History (HIST)
The study of history stimulates our imagination, cultivates critical thinking, and develops the skills necessary for communicating complex arguments. The fundamental academic work of researching, writing and speaking, as well as learning to analyze various sources (i.e., information literacy), are integral to the discipline of history and figure strongly in all of the department’s courses.
Requirements for the Major
Majors in history are allowed great latitude in designing a program to have depth and breadth. To ensure depth of historical understanding, we require majors to eventually focus upon a special particular field of study, such as (1) a specific historical theme (e.g., the history of women, gender, revolutions, colonialism); (2) a historical approach (e.g., intellectual and cultural history; science, technology and the environment; social and economic history); or (3) a period. The department encourages students to select topics by the end of their junior year.
To ensure breadth, the program must include: (1) at least one course in the history of Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East; and (2) at least one course in pre-modern history (pre-1800).
Overall, the major requires nine courses, including a 100-level history course (taken before the subsequent requirement of 300-level courses), two 300-level seminars, and HIST 400 Undergraduate Research Seminar. Seven of the nine courses and all 300 and 400-level work must be taken at Bucknell. AP credits may not be applied toward the major. The department strongly recommends foreign language competence beyond the intermediate level.
In their senior year, majors will take HIST 400 Undergraduate Research Seminar. Students who write an honors thesis are exempt from this requirement. In addition, HIST 400 Undergraduate Research Seminar will serve as the Culminating Experience (CE) requirement for the history department.
Course Offerings
| HIST 100 | Thinking about History | 1 |
| HIST 111 | Early America | 1 |
| HIST 112 | The United States Since 1865 | 1 |
| HIST 131 | European Empires | 1 |
| HIST 132 | Europe in the Twentieth Century | 1 |
| HIST 171 | Introduction to the History of Medicine | 1 |
| HIST 175 | Africa: Pharaohs to Presidents | 1 |
| HIST 185 | Visualizing Latin America | 1 |
| HIST 191 | World History I | 1 |
| HIST 192 | World History II | 1 |
| HIST 201 | Introduction to Historical GIS | 1 |
| HIST 203 | Digital Methods in Chinese Studies | 1 |
| HIST 204 | American Identities | 1 |
| HIST 207 | From Communism to Terrorism | 1 |
| HIST 209 | Society and Culture in Imperial China | 1 |
| HIST 210 | Urban America | 1 |
| HIST 211 | American West | 1 |
| HIST 212 | Histories of Environmental Health and Justice | 1 |
| HIST 213 | North American Environmental History | 1 |
| HIST 214 | Topics in American History | 1 |
| HIST 215 | Mapping History: Nature, Place, and Power | 1 |
| HIST 216 | England and France During The Hundred Years' War | 1 |
| HIST 218 | American Revolution | 1 |
| HIST 219 | American Abolition | 1 |
| HIST 220 | American Civil War and Reconstruction | 1 |
| HIST 221 | U.S. History: 1880s to 1930s | 1 |
| HIST 222 | U.S. History from the 1940s to the Present | 1 |
| HIST 224 | Eighteenth-century North America | 1 |
| HIST 225 | Topics in American Political and Economic History | 1 |
| HIST 226 | American Capitalism | 1 |
| HIST 228 | Workers and Work | 1 |
| HIST 230 | Europe from 11th to 17th Cen | 1 |
| HIST 232 | Baseball and U.S. History | 1 |
| HIST 237 | The Renaissance | 1 |
| HIST 239 | Contemporary Europe, 1890-1995 | 1 |
| HIST 240 | Greek History | 1 |
| HIST 241 | Roman History | 1 |
| HIST 242 | Topics in French History | 1 |
| HIST 243 | Placing the Past | 1 |
| HIST 245 | Topics in German History | 1 |
| HIST 246 | Medieval Heresies and Heretics | 1 |
| HIST 247 | Topics in European History | 1 |
| HIST 248 | Topics in Russian History | 1 |
