Class Schedule - Spring 2023
Broad introduction to global history, by exploring the global structures and transnational forces that have shaped human history, from the emergence of agriculture and urban centers to our contemporary global village.
Survey of Africa's history from 1800 to the present day. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, agricultural exchange, growth of Christianity, origins and effects of nineteenth-century European expansion culminating in the "Scramble for Africa," the transformations wrought by European colonial rule during the twentieth century, anticolonial nationalism, decolonization, and postcolonial political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Same as AFST 112.
Surveys the three major East Asian civilizations from ancient and classical times, through the period of Western influence, political revolution, and modernization, to the contemporary age and the emergence of East Asian superpowers. Same as EALC 120. Credit is not given for both HIST 120 and EALC 135.
Fundamental developments - social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political - in the history of mankind and Western society since 1660; includes the rise of modern science, the French and Industrial revolutions, the Romantic movement, the growth of nationalism and socialism, imperialism, urbanization, the Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany, the world wars, and the West and the developing world. Credit is not given for both HIST 142 and HIST 143.
Course is identical to HIST 142 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 143 and HIST 142. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
Course is identical to HIST 171 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 170 and HIST 171. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
U.S. history survey beginning with the diverse peoples who have populated North America since before the age of contact with Europeans and extending forward through the advent of European colonialism, the movement for independence, the foundation of the republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, ending in 1877. The course provides an introduction to historical interpretation, with particular attention to racialized and other forms of social, political, and economic inequality and struggles for freedom and democracy. Credit is not given for both HIST 171 and HIST 170.
Survey of U.S. history from the end of the Civil War to the present, focusing on struggles to achieve a multiracial democracy, the evolution of an industrial, urbanized, and pluralistic society, the intersections between domestic and global affairs, and the practice of historical interpretation. Epoch-making events and elites are considered in light of their relation to the activities and lives of ordinary people, including people of color, immigrants, women, and the working and middle classes. Credit is not given for both HIST 172 and HIST 173.
Course is identical to HIST 172 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 173 and HIST 172. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
Study of selected topics on an individually arranged basis. Open only to honors majors or to Cohn Scholars and Associates. May be repeated once. Prerequisite: Consent of departmental honors advisor.
Through the careful examination of a specific topic or theme, this course provides a thorough introduction to historical interpretation. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Survey of major themes and events in Southern African history, with emphasis on the period after World War II: the inception and development of apartheid in South Africa, the growth of contests over African nationalism in the subcontinent, wars of liberation and the demise of white domination.
General introduction to the major themes of the Chinese Revolution from 1840 to the present, emphasizing the interplay between politics, ideas, and culture. Themes include the tension between cultural integrity and Western ideologies, between democratic participation and the tradition of centralized control, and the representation of cultural identity in high and mass cultures. Same as EALC 221.
From the fragmentation of the Roman Empire to the formation of territorial monarchies, this course surveys the events, innovations, crises, and movements that shaped western Europe in a pivotal era known as "the Middle Ages." Topics will include the spread of Christianity, the migration of peoples, fundamental changes in economic and social structures, the development of political institutions, the role of women, and the cultural achievements of different communities (the monastery, the town, the court). Same as MDVL 247.
History of warfare and its relationship to changing technologies, tactics, and political structures, with an emphasis on the ways that military institutions are integrated with society as a whole. Same as GLBL 251.
Survey of the major authors, ideas, events, and styles in the cultural and intellectual history of Europe from the seventeenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, focusing on the intellectual traditions of France, Germany, and Great Britain.
Main themes and problems of Russian history from earliest times to the present.
Medicine and public health in the United States from the colonial period through the twentieth century. Topics include medical theories, therapeutic practices, and institutions as determined by science, culture, politics, law, and social structures. Additional attention will be paid to illness and epidemics; health care providers, patients, and public policy. Throughout, the course will highlight race, sex, (dis)ability, and other social categories that have affected medical care and been defined in medical terms. Same as GWS 263.
Explores the role of technology as a transforming social force; examines innovations from the stirrup and heavy plow to the airplane and computer, that restructured economic and political life and realigned values; examines cultural representations of technology.
History of Afro-Americans in the age of white supremacy; the rise of modern protest organizations; the era of integration; and the black power movement. Same as AFRO 276.
A survey of the Native American experience in North America from the time of first contact to the present. The course will examine the dynamics and consequences of Native dispossession as well as the continuities in American Indian life and culture. Course materials will include writing and testimony by Native people as well as historical narratives, court decisions and government documents. Same as AIS 278.
Exploration of the migrations of peoples from the Asian continent into the United States, their attempts to build family and community, and their subsequent impact on American history. Same as AAS 283.
Examines films as a significant medium of commentary on society and history. Explores the motives and careers of moviemakers, the ways in which films are influenced by their audiences, and how audiences' perception of historical processes are affected by films. Topics will vary. Same as MACS 300. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Students may register in more than one section per term. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
History of immigration and immigrant groups in the United States from 1830 to 1980. Covers major waves of immigration and focuses on the diverse cultural heritage, social structure, and political activism of immigrants from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Introduction to comparative and global perspectives on gender and an investigation into the political and economic processes that affect gender systems across a wide range of societies. Gender non-conforming practices in U.S. history are highlighted. Attention is paid to the ways in which women in different parts of the world have defined and redefined the boundaries of "woman" and mobilized around that identity. Same as GWS 316.
The development of modern France, with special attention to social and cultural phenomena.
Students work with instructor and community collaborators to host a "History Harvest," an event during which community members share personal stories about and artifacts related to a particular event, historical development, and/or place. The class will catalog the images and recordings gathered and use them to present digital exhibits. Readings include relevant historical works for context and methodological works on public and digital history skills needed for the project. Students will develop hands-on experience with these skills. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours, if topics vary.
