![[History]](history.hdr.gif)
Click here for Fall 1999
semester Explanatory Notes from the History department
Professors Leamon, Cole, Acting Chair (fall semester), Hirai, Grafflin, Jones, Hochstadt,
Chair, and Tobin; Associate Professors
Carignan, Creighton (on leave, fall semester), and Chomsky (on leave, 1998-1999);
Assistant Professor Jensen; Mr. Harder Horst, Mr.
Beam, Mr. Wandel, and Ms. Kanes
History has been defined as the collective memory of things said and done, arranged in a
meaningful pattern. Such knowledge of the past
supplies context, perspective, and clarity in a diverse and changing world. The members of
the history department offer widely different
views of the history of a broad variety of peoples, yet they agree that the study of the past
provides, for each of us, meaning in the present
and informed choices for the future.
The study of history teaches an appreciation of both change and continuity, the critical
examination of evidence, the construction of
arguments, and the articulation of conclusions. In addition to teaching and to graduate
studies in history and law, majors find careers in
related fields, such as work in museums and archives, public service, indeed, any
profession requiring skills of research, analysis, and
expression.
Courses in the history department are designed to be taken in sequence: first, introductory
survey courses (100-level), then more
specialized intermediate courses (200- and 300-level), and ultimately advanced seminars
(390). While nonmajors are welcomed in any
history courses, all students are encouraged to begin their study of history with 100-level
courses.
Major requirements. Majors must complete at least nine courses and the
mandatory Short Term unit, described below or eight
courses, the mandatory Short Term, and one other Short Term unit. Majors choose a
primary concentration from one of the following five
fields: East Asia, Latin America, Europe, the United States, and premodern history. The
primary concentration includes six courses focused
on the chosen field -- one 100-level course, four 200- or 300-level courses (including at
least one 390 seminar), and a senior thesis (History
457 or 458).
Majors must take two courses from any one of the three following fields: East Asia, Latin
America, or premodern history. Students whose
primary concentration is in one of these three fields must take two courses in any other
field. Courses that are listed in two fields may be
counted in either field, but not in both.
Mandatory Short Term unit. All history majors must complete History s40,
Introduction to Historical Methods, which focuses on
critical analysis, research skills, and historiography. Students are strongly advised to do so
no later than the end of their sophomore year,
and must do so by the end of their junior year. This requirement is a prerequisite for
registering for the senior thesis. Majors must present to
the department chair an acceptable plan for completing this requirement before being
approved for study abroad in their junior year.
Senior thesis. All senior history majors write a thesis in the fall or winter
semester (History 457 or 458). Thesis writing develops
the skills learned in earlier classes and demonstrates the ability to work independently as a
historian. To ensure that students have
adequate background knowledge of their topic, the department recommends that a senior
thesis grow out of an existing paper. The student
should bring this paper to the thesis advisor when initially discussing the subject of the
thesis. This works best when the paper has been
written for a Junior-Senior Seminar (History 390), but students may also use papers
written for 200-level courses. A major planning a fall
thesis must consult with a thesis advisor in the previous spring; those planning winter
theses must consult with thesis advisors in the fall of
the senior year.
Departmental honors. The Honors Program in history focuses on a major
research project written during both semesters of the
senior year (History 457 and 458), allowing more time for the maturation of a satisfying
project. This also helps to indicate the competence,
discipline, and independence sought by graduate schools and potential employers alike.
The candidate presents the two-semester, double-
credit thesis to a panel of professional readers. This increases the required number of
history courses and units for an honors major to
eleven. For honors students, there is also a foreign language requirement of competence at
the intermediate level (most commonly met by
satisfactorily completing the fourth semester of college language). This level of study
should be regarded as the bare minimum for students
considering graduate work in history.
Successful completion of an honors major requires imagination, critical judgment, and
good writing. Therefore the history department will
invite majors with exceptional academic records to consider the Honors Program. Invitees
will be informed toward the end of their junior
year. Any invitee who intends to pursue an honors major must submit a preliminary
proposal, defining the topic and providing a basic
annotated bibliography, to their advisor by September 1 of the senior year.
External credits. Majors must take a minimum of six history courses and units
from Bates faculty members. This means that
students may use a maximum of four credits taken elsewhere (transfer or study abroad
courses) toward the major requirements. Advanced
Placement credits, awarded for a score of four or five on the relevant examination, may
count toward overall college graduation
requirements, but do not count toward the history major.
Students considering graduate study in history should achieve at least a two-year
proficiency in a foreign language, and should take some
work in American and modern European history prior to taking the Graduate Record
Examination.
