This course explores transformative moments in history in order to understand their underlying causes and their social, cultural, political, and economic impacts on human beings and their societies. Each topic introduces students to the diverse ways historians practise their craft and seek understanding of the past and historical change so that they develop a deeper appreciation of what history "is" and "does" by considering multiple means of exploring and making sense of the past. (Formerly HST 114).
This course examines the history of popular culture, starting in the 19th century, seeking to define popular culture and understand its relationship to the formation of modern society. It considers such topics as the ideological use of popular culture, debates surrounding culture, notions of nation and community, and the growing dominance of commercial culture during a period when technology, human migration, and other factors increasingly blurred the boundaries of earlier cultural and social understanding. (Formerly HST 115).
This course introduces students to the technological and social implications of warfare from the ancient to the modern age. However, rather than dwell on the minutiae of military technologies and battle strategies, it explores the technological connections between war and society through asking such questions as how conflict fostered technology exchanges and medical advances; how improved naval technology furthered exploration; how military technologies found civilian use; and how new technologies changed the ethics of war. (Formerly HST 116).
This course provides an introduction to European colonialism in Asia and Africa. We will examine the motives behind territorial acquisition, the methods employed to establish colonial control, and the responses to colonialism among subject populations, including forms of resistance and movements for independence. We will also analyze the impacts of colonialism on the societies of both the colonizers and the colonized. Some key terms in this course are: race, culture, economy, resistance, and violence.
This is a thematic survey, covering Canadian history to 1885. Much of the course emphasizes issues which have led to the Canada we live in today, and which provide background to recurring debates in contemporary Canada. These include: Native-European relations, French-English relations, Canadian-American relations, the development of modern political parties, the compromises of Confederation, and the beginnings of regional dissatisfaction with the nation. (Formerly HST 581)
This course traces the development of the United States from the colonial era, beginning in 1607, to the era of Reconstruction that followed the Civil War. It examines relations between native peoples and settlers, tensions between colonies and Britain, the American Revolution, contradictions between slavery and democracy, religious and social reform, promises and failures of emancipation, and considers how the America of the Jacksonian era transformed into the United States of the Gilded Age.
This course will offer a broad introduction to Asian culture and history. We will investigate the connections and interactions between regions of Asia, as well as the interactions between Asia and "The West." The course will be broken into three periods; the first dealing with the foundations of Asian culture and history, the second dealing with the era of colonialism, and the third dealing with World War Two and the emergence of "Modern" Asia.
This course surveys the societies of ancient Greece and Rome. This course examines the development of complex societies in the Mediterranean, including the rise of Greek city-states and political thought, and the construction of Hellenism. It also examines the impact of Hellenism on Roman society, politics and government, providing an overview of the expansion of the Roman state until the 5th century CE.
Within a broadly chronological context, this course traces the main developments in Europe from the fall of Rome to 1350. To examine the political, religious, and social changes that occurred during that time, topics include: the Barbarian Kingdoms; early western Christianity; the Byzantine Empire; the rise of Islam; Charlemagne; the Moors and the Vikings; the development of kingship; the Crusades; and life, art, learning, and culture in the High Middle Ages.
This course traces the main developments in European history from the death of King Louis XIV in France to the unification of Germany. Within a broadly chronological context it examines the political, religious, and social changes that occurred during this time. Topics include: the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution, and 19th-century political and social movements.
This course takes a thematic approach to Canadian history since 1885, emphasizing issues that have moulded the country and challenge us still. Main issues include French-English and Canadian-American relations, regional antagonism to the dream of a nation, political parties as a reflection of social disagreements, the influence of immigration, and the debate over Canada's role in the world. (Formerly HST 681).
How did the United States become the world's reigning superpower? This course attempts to answer this question by tracing the development of modern America from the Gilded Age to the present. The course examines the rise of big business, the growth of the U.S. welfare state, American imperialism, the clash between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R., and the movements for equality launched by African-Americans, women, workers and immigrants, and the growing threat of terrorism.
This course traces the main developments in western Europe from the beginnings of the Renaissance to the deaths of Queen Anne in Great Britain and King Louis XIV in France. Within a broadly chronological context it examines the political, religious, and social changes that occurred during that time. Topics include: the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Counter Reformation, the Age of Discovery, the English Civil War, Louis XIV, and the Scientific Revolution.
This course examines the development of modern Europe from fragmented and warring states in the late 19th century, to relative unity and peace in the early 21st. Focusing on western and central Europe, topics include the unification of Italy and Germany, urbanization and social change, 'New' imperialism, the impacts of the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, and the development of the European Union.
Taking lessons from the past can be dangerous. History easily can be distorted, even fabricated, to suit one's objectives. This course (H-Craft 1) makes extensive use of "case studies" to examine the often-precarious nature of history; the development of written history; the idea of the "archive"; and the use of written history in the service of ideology, politics, and governance by historical actors such as nation states, empires, political leaders, reformers, and corporations.
