Saint Louis University
Course Descriptions
Fall 2012(201310)
Undergraduate Course Offerings…...Page 2
Graduate Course Offerings………….Page 6
Tentative Future Offerings…….……Page 8
Undergraduate Courses
Lower Division
Fall 2012
HIST 111: Origins of the Modern World to 1500.
A developmental and conceptual approach to Europe as the confluence of classical and oriental civilizations. The course will cover
ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and the Near East: Greece, Rome, Islam, Byzantium, and Germanic tribal society: the
contributions of each to the European Middle Ages, Renaissance, European Expansion, Scientific Revolution, and Reformation.
Section:
01
02
03
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
Dr. Thomas Finan
Dr. James Naus
TBA
Mr. Scott McDermott
Mr. Daniel Webb
Ms. Anne Romine
Dr. Filippo Marsili
Ms. Anne Romine
Mr. James Naus
Dr. Christopher Probst
MW
MW
TR
MWF
TR
TR
MWF
TR
TR
MWF
11:00-11:50 Discussion Section Required (HIST 101-112)
12:00-12:50 Discussion Section Required (HIST 201-212)
9:30-10:45
1:10-2:00
12:45-2:00
9:30-10:45
10:00-10:50
2:15-3:30
11:00-12:15
12:00-12:50
HIST 111: Origins of the Modern World to 1500: SLU Inquiry (Freshmen & Sophomores Only)
This is a survey of global history tracing the formation of the modern world from the origins of human societies through the 16 th
century. We will proceed chronologically and thematically, exploring political, economic, social, religious and intellectual change over
time. We will study early urbanization and empire; the origin and spread of world religious traditions; the diffusion of scientific
knowledge across diverse cultures and societies. As we discuss the human past we will also consider how historians have dealt with
history over the centuries. This course aims at widening our knowledge not only historically but also geographically so that we appreciate
the globe not as a series of disconnected structures but as interrelated and interdependent polities and cultures.
Section:
04
Dr. Steven Schoenig
MWF
2:10-3:00
HIST 111-01H: Honors - Origins of the Modern World to 1500 (Honor students only)
This course surveys the major forces which have shaped our world from the origins of humanity to about 1500. It includes religion,
politics, and culture, as well as social and economic developments. Emphasis is placed on those elements which, for better or worse, have
made Western Civilization the dominant force in the modern world. After a brief look at prehistory and the transition to agriculture, we
consider the first two organized civilizations-Mesopotamia and Egypt. Next a reading and analysis of the books of Genesis and Exodus
provide insight into the world view of the ancient Hebrews, a basis for both Christianity and Islam and which has continued to shape our
world until today. More time is spent on the ancient Greeks, including reading three tragedies to illuminate what also has been a
continuing influence. Rome built upon the Greek heritage, contributed new concepts of law and government, and also dominated the
Mediterranean basin and far beyond it. Christianity, growing out of Judaism, introduced a radical new concept of humanity into the
Greco-Roman world. Our course then considers the new synthesis of Christianity, pagan Rome, and the values of the German barbarians
in Western Europe. We look at the different forms Christianity took in the eastern half of the old Roman Empire and their impact on
Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe, as well as Islam--the non-Western faith which has had the greatest impact on the West. In
the period of the high middle ages we see the impact of a religious value system, the emergence of modern nation states, and the
continuing dynamism of Western Europe. We conclude with the Renaissance challenge to the medieval synthesis and the beginning of the
so-called modern era. This also is the time that Europe begins the exploration and conquest of much of the rest of the world.
Format Limited to 20 honors students. Class participation is an integral part of the course. Short textbook and outside readings. Short
papers on the outside readings. Three essay exams in the course of the semester plus a cumulative essay final.
Section:
01
Dr. Daniel Schlafly
MWF
9:00-9:50
2
HIST 112: Origins of the Modern World Since 1500
A developmental and conceptual approach emphasizing increasing awareness of and contact with the rest of the world. The course will
cover transatlantic encounters, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, the Scientific Revolution, Absolutism, the Enlightenment, the
Industrial Revolution, Modernism, and imperialism.
