Course Offerings

History 101: Introduction to Japanese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
This is an introductory survey of Japan’s history, from the premodern period through to the present. Over the course of the semester, we will address political, economic, social, religious, and cultural developments in Japanese history.  In covering these periods, we will pay important attention to themes/topics such as the emperor system, religious and philosophical movements, warrior culture and government, civil war and unification, modernization and westernization, imperialism, colonialism, the rise of militarism, war and war memory, issues of gender, activism and social movements, and Japanese cultural soft power. No prior knowledge is necessary. All course materials are in English. Sec. 1, TR 9:25-10:40; Sec. 2, TR 10:50-12:05

History 152: US Development and Experiences, 1877-Present (CHC and US Diversity), Professor Douglas Cutter
The major objective of this course is to provide students with a general understanding of the significant factors that have shaped American social, cultural, political and economic life since the end of the Civil War. We will study how industrialization, urbanization, immigration, globalization, race, class, gender, war and cold war, the expansion of political rights, and the increased roles of the federal government and corporations in society and the economy have shaped modern American history. An additional objective of the course is to enhance students' analytical skills by critically examining the causes and consequences of historical developments and the stories that various historical figures and interest groups have constructed about those developments. For historical knowledge is not the rote memorization of events and dates. Rather, it is the critical understanding of complex social, economic, cultural, and political change; of how individuals and groups influence historical processes as they are simultaneously shaped by those processes; and of various historical figures' interests in and explanations of historical developments. TR 9:25-10:40

History 210/Religion 210: Greek Myth and the Hero (IT), Professor Amy Coles
In our society, 'myth' is often perceived as 'storytelling' that has an element of falsehood built into it. For archaic Greek society, like many traditional societies that operate on ancestral principles, myths are the ultimate way of encoding truth values. Storytelling, therefore, is not just entertainment; it is a set of patterns set up by a specific society that gives the members of the culture a sense of their own identity. In this course we will begin to understand how the storytelling traditions of Greece established social order and define what it means to be truly civilized. TR 10:50-12:05

History 217: Race, Gender, and Ability in Ancient Rome (AV and W), Professor Amy Coles
Ancient concepts of law, freedom, and democracy shape Western values. But should Greeks and Romans be role models for human rights and equality? This class examines ancient identity and citizenship as a foil for critiquing what rights people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, and abilities ought to have today. MWF 10:00-10:50

History 244: History of American Feminisms (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
In the context of studying the history of women from contact between the indigenous population and colonial settlers to the late 20^th century, this course will emphasize such topics as the 19^th century women’s movement and suffrage, women and the movement to abolish slavery, the history and politics of reproductive rights, radical and liberal feminism, and African-American feminism. We will pay particular attention to the diversity of women’s experiences in the United States and to women’s multiple and often conflicting responses to the fight for equal rights in relation to politics, work, family, reproduction, and sexuality. We will also address the ways ideas associated with what came to be called feminism at the turn of the twentieth century both grew out of and were shaped by the everyday lives of women. Introductory course for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. TR 1:10-2:25

History 290: Theories, Methods, and Crafting of History (W), Professor Alyssa Culp
Napoleon Bonaparte was once credited with saying that “History is a set of lies agreed up.” Did Bonaparte have a point? What is history really? This semester we are not focused on the history of a particular topic, but how to DO history. To start out, we will dig into history: what is it, how do we engage with it, and why does it matter? This might seem like a daunting task and to tackle it we will focus on a guiding theme of “From Silence to Story: Crafting History for Hidden Voices.” Using this theme we will investigate how historians bring both prominent and overlooked voices of the past to light. We will explore the history of murder in a German town, conduct an in-depth examination of slavery at sea, analyze the historical significance of photographs, and examine everyday life narratives within homes and within sports. Our goal is to survey the practices of professional historians, including the questions they ask, the sources they explore, and how they share their historical findings with us. By doing so, you should start to think about what kind of historian you want to be. You will ask questions, delve into historiography, conduct research, visit, archives, formulate arguments, share your findings, and hopefully disprove Napoleon along the way! Required for sophomore majors and minors; open to Pre-Law students. TR 8:00-9:15

History 318/Religion 318: Blood Rites and Mystery Cults (CHC), Professor Amy Coles)
Ancient Roman religion was uniquely open to foreign influence while respecting its own customs. This course will examine how the Roman people demonstrated this quality as they adopted or adapted new religious ideas and traditions from the beginnings of the roman monarchy in 753 BCE to the fifth century CE. MWF 1:00-1:50

History 327/International and Global Studies 327: From Sputnik to Stadiums (IT and Global Diversity) Professor Alyssa Culp
Forty-five years ago, Al Michaels uttered one of the most famous lines in sports history. After the United States’ 4-3 victory over the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympic Games, the commentator shouted into the microphone: “Do you believe in miracles?” This quote remains a part of U.S. Olympic lore to this day, and American popular culture still depicts this “Miracle on the Ice” as a victorious moment in U.S. history. But why was this such a memorable moment in sports history? Throughout the Cold War there were many “battlegrounds” for competing political ideologies. Sports arenas were one of them. Space was another. In 1962, John F. Kennedy pushed the Cold War past political and cultural boundaries throwing down the challenge that the scientific achievements of the space race would once and for all declare the winner of this global ideological struggle. 
This course will investigate the Cold War as a competition not just of military might, but a war of ideas waged on the battlegrounds of space exploration and international sports. We will analyze intellectual milestones, globalization and decolonization movements, Olympic boycotts, and claims of technological supremacy. By examining key moments in both arenas, students will explore how the U.S. and Soviet Union used science, technology, and athletic performance to assert their ideological superiority globally. No need to be a space buff or a sports fan, just come ready to dive into the history of the Cold War through an exciting intellectual and cultural lens! TR 9:25-10:50

