Fall 2009 Undergraduate Course Descriptions
ART HISTORY COURSES
ARTH 100-level
NOTE: The Department of History & Art History strictly adheres to the University’s Late Add Policy. There will be NO late adds after September 15, 2009. Please consult the Fall 2009 Schedule of Classes for more information and registration dates.
ARTH 101: Introduction to the Visual Arts
001: TR 9:00-10:15 a.m., CRN 70601, Bauman syllabus
This course provides an introduction to the language of the visual arts and a foundation for individual understanding and enjoyment of art. This class will focus on how art communicates, how to analyze and interpret it, and how we can see it as a cultural product that reveals something about the society that produced it. The first part of the course covers the basics of art theory and practice. The second part will be a brief survey of the history of art, from prehistory to the present, with a brief introduction to non-western art. Within this survey, the materials and techniques of art production will be woven into their historical framework. Class sessions will move between lecture and in-class discussions. This course meets the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
002: TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70602, Woodville syllabus
Introduction to the content and principles of the visual arts. Approach varies with instructor. This course meets the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 102: Symbols and Stories in Western Art
001: MWF 11:30 a.m. – 12:20 p.m., CRN 70603, Gregg syllabus
002: MWF 2:30-3:20 p.m., CRN 70604, Gregg syllabus
This course examines the iconography and major narratives of ancient Greek mythology using both primary texts in translation and ancient representations of these myths. By examining the literary tradition and the extant visual material, we will explore the function of myth in ancient Greek society, the types of sources available to modern students of mythography, and the continued presence of mythological themes in Western culture. Students will learn stories of the gods and heroes, and we will analyze these stories using a variety of methods at our disposal: in addition to considering the ancient context, we will bring in modern critical approaches, literary theories, and art historical or anthropological methodologies to expand our understanding and interpretation of the myths. Students will also learn how to visually analyze works of art, both for their style and content. Fulfills the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 103-001: Introduction to Architecture
MWF 1:30-2:20 p.m., CRN 70605, Gregg syllabus
This course will introduce students to the history and appreciation of architecture through lectures, readings, and field trips. The course is organized historically, emphasizing basic structural systems, with examples taken from around the world. Supplementary readings will address issues of aesthetics, structure, design, use, and the architect’s practice. Fulfills the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 200: Survey of Western Art
001: MWF 12:30-1:20 p.m., CRN 70606, Butler syllabus
002: MWF 2:30-3:20 p.m., CRN 70607, Butler syllabus
This class is designed to introduce the student to the artistic tradition of Western culture from the Stone Age to the Gothic period, presenting development of style and theme in the primary artistic media (sculpture, architecture, and painting) as well as minor arts (metalwork, cameo). We will focus on pieces that exemplify each period and practice detailed visual readings in order to better understand their function within the original culture’s context. Exams will include visual identification, visual analysis, and detailed information regarding date, style and context. Attendance will be factored into the final course grade. Fulfills the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 201: Survey of Western Art II
001: TR 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 70608, Richardson syllabus
002: TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 70609, Richardson syllabus
This class covers the second half of the two-semester survey of Western art from the Renaissance through the present. During the semester, the major artistic trends, artists, art works, and techniques from each period will be discussed as well as the historical and philosophical settings of each period. Students are encouraged to develop analytical and memorization skills related to the mastery of artistic terminology and to the recognition and identification of major works of art and the associated aesthetics of each period. By the end of the course, the student should be able to relate and place the art and artists within their respective social, political, philosophical, and religious contexts. This course has no prerequisite and presumes no prior knowledge of Art History. As part of the coursework, students will be required to visit museums or monuments in downtown Washington, DC. Fulfills the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 203-001: Survey of Asian Art
MWF 10:30-11:20 a.m., CRN 70610, DeCaroli syllabus
From its inception in ancient India to the present, Buddhism has inspired some of the world’s most astounding artistic creations. This course will provide an in-depth analysis of a few of these works, which have been selected from sites located in India, Southeast Asia, China, Japan and the Himalayas. The lectures will provide an understanding of the importance of each site or object through an analysis of the cultural, religious and political factors that surrounded its creation and use. The student will be expected to develop a basic understanding of the Buddhist teachings and be able to recognize the variations between some of its major schools. Special attention will be given to the manner in which Buddhism has adapted and changed as a result of interaction with indigenous traditions throughout Asia and the way those differences are expressed through art. The course will require a museum visit.
ARTH 303-001: Contemporary Chinese FilmW 7:20-10:00 p.m., CRN 77782, Hinton
This course is an introduction to Chinese cinema from the 1930s to the present, focusing on feature films made in Mainland China. The study of Chinese film is a relatively new field in international film scholarship, and the range of choices for a course such as this one is limited by the availability of English-subtitled films as well as by English language writings on the subject. Within these constraints, this course will provide a broad historical overview of 20th century Chinese cinema, combined with in-depth exploration of selected topics, focusing on issues of national, cultural, and gender identities, the relationship between art and politics, and cross-cultural communication. Considerable emphasis will be given to the so-called Fifth Generation filmmakers, whose works constitute a key turning point in Chinese cinematic history. Course is taught in English. Also listed as CHIN 320 and FAVS 399.
ARTH 311-001: Roman Urbanism
T 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70611, Gregg syllabus
Prerequisite: 24 credits. Spanning the Mediterranean basin and extending into Europe and North Africa, the Roman Empire included a wide variety of urban spaces. In this course, we will examine three cities on the Italian peninsula—Rome, Ostia, and Pompeii—which offer examples of traditional architectural form and urban development. Rome, as capital of the empire, establishes prototypical monuments which are exported outward. Ostia, port city of Rome, reflects the developments in architecture and design in the capital but as a working-class city offers insight into different strata of Roman society. Finally, Pompeii reflects the wealth of an elite resort community embedded in a small-scale urban environment. By examining the individual architectural elements and organization of these three ancient cities, we will observe the standard forms of urban Romanitas (“Roman-ness”) and its significant variations.