History is not always recorded with the written or printed word; it can be seen, heard, and spoken. In societies past and present, oral, visual, and aural records of historical events may be of equal or greater significance than a written account. This course (H-Craft 2) focuses on oral, visual, and aural traditions, as well as contemporary methods of making and maintaining cultural memory through forms such as storytelling, folklore, performance, visual arts, and song.
The Ancient Near East is known by various names, including Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, reflecting the complexity and richness of the region that gave birth to the first complex societies. This course explores the development of polities from egalitarian societies to Empires and the associated inventions of arts, literature, religion, science and technology.
Where did Islam originate? Why did the new culture establish itself so successfully from the western shores of the Mediterranean to central Asia? This course examines the political, economic, social, and intellectual history of the Islamic world from shortly before Islam's birth in the 7th century, through the heyday of Islamic civilization (9th and 10th centuries) to the period of political fragmentation that followed. It culminates in the fall of Granada (1492).
This course details the global order since the Second World War. It focuses on the Cold War and issues such as: the atomic bomb, the Soviet conquest of eastern Europe, the birth of Communist China, decolonization, the Indochinese Wars, Middle Eastern conflict, the division of Berlin, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. The course also addresses the post-Cold War order and contemporary crises, including the 'war on terror' and nuclear proliferation.
Digital media and new technologies have transformed historical research, how we share our research results, and how we consume or experience history through mass media, museums, libraries, and archives. This course (H-Craft 3a) studies these changes in the context of the history of the Internet and digital media, assessing historical materials made available on the web by professional historians and curators, research institutions, as well as communities outside the historical profession. Students will have the option of developing a pilot online history project.
This course (H-Craft 3b) focuses on how archaeological resources and material culture (such as artefacts, landscapes, architecture, and art) can be utilized to understand the past. It also explores how these resources can be integrated into documents-based historical study and newer endeavours, such as oral history. It defines historical archaeology and material culture as distinct but closely related fields, surveys their evolution as academic disciplines, and considers the limitations, challenges, and biases of these approaches.
Oral history provides a rewarding but complicated, and sometimes controversial, method of exploring the past. This course (H-Craft 3b) considers how oral history can provide wider access to the past than traditional forms of evidence, while also examining criticisms of oral history as a valid research tool, and how oral history methods and standards have evolved in response. Each student will conduct an oral research project within the framework of an ethics review process.
This course (H-Craft 4) introduces students to the nature of archival collections and their use in conducting historical research. It considers: the types of records available in archives; how to find them; the methods of evaluating various archival documents, along with the challenges archivists face as they collect, arrange, preserve, and make available the records in their care; and the ways these challenges affect a historian's ability to analyze the past.
Museums and historic sites are important cultural resources; yet, how did they come into being and what are the debates surrounding them? This course explores these questions from the emergence of the first museum-like institutions 500 years ago down to the present day. Themes include collecting (art, artifacts, archaeology, ethnography, and scientific specimens); the evolution of museums, galleries, and historic sites; the diversities of community heritage; and the challenges of interpreting and preserving culture resources.
This course surveys the political, military, economic, social experience of Canada and Canadians during the First World War. Topics will include social and political change, conscription, industrial development, linguistic, racial and religious tensions, military strategy, the peace settlement, and the way Canadians have remembered the War over the last century. This course questions whether Canada experienced a 'national transformation' during the War and examine the process, nature, and impact of this transformation.
This course examines the history of the continent under colonial rule from the end of the 19th century to the late 20th. Topics include: explorations of the nature, depth, and extent of colonial expansion; the establishment of colonial economies and the resulting distortion of pre-existing production and distribution systems; class formation and changes in gender relations; the emergence of nationalism; pan-Africanism; and the changing role of Africa in the wider world.
Popular histories of ancient Egypt often only explore New Kingdom pharaohs, such as Tutankhamen and Rameses II. This course provides a broad social history, beginning with the roots of Egyptian civilization prior to c.3000 BCE and ending with the Late Period (c.712-323 CE). Through art, archaeology and literature, students will consider changes over time in the political, social, religious, and everyday life of Egypt, as well as its economic and cultural ties with the ancient Near East and Mediterranean worlds.
This course examines the growth of the Ottoman state in the Middle East from the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, through its expansion into Europe and its confrontations with Iran, until its ultimate disintegration into nation states in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The course highlights political and urban cultures, relations with other regional powers, and religious culture and society to understand this multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire that bridged both European and Asian worlds.
To understand the complexities of the modern world, we must have a firm grasp of international relations. What forces - political, social, or economic - have changed our world since 1945? What was the Cold War and what does its ending mean? This course uses history to illuminate relations and developments in specific areas, such as Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. It also trains students in how to formulate questions and find information effectively. (Formerly HST 500).
