History Courses
A history of Western civilization from its origins in Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the age of discovery and expansion during the emergence of modern Europe. Usually offered in the summer session.
Covers the development of the Western world from the Thirty Years' War to the post-World War II era: the age of absolutism, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, industrialization and the wars of the 20th century. Usually offered in the summer session.
A survey of American history from its beginning to the end of the Civil War, giving special emphasis to the events, people, and ideas that have made America a distinctive civilization. Open to freshmen.
A survey of American history from the Civil War to the present, giving special emphasis to the events, people, and ideas that have made America a distinctive civilization. Open to freshmen.
An honors-level approach to the American experience; parallel to HY 203.
An honors-level approach to the American experience.
Formation of the largely Spanish speaking New World, from the shock of conquest to the trials of freedom that spawned the modern nations of Latin America.
Survey of political, economic, and social life in the 19th and 20th centuries with emphasis on the larger countries (Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina).
Broad survey of Asian civilization from the earliest times covering India, China, Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian, with large cultural and religious emphases.
Conditions of various Asian civilizations in the 15th century, followed by the arrival of Europeans, with emphasis on imperialism, colonialism and Asian nationalism.
This course will explore the origins and evolution of science and technology and the relationship both had to the societies that produced them. In addition to reading foundational texts in the history of science, like Aristotle and Galileo, we will address larger themes, including the relationship between science and religion and the role of science and scientists in the societies that produced them.
Science and technology are ever-present in today’s world, defining not only how we live our daily lives but also shaping our conceptions and evaluations of modernity, civilization, and progress. How did science and technology become so important and pervasive to the modern world? This course is intended as an introduction to the history of modern science and technology from the Enlightenment to the present. Our focus will be on the development of science and technology in the Western World (Europe and North America). However, we will also make comparisons across cultures to explore how science and technology shaped notions of what counts as “Western” and “modern.” In addition to learning about key developments in the history of science and technology, from Ford’s Model-T to Einstein’s theory of relativity, we will address larger themes, including the relationship between science and religion and the role of technology in war and empire.
This course examines the political, economic, religious and social history of the world from the first civilizations that emerged around 3000 BC to about the year AD 1500. In this course we will discuss the creation of civilizations, the rise and fall of empires, and the similarities and differences between these various cultures with regard to their development. As this is an introductory course to world history, it is important to note that we will not be able to delve too deeply into any one topic.
This course is a continuation of HY 117, Comparative World Civilizations. The course will examine the interactions between major world civilizations in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Course material will examine developments of history, politics, economics, and religion since 1500.
A required component of the larger Legal History concentration. Registered students will meet with the professor individually three times during the term, will be required to attend three pre-approved legal-themed events, and will complete brief reflection essays about their experiences at these events. Requires instructor approval to register.
State history under the flags of Spain, France, Great Britain, the U.S., and the Confederate States, with emphasis on cultural heritage.
Survey of Alabama's history and personalities since 1865: Reconstruction, agrarian revolt, Progressivism, the KKK, Dixiecrats and the Civil Rights movement.
Directed study done by special arrangement with a faculty member of the History Department. Requires sophomore standing and permission of the instructor.
Students learn the mechanics of teaching History writing, editing, and instruction. Under the supervision of a faculty member, they learn the pedagogy of writing and then practice their craft by working with other students. Requires a recommendation from a professor to participate.
This course covers a range of special topics in European History. Typically taught as a combination of lecture and discussion, with emphasis on primary sources, its topics cover major themes in medieval, early-modern, and modern European civilization. These include, among others, the origins of medieval and early modern Europe, national and cultural identity, revolution, gender, sexuality, consumerism, daily life, war, transnational exchange, and the environment.
This course covers a range of special topics in American History. Typically taught as a combination of lecture and discussion, with emphasis on primary sources, its topics will include, among others, the indigenous and European encounters, colonial and constitutional history, the development of the American nation, race, slavery, and civil war, the World Wars and the Cold War, American foreign policy, and the civil rights movement.
This course covers a range of special topics in Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern or African History. Typically taught as a combination of lecture and discussion, with emphasis on primary sources, its topics include, among others, national and cultural identity, revolution, gender, sexuality, consumerism, daily life, war, transnational exchange, and environment.
History of the social, cultural, and political interactions of all the peoples in early North America and the Caribbean from the sixteenth century through the 1760s, with an emphasis on the diversity of experiences across categories of race, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, and age.
This course surveys key developments in US legal history from the colonial period to present day.
