HISTORY103MULTIPLEVOICES:EUROPEINTHEWORLDTO1600MW4:00–5:50PM

Students examine the historian's craft by studying pivotal events highlighting the historical relationship between Europe and the world to 1600.

HISTORY104MULTIPLEVOICES:EUROPEINTHEWORLDSINCE1600MW8:00-9:50AMTTH8:00–9:50AMMW10:00-11:50AM

SA9:00AM–12:50PMFR9:00AM–12:50PMMW2:00–3:50PMTTH6:00-7:50PM

Students examine the historian's craft by studying pivotal events highlighting the historical relationship between Europe and the world since 1600.

HISTORY200“THENATUREOFHISTORICALINQUIRY”

DR.JOANNESCHNEIDER

This course introduces students to the principal concerns of historical investigation. Such areas

as the tools of historical inquiry, the nature of historical sources, extraction and evaluation of evidence,

the role of individual judgment and the conceptual framework of historical interpretation will be explored.

What exactly does this mean? The course forces students to get behind the end product, a historical

narrative for example, to understand the hows and whys of doing history. Beyond collecting and

analyzing evidence to produce a historical work, students will also confront larger issues such as motive

and intent in writing history. This includes a critical approach to assessing sources and their veracity both

in print and electronic form. What does it mean to be a student of history and/or a teacher of history?

The course also stresses writing skills and improvement thereof. This section of H200 has World War I

as its “umbrella theme.” Each student will choose a topic about the war, research it and then write a term

paper. Students will have the latitude to choose any topic that has a relationship to the war anywhere

around the globe—provided primary source materials can be found and examined as part of the research

process.

HISTORY202:U.S.HISTORY,1877TOTHEPRESENTDR.ELISAMILLER

ThiscourseservesasanintroductiontoAmericanhistoryfrom1877tothepresent.ThemainthemesthatitwillhighlightarethedevelopmentofmodernAmerica;movementsforracial,ethnic,gender,andclassequality;debateovertheroleofthefederalgovernmentintheeconomyandsociety;andtheemergenceoftheUnitedStatesasaglobalpower.Throughoutthesemesterwewillworkwithprimarysources,therawmaterialshistoriansusetoconstructtheirnarrativesofthepast.InadditiontogainingabroadunderstandingofmodernAmericanhistory,studentswilldeveloptheirabilitiestothinkandwritecritically,questionsources,andanalyzetexts.

HISTORY207 QUANTITATIVEHISTORYTHROUGHAPPLIEDSTATISTICS

PROF.PETEBROWN

WHATISTHECURIOUSANDEASYRELATIONSHIPBETWEENQUANTITATIVEDATA(STATISTICALINFORMATION)ANDHISTORY?PLENTY!

Andyoucanfeelcomfortablelearningaboutit.

• Countingandquantifyinghavedrivencivilizationaldevelopmentforover5,000years.• Collectingnumerical(quantitative)dataandandperformingstatisticalanalysisisanimportantcomponentof

history.• Learnhowtogenerateandplacequantitativedatainhistoricalcontextforpersonal,professional,local,

national,orglobalconcerns.

Literacy,theabilitytoread,andnumeracy,theabilitytocountandtoquantify,havedrivencivilizationaldevelopmentforover5,000years.Weareallquiteawareoftheformeractingasalocomotiveforhumansocialevolution.However,fewofusthinkaboutnumeracy,andstillevenfewercontemplateandaretrainedinitsvitaltasks of collecting numerical (quantitative) data and performing statistical analysis, as an equally importantcomponentofhistory.

Our course will broadly introduce us to quantitative history, the disciplineconcernedwith justifying,marshaling, calculating, and interpretingquantitativedata(statistical information) inordertocomprehendhowandwhyhumansformillenniahavegathereddataandhowhistorianscaninterpretthemandhowwecaninstructourselvestodothesame.Insodoing,thisAQSRcoursewillfulfilltherequirementsforbothquantitativeandscientificliteracy.

A typical reaction to hearing about statistics and math in history is to eitherimmediatelyturnone’sbacktothesubjectorelsetoclaimthat“thisiswaybeyondme,”“Ihatemath,”“thissoundsboring,”and”yuck!”Weshouldtryandputthesesentimentsoutofourminds,thatisiftheywerethereinthefirstplace.

