Introduction

Courses for Fall 08
    100 level
    200 level
    300 level
    First Year Seminars

Courses for Spring 2009

History courses taught at Wake Forest
  

History Courses for Fall 2008

100 Level Courses

History 101A & 101B. Western Civilization to 1700 (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 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 elsewhere.

History 101C & 101D. Western Civilization to 1700 (in a Mediterranean context) (3h). TR 9:30-10:45 & 12-1:15. A102 & B117. Hughes. Human beings have faced certain perennial problems as they tried to live their lives in complex societies.  We’ll explore their efforts to come to grips with these problems by focusing on a historically important but culturally 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 in the course are: the nature of divinity and people's relationship to the divine; the nature of evil; the nature and sources of human knowledge; 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 development and 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 attitudes and values—came to be.

History 102C & 102D. World or Western Civilizations (3h). MWF 12-12:50 & 1-1:50. A102 & A208. Fitzgibbon.What constitutes effective leadership in the modern world?   The fact that people since the time of Machiavelli have asked this question and offered sharply different answers marks the past 500 years as a unique period in human history, a period when people attempted to analyze their world from a critical perspective in order to improve it.  In this course, we will explore challenges to traditional forms of political and religious leadership from the time of Luther through the popular dismantling of the Berlin Wall.   We will analyze how the development of civil society has created new opportunities for leadership in combat, science, business, philanthropy, religion, community organizing, and public health.   In addition to the textbook, you will read 4 book-length documents.  Graded work will include 3 quizzes, 2 midterms, 2 essays, a short oral report, and a final exam. 

History 103A & 103B. World Civilizations to 1500 (3h). MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. Wingate 201. Raley. A comparative, thematic study of world civilizations from their emergence in various locations around the globe following the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic Age (ca. 10,000 – 3,000 B.C.E.) to the dawn of the early modern era (ca. 1500 C.E.). In the course of our historical and cultural investigations, we shall focus our attention not only upon surviving primary sources, but shall also consider the debates of modern historians over the interpretation and meaning of the surviving evidence. Examining global societies through such “lenses” as mythology, religion, philosophy, ethics, law codes, systems of government, modes of warfare, treatment of conquered peoples, business practices, architecture, language and writing, growth of new technologies, and, of course, the everyday lives of those who were part of these societies will help us come to terms with cultures that are so far removed from our own today, both geographically and temporally. A related emphasis in this course will be the place of women in global history—in particular, women’s experiences in what typically have been patriarchal societies. Above all, “World Civilizations to 1500” offers students an opportunity to understand better the origins, cultural heritages, historical responses, and degree of interaction and cross-cultural fertilization among the world’s principal civilizations, and thereby simultaneously to develop a greater awareness and appreciation for cultural diversity in our world today.

History 104A & 104C. World Civilizations since 1500 (3h) MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. Wingate 201. McConnell. This course develops a thematic approach to global history by examining the relationship between religion, violence, and warfare; phenomenon shared by all cultures throughout history.  In developing these subjects, our study will take two approaches.  One, we will be concerned with chronological development and periodization.  That is to say, when did events occur, what was their historical context, and how did they shape a particular era or people.  The second approach is concerned with broader topics or “big ideas,” what some scholars call superstructural ideologies.  This category relates to the formation of “worldviews” and begs questions about how cultures relate violence to religion and how these subject inform the everyday lives of people within various epochs. 
Each of the major religious Abrahamic traditions we be studied.  In addition we will cover aspects of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Sikhism, dependent upon time constraints.  Throughout the semester we will discuss questions including:  How do these traditions understand the work of violence in society? When, if ever, is violence or warfare is appropriate?  After examining theoretical arguments and religious ideas that relate to violence, class participants will explore the use of warfare within particular cultural and historical contexts seeing the relationship between warfare and integral developments which shape the modern period.  In this study students will consider topics such as technological developments, chattel slavery, mercantilism and the development of modern economies, colonialism, the emergence of nation states, and imperialism.  While no single theory or perspective will guide our course of study, the aim is to help students develop a more sophisticated appreciation of religious phenomenon and their interaction with developing worldviews of the modern life.

History 104B & 104D. World Civilizations since 1500 (3h) MWF 10-10:50 & 11-11:50. A305. McGraw. This course offers an introduction to major trends and conflicts in world history since 1500.  In particular, it explores the migration, movement, and meeting of diverse peoples and cultures as responses to economic change.  The course also takes as a central theme the rise, evolution, and decline of empires.  We will emphasize the interrelationship between these broad changes and the experience of everyday life.  To this end, our course readings will foreground individual understandings of identity and belonging as well as collective strategies of adaptation, resistance, and revolution.

