History
Chair: Anni Baker
History is the study of the human past. Historians look for continuities, evolution and sudden change in societies over time, and they construct narratives based on disciplined research and analysis. The members of the History dDepartment are scholars and teachers whose work covers different time periods and regions of the world, and history majors are encouraged to work with as many different department members as possible. As they move through the program, majors will practice skills that they will carry through life: thinking critically about their own assumptions, making persuasive arguments based on solid evidence, and recognizing analytical strengths and weaknesses.
As a central part of the liberal arts curriculum, the discipline of history enables its students to develop a mature understanding of human relations. In their courses, history majors will examine the influence of social, political, economic and cultural institutions on society, reflect on the relationship between the individual and the community, and identify the role of power in human relations. Sometimes seen as one of the humanities, other times as a social science, history offers a unique way of understanding the human experience.
Major
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The major program in history requires a minimum of 10 courses. These include:
Area of concentration
Five courses in an area of concentration: United States, Asia or Europe. At least two of these five courses must be at the 300 level or above.
Outside the concentration
Three courses outside the area of concentration, one of which must be in each of the other two areas. The third course should normally be in Latin American, Caribbean or African history.
Junior colloquium
Hist 302 is required of all majors, and is normally taken during the junior year. Those on leave of absence (LOA) or approved study at another institution may, with instructor approval, take the course in the second semester of the sophomore year. All majors must take the course by the first semester of the senior year.
Seminar
Hist 401 is a capstone course required of all majors, and is taken during the senior year. Students will normally take the course with an instructor in their concentration. Education minors and double majors may be allowed to take a seminar that is outside their concentration.
Additional information
No more than three 100-level courses shall be counted toward the major.
The department welcomes courses taken during a semester or year abroad, and will accept a maximum of three courses toward the major, including one outside the area of concentration.
History has a unique place in the Connections program. It can be connected with another course in any other discipline. In addition, the department encourages its students to take a variety of courses in other disciplines that are related to the study of history, whether or not they are part of an official Connection.
Guidelines have been established for interdepartmental major programs combining history with art, economics, political science, philosophy or religion. The department also participates in a number of other interdepartmental or combined major programs including African, African American, Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, German, International Relations, Russian and Russian Studies, and Women's Studies.
History majors are eligible to pursue a high school teaching license through the Education Department.
Minor
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The history minor consists of at least five courses. Four courses must be in a single area. One course must be outside the area of concentration. At least one of the four courses of concentration must be at the 300 level or above. No more than two 100-level courses may count for the minor.
History courses are also included in the following special minor programs: African, African American, Diaspora Studies, Development Studies, Latin American Studies and Management.
Courses
Africa and Asia
143. Africans on Africa: A Survey
Africa's development paralleled European development up to the eve of European colonization of the continent. Whereas the African slave trade robbed the region of millions of her people, a distinctly African holocaust, the slave trade and its eventual demise in the early 19th century also set the stage for European colonization. This course is a broad survey of the history of the African continent prior to colonization, during colonization and through the postcolonial period to the present. Its perspective will be uniquely African. We will focus on the interruption of African development and the strategies of resistance and accommodation adopted by various groups through an examination of selected texts, literature and film.
(Dolita Cathcart)
Connections:
Conx 23001 African Worlds
Conx 23016 Race as a Social Construct
222. Introduction to Chinese Civilization
This course examines the main political, social, intellectual and cultural events and currents of China from ancient times to the present in the context of changing territorial and economic realities.
(Vipan Chandra)
223. Introduction to Indian Civilization
This course examines the main political, social, intellectual and cultural events and currents of India from ancient times to the present in the context of changing territorial and economic realities.
(Vipan Chandra)
224. Introduction to Japanese Civilization
This course examines the main political, social, intellectual and cultural events and trends of Japan from ancient times to the present in the context of changing territorial and economic realities.
(Vipan Chandra)
225. Women in East Asia: Japan and Korea
This course examines the influence of Shintoism, Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, colonialism, communism, democracy, feminism and changing economic forces in shaping women's lives from ancient times to the present.
(Vipan Chandra)
227. Women in East Asia: China
This course examines the status roles of women in Chinese society from ancient times to the present. The influence of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, modern nationalism, communism and contemporary liberal and feminist ideas as well as changing economic forces in shaping women's lives is the main focus of the course.
