sources and historical debates. Grades are based on in-class
exams, papers, and discussion.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Modern
|
HST 122: Global History: 1750-Present | T/TH 2:00-2:55 | Kumar | This course introduces students to global history beginning in 1750 by focusing on social, economic, political, intellectual and religious developments in major regions of the world: Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Beginning with the Mughal Empire in India, the Ottomans, and the empires of the New World, it will trace the growing interaction of these areas with Europe through colonialism and trade. From the age of revolutions to the age of empires and the age of nation-states, this course studies the relevance of the early modern world for understanding today’s global patterns and economic interdependency. We will explore twentieth-century developments including the spread of Marxism, secular nationalism, and decolonization. The course ends by looking at current issues in world history, including the environment, global capitalism, and religious revivalism. Topics will be covered thematically in general chronological order. Lectures will be supplemented by maps, visual materials, music, documentaries and films. All students are required to attend lectures and one discussion section a week. Students need not have taken HST 121 Global History to enroll.
Concentration: Global / Period: Modern |
HST 122: Global History: 1750-Present *This course includes the lecture and a weekly discussion section. By enrolling in discussion, you automatically enroll in the lecture. |
M/W 11:40-12:35 |
Kumar |
This course introduces students to global history beginning in
1750 by focusing on social, economic, political, intellectual and religious
developments in major regions of the world: Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and
the Americas. Beginning with the Mughal Empire in India, the Ottomans, and the
empires of the New World, it will trace the growing interaction of these areas
with Europe through colonialism and trade. From the age of revolutions to the
age of empires and the age of nation-states, this course studies the relevance
of the early modern world for understanding today’s global patterns and
economic interdependency. We will explore twentieth-century developments
including the spread of Marxism, secular nationalism, and decolonization. The
course ends by looking at current issues in world history, including the
environment, global capitalism, and religious revivalism. Topics will be
covered thematically in general chronological order. Lectures will be
supplemented by maps, visual materials, music, documentaries and films. All
students are required to attend lectures and one discussion section a week.
Students need not have taken HST 121 Global History to enroll.
Concentration: Global / Period: Modern
|
HST 200: The Early Modern and Modern Indian Ocean World | T/TH 2:00-3:20 | Bouril | This course examines the
history of the Indian Ocean World from the fifteenth century to the present. It
focuses on the connections and networks that united societies around the
ocean’s coasts, including those in Eastern Africa, the Middle East, South Asia
and elsewhere. This course will show how climate, trade, religion, migration,
and cultural exchange brought societies together in unique and important ways.
The course will highlight the economic importance of Indian Ocean World
societies to early modern and modern globalization, consider questions of
identity in history, and look at the influence and limits of empire. It will
also look at the broad changes and importance of the Indian Ocean World in
twentieth-century global events, such as the World Wars, nationalism,
decolonization, the Cold War, and Climate Change. Concentration: Global / Period: Modern |
HST 209: Modern Middle East | T/TH 11:00-12:20 | A. Kallander | Interested in the Middle East but not sure where to begin? This
course is the perfect introduction to understanding a fascinating and dynamic
part of the world today. It covers major aspects of Middle East history from
the twentieth century to the present, including the countries from Turkey and
Iran in the east, to Palestine, Israel, Syria and the Arabian Peninsula, and
from Egypt across northern Africa to Morocco in the west. Lectures combine
political basics with a insights on social and cultural life, and women’s
rights. Readings blend specific details of political and economy change in each
country while indicating broader regional trends, from as European imperialism,
the impact of the two world wars, to revolutionary aspirations and radical
social movement. These are supplemented by primary sources that incorporate the
words, perspectives, and self-representations of individuals across the Middle
East. Additional topics include intellectual life, constitutionalism and
democracy, anti-colonial nationalism, feminism and women’s movements, the
radical left, political Islam, and contemporary debates.
There are no prerequisites for this class.
This class meets twice a week, there is no discussion section.
