New Courses to Look For
The following courses have either been modified or are late additions. They will be offered by the Department of History in the Fall 2012 semester. For a complete list of courses offered by the Department of History please visit WebSTAC.
L22 2093
Freshman Seminar: Mobilising Shame: Violence, The Media, and International Intervention
Tuesday/Thursday 4-5:30pm
Venus Bivar
Deciding when and when not to intervene in the affairs of a foreign and autonomous state has become a hot-button issue in light of the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and of the more recent lending of support to Libyan rebels. In this course, students will examine the emergence of the "international community," the development of human rights, the rise of the war correspondent as a mythical figure, and the influence of the media on public sympathies. Case studies might include:the Spanish Civil War, the Vietnam War, Apartheid in South Africa, or the Bosnian War. This course is crosslisted with L84 Legal Studies 2093.
L22 2188
African Urban History
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 2-3pm
Meghan Ference
This introductory course explores the origins and growth of African cities through the historical process of urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa. By focusing on the form and function of cities and examining their changing relations with the surrounding countryside, we will explore the fundamental urban issues and tensions which have helped to shape the history of Africa. Some of the topics to be covered include environmental issues, the creation of states, religion, cross-cultural contact, colonization, public health, gender relations and decolonization. This course is crosslisted with L18 Urban Studies 2188, L48 Anthroplogy 2188, and L90 AFAS 211.
L22 3105
American Holidays, Rituals and Celebrations
Wednesday 2:30-5pm
Leigh Schmidt
This seminar examines a variety of holidays, festivals, and rituals in American history and culture. Topics include: conflicts over Christmas, the sentiments of greeting cards, African-American emancipation celebrations, Roman Catholic festivals dedicated to the Virgin Mary, modern renderings of Jewish ritual (including Hanukkah), the masculinity embodied in fraternal lodge ceremonies, Neopagan festivals, and Halloween Hell Houses. Various interpretive approaches are explored, and the intent is to broach a wide range of questions about history and tradition, gender and race, public memory and civic ceremony, moral order and carnival, through this topical focus on ritual and performance. A major emphasis will also be placed on original research and writing, evident in the weight given the concluding seminar report and the final paper. This course is hom-based in American Culture Studies and is crosslisted with L22 History 3105 and L23 Religious Studies 3105.
L22 3593
The Wheels of Commerce: From the Industrial Revolution to Global Captialism
Monday/Wednesday 1-2:30pm
Venus Bivar
What does it mean to describe an economy as capitalist? Industrial? Or global? One of the primary aims of this course is to determine how each of these terms emerged historically, both as intellectual constructs and as descriptors for real world economic developments. Students will build working definitions for each term and will explore the degree to which these terms are useful for thinking about how economies have been organised since the mid-18th century. Readings will include classics in political economy and economics as well as historical works on the material and social outcomes of economic change. Modern, Transregional. PREREQUISITE: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE. This course is crosslisted with L84 Legal Studies 3593, L97 International and Area Studies 3594.
L22 4121
American Religion, Politics, and Culture: Historical Foundations
Thursday 2:30-5:30pm
Leigh Schmidt
This research-oriented seminar involves in-depth historiographical investigation of leading scholarship at the busy intersections of American religion, politics, and culture. Some sessions will include a visiting scholar engaged in cutting-edge research--a feature that will allow seminar members to work with important scholars from beyond the university. Research projects may originate from seminar participants or from other scholars within the university. Possible topics include: church-state relations, religion and foreign policy, religion and civil rights, religion and the science wars, the rise of the Religious Right, and the role of religion in national elections. The seminar is taught under the auspices of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and is a two part seminar. It's ambition is to build up a community of inquirers engaged in the core questions that animate the Danforth Center. PREREQ: Advanced undergraduate or graduate standing in AMCS, History, or Religious Studies or permission of instructor. This course is home-based in Religious Studies and is crosslisted with L22 History 4121.
L22 4503
Captives, Slaves, & Renegades in the Early Modern Mediterranean
Mathieu Grenet
Tuesday/Thursday 11:30am-1pm
This reading-intensive course introduces students to the social, political, and cultural history of the Early Modern Mediterranean, and surveys the recent historiography on captives and converts as significant social actors and cultural brokers. Topics include: early modern theories and practices of selfhood and otherness; religious and political "frontiers"; cross-cultural encounters; social mobility; and contemporary perceptions and historiographical constructions of the Mediterranean as a space both united and divided. The case studies in this course range from the Persian empire and the Ottoman lands to Spain, France and England. Pre-modern, Transregional. PREREQUISITE: SEE HISTORY HEADNOTE. This course is crosslisted with L75 JINELC 4503.