The first half of the 20th century was dominated by two world wars and fragile peace settlements conditioned by unresolved military factors, a major global economic crisis, the birth of Communist Russia, the rise of non-European powers, the emergence of international organizations, and the roots of the Cold War. This course examines the causes of the two world conflicts, both diplomatic and military, their far-reaching consequences, and their impact on peoples and societies.
Curatorship is a distinct ? and contested ? endeavour found mainly in museums, galleries, and historic sites. It utilizes artifacts, artworks, buildings, and landscapes to understand the past in addition to archival sources. This course examines issues related to forming collections, authenticity, connoisseurship, exhibit creation, heritage restoration, and sharing knowledge. Thus, it serves students interested curatorial methodologies as well as those wishing to explore museums intellectually or possibly in terms of career opportunities.
No previous century has been as thoroughly documented as the last one. Film has left us vivid images of its leading personalities, its struggles, and its changing social attitudes. This course will present a reconstruction of the 20th century through the medium of film. Clips will be shown to illustrate selected aspects of war, revolution, colonialism, and social change. They will be international in scope, reflecting the time in which they were made. (Formerly HST 930).
The course examines the contemporary history of the continent. It explores both the colonial legacy and independent African initiatives since decolonization. Students explore the nature, depth, and extent of colonialism with respect to economic, political, and social institutions, processes, and movements. Topics include class formation, religious change, sexual politics, popular culture, and gender relations. The course also explores Africa's and Africans' changing roles in the wider world.
This course surveys major events in the Middle East, beginning with the creation of new states out of the former Ottoman Empire and changes of leadership within Egypt, Iran, and the Gulf States. It also explores the creation of Israel, regional conflict, and emphasizes the political and economic involvement in state formation by western governments and corporations. Students consider the varied forms of nationalisms and governments in the region created by both reform and revolution.
This course explores the great empire of South Asia throughout its more than two centuries of dominance, and considers the religious and cultural influences of the Mughals, their consolidation of power and territory, imperial administrative efficiencies, the arrival of Europeans, and the opening of trade. It also examines the various forces of internal opposition and revolt that weakened the empire, concluding with the Seven Years? War and the beginning of British rule.
This course examines important themes in European social and economic history from the beginning of growth of mediaeval economic systems by 1000 to the first wave of global exchange in the 1490s. Topics include: everyday family life, the great household, the late mediaeval church, war, technology, craft, trade, agriculture, famine, and plague.
The Renaissance was a formative period in the development of European civilization. Well known as an era of magnificent painting, sculpture, and architecture, it was also a time of exploration around the world, of colonization, the reintroduction of slavery, theorizing about politics and history, and also of map-making that gave Europeans new opportunities for self-conceptualization. New codes of "civility" redefined both the European sense of self and its judgements of other peoples.
This course examines the development of Britain from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 to the early 20th century. During this period, the U.K.'s economic strength and international influence were unparalleled, but the country also faced serious social and political tensions fuelled by rapid industrialization and urbanization. This course explores the consequences of these developments through topics such as political radicalism and reform, social class identities, imperial cultures, domesticity, poverty, and consumerism.
Terrorism is a contentious and subjective term that has been part of the international system since ancient times. This course offers an historical overview of terrorism and its effect on the global order by focusing on the origins, structure, and dynamics of terrorism as an instrument of both state and non-state actors, plus corresponding counter-terrorism strategies. It pays particular attention to 19th- and 20th-century terrorism and the current international "war on terror".
Museum and heritage management embraces a wide range of activities related to governance, funding, conservation, collections administration, security, programming, visitor services, and marketing, along with other such endeavours as the repatriation of cultural property. This course explores these responsibilities along with other concerns associated with protecting heritage resources such as historical buildings, cemeteries, and landscapes owned by the public, non-profit, and private sectors.
This course introduces students to the history of Canadian culture and cultural industries. It considers a number of issues including: the rise of mass culture; the impact of American culture on Canada; the creation of cultural institutions like the CBC, the NFB, and the Canada Council; the evolution of government cultural policy; the interaction between popular and "high" culture; and the development of popular magazines, radio, film, and television. (Formerly HST 564).
We study historical objects, buildings, landscapes, and their meanings through a number of themes in North American material culture (including their international contexts) up to the early 1900s. Areas of focus vary each year, but may include the material cultures of the First Nations, military technology, settler expansion, the workplace, the home, landscape, and architecture, along with the roles objects and buildings play in the immaterial realms of memory, faith, and identity. (Formerly HST 723).
This course explores the making of modern South Asia. We will examine how the British East India Company established its foothold in India in the 17th century and the nature of British colonial over the subsequent 250 years. We will also investigate the nationalist struggle, led by Gandhi (amongst others), which culminated in independence, but also the violence and chaos of partition, out of which the nation-states of India and Pakistan were born.