History 104E. World Civilizations since 1500 (3h) MWF 2-2:50. B117. Vella.World Civilizations since 1500 "This course will introduce students to major episodes and trends in world history since 1500. Readings, lectures and class discussions will cover the political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual spheres as well as exploration, warfare, commerce, religion, science, race, gender and the arts. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the enormous role global empires played in this period and how they served both to join diverse peoples together and to drive them into conflict, creating a more cosmopolitan world that often fractured into one of 'us' and 'others'."

History 105. Africa in World History (3h). TR 12-1:15. A102. Plageman. While popular imagination suggests that the African continent has been isolated from history and historical events, this course examines Africa and Africans as central to the development of the wider world.  Throughout the duration of the semester, we will analyze how Africans have influenced and were influenced by global events, particularly in the regions of the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and expanding Atlantic World.  Major themes include the emergence and interrelations of early civilizations, the spread of Christianity and Islam, expanding networks of economic exchange, and migration.  The course will place major emphasis on slavery, the Trans-Atlantic, Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean slave trades, and the creation of the African Diaspora.  After establishing Africa’s centrality to the emergence of the modern world, the class will examine how Africans and peoples of African descent experienced and shaped colonial rule, the transition to national independence, and possibilities for the post-colonial period.

History 106. Medieval World Civilizations (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A103. O'Connell. This course provides an overview of world civilizations in the period generally understood as “medieval”—that is, from approximately 600 to 1600 B.C.E.  The concept of a medieval, or middle, period in history originally came from European history, referring to the time between the fall of Rome and the Renaissance, or rebirth of classical knowledge. One of the questions of this course is to examine cultures and societies in east Asia, India, Africa, and the Americas as well as Europe during the same time frame and to ask if there is such a thing as a “medieval” world history.  Are there patterns, transformations, and developments common to all these societies in the medieval period?  What characteristics do these widely differing cultures and geographic areas share, and where do they differ?

History 107. The Middle East and the World (3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A208. Wilkins. Examines in its global context the Middle East region from the inception of Islam in the seventh century to the twentieth century. It combines an introduction to Islamic civilization in its central lands with a close study of its interaction with other societies. Topics include Orientalism, the cultural pluralism of Islamic societies, the relationship between politics and religious tradition, the Crusades, modern European colonialism, and contemporary Islamic revivalist movements.

History 109A. Asia and the World (3h). MWF 10-10:50. A208. Hellyer. An exploration of how East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea) interacted with the outside world from 1500 to the present. Among the topics considered are: East Asian views of the West before 1800, the nature of early modern commercial and diplomatic relations, the adoption of Christianity, how outside influences shaped artistic trends, East Asian modernization in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, WWI and WWII in East Asia, communism and socialism, and rapid economic development of the region since WWII.

History 109B. Asia and the World (3h). MWF 1-1:50. A103. Rahman. The aim of this course is to appreciate the diversity within Asia and understand the history of this continent as linked with world history. Primary focus of this class will be South Asia and the world, though we will discuss East as well as Southeast Asia to obtain a complete picture. Although we will cover different time periods, our focus will be over the last five centuries. What are the different societies and traditions within Asia? What have been their contributions to the world? Such questions will be discussed to explore the political, economic, social, and cultural history of Asia and its interactions with the rest of the world. Specific topics will include different religious traditions, foreign travelers’ accounts, the Indian Ocean, European commerce and colonies, cultural interactions, modernization, and the decolonization movements.

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

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200 Level Courses

History 220. Germany: Unification to Unification, 1871-1990 (3h). MWF 10-10:50. B117. Hughes. For much of the 20th century, Germany was at the center of world history.  At first, it was a great power seeking to dominate Europe (ca. 1890 to 1945); then it became the center of the conflict between the United States and its liberal democratic allies on the one hand and the Soviet Union and its communist satellites on the other (1945 to 1990).  This course will examine the complex, fraught, and all-too-often horribly fascinating history of Germany, as it came together into a unified nation, set out to seize hegemony in Europe, collapsed in catastrophic defeat and division, and eventually managed to unify once again under very new conditions in 1990.  We will also be looking at how another industrial and post-industrial society grappled with the economic, political, and social problems that have challenged the nations of the world over the last 150 years.