Examines the history of scientific arguments about race, heredity, gender, and human biological difference. We will explore the historical, cultural, and ethical dimensions of biological thought through a discussion of topics including racial typology, eugenics, intelligence testing, modern genetic theory, sex and gender, and the human genome project.
Explores the relationship between history and fiction by focusing on specific cultural locations.
An interpretive survey of American colonial history from 1492 through 1763. Themes include encounters between Natives and Europeans in the New World, contests for colonization, settler societies and the development of various colonial social patterns in North America and the Caribbean, the beginnings of slavery, and the gradual emergence of distinctive provincial cultures in the North American colonies of the British Empire. Throughout all of this, there is an examination of colonial American history as part of the larger Atlantic World, understanding early American history as a process of exchange and interaction which included Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and North America.
Topics and problems in the history of laws, legal institutions, jurisprudence, concepts of justice, and their role(s) in shaping societies over time. Specific readings and foci will vary. May be repeated in the same or separate terms for a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary.
With a faculty sponsor, a qualified students will develop a program of study or research related to an internship or other relevant employment opportunity. Consult departmental undergraduate advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of faculty sponsor and Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
Readings in selected fields in consultation with the instructor resulting in a 20-30 page paper. May be repeated with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing pursuing a History major; written consent of instructor and History undergraduate advisor required.
Problems of a neocolonial society; themes include family structure, slavery, imperialism, modernization, and the crisis of traditional institutions. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
The period of Manchu domination in China (1644-1912); emphasis on Chinese reactions to Western influences during the nineteenth century. Same as EALC 420. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
Same as ANTH 403, GLBL 403, GWS 403, REL 403, and SAME 403. See REL 403.
Examination of the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of the Roman Empire from the reign of Augustus (27 BCE - 14 CE) through the fall of the Western Roman Empire ca. 480 CE. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Political upheavals of twentieth-century Germany; topics include the First World War's impact on German society, the war's revolutionary aftermath, the political struggles and cultural achievements of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler, the Third Reich, the Holocaust, the Second World War, and the divided postwar Germanies; novels and films complement readings. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Examines the diversity of political thought in the twentieth century by exploring the ways that Americans from diverse backgrounds have talked about, made sense of, and sought to influence change in modern American government. Throughout the course, students will examine the enduring debate about the proper role of the federal government, which has been central to some of the fiercest ideological divides in American history. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Independent reading, research, and writing under the supervision of an individual instructor. Seniors in the History Honors Program taking this course in place of the Honors Senior Thesis must complete a substantive research paper (25-30 pages). No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Each 3-hour class must be taken with a different instructor. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; or junior or senior of high standing with the consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Advanced projects in Digital History undertaken with a faculty supervisor. 1 to 3 undergraduate hours. 1 to 4 graduate hours. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Consent of sponsoring faculty supervisor and Director of Undergraduate Studies or Director of Graduate Studies required for all students.
This is a seminar for all students in the History Honors Program and other advanced students interested in honors level study of historiography and methodology. Students intending to write a senior honors thesis should take it no later than the spring of the Junior year. Students will study the development of the historian's craft and will be exposed to new research methods and techniques. The course will culminate in the preparation of a research proposal, developed in consultation with an individual faculty advisor. The instructor of HIST 492 and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will assist students intending to write a thesis in the selection of an appropriate mentor. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program or consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Two-term independent research and writing project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students enrolled in this course must submit a completed Honors Senior Thesis at the end of the second term, for evaluation by the faculty advisor and a second reader. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Must be repeated for a total of 6 hours. Students will receive separate grades for each semester's work. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program and consent of supervising professor; HIST 492 and HIST 495; concurrent enrollment in HIST 499 is required.
Capstone course required of all majors. Students will make history by researching and writing a work of original scholarship. Several of these seminars are offered each term and each focuses on a special topic, thus allowing students with similar interests to work through the process of gathering, interpreting, and organizing historical evidence under the direction of an expert in the field. The topics on offer each semester will be listed in the Class Schedule and described in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
A required seminar for all seniors writing Honor Theses in history, this course will meet throughout the year and will supplement individual students' meetings with their primary advisors. Provides an intellectually supportive environment in which students work together on common methodological problems, share the results of their research, and critique developing projects. 1 to 2 undergraduate hours. 1 to 2 graduate hours. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 3 hours. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; HIST 492; and HIST 495. Concurrent enrollment in HIST 493 is required.
Intensive comparative examinations of particular issues in the histories of multiple countries, cultures or periods; emphasizes methodology, the discipline of comparative history, and the nature of historiography in a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary context. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.
Examines major works in global women's history from about 1700 to 1950. Introduces students to major themes in women's history as well as major historiographical debates. Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. Same as GWS 501. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. Same as MDVL 542. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms as topics vary.
Seminar for first-year graduate students and is the second half of the introductory graduate sequence. Focuses on the process of writing an original piece of historical scholarship. Topics to be discussed include: developing an argument, exploring sources, arriving at a research strategy, planning and structuring an article, presenting complex data, and producing scholarship that is a coherent representation of an author's perspective on the past. Over the course of the semester, each seminar participant will develop and write an original, article length research paper. Students will work with the assistance of the instructors and an advisor from her or his own research field. Prerequisite: HIST 593.
Directed research in special fields; may be taken in lieu of seminars in fields in which seminars are seldom offered. Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Directed readings in special fields. Primarily, but not exclusively, for students with a master's degree or equivalent, who are preparing for the preliminary examination in history and who need instruction in areas not provided by current course offerings. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms as topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Candidate for Ph.D. degree in history.
Individual direction in research and guidance in writing theses for advanced degrees. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated.