COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
HISTORY (HIS)
16-013 WORLD CIVILIZATIONS TO 1500. The origins, development and character
of the major world civilizations
16-023 WORLD CIVILIZATIONS SINCE 1500. The changing nature of the world's
civilizations and their increasing interrelations after 1500. (Annually) (H) (IP)
16-063 COLONIAL AND POSTCOLONIAL WORLDS. This course will introduce
students to a historical understanding of the world in the 19th and 20th centuries,
framed by colonial and postcolonial relationships between the West and areas
colonized by it after 1750. Several themes will be pursued, including contradictory
goals of colonizers and varieties of indigenous response; social and cultural
effects of colonization; anti-colonial struggles, decolonization, the Cold War; and
globalization. (Annually) (H) (IP)
16-073 NATIONS AND NATIONALISM IN WORLD HISTORY. A history of the
modern world focusing on how "nations" are defined in different historical and
geographical contexts. In each context, the course will address the question of
who has the legitimate authority to represent the "nation," as well as how national
"insiders" are distinguished from "outsiders" by those who have the authority to
define the boundaries of the nation. (Annually) (H) (IP)
16-093 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN WORLD HISTORY. This course surveys
how humans worldwide have understood and manipulated nature from prehistory
to the present. The class investigates whether science is a uniquely European
invention; what standards should be used to judge the value of natural knowledge
systems that bear little resemblance to modern science; what needs and desires
humans have fulfilled through understanding and manipulating nature; what has
led different cultures to perceive the natural world in such divergent ways; and how
technology and science have influenced each other historically. Also Environmental
Studies 49-093. (Annually) (H) (IP)
16-203 EARLY MODERN EUROPE. Survey of the history of Europe from about
1400 to 1800. Topics will include the Renaissance and Reformation; transitions
from feudal to capitalist and colonial economies; health and epidemic disease;
women's experiences, sexuality and family life; magic, the "Scientific Revolution"
and Enlightenment; absolutism and the development of modern nation-states.
(Annually) (H)
16-213 MODERN EUROPE. A history of Europe from the French Revolution of 1789
to the present, emphasizing the development of new political traditions and social
structures, the establishment of new forms of international organization, the
transformation of work, changes in the lived environment and the evolution of
understandings of the self. (Annually) (H)
16-223 U.S. HISTORY BEFORE 1865. This course will explore major social, political,
economic and diplomatic developments in the United States before 1865. It will
examine the profound and numerous transformations in American society through
the end of the Civil War. It will expose students to a wide range of historical actors
and dialogues by considering themes such as: how Americans have struggled to
understand and define the nature of freedom and equality; the evolving national
government; socioeconomic and cultural shifts brought on by the transportation/
market revolution; and the consequences of the country's territorial expansion.
(Annually) (H)
16-233 U.S. HISTORY SINCE 1865. This course will explore major social, political,
economic and diplomatic developments in the United States since the Civil War. It
will examine the experiences and the conflicts that made up the history of modern
American society. Students will be exposed to a wide range of historical actors and
dialogues. The course will examine the profound and numerous transformations
the country experienced in this period through three themes: how Americans have
struggled to understand and define the nature of freedom and equality; the evolving
character of the American state and its relationship to the sociopolitical economy;
and how the United States became increasingly involved in a "global community."
(Annually) (H)
16-243 ANCIENT CHINA. An examination of ancient China from the rise of the earliest
state through the "classical" era and the early empires of the Qin and the Han. This
course will focus on intellectual, cultural and social history, including such topics
as ancestor reverence, universal kingship, the mandate of Heaven, the writing and
transmission of the "classics," the formation of the Confucian and Daoist traditions,
and the evolution of territorial states. Also Religion 19-423. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
(R)
16-253 IMPERIAL CHINA 589-1911. A survey of the intellectual, cultural and social
history of China from the reunification of the Chinese empire in 589 A.D. through
the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until the demise of the dynastic
system in 1911. The nature of Neo-Confucianism, the Chinese scholar-official class,
the examination system, the bureaucratic state, foreign influences and conquests,
and the arts and literature of imperial China are the primary concerns of this course.
(Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-263 AFRICAN HISTORY. This survey is an introduction to African cultures and
history from precolonial times to the present, emphasizing Africa's variety and
its connections to other parts of the world. Topics include: precolonial social
and political organization; the spread of Islam and Christianity; the impact of the
Atlantic slave trade; conquest and resistance; social change under colonial rule;
decolonization; neo-colonialism and postcolonial challenges. (Annually) (H) (IP)
16-273 JAPANESE CIVILIZATION. This course is a survey of the history and culture
of Japan from the rise of the Yamato state in the sixth century A.D. to the Meiji
Restoration in 1868. The course will examine indigenous institutional and cultural
developments and the nature of stimuli and influences from the East Asian
continental cultures and from the United States and Europe. Heian aristocratic
society, Japanese feudalism, Japan's late traditional state and society and the Meiji
Restoration will be studied. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-293 TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE AND MEDICINE. These courses
investigate how people in the past have understood nature. Each course topic
emphasizes a different geographical area, chronological period and specific area
of scientific or medical interest, but every version of the course will emphasize
how broader historical contexts have shaped human knowledge of nature. May be
repeated with change in topic. (Biennially) (H)
16-313 GREEK CIVILIZATION. See Classics 07-313. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-323 ROMAN CIVILIZATION. See Classics 07-323. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-333 GUERRILLA MOVEMENTS IN LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY. The
objective of this course is to provide students with a general overview of the
evolution of guerrilla warfare in Latin America from the earliest indigenous
rebellions in the 16th century to the struggles waged in Peru, Colombia and Mexico
in contemporary times. (Biennially) (H)
16-363 COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA. This course provides an overview of the
most significant historical themes, events and personages that contributed to the
formation, evolution and development of Indoamerica. The class will examine the
period encompassed between the apogee of pre-Columbian high civilizations and
the Creole wars of independence of the 19th century. Particular attention will be
paid to the encounter and collision of Europe and America, and the nature of the
complex society that emerged as a result of these events. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-373 MODERN LATIN AMERICA. This is a survey of the cultural, social, economic
and political themes that contributed to the creation of modern Latin America. The
course will examine the period between the beginnings of the Wars of Independence,
in the early 19th century, to the present. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-383 THE HOLOCAUST. This course will look at the Holocaust, the destruction of
European Jewry, as an event in both European history and Jewish history. The
course will focus on the development and implementation of Nazi ideology and
the "final solution" in Germany and the territories it conquered during World War
II, and seek to account for both the actions of perpetrators and the responses of
victims and bystanders to the events as they unfolded. The course will draw on
work scholars have done in the fields of literature, anthropology, philosophy and
religious studies, as well as history. (Biennially) (H)
16-393 GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE. This course
examines the gender and sexual politics of the British empire, ca. 1600-1960. The
empire provided a crucial theater for Britons to become men and escape confining
ideals of femininity. Looser sexual norms in the empire proved liberating for some
and life-threatening to others. The colonized in the Americas, India, Australia and
Africa found their gender and sexual identities irrevocably transformed by the
British empire, and made the redefinition of gender and sexuality a key part of their
liberation struggles in the 20th century. Also Feminist Studies 04-393. (Biennially)
(H)
16-403 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND MODERN FRANCE. A history of
France from 1789 to the present. The development of new political ideologies and
institutions during the Revolution, the modernization of state, culture and society in
the 19th and 20th centuries, workers' struggles, and questions of religious, political
and ethnic diversity will be studied. (Biennially) (H)
16-413 HISTORY OF RACE RELATIONS IN THE 20TH CENTURY U.S. By
exploring the history of Asian Americans and Latinos as well as African-Americans
and whites, this class emphasizes the multiracial history of 20th-century America.