Concentration:
Global / Period: Modern |
HST 210 (Online ONLY):The Ancient World *This course includes the lecture and a weekly discussion section. By enrolling in discussion, you automatically enroll in the lecture. |
ONLINE ONLY-Seats are limited. |
Champion |
This course surveys the history of the ancient Mediterranean and
Near East, and explores the classical roots of modern civilization. We will
begin with the first civilizations of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the roots
of western religion in ancient Israel; then proceed through Bronze Age, archaic
and classical Greece, the Persian wars, the trial of Socrates, the conquests of
Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic world, the rise of Rome, and end with the
fall of the Roman Empire and the coming of Christianity. The course will treat
political, social, cultural, religious and intellectual history. We will focus
on issues that the ancients themselves considered important – good and bad
government, the duties of citizens and the powers of kings and tyrants – but we
will also examine those who were marginalized by the Greeks and Romans: women,
slaves, so-called "barbarians." The course will emphasize reading and
discussion of primary sources, in order to provide a window into the
thought-worlds and value systems of past societies.
Concentration: Europe / Period: Pre-modern
|
HST 211: Medieval and Renaissance Europe *This course includes the lecture and a weekly discussion section. By enrolling in discussion, you automatically enroll in the lecture.
| M/W 11:40-12:35 | Herrick | This introductory survey traces Europe’s transformation during the
Middle Ages and Renaissance, from roughly 300 CE to roughly 1500 CE. It begins
as the Roman Empire slowly gave way to new societies in both East and West, and
then follows the fortunes of these societies over more than 1000 years. It
explores the religious, political, economic, social, cultural, intellectual,
and artistic aspects of these societies and how they changed over time.
Readings will include both primary sources (those written at the time) and
secondary sources (by modern scholars). Students will learn to analyze these
sources in order to find out what happened in this period, how people
understood events, and how historians use evidence to explain the past.
Requirements include reading and participation, midterm and final exams, and
two papers.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern |
HST 213 (Online ONLY): Africa: Ancient Times to 1800 | ONLINE ONLY-Seats are limited. | Shanguhyia | This course is a survey of pre-modern African history, presenting
an overview of the main themes and chronology of the development of African
culture and society. It provides an exposition of the regional and continental
diversity and unity in African political, economic, social and cultural
histories with special emphasis on major African civilizations, processes of
state formation, encounters with the Euro-Asia world, Africa’s role in the
international Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean and Atlantic trades, ecology, and
urbanization.
Concentration: Global / Period: Pre-modern |
HST 300: History of Capitalism in the United States | T/TH 12:30-1:50 | Cohen | This course considers the history of capitalism in the
United States, exploring the nation from its origins as part of the British
empire to its emergence as the world’s greatest financial power. In it, students will explore how canals,
turnpikes, and railroads transformed the nation’s transportation network. They will discuss the rise of markets in cities
and towns. Students will explore the
emergence of plantation slavery, making the South the center of a global market
in cotton. The course discusses how technology reshaped manufacturing. They will consider the development of an
American working class and their protests against their treatment. Students will learn about the rise of the
modern corporation, banking, and the stock market. And the class will discuss a range of
additional themes, including law, war, regulation, consumerism, de-industrialization,
and white-collar work.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Pre-Modern |
HST 300: American Military History |
T/TH 9:30-10:50 |
Allport |
Is there, as some historians have claimed, a distinctive
‘American way of war’ traceable over the four centuries since the beginning of
the European colonization of North America? If so, what are its
characteristics, how has it changed over time, and what does it reveal about a
peculiar American attitude to state violence and the relationship between
military and civilian society? In this course, we will examine the ‘small’ and
‘big’ wars of the United States from the colonial period to the ongoing
campaigns in Afghanistan and Syria. Class meetings will be a mixture of
lectures and discussion. Students will complete a number of primary and
secondary source readings. Assessment will be based on class discussion and
several reading and writing assignments."
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern
|
HST 300: Queen Elizabeth I: Image and Reality |
T/TH 11:00-12:20 |
Kyle |
Elizabeth
I: Cultural icon? Virgin queen? ‘Father/Mother’ of the nation? This course will
examine the images, personality, words and actions of one of the most important
monarchs in English history. How did Elizabeth manage to negotiate her rule of
a patriarchal society as a ‘weak-willed woman’? Did she exploit her
considerable political skills to benefit the country or simply to maintain her
position on the throne? And what of those who sort to assassinate or replace
her? How did she react to threats of foreign invasion, domestic rebellion and a
barely concerned hostility among many in the governing classes? Using both
early modern and modern iconography, we will explore the images and
representations of Elizabeth to unravel her life and examine how she sought to
portray herself and how others have seen her through the years.
Concentration: European / Period: Modern |
HST 300: Atlantic World: Rum, Smoke & Steel
| M/W 12:45-2:05
| Murphy | How different
might the world we live in today be if the ‘Atlantic World’ had not come into
being? This course explores the long-term cross-cultural interactions and
exchanges that shaped the Americas, Europe, and Africa from approximately 1450
until 1804. Conceiving of the Atlantic Ocean as an area of economic, political,
cultural, and environmental interaction, we will trace the rise and circulation
of commodities such as tobacco, rum, and sugar; the evolution of ideologies
surrounding governance, trade, and equality; and the free and forced movement
of peoples around the Atlantic basin. Rather than focusing on a particular
empire or single part of the Atlantic World, our emphasis is on the emergence
of ‘things’—whether commodities, cultures, or ideas—that are now so engrained
in our everyday lives that we may give little thought to their historical
origins and evolution.
The
course has several inter-related goals. Through readings, lectures, in-class
and online discussions, students are encouraged to reflect on the birth and
evolution of the modern world. Students are also taught to think like a
historian, and to translate the tools of historical inquiry into practical
skills such as effective writing, public speaking, and editing. Finally,
students are given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the many
academic resources available at SU, and to draw on these resources in order to
improve research, oral and written communication skills. Concentration: Global / Period: Pre-Modern |
HST 301: Practicum in the Study of History |
M/W 12:45-2:05 and T/TH 12:30-1:50 |
Terrell/Brege |
What is History? How do scholars “do” history? This seminar introduces history majors to the methods and goals of historical study, and to the skills needed to conduct independent historical research. The first part of the course will
be spent discussing what exactly history is and has been. We will then move on to discussing the kinds of history that have developed across the century in the American Historical profession. Finally, students will spend a large portion
of the course familiarizing themselves with the analytical and practical skills needed to develop their own research projects.
|
HST 309: Africa and Global Affairs 1870-Present |
M/W 12:45-2:05 |
Shanguhyia |
The course explores and analyzes the place of Africa and Africans
as victims and players in historical events of global implications from the
late nineteenth century (circa 1870) to the present. By utilizing interpretations
from history of international relations, the course puts Africa and Africans at
the center and periphery of these global currents as important role players and
victims. Examples of global events/processes
examined include, but are not limited to: integration of Africa into global
economies; nineteenth century European imperialism; Colonial Economies; Global
conflicts; health and disease; environmental issues; the Cold War;
decolonization; Neocolonialism; International institutions and Africa; the
Development Question; global war on terror; to mention but a few. Readings
combine primary documents with secondary sources.
Concentration:
Global / Period: Modern
|
HST 310: The Early Middle Ages |
M/W 2:15-3:35 |
Diem |
This course provides a survey of the most important political,
cultural and social developments in the period between 300 and 900, or roughly
between the reign of Constantine and end of the rule of the Carolingian kings,
mostly focusing on Western Europe. In this period falls one of the most
dramatic historical breaks: the “Fall of the Roman Empire” and the “Beginning
of the Middle Ages.” But was there really a “Fall of the Roman Empire?” When,
how and why did the Roman Empire come to an end? This still ferociously debated
question will play a central role in the course. Other topics will be the rise
of Christianity, the development of medieval institutions (such as kingship,
church structures, and feudalism), and the continuity and discontinuity of
intellectual traditions. A special emphasis will be laid on reading and
interpreting (translated) primary sources and on methods of historical
research.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern
|
HST/MES 317: Arab Revolutions |
T/TH 12:30-1:50 |
A. Kallander |
From revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, to mass protests in Syria,
Bahrain, and Yemen, to the overthrow of the regime in Libya, this course offers
an historical introduction to the Arab Revolutions of 2011. Was it a Facebook
revolution? Who was Tweeting in Tahrir? What role did women play? And where
exactly is Tunisia?
