Saint Louis University
Course Descriptions
Spring 2015 (201520)
Revision 11/03/14
Undergraduate Course Offerings…...Page 2
Graduate Course Offerings………….Page 7
Undergraduate Courses-Lower Division
Spring 2015
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
Dr. Filippo Marsili
01H
02
03
04
Dr. Damian Smith
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Fr. Steven Schoenig
TR
9:30-10:45
MWF
MWF
MWF
1:10-2:00
12:00-12:50
10:00-10:50
MWF
TR
11:00-11:50
11:00-12:15
MWF
MWF
TR
R
TR
TR
TR
MWF
MWF`
TR
TR
9:00-9:50
1:10-2:00
12:45-2:00
5:30-8:00
9:30-10:45
12:45-2:00
11:00-12:15
10:00-10:50
11:00-11:50
9:30-10:45
11:00-12:15
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
Dr. Jennifer J. Popiel
MW
11:00-11:50 Discussion Section Required (HIST 112-101-113)
02
Dr. Thomas Finan
MW
12:00-12:50 Discussion Section Required (HIST 112-101-113)
04
MWF
2:10-3:00
06
MWF
1:10-2:00
07
TR
9:30-10:45
08
TR
12:45-2:00
08
TR
12:45-2:00
09
TR
9:30-10:45
10
Dr. Ndege
TR
11:00-12:15
11
T
5:30-8:00
12
TR
11:00-12:15
13
Dr. Lorri Glover
MWF
10:00-10:50
14
Dr. Thomas Finan
MWF
9:00-9:50
15
TR
9:30-10:45
2
HIST 112: Origins of the Modern World Since 1500: SLU Inquiry (Freshmen & Sophomores
Only)
Section:
05
Dr. Claire Gilbert
TR
12:45-2:00
SLU Inquiry
HIST 112-01H: Honors - Origins of the Modern World since 1600 (Honor students only)
The major forces which have shaped the modern world since 1500 will be examined--religious, political,
intellectual, social, and economic. The goal is for each student to reach his or her own understanding of the past for
its own sake and as it has shaped our contemporary world. We begin with the Reformation then examine Europe's
impact on the rest of the world in the age of exploration and discovery. Next are the Scientific Revolution and
political absolutism. In the Enlightenment, rationalism is applied to society, economics, and politics. The liberalism,
nationalism, and revolutionary fervor unleashed by the French Revolution transformed Europe and the world in the
19th and 20th centuries. The Industrial Revolution reshaped the economic, social, and political life of much of
Europe, then beyond. We will consider the impact of Darwin, Marx, and other thinkers and the changing power
structure in the late 19th century. World War I contributed to the rise of non-European powers and the emergence of
totalitarian systems. World War II caused vast destruction, dominance by the US and the USSR, and the emergence
of former colonial states. The United States remained the sole superpower after the collapse of the Soviet Empire in
1989-91, but its hegemony faces growing ideological, military, social, and economic challenges from state entities
like China and the Russian Federation, international terrorism, transnational economic forces, and the global
movement of people, information, and disease. In the contemporary world the West’s direct role has diminished, but
its ideas and institutions are more powerful than ever. Students will read a basic textbook plus 5 or 6 other books,
chosen to illuminate particular periods and worldviews in more depth. There will be three essay examinations during
the semester, three short papers (1000 words each) on the outside readings, and a final presentation. Each paper and
each short exam will count about 12.5% of your final grade, and the final presentation about 25%. Class discussion
is an integral part of the course, and regular attendance is expected.
