HIST & MSP

Introduction to the study of history intended for first- and second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussion, and writing about different historical topics and periods, and emphasize the enhancement of critical and communication skills. Several seminars are offered each term. Not more than two Introductory Seminars may be counted toward the major in history.

An introduction to Global History since 1492.

This is a survey course in modern world history. It covers a period in which the main historical questions about what happened, and why, more and more involve global circumstances, global beliefs about those conditions, and global structures to solve problems. This course can therefore be an essential foundation for other courses dwelling on particular regions or nations.

This course surveys the modern history of human rights, focusing on political, legal, and intellectual trends from the late 18th century to the present.

A comparative, global history of communism: from the rise of Marxism in the nineteenth century, to the establishment of Marxist-Leninist regimes across the globe in the twentieth century, to the collapse of communism in the 1980s.

Grounded in discussion and analysis of primary sources from twentieth-century genocides, key works of scholarship, and documentary films, this course endeavors to understand the complex but tragically recurring process whereby regimes from across the political spectrum implement policies of one-sided mass killing and transform ordinary people into genocidal killers.

This class studies fascism as an ideology, movement, and regime in a global framework. Thematic perspectives include: the origins and theories of fascism, key terms in the fascist lexicon, motives that brought people to fascism, fascism as an aesthetics and lived experience, and the role of women in fascism. We will also study the historical articulations of antifascism, i.e. groups and individuals who have fought against fascism over the years.

Survey of Christianity in the Medieval, Reformation, and Modern Periods.

This course examines global ecological connections throughout time and offers a narrative of environmental history that is more inclusive of regions outside of Europe and North America such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It explores the relationship between humans and their environments over the course of history and places special emphasis on the past century of ecological change and what has recently been called the Anthropocene.

Climate change is widely regarded as the most important environmental question of the present. This course equips students to engage with the study of climate change from multiple perspectives. Part 1 surveys how understandings of the climate developed and transformed. Part 2 explores how historical climatology lends new insights to familiar historical questions. Part 3 explores the history of environment and climate as political issues.

Surveys how cultures have developed technology from the earliest times to the end of the twentieth century. Includes both western and non-western cultures and explores how different cultures have used technology to produce economic abundance, social order, and cultural meaning. No technical or scientific expertise required.

Covers epidemic diseases such as plague, cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS in world history since 1500.

This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the history of cartography that ranges across the globe from oldest surviving images of pre-history to GIS systems of the present day. It approaches map history from a number of disciplinary perspectives, including the history of science, the history of cartography, critical theory and literary studies, anthropology, historical geography, and spatial cognition and wayfinding.

This course explores the workings of law and sovereignty in a changing world-historical landscape, mixing conceptual readings with concrete case studies across space and time. By exploring the discourses and practices of sovereignty-making across world history, we develop a more grounded approach to the issue and its contours in global politics today, from disputes over the high seas to discourses on "failed states" and interventions.

An exploration of the geopolitical and ideological conflict that dominated world affairs from 1945 to 1990. Assignments include the readings of historical work, as well as primary sources, some of which are recetly declassified material from the major states involved in the Cold War.

Surveys the history of the First British Empire to 1815, with concentration on the 18th century and on the loss of the American Colonies as a breaking point. Explores problems inherent in the imperial relationship between Mother Country and colonies and is an introduction to studies in colonialism and imperialism as they relate to the histories of England, early America, the West Indies, and South Asia and Africa.

This course examines the patterns of development of Great Britain and the United States as international powers. It illustrates their differences and similarities, what they have to tell us about the role of dependency on great power status, and the effects these had on their politics, economics and societies, as well as the countries with which they became involved.

An interdisciplinary, historical exploration of the globalization of sociotechnical systems over the past 500 years. How have various cultures responded to imported technologies and the organizations and values that accompany them? What can this teach us about our own "technological ideology" today?

Grounded in the field of environmental history, this course examines the ways in which environmental changes and perceptions of nature have interacted with socio-economic structures and processes associated with the expansion of Europe since the 15th century.

This class investigates the global rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the second half of the twentieth century. The class will explore major global events such as the division of Europe, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the spread of the cold war into the developing world, the revolutions of 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

This class will explore the impact of war upon society during the twentieth century, including World Wars I and II; conflicts in Korea and Vietnam; wars of national liberation and decolonization; and small-scale 'counter-insurgency' conflicts. Topics covered include: popular mobilization for war;civil liberties in wartime; civilian casualties; the ethics of violence; genocide; technology; and cultural production in wartime societies.

Overview of the issues and challenges involved in historical interpretation at public history sites, primarily in the United States. Includes a review of general literature on public history, exploration of diverse sources frequently used, and analysis of some recent public history controversies.

History of genocide and other forms of one-sided, state-sponsored mass killing in the twentieth century. Case studies include the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the mass killings that have taken place under Communist regimes (e.g., Stalin's USSR, Mao's China, Pol Pot's Cambodia).

This course explores the history of museums as well as themes and challenges in a variety of forms of public history. It relies heavily on classroom discussion, field trips, archival research, and hands-on exhibit design. Students learn about the origins of the modern museum as well as the important areas of debate within the museum community on presenting various topics. As a capstone project, they design their own exhibit.

At the Great War's centennial, we take stock of how it shaped life in the 20th century for peoples around the globe. Movies, memoirs, government reports and other texts throw light on causes of the war, the human carnage of 1914-18, Woodrow Wilson's effort to end war forever with a League of Nations, the demise of liberalism and the rise of fascism and communism in postwar Europe, and the launch of anti-colonial movements in Asia and Africa.

This course provides a survey of the greatest, most destructive war in human history. Perhaps 50 million people were killed in the Second World War, and the conflict reached every corner of the globe. Its political, social, and human consequences were vast and shape the world we live in today.

Required for history majors, to be completed before enrollment in the Major Seminar. Introduces a variety of approaches to the study of history, methods for finding and analyzing primary and secondary sources, and the construction of historical arguments. Workshops are offered on a variety of topics each term.

The course examines the role of intelligence and espionage in the 20th century. It compares and contrasts the U.S. effort with British and Soviet operations. It looks at the impact of technology on intelligence activities and its influence on policy decisions.

This course offers a history of Americans' involvement in the Middle East and responses to them. Using new approaches to international history, we study 19th-century pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Wilsonian diplomacy, oil businesses, philanthropists, Zionists, spies in the Cold War, and finally the soldiers who fought the Iraq war. Students write a final paper based on research at the Library of Congress or National Archives.

This course reviews some common traps in historical reasoning and suggests ways of avoiding them.

Comparative study of the historical development of selected advanced economies (e.g., the United States, England, Japan, continental Europe). The nations covered vary with instructor. Cross-listed with ECON 4400.

The major seminar is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. The work of the seminar results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pages in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.

The major colloquium is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the colloquium. Colloquia are most frequently offered in areas of history where access to source materials or linguistic demands make seminars especially difficult. Students in colloquial prepare about 25 pages of written work distributed among various assignments. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.

Topics courses are small, discussion-oriented classes available to any student with sufficient background and interest in a particular field of historical study. Offered irregularly, they are open to majors or non-majors on an equal basis.

Studies historical approaches, techniques, and methodologies introduced through written exercises and intensive class discussion. Normally taken during the third year. Prerequisite: Open only to students admitted to the Distinguished Majors Program.

Analyzes problems in historical research. Preparation and discussion of fourth-year honors theses. Normally taken during the fourth year. Intended for students who will be in residence during their entire fourth year. Prerequisite: Open only to students admitted to the Distinguished Majors Program.

Analyzes problems in historical research.  Preparation and discussion of fourth-year honors theses.  Intended for Distinguished Majors who will have studied abroad in the fall of their fourth year.  Prerequisite: Open only to students admitted to the Distinguished Majors Program.

In exceptional circumstances and with the permission of a faculty member any student may undertake a rigorous program of independent study designed to explore a subject not currently being taught or to expand upon regular offerings. Independent study projects may not be used to replace regularly scheduled classes. Enrollment is open to majors or non-majors.

