European History Courses

130 The Ancient World. (4)
A survey of the origins of Western civilization through an examination of Greek and Roman history and culture from the Bronze Age to the Roman Empire. Possible topics include the nature of Athenian democracy, the role of women in classical society, slavery in the ancient economy, the significance of the fall of the Roman Empire. Alternate years.

135 The Medieval World. (4)
A survey of the emergence of Western medieval civilization between the decline of the ancient world and the Renaissance. Possible topics include: men and women in feudal society, monasticism and the shaping of Western culture, the conflict between church and state, the transformation of a feudal into a commercial economy, the rise of Gothic architecture and scholasticism. Fall.

140 The European Experience. (4)
A thematic survey of topics in European history since the Renaissance. Topics to be considered include the interaction of religion and society, the rise of nation-states, war and peace, political, social, intellectual and economic revolutions. Fall and spring.

329 Colonialism and Culture: Everyday Life in the British Empire. (4)
Views of the expansion of Empire have veered from nostalgia to revulsion, but this course will avoid the focus on what Britain “did” to indigenous societies. Instead, it will concentrate on how colonized societies influenced western attitudes and institutions, as well as the other way around. This will be accomplished through the examination of such themes as the relationship between economics and imperialism, with an emphasis on who benefited and who paid. Photographs of “distant” peoples and places influenced popular culture and political processes in the West, and photography shaped the imaginative landscapes of imperial culture. The independence movement offers further possibilities of examining the interaction and influences on national identity which passed between the colonized and the colonizer. Yearly.
 
330 Greece in the Classical Period. (4)
Greece in the Classical Period, and in particular Athens in the 5th century BCE, represents a “Golden Age” which in some ways has never been equaled in human history. How did this first democracy develop? How did it work? Why did it fail? How did other Greek cities of the time react? Students will use primary sources, literary works and electronically available sources including art, architecture, archaeology, coins, maps and various search tools. Every third year.

331 The Medieval Mediterranean. (4)
The culture of the Mediterranean world shaped the development of western European civilization and created a framework for contacts between Eastern and Western cultures. This course will explore these contacts, beginning with the hegemony of the Roman Empire, the rise of Christianity, the expansion of Islam, the influence of the Byzantine empire, and the conflicts between Christians and Muslims in Spain, Sicily, and the Middle East. Prerequisite: Completion of humanities lower division core requirement. Alternate years.

332 The Roman Empire. (4)
An overview of the growth of the Roman Empire from the late republic to the death of Constantine I. Although encompassing the history of the whole Roman world, this study centers on the comparatively wealthier and more sophisticated Roman East with pertinent references to the more rustic West. Areas of concentration will address Roman culture, religion, mores and political accommodation. Every third year.

333 Gender and Society in Western Europe. (4)
An examination of the images, roles and experiences of women and men in western Europe from the later Middle Ages through the French Revolution (1300-1800). Particular emphasis will be placed on the Renaissance and Reformation period. Topics include: sexuality, family, politics, work, religion, culture and the construction of masculinity and femininity. Alternate years.

335: Medieval Institutions and Society. (4)
A study of the formation of nation-states in Western Europe, emphasizing the period between 1000 and 1350. Themes include the development of institutions, such as the Church, the university, and the formation of feudal monarchies. Alternate years.

336 The Renaissance. (4)
An examination of the ways that the term renaissance can be applied to European politics, society, and the visual arts from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries. We will consider who created the Renaissance, who participated in it (and who did not), and how the Renaissance manifested itself in Italy as well as northern Europe. To this end, we will study the literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, political thought and philosophy of the period. To understand the society in which these developments took place, we will look at gender relations, family and kinship networks, and changes in political and economic life. Alternate years.

337 The Age of Reformation. (4)
A study of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations in the 16th and 17th centuries with a particular emphasis on social history, including the causes and characteristics of religious change and its effects on European society and culture. Topics include the reception and implementation of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic responses to this challenge, radical religious movements, the role of women in religious reform, changes in family relations, and popular religion. Alternate years.

341 The Enlightenment and the French Revolution. (4)
The relationship between ideas, culture and politics in the 18th-century Enlightenment and French Revolution explores the cultural world of the common people, as well as the ideas of philosophers like Rousseau and Voltaire, and the role of women and men of all classes in social and political change. The focus is on France, but developments in other countries are included in the quest to understand the world that produced the first great revolution and the impact of that revolution on Europe. Alternate years.

344 Modern Germany. (4)
This course examines the social, political, and cultural history of Germany in the modern era. It begins in the nineteenth century with a consideration of “Germany” before the unification of 1871 and proceeds to Imperial Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the post-1945 Germanies. Topics will include nationalism, responses to political and social modernization, women’s history, and the impact of the world wars. Yearly.

346 Cold War Europe. (4)
This course traces the political, economic, social and cultural development of Europe after the unprecedented destruction and chaos caused by World War II. The topics under study include postwar recovery, the end of European overseas empires, the Cold War division of Europe, cultural and intellectual dissent, and the revolutions of 1989. The course covers both western and eastern Europe. Alternate years.

347 Modern Britain. (4)
Examines the main social, economic, political, and cultural features of Britain from 1750 until the present, covering Britain’s rise as a powerful modern state and subsequent decline on the world stage. Themes include the social consequences of industrialization, changes in crime and the criminal justice system, the welfare state, the rise and decline of the British Empire, the effort to maintain a British identity in the face of the European Union. Yearly.

348 History of Ireland. (4)
This course will examine the shifting patterns of settlement and colonization, the recurrent religious strife and the establishment of new political entities. The traditional perspectives on Irish history have been swept away in recent years because of the new research of historians and because of the tragic events in Northern Ireland, and this course will offer the most current views on timeless Irish themes. Alternate years.

349 Modern Russia. (4)
This course examines the political, social, and cultural transformation of Russia from a preindustrial autocracy in the 19th century to an atomic superpower and post-Soviet society in the 20th century. Topics include the Romanov Empire, the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalinism, World War II, Soviet culture, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Alternate years.