Section
01 Ms. Elizabeth Sherman
02 Dr. George Ndege
03 Mr. Scott McDermott
04 Dr. James Naus
05 Ms. Amy Wallhermfechtel
06 Mr. Frank Krajewski
07 Mr. Aleksey Kazakevich
08 Mr. Matthew Morgan
TR
TR
MWF
TR
MWF
MWF
MWF
TR
2:15-3:30
11:00-12:15
10:00-10:50
9:30-10:45
9:00-9:50
11:00-11:50
2:10-3:00
12:45-2:00
HIST 112-01H: Honors - Origins of the Modern World since 1600 (Honor students only)
This course will examine the origins and development of the major ideological movements in the Western world since the Reformation:
confessionalism, liberalism, conservatism, nationalism, imperialism, socialism, Communism, Fascism and Islamism. It will focus on the
attempts to use these ideologies as blueprints for restructuring society and the violence that ensued
Section
01
Mr. Daniel Webb
TR
2:15-3:30
HIST 260: History of the United States to 1865
This course covers American history from the period of contact through the Civil War. Topics include the collision of European, African,
and Native American cultures in the age of contact and settlement; colonial British North America; the American Revolution and the
Constitution; geographic expansion and social, economic, and cultural change in the Jacksonian era; slavery and the sectional conflict,
and the Civil War.
Section:
02
Dr. Lorri Glover
MWF
11:00-11:50
HIST 261: History of the United States Since 1865
This course will survey the major historical development in American history as the United States emerged as a major world power. The
course will examine such issues as the shift from a rural agrarian to an urban industrial nation, the shifting view of the role of government
in society and the economy, and the evolution of foreign policy from nineteenth century isolation to world super power in the years after
World War II. The format of the course will be lecture and discussion.
Section:
02
Dr. Torrie Hester
03
Dr. Michael Ruddy
MWF
TR
12:00-12:50
11:00-12:15
3
Undergraduate Courses
Upper Division
Fall 2012
HIST 270: China and Japan to 1600
This course will introduce students to the histories and cultures of China and Japan from the origins to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and
the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868). Students will be guided in analyzing pieces of archaeological, historical,
literary, and artistic evidence and in developing a comparative perspective with the West. Funerary and ritual practices, warfare, state
formation, ideology, and the influence of Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism, and Buddhism on institutions and society will be among the
main themes treated in class.
Section:
01 Dr. Filippo Marsili
MWF
12:00-12:50
HIST 301: Roman Republic
The history of Rome from its origins to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. An examination of Roman myth associated with the
city’s foundation, the Roman monarchy, the founding of the Republic, the conquest of the Mediterranean and the establishment of the
provincial system, the gradual loss of senatorial effectiveness, and the eventual dominance of Caesar’s Dictatorship.
Section:
01
Dr. Neil Hackett
MWF
11:00-11:50
HIST 303: The Byzantine Empire
This course will survey the history of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire from AD 285 to 1461 in lectures and discussions. Readings
will include St. Athanasius' Life of St. Anthony, Procopius' Secret History, the epic poem Digenes Acrites, Michael Psellus' memoirs, and
Geoffrey de Villehardouin's Conquest of Constantinople. There will be a midterm examination, a final examination, and a research paper
of about 3000 words.
Section:
01
Dr. Warren Treadgold
TR
12:45-2:00
HIST 316: History of Eastern Europe
Survey of the lands and peoples between Germany and Russia, from the Baltic to the Black Seas from the fall of Rome in the West until
the present. Emphasizes those religious, cultural, political, and economic elements which have shaped Eastern Europe today, including the
impact of such outside entities as the Byzantine, Ottoman, German, Habsburg, and Russian Empires. Special attention is paid to the role
of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia and to the changes in the region since the fall of Communism. Textbooks plus some outside readings.
Short reports on the outside readings. Essay mid-term and cumulative final exams. One long (10-15 typed pp.) or two short (5-8 typed
pp.) research papers. Counts towards the European requirement for a history major or minor, towards a major in International Studies, and
as an honors course. Requirement for the Certificate in Russian and East European Studies.
