81 courses with the subject HIS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
HIS 101Globalization in World History3
This course examines how interconnections between peoples have shaped and reshaped the world across a variety of eras. Potential themes include the process of cultural exchange between different societies, how connections between societies have created interdependencies and/or conflict across different regions of the globe, as well as how other forces have affected and been affected by such interactions, among others. As part of this course, students will complete an information literacy unit utilizing the library’s resources.
This course explores interpretations of varying movements, whether physical, social, or intellectual. Potential themes include the experience of diaspora populations, cross-cultural exchange, the imposition of and resistance to imperial structures, and/or the development of diverse social and intellectual ideas, among others. As part of this course, students will complete an information literacy unit utilizing the library’s resources.
The course focuses on the rise, maintenance, and decline of empires. It explores in a comparative fashion the interactions between imperial structures, cultures, religions, and socio-economic patterns produced by empires. Potential themes include empires as instruments of order, oppression, diversity, or unification, among others. As part of this course, students will complete an information literacy unit utilizing the library’s resources.
Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to understand the predominant structures and relationships that have transformed our world from the early modern era to the twentieth century. Topics will include the development of political and economic ideas and systems (e.g., democracy, liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, fascism, colonialism, capitalism, socialism), changing conceptions of culture and identity (e.g. race, gender, ethnicity, art), and the conflicts and opportunities born of this transformation (e.g., anti-colonial movements, social revolutions, world wars, international organizations, globalization, religious and cultural conflicts). Readings and discussions will emphasize understanding how modern systems of political, economic and social meaning and exchange, including Western dominance, emerged.
Topics of interest in History that are not covered in a regularly offered course. Content and structure of the course are determined by the course supervisor. The special topic(s) for a given semester will be announced prior to registration.
This course will survey the history of what would become the United States from the pre-Columbian era through Reconstruction. We will examine significant developments in politics, society, economy, and culture, paying equal attention to individuals, institutions, and ideas. We will also study the practice of history, looking at the ways in which historians use primary and secondary sources to develop scholarly arguments. HIS 201 and 202 may be taken in any order.
This course will survey the history of the United States from Reconstruction through the present. We will examine significant developments in politics, society, economy, and culture, paying equal attention to individuals, institutions, and ideas. We will also study the practice of history, looking at the ways in which historians use primary and secondary sources to develop scholarly arguments. HIS 201 and 202 may be taken in any order.
A survey of the development of Latin American society, emphasizing the era from the independence movements of the nineteenth century to the present day. The course will focus on the changing social, economic and political structures of the region.
This course will provide students with a deeper understanding of the processes that led migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States, and their experiences after arrival. The course focuses on three interdisciplinary topics: community formation; the variety of individual and group experiences; and current policy questions for the hemisphere.
This course will examine the history of Asians and Asian Americans in the United States. This lecture/discussion course incorporates the diverse meanings that constitute "Asian" and "America," taking a comparative historical approach. It will cover major themes including: colonialism and nationalism, national and ethnic identities, race, labor, citizenship, emigration and immigration, transnationalism, popular culture and mass media, as well as major episodes in Asian American history including the initial waves of Asian immigration, the rise of anti-Asian politics and violence, the experiences of Asian Americans during American wars, Asian American activism in the 1960s, and the dynamics of post-1965 immigration and the development and consequences of the model minority stereotype. Students will explore the varied experiences of people identified as Asian Americans—Chinese, Japanese, Pacific Islander, Korean, South Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka), Southeast Asian, and Filipino Americans—through a wide variety of source materials including documents, literature, photos, oral histories, and more.
This course will introduce students to the culture, politics, geography, art, and religious traditions of the major countries of East and South Asia. It will also give a historical overview from earliest times to the present. The course will focus primarily on the Indian subcontinent, China and Japan, with some attention also to Korea and Southeast Asia. Throughout the course students will also learn how questions of history and culture shape identities and animate public life in contemporary Asia.
This course is designed to introduce key themes of the history of Modern Africa. These themes included African Imperialism, European Colonialism, Gender, Education, Development, and political and mental Decolonization. This class is intentional about its source base and includes only sources by Africans and those in African the Diaspora. It also has diverse readings that include, Poetry, Psychology, Literature, and Graphic novels. The culminating assignment is where students will be following a newspaper story in African Newspapers.