Quantitative History Through

AppliedStatisticswillteachushownumberscanbebroughttotheforetointerprethistoryandexplainhowworkingwithquantitativedatacanbringa creativity to our minds in ways not captured by other historicaldisciplines.Nomentalsomersaultsarerequired,butawillingnesstobecurious is. Although the Department of History offers this course, oneneednotbeaHistoryMajororMinortotakeit.

FIGURE1:STATISTICALHISTORYOFINVENTIONS

FIGURE2: STATISTICALHISTORYOFCHUGUEVUHLANREGIMENT

History207willbenefitanyonemajoringorenteredinaprogramof

whateversubjectatRhodeIslandCollege,fordevelopingone’scapacitytogenerateandtoplacequantitativedatainhistoricalcontext,whetheritbeforpersonal,professional, local,national,orglobalconcerns. Historyandnumberssurroundourdailyexistence, thoughwemightnotbeawareofthat.Accordingly,anyonehavingamajor inoneofRIC’ssocialscienceorhumanities departments or in any of its professional schools will beenriched.

Our class is heavily student-

driven, and will revolve aroundcollaborative classwork, individual projects, and oral and written reports.Throughout this course we will be immersed in the doing of quantitativehistoryandnotonlyinthehearingaboutit.Generalquestions,casestudies,anddevelopingourownhistorically-drivenuniversewillroundoutourclasstime. In the beginning of the course I will go over basic concepts andproceduresinstatisticsthatareeasilyunderstandabletoall.Asyouprobablyhaveguessed,IwillbemakingextensiveuseofPowerPointslidestoportrayavarietyofhistoricalnumeral-writingtechniquesandstatisticalexamplesandexplanations.

Enjoyandwelcomeaboard!

FIGURE3: STATISTICALHISTORYOFCHINESEENERGYPRODUCTION

FIGURE4: STATISTICALHISTORYOFTHENBA

HISTORY263:CHRISTIANITYINGLOBALPERSPECTIVE

CHRISTIANITYINGLOBALPERSPECTIVE:Likeotherreligions,Christianityhasbothshapedthecultureandsocietyarounditandbeenshapedbythem.Thebalancebetweenthetwosidesiseverychanging.WhatmarksthebeginningofanewageinthehistoryofChristianityisthechangethathastakenplaceinthedemographiccompositionandthegeographicdistributionofChristiansasitspreadaroundtheworld.ThishaschangednotonlythefaceofthechurchesbutalsotheculturesandsocietiesinwhichChristianshavelived.Inthiscourse,ChristianitywillbeviewedinitsoriginalsettingintheMideastbutwillalsobeexaminedforitsinfluenceonwesternandotherculturesasitexpanded.Besidesexploringtheirowninterestsinthistopichereorinanypartoftheworld,studentswillreadportionsofhistoriesofChristianity,haveanopportunitytovisitaplaceofworship,andwillhearfromtruebelievers:arabbi,anIslamicimam,aProtestantpastor,aCatholicpriest,andanatheist.Theprofessorhastaughtonthreedifferenttheologicalfaculties:BostonUniversity,LutherSeminaryinSt.Paul,Minnesota,andSanFranciscoTheologicalSeminaryintheGraduateTheologicalUnion,Berkeley,California.WithnoreligiondepartmentatRhodeIslandCollege,thisisauniqueopportunity.

HIST269JAZZANDCIVILRIGHTS:FREEDOMSOUNDS

JazzisarguablythegreatestAmericanartform,asynthesisofEuropeanandAfricanculturaltraditionsforgedinthecrucibleandlegacyofAmericanslavery.Inthemostgeneralsense,thiscourseisachronologicalstudyofthehistoricalfactorsunderlyingthehistoryandevolutionofjazzfrombebopthroughfreejazz,concentratingontherelationshipbetweenthemusicitselfanditspractitioners,andthemoderncivilrightsmovement.Wewillbeginwithabriefintroductiontotheearlyyearsofjazz,anditsgrowingimportanceasaculturalexpressionoftheAfrican-Americancommunityinthe1920s,1930s,andearly1940s,andthenfocusontherevolutionaryimplicationsofthebebopmovement.