History 372/Theatre 372: History of Theatre II (CHC) Professor RJ Hodde
A comprehensive survey-seminar about world theatre history tracing theatre 1650 to present, exploring theatrical architecture, conventions, theory, and literature as they interact with cultural movements. This class requires significant dramaturgical and written projects alongside a heavy reading load. TR 10:50-12:05

History 490: Capstone Seminar in History (W), Professor Ryan Yokota
This is the capstone course for history majors in which we review principles and methods of historical scholarship, culminating in producing a substantial original research project. Course assignments allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the key elements of historical endeavor: reading, research, writing, critiques, and oral presentation. Required for all history majors. T 6:15-8:55

History 100: Introduction to Chinese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
A survey of Chinese society from ancient times to the present. Examines the premodern development of Chinese philosophy, arts, imperial state, and social structure. Also explores the decline of the Chinese empire, the impingement of Western imperialism, and subsequent efforts to strengthen China through reform and revolution. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. Pre-1800 course for History majors. Sec. 1, TR 9:25-10:40; Sec. 2, TR 10:50-12:05

History 122: Modern Global History (CHC, G), Professor Alyssa Culp
Our goal in this class is not to tell the history of the entire globe, as it is impossible to study in one semester let alone a whole lifetime. We will explore this course through the movements of people, ideas, good, medicine, and politics. To do this, we will investigate the connections formed between people in East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas as they encounter each other through trade, exploration, and expansion. We will use keywords to guide us through various ideas, misconceptions, and conflicts along the way. Contributes to International and Global Studies. MWF 9:00-9:50

History 151: Colonial and US, 1500-1876 (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
Emphasizes slavery; forced and voluntary migrations; Spanish, French, English, Dutch Imperial power conflicts to 1776; economic development and impact on diverse peoples as three worlds of Indigenous, African, and European peoples collide; social, economic and political developments in the colonies, the early Republic, the war with Mexico, the road to Civil War, Reconstruction; and ideologies clashing ideologies in an expanding industrial democracy. Some of these issues will be explored through gaming simulations called “Reacting to the Past.” Pre-1800 course for History majors. TR 1:10-2:25

History 202: WWII in the Pacific (CHC), Professor Ryan Yokota
Explores the origins and consequences of Japanese militarism in Asia, 1931-1945. Examines domestic and international factors behind the war, assesses responses to Japanese expansion by East Asians, Southeast Asians, Americans, and the Japanese people themselves, and evaluates the use of nuclear weapons at war’s end. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. M 6:15-8:55

History 210 (temporarily listed as 270): Asia’s Revolutions (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
In this course, we undertake a comparative study of modern revolutionary movements borne of struggles in East and Southeast Asia. Building upon a historical examination of these revolutionary movements, we will investigate not only how they are distinctly "of" the modern world but their aspirations to remake it. Examining political economic thought, cultural experiments, and social movements, we will ask: what worlds of possibility were imagined, constructed, or buried amidst these revolutionary struggles? How and why did thinkers take up conditions in Asia, including its uneven development in the wake of imperialism and colonialism, as holding distinctly revolutionary potential? What were the historical limitations for revolutionary projects to transform institutions like the state and family? Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. MW 2-3:15

History 214: Ancient Rome (CHC), Professor Amy Coles
Charts the political, social, and cultural development of the Roman state from the foundation of the city to the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity (ca. 753 BC-AD312). Emphasis will be placed on the multiplicity of peoples and cultures that constituted the Roman state, religious experience and change, the evolution of political institutions, and the variety of sources necessary for our reconstruction of the Roman past, from the literary to the arti historical. Pre-1800 course for History majors. MWF 8-850

History 222: The Holocaust (CHC, G), Professor Alyssa Culp
Elie Wiesel famously wrote, “To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” However, in the next decade or so we will reach a point where the Holocaust will pass out of living memory. So how do we “Never Forget” one of the defining events of the twentieth century? This course will explore the Holocaust’s origins, its connection to global acts of violence before and after 1945, and the ways we understand and remember this atrocity. We will not only examine the persecution of Jews but also the suffering of other groups targeted by the Nazis, including people with disabilities, the Roma, LGBTQ+ individuals, political dissidents, and others deemed undesirable. We will confront the Holocaust from all sides delving into the eugenics movement, Nazi ideology, and explore the themes of resistance and survival of those who endured and witnessed the Holocaust. Contributes to International and Global Studies. TR 10:50-12:05

History 255: Museums: Making History Come Alive! (CHC), Professor Chuck Springwood
Discover how museums are reexamining the theory, practices, and history of their institutions, which are facing tremendous challenges. This course explores the tensions between history and memory, internal missions and external audiences, tradition and entrepreneurship. Students learn how museums interpret collections through exhibits, tours, oral history, archives, film and digital media, living history, historic preservation, landscape conservation, heritage tourism, and fundraising. Museum visits and guest lecturers introduce career options that are available to students in history and related humanities disciplines. Contributes to the history department’s Public and Applied History Pathway. TR 9:25-10:40

History 311/Art 311: Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome (AR), Professor Amy Coles
This course follows the development of the forms and ideologies of Roman art from the republic to late antiquity. The issues to be discussed will include public and private and civic and religious art and architecture, urban planning, and the interaction of Roman art forms and provincial cultures in the forging of identity. Pre-1800 course for History majors. MWF 1-1:50

History 343: (Im)Migration, Race, and Ethnicity (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
This course will survey the migration experience of those who came to this continent and later the United States in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Through lectures, readings emphasizing cultural, social, and economic history, literature, music, and feature films, we will focus on both voluntary and forced migration and on the ways race, ethnicity, gender, class, and national ideals and policies shaped the lives of immigrants during this period. At the same time, we will explore the dynamic and creative ways that immigrants and ethnics have confronted and shaped American culture and society. What did it mean to be Irish American in the mid-nineteenth century? What does it mean to be Irish American today? What does it mean to be female and Mexican American? To be working-class and Polish American? How has and does race impact the experience of ethnicity for African Americans or Asian Americans? When is group identity--or individual identity--primarily American and when is it primarily ethnic? Or are our identities multiple, always changing and rearranging themselves in interactions with history and society? Such questions should prepare us to think not only about the past, but also about the current debates surrounding the competing searches for a unified America and ethnic and racial identities. Contributes to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. MW 2:00-3:15