Content and structure of the course are determined by the course supervisor. The special topic for a given semester will be announced prior to registration.
This professional development seminar will enhance students’ knowledge about internships and careers that utilize the skills set developed within the major. It will help build practical skills through class instruction, assignments, and alumni exposure. This one-credit course meets once a week through the semester to provide practical instruction and skills in areas that include internship and job search, application and grant writing, resume/cover letter preparation, professional communication, networking, and interviewing.
The course draws on historical sources and material culture to investigate the genesis, evolution, and social importance of athletics (track and field events, combat sports, and equestrian competitions) and public spectacles (gladiatorial combats, chariot races, and reenactments of battles) in ancient Greece and Rome, respectively. Topics explored include: the history of the ancient Olympics and other Crown Games; the importance of religion, socio-economic status, and gender in ancient sports; the relation between politics and spectacles in ancient Rome; the ethical protocols of Greek athletics; and the role of ancient sports in the history of the modern Olympic Games.
The course examines a variety of films set in the ancient Greek and Roman world and compares them to the textual and visual sources on which they are based, in an attempt to assess their faithfulness and departures. The course aims to investigate the uses and abuses of the classical past in the medium: how (in)accurately historical figures and events are portrayed on the big screen and how modern ideologies and concerns (about politics, ethnicity, morality, religion, gender, sexuality, race, and cinema itself) are dressed into an ancient costume.
The course examines how the concepts of race and ethnic diversity are presented and debated in various Greek and Roman sources (literary as well as visual) and to what extent ancient thinking remains influential nowadays. The course explores a series of important ideas, including nation formation, ethnic superiority, and the use of anatomical, linguistic, and religious characteristics as criteria for ethnic and racial differentiation in the ancient Mediterranean world. The course also investigates the nexus between ancient racism and the social institutions and processes related to it, such as enslavement, colonization, migration, imperialism, assimilation, native revolts, and genocide.
From Homer to Alexander, the Greeks of antiquity made their mark on the world both of their own time and of the present. While many know the names of great philosophers and artists, such as Plato and Sophocles, few are acquainted with the historical circumstances that often served to inspire these founders of Western civilization. Through original historical and literary texts, this course will help students better to understand the complex context of military prowess, intellectual curiosity, and artistic inspiration that created the glory that was Greece.
From its beginnings as a muddy village, Rome grew to create the largest empire and greatest uniformity the Western world has ever known. This course will: trace the course of Rome's development in the areas of military, political, social and legal history; examine the effects of Christianity and endless expansion upon the empire; and critically assess various theories explaining its demise.
Examines the Protestant Reformation, its impact on the religious practice of regular people during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the various responses to reformed thought offered by the Catholic Church. The course pays particular attention to the interaction of faith and reason during the Reformation conflicts.
This course examines two differently ways of constructing the past, one by historians, the other by filmmakers. We willexamine the origins of American involvement in Vietnam, and the course of the conflict from the late 1950s throughdisengagement in 1973. At the same time, we will watch films that illustrate the evolving way that the war has beenrepresented between 1968 and 1989.
Examines some of the key transformations in European history between the years 1400-1800. Topics include the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Dutch Revolt, the English Civil War, European encounters with the "New World," Absolutism and the rise of the nation state, the Scientific Revolution, and the French Revolution.
Examines the development of European crime and punishment from 1200-1840. Focuses in detail on the social role of legal proceedings, judicial torture, physical punishment, and public execution in European society. As part of the course, students reenact a series of trials from the Spanish Inquisition. Concludes by studying the shift toward punishment by prison in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the lens of Philadelphia's own, Eastern State Penitentiary.
This course is a survey of the major political, social, economic, and cultural developments of Russia from 980-1861. During this time, the lands of the Eastern Slavs grew to be one of the largest and most powerful empires on earth. This course will cover Kyivan Rus, the Mongol Empire’s Golden Horde, the Rise of Moscuvy, the consolidation of the Romanov autocracy, the expansion of the Russian Empire, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Great Reforms that emancipated the serfs. Students will read primary and secondary sources, as well as a memoir of their choosing. They will complete a significant research paper.
