Fall 2011 Course Descriptions
200-400 Level
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE! Always check the University online schedule for the latest changes.
HIS
203 - History of Africa to 1870
80798
TR 9:30-10:45
Colleen Kriger
What is civilization? This course
examines the variety of African civilizations throughout the continent, from
ancient times up to the 19th century, and how closer study of African history
has prompted scholars to revise the way "civilization" is defined. We
will focus on ancient civilizations in Africa, the empires and city-states of
the Islamic period, and the rise of trade with Europe, especially the Atlantic
slave trade and its effects on African societies.
HIS 206 - Topics in Premodern World History I
This course surveys premodern history (through about 1500) on a global basis. While looking at the origins and histories of distinctive societies and cultural traditions in Africa, Eurasia, China, South Asia, the Near East and the Western Hemisphere, it pays particular attention to developments of world historical scope - population movements, economic activities, trade, and cultural exchange - which constitute the common premodern human experience. Students should gain a broad and balanced understanding of the major social, political, and cultural developments of human societies up to the eve of the modern age.
206-01 through 06 Stephen Ruzicka
The lecture portion of this class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at 11:00-11:50. Smaller discussion groups meet on Fridays at either 11:00-11:50 or 12:00-12:50.
80800 206-01 - MW 11-11:50, F 11-11:50
80801 206-02 - MW 11-11:50, F 11-11:50
80802 206-03 - MW 11-11:50, F 11-11:50
80803 206-04 - MW 11-11:50, F 12-12:50
80804 206-05 - MW 11-11:50, F 12-12:50
80805 206-06 - MW 11-11:50, F 12-12:50
HIS 207 - Topics in Premodern World History II: "The Hellenistic World, 323-30 B.C.E"
HIS 207-02 Dustin Cranford MWF 10:00-10:50
80808
(Note: Instructor and course description change)
This course will trace the history of the Hellenistic World, consisting of the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt, and Persia from the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE) to the victory of Octavian (Augustus) at Actium (30 BCE). Students will learn about the history and struggles of and between the various successor states that followed Alexander's death, their political developments, cultural interaction with indigenous populations, and their contact with the growing Roman Republic.
HIS 207 - Topics in Premodern World History II: "Globalization, 1400-1700"
HIS 207-03 Linda Rupert TR 12:30-1:45
80810
Hundreds of years before the Internet, cell phones, and GPS, the rise of European overseas empires linked peoples around the world through conquest, trade, and migrations. This course provides an overview of European expansion from the end of the Middle Ages up to the eighteenth century. We will discuss the creation of imperial spheres, the development of colonial societies, and the impact on peoples and cultures worldwide.
HIS 208 - Topics in Modern World History I: "European Expansion and Empires"
HIS 208-01 Jill Bender
80811
This course examines the rise and fall of European empires from the mid-eighteenth century to the late-twentieth century. We will pay particular attention to the cultural, social, and political ramifications of this imperial expansion. Particular topics will include “new imperialism,” the role of empires in both World War I and World War II, and decolonization.
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HIS 211 - United States History to 1865General survey of American history from colonization through the Civil War. All sections are Writing Intensive. 211-01 through 06 Mark Elliott
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HIS 212 - United States History since 1865General survey of American history from Reconstruction to the present. All sections are Writing Intensive 212-01 through 08 Charles Bolton
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HIS 215-01 - Civilizations of Asia
84784
MWF 9:00-9:50
Dustin Cranford
This course is an introduction to the pre-modern history of Asia. We will focus on the following Asian countries: China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Most students in the West may only be familiar with these nations in the context of the traumatic episodes of war and violence and revolution that swept the region throughout the twentieth century. However, these countries are heirs to long histories of cultural brilliance and diversity. In this class we will first explore how the history of this region has shaped the common bonds that bring this part of the world together as a whole. Secondly, we will consider how the literary traditions of these various societies depict the social and political conditions from which modern Asian nations would later emerge.
HIS 218 - The World of the Twentieth Century (1945-2000)
This class will examine global issues in the contemporary world, focusing mainly on the post-World War II period, from the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945, to the complex, high-tech, evolving world of today. We will examine some of the important political, economic, social, and cultural changes of the second half of the twentieth century and how these changes have shaped the world we live in today.
