College of Arts & Sciences 

FALL 2012 UPPER-DIVISION COURSES

New course

HIS 394  A History of the Modern Middle East, 1798-2000: Fr. Wrynn, S.J.

The vagaries of war play a part in the initiation of modernity for the Middle East; a shameful peace with the Russian Empire in 1774 and the brazen occupation of Egypt by a French army two-and-a-half decades later define a need to modernize defenses. From a modern army to political proposals including common citizenship for all subjects of the Sultan followed. Balkan (Greek) nationalism began to consume Ottoman hold on its Christian Europe's extension. And that was followed by Arabic nationalism and Turkic nationalism. The last brought a Turkish republic out of the ruins of a world war. Mid-twentieth century saw nationalism replaced by Arab Socialism (Nasserism and Ba‘th) followed by awakening of the forces of Islamism. Will modernity be followed by bigoted militarism or a new face of Islam with a social conscience? 

Seminars 

HIS 471  Seminar in American History  African Americans in Motion: Dr. Sibley

This seminar will pick up on themes in the work of historian Ira Berlin, author of The Making of African America: The Four Great Migrations (2010) as well as in the paintings of artist Jacob Lawrence, whose "Migration Series" (1941) examined African-American departures from the South in the twentieth century.  The course will thus explore the history of African-Americans in motion, from the Great Migration launched a century ago to the arrival of African immigrants since 1965.   The theme of movement will not only focus on physical transit, but will also explore cultural diffusion, including music, art, literature and sport, and political and social progress as well.  Students will explore these topics in readings and in a research paper of significant size.

HIS 472 Seminar in European History  Empire and Ethnicity in Russia and the Soviet Union: Dr. Chakars 

Although people commonly refer to the citizens of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and today's Russian Federation as "Russians," this territory has always been comprised of many ethnic groups. The region spans across Eurasia from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean and therefore provides a wide variety of social, cultural, and political experiences. This seminar will begin by examining theories of empire, identity, and nationalism. It will then use these concepts to help understand the rise of nationalism(s) in the Russian Imperial Empire in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The course will then explore the implementation and reception of Soviet nationalities policies, the role of nationalism in the collapse of the USSR, and national identity in the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states.

HIS 476 Seminar in Asian History   China's Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976: Dr. Carter.

This seminar will challenge students to understand the causes, processes, and effects of one of the least understood periods in modern history. For ten years, China's political leadership turned on itself, destroying hundreds of thousands of lives. Education and commerce ground to a halt, and much of the population was relocated. Referred to today as the "Ten Years of Turmoil," the Cultural Revolution casts a shadow still on China's continuing development.

Readings will include memoirs, primary sources, and historical monographs. Film, literature, and visual arts of the period will be included.

The seminar's final product will be a significant research paper on some aspect of the Cultural Revolution. The specific topic will be developed by the student in consultation with the instructor.

[Writing Intensive certification is pending]