History 324: Beyond Disease and Quarantine (CHC, G), Professor Alyssa Culp
In 1992, Mary Fisher, a white middle-class mother, received a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS contracted from her former husband. Frustrated by the isolation, stigma, and silence associated with the disease, she eloquently gave a speech that reminded her audience that disease transcends boundaries of class, race, or nationality. With profound simplicity she asserted, “HIV only poses one question: Are you human?” Diseases like SARS, Cholera, AIDS, and recently Covid-19 remind humanity that disease has often shown little discrimination in its impact on humankind. On the other hand, humans have also played a powerful role in shaping global disease environments. Disease presses humanity to reimagine their world, health system, politics, and everyday life. This course will examine the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of public health, and the experiences behind them. We will investigate how disease and public health measures from the Justinian Plague to Coronavirus have shaped the social, political, biological, and environmental world we live in. Throughout the semester, we will discuss changing ideas about the cause of illness and how best to treat or prevent it. We will also evaluate historical debates about the consequences of quarantine and public health measures. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Public Health. MF 11-12:15

History 371(cross listed with Theatre 371): Theatre History 1 (CHC, W), Professor RJ Hodde
A comprehensive survey-seminar tracing global theatrical development in oral and manuscript cultures before 1650. This course requires significant reading, writing, and dramaturgical research. Contributes to the history department’s Public and Applied History Pathway. MF 3:00-5:15

History 270: "Punk Politics in the Age of Reagan," Dr. Robert Fitzgerald
This course concerns what has come to be called the Age of Reagan, a time during which the United States of America was heavily influenced by Ronald Reagan and the rise of the New Right. As president from 1981-1989, Reagan did more than anyone to shape the world in which we live today. Yet during his time in office there was resistance to his presidency and the America characterized by it. Often excluded from the historical narrative surrounding this are the musical outpourings of disaffected youth in cities and towns across the country. While punk had been “born” a few years earlier, hardcore – its more aggressive and violent progeny – emerged around the time Ronald Reagan entered the White House. This class looks at this phenomenon and the lyrical musings of bands from that time as a unique and authentic, as well as grass roots and real time, reaction to Reaganism.

History 101: Introduction to Japanese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
This is an introductory survey of Japan’s history, from the premodern period through to the present. Over the course of the semester, we will address political, economic, social, religious, and cultural developments in Japanese history.  In covering these periods, we will pay important attention to themes/topics such as the emperor system, religious and philosophical movements, warrior culture and government, civil war and unification, modernization and westernization, imperialism, colonialism, the rise of militarism, war and war memory, issues of gender, activism and social movements, and Japanese cultural soft power. No prior knowledge is necessary. All course materials are in English. Sec. 1, TR 9:25-10:40; Sec. 2, TR 10:50-12:05

History 122: Modern Global History (CHC, G), Professor Alyssa Culp
Our goal in this class is not to tell the history of the entire globe, as it is impossible to study in one semester let alone a whole lifetime. We will explore this course through the movements of people, ideas, good, medicine, and politics. To do this, we will investigate the connections formed between people in East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas as they encounter each other through trace, exploration, and expansion. We will use keywords to guide us through various ideas, misconceptions, and conflicts along the way. Contributes to International and Global Studies. TR 10:50-12:05

History 144/344: The Making of Modern America, 1865-1920 (CHC, U), Professor April Schultz
This course examines the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, a period of wrenching transition when Americans grappled with the gap between rich and poor as evidenced in the uneven promise of the new industrial city and the immigrants, American-born workers, and newly wealthy Americans who filled them; conflicts around race, gender, ethnicity, and region; the growth of commercialized leisure; the “civilizing” of the West; and the expanded role of the United States in the world. The traumas and triumphs of this half century gave rise to modern America, and its legacies are still very much with us today. Students enrolled at the 300-level will complete a research project and help prepare developmentally appropriate material for the 100-level students. Contributes to Humanities and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Prerequisite for HIST 344: HIST 290 or permission of instructor. MW 2:00-3:15

History 152: US Development and Experiences, 1877-Present (CHC and US Diversity), Professor Douglas Cutter
The major objective of this course is to provide students with a general understanding of the significant factors that have shaped American social, cultural, political and economic life since the end of the Civil War. We will study how industrialization, urbanization, immigration, globalization, race, class, gender, war and cold war, the expansion of political rights, and the increased roles of the federal government and corporations in society and the economy have shaped modern American history. An additional objective of the course is to enhance students' analytical skills by critically examining the causes and consequences of historical developments and the stories that various historical figures and interest groups have constructed about those developments. For historical knowledge is not the rote memorization of events and dates. Rather, it is the critical understanding of complex social, economic, cultural, and political change; of how individuals and groups influence historical processes as they are simultaneously shaped by those processes; and of various historical figures' interests in and explanations of historical developments. TR 9:25-10:40

History 244: History of American Feminisms (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
In the context of studying the history of women from contact between the indigenous population and colonial settlers to the late 20^th century, this course will emphasize such topics as the 19^th century women’s movement and suffrage, women and the movement to abolish slavery, the history and politics of reproductive rights, radical and liberal feminism, and African-American feminism. We will pay particular attention to the diversity of women’s experiences in the United States and to women’s multiple and often conflicting responses to the fight for equal rights in relation to politics, work, family, reproduction, and sexuality. We will also address the ways ideas associated with what came to be called feminism at the turn of the twentieth century both grew out of and were shaped by the everyday lives of women. Introductory course for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. TR 1:10-2:25