This course will explore all aspects of conceptualizing, planning for, and creating a scholarly digital edition. It provides a basic introduction to the various types of digital editions, the practice of editing in the digital age, and a survey of the many digital tools available to serve project goals.

The seminar orients students to the professional world of statecraft by working through historical case studies.  Breaking down critical episodes step by step, analyzing the perspectives, information, and choices of different participants, students gain more lifelike education and insight. Applying templates for policy design and assessment, they get more experience working on public problems and learning a lot of history along the way.

Reading, discussion, and analysis of classic as well as contemporary works of scholarship on global history.

How is history conveyed and consumed outside of the academy?  How is the past presented and explained to various audience--at museums and historic sites and through movies, documentary films, radio, social media, and journalism? From historic house museums to African American preservation sites, this course blends theory and practice by providing an informed and engaging overview of the many aspects of public history.

The social scientific approach to historical inquiry, the formulation of theories, and their testing with historical data. Includes extensive directed readings in quantitative history and training in quantitative methods, sampling, the organization of a data-set, and data analysis. Prerequisite: Introductory course in statistics or instructor permission.

Explores the circulation of goods throughout the world in the early modern and modern periods, and its cultural implications and consequences. Readings approach trade from a number of standpoints, including commodities, traders, trade routes, media of exchange, and consumers. Most major world areas will be represented, but there will be particular emphasis on Europe and its commercial relations with non-European lands and peoples.

The course examines theoretical perspectives relevant to the discovery and interpreting of historical phenomena. Topics include memory; identity; trauma; narrative; practices of inference; nation-state and trans-nationality; space; and the role of normative assumptions. Likely authors include B. Anderson, Bourdieu, Brubaker, Confino, Flyvbjerg, Geertz, Ginzburg, Kuhn, LaCapra, Megill, Moyn, J. C. Scott, J. W. Scott, Sewell, Weber, White. Prerequisites: Minimum admission standard: 3rd year undergrad. Undergrads must request permission and see the instructor before the class starts.

For the past forty years the role of Pius XII and the Vatican during World War II has been controversial. This seminar will look at that controversy and place it in the context of newly available archival material. The studnets will read severalbooks on both sides of the question and then present their own research papers, the topics of which will be chosen in consultation with the professor.

Study of how a large empire governed a diverse population, between 1453 and 1918, from the perspective of concerns about recent nationalist, racial and ethnic conflicts in modern nation states. Course 1st examines how the Ottomans managed relations between ethnic and religious groups to 1750, then the reasons for increased communial conflicts after 1750, and their efforts to re-engineer relations among groups along liberal, constitutional lines.

Historical study of 'slavery' from very early times through the nineteenth century, on a global scale (including ancient Mediterranean, Islamic world, Africa, Europe, and the Americas).

Examines European legal regimes as they moved around the globe and considers those regimes' interactions with one another and with non-European legal cultures from 1500 to the twentieth century. Themes include: empire formation and legal pluralism; conflicting ideas of property; interaction of settler and indigenous peoples; forced labor and migration; the law of nations; and piracy and the law of the sea.

This seminar-based workshop introduces advanced undergraduate and graduate students to a variety of methods and platforms for digital research featuring geospatial data. Students will contribute to a common research project as they learn geospatial visualization methods using ArcGIS Online, MapScholar, Neatline, and VisualEyes. Tutorials with visualization experts, discussions of common readings, and independent projects will be featured. Prerequisite: Graduate student or College 3rd or 4th year.

Readings and discussion of the history of genocide and other forms of one-sided, state-sponsored mass killing in the twentieth century.

Examines the history of documentary photography, the work of some of the most significant documentary photographers of the past and the present, and the ethical and theoretical issues which surround documentary practice.

This course is designed to introduce students to a wide range of historical approaches.

Introduces graduate students in History to the growing literature on world history, with emphasis on the epistemology of history, both the usual regional fields and history on broader scales. Supports the qualifying examination fields for the PhD. May be taken, with instructor approval, at any point in the graduate program.