Students will explore the antebellum period as an era of great change in the United State. Between 1820 and 1860, we witness the rise of the “city” and expanding frontiers. Antebellum America, 1846-1861 examines the divisive political, social, and economic forces which intensified in the 1840s and culminated in the Civil War. Through a study of the primary and secondary literature of American history this course surveys the individuals and groups who influenced the American experience, as well as the cultural, political, and socio-economic movements that shaped the nation.
History of the South since 1865, covering Reconstruction, the Bourbon Democracy, the New South Creed, populist revolt, World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, and Southern politics.
The American Civil War and Reconstruction continue to attract great scholarly and popular attention. This course takes a chronological and thematic approach to discuss the war's complex meaning to past and present Americans. Through readings, lectures, class discussions and movies, students will explore traditional military and political aspects of the era, causes and consequences of the crisis, as well as racial, social, gender and cultural dimensions.
The life and legend of the man often considered to be the representative American.
This course examines the ways in which Americans have organized and used armed force in the last 100 years, and the models that historians have used to understand and explain those actions. The central theme involves how Americans have addressed the security issues they faced and how they have both succeeded and failed to achieve stable political solutions they called “peace,” across the spectrum from the conventional to the unconventional. The format will be largely lecture-based, accompanied by images of people and events.
Topical survey of the economic, social, political, and cultural developments in the United States since World War II.
Role of black Americans in American life from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century, with emphasis on the institutions and events of the 1800s.
The Great Depression and the Second World War were crucial in shaping the American political, social, economic and cultural landscape for decades, and continue to impact our lives today. Much of the era coincided with the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, who was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president, and actually served in that office for thirteen years. The Age of Roosevelt class will explore the problems that faced the United States in the thirties and forties, the solutions that generation tried in order to solve their problems, and the impact of policy on the inhabitants of the United States. The class will aid you in building critical thinking skills, give you a basic introduction to a set of historical literature, and expose you to primary sources from the Depression and the Second World War.
Deals with the evolution of constitutional law and the nature and process of judicial review, including 18th-century constitutional theory and Supreme Court decisions.
Continuation of HY 323, tracing developments up to the current Supreme Court.
Emphasizes idealism and realism in foreign policy, the change from isolationism to international involvement, "New Manifest Destiny," and the rise of America to world power.
This course will engage students in the study of war and American society since 1865. It is not a class about military strategy or foreign policy. Rather, students will survey the radiating impact of armed conflict and military service on individuals, communities, culture, and politics. And in the other direction, students will examine the ways fundamental features of American society (race, gender, class, citizenship, sexual orientation, and so on) influence the country’s military experience. To give shape to such a vast subject, we will organize our inquiry around three questions: How do Americans mobilize for, fight, and remember their wars? Together those dimensions describe a society in the throes of militarization and perhaps militarism and/or anti-militarism. We will explore the difference between these ideas and assess which of them, if any, characterizes the United States in this period. These questions and terms will guide our main effort: to scrutinize the ways America’s experience with armed conflict has reflected and shaped broader truths about society in the past century.
An introduction to American religious history from the first encounters between Native Americans and Europeans through the mid-nineteenth century. The course will explore important religious traditions and consider the connections between religious values and crucial questions in American history.
History of the leaders, organizations, and events of the Civil Rights Movement during the years 1945 to 1968.
This course examines the histories of hundreds of indigenous peoples in North America from early human habitation to the present day, with a focus on those residing in what is now the United States and Canada. We will study their experiences; their encounters with one another, Europeans, and Africans; and the different histories that people have told about those experiences and encounters. Class materials, which include art, film, and fiction as well as history and anthropology, stress the diversity of Native lifeways as well as the ways in which the history of American Indians has often been ignored, changed, appropriated, and distorted, as well as reclaimed and re-evaluated over time. Some of the questions we will consider throughout the semester include: How much can we know about Indigenous peoples before they had an alphabetic written history? What can European sources teach us about the Native peoples they encountered? How did the Natives of North America live before 1492? Does it make any sense to generalize about “Indians,” given that they include a large number of diverse peoples? How did contact with Europeans and Africans (and their diseases and technologies) change Native societies? How did Natives affect Europeans and Africans? Why did Native peoples lose ground (literally and figuratively) in the nineteenth century? How have Natives experienced and reacted to the changes of the twentieth century? What does it mean to be a Native person in the United States today?.
Knitting has enjoyed a huge comeback in the U.S. in the last decade, largely thanks to interest in DIY and environmentally sustainable consumption. This class explores the history, art, and politics of knitting. Students will learn to knit (or develop their skills as knitters) and also analyze knitting as a fascinating window onto the rest of the world. Topics explored include the craft’s history, women’s and men’s work, the politics of art vs. craft, consumerism, globalization, and the craft’s role in activism. Half of class time will be studio-based and half will focus on discussion of the readings. There are no prerequisites. You will also develop the ability to think historically through critical analysis of primary and secondary sources; place events, people, and documents in their historical contexts; and create your own historical interpretations and narratives about the past. In this course, you should expect to do much more than memorize facts or dates -- you will be busy actively learning by knitting and doing history, not passively sitting back and being told what to think.
This course places the experiences of people with disabilities at the center of the American story, from long before Europeans arrived in North America through today. We will explore the changing lives of people with disabilities—from railroad workers and rights activists to wheelchair athletes and participants in freak shows to college students and more—as well as the history of disability policy and conceptions of disability. We will focus on the social and cultural history of disability rather than its strictly physical or medical aspects. U.S. Disability History takes a new approach to familiar topics in U.S. history, including colonization, slavery, immigration, racial and gender stereotypes, education, civil rights, and citizenship, among others.
The broad goal of this class is to introduce students to the use of food, eating, and the ways in which various societies have met these challenges. Food is a constant in human societies, and yet the ways in which we choose to meet our nutritional needs can vary widely, across both distance and time. We will examine the ways in which Americans, broadly defined as those who live in or adjacent to the current-day United States, have chosen to eat, and some of the many meanings those choices carried.
This course provides a general but analytic introduction to the development of contemporary China from 1921, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded, to 1949 when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was founded, and on towards the present, concluding around the year 2000. We will review key historical phenomena that distinguish contemporary China, particularly Marxist and Stalinist theories and their use by the CCP in varying circumstances not only to purse and carry out political revolution (1921-1949) but also political-economic developments after 1949. Such developments initially involved PRC state formation via agricultural transformation & large-scale Soviet-style industrialization accompanied by bureaucratization, the oppositional anti-bureaucratic thrust that eventually produced the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the rebuilding of both the CCP & PRC after Mao’s death in 1976, the “second Communist Revolution” after 1978 associated with Deng Xiaoping, and the places of “intellectuals” in all of this.
A study of crime, punishment, and race in the American South from slavery through the rise of mass incarceration in the 21st century. Topics include slave patrols, convict lease system, lynching, the Lost Cause, white supremacy, the death penalty, the modern prison system and Black responses to these systematic oppressions. Special attention will be paid to understanding these national themes locally, within Alabama and Tuscaloosa, and working with community partners.
This course studies human-made objects to learn about the history of the Americas (North, Central, South, and the Caribbean) from 1300 to 1800. Topics studied include gender, race, religion, colonization, work, leisure, and family. Key themes include cultural interactions and the place of objects in the creation of memory.
Survey of the historical background of the conflict in Indochina leading to U.S. involvement and its consequences.
This is a survey of U.S. history from World War I to World War II with an emphasis on the role of politics, popular culture, and economic change.
Race and Science examines the diverse interactions between science and race from the 18th century to the present era of human genomics. The class looks both at the scientific study of race and the impact of racial concepts on science. These interactions have given us: Nazi medicine, American eugenics, the Tuskegee experiments, and “race specific” contemporary pharmaceuticals. By the end of this course, students will have the opportunity to write (with consultation) a publishable-quality essay on one aspect of this important issue in history and bioscience ethics.
The history of medicine is the history of disease. Plague, bloody flux, yellow fever, the flu, cholera, ebola, smallpox, AIDS — at one time or another, each of these terms inspired terror. They’ve entered our otherwise flourishing civilizations and, like a wildfire, cut down men, women, children, rich, poor, religious, non-believers, even the healers themselves. Like phantoms, they disappeared as fast as they came; but once introduced to these mysterious visitors, no society remained unchanged. In this history of medicine, we examine six major epidemics over the last three thousand years. We’ll then turn to three epidemics of the present: cancer, healthcare-associated infections, and bioterrorism. How have humans responded to these threats? How has medicine adapted, if it has? What are our triumphs and when have we been unable to stop our invisible adversaries?.
The goal of this course is to use games as a primary source, a “window” into portions of the human experience at various times and places, and to incorporate experiential learning by adding gameplay and rule discussion to scholarly readings and class discussion. Students will study a series of specific games and the societies which produced them, focusing on games which involve mastery of rules and chance rather than on contests of physical skill or endurance.
