History Courses

Semester specific course descriptions

100-Level Courses

Courses at the 100 level, designed specifically for first-year students and sophomores, provide a broad introduction to African, American, Asian, Caribbean and Latin American and European history.

101. The Rise of Europe: From the Greeks to the Age of Revolution.
This course surveys the development of Western civilization from the beginnings of Greek civilization to the democratic and industrial revolutions of the late 18th century. Principal themes include the ideal of freedom and the realities of slavery and serfdom; the progress of technology and its environmental consequences; and the interaction, both creative and destructive, of Europe with non-Western cultures. We also pay considerable attention to changing relationships between the genders. Readings include selections from classic works of the western tradition, as well as other primary source materials. Also offered through European Studies.

103. Development of the United States (1607-1877).
The development of American society from the beginning of the Colonial period through the Civil War and Reconstruction. While the course follows the chronological development of and changes in American society, it also considers in some depth the major institutions, ideas and social movements that gave shape to the nation through the use of both primary and interpretive readings. Topics include Puritanism, mercantilism and capitalism, the revolutionary era, federalism, the two-party system, nationalism and sectionalism, slavery, manifest destiny, and the Civil War and Reconstruction. Also offered through Native American Studies and Peace Studies.

104. Development of the United States (1877-Present).
The development of American society from the end of Reconstruction to the present. Emphasis is on the institutions, ideas and movements that have shaped modern American society. Using both primary and secondary material, the course discusses the chronological development of and changes in American society as well as such topics as industrialization, urbanization, consumption and popular culture, the United States as a world power, the civil rights and women’s movements, the Vietnam War, Watergate and the end of the Cold War. Also offered through Peace Studies.

105. Early East Asian Civilization.
An introduction to the history of East Asia to 1800 CE. The course focuses on several themes, all turning around how cultures and societies evolve and develop in interaction with each other. We explore cultural encounters through trade, war and diplomacy, personal encounters between individuals of different cultures and the processes of cultural diffusion, and pay attention to geography and the critical use of primary documents. Also offered through Asian Studies, Global Studies and Peace Studies.

106. Modern East Asia.
This course examines the East Asian region from 1650 to the present. We discuss the creation, dismantling and continuing remnants of colonialism, World Wars I and II in the East Asian context, the Cold War, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and recent economic development. The course begins with an overview of East Asian geography, culture and history. It is designed to introduce students to major events and issues of modern East Asia and also to improve studentsí skills in critical reading, writing, use of primary and secondary sources, and oral communication. Also offered through Asian Studies and Peace Studies.

108. Introduction to African Studies: History and Development.
A team-taught introduction to fundamental issues in the study of Africa, ranging from historical contexts to economic and political structures to African arts and issues of development. The value of interdisciplinary study and the challenges of moving beyond one’s own framework to study other cultural systems are also discussed. Also offered as African Studies 101.

110. The Scientific Revolution.
This course covers the development of scientific thought in the period 1500 to 1725. It examines changing views of nature in the fields of anatomy and physiology, astronomy and physics. Although the primary focus is on specific scientific developments, they are discussed in the context of concurrent social, economic and religious changes. The course fulfills the humanities distribution requirement. Also offered as Physics 110 and through European Studies.

115. Survey of Caribbean and Latin American Studies.
An introduction to the richness and diversity of Caribbean and Latin American cultures, the region’s turbulent history of conquest and colonization and the problems of their development. An important objective of the course is to examine our individual places in the histories of the Americas in comparative perspective. The course provides a framework for study on St. Lawrence’s Costa Rica or Trinidad programs. It satisfies both the humanities and the diversity distribution requirements and is a required course for CLAS minors. Also offered as Caribbean and Latin American Studies 104.

200-Level Courses

Courses at the 200 level are primarily intended for sophomores and upper-class students, but are open to interested first-year students as well. These courses generally combine lectures and classroom discussions. They are more advanced than the introductory surveys, but broader in their treatment than most courses at the 300 level or above.