ARTH 321-001: Greek Art
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70612, Mattusch syllabus
Prerequisite: 24 credits. A survey of the architecture, sculpture, painting, and luxury arts of ancient Greece: where the Greeks got their start; how their history and society shaped the arts; how Classical art has influenced the modern world; and how we have altered the meanings of Classical art to suit our own modern experience. The approach to the evidence will be archaeological: to look at antiquity is to study fragments, to reconstruct missing pieces, and to interpret an incomplete whole. There are few unequivocal facts in the study of Classical antiquity: we are always discovering new fragments, which can easily disrupt traditional assumptions and lead to new ideas about the past. Fulfills the University General Education Fine Arts requirement.
ARTH 334: Western Medieval Art
R 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 77624, Woodville syllabus
This course will explore the art and architecture of the medieval period, from the Crusades to the 1400s—the dawn of the Renaissance. Starting in the 12th century, one of the most creative periods in Western civilization, students will witness artistic breakthroughs evident in monumental sculpture, painting, and architecture, culminating in the construction of Gothic cathedrals and brilliant illuminated manuscripts. We will see how popes, monarchs, dukes, and powerful leaders—as well as their consorts and courtiers—created sophisticated artistic programs against the backdrop of a society marked by chivalric codes, a burgeoning economy, a rise in universities, vernacular literature, and full-scale drama. As Europe transformed itself from a rural society to an urban one, so did artistic forms respond to people’s changing values and world views.
ARTH 340: Early Renaissance Art in Italy, 1300-1500
TR 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 70613, Bauman syllabus
This course is a survey of the major monuments of Italian art and architecture from 1300 to 1500. Traditionally, this period is studied through the productions of one great artist after another from Giotto, Donatello, Brunelleschi and Botticelli to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. But this course will also give equal emphasis to the broader intellectual trends and social realities that provide a context for our understanding of the artist’s creations. Thus, Italian churches will be juxtaposed with gender-segregated social practice, theories of genius with concepts of handicraft, and pagan ideals with Christian rituals.
ARTH 360-001: Nineteenth-Century European Art
TR 10:30-11:45 p.m., CRN 70614, Greet syllabus
This course will examine major movements in nineteenth-century European art including neoclassicism, romanticism, realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, symbolism and art nouveau. Paintings and sculpture will be examined in their historical context, relating stylistic and ideological change to social and political events. The class will begin with an overview of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in the context of the revolutions of 1789, 1830 and 1848. The focus of this class, however, will be on the second half of the 19th century and the emergence of a modernist sensibility in the visual arts.
ARTH 373-001: Studies in 20th-Century Art of the United States
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70615, Todd syllabus
This course examines early modernist art in American from the 1913 Armory Show through World War II. We will be concerned with themes of National and local identity and Modernism broadly conceived to include avant-garde and abstract practices along with the figurative “Painting of Modern Life.” Photography, prints, and design will also make an appearance. Lecture/Discussion and group projects, exams and a museum paper.
ARTH 374: Art Now
001: TR 9:00-10:15 a.m., CRN 70616, Richardson syllabus
002: W 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70617, Richardson syllabus
Throughout the 20th century what is considered “art” has been constantly challenged and redefined. Since the 1960s in particular, many artists have produced radical alternatives to traditional media and modes of expression, drastically altering the way art interacts with its audience and environment. This course traces these radical shifts and developments in contemporary art since 1945. We will examine the artists who define contemporary art, the forms they have created and the issues and ideas addressed as well as the social, institutional, and political formations surrounding recent art and its market.
ARTH 383-001: Arts of Southeast Asia
M 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70618 DeCaroli syllabus
Strategically located for trade, rich in resources and containing a surprising variety of cultural traditions, the civilizations of mainland and island Southeast Asia are among the most dynamic and unique in the world. This course will examine the various cultural and artistic traditions of ancient Southeast Asia from the earliest archaeological evidence to the onset of colonialism. The lectures and discussions will focus on the material culture of the great civilizations that arose within the borders of modern Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Burma (Myanmar), Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia. A goal of the course will be to understand the cultural, political and religious factors, which gave rise to the creation of these works. Special emphasis will be given to the development of state formation, the role of kingship, the impact of foreign influences and the role of trade in the exchange of ideas.
ARTH 384-001: Arts of China
W 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70619, Hinton syllabus
Prerequisite: 24 credits. Explores the complex and dynamic history of China by examining ways in which social, religious, and political shifts have given rise to new and variant forms of material culture. This course meets the University General Education Global Understanding requirement OR the CHSS Non-Western Culture requirement.
ARTH 399-001: Art of Latin America: Pre-Columbian Art
TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 70620, Morrill syllabus
This class in pre-Columbian art will focus primarily on two cultural centers, Peru and Mesoamerica, a region that includes Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Get ready for the visual power of Machu Picchu, the Nasca lines, the giant Olmec heads, the sun and moon pyramids at Teotihuacan, the Maya palace of Palenque, and the magnificent Aztec city on an island, Tenochtitlan. Learn about the dynamic and sophisticated people who created these works of art, so distant in time and space from our own life setting.
ARTH 430-001: Advanced Studies in Medieval or Islamic Art (Textiles and Trade)
W 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70621, Butler syllabus
Textiles and agriculture were the two major commercial products of the premodern world, tremendously important to human history. But both result in transitory products, making their histories hard to reconstruct and easy to overlook. Textiles are fascinating to art historians, since they may well have been the visual art most in view and most often traded in the ancient and medieval worlds. They are particularly interesting as often being products of women’s work and visual ideas. Only a few precious fragments remain from pre-modern times, such as the Bayeux Tapestry, carpets from the Islamic world, or burial goods preserved in the deserts of Egypt, China and Peru. But vast amounts of documentary evidence remain, allowing us to appreciate the importance of textiles in daily life, in international commerce, and in the interchange of artistic ideas worldwide.
In this senior seminar, we will explore the art, history, anthropology and archeology of textiles through case studies. The first half of the course will consist of a general introduction to pre-modern textile traditions of Eurasia, including the role of trade connections by land along the Silk Road and by sea. In the second part of the course, students will research topics of special interest worldwide, taking advantage of the wonderful resources of the Textile Museum in Washington, DC. Students will share the results of their own directed research projects to the class through Powerpoint presentations. Students taking ARTH 430 as part of the Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology minor will be directed to appropriate research topics.
