37 courses with the subject HIST, 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.
HIST 1501Introductory Seminar in History3
Effective Date 08/01/2026 Introduction to the study of history intended for first- and second-year students. Seminars involve reading, discussion, and writing about different historical topics and periods, and emphasize the enhancement of critical and communication skills. Several seminars are offered each term. Not more than two Introductory Seminars may be counted toward the major in history. Requisites 1st or 2nd year students
HIST 2002The Modern World: Global History since 17603
Effective Date 08/01/2015 This is a survey course in modern world history. It covers a period in which the main historical questions about what happened, and why, more and more involve global circumstances, global beliefs about those conditions, and global structures to solve problems. This course can therefore be an essential foundation for other courses dwelling on particular regions or nations.
Effective Date 02/14/2012 This course surveys the modern history of human rights, focusing on political, legal, and intellectual trends from the late 18th century to the present.
Effective Date 10/03/2012 A comparative, global history of communism: from the rise of Marxism in the nineteenth century, to the establishment of Marxist-Leninist regimes across the globe in the twentieth century, to the collapse of communism in the 1980s.
HIST 2013Why Did They Kill? Interpreting Genocide and Its Perpetrators3
Effective Date 09/22/2020 Grounded in discussion and analysis of primary sources from twentieth-century genocides, key works of scholarship, and documentary films, this course endeavors to understand the complex but tragically recurring process whereby regimes from across the political spectrum implement policies of one-sided mass killing and transform ordinary people into genocidal killers. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken HIST 2559 topic #20 Genocide and Its Perpetrators
Effective Date 01/01/2024 This class studies fascism as an ideology, movement, and regime in a global framework. Thematic perspectives include: the origins and theories of fascism, key terms in the fascist lexicon, motives that brought people to fascism, fascism as an aesthetics and lived experience, and the role of women in fascism. We will also study the historical articulations of antifascism, i.e. groups and individuals who have fought against fascism over the years.
Effective Date 10/08/2024 Climate change is widely regarded as the most important environmental question of the present. This course equips students to engage with the study of climate change from multiple perspectives. Part 1 surveys how understandings of the climate developed and transformed. Part 2 explores how historical climatology lends new insights to familiar historical questions. Part 3 explores the history of environment and climate as political issues.
Effective Date 09/23/2016 This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the history of cartography that ranges across the globe from oldest surviving images of pre-history to GIS systems of the present day. It approaches map history from a number of disciplinary perspectives, including the history of science, the history of cartography, critical theory and literary studies, anthropology, historical geography, and spatial cognition and wayfinding.
Effective Date 08/01/2023 “This course explores the workings of law and sovereignty in a changing world-historical landscape, mixing conceptual readings with concrete case studies across space and time. By exploring the discourses and practices of sovereignty-making across world history, we develop a more grounded approach to the issue and its contours in global politics today, from disputes over the high seas to discourses on “”failed states”” and interventions.”
Effective Date 03/23/2018 An exploration of the geopolitical and ideological conflict that dominated world affairs from 1945 to 1990. Assignments include the readings of historical work, as well as primary sources, some of which are recetly declassified material from the major states involved in the Cold War.
Effective Date 09/22/2022 Democracy is in trouble today. Why? This course explores the growing threats to democracy in the United States and globally. Topics include: the impact of xenophobia, racism and radical nationalism on democracy; the rise of far-right media; the appeal of ethno-nationalism; the growth of White Power militias; legal barriers against voting, immigration and citizenship; as well as the impact of social media and cyber-based disinformation. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken MDST 2559 topic #13 Democracy in Danger or HIST 2559 topic #22 Democracy in Danger
Effective Date 01/01/2026 This course will use case studies to explore the history of intelligence, espionage, and covert operations from ancient times to the end of the Cold War. We will also explore the history of spy panics and the representation of espionage in fiction and film.
HIST 3050Modern Imperialism: The British and American Experience3
Effective Date 05/01/2022 This course examines the patterns of development of Great Britain and the United States as international powers. It illustrates their differences and similarities, what they have to tell us about the role of dependency on great power status, and the effects these had on their politics, economics and societies, as well as the countries with which they became involved.
HIST 3112Ecology and Globalization in the Age of European Expansion3
Effective Date 10/15/2010 Grounded in the field of environmental history, this course examines the ways in which environmental changes and perceptions of nature have interacted with socio-economic structures and processes associated with the expansion of Europe since the 15th century.
Effective Date 10/18/2010 This class investigates the global rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the second half of the twentieth century. The class will explore major global events such as the division of Europe, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the spread of the cold war into the developing world, the revolutions of 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Effective Date 05/01/2024 History of genocide and other forms of one-sided, state-sponsored mass killing in the twentieth century. Case studies include the Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the mass killings that have taken place under Communist regimes (e.g., Stalin’s USSR, Mao’s China, Pol Pot’s Cambodia).