History 257/English 257: Promised Lands: A Cultural and Literary History of the Great Migration, 1917-1970 (CHC and U.S. Diversity), Professor Juan Rodriguez Barrera
Between 1917 and 1970, more than six million African American departed the rural U.S. South seeking asylum, economic opportunity, and equality in the urban North.  This "Great Migration," as scholars call this collective movement, reconfigured the demographics, politics, and culture of both regions.  This course will explore the Great Migration through two disciplinary lenses - cultural history and literature - in order to reimagine the twentieth-century United States from an African-American perspective that decenters and denaturalizes whiteness as an unspoken condition in this historical construction of American identity.  Organized spatially, centered on the sites of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, this course will examine the interconnection of events, ideas, and creative expressions across time and space. MWF 10:00-10:50

History 203: Ethnic Minorities and the ‘Other’ in Modern Japan (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
This course will introduce students to issues of minorities, ethnic or otherwise, and their interplay with issues of identity and belonging in modern Japanese history.  It will focus special attention on the hisabetsu burakumin class, indigenous Ainu and Okinawans, Koreans and Taiwanese in colonial Japan, and postwar zainichi Korean and more recent immigrant communities, Not limited solely to these groups, however, this course will also deal with the broader question of the “other” in Japanese history and will include discussions of issues related to hibakusha (victims of the nuclear bombings), mixed race issues, issues related to kikoku shijo (“Japanese” returnees to Japan), and issues related to Nikkeijin (Japanese diasporic descendants in Japan, primarily from Brazil and Peru).  In general, this course will address issues of nationalism, colonialism, class, race, ethnicity, gender, identity, and indigeneity, and will also engage with the unique history of discourses surrounding questions of “uchi (inside, self)/soto (outside, other)” and “pollution” in Japanese modern history. Contributes in International and Global Studies, Asian Studies, and the Japanese Minor. MW 2:00-3:15

History 290: Theories, Methods, and Crafting of History (W), Professor Alyssa Culp
Napoleon Bonaparte was once credited with saying that “History is a set of lies agreed up.” Did Bonaparte have a point? What is history really? This semester we are not focused on the history of a particular topic, but how to DO history. To start out, we will dig into history: what is it, how do we engage with it, and why does it matter? This might seem like a daunting task and to tackle it we will focus on a guiding theme of “From Silence to Story: Crafting History for Hidden Voices.” Using this theme we will investigate how historians bring both prominent and overlooked voices of the past to light. We will explore the history of murder in a German town, conduct an in-depth examination of slavery at sea, analyze the historical significance of photographs, and examine everyday life narratives within homes and within sports. Our goal is to survey the practices of professional historians, including the questions they ask, the sources they explore, and how they share their historical findings with us. By doing so, you should start to think about what kind of historian you want to be. You will ask questions, delve into historiography, conduct research, visit, archives, formulate arguments, share your findings, and hopefully disprove Napoleon along the way! It is Writing Intensive and therefore will include special attention to writing skills and workshop drafts. Required for sophomore majors and minors; open to Pre-Law students. TR 9:25-10:40

History 344/144: The Making of Modern America, 1865-1920 (CHC, U), Professor April Schultz
This course examines the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, a period of wrenching transition when Americans grappled with the gap between rich and poor as evidenced in the uneven promise of the new industrial city and the immigrants, American-born workers, and newly wealthy Americans who filled them; conflicts around race, gender, ethnicity, and region; the growth of commercialized leisure; the “civilizing” of the West; and the expanded role of the United States in the world. The traumas and triumphs of this half century gave rise to modern America, and its legacies are still very much with us today. Students enrolled at the 300-level will complete a research project and help prepare developmentally appropriate material for the 100-level students. Contributes to Humanities and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Prerequisite for HIST 344: HIST 290 or permission of instructor. MW 2:00-3:15

History 303: Theories of Nationalism and Modern Japanese History (IT and Global Diversity), Ryan Yokota
This is an undergraduate level course focused on introducing students to the study of nationalism(s) in Modern Japan.  The purpose of this course is to expand students’ conceptual understanding of nationalism and its rise to prominence as one of the most pressing and consequential thematic concerns of the modern period.  Through this course, students will learn about pre-modern conceptions in kokugaku (national learning), the invention of national traditions in the Meiji Period, the growth of nation-state consciousness and education, intellectual developments related to national identity and the state, insurgent nationalisms under Japanese colonization, postwar conceptions of the Japanese nation and concurrent minority nationalisms, nihonjinron (theories of Japanese-ness), contemporary right wing nationalism, and the growing impact of globalization on Japan, among other areas dealing with sovereignty and national identity and consciousness. Contributes to International and Global Studies, Asian Studies, and the Japanese Studies Minor. M 6:15-8:55

History 323: History of Nursing (CHC and Global Diversity) Professor Alyssa Culp
In the 1800s, Florence Nightingale emphasized the importance of continuous learning for nurses, asserting, “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses. We must be learning all our lives.” Medicine, much like nursing, is an ever-evolving field rather than a static one. In this course, we will examine these changes and the increasing authority nurses have gained, from ancient midwifery to their contemporary roles in hospitals. Students will explore how societies have cared for each other from ancient Egypt to the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting both our achievements and shortcomings. Additionally, by utilizing examples from the Tate Archives & Special Collections, we will trace the development of IWU nursing, both within classroom and clinical settings. Contributes to International and Global Studies, Public Health, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. MF 11:00-12:15

History 372/Theatre 372: History of Theatre II (CHC) Professor RJ Hodde
A comprehensive survey-seminar about world theatre history tracing theatre 1650 to present, exploring theatrical architecture, conventions, theory, and literature as they interact with cultural movements. This class requires significant dramaturgical and written projects alongside a heavy reading load. TR 10:50-12:05