(Vipan Chandra)
251. Early Islamic Societies
Surveys Islamic history from 600 C.E. to the end of the 18th century. Begins with the late-antique world of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires and progresses to the life of Muhammad, the establishment of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates, political disintegration during the Crusader and Mongol invasions, and the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Explores the emergence of Islamic culture through such topics as religious practice and law, gender and minority relations, literature and art and architecture.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
252. The Modern Middle East 1800-1992
Surveys the history of the Middle East from 1800-1992. Major themes in the 19th century include the internal reform efforts under Ottoman and Egyptian regimes; European military, political, economic, and cultural intervention; the evolution of new paradigms in politics and society; and the emergence of Islamic modernist and reform intellectuals and movements.
In the 20th century, this course will focus on the rise of nationalism; World War I and the partition of the region; the settlement and establishment of Israel; independence movements and the establishment of nationalist states; globalization and industrialization; Islamic social and political movements; the Arab-Israeli conflict; and European and American intervention in the post-colonial period.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
352. Social Movements in Modern Islam
Analyzes the historical development of Islamic reform, modernism and political movements from 1800 to 1992. Contextualizes movements in Islamic societies undergoing colonialization, modernization, Europeanization and globalization. Compares such movements to other contemporaneous ones, including nationalism, liberalism, feminism and authoritarianism. Studies the development of diverse notions in "Islam" espoused by these movements.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
365. Modern China
A close look at China's political, social and cultural development from 1842 to the present. Focus will be on both the foreign and domestic factors in China's transition from its imperial past to a modern nation-state.
(Vipan Chandra)
Connections:
Conx 20024 Modern China: Tradition and Contemporary Politics
367. Modern Japan
A detailed look at the multifaceted transformation of Japan since the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Japan's ambitions, achievements and problems will be closely examined. The major focus will be on political change, but attention will also be directed to intellectual, social and economic questions.
(Vipan Chandra)
Europe
100. Ancient Western History
A survey of pre-Christian Western societies, including Neolithic, Celtic, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures, up to the advent of Christianity and the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. Topics covered will include women, family, religious beliefs and the development of art and ideas.
(Dana M. Polanichka)
Connections:
Conx 20039 Ideas of Antiquity
101. The Development of Modern Europe from the Medieval Era to 1789
A study of the foundations of modern Europe. Among the topics examined are the development of modern states, the emergence of a capitalist economy, the Renaissance, the Reformation, overseas expansion, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
Connections:
Conx 20040 Political Theories, Political Realities: Ideas and Practices in Past Politics
102. The Development of Modern Europe since 1789
A study of Europe from the French Revolution to the present. Topics include: the industrial revolution, nationalism, romanticism, imperialism, democracy, socialism, communism and fascism; the impact of two world wars; totalitarianism; and Europe's post-World War II renaissance.
(Anni Baker)
Connections:
Conx 20007 German Language in European History
207. Medieval Europe
A survey of the history and culture of Europe, 300-1300. Topics include: the institutions of feudalism and the monarchy; the development of monasticism, Christian philosophy, and heresies; the role of women in religion and society; relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims; the rise of the state.
(Dana M. Polanichka)
214. European Military History
An introduction to the history of war and the armed forces in Europe. We will begin in the 1400s with the technological and tactical developments that led to "modern warfare." We will discuss the development of 18th-century military states such as Prussia; the 19th-century "people's army" of Napoleon; the impact of the Industrial Revolution on European warfare, and the development of new military technology. The course will end with an in-depth examination of the First and Second World Wars.
(Anni Baker)
215. History of Russia
A survey of the growth and development of Russia from its medieval foundations to the recent breakup of the Soviet Union. Topics include: political, social, religious and economic developments; the conflict of Eastern and Western traditions; Russia's emergence as a European power; 19th-century revolutionary and reform movements; the creation of the Soviet Union and its flawed drive for modernization and domination in global politics, and the collapse of the USSR and Soviet Bloc.
(Anni Baker)
Connections:
Conx 20051 Russian History and Culture
Conx 20055 Russia: Challenge and Opportunity
Conx 20064 Russian History and Politics
Conx 23018 Cinema/Kino: Film in Russia
228. European Jewish History
This course is a survey of the history of Jewish communities in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the present. Topics include the Jewish experience during the Crusades; the expulsion of Jews from Spain; the Jewish Enlightenment; Jews in Eastern Europe and Russia; assimilation and anti-Semitism; the Holocaust and the creation of the state of Israel.