History 223. Great Britain to 18th Century (3h). MWF 12-12:50. B117. Vella.This course will introduce students to the often turbulent history of the British Isles from the conclusion of the War of the Roses to the eve of the Industrial Revolution. We will examine the rise and fall of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties, the English Reformation, the English Civil War, conflict in Ireland, the Glorious Revolution, union with Scotland and the foundations of Britain’s modern Parliamentary system under Sir Robert Walpole. Readings and classes will address high politics and diplomacy; social, cultural and religious life; gender and the family; warfare and empire; science and exploration; economics and trade.

History 242. The Middle East Before 1500 (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A102. Wilkins.  Surveys the Middle East from the rise of Islam in the 7th century to the appearance of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires in the 15th century.  Traces the emergence of the caliphate, the development of cosmopolitan Islamic society and culture, and outcomes of the Mongol and Crusader incursions.

History 244. Imperial China (3h). TR 12-1:15. A305. Zhang. A survey of Chinese history from high antiquity to 1600, with an emphasis on the evolution of political, legal and social institutions, the development of Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhism both as thought and practice, and the advancement of traditional Chinese science, technology, medicine, literature and the arts. 

History 246. Japan Before 1800 (3h).MWF 12-12:50. A208. Hellyer. This course examines Japan from its prehistoric origins through the first two centuries of the Edo period (1603-1868), Japan’s last feudal age. While progressing chronologically, the course pays particular attention to three important trends: the influence of Buddhism, the political and cultural roles of the nobility, and the rise of the samurai class.

History 252. The United States After 1865 (3h). MW 3-4:15. B117. Fitzgibbon. This course will provide a survey of economic, social, political, and cultural developments in the United States from Reconstruction to the current Iraq War.  Given the ubiquity of AP US history courses, I will assume that students have a basic grasp of US political history and instead focus on interpretive debates, analysis of a wide variety of primary sources (political cartoons, popular music, films, television broadcasts), and practical applications of US history in law, community organizing, political advocacy, education, museums, and entertainment.

History 260. Premodern South Asia (3h). MWF 10-10:50. A103. Rahman. This course is a survey of the history and culture of South Asia from the Indus Valley Civilization until the mid-eighteenth century. We will begin with an introduction to South Asia and then focus on various aspects of ancient and medieval history such as urban planning, empires, trade, agriculture, literature, religious movements, cross-cultural encounters, and so on. 
Specific topics covered in this class include, but not limited to, Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic Age, rulers and kingdoms, Buddhism and Jainism, trade and commerce, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Vijayanagar Empire, Sufism, Islam, and the Bhakti movement. This course ends with an analysis of the decline of the Mughal Empire.

History 272. Intro to African History (3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A103. Plageman. This class is an overview of African History prior to the establishment of colonial rule, from prehistory until 1870.  Course themes will include the diversity of African geography and environment; agricultural and technological innovations; the creation and expansion of trading systems; the emergence of states and stateless societies; Islam; the arrival of Europeans; slavery and slave trade; religious change and revolution; and the beginnings of European colonial rue.  We will approach these themes through a wide variety of case-studies (primarily in Western, Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa) and primary source materials.

100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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300 Level Courses

History 305. Medieval & Early Modern Iberia (3h). TR 12-1:15. A103. O'Connell. The cultures that flourished on the Iberian peninsula between the years 700 and 1700 were extremely diverse and contained often contradictory tendencies.  Hailed by many as a haven of toleration and an example of co-existence between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the medieval period, early modern Spain and Portugal were bastions of Catholic orthodoxy and the Inquisition.  Iberians were at the forefront of global exploration and discovery, but Spain’s empire by the seventeenth century had fallen behind its English and Dutch competitors.  This course is dedicated to examining these seeming paradoxes, looking at the formation of religious, cultural and political identities and the economics of empire in the medieval and early modern period. 

History 311AA. Special Topics: Race and Class in the American South (3h). MWF 1-1:50. A102. Hayes. This course examines the contentious history of the American South through two orienting categories, race and class. We will explore the cultural creation of such categories, their critical roles in ordering social life in the region, and the changing meanings of those categories over time. In particular, we will zoom in on decisive moments and emblematic events, using a variety of documents—novels, laws, diaries, monographs, films—to understand and interpret racial and class configurations in the region’s history.