| HIST 249 | The Reformation | 1 |
| HIST 250 | Medieval and Early Modern Russia | 1 |
| HIST 251 | Russian Empire | 1 |
| HIST 253 | Witches, Wenches, and Wives | 1 |
| HIST 254 | Age of Enlightenment | 1 |
| HIST 255 | Under Siege: The Modern Middle East 1914-2014 | 1 |
| HIST 258 | Topics in Women's and Gender History | 1 |
| HIST 260 | Black Women's History | 1 |
| HIST 268 | Power, Ideology, Existence: The History of Post-Enlightenment European Thought | 1 |
| HIST 271 | Health and Medicine in the 20th Century U.S. | 1 |
| HIST 272 | History of Science I | 1 |
| HIST 274 | Africa and International Relations in Historical Perspective | 1 |
| HIST 275 | Race and Colonial Regimes in Africa | 1 |
| HIST 276 | Popular Culture in Africa | 1 |
| HIST 277 | Gender in Africa | 1 |
| HIST 278 | Photographing Race | 1 |
| HIST 279 | Topics in the History of Science and Medicine | 1 |
| HIST 280 | History of Brazil | 1 |
| HIST 281 | Radical Democracy | 1 |
| HIST 282 | Modern Latin America | 1 |
| HIST 283 | Southeast Asia since 1800 | 1 |
| HIST 285 | The Middle East in Global Perspective | 1 |
| HIST 286 | Contemporary Japanese History | 1 |
| HIST 287 | Perspectives: The Vietnam War | 1 |
| HIST 288 | The History of Vietnam | 1 |
| HIST 290 | Europe Imperialism and Colonialism | 1 |
| HIST 291 | Africa: Ancient to Early Modern Times 4000BCE-1400CE | 1 |
| HIST 292 | Making Contemporary Africa: 'Early Modern' to the 'Post-Modern' World - 1400 to the Present | 1 |
| HIST 293 | China from Ancient Times to the 18th Century | 1 |
| HIST 294 | China since 1800 | 1 |
| HIST 295 | From Shinto to Shogun: Pre-modern Japan | 1 |
| HIST 296 | Modern Japanese History | 1 |
| HIST 297 | The People's Republic of China | 1 |
| HIST 299 | Topics in Non-western History | 1 |
| HIST 301 | Seminar in Environmental History | 1 |
| HIST 310 | U.S. History to 1865 | 1 |
| HIST 311 | U.S. History since 1865 | 1 |
| HIST 316 | Independent Study | .5-1 |
| HIST 319 | African-American History | 1 |
| HIST 330 | European History | 1 |
| HIST 333 | 20th Century Germany | 1 |
| HIST 335 | Russia and the World | 1 |
| HIST 337 | Topics in Central Asia | 1 |
| HIST 350 | Honors Thesis | 1 |
| HIST 370 | History of Science and Medicine | 1 |
| HIST 374 | Human Trafficking: Ancient to Present Day | 1 |
| HIST 380 | Topics in Global History | 1 |
| HIST 385 | Latin American History | 1 |
| HIST 399 | Non-western History | 1 |
| HIST 400 | Undergraduate Research Seminar | 1 |
Minor in History
A minor in History consists of a minimum of five courses. One of these five courses must be a 300-level seminar.
History Learning Objectives
Majors in History will be able to:
- Demonstrate a base of knowledge about important periods, events and ideas in different cultures. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9)
- Understand the historical context of ideas and events and evaluate differing scholarly interpretations of the past. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9)
- Critically evaluate and analyze historical evidence, when appropriate, in the form of primary documents. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9)
- Write articulately and persuasively on historical themes and issues based on critical understanding and logical, rigorous and creative thinking. (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Speak articulately and persuasively on historical themes and issues based on critical understanding and logical, rigorous and creative thinking. (1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Demonstrate basic research skills and understanding of historical methods, including an ability to use the library and read intelligently and with purpose. (1, 2, 6, 8, 9)
- Demonstrate a synthesis of all of the above in an encompassing historical literacy. (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Numbers in parentheses reflect related Educational Goals of Bucknell University.
