Spring 2006 Courses

Department of History

Student Courseguide

 

 

HIST 103A FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICA

D. BRADBURN

M W 10:50-11:50 AM + disc section “W” course

Description: Examines the development of American society from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. Special attention paid to the interaction of European,

Native American and African peoples. Examines the institutional development of slavery, the displacement of Native Americans and the role these developments

played in the shaping of European American society and institutions. Readings and lectures reflect the experiences of different peoples in America and

approach these experiences from a variety of methodological perspectives. Satisfies both history and philosophy, politics and law major.

Format: Two lectures and one discussion section.

Books: TBD

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 104A MODERN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

S. BOYLE

M W 12-1 PM + discussion section

Description: This course examines the development of U.S. society from 1877 to the present. Its focus is political and social, with emphases on how notions of

“Americanness” changed as the nation changed and how various groups, both empowered and disempowered, enlarged, restricted, or contradicted those notions.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 104B MODERN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION

S. BOYLE

M W 12-1 PM + discussion section

Description: This course examines the development of U.S. society from 1877 to the present. Its focus is political and social, with emphases on how notions of

“Americanness” changed as the nation changed and how various groups, both empowered and disempowered, enlarged, restricted, or contradicted those notions.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 181A/MDVL 101  INTRO TO MEDIEVAL STUDIES

M. KOFKIN

M W F 10:50-11:50 AM “W” course

Description: An introduction to interdisciplinary medieval studies. The course examines various aspects of medieval society and culture across several

disciplines, particularly history, art history and literature. Possible topics for discussion include: pilgrimage, peasants and the agricultural year, saints'

cults, beliefs about the afterlife, chivalry and courtly love, women, artisans and guilds, and urban life. Special emphasis is given to combining the

viewpoints of various disciplines to create a broader understanding of the medieval period.

Format: Lecture/discussion Format Course grades based on one research paper, several short writing assignments, in-class midterm, Final exam, and

participation.

Books: Rosenwein, A Short History of the Middle Ages, second edition; Wiesner, Wheeler, Curtis, Discovering the Medieval Past; Ross, McLaughlin, Eds.,The Portable Medieval Reader; Chaucer, (translated by Coghill), The Canterbury Tales

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 181B/RUSS 131B RUSSIAN CULTURE & CIVILIZATION

N. TITTLER

M W F 2:20 – 3:20 PM

Description: Examines the political, historical and cultural developments that have together shaped Russian civilization and national identity, including

Russia's interactions with other cultures and the conflicts among diverse ethnic groups within Russia from early, pre-tsarist times to the 20th century.

Considers as artifacts of Russian culture folklore, literary and philosophical texts, art, architecture, music, dance, film, rituals and social conventions. No

knowledge of Russian necessary. Taught in English.

Format: Lecture and discussion, multimedia presentations. Grades based on quizzes, one oral presentation or specialized project, a midterm and a final

examination.

 

 

HIST 203  THE RISE AND FALL OF ROME

G. KADISH
M W F 10:50 - 11:50 AM

Description: Explores the development of Roman politics, society and culture from the founding of the city through the Republic and into the imperial era,

ending in the mid-sixth century CE. Among topics discussed: constitution and law; imperialism; institutions and values; religion; social structure and

culture (both native and borrowed). For majors and non-majors.

Format: Three lectures per week. Evaluation based on essay midterm and final examinations. No term paper

Books: Africa, THE IMMENSE MAJESTY; Shelton, AS THE ROMANS DID (2nd ed.); Warner and Seager, PLUTARCH: FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC; Grant, TACITUS: ANNALS OF IMPERIAL ROME; Scott-Kilvert and Walbank, POLYBIUS: THE RISE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 212  EUROPE, 1900 – 1955
M. SHEFFTZ

T R 1:15 - 2:40 PM

Description: The first half of Twentieth Century Europe studied partly through the lives of Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler. Some of the key

topics are the origins and the fighting of World War 1 and 11, the rise of Communism, Fascism., and Nazism, the Treaty of Versailles, the Holocaust, and

the beginning of the Cold War.

Format: One midterm and a final with both essays and multiple choice questions. Term papers are optional. Sophomore standing is recommended, but freshmen are

accepted. For majors and non majors.

Books: Rose, CHURCHILL, THE UNRULY GIANT; Fromkin, EURPOPE’S LAST SUMMER, WHO STARTED THE GREAT WAR IN 1914; Bullock, HITLER AND STALIN--PARALLEL LIVES; Browning, ORDINARY MEN.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 214  TUDOR/STUART ENGLAND:1485-1714

A. WALKLING

T R 4:25 – 5:50 PM

Description: This course will present a survey of English politics, society, religion, and culture in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Topics to be

covered will include the rise of the centralized state, the English Reformation, the Civil War and Restoration, the growth of parliamentary sovereignty and party

politics, the Revolution of 1688, and the coming of the Hanoverian dynasty, with an additional focus on historiographical questions and problems.

Format: Readings will be drawn from both primary and secondary texts, and will average 100–150 pages a week, depending on difficulty. Class time will be evenly

divided between lectures and class discussions—attendance and participation in discussions will significantly impact final grade. Other assignments will

include two exams and a paper. Some background in European history is recommended but not required.

Books:  TBA

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 238/AAAS 238  SCIENCE & TECH IN MODERN WORLD

F. FAN

M W 2:20 – 3:20 PM + discussion section, sections 04 – 06 “W” sections Description: We live in an environment inseparable from science and technology;

they are fundamental components of modern society. We drive, watch TV, surf the Internet and use the elevator. We cite scientific concepts: gravity, evolution,

virus, ecology, etc., in everyday conversation without thinking twice about them. We assume that science and technology are historically progressive and

universally valid. We are convinced that they are among the greatest achievements of the West and are spreading across the world as part of global

modernization. Is this understanding of modern science and technology adequate? This course aims to deepen understanding of science and technology by situating

them in a world-historical context. Instead of focusing on individual discoveries or inventions, the course examines the social meanings of science and technology in the modern world. We shall investigate issues such as the role of science and technology in European imperialism, the development of modern science and technology in non-Western societies, the configurations of modernity in different societies and the anxieties toward science and technology reflected in art and literature (from Frankenstein to Japanese animation). We shall also explore the complex reactions to certain developments in science and technology (e.g. Darwin's theory of evolution, nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering). Finally, we will consider the issue of globalization in relation to science and technology.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 241/JUST 241  BIBLICAL HISTORY

STAFF

M 7 – 10 PM

Description: Contextual approach to study of ancient Israel from Abraham to Deutero-Isaiah. Introduction to Biblical criticism and archaeology. Theoretical

reconstructions of early Hebrew history to Exodus. Conquest of Canaan. Tribal League and its institutions. Kings, prophets and priests. Kingdom of Judah and

Deuteronomic Reformation. Babylonian exile and reinterpretation of Israel's faith. Original source material in translation.

Format: To be determined.

Books: To be determined.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 242/JUST 242  JEWISH HISTORY: THE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD

J. KARP

M W 9:40 – 11:10 AM

Description: Introduction to Judaism in its formative period. Begins by examining perceptions of the Second Temple in the Judaism of antiquity.

Subsequently traces the political fortunes of Judea under imperial rule; the internal political struggles of competing religious factions; the proliferation

of new Jewish sects, including Pharisees, Sadducees, Christians, Essenes and Zealots; the complex relations between Jews and non-Jews, both in the land of

Israel and in the diaspora; and the development of early Christianity as well as of rabbinic Judaism and its monumental texts.

Format: Lecture/discussion; midterm, final examination, two short essays

Books: THE BIBLE; Jaffee, EARLY JUDAISM; Schiffman, TEXTS AND TRADITIONS; Barclay, JEWS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN DIASPORA

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

Prerequisite: Appropriate for Freshmen--no previous knowledge of topic assumed.

 

 

HIST 264  IMMIGRATION & ETHNICITY IN US

T R 11:40 AM – 12:40 PM + discussion section 01-05 or 06-10 “W” sections

S. GONZALEZ

Description: Surveys the influences of immigration and migration patterns in U.S. history and explores the evolution of an ever-evolving and complex

"American" identity. Compares and contrasts the experiences of immigrants and African Americans in the United States from the arrival of the first permanent

English settlers to contemporary discussions surrounding the meanings of ethnicity and multiculturalism in the United States. Draws heavily on

first-person narratives -- letters, diaries and reminiscences -- to examine this history from the perspective of ordinary Americans. Readings explore the

experiences and interactions of Europeans, Africans, Asians and Latin Americans in the United States over almost four centuries.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

Prerequisite: For majors and non-majors.