This course examines major trends in the social, cultural, economic and political history of modern France. Major themes include: republicanism and citizenship, nationalism, daily life, war, class conflict, consumerism, imperalism, the arts and gender.
This course explores the evolution of the First Amendment throughout American legal history from its creation in the 18th century to the digital age. Major themes will include free speech law, slander and libel law, the “establishment” and “free exercise” clauses, the legal boundaries of public protest, and how these things have changed over time.
This course explores the history of the right to privacy in the United States from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age. Major themes include the evolution of privacy law, tabloid journalism, physical surveillance, private property, data collection, sexual privacy, the “privacy vs. security” debate, and the relationship between privacy and technology.
This course examines the conceptual foundations of digital history and offers a survey of its practices. Historians and public historians rely on digital methods for research, analysis, and presentation, thus the importance for a foundational class for emerging practitioners. Though not exhaustive, the course will familiarize students with tools and methods for collection and preservation of digital records; for public history interpretation and storytelling on the web; for textual and spatial analysis; and for thinking critically about issues of design, usability, and accessibility.
Delving deep into the manuscript collections at the University of Alabama and Birmingham Public Library, students reconstruct the struggle for rights, visibility, and sexual equality for queer students at universities across Alabama. Combining in-class readings with rarely-seen primary sources and taking oral histories of the early leaders of the queer civil rights movement, students shed new light on the birth and development of this fight for equality. Their findings have been presented at Queer Alabama, a website that documents the queer civil rights movement at The University of Alabama.
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This class examines the origins and meanings of the “Holocaust" through the emergence of anti-Semitism and scientific racism in the nineteenth century; European nationalism and imperialism and early forms of genocide; the history of Jewish assimilation in Europe; the ramifications of Great War; the rise of Nazism; World War II and the “twisted road to Auschwitz.” The final phase of the course addresses the subject of “coming to terms with the past” in several national contexts.
The war to end all wars," from the European crises culminating at Sarajevo in 1914 to peacemaking at Versailles in 1919, with emphasis on the western and eastern fronts and on the war at sea.
The global conflict, or series of conflicts, from Manchukuo in 1931 to Tokyo Bay in 1945, with emphasis on battles on land and sea and in the air, life on the home fronts and in enemy-occupied areas, and the legacy of the war to future generations. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
Political history of Russia from the ninth to the 19th centuries, followed by social and cultural history of the Russian revolutionary movement.
Crisis in Russian society and the coming of the Revolution; the emergence of Stalinism; and political developments since World War II, including the disintegration of the Soviet system.
This course is a history of Christianity from its origins in the Jewish ministry of Jesus of Nazareth and the writings of Paul in the Roman Empire to the outbreak of the Reformations, Protestant and Catholic, in the sixteenth century. It will focus primarily on the story of Christianity in the Mediterranean and Western Europe, in the context of broader historical developments in both the Byzantine and Islamic worlds, with occasional glances as well to wider global contexts. At the center of the course is the question of how Christian belief and practice both reflected and shaped the broader processes of historical change of which it was a part, and how complex and contested questions of doctrine, practice, authority, and interpretation could be throughout this religions first millennium and a half.
This course explores the evolution of modern Europe's consumer society from the 18th century to the present to understand how changing patterns of consumption fostered new relationships between individuals and the material world.
This course explores the most important social, economic and political developments in the Britain since the beginning of the eighteenth century. It covers topics including Britain’s century-long conflict with France in the 1700s, the rise of industrial society, Victorian ideas and attitudes, British feminism, the rise and fall of the British Empire, the emergence of the Labour Party and British socialism, the impact of the two world wars, and postwar political and social changes.
This course explores the most important social, economic and political developments in the Britain since the beginning of the eighteenth century. It covers topics including Britain’s century-long conflict with France in the 1700s, the rise of industrial society, Victorian ideas and attitudes, British feminism, the rise and fall of the British Empire, the emergence of the Labour Party and British socialism, the impact of the two world wars, and postwar political and social changes.
Conquistadors! Planters! Pirates! Indians! Enslaved Africans! Religious Reformers! Independence Leaders! Radical Revolutionaries! Together these people built a new world – a world forged at the intersection of imperial ambitions and international contact, where the peoples and cultures of the Americas, Africa, and Europe collided. This class examines how colonialism, plantation slavery, the age of abolition, and the emergence of national independence movements made the modern Caribbean.