Courses
100. Introduction to the Ancient World. This course introduces the Greco-Roman
world and serves as a useful basis for 200- or
300-level courses in classical civilization and ancient history. Within a general
chronological framework, students consider the ancient world
under a series of headings: religion, philosophy, art, education, literature, social life,
politics, and law. The survey begins with Bronze Age
Crete and Mycenae and ends in the first century B.C.E., as Rome makes its presence felt in
the Mediterranean and moves toward empire.
This course is the same as Classics 100. (premodern) D. O’Higgins.
102. Medieval Europe. A study of the genesis and development of western
European civilization from the later Roman Empire in
300 C.E. to the crisis and collapse of the medieval world in the fourteenth century.
Attention centers around the political, social, economic,
and cultural aspects of an evolving western medieval civilization. (premodern) M. Jones.
103. England, France, and the Makings of Modernity. This is an introduction
to the history of Europe, particularly England and France, from the fifteenth century
to the eighteenth. At the beginning of this period, the kings and knights of England
fought for dominions in France, agrarian societies were traditional, the wider world was
Terra Incognita, the natural sciences and the printed book itself had yet to be invented,
Catholic Christianity was still unchallenged, and royal prerogatives were relatively
unchecked by parliamentary liberties. By its end, English colonists with French allies
had established a New Order; the Industrial Revolution had begun; the rational ideas
and utilitarian values of the Enlightenment had gained ascendancy; and constituted
legislative bodies, enacting nominally equal laws, sat in London, Philadelphia,
and Paris. A modern world had begun. J. Cole
104. Europe, 1789 to the Present. An introduction to modern European history.
The course analyzes major events, such as the
French Revolution, the development of capitalism, and the two world wars. It also
introduces students to the different kinds of evidence
used by historians: original documents, books written by historians, novels, and films.
Themes that run throughout the course are class
conflict, gender relations, and racial conflict as expressed through imperialism. T. Wandel.
140. Origins of the New Nation, 1500-1820. The first course in a three-course
sequence that presents the American experience
from a deliberately interpretive point of view. The current theme is the continuous
redefinition of liberty through the various stages of
American development. The course employs primary and secondary sources, lectures, and
discussion to examine political, social,
economic, and cultural dimensions of change and continuity and contrasts between ideals
and reality. J. Leamon.
141. America in the Nineteenth Century. The second course in a three-course
sequence that presents the American experience
from a deliberately interpretive point of view. The current theme is the continuous
redefinition of liberty through the various stages of
American development. The course employs primary and secondary sources, lectures, and
discussion to examine political, social,
economic, and cultural dimensions of change and continuity and contrasts between ideals
and reality. C. Kanes.
142. America in the Twentieth Century. The third course in a three-course
sequence that presents the American experience
from a deliberately interpretive point of view. The current theme is the continuous
redefinition of liberty through the various stages of
American development. The course employs primary and secondary sources, lectures, and
discussion to examine political, social,
economic, and cultural dimensions of change and continuity and contrasts between ideals
and reality. H. Jensen.
144. The Social History of the Civil War. This course examines the many causes
and courses of the Civil War in American
historiography, but focuses on current interpretations that stress conflicts over issues of
race, gender, class, and sexuality. The military
campaigns of the war itself receive consideration, but particularly in their social
dimensions. The contours of slave and planter culture are
covered in some detail, and the Confederate myth of the “Lost Cause” and the enduring
debate over southern “difference” are examined in
period literature, historical accounts, and contemporary film. Not open to students who
have received credit for History 247. Enrollment is limited to 15/section. M. Creighton.
171. China and Its Culture. An overview of Chinese civilization from the god-
kings of the second millennium and the emergence
of the Confucian familial state in the first millennium B.C.E., through the expansion of the
hybrid Sino-foreign empires, to the revolutionary
transformation of Chinese society by internal and external pressures in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. (East Asian) (premodern) D.
Grafflin.
172. East Asian Civilizations: Japan. This course explores the roots of Japanese
civilization as well as its modern
transformation, by studying the evolution of Japan’s political, social, and economic
institutions as well as cultural, intellectual, and literary
achievements. It examines Japan in the global context through its contact with East Asia,
South Asia, Europe, America, and the Pacific rim
at various moments of its history. (East Asian) (premodern) A. Hirai.
181. Latin America. A survey of the colonial period and the winning of
independence, and the domestic development of the
principal Latin American countries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The course
examines how people have shaped and are in turn
influenced by economic and political changes. (Latin American) R. Harder Horst.
201. Greek Civilization. This course considers: 1) the archaic civilization of
Homer, a poet celebrating the heroes of an aristocratic
and personal world; 2) the classical civilization of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes,
and Phidias, the dramatists and sculptor of a
democratic and political Athens; 3) the synthesis of Plato, celebrating the hero Socrates and
attempting to preserve and promote
aristocratic values in a political world. Open to first-year students. (premodern) J. Cole.
202. Herodotus and Thucydides: Storytelling and Analytical Intelligence. This
course considers the literary achievement and
the historical subject matter of the two preeminent Greek historians. In the first half of the
course, students read the work of the great
storyteller, Herodotus, from start to finish and consider particular problems in historical
analysis related to his subject, the Persian Wars. In
the second half, students read the contrasting work of Thucydides, also from start to finish,
and consider particular problems related to his
subject, the Peloponnesian War. Open to first-year students. (premodern) J. Cole.
207. The Roman World and Roman Britain. The Roman Empire is famous for its
decline and fall. Stretching from the Euphrates
to the Atlantic, however, this remarkable multiethnic empire persisted for five hundred
years. Its story is a fascinating example of what
Theodore Mommsen tagged the moral problem of “the struggle of necessity and liberty.”
This course is a study of the unifying and
fragmenting forces at work on the social, economic, and political structures of the Roman
imperial world. Key themes include the western
provinces and Roman Britain, the effects of Romanization on conquered peoples, and the
rise of Christianity. The survey begins with the
reign of Augustus and concludes with the barbarian invasions of the fifth century. Open to
first-year students. (premodern) Staff.
208. Introduction to Medieval Archeology. Archeology is an important tool for
investigating medieval societies unrecorded in
documents and art. This course introduces archeological methods and recent archeological
studies of urban and rural life in Northwestern
Europe from 1000 to 1500 C.E. Topics such as early trade, social roles of churches and
monastic communities, ethnicity in towns, and
peasant economy are discussed, illustrated by slide presentations. Today, teams of
historians, social scientists, and physical scientists are
researching historical and biocultural processes of the Middle Ages, including the Norse
settlement of the North Atlantic. The course
emphasizes these new, interdisciplinary approaches. Prerequisite(s): One of the following:
Anthropology 102, Art 252, or History 102. This
course is the same as Classical and Medieval Studies 208 and Anthropology 208. Open to
first-year students. (premodern) G. Bigelow.
209. Vikings. The Vikings were the most feared and perhaps misunderstood
people of their day. Savage raiders branded as the
Antichrist by their Christian victims, the Vikings were also the most successful traders and
explorers of the early Middle Ages. The Viking
Age lasted for almost three centuries (800-1100 C.E.) and their world stretched from
Russia to North America. Study of the myth and reality
of Viking culture involves materials drawn from history, archeology, mythology, and
literature. Prerequisite(s): History 102. This course is
the same as Classical and Medieval Studies 209. (premodern) M. Jones.
221. History of Russia 1762-1917. Despite a backward political and social structure,
Russia has been a world power since the eighteenth century. This course considers how
Russia's rulers from Catherine the Great to Nicholas II tried to prevent the forces of
Western ideas and industrialization from weakening their power, causing radical intellectuals,
peasants, and workers to join together in a unique revolutionary movement. The course
ends with a study of the successful overthrow of the government in 1917 and the creation
of a Bolshevik state. Recommended background: History 104. S. Hochstadt
222. History of the Soviet Union, 1917-1991. The history of the Soviet Union
has turned out differently from the hopes of the
revolutionaries in 1917. Beginning with an analysis of the Revolution and its aftermath,
this course studies the growth of the Bolshevik-
Communist government under Lenin, the attempts to create a workers’ state and culture in
the 1920s, the transformation of state and
society under Stalin, the emergence of the Soviet Union as a superpower after 1945, and
the dissolution of the USSR in the 1990s. Gender
and class are used as important categories of analysis. Recommended background: History
104. S. Hochstadt.
223. The French Enlightenment. The eighteenth-century men of letters who
thought of themselves as “Philosophers” broke
radically from traditional and previously authoritative ideas, values, and beliefs.
Simplifying outrageously, they challenged the sovereignty of
the Christian Faith, advocating instead a cultural relativism, a rational utilitarianism, and a
liberal rehabilitation of human nature. Their
opponents have always thought that this was for them to put the dear self in the place of
God; their followers think that this makes them the
precursors of modernity. The course centers on the works of five great figures: Descartes,
Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot.