History 378/Theatre 378: History of Costume and Fashion (ARTS) Professor Zandra Siple
Comprehensive survey of Western costume from Mesopotamia to the 20th century. Study of dress from a sociocultural and historical context. Special attention given to the evolution of silhouette, attitudes expressed by each period regarding personal adornment, and evolution of haute couture. Image-based lectures, group discussions, and pictorial research complement class work. MWF 10:00-10:50

History 490: Capstone Seminar in History (W), Professor April Schultz
This is the capstone course for history majors in which we review principles and methods of historical scholarship, culminating in producing a substantial original research project. Course assignments allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the key elements of historical endeavor: reading, research, writing, critiques, and oral presentation. Required for all history majors. R 6:15-8:55

History 100: Introduction to Chinese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
A survey of Chinese society from ancient times to the present. Examines the premodern development of Chinese philosophy, arts, imperial state, and social structure. Also explores the decline of the Chinese empire, the impingement of Western imperialism, and subsequent efforts to strengthen China through reform and revolution. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. Sec. 1, TR 9:25-10:40; Sec. 2, TR 10:50-10:05

History 120: The Ancient and Medieval West (CHC), Professor Lee Brice
A survey of Western Civilization from its origins in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, to the late Middle Ages. Political history is balanced by social, cultural, and intellectual history with an emphasis on those elements which became part of the Western heritage. MWF 9:00-9:50

History 150: Introduction to American Studies (CHC, U) Professor April Schultz
A revolt against the rigidity of the traditional academic disciplines of history and literature gave birth to the American Studies movement in the 1930s.  A basic principle of the interdisciplinary field that emerged in the succeeding decades is that “America”—a concept which includes but is not limited to the United States—is too richly complex to be analyzed with the tools of a single discipline.  “American Studies is an interdisciplinary practice that aims to understand the multiplicity of the social and cultural lives of people in – and in relation to – the United States, both past and present” (Deloria and Olson, 2017). 
In this introduction to the field of American Studies, we will be focusing on myth, founding stories, folklore, and their relationship to national identity. We will be studying the Pocahontas myth as a founding narrative and the subsequent significance of “playing Indian” in American history and culture; the creation of public memory, focusing on the Civil War and construction of public monuments; and the contested nature of American identity following WWII. TR 1:10-2:25

History 202: WWII in the Pacific (CHC), Professor Ryan Yokota
Explores the origins and consequences of Japanese militarism in Asia, 1931-1945. Examines domestic and international factors behind the war, assesses responses to Japanese expansion by East Asians, Southeast Asians, Americans, and the Japanese people themselves, and evaluates the use of nuclear weapons at war’s end. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. M 6:15-8:55

History 249: Growing Up in America (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
In this course, we will study key texts and topics in the history of childhood in the United States over two centuries, encountering a rich variety of historical issues, methods, and sources, from diaries, newspapers, and memoirs to paintings, photography, and Hollywood films. We will examine the changing construction of childhood and experiences of children (emphasizing preadolescence) from the early nineteenth century to the present. We will focus particularly on how childhood and children are valued—economically, emotionally, morally, and symbolically—in changing economies and cultures from plantation slavery through industrial production to the development of a modern consumer society and a changing global economy.
In the process we will persistently ask several key questions: What is the relationship between what the sociologist Viviana Zelizer calls the emotionally priceless, economically useless, middle-class child, on the one hand, and the economically valued, emotionally vulnerable child worker, on the other? Has this split been resolved in modern consumer culture, and, if so, on what terms? How are children valued today? Contributes to Women, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies and is a recommended course for Elementary Education. TR 9:25-10:40

History 252 (cross listed with English 252): Slavery in US Literature and Film (LIT, US Diversity), Professor Juan Rodriguez Barrera
This course examines the representations of slavery in American literature and film from the nineteenth through the twenty-first centuries, illuminating the ways that this institution was and continues to be foundational to American experience and identity. Prerequisite: Gateway Colloquium. MWF 1:00-1:50

History 270, sec. 1: Asia’s Revolutions (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Ryan Yokota
In this course, we undertake a comparative study of modern revolutionary movements borne of struggles in East and Southeast Asia. Building upon a historical examination of these revolutionary movements, we will investigate not only how they are distinctly "of" the modern world but their aspirations to remake it. Examining political economic thought, cultural experiments, and social movements, we will ask: what worlds of possibility were imagined, constructed, or buried amidst these revolutionary struggles? How and why did thinkers take up conditions in Asia,
including its uneven development in the wake of imperialism and colonialism, as holding distinctly revolutionary potential? What were the historical limitations for revolutionary projects to transform institutions like the state and family? Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. MW 2-3:15

History 270, sec. 2: From Pyramids to AI: Global Perspectives of Science, Medicine, & Technology (IT and Global Diversity Pending), Professor Alyssa Culp
In the famous words of Bill Nye, "Science is cool!" And it is; science tells us about the world around us, it reveals our infinite universe, it helps us compare species, it allows us to explore human anatomy, and even study the Earth. However, science has never existed in a vacuum; it is intertwined with medicine and the technology around it. For over 12,000 years, humans have wondered, experimented, calculated, and discovered new things about the world in which we live. We will start the course by tracing the path of science, medicine, and technology from the agricultural revolution to the exploration of the Americas in 1500. We will then dive into how humans learned to manipulate nature and globalized trade of goods and ideas with the emergence of modern science, biomedicine, and applied sciences like engineering. Our course will end in looking at our newly formed digital world and its impact on the physical world around us. Throughout the course we will consider how the histories of science, medicine, and technology are entangled in world events, from Mongol conquests and plagues to vaccination campaigns and races to digitize. Contributes to International and Global Studies. TR 10:50-12:05