Courses
HIST 100. Thinking about History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Focus and content vary. An introductory history course for the development of informed historical analysis among its students. Primarily for first-year students.
HIST 111. Early America. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course introduces students to North American history from the pre-colonial period through the mid-nineteenth century. Open to first-year and sophomore students. Others by permission of the instructor.
HIST 112. The United States Since 1865. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the history of the United States following the Civil War. Open to first-year and sophomore students.
HIST 131. European Empires. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A survey of Europe in the pre-industrial era. Content will vary with instructor. Open to first-year and sophomore students. Others by permission of the instructor.
HIST 132. Europe in the Twentieth Century. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of modern European History. Content and goals vary with instructor. Open to first-year and sophomore students.
HIST 171. Introduction to the History of Medicine. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A cross-cultural survey of medicine and public health, emphasizing how different societies have interpreted and responded to epidemic diseases. Open to first-year and sophomore students.
HIST 175. Africa: Pharaohs to Presidents. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to themes and trends in Africa's social and political histories from ancient to modern times. Open to first-year and sophomore students.
HIST 185. Visualizing Latin America. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introductory survey of Latin American history from pre-contact origins to the present. Examines cross-cultural exchange and conflict through analysis of primary sources through multimedia (audio and visual images). Open to first-year and sophomore students.
HIST 191. World History I. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introductory survey of world history. Examines how cross-cultural encounters and global exchanges of ideas, people and goods have shaped world history, from prehistory to 1500CE.
HIST 192. World History II. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introductory survey of world history. Examines how cross-cultural encounters and global exchanges of ideas, people and goods have shaped world history since 1500 CE.
HIST 200. The Historians' Craft. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Introduction to the discipline of history and to the methods and approaches used by historians. The course also considers history and the wider public.
HIST 201. Introduction to Historical GIS. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
This course analyzes events of the historical past using geographic information systems (GIS) digital mapping software. Not open to first-year students.
HIST 203. Digital Methods in Chinese Studies. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:.5,Other:2.5
This course introduces students to digital tools and resources in Chinese studies. Topics include data mining, database design, and data visualization. It combines discussion of digitally‐empowered scholarship in Chinese studies and training in the technical know‐how. Knowledge of Chinese language, Chinese history, or programming is not required. Crosslisted as EAST 203.
HIST 204. American Identities. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course challenges you to think about what it means to claim an American identity and who gets to determine that status. It covers issues related to notions of race, immigration, nationalization, deportation, and citizenship.
HIST 205. Radicals and Reformers in the 1960's and 1970's. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the political history of the left in the United States during the 1960's and 1970's. It analyzes organizations and individuals which sought to create a democratic, liberated, anti-imperial, and/or revolutionary society, including the Black Panther Party, the civil rights movement, Students for a Democratic Society, and feminism(s).
HIST 206. Religious Radicalism. 1 Credit.
Offered Occasionally; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the history of religious radicalism in the United States, focusing especially on religious challenges to American capitalism, democracy, and social inequality since the nineteenth century. Crosslisted as RELI 254.
HIST 207. From Communism to Terrorism. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the intertwining of diplomatic and domestic relations in the U.S. mostly from the Cold War through the "War on Terror." Although U.S. focused, we will discuss democracy, Communism, imperialism, and terrorism from a global perspective.
HIST 209. Society and Culture in Imperial China. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
This course explores, in depth, a diversity of topics in pre-modern Chinese history from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective. Besides Chinese history, we also discuss sociological/anthropological theories and history of other parts of the world. Thematic and temporal focus changes in each offering. Possible topics include economy, state, elite, religion. Crosslisted as EAST 209.
HIST 210. Urban America. 1 Credit.
Lecture hours:3
Cities are microcosms of the nation as a whole, places where debates about race, class, gender, nature, power, and technology take physical form, as Americans argue about how to share crowded spaces. U.S. cities and suburbs provide clues to the economic, cultural, social, and political context.
