The material on this page is from the 1999-2000 catalog and may be out of date. Please check the current year's catalog for current information.
Professors Leamon, Cole, Hirai, Grafflin, Jones, Hochstadt, Chair, and Tobin; Associate Professors Carignan, Creighton, and Jensen (on leave, 1999-2000); Assistant Professor Harder Horst; Mr. Carter, Mr. Beam, and Ms. Garrison Winter 2000 History Addendum Notes Short Term 2000 History Addendum Notes 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 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 courses 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. Pass/Fail Grading Option: Pass/fail grading may be elected for courses applied towards the major except for the following courses: any History 390 course, History 457, History 458, and History s40. Added 11/5/99. Effective beginning with Winter 2000 semester. 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 the 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. 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. E. Tobin. 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. M. Creighton. 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. D. Carter. 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. 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 and 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. 173. Korea and Its Culture. The course examines the distinctive evolution of Korean civilization within the East Asian cultural sphere, from its myths of origin through its struggles to survive amidst powerful neighbors, to the twentieth-century challenges of colonial domination and its poisonous legacies of civil war and division, and the puzzles of redefining a hierarchical Neo-Confucian state in the context of global capitalism. This course is the same as East Asian Studies 173. (East Asian)(premodern). M. Wender, D. Grafflin. Subject to adoption by the Faculty. 181. Latin American History: From the Conquest to the Present. This course explores the history of Latin America as a process of cultural transformation, political struggle and drastic economic change. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches and primary source materials, this course seeks to understand the evolution of colonialism, the reasons for its collapse and the complex challenges that its legacies have posed to emerging nation-states in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In particular, students will consider how the social construction of identities (in terms of race, class, gender and culture) relate to systems of control, strategies of resistance and ideological change over time. (Latin American) L. Guerra New description and title effective beginning Fall 2000. 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. M. Jones. 208. Introduction to Medieval Archeology. The Middle Ages were a time of major cultural changes that laid the groundwork for Northwest Europe's emergence as a global center of political and economic power in more recent centuries. However, many aspects of life in the period from 1000 to 1500 C.E. were unrecorded in contemporary documents and art, and archaeology has become an important tool for recovering that information. This course introduces the interdisciplinary methods and the findings of archeological studies of topics including medieval urban and rural lifeways, health, commerce, religion, social hierarchy, warfare, and the effects of global climate change. 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 French Revolution. 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. 225. England, France, and the Makings of Modernity. This course concerns the interrelated histories of England and France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a general emphasis on political history and culture and particular attention to the first classics of British liberalism (Locke, Two Treatises of Government, 1690) and British conservatism (Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, 1790), each of them defining British ideals in reaction to what the authors perceived of French realities. 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 focus of the course is the gradual escalation of Nazi persecution, 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. Enrollment is limited to 130. S. Hochstadt. 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. D. Carter. 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. D. Carter. 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. Enrollment limited to 50. 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. This is a course on Japan's modern transformation necessitated by the global expansion of the West's imperialism and colonialism in the nineteenth century. In the spirit that "imitation is the best defense," Japan adopted many Western institutions and technologies in government, law, defense, industry, and foreign affairs. Along with them came cultural and social changes. But not all was well with this Westernization as modernization. This course examines the nature of nineteenth-century imperialism, Japan's adaptation to it, and the vast majority of Japanese who bore the burden: peasants, industrial workers, women, and children. 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. 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 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 debates the implications of rapid Pentecostal growth. Recommended background: History 181. Open to first-year students. (Latin American) R. Harder Horst. 285. Social History of Latin America. An examination of divisive issues in Latin America. This course studies the roots of race relations and ethnic conflict, popular uprisings, and coercive labor systems. Students examine shifting patterns of gender relations, machismo, and the role of women. Readings, films, and discussions provide perspectives from which to debate changing social relations in our own communities. Recommended background: History 181. Open to first-year students. (Latin American) 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 struggled creatively to retain their political, cultural, and economic autonomy. Students analyze 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. (Latin American) R. Harder Horst. 