Introduces graduate students in all fields of history to their overlapping and complementing aspects in an Atlantic context from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. It distinguishes a historical epistemology significantly distinct from, but also integral to, any of its component fields. Thus it supports regional graduate history fields and dissertation research. It also orients students toward development of qualifications to meet the "world history" component of many current teaching positions. Graduate students in other departments may find the colloquium a useful enhancement to their primary academic agendas, as well as for reflection on the relationships of thinking historically to their own academic disciplines. ABDs are welcome to participate in the colloquium as a dissertation-writing workshop.

This graduate seminar for PhD students explores the recent scholarship in international and transnational history of the twentieth century. It exposes students to work on imperialism, ideologies of global war and peacemaking, radical political ideologies of the right and the left, global economic upheaval, genocide, refugee and humanitarian movements, decolonization, modernization, the United Nations, and the post-Cold War world.

This colloquium will consider how to think historically about empire in comparative and transnational context. We will depart from the nation-state as the fundamental unit of inquiry, looking instead to: flows of goods, people, biota and ideas across borders; the formation of networks of trade, identity and influence; the formation of communites in the interstices of global geography; empire as a pivot of international power.

Extensive directed readings on selected topics, covering both substantive historical literature and relevant theoretical works. Students must write a minimum of two papers during the term.

Graduate colloquium devoted to comparative readings in colonial Latin America and colonial British America, co-taught by specialists in each of the respective fields. Identifies broad areas of similarity and contrast in the settlement and development of the two colonial societies.

A colloquium open to students in all fields and periods. Examines new approaches, methods, and subject matter in the broad area of social history.

This course explores in a comparative, transnational approach the modern global history of forced migration, genocide, and human rights with special emphasis on problems of history, memory, and the links between the local, national, and global.

Reading and discussion of new trends in the field of War and Society.

Examines the role of technology in both American history and world history. Readings introduce major issues and methodology. No technical or scientific expertise required.

Introduces students to the literature and methods of environmental history from a global perspective. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

A survey of recent literature on the history of gender and sexuality from the late eighteenth to the twentieth centuries.  The class is both comparative and transnational with readings drawn from literatures on the United States, Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Master's Essay Writing offers first-year doctoral students in History and those in the JD/MA program a workshop in which to discuss and develop an article-length work of original scholarship. Prerequisite: First-year history Ph.D. students or JD/MA students

A general research seminar for students needing to meet seminar requirements for the M.A. or Ph.D. degrees during the nine-week summer session. Not open to degree candidates enrolled during the regular academic session. Prerequisite: Permission of the director of graduate studies or chair of the department.

This course offers graduate students an opportunity to research and write an article-length history research essay of publishable quality in any field. Research will be conducted with the guidance of the faculty dissertation adviser. A revised version of the essay can be submitted to fulfill the master's essay requirement for students in History. This course fulfills one of the two required research seminars for History graduate students. Prerequisite: Graduate students in History or permission of instructor

Studies English legal thought in the nineteenth century, particularly the background, opinions, and conception of law held by Blackstone, Bentham, John Austin, Lord Eldon, Sir Henry Maine, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, A.V. Dicey, and F.W. Maitland. (See School of Law listing.)

Research seminar on topics of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English legal history. Limited (if necessary) to 18, and preference is given (if necessary) to those who have taken English Legal Thought.

Research course on law in comparative, transnational, and imperial contexts, to 1850.

This research seminar is intended to provide students interested in the history of gender and sexuality or in women's history an opportunity to develop research directions for their dissertations. The seminar is comparative and will address themes relevant to different fields and time periods. We will spend the first half of the semester discussing shared readings and devote the rest of the semester to meetings to a final research paper.

A research seminar.

This course explores the problem of forced migration in the modern world, that is those events designed to create homogeneous nation states by violently removing thousands and at times millions of human beings. It looks at specific historical cases such as the Indian removal, Europe (1943-47), India/Pakistan (1947), and Palestine/Israel (1948), focusing on issue of war, decolonization, experience, human rights, and memory.

For master's essay and other research carried out prior to advancement to candidacy, taken under the supervision of the student's adviser.