Effective Date 09/24/2014 At the Great War’s centennial, we take stock of how it shaped life in the 20th century for peoples around the globe. Movies, memoirs, government reports and other texts throw light on causes of the war, the human carnage of 1914-18, Woodrow Wilson’s effort to end war forever with a League of Nations, the demise of liberalism and the rise of fascism and communism in postwar Europe, and the launch of anti-colonial movements in Asia and Africa.
Effective Date 08/01/2023 This course provides a survey of the greatest, most destructive war in human history. Perhaps 50 million people were killed in the Second World War, and the conflict reached every corner of the globe. Its political, social, and human consequences were vast and shape the world we live in today.
Effective Date 03/17/2025 Required for history majors, to be completed before enrollment in the Major Seminar. Introduces a variety of approaches to the study of history, methods for finding and analyzing primary and secondary sources, and the construction of historical arguments. Workshops are offered on a variety of topics each term.
HIST 3600Britain, America, and the History of the ‘Special Relationship’ since 19403
Effective Date 05/01/2025 This course examines the history of the ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK and its transformation from World War II to the War on Terror. Organized chronologically and thematically, it follows political, economic, and cultural events and developments. The course goes beyond orthodox top-down, ‘great men’ approach, expanding the discussion to include the shifting domestic, transatlantic, and global terrain between 1945 and today.
HIST 3611Espionage and Intelligence in the 20th Century3
Effective Date 03/01/2009 The course examines the role of intelligence and espionage in the 20th century. It compares and contrasts the U.S. effort with British and Soviet operations. It looks at the impact of technology on intelligence activities and its influence on policy decisions.
Effective Date 09/28/2023 Explores the history of soccer to understand how and why it has become the most popular sport on the planet. We focus on the culture, economics and politics of the sport. Examples are drawn from Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, and include a focus on women’s soccer. Class materials include scholarly works, essays, fiction, and film; students work on digital projects related to upcoming international tournaments. Requisites Students can’t enroll if previously taken HIST 3559 topic #51 Soccer Politics
Effective Date 01/01/2026 History-related internships to bridge academic and professional experiences. It combines an exploration of “self” in relationship to the complexities and structures of the professional organizations in which students work as interns with exploration of the professional applications of the knowledge and skills developed by History students. Students will develop mindsets and tools to conceptualize their interests and make valuable connections between their academics and potential career paths.
Effective Date 03/23/2010 Comparative study of the historical development of selected advanced economies (e.g., the United States, England, Japan, continental Europe). The nations covered vary with instructor. Cross-listed with ECON 4400.
Effective Date 01/01/2026 The major seminar is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the seminar. The work of the seminar results primarily in the preparation of a substantial (ca. 25 pages in standard format) research paper. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Effective Date 09/30/2022 The major colloquium is a small class (not more than 15 students) intended primarily but not exclusively for history majors who have completed two or more courses relevant to the topic of the colloquium. Colloquia are most frequently offered in areas of history where access to source materials or linguistic demands make seminars especially difficult. Students in colloquial prepare about 25 pages of written work distributed among various assignments. Some restrictions and prerequisites apply to enrollment. See a history advisor or the director of undergraduate studies.
Effective Date 08/01/2017 Topics courses are small, discussion-oriented classes available to any student with sufficient background and interest in a particular field of historical study. Offered irregularly, they are open to majors or non-majors on an equal basis.
Effective Date 01/01/2013 Topics courses are small, discussion-oriented classes available to any student with sufficient background and interest in a particular field of historical study. Offered irregularly, they are open to majors or non-majors on an equal basis.
Effective Date 03/01/2009 Studies historical approaches, techniques, and methodologies introduced through written exercises and intensive class discussion. Normally taken during the third year.
Effective Date 08/01/2017 Analyzes problems in historical research. Preparation and discussion of fourth-year honors theses. Normally taken during the fourth year. Intended for students who will be in residence during their entire fourth year.
Open only to students admitted to the Distinguished Majors Program. Requisites Must be in Distinguished Major Program in History and 4th Year Credits: 3
Effective Date 08/01/2017 Analyzes problems in historical research. Preparation and discussion of fourth-year honors theses. Intended for Distinguished Majors who will have studied abroad in the fall of their fourth year.
Open only to students admitted to the Distinguished Majors Program. Requisites Must be in Distinguished Major Program in History and 4th Year Credits: 3
HIST 4993Independent Study1
Effective Date 03/01/2009 In exceptional circumstances and with the permission of a faculty member any student may undertake a rigorous program of independent study designed to explore a subject not currently being taught or to expand upon regular offerings. Independent study projects may not be used to replace regularly scheduled classes. Enrollment is open to majors or non-majors.
