History Course Descriptions

HIST1105  United States History to 1877 (H)

This survey course explores the major political, social and economic developments of the United States through 1877.  The central ideas and conflicts that shaped American society from the Colonial era through Reconstruction are examined through the lives, experiences, and contributions of various Americans including the working class, African Americans, and immigrants, among others. Topics include colonization and contact with Native Americans, colonial development, the American Revolution, the origins and development of American slavery, western expansion, and the Civil War. The goal of this course is to teach students to write critically about the early history of the United States, and to challenge broad-based assumptions about American history.

Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits 

HIST1106  United States History Since 1877 (H)

This survey course examines the major political, social and economic developments of the United States by exploring the central ideas and conflicts that shaped American society since the Civil War. The lives, experiences, and contributions of various groups of Americans including the working class, African Americans, and immigrants, among others are a central focus of the course.  Some of the broader themes emphasized include industrialization, territorial expansion, international relations, the women’s movement, and the struggle for civil rights.  The successful student will recognize ways in which conflicts, innovations and changing ideas shaped American society.

Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits 

HIST1107 African History: Themes (H)

This course focuses on major themes in the history of Africa, beginning with its position as the cradle of humanity, then, the formation of non-state societies as well as empires and kingdoms prior to the 15th century is discussed. Most of the course concerns increasing interactions between Africa and the outside world from the 15th through the 18th centuries, the intense and brutal colonization of the late 19th century, and nationalist, anti-colonialist and liberation movements of the 20th century. The course concludes with a consideration of contemporary Africa. Attention is given to African cultures, and films are shown as appropriate.

Fall semester. 4 credits. 

HIST1108  World History to 1500 (H)

World History is an effort to view the past with a “wide angle lens.” This involves looking at history not on a local or national scale, nor even exploring a specific part of the world, but looking at history on a truly global scale. World History to 1500 examines processes of change that affected very large numbers of people over very long periods of time: the emergence of complex societies (civilizations), the rise of religions that have endured for thousands of years, the development and transfer of technologies that affected everyday life, and the development of systems of government.  This course crisscrosses the globe to give students an idea of the similarities and differences and above all the perhaps unexpected interconnectedness that mark the early and pre-modern years of human experience.

Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits 

HIST1109  Modern World History (H)

This course examines how the modern world has been shaped through historical encounters among Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas from the 1500s to the present.  Given the chronological and geographical expanse, we will focus mainly on significant patterns and long-term developments rather than on specific figures or chronological details. The goals of the course are to acquaint the student with some of the historical roots of the contemporary world and its problems; to introduce students to the various ways historians have approached these issues; and to help facilitate analytical and critical thinking, reading and writing skills.

Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits 

HIST2105  America Since 1960

America’s history from 1960 to the recent past is explored in this class. The course will focus primarily on social and cultural history, diversity, and change since 1960, including the struggle for civil rights, the women’s movement, youth culture, the counter culture, the anti-war movement, gay and lesbian rights movements, and the resulting political, social and economic ramifications. Students are asked to challenge broadly held assumptions and reflect critically upon the past generation through the use of readings, film, music, and other non-traditional primary sources.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2008. 4 credits 

HIST2116  History of Modern Latin America (H)                    

This course surveys the history of Latin America from approximately 1810 to the present. This period witnessed the emergence of capitalist economies and the creation of governments based on the nation-state model. This course will focus on how these two transformations impacted Latin American societies across regional, ethnic, gender, and class lines and the various social movements they produced. Class discussions will focus on the following themes: Colonial legacies, economic development, gender and class relations, urban versus rural relations, and revolution. The course will also address the push-pull factors associated with emigration to the United States and Europe.

