The course is designed to introduce students to the writing of history as a scholarly intellectual pursuit. It is built around student activities dealing with the materials and typical research procedures used by historians and the challenges of criticizing and writing history at the beginner's level. Meets the Graduation Writing Requirement for majors in History. Satisfies SEEDS Effective Writing II student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry,Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
This special course will link people and events in eight significant years in history since 1500. Students will explore how events and prominent people are tied together. While the course will emphasize Western history, elements of non-Western history will be incorporated to achieve a more global perspective.
Students investigate global forces and issues, such as pandemics, inequality, migration, politics, economics, and society and culture. The course introduces students to interdisciplinary methods and approaches to global studies, including a variety of historical, critical, and analytical perspectives for the study of globalization. The course will concentrate on one of the five regions of the world within the context of globalization (1) Europe and Russia; (2) Africa, North and Sub-Saharan; (3) The Americas; (4) The Middle East and North Africa; (5) Asia. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits.
Engage the gods and empires of the ancient world and the medieval people who confronted devastating warfare and pandemic disease during a period that would ultimately usher in the rebirth of a society that helped give birth to our own. Satisfies American and European History GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
The emergence of Europe as a distinctive world civilization. The development of ideas, institutions and technologies from medieval times to World War I. Satisfies American/European History GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
European society in transition since World War I. The role of two world wars in shaping contemporary times. Satisfies American/European History GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity value.
This course, geared towards undergraduate students at the beginning of their college careers, will give students the tools needed to critically evaluate information. Texts from different historical periods, newsreels and propaganda movies, and a variety of different websites will be examined and deconstructed to understand how content can be presented or manipulated.
Pre-colonial African history and its eclipse under slavery and the colonial onslaught. Principal social, political and cultural systems of the period. Satisfies Global Cultural Perspectives GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Social, Cultural, Intellectual, Economic, and Political History of the United States. Highlights primary questions in American Studies, and draws from multiple texts, genres, and themes, and explores the many ways the United States has been historically defined and interpreted. Meets Gen Ed - American and European History.
Examines contemporary issues in American society in historical perspective. Topics will vary from semester to semester in the light of changing problems confronting our society.
This course aims to offer a general survey of the important themes and developments in Modern Middle Eastern History from 1750 to the present. By the end of the course, students should gain an appreciation of some of the major topics and issues that are central to the understanding of the Modern Middle East. Students will consider the social political and cultural history of the late eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century Middle East. Meets Gen Ed - Global Cultural Perspectives.
This course will provide a background in the main issues, themes and events in the history of colonial Latin America, including an introduction to the pre-contact (pre-1492) histories of Spain, Portugal and the Americas. Satisfies Global Cultural Perspective GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity; Educated Citizenry value. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
This course offers an introduction to the history of Latin America, with an emphasis on the period since the 1810s. Students unfamiliar with the region should emerge from the course with a firm grounding in the major themes of modern Latin American history. Meets Gen Ed - Global Cultural Perspectives.
Explore the rich tapestry of America's history in this comprehensive course that traces the roots of the nation from pre-European contact through the founding years. Delve into the diverse cultures, civilizations, and events that shaped the continent, examining the dynamic interactions between Native American societies and early European explorers. Uncover the pivotal moments that led to the establishment of the United States, from the colonial period to the revolutionary era. Satisfies American and European History GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry and Diversity and Intercultural Competency values.
Embark on a thematic exploration of the dynamic journey that defines the emergence of the modern United States. This course transcends traditional chronology, delving into key themes that have shaped the nation from its founding to the present day. Each module immerses students in a focused examination of critical aspects, fostering a deep understanding of the interconnected forces that have propelled America's transformation. Themes vary by semester and by instructor. Satisfies American and European History GenEd requirement; satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry and Social Justice and Equity values.
The course introduces students to various aspects of medieval and early modern European society by having them interact with an adventure role playing game. With active game play as its focus, students assume a pre-modern persona, making decisions and conducting investigations that are informed by content-related preparation at the beginning of the course. As they play through the narrative, students are asked to justify the decisions they make as they negotiate the challenges presented by the rapid social, political, economic, technological and religious changes of the times.