Section
03H
Dr. Daniel Schlafly
MWF
10:00-10:50
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. Katrina Thompson
TR
11:00-12:15
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:
03
TR
9:30-10:45
3
Undergraduate Courses
Upper Division
Spring 2015(201520)
HIST 271: China and Japan Since 1600
This course will follow the political, cultural, and social histories of China and Japan from the seventeenth century
(roughly the age of the Ming-Qing transition and of the inception of the Togukawa shogunate) to the present. It will
concentrate on the interaction of China and Japan as well as on their respective roles in international exchanges
and conflicts. The class will focus on the impact of traditions such as Confucianism, Buddhism, Shintoism, and
Christianity on society and institutions, on organized violence (e.g. warfare, uprisings, and samurai ideology) and on
gender relations. Students will learn how to approach historical, literary, and artistic evidence and develop a critical
perspective on cross-cultural issues.
Section:
01
Dr. Filippo Marsili
TR
12:45-2:00
HIST 299: Historian’s Craft: Methods Proseminar
This course is to equip students to do the work of historians and to prepare them for a successful career as a history
major (and a vocation after college, no matter what that job might be). More precisely, this course will help develop
the reading, writing, analytical, and research skills necessary for tackling assignments and research projects in 300level courses and in the senior seminar. To that end, we will read books from a variety of fields using a variety of
historical methodologies and address different career paths that employ disciplined historical thinking. The idea is to
learn how to think critically about sources and arguments and to hone your analytical skills in our seminars and your
weekly assignments. Along the way we’ll read some great books and learn about a lot of different historical fields
too!
Section:
01
Dr. Silvana Siddali
TR
2:15-3:30
02
Dr. Philip Gavitt
MWF
1:10-2:00
HIST 302: Roman Empire
This course is a survey of the ancient Roman Empire, a political entity of nearly 60 million people whose territory
today would encompass 40 nations in Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East. The class will proceed
chronologically, beginning in the late first century B.C. with the reorganization of Rome’s government under
Augustus, and ending with the installation of a king in Rome in the fifth century A.D.; the resilience of the Roman
Empire in the eastern Mediterranean will also be discussed. Our goal throughout will be two-fold: to explore the key
figures and political and military developments that shaped Rome and to balance that top-down approach to history
by digging up evidence for daily life, including the role of women in Roman society, the importance of slavery to
the economy, and the centrality of religion. The goal is to appreciate the diversity of the Roman experience—
including who participated in Roman rule, who didn’t, and how Romans themselves wrestled with their changing
identity—over five centuries of ancient Mediterranean history.
Section:
01
Dr. Doug Boin
01H Dr. Doug Boin
MWF
MWF
4
11:00-11:50
11:00-11:50
HIST 312: French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789-1815
The era of the French Revolution and Napoleon was decisive in shaping the modern West. It destroyed medieval
structures where they existed, implemented the ideals of the Enlightenment, promoted the interests of the middle
classes, quickened the growth of the modern state, and gave birth to nationalism. More than 200 years after the
French Revolution began, the debate over its meaning continues. Was the French Revolution, as Marx thought, a
bourgeois revolution that was a product of the growing discontent of a revolutionary middle-class? Did women
have more rights before the French Revolution offered equality to all men? Was revolutionary change unavoidable,
or could limited reform have prevented an overthrow of the monarchy? Was the Terror a natural outgrowth of
revolutionary and liberal politics or was it a product of the particular events of the early 1790s? Was Napoleon a
revolutionary who completed the work of the Revolution or an enlightened despot who betrayed it?
Section:
01
Dr Jennifer Popiel
MWF
12:00-12:50
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 the religious, cultural, political, and economic factors which have
shaped Eastern Europe today. We begin with a survey of the peoples of the region, the impact of Eastern and
Western Christianity, and the emergence of independent states. Then we examine how the region was affected by
the Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, French Revolution, and nationalism, modernization, great power
rivalries in the 19th century, and World Wars I and II. Special attention is devoted to the role of neighboring great
powers, such as the Byzantine, Ottoman, German, Habsburg, and Russian Empire and occupation by Nazi Germany
and the Soviet Union: repressive authoritarian rule with radical political and social change, mass killings,
particularly of the Jews, and extensive forced or voluntary movements of peoples. The last part of the course covers
the period since the fall of Communism: the restoration of democracy, free markets, and religious freedom,
including the most recent events: the expansion of NATO and the European Union and Putin’s reassertion of
Russian power, especially in Ukraine. A textbook or two, plus outside readings, podcasts, and visual materials.