203. Early Canada, 1534-1867.
After laying eyes upon the eastern coast of Canada in May 1534, the French explorer Jacques Cartier remarked that it resembled the “land that God gave to Cain.” Despite Cartier’s initial misgivings, Canada presented numerous opportunities to Europeans, as it had for the First Nations. For three centuries, the northern half of North America was an imperial domain of the French, and then of the British. In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was created, and the first steps toward the Canada that we know today were taken. This course explores the political, economic, social and cultural life of Early Canada, from the age of European contact to Confederation.

205. 19th-Century Europe, 1815-1914.
An overview of the political, social, cultural and intellectual history of Europe in the 19th century, from the French Revolution to the outbreak of the First World War. This era saw the disintegration of previous ways of understanding the world and the rise of new visions of cultural, social and political organization. Movements including liberalism, nationalism, socialism, feminism and imperialism sought to reshape the European landscape, while economic and scientific transformations altered Europeans’ experience and perception of the world. We consider a variety of texts, including novels, poetry, speeches, manifestos, visual art and music. Also offered through European Studies.

206. 20th-Century Europe, 1914 to the Present.
An overview of the political, social, cultural and intellectual history of Europe in the 20th century. Wars, economic upheavals, revolutions and genocidal atrocities reshaped Europe in the first half of the century, radically altering the physical and psychic landscape. Feminism, socialism, communism and fascism challenged the political system, while the intellectual and artistic avant-garde questioned basic assumptions of European culture. The Cold War, decolonization and attempts to express a new European identity defined the second half of the century. We consider a variety of texts, including novels, poetry, speeches, art and films. Also offered through European Studies.

211. Women in Modern Europe, 1750 to the Present.
This course surveys the roles of women in the political, economic and social history of modern Europe. Beginning with the 18th century, the course traces the public and private activities of women and the changing cultural definitions of those activities up to the present. Topics include the Enlightenment, industrialization, revolutionary and wartime activities, feminist movements and the rise of the welfare state. Also offered through European Studies.

229. Introduction to Native American History.
This course introduces students to the key themes and trends of the history of North America’s indigenous peoples by taking an issues-oriented approach. Topics range from the debate over the Native American population at the time of first European contact to contemporary social and political struggles over casino gambling and land claims. The course stresses the ongoing complexity and change in Native American societies and emphasizes the theme of Native people’s creative adaptations to historical change. Also offered through Native American Studies.

233. Colonial Latin America.
A survey of the formation and historical development of colonial Latin America. We begin with initial encounters between indigenous peoples of the Americas and Iberians in the 15th century and end with Portugal’s and Spain’s loss of their mainland colonies in the Americas in the 1820s. Part of our task is to understand the dynamics of race, class and gender in the colonial societies that developed from the violent collision of cultures during the conquest. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Peace Studies.

234. Modern Latin America.
This course surveys the history and development of modern Latin America and the Caribbean. We begin with a brief overview of the colonial and early national periods, but the main focus of the course is from 1870 to the present. Some of the issues that concern us include the historical roots of the human and cultural diversity of modern Latin America, the region’s relationships to a changing world economy, politics and human rights, and migration and diasporic cultures. Also offered through Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Peace Studies.

239. Imperial Spain.
This course considers Spain as both an agent and an object of colonization. Its chronological sweep is broad, from ancient times through the 19th century. The central portion of the course focuses on Spain at the height of its imperial power, from the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, with Miguel de Cervante’s Don Quijote (in a modern English translation) as an important source. Themes include religious, cultural and racial diversity in Spain and its empire, and the price of empire for Spanish development.

243. Origins of American Foreign Policy.
Since its creation, the United States has been connected with the wider world through trade, immigration, territorial expansion and war. This course examines the roots and characteristics of American foreign policy and foreign relations from colonial times through the 19th century, while giving attention to how domestic politics, public opinion, society and culture responded to and shaped government policies and international relations. We also consider how ideas about race and gender influenced policies and relations with other nations; how the territorial expansion of the United States affected Native Americans; and how the peoples of other nations responded to U.S. policies. Also offered through Peace Studies.