HIST 211. American West. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the development of the American West to 1900.
HIST 212. Histories of Environmental Health and Justice. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
What does environmental health mean, and who gets to define it? This course examines the historical intersections of environment, race, economics and health, in the United States.
HIST 213. North American Environmental History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This class introduces the practices and purposes of studying our past relationships with nature, to better understand the origins of North America's landscapes today. Crosslisted as ENST 213.
HIST 214. Topics in American History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary.
HIST 215. Mapping History: Nature, Place, and Power. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines maps as markers of environmental history. Focusing on the North Atlantic and North America from the seventeenth century onward, the course will emphasize critical analysis of visual artifacts, the politics of cartography, and maps as records of our changing ideas about and impact on the natural world. Crosslisted as ENST 214 and GEOG 206.
HIST 216. England and France During The Hundred Years' War. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
The course explores how the traumas of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1460s) and the Black Death (1348) affected patterns of daily life, religious practice, class structure, peasant rebellions, knighthood, views of women, views of monarchy, university curricula, treatment of minorities. The focus is a cultural approach, not a military one.
HIST 218. American Revolution. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the war for independence and the origins of the United States.
HIST 219. American Abolition. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An examination of social problems and movements during this era. Focus may vary. Slavery and slave narratives; underground railroads; utopian visions; abolitionists; strikes and labor protests.
HIST 220. American Civil War and Reconstruction. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
The period is studied in depth as a revolutionary era through attention to political, economic, social, constitutional/legal, intellectual trends, events, personae, movements, and institutions.
HIST 221. U.S. History: 1880s to 1930s. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
The rise and development of American capitalism, as well as the political and social movements that accompanied this period of economic turbulence will be covered.
HIST 222. U.S. History from the 1940s to the Present. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the creation of modern America from World War II to the present.
HIST 224. Eighteenth-century North America. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A course that explores how different peoples (British, French, and American) claimed and fought over the environments of North America, shaping today's national borders.
HIST 225. Topics in American Political and Economic History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Intensive study of leading themes, in American history since 1600. Topics vary from year to year, but may include economic and political structures; intellectual movements, or social and cultural history.
HIST 226. American Capitalism. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the origins and development of capitalism in the United States. Property rights, how notions of time and space changed markets, prolitarianization, alienation, commodification and the role the government played (or not) in shaping the economy are some of the topics that we will cover. Crosslisted as ECON 246.
HIST 228. Workers and Work. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the evolution of work, mostly in the United States, from slavery through deindustrialization. Topics we discuss will include class relations, labor organizations, and how the way we conceive of work shapes gender roles, racial and ethnic relations, and environmental practices.
HIST 230. Europe from 11th to 17th Cen. 1 Credit.
Lecture hours:3
Survey of early modern European history 1000-1648.
HIST 232. Baseball and U.S. History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This is a history course that uses baseball as its lens to examine issues that fundamentally shape life in the U.S. Students in this course will explore topics such as segregation, racism, workplace struggles, gender divisions, battles over urban spaces, and the role sports plays in shaping our national identity.
HIST 237. The Renaissance. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses upon the major religious, social, artistic, literary, and political constructs of the influential thinkers of the European Renaissance, 1300-1600.
HIST 239. Contemporary Europe, 1890-1995. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
The crises of European cultures: world wars, economic depression, social unrest, and the decline of hegemony, the struggles for revitalization.
HIST 240. Greek History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
From the heroic Bronze Age down through the Persian invasion, the flourishing of Classical Athens, and the Peloponnesian wars to the death of Socrates, focusing on political, social and economic developments. Crosslisted as CLAS 217.
HIST 241. Roman History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Roman history from Rome's foundations as a backwater village ca. 753 BCE, through its rise as a world-power to its fall in the fourth century CE, focusing on economic and political issues. Crosslisted as CLAS 218.
