Introduction

Courses for Fall 2010
    100 level
    200 level
    300 level
    First Year Seminars

History courses taught at Wake Forest

Research Seminars   

History Courses for Fall 2010

100 Level Courses

History 102A & 102C. Europe & World in Modern Era (3h). MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. A103. White. This course will explore the social, cultural and political transformation of Europe, along with Europe's transformation of the globe, from the 18th through the 20th centuries. From the Glorious Revolution, to the French Revolution, to the Industrial Revolution, to the Russian Revolution to the "Velvet" Revolution - this was an era of profound and often rapid change. We will closely examine how this change impacted the lives of all Europeans, from the lowliest farmer to the haughtiest king. Beyond this, we will also examine how and why Europeans came to dominate the majority of the globe during these centuries, and how this global dominance impacted the lives native peoples throughout the world. This course will also examine in greater detail the role of violence in the shaping of the modern world through close examination of such topics as war, revolt and imperialism. Special topics we will explore in greater detail include the long-term impact of the French Revolution, the impact of European colonization on the peoples of the Congo, the impact of the German "final solution to the Jewish question" and the impact of the process of decolonization in former European colonies.

History 103A & 103B & 103C. World Civilizations to 1500 (3h). MWF 8-8:50, 9-9:50 & 11-11:50. A208. Raley. This course will provide a comparative, thematic study spanning from the Paleolithic origins of humanity and the birth of world civilizations in various locations around the globe following the agricultural revolution of the Neolithic Age to the beginning 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 governance, 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 105A & 105B. Africa in World History (3h). MWF 1-1:50 & 2-2:50. A103. Parent. This course examines the continent of Africa from prehistory to the present in global perspective, as experienced and understood by Africans themselves.  Africa’s vast diversity in ecology, language, tradition, economy, and civilization has all developed in relationship to other regions and peoples of the world.  African origins of humankind and civilizations are opening areas of discussion.  Africans influenced and were influenced by the trends of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. An analysis of internal developments of traditional religions and the world religions of Islam and Christianity will be analyzed.  External pressures will also be analyzed, especially the slave trades and colonial domination.  These pressures have impacted societal formations, patterns of trade, migration, and demography. Resistance to colonial occupation, national independence, and post-colonialism are major themes.  Attention will also be given to changing conceptions of gender and sexuality during Africa’s transition from peasant to modern urban societies.

History 105C. 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 106A. Medieval World Civilizations (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A208. O'Connell. 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? At the end of the course, you should be able to distinguish the significant similarities and differences between the world’s major civilizations and to identify the relationships and points of cultural exchange among these societies. This course is also intended to introduce you to the art of historical inquiry and practice.  What types of questions do historians ask?  What kinds of evidence do they use to answer these questions?   At the end of the course, you should be able to interpret a primary source and to identify the way historians build arguments and create historical narratives. 

History 108A. The Americas and the World (3h). MWF 9-9:50. A102. Ruddiman.

History 108B & 108C & 108F. The Americas and the World (3h). MWF 10-10:50,11-11:50 & 2-2:50. B117, B117 & A208. Hayes. This course explores major developments in the history of the Americas, with consistent attention to the changing global context. Through memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, monographs, and films, we will seek to put a human face on such familiar abstractions as colonialism, slavery, republics, industrialization, and globalization. Class sessions will mix lecture, discussion, film, debate, and source interpretation to uncover the human aspirations, ideals, and struggles of the past five centuries.

History 108D & 108E. The Americas and the World (3h). MWF 11-11:50 & 12-12:50. A102. Blee. This course examines how the histories of the Americas developed in conversation with the larger world from 1500 to the present. The primary focus of the class will be on the relationship between changing global, regional, and national trends and individual experience over time.  Course readings will highlight studies of commodities and trade systems along with personal memoir and testimony through contact, slavery, colonialism, revolution, nationalism, and globalization.  Although the course will cover historical trends that affected the hemisphere as a whole, it will center most heavily upon peoples and commodity studies in Central and North America.

History 109A. Asia and the World (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A305. Heyller. Through the examination of especially visual sources and propaganda, this course explores how East Asia, chiefly China, Japan and Korea, have interacted with the outside world from 1500 to the present. It considers East Asian views of Europe and the US, the nature of early modern commercial and diplomatic relations, the adoption of new technologies and Christianity in East Asia, East Asian “modernization” in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, WWII in East Asia, communism and socialism, the Cold War, and rapid economic development in the region from the late twentieth century to today.

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

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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200 Level Courses

History 230. Russia: Origins to 1865 (3h). MWF 11-11:50. A103. Rupp. This course provides a general survey of the political, social and cultural history of Russia from its origins to the Great Reform era. Topics for examination include the nature of the Kievan, Muscovite and Imperial polities, the structure of Russian society and its relationship to the state, and the impact of westernization and modernization on the development of state and society in the imperial period.

History 231. Russia and the Soviet Union: 1865 to the Present (3h). TR 3-4:15. Duke. This course explores the social, political and economic history of Russia and the Soviet Union from the late imperial period through the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and on to the present day. It will focus on those issues that have been of fundamental, long term significance for Russia and the Soviet Union, including economic underdevelopment and the problematic relationship between state and society.

