Class Schedule - Fall 2022
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.
This introductory survey in "Big History" explores different scales of time as it places human history in larger geological, ecological, and cosmic contexts. Topics include the big bang, planet formation, the origin and development of life, mass extinctions, the emergence of Homo sapiens, the development of agriculture and cities, wars, plagues, and natural disasters, the advent of religion and science, political revolutions, industrialization and globalization, and human impact on the environment.
What is black music, and how do we know what we think we know about it? Together, we will examine musical creations pioneered by Africans and individuals of African descent over several centuries and across hemispheres. Doing so will allow us to consider the unity of the African Diaspora and its music, and also examine internal differences and diversity. Special focus is given to Latin America and the U.S., but, depending on the semester, we will also read about, listen to, and talk about music and musicians in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Survey of African history to 1800, or rather African "histories." Along with historical knowledge, it seeks to give students a basic familiarity with the geography of the continent, as well as to provide an overview of African languages. Through the analysis of secondary as well as of primary sources, students will be introduced to and further examine the development of pre-colonial African societies. Same as AFST 111.
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.
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.
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.
An introduction to history through participation in role-playing games set in the past. Topics will vary each time the course is taught. Students will take on the roles of historical figures (famous or obscure) engaged in difficult and complicated situations, and will be obliged to adhere to the beliefs and circumstances of those figures while attempting to pursue a course of action that will help them win the game -- and possibly alter the course of history.
Introduction to the craft of publishing historical materials, with a special focus on how to publish the past in the digital age. Assignments will include historical and methodological readings, as well as hands-on instruction in digital publishing techniques. Skills taught include historical research, content development, project management, and copyright analysis.
Focuses on the history and historiography of Muslim societies in Africa. Investigates the dynamics of the spread of Islam in Africa, and explores differences in Islam in Africa from other areas of the Islamic world, with attention to the image in Western scholarship of Islam in Africa. Provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to understand this central phenomenon in modern world history. Same as AFST 213 and REL 215.
Historical background to the modern age, tracing the Chinese state and empire from the earliest times until 1644 A.D. Basic political, social, and economic patterns; cultural, intellectual, and technological achievements; and China's impact on Asia and the world. Same as EALC 220.
This course provides a broad overview of the development of the mind sciences in modern Europe from the beginning of state-regulated asylums to the advent of pharmaceutical treatment and care in the community. Using a combination of primary sources and secondary texts, we will examine how the diagnosis and treatment of "madness" in its many forms has been shaped through the interaction of social, political, economic, and cultural factors from roughly 1750 to the 1990s. Same as PSYC 236.
Survey of the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of Rome from 753 BCE until 480 CE.
Exploration of the Holocaust in historical perspective by examining European anti-Semitism, political developments in Germany, the rise to power of the Nazis, and the origins of the Holocaust with first-hand accounts, films, and historical texts, concluding with the legacy of the Holocaust in the contemporary world. Same as JS 252.
Economic, social, political, and cultural developments in twentieth-century world history from late nineteenth-century to Second World War era.
An examination of pivotal events in the history of Native peoples in North America. Students will explore the complexity of encounters between American Indians and others through a focus on key moments. These will include religious encounters, military confrontations, and legal struggles as well as social and artistic interactions. Same as AIS 277.
Interdisciplinary examination of the historical, cultural, and social dimensions of race and ethnicity in the United States. Explores the complex and intricate pursuit of multiracial and multicultural democracy. Same as AAS 281, AFRO 281, and LLS 281.
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.
Examines the role of both diplomatic and military intelligence in the political history of major global events and developments from the nineteenth century to the present day. Studies the histories of several major intelligence organizations, as well as the roles played by smaller and non-institutional actors in the global production of intelligence. Focuses on the interplay between intelligence, state policy, and information environments to understand not only the role intelligence played in major events, but also how intelligence practices shaped and reflected political cultures across the world.
Examines the early history of U.S. expansion of territory and influence, from the birth of the nation to the end of Reconstruction. These decades saw the formal additions of continental territory, coupled with the annexation of islands in the Pacific and Caribbean. Private and official attempts were also made to invade Central America and the Caribbean to extend slavery. Attention is paid to the intersections of U.S. expansion with race, gender, and sexuality.
Political-economic, social and ideological developments in Egypt, Arabia, and Fertile Crescent (including Israel), Iran and Turkey since 1918 to the present, including U.S. involvement.
Among the topics of this course will be Romanticism, which is still the basic form of modern culture today, with its emphasis on feeling, imagination, and self-expression; the nation-state, a new form of political organization; and the creation of a globalized world for the first time in human history.
Survey of European society from 1918 to 1939, with emphasis on the impact of World War I, the Russian Revolution, fascism, and the intellectual trends of the twenties and thirties.
In various societies, organized sport has operated as site of nation-building, the struggle for inclusion, and indicator of societal advancement. Examines the history of the roles that sport has played in society through a series of topical foci, as selected by the professor each semester. Course readings revisit popular and scholarly debates about sport and discuss the different actors and social forces that shaped those discussions. Same as KIN 345. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary.
A study of the history of the 1960s, a tumultuous decade in the social and political history of the United States. The class has two main goals: 1)Provide a solid knowledge of the history of this period and its social and economic developments. 2)Develop skills as an analytic reader and writer in U.S. history.
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.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours in the same or subsequent terms if topics vary.
Disintegration of traditional social and economic systems during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the political effects of that disintegration; examines changes in the agricultural economy, changing rural elites, urbanization, and emergence of new social classes. It is recommended that students take HIST 420 before registration in HIST 422. Same as EALC 421. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
Economy, society, law, and government; the Ottomans and Mediterranean society; Ottoman culture and Islamic tradition; minorities; trade, diplomacy, and capitulations; "decline" and dismemberment; and traditional and westernizing attempts at revival. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
Political, social, and economic development of the USSR since the 1917 revolutions that brought the Bolsheviks to power; social change and social engineering; political struggles among Stalin and his rivals; the "Stalin revolution" from above and economic modernization; the USSR's emergence through World War II and the Cold War as a world power; "developed socialist" society. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours. Graduate students will write an additional substantial paper and engage in special discussion sections.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Introduces recent historical work drawing upon theories and concepts from the social sciences; considers fields of inquiry which include family history, demographic history, labor history, prosopographical and entrepreneurial studies, local and regional studies, and others.
Required course for entering history graduate students offering in initial foray into historiography, methods, and conceptual approaches for students in all fields. Provides experience dealing with three challenges that face all practitioners of the discipline: identifying the historical problem to be tackled, deciding what methodologies are best suited to that problem, and locating and then making use of the primary sources necessary for analyzing the subject at hand. Assigned materials, class discussions, and assignments will prepare students for the second semester required research seminar. Restricted to first-year graduate students in history.
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.