Spring 2009 Course Descriptions
200-300 Level
SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE! Always check the University online schedule for the latest changes.
HIS 204 - History of Africa since 1870
10067 204-01 MW 3:30-4:45
Colleen Kriger
When, how, and why did European nations colonize the African continent? And, an equally important question, What is the legacy of European colonialism in Africa today? This course examines major themes in recent African history, and discusses theoretical debates in the history of Africa during the colonial period and since.
Topics to be covered include: the imposition of colonial rule and wars of resistance; styles of colonial rule; theories of underdevelopment and the effects of colonial policies; Pan-Africanism, nationalism, and independence movements; the creation of apartheid; decolonization; and issues facing independent Africa such as neo-colonialism and the dismantling of apartheid. These themes will be studied with reference to the regions of west, east, central, and southern Africa.
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HIS 211 - United States History to 1865General survey of American history from colonization through the Civil War. 211-01 through 04 Greg O'Brien
211-05 Susannah Link Online 211-06 Kevin Crowder W 6:00-8:50 p.m. |
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HIS 212 - United States History since 1865General survey of American history from Reconstruction to the present. 212-01 through 04 Mark Elliott 212-05 through 08 Thomas Jackson
212-09 Kevin Greene R 6:00-8:50 p.m. Writing Intensive Section |
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HIS 216 - Civilizations of Asia
Is Modern East Asia really �modern�? What do we mean by this term? Can we understand the modern history of the region, if we focus exclusively on the Asian response to the arrival of Western powers in the region? This course will examine political change, specifically the emergence of anti-colonial nationalist and communist movements, as well as related intellectual and social developments in East Asia since ca. 1800.
216-01 through 04 Jamie Anderson
The lecture portion of this class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:00-12:50. Smaller discussion groups meet on Fridays at either 8:00-8:50, 9:00-9:50 or 10:00-10:50.
10081 216-01 - MW 9-9:50, F 8-8:50
13675 216-02 - MW 9-9:50, F 9-9:50
13676 216-03 - MW 9-9:50, F 9-9:50
13677 216-04 - MW 9-9:50, F 10-10:50
HIS 217 - The World of the Twentieth Century, 1900-1945
13782 217-01 TR 3:30-4:45
Justin Horton
Political, social, and economic forces affecting Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Issues include imperialism, nationalism, terrorism, and world war.
HIS 218 - The World of the Twentieth Century, since 1945
10082 218-01 MW 3:30-4:45
Mark Moser
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.
HIS 221 - Medieval Legacy
10084 221-01 MWF 11:00-11:50
13855 221-02 MWF 9:00-9:50
Anne Barton
Survey of Western European history from the end of the Roman Empire to the fifteenth century exploring such varied aspects of the medieval experience as pilgrimage, crusade, peasant life, the emergence of national states, and the rise of the university.
HIS 222 - Europe 1400-1789
10085 222-01 TR 11:00-12:15 Jodi Bilinkoff
10086 222-02 TR 9:30-10:45 Richard Gorden
Survey of major socio-economic, political,and cultural trends in Europe from the Renaissance to the French Revolution.
HIS 223 - Modern Europe
10087 223-01 Karen Michaelsen TR 9:30-10:45
Writing Intensive Section
10088 223-02 Joseph Ross MWF 10:00-10:50
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 240 - Latin America: National Period
10089 240-01 Mary Floyd Online
In this introductory survey of the history of Latin America from the late eighteenth century to the early twenty-first century, we will explore the political dynamics, social transformations, and the economic evolution of Latin America. We will also attempt to keep track of three themes as they unfold over the two centuries: economic change, the evolution of democracy, and revolutionary movements. This course meets the following requirements: CNW, GHP, GMO, GN, NW.
HIS 251 - History of Western Science: A Survey
10090 251-01 TR 9:30-10:45
Ken Caneva
Introduction to major developments in the history of Western science from antiquity to the Scientific Revolution.
HIS 312 - The Crusades
10091 312-01 TR 11:00-12:15
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 320 - Central American History
10092 320-01 Online
Writing and Research Intensive
Mary Floyd
An investigation of the political structure and economies of the Central American republics from independence in 1821 to the beginning of the twenty-first century with particular attention to the 1980s, when Central Americans took the debate over land, resources, income inequality, and a host of other issues that had divided them for centuries into the battlefield. Only Costa Rica and Panama stood apart from the violence. Why did violence come to dominate? What role did the United States play in supporting or alleviating the crisis? Any number of questions arose out of "the lost decade" of the 1980s. This course fulfills the following requirements: GN, RI, and WI.
