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History Courses for Fall 2003

100 Level Courses

History 101A & 101B. Western Civilization to 1700 (4c/3h). TR 8-9:15& 9:30-10:45. B117. Williams. At light speed (in one class period) we will traverse the prehistory of our species and then set about a more intensive review of the next 5200 years (3500 B.C.E to 1700 C.E). Our journey will carry us from Sumeria and the appearance of that form of culture historians call civilization to the eve of industrialization and political revolution in Western Europe. While examining the communal structures, achievements, tribulations, and transformations of peoples who, for the most part, spoke Indo-European languages and who, from their origins somewhere north of the Caucasus, came to control not only Europe, but the Americas and the whole of northern Asia, we will try to determine what sense it makes to speak of the tangible and intangible worlds they made as a single civilization and on what bases we might distinguish this civilization from others that appeared elswhere.

History 101C & 101D. Western Civilizations in a Mediterranean Context, 3500 BCE-1530 CE (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15 & 1:30-2:45. A208 & B117. Hughes. This course will introduce you to the perennial problems of human existence in complex societies by focusing on a historically important but diverse area of the world, the Mediterranean basin and its outliers, over an extended period of time. Some of the problems that will concern us are: the nature of divinity and people's relationship to the divine; the nature of evil; the nature and sources of human knowledge; forms of social intercourse; the organization and legitimation of political power. Two particular emphases will be environmental history (why did the Mediterranean remain a center of world power for 4500 years—and then become a backwater?) and cultural interaction (why and how did human groups develop different cultures within similar, neighboring environments and how did their interaction with one another affect their development?). Americans are, perforce, cultural heirs to this part of the world, and a study of its development should give you some understanding of how the culture you live in—and some of your own modes of thought—came to be.

History 102A. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 9--9:50. A103. Bobroff.

History 102B. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 10-10:50. A104. Rupp. This course provides a survey of European history in the modern era. Broad themes addressed in the course include the following: differing forms of government and the principles upon which they have been based; the role of ideas in influencing historical change; the impact of social structures and struggles on forms of political power; the rights and powers of the individual and how these have been defined relative to the community and the state.

History 102C & 102E. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:30 & 10-10:50. A102 & B117. Caron. This course examines the political, social, economic, and cultural experiences of Europeans since 1700. We will analyze the growing importance of nationalism and the expansion of liberalism. We will look at how Europeans interacted with each other and with non-European cultures. The class will end with an analysis of recent important events, such as the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, the Gulf War, and the ongoing Arab-Israeli negotiations. The format of the class is a combination of lecture and discussion.

History 102D. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. A102. Sinclair. A survey of modern Europe from 1700 to the present.

History 102F & 102G. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50 & 1-1:50. A103. Bobroff. A survey of modern Europe from 1700 to the present.

History 103A & 103D. World Civilizations to 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50 & 2-2:50. B117. Hastings. What is civilization? What is culture? What is the relationship between the Vedic civilization of ancient India, the Celtic civilization of Ireland, and the Viking civilization of Scandinavia? How is Greek art connected with Buddhism? Did modern science originate in Baghdad? To answer these and other questions, this course surveys a variety of early civilizations: their political and social formations, their art, architecture and literature; their understandings of the relationship of the individual and society, and of the individual and nature. With a focus on art and architecture, philosophy and religion we will seek to understand the cultural values of these civilizations, how their cultures spread, and how our own lives have been impacted by them. There will be a particular focus on the rise of major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the sacrificial religions of Mesoamerica.

History 103B &103C. World Civilizations to 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50 & 1-1:30. A208. Lerner. History 103 surveys the social, political and cultural development of a variety of world civilizations. Our focus will concern a detailed analysis of those civilizations, which represent the most spectacular example of social formation: the relationship between the individual and deity as a religious expression; the relationship between society and nature as a philosophical dilemma; and the relationship between the individual and society as a cultural and political manifestation. In each case, the unifying theme we shall explore is how these peoples organized themselves politically, economically, socially as a Response to their particular geographical and environmental condition. We shall see that the legacy of these civilizations is one of cultural syncretism manifested in the diversity and complexity of their traditions and ideas.