All assigned reading is in English; research projects can be defined to suit the capacities and
interests of French majors. This course is
similar to French 353. Not open to students who have taken French 353. Open to first-year
students. J. Cole.
224. The Old Regime and the Revolution in France. This course devotes
approximately equal time to each of three periods and
problems: 1) the pre-Revolutionary eighteenth century and its most important social,
political, and religious structures; 2) the more
“moderate” Revolution of 1789, which destroyed the old order of throne and altar, nobles
and commoners, in attempting to create a new
order based on liberty and equality; 3) the more “radical” Revolution that climaxed in the
Year II (1793-1794) without managing to secure
the “blessings of liberty” -- and equality -- to such groups as women and blacks. Open to
first-year students. J. Cole.
227. Germany in the Era of the Two World Wars. Between 1914 and 1945,
Germany’s diplomacy and territorial ambitions
precipitated two world wars, with terrible consequences for soldiers and civilians; during
the same time period Germany experienced one
socialist revolution, an experiment in democracy, and a racist dictatorship. Between the
wars, German dramatic and visual artists were
among the most exciting in Europe. This course examines Germany during this period of
extraordinary cultural and political ferment,
seeking to understand its causes and its legacy for us today. Recommended background:
one history course. E. Tobin.
229. The Holocaust in History: The Genocide of European Jews. No event has
shocked Western sensibility as much as the
mass murder of European Jews by Nazis and their collaborators. How could Europeans,
who considered themselves the most highly
civilized people on earth, have engaged in premeditated genocide? This course begins by
contrasting the rich culture of European Jews
around 1900 with the rise of modern anti-Semitism. The gradual escalation of Nazi
persecution is the focus of the course, culminating in
concentration camps and mass murder. The varied reactions of Jews and non-Jews in
Europe and America are a central subject. The
question of the Holocaust’s uniqueness is discussed, as well as its continuing effects on
European, Jewish, and Middle Eastern politics.
Recommended background: History 104 or 227. S. Hochstadt.
230. Vichy France and the Jews. This course explores France’s role in the
destruction of European Jewry in World War II.
Through primary and secondary sources, students investigate Germany’s occupation of
France and French collaboration with and
resistance to the Nazis in the Shoah. The course also considers the turn-of-the-century
roots and interwar spread of French fascism.
Particular attention is paid to French postwar remembrance and forgetfulness, and how
selective memory contributed to forging a postwar
national identity of resistance. Recommended background: History 104 or 229. T. Wandel.
240. Colonial New England, 1660-1763. This one hundred-year period in New
England’s history is filled with crises: a new
imperial system, the Glorious Revolution in England, accompanied by rebellions in the
colonies, wars against the Indians, the French, and -
- in Massachusetts -- against the Devil. Less dramatic but equally traumatic were economic
and social changes that struck at the heart of
Puritan self-confidence. By the end of this era, however, New England had regained a new
self-image and revived sense of “mission” as a
chosen people. Recommended background: History 140. (premodern) J. Leamon.
241. The Age of the American Revolution, 1763-1789. A study of the Revolution
from its origins as a protest movement to one
seeking independence from Britain. The course examines differences among Americans
over the meaning of the Revolution and over the
nature of society in the new republic. The debates over state and national constitutions help
to illustrate these differences. The course
considers the significance of the Revolution for Americans and for Europeans as well.
Recommended background: History 140. J. Leamon.
243. African American History. Blacks in this country have been described as
both “omni-Americans” and a distinctive cultural
“nation within a nation.” The course explores this apparent paradox using primary and
interpretive sources, including oral and written
biography, music, fiction, and social history. It examines key issues, recurrent themes,
conflicting strategies, and influential personalities in
the African American’s quest for freedom and security. It surveys black American history
from seventeenth-century African roots to present
problems remaining in building an egalitarian, multiracial society for the future.
Recommended background: one of the following: History
140, 141, or 142. Open to first-year students. H. Jensen.
261. American Protest in the Twentieth Century. This course examines the
persistent and uniquely American impetus toward
individual liberty, equality, and collective moral reform by studying a variety of protest
movements and representative dissenters from
Emma Goldman to Jesse Jackson. It consequently investigates the development and
interplay of American variants of anarchism,
socialism, pacifism, syndicalism, anticommunism, racial egalitarianism, feminism, and
radical environmentalism and their influences --
intended and fortuitous -- upon the larger society. Recommended background: History
142. H. Jensen.
271. The United States in Vietnam, 1945-1975. This course examines United
States military and political intervention in Vietnam,
which became a dominant -- and divisive -- issue in the post-World War II era. Topics
explored include the origins and development of
Vietnamese anticolonial resistance movements, the Cold War and the evolution of U.S.
policy in Southeast Asia, the U.S. decision to
intervene and later withdraw, domestic opposition to the war, and the impact of the conflict
on Americans and Vietnamese. The objective of
the course is to develop a coherent historical understanding of what became one of the
costliest conflicts in U.S. history. Not open to
students who have received credit for History 390G. C. Beam.