 

 

HIST 280A/AFST 284C BLACK NATIONALISM

M. WEST

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM “W” course

Description: This course traces the evolution of black nationalism from the era of the United States revolution to the 1960s. Though a persistent theme in the

African-American experience, black nationalism has tended to become especially influential at certain historical junctures, most notably the 1850s, the 1920s

and the 1960s. The course is centered on these junctions, which are called black nationalist moments. The course is organized around the core issues of race,

nationality, class, gender and sexual orientation.

Format: Discussion

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 280J RELIGION & THE REPUBLIC

D. CAPPIELLO

M W F 9:40 – 10:40 AM discussion section 01, or 02 “W” section

Description: From the American Revolution to the end of the Civil War, Americans interpreted their national destiny from a religious perspective. Religion, in

fact, shaped Americans’ vision of the Republic. This course examines the connection between religious beliefs and political, social, and economic change

during four periods: the Revolutionary Era, the Early Republic, Jacksonian America, and antebellum America. We will pay particular attention to how

Americans conjoined religion and politics to promote their vision of the Republic over a period spanning almost nine decades. Themes covered include:

gender, race, social reform, and sectional conflict. This course is appropriate for first and second year students.

Format: Grades will be based on attendance, papers, an in-class mid-term exam, and a final exam. All students write an 8-10 page research paper. Students in

the 02 (W) section write an additional 5-7 page paper.

Books: Marini, RADICAL SECTS OF REVOLUTIONARY NEW ENGLAND; Heyrman, SOUTHERN CROSS: THE BEGINNINGS OF THE BIBLE BELT; Johnson, A SHOPKEEPER'S MILLENNIUM: SOCIETY AND REVIVALS IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, 1815-1837; Ginzberg, WOMEN IN ANTEBELLUM REFORM; Stowe, UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 281C EAST CENTRAL EUROPE IN 20TH C.

H. DEHAAN

M W 2:20 – 3:20 PM + discussion section “W” course

Description: This course examines the socioeconomic and political history of East Central Europe since the First World War, drawing attention to the historic

roots of the ethnic, religious, socioeconomic and political challenges facing this sector of Europe in the 21st century. Students will examine the problems of

nationalism and nation-building, the two world wars, the Holocaust, Communism, and the Cold War in the Eastern European context. There are no pre-requisites

for this class; however, some background in Western and European History would be quite helpful for students.

Format: There will be two lectures and one discussion section per week. Evaluations will be based on performance on tests (an in-class midterm and a

final) and on two written assignments.

Books: Books include: Augustinos, ed. THE NATIONAL IDEA IN EASTERN EUROPE; Rothschild, RETURN TO DIVERSITY; Bartov, Grossmann, and Nolan, CRIMES OF WAR.

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

Corequisite: This course qualifies as a REEP Program component.

 

 

HIST 281R HISTORY OF MEDICINE

G. KUTCHER

M W 1:15 – 2:40 PM “W” course

Description: Helps students appreciate how medical knowledge and practices are implicated in and influenced by social, political and economic forces; how the

concepts of health and disease, the relationships among hospitals, professions and patients, the character of therapeutics and the role of science, technology

and industry have changed over time. The course focuses on medicine in the West from the early modern period and in America from the 18th century to the

present. It also includes materials on pre-modern and non-Western medicines.

Format: Lectures and discussion. Grades determined as follows: midterm exam, 25%; final exam, 35%; class attendance and participation, 15%; term paper 25%.

Books: TBD

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

 

 

HIST 310A REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEONIC EUROPE

H. BROWN

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM “W” course

Description: Taken together, the French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire constitute a watershed in world history. The revolutionary triumph of equal

rights, popular sovereignty, representative democracy and political nationalism brought massive social upheaval, endemic civil violence, colonial slave revolt

and two decades of war. Napoleon's military prowess and megalomania narrowly failed to transform Western Europe into a single state. The attempt spawned

ethnic nationalism and political reaction.

Format: Mainly a lecture course, but discussions are a crucial component and take at least one-third of the class time. Grade based on midterm, final

examination and short paper

Books: May include some or all of the following: Hunt, THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND HUMAN RIGHTS: A BRIEF DOCUMENTARY HISTORY; Walzer, REGICIDE AND REVOLUTION: SPEECHES AT THE TRIAL OF LOUIS XVI; Lyons, NAPOLEON BONAPARTE AND THE LEGACY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION; Connelly, BLUNDERING TO GLORY: NAPOLEON'S MILITARY CAMPAIGNS

 

 

HIST 333  HUMAN RIGHTS SINCE 1945

J. QUATAERT

T R 11:40 AM – 1:05 PM

Description: Sept. 11, 2001, was a vicious attack on a civilian population. It brought to a head serious conflicts worldwide over internationalizing human

rights. Course explores human rights ideas, institutions, laws and implementation after 1945. Looks at the founding of the United Nations, early

human rights and humanitarian conventions, and grass-roots anti-racist and pro-dissident movements at the height of the Cold War and the new global

contexts of concerns with gender-specific crimes, transnational labor migrations and renewed genocides, which since the late 1970s have inserted human rights

principles more centrally in international relations. Through historical examples it confronts major debates over universalism, cultural relativism,

legal accountability and transnational justice and the traces the emergence of new UN and NGO networks that sustain the global movements for justice and

rights. It addresses the changing context for human rights advocacy since 9/11.

For majors and non-majors.

Format: Lecture, discussion, two in-class examinations and a final exam.

Books: Bunch and Reilly, DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY: THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AND VIENNA TRIBUNAL FOR WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS, CENTER FOR WOMEN'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP; Carlson, I REMEMBER JULIA: VOICES OF THE DISAPPEARED; Human Rights Watch, PLAYING THE "COMMUNAL CARD": COMMUNAL VIOLENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS; Dunne and Wheeler, HUMAN RIGHTS IN GLOBAL POLITICS; Ignatieff, HUMAN RIGHTS AS POLITICS AND IDOLATRY; Gourevitch, WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES: STORIES FROM RWANDA ; Solzhenitsyn, ONE DAY IN LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH.

 

 

HIST 341/AAAS 341  CHINA AND THE WEST

J. CHAFFEE

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM discussion section 01, or 02 “W”

Description: A study of key junctures in the history of direct and indirect relations between China and Europe, from antiquity to the establishment of the

People's Republic of China. Topics include Ibn Batuta, Marco Polo, William of Rubruck and other traveler-authors of medieval times; the pre-European world

trading order; the expansion of Europe and the role of the Jesuits as cultural intermediaries; China's influence on the Enlightenment; opium and the coming of

imperialism; treaty ports; Chinese migrations; and Westernization, modernization, war and revolution. Ample attention to political and economic

patterns of interaction, but particular focus upon cultural perceptions and (mis)understandings. Readings consist of both primary accounts (Chinese and

Western) and secondary studies. Section 02 is writing.

Format: Meets twice a week for lectures that involve frequent discussions and which are occasionally accompanied by slide presentations and visits to relevant

websites. Grades based upon midterm and final examinations and either a 10- to 15-page paper (for writing students in Section 02) or a five- to seven-page

essay (for non-writing students in Section 01), as well as class participation.

Books: (tentative): Abu-Lughod, THE WORLD SYSTEM IN THE 13TH CENTURY; Larner, MARCO POLO AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE WORLD; Polo, THE TRAVELS OF MARCO POLO; Porter, IDEOGRAPHIA: THE CHINESE CIPHER IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE; Spence, THE QUESTION OF HU; Waley-Cohen, THE SEXTANTS OF BEIJING: GLOBAL CURRENTS IN CHINESE HISTORY

 

 

HIST 372/AAAS 372/SOC 372  20TH CENTURY JAPAN

H. BIX

T R 1:15 – 2:40 PM

Description: History 372 is a general introduction to Japan's 20th century history from the late 19th century up to the present-day. It traces Japan's

transformation into a powerful nation-state capable of challenging the Western powers. Japan's experiences of war, cold war, and its post-cold war adjustment

to a world with only one superpower are carefully assessed. Particular attention is given to nationalism and militarism, the role of the mass media and its

relationship to the state, the "Asia-Pacific War," and issues of national identity and constitutional revision, Japan's international role in the 21st

century Asia and the future of Japan-U.S. relations. Also addressed are the workings of the political economy and current efforts by Japanese

neo-conservatives to transform the country into a "normal" (war-waging) state.