In the early 1900s, Britain was a dominant imperial, military, and economic power. By the end of the century, the empire was gone and the country's international status had been eclipsed by the United States and the European Union. This course charts these developments through the impacts of the two world wars, decolonization, the welfare state, postwar affluence, youth cultures, "Thatcherism", and "New Labour". Course materials include historical analyses, contemporary documents, film, and music.
Germany became an economic and military powerhouse in the late 19th century. Yet by 1945, after two world wars, the country lay in ruins and remained divided until 1990. This course examines the political, economic, and social development of Germany from the 1870s to the present. Topics include the growth of the German Empire and the Great War, the rise of Nazism, the Second World War, East and West Germany, and the process of reunification.
Since the mid-20th century, growing numbers of policymakers and analysts have come to the conclusion that nations have an obligation to intervene in conflicts between belligerents, and even into sovereign states that violate the rights of their citizens or the stability of the international order. This course examines the history of interventionism, evaluating the justification, legality, goals, and methods behind the concept. It also highlights Canada's leading role in crafting interventionist policies and practices.
Humanity always has sought to control nature through prayer, inventions, or new knowledge. This course examines early medicine, astrology, and exploration within diverse cultures and civilizations, then focuses on how inventions and special knowledge, often "borrowed" from other cultures, enabled Europe's exploration, imperialism, and quest to control nature, societies and economies from 1400 to 1900. The quest for control had many unforeseen consequences: environmental damage, new human rights issues, and the emergence of racism. (Formerly HST 561).
The exploitation and funding of science by corporate industries has created a range of serious problems, from distorted "science" to chemical products that damage the environment and harm humans. This course will examine corporate and scientific responsibility through case studies including I.G. Farben and chemical weapons, the development of refrigerants (ozone depletion), pesticides, gasoline additives, pollutants (Love Canal, Erin Brockovich), fraudulent medical and cigarette research, and the looming challenges of Genetically Modified Foods and organisms. (Formerly HST 562).
This course introduces students to the history of Canada's international relations in the modern era. It examines Canada's relations with other countries, the country's role in the two world wars, the evolution of the Empire-Commonwealth, and Canada's role and participation in the Cold War and its aftermath. It highlights the shift from a policy centred on western nations and the Commonwealth to one that embraces the broader complexities of the modern world. (Formerly HST 911).
For nearly four centuries, Britain ruled over the largest colonial empire in the world. This empire was the product of a long history of naval and commercial opportunities shrewdly exploited by various British leaders. This course examines the key role played by the empire in assuring Britain's prosperity, from the first settlements until the 1930s, along with the British colonial "model" and the decolonization that followed the end of the Second World War. (Formerly HST 722).
This course examines the history of international organizations and assesses their role and impact in the international system since 1900. It explores the rise and fall of the League of Nations, the rise of "internationalism" during the Second World War, the creation of the United Nations, and the evolution of international organizations during and after the Cold War. Other topics include regional and cultural organizations, peacekeeping, and the rise of NGOs. (Formerly HST 563).
Experiential History allows individuals or small groups of History students to pursue the historian's craft outside of the classroom in professional, career-oriented contexts through internships, work placements, or other opportunities, such as working in museums or heritage sites, participating in archaeological excavations, or conducting research for professors. Students must make all necessary arrangements at least six weeks before the beginning of term. Contact the Chair of History for details on how to proceed. (Formerly HST 851).
Experiential History allows individuals or small groups of History Specialists who have completed HIS 900 to pursue a different opportunity related to the historian's craft in professional, career-oriented contexts through internships, work placements, working in museums or heritage sites, participating in archaeological excavations, conducting research, etc. Students must make all necessary arrangements at least six weeks before the beginning of term. Contact the Chair of History for details on how to proceed.
While the senior seminars have significant writing requirements, the Thesis course provides a collegial opportunity for History Specialists to engage in more advanced research and writing in an area of particular interest to them at a level greater than would be possible in the seminars. Students must make all necessary arrangements at least six weeks before the beginning of term. Contact the Chair of History for details on how to proceed.
This seminar explores historical themes across two or more fields. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
Senior Seminar II: Science, Technology and Medicine
This seminar explores aspects of the history of science and technology. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of the Western Hemisphere on a national, regional, or thematic basis. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of Africa on a national, regional, or thematic basis. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of the Middle East on a national, regional, or thematic basis. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of Asia on a national, regional, or thematic basis. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of Europe on a national, regional, or thematic basis. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This seminar explores aspects of the history of International Relations. Topics will vary from year to year; however, common approaches will include a study of the historiography around issues, the sources available for studying issues, their relative merits, research strategies, and the specifics of the topics explored in the course. As well, students will present the findings of their own research in class.