244. 20th-Century American Foreign Policy.
A history of the development and prosecution of American foreign policy following the emergence of the United States as a world power. Particular attention is focused on the effort to rationalize traditional democratic ideals with the expanding role of the United States as an imperialist world power. Much of the latter half of the course is devoted to an examination of the causes and consequences of the rivalry between the United States and the USSR and the post-Cold War era. History 243 or 104 is recommended but not required. Also offered through Peace Studies.

247. Women in China: Past and Present.
This course introduces students to the life of Chinese women through a variety of texts, including Confucian classics, religious texts, biography, literature, film, and modern scholarly works. We examine the role of women in traditional Chinese society, and the dramatic social changes beginning in the mid-nineteenth century. Topics include women in the Confucian view, a girl’s life, women’s role in marriage and family, foot-binding, widowhood and remarriage, concubine and palace women, female warriors, women in revolution, and current social issues during the era of reform (1978-present) such as prostitution and sex-selective abortion. No knowledge about Chinese language and culture is required.

253. Colonial British America.
In this course we examine the lives of the Native American, European and African inhabitants of Colonial British America. The history of colonial British America includes more than stereotypes of Puritans, Plymouth Rock, Thanksgiving and witches. By focusing on the social, economic and intellectual factors that comprised the colonial world, we will come to understand the influences that reach beyond this era into the present day.

254. History of Modern France, 1815 to the Present.
This course provides an upper-level survey of French history from the Restoration through the Fifth Republic. The legacy of the 1789 Revolution, the origins of the Dreyfus Affair, the Vichy Regime and the Resistance, de Beauvoir’s feminism, de Gaulle’s and Mitterand’s presidencies, the rise of the National Front and the confrontation between Islam and republicanism are among many topics explored. The course includes cultural and social history as well as politics and foreign policy. Also offered through European Studies.

256. Slavery and Freedom in the Americas.
This course surveys the genesis and dissolution of the transatlantic slave trade and the slave societies that created the demand for this trade in both North and South America and the Caribbean. The perspective is Atlantic in scope, trying to understand the impact of this forced migration on Africa and Africans and on American societies, defined as all of the Americas, not just the U.S. We also discuss some of the movements to abolish the slave trade and slavery itself, examining how the people involved defined freedom. Also offered through African-American Studies, Caribbean and Latin American Studies and Peace Studies.

260. Modern Middle East Since 1914.
This first course of a two-course sequence surveying the history of the Middle East from World War I to the present examines the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism, and the development of modern Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The second course in the sequence continues this study for the period after the 1967 War and has been taught as a Special Topics course; see the department chair for details. Also offered as Religious Studies 266 and through Peace Studies.

261. History of Islamic Civilization.
A broad introduction to Islamic civilization from its origins on the Arabian peninsula to its diverse contemporary settings. Though the course roughly follows the history of the Islamic states, it is organized around themes including the development of Islamic law, theology and mysticism (Sufism), as well as around the social, cultural and political dimensions of Islam.

263. African American History to 1865.
A survey of the social, political, cultural and economic history of African Americans from the 1600s to the end of the Civil War. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, colonial and antebellum slavery, family life, resistance to slavery and African-Americans’ participation in the Civil War and contributions to the building of the nation. Also offered through African-American Studies.

264. African American History 1865-Present.
A survey of the social, political, cultural and economic history of African-Americans from 1865 to the present day. Topics include Reconstruction, the implementation of segregation, the Harlem Renaissance, African-Americans’ participation in both World Wars and Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the black power movement and activism in the 1980s and 1990s. Also offered through African-American Studies.

267. The Holocaust.
The development of the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945, within the larger contexts of Christian anti-Semitism, Nazi ideas of race and empire, and World War II. We consider the Holocaust’s implications for Jewish and German identity, for Jewish and Christian theology, and for an understanding of racism, genocide and modernity. Course texts include scholarly analyses, philosophical essays, memoirs, images and poetry. Also offered as Religious Studies 267 and through European Studies and Peace Studies.

