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Courses - Spring 2025
HIST
History Department Site
Open Seats as of
12/21/2024 at 10:30 PM
HIST108B
Freshman/Sophomore Seminar in History; Gandhi: The Individual in History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS
Uses the life and legacy of Mohandas K. Gandhi, in modern India and beyond, as a starting point to explore the relationship between individuals in world history and the social contexts that produced them. Topics include non-violence, diet, sexuality, politics, law, technology, the environment, and representations in film and other media.
HIST111
The Medieval World
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
The development of Europe in the Middle Ages; the role of religious values in shaping new social, economic, and political institutions; medieval literature, art and architecture.
HIST113
The Making of Modern Europe
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Evolution of modern nation states since late medieval times. Industrial-economic structure and demography. Emergence of modern secular society.
HIST123
Sub-Saharan Africa Since 1800
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Overviews early mid-19th-century changes in African societies, European conquest and African resistances in the late 19th-century, colonial states and societies, African nationalisms and decolonization and the independence era. Struggles over social, economic, and political changes are emphasized.
HIST142
Looking at America through a Global Lens
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: HIST289I or HIST142.
Formerly: HIST289I.
Looking at America will focus on a thematic approach to the study of foreign -- negative and positive -- perceptions of America in the 20th century.
HIST147
History of Satan: Conceptions of Ultimate Evil from Antiquity to the Present
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Traces the concept of Satan in the Jewish and Christian traditions from the Hebrew Bible, through the early modern witch crazes, to the "Satanic Panic" of the '80s and modern conspiracy theories. We'll examine both how our darkest fears have changed over the centuries, and which elements have stayed remarkably consistent across time. In the process, we'll seek to answer our Big Question: How do ideas about the devil reflect the norms and anxieties of the cultures that produce them?
HIST187
God, Land, Power, and the People: Moral Issues in the Jewish Historical Experience
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, DVUP, SCIS
Cross-listed with: ISRL187, JWST187.
Credit only granted for: HIST187, JWST187 or ISRL187.
Examines the complicated relationship between theology, nationalism, sovereignty, and the ethical exercise of social control using case studies drawn from the Jewish historical experience. The universal and age-old issues implicit in the exercise of power have gained special moral force for Jews with the creation of the State of Israel, a Jewish and a democratic state with substantial non-Jewish minorities and hundreds of thousands of non-citizen subjects. Can these be reconciled? Jewish efforts over the ages and in recent times to define justice provide concrete examples through which to examine and discuss crucial abstract principles.
HIST200
Interpreting American History: Beginnings to 1877
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU
Credit only granted for: HIST156 or HIST200.
Formerly: HIST156.
The United States from colonial times to the end of the Civil War. Establishment and development of American institutions.
HIST201
Interpreting American History: From 1865 to the Present
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU, DVUP
Credit only granted for: HIST157 or HIST201.
Formerly: HIST157.
The United States from the end of the Civil War to the present. Economic, social, intellectual, and political developments. Rise of industry and emergence of the United States as a world power.
HIST205
Environmental History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSHU
An exploration of the way different societies have used, imagined, and managed nature. Includes examination of questions of land use, pollution, conservation, and the ideology of nature, especially but not exclusively in Europe and North America.
HIST208I
(Perm Req)
Historical Research and Methods Seminar; How Revolutionary: Upheavals in History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
We will examine the major historiographical trends and debates in the study of revolutions, ranging from the long eighteenth century's Age of Revolutions through the twentieth century's independence movements and social revolutions. After completing this historiographic training, students will conduct original research related to revolution in the 18th, 19th, or 20th centuries.
HIST208J
(Perm Req)
Historical Research and Methods Seminar; American Migrations
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
Human movements including immigration, emigration, forced migrations, and refugeeism have created the United States we live in today. Over the course of the semester students will write a journal length article on a historic topic of their choosing pertaining to this subject.
HIST208K
(Perm Req)
Historical Research and Methods Seminar; Magic in the Middle Ages, Middle East to Europe
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
Examines the theme of magic through different lenses, e.g., religion, science and medicine, minorities, literature, etc. Research projects may focus on magic in western Europe, Byzantium, Jewish communities and/or the Islamic world from 500-1500 CE.
HIST211
Women in America Since 1880
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Cross-listed with: WGSS211.
Credit only granted for: HIST211, WMST211 or WGSS211.
