Please note that not every course listed is offered each year and that students should consult the following sources for current course offerings:
Web Advisor – Online for students provides students the ability to search for specific classes.
Registrar Services provides a printable list of all course offerings for each term.
Courses
1. World
HIST-1006. World History
This course provides an overview of world history, from earliest times to the present. Major themes include human relationships with the environment, cultural exchanges between peoples, and the interconnectedness of the human experience.
HIST-2023. World History: 20th Century to World War II
This course will provide students with an overview of the history of the 20th century up until the conclusion of the Second World War. Major events and themes include the two world wars; the Russian revolution; imperialism and nationalism in Asia, Africa and Latin America; the emergence of the United States as the world's pre-eminent power; and struggles for political participation by workers and women.
HIST-2053. World History Since the Second World War
This course examines developments in world history since the Second World War, such as the emergence of the Cold War, decolonization, the growth of American power and struggles for human rights. It also explores the consequences of urbanization, demographic growth, technological change, and environmental degradation.
HIST-2103. The Material World: History Through Things
This course examines themes in world history through the use and study of material objects. Histories of everyday materials and objects allow us to examine diverse issues such as the environment, history, technology, and culture. In general, historians have relied primarily on text-based sources and this course will explore the role and use of material objects in doing history. We will examine theoretical approaches to material history as well as survey the historical literature of this branch of study.
HIST-2553. History of the Islamic World to the Ottoman Empire
This course provides a basic introduction to Islamic societies in their formative centuries. We will explore how the Muslim umma first emerged, developed and ultimately established itself as a unifying yet far from monolithic ideal, linking different peoples across the globe. Our focus will be on comprehension of historical experiences and relations between peoples rather than on detailed analysis of religious beliefs.
HIST-3393. Gender and Empire
This course explores the place of gender in the construction and preservation of empires through such topics as constructions of difference, motherhood and domesticity; civilizing missions and tourism; and contestations of power. This course operates from the premise that empires are never static: subjects in different imperial contexts, in various cases, resisted, thwarted, or reconfirmed colonial regimes.
HIST-3403. Water and World History
This course examines the significance of water to human history, beginning with early agricultural societies and the development of hydraulic empires in Africa and Asia. It explores how humans have sought to manage water for agriculture, urban consumption, industry, and other purposes, and it considers the social, cultural, political, and environmental consequences of these developments. It gives particular attention to the extraordinary developments of the 20th century and the significance they hold for environmental change, human welfare, and international conflict. Prerequisite: HIST 1006 or permission of the Instructor.
HIST-3413. Citizens and Citizenship in World History
This course will explore concepts and practices of citizenship from early complex and classical societies until the present day. Emphasis will be on the modern period and will include such themes as: the tension between rights and duties; the regulation of new social classes, aboriginal and immigrant groups; attempts to control the exuberance of youth; gender and citizenship; the twentieth century rights revolution; the assertion of Asian values; and the recent emphasis on citizenship as consumerism.
HIST-3423. Agriculture in World History
This course examines the significance of agriculture to world history from the early domestication of crops and animals to the present. It explores the different locales in which agriculture emerged, and the impact of agriculture on human lifestyles and on the environment over time. As well, it considers the growth of human reliance on a relatively narrow array of foodstuffs and the consequences of the application of industrial techniques to the production of food. Prerequisite: HIST 1006 or permission of the Instructor.
HIST-3503. Social Movements That Have Changed the Modern World
This course examines social movements of the post World War II period, such as struggles of national liberation, movements against racism, militarism, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the emergence of a youth counter-culture, struggles for women's rights, indigenous people's rights, grassroots democracy, on behalf of the poor and disempowered, in defence of the environment, and against neo-liberal globalization. The course considers the historical roots of various movements as well as the context of their emergence, their scope, the continuities and discontinuities among them, and their impact on today's world.