This course surveys the creation and development of the "Thirteen Colonies" and the American republic, from the 17th century through the period after the Civil War. Topics include: the settlement and growth of the colonies, European-Native relations, the American Revolution, the Constitution, westward expansion, Jacksonian America, the market revolution and rise of the factory system, slavery and abolitionism, women and reform, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
Early modern Europe was torn by contradiction and conflict. Rediscovery of the ancients and reinterpretation of the Bible produced a new culture but split Christianity. The nation state, the Atlantic economy, modern capitalism and new empires developed amid revolt and resistance. Growing literacy and modified gender relations reshaped society. Witches were still burned while scientists transformed knowledge; an age of reason emerged while war grew more terrible. Out of all this came Europe's world domination.
Where does East meet West? By exploring the role of Asia in globalization, Western colonialism in Asia, the world wars and the emergence of contemporary Asia, this course demonstrates how boundaries have been contested and (re)defined through military, political, commercial, cultural, and religious exchanges. It allows students to rethink common categories such as race, region, nation, culture, and civilization from an international perspective.
Can film provide valid insight into our past? How do we understand film as historical artifact? This course tries to answer these questions and many others by exploring films which deal with early European imperialism, that is, from the time of Columbus to the end of the First World War. The topics will be international in scope, drawing on aspects of Asian, African, and Latin American history, and examining both ?blockbuster? and independent films.
This course surveys the period from industrialization and westward expansion in the late 19th century up to the political shifts of the present day. Topics covered include: the rise of Big Business and unions, mass migration, the growth of cities, American imperialism, popular culture, the Great Depression and New Deal, war (First, Second, Vietnam, and others), the Cold War, civil rights and social movements, the New Right, and U.S. interests abroad.
The French Revolution launched the modern age, in politics, society, the family, the arts, and war. The 19th century brought fresh revolutions: technology and industrialization transformed work and leisure, life and death; liberalism and revolutionary socialism challenged the old order; and science altered forever humanity's place in the universe. Yet this was also a century of ruthless imperialism and aggressive and intolerant nationalism. This period is essential for understanding our world.
Can film provide valid insight into our past? How do we understand film as historical artifact? Films in this course will examine aspects of colonial rule in Asia and Africa from the end of the First World War to the late 20th century. There will be an emphasis on the struggle for liberation from the grip of colonial empires and the neo-imperialism practiced by the superpowers during the Cold War.
This course examines the development of societies in the Caribbean from the intrusion of European explorers and settlers c.1492 to the dismantling of the slave systems in the 19th century, and beyond to issues, such as independence, affecting the region in modern times.
What past events lie behind French Quebec's current attitude towards Canada? Why do Canadians have a love-hate relationship with the U.S.? How have the struggles of other nations influenced Canadian development? What principles do our political parties follow, and where do these ideas come from? These and other questions are examined in lectures and discussions.
This course explores the major scientific and technical advances in Western civilization from the Ancient World to 1700 CE. It treats the sciences and technology as being historically significant in themselves, and also as a part of the larger social and cultural framework. Major topics include: Greek natural philosophy, Graeco-Roman technology, mediaeval technology and social change, the Renaissance and technology, and the scientific revolution of the 1600s. Emphasis is placed on the transformation of physics and astronomy associated with Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton.
This course examines Ontario's social and economic development from the late 1700s to the present, emphasizing the province's long history of settlement by diverse populations. It considers Ontario's identity by juxtaposing perspectives that emphasize Ontario's colonial past and lasting loyalty to the British Empire with those that present a multicultural, forward focused, industrializing, and urbanizing province. To highlight Ontario's continued diversity, the course explores "multiple Ontarios": aboriginal, northern, rural, urban, and suburban.
This course continues the examination of issues studied in HST 307 at a later period. Also discussed are themes such as the reasons for, and the extent of, political and social protest in Canada, the emergence of different visions of Canadian nationalism, and the opposition to these visions - the provinces' struggle for power, Quebec's struggle for identity, and the West's struggle for equality.
This course surveys the richness and diversity of scientific knowledge and the influence of technological change in Western civilization from the 1700s to the 21st century. From the Industrial Revolution, development of electricity, Darwinian evolution, Einstein's relativity, and other breakthroughs, students learn how new theories and practices accelerated the pace of change, created new problems, altered our understanding of the world and ourselves, and changed the social, political, and economic conditions surrounding modern life.
This course examines key aspects of international relations from the creation of the Westphalian system (1648) to the present. Topics include the methods and structures established to mediate relations between states, the bureaucratization of diplomacy, the rise of international institutions and law, the emerging notion of human rights, and the challenges to the Westphalian system engendered by globalization, international terrorism, and the rise of intrastate conflicts.
This course traces the social, political, and cultural development of Britain from the early 19th century to the present. Topics include working-class life during the Industrial Revolution, political reform and the widening of the franchise, the expansion and contraction of the British Empire, the impact of the two world wars, and the emergence of postwar affluence and "permissiveness." The course concludes with discussion of Thatcherite conservatism and the rise of Tony Blair's "New" Labour Party.