Section:
01
Dr. Daniel Schlafly
MWF
10:00-10:50
HIST 317: Colonial Latin America
This course will examine the history, society, culture and political structures of Latin America beginning with the indigenous peoples of
the Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans and continue through the colonial period to the wars for Independence, beginning in
1808. While the primary focus of the course will be on the expansive empire created by Spain, including a study of the history,
administration and governance of the colonies by the Spanish monarchy, due consideration will also be given to the Portuguese nation of
Brazil, along with the creation of colonies by France and the Netherlands. The course will conclude with discussion of the problems faced
by the rise of autonomous nations and governments after the independence movements of the nineteenth-century.
Section:
01
Dr. Nathaniel Millett
TR
11:00-12:15
HIST 323: Africa to 1884
This course explores the history of Africa to 1884. It delves into the major events that have shaped the evolution and development of
African societies in the pre-colonial period. The inventory of themes include early cultures and civilizations, internal dynamics of political
and socio-economic change, contacts with European and Asian societies, slave trade and African Diasporas, and prelude to colonization.
Section:
01
Dr. George Ndege
TR
9:30-10:45
4
HIST 351: Prosperity, Depression, and War, 1920-1945
This course will examine America’s political, social, and international evolution from the end of World War I to the end of World War II.
It was focus on such topics as the causes of the 1929 Depression, the New Deal and its impact on the federal government and presidency,
and the diplomacy of World War II, culminating with President Harry Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb to end the war with
Japan
Section:
01
Dr. Michael Ruddy
TR
9:00-10:45
HIST 393: American Youth Activism, 1945-1995
This course will cover some of the most fascinating and challenging issues that America has faced in the years since WWII. With its
participation in the war, the United States had done its part to rid the world of fascism, but America still confronted issues of domestic
discrimination. Changes in demographics, migratory shifts, and new educational opportunities created fertile soil for the social
movements that grew in the decades after WWII. In this course, young historians will have the opportunity to identify, analyze, and
evaluate the activities of the young people who participated in the Civil Rights, Black Power, Student Power, Antiwar, Conservative
Ascendancy, and Hip Hop movements. Assessments will include quizzes, tests, a review, a group project, and a research paper.
Section:
01 Dr. Stefan Bradley
TR
2:15-3:30
HIST 393: Spirituals, Motown & Hip Hop: African American Social History in Music
The history and evolution of African-American music is as rich and complex as the history of African Americans themselves. The essence
of music lies in its expression of the human experience. Although the different styles vary widely in their tone, topic and the tools used to
produce them, African-American music has the ability to enhance a social and cultural understanding of race, class, and gender in
American society. Music genres such as the blues, jazz, Rhythm and Blues, gospel, reggae, and hip hop will be explored within the
historical time frame to fully understand the origins, growth and development of black music and the manner it reflects the experiences of
African Americans.
Section:
02
Dr. Katrina Thompson
W
2:30-5:00
HIST 393: History of Nazi Germany
This class provides an introduction to Nazi Germany. We will discuss and analyze the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), the rise of Nazism,
the Republic’s collapse and the Nazi “seizure of power”, the importance of Hitler and the “Führer principle”, German society under the
Nazi regime, popular support and political dissent, Jewish life under the Nazis, the creation and maintenance of a "racial state", National
Socialist ideology, anti-Judaism and antisemitism in Weimar Germany and the Third Reich, the role of religion and the churches,
Germany’s role in the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the interconnectedness between war and genocide.
Section:
03
Dr. Christopher Probst
MWF
1:10-2:00
5
Undergraduate Fall 2012
Seminar Courses
HIST 490: Seminar: The Early Stuarts
A study of English history 1603-60, with emphasis on the revolutionary events of the period l629-60. The focus will be
political, religious, and social, exploring the Civil War and the overthrow and restoration of the monarchy. Students are expected to come
prepared to discuss each day’s assigned reading. There will be short quizzes, three short papers, and a final long paper of about 20 pages.
Section:
01
Dr. James Hitchcock
TR
2:15-3:30
HIST 490: Seminar: War and Warfare in the Ancient Mediterranean World
An examination of the causes, patterns, and results of war and warfare in the ancient Mediterranean world, from the earliest civilizations
of the ancient Near East to the end of the Western Roman Empire. The seminar will explore not only actual warfare and the evolution of
strategy and tactics, but also the ideology of war, its psychological and sociological effects on both participants and non-combatants, and
war’s religious significance in the ancient Mediterranean world.