HIST 242. Topics in French History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Specific focus will vary but always a study of aspects of the constitution and transformation of major political-cultural formations which shape French society.
HIST 243. Placing the Past. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Through the integration and utilization of geographical and historical thinking, this course encourages students to explore forgotten, marginalized, and occluded moments in place and time, from the perspective of considering their potential significance and usefulness in the contemporary period. Crosslisted as GEOG 243 and UNIV 243.
HIST 245. Topics in German History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary. Intensive study of leading themes in German history since 1400.
HIST 246. Medieval Heresies and Heretics. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Course examines the major heresies in western Europe from 1100 to 1600, and the church's attempts at repression.
HIST 247. Topics in European History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Intensive study of leading themes in European history since 1400. Topics will vary but may include economic and political structures, intellectual movements, or social and cultural history.
HIST 248. Topics in Russian History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary. This course aims to introduce new approaches to the history of the USSR as a multinational imperial formation from its inception to its collapse.
HIST 249. The Reformation. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This interdisciplinary course explores how five 16th-century reformations -- Lutheran, Calvinist, Zwinglian, Anabaptist, Catholic -- altered practices of daily life. Students will "re-live" debates that occurred regarding the perceived advantages and disadvantages of these theologies, and explore how class, gender, occupation, and local economy affected the reception of these systems.
HIST 250. Medieval and Early Modern Russia. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course provides a survey of the principal events and themes in Russian history from the ninth through the early 18th century.
HIST 251. Russian Empire. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the history of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the present Russian Federation through the lens of imperial domination, expansion and the challenges of diversity.
HIST 252. Topics in Soviet History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics in political, intellectual, cultural, and social history of the Soviet Union from its inception to its demise.
HIST 253. Witches, Wenches, and Wives. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An introduction to key themes in women’s and gender history during the early modern period, roughly 1500-1800. The course explores the complex material, political, social, and cultural factors that shaped perceptions of women and gender, as well as women’s own experiences in early modern Europe.
HIST 254. Age of Enlightenment. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the major social, cultural, intellectual, and political developments associated with the European Enlightenment, or "Age of Reason".
HIST 255. Under Siege: The Modern Middle East 1914-2014. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course surveys the history of the modern Middle East from the outbreak of WWI to aftermath of the Arab revolutions of 2011.
HIST 257. Women and Revolution. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Depending on the emphasis and expertise of the instructor, this course focuses on the place of women and the question of gender in revolutionary moments in history.
HIST 258. Topics in Women's and Gender History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary. Instructors shape the content according to their own interests in seeking insights into the historical construct of gender.
HIST 260. Black Women's History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examines the history of Afro-descendant women beginning in pre-colonial West Central Africa to the present, emphasizing the experiences of Black women's political, civic, community and reform activities in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa, analyzed within the context of racism, sexism and economic deprivation.
HIST 263. Topics in Public History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Public History is history that is seen, heard, read, and interpreted by a popular audience with a goal of disseminating historical knowledge outside of the classroom (via museums, monuments, historic sites, online archives, blogs, podcasts, documentaries, etc.). Specific focus will vary.
HIST 266. Topics in Intellectual History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics will vary. Intensive study of major themes and thinkers in intellectual history.
HIST 268. Power, Ideology, Existence: The History of Post-Enlightenment European Thought. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will survey the major currents and impulses that informed European thought over the past 200 years. Texts include works by Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Benjamin, Adorno, Heidegger, and Foucault.
HIST 271. Health and Medicine in the 20th Century U.S.. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examines American experiences of health and sickness across gender, race, and class, and developments in medicine and public health from colonial times to the present.
HIST 272. History of Science I. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Natural science during the Scientific Revolution (ca. 1450-1700), including intellectual, philosophical, and social developments.