This course recognizes the historical significance of multiple racial and ethnic
groups. The ways in which major events and episodes in the century, including the
Progressive Era, the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War, affected
minority groups as well as how these groups responded to their social and political
environment will be examined. Also Feminist Studies 04-423. (Biennially) (H)
16-433 MODERN SOUTH AFRICA. A survey of the history of southern Africa
emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries. Themes will include indigenous social
organization, colonization, slavery, the spread of Christianity, labor migrancy,
industrialization, apartheid and its aftermath, and African nationalism and
resistance. These issues will be examined with attention given to questions of race
and ethnicity, class, and gender and generation. (Biennially) (H) (IP)
16-453 SLAVERY AND FREEDOM IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD. Slavery and the
slave trade were fundamental to the development of the Americas. Africa and
the Americas were linked through the Atlantic slave trade, as well as through the
movement to abolish slavery. Slavery was also widespread in Africa, and it grew
in importance as a result of the Atlantic slave trade. This course will consider
various systems of slavery and the changes in those systems over time, as well as
examine the economic and ideological links among slave systems in Africa and the
Americas. (Biennially) (H)
16-463 LATIN AMERICAN, ASIAN AND EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION IN U.S.
HISTORY. This course will examine topics in the history of Latin American, Asian
and European immigrants in America, especially during the years between 1880
and 1965. A comparative framework will be used to integrate Latin Americans and
Asian migrants into a more common understanding of European immigration in the
late 19th and 20th centuries. The course will explore major themes in immigration
history rather than a comprehensive examination; themes will include debates in
immigration history, round-trip vs. permanent migration, community building,
acculturation and racial formation among others. Also Feminist Studies 04-503.
(Biennially) (H)
16-473 GENDER AND GENERATION IN AFRICA. This course enables students to gain
a better understanding of historical and contemporary Africa through examination
of two important and interlocking features of African social organization that
significantly shape community life and structure social conflicts: gender and
generation. Changes associated with colonialism and modernity have in turn had
significant effects on African understandings of gender and generation and have
resulted in new types of conflict. These social and cultural patterns, changes, and
conflicts will be analyzed through reading and discussing the work of historians
and anthropologists, as well as novels and films by contemporary Africans. Also
Anthropology 35-473 and Feminist Studies 04-473. (Biennially) (H)
16-503 THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. WEST. This course will focus on the development
of the 19th- and 20th- century American West. It will explore themes that highlight
the intersections of race, gender, class, nationality and the environment rather than
providing a chronological overview of the history of the West. Course objectives
include learning to interpret varied forms of historical evidence and fostering
analytical, reading, discussion and synthetic skills that will help students think
and communicate critically about historical and contemporary society and politics.
(Biennially) (H)
16-523 BRITISH HISTORY, 1688 TO THE PRESENT. This course will look at the
modern portion of Britain's unique history. Beginning with the 1688 Glorious
Revolution, when England restored its monarchy under a constitution and Protestant
church, political developments as well as the key economic, social and cultural
changes that have shaped modern Britain will be traced. Topics will include the
bitter loss of America and the often violent absorption of Scotland and Ireland;
changes in the class system; the Anglican Church's fight to maintain religious
dominance; increasing literacy and popularity of science and literature; rivalries
with the French; the wonders and horrors of industrialization; the growth of cities;
imperialism's heyday and decline; the changing status of women; the devastation of
the two world wars; the rise of the welfare state; and Thatcherism and Tony Blair's
response: Cool Britannia. (Biennially) (H)
16-533 TOPICS IN BRITISH CULTURE. Cultural history seeks to understand how
people have attached meanings to their lives through the expression of ideas, art,
science, performance, consumption, sport and other cultural forms. This course
will examine various aspects of Great Britain's cultural history to try to understand
British identities, and how Britons have understood the meanings of their everyday
lives. Offerings include British Isles under the Tudor-Stuarts; English and Scottish
Enlightenments; Victorian Britain, Ireland and Empire. May be repeated with
change in topic. (Biennially) (H)