ARTH 471-001: Advanced Studies in Art of the United States: 1930s America
T 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70623, Todd syllabus
This seminar looks at U.S. visual arts of the 1930s asking how political debates within and beyond the art community also engaged ideas about American national, regional, and even personal identity during a time of economic crisis. We will look primarily at painting (especially mural painting), photography, and printmaking, addressing this work in historical, institutional, and methodological contexts. As a case study rather than a survey seminar, there are several overlapping themes: tradition and realism, vs. aesthetic modernism in representation, relationships between art and politics during the New Deal’s public art programs, and, as social issues, gender, class, race, ethnicity, labor, and consumer culture.
NOTE: The Department of History & Art History strictly adheres to the University’s Late Add Policy. There will be NO late adds after September 15, 2009. Please consult the Fall 2009 Schedule of Classes for more information and registration dates.
HIST 100: Development of Western Civilization
History of Western Civilization from ancient Mediterranean origins through medieval and modern development of Europe to contemporary world. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for section CRNs and meeting dates and times.
IMPORTANT: Students who have taken HIST 101 or 102 at Mason or who have transferred Western Civilization I or II credit cannot receive credit for HIST 100. However, for transfer students from other universities, Western Civilization I or II credit WILL meet the General Education requirement. Please see your academic advisor for details. HISTORY 100 MEETS THE GENERAL EDUCATION WESTERN CIVILIZATION/GLOBAL HISTORY REQUIREMENT.
Sections 001, 005, and 006, Susan Schulze syllabus
History of Western civilization from ancient Mediterranean origins through medieval and modern development of Europe to the contemporary world.
Sections 002 (syllabus), 008 (syllabus), and 013 (syllabus), Mark Stoneman
History of Western civilization from ancient Mediterranean origins through medieval and modern development of Europe to the contemporary world.
Sections 003, 004, 009, and 012, Janet Walmsley syllabus
This course is a comprehensive survey of the development of the western world from ancient time to the present day. One aim of the course is to define “the West” and “civilization” in terms of social structure, political and economic systems, and culture. A second aim is to give students an appreciation for the historical development of the west and its relevance to the modern world. The broad sweep of this course requires students to focus on themes and connections that lead from the distant past to today. These themes include the rise of government and political ideologies, the development of economic enterprise, changes in religious or philosophical ideas, the growth of social structures, and the creation of cultural expression which illustrates the western world’s particular characteristics.
Sections 007 and 010, Claire Salinas syllabus
This course examines the history of Western civilization from the classical world to the present day. It covers the times of classical empires; the development of Christianity and the Middle Ages; the Enlightenment “birth of the modern” and the formation of the liberal state. It focuses on primary texts to highlight the social, political, and cultural traditions of different epochs. While our approach is chronological, we will emphasise some key themes throughout: the way in which societies are structured (by religion, political forms, and social structure), the shaping of individual and collective identities, and the crafting of a “western” history and tradition. As a course taught in the History Department, these investigations will adopt a historical methodology: we will be concerned with understanding how the categories of “Europe” and “Western” came into being in relation to other societies, while devoting attention to the meaning with which we imbue these terms.
Sections 011 (syllabus), 015 (syllabus), 018 (syllabus), and 024 (syllabus), Ryan Swanson
Perhaps you’ve heard this saying: “Modern man is just ancient man with way better electronics.” An oversimplification? Probably. But the point that we, as a civilization and humankind, are connected to those civilizations and people that came before us is worth remembering. During this semester, we will explore the past and analyze how bygone civilizations developed and evolved.
Sections 014 and 017, Rebecca Scales syllabus
This course examines the history of Western civilization from its classical origins to the contemporary present. Much of this class focuses on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – the period of Europe’s global dominance – and concludes with the recent formation of the European Union. Course goals include: surveying the religious systems, political ideologies, and cultural traditions that have shaped the West; assessing the impact of the West on non-European societies and the reciprocal influence of non-Western traditions; exploring the practice of history; studying people of the past as historical subjects; and considering how the meaning of the terms “civilization” and “Western civilization” have changed over time.
Sections 016, 019, and 021, John Orens syllabus
This course follows the development of western civilization from antiquity to the present. We shall devote special attention to the ideas that continue to shape the world and our understanding of the human condition. Ours, then, is both a journey into the past and a voyage of self-discovery.
Sections 020 and 022, Nicholas Wolf syllabus
This course provides an ocean’s eye view of western civilization from ancient to modern times. The semester will be divided into two units, each dedicated to exploring major historical themes such as imperialism, industrialization, revolution, politics, and urbanization against the backdrop of the two major bodies of water at the heart of these events: the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. A close study of select major events of the twentieth century will cap the final weeks of this course.
Section 023, Fred Saddler syllabus
History of Western civilization from ancient Mediterranean origins through medieval and modern development of Europe to the contemporary world.
Section 025, Melinda Vander Ploeg Fallon syllabus
This course provides a general overview of
influential people, events, and movements that have
shaped what is known as “Western Civilization.” It
will teach you how to analyze primary sources and
use them both to understand perspectives from the
past and to form historical arguments. It will
demand that you process information, not only from
texts but also from highly visual media such as
pottery, architecture, painting and cartoons.
Sections 026 and 027, Daniel DeSelm syllabus
This course considers the development of Europe and Europeans, and their exchanges with neighboring cultures. More than that, it introduces a method of historical study focused on the intelligent reconstruction of the thoughts, emotions and deeds of the people who built the civilization from which our own is derived. Using images and primary source texts, we will devote considerable attention to peering into the minds of men and women often far removed from us in time and space, in the hope of understanding not only our own roots but also in the hope of appreciating alternative paths. Intellectual curiosity is the only prerequisite for this course.
HIST 121: Formation of the American Republic
Please refer to the Schedule of Classes for section CRNs and meeting dates and times.
Social, political, economic, and intellectual growth of American institutions from colonization through Reconstruction. Students may not receive credit for HIST 121 if they have taken HIST 120.
Sections 001 syllabus and 003 syllabus – McCord
This survey of United States history begins with the Native Americans and goes through the Reconstruction era following the Civil War. One objective is to provide a broad sweep of the political, social, religious, and economic roots in the colonial years that contributed to the creation of the republic and set the nation on a path toward democracy. Persistent themes through the Civil War years were whether the American experiment in republican government would work and whether the Union would survive. To understand the issues along the way, it is necessary to focus on the political leadership, the regional differences, and the diverse population that contributed to the American story.
