College of Arts & Sciences 

SPRING 2012 UPPER-DIVISION COURSES

New title and course description

HIS 317 The Rise of the West: 400-1200: Dr. Lewin
Traditionally "Rome Fell" and that was the end of civilization for centuries.  More recently, scholars have asked how much failed, where, when and why, and more importantly, what innovations occurred during a time of great fluidity and flexibility.  Many of our most deeply cherished ideals, such as freedom of conscience, separation of church and state, and representative government arose during these crucial centuries, shaped by the unique collision of Rome, Germanic and Christian cultures.

New course

HIS 339 Mongol Empire, 1100-1500: Dr. Chakars
In the 1200's, the Mongols built the largest contiguous land empire the world had ever known.  This course will cover the rise, running, and fall of this empire.  It will explore how the Mongols, who were the most famous example of nomadic conquerors, played a large role in European history.  The course will survey how their empire affected their own people and culture as well as that of the people they conquered.

Seminars 

HIS 471 Childhood in America: Dr. Hyson
This seminar will examine the diverse experiences of children and the changing conceptions of childhood in American history from the colonial era to the present.  Topics will include family life, gender roles, play, education, labor, popular culture, the role of the state, and the impact of class, race, and ethnicity.  Students will read and discuss key works in the emerging field of "childhood studies," pursue directed research in primary sources, and produce a major research paper.

HIS 477 The History of Intervention in Africa:  Dr. Hooper
This course will examine the history of intervention in Africa, with a focus on the impact of Western humanitarian campaigns on African societies during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Throughout the semester, we will consider diverse topics such as the abolition of the slave trade and slavery, European colonization and decolonization, and the work of aid organizations. We will use this history to contextualize current debates over political, military, and economic aid to the continent. In this course, students will develop a research project focusing on a specific instance of Western intervention in Africa during the nineteenth or twentieth century.