History 370: Beyond Disease and Quarantine (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Alyssa Culp
In 1992, Mary Fisher, a white middle-class mother, received a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS contracted from her former husband. Frustrated by the isolation, stigma, and silence associated with the disease, she eloquently gave a speech that reminded her audience that disease transcends boundaries of class, race, or nationality. With profound simplicity she asserted, “HIV only poses one question: Are you human?” Diseases like SARS, Cholera, AIDS, and
recently Covid-19 remind humanity that disease has often shown little discrimination in its impact on humankind. On the other hand, humans have also played a powerful role in shaping global disease environments. Disease presses humanity to reimagine their world, health system, politics, and everyday life. This course will examine the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of public health, and the experiences behind them. We will
investigate how disease and public health measures from the Justinian Plague to Coronavirus have shaped the social, political, biological, and environmental world we live in. Throughout the semester, we will discuss changing ideas about the cause of illness and how best to treat or prevent it. We will also evaluate historical debates about the consequences of quarantine and public health measures. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Public Health. TR 1:10-2:25

History 371(cross listed with Theatre 371): Theatre History 1 (CHC, W), Professor Michelle Gibbs
A comprehensive survey-seminar about world theatre history tracing theatre 1650 to present, exploring theatrical architecture, conventions, theory, and literature as they interact with cultural movements. This class requires significant dramaturgical and written projects alongside a heavy reading load. MWF 10:00-10:50

History 101: Introduction to Japanese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Harlan Chambers
This is an introductory survey of Japan’s history, from the premodern through the early twenty-first century. Over the course of the semester, we will attend to the basics of political, economic, social, and cultural developments. We will also engage critically and creatively with (translated) historical sources to build a general understanding of how social worlds were constituted through and against imperial Japan’s dynastic projects, as well as how they changed over time. To this end, we will attend to developments in philosophy and political thought, theater, literature, and visual art. No prior knowledge is necessary. All course materials are in English. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. MWF, 9-9:50

History 152: US Development and Experiences, 1877-Present (CHC and US Diversity), Professor Robert Schultz
The major objective of this course is to provide students with a general understanding of the significant factors that have shaped American social, cultural, political and economic life since the end of the Civil War. We will study how industrialization,urbanization, immigration, globalization, race, class, gender, war and cold war, the expansion of political rights to previously excluded groups of Americans, and the increased roles of the federal government and corporations in society and the economy have shaped modern American history. An additional objective of the course is to enhance students' analytical skills by critically examining the causes and consequences of historical developments and the stories that various historical figures and interest groups have constructed about those developments. For historical knowledge is not the rote memorization of events and dates. Rather, it is the critical understanding of complex social, economic, cultural, and political change; of how individuals and groups influence historical processes as they are simultaneously shaped by those processes; and of various historical figures' interests in and explanations of historical developments. Sec. 1, TR 2:35-3:50; Sec. 2, TR 9:25-10:40

History 216: The World of Alexander the Great (CHC), Professor Amy Coles
During his short reign (336-323 BCE), Alexander the Great conquered a vast empire, from Greece to Egypt to ancient India. He used courage, savvy, and rhetorical skill to blend a myriad of peoples both in his army and under his rule to create a new, Hellenistic culture. After his untimely death, however, his successors split his empire among themselves, waging bitter battles and forging shifting alliances. In this course we examine the cultural changes brought to the Mediterranean and Near East by Alexander’s conquest. We will read and analyze the official and vulgate sources for Alexander’s life and accomplishments in our quest to determine for ourselves who Alexander was to his contemporaries and is to us. TR 8-9:25

History 243: The Stories We Tell: Introduction to Public History (CHC and US Diversity Pending), Professor April Schultz
An introduction to public history which emphasizes not only the work of public history professionals in museums, historic sites, and heritage centers, and documentary film, but considers their connection to the popular historical narrative we consume in our daily lives - from our holidays and the names of our streets, to Hollywood films and historical fiction. Though academic historians and public historians share similar research methods and interpretive standards, professional public historians must consider a broad public audience and collaborate with communities, funding agencies, and politicians as they seek to educate, inspire, and entertain, not always in that order. Public histories in all their forms are always engaged in broad social and cultural issues of power, identity, and belonging. For the purposes of this class, public history is broadly conceived, considering all public-facing settings in which the past is invoked, from museum exhibitions, historic houses, and public monuments, to public celebrations and commemorations based in local communities. Students will learn about how public history projects engage with controversial issues from the past and the present and how dominant historical narratives have been challenged in all kinds of public spaces that have become both more inclusive and more accurate in the full telling of our local and national stories. We will ask how much public historians in the present should and do engage with healing the wounds of the past. Foundational course for the Public and Applied History Pathway for History majors. MWF 10-10:50

History 244: History of American Feminisms (CHC and US Diversity), Professor April Schultz
This course will emphasize such topics as the 19 th century women’s movement and suffrage, the history and politics of reproductive rights, radical and liberal feminism, and African-American feminism. We will pay particular attention to the diversity of women’s experiences in the United States and to women’s multiple and often conflicting responses to the fight for equal rights in relation to politics, work, family, reproduction, and sexuality. We will also address the ways ideas associated with what came to be called feminism at the turn of the twentieth century both grew out of and were shaped by the everyday lives of women. Introductory course for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. TR 1:10-2:25

History 270 (sec. 1): Asia’s Revolutions (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Harlan Chambers
In this course, we undertake a comparative study of modern revolutionary movements borne of struggles in East and Southeast Asia. Building upon a historical examination of these revolutionary movements, we will investigate not only how they are distinctly "of" the modern world but their aspirations to remake it. Examining political economic thought, cultural experiments, and social movements, we will ask: what worlds of possibility were imagined, constructed, or buried amidst these revolutionary struggles? How and why did thinkers take up conditions in Asia, including its uneven development in the wake of imperialism and colonialism, as holding distinctly revolutionary potential? What were the historical limitations for revolutionary projects to transform institutions like the state and family? Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration. MW 2-3:15