HIST272GLOBALIZATION:15THCENTURYTOTHEPRESENT

Thecourselooksatglobalhistoryfromthelatemedievalperiodtothepresent,focusingontheconnectionsandtensionsbetweendifferentregionsoftheworld.Wewillpursueourgoaltoappreciatethehistoricalrootsoftheglobalizationweexperiencetodaywithacloselookofthelonghistoryoftherelationshipsbetweenthedifferentregionsoftheworldandtheimpulsesthatpulledthemtogetheranddrovethemapart.Themesthatwewilltracethroughhistoryincludetrade,consumption,consumerism,labor,technology,culturalexchange,culturalconflict,environment,health,diseaseandeconomiccompetition,cooperation&justice.Suchastudyrevealsthecomplexityofcontemporaryglobalizationandthecontributionsofmanypeoplesthroughouttheworld.

HIST275:RUSSIAFROMBEGINNINGTOENDPROFESSORPETERBROWN

History 275, Russia from Beginning to End, is a General Educations Connections Category survey course that emphasizes themes of indigenous development, cross-cultural and cross-national influences, comparativism, and global interaction and how they have affected nearly 1200 years of

Eastern Slavic, later Russian, development. “Russian Identity” is the term we will use in our course for assembling the below-listed themes, aspects, and topics. History 275 will cover the highpoints of many aspects of historical experience: geography, ecology, archeology, demography, mythology, folklore, religion, literature, gender, politics, the military, economics, social-class, other socio-cultural phenomena, and

current events. History 275 weekly combines a topical and chronological approach in presenting the major phenomena, institutions, processes, and outcomes in Russian civilization, and includes time slots for discussion and reporting on Russian current events. Our course will fulfill these important General Education Connections Learning Outcomes: WC (Written Communication), CCT (Critical and Creative Thinking), OC (Oral Communication), CW (Collaborative Work), and RF (Research Fluency). Identity...Who are we? What are our values? Where do we belong? To whom or to what do we turn? What shall we do? These are perennial questions that cultures and individuals ask of themselves, and all the more so in Russia which has loomed so

prominently in our past and undoubtedly will continue to do so in our future. Why does it appear that again (for the secondtime in my adult life) that there definitely seems a likelihood of yet another permanent confrontation between Russia (formerly the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and the United States?

To answer these questions and many more, we need to go back to basics. The Russian tradition is of immense significance for the contemporary world. Russia, covering nearly 1/6

of the earth's landmass, bridging Europe and Asia, and including

over 150 nationalities within its borders is a country we cannot ignore. Whatever its direction in future, Russia's fate could depend upon our attitudes towards it. Our course is simultaneously in a marvelous way both contemporary and historical; our feet are implanted simultaneously in both

the past and the present-future.

Russian culture can trace its roots to events in Eurasia nearly 1,200 years ago, and incorporates both indigenous and outside elements. Russians and their predecessors have always been acutely conscious of their role as a people and a culture caught in the middle of competing, external forces that have

challenged, even threatened, their own values. Perhaps more than most peoples, Russians, by virtue of their exposed geographical position, have endured their fair share of insecurity. * * * * *How can we understand the Russian tradition? History 275 enables students to comprehend Russia's significance in world civilization by incorporating in two ways: (1) analyzing in the Russian context themes and topics addressed in Distribution Category courses History 101-107 and in other GEN Ed and other courses and (2) incorporating comparisons with cultural traditions, values, and practices outside Russia.

HISTORY 303: THE ROMAN EMPIRE

The transition from Republic to Empire in ancient Rome is explored in detail. The course surveys the major developments and changes in Roman government, society, economy and private life from the rise of Augustus, the first “emperor,” down to the "fall" of the Roman Empire in the West during the last quarter of the 5th Century AD. We will be making extensive use of primary sources in this course. The course will also develop students’ ability to write history papers well. Supplementary material may be distributed in class for the in-class writing assignments.