Spring semester. 4 credits 

HIST2118  Minorities and Marginality in European History*

This course focuses on the historical experience and significance of individuals and groups in Europe whose characteristics have not matched those of the dominant society. These “outsiders”—ethnic and racial minorities, radicals, criminals, the insane, geniuses, reformers, utopians, members of the avant-garde, the poor and the near-poor—shed light on national norms, limitations and ideals. Looking at examples of marginal or minority cultures in the past, the class will examine this relatively understudied topic and reach a deeper understanding of pariah-status, socialization, reconciliation and reform, and the persistence of injustice.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2008. 4 credits 

HIST2119  Nineteenth-Century Europe (H)

This course, which will begin with the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Era, will examine the  political, economic, social, cultural and diplomatic history of Europe to the close of the nineteenth century. Among the topics to be covered are: the industrial revolution; new ideologies such as nationalism, liberalism, socialism and romanticism; the revolutions of 1830 and 1848; unification of Italy and Germany; Bismarckian diplomacy; militarism; the new imperialism; and the turn-of-the-century mind.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2007. 4 credits 

HIST2120  Europe in the Era of World War (H)

This course begins with Europe at its zenith and the background to the Great War. The devastation of that war, and the troubled international relations and radicalization of domestic politics that followed from it, are major topics, as are the Russian Revolutions of 1917 and subsequent development of the Soviet Union, the actions of the fascist parties and states, especially the ascendancy of Nazism in Germany, and the causes and course of World War II. Film and personal accounts are a prominent part of the course.
Spring semester. 4 credits 

HIST2122  History of Colonial Latin America (H)        

This course surveys the social, political, economic, and ecological transformations as they unfolded in colonial Portuguese- and Spanish-America from the pre-Columbian period to the 1820s. Class discussions and assigned reading will address the contributions of native peoples, Africans and Iberians in creating vibrant and complex regional societies. Themes for this course include race and gender relations, urban versus rural relations, mercantilism, colonialism, and self-rule. Although the overall structure of the course is thematic, examples will be drawn predominantly from the colonial histories of the Caribbean region, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.

Fall semester. 4 credits 

HIST2123 Topics in European Women’s History

What can we learn about history by focusing on women, and what can we learn about women by studying their history? This course considers the lives, accomplishments and dilemmas of European women in the context of different political regimes, social expectations and cultural values.  Especially the focus is on women who challenged political and societal brutality.  Women’s reassertion and remaking of traditional ethics of caring, concern with beauty and artistic achievements, intellectual life and accomplishments, and leadership are main issues in the course. After some attention to the early modern era, most of the course will concentrate on women’s lives under fascism, communism, and modern imperialism.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2008. 4 credits 

HIST2124  History Through Fiction: Event and Imagination

History and literature question and illuminate one another as the imagined world of the political novel is read against, and as part of, historical events. How do such works as The Heart of a Dog, The Victory, or Nervous Conditions present politics and society? How, in reading them, do we gain a greater understanding of power relations and human relations in times of crisis and stasis? Works will be placed in context and then discussed in terms of perspective, ideology, style and impact. When last offered, the theme of the course was Jewish history through fiction; upcoming themes include ancient and early modern history through fiction, imperialism and colonialism in fiction, and history through detective and mystery stories.

Spring semester, alternate years, expected spring 2009. 4 credits

(Cross-referenced with ENGL2124) 

HIST2127  Religion, Society and Europe

This course looks at religious beliefs and practices in modern Europe from the French Revolution to the mid-20th century. Such forms of religious affiliation and expression as apparitions, pilgrimages, the occult, and minority and dissident churches are major topics, as are religious life in cities, women and religious life, and the challenges posed by science and atheism to religion. Most of the course is concerned with varieties of Christianity, but Judaism is also considered.

Spring semester, alternate years, expected spring 2009. 4 credits 

HIST2128  Immigrants in the American Experience

This course examines the history of immigration to America from the colonial era until the recent past. Emphasis is given to the role immigrant groups have played in the nation’s history and the contributions they have made in shaping America’s diverse culture. It will examine the “push” and “pull” factors which helped propel emigrants to the United States, particularly its cities. The course focuses on the diverse immigrant experience and the debate over assimilation as well as the problems and promises immigrants have historically confronted upon their arrival in the United States. Students are expected to develop an appreciation for the role of immigration in American history and challenge broadly held assumptions about immigration by writing and thinking analytically about the topic through the use of actual immigrant experiences, film and field trips.

Spring semester, alternate years, expected spring 2008. 4 credits 

HIST2129  American Catholics: Diversity and Change

This course introduces students to the history of American Catholicism from the Colonial era to the present. It will focus on the role of various immigrant groups to the diverse Catholic population on the United States. The course will also examine the relations between these groups, their contributions to the church, their place within American democracy and society, the hierarchy, and the institutional church, although there will be a clear emphasis on the social history of Catholicism in the United States.