HIST-3563. History of Western Feminism
This course will examine the development of feminism and movements for women's rights and/or liberation in western countries from the 19th century to the present. The course will compare feminism in the United States with movements in Canada, Britain, and western continental Europe, and will question why feminism has taken on different characteristics in different nations and regions, and among different races and classes. Students who have taken HIST 3566 are excluded from this course.
HIST-3663. History of the Jewish World to the Emancipation
This course provides a basic introduction to Jewish societies as they developed and spread worldwide from about the end of the Second Temple period (1st century CE) to the beginnings of the Haskalah Enlightenment and political emancipation period (18th century CE). Special attention will be devoted to the question of how Jewish identities were maintained in times of exile, persecution, and forced conversion. The course will focus on comprehension of historical experiences and relations between peoples rather than on detailed analysis of religious beliefs.
HIST-3763. Modern Sport in World History
This discussion-based course explores the global impact of modern sport from c.1850 to the present. It focuses upon the diffusion of sports such as soccer, cricket, and baseball and the manner in which such sports were resisted or appropriated by communities throughtout the world. The course examines the political, social, and cultural significance of modern sport rather than the intricate details of individual athletes or teams.
HIST-3783. Film and History
Explores the relationship between film and history, paying close attention to film as an historical artifact and film as a means of historical interpretation. In studying films produced primarily in North America, Latin America, and Europe, students in this course will be asked to develop a vocabulary of film, and to try to analyse the meaning and significance of film, both as artifact and interpretation. Writing will require that students make their own arguments about how we should understand the complicated relationship between visual media and history.
HIST-3863. Modern Tourism in World History
This discussion-based course examines the global impact of tourism from c.1850 to the present. Sample topics include imperalism and travel narratives, the age of the Grand Tour, the development of a tourism infrastructure (roads, advertising initiatives, travel agencies), the rise of theme parks such as Disneyland, and ecotourism. Our chief concern will be to contextualize and evaluate the positive and negative effects (economic, cultural, social, environmental, etc.) that the tourism industry has had on a variety of local communities throughout the world.
HIST-3933. Canadian Land Struggles in Comparative Global Perspective Since 1945
This course examines how peoples living in Canada thought about their relationship to the land, and acted to maintain these relationships in the period following the Second World War. It explores the struggles of indigenous peoples, métis, and European settlers and their descendants. Using case studies, the course situates their responses to land issues in terms of broader patterns of global history. It includes consideration of aboriginal land claims, the struggles of communities that have resisted relocation and infringements on their lands, and the rise of an environmental movement.
HIST-3943. Genocide in Twentieth-Century History
The twentieth century remains the most violent period in history. Its global ramifications not withstanding, genocide research continues to focus on the experience of particular nations and nationalities. By juxtaposing and examining such disjointed narratives across continents, this course hopes to bolster a critical understanding of what is no doubt the crudest aspect of human nature.
HIST-3953. Portrayals of Jihad and Crusade: History, Memory and Film
This course considers the diverse ways in which modern global audiences have come to understand histories of religious violence. Our focus will be on academic and popular interpretations of so-called jihad or crusade conflicts from the Middle Ages to the present. Print, electronic and film sources will be examined, reflecting a wide range of often conflicting viewpoints as they have evolved over time.
HIST-4103. Seminar in Material History
This seminar course examines the practices and products of doing history through things in a comparative and global perspective. Until recently, historians have relied heavily on written documents for evidence, and this course challenges that approach. This course will consider some of the methods used to write history using physical things, as well as the varied literature produced by the study of material culture.
HIST-4106. Research Seminar in Material History
This research seminar course examines the practices and products of doing history through things in a comparative and global perspective. Until recently, historians have relied heavily on written documents for evidence, and this course challenges that approach. This course will consider some of the methods used to write history using physical things, as well as the varied literature produced by the study of material culture. Participants will produce a historical research paper based on significant use of material objects.