218-01 Jeff Jones MWF 11:00-11:50
80870
218-02 Mark Moser MW 2:00-3:15
80872
218-03 Mark Moser MW 3:30-4:45
84785
218-04 Sarah Gates ONLINE
84786
HIS 221 - Medieval Legacy
MWF 10:00-10:50
Richard Barton
This course explores the rich legacy of Medieval Europe. The Middle Ages lasted from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west (around 500 AD) until the so-called Renaissance (14th to 16th centuries AD). This is an enormous time span, and I have no intention of trying to cover every event and every aspect of the Middle Ages. Rather, we will focus on several themes examined over three sub-periods of the Middle Ages. We begin with the ancestors of the Middle Ages: the civilization of Rome, its Christian overlay, and the arrival of the Germanic tribes. From there we will look in turn at the Early (c.500-950), Central (c.950-1250) and Late Middle Ages (c.1250-1500). Within each of these mini-periods we will examine several of the following themes: the nature and effectiveness of government (primarily kingship), the role of Christian belief and Christian institutions in shaping medieval life, the shape of everyday life, and the capacity of women to exercise power.
The lecture portion of this class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00-10:50. Smaller discussion groups meet on Fridays at either 10:00-10:50 or 11:00-11:50.
80875 221-01 - MW 10-10:50, F 10-10:50
80876 221-02 - MW 10-10:50, F 10-10:50
80877 221-03 - MW 10-10:50, F 10-10:50
80880 221-06 - MW 10-10:50, F 11-11:50
80881 221-07 - MW 10-10:50, F 11-11:50
80884 221-08 - MW 10-10:50, F 11-11:50
HIS 223 - Modern Europe
80887
TR 11:00-12:15
Emily Levine
A survey of the political, social and cultural history of Europe from the time of the French Revolution to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the political culture and the emergence of the great ideological systems of the West (e.g., liberalism, conservatism, socialism, communism, nationalism, and fascism).
HIS 239 - Latin America: Colonial Period
80890
TR 11:00-12:15
Peter Villella
Introduction to the early history of Latin America. Emphasis on the clash of cultures, Indian-Spanish relations, and the structure and mechanisms of empire.
HIS 301 - Race and Slavery
81070
TR 11:00-12:15
Watson Jennison
An examination of the African-American experience from ancient to modern times, including precolonial Africa, the Atlantic slave trade, slavery in the Americas with special emphasis on the United States before the Civil War.
HIS 308 - Navigating World History
81071
MWF 1:00-1:50
Steven Ruzicka
Pr. Social Studies Licensure candidates or permission of instructor
Introduction to and overview of world history, ca. 8000 B.C.E. to the present. Prepares Social Studies Licensure majors to teach world history at the middle grades and high school level.
HIS 312 - The Crusades
81075
TR 9:30-10:45
Richard Barton
This course offers an introduction to the social, political, intellectual, military and religious movement that is known as the crusades. It focuses on the "classic era" of crusading, namely the century and a half between the call to the first crusade at Clermont (1095) and the failure of the last serious crusade in Egypt (1250). Although close attention will be paid to the actions and achievements of the European crusaders in carving out European states in the Middle East, the course it not limited to, nor even particularly oriented around, military history. Rather, it attempts to place the crusading movement and its outcomes into a proper historical and cultural context. As a result, the class will focus intensely on the social and economic conditions that gave rise to the crusades, on the motives and ideologies of the crusaders, and on the structure of the society that they attempted to construct in the East. The course also assumes that any understanding of the crusading movement must also begin with an understanding of Islam; we will spend some time looking at Muslim society in the Near East, at Islamic notions of Jihad, at the reactions of Muslims to the crusades, and at the impact of the crusades on Muslim political, social and religious affairs. While recent events of the 21 st century lend the crusading period a natural interest, and while we will be concerned to address some of the modern concerns raised by crusading ideologies, the course will insist that analysis and interpretation of motives, causes, and impacts of the crusades respect the historical and cultural uniqueness of the Christian and Islamic civilizations of the Middle Ages.
HIS 316 - Interpreting American History
81077
TR 2:00-3:15
Watson Jennison
Pr. Middle Grades or Secondary Social Studies Licensure candidates or permission of instructor
Examination of a broad variety of primary source evidence and historiographical methods for studying the American past from the colonial era through the twentieth century.
HIS 320 - History of Mexico and Central America
81078
TR 2:00-3:15
Peter Villella
This course will explore the social, economic, and cultural histories of today’s Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, from the pre-Columbian era to the present. Topics will include the indigenous civilizations of Mesoamerica, the establishment of Christianity and colonial rule, race-mixing and transculturalism, the struggles for independence and nationhood, development and foreign relations, and the modern experiences with revolution, dictatorship, democracy, and liberalization.
HIS 328 - U.S. Women's History to 1865
81094
TR 9:30-10:45
Angela Robbins
A history of women in the U.S. to the Civil War. Topics include Native American gender systems, midwives, witchcraft, women's labor and education, families, slavery, and social reform.
HIS 334 - United States Environmental History
81096
MW 2:00-3:15
Greg O'Brien
In this course you will examine the interaction of humans and nature in American history from the colonial period to today. The approach will be roughly chronological, with emphasis on selected issues, events, and persons. The course will consider two large themes: 1. The way that Americans (of different types) have thought about nature and the relationship between people and nature. 2. The history of the human impact on nature in the area now known as the United States and the role of nature in shaping American history. Grading will consist of exams, short topical papers, and quizzes.
HIS 338 - Civil War, Reconstruction, and Reunion, 1848–1896
81103
MWF 12:00-12:50
Jacqueline Spruill
American history from the end of the Mexican War to the Bryan campaign, centering on the slavery controversy, Civil War and Reconstruction, industrialization, urbanization, and agrarian problems.
HIS 340 - The United States Since World War II
81104
TR 2:00-3:15
Thomas Jackson
Speaking and Research Intensive. Restricted to History Majors Only. Written Permission required.
A research and speaking intensive examination of debates in part selected by the students. We'll explore a range of primary sources and historians' interpretations, following methods of "issues analysis," and "problem-based inquiry." Possibilities: Were there alternatives to the use of nuclear weapons and the development of a nuclear arms race in the 1940s? What were the true sources of "McCarthyism," an organized campaign to flush Communists from our national life? Were the suburbs that developed rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s places of deadening conformity or affluence and community? Was John Kennedy's leadership in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis prudent or reckless? Why did the national government respond to the civil rights movement by focusing on desegregation of schools and public facilities, and by announcing a broad but poorly funded War on Poverty? To what degree did these reforms address racial and economic inequality in America? How culpable was "the media" in discrediting and ultimately contributing to America's defeat in Vietnam? To what degree can Black Power be held culpable for the violent urban crises of the late 1960s? Was "feminism" and the "women's liberation" movement conceived by and dominated by middle-class white women to the exclusion of others? What were the principal factors contributing to the "rise of the New Right"? To what degree did enduring or new forms of racial prejudice and inequality energize conservatism? Did new immigrants and refugees benefit or suffer under new immigration and refugee policies after 1965? I will suggest other topics as well, and there will be several debates that will rely on student collaboration and linked to individual research projects and papers.
HIS 343 - The Old South
81151
MWF 9:00-9:50
Richard Shelton
Economy, society, and polity of the South from colonial times to the Civil War. The institution of slavery. Emphasis on period 1820–1860.
HIS 347 - History of North Carolina
347-01 Christine Flood MWF 1:00-1:50 (Speaking Intensive Section) 81106347-02 Laurinda deBeck TR 8:00-9:15 (Writing Intensive Section) 81108
347-03 Laurinda deBeck MWF 9:00-9:50
81110
This is a survey course. It spans more than 400 years of state history - from colonization to the present. It is American history with the spotlight on North Carolina. Objectives of the course include an examination of:
- when, how, and why North Carolina developed as it did.
- How its actions and reactions were similar or different from the other states.
- How the development of its economic, social, and political structure determines present-day North Carolina with special emphasis on such topics as: a) the economy b) politics c) race relations.
HIS 348 - World at War, 1914-1918
81111
TR 11:00-12:15
Paul Mazgaj
Few events in world history have had as profound an impact on political institutions, society, and culture as the “Great War.” This course will begin with an examination of prewar European society and an analysis of the stress zones--diplomatic, political, and cultural--that brought Europe to war in 1914. Next we will examine the course of the war, focusing not only on the battlefield but on the mobilization of the enormous human and material resources that were required to fight a “total war.” Attention will be paid to the impact of total war on society, an impact that included challenging gender traditional roles, rapid technological changes, an increased role for the state, and an intensification of ideological conflicts. Finally, we will attempt to evaluate the consequences of the war for Western societies. These consequences extended beyond the peace treaties--which ratified the breakup of empires and reconfigured European power relations--to world historic events such as the Russian Revolution, the rise of Fascism, a misfired attempt to bring a new order to the Middle East, and, not least, a major sea change in Western intellectual and cultural attitudes.
HIS 351 - History of Greece, 2000 B.C.–31 B.C.