(Anni Baker)
Connections:
Conx 20062 Jews in Modern Europe
240. German History: 1648-Present
A survey of German history from the end of the Thirty Years' War to national reunification in the 1990s. Topics include: absolutism, the unification of Germany under Bismarck, Germany and World War I, the Weimar period, the rise of National Socialism, the Holocaust and World War II, division and the problems of a newly reunited Germany.
(Anni Baker)
Connections:
Conx 20028 Germanies: History vs. Culture
298. Experimental Courses
Religion and Devotion in Middle Ages
This course explores the Middle Ages through studies of the ways in which people living in western Europe experienced Christianity, expressed their beliefs and practiced their devotion. Emphasis will be on what has been called "popular religion"--that is, how masses of people enacted their spirituality, rather than the official doctrines or rules of the institutional Church. In addition to a primary focus on more orthodox forms of Christianity, the class will consider heretical forms of Christianity, paganism, Judaism and Islam in western medieval Europe.
314. Renaissance, Reformation and Revolution: Europe 1350-1650
An upper-level course exploring the dissolution of the medieval synthesis and the rise of humanism; developments in culture and thought in Italy and on the Continent; and heresy and Reformation. Includes an examination of intellectual developments of the late Middle Ages and their impact on social class, gender and popular culture.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
321. European Imperialism, 1757-1939
This course focuses on European imperialism from the late 18th to the early 20th century. We will consider the factors that led to imperial expansion in the late 18th century and study the colonial experience from the point of view of those who lived it. We will examine how imperialism changed colonized societies; how imperialism influenced culture in Europe; and the development of resistance and opposition in the colonies.
(Anni Baker)
Connections:
Conx 20065 Theories of Imperialism
351. War and Peace in the Mediterranean World 1400-1700
This course compares the histories of the Spanish and Ottoman empires, two hegemonic states that emerged simultaneously on opposite ends of the Mediterranean. Studies the formation of political institutions, society, and cultures in each community and the political military conflicts that divided the two from each other. Also focuses on the different ways that Christians, Muslims and Jews interacted in these two empires.
(Yuen-Gen Liang)
370. European Radical Movements
An examination of political movements, social groups and cultural trends through which Europeans searched for new understandings of the world before and after the devastation of World War I. Radical movements based on ideologies such as rural populism, anarchism, feminism, Marxism, fascism and biological racism will be explored, as well as artistic and cultural groups like the Futurists, the Ballet Russe and the French avant-garde of the 1920s.
(Anni Baker)
398. Experimental Courses
Sex, Gender, and the Body in the Medieval East and West
This class will explore conceptions of sex, gender, the body, and sexuality in Byzantium and western medieval Europe (c. 300-c. 1400 CE). Topics will include the roles of women in society; the manipulation of Christian bodies through torture, asceticism, and ritual; and the blurring of traditional gender lines through same-sex relations, cross-dressing, martyrdom, and castration. In reading primary and secondary texts, we will consider how we apply modern concepts such as gender and homosexuality to the Middle Ages, and discuss the legacy of medieval ideas about sexuality and the body.
The Americas
201. North American Colonial History
Provides an introduction to the colonial history of North America. Topics include: indigenous societies before contact with Europeans and Africans; European reconnaissance and colonization; the rise of indentured servitude and racial slavery; social and cultural exchange among and between native peoples, Africans, and Europeans; connections of North America to the Caribbean Basin and Atlantic world; conflicts between European colonizers for dominance of North America; and social, political and economic development of mainland British North America in the 18th century.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
Connections:
Conx 20057 Early American Studies
202. America: The New Nation, 1776-1836
Considers the process by which Americans created a new nation and forged a national identity from the period of the Revolution through the Jacksonian era. Topics include: the course of American political growth; the experiences of Native Americans, African Americans and women in the new republic; the beginnings of northern industry; and the flourishing of reform movements.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 20057 Early American Studies
203. America: The Nation Divided, 1836-1876
Explores the development of divergent patterns of life in three distinct regions of the United States (the West, North and South) in order to comprehend the emergence of sectionalism, the violent struggle of the Civil War and the readjustments of the Reconstruction years.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 20057 Early American Studies
204. Industry and Empire: The United States, 1876-1914
Examines how industrialization in the late 19th century transformed work, home life, class dynamics, ethnic diversity, gender relations, race relations, politics and foreign policy. Such changes redefined what it meant to be American and led to the creation of the modern nation.