HIST304MedievalHistoryDr.GregGolden

ThehistoryofWesternEuropeanditsneighboringregionsfromthe

dissolutionoftheRomanEmpireintheWestuntilthedawnoftheearlyModernEra(1400s)willbestudiedindetail,withextensiveuseofprimarysources.TopicscoveredwillincludethedissolutionofRomanImperialruleintheWest,thecontinuationofRomanpower(theByzantineEmpire)intheEast,theriseofIslam,theCarolingians,theHighMiddleAges,theCrusades,Plague,Crisis,theMongols,andthedawnoftheRenaissance.

HIST305TheRenaissanceDr.JeannineE.Olson

Welcome to a study of Europe in the age of the Renaissance! We will study Europe's transition from the

14th century through Shakespeare's death, focusing on changing patterns of thought, art, and political forms in Italian city-states, Northern Europe, Britain, and Spain.

One-hundred-forty years ago the Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt claimed the Renaissance to be the

beginning of the modern world, and ever since people have been fascinated by the Burckhardtian image of the "Renaissance Man" (and woman) and by such aspects of the Renaissance story as the colorful and often despotic rulers; the writings of such humanists as Petrarch, Ficino, Pico, Erasmus and More; by Machiavelli's thought; by the economic changes and sophistication of business practices; by the Black Death; and by the great artists such as Giotto, Massaccio, Ghiberti, Fra Angelica, the Van Eycks, Botticelli, Bosch, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Renaissance fairs throughout the country are a small testimony to our fascination with the period.

Our objective in this course will be to learn a good deal about this period of history, its bibliography,

and the historians who have written about it. Your reading assignments will be of primary importance in learning about the period. From the possible materials I have chosen a textbook to give you background that you may not yet have, some primary source readings from Renaissance figures themselves, a book on the history of women of the era, and a book of short essays on the Renaissance by notable historians. Anything less would short change you in your quest of knowledge, but do not worry. We will not read all of every book. I am aware that many of you have other responsibilities, work outside the college and/or children.

Besides learning about the period, the readings should involve you in thinking analytically and

critically. If you throw yourself into this course, you will find it interesting. The Renaissance was without question a fascinating time! But the rewards should be far more than some knowledge about a period of history! This course can be a vehicle to realizing the benefits of the humanities. Learning about those people back then is a study of ourselves, our capabilities, our achievements and potential, and also our foibles and mistakes. We should recognize some salient features of our modern society and will reflect on the ideas that we still hold from the humanists and reformers and painters and political thinkers of the time. Best wishes for a fruitful semester!

Books: Lewis W. Spitz, The Renaissance and Reformation Movements, vol. 1, The Renaissance (St. Louis:

Concordia Publishing House, 1987). This is the textbook. Buy only this 1987 revised edition. Zachary S. Schiffman, ed., Humanism and the Renaissance, Problems in European Civilization (Boston:

Houghton Mifflin, 2002). Merry E. Wiesner, Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. Third edition. New Approaches to

European History. (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. Buy only the edition of 2008). James Ross and Mary McLaughlin, eds., The Portable Renaissance Reader (New York: Penguin Books,

1981).

HISTORY310EUROPEINTHE20THCENTURYANDBEYOND

DR.JOANNESCHNEIDER

Europedominatedworldaffairspolitically,economically,andculturallyinthe19th

century.OptimismcharacterizedtheEuropeans’senseofthemselvesandtheir

accomplishments.TheexcessesofWorldWarIchallengedthisfeelinganddealtEuropea

staggeringblow.Rational,technological“modern”manwasreplacedbyanirrational

creaturethatdestroyeditsownkind.Theinter-waryearswerespenttryingtounderstand

whytheGreatWaroccurred.Itwasatimeofexperimentationinlifestyles,art,and

literature.Inpoliticalandeconomicarenas,traditionalbourgeoiscapitalistsocietyfell

