Spring 2025 Course Descriptions
For the most up-to-date list of courses offered and more information including course times, locations, and enrollments, please see SIS or Lou's List. Faculty information can be viewed in the Faculty Directory.
African History
HIAF 1501: Runaways, Rebels and Revolutionaries
Instructor: James La Fleur
Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, 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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- War, Violence and Society
HIAF 2002: Modern Africa
Instructor: Emily Burrill
Studies the history of Africa and its interaction with the western world from the mid-19th century to the present. Emphasizes continuities in African civilization from imperialism to independence that transcend the colonial interlude of the 20th century.
Concentrations:
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIAF 3051: West African History
Instructor: James La Fleur
History of West Africans in the wider context of the global past, from West Africans' first attempts to make a living in ancient environments through the slave trades (domestic, trans-Saharan, and Atlantic), colonial overrule by outsiders, political independence, and ever-increasing globalization.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIAF 3559: Disease, Medicine, & Health in Africa
Instructor: James La Fleur
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of African History.
Concentrations:
- Environtment, Space and Society
HIAF 4501: Genter & Sexuality in African History
Instructor: Emily Burrill
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. Seminar work results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
East Asian History
HIEA 1501: Japan’s Fukushima Disaster
Instructor: Robert Stolz
Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, 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.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- War, Violence and Society
HIEA 1501: The China Question
Instructor: Xiaoyuan Liu
Introduces the study of history intended for first- or second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussing, 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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIEA 2011: History of Chinese Civilization
Instructor: Cong Zhang
An intro to the study of Chinese civilization. We shall begin with the earliest human remains found in China & conclude in the present. The goal of this coure is not merely to tell the story of Chinese history, rich and compelling though the story is. Rather, our aim will be to explore what makes Chinese civilization specifically Chinese, & how the set of values, practices, & institutions we associate with Chinese society came to exist.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- War, Violence and Society
HIEA 2031: Modern China
Instructor: Xiaoyuan Liu
Studies the transformation of Chinese politics, society, institutions, culture and foreign relations from the Opium War. through the post-Mao Reform Era. Emphasizes the fluid relationship between tradition and transformation and the ways in which this relationship continues to shape the lives of the Chinese people.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIEA 2101: Modern Korean History: One Peninsula, Two Paths
Instructor: Joseph Seeley
This course traces Korea's history from its unified rule under the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) to Japanese colonization (1910-1945) and subsequent division into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea). It examines how processes of reform, empire, civil war, revolution, and industrialization shaped both Koreas' development and how ordinary people experienced this tumultuous history.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIEA 3481: Postwar Japan
Instructor: Robert Stolz
An examination of the history of Japan from 1945 to the present, as it transforms from an empire to a modern industrial capital state. We will explore the key contradictions, debates, and fault lines that run through the period, many of which persist to today.
Concentrations:
HIEA 3501: Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors in Chinese History
Instructor: Cong Zhang
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.
Concentrations:
HIEA 4501: North Korea
Instructor: Joseph Seeley
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 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
- War, Violence and Society
European History
HIEU 2041: Roman Republic and Empire
Instructor: Elizabeth Meyer
Surveys the political, social, and institutional growth of the Roman Republic, focusing on its downfall and replacement by an imperial form of government, the subsequent history of that government, and the social and economic life during the Roman Empire, up to its own decline and fall.
Concentrations:
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIEU 2721: Supernatural Europe, 1500-1800
Instructor: Erin Lambert
Surveys the intellectual, religious, and social history of Europe c.1500-1800 through the lens of changing beliefs about the supernatural. Selected topics include the rise and decline of witch-hunting, changing understandings of the universe, the impact of religious reform on traditional belief, and the "disenchantment" of European society as beliefs in the supernatural declined in the 18th century.
Concentrations:
HIEU 3021: Greek and Roman Warfare
Instructor: Jon Lendon
Surveys the history of ancient warfare from the Homeric era until the fall of Rome.
Concentrations:
- War, Violence and Society
HIEU 3091: Ancient Law and Society
Instructor: Elizabeth Meyer
Study of the interrationships between law, politics and society in ancient Greece (chiefly Athenian) culture, the Hellenistic kingdoms and Rome (from the XII Tables to the Justinianic Code). Focuses particularly on the development of the idea of law; on the construction of law's authority and legitimacy; on the use of law as one method of social control; and on the development, at Rome, of juristic independence and legal codification. Prerequisite: HIEU 2031 or HIEU 2041, or permission of the instructor.