Prerequisite: There are no prerequisites.

 

 

HIST 380C AMERICA BETWEEN THE WARS

S. BOYLE

M W F 9:40 – 1:40 AM

Description: This course examines developments in U.S. society between the two World Wars (1919-1939). Topics to be discussed include: the “prosperity” of the

1920s, the development of a mass consumer culture, the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age, women’s rights, the Red Scare, Garveyism, the Scopes trial, racial

violence and the re-emergence of the KKK, changing moral and sexual codes, organized labor, and the Great Depression and the New Deal.

 

 

HIST 380E/AFST 385E AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE/POETRY AND JAZZ

I. OKPEWHO

T R 4:25 - 5:50 PM

Description: Traces the parallel development of two art forms that enable us to explore African-American history by way of its cultural achievements. Students

read poems, hear songs and music (in CDs and tapes) and watch videos that trace the growth of black poetry and jazz through key moments of black history. Aims

to understand the intersection of artistic forms as they reflect the social and political climates around them. Special attention given to the contributions of

African American women to these art forms, as well as the growing phenomenon of "jazz poetry." Students are encouraged to shape and articulate their individual

as well as group responses to the poetry and the music.

Format: Seminar

Books: To be determined

Prerequisite: Junior, senior or graduate standing

Corequisite: None

 

 

HIST 380J/AFST 380J/LA&C 380J  RACIAL POLITICS & THE STATE

S. KING

M W F 12:00 – 1:00 PM  W” course

Description: Racial Politics and the State examines the relationship between racialized groups—African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and

Europeans Americans—and U.S. Nation-State formation, particularly the role U.S. political institutions play in including and excluding racial and ethnic groups

throughout the period examined. Topics include white settler colonialism and Native American resistance, slavery and emancipation, the politics of

citizenship and immigration, and the modern civil rights movement. The course also embeds these relationships within the context of the nation’s economic

transformation as well as its status in world politics.

Format: Attendance and participation in meetings is mandatory (20%). Each student will write two essays of 3-5 pages. Combined the essays are worth (20%)

of the final grade. The essay topics will be provided by the instructor. The research paper (30%) will be 5-7 pages on a topic selected in consultation with

the instructor. The final exam will be a comprehensive take home exam at the end of the course. This final exam will be worth 30% of the final grade.

Books: Ngai, IMPOSSIBLE SUBJECTS; Escobar, RACE, POLICE, AND THE MAKING OF POLITICAL IDENTITY; Webb, MASSIVE RESISTANCE: SOUTHERN OPPOSITION TO THE SECOND RECONSTRUCTION; Theoharis and Woodard, FREEDOM NORTH; Wilkins, AMERICAN INDIAN SOVEREIGNTY AND THE U.S. SUPREME COURT.

 

 

HIST 380P/ENG 450T/WOMN 380F  BENEATH THE AMER. RENAISSANCE

S. ELBERT

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM  W”

Description: Focus on the production and consumption of mass culture and high culture to understand debates over race, class, gender, empire underlying

American Romanticism. Primary sources and historians analyses include: “sensations” around U.S.-Mexican War, dime novels, Alcott’s “unknown” thrillers,

New England reformers, white Southerners, Sojourner’s Narrative, the Boston/Concord circle.

Format: Twice weekly lectures/ discussions, 4 take-home essays., 5 typed pages. “W” course, sophomores, juniors, seniors.

Books: Streeby, AMERICAN SENSATIONS; Denning, MECHANIC ACCENTS; Helper,  ANTE-BELLUM; Stern, BEHIND A MASK; Elbert, THE AMERICAN PREJUDICE AGAINST COLOR; NARRATIVE OF SOJOURNER TRUTH; Marshall, THE PEABODY SISTERS; Thoreau, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND OTHER ESSAYS; Kornfield, MARGARET FULLER, A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY WITH DOCUMENTS; Emerson, SELECTED WRITINGS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON; Hawthorne, BLITHEDALE ROMANCE; James, THE BOSTONIANS; Mathiessen, THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE; Melville, BENITO CERENO; ESQ: SPECIAL EDITION THE AMERICAN RENAISSANCE.

Prerequisite: Majors/non majors

 

 

HIST 380V/WOMN 380E  LEGAL HIST OF SEXUALITY IN US

D. SILBERSTEIN

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM

Description: This course will examine the historical impact of laws as they formed, legitimized/criminalized erotic desires and sexualities in the United

States. Students will explore how deviant sexuality defined not just by prevailing Judeo-Chrisitian values but was determined by assumptions about race,

ethnicity, gender and class. Within this context specific focus will be given to developing an understanding of how the laws impacted broader understandings of

civil liberties and rights. The course will not only focus on the legal contestations of same-sex relationships but will include such areas as the impact of antimiscegenation statutes, the development of antiprostitution legislation and legal restrictions on immigration in determining legitimate sexual citizenry within the United States.

Format: lecture and discussion

Books: Meyerowitz, HOW SEX CHANGED: A HISTORY OF TRANSEXULATIY IN THE UNITED STATES; Plane, COLONIAL INTIMACIES: INDIAN MARRIAGE IN EARLY NEW ENGLAND; Feldstein, MOTHERHOOD IN BLACK AND WHITE: RACE AND SEX IN AMERICAN LIBERALISM; Duggan, SAPPRIC SLASHERS: SEX, VIOLENCE AND AMERICAN MODERNITY; Shah, CONTAGIOUS

DIVIDES: EPIDEMICS AND RACE IN SAN FRANCISCO'S CHINATOWN

 

 

HIST 381B/WOMN 380D  REPRESENTING WOMEN'S BODIES

B. EFFROS

T R 1:15 – 2:40 PM

Description: This course will focus on the representation and treatment of the female body in historical, literary, and art historical sources from late

antique and medieval Western Europe. Its point of departure will be ancient beliefs that women’s bodies were incomplete and thus less than fully human; in

order to attain full humanity and the dignity of a soul, a woman had to, in some sense, become a man. Some course themes include monastic claustration

(permanently imprisoning the female body), self-mutilation, martyrdom (fragmentation), cross-dressing and gender slippage in late antique and medieval

written sources. Readings will include selections from the Church fathers, histories of saints, monastic Rules, romances and lyrics, fabliaux, visionary

texts, medieval theological works and ancient and early medieval medical treatises.

Format: Course grades will be based on an in-class midterm 30%, one short essay

(5-7 pages) 30%; final exam 30% and class participation 10%.

Books: Rousselle, PORNEIA; Brock and Ashbrook, HOLY WOMEN OF THE SYRIAN ORIENT; Kay and Rubin, eds., FRAMING MEDIEVAL BODIES; Boroff, trans., SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, PATIENCE, AND PEARL: VERSE TRANSLATIONS; Cline, trans., CLIGES; BOOK OF MARGERY KEMPE; and other works on library reserve and the internet.

 

 

HIST 381Q/ARAB 386G ARABS, JEWS AND CHRISTIANS - ISLAMIC SPAIN

M. BOUANANI

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM  discussion section 01, 02 “W” section

Description: Andalusian society was formed by different elements: Muslims, Jews and Christians of different ethnicities who developed a civilization different

from what existed in the Arab Islamic east. From the eighth century until about 1300, Muslim Spain was the most civilized and materially advanced area of

Western Europe. Ethnic and religious minorities enjoyed a high degree of tolerance and formed prosperous communities in magnificent cities. When the

world spoke Arabic, Cordoba was the most splendid city, with culture and prosperity unequaled elsewhere in Europe. Moorish culture in Spain reached its

zenith under the auspices of Arab-Islamic rule, guaranteeing diversity with a stable political situation. These and other circumstances engendered the

efflorescence of erudition, high culture and refined living in Andalusia. Course examines culture and civilization of Islamic Spain and contribution of each

group to its greatness. Readings are in English.

Format: Two one-hour-and-25-minute class meetings. Reading quizzes. Regular attendance and oral presentations. Grading based on in-class performance and

participation, quizzes, responses to readings, two short papers and one longer final paper, or a midterm and final written test. The papers required of those

taking the course for a Harpur College writing ("W") requirement will be slightly longer.