Beginning with extensive case studies of Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia
since the 1950s followed by shorter case studies of Bahrain, Syria and Yemen,
this course explores the social, economic, and political histories of each
country to understand the contexts and reasons for the revolutions. Topics
include postcolonial politics, anti-imperialism, socialism and socialist
development, state feminism, neoliberalism and economic restructuring.
Readings, lectures, and discussions consider the impact of broader
transformations on rural communities, women, and the poor. Turning to the 2011
protests, we will discuss topics such as the demographic and social bases of
these movements, their mobilization and communication through the internet, the
dynamics of armed revolt, and the complexities of foreign intervention.
Concentration:
Global / Period: Modern
|
HST 321: Modern China |
T/TH 11:00-12:20 |
Kutcher |
This course will survey the history of China from the seventeenth
century to the present. Our focus will be on revolution and reform: the primary
means through which Chinese people responded to the challenges of a new world,
and, most particularly, to Western encroachment and invasion. Topics to be
considered in depth include: politics
and society under the Qing dynasty (1644-1911); the end of the dynastic system
and the continuing quest for a viable political system; reform of Chinese
culture through revolution; the challenge of changing old attitudes about
gender roles; conflicting visions for the new nation; the critique of communism
by dissident Chinese; the persistence and resurgence of traditional ways, and
the renewed interest in Maoism during the 2000’s. Assigned readings include a
slim textbook to provide chronology and a variety of historical materials
including memoirs, fiction and poetry.
Concentration:
Global / Period: Modern
|
HST 331: Race & Sport in U.S. History | M/W 12:45-2:05 | Gonda | This course explores the subject of American sport as a lens
through which to view race relations in U.S. History. Sports have long served
as important symbolic sites of both resistance and assimilation for individuals
from various racial and ethnic groups. Our readings and discussions will
consider the role of individual athletes, key events, and sports as cultural
and corporate institutions in an effort to understand how organized athletics
have shaped racial identity and political protest in American history. Key
topics will include how sport has influenced discourses of manhood/womanhood,
citizenship, and power as we navigate the events, lives, and sociopolitical
changes from the era of slavery to the present day.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 337: America in the World | T/TH 11:00-12:20 | Khalil | In 1786 George Washington wrote, “There will assuredly come
a day, when this country will have some weight in the scale of empires.” Over
two centuries later the United States is the preeminent military, political,
economic, and cultural power on the globe. How has the transformation from
colony to hyperpower influenced America’s interactions with and perceptions of
the rest of the world? Has it been an “empire of liberty” as Thomas Jefferson
hoped? Or has U.S. foreign policy been driven by the same pursuit of
self-interest as other great powers? How has U.S. foreign policy been perceived
by the rest of the world? Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary
sources from Presidential speeches and declarations to music and films, this
course examines the history of U.S. foreign relations from the mid-nineteenth
century to the present. It will explore several major topics and themes,
including ideology and U.S. Foreign Policy, the intersection of domestic
politics and foreign policy, the influence of foreign policy on American
culture, and American hyperpower and its implications.
Grades will be based on exams, response papers, and
participation in class discussions.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 349: Women in American History Since the Civil War |
T/TH 12:30-1:50 |
Thompson |
Focusing on the past 150 years, this course is intended to provide
an overview of women’s experiences in America from the Civil War to the
present. While it is not a course on the history of feminism, it will be taught
from a feminist perspective. What does
that mean? Stated simply, in this class,
women will be considered as subjects—as actors who themselves “make history”,
and not simply as passive objects of the actions of others. Moreover, it
assumes the full personhood of women, the reality of discrimination against
women, and the intrinsic significance of women’s experience. Beyond that, it is
not expected that students in the course will share the professor’s point of
view on all matters (indeed, with any luck, the class will contain a healthy
diversity of backgrounds and perspectives).