272. The New South.
A survey of the history of the Southern United States from Reconstruction to the present. The primary focus is on the political, economic and social history of the South, although attention is paid to its cultural history, especially through an examination of stereotypes about the South. A major theme is the interrogation of the notion of Southern “distinctiveness,” how that notion has served the needs of the nation outside the South and whether the South is still a culturally distinct region. Also offered through African-American Studies.

273. Civil Rights Movement.
This course examines the civil rights movement from Brown v. Board of Education to the battles over Affirmative Action at the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities today. The course traces the ideological developments and struggles in the movement, especially as major protest activities spread outside the South to the North and West; it focuses on the events of the movement and on the disagreements over strategies, tactics and goals among various civil rights organizations and leaders. The course uses a variety of texts to explore the movement, including memoirs, scholarly articles and monographs, Hollywood feature films and documentaries. Also offered through African-American Studies and Peace Studies.

280. History of Women in America.
This course examines the history of women in the United States in the context of broad social changes between 1600 and 1990. Political, social, legal, demographic and economic changes all shaped and informed the experiences of women in the colonies and the United States; the course examines how women responded to these changes and how they worked to bring about changes that improved the circumstances of their lives. Gender relations, race relations, industrialization, immigration and family structure provide focal points throughout the course.

282. Modern Japan.
This course covers Japanese history from the Tokugawa to the present. Treatment is thematic, including the rise and fall of the Tokugawa, Japan’s encounter with the imperialist powers, Taisho democracy, World War II and social/economic trends since that war. We will read novels, memoirs and biographies, and use film as well. Students will write response papers on the readings, give oral presentations on research projects, and take turns leading discussion.

289. Independent Study.
Designed for the exploration in depth of a topic not covered by an existing course, an independent project requires a proposal designed with the faculty sponsor that is approved by the department chair the semester prior to its undertaking. Only one such course may count toward the major or minor.

299. Pro-Seminar.
This course, required for the major and the minor in history, is designed to offer students an opportunity to learn about and practice the tools of the historian’s craft while examining a particular topic in detail. While topics vary, the course is held in seminar fashion and entails extensive reading and writing assignments. Prerequisite: a 100- or 200-level history course.

300-Level Courses

Students registering for 300-level courses must have at least one 100- or 200-level history course or permission of the instructor.

308. European Empires.
The development, transformations and decline of European imperialism with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. We focus on the ways that European constructions of gender and race influenced and were influenced by the encounters between colonizer and colonized. A partial list of topics includes the French in North and West Africa and Southeast Asia, the Dutch in the East Indies and Southern Africa, and the British in Ireland and India. Also offered through African Studies and European Studies.

311. 19th- and 20th-Century Science.
This course examines a few of the major developments of the 19th and 20th centuries in some detail. Topics include evolution, genetics and a synthesis of the two; the wave theory of light and special relativity; the discovery of the atomic and nuclear structure of matter; and the Manhattan Project. Also considered are the various ways historians of science go about constructing the stories they write as well as some of the historiographic issues they face. This course satisfies the humanities distribution requirement. Also offered as Physics 311 and through European Studies.

319. The United States and the Nuclear World.
Are nuclear weapons fundamentally different from conventional weapons?  If they are, how did we allow them to become such a central part of our political world?  In this course we examine the confluence of history and science that led from the discovery of nuclear fission to the first atomic weapons and beyond, to issues of use and control of nuclear materials today.  To help us understand some of the complexities of the nuclear world, we will study and discuss both the scientific and the historical sides of the issue through scholarly accounts, primary documents, biography, fiction and film. Also offered through Peace Studies.