HIST-4116. The World at War
This year-long seminar examines the two world wars of the twentieth century. Students will explore various causes, aspects and outcomes of these conflicts through readings about home fronts and war fronts across the world. They will also do independent research and write a major paper based on a topic related to the course material. At least one previous course on the history of the twentieth century is strongly recommended.
HIST-4123. Seminar in Global History
This course will examine specific themes in global history. The topics will change from year to year, but might include issues such as the role of cities in history, the rise and fall of peasantries, patterns of migration, the emergence of global institutions, cultural and material exchanges, and the possibilities of global environmental history.
HIST-4126. Topics in Global History
This course will examine specific themes in global history. The topics will change from year to year, but might include issues such as the role of cities in history, the rise and fall of peasantries, patterns of migration, the emergence of global institutions, cultural and material exchanges, and the possibilities of a global environmental history.
HIST-4136. Historians and World History
This seminar course examines the writing of world history. It considers the growth of the field, some of the main scholars who have written world histories, and the conceptualizations which have informed their writing. Prerequisite: HIST 1006.
HIST-4156. Revolutions in the Modern World
From the French Revolution to the Velvet Revolution of 1989-1990, this course examines 200 years of revolutions across the modern world. Taking a broad, comparative approach, the course explores the origins, processes, and results of a wide variety of revolutionary political changes. There is no prerequisite, but at least one previous course in some aspect of the history of the modern world is strongly recommended.
HIST-4336. Historicizing Disability
This seminar course treats disability as a historical subject. It explores questions such as what it means to be disabled in various times and places, how people with disability lived their lives, how society at large conceptualized differences in physical ability and mental capacity, when and how disability intersected with other identity constructs, and the roles myth and religion played in all this.
HIST-4886. The Environmental History of the World
This seminar course examines the main developments in the research and writing of the environmental history of the world. It considers components of environmental change and different approaches to understanding environmental history, while also providing an overview of what recent scholarship reveals concerning the environmental history of the world considered as a whole. Prerequisite: HIST 1006 or permission of instructor.
HIST-4946. Genocide in World History
Focusing on twentieth- century World History, this course will examine and compare various wars of genocide across several continents. In doing so, the course will investigate the immediate and long-term factors behind group hate and violence, with particular attention to cultural, religious, and socio-political factors, as well as to institutional and non-institutional actors.
2. Regions (Africa)
HIST-2113. Introduction to Northeast African History
This is a course on the history of Northeast Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia, the most populous country in the region. Northeastern Africa, commonly known as the Horn of Africa, consists of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Designed with history and non-history majors in mind, the course will explore major landmark events in the history of this region from antiquity to the present.
HIST-2136. Introduction to African History
This course introduces students to the dynamics of African history and cultures, while challenging pervasive stereotypes and misperceptions about Africa. The class is designed to appeal to history and non-history majors alike.
HIST-3193. Northeast Africa Since the 19th Century
Northeastern Africa, commonly known as the Horn of Africa, consists of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. As the most populous country in the region, Ethiopia will provide the natural focal point for the course. Designed with history and non-history majors in mind, the course will focus on the history of the various twentieth-century socio-political crises in the Horn: famine, civil war, secession, irredentism, genocide, etc. Lecture and discussion will dominate class format.
HIST-3453. Africa Since 1945
This is a course that addresses historical and political developments in Africa since 1945. Topics to be covered include nationalism, decolonization, Cold War, neo-colonialism, militarism, civil war, underdevelopment, environmental crises, and human resilience. Format: lecture and class discussion.
HIST-3573. Africa in World History
This course explores the relationship between African History and the main patterns of global history. It considers issues such as trade, migration, cultural exchange and global politics.
3. Regions (Oceans)
HIST-2406. Making of the Atlantic World 1450-1914
A study of European colonialism in the Americas and Africa. Explores the ways that European, African, and indigenous peoples all contributed to the making of an interconnected Atlantic world. Examines the economic, cultural, racial, and environmental implications of colonialism.
HIST-3203. The British Atlantic World (1500-1800)
This course explores the social, political, and economic parameters of the Atlantic World from roughly 1500 to 1800. The course centres on the British experience of the Atlantic through a comparative and trans-national approach. Particular attention will be drawn to the role of Atlantic Canada and its connection to the larger Atlantic World.
4. Regions (The Americas)
HIST-2433. Comparative History of North America
This course is designed to acquaint students with broad developments in the history of North America. In the course of studying the North American continent, we will examine the experiences of contact between indigenous and immigrant cultures; the transmission of European ideas and institutions to the American hemisphere; the influence of the Atlantic system of commerce on regional economies; and the struggles of various peoples in the Americas to define themselves and others. Students will be asked to draw connections between major events and occurrences, and to try and find coherence in distant, contemporaneous events.
HIST-2613. Latin America: Colonial Period
This course surveys three centuries of Latin American history from first contacts between the Spanish and Native American civilizations to Latin American revolutions for Independence. Major themes include various types of relations between the founding peoples and the development of colonial social, political, economic, and religious institutions.
HIST-2623. Latin America: Modern Period
This course surveys the history of Latin America from post-Independence to the recent past. Major themes include the struggles of early nationhood, modernization, imperialism, twentieth-century social change, and social revolutions.
HIST-3473. History of Canadian-American Relations
This course examines the evolving economic, cultural and, particularly, diplomatic relationship between the United States and Canada. The main focus is the twentieth century, when Canada progressively gained control over its external relations.
HIST-3613. Gender and Power in Latin American History
Why did the Cuban revolution set out to create a 'new man'? How did Eva Perón become the world's most powerful first lady? Why have women led most human rights movements in Latin America? These are some of the questions to be explored in this course which examines historical relationships between men and women and ideas about masculinity and femininity in Latin America.
HIST-3773. Urban North America
Addresses developments within and among North American cities and explores changes in the conception of cities in North American thought and culture. We will study the lives of urban dwellers and chart shifts in the way people organized their lives in cities. Major themes for this course include the changing physical structure and form of cities over time, processes of urbanization and suburbanization, city planing and reform movements, the economics of cities, urban institutions, urban populations, and city politics. We will ask does the border make a difference? in our investigation of Urban North America.
HIST-3823. History of Here: From the Pleistocene to the Present
This course examines the history of the Gulf of St. Lawrence region, broadly conceived, from 15,000 BCE to the present. It considers the ways that people have organized their lives in this region, in global contexts, and the consequences of the choices they have made.
HIST-4346. Ideas and Personalities in African and African-American History
This is a seminar course on black intellectual history. During the first half of the course, discussion will focus on the period up to the 19th century. During this period we will read, interpret and reflect on wide-ranging primary sources, from excerpts of ancient Egyptian texts to antebellum slave narratives. During the second half of the course, we will focus on the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Readings for this period will deal mostly with African and African-American responses to European hegemonic worldviews.
HIST-4603. Contemporary Latin America
This seminar examines key issues in Latin American history since the beginning of the Cold War. Focusing on a few countries, we will explore debates over topics such as: the role of violence in Latin American political life, the weight of U.S. foreign policy in determining Latin American events, and the significance of new social movements. Students will prepare a historiographical paper on a topic of their choice. Some background in Latin American history is recommended but not required.
HIST-4606. Twentieth-Century Latin America (Honours Seminar)
A study of political and social developments in Latin American republics during this century. Topics to be discussed will include the social revolutions and political leaders of this part of the Third World.
5. Regions (Asia)
HIST-2173. Modern Asia
This course surveys the history of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea), South Asia (India), and Southeast Asia from the 1500s to the contemporary period. It examines the state of Asian civilizations in the 16th century, the gradual domination of Asia by the Western powers, and the dynamic and varied responses made by the peoples of Asia to the changes in their traditional societies from the 16th to the 21st centuries.
HIST-3123. Student Movements in East Asia
This course will delve into the world of the student movements in Korean, Japan and China during the twentieth century, examining the social, economic and political environment in which student rebellion flourish, and how it affected student dissidence. It will address the key issues student activists struggled with, such as democracy, nationalism, colonialism, human rights, and corruption, within their distinct contexts. It will also discuss the ccomplishments of these student movements: to what extent have they had an impact - positive or negative - on China, Korea and Japan?
HIST-3183. 1947: Partition of India
This course will examine the history of the 1947 partition on the Indian Sub-continent into a predominately Muslim Pakistan and a predominately Hindu India. It will explore such issues as the development of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh political identities, the tactics employed by the British colonial regime, and the long shadow partition has cast over the subsequent development of the major states of South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
HIST-4146. Gandhi/ism
Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is a seminal figure in the history of modern India and South Asia, and he has achieved recognition and influence well beyond the subcontinent's borders. Studying his life and legend will allow the class to investigate themes of nationalism and imperialism; issues of caste, class, subalternity, religion, regionalism, gender and sexuality in colonial and postcolonial India; the nature of 'modernity' and India's engagement with it, post-colonialism, and the relationship of the 'great individual' to broader social, economic and political forces.
6. Regions (Europe)
HIST-2033. Early Modern Europe
An introduction to early modern European civilization from its origin to the era of the French Revolution. The course is taught in several sections, each of which takes a different approach to the subject. All sections require written assignments and introduce students to acceptable methods of historical research and writing.
HIST-2043. Modern Europe
An introduction to modern European civilization from the era of the French Revolution to the twentieth century. The course follows History 2033 chronologically but has no prerequisite. All sections require written assignments and emphasize acceptable methods of historical research and writing.
HIST-2206. History of the Middle Ages
A survey of the imagined historical period between the fall of the classical Roman/Persian Empires and the emergence of an early modern state system. This course will range widely in its coverage, including glimpses of experience in parts of Africa and Asia as well as Europe. Special emphasis will be placed on social history and the use of primary sources to probe beyond simplified political narratives.
HIST-3213. The Early Church
This course deals with the beginnings and early development of the Christian Church up to the end of the sixth century and the time of Gregory the Great. During this period we will examine such things as the early spreading of the Church to the West, the relations between the Church and the Roman Empire, and then the relations with the Germanic kingdoms. An effort will be made to point out the impact that these different cultures had on the developing Church. We will also examine the emergence of institutions such as the papacy and monasticism. In the course of this semester, there will also be a brief look at doctrinal and liturgical developments in the Early Church.
HIST-3223. The Medieval Church
This course deals with the history of the Church from the time of Gregory the Great in the sixth century to the end of the fifteenth century. For the most part we will deal with the Western Church, although there will be some treatment of the relations that existed with the East. The theme that will run throughout the course is that of the interaction between the Church and the society of this period. Among the topics that will be covered will be the Merovingian and Carolingian Church and the role of such leaders as Charlemagne, the Gregorian Reform Movement and the clash with the Emperor, the development and contribution to medieval society, the emergence of the pilgrimage and the crusade, the religious unrest of the later Middle Ages, and the growth of the medieval papacy.
HIST-3253. Society and Daily Life in the Eastern Bloc
This course examines Eastern Europe from the conclusion of the Second World War through the 1990s. Emphasis will be placed on society and daily life within the context of the socialist ideological, political and economic systems established in the region after 1945. Topics to be explored include postwar reconstruction, Stalinism, gender, youth culture, consumerism, reform Communism, and the intellectual currents and activism that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
HIST-3263. European Social Policy in Comparative Perspective
This course traces the development of social policy in Europe since the end of the 19th century and examines how governments became involved not only in assuring citizens' defense and freedom, but also their overall well being.
HIST-3313. Fin de Siècle Europe (1900)
By 1900, modern contemporary Europe had come into being. For a century, Europeans had experienced dramatic material progress while avoiding prolonged general wars. While some contemporaries expected the further evolution of the millennium, others recognized signs of the impending crises and disasters that the new century would bring. A cultural, economic, political, and social analysis of Europe in 1900.
HIST-3333. The Age of Dictators (1922-45)
The years 1922-1945 were characterized by extreme personal dictatorships, extensive social engineering, nationalism, genocide on a massive scale, and total war. This course will examine the European authoritarian regimes under Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler. It will explore how these leaders came to power, how they gained and retained the support of the population in each country, and how other nations responded to these regimes.
HIST-3343. Europe Since 1945
An analysis of Europe from the close of World War II to the collapse of the communist bloc. The course will focus on Europe's recovery, its role in the Cold War, the evolving and competing power blocs, and the end of the European schism.
HIST-3433. Eighteenth Century Europe At Play
This course examines the social history of leisure in Europe during the long eighteenth century (c. 1680-1820). With the rise of global trade in luxury goods, a new era of prosperity and wealth coincided with a richly-supplied market in beautiful non-essentials. This course will trace the social and cultural changes that went hand in glove with the entertainment fashions of the eighteenth century, and the encoded priorities and ideals of the people who enjoyed them.
HIST-4206. Topics in Medieval History
This advanced seminar deals with important aspects of social, religious, intellectual and institutional history in the so-called Middle Ages. Specific topics will change from year to year but generally focus on relationships between the different sorts of medieval communities. The seminar is intended for students with some background in pre-modern history, philosophy and/or theological traditions, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.
7. State, Nation, and Locality (The Americas)
HIST-2733. United States: Colonial Settlement to Civil War
An introductory survey that explores and examines some major developments in what becomes the United States, from early European colonization up to the Civil War of the mid-19th century. Major issues include relations with Native peoples, slavery, the African-American experience, revolution and independence, economic development, political and intellectual traditions, and social change.
HIST-2743. United States: Reconstruction to 21st Century
The continuation of the introductory survey HIST 2733. This course explores and examines some major developments in the United States, from the conclusion of the Civil War up to the present. Major issues include the legacy of the end of slavery in the United States, the expanded economic and military role of the US in the world, the emergence of transforming social movements, the changing role of the state, and American popular culture.
HIST-2913. Historical Roots of Contemporary Canada
This course examines the historical roots of many of the key issues in contemporary Canadian society. In addition to providing students with a narrative framework of Canadian history since the mid-19th century, the course will emphasize the historical dimensions of many of the most controversial issues facing Canada today, such as Quebec separatism, Aboriginal Land Claims, Western Alienation, Canada-US relations, etc. Students who have taken HIST 2806 (1806) or HIST 2823 (1823) are excluded from this course.
HIST-3043. US Women's History
This course will explore the history of American women from colonization through to the end of the 20th century, with particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries. Major themes will include: race, ethnicity, and class; women and work (paid and unpaid); women and politicis (both before and after suffrage in 1920); cultural assumptions about women's proper roles and their portrayal in popular culture; and women's activism.
HIST-3443. Canadian Youth and Universities in Comparative Perspective
This course will explore the changing nature of student culture within the culture of the university. It will use student culture as a lens to examine social and cultural developments in Canada from the late 19th century on. And it will place these changes within a broader comparative perspective while focusing on such topics as residence life, counterculture and student protest, gender relations and sexuality.
HIST-3743. United States Since 1945
This course examines the changing place in the world of the United States, the superpower of the 20th century, and analyses its character as a society. The course surveys political, social, and cultural trends from the role of the US in the 1940s as a military and economic colossus to its decline in the present postmodern, post-industrial world. It deals with such topics as the Cold War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, women's liberation, suburban life, consumerism, the corporations and unions, popular culture, the 1960s counter culture, and the Internet. Prerequisite: At least 3 credit hours in United States history
HIST-3873. Immigrants in Canada 1870 to Present
This course examines the position of immigrants in Canadian society from the arrival of the railway workers after Confederation to the present. The conditions that led immigrants to leave their homeland and the economic and social policies that led to their arrival in Canada will be considered, as well as the nature of immigrant communities and their contribution and adaptation to Canada.