HIS 326 - Using Photographs as Historical Evidence
MW 3:30-4:45
Lisa Tolbert
Writing and Research Intensive
This course takes a case study approach to evaluating the content and history of photographs as historical evidence. We will explore the history of photography by focusing on different types of photographs in particular social contexts from the evolution of portrait photography, to compelling images of the American Civil War, one of the earliest wars ever to be photographed, to the history of social documentary from the turn of the twentieth century through the Great Depression. Overall, we will strive to go beyond the use of photographs as mere illustrations to understand the richer meanings of their visual content as primary source evidence that must be critically evaluated in historical context. You will put these methods and perspectives into practice by developing a research paper that uses a particular type of photograph as primary source evidence (rather than as simple illustration) for your thesis. This course satisfies university writing intensive requirements and the research intensive requirement for history majors.
HIS 335 - The American Colonial Period, 1607-1763
10094 335-01 MW 2:00-3:15
Greg O'Brien
Research Intensive
This course will examine the interaction of American Indians, Europeans, and Africans in colonial North America and the creation of a unique "American" society. Class time will be split between lectures, discussions of readings, and films.
HIS 339 - War, Society, and Reform: America, 1896-1945
13773 339-01 MW 2:00-3:15
Speaking and Research Intensive
Mark Elliott
Examines the impact during the first half of the twentieth century of two world wars, reform, industrialization, the changing status of women and minorities, and the emergence of mass culture.
HIS 344 - The New South
13774 344-01 MW 2:00-3:15
Paige Meszaros
This course examines the social, political, and economic development of the American South from the Civil War to the present. Topics covered will include the Lost Cause; Jim Crow and Civil Rights; reform; changing labor patterns�including the effects of NAFTA and immigration; political and religious conservatism; and even leisure�from Nashville to NASCAR. Throughout the course, we will uncover conflicts over race, gender, and class differences; we will examine the role of the past in shaping the modern South; and we will try to determine the degree to which the South has changed. Finally, we will look at how the commodification of the southern way of life has influenced the rest of the nation.
HIS 345 - The Unfit: Race Cleansing in the United States
13629 345-01 TR 2:00-3:15
Cheryl Logan
From 1880 to well into the twentieth century, America pioneered the international movement to cleanse society of those deemed biologically �degenerate� or �unfit�. Families in American competed in county fairs like cows and horses to win ribbons as the �Fitter Families�. Laws that forcibly segregated and sterilized non-whites, women, immigrants, and the disabled made a shambles of human rights in the name of eugenics. This course will concentrate on the social and scientific influences that produced the eugenics movement, one of the great tragedies in the history of the relation between science and society. We will also explore the vestiges of eugenics present in our society today.
HIS 347 - History of North Carolina
10095 347-01 TR 8:00-9:15 Laurinda deBeck Writing Intensive Section
10096 347-02 MWF 9:00-9:50 Laurinda deBeck
13775 347-03 MWF 1:00-1:50 Christine Flood Speaking Intensive Section
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 349 - The World at War 1914-1945
101-01 through 04 Paul Mazgaj
The period between 1914 and 1945 marked one of the most catastrophic in world history. It encompassed not only the First and Second World wars, but the Great Depression, the rise of fascism and communism, the crisis of Western democracy, and, finally, the Holocaust. An effort will be made to look at the period as a whole and measure its impact on both European and world history, but emphasis will be placed on the origins, events, interpretive questions, and impact of the Second World War.
The lecture portion of this class meets on Mondays and Fridays at 9:00-9:50. Smaller discussion groups meet on Wednesdays at either 8:00-8:50, 9:00-9:50, or 10:00-10:50
10097 101-01 - MF 9-9:50, W 8:00-8:50
10098 101-02 - MF 9-9:50, W 9:00-9:50
10099 101-03 - MF 9-9:50, W 9:00-9:50
10100 101-04 - MF 9-9:50, W 10-10:50
HIS 355 - Roman Empire
13430 355-01 MWF 10:00-10:50
Stephen Ruzicka
Survey of politics and society at Rome under the Empire, when Rome dominated Western Civilization. Topics covered include: Augustus and the rise of one-man rule at Rome, the long "Roman Peace" and the civilizing of Europe under the Emperors, the rise of Christianity, and the transformed Empire of Constantine the Great. (same as CCI 355)
HIS 369 - History of Spain
10101 369-01 TR 2:00-3:15
Jodi Bilinkoff
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.
HIS 374 - British History, 1688-Present
13630 374-01 TR 12:30-1:45
Kaarin Michaelsen
In this survey lecture course, students will examine the major landmarks in the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of Britain and the nations of the British Isles (including Scotland, Wales, and Ireland) since the late seventeenth century. Among the topics to be covered include the �Glorious Revolution� of 1688, the creation of the first and second empires, Victorianism, the two world wars, post-1945 immigration, feminism, the �punk� movement, James Bond and the �swinging sixties,� the intractable problem of Ireland, the Thatcher Revolution, Scottish and Welsh nationalism, and New Labour and �Cool Britannia� at the turn of the 21st century. This course is a continuation of History 373, but students do not have to take the first part of the sequence before taking this one.