325. The United States and the Vietnam War.This seminar examines the United States’ relationship with Vietnam between World War II and the present, concentrating on the period of the U.S. political and military commitment to the South Vietnamese government in its war against the communist nationalists (1955-1975).  We consider a variety of perspectives — those of Vietnamese communists, anti-communists, and “the people in the middle”; of American supporters and opponents of the war—including policymakers, soldiers and demonstrators; and of other nations’ participants and onlookers.  We also study how the war influenced American domestic politics, society and culture (and continues to do so). Also offered through Peace Studies

330.  New World Encounters, 1500-1800.
The discovery of the Americas, wrote Francisco Lopez de Gomara in 1552, was the greatest event since the creation of the world, excepting the Incarnation and Death of Him who created it. Five centuries have not diminished either the overwhelming importance or the strangeness of the early encounter between Europeans and the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Taking a comparative approach, this course conceptualizes early American history as the product of reciprocal cultural encounters by assessing the various experiences of Spanish, French and English newcomers in different regions of the Americas. Also offered through Global Studies.

331. Imagining the South
“You should need a passport to come down here.” In 2002, a character in the movie Sweet Home Alabama used these words to characterize the South as a region so unlike the rest of the nation that it is better thought of as a foreign country. This course explores the various ways in which the South has been depicted by non-Southerners and Southerners alike. A variety of genres — historical texts, memoir, fiction, film, music — are used to interrogate the images of the South and to ask what national purposes these images have served and continue to serve. Also offered through African-American Studies.

333. The Age of the American Revolution.
An in-depth examination of the causes, progress and consequences of the American Revolution, including a summary of the constitutional, economic and social development of the colonies to 1763; the alteration of British colonial policy after 1763 and the American response; internal unrest within the colonies; the development of a revolutionary movement culminating in the Declaration of Independence; the war to secure independence; and the Constitution of 1787. Also offered through Native American Studies and Peace Studies.

347.  African Identities.
Words like primitive, backward and tribal often dominate contemporary discourse about Africa and the various identities of its diverse peoples. But how have these pervasive stereotypes and misnomers shaped how the world has viewed Africans throughout history? And more important, what are some of the many ways African peoples view and construct their own identities? By analyzing changing constructions of race, ethnicity and gender throughout the last 200 years of African history, this discussion-based seminar examines how African peoples have historically negotiated their identities in the wake of internal struggles and global pressures. Also offered through African Studies.

351. Iroquois History.
The history and culture of the Iroquois people from the era prior to their first contact with European peoples through their diaspora following the American Revolution to their present-day struggles and achievements in Canada and the United States. Students are exposed to a variety of methodologies and approaches to reconstructing the Iroquois past. Readings and discussions are drawn from historical documents, traditional narratives, archaeological reports, ethnography, contemporary Iroquois literature, the Internet and museum exhibits of material culture. Students compose their own interpretation of some aspect of Iroquois history. Also offered through Native American Studies and Peace Studies.

352. Playing Indian: Native American Stereotypes in American History and Imagination.
When are Indians not Native Americans? When they are the stereotypes created as expressions of the cultural and historical hegemony of a predominantly non-Native society that obscures the diverse realties of the real people. Since the 15th century, when Native peoples were named “Indians” by a very confused explorer, Natives have been regarded as more historical objects than agents. We discuss the historical construction and use of “Indians” by colonists, modern (non-Native) Americans and Native Americans themselves, and examine Indian stereotypes in the construction of the American ideal in history, art, film, literature, television and music. Also offered through Native American Studies.

362. Topics in American Economic History.
This course provides an overview of the economic development of America from the Colonial period to the present and examines in detail several of the classic controversies of the “new economic history.” Emphasis is placed on the role economic theory can play in understanding pivotal events of the American experience. Pre-requisites: Economics 251 and 252. Also offered as Economics 362.

363. Topics in African History.
This course provides an overview of the economic development of America from the Colonial period to the present and examines in detail several of the classic controversies of the “new economic history.” Emphasis is placed on the role economic theory can play in understanding pivotal events of the American experience. Pre-requisites: Economics 251 and 252. Also offered as Economics 362.

365. Colloquium in American History.
Topics vary. Consult the department course guide for current offerings.

369. Pan-Africanism: Past, Present and Future Prospects.
Pan-Africanism is a composite of diverse and conflicting ideas that is rooted in Africa and the dispersal of African peoples within the African continent and to many regions of the world, especially during the last 2,000 years. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries, with particular attention to several Pan-African Congresses, issues of identity and community, concepts of diaspora and return, development debates, and the very contentious reparations movement, and concludes with various scholarly perceptions on prospects for Pan-Africanism. Also offered through African Studies and Global Studies.