This course surveys the history of the Civil War, from its origins in 19th-century tensions through to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Topics include: slavery, the growth of sectionalism, birth of the Republican Party, breakdown of the political system, justifications for and against secession, the founding of the Confederacy, the military conflict, life on the home front, Union victory, sectional reconciliation, and postwar conditions for freed Blacks.
This course is a historical inquiry into crime and punishment in 20th-century Canada. The major focus of the course is an examination of the social history of crime, which includes historical attitudes toward crime, definitions of what actions constitute criminal behaviour and how they change over time, and finally, the evolution of the relationship between the criminal justice system and social change.
The two world wars between 1914 and 1945 have transformed our planet. In 1900 Europe dominated international relations; since then we have seen the rise of the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, and a shift in power to the non-European world of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This course examines the causes and significance of these changes. Topics include political, economic, and military factors, war-making, and peace-keeping.
Between 1945 and the present, the U.S. experienced rapid social, economic, and cultural change that re-shaped racial, gender, ethnic, class, and sexual politics. This course examines the major domestic, cultural, and social issues of the post-Second World War period. Topics include: domestic anti-Communism, youth culture, consumer culture, social movements of the 1960s, identity politics, immigration, the labour movement, the rise of the New Right, and the culture wars.
The relationship between Quebec and the rest of the country is a complex one, involving conquest, submission, survival, compromise, cooperation and confrontation. This course explores the twists and turns of the historical relationship in order to provide a deeper appreciation of the place of Quebec in Canada and of the nature of modern Quebec society.
This course surveys the history of the Middle East from early twentieth-century to the present. Important topics include the role of colonial powers in the region, the development of modern Middle Eastern societies and nation states, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the impact of the Cold War, the emergence of political Islam, the tension between authoritarian modernization projects and social movements for democracy, and the experiences of ordinary men and women in the region.
How did women contribute to the construction of modern America, to debates over war and peace, the struggle for civil and workers' rights, the fields of leisure and entertainment, and their own fight for equality? Placing women's experiences at the centre of historical analysis, this course develops students' understanding of the major political, economic, and social developments of 20th-century America, while also examining how ideas about sexual difference have been constructed and deployed throughout history.
In less than 200 years Toronto has grown from a small town into a major metropolis. This course looks at elements in that development, such as: immigration and its effects, 19th-century social classes and ethnic rivalries, the growth and movement of industry, pollution problems, the struggle over municipal services, urban calamities, the absorption of other communities, problems of the poor, the growth of suburbs, and the emergence of a multicultural city.
A brief analysis of political and religious changes under earlier Tudor monarchs from 1485 sets the stage for an examination of continuing challenges in religion, foreign wars and invasion attempts, as well as the politics of female rule. The course also analyses broad structural changes affecting the non-elite: new views of poverty, agricultural changes, the growth of London and its entertainments, expanding education and literacy, new views of families and children, and fear of witches.
This course deals with African history before European colonization. The approach is thematic and the course focus will shift with developments in the field. Some themes that might be included are: the use of oral tradition, the development of ancient civilizations and states in Africa, the spread of Islam, the Atlantic Slave Trade, trade networks, and the shift to "legitimate commerce." This course is best taken with HST 633.
Hidden codes, special devices, fiendish villains, and top secrets all have a special place in popular culture, but as alluring as the mythology may be, it does not answer important questions about the roles that espionage and intelligence agencies play in international relations. This course covers the evolution of spying and spy services from the late 19th century to the present, focusing on the effects of major issues such as the two world wars, the Cold War, 9-11, and international security threats today.
The image many Canadians have of their history is one of compromise, complacency, and of giving in to authority. In actual fact, Canadian history is filled with mass protests, many of them quite violent. This course looks at many of the protests which contained mass violence in the 1812-1950 period. The focus of the course is on why these protests occurred, who protested and who opposed the protests, and what the protests achieved.
This course avoids the survey approach by enabling students to concentrate on certain specific aspects of 20th-century Western European history. Each semester explores a different set of topics, which will be examined in some depth, taking into account social, political, economic, and geographical ramifications. Examples of subjects that might be examined include: "France in the 20th Century" or "Britain: Grandeur and Decline."
This course covers the late Qing dynasty (1839-1911) and Republican China (1911-49). It explores China's semi-colonization under Western and Japanese aggressions; reforms, rebellions, revolutions, frequent regime shifts, and political disintegration; the construction of new political theories and cultures; the rise of a Shanghai-centred urban popular culture; and evolving gender relations. Within these themes, an important subject is the role of Chinese people of different socio-economic classes, ethnicities, genders, and locales in creating the new nation.
How did the First Nations of the Canadian and American Great Lakes region develop through the millennia? What happened at their first encounters with Europeans? How did they face the challenges posed by missionaries and traders? What happened during the tragic epidemics of the 1600s? How did war and conflict re-shape the aboriginal world? Explore these and other important questions in indigenous history in this course.