Books: To be determined

Prerequisite: None

Corequisite: None

 

 

HIST 381V/ARTH 381D  GOLDEN ARTS OF KINGS

B. ABOUELHAJ

T R   02:50PM-04:15PM FA258  W” course

Description: This course introduces the range of art and architecture produced under diverse conditions in Europe from the 6th to the 9th century, from the

grave jewels of Germanic chieftains to the imperial architecture of Justinian in Ravenna and Constantinople and of Charlemagne in Aachen. We will contrast the

urban south and eastern Mediterranean with their monumental, technologically advanced art, sponsored by rulers with ambitions to continue the economy,

political structure and cultural sites of the Roman Empire, with the art of the rural northwest, where a similar political rhetoric was entirely discrepant with

a relatively primitive agrarian economy. Under these conditions, we find an art of personal luxury slowly, painstakingly built up until its large public

buildings matched ambitions and rhetoric in a few places, for a short time, because constraints could not be repaired until the end of the Middle Ages. Late

Antique and Medieval art and architecture, whether publicly displayed or small and private, were central to representations of political and spiritual

authority. Spatial, visual and esthetic aspects of art: scale, cost, materials (gold, silver, ivory, painted manuscripts) aimed to fulfill these functions by

persuasion or coercion, in an attempt to create docile subjects for church and state. Within contrasting economies (urban and rural), and distinct political

structures, artists and builders used every talent they possessed to produce works that conveyed the prestige, political clout and spiritual authority

claimed by their patrons.

Format: Lecture and discussions. Short-essay midterm and final. Short term

paper.

 

 

 

 

HIST 384B/AAAS 384B MODERN SOUTHEAST ASIA

A. DEVERA

M W 10:50 – 11:50 AM + discussion 01 – 04 “W”

Description: This upper-division course introduces students to the histories of Southeast Asia, an extremely diverse region made up of eleven countries: Burma,

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, East Timor, and Brunei. Topics include colonial encounters with the

“West”; struggles for independence and nationalisms; the Japanese occupation and the Second World War; majorities, minorities, and ethnicity; rebellions and

counterrevolutions; the Cold War; globalization and transnationalism; and the roles of Christianity and Islam in political developments.

Format: Fulfills the Harpur College Writing (“W”) requirement. Two lectures and one discussion section per week. Grade determined by student participation, 2

quizzes, 1 5-page paper, a midterm exam and a final exam. Both exams are take-home essays.

Books: Tentative list includes Anderson, THE SPECRTRE OF COMPARISONS; Orwell, BURMESE DAYS; Pham, CATFISH AND MANDALA; Rodgers, TELLING LIVES, TELLING HISTORY; Steinberg et al, IN SEARCH OF SOUTHEAST ASIA; and Winichakul, SIAM MAPPED.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of one lower-division history course (100- or 200-level).

 

 

HIST 384C/AAAS 384C TOKUGAWA JAPAN

G. KADISH

M W F 9:40 – 10:40 AM

Description: From 1600 to 1868, Japan was ruled by a military regime, the Tokugawa shogunate. The course examines the origins of this oppressive regime,

how it governed, how it affected Japan’s social and cultural life. Included: the closing of Japan and the suppression of Christianity in the 17th century,

economic issues, the transformation of the samurai class, peasant unrest, and the rigidification of social structure; literature (poetry, novels, etc.), art &

architecture, theater, the demi-monde (the “Floating World”), the ways in which the Japanese began to redefine their national past, and the resumption of

contact with the outside world.

Format: This is a lecture course, with opportunity for discussion. The final grade will be based on a one-question essay mid-term and a two-question final

examination, and a 5-7 page paper, i.e. four grades of equal weight.

Books: Totman, EARLY MODERN JAPAN; Stone (tr.), BUSHIDO. THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI; Stryk (tr.), BASHO. ON LOVE AND BARLEY; Saikaku, THE LIFE OF AN AMOROUS WOMAN; Ikegami, THE TAMING OF THE SAMURAI

 

 

 

 

 

HIST 384G/AAAS 384G & WOMN 380G WOMEN & GENDER IN SOUTH ASIA

M. LAL

T R 11:40 AM – 1:05 PM “W”

Description: Research and writing on the history of women and gender in South Asia has exploded in the last two decades and has transformed our understanding

of modern South Asian history and society. Scholars relying on new sources such as women's autobiographies, legal testimonies, medical texts, oral histories,

short stories, and novels have explored new topics such as the colonial state's regulation of interracial sex; ideologies of masculinity in legitimating

imperial rule; women as markers of "tradition" and the inscription of new patriarchies under nationalism; the changing fortunes of women peasants and

workers; discourses of citizenship and struggles for women's suffrage; and colonial and post-colonial varieties of Indian feminism. Actresses, "lady

doctors," revolutionary terrorists, jute factory workers, and dalit and "tribal" women have entered the historical record. Along with exploring the work and

lives of such remarkable and controversial historical figures as Pandita Ramabai, Rukhmabai, Indira Gandhi, and Phoolan Devi, we will engage with a

number of theoretical issues that South Asian gender history raises concerning the politics of language and translation; strategies of archival retrieval;

questions of agency, voice, and representation; the intersection of gender with caste, class, religion, race, and sexuality; and the impact of South Asian

feminist scholarship and activism.

Format: Requirements will include small group research, debate, and writing projects and midterm and final papers.

Books: Books will include Forbes, WOMEN IN MODERN INDIA (1996); Kumar, THE HISTORY OF DOING (1997); Raychaudhuri (trans.) and Forbes (ed.), THE MEMOIRS OF DR. HAIMBATI SEN: FROM CHILD WIDOW TO LADY DOCTOR (2000).

 

 

HIST 386F THE MIDDLE EAST & THE U.S.

D. QUATAERT

M W 1:10 – 2:10 PM + discussion section 01, 03, 05, 07, 09, or 02, 04, 06, 08 “W”

Description: This course examines interactions between the peoples, governments and economies of the Middle East and the United States from the 18th century

down to the present day. It demonstrates how these interactions decisively shaped U.S. perceptions of itself and of the role of the West in global history.

It begins by examining the arrival of American missionaries and merchants in the Mid East, their motives and goals and local impact. It then turns to a series of

key events in the Middle East and the role played by the United States. These include: the Young Turk Revolution of 1908; the Armenian Massacres of 1915; the

Great Power Partition of the Mid East after World War I; the 1936 Palestine Revolt; the 1948 formation of Israel; the Mossadeq crisis in Iran; the 1952

Egyptian Revolution; the Lebanese and Iraqi crises in 1958; the Iranian Revolution in the late 1970s; the Gulf War of the early 1990s and the invasion

of Iraq in 2003. The course specifically demonstrates the impact of U.S. involvement in the Middle East since the 18th century on the development of

Western Civilization both in the United States and Europe.

Format: Course requirements include regular attendance and participation as well as two hourly, in class exams and one final examination.

Books: TBA

 

 

HIST 386M/JUST 386M ZIONISM AND ITS JEWISH CRITICS

J. KARP

M W 2:20 – 3:50 PM

Description: How could anyone describe Zionism as antithetical to Judaism or "Jewishness"? Course attempts to answer that question by surveying the history

of Jewish ideological and religious opposition to Zionism, both before and after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Addresses the following major

questions as well: Why did Zionism prove so controversial among Jewish communities at its inception in the late 19th century? What alternatives to the

problems of nationalism and anti-Semitism did non-Zionist or anti-Zionist movements propose? What arguments did Zionist thinkers employ in response to

critics of the movement? How did Zionism succeed in winning over an increasing majority of Jews after 1948 (and especially 1967)? And, finally, does

anti-Zionism still offer a viable option to Jews today? Requires no previous knowledge of the topic.

Format: Lecture/discussion; midterm, final examination, two short essays

Books: Hertzberg, THE ZIONIST IDEA; Kolsky, JEWS AGAINST ZIONISM; Segev, ELVIS IN JERUSALEM; Roth, PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT

Notes: THIS COURSE IS APPROPRIATE FOR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS.