Section:
02
Dr. Neil Hackett
MWF
1:10-2:00
HIST 491: Seminar: History of American Freedom
Although the quest for freedom has been central to America's history and cultural identity, liberty has never been a fixed and timeless
right, but an idea whose meaning underwent profound changes over the centuries. It has also been the object of many, often very
dramatic, conflicts and disagreements about what exactly it implied, and who should be included in its benefits. This seminar will
examine how the cultural meanings and political uses of liberty developed in America by discussing the various stages of this evolution in
their specific, historical circumstances. The course will have two parallel trajectories. One will involve reading and analyzing primary and
secondary texts related to the evolution of liberty in America in order that you become familiar with the topic as well as the various
historical schools of thought and methods of interpretation. The other will be devoted to your research paper, and will involve formulating
its topic, assembling the initial bibliography, preparing a written conceptualization of the argument, presenting your findings in class for
critical discussion, and writing the paper.
Section:
01
Dr. Michal Rozbicki
MWF
12:00-12:50
HIST 491: The American West
This course will examine the U.S. West, focusing on the 19th and 20 th centuries. It will survey themes of conquest and colonialism,
migration and immigration, economic development and environmental change, resistance and accommodation. Students, for example,
will study contested national borders of the 19th century, examining U.S. relations with the Sioux, Comanches, and Mexicans. Students
will explore the changing definition of the West and the frontier in popular culture by analyzing stories and movies about the West. They
will study the emergence of Hollywood and even Disneyland in the 20th century. Students will also trace historically significant
demographic shifts, ranging from miners rushing into the California Gold fields, to Cold-War refugees fleeing Southeast Asia, to
contemporary migrations from Mexico. Through secondary readings, a film review, and primary research, students will explore key
questions and approaches that scholars have used to study the rich history of the U.S. West.
Section:
02
Dr. Flannery Burke
TR
12:45-2:00
HIST 495: Senior Residency
Section:
01 Dr. Philip Gavitt
HIST 496: Internship/History in Practice
This course gives students the opportunity to serve as unpaid interns in the area of public history, historic preservation, archives, library
and museum science. Students work an equivalent of 8-10 hours per week for the semester, keep a journal of their activities, and receive
an evaluation by the professional in charge of supervising their work. Students may undertake an internship with organizations in the St.
Louis area or most anywhere in the world. The instructor works with students to identify internship work that matches their interests and
to place them with appropriate organizations.
Section:
30
Dr. Silvana Siddali
6
Graduate Courses
Fall 2012
HIST 500: Theory and Practice of History: An Introduction
This course will examine some of the most influential theories of today's intellectual marketplace that affect the study of history, from
historical materialism, through structuralism, semiotics, post structuralism, postmodernism, and critical theory, to gender and narrative
history. We will discuss their intellectual essence as well as their usefulness in terms of the insights they offer to the historian. Apart from
reviewing various theoretical approaches, we will also discuss their applications by closely examining selected cases of scholarship on
European history that employ them as tools of interpretation, and as forms of writing about the past.
Section:
01
Dr. Philip Gavitt
W
4:30-7:00
HIST 520: Introduction to Byzantine History
This course is designed to introduce you to the main reference works and other secondary and primary works needed to study Byzantine
history at the graduate level, including scholarly journals and Internet resources. In the first part of the course, each week you will
prepare, present in class, and hand in a report of about 1500 words on an assigned book or books. In the second part of the course, you
will write, present in class, and hand in a paper of about 10,000 words on a topic of your choice related to Byzantine history (subject to
my approval), using the works we have already discussed that are relevant to your topic. The weekly reports will determine 50% of your
grade and the paper will determine the remaining 50%, subject to adjustment for class participation if it is noticeably better or worse than
the reports and paper.
Section:
01
Dr. Warren Treadgold
R
4:30-7:00
HIST 531: Medieval Ireland
An examination of the most important topics in medieval history including historiographic background, literature, and current trends.
This course will acquaint the student with the work and thought of the leading scholars in medieval studies as well as differing
perspectives.