Three essay exams in the course of the semester and a final presentation on the major themes of the semester. A 1015 pp. research paper and shorter papers on the readings. Counts towards the European requirement for a history
major or minor and a major in International Studies. Requirement for the interdisciplinary minor in Russian and East
European Area Studies.
Section:
01
Dr. Daniel Schlafly
MWF
9:00-9:50
01H Dr. Daniel Schlafly
MWF
9:00-9:50
HIST 360: History of US in Film
This course will explore the relationship between depictions of the American past in film and in historical
scholarship. We will discuss each film at three interrelated levels, bearing in mind that any film is a mirror of the
times when it was made. First, as a reflection of objective, factual history. Second, as an interpretation of history.
Third, as a means of promoting among the public of various social, political, and cultural agendas of the filmmakers.
The reason for using these three perspectives is twofold. The first is that film is not an objective depiction of
historical events but an artistic representation, and so it relates history in ways specific to the genre (for instance, by
employing means by which only film is able to reconstruct the look and feel of historical reality). The second is that
film is also a highly influential medium of mass communication, conveying its message simultaneously to millions
of people. Artistic license, the demands of the medium, and the filmmakers' ideological agendas all tend to generate
certain selective alterations as well as distortions of historical facts. The aim of the course is to learn to identify and
assess them, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of the peculiar manner in which film has shaped the collective
memory of our society.
Section
01 Dr. Michal Rozbicki
TR
9:30-10:45
5
HIST 383: Modern Middle East: Minority Viewpoints
This course explores the recent historical background to the contemporary Middle East. At the dawn of the modern
period, the Ottoman Empire dominated a region that boasted extraordinary human diversity. While the Middle East
today retains much of this kaleidoscopic richness, the rise of nationalisms and that of political Islam have placed
pressures on minority and marginal groups, even while inspiring millions. We will work to understand the modern
history of the region through the eyes of a series of marginal groups, characterized by ethic, religious, and other
kinds of difference. From Sunni Muslims in Iraq to Kurds in Turkey, Copts in Egypt, and Arabs in Israel, as well as
others, we seek to understand how and why the region has changed.
Section
01
Dr. Luke Yarbrough
TR
9:30-10:45
HIST 393: Spirituals, Motown and 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. African-American music has the ability to enhance a social and cultural understanding of race, class
and gender in American society. 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
01
Dr. Katrina Thompson
TR
12:45-2:00
HIST 393: Remembering Modernity: British and American Historical Fiction
This interdisciplinary seminar will study recent and contemporary works of British and American historical fiction
to develop a sustained focus on urban life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By exploring the
narrative logic, contextual research, and historical sensibilities that constitute both historical fiction and academic
historical scholarship, “Remembering Modernity” will teach students how to parse the insights of history and
literature when engaging historical fiction and also to apply interdisciplinary skills mindfully. Despite their
differences, historians and fiction writers share a fascination with verifiability, authenticity, and how one’s
sensibility and subjectivity is shaped by a particular apprehension of the past, shared passions that the class will
explore through a visit early in the semester with visiting author, Scott Blackwood. Focusing on two distinct
locations and historical moments—London and New York circa 1890-1940—students will explore the narrative
tensions, harmonies, and distinctions between the disciplines of History and English. Through six contemporary
historical novels—Regeneration (Pat Barker, 1991); The Night Watch (Sarah Waters, 2006), The Arrival (Shaun
Tan, 2007), The Alienist (Caleb Carr, 1994), The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Michael Chabon,
2000), and See How Small (Scott Blackwood, 2015)—students will consider the commonalities and divergences
between the research processes of the historian and the historical fiction writer, engage in research of their own, and
produce a deeply researched account of one of the themes engaged by the common readings. Final research projects
(15-20p) will be required of both English and History students. English student papers may take the form of a
traditional research paper analyzing how historical fiction creates a rich dialogue between past and present
conceptions of modernity; English students may also choose to draw upon research skills honed in the seminar to
craft a short work of historical fiction, accompanied by a critical analysis. History student papers may take the form
of a traditional research paper about a historical figure, incident, or place that appears in the works read in
class. History students may also choose to create a historical map and guided tour of London or New York City,
accompanied by a research paper with Chicago Style footnotes explaining what understanding of the city the map
and tour provide.