This is an introductory survey course in Japanese history from the Meiji (1868-1912) through the Showa (1925-present). While it would be useful to study premodern Japan before taking this course, modern Japan does stand on its own. A review of traditional Japan will be followed by study of the dynamic interaction of Japan and the West during the 19th Century. Japan's expansionism, World War II and the postwar period will be important topics. Cultural, military, economic, political, and social developments will be discussed in historical settings. Students will be encouraged to appreciate the unique dynamics of Japan's development as a modern nation state and to explore the likely progress of Japan into the 21st Century.
An introduction to modern “Western Imperialism.” The course covers some 400 years of European and American colonialism and imperialism around the world. From the end of the so-called “Age of Discovery” in the 1600s through to “High Noon of Empire” in the late nineteenth century and onwards to decolonization struggles in the twentieth century, the legacy of “Western Imperialism” has had a profound impact on the world.
The early history of India, 3000 B.C. to 1000 A.D. Principal religions, political and literary works, and their insights into Indian social values and institutions. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
The early history of China, 2000 B.C. to 1300 A.D. Principal social, political and metaphysical-philosophic works, corresponding values and institutions. Meets Gen Ed - Global Cultural Perspectives. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Modern China, 1600 to the present. Changes in values and mutual influence of East and West, studied through literary, philosophical, anthropological, historical and artistic works. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
An introduction to the vast historical scholarship on the subject of global environmental history. Studies ever-shifting historical relationships between humans and the natural world around them.
A survey of the history of the Indian subcontinent, 1526 CE to the present, this course examines the evolution of the states and societies of modern South Asia. Beginning with the question of modernity in the Mughal Empire, proceeding through the rise and fall of the British Empire in India, and continuing into the postcolonial period, this course takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the making of modern South Asia. Meets Gen Ed - Global Cultural Perspectivest. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Gain a nuanced understanding of global history and its implications for the present. The course focuses on regions other than Europe or North America, including Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Middle East. Themes include growth and dynamics of empires, colonization and decolonization, globalization, nationalism, revolutions, the relationship between political, cultural, and religious values, and modern imperialism and its influence on societies, economies, and political systems. Themes and specific periods vary by instructor. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
Some of the most famous military campaigns of the medieval world, the Crusades continue to capture our attention, . Take a multimedia journey through this series of religious wars that brought Christians and Muslims into conflict and whose legacy has reverberated for centuries.
This course examines the role of food in shaping world history from ancient times through the modern era. The course will be framed around crucial transitions in food history such as the neolithic agricultural revolution, the Columbian Exchange, and globalization. Using the lens of food history and culinary cultures this course will examine the connections and exchanges within historical events and related issues such as empire, migration, race, class, gender, religion, power, identity, and the environment. Mutually Exclusive with NUFD 202.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level History course. This course entails an introductory history of the U.S. Civil War, with an emphasis on military, political, and social history of the war years themselves, both at home and on the battlefield. We will begin with a brief treatment of the causes of the sectional conflict that led to the war, particularly slavery, and secession. We will spend the majority of the course examining the developments that took place between 1861 and 1865, including the home fronts, war leadership, diplomacy, combat motivation, and grand strategy. We will conclude with a discussion of problems associated with reconstituting the nation's political institutions and the transition from slavery to freedom. We will engage the major questions that historians ask about the war.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course investigates the history of African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Europeans in the United States from pre-contact to the present. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity; Educated Citizenry value.
The history of Latinas/Latinos in the United States from the colonial period to the present. The course emphasizes the events, people, and ideas that have made distinctive contributions to the development of the United States. Students will investigate the formation of communities, political and labor struggles, and racial/ethnic identities. Satisfies SEEDS Analyzing Cultures and Societies student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity and Diversity and Intercultural Competency student values.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course investigates the historical development of institutions, ideals, social and cultural transformations, and economic and political processes in the U.S. since European colonization with a focus the history of people who might today be defined as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ). Key areas of focus will be the emergence and elaboration of the modern formations of homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality, and transness as well as contemporary identity and political categories of straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level History course. This course explores Native American history from the ancient era through to the present. Pushing past stereotypes that place Native North Americans outside the flow of human history, it stresses the ongoing complexity, adaptability, and resilience of American Indian peoples both before and after contact with Europeans. It provides students with a chronological and geographical survey of Native North America, while also focusing on specific topics in more depth. In doing so, it emphasizes the different historical experiences of a diverse range of Native American peoples and how they adapted to change while also maintaining their cultural traditions and sovereignty.