It should be understood from the outset that “American women’s
history” is not monolithic. Therefore, we will pay considerable attention to
the diversity among women and their experiences over time. This diversity adds to the complexity of what
we will be studying—but it also will add to the richness of understanding that
I hope you will take away from this class. Student participation is not only
welcome, but essential!
Concentration:
U.S. / Period: Modern
|
HST 352 (ONLINE ONLY): History of Ancient Greece |
ONLINE ONLY-Seats are limited.
|
Champion |
Survey of ancient Greek political, economic, social and cultural
history based on interpretation of primary sources, both literary and
archaeological, from the Bronze Age through Alexander the Great.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern
|
HST 353: History of Ancient Rome | T/TH 9:30-10:50 | Champion | A comprehensive survey of ancient Roman political, economic,
social and cultural history based on the interpretation of primary sources,
both literary and archaeological, from the foundation of the city through the
dissolution of the Empire in the west. Special focus is given to important topics
and themes in Roman history, including Roman foundation legends, the
interrelationship of Roman statecraft and Roman religion, Roman aristocratic
ethical values and imperialism, the Roman reaction to Greek culture and
literature, the imperial cult of the Roman emperor, the position of women in
Roman society, the Roman institution of slavery, the origins and early growth
of Christianity, the third century CE military and economic crises, and modern
ideas on Rome's transformation into medieval Europe. Short paper, mid-term and
final examinations.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern |
HST 355: The Italian Renaissance | T/TH 9:30-10:50 | Brege | his course examines the civilization that developed in the states
of northern and central Italy between 1300 and 1520 and the concept of the
Renaissance itself. The course is divided into three parts. The first part
examines Renaissance Italy as the birthplace of modern republicanism. In this
part of the course we examine the republics of Florence and Venice and the art
and ideology which accompanied those regimes. The second part of the course
explores the social history of Renaissance Italy (women, family, and sexuality)
and the social significance of Renaissance art. The third part of the course
looks at Renaissance Italy as the originator of the court system which
dominated Europe until the time of the French Revolution. Here much
consideration is given to the creation of an aristocratic style of life and
princely art. The goal of the course is for students to understand not only the
Renaissance itself but also the ways in which historians have interpreted the
Renaissance to fit their vision of the world.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern |
HST 357: Early Modern England |
T/TH 2:00-3:20 |
Kyle |
This course examines the political, cultural and social history of
Early Modern England. Topics covered will include the power and image of the
monarchy (cases studies - Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Charles I); the role of the
printing press in both ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture; the impact of crime and the
treatment of criminals; the importance of London as a center of commerce and
culture; the myth and reality of Shakespeare and the role of the theater;
witchcraft and the dominance of religion in everyday life; and the role of
women in a patriarchal society. The course will emphasize reading, discussion,
visual culture and the use of primary sources.
Concentration: Europe / Period: Modern
|
HST 358: Democracy Ancient and Modern | T/TH 12:30-1:50 | Champion | Among the ancient world’s most
enduring legacies, democracy and democratic society continues to exert a
powerful influence over the modern world’s political imagination. This course
will examine the shapes and forms of ancient democracy and democratic participation
in government to help understand and problematize the ways the modern worlds
claims an ancient pedigree for its own forms of participatory self-governance.
Throughout the course, we will probe questions like why Democracy arose, why it
failed, what factors limited participation, and who benefited most and least
from its implementation. In doing so, we will examine if ancient and modern
democratic governments experience similar challenges, and, if so, how ancient
and modern societies faced them.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-Modern/Modern |
HST/JSP 362: Nazi Germany and the Holocaust |
M/W 2:15-3:35 |
Terrell |
In 1933, a radical and dictatorial regime came to power in
Germany, remade the German state, and went on to orchestrate a vast program of
mass murder in pursuit of a vision of biological purity and to launch a war of
world conquest, ultimately killing millions. This course examines the history
of German fascism, the Nazi state, and the Holocaust according to three primary
lines of inquiry. In the first part of the course, we will address the question
of how the Nazis came to power. What was Nazism, and why did it gain a popular
following? Why did the Weimar Republic, the parliamentary democracy founded in
1918, fall (first to dictatorship and then to Nazism) in the early 1930s? In
the second part of the course, we will examine the politics of Nazism in power.