Section 002 – Halabuk syllabus
This course will introduce students to the history of the United States from settlement to the present. The course will explore the political, social, and cultural narratives of United States history utilizing the thematic perspective of race, class, and gender. The course is designed to provide a conceptual and chronological overview of United States history. Students will become familiar with the basic periodization of United States history, the important events and figures, and the major historical interpretations of them.
Second, the course is also designed to help provide students with skills in critical reading, thinking, writing and analysis. Students will read and analyze primary and secondary sources and will work to create informed and sophisticated interpretations of historical events and actors.
Finally, the broadest goal of the class is to help produce thinking, questioning, and educated adults and to promote critical historical thinking in how we understand ourselves and our society. This involves coming to understand that ideas, institutions, identities, customs, and assumptions present and prevalent in the United States have a history. These things have changed over time in response to a wide variety of influences. It also involves understanding that historical processes continue to shape our country and our world – things that we see and do today have real effects on the shape of the future. Understanding the continuum of historical change in the development of the United States will enable students to better place current and future events in the appropriate historical context.
HIST 122: Development of Modern America
History of the United States since 1877. Students may not receive credit for HIST 122 if they have taken HIST 120.
Sections 002 syllabus and 004 syllabus– McCord
This survey in modern American history is designed to give the student a broad picture of the growth and development of the United States after Reconstruction, focusing on the transition from a rural agricultural nation to an urban industrial one. Surmounting the difficulties of this transition was a great challenge to the American people and to their leaders throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Rapid changes in technology, urban growth, and immigration eventually led to a new definition of government responsibility, and also to new public attitudes. Moreover, the urban challenge has perisited, along with its social, political and economic implications, and has been manifested by cycles of reform and reaction. An important theme is the constant struggle with the ideal of pluralism. Another central issue during these years is America’s rise to world leadership.
HIST 125: Introduction to World History
In this course we explore the sweeping historical changes that created today’s world. Beginning around 1450, we trace key processes reshaping the politics, cultures, and economies of various regions. While Europe and the United States are part of our focus, we primarily consider Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Each of these geographic regions became enmeshed in a global system affected by far-reaching religious transformation, mercantile activity, industrial growth and imperialism/colonialism. Finally, we study the influences of modern nationalism, Cold War dynamics, and anti-colonial movements in the twentieth century. By the end of the semester, students should have a grasp of the major trends underlying six centuries of world history. HISTORY 125 MEETS THE GENERAL EDUCATION WESTERN CIVILIZATION/GLOBAL HISTORY REQUIREMENT.
Section 001—Karush syllabus
T 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70452, AND A THURSDAY RECITATION FROM SECTIONS 301-303
Section 002—Hamdani syllabus
R 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70453, AND A TUESDAY RECITATION FROM SECTIONS 304-306
Section 003 – Stearns syllabus
TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 77320
HIST 252-001: History of East Asia II
TR 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70460, Chang syllabus
This course is an introduction to some of the major themes in the history of East Asia from the late-eighteenth through the mid-twentieth centuries (1750s-1950s). Although conceived of as a regional history, the primary focus of this course will be on China and Japan. Issues covered will include imperialism, colonialism, nationalism, World War II, the Cold War, & revolutions.
HIST 271-001: Survey of Latin American History
MWF 10:30-11:20 a.m., CRN 70462, Bristol syllabus
This course examines the history of colonial Spanish and Portuguese America from the pre-contact civilizations of the Americas to independence in the 19th century. Specific topics include the wars of conquest; the ecological, cultural and economic effects of contact among Europeans, Africans, and indigenous inhabitants of the Americas; colonial political structures; and labor systems including slavery.
HIST 281-001: Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization
TR 9:00-10:15 a.m., CRN 70463, Hamdani syllabus
This course will provide an understanding of the history of the Middle East from the rise of Islam to the turn of the 20th century. Topics that will be covered include Islam during the Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime, its expansion and consolidation during the period of Arab hegemony, Turkish migration and the resulting Turkic states like the Ottoman empire, and other issues that form the background to the contemporary Middle East. By the conclusion of the course, students should have a grasp of the major trends in Middle East history, as well as an appreciation for the rich and complex culture that characterizes the region. This course meets the University General Education Global Understanding requirement OR the CHSS Non-Western Culture requirement.
HIST 300: Introduction to the Historical Method- Open to HIST Majors ONLY
Introduces the research skills and methods, as well as historical interpretation, culminating in written and oral presentations. History majors are strongly urged to take HIST 300 early in their program of upper-level courses. Grade of C or better is required. ENGL 302 MUST be taken prior or concurrently to attempting HIST 300. Class lists will be checked and students will be dropped from the roster if they have not taken or are not enrolled in ENGL 302.
HIST 300-001: The Underground Railroad
W 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 70464, Crew syllabus
The course will introduce students to the theory and practice of history. It will use the Underground Railroad as the vehicle for teaching skills in historical thinking, research, and writing. The Underground Railroad was a loose secret network of individuals dedicated to undermining the institution of slavery and gaining freedom for African Americans enslaved by the institution. Studying it will provide an opportunity for using historical skills and methodology to separate myth from truth in the process writing a research paper.
HIST 300-002: History of Concentration Camps
M 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 70465, Barnes syllabus
This course uses the topic of the history of concentration camps and other modern forms of detention to introduce students to the methodology of researching, interpreting, and writing history. Students will read both historical documents and secondary sources on a variety of themes and issues, including Nazi concentration camps, the Soviet Gulag, Japanese-American internment camps and other cases in this history.
HIST 300-003: American West
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70466, Petrik syllabus
Introduction to historical methods is the preparation for the capstone course, HIST 499, in the history major. As such, it is an opportunity for class members to concentrate on the steps involved in the process of writing an original, extended research paper in which they synthesize the skills that they have honed during their undergraduate majors. This particular offering of the seminar will focus on the history of the American West; its twin goals are, first, to read a basic text that will introduce the history of the region and suggest ideas for further research and, second, to write an extended, formal essay on a topic relevant to the course. Along the way, the class will complete several smaller assignments that will build toward the seminar essay. This semester, the course will coordinate with Professor Stillson’s HIST 389, “The American West.” Students are encouraged to take both courses in the Fall Semester. Enrolling in both courses will enable HIST 300 students to develop a stronger research paper as well as extend their knowledge of the American West, in particular, and the US history, in general.
HIST 300-004: War and Remembrance
R 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70467, Lair syllabus
Saying that something is “etched in stone” is a way of expressing its permanence. In commemorating their wars, Americans have literally etched memories in stone in memorials throughout the United States and especially in the nation’s capital, yet interpretations of past conflicts vary among social groups and have changed dramatically over time. In this course, we will examine how Americans have constructed collective memories of war, and how those collective memories have been expressed in public commemorative activities. In the process, students will learn to think and write like historians by examining primary- and secondary-source materials related to the study of war and memory, including non-traditional sources like landscapes, monuments, and material culture. Students will also conduct a research project related to war and memory and give an oral presentation in order to demonstrate their facility with historical writing, basic research methods, and public speaking. In-class discussion participation will be required, and there will be an optional field trip to the National Mall.
HIST 300-005: Caribbean History: Gender, Race and Labor in the Caribbean
T 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., CRN 77367, Manuel-Scott syllabus
Hist 300: Caribbean History is a preparatory seminar designed to teach basic historical research and writing skills through a focus on gender, race and labor in the Caribbean from the pre-Columbia times to the present. Students will choose an appropriate topic for research, locate secondary and primary sources, evaluate sources, synthesize and organize evidence, and communicate the results in a well-written paper.
HIST 302-001: Classical Rome
T 4:30-7:30 p.m., CRN 70468, Lytton syllabus
From Aeneas, who founded the Roman race, and Romulus, who founded the city of Rome, to Julius Caesar, who defeated the Gauls and afterwards marched his army into Italy, we will study the rise of the Roman monarchy, Roman civilization and the fall of the Roman Republic (27 BCE). The Romans drew much of their culture from the Etruscans and the Greeks, and were further changed by the many cultures of the western and eastern Mediterranean as they expanded their empire. Yet, there was Romanitas, what it was to be Roman. It was from the Romans, more than the Greeks, that Western Civilization drew much of the Classical tradition. There will be readings, lectures, class discussion, examinations and written projects.
HIST 305-001: The Renaissance
TR 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70469, Holt syllabus
Survey of the Renaissance from its origins in late 14th-century Italy to its transmission outside of Italy to northern Europe by the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. One emphasis of the course will be the growth and impact of humanism on intellectual life, education, the arts, and politics. Another will be the ways in which humanism challenged and/or reinforced the hierarchical, patriarchal, and corporate perceptions of European society. The course will also deal with European overseas expansion and the encounter of other peoples, cultures, and continents. Most of the reading will be from primary texts and images of the period, including a variety of humanist texts on education, politics, and the arts; Baldasar Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier; Christine de Pisan’s Treasure of the City of Ladies; and Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince and The Discourses on Livy. There will be two short papers written outside class, one based on the required reading and another based on an interactive web site using the 1427 tax roll (Catasto) of the city of Florence. There will also be a mid-term and final exam.
HIST 309-001: Europe in Crisis: 1914-1948
TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 74279, Nay syllabus
This course explores the causes and consequences of World War I, the Russian Revolution, rise of Hitler, causes of World War II and the Holocaust, and the origins of the Cold War. Cultural changes during the time period will also be examined. Students will read a variety of interpretations of these topics.
HIST 314-001: History of Germany
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70470, Deshmukh syllabus
Twenty years ago, in the summer of 1989, thousands of East Germans migrated to West Germany, precipitating events which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November and the end of the Cold War. This course will examine how and why Germany united after being divided since World War II. We will analyze the historical and cultural background, beginning with the momentous events of 1789, exactly two centuries earlier, to understand Germany’s transformation from a weak collection of princely states to one of the most important industrial and politically powerful nations in the world by the 20th century.
The class will consist of lectures, class discussion, films and a talk by a German Embassy official. There will be a midterm, final, and several book reviews as assignments. Additionally, since this is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German Embassy has awarded George Mason University a grant to participate in student-run commemorative events. The details will be discussed in class.
HIST 329-001: Modern Russia and the Soviet Union
TR 9:00-10:15 a.m., CRN 73129, Wade syllabus
This course examines Russian history from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. It covers political, economic, social, cultural, and military history. Special attention is given to the characteristics of Imperial Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Russian Revolution, the “Stalin System” and how it worked (political, economic, and social systems), the achievements and problems of post-Stalin Soviet Union, Soviet foreign policy, and the collapse of the USSR and the emergence of the post-Soviet republics. Examinations will be essay type. This course fulfills the General Education Global Understanding Requirement.
HIST 335-001: The African-American Experience in the United States: From Enslavement in Africa to Emancipation
TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 70472, Smith syllabus
This course is the first part of a two-semester examination of the African-American experience. This semester we will examine the formation and repercussions of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, with particular attention to how African culture transformed early American life in the New World. We will also study the slavery experience in New England and plantation life in the South, the role of free blacks in colonial America as well as their participation during the American Revolutionary War. The remainder of the course will focus on slavery in antebellum America, the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and early Reconstruction.
HIST 351-001: History of the Old South
TR 3:00-4:15 p.m., CRN 70473, Censer syllabus
Some imagine an Old South of gentlemen and ladies on the veranda with mint juleps in hand, and this image of cultured gentility was one that many in the South wished to perpetuate. Yet the nineteenth-century South was a part of an America, made of up of people of different ethnic heritages and on the move, both in agriculture and industry. This course will introduce you to the many debates about the distinctiveness of the South and help you understand its place within the American experience. This course will explore the South, 1790-1860, with an emphasis on its social, political, and cultural history. Of particular interest will be the role that slavery played in the economy, the culture and in politics. The viewpoints and experiences of enslaved and free African-American men and women, and planters, farmers, and merchants will be important topics, as we explore the intersecting worlds of different social groups. This course will be a mixture of lecture and discussion and requires two short papers and midterm and final exams including essay questions.
HIST 354-001: History of Modern China
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70474, Chang syllabus
This course is a survey of modern Chinese history from the seventeenth to the mid-twentieth centuries (1600-1950s). The course will explore the momentous changes in the relationship between state and society from the founding of the Qing dynasty to the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Themes to be covered include imperialism, nationalism, ethnicity & race, gender, and revolution (political, social, and cultural) during these three and a half centuries of Chinese history.
HIST 357-001: Postwar Japan
M 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 70475, Platt syllabus
History of Japan from World War II to present. Examines Japanese experience of several key moments: Japan’s defeat in Pacific War, reconstruction during U.S. occupation, rise to economic prominence during 1960s and 1970s, and cultural and international identity crisis during 1980s and 1990s.
HIST 366-001: Comparative Slavery
TR 1:30-2:45 p.m., CRN 70480, Bottoms syllabus
This course explores the web of enslavement, trade, and race relations that created the Atlantic slave trade, and the slave institutions of the United States, Brazil, and the Caribbean from the 15th through the 19th centuries. The course pursues a comparative perspective, paying particular attention to the ways in which the core values of Africans, Europeans, and Americans shaped those institutions and the lives of both slaveholder and slave.
HIST 377-001: The Vietnam War
TR 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70476, Lair syllabus
This course will address the causes, events, and legacies of America’s Vietnam War, including Vietnamese history and culture, French colonialism, connections between Vietnam and American foreign policy in the Cold War, American political and military strategy, the antiwar movement, the policy of Vietnamization, the fall of Saigon, and the war’s aftermath in Vietnam and the U.S. The class will combine readings, lecture, documentary films, and discussions. Students will write a series of papers based on the course readings and their own research, and they will be required to participate in in-class discussions.
HIST 387: Topics in Global History
Study of historical topics or periods of special interest in global, Latin American, African, Asian, or Middle Eastern history. May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Meets the University General Education Global Understanding requirement OR the CHSS Non-Western Culture requirement.
HIST 387-001: White Rule, Black Liberation: History of South Africa
M 7:20-10:00, CRN 70477, Carton syllabus
South Africa is now struggling to overcome centuries of turmoil sparked, in part, by colonialism, rapid industrialization, and legalized segregation. In this course we explore a range of events, from the hinterland expansions of black and white political powers to the rise of popular movements against colonial rule. Our aim is to understand the interplay between conquest, resistance, and accommodation. Historians use different frameworks of interpretation. Some scholars view South Africa’s past through the lens of gender relations; others focus on racial and class divisions. Over the past two decades, historians have concentrated on ethnic (rather than “tribal”) nationalisms that fueled revolutionary transformations. The latest studies highlight how calamities (i.e., epidemic disease) dramatically changed South Africa. A major goal of this class is for you to engage in debates, using the readings to construct your own perspectives. You are strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions. The issues we study have important contemporary relevance.
HIST 387-002: Modern Iraq
TR 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 70478, Bakhash syllabus
Iraq has had a turbulent history ever since it was carved out of three provinces of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. In this course, we will examine the politics of Iraq under the British mandate, as an independent state under the monarchy, and as a republic after the revolution of 1958, with special emphasis on the social composition of Iraq’s people and of its ruling elites; the ideologies that shaped these elites; and the various attempts to create a cohesive nation out of Iraq’s disparate ethnic and religious communities. We will study in some detail the Iraqi revolution of 1958 and its legacy; the rule of the Baath and Saddam Hussein; Iraq as a player in the region and the international system; and the American invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.
HIST 387-003: U.S. and the Middle East
W 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70479, Lukacs syllabus
This course is designed to introduce students to United States’ foreign policy in the Middle East in the twentieth century. Particular emphasis will be placed on examining U.S. policy from World War II to the present. We will focus our attention on the evolution of American interests in several key areas: the Cold War and the Middle East, United States and oil, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the quest for peace, nationalism, inter-Arab politics and Islam. We will examine the pillars of our traditional policies of containing communism, guaranteeing the supply of oil, promoting Israel, and trying to reconcile conflicts among these goals under the full glare of domestic American politics. Watershed events such as Camp David I, Irangate, U.S. interventions in Lebanon, Libya, and in two Gulf Wars, and support for the Oslo peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as well as US policy since the
collapse of the July 2000 Camp David negotiations will be highlighted against the backdrop of U.S. national interests and foreign policy decision-making processes.
HIST 387-004: Modern India
T 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 74441, Nahal Arya syllabus
What is “Modern” India? How do we define it? When did “Modern” India begin? India is perceived as a very interesting, complicated, and exotic country gripped in a maze of myriad diversities and contrasts. The old and the new, the “modern” and the traditional, all co-exist in the world’s largest democracy. How did the British come to rule over such a large diverse population rooted in great developments, traditions and various cultures and religions? How did the Indians develop strategies to secure independence from British rule? What was the eclectic charm of Gandhi that captured the imagination of poor Indians and led the British to leave India? What are the social, cultural, religious, gender and caste divisions that existed, and still exist, juxtaposed in a “modern” India lending complexity to this democratic nation that continues to grow in stature in the world? Where does India stand today on issues such as foreign policy, cross-border conflict, terrorism, environment, women’s development, poverty, population, information technology, and other relevant issues of domestic concern to India and to the larger world? And what are some of the core philosophies that are carrying this nation forward? These and other such questions will form the bulk of this course. No prerequisites required.
HIST 387-005: Islam in World History
TR 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 76631, Aydin syllabus
This course will examine the role of Muslims in World History. The Islamic faith tradition has connected people from Sub-Saharan Africa to Eastern Europe, to Central Asia, China and South East Asia, shaping their religious, social, cultural and economic lives in a multitude of ways. Due to the shared rituals and practices of Islam, such as the pilgrimage, and the spread of Arabic language based Islamic education, Muslims from distant parts of the world have exchanged ideas, cultures and knowledge, while living with or in close proximity to non-Muslims over centuries, thus contributing to the emergence of the modern world in many unrecognized ways. By the end of the course, students should be able to answer the following questions: How did Islam foster global encounters, the exchange of ideas, processes, formations and upheavals? What is the role of Islam in terms of continuity and change in World History? While answering these questions, the course will focus on the case study of the history of Islamic science, practices of Muslim empires, and social-cultural achievements. In addition to the textbook, students will read important primary texts illustrating the role played by Muslims in European, African and Asian histories.
HIST 388: Topics in European History
Study of historical topics or periods of special interest. May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
HIST 388-002: 19th and 20th Century Metropolitan Europe
T 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70523, Deshmukh syllabus
Since the beginning of civilization, cities have occupied an important historical position as centers of political power, religion, commerce and culture. This course will be studying the historical significance of key European cities during the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on several cities in depth, including Paris, London, Vienna, Berlin Manchester, and Rome. We will discuss why certain cities emerged as both political and cultural capitals while others concentrated on commerce. The class will consist of lectures, films, and discussion. Readings will consist of texts and a novel. There will be a midterm and final exam and each student will select a city to study and present a paper and poster report towards the end of the semester.