This course traces the main developments in Europe from the fall of Rome to 1400. Within a broadly chronological context, we examine the political, religious, and social changes that occurred during that time. Topics include: the barbarian kingdoms, early Western Christianity, the Byzantine Empire, the rise of Islam, Charlemagne, the Moors and the Vikings, the development of the new kingship, the Crusades, and life, art, learning, and culture in the High Middle Ages.
The Vietnam War made Indochina the most heavily bombed region in history. It also engulfed global powers like France, Japan, China, and the U.S. But there is more to Southeast Asia than war. This course explores diverse histories and societies in the region; scrutinizing ideas of nation, state, and citizenship; and exploring political, social, and cultural change since 1945. It also examines contemporary issues, such as separatism, religious extremism, globalization, environmentalism, and continuing political instability.
This course covers a 127-year span during which Great Britain rose to become the modern world's first superpower and the most influential country of this era. Within a broadly chronological context we will examine the political, religious, economic, and social conditions of this time. Topics will include: union between England and Scotland, 18th-century society, the Georgian age, Empire, the Seven Years' War, the Enlightenment, George III, the Industrial Revolution, and the Napoleonic Wars.
This course examines the role of propaganda, starting with its use by religious reformers in the 16th century, French revolutionaries of the 18th, and nationalists in the 19th. The main focus, however, is the period after 1900. We explore propaganda during the two world wars, its use by totalitarian powers, and its impact on the Cold War. We place emphasis on studying the raw materials of propaganda: pamphlets, posters, radio broadcasts, and films.
This course introduces students to the history of Germany's Third Reich and its international impact from its origins in the 1920s to the aftermath of its defeat in 1945. Topics include the birth of Nazism in Weimar Germany; Adolph Hitler's rise to power; Nazi government, economy, and society; the Holocaust; territorial expansion; the conduct of the Second World War; the collapse of the Third Reich; and ongoing deliberations about its legacies.
This course explores the story of the Cold War, a conflict that dominated international relations for much of the postwar period. Topics include the emergence of the United States and Soviet Union as superpowers, the division of Europe after 1945, the creation of Cold War alliances, decolonization, superpower conflict by proxy, the rise of regional powers, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the legacy of the conflict for the 21st century.
The United States was born in resistance to imperialism, but today comprises the most extensive empire in world history. With a particular emphasis on the post-1900 period, this course analyses the political, military, economic, and cultural developments that contributed to the transformation of this isolationist nation into the globe's dominant power. We will trace some of the winners and losers in this process, along with the resistance to American empire generated by opponents both within and beyond U.S. borders.
Political, financial, and religious crises under the early Stuart monarchs led to civil war and revolution, and, briefly, unparalleled liberty. The Restoration brought new ideas but also renewed political-religious conflict, which led to the last successful invasion of England. The course also examines England's naval strength, the new utilitarian science, overseas ventures, and the beginnings of the fiscal-military state, as well as the growth of London, attitudes towards death, and the changing roles of women.
What historical dynamics have produced the Africa we know today? How far are today's problems rooted in the colonial experience? This course examines the history of the continent from the beginning of the colonial period to the present. Some of the themes covered include: resistance to colonial rule, the development of nationalism, class formation, changing gender roles, Africa in the world economy, and democratization movements. This course is best taken with HST 533.
The image many Canadians have of their history is one of compromise, complacency, and of giving in to authority. In actual fact, Canadian history is filled with mass protests. This course focuses on different groups who staged mass protests in the period 1870-1995, including movements to purify "evil" Canadian society, the women's movement, anti-conscription protests in two world wars, anti-Asian protests in British Columbia, regional protests in eastern and western Canada, nationalist protests in Quebec, and First Nations protests.
This course avoids the survey approach by enabling students to concentrate on certain specific aspects of 20th-century Eastern European history. Each semester will be devoted to a different topic or topics, which will be examined in some depth, taking into account social, political, economic, and geographical ramifications. Examples of subjects that might be examined include: "Eastern and Central Europe 1914-91" or "The Soviet Union: From Lenin to Gorbachev."
This course covers the diverse years of the People's Republic of China. For the Mao Zedong period, we explore socialist reformations, the Anti-rightist Movement, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the making of Communist citizens within a new hierarchy. For the post-Mao years, we examine how ongoing reforms and open door policies de-communized the country as part of our investigation into China's painful and twisted journey to modernity in a global context.
This course examines the intersecting histories of racial, ethnic, gender, class, and sexual difference in the United States since the turn of the 20th century. Starting with the mass immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe, which began in the 1890s, and ending with the most recent debates about identity politics, this course charts the demographic, cultural, and political changes that have complicated ideas of, and responses to, "difference" in the United States.
This course addresses how North American cities fostered both commercial and non-commercial sexual cultures, sexual communities, and sex districts from the 19th to the early 21st century. Students will examine the histories of male and female prostitution, the development of non-heterosexual urban communities, cultures of urban romance, cinematic representations of sex and cities, suburban sex cultures, and the histories of gender, race, and class that structure these issues of sex in the city.