A survey of the major political, social, economic, and cultural events of Russia and the Soviet Union from 1881 to 1991. During this time, the lands of the Russian Empire and its successor, the Soviet Union, changed from an agricultural country to a technologically advanced superpower to fifteen new countries with diverse political and economic systems. The course will examine these developments through the decline of tsarism and the fall of the Romanov dynasty, the Russian revolutions and the foundation of the Soviet Union, Stalinism, Word War II, the Cold War, and the reforms under Gorbachev that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In the thirteenth century, the Mongols built the largest contiguous land empire that the world has ever known. This course will cover the rise, running, and fall of this enormous Eurasian empire. It will explore the society and culture of the Mongols, as well as how the Mongol Empire impacted the many peoples whom they conquered. Students will read and analyze primary sources written by those who experienced the Mongol Empire.
An examination of the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin from 1928 to 1953. Course readings will focus on the experiences of ordinary people to demonstrate how Stalin's rule brought both opportunity and great tragedy. Stalinism, historians argue, was more than a political ideology such as Marxism and Leninism, but a way of life and civilization distinct from anything the modern world had yet experienced.
Through an examination of four twentieth-century genocides (the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1917, the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945, the genocide in Cambodia from 1976 to 1979, and the genocide in Rwanda in 1994), the course will explore the concept of genocide and the development of national and global laws to prevent it, promote human rights, and prosecute abusers. Students will read primary and secondary sources and study genocidal violence as a particularly vicious form of state policy, as well as a human and personal experience of terror and murder.
Scholars have noted that one of the worst words in any language is the word for brother because it informs one to treat their brothers one way and all others differently. This course has two major themes: learning the various ways that identities are constructed and used and, two, the multiple ways in which these identities have impacted morality. This class begins with introductions to different ethnic schools of thought and African moralities. It continues with case studies on the Akan, Yoruba, Afrikaner, Hutu, and Tutsi ethnic identities and ethics.
Examines the role of religious thought and cultural philosophies in conflict and peace in Africa. The class will begin as a survey of the history, cultures and religions of Africa. After which, several case studies will be presented that put specific North-African interpretations of Judaism, Islam, Christianity or traditionalist beliefs at the center of either conflict or consensus in this region. A final extended case study will examine the Somali, where one has a unity of language, culture and religion, but due to decades of civil wars, no functional state. These case studies will focus on the specific religious beliefs or practices that either endeared religious groups to each other or transcended religious denominations to provide concrete examples for the ways in which the proponents of faiths and secularity coexist or cause conflict in Africa.
Examines popular and educated belief in the supernatural in early modern Europe, 1400-1800. Focuses especially on the "witch-craze" that occurred across Europe and its American colonies during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as attitudes towards supernatural entities such as ghosts and werewolves.
An analysis of East Asian history from 1500 to the present, emphasizing the reciprocal influences of East Asia and the West. The primary focus will be on China and Japan, with attention also to Korea and Vietnam. Major topics will include the Jesuits in East Asia; approaches to modernization in China and Japan; the decline of China and the rise of Japan in the nineteenth century; colonialism and anti-colonial movements; the challenges of global culture; and debates over human rights in the late twentieth century.
This course will examine the institutional and ideological connections between gender roles and social unrest in East Asia since 1900. Questions central to the class will be: changing notions of the ideal man and woman, and how changes in society and politics have been reflected in gender roles for men and women. Topics may include traditional East Asian societies; foot binding; revolutionary movements including communism, nationalism and feminism; family-planning; the Japanese samurai ideal; and gender roles in film and fiction.
A survey of Chinese social, political, intellectual, and cultural history during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Major topics will include Ming voyages of discovery, Ming art and literature, the Manchu conquest, War of the Three Feudatories, Taiping Rebellion, and the advent of Western imperialism.
A survey of Chinese social, political, intellectual, and cultural history from 1900 to the present. Major topics will include the Opium Wars, emergence of Chinese nationalism, the Boxer Rebellion, collapse and fall of the Qing dynasty, the May Fourth Movement in literature and politics, competing strands of Chinese communism, warlords, the anti-Japanese war, the founding of the People's Republic, the Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping's Reforms, social protest of the 1980s, and the challenges of rapid economic development.