HIST-3883. Women in Canadian History
This course looks at the history of Canada from pre-colonial times to the present day from the perspectives of women of the time. Discussion and independent study on topics of interest to the students will be encouraged. Previous courses in Canadian history will be useful but are not essential.
HIST-3893. Quebec Since the Conquest
This course focuses on the distinctive characteristics of French Canadian society and its relationship with the rest of British North America. Topics include interpretations of the Conquest, rebellion and the use of British parliamentary institutions, control of industry, nationalism,church and state relations, the role of women, attitudes to minorities, art and literature, experiences in the Depression and World Wars,separatism and the background to current political and social problems.
HIST-3903. Acadians in the Maritimes
This course covers the history of Acadians, the francophones in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, from their first arrival to the present. It considers their past in the light of world views on genocide and minority rights, their relations with francophones and anglophones in Canada, Europe and the United States and the differing interpretations of their history as viewed in the context of these relationships.
HIST-3963. Modernity and the Rise of Consumerism in Canada, 1880-1980
This course offers a thematic examination of the impact of modernity and consumerism on 20th century Canada. Through a combination of lectures and seminars the course examines topics such as honeymoons, films, university student initiations, tourism, and advertising campaigns in order to explore and evaluate the impact of capitalism and consumerism on Canadian life. Prerequisite: HIST 2806 (1806) or HIST 2913 or HIST 2823 (1823).
HIST-3973. Canadian North: Image and Reality Since the First World War
This course focuses on the period since the First World War and examines the development of Native Nations in the area, the interaction between them and non-Native Canadians, and the economic and political significance of northern development. No prerequisite, but an introductory course in Canadian History Since Confederation or a course in recent Canadian history will be useful.
HIST-4813. Themes in the Cultural History of Canada
A seminar on specific topics in Canadian cultural history. The topics will change from year to year but could include sport, consumerism, popular culture, etc. Prerequisite: one of HIST 2913, 2806, 2823, or permission of the instructor.
HIST-4816. Research Seminar in Canadian History
A research seminar on specific topics in Canadian history in which students will engage in a significant research project. The topics will change from year to year. Enrolment is limited to honours students and others admitted with the permission of the instructor. Prerequisite: HIST 2913, HIST 2806, or HIST 2823.
HIST-4823. Topics in Canadian History
A seminar on specific topics in Canadian cultural history. The topics will change from year to year but could include sport, consumerism, popular culture, etc. Prerequisite: one of HIST 2913, 2806, 2823, or permission of the instructor.
8. State, Nation, and Locality (Asia)
HIST-2183. History of Modern India
The course will explore the political, social, and cultural history of the Indian subcontinent in the modern period, from c. 1500 onward. It will consider the Mughals, the 18th century successor states, British colonialization, and post-colonial India to the present day.
HIST-3113. Modern and Revolutionary China
This is a survey of the final century of dynastic rule in China, and the rise to power of the Nationalist and Communist parties, examining social and cultural developments, the impact of Western imperialism, and the evolution of revolutionary ideologies, up to Mao's death.
HIST-4196. People's History of Korea
This seminar proposes an in-depth study of the modern history of Korea from the perspective of its least acknowledged, yet determinant, agent: the people. It examines major social movements which shaped Korean history and democratisation, e.g. the college student and labour movements. It also addresses Korea's geopolitical predicament from the viewpoint of some of its victims, such as the Korean sex slaves under Japanese colonial rule and Korea's political and economic prisoners of the Cold War.