Social and cultural aspects of American history: population movements, rural and urban problems, status of women, utopian ventures, mass media, recreation, human rights.
Major trends in agriculture, commerce, finance, manufacturing, transportation and industrial relations from colonial beginnings to the present. Mutually Exclusive with ECON 213.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course provides a comprehensive survey of the history of United States foreign relations from the late-eighteenth century through the early twenty-first century. Particular attention will be given to the diplomacy of the new nation; American diplomacy in the era of the Monroe Doctrine; American slavery's imperial aspirations; the acquisition of colonial possessions by the United States; growing United States foreign investment prior to the First World War; the role of the US in the First World War; interwar American neutralism and noninterventionism; the US role in the Second World War; the onset of the Cold War; American dominance of the postwar global economy; the rising global hegemony of American mass culture; US responses to nationalism and decolonization in Asia and Africa; US relations with Latin America; US foreign policy in the post-Cold War world; and the historical context of US military interventions in the early twenty-first century.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course surveys the history of women in the U.S. from contact through the Women’s Movement of the 1960s/70s and beyond. We consider key eras in U.S. history through the lens of gender including slavery, Reconstruction, urbanization, industrial capitalism, migration,mass culture, war, social and political movements, and more. The course also traces the history of feminist activism. Throughout the semester, we pay close attention to how the histories of women are also shaped by race/ethnicity, class, sexuality, region, etc. Meets World Cultures Requirement.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 103, HIST 105, HIST 106, HIST 108, HIST 112, HIST 114, HIST 116, HIST 117, HIST 118, HIST 129, HIST 131, HIST 132, HIST 133, HIST 138 or HIST 141. The history and culture of Italian American life from the turn-of-the-twentieth century to the present. A major theme is ethnic identity formation. We also consider how Italian American identities have been commodified and consumed by the American public through food,fashion, “Little Italies,” and more. The course takes a topical, interdisciplinary approach within a chronological framework, examining subjects such as youth subcultures, family and community,politics, everyday cultural expressions such as the “Sunday Dinner” and Italian American slang, interethnic/interracial relations, and representations of Italian Americans in film and other media.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. The history of African Americans in the development of the United States from 1619 to the present.
The historical development of American political institutions from the early 1700s to the present. Focus upon the evolution of constitutional and legal structures, the party system and pressure groups, the role of bureaucracies, and the impact of political leaders.
Ideological and historical significance studied against the background of domestic and international events, personalities and ideologies.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course is an introduction to the Middle East and Middle Eastern cinemas. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it explores cinema as a medium that addresses social and political concerns in the contemporary Middle East, in particular Iran and the Arab world. The selection of feature films deal with a variety of themes, among them, representations of nation and nationalism; women, gender, and patriarchy; society and social taboos; the Palestinian predicament; and war and cinema. While mindful of the fact that films are expressions of individual filmmakers, the course discusses the political, social, and cultural issues that they both reflect and give voice to.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level History course or HLTH 102. This course surveys the history of public health in the United States from the colonial period to the present, emphasizing many issues in the development of public responsibility for health. We will examine changing ideas about the cause of disease and how best to treat or prevent it. We will examine the role of social determinants of health, including nutrition, environmental hygiene, control of occupational hazards, and the dense interaction of poverty, race, and climate.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level History course. This course will examine the question of how different societies around the globe and throughout history have met the challenge of understanding and manipulating the natural world. It will study the way in which political, social, economic and cultural conditions can help us explain the development of scientific ideas and technological practices and how these, in turn, contribute to broad changes in world views, social and physical environments. Satisfies SEEDS Historical Thinking student learning outcome in alignment with Diversity and Intercultural Competency value.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. Students will study a specific historical period, topic, theme or problem. Individual course offerings will vary. Students may repeat this course, although not with same subject matter, for a maximum of 6 credits. Consult advisor or History Department webpage for specifics about content for current semester offerings.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100‐level History course. This course uses film to investigate a wide range of historical periods and how twentieth‐ and twenty‐first‐century audiences have reconstructed them in films. Movies and documentaries are accompanied by primary and secondary sources as well as by background lectures to contextualize and further explicate the topics covered and the movies that are assigned. Films are also accompanied by discussions and, if the instructor deems it appropriate, short student presentations. Each section offered has its own subtitle to indicate the period and/or theme that will be covered.