HIST 274. Africa and International Relations in Historical Perspective. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
From popular culture: music, film, fashion to digital technologies: cell phones, computers, fit-bits, and GOOGLE-glass to our food: morning coffee, sugar, and spices, we rely on African ideas and resources. Through novels, films, and scholarly articles we examine how International Relations across Africa and with Africa matter in our lives. Crosslisted as CBST 274 and IREL 274.
HIST 275. Race and Colonial Regimes in Africa. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course provides an overview of Africa between the 18th and 20th centuries. Of particular interest are the ways Africans dealt with European colonial regimes as they deployed race as a technology of control and how Africans challenged racial constructs.
HIST 276. Popular Culture in Africa. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course allows students to explore, experience, and analyze aspects of popular culture in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. Manifestations of popular culture are considered as markers of modern African identities, embedded in complex and varied socio-cultural, -historical and -political contexts. Crosslisted as IREL 271.
HIST 277. Gender in Africa. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines gender and sexuality in Africa historically and contemporarily, using an examination of Africanist gender theory along with a critical examination of Western conventional categories and a critical approach to issues of family, generational tensions, sexuality, and power as useful ways for thinking through change in African history. Crosslisted as IREL 273 and WMST 277.
HIST 278. Photographing Race. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
The history of photography is inseparable from histories of race, imperialism, and slavery. This course examines how camera and film technologies affected depictions of race globally. Beginning with the invention of the modern camera, this course traces dynamics of voyeurism, othering, and personhood in photography to the present day. Crosslisted as CBST 278.
HIST 279. Topics in the History of Science and Medicine. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary: non-orthodox medicine; women and science; women and medicine; technology and social change.
HIST 280. History of Brazil. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
A survey course on the history of Brazil. Topics may vary.
HIST 281. Radical Democracy. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Covering everything from Pirate Utopias to Slave Republics, Revolutionary Communes to Occupy Wall Street, this course examines the theoretical and historical attempts to practice democracy outside of the liberal representative model.
HIST 282. Modern Latin America. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course traces and analyzes major developments in Latin American politics, society and culture from 1800 to the present. Crosslisted as LAMS 295.
HIST 283. Southeast Asia since 1800. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Political-cultural transformations in Southeast Asia since 1800. Topics vary.
HIST 285. The Middle East in Global Perspective. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will introduce students to a broad history of the Middle East and how it became known as a regional unit. The course examines the rise and fall of empires, revolutions, and emergent nation-states as well as questions of everyday life and how lives changed during different political periods.
HIST 286. Contemporary Japanese History. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3,Other:1
Political and cultural history of post-World War II Japan using various sources including film, anime, art, political cartoon, popular song. Crosslisted as EAST 256.
HIST 287. Perspectives: The Vietnam War. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
A comprehensive examination of the conflicts in Vietnam from 1940 to 1981.
HIST 288. The History of Vietnam. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Intensive study of the history of Vietnam from the era of Chinese occupation in the second century BC to the present.
HIST 290. Europe Imperialism and Colonialism. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Considers the rise, development, and fall of Western political and economic hegemony over the peoples and states of Asia and Africa since the late 19th century.
HIST 291. Africa: Ancient to Early Modern Times 4000BCE-1400CE. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of Africa from Ancient economic, social, cultural, economic, and political developments to the Early Modern Era and the rise of Atlantic era trade. This course focuses on social, cultural, political, and economic changes generated by populations across the continent. Crosslisted as CBST 291 and IREL 291.
HIST 292. Making Contemporary Africa: 'Early Modern' to the 'Post-Modern' World - 1400 to the Present. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of African history from the 15th century to the contemporary period. We explore six major themes in African History: The Indian Ocean World, Making of the Atlantic World, Colonialism in Africa, Nationalism and Independence Movements, Post-Colonialism and Issues in the Making of Contemporary Africa. Crosslisted as CBST 292 and IREL 293.
HIST 293. China from Ancient Times to the 18th Century. 1 Credit.
Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Chinese history and culture from their beginning to the middle of the Qing Dynasty, before that dynasty and China were challenged by the West. Crosslisted as EAST 233.