History 270 (sec. 2): The World Wars in Public Memory & Digital History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Alyssa Culp In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson famously expressed optimism that the First World War would bring about an end to all future conflicts. However, less than three decades later, the dropping of the atomic bomb symbolically marked the conclusion of yet another world war. These global conflicts were devastating, human-made disasters that revolutionized the nature of warfare and resulted in the loss of over ninety million lives. Nevertheless, the World Wars and the atrocities committed during them continue to captivate the popular imagination. This fascination is evident in Christopher Nolan's 2023 film
Oppenheimer, which earned $777 million at the global box office. This course explores how memories of the World Wars were and continue to be constructed, conveyed, and preserved in the public consciousness through the lens of public and digital history. We will explore various mediums, including oral history, memoir, fiction, film, and digital projects to uncover stories from the wars that impact our memory today. Contributes to International and Global Studies and the Public and Applied History Pathway for History majors. TR 10:50-12:05

History 270 (sec. 3): From Pyramids to AI: Global Perspectives of Science, Medicine, & Technology (IT and Global Diversity), Professor Alyssa Culp
In the famous words of Bill Nye, "Science is cool!" And it is; science tells us about the world around us, it reveals our infinite universe, it helps us compare species, it allows us to explore human anatomy, and even study the Earth. However, science has never existed in a vacuum; it is intertwined with medicine and the technology around it. For over 12,000 years, humans have wondered, experimented, calculated, and discovered new things about the world in which we live. We will start the course by tracing the path of science, medicine, and technology from the agricultural revolution to the exploration of the Americas in 1500. We will then dive into how humans learned to manipulate nature and globalized trade of goods and ideas with the emergence of modern science, biomedicine, and applied sciences like engineering. Our course will end in looking at our newly formed digital world and its impact on the physical world around us. Throughout the course we will consider how the histories of science, medicine, and technology are entangled in world events, from Mongol conquests and plagues to vaccination campaigns and races to digitize. Contributes to International and Global Studies. MF 11-12:15

History 290: Theories, Methods, and Crafting of History (W), Professor April Schultz
This course is an introduction to the philosophical and methodological debates in the profession of history, paying particular attention to the critical skills of the historian – including the analysis of primary sources, historiography, historical research and writing, critique, and historical argument, as well as an analysis of history in more popular forms (documentaries and museums, for example). It is Writing Intensive and therefore will include special attention to writing skills and workshop drafts. Required for sophomore majors and minors; open to Pre-Law students. TR 9:25-10:40

History 370 (sec. 1): Narrating Ecology and Feminism in Modern East Asia (IT and Global Diversity Pending; cross listed with English 370 (sec. 2) and Environmental Studies 370 (sec. 3)), Professor Harlan Chambers This course interrogates the historical emergence of ecological and feminist critical approaches across East Asia since the late nineteenth century, particularly as thinkers grasped them within a common historical crisis of imperial incursion and colonial expropriation. We will focus on how thinkers across East Asia have aligned and integrated ecological and feminist concerns in anti-imperialist confrontations through the work of narrative. Whether it be in political essays or fictional prose, their narratives have given to elaborate feminist and ecological frameworks that rethink the past and possible futures. We will analyze how East Asian thinkers and artists undertake narrative work in specific mediums of essay, fiction, photography, and film to articulate elements of ecological and feminist critique, as well as their convergence in potentially new forms of ecofeminist intervention. Contributes to English, Environmental Studies, International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. MF 11-12:15

History 370 (sec. 2): Beyond Disease and Quarantine (CHC and Global Diversity Pending), Professor Alyssa Culp In 1992, Mary Fisher, a white middle-class mother, received a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS contracted from her former husband. Frustrated by the isolation, stigma, and silence associated with the disease, she eloquently gave a speech that reminded her audience that disease transcends boundaries of class, race, or nationality. With profound simplicity she asserted, “HIV only poses one question: Are you human?” Diseases like SARS, Cholera, AIDS, and recently Covid-19 remind humanity that disease has often shown little discrimination in its impact on humankind. On the other hand, humans have also played a powerful role in shaping global disease environments. Disease presses humanity to reimagine their world, health system,
politics, and everyday life. This course will examine the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of public health, and the experiences behind them. We will investigate how disease and public health measures from the Justinian Plague to Coronavirus have shaped the social, political, biological, and environmental world we live in. Throughout the semester, we will discuss changing ideas about the cause of illness and how best to treat or prevent it. We will also evaluate historical debates about the consequences of quarantine and public health measures. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Public Health. TR 1:10-2:25

History 370 (sec. 3): Countercultures of Black America (cross listed with English 370 (sec.1)), Professor Juan Rodriguez Barrera
This course will argue that African-American culture, history, and politics have always existed inside and outside Western modernity, at once shaping its construction and interrogating its guiding principles. This ambiguous status—a hallmark of what Paul Gilroy calls “countercultures”—will supply the theoretical basis of the course. “Countercultures” will move chronologically from the antebellum period to the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the early 21st century. Cultural highpoints will include the Harlem Renaissance, the proletarian thirties, the Black Arts Movement, the rise of feminisms of color, and others. Through the study of African-American culture in general and literature in particular, we will render visible points of connection between and among moments of cultural efflorescence often considered radically
different, if not ideologically antagonistic. MW 2-3:15

History 490: Capstone Seminar in History (W), Professor Robert Schultz
Students review principles and methods of historical scholarship, producing a substantial original research project. Course assignments allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the key elements of historical endeavor: reading, research, writing, critiques, and oral presentation. Required for majors. T 6:15-8:55

History 100: Introduction to Chinese History (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Harlan Chambers
This is an introductory survey of China’s history, from antiquity to the early twentieth century. Over the course of the semester, we will attend to the basics of political, economic, social, and cultural developments. We will also engage critically and creatively with (translated) historical sources to build a general understanding of how social worlds were constituted through and against imperial China’s dynastic projects, as well as how they changed over time. To this end, we will attend to developments in philosophy and political thought, theater, literature, and visual art. Over the course of the semester, we will develop three skills: 1) developing rigorous arguments for why phenomena are historically significant; 2) analyzing primary sources; and 3) synthesizing points one and two by using an analysis of primary sources to develop historical arguments. No prior knowledge is necessary. All course materials are in English. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration.