Embark on a captivating exploration of the past through the lens of public history in this foundational course. Uncover the dynamic intersection of historical narratives, community engagement, and cultural preservation. From museums to digital archives, discover the diverse avenues through which history is made accessible and meaningful to the public. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Social Justice and Equity and Diversity and Intercultural Competency values.
Embark on a transformative journey through history as we explore the power of oral narratives in shaping our understanding of the past. "Voices Across Time" is a dynamic course designed for majors and non-majors, focused not only on unearthing historical perspectives but also on honing essential communication skills. Through critical listening, audience adaptation, and mastery of communication strategies, students will become adept storytellers and credible communicators. Equivalent course HIST 462 effective through Summer 2024.
The course invites students to explore the intersection of history and technology, providing a comprehensive understanding of how digital tools can revolutionize the study, presentation, and interpretation of historical narratives. This course delves into the fundamental concepts of digital history, equipping students with the skills needed to navigate the vast landscape of digital resources, databases, and archival materials. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to harness the power of digital archives, analyze primary sources using digital methods, and develop proficiency in data visualization techniques. Satisfies SEEDS Political and Civic Life student learning outcome in alignment with Educated Citizenry value.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course. This course will examine questions such as what does it mean to think historically?; Why does anyone need to learn how to think historically? And, how can we encourage others to think historically? These questions rest on an understanding that historical thinking enables us to establish meaningful connections to the past while, at the same time, remaining cognizant of the significant and substantial differences that exist between the past and the present. Students will be introduced to the existing literature on the definition and practice of historical thinking.
This study abroad course is an exploration of a specific historical period, problem, theme, or geographical region. Particular course offerings will vary according to the location of study and the expertise of the instructor. Students will consult current schedule of courses for a specific semester offering. May be repeated three times for a maximum of 9 credits as long as the individual topic is different.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Students will study a specific historical topic or set of related topics in considerable depth. Advanced level research methodological skills will be integrated throughout, culminating with students writing a significant formal research paper.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. History of feminist ideas and theories about women and womanhood. Students examine important theoretical literature in Europe and America from 18th century to present. Original texts of Wollstonecroft, Fuller, Mill, and Freud will be considered against their socio-historic milieu.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. From royal colony to the establishment of the federal government under the constitution state; and local events during the American Revolution.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. The slow pace of settlement of the eastern seaboard and the development of distinctive culture hearths prior to 1800; the rapid settlement and diffusion of culture traits in the area beyond the Appalachians since 1809.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. The significant biographical materials available in the study of American history; the problems and uses of biography.
Prerequisite(s): GSWS 102; or HIST 100 and HIST 117; or HIST 100 and HIST 118. This course focuses on female migrants from the late nineteenth century to the present. Using an interdisciplinary approach with an emphasis on historical studies, it considers issues of work, family, sexuality, and identity formation for migrant women past and present. Questions to explore include: what distinguishes the experiences of migration for women; what are the continuities and differences for women across time, ethnicity, and geography; how do historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and others, as well as the migrants themselves, understand female migration; what do women gain and lose through migration; and why a gendered approach to migration studies is crucial. Mutually Exclusive with GSWS 314.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Transformation of the 19th century industrial city into the 20th century metropolis; the emergence of the New York metropolitan region.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course and any 200-level HIST course. This course examines the history of working people in the United State from the eve of the American Civil War to the present. Particular attention will be given to the effects of capitalist economic development on workers' lives; the role of immigration and migration in the evolution of the American working class; the consequences of racial, ethnic, and gender divisions within the workforce; changes in the occupational structure; the development of labor unions and collective bargaining; and the challenges that capital flight, financialization, and increased international competition have posed for American workers in recent decades.