History 311AB. Special Topics: Race and the Courts (3h). TR 12-1:15. A208. Hopkins. This course will use the historical method to examine the impact of state and federal court cases upon the evolution of race relations in this country. Beginning with Dred Scott, the historical context of each case will be placed in juxtaposition to the social and political realities for the given time periods. Case law, scholarly articles, as well the Supreme Court Digest will provide a foundation for analyzing government intervention, inaction, and creative interpretation. Topics for consideration will include  the application of the 1854 decision and Plessy v. Ferguson  upon social relations in the United States; the Civil War Amendments and the Slaughter House cases and their consequences; Reconstruction, lynchings, and the emergence of the KKK; erosion of rights during the Great  Depression and the New Deal; separate but equal applications in American life; school desegregation before and after Brown with a particular emphasis on the Michigan college desegregation case and ending with the landmark case regarding racial balance in the public school system, Parents v. Seattle. Further, other subject areas will be devoted to voting rights, race and the military, race and sports, and the rights of immigrants. The goal of the course is to demonstrate the historical evolution of race relations in the United States predicated upon the judicial interpretation of the rights of its citizens.

History 311E. Special Topics: European Intellectual History 1650-1850 (3h). W 6-8:30. B117. McConnell. This course will familiarize students with some of the central intellectual questions and ideas discussed among European thinkers from roughly the mid-17th through the 19th centuries.  Through a chronological development, students will examine the epistemological arguments of writers seeking to understand how an individual comes to know or discern what is true?  In addition to this line of inquiry, much of the class discussion will encompass concepts of the state and the formation of the social contract.  Central to this discussion are the stated moral obligations of the state to its citizenry in maintaining the social contract.  Throughout the course class participants will be introduced to several schools of thought including Kantianism, speculative idealism, Realism, Utilitarianism, and Marxism.  Central to the discussion will be the emergence of free thought which caste doubt on a priori arguments concerning the state of human existence and its social existence.  Among the thinkers to be covered are:  Descartes, Hume, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Schleiermacher, Feuerbach, Nietzche, Kierkegaard, Smith, Mill, and Marx.

History 311EC. Special Topics: Christian Heterodoxy: Dissent, Reform, Devotion, and Authority in Western Europe during the High and Later Middle Ages (3h). MWF 12-12:50. A103. Raley. This course will focus upon the intersection of gender, literacy, power, and authority with growing calls for greater lay piety and for clerical and monastic reforms within the context of medieval Europe. More specifically, we shall examine: (1) the pursuit of the vita apostolica by laypeople as well as by ecclesiastics in the wake of the Gregorian reforms of the late eleventh century; (2) the related socio-economic issues that accompanied popular religious movements between c.1050 and c.1450; (3) the responses of church prelates to the increase in doctrinal heterodoxy and anticlericalism among the laity, as well as to widespread calls for reform of the Catholic Church, during this period; and (4) the reactions of municipal magistrates and urban guildsmen to the rising number of religious houses and charitable foundations emerging in their midst. Above all, we shall seek a clearer understanding of how “common” laypeople of the later Middle Ages conceived their own religious faith; how their understandings may have differed from the “orthodox” teachings and theological constructs of the Catholic Church; why, and in what manner, their faith and practices at times posed serious threats to secular and spiritual authorities alike; and, as a result, the ways in which church and community leaders exercised power and authority as they attempted to enforce their own doctrinal and behavioral norms within medieval European society.

History 338 & 638. Gender in Modern America, 1800 to the present (3h). MW 2-3:15. A102. Caron. This course examines gender relations from the early nineteenth century to the present.  We will analyze the economic, political, and cultural impact on the varying definitions of femininity and masculinity, the changing notions of sexuality, and the continuity and diversity of gender roles.  We will pay particular attention to race, class and ethnicity. This class will be discussion-oriented.

History 339 & 639. Health Care in American Society (3h). MWF 10-10:50. A202. Caron. This course is a broad survey of health care in American society from the precolonial period to the present.  Understanding the evolution of medical care provides a basis for comprehending the context of health care in the twenty-first century.  We will examine the indigenous healing methods of Native Americans; the introduction of European methods; the development of medical technology; the use of anesthesia; the professionalization of medicine; medical education; changes in childbirth procedures; health care during war time; the social impact of diseases; the economics of health care; the ethics of human experimentation; sexually transmitted diseases; the continuing allure of homeopathic healing; and reproductive health issues.