9. State, Nation, and Locality (Europe)
HIST-3243. Love and War in Crusader Spain
This course explores the multi-faceted and multi-cultural world of medieval Spain through literature, music and art. We will focus primarily on interactions between Christians, Muslims and Jews - both violent and peaceful. The goal will be for each student to develop his or her own appreciation for and critical analysis of medieval Spanish cultural history and its legacy.
HIST-3273. Russian Civilization
An historical investigation of the foundation upon which the civilization of modern Russia stands. Present-day Russian civilization is complex and many-branched. We shall examine its roots by focusing on several key issues from the time of Russia as a Tatar colony to the present day.
HIST-3303. Art and Culture in Nineteenth-Century France
This course examines the visual arts (painting, sculpture, architecture) of nineteenth-century France. It will focus on the historical, political, social, technological and artistic context in which French culture developed in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Four major themes will be addressed: Art as a political and social tool, Industrialisation, Art as a mirror of modern life, and Art and nature. Students who have taken HIST 2253 are excluded from this course.
HIST-3363. Germany: 1871-1945
Twice within a generation Germany was the central participant in a world war. Why? In this course Germany's domestic (economic, social, cultural, political) developments and her external relations will be examined.
HIST-3373. The Germanies Since 1945
The defeat of Nazi Germany and the falling out of the victors led to the enforced division of Germany. By 1949, two separate German states: 1) the Germany Democratic Republic and 2) the Federal Republic of Germany, had come into existence. This course examines the story of Germany in the second half of the twentieth century.
HIST-3543. Religion and the Church in Russia
To examine the Russians' religion throughout their history is to understand the cultural foundations upon which modern Russia stands. This course will examine the Russians' religion before the coming of Christianity, their conversion to Byzantine Orthodox Christianity in the Kievan period, the Church under Tatar colonial rule, in theocratic Muscovite Russia, under tyrannical Tsar Ivan the Terrible and during the subsequent civil war, through the Great Schism and two centuries of bureaucratic control, in atheistic Revolutionary Russia, and at present.
10. Special
HIST-2003. Exploring History: Critical Approaches to Historical Methods and Theories
This mandatory course for History majors provides an introduction to the discipline of History. The course examines a variety of historiographical and methodological approaches to History and encourages students to re-examine their own assumptions about what History is. The course provides a foundation for upper-year History courses and students are strongly encouraged to take it before their third year. Pre-requisite: At least 6 credit hours in History courses at St. Thomas University.
HIST-3553. The History Workshop
The Workshop provides students with the opportunity to enhance their skills of historical analysis, writing and oral communication through close engagement with an important historical ?event? or issue. The Workshop is recommended for students planning to take 4000-level seminars, as well as students considering an application to graduate programmes or professional schools. Please consult the History Department Handbook, Chair or web page for upcoming Workshop topics. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
HIST-4006. History Honours Thesis
The History Honours thesis is a scholarly essay or research paper. The topic of the thesis is determined by the student in consultation with a faculty committee. The committee is composed of the Thesis Supervisor (or supervisors) and another faculty member, normally from the history department, who acts as the Second Reader.
HIST-4906. Independent Study
With the approval of the Department, students (normally Honours candidates) may undertake one full-year course of independent study as an alternative to an Honours seminar. Such a course would be undertaken under the direction of a member of the history Department and must result in at least one scholarly paper. Application to take an independent study course must be made to the Director of Honours. The application must include a written proposal indicating the reason for doing an independent study, as well as a description of the specific area of interest, a statement of research topic, and a preliminary bibliography.
HIST-4996. Independent Study - Work Option
With the approval of the Department, students (normally Honours candidates) may undertake one full-year course of independent study as an alternative to an Honours seminar. Such a course would be undertaken under the direction of a member of the history Department and must result in at least one scholarly paper. Application to take an independent study course must be made to the Director of Honours. The application must include a written proposal indicating the reason for doing an independent study, as well as a description of the specific area of interest, a statement of research topic, and a preliminary bibliography.