Section:
01
Dr. Thomas Finan
W
4:30-7:00
HIST 540: Studies in Early Modern European History
Readings in major secondary works of modern European history from fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Each class will be devoted
primarily to a discussion of assigned works, and students required to write a comprehensive bibliographical essay on some topic in early
modern European history, surveying the secondary literature on the subject and reaching conclusions.
Section:
01
Dr. James Hitchcock
T
4:30-7:00
HIST 550: Studies in Modern European History
This course provides an introduction to major scholarship on European history from the Napoleonic Era to the fall of the Soviet Union. It
is intended to introduce the student to influential readings in the field as well as significant recent scholarship. Some of the works we will
discuss are scholarly monographs; others are comprehensive interpretations that synthesize decades of research. Each week a particular
historical work will be used both as an avenue into a specific topic and as a means to help students understand the different ways
historians approach their subject matter. The topics that we will examine include the European Enlightenments, the rise of European
democracy and nationalism, industrialization, imperialism, the complex and far-reaching impact of the two World Wars, the Holocaust,
the Cold War, and dominant "isms" such as Fascism, Nazism, Totalitarianism, and Communism.
Section:
01
Dr. Christopher Probst
M
4:30-7:00
HIST 560: TBA
An introduction to methodology and recent literature, and the study of United States history. Topics will range from colonial through
contemporary American history.
Section:
01
Dr. Silvana Siddali
W
4:30-7:00
7
HIST 561: Advanced Studies in American History
From plantations in the South to the farms and households of the Mid-West/North, enslaved African men and women played vital roles in
building the United States. In this course, we will investigate the history and culture of slavery. Delving into the vast historiography on
this subject, we will discuss how scholars have investigated and interpreted the role of slavery in different regions, stages, and cultural
contexts. Topics for consideration include Atlantic/Domestic Slave Trade, Slavery and Culture, Slavery and Capitalism, Slavery and
Race, Free black experience in the North, Slavery and Gender, and Masters and Slaves.
Section:
01
Dr. Katrina Thompson
T
4:30-7:00
HIST 681: Seminar: The Medieval Papacy
This seminar examines the popes (as pastors and politicians) and the papacy (as theory and institution) during the Middle Ages, from their
roots in antiquity through the twelfth century. Certain key secondary works will be read, but the focus is on producing an advanced
research paper incorporating original scholarship. To that end, students will learn research skills and investigate source genres that are
important to the study of medieval papal history.
Section:
01
Dr. Steven Schoenig
M
4:30-7:00
HIST 690: Professional Writing for Historians
Professional Writing for Historians is the first half (3 crs) of a two-semester program (6 crs) designed to assist students in making the
critical transition from coursework to professional writing and dissertation research as efficiently and effectively as possible. Graduate
study in the first two years of a student’s program has followed the well-delineated lines of course requirements and language training.
Building on this phase, a student must now use that knowledge and skill to carry out a more amorphous task, namely to conduct original
research somewhat independently in order to complete the Ph.D. program successfully and to launch a career as a publishing professional
historian. At this point, a student faces three challenges: to conceptualize the dissertation, to fund a year of research, and to begin
establishing a record of scholarship.
This two-semester course of study will help students achieve these objectives by providing hands-on mentoring and a collaborative
network so that by the end of the academic year they will have completed an accepted dissertation prospectus, tendered a competitive
application for an external grant, and submitted an article to a respected academic journal for publication. In this first semester course,
students will gain strategies to the challenges of competing in the academic job market, complete and submit a grant proposal, and begin
their dissertation prospectus.