History 122: Modern Global History (2 sections) (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Alyssa Culp
Our goal in this class is not to tell the history of the entire globe, as it is impossible to study in one semester let alone one lifetime. Since fall brings to mind past vacations and travel, we will explore this course through the movements of people, ideas, goods, medicine, and politics. To do this, we will investigate the connections formed between people in East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas as they encounter each other through trade, exploration, and expansion. We will use keywords to guide us through various ideas, misconceptions, and conflicts along the way. Contributes to International and Global Studies.

History 151: Colonial and US, 1500-1876 (2 sections) (CHC and US Diversity), Professor Doug Cutter
This course will present the American experience from the earliest human societies in the Americas to the consequences of the Civil War. We will explore key themes such as how an American identity emerged, who was considered a citizen, and how the young United States dealt with its religious and ethnic diversity. Emphasizes slavery; forced and voluntary migrations; Spanish, French, English, Dutch Imperial power conflicts to 1776; economic development and impact on diverse peoples as three worlds of Indigenous, African, and European peoples collide; social, economic and political developments in colonies, early Republic, war with Mexico, road to Civil War, Reconstruction; ideologies.

History 152: US Development and Experiences, 1877-Present (CHC and US Diversity), Professor Mary Hollywood
The major objective of this course is to provide students with a general understanding of the significant factors that have shaped American social, cultural, political and economic life since the end of the Civil War. We will study how industrialization, urbanization, immigration, globalization, race, class, gender, war and cold war, the expansion of political rights to previously excluded groups of Americans, and the increased roles of the federal government and corporations in society and the economy have shaped modern American history. An additional objective of the course is to enhance students' analytical skills by critically examining the causes and consequences of historical developments and the stories that various historical figures and interest groups have constructed about those developments. For historical knowledge is not the rote memorization of events and dates. Rather, it is the critical understanding of complex social, economic, cultural, and political change; of how individuals and groups influence historical processes as they are simultaneously shaped by those processes; and of various historical figures and interests in and explanations of historical developments.

History 270: Documenting Difference in Asian Cinema and Photography (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Harlan Chambers
How have creators working in diverse forms of visual media participated in historical constructions of difference between ethnicity, gender, and other social categories? And how have those working in these mediums reflected critically about such differences, envisioning forms of solidarity and common cause? This course interrogates the roles of creators in cinema, photography and other media in fashioning and contesting historical understandings of difference between peoples across Asia. Over the course of the semester, we will engage with formal analysis of visual materials in comparative, historical frameworks from Central to East and Southeast Asia. We will place a special emphasis on a comparative analysis of different forms of media, ranging from photography and film to architecture and experimental video. As we progress through the semester, our study will embrace increasingly bold experiments with documentary which seek to investigate the past and reimagine the future. Contributes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration.

History 300: China’s Revolutions (CHC and Global Diversity), Professor Harlan Chambers
What was revolutionary about China’s revolution? We begin exploring this question by examining China at the conjuncture of world-making crises of the late nineteenth century. They permit us to situate China’s germinating revolutionary projects within a global context of capitalist expansion, with an emphasis on questions of race, gender, and incipient ecological crisis. From this, we can see how China’s revolution grew not just as a contest over political authority, but as a fundamental challenge to the social order of the modern world. It is in this sense that we will interrogate Mao Zedong and other key contributors to China’s revolution in its cultural, political, and economic dimensions across the twentieth century. As a 300-level undergraduate course, we tackle major issues at a level of considerable sophistication. Course texts require close, active reading and re-reading. Lecture will be kept to a minimum in favor of seminar-style discussion. Over the course of the semester, we will train skills to organize and lead small-group discussions on complex topics. Contibutes to International and Global Studies and Asian Studies Concentration.

History 318: Blood Rites and Rituals (CHC), Professor Amy Coles
From the Trojan War (c. 1200 BCE) through the height of the Roman Empire (4th century CE), people celebrated festivals with violent gladiatorial games, undertook bloody sacrifices, and joined in mysterious secret initiations. Christian apologists have pointed to these practices as a sign of depravity and moral turpitude, which was only expunged by the adoption of Christianity as the official religion of the Empire. But what do these evocative rituals and polytheistic cults tell us about Mediterranean society? How did the political and economic realities of the Empire shape religious practice? What was the impact of the rites on the individual? We will interpret ancient Mediterranean religious systems through the ideas of various theorists from the fields of history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and linguistics in order to answer these questions and more. While you may never analyze ancient cults again after this semester, the skills you learn in this course will help you weigh the reliability and objectivity of information, learn different ways to think about why people do what they do, and write complex analyses in a clear format that shows the sources of your information. 

History 343: (Im)Migration, Race, and Ethnicity (CHC and US Diversity)
This course will survey the migration experience of those who came to this continent and later the United States in the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Through lectures, readings emphasizing cultural, social, and economic history, literature, music, and feature films, we will focus on both voluntary and forced migration and on the ways race, ethnicity, gender, class, and national ideals and policies shaped the lives of immigrants during this period. At the same time, we will explore the dynamic and creative ways that immigrants and ethnics have confronted and shaped American culture and society. What did it mean to be Irish American in the mid- nineteenth century? What does it mean to be Irish American today? What does it mean to be female and Mexican American? To be working-class and Polish American? How has and does race impact the experience of ethnicity for African Americans or Asian Americans? When is group identity--or individual identity--primarily American and when is it primarily ethnic? Or are our identities multiple, always changing and rearranging themselves in interactions with history and society? Such questions should prepare us to think not only about the past, but also about the current debates surrounding the competing searches for a unified America and ethnic and racial identities. Contributes to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.