274. China in Revolution. Modern China’s century of revolutions, from the
disintegration of the traditional empire in the late
nineteenth century, through the twentieth-century attempts at reconstruction, to the tenuous
stability of the post-Maoist regime.
Recommended background: History 171. (East Asian) D. Grafflin.
275. Japan in the Age of Imperialism. The transfiguration of Japan since 1868
and the radical ambiguity of its position as
agent, opponent, and mediator of the forces of modernization in East Asia. Recommended
background: History 172. (East Asian) A. Hirai.
276. Japan since 1945 through Film and Literature. This is a course in Japanese
history since World War II. A brief survey of
Japan’s prewar history is followed by a detailed analysis of postwar developments. The
focus is on political institutions and processes and
economic development, but these aspects of postwar Japan are examined in their social,
cultural, and international context. Open to first-
year students. (East Asian) A. Hirai.
282. Gender in Latin American History.This course examines the social
construction of gender in Latin American history.
Students study concepts that have structured Latin American beliefs about gender,
including concepts of honor and shame, and of
machismo and marianismo, and examine issues of gender relations and sexuality. Students
ask how beliefs about gender and gender roles
relate to social structures including race, class, and political structures; how beliefs about
gender and gender roles have changed over time;
and how beliefs about gender and gender roles differ (or are the same) in the United States
and Latin America. Recommended
background: History 181. (Latin American) Staff.
284. Church-State Conflict in Latin America. Discussions about politics and
religion stir deep emotions. Students examine how
relations between church and state have shaped and influenced Latin American societies. In
some countries, ecclesiastical and public
administrators cooperated closely to achieve similar goals. Much more frequently, churches
and states clashed violently. This course
studies how Marxist-based liberation theology fomented popular resistance to military rule
and changed the lives of millions of Latin
Americans. Recommended background: History 181. Open to first-year students.
Enrollment limited to 25. R. Harder Horst.
285. Social History of Latin America. An examination of divisive social issues in
Latin American society. This course studies the
roots of race relations and ethnic conflict, popular uprisings, and coercive labor systems.
Special attention is given to shifting patterns of
gender relations, machismo, and the role of women in Latin America. Readings, films, and
discussions provide students with perspectives
from which to examine changing social relations in their own communities. Recommended
background: History 181. Open to first-year
students. R. Harder Horst.
286. Indigenous Resistance in Latin America. National attempts to deal with the
"Indian problem" in Latin America have ranged from oversized murals to brutal genocide.
Native peoples have reacted creatively to retain their political, cultural, and economic
autonomy. Students explore ethnic consciousness and cultural resistance to see beyond outside
stereotypes and understand indigenous groups as legitimate historical actors. Texts, films,
and discussions focus on the contradictory way native peoples have shaped state politics and
economies within a changing environment. Recommended background: History 181. Open to first-year
students. R. Harder Horst
287. Mexico: Aztecs to Zapatistas. Free trade, maquiladoras, drug traffic, and
illegal immigration have dominated recent news about Mexico. What forces produced these divisive
issues and tense situations? Beginning with the major Pre-Columbian cultures, students examine
the political and economic situation of our southern neighbor. Using texts, films, and records
from the wars for independence, the momentous revolution, and the current ruling party, students
explore Mexico's history, and its contemporary options. Recommended background: History 181.
Open to first-year students. R. Harder-Horst
349. Black America in the Twentieth Century. A study of selected topics dealing
with the black experience in the twentieth
century. Such areas as labor, politics, education, and literature are considered. Written
permission of the instructor is required. J. Carignan.
360. Independent Study. Independent study of selected topics by individual
students. Periodic conferences and papers are
required. Departmental permission is necessary prior to registration. Students are limited to
one independent study per semester. Staff.
365. Special Topics. A course or seminar offered from time to time and reserved
for a special topic selected by the department.
Staff.
374. Readings on China: Intellectual History. Emphasis on the formation of the
secular intellectual tradition of the Chinese elite.
