Fall 2022
History 311.01 “Politics in the Early American Republic”
Students in this seminar will discover and debate recent developments in the study of political history by focusing intensely on one of its most exciting periods, the early American republic. During the years 1789-1820, the American political system first took shape as federal and state governments established themselves, as the country experienced its first era of party conflict, and as philosophical ideas about the structures of American power and concepts such as "republicanism" and "democracy" were put to the test. The seminar will analyze traditional topics of political interest in this period such as political party formation and interaction among the "founding fathers," and it will also explore the many ways that recent historians have broadened their view of politics to include such factors as race and slavery, political culture, female involvement in politics, the politicization of everyday life, and the global context of U.S. politics. Students will write in-depth research papers on some aspect of politics in the period. Prerequisites: History 100 and any 200-level American History course, or permission of instructor. 4 credits. Purcell
History 324.01 “Illicit Medicine”
In the U.S., laws and licensing bodies have regulated medicine since the early nineteenth century. Looking at examples of medicinal practices and products that have been or currently are considered “illicit” permits us to see how this regulation has been shaped by broader cultural, social, and political factors. This seminar examines the histories of illicit medicines in the United States as windows into national–and sometimes global–history. Students will complete a substantial research project using a combination of primary and secondary sources. Prerequisites: any 200-level history course OR permission of instructor. Priority will be given to students who have taken at least one of the following: HIS 223, ANT 210, SOC 265. 4 credits. Lewis
History 334.01 “Decolonization”
In the decades following the Second World War, more than a quarter of the world’s landmass and population were converted from colonies into nation-states with surprising speed. But did the end of empire constitute a meaningful transformation or merely the change of a flag? And was the transfer of power as orderly as the imperial powers liked to claim? In this seminar, we will explore some of the debates surrounding the timing, causality, character, and consequences of decolonization and consider how historical actors impacted and were impacted by the changing relationship of metropolitan centers and colonial peripheries. Common texts and student research projects will focus on the political, social, intellectual, and cultural dimensions of decolonization in British Africa and South Asia, as well as in Britain itself; students with the relevant background may also pursue a topic related to another national/geographic context. Prerequisites: HIS 100 and either HIS 236, 261, 262, 266, 295 Sp22 (Gender Relations in South Asia or Israel/Palestine History or Reckoning with the Past in Modern Africa), or 395 Sp22 (Many Worlds of Indian Leaders: Gandhi, Ambedkar, Savarkar). 4 credits. Prevost
History 388.01 “The (Cultural) Cold War”
Relying on monographs, films, artworks, and different primary sources, this seminar examines the history of the Cold War by focusing on its cultural and intellectual upshots, struggles, and debates as they unfolded in the third world. The seminar’s cultural and geographic foci will challenge the traditional study of the Cold War as a political, diplomatic clash between the US and the USSR and help students appreciate the Cold War as a truly global, cultural conflict. Note: this course does not satisfy the research seminar requirements. Prerequisite: HIS-100 and HIS-236, 262, 262, or 266. 4 credits. Almohsen.
Spring 2023
History 309.01 “Latin America and the United States”
As the saying goes, Latin America lies too far from God and too close to the United States. This proximity has affected Latin American economics, demographics, culture, and politics. The seminar will begin with common readings. This year those common readings will focus on US attempts–both official and unofficial–to democratize and modernize the region. Students will then write a research paper using primary documents. These papers could focus on any one of a number of issues that were central to US-Latin American relations such as hemispheric security, economic affairs, democracy, and socialism. A reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is helpful but not required. Prerequisites: HIS 100 and either HIS 201, 202 or 295 (Cold War Latin America). 4 credits. Silva
History 327.01 “The Civil Rights Movement”
This seminar offers students an opportunity to research and write about the Civil Rights era. Students will be introduced to recent scholarship that will compel them to re-think fundamental aspects of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States: when it took place, who participated, what it was over, and how the Civil Rights Movement continues to inform modern life in the United States. By the end of the semester, students will have produced a research paper based on a combination of primary and secondary sources (20-25 pages). Prerequisites: Any HIS 100 course and one 200-level history course. 4 credits. Lacson
History 342.01 “Stalinism”
This seminar will examine the political, social, and cultural history of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, with a particular focus on the 1930s. The first half of the course will feature a series of common readings on topics such as the rise of Stalin's dictatorship, the Great Terror of the 1930s, and the drive to collectivize Soviet agriculture and industrialize the economy; we'll discuss the nature of everyday life and social identity under Stalin, look at the impact of propaganda and revolutionary ideology on the values and mindset of the population, and debate whether Stalinism represented the continuation of the revolution or a divergence from its ideals. After looking at a set of representative primary sources (such as oral histories, memoirs, and diaries), students will then produce a research paper in the second half of the semester, delving into some aspect of Soviet society and politics under Stalin. Prerequisite: HIS-100 and HIS-242 or 244. 4 credits. Cohn.