Welcome to the class of 2018! The History Department has a wide variety of classes that are designed to introduce students to the study of the past. Whether your interested in finding a class to fulfill your Area 3 requirement, or exploring a discipline that’s an inseparable part of the liberal arts, we encourage you to check out these classes:
HIST 12: Saints and Society (T/Th 1:15-2:30)
This course explores the history of the idea of Christian sanctity from the first to the thirteenth centuries as one way of appreciating how late antique and medieval Christians imagined their world. The readings--primarily saints' lives and scholarly studies of sanctity--reveal how the church constructed its vision of Christian perfection and how this vision evolved over time in response to changing historical circumstances.
HIST 17: Chicano/Latino History (T/TH 9:35-10:50)
Survey introduction to Chicana/o and Latina/o historical experiences across the span of several centuries, but focused on life in the United States. Analyzes migration and settlement; community and identity formation; and the roles of races, gender, class, and sexuality in social and political histories. Letter grade only.
HIST 31: Latin America before Independence (MW 11:00-12:15)
Examines the rise of the Aztec and Incan empires, the Spanish conquest and settlement of the Americas, the evolution and consolidation of colonial institutions, the significance of race, gender and sexuality in shaping the culture of the colonial society from the perspectives of Indigenous, European and African peoples; and the settlement of Brazil and the impact of the Age of Revolution, especially the Haitian Revolution, on the process of independence.
HIST 40: History of Africa to 1800 (MW 11:00-12:15)
History of Africa from the earliest times to the beginning of the 19th century. Attention given to the methodology and theoretical framework used by the Africanist, the development of early African civilizations and current debates and trends in the historiography of Africa.
HIST 60: Asian Traditions (MWF 11:00-11:50)
Historical introduction to the civilizations of China, India, Korea and Japan. Examines major institutional, social and cultural developments from pre-history to 1500: the advent of sedentary agriculture, urbanization, the emergence of the first states, class relations, important religious and philosophical changes and the formation of distinctive cultural identities.
HIST 70: Early Modern Europe (MW 11:00-12:15)
An introduction to European history between the Renaissance and the Napoleonic Wars. Topics to include the Reformation, New World exploration, Thirty Years War, Absolute Monarchy, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and French Revolution. Special attention paid to political thought and social conditions.