HIST 388-003: War and Society in Europe, 1789-1945
W 7:20-10:00 p.m., CRN 70525, Ponichtera syllabus
This course will introduce the student to the main problems of warfare and society in Europe from the beginning of the French Revolution to the end of World War II. Although we will study how wars were fought, giving some attention to technological and organizational developments, we will also examine the phenomena that prompted the peoples of Europe to fight: revolutionary nationalism and Great Power politics. The course, therefore, should not be considered military history for the specialist. Rather, students should look to the reading and class discussions to uncover the underlying connections between military developments and social change in 19th and 20th century Europe.
HIST 388-004: Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe
TR 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 70527, Copelman syllabus
This course covers the period from the 1500s through the 20th Century, with particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th Centuries; the geographic focus is primarily but not exclusively European. Reproductive sexuality will be an important aspect to consider, but we will be concerned more with the history of non-reproductive sexuality. The main questions we will address are: 1) how have human sexual practices developed historically? 2) how is sexuality linked to power and the political and social structures of different societies? 3) how have “normal” and “abnormal” been defined and contested? 4) how has sexuality shaped cultural and social practices and world-views?
Among the topics covered will be: changing notions of biology, family and desire; gender and sexuality; the nature and role of sex work (prostitution, sexual entertainment); the construction of sexual communities and subcultures; and cultural representations of sexuality.
Course readings will include primary documents, literature and scholarly studies. Major assignments will be a take home midterm and a take home final requiring students write essays that integrate class work and reading; there will also be some other, shorter assignments.
HIST 388-005: The Monastic Tradition in Antiquity and the Middle Ages
TR 9:00-10:15 a.m., CRN 74883, Collins syllabus
This course focuses on the origins and development of Christian monasticism as one of the central institutions of medieval Europe. We will explore some of the essential moments in the monastic tradition and the changing meaning of monastic ideals through close readings of a series of primary sources. Problems to be addressed include the appeal of sexual renunciation and other ascetic practices in late antique society, debates about the possibility of earthly perfection, the elaboration of communal forms of monastic living, and the economic, cultural, and political impact of Benedictine monasticism on the development of western Europe. We will also examine the progressive reforms and shifting ideas of reform of the institution from the desert fathers of Syria and Egypt in the third century to Francis of Assisi and his followers in the thirteenth. Requirements include a midterm and final exam, an essay, and participation in classroom discussion.
HIST 389: Topics in United States History
Study of historical topics or periods of special interest. May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
HIST 389-003: American History of Money
T 7:20-10:00 p.m., CRN 70534, O’Malley syllabus
Everyone wants money, everyone needs it; everyone uses it everyday. But very few people know what it is or where it comes from. This course will explore the history of American attitudes about money and money-making. Though it will include some topics covered in economics courses – like the history of central banking or varying approaches to the nature of value – it will be a survey of how Americans have thought about and fought over the subject of money from our founding through the present
HIST 389-004: History of Sport in the U.S.
M 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70535, Lansbury syllabus
Among many twenty-first-century Americans, the culture of sport has become something of a national obsession. How did we, as a nation, arrive at such a place? How different is the national sporting culture from a century, or a century and a half, ago? In what ways has race and gender within the world of sport mirrored or differed from the racial and gender inequities of American society? These are some of the questions explored in this U.S. sport history course. While the course concentrates largely on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, we will begin by exploring games and play during the revolutionary period as an antecedent to organized sports. In addition to examining the history of different sports, particularly those we think of as “national” sports, we will also explore the rise of the athlete as popular cultural hero, issues of gender and race in the sporting world, and the extent to which debates within the U.S. sporting world have changed over time.
HIST 389-005: 42 Men: The Personal Presidency from Washington to Bush
R 7:20-10:00 p.m., CRN 70538, Smith syllabus
History with a very human face. The story of the American presidency, brought to life through the stories of 42 men who have occupied the nation’s highest office – related by Richard Norton Smith, acclaimed presidential historian and biographer, past director of five presidential libraries and a familiar face to viewers of C-SPAN and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. Students will be introduced to classic texts and have plenty of opportunity for lively classroom discussion. They will be expected to take two quizzes and write two essays. There will also be at least one trip to a presidential home or museum in the Washington area.
HIST 389-006: Creating American Identity, 1776-1865
W 7:20-10:00 p.m., CRN 70541, McGill syllabus
Anyone who either is an American, or who lives among those who are, probably has some ideas about what it means to be American. But where do the roots of this identity lie? It has been said that the founding of the United States was like building a roof without walls; that is, a separate political structure had been created, but not because it was supported by a pre-existing sense of national identity. Many of the factors that worked to keep colonies distinct from each other—ethnic and religious makeup, climate, geographical separation, a sense of being British—were no less true after the Revolution. In this class we will look at the myriad ways in which citizens of the new nation went about creating a national identity for themselves. Various themes will be explored, including: creation of new institutions, especially governmental ones; the creation of an American culture; the role of the land in American identity; our ambivalent relationship with Britain; the question of which inhabitants should be included in any emerging identity; how the need for national heroes and a national history was satisfied; how Americans were defined by Europeans; the play between regional and national identity; nationalisms both North and South during the Civil War; and theories of national identity formation and how they might apply to the case of America. To examine these questions, students will do reading in primary as well as secondary sources and will be expected to contribute to class discussions.
HIST 389-007: Millennialism and Philosophies of History in Western Culture
MW 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 72931, Heclo syllabus
Is there purpose in human history? Are we really going anywhere as humanity moves through time? This seminar will study major patterns by which thinkers in the West have discerned meaning in humanity’s temporal existence. The survey will extend from the Jewish roots of historical understanding, through Christian millennialism, to contemporary naturalism.