In what ways did the Atlantic Ocean resemble an early-modern super-highway, moving people, ideas, and products across its waters? How did the individuals who shaped this world – rebellious slaves, elite planters, Aztec emperors, wayward sailors, Kongolese kings, infamous pirates and radical revolutionaries – contribute to the creation of this vibrant and dynamic world? A History of the Atlantic World answers these questions by tracing four centuries of interactions among Europeans, Africans and Native Americans, from the first European forays down the west coast of Africa in the fifteenth century, to the turbulent Age of Revolutions at the close of the eighteenth century.
This course examines the environmental history of the Americas from pre-contact to the modern day, with the aim of understanding the ways in which humans have adapted to and transformed American landscapes, ecologies, and eco-systems. From the last ice age to the modern-day Anthropocene, human societies have profoundly shaped and been shaped by the environment of the Americas.
This course will introduce students to the basic history of the rise and fall of Caribbean piracy in the early modern period, paying attention at the international context in which Caribbean piracy first appeared in the 16th century, its impact in European competition for land and resources in the Americas, and its ultimate decline in the 18th century, as European nations banded together against piracy and its threat over colonial possessions and intercolonial and transatlantic trade.
This course will explore Mexican Independence, the Constitution of 1824, Santa Anna, revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries, and contemporary Mexico.
This course is a hybrid survey of Mexican history since conquest, the history of the US-Mexican border, and a view of that history through the lens of drug production, consumption, and influence on Mexican society and US-Mexican relations. In short, the goal of this course is to impart an understanding of drugs as embedded in Mexican social, political, economic, and cultural contexts, providing students with a view from the Mexican side of the border. Alcohol and marijuana will be the focus of the course, but other substances will enter into certain readings throughout the semester. An important theme in this course is to answer the question “What are the origins of today’s War on Drugs?” In addition, the course will endeavour to provide a broader, international context for the development and use of intoxicants and the drug trade, both legal and illegal.
From the time of its incorporation into the Spanish Empire, the land now known as Argentina has held out the promise of fabulous wealth and opportunity. This potential made Argentina the foremost destination of European immigrants to Latin America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, during which time it became one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Many Argentines have anxiously awaited the day when their nation would be included among the ranks of “first world” or “civilized” nations, and they take great pride in their adoption and adaptation of European culture. However, Argentina’s history has not always been so rosy. Political violence, economic catastrophe, and social unrest define the modern Argentine experience as much as economic prosperity, industrialization, and the development of a rich and dynamic culture. From the gauchos (Argentine cowboys) of the vast Pampas to the smoke-filled tango parlors, immigrant tenements, and factories of Buenos Aires, Argentina offers a fascinating case for examining the creation and sustainment of identity and nationality in Latin America.
England was transformed during the early modern period. In the sixteenth century, England saw the Reformation, the beginnings of the British Empire, the educational revolution, the rise of humanism, the growth of the state, the last feudal rebellions, and the explosion of urbanization; then, divided by a civil war that pitted monarch against Parliament, seventeenth-century England saw the foundation of institutions and ideas that shape our world to this day. We will study some of the most compelling figures of British history: the insatiable Henry VIII and his brilliant daughter, Elizabeth I; the driven Oliver Cromwell and the ‘merry monarch’ Charles II; writers like Shakespeare, Milton, Margaret Cavendish, and Aphra Behn; explorers Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake; thinkers such as Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke; But we will also look at larger social and cultural forces that shaped early modern England, including the rise of literacy, a sharpening economic stratification, new understandings of magic and witchcraft, gender roles, the growth of the common law system, and the politics of migration.
England was transformed during the early modern period. In the sixteenth century, England saw the Reformation, the beginnings of the British Empire, the educational revolution, the rise of humanism, the growth of the state, the last feudal rebellions, and the explosion of urbanization; then, divided by a civil war that pitted monarch against Parliament, seventeenth-century England saw the foundation of institutions and ideas that shape our world to this day. We will study some of the most compelling figures of British history: the insatiable Henry VIII and his brilliant daughter, Elizabeth I; the driven Oliver Cromwell and the ‘merry monarch’ Charles II; writers like Shakespeare, Milton, Margaret Cavendish, and Aphra Behn; explorers Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake; thinkers such as Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke; But we will also look at larger social and cultural forces that shaped early modern England, including the rise of literacy, a sharpening economic stratification, new understandings of magic and witchcraft, gender roles, the growth of the common law system, and the politics of migration. What Makes This an Honors Class? This course will ask students to make big connections about a critical time in history. We will examine some of the seminal texts in Anglo-American culture, and we will study foundational changes in British and American law, politics, and society. More than anything, though, this class will push you to answer the why questions about this history: why did people assent to the Reformation? Why did a Civil War break out? And, perhaps most importantly, why was this question so important: which do you fear more, tyranny or anarchy? In doing so, students will be asked to do extra, independent research for all essay questions. They will also be asked to write a reflective piece at the end of the course about these very questions.