underattack.Fascism,Nazism,andCommunismappearedasnewpathstofollow.Bythe

late1930s,manyEuropeancountriesfellvictimtodictatorships.BecauseofWestern

Europe’sgreaterfearofJosephStalinandCommunism,Hitler’saggressioninCentraland

EasternEuropewentonrelativelyunchecked,untilitledtoWorldWarII.Thewarandits

aftermathshiftedthefocusofpoliticalpowertotheSuperPowers,theUnitedStatesand

theSovietUnion,eachwithitsparticularviewofglobalpolitics.TheColdWarbetween

thesetwoaffectedthewayEuropeancountriesrecoveredfromtheSecondWorldWar.The

WesternEuropeannationsrebuilt,butalsoredefinedtheirinternationalpoliticaland

economicroles,highlightedbytheprocessofde-colonization.Theshadowscastbythe

U.S.A.andtheU.S.S.R.overEuropeanaffairsabatedinthelate1980safterMoscow

relinquisheditscontroloverEasternEuropeandthesubsequentdemiseoftheSoviet

History310Description 2

Unionoccurred.IntegrationoftheEuropeaneconomiesundertheauspicesofthe

EuropeanUnion,plannedfor1992,sloweddownbecauseofthereunificationofGermany,

theEuropeanrecession,andtheemergenceofthenew“democratic”EasternEuropean

nations.ThepoliticalfragilityofthisregionandtheresurgenceofformerCommunist

politicians,whatevertheynowcallthemselves,leftmanyquestionsstilltobeanswered.

History310highlightstheseeventsassociatedwiththisdynamicperiodinEuropean

history.Thecourserequirementswillincludereadingatextbookandfivemonographs.

Writtenworkwillinvolvebookreviewsandresearchreports.Contemporaryeventswill

bestudiedthroughthemechanismof“DailyUpdates”witheachstudentresponsiblefor

theshortreportonthecurrenteventsofhis/herEuropeancountry.

HISTORY 313: THE SOVIET UNION & AFTER

PROFESSOR PETER BROWN

The October 1917 Russian Revolution that established the rule of Lenin and his Bolsheviks in the former Imperial Russia led to the creation of the Soviet Union, the rule of Stalin and his successors, the establishment of Communism and the transformation of an entire way of life, and the emergence of the Soviet Union as a world power and competitor to the United States. During its seventy-four-year history (1917-91), the Soviet Union proclaimed itself the embodiment of the highest values of humankind and represented, perhaps, the most serious challenge to Western Civilization in recent times. Within three

generations from Lenin’s seizure of power, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Why did this

happen? How should we understand the post-Soviet regimes in Russia and in the other former Soviet republics?

The remainder of this year will be momentous for Russia and the other successor states to the Soviet Union. Gripping and fateful

events continue to unfold, and in our classroom we will have the opportunity to witness and analyze them. Will the U.S. and Russia go head-to-head over Syria and Iran and the Eastern Baltic area? China looms quite large in Russia’s future, both as economic beneficiary and as both military and territorial competitor. What scenarios in future might evolve from this?

How effective is Putin’s dictatorship and can it continue? How much has Russia “westernized,” and what do we mean by that? Why did democracy disappear in the new Russia? Although there has been signs of promising economic recovery for some time, yet one must ponder whether Russian young people will be able

to have enough children to offset the stagnating population and whether there will be enough gainful opportunities for them. How have the artistic and literary intelligentsias (communities) fared both during the Soviet period and after?

All of these questions address basic themes of Russian history from its origins to the present. We will examine them and others in the context of Soviet and post-Soviet history from 1917 to the present.

How will we go about studying this fascinating area? Through a lecture/discussion format, we will analyze fundamental topics of Soviet and post-Soviet history such as the physical environment, centralized government and society, modernization, the nationalities' question and foreign policy, and the role of culture. How can we go about probing the mentalities of Soviet and Russian leaders? What questions can we pose to make enlightening comparisons between the

Soviet and post-Soviet environments, on the one hand, and our own, on the other, in order to grasp what makes "things tick" over there? In addition we will also give attention to historiographical questions (points of view) concerning the role of change and continuity and other issues relevant to our subject.

In developing our understanding of Soviet and post-Soviet history, we will utilize such fields as the arts and architecture, politics, law, literature, women’s studies, religion, science, sociology, and other disciplines. Every session will include ample time for discussion of lecture and reading material. Everyone gets to participate in both historical and current events’ discussion through short handouts on topics of current journalistic importance for the Soviet Union and its successor states (for example, drug abuse, political battles, the environment and pollution, marriage, crime, economic difficulties, foreign affairs, life in the military, etc.). PowerPoint slides, short film vignettes, and audio with be an integral part of our course.