Formerly: WMST211.
An examination of women's changing roles in working class and middle class families, the effects of industrialization on women's economic activities and status, and women's involvement in political and social struggles, including those for women's rights, birth control, and civil rights.
HIST219O
Special Topics in History; Colonial and Post-Colonial Science Fiction, Afrofuturism, and History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Explores the history of science fiction writing in the context of genuine historical events and issues in the background, and in SciFi narratives and cinema. SciFi retells the story of colonialism, exploration, and racism. In the work of two generations of more recent authors, via Afrofuturism and dystopianism, SciFi also contests that story with new plots and social messages. Students will leave the class with an appreciation of historical methodology and narrative. Students will encounter and understand cinematic and visual vocabularies as well as textual tropes.
HIST219X
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Cross-listed with: PERS251.
Credit only granted for: PERS251 or HIST219X.
General sociopolitical introduction to modern Iran from establishment of the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century to the present day. Taught in English.
HIST220
The Atlantic World in the Age of Exploration, Conquest, and Settlement
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Credit only granted for: HIST219V or HIST220.
Formerly: HIST219V.
Study of encounters, exchanges, and clashes between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in the early modern Atlantic World. Examines conquest and colonial systems; movement of men and women and mixing of peoples, and the persistence of native folkways.
HIST222
Immigration and Ethnicity in America
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Credit only granted for: AAST222, HIST222, or SOCY222.
The history of immigration and the development of diverse populations i the United States are examined. Topics include related political controversies, the social experiences of immigrants, ethnicity, generations, migration, inter-group relations, race, and diversity in American culture.
HIST223
Globalizing the American Revolution
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Cross-listed with: HNUH218C.
Credit only granted for: HNUH218C or HIST223.
How is the American Revolution a creation story in the making of our multi-cultural and interconnected modern world? Consider the Declaration of Independence. When first published on July 5, 1776, it was printed by an immigrant Irishman on Dutch paper that had been brought over from England. This was the first such declaration of independence ever issued, but its ideas and forms traveled far and wide. More than 100 other declarations of independence have been issued since then. The people that declaration mobilized are similarly diverse: the American Revolution is as much the story of Creek farmers, Spanish soldiers, French slaves, Canadian fugitives, Indian tea-growers, and African statesmen as it is of the Minutemen and Sons of Liberty. In this globe-trotting class, students will be positioned to debate how the familiar story of the American Revolution changes when we place it in transnational context.
HIST225
Modern Military History, 1815-Present
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
The military history of Europe through an examination of the economic, financial, strategic, tactical, and technological aspects of the development of military institutions and warfare from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to the present.
HIST227
Frederick Douglass's America
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSHS, SCIS
Credit only granted for: HNUH218B or HIST227.
Formerly: HNUH218B.
What does it mean to be free in the United States? The concept of freedom was embedded in the nation's political culture in the Declaration of Independence, and it has remained a cherished and contested ideal. We can interrogate this concept through the life and times of Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who dreamed eloquently of freedom, thought carefully about its limits, and worked ardently to build a firmer freedom for a broader population. With Douglass as our guide, we will examine the survival of slavery in a nation built on freedom, images of the expanding United States as a land of opportunity, and the complex meanings and tremendous costs of freedom struggles during the nineteenth century. This history will push you to think critically about the contested concepts that shape our lives, and to consider the values and the perils of a society that positions freedom as its highest ideal.
HIST233
Empire! The British Imperial Experience 1558-1997
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Credit only granted for: HIST219P or HIST233.
Formerly: HIST219P.
Britain's empire from the mid-sixteenth century to the late twentieth century, focusing on the encounter between Britain and indigenous peoples. Topics include the origins of British imperialism in Ireland and North America, the slave trade, the East India Company and India, women in empire, transportation and the making of Australia, sex in empire, missionaries, racial theories, and decolonization.
HIST236
From Peacocks to Punks: Modern Britain from 1688 to Today
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
British history from the Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the present. The revolution of 1688; the structure of 18th-century society and politics; economic and social change in the Industrial Revolution; 19th- and 20th-century political and social reform; imperialism; the impact of the First and Second World Wars on British society.