Prerequisite(s): A 100-Level Course. Often associated with the magical and supernatural, the medieval world can seem mysterious. But was it really? Engage this frequently misunderstood period by embarking on a multimedia exploration of a society of castles, courts, cathedrals and combat that helped lay the foundations of our world.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Factors shaping the Russian people: Byzantium and Greek Orthodox faith, Tartar state organization, the Mir, Westernization from Peter to Lenin, intellectual and radical movements.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Political, social, economic and intellectual developments in the Soviet Union and Russia; the relationship of ideology and national goals.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Masterpieces of the Chinese literary tradition from earliest times to the 20th century. Literary genre in historical perspective and as expression of social and cultural values.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Traces the historical development from the pre-historical Indian cultures to the 1970s; covers the social, cultural, political, economic and religious aspects of the largest Latin-American nation.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level HIST course. The questions of women and gender in the Middle East have been subject to much controversy and many stereotypes. This course challenges some of these prevalent and preconceived ideas by discussing the changing role of women and gender in the Middle East and North Africa over time from a historical perspective.
Prerequisite(s): any 100 level HIST course. Recent Iranian history has been full of unexpected turns. Whether it was the 1979 revolution, which resulted in the establishment of the first ever Islamic Republic in the history of the Muslim world, or the 2022 uprising around the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom,” the world has been taken by surprise at every juncture. This course aims to provide a better understanding of Modern Iran by approaching Iranian history from the early nineteenth century to the present day in a thematic fashion, covering diverse aspects of its politics, society and culture. More specifically, this course will consider themes such as cultural and societal transformations, women and gender, politics as expressed in Islamic and secular ideologies, as well as the role of global powers in the politics of the country and the Iranian response to it. In addition to a discussion of the basics of modern Iranian history, this course will also introduce students to the major trends in modern Iranian historiography.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HIST course. Over the course of the last century, the Middle East has experienced a relatively large number of uprisings and revolutions. This course will consider a select number of the revolutions and movements of protest that resulted in significant change in the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in the Middle East and North Africa from both a “top-down” and a “bottom-up” perspective. In discussing some of the scholarly approaches that have been made to make sense of these movements, we will consider questions like what makes a revolution? Are they made or do they just happen? What differentiates a revolution from an uprising? Why has the Middle East produced so many movements of protest, and why have they not succeeded in achieving their aims? In order to gain a better understanding of these movements, and why they took the shapes that they did, we will examine them not only in their local settings but also in the global context of their time and consider the transnational nature of some of them.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Intensive study of specific periods and/or problems in Latin American history.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course and any 200-level HIST course. This course provides students with a broad overview of the history of Mexico. Beginning with the ancient societies of the Olmecs and the Maya, the course will examine Mexico's many Native American peoples, including its non-sedentary and urban populations, as well as the pre-Columbian empires of the Toltecs and the Aztecs. The course will further consider the conquest era and the three-hundred years of Spanish rule-particularly in terms of colonialism and interactions among people of Native American, European, African, Asian, and mixed ancestries-before examining Mexico's national independence and subsequent modern history. The course will conclude soon after the year 2000, with the consolidation of democracy following decades of one-party rule. The course addresses the social, economic, military, political, and cultural dimensions of Mexico's past.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level HIST course. This course explores regions of the Americas where people from different polities and cultures interacted through conflict, diplomacy, and intercultural accommodation. The precise geographical scope of each section will vary according to the instructor. All sections will nevertheless elucidate on-the-ground histories of regions in the Americas, emphasizing the unpredictable contingencies involved in intercultural power relations and the outcome of events. In particular, this course weaves into these histories of intercultural exchange the important role of peoples who did not leave written accounts of their actions.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HIST course and any 200-level HIST course. This course provides a comprehensive historical survey of the major mass-communication media in the United States from the second half of the eighteenth century through the early twenty-first century. Particular attention will be given to the role of the early print media in the American Revolution and the establishment of the republic; the expansion of media access and American democracy in the nineteenth century; the technological, economic, and social innovations that permitted the rise of mass-circulation newspapers and magazines in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; the development of motion pictures; the rise of radio and television broadcasting; varieties of media criticism; the waxing and waning popularity of various cultural forms and genres in the American media; the rise of the Internet and digital media; the disruptive impact of recent social media; and the crisis of twenty-first century journalism.