Section
02
Dr. Flannery Burke
M
2:10-4:40
6
Undergraduate Spring 2015
Seminar Courses
HIST 490: Seminar – European History
This seminar will examine the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Students will write a research paper of 25 pages that
will be based on primary sources and/or archival materials.
Section:
02
Dr. Mark Ruff
MW
3:10-4:25
HIST 492: Seminar – The Politics of Cold War and International Intervention in Africa
This senior seminar examines the cause and effect of the politics of Cold War and International intervention in
Africa during the period 1960 to 1990. The seminar delves into how Cold War politics and International
Interventions, military and/or humanitarian, by the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations, have
influenced ideological struggles, political pluralism, democratization, and national and regional stability in the
period leading to, during and after independence. Students will be expected to complete a major essay of about 25
pages based on primary and scholarly secondary sources.
Section:
01
Dr. George Ndege
TR
12:45-2:00
Graduate Courses
Spring 2015
HIST 510: Greek and Roman Historiography
This course is a graduate survey of ancient Mediterranean history, from Bronze Age Greece to the High Roman
Empire. It will also focus on historiographic traditions in ancient Greece and Rome. We will not be able to cover
every writer or every text in this survey, but my aim here is two-fold. First, I want to provide you with the tools you
need for conducting research in the field of Greek and Roman history, broadly defined. Second, I want to provide
you with content, sources, themes, and a methodological framework that can be useful for teaching ancient
Mediterranean history at an undergraduate level (for example, History 111: Origins of the Modern World to 1500),
whether you specialize in the ancient Mediterranean or a later period.
Section:
01
Dr. Doug Boin
M
4:30-7:00
HIST 561: 20th Century US History
This course will survey significant scholarship addressing the history of the twentieth-century United States. With
emphasis on the period from the New Deal to the 1980s, the class will be structured around four themes: cities,
environment, identity, and diplomacy and borders. Readings will include standards of the discipline such as
Lizabeth Cohen's Making a New Deal as well as more recent scholarship like Robert Self's All in the Family. We
will devote a portion of each class discussion time to a survey of relevant book reviews, high school and university
teaching strategies inspired by the material, and the practice of effective writing.
Section:
02
Dr. Flannery Burke
W
4:30-7:00
7
HIST 593: Readings in Tacitus: With a Focus on the Agricola and Germania
Cornelius Tacitus (56/57- c. 120) is usually considered to be the greatest Roman historian of antiquity. His political
analysis of the imperial machinations of first-century Rome, his much-debated claims to historical objectivity and
his psychological depiction of these prominent personalities of the post-Augustan decades have fascinated readers
for nearly two millennia. However, reading Tacitus in Latin reveals his genius of expression in his notoriously terse,
pointed and sententious Latin prose. His acerbic style is marked by fierce syntax (Mellor, 1999) and poetic diction;
for Voltaire, he is “a fanatic with flashes of wit.” This course will read in the Latin original selections from
Tacitus’s Histories, Annals and his Dialogus de Oratoribus. His two shorter works about Roman colonial
engagement, the Agricola (detailing the Roman occupation of Britain under his father-in-law’s command), and the
Germania (a first-century ethnography of the German people, which was to cast a long historical shadow) will be
read in full. A study of these works will explain why Tacitus inspired another historian, Ronald Syme to say about
Tacitus, ‘Men and dynasties pass, but style abides.’ (Syme, 1958, 624)
Section
01
Dr. J. Hart-Hasler
T
4:30-7:00
HISTORY 680-01: SEMINAR: PROCOPIUS' SECRET HISTORY
The subject of this course will be the Secret History of Procopius of Caesarea (ca. 500-ca. 554). In the first part of
the course, students will read a number of key passages in Greek (and the entire text in English). In the second part
of the course, students will write, present in class, and hand in a paper of about 7500 words, including footnotes and
bibliography, on a topic broadly related to some of the material in the Secret History. Prerequisite: at least one year
of ancient Greek. (The instructor understands that different students will have different levels of knowledge of
Greek, and will adjust his expectations accordingly.)