Concentrations:
- Law and Society
HIEU 3141: Age of Conquests: Britain from the Romans to the Normans (43-1066)
Instructor: Paul Kershaw
Surveys the history of Britain from the establishment of Roman rule to the Norman Conquest of 1066. Particular focus falls upon the social, political and cultural history of early England and its neighbors in Wales and Scotland, the Scandinavian impact of the 8th through 11th centuries, and Britain's links with the wider late antique and early medieval worlds.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIEU 3312: Europe at War, 1939-1945
Instructor: William Hitchcock
This course examines the range of human experience in Europe during the Second World War. Why did Nazi Germany invade and attempt to colonize large parts of Europe? What were the methods of Nazi rule? How did European peoples respond to the Nazi project, whether through forms of resistance or collaboration? Who were the principal victims of the war--and why is this question so difficult to address even today?
Concentrations:
- War, Violence and Society
HIEU 3501: Doing Legal History in England & Empire
Instructor: Paul Halliday
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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIEU 4502: Stalinism
Instructor: Jeffrey Rossman
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 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
- War, Violence and Society
HIEU 4511: Viking Worlds
Instructor: Paul Kershaw
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 colloquia prepare about 25 pages of written work. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
HIEU 5021: Greece in the Fifth Century
Instructor: Jon Lendon
Examination of the political, diplomatic, and social history of Greece from the end of the Persian Wars in 479 b.c. to the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404/3 b.c. Investigates the origins, course, and importance of the latter war, the major watershed in classical Greek history. Prerequisite: HIEU 2031 or equivalent.
Concentrations:
HIEU 5585: Intimacies of French Empire
Instructor: Janey Horne and Jennifer Sessions
A seminar offering in-depth investigations of topics and research methodologies in modern European history and culture. Topics vary.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
Latin American History
HILA 3021: Human Rights in Latin America
Instructor: Lean Sweeney
Covers issues of human rights violations, defense, reparations, and prevention, from independence movements through the Cold War, neoliberalism, extractivism, racism, and transnational migration, trade and crime.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HILA 3501: Race and State in Mexico
Instructor: Lean Sweeney
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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HILA 4501: Latin America and the United States
Instructor: Thomas Klubock
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. Seminar work results primarily in the preparation of substantial (ca. 25 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
Middle Eastern History
HIME 2001: Making of the Islamic World
Instructor: Kristina Richardson
Explores the history of the Middle East and North Africa from late antiquity to the rise to superpower status of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Topics include the formation of Islam and the first Arab-Islamic conquests; the fragmentation of the empire of the caliphate; the historical development of Islamic social, legal, and political institutions; science and philosophy; and the impact of invaders (Turks, Crusaders, and Mongols).
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIME 4501: The US and the Middle East
Instructor: Caroline Kahlenberg
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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- War, Violence and Society
General History
HIST 2014: Fascism: A Global History
Instructor: Manuela Achilles and Kyrill Kunakhovich
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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
- War, Violence and Society
HIST 2152: Climate History
Instructor: Christopher Gratien
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.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- Global and Transnational History
HIST 2559: Espionage: A Global History
Instructor: Jeffrey Rossman
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of general history.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- War, Violence and Society
HIST 3501: Digital Map History
Instructor: S. Edelson
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.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Environment, Space and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIST 3501: Photos & Protest: UVA & Beyond
Instructor: John Mason
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.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- War, Violence and Society
HIST 3501: A Moral History of the Rich
Instructor: Brian Owensby
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.
Concentrations:
HIST 3559: History Internship
Instructor: Jennifer Sessions
This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject area of general history.
Concentrations:
HIST 3861: Soccer Politics
Instructor: Laurent Dubois
Explores the history of soccer to understand how and why it has become the most popular sport on the planet. We focus on the culture, economics and politics of the sport. Examples are drawn from Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, and include a focus on women's soccer. Class materials include scholarly works, essays, fiction, and film; students work on digital projects related to upcoming international tournaments.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- Global and Transnational History
HIST 4501: Using and Abusing Medieval Past in Modern World
Instructor: Paul Kershaw
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.