History 104A & 104C. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. A208. Lockyer. Until the beginning of the 19th century, Europe was largely peripheral within the Old World, despite its offshoots in the Americas. By the beginning of the 20th, however, Euro-American flags and interests dominated much of the globe. The world we live in today is the product of this transformation, a history as important for understanding the "rise of the West" as it is for studying the rest of the world. In this course we will therefore study the emergence of the modern world in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas, by examining the revolutions and counter-revolutions (commercial, industrial, nationalist, communist, consumerist, and environmentalist) through which it took shape. The first half of the course is devoted to the world prior to 1914, the second half to the 20th and 21st centuries.

History 104B. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. A103. Wilson. A survey of the major civilizations of the world in the modern and contemporary periods.

History 104D &104E. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45 & 1:30-2:45. A103 & A104. Connell.

 

Credit cannot be received for both 101 and 103 or 102 and 104.
All classes held in Tribble Hall unless otherwise noted.

200 Level Courses

History 211W. CLQ: History of Modern South Asia (1-4c / 1-3h). MWF 12-12:50. B117. Hastings. South Asia refers to the greater Indian subcontinent, including the present-day countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Himalayan kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan. It is a culturally rich mosaic of peoples and societies with complex historical and cultural ties. Focusing on pre-Partition India, this course traces its history from the arrival of the Mughals in 1526 CE, noting the changes within Indian society that resulted from the spread of Islamicate culture and later British influences. It examines the indigenous resistance to Mughal rule; the increasing influence of the English East India Company and the establishment of British colonial rule; the independence movement and Partition into Pakistan and India; and contemporary social and political issues. There is an emphasis on significant aspects of Indian other South Asian societies such as caste, family structure, and gender roles; on the role of religion in the development of social identities; on the early Western study of Indian culture and its effect upon Western and indigenous constructions of India; and on the conflicting interpretations of South Asian history. Several written assignments will be based on viewing films which deal with historical and social issues.

History 252. U. S. History Since 1865 (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. A104. Fitzgibbon. This survey of United States history will focus on political history, paying special attention to the most significant political movements and transformations of the past 140 years. Our primary objective will be to use the facts of American history to deepen our understanding of the American political system and its potential and limitations, but we will also explore the diversity and complexity of American society and culture. Students who take HST 253 may not take this course.

History 287. Honors in History I (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. A104. Parent. Seminar on problems of historical synthesis and interpretation. All honors students must take History 287. POI.

300 Level Courses

History 307& 607. High Middle Ages through Renaissance (4c/3h). MWF10-10:50. A102. Barefield. European history form the mid-twelfth through the early sixteenth centuries, stressing social and cultural developments.

History 309& 609. Europe: Renaissance to Revolution (4c/3h). MWF9-9:50. B117. Williams. A survey of European history from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. Topics include the voyages of discovery, the military revolution, the formation of the modern state, religious reformation, witchcraft and the rise of modern science, and pre-industrial economic and social structures including women and the family.

History 310A& 610AG. Seminar: God & Gold: Religious Communication in the Near East, 500-1500(4c/3h). MW 3-4:15. B117. Villagomez.

History 310B& 610BG. Seminar: Stalinism (4c/3h). R 3-5:30. A104. Rupp. In this course, we will examine the political, economic and social history of the Stalinist period, focusing on collectivization, industrialization and the party purges. Students will read and discuss a number of articles and monographs for the first several weeks of the semester before pursuing their research in consultation with the instructor.

History 310C& 610CG. Seminar: Writing Slavery (4c/3h). TR 1-2:45. A208. Parent.

History 316& 616. Rome: Republic & Empire (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A208. Lerner. Considers the history of Rome, a city-state, which constructed one of the most durable empires the Mediterranean Basin has ever known. We will analyze the growth of the Roman Republic first in Italy and then throughout the Mediterranean, as well as the changes in Mediterranean life under Roman domination and, ultimately, the breakdown of the Empire.

History 340& 640. African-American History (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A102. Parent. This course examines the struggles of African Americans for cultural integrity, freedom, nationality, citizenship, and identity in an oppressive racial system.

History 342& 642. The Middle East before 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 10-10:50. A103. Villagomez. A survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the emergence of the last great Muslim unitary states. The course provides an overview of political history with more in-depth emphasis on the development of Islamic cu lture and society in the pre-modern era.

History 343& 643. Imperial China (4c/3h). TR 1:30-2:45 . A102. Sinclair.  A study of traditional China to 1850, with emphasis on social, cultural, and political institutions.