81114
MWF 9:00-9:50
Stephen Ruzicka
Mycenaean society, Greek “dark ages,” colonization and tyranny, Athens and Sparta, flowering in the fifth and fourth centuries, conquests of Alexander, Hellenistic empires, and the diffusion of Greek civilization. (Same as CCI 351)
HIS 369 - History of Spain
82734 MWF 11:00-11:50
Jodi Bilinkoff
Writing and Research Intensive - For History majors only. Written Permission required.
In the period between 1450 and 1700 a previously poor and isolated region of Europe emerged as a dominant political, military and cultural force. In this, its "Golden Age," Spain conquered and colonized the largest empire since the days of the Romans, dominated much of Europe, declared itself the leader of the Catholic faith, and dazzled the world with its accomplishments in art, music, literature and spiritual expression. It also grappled with intense problems of poverty, urban sprawl, racism, religious intolerance and seemingly endless wars, on both sides of the Atlantic. In this course we examine primary texts (in English translation) from the Hispanic world in the Age of Empire, and listen to the voices of people caught up in the triumphs and struggles of this complex and fascinating society. This course satisfies university writing intensive requirements and the research intensive requirement for history majors.
HIS 374 - British History, 1688-Present
81116
Jill Bender
Major landmarks in the social, political, intellectual, and cultural history of the diverse peoples of the British Isles form the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the 21st century.
HIS 378 - Russian History since 1900
81118 378-01 MW 3:30-4:45
Therese Strohmer
End of Tsarist Empire, Revolution of 1917 and its aftermath, Soviet Union under Stalin, and recent developments.
HIS 380 - Topics in the Near and Middle East
81240
MW 2:00-3:15
Stephanie Reed
(Note: Instructor and course description change)
This course will trace the history and material culture of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and early Persian or Achaemenid Empires (9th to 4th centuries BC), three of the ‘starring’ empires of the Old Testament that were to play pivotal roles in the history of both Near/Middle Eastern and Western civilization. A comparative investigation of these distinct yet culturally linked states offers a unique opportunity to address an ongoing historical debate—the idea of empire itself, or what kind of social, territorial, and administrative structure(s) can be convincingly defined as ‘empire’. The Assyrian and Persian periods especially allow us to also witness the effects of social and religious inheritance and historical context upon imperial practices and propaganda.
The study of ancient societies is often challenging due to gaps in the written record, and material or physical evidence can provide vital historical clues. Beyond understanding the history of these early empires and their physical past, we will closely examine the relationship between archaeological, art historical, and historical practice, observing how other categories of evidence complement or diverge from what we consider ‘history,’ and how we can broaden our perspectives by utilizing these categories as tools of historical learning and analysis.
HIS 389 - West Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade
81127
TR 12:30-1:45
Colleen Kriger
Examines how trade between European and African countries developed into a trans-Atlantic slave trade. Focus on origins of slaves and effects of slave trade on Africa, ca. 1450-1850.
HIS 390 - History Internship
Field learning experience in public or applied history. Academic supervision provided by job supervisor. Assigned reading and written reports. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Consent of Director of Public History.
HIS 397 - Modern European Thought
81131
TR 2:00-3:15
Emily Levine
Is society necessarily progressing towards a better future? How does our relationship to the past influence our worldviews? Is our conception of time merely an illusory human construct? From the eighteenth century Enlightenment down to twentieth-century post-modernism, thinkers have argued about the meaning of history, and if it has any meaning at all. This course examines how these disputes shaped the major intellectual movements of the modern period, including liberalism, conservatism, romanticism, and modernism. Using history as a lens, the lectures and discussions will survey several major thinkers’ contributions to nineteenth and twentieth-century European thought with historical context given as necessary. Selections include works by Kant, Hume, Hegel, Tocqueville, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Benjamin, and Foucault. Illustrative selections will also be taken from the fine arts, literature, and opera.
84083 HIS 397-02 will meet with this class and is restricted to Honors students only.
HIS 430 - Historical Methods for Social Studies
81158
T 6:00-8:50 pm
Lisa Tolbert
Writing and Research Intensive
HIS 430 is an introduction to historical thinking and the research process designed to address these historical methods content standards for all social studies licensure candidates. The state of North Carolina requires that teacher candidates must demonstrate depth of content knowledge in “the process of critical inquiry in history and the social sciences used to examine change over time and develop historical perspectives,” including: identifying and framing a problem, using primary and secondary resources, evaluating the credibility of sources, putting sources into historical context, investigating, interpreting, and analyzing multiple viewpoints, clearly and effectively articulating conclusions. The ultimate goal of the course is to understand the creative process of research within the discipline of history.
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