History 357 & 657.The Civil War and Reconstruction (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. B117. Escott. This course focuses on America’s most destructive war, the changes it produced, and their meaning for national values and freedom. The scope of the course is broad, embracing political, social, economic and military history. The questions with which it deals have been and remain central to American values and government
Assigned reading includes the following:
Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
William Gienapp, ed., This Fiery Trial: The Speeches and Writings
of Abraham Lincoln
Emory Thomas, The Confederacy as a Revolutionary Experience
Albion Tourgee, A Fool's Errand
and documents found or posted in our course shell, Blackboard.

History 362 & 662. American Constitutional History (3h). TR 3-4:15. B117. Zick. This course examines the historical events, ideas, societal conditions, and people that have shaped the nature and meaning of the American Constitution.  From the Constitution’s  founding to the contemporary era the course will trace the delicate balance between enumerated and implied  powers of the executive, congressional, and judicial branches of government as they evolve from the interplay of political, economic, social, and cultural forces throughout American history.  The original compromises in framing the Constitution will be contrasted with the liberating vision of natural rights, reflected in the post Civil War adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, and culminating in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s.  Particular attention will be given to significant moments in history that gave rise to struggles among conflicting interests, ideals, and people in landmark Supreme Court cases.  Through the “re-enactment” of several historical debates about the meaning of various constitutional principles, students will wrestle with competing ideas about the interpretation of liberty, due process, equal protection, the privileges and immunities of citizenship, the scope of the commerce power, the implied right of privacy, judicial power, and the executive privilege in time of war.  The analysis of a contemporary constitutional problem from differing historical perspectives will complete the course.
The study of American constitutional history endeavors: to develop an understanding of the history which has fostered the founding and evolution of constitutional principles and law; to cultivate an appreciation of the role that the Constitution and Supreme Court have played in influencing societal relationships, federal–state relations, political institutions, economic interests, and group and individual rights in a democratic society; to critically  analyze the historical context of significant constitutional cases which have interpreted the Constitution;  to master differing theories about the interpretation of the Constitution at significant junctures in American history; and, to demonstrate the application of constitutional principles to a contemporary issue facing America.

History 363 & 663. The American South to Reconstruction (3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A305. Escott. This course covers the history of the South from English settlement until Reconstruction. In this time period the growth of slavery, the development of a distinctive slaveholding culture, and sectional conflicts that led to the Civil War are especially important.
Required reading for the course includes:
Escott, Goldfield, McMillen, and Turner, editors, Major Problems in the History of the American South, Volume I: The Old South
Edmund Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom
Charles Sydnor, American Revolutionaries in the Making
Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave
Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Honor and Violence in the Old South
Emory Thomas, The Confederate Nation.

History 390B & 690B. Research Seminar: Alexander the Great (3h). T 2-4:30. A104. Lerner. The seminar surveys the rise of Macedonia under Alexander III, whose conquests forever fused the destinies of the Greek World and those of Asia and Africa. Even after the kingdoms of his successors yielded to the conquests of the Romans and Parthians, the composite Hellenistic Civilization, or imitations of it, prevailed for several generations in the lands between the Ganges River and Cornwall, and between Gilbraltar and the Aral Sea. The course examines Alexander as king, commander, and statesman primarily from the surviving accounts of five Roman imperial authors -- Diodorus, Quintus Curtius, Plutarch, Arrian, and Justin. Participants of the seminar will make the acquaintance of three Alexanders: Alexander of legend and myth, Alexander as a historical figure, and Alexander the man.

History 390C & 690C. Research Seminar: NC During the American Revolution (3h). T 3-5:30. A305. Hendricks.

History 390D & 690D. Research Seminar: Culture of Poverty in Mexico (3h). R 3-5:30. A104. Wakild. Oscar Lewis, an anthropologist from Illinois, studied Mexican people from about 1930 to 1970. Lewis spent many years first in rural Mexico and then he followed rural people as they left the countryside and came to inhabit impoverished areas of the city. In his studies, Lewis came up with a controversial thesis—that there was a “culture of poverty” that characterized poor people, mainly urban slum dwellers, which made it unable for people raised in poverty to escape it. Some of his works were banned in Mexico. While many scholars have debated the utility, or lack thereof, of such a claim, Lewis’s volumes on the Mexican poor provide us with an enormous resource of primary description that can be used to understand the rural to urban transition. In this seminar, we will begin by reading some of Lewis’ better known works including /Five Familes /and /The Children of Sánchez. /Students will then be asked to choose a topic relating to either the controversial nature of Lewis’ thesis and its application both inside and outside Mexico or to the insights Lewis’s studies might provide into village or slum life in Mexico.