Concentrations:
HIST 4991 Dinstinguished Majors Program - Special Seminar
Instructor: Kyrill Kunakhovich
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.
Concentrations:
HIST 5004: Cold War, Human Rights, & Environmental History
Instructor: Penny Von Eschen
The course explores the intersections of the late cold war and its aftermath, human rights history and environmental history.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- Law and Society
- War, Violence and Society
HIST 5130: Global Legal History
Instructor: Paul Halliday
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.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIST 5351: The International Economy since 1850
Instructor: Mark Thomas
This seminar will focus on key aspects of the development of the international economy since the mid-nineteenth century. Emphasis will be on the process of change, the impact of policy, and the operation of international institutions. Special focus will be paid to the economics of the Great Depression, the impact of the First and Second World Wars, and the drivers of growth.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Global and Transnational History
United States History
HIUS 2002: American History since 1865
Instructor: Andrew Kahrl
Studies the evolution of political, social, and cultural history of the United States from 1865 to the present.
Concentrations:
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIUS 2051: War and the Making of America to 1900
Instructor: Elizabeth Varon
This course examines warfare and military developments in America from the colonial period to 1900. Major topics include debates over the role of the military in society; the motivations and experiences of soldiers; interaction between the military and civilian spheres; the development of a professional army and navy; and the social and cultural context, impact, and legacies of warfare.
Concentrations:
- War, Violence and Society
HIUS 2053: American Slavery
Instructor: Justene Hill Edwards
This course will introduce students to the history of slavery in the United Sates.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIUS 2201: US Immigration Law and Policy in Historical Perspective
Instructor: S. Deborah Kang
This course will trace the origins of today's immigration policy debates by providing students with a comprehensive overview of American immigration law and policy from the eighteenth century to the present. The course will also explore how state and federal policies impacted a wide array of immigrants, including the Irish, Chinese, and Mexican arrivals of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Concentrations:
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIUS 3011: Colonial British America
Instructor: S. Edelson
This course tells the story of British America from an Atlantic perspective. The thirteen colonies that formed the United States were once part of a larger empire that spanned eastern North America and the Caribbean. From 1500 to 1800, cross-cultural encounters among Africans, Native Americans, and Europeans created a dynamic new world. Key topics trade, religion, agriculture, slavery, warfare, and the origins of the American Revolution.
Concentrations:
- Environment, Space and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIUS 3051: The Age of Jefferson
Instructor: Christa Dierksheide
This course uses Thomas Jefferson as a lens to explore the post revolutionary era in the United States (ca. 1776-1830), with a focus on race and slavery, trans-nationalism, imperialism, and legal/constitutional developments.
Concentrations:
- Law and Society
- Race, Ethnicity and Empire
HIUS 3072: The Civil War and Reconstruction
Instructor: Caroline Janney
Examines the course of the Civil War and Reconstruction in detail and attempts to assess their impact on 19th century American society, both in the North and in the South.
Concentrations:
HIUS 3171: U.S. since 1945
Instructor: Sarah Milov
Surveys post World War II U.S. politics uncovering the links between long range social and economic phenomenon (suburbanization, decline of agricultural employment, the rise and fall of the labor movement, black urbanization and proletarianization, economic society and insecurity within the middle class, the changing structure of multinational business) and the more obvious political movements, election results, and state policies of the last half century.
Concentrations:
- Law and Society
HIUS 3232: The South in the Twentieth Century
Instructor: Grace Hale
Studies the history of the South from 1900 to the present focusing on class structure, race relations, cultural traditions, and the question of southern identity.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
HIUS 3620: All Politics Is Local
Instructor: Andrew Kahrl
The history of local government and local politics in shaping American life. Course examines issues, themes, and problems of local democracy in historical and contemporary contexts. Class meetings combine lectures and discussions. Course includes local civic engagement component.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Law and Society
HIUS 4501: American Capitalism, American Slavery
Instructor: Matthew Grace
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 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
HIUS 4501: Immigrants in American History & Life
Instructor: S. Deborah Kang
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 pp. in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Concentrations:
- Capitalism and Economic Life
- Global and Transnational History
- Law and Society