Spring semester, alternate years, expected spring 2008. 4 credits

HIST2130 African American History, 1865 to Present

This course examines the history of African Americans from the end of the Civil War to the Present. Topics include: Emancipation; Reconstruction and its aftermath; the rise of Jim Crow; Booker T. Washington and his critics; migration and the making of urban ghettoes; the Harlem Renaissance; African Americans and American popular culture; the origins, conduct and legacy of the Civil Rights Movement; the "War on Poverty"; and race in contemporary American politics.
Spring semester. 4 credits.

HIST2205  Women in American History*

The central focus of this course is the contributions of women to the country’s history since the Colonial era. Various topics will be addressed, including work, family, race, ethnicity, reform and the development of the modern women’s movement. The course will combine lectures, discussions, readings, a walking tour of Boston’s women’s history, and films in re-examining the role of women in American society and the reasons for their marginalization. Students will develop interpretive and analytical skills through writing assignments and class discussion.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2008. 4 credits

HIST2221 The Other America: Caribbean Thought, Culture and Society

This course investigates the major theoretical, social and cultural movements that have shaped contemporary Caribbean thought in the twentieth century. Course themes will draw from a selective reading of key theoretical thinkers from the region such a C.L.R. James, Jose Marti and Frantz Fanon and radical figures such as Marcus Garvry, Bob Marley and Fidel Castro examined alongside internationally recognized literary figures such as nobel Laureates Derek Walcott and V.S. Naipaul, Negritude poet Aime Cesaire and novelist Jamaica Kincaid. Seminar themes include: Revolution and modernity, Caribbean Marxism, Negritude, Black radicalism, and US-Caribbean relations. An additional objective of this seminar is to challenge students to think critically and improve their oral and written expression. All readings and discussions are in English. Prior knowledge is neither assumed nor required. By the end of the semester, students will be able to understand the central role of the Carribbean in Western thought. Students will be able to discuss why the thirty-three countries that constitute the Caribbean archipelago-far from being a mere site for touristic fantasies-were once characterized by the Cuban peot, Jose Marti as "the Other America."

Spring semester. 4 credits.

Prerequisite: Sophomore-plus standing

HIST2401 Modern China: Continuity and Change (H)

This course surveys China’s history from about 1800 to the present. This course has no prerequisites and assumes no prior background in Chinese history. The course provides a rudimentary familiarity with China’s chronological history from the 19th century to the present, while also introducing some of the key intellectual and historiographical issues in the field of modern Chinese history. The course first sets up a fairly detailed picture of daily life during this period. In the sixth week of the course, we deliberately introduce the element of change and explore the decline and fall of the Qing dynasty and the development of “modern” China.

Fall semester.  4 credits 

HIST2501 From Ivan the Terrible to Putin: The Social, Economic, and Political History of Alcohol in Russia

The themes of the course concern the production, marketing, consumption, and regulation of alcohol in Russia and the Soviet Union. The course will examine sociability, traditional use, class and alcohol, gender and alcohol, diet and health, attitude towards drinking, drunkenness and alcoholism, as well as the role of the State in the production, taxing, and regulation of alcohol and in the establishment of a monopoly of vodka. In addition to the State launching a massive temperance movement, private citizens also formed societies to combat alcoholism. The social and political significance of such voluntary associations, which were perceived as threatening to the power of the regime. 

Fall semester. 4 credits

HIST2503 From Peter the Great to Lenin: Russia 1982-1917

This course surveys Russian history from the regime of one reformer, often called a revolutionary, Peter the Great, up to that of Vladimir Lenin, another revolutionary. Social and economic history will be examined in addition to political history. Students will be required to read some of the classics of nineteenth century Russian literature.
Fall semester. 4 credits

HIST3105 Religion, Politics & Society in Russia

This is an interdisciplinary course that expolores religion as a prism through which to view Russian history. Some of the topics discussed are how religion is related to Russian society, art, literature, culture, social traditions and national identities. The connection between religion and autocracy, religion and empire, religion and the State and how religion and politics interact in contemporary Russia will also be discussed and debated. In addition to mastering the subject matter of this course, students will be expedted to learn how to do research, analyze the data, and defend their position by writing clear grammatical essays based on evidence, logic and persuasive prose.
Spring semester. 4 credits
Prerequisite: HIST 1109

HIST3107 A History of Boston

This course examines the history of Boston since its founding in 1630. The city’s history will be explored in a number of ways, including its geographic expansion and growth, the development of its neighborhoods, immigration and politics, among other areas. Students will develop an appreciation of Boston’s varied and unique history through readings, lectures, outside assignments and field trips.