History 258. The American Colonies to 1750 (3h). MWF 11-11:50. A305. Ruddiman.

History 260. Premodern South Asia (3h). MWF 10-10:50. A208. Rahman.An overview of the people and cultures of ancient and medieval India, this course delves into the rich history and traditions of one of the earliest human civilizations. We will learn about religions, scientific developments, literature, arts, empires, dynasties, cross-cultural interactions, and conquests and defeats in India's premodern history. This class will endeavor to understand the background of India’s present by considering topics such as the Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedic Age, Hinduism, Mauryan Empire, Gupta Era, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagar Empire, and the Mughal Empire. We will use a variety of sources including Sanskrit dramas, religious scriptures, political treatises, autobiographical narratives, royal edicts, monuments, and paintings to explore the diverse cultures and traditions of India.

History 268. African History to 1870 (3h). TR 3-4:15. A102. Plageman. This course is an overview of African history until c.1870.  Because this course covers a large geographical entity as well as an expansive temporal period, it is organized around a number of themes.  Focusing largely on sub-Saharan Africa, we will examine the diversity of African geography and environments, agricultural and technological innovations, the operation of states and stateless societies, social and gendered formations, the creation and expansion of trading systems, slavery and the slave trades, religious change and revolutions, and European contacts prior to colonial rule.  To facilitate our appreciation of these themes, we will examine case studies from various regions and time periods.  In the process, we will analyze a number of source materials, especially primary sources, to increase our understanding of the diversity and range of pre-colonial African historical experience.

300 Level Courses

History 305 & 605. Medieval and Early Modern Iberia(3h). TR 12-1:15. A208. 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 311E. Special Topics: Elizabethan England (3h). MWF 12-12:50. A103. White. The reign of Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603) was one of the longest in English history. It was the age of Shakespeare, Spenser, the Spanish Armada, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, and Puritanism. Her reign is commonly viewed as a “golden age” and remains in the popular conscience through film, novels and television to this day. This course is a detailed exploration of the Elizabethan era through primary sources and historiographical interpretations. We will address three broad topics – politics, religion and national identity. We will explore these topics through themes such as gender, advising, print, imperialism, Protestantism, war, and literature. Through this course we will come into contact with some of the more well-known figures of this era, such as William Cecil, Robert Dudley, Francis Walsingham, Mary Queen of Scots and the Earl of Essex and some lesser-known figures such as John Stubbe, Richard Hakluyt, John Whitgift, “Martin Marprelate” and Robert Parsons. In the end we will address and engage with some of the more important historiographical debates on this period, such as the nature of Queenship vs. Kingship, the concept of the “monarchical republic”, the nature of Puritanism, English colonialism/imperialism in Ireland and beyond, the “two reigns” of Elizabeth, political polarization, and, finally, whether the Elizabethan era truly was a “golden age” or not.

History 338 & 638. Gender in Modern America (3h). MWF 2-2:50. A102. Caron. This course examines gender roles and relations from the early nineteenth century to the present.  We will analyze how political, economic and cultural changes impact the 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. 

History 339 & 639. Sickness and Health in American Society (3h). MWF 10-10:50. A102. Caron. This course is a broad survey of American sickness and health 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; the rise of 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 348 & 648. Samurai and Geisha: Fact, Film, and Fiction (3h). TR 12-1:15. A103. Hellyer. This course focuses on two well-known groups in Japanese history, the samurai (warriors) and geisha (entertainers).  By analyzing historical studies and primary sources, as well as works of fiction and films about samurai and geisha, the course considers how Japanese and Western historians, novelists, and filmmakers have portrayed the two groups and by implication Japan and its history in the modern period.

History 351 & 651. Global Environmental History (3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A102. Wakild. This thematic, comparative class examines world history through sustained attention to the biological, chemical, geological, and physical systems that both sustain and challenge human life.  We will ask how spiritual beliefs, scientific understandings, national boundaries, political agendas, economic conflicts, and cultural differences play into the ways we (as humans) create, alter, and use various aspects of the natural world.  We will inquire how these uses changed over time, to what ends, and for what reasons.  The course is explicitly comparative--spanning time from the invention of agriculture through the banning of pesticides and moving in place to every continent on earth.  It is intended provide you with enough information to make meaningful comparisons, useful generalizations, and specific understandings about the ways in which humans have shaped and been shaped by non-human nature. 

History 358 & 658. Race and the Courts (3h). TR 12-1:15. B117. 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 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 impact of Dred Scott 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; the analysis of civil rights during the Great Depression and the New Deal; separate but equal applications in American life; voting rights issues; 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 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 which are predicated upon the judicial interpretation of the rights of its citizens.

History 362 & 662. American Constitutional History (3h). TR 3-4:15. A208. Zick.