Ancient Egypt Near East.
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This course explores, from multiple perspectives, the troubled medieval marriage of religion and violence known as “the crusades.” It offers not only an overview of the traditional, largely military narrative of “numbered” crusades. It also explores the broader view – the general context of “holy war” down to c. 1100; tensions between the ideal and reality of crusading; the social and cultural impact of the crusades, for good and ill; the Muslim perception of the “Franj” as both invaders and neighbors, and the long afterlife of the crusades down through the early modern period. Later sessions of the course then turn to the range of contested historiographical issues that have characterized the study of the crusades in recent years. There are no pre-requisites for the course, though completion of our introductory Western Civilization course (HY 101/105) would be helpful.
Medieval England sounds to us like a time of legend: knights, castles, and chivalry. This course will look beyond the myth to examine the complicated world of medieval politics, society, and culture. Course topics will include religion and devotion; family life; death, disease, and epidemic (including the Black Death); popular politics and rebellion (including the Peasants Revolt); feudalism and feudal culture; Magna Carta and the creation of Parliament’ conflict with France; crusades; Wars of the Roses; and the crisis of monarchy. In sum, we will focus on medieval British history from Alfred the Great to the dawn of the Tudors (c. 850-c.1485). We will talk about Chaucer and Richard III and Eleanor of Aquitaine—but we will also discuss everyday life in medieval England. At its core, this course will investigate a period of history that is central to enduring institutions and long-lasting myths alike.
This course will look beyond the myths of knights and roundtables to examine the complicated world of medieval politics, society, and culture. Course topics will include religion and devotion; family life; death, disease, and epidemic; popular politics and rebellion; feudalism and feudal culture; Magna Carta and the creation of Parliament’ conflict with France; crusades; Wars of the Roses; and the crisis of monarchy.
By the 1920s, the British Empire stretched over nearly a quarter of the Earth’s surface and governed nearly a quarter of its entire population. This course will examine the formation and dissolution of the British Empire from its earliest expansions into Ireland to the complicated process of decolonization that continues to this day. Topics covered will include world exploration, settlement formation, imperial warfare, consumption practices and luxury goods, imperial culture, slavery, migration and immigration, and the effect of empire on today’s world. From Ireland to Barbados, Virginia to India, Iraq to Canada, Australia to South Africa, students will explore the ways in which the British Empire shaped and was shaped by world history.
This class covers the basics of historiographical theory, unpacking all of the ways that scholars have attempted to understand the purpose of history, what drives it, and how to do it. Students will read and write on some of the greatest philosophers of history: from ancient cuneiform to Thucydides in Greece and Ibn Khaldun in the Middle East to the Enlightenment thinkers, Kant and Voltaire, to the 19th century iconoclasts, Marx and Mill, to the professionalization of the field with von Ranke and the modern challenges of Arendt, Debord, Barthes, Geertz, Foucault, Fanon, Said, and Crenshaw. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Survey of Chinese history in the Ch'ing Dynasty and the 20th century with emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century events.
This course covers a range of special topics in European history at the advanced undergraduate level. Normally taught as a relatively small course (enrollment of c. 25), it will emphasize close reading of primary sources, class discussion, and research and writing, including an series of extensive formal writing projects (usually a research paper of c. 10-15 pages). Topics will vary by instructor but will include major themes in medieval, early-modern, and modern European civilization. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course covers a range of special topics in American history at the advanced undergraduate level. Normally taught as a relatively small course (enrollment of c. 25), it will emphasize close reading of primary sources, class discussion, and research and writing, including an series of extensive formal writing projects (usually a research paper of c. 10-15 pages). Topics will vary by instructor but will include major themes in American history. Also note that writing proficiency for this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. Even if all other requirements are met, failure to meet the History Department’s writing standards will result in a failing grade.