HIST 389-008: Black Social Movements
TR 12:00-1:15 p.m., CRN 76868, Jordan syllabus
This course focuses on the experiences and struggles of blacks during the Great Migration of the early 20th century. The readings will explore the reasons for migration, the work of political and nationalist organizations that vied for the allegiance of the blacks, the class antagonisms between the new migrants to the North and the older urban African American elite, the racial conflicts between white and black labor and attempts at unity, the impact of the world wars on the status of blacks, and the constructions of black manhood and womanhood. The purpose of this course is to enable students to think critically about the historical, structural and social policies that helped to shape the experiences of African Americans as they migrated to northern urban centers and formed movements for equal rights. Through the use of historical texts of a topical nature, biographies, autobiographies, and film, students will analyze the movements, institutions and ideas that developed out of struggle against discrimination, lynching, and segregation.
HIST 389-009: The American West
TR 12:00-1:15, CRN 77181, Stillson syllabus
The past and present of the American West has captured the imagination of people throughout the world like no other region of the country. The cowboy herding cattle across dusty plains, the Indian fighting to maintain traditional lands and ancient cultures, the movie star and the Silicon Valley high tech billionaire, are only a few of the iconic symbols of the West. But what is the West? Where is the West? Who are westerners? How did this region acquire such an impact on the imagination, economy, society and culture of the country? To begin to address these questions, this course explores the diverse geography, cultures, and economies of the region through its history, focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition to cowboys and Indians, we will examine how the environment, the Federal government, agriculture, mining, movies, and the military influenced the diversity, conflict and change in the West. We will look at both the historical record and fictional accounts through film and literature.
This course will be taught in conjunction with Professor Petrik’s History 300 methods course which will also focus on the history of the American West. Students are urged to take both courses in the fall semester. By combining the courses, students will be able to study in more depth the history of the West in HIST 389 while developing an intensive research project in the field for HIST 300. Professors Stillson and Petrik will coordinate the coverage of the two courses and work with students to help them produce truly excellent papers.
HIST 393: Topics in Film and History
(A maximum of 6 credits may be applied to the history major.)
HIST 393-001: Reading the U.S. Past Through Film, 1915-1996
W 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 70542, Landsberg syllabus
We tend to think of Hollywood film as an escape from reality, as an arena altogether separate from the social world we inhabit. But as this class will reveal, Hollywood films are rich historical sources, offering a unique window onto the social, political, cultural and economic landscapes of their historical moment. By analyzing films such as Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, The Imitation of Life, Notorious, The Searchers, The Manchurian Candidate and Independence Day, alongside other historical documents and accounts, this class will explore the ways in which popular mainstream film participated in pressing national discussions over gender, race and nation. The screening of films will be paired with written primary and secondary sources. Students will be required to attend some screenings outside of class. In addition to several in-class writing exercises, students will have a midterm and a final paper.
HIST 403-001: Revolutionary Era in American History
TR 10:30-11:45 a.m., CRN 70547, Zagarri syllabus
This course studies the American Revolution in its broadest sense. It examines the long-term causes and consequences of the War for Independence and the crisis of union that led to the writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Emphasis is placed on the broad international context of Atlantic revolutions, the role of ideology in generating revolutionary sentiment, the participation of women in the patriot cause, the role of slavery and race in creating ideas of liberty, and the emergence of the first political parties. Class will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Students will be expected to participate in discussions, write three short papers, and take a mid-term and final exam.
HIST 499: Senior Seminar in History- Open to HIST Majors ONLY
Research on specialized historical topic culminating in seminar paper and oral presentation. Synthesis course; students are expected to integrate knowledge and skills acquired in general education courses. Students may present no more than 3 credits for graduation and must receive a passing grade to graduate with a B.A. in History. HIST 300 is a mandatory pre-requisite. Students may not be concurrently enrolled in HIST 300 and HIST 499. Students attempting the course without having completed HIST 300 with a grade of C or better will be dropped from the course.
HIST 499-002: Medical Ethics in Twentieth Century America
W 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 70557, Smith syllabus
This research seminar for senior history majors allows students to research and write a significant paper (20-25 typed, double-spaced, pages of text plus footnotes and bibliography), which includes the use of extensive use of primary and secondary sources. The seminar topic is medical ethics in twentieth century America. Throughout the semester, we will study major cases in medical ethics including the eugenics movement, the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and ethical problems in medical research and experimentation. The course engages with the tension between the advancement of medical science and the need to preserve human rights. Students are responsible for their individual papers and for helping their peers with critiques of first drafts.
HIST 499-003: The French Revolution
W 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70558, Takats syllabus
The French Revolution was one of the great defining events of modern history, and for many historians it marks the very beginning of “modernity” itself. The Revolutionary period was a time of extremes: on one hand it promised a new social order governed by universal suffrage, women’s rights, and civil equality; on the other hand, the Revolution unleashed horrifying violence and oppression, most notoriously in the form of the Terror and its famous guillotine. Even as the Revolution unfolded, contemporaries struggled to understand it, and historians have continued the debate ever since. By studying historians’ diverse interpretations, we can learn much about the practice of history itself. The goal of this course is for students to move from consumers to producers of history, and we will use the French Revolution and its debates to frame the process of formulating a historical question, conducting research, and writing a polished paper. In addition to the main texts assigned, we will investigate a series of historical texts interpreting the event that came to be recognized as the Revolution’s most important moment: the fall of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.
HIST 499-004: Classical Washington
R 4:30-7:10 p.m., CRN 70559, Lytton syllabus
For those interested in the Greco-Roman tradition, Washington, D.C. provides a unique opportunity. From its 18th century beginnings as the nation’s new capital, Washington, D.C. has served as an outdoor, and indoor, textbook for Greco-Roman culture. You just have to know where, and how, to look. Classical culture surrounds us on and in the many public and private buildings of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The National Art Gallery has many fine works of art that have used Greco-Roman culture as their inspiration. Your research and writing will focus on the classical tradition in Washington, D.C. as it serves as an introduction to the Greco-Roman world. There will be a 15-30 page research paper which will be presented to the class, as well as shorter written projects and oral presentations. Students are expected to visit Washington, D.C., as part of their research.
HIST 499-005: The Shock of the New
M 1:30-4:15 p.m., CRN 76630, O’Malley syllabus
Between 1880 and 1920 Americans may have experienced more dramatic and radical change than at any other time in our history. A wide range of new technologies shattered traditional ideas about time, space and community; new attitudes about human nature forced people to reconsider their ideas about gender, about race, about individualism itself. Students in this course will be asked to consider moments of radical change, and to do original research into how Americans made sense of these changes.