Section:
01
Dr. Charles Parker
R
4:30-7:00
8
Tentative History Courses
Spring 2013
Course
111-01
111-01H
111-02
111-03
111-04
111-05
111-06
111-07
111-08
112-01
112-01H
112-02
112-03
112-04
112-05
112-06
112-07
112-08
112-09
112-10
260-02
261-01
261-03
271-01
302-01
329-01
349-01
358-01
370-01
393-01
Day
TR
MWF
MWF
MWF
MWF
TR
MWF
MWF
TR
MW
MWF
MW
MWF
MWF
TR
MWF
TR
MWF
MWF
TR
TR
TR
MWF
MWF
TR
MWF
TR
TR
MWF
MWF
Time
9:30-10:45
2:10-3:00
12:00-12:50
10:00-10:50
11:00-11:50
11:00-12:15
9:00- 9:50
1:10-2:00
12:45-2:00
11:00-11:50
9:00-9:50
12:00- 12:50
10:00-10:50
2:10-3:00
12:45- 2:00
1:10-2:00
9:30- 10:45
10:00-10:50
9:00-9:50
11:00-11:50
9:30-10:45
9:30-10:45
10:00-10:50
10:00-10:50
2:15-3:30
10:00-10:50
12:45-2:00
2:15-3:30
11:00-11;50
2:10-3:00
393-02
393-03
490-01
490-02
491-02
492-01
495-01
496-04
498531-01
551-01
561-01
561-02
590-01
680-01
681-01
682-01
684-01
TR
TR
MWF
TR
MWF
TR
11:00-12:15
9:30-10:45
1:10-2:00
2:15-3:30
12:00-12:50
11:00-11:50
TBA
TBA
TBA
1:10-4:00
4:30-7:00
4:30-7:00
4:30-7:00
TBA
4:30-7:00
4:30-7:00
4:30-7:00
4:30-7:00
M
M
T
R
R
M
T
W
W
Title
ORIGINS OF THE MODERN WORLD TO 1500
HONORS- ORIGINS OF THE MODERN WORLD
SLU INQUIRY
FRESHMAN INTEREST GROUP
ORIGINS OF THE MOD. WORLD SINCE 1500/LG LECTURE
HONORS- ORIGINS OF THE MODERN WORLD SINCE 1500
LARGE LECTURE
ORIGINS OF THE MODERN WORLD SINCE 1500
HISTORY OF UNITED STATES TO 1865
HISTORY OF UNITED STATES SINCE 1865- DOUBLE
HISTORY OF UNITED STATES SINCE 1865
THE ROMAN EMPIRE
HISTORY OF RUSSIA SINCE 1905
THE GILDED AGE
SLAVERY IN FILM AND POPULAR CULTURE
SPECIAL TOPICS
EMPIRES AND INTERACTIONS IN THE EARLY MODERN
WORLD
SPECIAL TOPICS
SEMINAR: MEDIEVAL ARCHEOLOGY
SEMINAR:
SEMINAR: CIVIL RIGHTS
SENIOR RESIDENCY
INTERNSHIP/HISTORY IN PRACTICE
ADVANCED INDEPENDENT STUDY
ADV. STD. MEDIEVAL HISTORY:
STUDIES
ADV. STD: ENVIRONMENTAL
ADV. STD: SLAVERY IN THE ATLANTIC WORLD
ADV. STD:
SEMINAR: BYZANTINE-WESTERN RELATIONS
SEMINAR:
SEMINAR: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SCIENCE
SEMINAR:
9
Professor
TBA
JENNIFER POPIEL
JAMES HITCHCOCK
TBA
DAMIAN SMITH
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
THOMAS FINAN
DANIEL SCHLAFLY
CHRISTOPHER PROBST
JAMES HITCHCOCK
LUKE YARBROUGH
NATHANIEL MILLETT
CHRISTOPHER PROBST
GEORGE NDEGE
DAMIAN SMITH
FILIPPO MARSILI
TBA
MICHAL ROZBICKI
SILVANA SIDDALI
FLANNERY BURKE
FILIPPO MARSILI
NEIL HACKETT
DANIEL SCHLAFLY
TORRIE HESTER
KATRINA THOMPSON
SILVANA SIDDALI
CHRISTOPHER PROBST
CHARLES PARKER
LUKE YARBROUGH
THOMAS FINAN
STEVEN SCHOENIG
STEFAN BRADLEY
GEORGE NDEGE
PHILIP GAVITT
SILVANA SIDDALI
TBA
THOMAS MADDEN
JENNIFER POPIEL
FLANNERY BURKE
NATHANIAL MILLETT
MICHAEL RUDDY
WARREN TREADGOLD
STEVEN SCHOENIG
PHILIP GAVITT
LORRI GLOVER