History 391 & 691. Honors Seminar: Historical Argument and Representation (3h). W 3-5:30. A104. Williams.This course is built on the premise that it is the work of the historian to do two things:  first, establish true (probable) propositions about the past and second, deploy appropriate means for representing these truths or probable propositions in such a fashion as to enhance our understanding of the past.  While we will probably have occasion to consider the truth of some the propositions we encounter  (that is to say, think about how well they cohere with the things we know about a subject from other sources and whether they appear plausible given our knowledge of human nature, social organization, and the natural world) our principal concern will be with what can be built on and with those propositions we accept as true, with those assertions we regard as “facts.”  Given some collection of data, some set of facts, about the past, what does the historian do with it? 
After a brief survey of the implicit answers twentieth-century historians gave to this question, we will spend the first part of the semester looking at a form critical to much historical discourse, namely the argument.  Arguments are central not only to the work of historians but to most forms of rational discourse, and we will want to understand why.  Asking first what an argument is, we will then work at learning to recognize, analyze, and evaluate such constructions.  Putting these efforts to the test, we will read two monographs on the French Revolution and attempt to diagram and then evaluate the argument of each work.
In the second part of the course, we will broaden our view and look at forms of verbal representation other than the argument.  We will want to pay particular attention to narrative and consider what, if any, relationship it has to argument.  Can narrative be construed as argument, or is it a wholly separate and competing way of representing the past?  After these efforts to think about the impact representational form has on our view/understanding of the past, we will ask what, if anything, is gained and what is lost by adding imagination to the mix.  We will, in other words, consider whether, ironically, historical fiction can, in some way, contribute to what counts as knowledge of the past.  Finally, we will turn to another medium altogether and ask what impact the use of images has on historical knowledge.

History 392 & 692. Individual Research (3h).

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First Year Seminars

FYS 100. The Image of Wealth and Poverty in the US (3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A104. Smith.

FYS 100. The Dirt on Development (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A305. Wakild. Have you ever wondered how some individuals make a big difference? In this course, we will examine what strategies these difference-makers use to solve the world’s problems and investigate how they can be applied elsewhere. To do so, we will analyze and debate problems of development regarding disease, hunger, finance, sustainability, and environmental change in various areas of the world including our own community. While issues of development can appear, abstract, distant, and too vast to have solutions, there are numerous examples of how individuals committed to causes have sought entrepreneurial solutions with practical applications. These individuals like Muhammad Yunus who founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and Wangari Maathai, creator of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, demonstrate that innovative solutions exist to pressing developmental problems. In this course, we will attempt to replicate some of the successful techniques of individuals like Yunus and Maathai in approaching local issues at Wake Forest University and in Winston-Salem.

FYS 100. Herodotus: Father of History, Father of Lies (3h). W 2-4:30. A05. Lerner. The seminar will focus on the Histories by the 5th century B.C.E. Greek historian Herodotus and will thereby introduce the students to the major personalities, places and events of the ancient Near East and Greece with special emphasis on the 6th - early 5th century B.C.E. It is within this context that the fundamental themes of the class occur: what does “history” mean to Herodotus? What is Herodotus’ point of view? What evidence does he cite -- written as opposed to oral -- and how does he use it? What roles do morality, tragedy, religion, and cause-and-effect play in his composition? The course is designed to teach students to think critically by emphasizing how to read efficiently for information in order to glean the criteria necessary to evaluate the significance of a historical source and to create an interpretation on which a cogent argument can be extracted and defended. To actualize the critical thinking process, the students will be required to develop and argue both through oral and written expression a personal understanding of a given topic based on a synthesis of historical fact and inference, while also commenting thoughtfully on other students’ ideas and insights.

FYS 100. Images of Immigrants at Ellis Island, Disneyland, and Old Salem Village (3h). M 2-4:30 pm. A104. McGraw. Join an on-line and on-site tour of our immigrant heritage as it has been presented at historical sites, museums, and even amusement parks.  How much truth can one find in representations of the “American melting pot” at these venues, and how different were the experiences of our immigrant forebears from more recent arrivals?   This course explores the political, financial, and professional pressures that have shaped some of the most popular displays of the nation’s immigrant past, including Ellis Island and Disneyland.  Students will reconcile these concerns by crafting exhibition proposals that would allow Old Salem Museums and Gardens and other local history sites to reflect accurately the changing face of immigration in Winston-Salem.

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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