Prerequisite(s): 30 credits in History, including 12 credits of 300 or 400-level coursework; and departmental approval. The capstone requires students to synthesize the research, historiographic, and writing skills they have acquired in the major. Students write an original research paper of ten double spaced pages or more. The topic varies by instructor.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level course. Engage in a multimedia exploration of the medieval Kingdom of Sicily. Well-known for its cultural diversity, this course is an exploration of a society where Jews, Christians and Muslims collaborated and competed in a region long famed for its fertile land, its natural beauty and its strategic location at the center of three continents.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-Level Course. In the medieval world, religious belief was enormously important. But not everyone agreed on what people should believe. Explore the world of the men and, especially, women who deviated from their society's standards and suffered terrible consequences for their dissent.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level HIST course and any 300-level HIST course. This course examines the history of capitalist economic and social development in the United States from the colonial period to the present. Topics covered will include the mercantile capitalism of eighteenth-century America; early industrial development; the centrality of slavery to early American capitalism; the transportation revolutions of the nineteenth-century; the economic impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction; large-scale industrialization following the Civil War; the evolution of financial markets; the rise of corporate enterprise; the emergence of consumer capitalism; the role of government regulation; the impact of the Great Depression and the Second World War; the making of a dollar-centered global economic system in the postwar decades; the growing influence of global trade and investment flows; the increase in economic inequality since the 1970s; the increased importance of financialization; and the genesis of contemporary digital capitalism.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level HIST course. This is a seminar in the history of immigration, race, and ethnicity in the U.S. from the mid-nineteenth century to the recent past. By reading and discussing major texts on specific immigrant/ethnic groups and themes in migration studies students gain historical context for understanding contemporary debates on immigration. Topics include: identity formation; exclusion and deportation; nativism and xenophobia; family, gender and sexuality; the undocumented; refugees and asylum seekers; immigration and labor; immigration law; interethnic/interracial relations; borders and borderlands; and, transnationalism. Equivalent course HIST 310 effective through Fall 2020.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. To provide opportunity for capable students, mainly history majors, to do independent work in the field of European history. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credits as long as the topic is different.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. To provide opportunity for capable students, mainly in history or transcultural studies, to do independent work in the field of non-Western history. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credits as long as the topic is different.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. To provide an opportunity to do independent work in the field. May be repeated once for a maximum of 6 credits as long as the topic is different.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level HIST course and any 300-level HIST course. This course will survey the cultural and intellectual history of the United States from the late-nineteenth century through the end of the twentieth century. Particular attention will be given to the major ideologies and currents of thought that have influenced American culture, society, and politics; the emergence of new ways of thinking about selfhood and subjectivity; the emergence of the intellectual as a social type; the rise of the social sciences; important trends in the arts; the formation of the institutions and enterprises in which cultural and intellectual production has taken place; and the development in the United States of vital new ways of understanding and appreciating differences of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Development of historical thought and the writing of history in the Western world from Herodotus to the present.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. This course will introduce history majors and other interested students to European social history in particular and social history in general.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Political, economic, social and broad cultural developments in Italy and Western Europe during 1350-1517.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Religious movements of the 16th and 17th centuries; their medieval antecedents; the accompanying political, intellectual and socioeconomic forces.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level HIST course. This course examines economic, social and cultural aspects of diet in Early Modern Europe (circa 1500-1800). During this period, the diets of many Europeans were transformed, as new foods, beverages, and drugs were introduced from the Americas, Africa, and Asia; as agricultural, industrial, and social patterns in Europe changed; and as tastes and food preferences shifted. We will focus on a number of questions: Who ate what, where, when, why, and with whom? What significance did they, and can we, ascribe to their food-related behavior and beliefs? And most importantly, how does food history interact with and shape other historical developments? Equivalent course HIST 243 effective through Summer 2020.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level History course. Surveys 100 years of South Asian history: examining the nature of the world’s first major anti-colonial movements, the legacy of partition on the subcontinent, and the changes and cultural continuities in India and Pakistan’s democracies in the decades since 1947. Historical conflict in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka will also be included in order to study major themes of ethnic, linguistic and religious nationalism in twentieth century South Asia.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Major economic, social, political and intellectual developments in 20th century Germany. Demise of Weimar Republic and ascension of Nazi Third Reich.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. The history of the Holocaust and an overview of its representations in the academic historiography as well as in literary and autobiographical texts.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Examines and compares the causes, course and consequences of three major social revolutions in Latin America: Mexico (1910), Bolivia (1952), Cuba (1959).