Readings concentrate on primary works of outstanding importance. Willingness to engage
in the close reading and discussion of a wide
variety of philosophical materials is required, but no background in Asian studies is
assumed. (East Asian) (premodern) D. Grafflin.
390. Junior-Senior Seminars. These seminars provide opportunities for
concentrated work on a particular theme, national
experience, or methodology for advanced majors and non-majors alike. Junior and senior
majors are encouraged to use these seminars to
generate thesis topics.
390A. World War II in the Pacific. Social, political, and diplomatic history of and
between the United States and Japan before
and during the War. Western imperialism; Japanese aggression; the War and the Great
Depression; biographies of national leaders;
oral history of women, children, and soldiers; atomic bombs; Tokyo War Crimes Trial; and
other topics. Weekly discussion, occasional
short written assignments; 15- to 20-page seminar paper. Enrollment limited to 15. (East
Asian) A. Hirai.
390B. The Nixon Presidency. This course explores the presidency of Richard M.
Nixon, one of the most controversial in
modern U.S. history. Topics include, but are not limited to, Nixon’s early political career;
the Vietnam War and U.S. foreign policy;
domestic policies; party politics including the 1972 election; the Watergate scandal; and the
personalities and careers of his associates
and opponents. Enrollment limited to 15. C. Beam.
390C. Gender and the American Civil War. The American Civil War is
traditionally viewed as a conflict over race relations,
economic practice, political philosophy, and cultural divisions. This course takes advantage
of new scholarship to examine the war from
an additional perspective: that of gender. Students look at how the causes of the war, the
conduct of the war, and the war’s legacy can
be regarded as disagreements over manhood, womanhood, sexual identity and practice.
The course also considers how diverse
women affected the war’s outcome. Students are expected to do a considerable amount of
independent research, both individually and
in groups. A research paper is also required. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission
of the instructor is required. C. Kanes.
390D. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Edward Gibbon’s classic Decline
and Fall is the most famous work of history
written in English. This course uses it as an introduction to the problem of the collapse of
complex, premodern societies and specifically
the end of the Roman West. Changing historical explanations for the fall of Rome are a
microcosm of Western historiography. Students
also explore basic questions on the nature of history and historians. Enrollment limited to
15. (premodern) M. Jones.
390E. Political Revolution and Cultural Expression. The American Revolution
provides the focus for an examination of the
ways in which revolutionary ideals are reflected in the art, literature, architecture, religion,
and morals of the age. The French and
Russian revolutions provide comparative perspectives on the theme of revolution and
cultural expression. A research paper is required.
Prerequisite(s): History 140 or 241. Enrollment limited to 15. J. Leamon.
390F. The American West. Focusing in particular on the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, this course considers
the changing cultural, economic, and social landscapes of the American West. Class
discussion and readings pay special attention to
the way that the West as an imaginary construct intersected with the West as a social
“reality,” and to the history of contact between
Native Americans and whites. After completing an intensive overview of the subject,
participants are expected to produce a carefully
researched paper of substantial length. Not open to students who have received credit for
History 345. Enrollment limited to 15. M.
Creighton.
390H. U.S. Relations with Latin America. This seminar examines various
historical and contemporary perspectives on U.S.-
Latin America relations. Students read works by both U.S. and Latin American authors,
some of whom laud and others of whom
criticize U.S. policies toward Latin America. Students, working in groups, design and
carry out research projects that focus on U.S.
relations with an individual country in Latin America. Students write a major research paper
and evaluate each other’s work. Enrollment
limited to 15. (Latin American) R. Harder Horst.
390I. Anglo-Saxon England. This seminar concentrates on Dark Age Britain,
from the arrival of the Anglo-Saxon invaders in
the fifth century C.E. to the consolidation of England in the face of the Viking invasions in
the ninth century. The field of study is a
mystery wrapped in an enigma. Ignorance and obscurity offer one advantage to students:
the sources for this period are so few that
they may be mastered in a single semester. The course is designed to present typical kinds
of early medieval evidence (saints’ lives,
chronicles, annals, charters, poetry, genealogy, archeology), introduce students to their
potentials and difficulties, and then set a series
of problems that requires application of these materials to gain an answer. The course
culminates in a research paper. Enrollment
limited to 15. (premodern) M. Jones.
