Spring 2010 Advanced Courses
The SFA History Department will offer the following advanced and graduate courses during the Spring 2010 semester. For more information about individual courses, see the instructor.
All 300 and 400 level courses have a prerequisite of 6 hours of history.
To help students meet degree requirements, each semester the department will designate certain courses as a Writing Enhanced Courses.
HIS 301 U.S. DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, 1776 – 1900, Dr. Cooper, MWF 10:00-10:50, F480
U.S. Diplomatic History, 1776-1900 A.K.A. How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Betrayal.
Officially, this course is a survey of U.S. diplomatic history from the era of the American Revolution through the Open Door Policy. Unofficially, this class explores the international politics of why the United States is friends with some, enemies with many, and liars to the rest. As Ambrose Bierce once described, “diplomacy is the patriotic art of lying for one's country.” What better way to spend a semester than studying how to do and say the nastiest things in the nicest way?
HIS 310 URBAN HISTORY, Dr Sandul, TR 9:30-10:45, F477
This is a part lecture, reading, writing, research, and discussion course (so five times the fun) in the history of U.S. cities and suburbs. The course provides a thematic and chronological overview of the development of cities, suburbs, and (sub)urban society in the United States. Of principal concern are the consequences of urban and suburban life and the configurations of social and spatial forms as they differed by time, place, class, ethnic group, race, and gender. We will focus on such topics as urban and suburban societies, spatial organization, migration, city and suburb life and cultural styles, technology, and the tensions between forces of centralization and decentralization. The professor will also work with the students to identify and explore the ways that historians work.
Writing Enhanced Course
HIS 312 HISTORY OF MODERN FRANCE, Dr Allen, T 4:00-6:30, F477
This course is an overview of French history from the late eighteenth century to the present, focusing on the evolution of politics, society, and thought. The central theme of the semester will be the political legacy of the French Revolution and the repeated attempts in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to realize and interpret this legacy. The evolution of French history from Napoleon Bonaparte through the 1830 and 1848 revolutions, the Paris Commune, and the governments of Vichy and of Charles de Gaulle will be considered in light of the abiding conflict between supporters and opponents of the Revolution’s ideals.
HIS 313 HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY, Dr. Dahmus, MWF 10:00-10:50, F477
This course will examine the entire history of Christianity from the time of Christ to the twenty-first century, but with primary emphasis on the period up to 1700. Included in the topics to be considered will be the Apostolic Church of the first century, the conversion of the Roman Empire, the theological debates of the early centuries, the conversion of the barbarians, monasticism, the Greek Church, the growth of papal power, the Crusades, the Reformation, the wars of religion, the modern attacks on Christianity beginning with the French Revolution, and the spread of Christianity to non-Western lands.
HIS 320 MODERN EAST ASIA, Dr. Catton, TR 11:00-12:15, F480
The course surveys the history of East Asia, primarily of China and Japan, from the 1600s through to the present. The focus will be on the major social, economic, cultural, and political changes of this period; key topics include the impact of Western imperialism, the process of modernization, the rise of revolutionary movements and militarism, the Second World War in Asia, and Mao’s China. Readings will include the writings of Asians as well as the works of historians
Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.
May count toward the International Business major – see MMIB Department.
Writing Enhanced Course
HIS 321 WORLD HISTORY, Dr. Taaffe, MWF 11:00-11:50, F477
This course examines the social, political, religious, economic, ideological, and foreign policy factors that shaped the development of world history, with an emphasis on the nonwestern world. Specific subjects emphasized include major religions, western dominance, new ideologies, decolonialism, and the importance of individuals.
Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.
Meets a requirement for those seeking teacher certification in History for grades 8-12.
HIS 326 EUROPE 1815 - 1914, Dr. Tebbe, MW 2:30-3:45, F477
Although a casual observer might see the period from 1815 to 1914 as a peaceful lull between two periods of destructive war, the nineteenth century was overrun with conflict and upheaval as Europe truly entered the modern world. Industrialization completely altered daily life, and its technology allowed European nations to expand their empires as never before, ushering in a truly global age. The attempts to restore the old order in Europe failed, as the fires of revolution burned across the continent time and again throughout the century. During the nineteenth century women made unprecedented calls for their liberation and mass politics was born. Culture and thought would be revolutionized by names well known still today: Darwin, Nietzsche, Freud, Ibsen, and many more. The social and political forces unleashed by modernity eventually gave birth to the event that destroyed nineteenth-century European culture and society: World War I.
Writing Enhanced Course
HIS 335.501 HISTORY OF TEXAS, Mr. Bradford, Web course
The course is designed as a comprehensive survey course in Texas history beginning with pre-Columbian contact and continuing until the contemporary era. Because the course covers such an expansive timeframe, a number of topics will only be cursorily covered in class lectures, making it essential that students supplement their understanding of course content with readings in the textbooks. The primary focus of the course will be the various political, social, and cultural themes that have played key roles in the development of Texas and Texans, and the emphasized themes will be the ones the instructor feels most essential in gaining an understanding of Texas in a historical perspective. Course themes will include the exploration of the diverse cultural legacies of the state, the place of Texas in the American South, and the role of economic boom-and-bust cycles in shaping the state. Because this is an upper-level history course, a key element of the course will be the growth of critical thinking among the students concerning the examination of historical themes and paradigms.