HIST 294. China since 1800. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
China from the eve of its modern confrontation with the West to the present through years of traumatic challenge and change. Crosslisted as EAST 234.
HIST 295. From Shinto to Shogun: Pre-modern Japan. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the cultural and institutional developments which constitute the Japanese heritage, with emphasis on classical Heian and early medieval court culture and late medieval samurai society. Crosslisted as EAST 254.
HIST 296. Modern Japanese History. 1 Credit.
Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Japan from a few hundred samurai-ruled domains loosely held together by a shogun to a bureaucratic modern nation-state in service to an emperor: small wars won, expansive empire gained, cosmopolitan cities built, and a big war lost. Crosslisted as EAST 255.
HIST 297. The People's Republic of China. 1 Credit.
Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
A historical look at life in China under the rule of the Communist Party. Unprecedented triumphs and tribulations. Crosslisted as EAST 267.
HIST 299. Topics in Non-western History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Selected major issues in the study of imperialism and colonialism.
HIST 301. Environmental History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
A seminar exploration of aspects of human interactions with the natural world over time. Not open to first-year students.
HIST 310. U.S. History to 1865. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary.
HIST 311. U.S. History since 1865. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary.
HIST 315. Urban Crisis. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines the history of towns, cities, and suburbs mostly in US history. Of particular focus will be incidents of urban unrest, which means taking a closer look at the roots exploring joblessness, state violence, the backlash against civil rights, new immigration, and interracial strife.
HIST 316. Independent Study. .5-1 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies; Repeatable
Selected topics. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
HIST 319. African-American History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Focuses on recent developments in the field. Topics vary but may include slavery; African-American intellectual history; black feminism; race, class and gender; social and political movements; and cultural criticism.
HIST 330. European History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Intensive study of selected issues. Topics vary.
HIST 333. 20th Century Germany. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will examine the history of Germany in the 20th Century. We will unearth all the ways that German history has made us - i.e., how its history has sculpted the very ways we think about ethics, sex, politics, and culture today.
HIST 335. Russia and the World. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Challenging the popular image of Russia as an inward-looking power that has pursued its own Sonderweg (special path), this seminar will examine Russia’s connections to and interactions with the outside world in the early modern and modern periods.
HIST 337. Topics in Central Asia. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
This course will examine the history of Central Asia from the late 19th century to the present, from the Russian Imperial conquest to Soviet rule and the creation of the independent post-Soviet states.
HIST 350. Honors Thesis. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Credit may be taken either in one semester of the senior year or throughout the senior year.
HIST 355. Undergraduate Research. .5-2 Credits.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies
Undergraduate research projects in collaboration with a history faculty member. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
HIST 370. History of Science and Medicine. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Intensive study of selected issues. Topics vary.
HIST 374. Human Trafficking: Ancient to Present Day. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course covers the very real and challenging topic of human trafficking in Africa and other parts of the world. Human Trafficking illuminates the interconnectedness of multiple systems of economics, politics, and culture through the transfer and control of labor. Crosslisted as IREL 474.
HIST 380. Topics in Global History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Global history examines interactions and collisions between and among cultures from a transnational perspective. It applies historical insights to diverse peoples in ways not possible from the vantage point of established regional and national history. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
HIST 385. Latin American History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Topics vary. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
HIST 399. Non-western History. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Intensive study of selected issues. Topics vary. Not open to first-year students.
HIST 3NT. History Non-traditional. 1-2 Credits.
Lecture hours:Varies
Non-traditional study in history.
HIST 400. Undergraduate Research Seminar. 1 Credit.
Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:Varies,Other:Varies
Undergraduate research seminar required for the major. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
Faculty
Professors: Claire Campbell (Chair), John P. Enyeart, Cymone Fourshey
Associate Professors: Paul Barba, David W. Del Testa, Mehmet Dosemeci, James A. Goodale, Jennifer Thomson
Assistant Professors: Zukhra Kasimova, Cassie Osei