What was everyday life like for various Germans under the Nazi state, and why
did many Germans come to support the regime? The course’s third section
addresses war, genocide, and the legacies of Nazism and the Holocaust. How did Nazi genocide policies develop, and
how was it possible to implement them? What can the history of Nazi Germany
teach us about other state-run mass murder programs? How have Germans grappled with the aftermath
of Nazi Germany?
Concentration: Europe / Period: Modern
|
HST 373: The Crusades |
M/W 2:15-3:35 |
Herrick |
Starting in 1095, Christian armies from Western Europe attacked
groups they viewed as their religious enemies. These campaigns took place in
what is now the Middle East, but also within Europe itself. By studying these
campaigns, this course explores what the crusades were, why people fought them,
and how they justified violence in the name of religion. In particular, the
course investigates the ways in which crusaders dehumanized their enemies and
depicted their own violent acts as holy. Students will read and analyze primary
sources (those written at the time) in order to learn what happened and to
explain how it happened. We will also consider the significance and legacy of
these wars.
The course emphasizes critical reading and analysis, and writing.
Each class will involve a combination of lecture and discussion. Careful
reading and active participation in discussion are vital. Requirements include
in-class debates, in-class exams, and a final paper. Fulfills the Critical
Reflections requirement.
Concentration:
Europe / Period: Pre-modern
|
HST 383/PSC 326: Foundations of American Political Thought | M/W 2:15-3:35 | Rasmussen | American political thought from the Puritans to Lincoln.
American Revolution, establishment of the Constitution, and Jeffersonian and
Hamiltonian systems.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 386: Crime and Society in United States History |
T/TH 3:30-4:50 |
Cohen |
This course addresses crime, deviance, and dissent in American
history from the colonial period to the present, considering the ways in which
the state has encouraged order and conformity among its constituents. We will
examine how industrialization, immigration, urbanization, emancipation, and war
transformed American society, causing the breakdown of older forms of social
control such as church and community while producing significant discontented
and dispossessed populations. This course also examines the expanding role of
the state in controlling "deviant" behavior beginning in the
late-nineteenth century and the reordering of legal priorities in the latter
half of the twentieth century. Major topics include police, radicalism,
alcohol, vice, sexuality, and organized crime.
Concentration:
U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 387: Women, Abolition and Religion | W 3:45-6:30 | Robinson | This course focuses on the role that religion may have
played in women’s understandings of themselves as abolitionists and social
reformers. A selected group of women will be studied, with considerable
attention given to Frances Harper.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 388 (ONLINE ONLY): Vietnam: Movies and Memoirs | ONLINE ONLY: Seats are limited. | Khalil | This course explores the history and meaning of the Vietnam
War. How and why did the United States become involved in Vietnam? How did the
conflict shape popular culture in the United States, Vietnam, and globally? How
does popular culture contribute to the historical record? Drawing on a range of
films, fictional and non-fictional accounts, and music, this class examines the
intersection of history and memory.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 400: Contemporary Mexico/US Relations | M 12:45-3:30 | McCormick | This seminar explores the inner-workings of the relationship
between the United States and Mexico today. It does so by tracing the
historical and contemporary shape of the two main pillars of this relationship,
immigration and trade (both licit and illicit). Though we will pay special
attention to the region straddling the 2,000-mile shared border, we will also
draw on cases throughout both countries to illustrate the intertwined nature of
this relationship. The seminar adopts a framework that recognizes the presence
of official and unofficial actors and actions at every level. For example, we
study the origins, implementation, and demise of the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) alongside the development, growth, and adaptation of drug
trafficking networks. We also pay careful attention to how documented and
undocumented pathways of immigration have changed in the past four decades.