Spring semester.  4 credits

Prerequisite: HIST1105 or HIST1106 

HIST3111 United States and Global Issues: 19th and 20th Centuries

This upper-level course examines the interaction between the United States and other parts of the world from the early 19th century to the end of the Cold War. The course is arranged topically and looks at the connection between world events and how they shaped, and were shaped by, the United States. Examples include revolution, trade and commerce, war, colonization, industrialization and various cultural conflicts. The students will learn to think and write critically about the United States’ connection with the world and to understand the complexity of the interaction.

Fall semester, alternate years. 4 credits

Prerequisites: HIST1106 and HIST1109 

HIST3119 The Individual and Society in European History                               

This course treats themes and events in European history before the modern era. Examination of the lives and achievements of learned people, aristocrats, peasants, children, rebels, visionaries and other notable and interesting Europeans will provide students with a window on European culture and society before 1815. Each time the course is offered a particular theme will be used to organize the material. In 2006, the various ways friendship has been understood, defined and experienced from ancient time to the brink of modernity was the theme.

Fall semester, alternate years, expected fall 2008. 4 credits

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and HIST1109 or HIST2119 

HIST3121 Surviving Columbus: History of Native Americans, 1492 to 1992    

This course explores the events and currents of the past 500 years from the perspective of selected Native groups in North and South America, from the period of the first contact through the colonial period and culminating in the modern period. Course readings and class discussions focus almost exclusively on the indigenous peoples of Mesomerica and the Andes, the Pueblo nations in present-day New Mexico, and the Lakota Sioux nation of present-day South Dakota. Successful students will understand the ways in which Native Americans construct their identities and organize their communities and how these strategies allowed them to adapt and survive the changing economic and political processes associated with colonization and nation-building.

Spring semester, alternate years, offered spring 2008. 4 credits

Prerequisites: HIST1106 and HIST2122 

HIST3401 The Cult of Mao

The Great Helmsman of the People's Republic of China, Chairman Mao Zedong, is one of the most controversial figures in history. Did he save China or almost destroy it? Should he be revered as a hero or defiled as a demon? Against a background of contemporary Chinese history, this course will look at the personal and public history of the Chairman and the cults he continues to inspire. The course will also explore personality cults in comparative perspective and look at Mao Zedong's impact in other parts of the world. In addition, students will discuss what makes a leader a leader, and how "followers" are made. This class is geared toward developing critical reading, writing and research skills; it will be intensely participatory.

Spring semester 2009. 4 credits 

HIST3503  From Peter the Great to Lenin: Russia 1882-1917

This course surveys Russian history from the regime of one reformer, often called a revolutionary, Peter the Great, up to that of Vladimir Lenin, another revolutionary. Social and economic history will be examined in addition to political history. Students will be required to read some of the classics of nineteenth century Russian literature.

Fall semester. 4 credits

HIST3504 The Soviet Union & its Collapse: Lenin to Putin

This course will examine the roots of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the seventy years of the Soviet regime, and the brief history of Russia as an independent state since 1991. In addition to politics, both domestic and international, the course will survey economic policies, everyday life, and cultural accoplishments in the Soviet Union and Russia over the past century.
Spring semester.  4 credits

HIST4000  Senior Seminar: Historiography

This course is a seminar on historiography, the history of historical writing. Covering a variety of topics, the course will give students an overview of historical writing across time. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with historical methods, classic and recent interpretations of history, varieties of approaches to the past, and major ideologies and arguments in the field. The course will be a capstone experience and will provide students with a foundation for their future research.

Spring semester. 4 credits 

HIST4178-4179  Directed Study I - II

Fall and spring semester. 4 credits

Prerequisite: Permission of department chair 

HIST4194-4195  Internship I - II

This course involves an internship in a cooperating institution, regular discussion sessions, and a project term paper. Students select their internship with the approval of the agency and a department faculty member.

Fall and spring semester. 4 credits

Prerequisite: INT1001