A survey of Japanese history since 1600. Major topics include traditional Japanese social structure, bushido and samurai culture, Perry and the opening of Japan, the Meiji Restoration, militarism and modernization, expansion onto the Asian continent, Showa democracy, the Pacific War, the American Occupation, political and economic reconstruction, cinema and literature of post-war Japan.
The nation-states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives Islands (and sometimes Afghanistan)-comprise incredible diversity of language, culture, religion, art, dress, architecture, and cuisine. This course places the region into historical, political and socioeconomic context. It offers a thematic and chronological study of modern South Asia with thorough examinations of the transition from the late Mughal to the British colonial period, the movements for independence and the social activism that grew out of them. Includes: gender, caste/casteism, minorities, territorial/sovereignty conflicts, pop culture and film, development economies, and the South Asian diaspora.
The early history of Islam, and the ways it grew beyond the Arabian Peninsula and ultimately took hold in Central, South, Southeast Asia and East Asia. The course examines the expansion of Islam throughout Asia, its relationship with existing systems and geo-politics, the relationship between Islam and statecraft, and questions of gender, identity, belonging as well as the pressures of globalization, including the most current events affecting Asian Muslims.
History, politics, and China since 1976. Major topics covered will be the death of Mao and the end of the Cultural Revolution; the opening of relations with the United States; Deng Xiaoping's rise; opening and reform; China's "economic miracle"; the one-child policy; the 1989 democracy movement and its aftermath; China's rise as a global economic and political power; the environmental challenge accompanying China's economic development; and the Communist Party's strategies and tactics to maintain power.
This course will examine the emergence of anti-colonial leaders in the Indian subcontinent and the evolution and interaction of their thinking; the politics of Indian nationalism; the history of the 1947 partition and its reverberations; the challenges of state building after independence from Britain and the movement for the independence of East Pakistan, that became Bangladesh in 1971. This course includes the Reacting to the Past role-playing game "Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence."
This course introduces students to the history of the modern Middle East and seeks to nurture critical historical thinking about the region. It will touch on a wide range of topics including modernizing reforms and reforming elites, colonial interventions, the move from empire to new state orders, the politics and culture of nationalism, post-colonial states and authoritarian regimes, and Islamist mobilization. All along, a central arching theme of the course will be modernity: what shape it took at different times and places, how it was perceived and experienced, what challenges and tensions it engendered, who were the beneficiaries and losers.
A survey of American history from the era of the American Revolution through the mid-nineteenth century with special emphasis on independence, the 1800 revolution in politics, the transportation, agricultural, and industrial revolutions, and the social revolution accompanying modernization in the nineteenth century.
A history of the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The course will cover the causes, management, and consequences of the war in society, economics, politics, and culture.
This course will explore the history of American medicine and medical treatment beginning with the Civil War. It will continue by exploring the introduction of new scientific approaches and technologies, the enhancement of fields like surgery and psychiatry, the influence of growing professionalization, pharmaceutical discoveries, and public health concerns, including sanitization, and the people who shaped these changes and their institutions: doctors, nurses, hospitals, and insurance companies. Throughout, we will consider as well the ways in which medicine has been affected by wars, epidemics, and other crises, as well as attitudes about race, class, and gender.
This course introduces students to the history of the modern Middle East and seeks to nurture critical historical thinking about the region. It touches on a wide range of topics including different forms of colonial intervention, modernizing reforms and reforming elites, the move from empire to a new state order, the politics and culture of nationalism, post-colonial states and authoritarian regimes, Islamist mobilization, and recent neo-liberal politics. All along, a central arching theme of the course will be modernity: what shape it took at different times and places, how it was perceived and experienced, what challenges and tensions it engendered, who were the beneficiaries and losers.
Reform affected all levels of U.S. politics, culture, and society in the first half of the twentieth century, linking the first Roosevelt administration to the last. Progressives and New Dealers tried to save the world abroad and preserve health and "normalcy" at home, as women, immigrants, and African-Americans pressed for greater opportunities. Two world wars complicated and deepened these trends. This course will examine the nature, contradictions, and social and political consequences of these important decades of reform, reaction, and transition.