This course meets a requirement for those seeking teacher certification in social studies for grades 4-8.
HIS 335 HISTORY OF TEXAS, Dr. Carney, T 4:00-6:30, F475
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge of the history of Texas with a particular focus on the cultural history of the state. Topics include discussions of Texas Indians, Spanish Texas, Mexican Texas, the origins of the Texas Republic, annexation and secession, Texas during the Progressive Era, Texas in the 1920s, and modern Texas culture and politics. This course will also place an emphasis on Texas myth and memory and the way Texans have conceived of their past throughout history.
Meets a requirement for those seeking teacher certification in social studies for grades 4-8.
HIS 347 THE OLD SOUTH, Dr. Sosebee, MWF 9:00-9:50, F477
The course is designed as a comprehensive survey of the American South from the Pre-Columbian era through the end of the Civil War. In the narrative of the course, we will examine topics such as the social development of the South as a British colonial possession, the growth of Southern nationalism, the construction of a bi-racial society, and the reasons why the South seceded from the Union. Given their importance in the region, the course will place particular emphasis on the dynamics of race relations in the South. We will also focus on the social, economic, and political trends that continued to differentiate the South as a specific region within the nation as a whole and helped construct a definable Southern “identity.” The emphasized themes will be the ones the instructor feels most essential in gaining an understanding of the American South in a historical perspective. Because this is an upper level history course, a key element of this course will be the growth of critical thinking among the students concerning the examination of historical themes and paradigms. In order to effectively achieve this goal, students should be prepared to do extensive reading outside of class as well as complete writing assignments that will measure the depth of their understanding of the subject.
HIS 351 TSARIST RUSSIA, Dr. Cox, MW 1:00-2:15, F475
This course is a survey of the political, social and cultural history of Russia in the 18th and 19th century. Key topics will include: the reigns of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great; the tsarist government in the 19th century; the rise and fall of serfdom in Russia; and the development of the revolutionary movement which eventually brought down the monarchy in 1917. Students will read both works by historians and memoirs by participants in historical events.
HIS 412 HOLOCAUST, Dr. Jackson, W 4:00-6:30, F480
The first half of the course, we will deal with the role of anti-Semitism in the rise of the Nazis and the consolidation of Nazi power up to 1938. In this section, we will examine the development of the Nazi policy toward the Jews between 1933 and 1938; this will include the initial steps in the destruction process (definition, expropriation, concentration). The second half of the course will cover the destruction process during Hitler’s wars on Europe, Russia, and the Jews. In this part of the course we will cover the role of the SS, the growth of resistance among Jews, the Nuremburg Trials, and the role of the Holocaust’s place in history (Holocaust denial).
HIS 414 CIVIL WAR MEMORY, Dr. Carney, MW 1:00-2:15, F477
This course provides an overview of the various ways in which Americans have remembered the Civil War. Through monographs and films, this course seeks to underscore the cultural, racial, political, and social tensions inherent to an understanding of the contested legacy of the Civil War. Further questions include: How is historical memory constructed? How do we memorialize the past? What, ultimately, is the impact of the past on the present?
HIS 440 AMERICAN REVOLUTION, Dr. Lannen, TR 12:30-1:45, F477
An in depth look at the period from the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 through the ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It explores the place of the British North American colonies in the imperial scheme, growing disputes between the mother country and colonies over taxation, mob violence, the development of American identity, the military struggle over independence, the divisions between rebels and loyalists, and the debates over the United States Constitution.
GRADUATE COURSES
HIS 531 HISTORICAL RESEARCH, WRITING AND EDITING, Dr. Dormady, R 6:00-8:30, F480
Introduction to basic historical research and writing, and information literacy useful for history. Includes lectures, readings and work within ongoing projects. (May be repeated once with change of topic.)
HIS 544 BRITISH HISTORY, The Age of Appeasement: Britain Between the Wars, 1918 - 1939,
Dr. Malpass, M 6:00-8:30, F480
This course examines Great Britain’s roles in European and global events and the coming of World War II.
HIS 547 EARLY REPUBLIC, Dr. Bremer, M 6:00-8:30, F477
This course focuses on the history and historiography of the American Revolution and the early republic. It is a reading-intensive discussion seminar, where students will study the social and political history of the United States from the 1770’s to the 1820’s. The weekly reading will total between 200-300 pages. The two most important readings will be The Unknown American Revolution (Nash) and Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic (Wood). Other common readings will include classics such as The Minutemen and Their World, Radicalism of the American Revolution, and A Midwife’s Tale, Newer monographs, such as Unruly Americans, Republic of Debtors, and Taming Democracy will help explain the contested and changing history of these decades. Students will write four book reviews: a 6-7 page comparative review, as well as three additional 3-4 page reviews.
HIS 561 CIVIL WAR 1850 - 1865, Dr. Taaffe, T 6:00-8:30, F474
This class examines the social, political, economic, and especially military factors that influenced the causes, course, and end of the American Civil War. Subjects emphasized include Abolitionism, countdown to the war, strategy and tactics, political parties, importance of individuals, and army and navy leadership,
HIS 570 COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT, Dr. Beisel, W 6:00-8:30, F474
Introduction to the broad fields of museum and archival work from the history of both areas to issues of theory and practice, to the development, care and use of collections. The course will also address staffing and management concerns, educational and exhibition development, and the social, economic, and political trends that shape collections.