Section:
01
Dr. Warren Treadgold
T
4:30-7:00
HIST 681: Seminar in Medieval History: Medieval Italy
Directed advanced research in topics broadly related to some aspect of medieval Italy. This course will also
introduce students to a variety of practical methodologies related to the investigation of the medieval world, such as
paleography, codicology, numismatics, and diplomatics.
Section:
02
Dr. Thomas Madden
M
1:10-4:00
HIST 681: SEMINAR RELIGIOUS LIFE IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Throughout the Church’s history, many have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of a “more perfect” Christian life.
Various religious movements have sought a consecrated life of prayer, discipline, and good works—a more radical
form of Christianity that abandoned an ordinary life “in the world,” yet paradoxically had a profound impact on that
world. This seminar examines the history of medieval forms of “religious life,” which stretched from its origins in
the Egyptian desert of the third century to its popularization in the burgeoning towns of the thirteenth century, and
beyond. We will delve into the lifestyles, constitutions, and spiritualties of these remarkably diverse groups and see
how they both reflected and contributed to the society around them. By analyzing particular themes, interpretations,
and texts, the goal is to come to an appreciation of the variety of religious expressions within the Christian tradition
and the interaction of these spiritual impulses with the culture and history of the Middle Ages. This course includes
the critical discussion of secondary literature and primary sources of diverse genres, as well as the choice,
investigation, and composition of a research paper.
Section
01
Fr. Steven Schoenig
W
4:30-7:00
8
HIST 682: Seminar: Empire and Diplomacy in the Early Modern Hispanic World
This graduate advanced studies/seminar course will introduce students to the main topics and debates in recent
historiography of Habsburg Spain and the Hispanic World (1516-1700), with special focus on the Atlantic and
Mediterranean projections of the Hispanic Monarchy. The class will help prepare students for M.A. and Ph.D.
exams in the Early Modern Europe and Atlantic World fields, as well as provide an opportunity to develop a
research project on the topic of Empire and Diplomacy in the Early Modern Hispanic World. The first half of the
class will be devoted to studying historiographical themes and methods for approaching Early Modern Spanish
history (source collections, archives, etc.). In the second half of the course, students will develop and research an
article-length paper (20-25 pages), which will be presented in a seminar format at the end of the course.
Section
01
Dr. Claire Gilbert
T
4:30-7:00
HIST 684: Seminar – America in the Long Nineteenth Century
Although this seminar focuses on the “long nineteenth century” in American history, the primary purpose is to teach
graduate students to produce a publishable journal article. Therefore, seminar participants will have the freedom to
select any research topic in American history that suits their area of specialization.
The course readings will introduce students to important scholarly debates in the history of nineteenth- century
America, from the early Republic through the turn of the century. Topics may include legal history, western
expansion, politics, the market and transportation revolutions, religious revivals, reform movements, slavery and its
destruction, internal migrations and immigration, and industrialization. Our readings will address a diversity of
methodologies, including historical geography, biography, urban history, gender studies, and material culture.
Section:
01
Dr. Silvana Siddali
R
4:30-7:00
HIST 691: Professional Writing for Historians
Professional Writing for Historians is the first half (3crs) of a two-semester program (6crs) 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
T
4:30-7:00
9