This course covers a range of special topics in Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African history at the advanced undergraduate level. Normally taught as a relatively small course (enrollment of c. 25), it will emphasize close reading of primary sources, class discussion, and research and writing, including an series of extensive formal writing projects (usually a research paper of c. 10-15 pages). Topics will vary by instructor but will include major themes in the world civilizations. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
The development of revolutionary sentiment in the North American colonies, the resulting revolution, and the subsequent efforts to establish the new nation. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Explores the development of slavery and the struggles for emancipation in the Americas 1400-1900. Focusing on how race, gender and region shaped experiences.
This course examines the moral frameworks that Americans have used to understand—and to change—their society. Focusing on the major movements for social change that have shaped American society, this course will investigate the way that Americans thought about issues such as slavery, animal cruelty, sex, family roles, labor, economics, war and citizenship, and civil rights. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course studies the historical gap between Americans’ behavior and their moral and spiritual aspirations for themselves. How did this gap shape how Americans understood—or challenged—their society? What did it mean to be a good or bad person? What counted as sin at particular points in time? Why did Americans care about some kinds of wrongdoing more than about others? Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
American freedom took shape amid slavery. This course traces the interconnected histories of slavery, family life, politics, and American thought to help better understand the evolution of Americans’ ideas about freedom, independence, and authority. This course explores the role of concepts—and institutions—of freedom and slavery, dependence and independence, and autonomy and authority in shaping American thought, values, and institutions from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course, sponsored by the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, is organized around discussing and researching the history of lynching and its public remembrance in the American South, with a particular focus on Alabama and its central and western counties. Building on the research into lynching recently pioneered by the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Alabama, students will strive to understand how these events of racial violence emerged in the South and how men and women subsequently recalled them. In particular, students will explore what different southerners have chosen to remember and to forget. Throughout the course the role of class, gender, sexuality, and racial ideology in shaping collective memory will be emphasized. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
American intellectual/cultural history to 1860. Includes changing ideas about society, politics, morality, science, nature, religion, gender and race. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Explores contact between Native Americans and Europeans in the early Americas through attention to gender, stressing the diversity of Native life ways. This course fulfills the A&S “W” or writing-intensive designation. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
In this course, you will absorb readings, participate in discussions, and undertake hands-on work that will begin your engagement with the field of public history. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with major debates that engage public historians; the professional workplaces of public historians; new directions in the field; and the ways in which we accomplish our goal of working in partnership with stakeholders to make the past accessible to public audiences. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course provides a practical introduction to public history work via an internship. Public History internships offer an opportunity for students to apply knowledge gained through their academic training in history and public history to a meaningful, practical work experience under the mentorship of experienced and knowledgeable public history professionals.
The purposes of this course are twofold: to expose students to the theory, major conceptual themes, and methodologies that oral historians use to frame and implement their work, and to hone skills as an oral history practitioner. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Foundations of the modern world in barbarian Europe: retreat into the countryside and private government, recovery of public institutions, money economy, and cultural vitality. This course carries a W designation. As such, writing proficiency is required for a passing grade. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division course will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
History of the separation of the Catholic and Protestant churches from the ideal of the universal Christian church and late medieval religious practice. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines the history of Enlightenment Europe from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. We study Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Adam Smith, and Voltaire— as well as Catherine the Great, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Topics covered will include popular resistance and protest; the influence of science and rationality; the role of women in the Enlightenment; absolutism and liberty; and the life of the mind. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course surveys women's lives in Europe from 1750 to the present. Themes explored include: identity construction, power relationships, domesticity, class, war, consumerism and sexuality.
Though it is often believed to begin with Charles Darwin, Evolutionary Theory has a history dating back to the seventeenth century. In this course we will focus on this history from those early beginnings century through modern genetics and epigenetics. Along with Charles Darwin himself, we will explore the contributions of other well-known scientists, such as Lamarck, Charles Lyell, T. H. Huxley, Gregor Mendel, and T. H. Morgan. Additionally, we will familiarize ourselves with the ideas of less well known but important individuals whose theories are crucial for understanding the development of evolutionary theory and the shaping of Darwin’s legacy. Throughout the course, we will also examine their contributions in specific historical contexts, pausing to pay particular attention to social responses to the developing theory of Darwinism. Ultimately, we will leave with a fuller understanding of and a greater appreciation for what we now term “evolutionary theory.” Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course. Written assignments will require coherent, logical, and carefully edited prose. Students will be required to demonstrate higher-level critical thinking skills.
This course covers Russia’s revolutionary history from Peter the Great to Stalin. We examine the Russian autocratic system that planted the seeds of revolution, the early thinkers who sought moderate solutions, and the turn to radicalism that lead to the Russian Revolution. We examine the role of the Enlightenment in shaping Russia’s future and the causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution in world history. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Spanning 1953-1969, the Warren Court handed down numerous landmark decisions on crucial social and political issues such as civil rights, free speech, the rights of the accused, police powers, reproductive rights, professional sports monopolies, and the right to privacy. This course examines the legal history of the Warren Court and its decisions from Brown v. Board of Education (1954) through Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969). Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines the legal history of slavery through the statutes and court cases that shaped its development in Europe’s American empires. Comparing and contrasting practices in British, Spanish, French, and Portuguese contexts, it will focus both on the ways that enslavement was imposed on people of Native American and African descent, and on the ways that enslaved individuals used legal systems to challenge their bonded status, and in the institution of slavery itself. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines important legal cases in 19th and 20th century France. Students will participate in a weekly 2.5 hour seminar where they will read and discuss assigned materials. Students will complete weekly writing assignments and present on a case of their choosing at the end of the semester. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines the question of what defines Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latinx communities; how that formulation has developed over time; and what exactly is meant now and historically by “Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies.” Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.”.
This course explores the features that defined the Spanish world during this period by focusing on the most significant urban spaces in the Spanish world and their citizens. We will learn about larger demographic, social, cultural, and environmental issues that affected, and sometimes defined, the Spanish empire as a whole. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Chronological survey of diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations, with emphasis on the 20th century. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course provides a view of the politics, society, and culture of the Spanish empire from 1450 to 1700. It examines Spain’s rise and fall as a global power and its “Golden Age”, a time of high accomplishments by artists, writers, and playwrights. It traces the history of Iberian society in the western Mediterranean, the roots of the Spanish empire, its impact on Europe, and the Americas. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course will be dedicated to analyze the early processes of Spanish colonization in the Americas and their clash against Native American polities. We will focus mainly in the cases of Mexico and Peru, and the ways in which Spaniards and American indigenous societies confronted each other, the cultural assumptions they brought to these encounters, and how these assumptions affected the outcome. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines developments in European warfare and diplomatic practice in the late medieval and early modern periods. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course examines the complex interrelationships between religion and armed conflict in the Western tradition from the ancient world into modern times. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course explores the background, events, and consequences of the Thirty Years’ War that raged in the center of Europe from 1618 to 1648. We will examine not only the history of the war itself, but also the multiple controversies that continue to divide scholars over the causes, nature, and significance of the conflict. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources. This is also a Writing (W) designated course. This means that the ability to write coherent, logical, and carefully edited prose is one of the conditions for passing the course. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Development of an early modern state: establishment of a strong central monarchy, religious crises from the Reformation to the Puritan movement, and exuberance and excess of an expanding society. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
How Englishmen of the 17th century worked out the great questions of their day: Was liberty compatible with strong government? Could English elites share power without destroying it? What did God want for England? Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Britain at her apogee: possessor of the empire on which the sun never set, world economic leader, nation of Peel and Palmerston, Gladstone and Disraeli, Dickens and Trollope, Tennyson and Browning, Turner and Constable. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
In 1815, the Pax Britannica that concluded the Napoleonic wars enabled the most prosperous and powerful century in the history of Britain. This class will examine the industrial revolution and colonial Britain, the life of Queen Victoria, the rise of class conflict, the Luddites, the Chartists, the New Model Unionists, and the agricultural laborers’ union, the new Labour party, and the move towards The Great War. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course offers students extensive training in historical research methods and writing. It will normally culminate in a 15 page research paper based on primary source materials, as well as an oral presentation. Instructors may also choose to offer a range of equivalent alternatives at their discretion. In all events the course will offer students a rewarding opportunity to practice the craft of historical research. A grade of C or higher is required for credit in the major. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
Independent research and writing to produce a senior honors thesis in history.
History 499 is the writing portion of the History honors thesis course sequence. Students taking HY 499 will have completed HY 498, Honors Thesis I, in which they will have selected and researched a topic in conjunction with their advising professor. Individual requirements may vary, but all honors theses will be based on original primary source research, and typically are about fifty pages/fourteen thousand words in length. The thesis will demonstrate advanced writing and research ability for the undergraduate level. Per the University designation for Writing courses, Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course. In order to complete the course, two professors other than the professor of record must read and approve the final thesis.