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level ANTH or HIST course. The historical conditioning of Japanese behavior. Cultural change in the perspective of traditional periodization of Japanese history. Contributions of religion and philosophy to defining social values. Mutually Exclusive with ANTH 432.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Developments within the English colonies, interactions between England and the colonists, growth of a distinctive American society.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Analysis of events leading to the war for independence; political, economic and foreign problems of the new nation; the growth of nationalism.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level HIST course. This course explores the causes of the Civil War; the dynamics of the war and emancipation; and the outcomes of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level HIST course. The forces which contributed to the development of modern, industrialized America; American society and its reaction to changes of the period.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level HIST course and any 300-level HIST course. This course examines United States politics and society from 1920 to 1980, a period defined by the New Deal order. Particular attention will be given in this course to the causes of the Great Depression; the restructuring of the American economy brought about by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal; the development of a mixed private-public system in the United States for economic welfare and social insurance; the formation of a new electoral coalition in support of the New Deal and the Democratic Party; the Second World War's impact on American society; the postwar African-American civil rights struggle; postwar suburbanization and the origins of America's postwar urban crisis; movements for equal opportunity in employment and education during the 1960s and 1970s; and the social, cultural, and economic forces during the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in the breakdown of the New Deal Democratic coalition.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Analyzes the crisis of American liberalism as that ideology was beset by the consequences of postwar affluence and the growing radicalism during the Kennedy-Johnson administration; and the backlash that developed into the Nixon "New Majority".
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Opportunity for the advanced student to acquire practical experience working directly with primary sources of history in state and local depositories of historical materials.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 261. Students will create original public history projects such as an exhibition, oral history interview, educational program, digital product, or curriculum for an area museum, archive, or historical site.
Prerequisite(s): Any 200 level course. This course provides an engaging exploration into the world of archives, offering students a foundational understanding of the principles, practices, and significance of archival work within the context of public history. Through a combination of theoretical discussions, hands-on activities, and site visits to local archives, students will learn how archives play a vital role in preserving, organizing, and making accessible the historical records that shape our understanding of the past.
Prerequisite(s): any 200-level course. This course provides an in-depth exploration of the principles, practices, and significance of historic preservation. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the field, examining the role of preservation in sustaining cultural heritage, fostering community identity, and promoting sustainable development. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, and hands-on activities, participants will develop the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for engaging in the preservation and conservation of historic structures and landscapes.
Prerequisite(s): any 200 level course. Explore the art and science of museum curation, interpretation, and management in this immersive course. Delving into the dynamic intersection of storytelling, exhibit design, and effective museum administration, students will discover the strategies behind creating compelling narratives, designing immersive exhibits, and mastering the managerial skills essential for successful museum operations.
Prerequisite(s): Any 300-level history course. This course deals with the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to historical analyses and provides an interactive tool to graphically represent and geographically locate a large amount of historic data. Unlike conventional two-dimensional maps, a GIS project can entail layers of information compiled to offer unique opportunities in the study of history to analyze time and space as simultaneous factors. Students will engage with both kinds of mapping practices, overlaying collected data onto a historic map using open-sourced GIS software. Equivalent course HIST 351 effective through Fall 2020.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 100; and HIST 117 or HIST 118. Study in a specific historical period, problem or theme. Particular course offerings will vary. Students may repeat course for up to nine credits as long as individual topic is different. Consult current schedule of courses for semester offering. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits as long as the topic is different.
Designed to help students keep up to date in the fields of American, European and Non-Western history. Major trends and developments in the study of history in the light of recent representative examples of historical research and interpretation.
This course will examine the forces and conditions of the colonial period which contributed to the shaping of the characteristics of American political and economic institutions, social practices and ideas, intellectual outlooks, and attitudes.
The causes and course of the American revolution from both British and American viewpoints, including analysis of economic, political, social and intellectual factors.
The growth of political institutions under the Constitution, the gaining of respect as a new country in the family of nations. The establishment of economic credit, and the rise of American nationalism.
The crisis in American nationalism from Jackson through Reconstruction as the country's constitution, party system, and social structure contended with the disruptive effects of territorial expansion, the factory system, slavery and the new immigration.
An opportunity to study that part of recent American history centering about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While concentrating on domestic aspects of American life, attention is given also to foreign affairs and their impact on the daily lives of Americans.