Hist.321TheAmericanRevolutionDr.RonDufour

PopularculturehasservedtheAmericanRevolutionwell.Mediaofallsortscontinueto

portraytheeventinunquestioning,patrioticterms—aunifiedpopularuprisingagainsttheevilBritishtyrant,GeorgeIII,introducingtheworldtodemocracy.WhiletheRevolutioncertainlydidopenthedoorforvariouskindsofequalityandevensomeradicalpoliticalideas,itwasfarfromthesortofrevoltenvisionedbyBroadwayplayslike1776(orHamilton).Yes,colonistssufferedvariouskindsofoppressionbytheBritish—whiletheydeniedequalityandparticipationtowomen,AfricanAmericans,Indians,andthosewithoutadequateproperty.TherevolutionagainstEnglandwasjustoneofmanystoriestakingplaceduringthoseyears,andthiscoursetellsboththatstoryandthoseoftheunder-privileged,whoprovidedthefinancialandmilitarysupportforWashingtonandthegovernment,andwhousedtheoccasiontodemandtheirownequality—invain.

TheConstitution,generallyassumedtobetheultimatestatementofAmericanfreedomand

liberty,infactsoughttocontainandcontrolthoseimpulsestofreedomthattheDeclarationofIndependencehadhelpedloose.Theresultwasanewgovernmentthatwasfarmoreconservativethantheonewegenerallyenvision,astheAmericanelitesoughttorestoreorderandstabilitytoasocietythatwas,intheireyes,onthevergeonchaos.

WeallknowwhoGeorgeWashingtonwas;butdoyouknowwhoGeorgeRobertTwelve

Heweswas?Takethiscourseandfindout!

HIST322:THEERAOFEXPANSION(THEEARLYREPUBLIC)

(Burr)

Howdoesabastardorphan,sonofawhoreanda

Scotsman,droppedinthemiddleofa

ForgottenspotintheCaribbeanbyprovidence

Impoverished,insqualor

Growuptobeaheroandascholar?

(Hamilton)

AlexanderHamilton

MynameisAlexanderHamilton

Andthere’samillionthingsIhaven’tdone

Butjustyouwait,justyouwait….

TheseareobviouslyverydifferentimagesofthefoundingfatherHamilton.Howdoweresolvethem?WhowasHamilton?WhatroledidheplayintheestablishmentoftheAmericannation?Wewillspendmuchtimeintheearlypartofthiscourseexploringhisactionsandmotivations,butitisjustasimportanttoseethesedescriptionsasreflectiveofthedramatic,oftenviolentconflictsthatcharacterizedournation’searlyhistory.Thiscoursewillexamine,forexample,theradicallydifferentvisionsoftheFederalistsandJeffersonianRepublicans,andtheemergenceoftwodifferentsocieties:aworldoffreewhitelaborinthenorth,andonebasedonslavelaborinthesouth.White,maledemocracycertainlygrewduringtheseyears,butordinaryAmericansfoundtheirlivescircumscribedinlesspositiveways,changesfueledbytheIndustrialRevolution.Indeed,acentralpartofthiscoursewillexplorehowworking-classAmericans,women,freeandenslavedAfrican-Americans,andAmericanIndiansallconstructeddifferentnotionsofanAmericanidentity.Inthefinalweeks,wewillexaminevariouseffortsbyAmericanreformerstounderstandandconfrontarapidlychangingworld—inparticular,thechallengesposedbyAbolitioniststotheverycoreofAmericanidentity.