287. Mexico: Aztecs to Zapatistas. Free trade, maquiladoras, drug traffic, and illegal immigration dominate recent news about Mexico. Why do the media dwell on these issues? Beginning with the major pre-Columbian cultures, students examine our southern neighbor's history. Using texts, films, and records from the wars for independence, the momentous revolution, and the current ruling party, students explore Mexico's political and economic situation and its contemporary options. Recommended background: History 181. Open to first-year students. (Latin American) R. Harder Horst. 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. Understanding Chinese Thought. Reading (in translation) the three greatest books ever written in Chinese, as a way of understanding the foundations of East Asian culture. The works are the philosophical/religious anthologies known as the Analects (attributed to Confucius), the Chuang-tzu (commonly labeled 'Taoist'), and the Buddhist scripture, Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law (as translated in 406 from a source now unknown). 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. New description and title effective beginning Fall 2000. 390. Junior-Senior Seminars. These seminars provide opportunities for concentrated work on a particular theme, national experience, or methodology for advanced majors and nonmajors 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 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 Civil War: Abolition and Women's Rights. This course focuses on women's activities in the anti-slavery and women's rights movements of nineteenth century America, looking especially at issues of race and gender within those. Enrollment limited to 15. Written permission of the instructor is required. M. Creighton. 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. 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 explored 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. 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. A principal concern 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 them. 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. 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. 390R. Politics and Culture of American Anti-Communism. The course traces the trajectory of twentieth-century hostility to "radicalism" ั at home in the United States and abroad ั and its impact on American politics and culture. Along with an examination of "Red Scares," McCarthyism, and other historical manifestations of anti-communism, selected readings, films, and other cultural artifacts highlight the political intersection of "red-baiting" and "race-baiting." Anti-communism became a culturally sanctioned means for the expression of profound hostility to African Americans and other "ethnic Americans." The course demonstrates how the potency of anti-communism often blurred the American political spectrum, uniting liberals and conservatives as dramatically as it divided them. Recommended background: History 142 and History 261. Enrollment is limited to 15. D. Carter. 390S. History Wars: History and Theory. Competing historiographical views and perennial philosophical questions (causation, objectivity, moral judgement) have always underpinned the craft and practice of history. Since the 1960s, however, upheavals in historical theory have cast doubt as to whether anything can be learned from the past or if it is even possible to recreate or recapture any serious understanding of past cultures. Using substantive examples of historical prose and the experience of doing history by practicing historians, this seminar course explores the theory and pursuit of history in the new millennium. Prerequisite(s): History s40. Enrollment is limited to 15. M. Jones. 390T. Women in Japanese History. The seminar examines women in Japanese history from ancient to modern times. Study materials are taken from various sources: myths, government documents, literary works, scholarly writings, and films. Some of the women portrayed in these sources are historical figures, others are fictive. The course attempts to follow the evolution of women's lives in Japan and identify religious, economic, political, biographical, and other variables that best explain women's roles in historical as well as contemporary Japan. It also introduces perspectives comparing Japanese women and ideas about them with women in other parts of the world. A. Hirai. 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 s14. Writing to the Future. The end of the millennium has given cause on many levels of contemporary society for reflection, ranging from apocalyptic fear to hope for transformative change. By considering such projections and speculations as historical events, this unit attempts to construct a position from which to think forward in time, maintaining a place for oneีs own historical agency. D. Grafflin. 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 crisis 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. 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 by Japan, 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 Geography of the Civil Rights Movement: Case Studies in Post-World War II African American Freedom Struggles. This unit provides students with the opportunity to closely examine a number of locally-based African American civil rights movements in post World War II American history and the interaction of these movements with "the state." The unit places emphasis on the impact of local circumstances on the evolution of black freedom struggles. The roles of municipal, state, and federal authorities in responding to civil rights agendas are also subjected to careful scrutiny. Recommended background: History 142, 243 and 261. Open to first-year students. D. Carter. 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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