HIS 378 - Russian History since 1900
10102 378-01 MW 2:00-3:15
Jeff Jones
This introductory course to Russian and Soviet history is a continuation of the first half of the survey (377) that deals with pre-1900 Russian history, but the first half of the course is not required. History 378 is divided into two parts: Part I takes us "From Traditional Russia to the Stalinist Terror," focusing on the dramatic upheaval in Russian society from the late tsarist period through WWI, the revolutions of 1917, the civil war, the communists' consolidation of power, the New Economic Policy of the 1920s, Stalin's dramatic shift to "revolution from above," and finally the impact of the purges and their legacy. Part II deals with the period "From World War II to post-Soviet Russia," emphasizing the impact of WWII, postwar reconstruction, the rise of the Cold War, the reformist course of de-Stalinization pursued by Khrushchev, neo-Stalinism and the Brezhnev years, the dramatic reforms of the late 1980s carried out by Gorbachev, the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's difficult transition in the 1990s, and the conflict in Chechnya. The course will explore several underlying themes of modern Russian and Soviet history: the role of and Russia's relationship with the West; revolution and the role of individuals in history; the relationship between state and society in the Soviet Union; the role of gender and class in history; and the role of ideology and socialism in theory and practice.
HIS 381 - The Near and Middle East
10103 381-01 R 6:00-8:50 p.m.
April Najjaj
This course considers the history of the Middle East broadly defined (from Morocco to Iran). We begin with an introduction to Islam and then proceed from 19th Century colonialism to the modern day. Using a topical rather than chronological approach, the course includes discussions of nationalism and Islamic "fundamentalism," the Arab-Israeli conflict, the struggles for natural resources, the civil war in Lebanon, the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We conclude with consideration of 20th Century Middle Eastern society and culture, including themes in literature, art, and architecture, and contemporary social issues, such as the status of women and of human rights. Student readings and discussion are emphasized.
HIS 382 - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Untold Story
14342 382-01 TR 12:30-1:45
Linda Rupert
From the raids of John Hawkins and Francis Drake in the 1500s, to Dutchman Piet Heijn�s daring capture of the Spanish silver fleet, to Henry Morgan�s dramatic ascent as Governor of Jamaica, piracy was intricately woven into the history of the early modern Caribbean. Few historical actors have been so thoroughly romanticized�or so completely decontextualized�as Caribbean pirates. This course introduces students to the fascinating, complex, and changing role of corsairs, buccaneers, and privateers in shaping the emerging colonial economies, societies, and cultures of the Caribbean, from the first arrival of Europeans through the mid eighteenth century.
HIS 389 - West Africa during the Atlantic Slave Trade
13914 TR 3:30-4:45
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
12040
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. Written permission needed to register. Contact Benjamin Filene for information.
HIS 391 - Honors Seminar in History: The Atlantic World
13795 T 3:30-6:20
Honors Program and Written Permission Required
This advanced seminar, required for the honors distinction in history, introduces students to important approaches and perspectives in the historical profession, in a forum which promotes collegiality and discussion.
This year�s theme focuses on the Atlantic World, one of the newest and fastest-growing fields in our discipline. The course introduces students to a transnational approach to history, and provides an overview of the basic narrative of Atlantic history�the development of European empires, the creation of American colonies, and the emergence of trans-imperial networks, in the early modern period (roughly 1400-1800). We will also discuss the variety of approaches and themes which historians have employed, and consider some of the challenges involved in a comparative, cross-cultural approach.
HIS 392 - The Holocaust: History and Meaning
10106 392-01 TR 9:30-10:45
Karl Schleunes
This course examines the history of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II and explores the variety of understandings and meanings -- historical, political, intellectual, artistic, and theological -- that have been proposed as possible explanations for how such a horror was possible. The Holocaust raises questions about the nature of good and evil, the nature of human beings, and the powers of the divine. No event of the 20th century has so shocked and unnerved the human consciousness.
The immediate focus of the course is upon the Nazi efforts to exterminate the Jewish people in its entirety, although other victims -- Roma and Sinti (Gypsies), mentally and physically handicapped, homosexuals, and the Polish intelligentsia -- are likewise defined as being "unworthy of life."
The course begins with a lengthy examination of the history of anti-Jewish sentiment in Western culture and its transformation during the 19th into a central component of European racism. From there it explores the political and social circumstances that in 1933 brought the Nazis to power and examines their efforts to establish what they believed would be a racially-pure world in which those they deemed to be inferior ceased to exist.
HIS 401 - Individual Study
Written permission of instructor and department chair required.
HIS 493 - Honors Study
Written permission required. Contact Paul Mazgaj for information.
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