Topics of interest in History that are not covered in a regularly offered course. Content and structure of the course are determined by the course supervisor. The special topic(s) for a given semester will be announced prior to registration.
The history of Black Americans from Reconstruction to the present day. Students will examine the unity and diversity of the Black experience, including the myriad social, cultural, political, and economic conditions that created this experience. They will also explore the ways in which African-Americans have shaped American history and culture, and their efforts, in concert with other Americans, to subvert, transcend, and otherwise reform a discriminatory landscape and reassert the founding principles of the American republic.
Examines the role of the United States in the world from 1917 until the end of the Cold War. The course explores the nation's transformation from a hesitant embrace of international commitments to an expansive vision of global involvement.
This course offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the U.S.'s role in global events emphasizing both historical understanding and theoretical approaches. Beginning with World War I, the course will develop major themes and challenges for U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century and beyond: isolationism vs. internationalism, hegemony vs. empire, citizens' rights vs. state interests, and the extent to which the pursuit of national security (national power and prosperity) should recognize ethical limits.
An examination of how food and foodways have historically shaped and reflected American culture, society, economy, and politics. Major topics include agriculture and labor; technology and industrial food processing; ethnic cuisines and traditions; restaurants and supermarkets; food, family, and gender; and the impact of government policies and regulations.
The history of American women from the antebellum period to present. This course will focus on the evolution of women's family and work roles, as well as their involvement in social reform and political movements. It will emphasize both the unity and the diversity of women's historical experiences, based upon factors such as race, ethnicity, class, and region.
A study of our historical place in the natural landscape through the methods of "environmental history," examining ecological relationships between humans and nature, political and economic influences on the environment, and cultural conceptions of the natural world. Drawing on methods from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, the course will survey over 500 years of North American environmental history, with topics ranging from urban pollution and suburban sprawl to agricultural practices and wilderness protection.
A survey of the production and consumption of commercialized leisure in the United States from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Throughout the nation's history, American popular culture has both reflected and shaped society's values, often serving as an arena of conflict among classes, races, and genders. By investigating selected sites on this contested terrain—from novels, stage shows, and movies to radio, television, and popular music—students will learn to think seriously, critically, and historically about the mass-produced culture that surrounds them every day.
This course explores the development of the American military and its roles in America’s wars from the period of the Spanish-American War to the present. Emphasis will be placed on growth and change in the military within a broader social, political, and economic context.
“Public history” is history as it is practiced outside of the classroom for a general audience: at museums, monuments, and historic sites; in film, television, and digital media. In this course, students will examine the history, methods, and impact of public history in the United States. Through case studies, debates, site visits, and hands-on projects, students will learn how to consume, critique, and create public history, and to assess how the past is used (and abused) for present purposes.
Topics of interest in History that are not covered in a regularly offered course. Content and structure of the course are determined by the course supervisor. The special topic(s) for a given semester will be announced prior to registration.
Lectures, readings, and discussions focusing on an announced theme in United States history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
Lectures, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in European history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
Lectures, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in Eurasian history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
Lectures, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in Latin American history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
Lecture, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in Asian history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected them.
Lectures, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in African history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
Lectures, readings, and discussion focusing on an announced theme in global and comparative history. Each student undertakes a major research project associated with the selected theme.
A study of significant themes and periods in Latin American history under the direction of an instructor. Frequent consultations and written reports are required. Prior approval from the chair is required.
A study of significant themes and periods in Asian history under the direction of an instructor. Frequent consultations and written reports are required. Prior approval from the chair is required.
A study of significant themes and periods in European history under the direction of an instructor. Frequent consultations and written reports are required. Prior approval from the chair is required.
A study of significant themes and periods in American history under the direction of an instructor. Frequent consultations and written reports are required. Prior approval from the chair is required.
A study of significant themes and periods in African history under the direction of an instructor. Frequent consultations and written reports are required. Prior approval from the chair is required.
The Philadelphia Area Internship course supports student internships in the public sector, private sector, or in a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the Philadelphia area. Students will complete a total of 130 hours of work, write a resume and sample letter, keep a journal, and attend and write about an SJU Career Development Center event. Students who complete the requirements will receive 3 credits for one upper-division course in History, Political Science, or International Relations.
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