HIST323TheEmergenceofModernAmericaDr.ElisaMiller

Thisclassexplorestheeconomic,cultural,social,political,andintellectualcurrentsthatshapedcommunitiesandindividualswithintheUnitedStatesfromtheendoftheReconstructiontotheendofWorldWarI,roughly1877-1920.Thisperiod,whichhistoriansrefertoastheGildedAgeandProgressiveEra,wasoneofdramatictransformations,asforcesincludingindustrialization,urbanization,immigration,andimperialismhelpedforgea"modern"America.Althoughmanyofthesechangestookplaceonanationalandgloballevel,theyalsounsettledandchallengedthelifestylesofordinaryAmericans'lives.Ratherthananyoneunifiedresponse,Americansconstructedmyriadnewideas,values,andpracticesinordertoaccommodatethesetransformations.Wewillexplorealltheseissuesthroughreading,writing,anddiscussingbothprimaryandsecondarysources.Keythemeswillrecurthroughoutthiscourse:•thewidespreadrepercussionsofindustrialization•anexpandingrolefortheU.S.governmentathomeandabroad•changingdefinitions,experiences,andtensionsofrace,ethnicity, class,andgender•thecreationofnewintellectual,social,andculturalpractices• Americansexcitementaboutmodernity

HIST324CrisesofAmericanModernity,1914-1945Dr.ErikChristiansen

FromscandalousnewartandmusicthatshockedAmericansintothenewcentury,throughtheRoaringTwentiesandtheGreatDepression,tothedawnoftheatomicage,thesedecadeswitnesseddramaticclashesbetweentraditionandmodernity.Readingfromkeysecondarysourcesandanalyzingprimarysourcesthatincludefilm,music,fictionalwriting,andmore,studentswilldeveloptheirunderstandingofmajordevelopments,suchashowandwhytheAmericanpeoplechangedtheirinstitutionstofitthemodernworld,andwhytheysucceededinsomewaysbutatothertimesfailedtoachievetheirgoals.Boththeirsuccessesandfailuresshapedtheworldforthegenerationsthatfollowed.

HISTORY329:THECIVILWARANDRECONSTRUCTIONDR.ELISAMILLER

ThiscourseexaminestheCivilWarandReconstructionasatransformativeperiodinAmericanhistory.Chronologically,wewillcoverthepoliticaltensionsthatledtotheoutbreakofwar,thewarasanationalcrisis,theeffortstorebuildthecountryinitsaftermath,andongoingdebatesaboutthemeaningofthewar.Onathematiclevel,wewillstudythedramaticandmyriadeffectsoftheCivilWarandReconstructiononAmericansociety.Morethanjustamilitaryevent,theCivilWarinfluencedAmericans’ideasaboutissuessuchasreligion,nationalism,thefederalgovernment,race,andgender.

HIST331:RHODEISLANDHISTORYDR.ROBERTCVORNYEK

Rhode Island's colonial and revolutionary origins, the problems of nineteenth- and twentieth-century industrial growth and social change, and other topics are surveyed.

HISTORY336:THEUNITEDSTATESANDTHEEMERGINGWORLD…VIETNAM,THEAMERICANWAR

PROFESSORKARLP.BENZIGER

TheVietnamWarorasknowntotheVietnamese,theAmericanWar,remainsfertilegroundforastudyofcontestedmemoryandhistorybothamongtheVietnameseandAmericanpeople.MelvinLaird,SecretaryofDefenseunderRichardNixonclaimedthat,“wesnatcheddefeatfromthejawsofvictory.”Whereas,RobertMcNamara,SecretaryofDefenseandmajorarchitectofthewarunderbothJohnF.KennedyandLyndonB.Johnsondeclaredthatthewarmighthavebeenavoidedaltogether.EchoesoftheVietnamdebateshavebeenraisedbypoliticiansastheyattempttodrawlessonsfromthewarintheirassessmentsofthewarsinIraqandAfghanistan.TheVietnamesecontinuetodebatethepoliticalresultsofthisconflictaswell.Intheaftermathoftheconflict,authorssuchasDuongThuHuonghavearguedagainstthemodelofcommunismpropagatedbytheVietnamesegovernmentinspiteofitsworthygoalofnationalindependence.

Inordertounderstandtheissuessurroundingthiswar,wewillexaminethehistoryoftheAmericaninvolvementinSoutheastAsiaandtheforeignpolicydecisionsthatledtotheinsertionofover500,000Americanmilitarypersonnel.Wewillanalyzetheconflictnotonlyfromthepointofviewofthemajorplayersontheworldstage,butalsofromthevariouspointsofviewoftheVietnamesepeople.Further,wewilltakeintoaccountpopularinterpretationsoftheVietnamWarintheUnitedStatesandevaluatetheimpactoftheseinterpretationsintheshapingofAmericanpolicy.Pleasejoinus!