16-543 GENDER AND SCIENCE. This course examines what the sciences have said
historically about women, men, gender and sexuality - as well as the flip side of
that coin; how preconceived notions about women, men, gender and sexuality have
shaped scientific ideas. Using historical examples, the course considers when the
sciences have alternately been tools for empowerment and enslavement. Subjects
for discussion include: women in the sciences, changing anatomical views of
male and female bodies, race as a complicating factor in scientific notions about
gender, scientific investigations of homosexuality, the masculinity and femininity
of scientists, the gendering of nature itself and science as a kind of power. Also
Feminist Studies 04-543. (Biennially) (H)
16-563 MODERN CHINESE HISTORY. A study of the fall of the Chinese dynastic
system, cultural and revolutionary movements, the establishment of the People's
Republic, and the continuing transformations in contemporary China. (Biennially)
(H) (IP)
16-583 MODERN JAPANESE HISTORY. A study of the intellectual, social and
institutional origins of modern Japan, its role in World War II in the Pacific, its
post-War transformations and recent trends. (Biennially) (H)
16-593 MODERN JEWISH HISTORY. A survey of the major currents in Jewish culture,
society, religious life and political status from 1492-present. This course places
these aspects of Jewish life within context of the wider cultures in which Jews have
lived. Topics include: the consequences of the Spanish expulsion of 1492, traditional
piety in European Jewish culture, forms of mysticism, the Jewish enlightenment,
patterns of acculturation, religious reform, Zionism, the Holocaust, and Jewish life
in America. Also Religion 19-593. (Biennially) (H) (R)
16-653 LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY IN FILM AND LITERATURE. Indoamerica
is a complex territory and a state of mind suspended between the extremes of despair
and unbound hopefulness. Telling its history poses insurmountable challenges to
the academic historian, and often the history of the land and its people is better
expressed in the work of magicians, artists, writers and auteurs. This course is a
humble attempt to venture into the labyrinthine relationships between the artist and
that enigmatic territorial and spiritual landscape extending from the Rio Bravo to
Tierra del Fuego. (Biennially) (H)
16-663 THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION. The Mexican Revolution was one of the
momentous events of the 20th century. It transformed Mexican society bringing
change and hope for the masses who fought in it. Nevertheless, at the beginning of
the 21st century, most of the Mexican Revolution's promises are still unfulfilled.
This course is an attempt to study, dissect, and analyze the legacy and significance of
the Mexican Revolution and its role as the first significant revolutionary movement
of the 20th century. (Biennially) (H)
16-673 THE PERUVIAN COLONIAL INQUISITION. The Holy Office of the
Inquisition was reintroduced to Spain in 1478 and exported to Peru in 1569. The
transfer was designed to maintain the "purity" and "integrity" of the Catholic faith
in the face of the unorthodox attacks mounted by moral, political, and religious
"deviants" in the colonies. This course is an attempt to examine the manner in
which the imposition of a new religious order affected the lives of the members of
the newly emerging Peruvian society, particularly the quotidian lives of ordinary
people. It also examines the cases of many of those who became the focus of
inquisitorial persecution and new repositories, interpreters, and transmitters of
the new cultural phenomenon emerging out of the collision and fusion of two
incommensurable worlds. (Biennially) (H)
16-753 TEXAS HISTORY. This class will explore major social, political, economic and
cultural developments in Texas, emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries. A major
theme will be the interactions of various immigrant and indigenous groups with
each other and with successive political powers, including the Spanish empire,
independent Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States. (Biennially)
(H)
16-854 HISTORIOGRAPHY. A study of the concept of history, the history of historical
writing, the major schools of historical interpretation today and the relation of
history to philosophy of history. Prerequisite: Must be at least a second semester
sophomore. (Every semester) (H)
16-864 RESEARCH SEMINAR. Topics, which change from semester to semester, include
History and Memory, Utopias and Utopianism, Property and Power, Microhistories,
On Revolution, and Insiders and Outsiders. Prerequisite: History 16-854. (Every
semester) (H)
16-001, 002, 003, 004 SELECTED TOPICS. May be repeated with change in topic.
16-301, 302, 303, 304 SELECTED TOPICS. May be repeated with change in topic.
16-901, 902, 903, 904 TUTORIAL.
16-941, 942, 943, 944 ACADEMIC INTERNSHIP IN HISTORY. Must be taken Pass/D/F.
16-951, 952, 953, 954 INDEPENDENT STUDY. May be repeated with change in content.
16-983 HONORS. By invitation only.
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