A workshop on teaching at the college level. Prerequisites: Third-year history Ph.D. candidates

A workshop and seminar preparing the dissertation prospectus. Prerequisites: Third-year standing in the graduate program, or permission of the Graduate Committee

This tutorial will examine certain key issues and debates in the History of the International Economy since 1850.

This graduate-level tutorial introduces the history of the human sciences in Western Europe and the United States since around 1800. Emphasizing anthropology, sociology, and the mind sciences (psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychiatry), we consider the intellectual as well as the institutional dimensions of how disciplines emerged; how they created new forms of power; how they affected old forms of power; and how they changed everyday life.

Considers key ideas and practices in global legal history, ca. 1500-1900. Explores the interaction of European law with non-European cultures as empires expanded; the development of the law of the sea; and early ideas and practices in the law of nations.

Readings in modern international history: topics will include war, peace-making, diplomacy, the role of non-governmental organizations in world politics, refugees, human rights, decolonization, and transnational ideologies.

This tutorial will be a close reading of Capital vol. 1 with excerpts from Smith, Ricardo, and Malthus, as well as secondary sources on the texts. We will finish with historical & contemporary perspectives on Marx and Marxism. By the end students will be prepared to consider the quest of capitalist development outside the West, have a basis for continuing into cultural studies & post-colonial theory & the relationship between theory & history.

This course will introduce students to the historiography on the Indian Ocean in broad terms, placing it within the context of discussions on world history more broadly. It then looks more specifically on literature that has examined American forays into the Indian Ocean - a history of merchants, consuls, pirates, and diplomats, but also of families - and situates it within a broader conversation on the contours of global history.

This course examines seminal works in the study of nationalism, focusing on major questions in the field. Topics include the origins of nationalism; its relationship to empire and to violence; the techniques and technologies of nationalist mobilization; and nationalism's role in daily life. We will read both theoretical texts and historical case studies, with a special emphasis on modern Europe.

This course examines the historical and theoretical literature on women and gender in global and transnational dimensions, including a focus on comparative colonial modernities, gender, sexuality, and empire, and tranational feminist movements.

This tutorial will introduce students to the main uses of quantitative methods employed by historians, including sampling techniques; parametric and non-parametric methods; regression analysis; and logit, probit, and Tobit models.  No prior knowledge of statistics is required.

This tutorial surveys the history and historiography of the Mediterranean Sea as a subject of scholarly inquiry from late antiquity to the late nineteenth century.

This course introduces students to the conversation surrounding "Global History." Global history has come to embrace broader questions of scale, connection, movement, and circulation in history. It is a methodological reflection -- a sensibility -- as much as it is a sub-field. We will think about the analytical and narrative choices we make as historians, but also about the ways we incorporate global history into course and curricular design.

This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of new work in legal history. Students are required to attend the legal history workshop and the legal history writing group and to write a number of short reaction papers in response to the work presented by legal historians over the course of the year. There is no final exam. Through the class, students will engage with a variety of legal history scholars.

This course is designed to introduce students to a variety of new work in legal history. Students are required to attend the legal history workshop and the legal history writing group and to write a number of short reaction papers in response to the work presented by legal historians over the course of the year. There is no final exam. Through the class, students will engage with a variety of legal history scholars.

This course is a graduate-level adaptation of an undergraduate course in history. The graduate-level adaption requires additional research, readings, or other academic work established by the instructor beyond the undergraduate syllabus.

Graduate study of the historiography of a particular topic or historical period, equivalent to a graduate-level colloquium course. Prerequisites: Approval of director of graduate studies or department chair.

In this course, students will prepare for the general examination under the guidance of a faculty examiner. During the course, the student will identify relevant readings; complete and review those readings; and explore the larger questions raised by those readings and their fields more generally.

This course is intended for PhD candidates to revise their master's essays for publication under the guidance of a member of the graduate faculty. It is typically taken in first semester of the second year of study.

For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of the dissertation director.

Discussion and criticism of selected works of and on the period. Taught by different members of the medieval faculty.

For advanced students dealing with methods of research in the field.