History 351& 651. United States Social History I (4c/3h). MWF 1-1:50. A102. Caron. This course examines various aspects of American social history from the colonial period to 1865. Topics include immigration and ethnicity, women, sexuality, the family, religion, Native Americans, the Afro-American experience, religious developments, and life and culture in general. The course format combines lectures with discussions of the readings, with a heavy emphasis on the latter.

History 359& 659. The United States 1914-1945 World War I to the Atomic Bomb (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50. A208. Smith. The course covers United States development through the transitions from World War I, the Roaring Twenties with Flappers and Fundamentalism, the Crash, the GREAT Depression of the 30’s, and the cultural emergence of World War II. It was a period full of major changes—rural to urban, pristine national isolation to international primacy, Cincinnatus to standing army, Harlem Renaissance to “To Secure These Rights,” free market to corporate society, and Woodrow Wilson to Harry Truman.

History 363& 663. The Old South (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. B117. Gillespie. This course provides a social, cultural, and political history of the American South, from the first encounters between Native Americans, Europeans and African slaves through the Civil War, Emancipation, and the beginnings of Reconstruction. It examines the development of slavery, the plantation economy, proslavery thought, southern nationalism, secession politics, the construction of a master class, gender and sexuality, and the rise of a distinctive regional identity in the South between 1600 and 1865.

History 366& 666. Studies in Historic Preservation (4c/3h). W 3-5:30. A102. Hendricks. Designed as an overview of the preservation movement this course introduces the major areas of the theory and practice of historic preservation through readings, lectures, discussions, tours, and field experiences. Students study the techniques of preserving and interpreting history through artifacts, restorations, and reconstructions. They learn to evaluate historical objects, history museums, historic sites, and museum villages. They also study current trends in preservation, including preservation law, the economics of preservation, and the impact of preservation on urban renewal, city planning, and development.

History 369& 669. Modern Military History (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50. A102. Hughes. After the Vietnam War, where the US won all the battles and lost the war, the Department of Defense and others began asking how that could happen. This course is designed to help Americans put military experience in a broader political, economic, cultural, and social context. We will talk about military technology, tactics, and strategy and about battles and wars, but we will always seek to situate them within the larger historical context. We can’t understand how the narrowly military elements developed and how and why they were successfully—or unsuccessfully—deployed unless we recognize the complex range of factors that influence both military choices and ultimate outcomes.

History 372 & 672. Introduction African History (4c/3h). W 3-5:30. A208. Wilson.

History 375& 675. Modern Latin America (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. A103. Connell.

History 385 & 685. Introduction to East Asia (4c/3h). MWF 1-1:50. B117. Lockyer. Until the end of the 18th century, East Asia was the center of the global economy, a model of political stability, intellectual achievement, and cultural sophistication. Today, the region accounts for one quarter of the world's population, while Japan and China alone produce one fifth of global GDP. In this class, we will read about and discuss the past and present of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. We will follow a rough chronology, beginning with political economy and its changes over time (agriculture, manufacture, and trade; states and empires, their ideologies, revolutions, foreign relations, and wars). But we will also look closely at society (family and community, gender and sexuality, rural life and urbanization); culture (art, literature, theater, and film), and belief (Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Shinto, Islam, Christianity, and Marxism). The first half of the course is devoted to East Asia through the 18th century, the second to the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. The course assumes no prior knowledge of East Asia.

History 397. Historical Writing Tutorial (2c/1.5h). Staff. Arranged with professor.

History 398 & 698. Individual Study (1-4c/1-3h). Staff. Arranged with professor.

History 399 & 699. Directed Reading (1-4c/1-3h). Staff. Arranged with professor.

History 771. Internship (1-4c/1-3h). Staff.
Arranged with professor.

First Year Seminars

FYS 100. Jefferson and His World (4c/3h). TR, 9:30-10:45, A104, Gillespie

FYS 100. Images of Wealth and Poverty (4c/3h). Wed. 3-5:30, A104, Smith

FYS 100. The Two Reconstructions: Civil Rights in America ( 4c/3h). TR, 1:30-2:45, A104, Escott

 

 


Statue of Indu, a Famous Sumerian Scriber

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Department of History, Wake Forest University, P.O. Box 7806, Winston-Salem, NC 27109
Department office: Tribble B-101
Phone: (336) 758.5501    Fax.(336)758.6130
comments: gammonlc@wfu.edu