An advanced survey of the urban dimension in American history and of urban history as a discipline. Late 19th and 20th century national trends are pinpointed within the development of Paterson, Passaic, Jersey City, Newark and their suburbs.
This course studies the transformation of the Roosevelt coalition and its liberal policies since 1945 as they faced the challenge of the cold war abroad and growing class and racial upheaval at home.
Designed to familiarize students with major developments in American business history. The mutual impact of business and society is investigated through biographical studies of leading American businessmen.
Study of the American worker from the period after the Civil War to the present, with concentration on social, political and economic behavior as well as the union movement.
The causes and nature of the industrialization of the American economy after the Civil War; factors responsible for rapid economic growth; the impact of changing productive techniques on American institutions and human welfare.
The political, social, economic and intellectual developments in the major states of Western Europe during the interwar period, with emphasis on varieties of fascism.
Modernization in East Asia with focus on Japan. Japanese experience in adjusting new world forces of the 19th and 20th centuries considered against the background of her traditional values and institutions. Comparisons with China and Korea.
The background of the French Revolution, its changing course and cast of characters during 1789-99, and the advent to power and imperial regime of Napoleon, 1799-1814.
Guided by the organizing principle that some medieval people themselves used, this course will approach the High Middle Ages through the eyes of those who fought (nobility), worked (peasants), and prayed (clergy). Social, political, economic, religious and cultural aspects of the medieval European experience will be explored through the investigation of topics such as the rise of the nation-state, the expansion of trade, the rise of the university, the launching of the Crusades, the development of Gothic architecture and the intensification of religious belief. A field trip is required as part of the course.
This course explores the everyday lives and belief systems of early modern Europeans through a survey of developments in French, Italian, English and German popular culture over a period of three centuries from 1500 to 1800. Topics to be covered include Carnival, community policing, ritual behavior, religious beliefs, magic, family life, violence, deviant behavior, and the transmission of culture between groups and across generations.
Romantic, utilitarian, conservative, liberal and early existential streams of thought in 19th century Europe. The impact of these intellectual movements on European society.
General analysis and reappraisal of the place of Europe in world history. The development, distinctive contributions and future prospects of European civilization examined in the light of contemporary world conditions.
Course compares and contrasts central value systems, kinship institutions, social stratification and the exercise of political power in traditional India, China & Japan. These topics are related to differing patterns of nationalism in the 19th and 20th centuries.
This course examines the construction and development of identities in Sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the meanings of concepts such as "tribe," "ethnicity," and "nation"; and it questions the role of history, culture and politics in the formation and evolution of African identities. The course focuses on particular themes such as traditions of origin, cultural nationalism, slavery, etc. These are illustrated by case studies from West, East, Central and Southern Africa, which are organized in a chronological order. Students will be encouraged to reflect on the notion of identity and its importance in the past and present of African societies.
Public historians connect the work of academic historians to the interests of diverse public audiences. Students will consider the ways in which historians engage various public audiences and will undertake projects to help understand and experience how public historians carry out their work and responsibilities. Through intensive reading, discussion, writing, and visits to local history museums and sites, this course will explore the historical origins of public history, applications of history to public life, historiography and major paradigms in the field, and debates about the public role of historians.
This course deals with the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to historical analyses and provides an interactive tool to graphically represent and geographically locate a large amount of historic data. Unlike conventional two-dimensional maps, a GIS project can entail layers of information compiled to offer unique opportunities in the study of history to analyze time and space as simultaneous factors. Students will engage with both kinds of mapping practices, overlaying collected data onto a historic map using GIS software.
Graduate level study in a period, problem, or theme in Non-Western History. Individual seminars will be offered in African History, South Asian History, Latin American History, etc. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits as long as the topic is different. Please see Course Schedule for specific offering each semester.
Graduate-level study in a period, problem, or theme in Western history. Individual seminars will be offered in European and American history. Please see semester course listings for specific offering. May be repeated five times for a maximum of 18 credits as long as the topic is different each time.
Required for all master's degree candidates concentrating in history, this seminar entails directed independent study in preparation for a three-hour written comprehensive examination. Candidates should register to take the seminar in the semester preceding the examination date. Take the seminar in the fall if the examination is the following March; take the seminar in the spring if the examination is the following October.