How did the First Nations of the Great Lakes defend their interests when settlers flooded the region after 1763? What happened to them in the American Revolution and other frontier conflicts? What were the results for natives when Euroamericans forced them onto reservations or demanded they assimilate? What were the impacts of modernization after 1850? Explore these and other critical issues in native-newcomer relations in this course.
Our lives are shaped by scientific knowledge applied to new inventions. This course examines how scientific technology both reflects and transforms our society, and how it created key fundamental industries in our high-tech, energy-dependent society. It covers the invention of modern electrical and transportation systems, modern warfare, problems of biotechnology, the ethics of industrial chemistry, nuclear energy and the atomic bomb, and the computer revolution.
This course examines the causes, conduct, and outcomes of the world's first total war. Key themes include pivotal military events, soldiers' experiences, and, especially, the interactions between the home front and the front lines that distinguished the Great War from earlier conflicts and that shaped its outcome and long-term consequences. Accordingly, the connections between the political, military, social, economic, and cultural dimensions of the war are central topics of study in this course.
This course explores a pivotal relationship in Canada's development by looking beyond formal ties, such as treaties, to political, economic, and cultural forces with the United States. It starts in the 18th century, but the major focus is on the 20th century, when the two countries were never closer. Topics include the Cold War, economic links, tensions, culture and nationhood, and Free Trade.
This course is a cultural and social history of the American city, focusing on late-19th and 20th-century New York and Los Angeles. We examine how issues such as how immigration/migration, race, gender, sexuality, public space, architecture, urban planning, and consumerism have shaped the lives and cultures of cities and city residents.
While taking various forms, both the Renaissance and Reformation marked breaks with mediaeval Europe that radically transformed life in the early modern period. Each was built on, or incorporated, socio-economic changes, scholarly developments, the advent of printing, new forms of political authority, and stunning cultural and intellectual achievement. Yet while intermixed, the two movements were also fundamentally different: while one commonly celebrated the human and worldly, the other sought a purified Christian faith.
The dread of disease, physical pain, and mental suffering always has loomed large in human experience. How did people in the past react to sickness? What kinds of diseases affected people's lives, and what approaches did they take to hold diseases at bay? This course covers disease and medical practice from antiquity to 1500 CE within the contexts of the ancient Near East, Greek and Roman society, the Islamic world, and mediaeval Europe.
In the early centuries of Islam, the study of the natural world was held in high esteem. Scientists and engineers were called upon to solve practical problems that emerged with the new religion. Debates occurred over whether, and to what extent, scientific inquiry was appropriate in Islam. This course surveys major developments in scientific knowledge and technological know-how, from the 7th-century rise of Islam to 1600 CE, along with their impacts upon the Western world.
Today the difference between astronomy and astrology is defined with clarity, with the former recognized as an established scientific discipline and the latter regarded as a pseudoscience, rejected for its lack of credibility. Such was not always the case, as astrology gave birth to astronomy. This course explores the complex interrelationship between the two from the third millennium BCE to 1700 CE.
Since ancient times, human ingenuity has enabled humans to adapt to life even in hostile environments. The most important factor was successful management of the available water resources for agriculture, urban supply, and industry. Starting in the third millennium BCE, this course uses case studies from Asia and Europe to explore the hydraulic technologies employed, and to assess past and present social, political, economic, and environmental implications of water management and mismanagement.
This course examines the development of British society and culture from 1939 to the present day. We discuss the Second World War as the "People's War" before turning to social and cultural developments in postwar Britain, particularly affluence and consumerism, immigration and questions of national identity, the rise of youth cultures and popular music, Thatcherism, and contemporary society since New Labour's "New Britain."
This war rightly has been called a total war. New technologies and strategies affected civilians as much as the military, and the fighting raged across the globe. We examine the war in Europe, Asia, and beyond, exploring such questions as the role of aerial bombing, of science, of intelligence, and of propaganda in the conflagration while considering the war's impact on daily life in occupied countries, and the distinct experience of the dictatorships and democracies.
Canada has undergone such profound social, cultural, constitutional, and political changes since 1968 that it can be argued that the country has experienced a "revolution." The goal of this course is to examine the nature of this "revolution" and to give students a broad introduction to the major events and themes in contemporary Canadian history, including such topics as constitutional reform, multiculturalism, Quebec, free trade, cultural organizations, foreign policy, globalization, feminism, and Aboriginal rights.
This course provides an in-depth study of the Holocaust and an exploration of the major areas of historical inquiry that surround this watershed event. Students explore the roots of antisemitism, the Nazi rise to power, the nature of Nazi racial ideology, non-Jewish victim groups targeted for persecution, the motives of Nazi perpetrators, the experiences of the victims, issues of rescue and resistance, and the responses of governments and international organizations. Students will also consider the legacy of the Holocaust and contemporary genocide issues.