With this groundwork in place, the seminar will then attempt to understand the
ways in which bilateral negotiations between the US and Mexican governments
played a role, both in the past and present, in the security crisis south of
the border and the anti-immigrant sentiment prevalent in the US today.
The seminar will thus explore three specific sets of cross-border
policies across three periods of time: the rise of economic neoliberalism and
free trade through NAFTA; attempts to circumvent the security crisis brought on
by the drug trade through the Merida Initiative; and, the US government’s
implementation of border policing and immigration reforms intended to regulate
and curtail the flows of humans. We will study what came before each one of
these sets of policies, what led to their implementation, what were their
results, how did they evolve across time, and what is their status today.
Concentration:
Global / Period: Modern |
HST 400: Modern American Spiritual Memoir (HONORS ONLY) | T 3:30-6:15 | Thompson | In this course we will look at how a variety of individuals
used faith to help them negotiate the stresses and challenges of modernity in
the years since World War II. Our readings will include persons of varying
traditions, gender and sexual identities, ethnicities, etc. The emphasis will
be on individual agency and the varieties of cultural contexts. Students will
be expected to read extensively in common sources, to keep a reading journal,
and also to produce a term project focusing on a theme of particular interest
to them (conversion, apostasy, kyriarchy, disease, death, etc.). And, since
this is a new course, there will be flexibility and openness to new approaches,
even after the semester is underway.
Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 401: WWII in Cinema |
T 12:30-3:15 |
Allport |
The
Second World War may have ended seventy years ago, but its virtual reenactment
on cinema and TV screens remains as popular today as it was in 1945. The war is
perhaps the most prolifically filmed experience in human history, and our
collective memories of it have been unalterably shaped by the output of Hollywood
and the world’s other motion picture capitals. In this course, each student
will choose a film or television series about the war (English or
foreign-language) and will write an extended research paper about it,
developing an argument which places it in its full historical context as both a
document about the past and also a work of creative fiction or non-fiction. As
preparation for this, as a class we will read and discuss a number of important
theoretical works about ‘war movies’ and documentaries as a genre; we will also
watch a number of films together in order to consider how filmmakers have
addressed the problem of representing ‘the good war’ on screen. CONCENTRATION: U.S. or EUROPE or GLOBAL depending on the nature of the chosen final paper (discuss this with the instructor).
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HST 401: Cultural History in Images |
M 3:45-6:30 |
Lasch-Quinn |
This is an advanced research and writing seminar on selected
ideas/movements/episodes in cultural history, ancient and modern, as seen in
images. Through close-reading, students investigate texts, images, and other
cultural artifacts. Research centers especially on representations of the self,
emotion, and the art of living as reflected in a range of primary sources,
including philosophy, literature, art, architecture, and film. Secondary
readings help students to situate their sources in time and place and to
identify original research questions. Attention to each step of the project
allows students to master such skills as the choice and proposal of topics,
archival research (including digital), footnoting and use of evidence,
bibliographical annotation, logical argumentation, revision of rough drafts,
constructive critique of others’ work, and enhancement of the literary quality
of their final papers.
Students produce a 25-30 page research paper on a subject of
their choosing dovetailing with the course theme. This seminar is the capstone
of the History major and required for History majors, yet open to students from
other programs as well.
CONCENTRATION:
U.S. or EUROPE or GLOBAL depending on the nature of the chosen final paper
(discuss this with the instructor). |
HST 434 (ONLINE ONLY): Underground Railroad | ONLINE ONLY: Seats are limited. | Sernett | Myth and history of the Underground in the context of African American freedom efforts. Emphasis on events, personalities, and sites in upstate New York. Student field research and exploration of archival and Internet resources. Additional work required of graduate students. Concentration: U.S. / Period: Modern |
HST 495/496: Distinction in History |
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Instructor Consent Required
Students doing the thesis will take 3 credits of HST 495 the first semester and 3 credits of HST 496 the second semester (2 semesters for a total of 6 credits), which may begin in their junior or senior year. Students should register
for HST 495 and 496 upon approval from the faculty advisor and Undergraduate Director.
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