(Dolita Cathcart)
205. America Between the Wars: 1914-1945
The two world wars bracket a period of extremes in American history: the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression of the 1930s. This course will follow the political and social history of these years, with special attention to the lives of individual Americans, the artistic creations of the period and the diplomatic questions which begin and end the era.
(Alexander Bloom)
206. Modern America: 1945 to the Present
Despite America's preeminent position in the world since 1945, the anxieties of the Cold War and the nuclear age pervaded postwar life. Issues such as civil rights, McCarthyism, Vietnam, the counterculture, Watergate, economic fluctuations and political cynicism all raised particular concerns. This course will trace American history in these years--political, social and cultural.
(Alexander Bloom)
Connections:
Conx 20033 History and Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy
Conx 20034 The Historical Context of Contemporary American Culture
Conx 20053 Schooling in Modern Society
209. African American History to 1877
Examines the early history of people of African descent in North America, placing the experiences of African Americans at the center. Includes a survey of African history before European incursions and attention to enslavement, culture, women's experiences, community and family life among both free and enslaved blacks, and the role of African Americans in the American Revolution, the Civil War and Reconstruction.
(Dolita Cathcart)
Connections:
Conx 23007 African Diaspora in New World
Conx 23010 Black Aesthetics
210. African American History: 1877 to the Present
This course follows the freed slaves and other African Americans from the end of Reconstruction through the institutionalization of segregation, the migrations north, life in urban America, the civil rights movement after World War II and the contemporary realities of race in the United States. Particular interest will be paid to cultural history, family life, gender roles and identity.
(Dolita Cathcart)
Connections:
Conx 23007 African Diaspora in New World
Conx 23010 Black Aesthetics
213. The History of the Civil Rights Movement
This course will examine, through readings and films, those events that led up to and included the civil rights movement in the United States, as well as those mass movements it inspired throughout the 1960s and the 1970s. We will explore the hopes and dreams, actions and strategies of the progressive members of this movement, which began decades before sit-ins galvanized student activism. This course will center on the historical context that helped to shape the political and social reality of the times. We will examine how the basic tenets of this movement continue to influence us today.
(Dolita Cathcart)
216. Caribbean Worlds
This course addresses history of the Greater Caribbean, which centers on islands that border the Caribbean Sea and extends to places where peoples and ideas from Caribbean have gone, such as Boston, New York, Miami, London, Paris, Africa and Brazil, since 1492. The course emphasizes the relationship between Greater Caribbean and the development of the modern world.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
217. Mundo Brasileiro
Explores the construction of Brazil and its diaspora since 1500 through documents, scholarly works, fiction, music and film. Topics include: environmental change, colonization and its impact on indigenous peoples, African slavery and its legacies, migration to and from Brazil, gender norms, politics and economic development, the rise of mass culture, urbanization and industrialization, how outsiders have viewed Brazil, and the impact of all these on Brazilians' struggle to define what is "Brazilian." The course will try to connect class and campus to Brazilian communities of southern New England.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
218. First Global Societies: Colonial Latin America
Provides an introduction to early modern history of the Hispanophone and Lusophone Americas, principally through interpretation of documents. Topics include: indigenous societies before contact with Europeans; conquest and colonization of the Americas by Iberians; the rise of African slavery; social, economic, political and cultural developments under colonial rule, and revolutions for national independence.
(This course will not be offered 2009-2011.)