390J. Laboring Classes, Dangerous Classes. Since the nineteenth century,
sociologists and historians have worried about
the connections between laboring classes and dangerous classes. Workers who did not
follow the rules and expectations of established
governments and of wealthier classes caused trouble, whether by crime, refusal to work, or
outright resistance. This course looks at the
ways in which European workers tried to deal with industrialization, from adaption to
revolution. What united and what divided groups of
workers? Which conditions encouraged accommodation and which encouraged resistance
to employers? How did the experiences of
female and male workers differ? Students concentrate on the period between 1815 and
1920. Enrollment limited to 15. E. Tobin.
390K. Modern American Intellectual History: From Cultural Pluralism to
Multiculturalism and Beyond. If the problems
of delineating and constituting an American intellectual “tradition” have become more
exasperating in the past few years, they are not
new. Conflicting definitions of the inclusive or exclusive characteristics of that tradition and
its significance to the development and
maintenance of a strong multicultural democratic community have been at the heart of our
civic conversation for most of this century.
Armed with that insight, students explore a variety of influential primary sources -- social
theory, historiography, biography, and
literature -- by American thinkers whose distinction lies in their having thought long, hard,
and critically about the nation’s most pressing
problems without regard to disciplinary bounds or personal consequences. Students
endeavor to balance close textual reading with a
sensitivity to the individual quirks, social origins, and temporal contexts of representative
thinkers from 1917 to the present. Enrollment
limited to 15. H. Jensen.
390L. Shanghai, 1927-1937. The Nationalist government of the Republic of
China had a single decade in power before full-
scale Japanese invasion threw it on the defensive. One spot in particular where it had to
prove its ability to govern a modern society
and economy was the special Shanghai municipal zone. Scholarly attention in recent years
has focused on the surviving archives of the
British-controlled police force in the International Settlement. Students have the opportunity
to evaluate recent scholarship and pursue
their own projects in the microfilm edition of the archives. Recommended background:
History 171 and 274. Enrollment limited to 15.
(East Asian) D. Grafflin.
390M. Holocaust Memoirs: Gender/Memory. In this course students use close
textual readings, discourse analysis, and
scholarship on memory to think about Holocaust memoirs as sources of our knowledge
about what camp inmates experienced at the
hands of the Nazis, how inmates responded to Nazi actions, and how inmates interacted
with each other. One of our principal concerns
is thinking about potential gender differences. Students look both at women’s and men’s
experiences in the camps and also at the ways
each has chosen to write about their experiences. Did the different kinds of socialization
women received at home mean they behaved
differently from men in the camps? To what extent do male and female survivors describe
similar experiences differently? How should
historians regard texts written from memory? Recommended background: coursework in
German history, Holocaust studies, or gender
analysis. Enrollment limited to 15. E. Tobin.
390P. Prelude to the Civil Rights Movement. This course explores the forgotten
years of the civil rights movement, the
seedtime of black protest and insurgency, from the New York Riot of 1900 to the Supreme
Court’s landmark desegregation decision in
1954. Emphasis is placed upon the development of protest techniques, conflicting
organizational strategies of advance, leadership
struggles, and the flowering of distinct and innovative cultural forms. Harlem, the cultural
capital of black America, is examined as a
paradigmatic case study of the effects of northern migration, urbanization, and
proletarianization on America’s bellwether minority.
Enrollment limited to 15. H. Jensen.
390Q. Rogues, Rebels, Revolutionaries. This course examines people in early
American history who rejected the status quo
of their time and place. Some, like Roger Williams or Phillis Wheatley, successfully broke
through the restraints of society to attain a
new dignity for themselves and the causes they represented. Others were “losers,” such as
Nathaniel Bacon, Virginian rebel; William
Kidd, who was hanged as a pirate; or the notorious adventurer, Aaron Burr. By means of
readings and research papers that are
submitted to peer review, this course examines backgrounds, aims, and consequences of a
wide range of men and women, white,
black, and indigenous, who refused to conform. Enrollment limited to 15. Written
permission of the instructor is required. J. Leamon.
457. 458. Senior Thesis. The research and writing of an extended essay in
history, following the established practices of the
discipline, under the guidance of a departmental supervisor. Students register for History
457 in the fall semester and for History 458 in the
winter semester. History 457 or 458 is required of all majors. Majors writing an honors
thesis register for both History 457 and 458. Staff.
