History Courses for Spring 2004

100 Level Courses

History 101A&D. 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 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 101B&C. Western Civilization to 1700 (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15 & 1:30-2:45. A102. Fitzgibbon. This course will provide you with an overview of Western civilization from the time of ancient Sumer through the Renaissance. We will pay special attention to the development of urban life, Western political institutions, Judeo-Christian religious traditions, humanism, individualism, and civility. The supplementary reading will allow us to explore Western conceptions of war.

History 102A&D. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:50 10-10:50. A103. Gillespie. This course examines the legacy of the western world from the end of the seventeenth century to the present and considers this legacy for understanding the human experience in all its diversity today. We will explore the role of Europe in shaping the trans-Atlantic economy and the spread of slavery, the scientific revolution and the ideas of the Enlightenment, the causes and meanings of the French Revolution, industrialization and the Marxist response, the ideologies of change and the national state, the rise of modernity and the age of anxiety, the new imperialism, the world wars and their consequences, the Cold War and the transition to a new European order in a global society. We will pay close attention to identity and its connection to changing ideas about the relationship between the individual and society in Europe and the world.

History 102B. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. A102. Barefield. A survey of modern Europe from 1700 to the present. Focus varies with instructor.

History 102F&G. Europe and the World in the Modern Era (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. A102. Bobroff. A survey of modern Europe from 1700 to the present.

History 103A&B. World Civilizations to 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:50 & 10-10:50. A208. Villagomez. A survey of the ancient, classical and medieval civilizations of Eurasia with a brief look at American and sub-Sararan societies. Focus varies with instructor.

History 104A&C. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). TR 8-9:15 & 9-10:45. Parent. This course surveys global development since 1500 using documentary, analytical, and narrative texts. Particular attention will be paid to the emergence of world systems, regional comparison, migrations of people, technological innovation, and class, racial and gender differentiation. Class participation and attendance are both critical to the success of this course. These areas will count twenty-five percent of the grade. The seven-page theme paper, midterm and final will each count twenty-five percent of the grade. The registrar schedules the final. Students are required to develop a theme paper from the required texts.

History 104B&G. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). TR 12-1:25 & 1:30-2:45. A103. Connell. This course will examine the social, political, environmental, economic, and cultural trends in the modern world since about 1300. The historical experiences of the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia will be considered. Emphasis will be placed on connections and contacts that link disparate peoples. In approaching the topic, students will be asked to employ the tools of history (analysis, critical thought, research, and argument) to explain or to demonstrate an understanding of change over time. Questions suited to a macrohistorical study of the modern world will be pursued. In so doing, lectures and discussions will draw upon themes of colonization and encounter, industrialization and the environment, diversity and human interaction, and globalization.

History 104D&F. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50 & 1-1:50. A102. Hastings. This course will consider the major world civilizations as they have developed both in isolation and in contact with other cultures over the past 600 years. The focus will be on the civilizations of India, China, the Islamic World, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa...their internal developments as well as their respective encounters with European culture. We will be concerned with such topics as exploration and conquest, trade, slavery, colonialism and resistance, the rise of nationalism, and above all social change. We will therefore incorporate into our analysis non-Western and non-elite perspectives on history, concerning ourselves with how major (and often seemingly minor) historical developments have affected the lives of ordinary people and how they have dealt with change.

History 104E & 104I. World Civilizations since 1500 (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15 & 3-4:15. B117. Wilson. A survey of the major civilizations of the world in the modern and contemporary periods.

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 211A. CLQ: Technology and American Society, 1940-2000 (4c/3h). MWF 11-11:50. A103. Fitzgibbon. The data-processing machines, guided missiles, antibiotics, nuclear weapons, and semiconductors developed between the late 1930s and the early 1950s gave Americans the means to transform everyday life, international relationships, and the world economy after World War II. In this course, we will explore the cultural and institutional environments that encouraged the further development of these technologies and shaped their uses. Course assignments will include motion pictures that shaped the public’s perception of technological change, scholarly studies of government- and university-sponsored research, and trade books that explore technology’s impact on work, leisure, popular culture, and war during the past 60 years.
Topics:
The Atomic Age
The Space Race
Automobility
Las Vegas, Gambling
Nuclear Energy
The Transformation of Work
The Fast Food Industry
Rap Music, Sampling
Silicon Valley
Virtual Communities
Biotechnology
The Revolution in Military Affairs

History 211E. CLQ: Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century (4c/3h). MWF 1-1:50. A103. Rupp. This course examines the history of Eastern Europe from the final years of imperial rule to the collapse of Communist regimes, and includes a consideration of political, social and cultural change over the past hundred years.

History 211WA. CLQ: Atlantic World Encounters (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A103. Connell. The dynamic interchange of peoples and the contact of cultures in the European, American and African worlds in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries provide an opportunity to grapple with issues of perspective, legitimacy, power, culture, religion, and empire. Reading the encounter from the perspective indigenous peoples, Spaniards, and African points of view will provide insight into the dynamics of cultural interchange during this dramatic era. We will read primary accounts in conjunction with some of the theoretical literature of encounter.

History 211WB. CLQ: Religion, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Modern South Asia (4c/3h). M 3-5:30. B117. Hastings. In recent decades, the news from India and other nations of South Asia has seemed to center on increasingly violent confrontations between religious and ethnic communities: advocates of a Sikh homeland in India, a Buddhist-Hindu civil war in Sri Lanka, militant Muslims attacking Hindus in Kashmir and Christians in Pakistan, militant Hindus attacking Muslims throughout India, riots, bombings, and other forms of communal and collective violence. Though these conflicts appear to be religious in nature, and to reflect older animosities, they are also seemingly dominated by the ideologies and rhetoric of modern religious and ethnic nationalism. The goal of this course is thus to understand the ways in which these conflicts are, on the one hand, related to the global rise in incidents of religious and ethnic violence and, on the other hand, have their own social and political histories.

History 211WC. CLQ: Hst/Wom&Devel/Africa/20thC (4c/3h). W 2-4:30. A103. Wilson.

History 211WD. CLQ: France and US Vietnam (4c/3h). W 3-5:30. A208. Sinclair.

History 232. European Historical Novels (2c/1.5h). R 3:15-5:30. Barefield. The class meets seven times during the semester on Thursday afternoons from 3:15-5:30 at Barefield's house within the gates of Wake Forest. The course is for 2 credits or 1.5 hours. The novels to be read are War and Peace, The Name of the Rose, and The Leopard. The class is limited to 12 students. POI.

History 251. The United States before 1865 (4c/3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A208. Hendricks. This course is designed to survey U. S. history from its origins to the end of the Civil War utilizing a textbook, documents, lectures, outside reading, a site visit, net sources and discussion. Students are expected to master not only the factual structure of the periods and topics being studied but also the historical concepts, theories, and techniques used to categorize and interpret the story of these people and their times. Class attendance and participation are expected.

History 287. Honors in History I (4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. B116. Parent. The purpose of the course is to grapple with the significance of slavery in world history. Students are required to read assigned texts, participate in class discussions, and present an oral and written report using slavery as a topic in world history approved by the professor. All honors students must take History 287. POI.

History 288. Honors in History II (4c/3h). Staff. Writing of a major research paper. POI. Times arranged.

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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300 Level Courses

History 310A & 610A. Seminar: Philanthropy in US Culture (4c/3h). T 3-5:30. B116. Smith.

History 310B & 610B. Seminar: Race, Class and Gender in American History (4c/3h). W 2-4:30. A104. Caron.

History 310E & 610E. Seminar: Political and Social History of Europe, 1848-1989 (4c/3h). T 3-5:30. A104. Hughes. In this course you will undertake on your own an extended project of historical research. You will pick and define a topic (in European history since 1848), search out appropriate primary and secondary sources (predominantly the former), and research your topic on the basis of those sources. You will then prepare a 20- to 30-page (5000- to 7500-word) paper in which you will assert a thesis about the topic and provide a convincing argument in support of that thesis. The various assignments and meetings scheduled in the course during the semester are designed to help you think about topic selection, research, and writing. I will be available throughout the semester to assist you in this endeavor by making suggestions, answering questions, and providing an opportunity for you to discuss your ideas.

History 310W & 610W. Seminar: The World Between the Wars (4c/3h). R 3-5:30. A208. Lockyer. Traditionally, our accounts of the first half of the twentieth century are dominated by the First and Second World Wars. For many, however, the years between the wars were more important than the wars themselves, redefining the basic assumptions, structures, and practices of political economy, society, and culture and so creating the world within which we still live today. In this course, therefore, we will look at the interwar period in order to explore how the modern world came into being. Broad themes are: the twilight of Western imperialism and the rise of colonial nationalism; the emergence of the US as a world power and the birth of Communist Russia; the Great Depression, state intervention in the economy (the New Deal, Keynesian economics, Communist planning, Fascist corporatism), and the rise of protectionism. Particular people, events, and phenomena might include, but are not limited to: Chaplin, the dust bowl, Freud, Gandhi, Henry Ford, Hoover and FDR, international modernism, jazz, the KMT, the League of Nations, Lenin, mandates, Metropolis, Mussolini, Panama, skyscrapers (and elevators), the special theory of relativity, the TVA, the welfare state, and wireless communication.
The aim of the class is for students to do some original research and write a substantial paper. We will therefore spend the first third of the semester reading broadly, deciding individual topics, and establishing preliminary bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. We will continue to meet regularly during the semester in order to discuss problems of research, interpretation, and writing.

History 317 & 617. French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire (4c/3h). MWF 9-9:50. B117. Williams.

History 318 & 618. Weimar Germany (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. GRNE 340. Hughes & Thomas. This course is an exploration of the arts in Central Europe, 1905-1933, in historical context. We will read novels, stories, and poems; view some of the best of the early films; listen to challenging and stimulating music; and look at vibrant and provocative paintings, etchings, woodprints, and sculptures. All along we will be seeking to understand how these works of art, which speak to us still, are nonetheless rooted in a particular time and place, in the economic, social, and political institutions and developments of their day. The course is team taught with Prof. Rebecca Thomas of the German Dept.

History 332 & 632. Russia and the Soviet Union: 1865-Present (4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. B117. Bobroff. This course explores the social, political and economic history of Russia and the Soviet Union from the late imperial period to the collapse of Communism. It will focus on those issues which have been of fundamental, longterm significance for Russia and the Soviet Union, such as economic underdevelopment and the problematic relationship between state and society.

History 344 & 644. Modern China (4c/3h). TR 1:30-2:45. A104. Sinclair. A study of China from 1644 to the present.

History 345 & 645. The Middle East since 1500 (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A208. Villagomez. A survey of modern Middle Eastern history from the collapse of the last great Muslim unitary states to the present day. Topics include the rise and demise of the Ottoman and Safavid empires; socio-political reform; the impact of colonialism; Qajar Iran; the development of nationalism; and contemporary social and economic challenges.

History 348 & 648. Japan since 1800 (4c/3h). T 3-5:30. A208. Lockyer. In 1600 Japan was recovering from over a century of civil war. By 1800 Edo (modern day Tokyo) was the largest city in the world. And at one point during the 1980s, the land under the Imperial Palace was hypothetically worth more than the whole state of California. This course traces the history of Japan over the last 400 years, focusing on the period since the 19th century. Topics include the culture of warfare and the politics of peace; early modern urbanization, economic growth, and entertainment; 19th century revolutions; Japan’s relationship to Europe and America; modern industrialization and social transformation; Japan’s empire in Asia; the Pacific War and the Occupation; the postwar economic boom and the collapse of the bubble. Class will be a combination of intensive discussion and occasional lecture. Readings will include primary sources and other contemporary writing, as well as secondary texts. The goal of the class is for students to think critically about Japan’s place in the world, and to write imaginatively about how we can understand its past.