(John Bezis-Selfa)
219. Norte y Sur: Modern Spanish America
Explores key themes in modern Spanish America's history through focus on Mexico, Argentina and other nation-states. Topics include: nation-building and economic development in the 19th century; the decline and abolition of slavery; the experience of indigenous peoples under national rule; the roles of western Europe and the U.S. in shaping political, economic, and cultural developments; the Mexican Revolution, Cold War and Socialist Revolutions, and recent efforts at economic and political reform.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
Connections:
Conx 23003 Modern Latin America
220. The Making of Latino America
Examines history of peoples who together comprise the largest "minority" in the United States, from Latino perspectives whenever possible. Focuses on experiences of four national groups--Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Dominicans--to consider how Latinos have shaped and been shaped by life in their homelands and in the U.S.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
232. Women in North America to 1790
This course surveys the history of women in colonial North America. The course begins by examining interactions among indigenous inhabitants; colonizers from Spain, France and Great Britain; and enslaved Africans. The focus then narrows to the British North American colonies and the experiences of women of Native American, European and African descent through the period of the American Revolution and its immediate aftermath. Throughout the course, particular attention is paid to changing constructions of gender and race, exploring their intersections with class, religion and region.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 23005 Women in the United States
233. U.S. Women, 1790-1890
This course surveys the history of women in the 19th-century United States, exploring changing constructions of gender, race and class during a period of significant economic and political development. The course examines the emergence of the women's rights movement among members of the emerging white middle class as well as the changing experiences of free and enslaved African American women. Students complete original research in diaries held in the Wheaton College Archives and Special Collections.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 23005 Women in the United States
234. U.S. Women since 1890
This course surveys the history of women in the United States in the 20th century. Beginning with an examination of suffrage and numerous movements for social and economic change, the course challenges students to explore the complexities of women's experiences. Throughout the course, particular attention is paid to intersections among multiple identities grounded in social constructions of gender, race, class and sexual orientation in local, national and international contexts.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 23005 Women in the United States
331. Social and Intellectual History of the United States to the Civil War
The evolution of American society from the colonial period to the Civil War and how various Americans attempted to describe, explain or alter the world in which they lived. Readings will come from primary sources, such as Franklin, Paine, Douglass, Emerson and Thoreau, as well as works of contemporary social history.
(Alexander Bloom)
332. Social and Intellectual History of the United States Since 1876
The response of American intellectuals, analysts and writers to the changes accompanying the growth of modern American society from the Industrial Revolution to the present day. Readings will include William James, Emma Goldman, Henry Adams, Jane Addams and Richard Wright, as well as contemporary analysts of modern American life.
(Alexander Bloom)
337. Power and Protest in the United States
Democracy, citizenship and civil rights in the United States are not static concepts unaffected by societal change, or apt to be changed without pressure from marginalized populations. In this course, we will examine how the growing consciousness and activism of several marginalized populations during the 20th century developed into social movements that changed the meaning and the delivery of democracy, citizenship and civil rights. These changes directly affected the lives of marginalized populations in the United States, and indirectly the lives of the majority population and global communities as well.
(Dolita Cathcart)
Connections:
Conx 23011 Revolution!
Conx 20053 Schooling in Modern Society
338. U.S. Labor History
Explores the history of work and working Americans from the colonial era to the present. Examines how race, technology, politics, gender, organizational innovations and global economic changes have shaped workers' consciousness and their experience of work.
(Dolita Cathcart)
339. Slavery in the Americas
Examines slavery and slave societies in the Americas (mainly colonial British North America and the United States, Caribbean and Brazil) from the rise of the Atlantic slave trade to abolition. Emphasizes understanding of slavery and enslavement through interpretation of primary sources.
(John Bezis-Selfa)
340. Gender and Work in the 19th Century U.S.
What is work and who is a worker? Have the answers to these questions changed over time? This course examines the persistence of a gender division of labor that has differentiated women's work from that of men; that division's organization over time, place and occupation; and its variations by race, class and region.
(Kathryn Tomasek)
341. Sex and Culture in the 19th Century U.S.
Examines the history of thinking about the nature and meaning of sexuality, with particular attention to the religious, medical, psychiatric and sexological discourses in the United States and Europe; popular responses to these discourses; and the changing boundaries between "normality" and "deviance."
(Kathryn Tomasek)
Connections:
Conx 23006 Sexuality
Departmental Courses
302. The Junior Colloquium
This course introduces students to history as an academic discipline. Students will begin by examining theories of history that have been used by historians over the centuries. They will learn about the approaches and methods of professional historians, and they will begin to plan their own original research projects. Rather than dealing with a specific historical subject, the readings in this course will be chosen from different eras of history and geographical regions. Special attention will be given to more contemporary historical approaches including subaltern history, the history of identity, and postmodernism.
399. Selected Topics: Independent Work
Offered from time to time to allow students to study a particular topic not included in regular courses, or to engage in fieldwork programs for credit in conjunction with the Filene Center for Academic Advising & Career Services.
401. Senior Seminar
The seminar is the department's capstone experience for its majors. Using the skills they have developed in their previous coursework, students will conduct research using primary source documents and write an original research paper.
500. Individual Research
Selected majors are invited by the department to pursue individual research in preparation for writing an Honors Thesis.