HIST241
The Soviet Century
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg
GenEd: DSHS
The twentieth century was the "Soviet Century," or a twentieth century defined by the Soviet Union's birth, growth and demise. Beginning with this premise, the course starts with the revolutionary seeds of Soviet rule, the Russian empire and the revolution of 1905, and concludes with an examination of the former Soviet space in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse in 1991. Key topics include: 1) The origins, timing and intent of state-sponsored violence and terror 2) Agricultural and industrial modernization and 3) The Soviet Union as a new type of multi-ethnic state or empire. The last theme will get particular emphasis, and the course seeks to dismantle the long-standing notion that "Russian" and "Soviet" are the same thing. Instead, it emphasizes the Soviet Union as a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society, one in which Russians interacted with myriad other ethnic groups, including Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Tatars, Armenians, Lithuanians, Tatars and others.
HIST245
Reformers, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
Cross-listed with: RELS219K.
Credit only granted for: RELS219K or HIST245.
The 20th century was a period of dramatic changes in the Middle East. Within the global context of the two World Wars and the Cold War, countries in the region struggled with the effects of colonialism and painful processes of decolonization. The course offers a thematic-comparative approach to issues such as social and political reform, nationalism, the colonial experience, independence struggles, models of governance, political violence, and Islamism. Course lectures and the analysis and discussion of primary sources will lead students to understand that the peoples of the Middle East found answers to the challenges posed by Western dominance based on their specific historical, cultural and socio-economic circumstances.
HIST251
Latin America Since Independence
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS, DVUP
Cross-listed with: LACS251.
Credit only granted for: HIST251, LASC251, or LACS251.
Formerly: LASC251.
Introductory survey of the history of Latin America from the era of independence (c. 1810-1825) through the early 1980s. Major themes include independence and sovereignty, postcolonialism and neocolonialism, nation- and state-building, liberalism, citizenship, economic development and modernization, social organization and stratification, race and ethnicity, gender relations, identity politics, reform and revolution, authoritarianism and democratization, and inter-American relations.
Cross-listed with LASC251. Credit granted for HIST251 or LASC251.
HIST285
East Asian Civilization II
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS
A survey of the historical development of modern Asia since 1700. Primarily concerned with the efforts of East Asians to preserve their traditional cultures in the face of Western expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries, and their attempts to survive as nations in the 20th century.
HIST289R
Pocketbook Politics: A History of American Buying and Selling
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHU, SCIS
Provides a thematic approach to consumerism as it emerged in the United States over the course of three centuries. The history of consumption is a prism through which many aspects of social and political life may be viewed. How does what we wear, what we listen to, or what we eat shape our identities?
HIST299
(Perm Req)
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST304
The Baddest Decade: The 1970s in American Film and American History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: CINE352.
Credit only granted for: CINE352, FILM352 or HIST304.
Formerly: FILM352.
The history of the United States and of its cinema in the 1970s.
HIST307
The Holocaust of European Jewry
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: JWST345.
Credit only granted for: HIST307 or JWST345.
Roots of Nazi Jewish policy in the 1930's and during World War II: the process of destruction and the implementation of the "final solution of the Jewish problem" in Europe, and the responses made by the Jews to their concentration and annihilation.
HIST319D
Special Topics in History; Islam and the Body
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319E. Credit only granted for HIST319D or RELS319E.

The body is central to enacting facets of Islamic culture a cross history: worshippers ritually wash, mystical mendicants dance, love poets starve themselves, and pilgrims walk well-trodden routes. This course will thus explore why and how bodies matter: how are bodily norms created and enforced? How have people tried to transcend their individual, mortal, embodied selves, and why? How does religion help people make sense of their bodily experiences? How does it deal with bodily differences?
HIST319N
Special Topics in History; The Black Power Movement
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP398E. Credit only granted for HIST319N or AASP398E.

Examines the ideologies, politics, economy, and culture of Black Power as a social movement for liberation.
HIST321
Archaeology and the Quest for Ancient Israel
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
Cross-listed with: JWST324.
Credit only granted for: HIST321 or JWST324.
The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament tells the story of "Biblical Israel" in ways that overlap with but are not identical to the evidence for "ancient Israel" provided by archaeological sources. Close attention to archaeology and inscriptional evidence allows for an understanding of biblical literature in light of its ancient Near Eastern context. Primary focus is on the Iron Age (ca. 1200-540 BCE), whose archaeology and inscriptions will be explored alongside biblical texts set during the this period but often written much later. Class discussion will address modern controversies regarding ancient Israel, including questions of origins (what does proto-Israelite mean?), problems of historiography (minimalist vs. maximalist), and archaeological dating (low chronology vs. high chronology).