Short Term Units
s16. Leadership Studies. Students review recent theories of leadership as
presented by Gardner, Heifitz, and Burns. The unit
emphasizes different perspectives on the nature of leadership drawn from other historical
epochs, distinctive cultures, and different
disciplines. Students spend three days each week associated with a leader in a local
organization studying leadership and engaging in
leadership activities and issues. J. Carignan.
s17. The Several Sides of the Cold War. This unit reexamines the history of the
Cold War in light of new evidence from Soviet,
Chinese, German, and other sources. In addition to secondary material, students examine
archival documents and memoirs (in translation)
pertaining to such events as the division of Germany, the Korean War, the Sino-Soviet
conflict, the building of the Berlin Wall, and the
Cuban Missile Crisis. The unit uses these cases to discuss crises bargaining and conflict
resolution, the sources of misperception in
international politics, and the interaction between foreign and domestic policy. This unit is
the same as Political Science s17. Open to first-
year students. J. Richter.
s24A. The Civil Rights Movement. Between 1954 and 1968, the civil rights
movement rearranged the terrain and composition of
American social relations, altered the domestic agenda of American politics, created a
hopeful climate for change, unleashed hidden
turbulences of racial nationalism and gender division, and broached still unanswered
questions about the nation’s uneven distribution of
wealth. It enunciated the moral vocabulary of a generation. By critically examining primary
documents, film, audio records, social history,
and participant testimony, this unit seeks to deflate the mythology surrounding this subject
and comprehend it as “living history” infused with
new meaning for the present. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 15. H.
Jensen.
s25. A Brief History of Korea. An overview of the history of Korea, starting
from Ancient Korea, continuing through the Silla
Kingdom, the Koryo Kingdom, and the Chosen Kingdom, ending with the annexation of
Korea, the division of the peninsula during the
Korean War, and a look at Korea today. Recommended background: History 171. Open to
first-year students. (premodern) D. Grafflin.
s25A. Japanese-American 'Relocation' Camps. This unit examines the United
States policy of 'relocating' Japanese
Americans during World War II. It probes the connection between the racially prejudicial
government policy -- the American version of
Europe’s concentration camps -- and the social and economic interests of the people
involved in the formulation and execution of that
policy. (premodern) A. Hirai.
s27. Native American History. This unit studies the history of Native American
people since their contact with Europeans.
Students use books, films, and museum collections to study how indigenous groups
helped to shape the changing frontier and analyze
popular stereotypes of Native Americans. Focused on New England but drawing from
throughout the United States, the unit emphasizes an
ethnohistorical approach that highlights the intersections between native cultures and
historical events. Enrollment limited to 30.
R. Harder Horst.
s35. The Public Intellectual and the Making of Public Policy. The unit considers
the history and role of the intellectual in the
development of public policy in American democracy. The focus is on the place of the
intellectual/activist in American politics as well as on
key intellectuals who have taken activist positions, such as Jefferson, Emerson, and
Thoreau, as well as more current figures such as
Lippman, Nader, etc. The connection between the intellectual as theorist and activist
(praxis) is at the center of this study. Two of the five
weeks are in Washington, D.C., in internships and seminars with “public intellectuals.”
Prerequisite(s): a course in American history and a
course in American politics or public policy. Open to first-year students. Enrollment limited
to 12. J. Carignan.
s39A. Wollstonecraft: First Feminist. In the 1970s, toward the beginnings of the
vigorous, sustained, and institutionalized
academic study of women, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was finally established in the
pantheon of modern feminism as a sort of
Founding Mother. Her remarkably liberated personal life, as much as her radical works,
had long offended traditionalists. But in an era of
women’s liberation and self-conscious radicalism, these very qualities won her newly
respectful attention from a generation of younger
scholars. This unit studies her life and works in the historical context of the French
Revolution. Intended to support majors in English,
French, history, political science, and women’s studies by preparing underclass students
for related research projects. Enrollment limited to
15. J. Cole.
s40. Introduction to Historical Methods. This unit provides an intensive
introduction to research skills, historical literature, and
the principles and methods of historical critical analysis (historiography). The unit is team-
taught to acquaint students with a variety of
historical assumptions and methodologies ranging from the perception of history as fiction
to the belief that history is the accumulation of
objective data about an ascertainable past. This unit provides important preparation for the
senior thesis. Recommended background: a
college-level course in history. Required of all majors. Open to first-year students. Written
permission of the instructor is required. Staff.
s42. Historical Archeology. This program combines a theoretical and practical
introduction to historical archeology. Practical
experience comes from excavating a seventeenth- or eighteenth-century site in Maine, from
recording and interpreting artifacts and
features, and from field trips to other archeological sites. Recommended background:
History 240 and 241. Enrollment limited to 12. Written
permission of the instructor is required. J. Leamon.
s50. Individual Research. Registration in this unit is granted by the department
only after the student has submitted a written
proposal for a full-time research project to be completed during the Short Term and has
secured the sponsorship of a member of the
department to direct the study and evaluate results. Students are limited to one individual
research unit. Staff.
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