Prerequisite: For first-year students, consent of instructor

 

 

HIST 386P WOMEN, CHILDREN & 20TH C WARS

R. ABOU-EL-HAJ

T R 10:05 – 11:30 AM “W”

Description: The goal of the course is to explore the traumas especially visited on children and women, though not exclusively, by physical dislocation due to

exile, mass persecutions and punishments associated with war between nation-states, and within them. The format is one of discussion of historical

and social scientific literature (psychology, sociology, etc.) on the short and long term effects of dislocations due to military conflict on individuals and

societies. The selection of the readings will emphasize a comparative perspectives.

Format: Weekly written outline of weekly readings, which will serve as the basis for in class discussion (40% of grade) by class participants. Papers of about

ten pages on topics developed in consultation with instructor (60% of grade).

Books: Readings will be available in the reserve room.

 

 

 

HIST 395  INTERNSHIP IN HISTORY

STAFF

Description: Topic determined by student and faculty member.

 

 

HIST 397  INDEPENDENT STUDY

STAFF

Description: Tutorial or seminar study of special problems that meets needs of

advanced students.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

 

 

HIST 430/AAAS 430  WAR CRIMES TRIALS & JUSTICE

H. BIX

T 7 – 10 PM “W” course

Description: History 430, a seminar, studies the growth of the international community under law. Of particular concern this term are issues of aggression,

political justice, and accountability as presented in the war crimes trials of the 20th century. After closely scrutinizing the legal consequences of the

Nuremberg and Tokyo international war crimes trials held at the end of World War II, we chart key moments in the development of international law down to the

present. The focus throughout is on war crimes and the criminality of war leaders and states. U.S. wars in Asia and the Middle East will furnish material

for discussion.

 

 

HIST 473/AAAS 473  IMPERIALISM IN EAST ASIA

J. CHAFFEE

M 3:30 – 6:30 PM “W” course

Description: Study of three varieties of imperialism in East Asia in modern times. First, Western imperialism in China: the Opium War, unequal treaties and

the treaty port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Second, Japanese imperialism, from its early manifestations in Korea and Taiwan through the

Second World War. Third, American and Russian imperialism in Korea, especially in the Korean War. Explores both the historical events associated with these

forms of imperialism and the different methodological approaches employed by scholars in this field. Also makes use of films and novels. Enrollment

restricted to seniors majoring in history or taking the Asian and Asian American studies concentration.

Format: Seminar meeting once a week. Consists primarily of discussions with occasional slide presentations, movies and lectures to provide historical

background and to make the readings intelligible. One five- to seven-page book review is required during the course of the semester and a 14- to 16-page

research is due at the end of the semester. Drafts of the book reviews are evaluated by fellow students and the instructor prior to the submission of a

revised version. Grades based upon papers and class participation.

Books: TBA

Prerequisite: Senior history major status or earning Asian and Asian American

studies concentration

 

 

HIST 480J CONTRACEPTION AND ABORTION

J. D. HACKER

T 2:50 – 5:50 PM “W” course

Description: This course examines the early history of contraception and abortion in the United States, focusing on the nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries. We begin with an examination of the experience of childbearing in America between 1750-1950, then turn to an investigation of contraceptive

technology and abortion in the nineteenth century. We examine social, economic, political, legal, and medical arguments for and against various methods of birth

control, the successful campaign by Anthony Comstock to prohibit the advertisement of contraceptives and abortion services, and the growing

criminalization of abortion and birth control in the late nineteenth century. Several weeks will be dedicated to the study of Margaret Sanger, one of the

nation’s most outspoken advocates for birth control and the founder of Planned Parenthood. We end with a quick survey of the history of contraception and

abortion in the late twentieth century.

Format: Senior seminar. Grade will be based on weekly class participation and attendance, one short paper and a research paper.

Books: Tone, CONTROLLING REPRODUCTION; Leavitt, BROUGHT TO BED; Brodie, CONTRACEPTION AND ABORTION IN 19TH-CENTURY AMERICA; Mohr, ABORTION IN AMERICA; Tone, DEVICES AND DESIRES; Kennedy, BIRTH CONTROL IN AMERICA; Franks, MARGARET SANGER’S EUGENIC LEGACY.

Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing and a 100-level history course, or

consent of instructor is required.

 

 

HIST 480N/ENG 450S & WOMN 480N THE ALCOTT'S CIRCLE: SR SEM

S. ELBERT

R 2:50 – 5:50 “W” course

Description: Seminar explores the legacy of a romantic reform moment in which the Alcott family joined luminaries like Emerson, Thoreau and Margaret Fuller as

well as the Peabody sisters, Horace Mann and Nathaniel Hawthorne. They imagined and tried to live a perfection of life and work, arts and sciences, transcending

relations of class, sex, and race in the United States, another “shot heard round the world.” Common readings from their fictions, essays, journals,

letters, and historical/critical analyses of their efforts. Each student will also research a particular member of the circle, working toward a final

presentation and paper.

Format: Weekly seminar, readings, discussion and presentations, final research paper. Appropriate for majors, instructor's approval required for course.

Books: Books for Purchase: Marshall, THE PEABODY SISTERS; Alcott, MOODS; Alcott, WORK; Alcott, BEHIND A MASK; Kornfield, MARGARET FULLER, A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY WITH DOCUMENTS; Emerson, SELECTED WRITINGS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON; Hawthorne, BLITHEDALE ROMANCE; ESQ, SPECIAL ISSUE ON AMERICAN RENAISSANCE; THE EMERSON DILEMMA: ESSAYS ON EMERSON AND SOCIAL REFORM; A HUNGER FOR HOME; Brodhead, CULTURES OF LETTERS; Sacks, UNDERSTANDING EMERSON; Thoreau, CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND OTHER ESSAYS; James, THE BOSTONIANS; MacLean, LOUISA AND THE MISSING HEIRESS.

 

 

HIST 480P RELIGION, POLITICS & REFORM

S. BOYLE

M 7 - 10 PM “W” course

Description: The Second Great Awakening of the 1820s and 1830s introduced a socially-oriented Christianity into American political life that was concerned

with both vanquishing “sin” (e.g. drunkenness, prostitution) and righting political injustice (e.g. slavery, women’s political (disfranchisement). Since

then, religion has played a central part in American reform movements. In this course, we will examine this union of politics and religion in order to better

understand how religious beliefs inform reform agendas. We will also consider the place of religious diversity in politics, especially as relates to issues

such as labor rights, American Zionism, and the rise in fundamentalist beliefs in both Christianity and Islam. Finally, we will examine how historical

circumstances and personal beliefs combine to lead some groups and individuals to embrace politically progressive movements such as woman suffrage and civil

rights while leading others to support restrictive actions such as political disfranchisement, anti-welfare measures, or censorship.

 

 

HIST 481G/553 CRIME, POVERTY AND REPRESSION

H. BROWN

T 2:50 – 5:50 PM “W” course

Description: This course analyzes the interaction between the following concepts: crime, justice, punishment, poverty, community, poor relief, revolt,

and repression. Poverty and crime have always been associated, but why? As the novelist Anatole France astutely quipped, the law in its majestic equality

prohibits rich and poor alike from stealing bread and sleeping under bridges. Similarly, since crimes are by definition threats to the established order,

revolts are merely extreme examples of crime and provoke proportionately greater repression. Perceived disorder, whether in the form of tax rebels, petty

thieves, vagrant paupers, or marginal women, tested the relationship between the the state's justice and local communities. Examining these links in the

different societies of western Europe between 1500 and 1800 should enable us to think more analytically about the increase in heavy-handed policing, the

enormous and still expanding prison population, the growing number of executions, and the spreading hostility to the poor in American society.

Format: This course meets once a week for three hours. Eleven sessions will be used to discuss common readings (marked by an asterisk for each week) and hear

student book reviews. Two sessions will be devoted to paper presentations and peer critiques.

 

 

HIST 481K SR SEMINAR: WORLD WAR II

M. SHEFFTZ

W 1:10 – 4:10 PM “W” course

Description: We will examine the goals of Hitler, the failure of appeasement, the Fall of France, the Battle of Britain, the campaign in Russia, the invasion

of Normandy, the fall of Berlin, new weapons, the morality of area bombing, and the destruction of European Jewry.

Format: A mix of lectures, discussions, films, and documentaries. Grades will be based on a twenty page paper (5,000 words) or two ten page papers. Class

participation will be taken into account. More than five unexcused absences will bring an automatic "F".

Books: Kennedy, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE IN WORLD WAR II; Jackson, THE FALL OF FRANCE; Marrus, THE HOLOCAUST IN HISTORY; Rothwell, THE ORIGINS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR; Overy, RUSSIA’S WAR; Tucker, THE SECOND WORLD WAR; Overy, WHY THE ALLIES WON.

 

 

HIST 486G/501D CHILD ABUSE IN EUROPE & U.S.

R. TREXLER

M 3:30 – 6:30 PM “W” course

Description: This seminar studies the abuse of children from their colonizing of the New Worlds until c. 2000, when this phenomenon ended up on the front pages

of newspapers throughout the world. Only recently have children been considered a part of society and thus a proper object of historical research, while the

social perpetrators of this abuse, both lay guardians and above all clergy, have historically been considered groups apart and not integral segments of secular

society. Thus the seminar aims to give children a history and to identify the clergy as a fully sensual group within the broader society. We shall study the

central role of throwaway European children in the settlements of the New Worlds, the erection of residential homes there to facilitate their importation;

the impact of the industrial revolution on the movement of children to and within the Americas and Australia, the dominant role of voluntary societies-such

as Barnardo’s and the Catholic Church-in this “business.” Then in the more recent, postcolonial, world, pastors and abused altar boys have replaced as

actors the missionaries and immigrant children of an earlier time, and we will trace the descent of the modern scandals from the early, colonial ones.

Format: The course grade will depend upon readiness and participation in the discussions of readings, as well as upon a research paper, whose subject will be

determined by the student and approved by the instructor.

Books may include, among others, Doyle and Sipes (eds.), SEX, PRIESTS, AND SECRET CODES: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S 2,000-YEAR PAPER TRAIL OF SEXUAL ABUSE; Lloyd de Mause (ed.), THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD; Robins, THE LOST CHILDREN: A STUDY OF CHARITY CHILDREN IN IRELAND, 1700-1900; Parr, LABOURING CHILDREN: BRITISH IMMIGRANT APPRENTICES TO CANADA, 1869-1924); Archuleta et al (eds.), AWAY FROM HOME: AMERICAN INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL EXPERIENCES, 1879-2000; Holt, THE ORPHAN TRAINS. PLACING OUT IN AMERICA; Raftery and O’Sullivan, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN: THE INSIDE STORY OF IRELAND’S INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS; Sipe, SEX, PRIESTS AND POWER. ANATOMY OF A CRISIS.

 

 

HIST 486K/AFST 490K CRISIS OF BLACK INTELLECTUAL

S. KING

W 7 – 10 PM

Description: This course has three components. Students will cover a broad social history of Modern Colonialism and US racism, engaging the critical

relationships between people of African descent and the West. Topics include the scramble and partition of Africa, Caribbean and US emancipation, European

colonization, African and Caribbean decolonization movements, and African American freedom movements. Secondly, students will evaluate black

intellectuals’ literary responses to racism and colonialism as well as their reflections of Western society and culture through selected readings of seminal

texts. Finally, seminarians will examine recent postcolonial scholarship covering black intellectuals and their significance to black freedom movements.

Through this three pronged intellectual engagement, seminarians will analyze the intellectuals’ proscriptions for freedom and independence and their analysis of

Western society and culture.

Format: Attendance and class participation in weekly meetings is mandatory. Each week students submit a brief précis, at least a page and an half but no more

than 2 pages, of that week’s required reading. Each week one or more students will report on an assigned reading. Each student will also prepare a 12-15 page

paper on a theme or topic selected in consultation with the instructor. Students must submit an outline and a draft at designated dates during the semester; the

paper will be due the final week of class. Final grades will be based on the long essay (50%); class participation including the oral reports (25%); and

weekly written summaries (25%).

Books: Bogues, BLACK HERETICS, BLACK PROPHETS: RADICAL POLITICAL INTELLECTUALS, Robinson, BLACK MARXISM, Rodney, GROUNDINGS WITH MY BROTHERS, Dubois, SOULS OF BLACK FOLK, Cesaire, DISCOURSE ON COLONIALISM.

 

 

 

 

 

HIST 486S/501W PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIETY AND THE STATE

G. KUTCHER

T 7 – 10 PM “W” course

Description: Helps students understand the changing relationships among public health practices, society and the state, from the Industrial Revolution and the

liberal sanitarians, to early-20th-century concerns with reproduction and the eugenics movement, to the self-regulated body and the global plagues of late

modernity. Considers how notions of population, statistical methods and the germ theory of disease were incorporated into public health beliefs, practices and

rhetoric, primarily in Europe and America, although non-Western settings are included. For undergraduate majors and non-majors and graduate majors (graduate

non-majors by consent only).

Format: Seminar. Grade determined as follows: discussion contributions, 30%; two short papers (and one book review for graduate students), 30%; final paper, 40%

Books: TBD

Prerequisite: Undergraduate status or graduate major status, or graduate non-major by consent of instructor

 

 

HIST 498  HONORS THESIS I

Description: Honors essay for seniors, under supervision of faculty member.

Prerequisite: Consent of department's director of undergraduate studies and instructor.

 

 

HIST 499  HONORS THESIS II

Description: Honors essay for seniors, under supervision of faculty member.

Format: N/A

Books: N/A

Prerequisite: Consent of department's director of undergraduate studies and

instructor.

 

 

 

HIST 501C/SOC 661A  LAW, WAR CRIMES & TRIBUNALS

H. BIX

T 7-10 PM

Description: This graduate seminar studies the growth of the international community under law. Of particular concern this term are issues of aggression,

political justice, and accountability as presented in the war crimes trials of the 20th century. After closely scrutinizing the legal consequences of the

Nuremberg and Tokyo international war crimes trials held at the end of World War II, we chart key moments in the development of international law down to the

present. The focus throughout is on war crimes and the criminality of war leaders and states. U.S. wars in Asia and the Middle East will furnish material

for discussion.

 

 

HIST 501D/486G CHILD ABUSE IN EUROPE & U.S.

R. TREXLER

M 3:30-6:30 PM

Description: This seminar studies the abuse of children from their colonizing of the New Worlds until c. 2000, when this phenomenon ended up on the front pages

of newspapers throughout the world. Only recently have children been considered a part of society and thus a proper object of historical research, while the

social perpetrators of this abuse, both lay guardians and above all clergy, have historically been considered groups apart and not integral segments of secular

society. Thus the seminar aims to give children a history and to identify the clergy as a fully sensual group within the broader society. We shall study the

central role of throwaway European children in the settlements of the New Worlds, the erection of residential homes there to facilitate their importation;

the impact of the industrial revolution on the movement of children to and within the Americas and Australia, the dominant role of voluntary societies-such

as Barnardo’s and the Catholic Church-in this “business.” Then in the more recent, postcolonial, world, pastors and abused altar boys have replaced as

actors the missionaries and immigrant children of an earlier time, and we will trace the descent of the modern scandals from the early, colonial ones.

Format: The course grade will depend upon readiness and participation in the discussions of readings, as well as upon a research paper, whose subject will be

determined by the student and approved by the instructor.

Books: Books may include, among others, Doyle and Sipes (eds.), SEX, PRIESTS, AND SECRET CODES: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S 2,000-YEAR PAPER TRAIL OF SEXUAL ABUSE; Lloyd de Mause (ed.), THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD; Robins, THE LOST CHILDREN: A STUDY OF CHARITY CHILDREN IN IRELAND, 1700-1900; Parr, LABOURING CHILDREN: BRITISH IMMIGRANT APPRENTICES TO CANADA, 1869-1924); Archuleta et al (eds.), AWAY FROM HOME: AMERICAN INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL EXPERIENCES, 1879-2000; Holt, THE ORPHAN TRAINS. PLACING OUT IN AMERICA; Raftery and O’Sullivan, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN: THE INSIDE STORY OF IRELAND’S INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS; Sipe, SEX, PRIESTS AND POWER. ANATOMY OF A CRISIS.

 


HIST 501K COMPARATIVE EMPIRES

R. ABOU-EL-HAJ

T 2:50 – 5:50 PM

Description: The seminar aims at comparing early modern and modern empires. Themes such as modes of production, social formations, administrative and

political structures, and cultural production will be the focus of the readings.

Format: Weekly discussion of assigned readings. Papers of about fifteen pages on topics developed in consultation with instructor.

Books: To be determined.

 

 

HIST 501S/PIC 608S  MEDIA, HISTORY &VISUAL CULTURE

W. KANSTEINER

R 2:50-5:50 PM

Description: The graduate seminar will provide a critical survey of the methods and themes of media history. The topics will include the history of mass media

communication, especially the rise of visual culture, the study of film, photography, television, and internet as historical sources, and the

methodological challenge of reception analysis, including questions of visual literacy.

Format: The course is open to specialists in any field of history and adjacent disciplines and offers many interdisciplinary excursions, especially into media

and communication studies. Students are required to write a research paper involving media based source material. Special efforts will be made to identify

readings and essay topics that are relevant to the participants’ individual research interests.

Books: In the second half of the fall semester I will invite students interested in the course to meet and help shape a reading list that corresponds to their

methodological needs and topical interest.

 

 

HIST 501W/486S  PUBLIC HEALTH, SOCIETY AND THE STATE

T 7-10 PM

G. KUTCHER

Description: Helps students understand the changing relationships among public health practices, society and the state, from the Industrial Revolution and the

liberal sanitarians, to early-20th-century concerns with reproduction and the eugenics movement, to the self-regulated body and the global plagues of late

modernity. Considers how notions of population, statistical methods and the germ theory of disease were incorporated into public health beliefs, practices and

rhetoric, primarily in Europe and America, although non-Western settings are included. For undergraduate majors and non-majors and graduate majors (graduate

non-majors by consent only).

Format: Seminar. Grade determined as follows: discussion contributions, 30%; two short papers (and one book review for graduate students), 30%; final paper, 40%

Books: TBD

Prerequisite: Undergraduate status or graduate major status, or graduate non-major by consent of instructor

 

 

HIST 521A REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA

D. BRADBURN

M 3:30-6:30 PM

Description: This reading intensive graduate seminar explores the historiography of the era of the American Revolution. By reading both recent and classic

interpretations of the war for Independence and the founding of the United States, this class will combine an analysis of trends in historical writing and

research with a close examination of the problems related to the economic, social, political, cultural, and legal developments of late eighteenth-century

America. Specific concerns include the relative revolutionary character of the Revolution, the causes and consequences of the war for Independence, the

relationship between social conflict and ideas in the formation of legal institutions, the imperial and Atlantic aspects of revolutionary America, and

the comparative importance of religion, ideology, and class conflict in the political developments of the era.

Format: In addition to active participation in discussion, each student will be responsible for leading a discussion of a particular historiographic problem

related to the reading of the week, and for writing an extensive historiographical paper.

Books: Subject to change, works include: Jameson, THE TRANSFORMING HAND OF REVOLUTION; Bailyn, IDEOLOGICAL ORIGINS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; Robson, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN ITS POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS; Foner, TOM PAINE AND REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA; Wood, THE RADICALISM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; Breen, THE MARKETPLACE OF REVOLUTION; Nash, THE UNKNOWN AMERICAN REVOLUTION; Shy, A PEOPLE NUMEROUS AND ARMED; O'Schaunessy, AN EMPIRE DIVIDED; Kerber, LIBERTY'S DAUGHTERS; Edling, A REVOLUTION IN FAVOR OF GOVERNMENT; Richardson, PEACE PACT; Onuf, JEFFERSON'S EMPIRE; McDonald, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM; Newman, PARADES AND THE POLITICS OF THE STREET; Holton, FORCED FOUNDERS; and numerous articles.

 

 

HIST 530B/EDUC 508  ISSUES IN US HISTORY 1877-PRESENT

D. LERNER

W 4:40-7:40 PM

Description: One of two central content courses for students earning a graduate certificate in the teaching of U.S. history. Exposure to selected interpretive

issues in U.S. history after 1877 within a framework that permits students to focus on ways to introduce these issues into the secondary school classroom.

Examination of alternative interpretations of events and processes in U.S. history, working with primary sources that underpin those interpretations.

 

 

HIST 532A THE ALCOTT'S CIRCLE: A SEMINAR

S. ELBERT

R 2:50-5:50 PM

Description: Seminar explores the legacy of a romantic reform moment in which the Alcott family joined luminaries like Emerson, Thoreau and Margaret Fuller as

well as the Peabody sisters, Horace Mann and Nathaniel Hawthorne. They imagined and tried to live a perfection of life and work, arts and sciences, transcending

relations of class, sex, and race in the United States, another “shot heard round the world.” Common readings from their fictions, essays, journals,

letters,and historical/critical analyses of their efforts. Each student will also research a particular member of the circle, working toward a final

presentation and paper.

Format: Weekly seminar, readings, discussion and presentations, final research paper.

Books: Megan Marshall, The Peabody Sisters, paper forthcoming spring 2006; Louisa May Alcott, Moods, Rutgers University Press,0-8135-1670-6; Louisa May Alcott, Work, 0-14-039091-x; Louisa May Alcott, Behind A Mask, ed. by M.B. Stern, pb. Signet; Eve Kornfield, Margaret Fuller, Bedford 0-312-12009-5; N. Hawthorne, Blithedale Romance, pb. Penguin 140390286; ESQ: Special Issue on American  Renaissance,(c/o English Dept. Washington State Pullman, Pullman Wa. 99164, argerj@mail. Wsu.edu); Richard Brodhead, Cultures of Letters, Scenes of Reading and Writing in 19th C. America, pb. 02206075265; Henry James, The Bostonians, Penguin classic. pb. 0140437665; Kenneth S. Sacks,  Understanding Emerson, Princeton pb. 0691099820; Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays, Dover 0-486-27563-9; Anna MacLean, Louisa and the Missing Heiress, Signet, 0-451-21471-4; Ralph Waldo Emerson, SELECTED WRITINGS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON, Signet, 0-451-52907-3

 

 

HIST 540E THEORIZING RACE, CLASS, GENDER

A. DEVERA

R 7-10 PM

Description: This graduate seminar examines scholarship on the social construction of race and its relationship to gender and class in American

history, from the colonial era to the contemporary period. Topics include the construction of racial ideologies, including whiteness; the emergence of white

supremacy; race in expansionism and empire; scientific racism and the rise of the “culture” concept; race relations in the borderlands; and race and

modernity, including transnationalism, (im)migrations, and globalization. Rather than a comprehensive survey of different groups, the course emphasizes the

differing approaches, interpretive frameworks, and their ramifications in studying race, gender, and class. Though weighted towards U.S. history, topics

will include colonial encounters and readings from postcolonial studies.

Format: In addition to weekly participation and discussion of assigned readings, students will write a historiography paper on a topic of their choosing.

Books: TBA

 

 

HIST 551C/ARTH 503C  REPRESENTING WOMEN'S BODIES

B. EFFROS

T R 1:15-2:40 PM

Description: This course will focus on the representation and treatment of the female body in historical, literary, and art historical sources from late

antique and medieval Western Europe. Its point of departure will be ancient beliefs that women’s bodies were incomplete and thus less than fully human; in

order to attain full humanity and the dignity of a soul, a woman had to, in some sense, become a man. Some course themes include monastic claustration

(permanently imprisoning the female body), self-mutilation, martyrdom (fragmentation), cross-dressing and gender slippage in late antique and medieval

written sources. Readings will include selections from the Church fathers, histories of saints, monastic Rules, romances and lyrics, fabliaux, visionary

texts, medieval theological works and ancient and early medieval medical treatises.

Format: Course grades will be based on an in-class midterm 30%, one short essay (5-7 pages) 30%; final exam 30% and class participation 10%.

Books: Rousselle, PORNEIA, Blackwell Publisher 9780631192084 0631192085; Brock and Ashbrook, HOLY WOMEN OF THE SYRIAN ORIENT; Kay and Rubin, eds., FRAMING MEDIEVAL BODIES, Manchester Univ. Press 9780719050107 0719050; Boroff, trans., SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT: PATIENCE, AND PEARL: VERSE TRANSLATIONS pb W.W. Norton  0393976580; Cline, trans., CLIGES tr. Cloth U of Georgia Press 0820321478; Kempe, BOOK OF MARGERY KEMPE pb Penguin 0140432515; and other works on library reserve and the internet.