History 365 & 665. Modern Native American History (3h). MW 3-4:15. A208. Blee. This course examines the historic and enduring presence of indigenous peoples of North America from 1830 to the present.  This course begins with the premise that Native Americans have actively produced their own histories but have also resisted, engaged with, and adapted to federal programs, laws, and popular conceptions of Native Americans in many different ways. Throughout the course we will read primary and secondary sources written about or by native people, and our interpretive task will be to center indigenous perspectives in the events and ideas that we discuss.

History 387 & 687. Islamic Empires Compared: the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals (3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A102. Wilkins. This course examines in a comparative way central themes in the history of the three great Muslim empires of the early modern period (1400-1800), before the onset of European colonialism.  One theme the course considers is the problem of political legitimacy faced by Muslim rulers, who were mainly Turkic outsiders in an Arab, Persian, or Indian majority society.  How did the subject populations come to accept the rule of a culturally alien conqueror?  In a related theme, the course explores the religious diversity of these empires and the policies by which the states recognized and negotiated religious difference.  What compromises were made with long-established Islamic tradition?  Third and finally, the course turns to the relationship between war and other aspects of Islamic society.  The standing armies maintained by each empire were effective in wartime but a potentially destabilizing force in peacetime.  How did each state divert and channel the energies of its military to avoid insurrection?  How each of these three empires dealt with these challenges offers lessons to observers of Muslim societies today.

History 390A & 690A. Revolutions in the Modern World (3h). T 3-5:30. B116. Wakild. How do you stage a revolution? What makes revolutions, revolutionary?  Why would people abandon stability and opt for revolutionary change?  This seminar interrogates theories of revolution and examples of revolutionary action as a framework for understanding social change, historical justice, state building, and economic development in the twentieth century.  While the main focus will involve examples from Latin America, students will choose a research topic involving some aspect of a specific twentieth-century revolution to then craft and compose a substantial research paper based on primary documents. 

History 390C & 690C. Research Seminar: Travelers in the Early Modern Middle East (3h). W 2-4:30. A104. Wilkins. The Early Modern Era (1400-1800) saw an unprecedented rise in the number of world travelers.  Including merchants, pilgrims, bureaucrats, diplomats, spies, scholars, and others, they generated a vast travel literature that articulated many different perspectives, motives, and agendas.  Foreign travel can be seen as assisting cross-cultural understanding, but one could argue that just as often it helped only confirm the point of view of the traveler.  This seminar will examine the reasons for the rise of world travel and the vexed question of Orientalism and conclude with an exploration of selected European travelers in the Middle East and selected Middle Easterner travelers in Europe. Making use of primary English language sources, students will be invited to write substantial research papers on a single traveler or otherwise examine a theme or pattern among multiple accounts.

History 391 & 691. Honors Seminar (3h). R 2-4:30. A104. Escott. Required for majors who are seeking departmental honors, this seminar examines the enterprise of writing history through analysis of the work of some fine historians.  Assigned readings will focus on important studies of slavery and racism in the US past, and frequent papers will supplement class discussions.

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

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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First Year Seminars

FYS 100. Exploring India through Travelers and Travelogues (3h). MWF 12-12:50. A104. Rahman. This first-year seminar explores facets of Indian society through the eyes of indigenous and foreign travelers. Hundreds and even thousands of visitors from different parts of the world have penned their observations on and reminiscences about their travels in India. This rich body of literature vividly captures the social, economic, political, and cultural history of India. Since travel accounts differ in perspective and detail, this course will use travelogues, such as the ones from the Greek ambassador Megasthenes (3rd century BCE), the Chinese Buddhist scholars Fa-Hsien (4th-5th century) and Hsuan Tsang (7th century), the famed Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta (14th century), the Mughal Emperor Babur (16th century), and the noted American writer and humorist Mark Twain (19th century). Such travel accounts will be complemented with a host of visual sources in order to explore various themes such as geography, landscape, religious rites, customs, festivals, and politics of India.   

FYS 100. The Image of Wealth and Poverty in U. S. History (3h). T 2-4:30 & W 2-4:30. B117. Smith. After World War II, the economic promise of the U.S.  was that prosperity would grow so much that people did not need to be poor.  Poverty could be abolished without lessening the prosperity of the rich.  By 2007 that optimism had faded. The statement that “The poor you will have with you always” became more prominent. The relation of the poor to the rich was dependent on the reputations of the two groups in the minds of Americans.  The election of 2008 drew attention to  the role of community government in the treatment of the rich and the poor.

The seminar will study what Americans have historically and recently thought about who should be wealthy and who should be poor. What are the burdens of being identified as rich or poor?    Should we have sympathy for the rich minority or for the large group who are poor? How have we depicted the rich and the poor in art and literature?  Is there any reason a person should give away power and prestige?   By what right does a community take money from the rich and give it to the poor—as in graduated income tax?  Should philanthropy and volunteerism change the reputation of wealth and poverty?  Do the wealthy and the poor need each other?

Short weekly projects or papers and one extended project or paper, which we will all critique, will guide discussions of what Americans in the past and present believed about the meaning of being wealthy or being poor.  When the admiration of wealth and the respect for volunteerism and charity come in conflict, what do the sparks of the collision illuminate about us?

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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