History 352 & 652. US Soc. History II (4c/3h). MWF 10-10:50. B117. Caron.

History 354 & 654. Revol & Early America: 1763-1815 (4c/3h). W 3-5:30. A102. Hendricks. This course is designed to enhance students' knowledge of the events and personalities of the American Revolution, the Confederation, the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, the formation of the new nation, the Federalist and the Jeffersonian Eras. Lectures, text, discussion, and outside reading will highlight the events, ideas, and movements in the social, economic, political, and cultural life of Revolutionary and Early National America. Past and recent historical interpretations will be investigated to determine their validity and objectivity.

History 357 & 657. The Civil War & Reconstruction (4c/3h). TR 1:30-2:45. B117. Escott. The political and military events of the war and the economic, social, and political readjustments which followed.

History 362 & 662. American Constitutional History (4c/3h). TR 3-4:15. A103. Zick. Origins of the Constitution, the controversies involving the nature of the Union, and constitutional readjustments to meet the new American industrialism.

History 364 & 664. The New South(4c/3h). MWF 12-12:50. A103. Gillespie. The New South (with a Service Learning component) Subdivisions, shopping malls, and corporate centers are as ubiquitous in the South as the rest of the U.S. Do these developments and the political, economic, and social changes that have accompanied this reshaping of the southern landscape represent the New South? When did its contours take shape: Reconstruction, during industrialization and cotton mills, through urbanization and progressive reform, or in response to Jim Crow and its overturning with the Civil Rights movement? This course examines the multiple “New Souths” since 1865 and their legacies.

History 397. Historical Writing Tutorial (2c/1.5h). Staff. Individual supervision of historical writing to improve a project initiated in History 288 or History 310. Permission of instructor required. Does not count toward major or minor requirements. Times arranged.

History 398 & 698. Individual Study (1-4c/1-3h). Staff. A project in an area of study not otherwise available in the department; permitted upon departmental approval of petition presented by a qualified student. Times arranged.

History 399 & 699. Directed Reading (1-4c/1-3h). Staff. Concentrated reading in an area of study not otherwise available. Permission of instructor required.Times arranged.

First Year Seminars

FYS 100. Fallout Shelters & Cold War (4c/3h). TR 9:30-10:45. A104. Hendricks.

FYS 100. Sports Histories: Sex and Race, Money and Empire(4c/3h). TR 12-1:15. A104. Lockyer. Why do people play games? Do men and women play differently? Is there a difference between games, sports, and exercise (between football, yoga, and chess)? Are some people better athletes than others? Why are some sports more popular than others? In this seminar, we will try to answer these questions historically. We will explore how sports have evolved, in the West and other societies, from social, often violent, rituals to a multinational industry. How have sports worked, or not, to distinguish rulers and ruled, rich and poor? How have sports been used to define what it means to be masculine and feminine, black, white, red, or yellow? And how have sports made money? Why do most of us now watch more sport than we play? Why is Wake the Demon Deacons and not the Z. Smith Reynolds Library?
After a short introduction to the problem of play and some ways of thinking about it, we will spend the majority of our time on various case-studies, which may include: fox hunting; cricket in the West Indies and India; horse racing, cockfighting, boxing, and betting; sexual stereotypes and homophobia; the invention of martial arts and sumo; the making of the modern Olympics; soccer in the Americas; stadium wars; Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods; and college athletics. Requirements will include: active participation in class discussion; short, regular writing assignments; and a two-part final project, to be presented first as a research paper and subsequently on the web.

 100 level  |  200 level  |  300 level  |  FYS

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