 

 

HIST 553/481G  CRIME, POVERTY AND REPRESSION

H. BROWN

T 2:50-5:50 PM

Description: This course analyzes the interaction between the following concepts: crime, justice, punishment, poverty, community, poor relief, revolt,

and repression. Poverty and crime have always been associated, but why? As the novelist Anatole France astutely quipped, the law in its majestic equality

prohibits rich and poor alike from stealing bread and sleeping under bridges. Similarly, since crimes are by definition threats to the established order,

revolts are merely extreme examples of crime and provoke proportionately greater repression. Perceived disorder, whether in the form of tax rebels, petty

thieves, vagrant paupers, or marginal women, tested the relationship between the the state's justice and local communities. Examining these links in the

different societies of western Europe between 1500 and 1800 should enable us to think more analytically about the increase in heavy-handed policing, the

enormous and still expanding prison population, the growing number of executions, and the spreading hostility to the poor in American society.

Format: This course meets once a week for three hours. Eleven sessions will be used to discuss common readings (marked by an asterisk for each week) and hear

student book reviews. Two sessions will be devoted to paper presentations and peer critiques.

 

 

HIST 560F EUROPEAN URBAN HISTORY

H. DEHAAN

R 7-10 PM

Description: In order to better understand the problems of defining and “doing” urban history, this graduate seminar assesses various approaches to urban

studies (anthropological, architectural, cultural, Marxist, and social) as applied to the history of Paris, Berlin and Moscow from approximately 1870 to

the end of the 20th century. Questions encompass the problem of defining the “urban,” the role of the built environment (the “urban”) in shaping culture and

vice versa, the spatial dimension of modern life, as well as the methodological problems facing historians who wish to study “the city” as an entity in a

particular time and place.

Books: Books include: Berman, ALL THAT IS SOLID MELTS INTO AIR; Brower, THE RUSSIAN CITY BETWEEN TRADITION AND MODERNITY, 1850-1900; Dobrenko and Naiman, THE LANDSCAPE OF STALINISM; Hall, CITIES OF TOMORROW; Harvey, PARIS: CAPITAL OF MODERNITY; Hoffman, PEASANT METROPOLIS; Ladd, GHOSTS OF BERLIN; Roth, WHAT I SAW; Rowe; REPRESENTING BERLIN; Schwartz, SPECTACULAR REALITIES; Ward, WEIMAR

SURFACES

 

 

HIST 572B OTTOMAN SOCIAL & ECONOMIC HIST

D. QUATAERT

R 2:50-5:50 PM

Description: This course explores various themes in Ottoman social and economic history, with emphasis on the period since 1700. Topics include: the social and

economic significance of the Tulip Period (1718-1730); clothing laws; guilds and their evolution; wage work; female labor; slave labor; connections between

religion, ethnicity and work; the economic foundations of breakaway (independence) movements; and, capital formation.

Format: Common discussion of readings. There will be either a research paper or a series of short papers reporting on the readings.

Books: TBA

 

 

HIST 576B IMPERIALISM IN EAST ASIA

J. CHAFFEE

M 3:30-6:30 PM

Description: Study of three varieties of imperialism in East Asia in modern times. First, Western imperialism in China: the Opium War, unequal treaties and

the treaty port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Second, Japanese imperialism, from its early manifestations in Korea and Taiwan through the

Second World War. Third, American and Russian imperialism in Korea, especially in the Korean War. Explores both the historical events associated with these

forms of imperialism and the different methodological approaches employed by scholars in this field. Also makes use of films and novels. Enrollment

restricted to seniors majoring in history or taking the Asian and Asian American studies concentration.

Format: Seminar meeting once a week. Consists primarily of discussions with occasional slide presentations, movies and lectures to provide historical

background and to make the readings intelligible. One five- to seven-page book review is required during the course of the semester and a 14- to 16-page

research is due at the end of the semester. Drafts of the book reviews are evaluated by fellow students and the instructor prior to the submission of a

revised version. Grades based upon papers and class participation.

Books: TBA

 

 

HIST 576G/SOC 690Y  ASIA IN WORLD HIST. PERSPECT.

R. PALAT

T 1:15-4:15 PM

Description: Examines patterns of socio-historical transformation in societies based on wet-rice cultivation; state formation in Asia; the ‘industrious

revolution; monetization and trade; incorporation into, and peripheralization within, the capitalist world-economy; resistance and accommodation;

independence, economic growth, and prospects for the future

Format: Seminar.

 

 

HIST 592  HISTORIOGRAPHY

F. FAN

M 7-10 PM

Description: This seminar provides a selective survey of the intellectual terrain of historical scholarship over the last several decades. It aims to

introduce students to the main trends in historiography by examining the major themes, perspectives, and theories that together have formed a common source of

methodology and reference points for professional historians. We shall review a number of methodological approaches that have been influential across the

discipline of history (e.g. the Annales School, British Marxism, quantitative history, subaltern studies, and environmental history). Since recent historical

scholarship has frequently drawn upon theoretical insights from neighboring disciplines, such as anthropology and literary criticism (e.g. Geertz, Foucault,

narrative theory, and postcolonial studies), we shall study and critique notable attempts to incorporate these insights into the conceptualization, research, and

writing of history. In connection with these pursuits, we shall consider recent challenges to traditional categories and units of historical narration and

analysis, particularly those concerning gender, nation, and civilization.

Books:  Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (Vintage) (Paperback). ISBN: 0679752552; George Iggers, Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity To The Postmodern Challenge : With a New Epilogue. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN: 0819567663; E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class. (Vintage) (Paperback). ISBN: 0394703227; Thomas Bender, ed., Rethinking American History in a Global Age. University of California Press (April, 2002) ISBN: 0520230582; Robert Darnton, The Great Cat Massacre And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (Basic Books Classics) (Paperback). ISBN: 0465015565; Ranajit Guha. Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India (Paperback). Duke University Press (June, 1999)  ISBN: 0822323486; Benedict Anderson. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. Verso; Revised edition (July, 1991).ISBN: 0860915468; Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, The Peasants of Languedoc. University of Illinois Press (March, 1977). ISBN: 0252006356; William Cronon. Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West (Paperback). W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (May, 1992)  ISBN: 0393308731; Ann Laura Stoler. Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power: Race and the Intimate in Colonial Rule. University of California Press (September 2, 2002) ISBN: 0520231112; Paul A.Cohen. History in Three Keys. Columbia University Press (April 15, 1998) ISBN: 0231106513; Robert Fogel and Stanley L. Engerman.Time on the Cross. The Economics of American Negro Slavery. ISBN: 0393312186 Format: Paperback. Pub. Date: July 1994 Publisher: Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.; Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen. The Myth of Continents. University of California Press (August, 1997) ISBN: 0520207432; Joan Scott, Gender and the Politics of History. Columbia University Press; 2 edition (September 15, 1999) ISBN: 0231118570; J. G. A. Pocock. Politics, Language, and Time : Essays on Political Thought and History (Paperback). University Of Chicago Press; Reprint edition (January 15, 1989). ISBN: 0226671399.

 

 

HIST 597  INDEPENDENT STUDY (MA)

Description: Reading course for history graduate students at the master's level.

Format: To be determined between faculty member and student.

Prerequisite: Consent of faculty member.

 

 

HIST 599  MASTER'S THESIS

Description: Master's thesis for MA-level students, under supervision of faculty member.

 

 

HIST 600K RESEARCH SEMINAR IN HISTORY

J. QUATAERT

W 7-10 PM

Description: Umbrella course designed to bring together graduate students in all fields who are ready to undertake original research. Assists students in

planning a project on the basis of primary source material, combining this material with specialized secondary studies and situating it all in a larger

historiographical framework. The final paper may serve as the basis for a dissertation chapter or a demonstration of research skills needed for the MA.

Students will need to seek the guidance of their principal mentors throughout the semester.

Format: To be determined

Books: No books ordered for this course.

 

 

HIST 697  INDEPENDENT STUDY (PHD)

Description: Reading course for history graduate students at the PhD level.

Format: To be determined between faculty member and student.

Prerequisite: Consent of faculty member.

 

 

HIST 698  PRE-DISSERTATION RESEARCH

Description: Independent reading and/or research in preparation for comprehensive examinations for admission to PhD candidacy and/or preparation of

dissertation prospectus.

 

 

HIST 699  DISSERTATION

Description: Research for and preparation of the dissertation.

 

 

HIST 700  CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION

Description: Required for maintenance of matriculated status in graduate

program. No credit toward graduate degree requirements.

 

 

HIST 707  RESEARCH SKILLS

Description: Development of research skills required within graduate programs.

May not be applied toward course credits for any graduate degree.

Prerequisite: Approval of relevant graduate program directors or department

chairs.