HIST344HISTORYOFEASTASIATO1600

DR.MOONSILL.KIM

HIST344examinesthepolitical,social,culturalandeconomicdevelopmentofEastAsiancivilizationfromtheearliestrecordedtimethroughtheearlyseventeenthcentury.AstheoriginofEastAsiancivilization,Chinawillbefocused,butKoreaandJapanwillbealsodiscussedinordertoseehowChinesecultureandsystemwereadaptedandmodifiedinEastAsia.Reflectingtheinstructor’sinterestonhistoryoffoodandmedicine,thiscoursealsodealswiththedietaryandmedicalhistoryofEastAsia.Studentswillanalyzenotonlytranslatedprimarysources,butalsoarchaeologicalevidence,visualimagesandfilmsintheclass.

HIST349:HISTORYOFCONTEMPORARYAFRICADR.PETERMENDY

Africa from 1960 to the present is examined. Topics include the nature of independence, Africa in world affairs, problems of nation building, and the search for unity, stability, and regional cooperation.

HIST353:MODERNLATINAMERICANHISTORY

Latin America, whose ethnically diverse population numbers more than 640 million individuals,

is a region of great cultural richness whose economic importance in the world has grown steadily

in recent decades but which still suffers from the colonial legacy of deeply entrenched racism

and economic inequality. HIST 353 analyzes how Modern Latin America society has struggled

to overcome its colonial inheritance of poverty and inequality and how it has been powerfully

shaped by the forces of economic globalization, immigration, the rise of organized labor, the

struggle of the peasantry for social justice, the political empowerment of women, and the

campaign for human rights and the rule of law. In addition, the course highlights the

environmental costs of rapid urbanization and ecologically unsustainable economic development

as well as on the complex relationship between the United States and Latin America, which

today is centered on issues of foreign investment, trade, immigration, and illegal narcotics.

HIST358ENVIRONMENTALHISTORY

This course explores the relationship between humans and the natural environment in the past. Students will consider specific historical examples illuminating the ways nature has shaped human societies and the impact people have had on their environments. 21st -century debates about the place of people in the environment and concerns about human-driven environmental change are marked by complex social, political, economic, scientific and natural considerations. Environmental history proves essential to this debate, offering long-term perspectives on these issues and potential solutions. We will begin the course with an introduction to the special set of challenges encountered when considering the environment in history. After that, we will discuss key issues—such as agriculture, natural resource consumption, natural disasters, climate, pollution, animals—in history in order to appreciate the complexity of encounters between humans and their environment.

HIST361SEMINARINHISTORYHIST362READINGSEMINARINHISTORY

DR.GREGORYGOLDEN

Building on the students' experience in HIST 200, emphasis is on issues in historiography, the identification and definition of historical problems, the researching and writing of a substantial paper, and historical criticism.

RegistrationforthiscourseiscompletedthroughtheHISTORYDept.office,Bldg.2

HIST521SEMINARINCOMPARATIVEHISTORY:REVOLUTIONSANDNATIONBUILDINGINTHEEARLYMODERN

ATLANTICWORLD

Thelastyearsoftheeighteenthandtheearlydecadesofthenineteenthcenturieswitnessedaseriesofconvulsiverevolutionsthatpermanentlyalteredthepoliticalandsociallandscapeofthewesternworld.ThisseminarwillfocusontheAmerican,FrenchandHaitianrevolutionsinanefforttounderstandthenatureoftheseevents.Wewillbeginbyexploringthecreationofthemodernnation-state,andthenfocusontheparticularcausesofthesethreetransformativerevolutions.Wewillthenexaminetherelationshipsbetweenthethree—theideologiestheyshared,thewaysinwhichtheyinfluencedeachother(andthelaterindependencemovementsofLatinAmerica),andhoweachconfrontedissuesofrace,gender,classandpoliticaldemocracy,inwaysthatcontinuetoshapeourworldtoday.