Majors must take two seminars (or their equivalent) in two different geographic areas: Asia, Europe, Latin America, Russia, or the U.S. Seminars with a broader geographic focus, such as HIS 328, can be sorted into one of these categories based on the focus of your research paper.
FALL 2007
History 310.01 "Enlightenment and Revolution in Early America, 1750-1820."
This seminar will explore the varied-and growing-list of American "revolutions" that historians today are writing about. Alongside the more familiar contest for independence, there emerged the "commercial revolution," the "consumer revolution," the "revolution against patriarchy," the "information revolution," the "evangelical revolution," and the "revolution in class relations." We will look at how these movements related to the broader forces unleashed by the American Enlightenment and the American Revolution. In the first half of the course, as preparation for writing independent research papers, we will analyze some of the major scholarly accounts of the Enlightenment and American revolutions and work with a wide array of historical texts, documents, and artifacts. In the second half of the course, students will be involved in writing their own research papers on a topic growing out of the seminar's focus and readings. Prerequisites: HIS 111 and 200-level American History course, or permission of instructor. 4 credits. Mr. Guenther
History 327.01 "Labor in Twentieth-Century Latin America."
During the twentieth century, Labor Movements helped transform many Latin American countries socially, politically, and economically. Organized workers have played key roles in the Mexican Revolution, the rise of Peronism, and the recent political triumphs of Brazil's Worker's Party. The common readings for the seminar will include some of the classic works and then move to more recent studies. These readings raise questions about the effect of employer paternalism on workers; the impact of special privileges on workers; and the role of women in the home, in the shop and in the union. In the second half of the course students will then write a major research paper on labor in twentieth-century Latin America. A reading knowledge of Spanish or Portuguese is helpful but not required. Prerequisite: History 201, 202, or 204. 4 credits. Mr. Silva
History 334.01 "Race and the British Empire."
The historiography of the British Empire explores different justifications (economic, strategic, "civilizing," to name a few) for the imperial project through the language of British officials and others involved in consolidating, maintaining, and extending the Empire both formally and informally. In this seminar we will explore how the ideology of race affected the theories and practices of the British Empire. Key topics will be: 1) ideas of race, their change over time, and the different ways the British (such as colonial officials, white settlers, missionaries) deployed racial ideologies; 2) the rise of scientific and pseudo-scientific ideas about race during the 19th century; 3) the visual images of empire as broadcast to those "at home;" 4) the intersection of race and gender. We will discuss these topics with common and independent readings of primary and secondary sources in the first half of the semester. These readings are designed as a starting point for further research on these topics. In the second half of the course, students will research and write a major paper on a topic of their choosing, drawing upon the knowledge gained in the first half of the semester. Prerequisite: HIS 236, 295 (British Empire), 295 (Sub-Saharan Africa), or permission of instructor. 4 credits. Ms. Shull
History 337.01 "Judicial Independence in 18th Century Britain and America."
This seminar involves readings and research into the development and articulation of the notion that judges are or should be independent of the other parts of the government including the royal governors, the monarchy and the legislature. Readings will involve legal and non-legal materials. Each student is expected to write a significant research paper on some aspect of this important area of legal and institutional development. The course begins with the reign of Queen Anne in Britain and carries through the early federal period in North America. Prerequisites: History 211, 236 or permission of instructor. 4 credits. Mr. Osgood
SPRING 2008
History 318.01 "The 'New' American Woman, 1880-1930."
This seminar will examine the public image and lived experience of those women who came of age in the 1910s and 1920s. Popular culture dubbed them "new" women, ostensibly because they were more free and independent than their mothers and older sisters. We will be asking just how "new" these women were, how free, how independent. What did it mean to be a "working girl," or a "flapper" or a young black woman of the Harlem Renaissance? And what happened to the "new" American woman in the 1920s after women won the vote? Students will engage in a considerable amount of primary research, as a group, before defining individual research topics. We will also, as a group, read and discuss what historians today are finding in their research on the "new" woman. Prerequisite: History 222.
4 credits. Ms. Brown
History 321.01 "Colonial Encounters in North America: A Comparative Approach."
This seminar will examine Spanish, French, and British encounters with the native peoples of North America from 1492-1821. Students will grapple with three comparative questions: 1) What common attitudes and behaviors marked the European colonizers? 2) How did European colonists differ in their reactions to, and actions toward, the native peoples? 3) What was the range of native responses to the three different European empires and their colonists? Students will use the course common readings to propel them towards their own research project. Prerequisites: History 105 or 111 and any 200-level U.S. History course (History 211, 212, 214, 221, 222, 227, or 228) or permission of the instructor.
4 credits. Mr. Lacson
History 338.01 "Histories of Leisure in Modern Europe."
From well-heeled British travelers visiting Rome on a "Grand Tour" in the early 19th century to contemporary spectators attending the final match of the Champions League soccer competition at the Stade de France in Paris, "leisure" - in its many guises - has constituted an increasingly central part of the European social and cultural historical experience. This seminar will examine the development and transformation of leisure in Europe over the past two centuries, focusing particularly on the contested massification of three types of leisure pursuits: consumption, travel and tourism, and sport. The first half of the course will be devoted to common readings designed to familiarize students with these topics; students will then research and write a major independent paper during the remainder of the semester. Prerequisites: Two 200-level History classes, preferably one in modern European history, or permission of the instructor. 4 credits. Mr. Lewis
History 352.01 "Film and Historiography: The Cinematic Representation of the Past."
Many historians have been harshly critical of the ways that movies portray the past. In this seminar, our goal will not be to discuss how "good" a film is or to point out the historical errors within it, but to ask a series of broader questions about the possibilities and drawbacks of producing history for the silver screen. In the first half of the course, we will look at historical films from around the world, ranging from Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible" to Beatty's "Reds," paying particular attention to critiques written by historians who specialize in the films' subject matter. In the second half of the course, each student will write a 20-30 page analysis of a historical film or films, discussing the historiographical and theoretical issues we discussed in the first seven weeks of the seminar. Prerequisites: Two 200-level history courses. 4 credits. Mr. Cohn
History 376.01 "Mao Zedong (1893-1976): Portraits of the Chairman."
This seminar will examine the various stages of the life of Mao: his childhood, his rise to prominence in the revolution, and his roles first as Chairman of the Communist Party and later as the undisputed ruler of the People's Republic. Themes for this course will include Mao's family life and his struggles against rivals both inside and outside of the Party; this course will also consider his thoughts on peasant organizations, guerrilla warfare, intellectuals and elites, literature and art, mass will and energy, and the continuing revolution. As well, the course will analyze changing depictions of Mao both by himself and by other individuals of differing political persuasions. Readings will include Mao's early autobiographical account, selected biographies published in the West over the past decades, and portions of Mao's speeches and writings relevant to our themes. Prerequisite: History 275 or 276.
4 credits. Mr. Hsieh