HIST325
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
History of the Greeks 400-30 B.C.: Alexander and the changes he wrought in the Mediterranean world; the rise of monarchies and leagues; new directions in religion, art, literature, and science; and Hellenization of the Near East, including the Jews.
HIST328K
Selected Topics in History; Borders and Memory-making in Times of War: A Global Classroom connecting College Park and Kyiv
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shone a spotlight on the need for evidence-based, critical discussion of borders and memory-making, grounded in History but speaking to a wider global public. This course will use the historian's toolkit to examine borders and memory-making at war through a global lens. Bringing together undergrads from College Park & from Kyiv, Ukraine, this Global Classroom will both compare & connect different stories across time and space, from the Polish-Ukrainian borderlands, to the US-Mexico border, to Korea, to Rwanda and Uganda. Content delivery will combine once-a-week online, real-time mini-lectures with small-group projects & meetings. These will facilitate collaborative partnerships between US & Ukrainian students.
HIST329E
Special Topics in History; Black Women in United States History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Restriction: Sophomore standing or higher. Cross-listed with AASP313 and WGSS314. Credit only granted for AASP313, HIST329E, WMST314 or WGSS314. Formerly: WMST314.

Black American women's history from slavery to the present. Focused on gaining a fuller understanding of the effect of race, class and gender on the life cycles and multiple roles of Black women as mothers, daughters, wives, workers and social-change agents.
HIST329Q
Special Topics in History; Jews and Sports: Identities, Nationalisms, and Masculinities
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with JWST319A. Credit only granted for JWST319A or HIST329Q.

Modern Jewish culture is marked by competing visions of Jewish masculinity, from the traditional learned scholar to the muscle Jew of the 19th century. Athleticism plays an important role in this cultural formation. Attention to Jewish engagement in and with sports including boxing, baseball, basketball, and soccer allows for a better understanding of modern Jewish identity and its development and challenges.
HIST333
The European Reformations
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: RELS343.
Credit only granted for: HIST333 or RELS343.
Examination of developments in European religion between 1450 and 1700; the late-medieval Church and its critics; rise of Protestant thought in Germany and its spread throughout Europe; reform efforts in the Catholic Church; religious wars and violence and their impact on state and society; consequences of religious reform in society and its impact on the family and women.
HIST338A
Special Topics in History; The Civil Rights Movement
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP398J and AMST328Z. Credit only granted for HIST338A, AASP398J, or AMST328Z.

From the anti-lynching movement and streetcar boycotts of the early 20th century to the mass movement of the 1960s, this course takes up issues that have engaged social movement theorists and activists alike: developing and sustaining social commitment, confronting the strengths and weaknesses of formal organization, raising money, maximizing political influence, and securing long-range objectives. While primarily focused on the U.S. Black Civil Rights Movement, the course considers its impacton other rights struggles (e.g., environmental justice and reproductive justice) and makes connections to the civil rights struggles of other people of color in the U.S.
HIST338B
Maryland's Ethnic Foodways
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: AMST328T.
This public history, digital humanities project will chronicle the culinary histories of ethnic communities in Maryland by learning, documenting, engaging, and thereby preserving stories of food businesses. This collaboration between AMST and CGMS explores the multi-faceted culinary identities of our state forged by ethnic immigrant communities here. Food studies is a particularly engaging and provocative lens for exploring intercultural engagements and understanding because all humans must eat, even as specific foods and ritualized meals evoke powerful cultural and emotional structures of meaning and attachment. Foodways is a useful platform because consumption tells stories of the past, present, authority, economic empowerment, trauma, and other life experiences. Within immigrant and ethnic communities, food businesses often function as harbors providing access to dearly missed dishes and goods while serving as centers for community support networks.
Cross-listed with AMST328T. Credit only granted for HIST338B or AMST328T.

Immerses students in Maryland's ethnic and immigrant communities through food and migration studies. Students will learn about Maryland's historic ethnic communities, migration dynamics, and contemporary immigrant communities through the analytical lenses of food, ethnic studies, and entrepreneurship. Emphasizing campus to community connections, students will conduct research in teams on ethnic food businesses in Maryland, resulting in final projects suitable for inclusion in the digital archive, Maryland's Ethnic Foodways.