371. 18th-Century Europe and the French Revolution.
This course examines the origins of the French Revolution in 18th-century Europe and the revolution itself. Topics include social, economic and cultural as well as political questions; the consequences of the revolution for France, Europe and the world up to 1815 are considered. The ever-changing historiography of the revolution provides the organizing principle for the course. Also offered through European Studies and Peace Studies.

372. European Identities, 1700-2000.
This seminar examines the construction and transformation of European identity in the 19th and 20th centuries. The impact of the encounters between Europeans and non-Europeans on the culture and society of both old and new Europe is a particular focus. Beginning with the debates on national identity in the early 19th century and continuing with inter-European migration and colonial expansion, the course examines the developing relationship between European and colonial peoples that led to the establishment of significant immigrant communities in the West. The course concludes with an assessment of topics relevant to current European social and political concerns. Also offered through European Studies and Global Studies.

373. Japan and the United States in World War II, 1931-1952.
In this course we examine the relationship between Japan and the United States in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. We discuss anti-war political activism in the U.S. and Japan, the internment of Japanese-Americans, the role of propaganda in both countries, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Allied occupation of Japan after the war. We work on writing and oral communication skills and discuss such concerns as how cultures understand and misunderstand each other. Also offered through Peace Studies.

375. Colloquium in European History.
Topics vary; consult the department course guide for current offerings. Also offered through European Studies .

376. Colloquium in African History.
Topics vary; consult the department course guide for current offerings.

377. Colloquium in Asian History.
Topics vary; consult the department course guide for current offerings. Also offered through Asian Studies

378. Colloquium in Caribbean and Latin American History.
Topics vary; consult the department course guide for current offerings.

382. Genocide in the Modern World.
The last two centuries have seen mass violence on a scale unprecedented in human history. Among the most horrifying forms this violence took was the attempt to systematically exterminate whole religious/ethnic/national groups, an act which Raphael Lemkin coined the term “genocide” to describe. In this course, we examine individual historical cases of genocide (including the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, Khmer Rouge Cambodia, and the Rwandan genocide) and also consider theoretical approaches that seek to explain its causes and dynamics. We also survey the history of attempts to prevent genocide.

471-480. SYE: Senior Seminars
Seminars, restricted to senior majors and minors, are normally limited to 15 students and require the production of a substantial research paper. Successful completion of at least one seminar course is required for the major. Odd-numbered courses are taught in the fall, even-numbered courses in the spring. Topics vary; consult the current department course guide for details. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

471-472. SYE: Seminars in European History.
Also offered through European Studies.

473-474. SYE: Seminars in American History.

475-476. SYE: Seminars in Asian History.
Also offered through Asian Studies.

477-478. SYE: Seminars in Comparative History.

479-480. SYE: Seminars in African History.
Also offered through African Studies.

483-484. SYE: Seminars in Central Eurasian History.

481,482. Internships.
These courses provide an opportunity for qualified juniors and seniors to obtain credit for work at local, state or national historical agencies, archives or museums. Supervision is provided by the host agency. Responsibility for evaluating the experience rests with the history department faculty coordinator. The internship must be set up in the prior semester at the initiative of the student, in consultation with one faculty member and the chair. Prerequisite: permission of instructor and chair of the department.

489,490. SYE: Independent Studies.
To qualify, students must have a 3.2 GPA in the history department. Normally, students should have senior standing with a major or minor in history. Applicants must demonstrate that the study they wish to pursue has serious intellectual merit and that their objectives cannot be accomplished within the framework of existing course offerings. This course must be set up in the prior semester. Prerequisite: permission of instructor and chair of the department.

498,499. SYE: Honors Thesis.
See the description of the history honors program on page 150. Completion of an honors thesis fulfills the seminar requirement. Students should consult the department chair for complete details on pursuing an honors thesis.