HIST338C
Special Topics in History; Slavery Law and Power in the Early Americas and British Empire
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Focus on the emergence of racial slavery and its connections to larger power structures, including empire, monarchy, labor, capitalism, and law, with particular focus on Britain's American empire, including the future United States and the Caribbean. Involves substantial hands-on research and digital humanities work.
HIST339C
Special Topics in History; War, Genocide, and Resilience in Africa's Great Lakes Region
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Examines postcolonial violence in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in historical and comparative perspective. Emphasis is also placed on the social, political, and economic consequences of these conflicts, as well as the diverse approaches to peacebuilding, justice, and commemoration that can be seen across the region.
HIST339I
Special Topics in History; Missionary Dreams and Nightmares: A Global History of Protestant Missions
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319P. Credit only granted for HIST339I or RELS319P.

Protestant missionary activity from the seventeenth century onwards in aglobal perspective. We will investigate the relations between missionaryactivity, imperialism, and the "civilizing project" of the West with particular reference to British missionary organizations. The real and perceived risks and difficulties faced by missionaries, from dying of malaria to being eaten by cannibals, will be discussed to understand the ethos that has animated the Protestant missionary commitment over the centuries.
HIST339K
Special Topics in History; History of Black Education in America
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP398K and AMST498F. Credit only granted for HIST339K, AASP398K, or AMST498F.

Explores the development of formal education created by and for African Americans, from the antebellum era through the twenty-first century. Examine the historical roots of recent debates around race, justice, and equity in American schools.
HIST339R
Special Topics in History; Ancient Conceptions of the World and its People
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
An examination of how ancient cultures-including ancient Egypt, the Greco-Roman Mediterranean, India, and China-envisioned the world in which they lived and the diverse peoples that inhabited it. Students will explore a variety of textual and material sources; they will investigate not only how different ancient cultures understood the mechanics of the universe, but how they envisioned and represented those who dwelled beyond the realm of the familiar.
HIST356
Emergence of Modern America, 1900-1945
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
The emergence of modern institutions and identities, 1900-1945. These institutions may include corporate enterprises and the welfare state; identities include homosexuality, the New Woman, and the New Negro.
HIST357
Recent America: 1945-Present
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
American history from the inauguration of Harry S. Truman to the present with emphasis upon politics and foreign relations, but with consideration of special topics such as radicalism, conservatism, and labor.
HIST373
Martyrs & Merchants, Lawyers & Mystics, Magicians & Messiahs: Jews Between Medieval and Modern Times
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSHS or DSSP
Recommended: HIST287 or JWST233; HIST 332; .
Cross-listed with: JWST333.
Credit only granted for: JWST333 or HIST373.
In an era marked by traumatic expulsions, inquisitorial barbarism, and enforced ghettoization, Jews reinvented themselves. Through their international networks of trade, Jews learned how to negotiate with kings and to govern new, large urban communities in new lands. They took advantage of the printing press to reorganize their literary traditions of law, biblical studies and mysticism, and created new hierarchies of religious status. And they flocked to hear new kinds of enthusiast preachers, celebrating the man they saw as the messiah finally come. We will together explore the contradictory forces that ultimately gave birth to the modern Jew.
HIST386
(Perm Req)
Experiential Learning
Credits: 3 - 6
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of ARHU-History department; and junior standing or higher.
The History Department's Internship program. Pre-professional experience in historical research, analysis, and writing in a variety of work settings.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST396
(Perm Req)
Honors Colloquium II
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSSP
Prerequisite: Permission of ARHU-History department; or HIST395.
Restriction: Must be in History program.
Uses a seminar approach to examine a major problem of historical interpretation across two or more diverse cultures in different periods. Topics vary and include: religion and society, the city in history, gender, slavery and emancipation, and modernization.
HIST398
(Perm Req)
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST399
(Perm Req)
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST408A
(Perm Req)
Senior Seminar; Building the Panama Canal
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSSP
The construction of the Panama Canal by the U.S. was one of the most spectacular events of the early 20th century. Working men and women traveled from all over the world to labor on the project, as many as 45,000 at a time. They faced many dangers, the risk of death from disease or accidents. The US created a system of racial segregation and draconian policies to manage labor but workers found ways to resist. Students willstudy the labor, race, and gender history of the canal's construction and will research and write a paper based upon original primary source research, using resources available online and at the National Archives.
HIST408G
(Perm Req)
Senior Seminar; The English Civil War, 1630-1660
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSSP
Explore events in England, Scotland, and Ireland between 1625 and 1660 in an effort to understand what caused mid-seventeenth century British society to dissolve into civil war.
HIST408I
(Perm Req)
Senior Seminar; The War on Poverty
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSSP
Guides students through the process of pursuing their own research projects related to the 1960's U.S. War on Poverty. All will produce a compelling research essay that makes an original contribution to historical knowledge.
HIST408V
(Perm Req)
Senior Seminar; Telling War Stories: Using Oral History to Write Military History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F
GenEd: DSSP
Studies of war often focus on great generals, weapons technology, and battlefield maneuvers. This course instead concentrates on the "war stories" of ordinary people. Using first-person oral histories, students will research and write an original historical research paper focused on the "human side" of war.
HIST417
Colonial Encounters: Natives, Spaniards, and Africans in the New World
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Recommended: HIST220 and HIST250.
Credit only granted for: HIST417 or HIST428Y.
Formerly: HIST428Y.
An exploration of the discourses and practices of the Spanish colonial project in the New World and the ways in which Indians and Blacks were incorporated into or excluded from that project. Also examines native and African resistance and adaptation to Spanish rule, and the process of transformation and hybridization of Spanish, native and African cultures in Spanish America. An analysis of recent historiographical developments that have profoundly changed the understanding of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the New World.
HIST418E
Jews and Judaism: Selected Historical Topics; Jews, Politics, and the State
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with JWST419E. Credit only granted for HIST418E or JWST419E. Seminar that explores the relationship between the state and the Jews and Jews and the state in Europe and America since the late eighteenth century when Jews started the process of integration into the societies in which they lived. It will look at state policy toward Jews, how Jews re sponded to state policy, and how they mobilized politically to effectissues of concern to Jews. We will also compare different states and why Jews in those states chose different forms of political activity. Scholarly readings and discussion, along with a research project based on primary sources.
HIST419A
Special Topics in History; From Neverland to Downton Abbey: History and Popular Culture in 20th Century Britain
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Examines Twentieth Century Britain through the lens of popular culture: both how popular culture reflected and was shaped by larger political and social events, from two world wars to sexual revolution, from Britain's peak of colonial power to its continuing "decline" in the age ofBrexi t. What role does film, TV, music, fashion, and literature play ingiving a voice to working class and youth culture? We'll also incorporate 21st century pop culture (for example, costume dramas like "Downton Abbey" and "Peaky Blinders") to "look back" at this history and how we romanticize the past. How do programs like "The Great British Bake-Off" and Roy alevents from weddings, births, and funerals keep nostalgia for the monarchy alive, while also recognizing the nation's evolution as a multiracial, democratic society? How does British popular culture address notions of identity and what it means to be "British" in the 20th-21st centuries?
HIST419B
Special Topics in History; China's Last Empire: History of the Great Qing, 1644-1911
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
History of China s last imperial dynasty, the Great Qing empire (1644-1911). Topics include state-society relations, the functioning of the bureaucracy, economic growth and the population explosion, the flow of silver and international trades, territorial expansion, gender and ethnic relations, popular culture and religion, and the Qing in contemporary Chinese popular culture.
HIST419G
Special Topics in History; History of the Catholic Church
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Colonialism, fascism, sexual abuse. The history of the Catholic Church represents an important thread running through all of these stories, worldwide. This course will proceed as a series of case studies in important topics in Catholic history since the Middle Ages.
HIST419I
Special Topics in History; History of Palestine in Modern Times
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with ISRL448O. Credit only granted for HIST419I or ISRL448O.

Explores the contested history of Palestine from the 18th century to 1948. Topics covered include the emergence and trajectories of Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, Arab Jews, Palestine s economy, settler colon ialism, religiosity and the politics of memory.
HIST419K
Special Topics in History; Radioactive Culture
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Covers the history of radioactivity with an emphasis on popular science writing, political debates and activism, and science fiction films and novels. Sample topics include newspaper coverage of nuclear science, ways people have prepared for possible nuclear catastrophes, and literature and films with nuclear themes.
HIST428B
Selected Topics in History; Seven Revolutions in Postwar Africa
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
The history of radical politics, anticolonial movements, and revolutionary violence in Africa from 1945 to the present.
HIST428O
Selected Topics in History; Sex and Sexuality in Early Modern Europe
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Explores the changes in family life, reproductivity, sexuality, and gender from the later Middle Ages (fourteenth and fifteenth centuries) until the late eighteenth century. Topics to be examined include civic prostitution, sexual renunciation, spiritual marriage, the medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth, and birth control.
HIST428R
Selected Topics in History; The Emergence of Islam in Late Antiquity
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS319R. Credit only granted for HIST428R or RELS319R.

An exploration of the conditions of emergence of Islam in a Late Antique context with particular emphasis on the making of a discrete Muslim identity.
HIST429F
Special Topics in History; Islam in Africa and the African Diaspora
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with AASP498U and ARAB499J. Credit only granted for ARAB499J, AASP498U, or HIST429F.

Offers a history of Islam's spread in Africa and among Afro-diasporic cultures across the Middle East, South Asia, and Atlantic world from the 7th century until today, touching on questions of politics, theology, race, ethnicity, migration, and cultural memory. We will situate Islam in the context of African religions, explore the complex relations that developed among Muslim societies across the continent and beyond, and study thinkers from Ahmad Baba to Malcolm X in their own words. Taught in English.
HIST429P
Special Topics in History; The Japanese Empire and East Asia
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
A reading seminar exploring recent scholarship on the history of the Japanese empire; Topics include: race; settler colonialism; transpacific migration; colonial mobilization; impacts of decolonization.
HIST429V
Special Topics in History; The History of Global Warming
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Natural and anthropogenic climate change has long shaped human history. But in the 19th century, human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, began to warm the planet, at a greater rate. Droughts, hurricanes and other extreme weather events became more prevalent. This course examines the politics and impact of this new phase of human-induced climate change. Key themes include the scientific discovery of global warming, the struggle to produce comprehensive political action to address the climate crisis and the linkages between energy and climate. Particular attention is paid to the theme of climate justice, including the disproportionate impact of climate change on indigenous communities and communities of color, as well as the efforts of climate activists to redress these wrongs.
HIST429Y
Special Topics in History; Cultural Memory in Early Islam: Remembering Muhammad, the Caliphate, and the Founding Generations
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with RELS419A. Credit only granted for HIST429Y or RELS419A.

Explores the most important characters and events of early Islamic history and traces their images and memories across the centuries,down to modern times.
HIST430
Reformations in Politics, Religion, and Gender: England 1485-1603
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
An examination of the political, religious, and social forces in English life, 1485-1603, with special emphasis on Tudor government, the English reformation, and the Elizabethan era.
HIST453
Diplomatic History of the United States from 1914
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
American foreign relations in the 20th century. World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, and Vietnam. A continuation of HIST452.
HIST465
Oral History of Immigration
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
GenEd: DSSP, DVCC
Credit only granted for: HIST428M or HIST465.
Formerly: HIST428M.
Uses oral history to explore experiences of migrants to the Washington, D.C. area since the mid-twentieth century in projects based on engagement with local immigrants.
HIST495
Women in Medieval Culture and Society
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with: WGSS455.
Credit only granted for: HIST495, WMST455 or WGSS455.
Formerly: WMST455.
Medieval women's identity and cultural roles: the condition, rank and rights of medieval women; their access to power; a study of women's writings and the constraints of social constructs upon the female authorial voice; and contemporary assumptions about women.
HIST499
(Perm Req)
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST601
History and Contemporary Theory
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
An introduction to contemporary theories in philosophy, literary criticism, cultural studies, anthropology, and other fields; and analysis of their usefulness to historians.
HIST607
(Perm Req)
The Teaching of History in Institutions of Higher Learning
Credits: 1
Grad Meth: S-F
For majors only.
HIST608B
(Perm Req)
General Seminar; American History
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: permission of department.
HIST610
Introduction to Museum Scholarship
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Cross-listed with: AMST655, ANTH655, INST653.
Credit only granted for: AMST655, ANTH655, HIST610, INST728T or INST653.
Provides students a basic understanding of museums as cultural and intellectual institutions. Topics include the historical development of museums, museums as resources for scholarly study, and the museum exhibition as medium for presentation of scholarship.
HIST619A
(Perm Req)
Special Topics in History; Independent Study
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST619B
(Perm Req)
Special Topics in History; Independent Study
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: permission of department.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST619I
Special Topics in History; History of Palestine in Modern Times
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Explores the contested history of Palestine from the 18th century to 1948. Topics covered include the emergence and trajectories of Zionism and Palestinian nationalism, Arab Jews, Palestine s economy, settler colon ialism, religiosity and the politics of memory.
HIST619X
Special Topics in History; The State in American History
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud, S-F
How has the exercise of public power shaped modern U.S. history? Where do we--indeed can we--identify divisions between 'public' and 'private' spheres in American life? How have competing narratives about the state and about the influence of public institutions both informed and distorted American politics?
HIST638L
Special Topics in History; Readings in the Atlantic World, 1550-1800
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud, S-F
HIST638O
Special Topics in History; Decolonization and the Long Cold War
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
A readings seminar on the intersection of the Cold War and global decolonization beginning with the rise of anti-colonial movements in the interwar period and concluding with scholarship on the legacies of the Cold War. Readings will focus, in particular, on the Cold War in the Global South, including: Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
HIST639P
Special Topics in History; The Japanese Empire and East Asia
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
A reading seminar exploring recent scholarship on the history of the Japanese empire; Topics include: race; settler colonialism; transpacific migration; colonial mobilization; impacts of decolonization.
HIST639Y
Special Topics in History; Cultural Memory in Early Islam: Remembering Muhammad, the Caliphate and the Founding Generations
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Explores the most important characters and events of early Islamic history and traces their images and memories across the centuries, down to modern times.
HIST688C
Special Topics: Collaborative Curation; Community-Centered Exhibition Creation in a Local Museum
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Cross-listed with AMST659C, ANTH689C and INST788C. Credit will only be granted for AMST659C, ANTH689C, HIST688C or INST788C.
HIST708
Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations I
Credits: 1 - 4
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST709
Directed Independent Reading for Comprehensive Examinations II
Credits: 1 - 4
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST720
Readings in the History of the Catholic Church
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud, S-F
This is graduate-level readings seminar in the modern history of the Catholic Church. We will begin with the Reformation and proceed through the present day. This course will combine European history with global history, looking both at how the Church changed in the face of major turning points in modern European history (the Scientific, French, and Russian Revolutions; the two world wars; and the Cold War) and at its missionary encounters and long-term presence across the world (in Latin America, India, China, Africa, and North America).
HIST799
(Perm Req)
Master's Thesis Research
Credits: 1 - 6
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST810
Museum Research Seminar
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: AMST655, ANTH655, or HIST610.
Cross-listed with: AMST856, ANTH856, INST786.
Credit only granted for: AMST856, ANTH856, HIST810, INST728U or INST786.
A research seminar focusing on the practice and presentation of cultural and historical scholarship in museums and historical sites. Students will complete an original research project on the challenges and opportunities of public exhibition and interpretation of cultural and historical research.
Additional Note: Cross-listed with ANTH856, HIST810, INST728U. For the Spring 2101 semester, Credit only granted for: AMST856, ANTH856, HIST810 OR INST728U.
HIST811
Museum Scholarship Practicum
Credits: 3 - 6
Grad Meth: Reg, S-F
Prerequisite: AMST856, ANTH856, or HIST810.
Restriction: Permission of Museum Scholarship Program required.
Cross-listed with: AMST857, ANTH857, INST787.
Credit only granted for: AMST857, ANTH857, HIST811, INST728I or INST787.
Students devise and carry out a research program using the collections at the Smithsonian Institution or some other cooperating museum, working under joint supervision of a museum professional and a university faculty member.
HIST819A
(Perm Req)
Special Topics in History: Independent Research
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Department permission required.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST819B
(Perm Req)
Special Topics in History: Independent Research
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud
Department permission required.
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST819G
Special Topics in History: Independent Research; Early America
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud, S-F
HIST819Y
Special Topics in History: Independent Research; Global Interaction and Exchange
Credits: 1 - 3
Grad Meth: Reg, Aud, S-F
HIST898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits: 1 - 8
Grad Meth: Reg
Contact department for information to register for this course.
HIST899
(Perm Req)
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits: 6
Grad Meth: S-F
Contact department for information to register for this course.