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University Bulletin: Undergraduate Programs 2003-2004 The George Washington University  

 
    
 
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HISTORY



Professors R. Thornton, P.F. Klarén, R.E. Kennedy, Jr., W.H. Becker, L.P. Ribuffo, E. Berkowitz, R.H. Spector, J.O. Horton, L.L. Peck, M.E. Saperstein, R.J. Cottrol, D.K. Kennedy, A.M. Black (Research), M.A. Atkin, T. Anbinder (Chair), H.L. Agnew, V. Gamble
Associate Professors R.B. Stott, E.A. McCord, C.E. Harrison, D.R. Khoury, J. Hershberg, D. Yang, S. McHale, H.M. Harrison, E.H. Cline, N. Blyden, A. Zimmerman, K.W. Larsen, M. Norton, D. Silverman
Assistant Professors N.G. Seavey (Research), G.A. Brazinsky, C. Klemek, S.N. Robinson, J. Malegam, D. Schwartz
Adjunct Associate Professors K. Bowling, A.L. Alexander
Professorial Lecturer S. Wells
Director and Principal Investigator of the First Federal Congress Project C. Bickford

Bachelor of Arts with a major in history—The following requirements must be fulfilled:
1. The general requirements of Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, including the foreign language requirement.
2. Three introductory courses chosen from Hist 38, 39, 40, 71, 72. Credit in lieu of these courses may be obtained by scoring 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Examination or by scoring 650 or above on the
SAT American History test. Neither waiver nor credit is awarded by CLEP subject examination.
3. Majors must complete Hist 199, plus eight courses chosen from groups (a), (b), and (c), below, with the following distribution: at least two courses from each group, with the other two courses chosen from any of the three groups.
(a) Europe—Hist 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 117, 123, 124, 132, 135, 136, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156, 157, 158, 159, 161
(b) United States—Hist 126, 127, 129, 130, 133, 134, 137, 138, 139, 140, 160, 161, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 175, 176, 177, 178, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186
(c) Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America—Hist 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 126, 127, 158, 163, 164, 183, 187, 188, 189, 190, 193, 194, 195 Hist 101 or 102 and courses in the 700 Series may count toward group requirements. Majors should check with the major advisor on the applicability of such courses. 4. One course must focus on the period before 1750. Such courses include Hist 39, 103, 107 through 114, 118, 121, 123, 141, 145, 149, 151, 153, 154, 163, and 168. Some sections of Hist 101 or 102 and some courses in the 700 and 800 series will also fulfill this requirement.

Special Honors—For Special Honors in history, a history major must (1) meet the general honors requirements listed under University Regulations; (2) have an overall GPA of 3.3 and a GPA of 3.5 in the major at the time of graduation; (3) complete Hist 191 with a grade of A or A—.

Minor in history—Undergraduate students who select a minor in history must ordinarily declare their intention to a departmental advisor no later than the beginning of their senior year. To meet the departmental requirements for a minor, the student must complete one course chosen from Hist 38, 39, 40, 71, or 72 and at least five additional 100-level history courses.

With permission, a limited number of graduate courses in the department may be taken for credit toward an undergraduate degree. See the Graduate Programs Bulletin for course listings.

Course Accessibility: All 100-level courses are open to students without history course prerequisites with the exception of Hist 136, 160, 191, 192, and 199.
38 World History, 1500—Present (3) D. Kennedy and Staff
  An introduction to world history over the past half millennium, stressing themes of exchange and integration, tracing the ways various peoples of the world became bound together in a common system.
39–40 European Civilization in Its World Context (3—3) Staf
  Introduction to the history of Europe, emphasizing primary sources and their interpretation. Hist 39: From the beginning of written culture through 1715. Hist 40: From 1715 to the present.
42 Women in Western Civilization (3) Staff
  Same as WStu 1.
71–72 Introduction to American History (3—3) Staf
  Hist 71: the political, social, economic, and cultural history of the United States, from the earliest settlements to 1876. Hist 72: From 1876 to present.
101 Special Topics (3) Staff
  Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.
102 Sophomore Seminar (3) Staff
  Required of history majors. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes. Usually taken in the sophomore year. May not be repeated for credit.
103 African History to 1880 (3) Blyden
  Survey of the history of the African continent with emphasis on the history of sub-Sahara Africa.
104 Topics in African History since 1880 (3) Blyden
  A survey of African history from 1880 to the present.
105 Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World (3) Blyden
  The role of Africa and Africans in the Atlantic world with emphasis on links between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
106 Women in Africa (3) Blyden
  African women from prehistory to the present, focusing on culture, the role of gender, and outside influences and their impact on women's history. Same as WStu 166.
107 The Ancient Near East and Egypt to 322 B.C. (3) Cline
  Survey of Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Anatolian, West Semitic, and Iranian civilizations from the Neolithic period to Alexander's conquest. Same as Clas 117.
108 History of Ancient Israel (3) Cline
  The history of ancient Israel from the Patriarchs through the Romans. Topics include historical, archeological, political, social, cultural, religious, diplomatic, military, economic, and intellectual events, movements, and relationships. Same as Clas 118.
109 Early Aegean and Greek Civilizations to 338 B.C. (3) Cline
  Neolithic background; Bronze Age—Minoan, Helladic, and Mycenaean civilizations; classical Greek civilization to the Macedonian conquest. Same as Clas 119.
110 The Roman World to 337 A.D. (3) Cline
  Prehistoric Italy; rise and decline of the Roman Empire and Latin civilization; cultural, social, and political developments in the Greek world under Roman rule. Same as Clas 120.
111 The Early Middle Ages (3) Malegam
  The evolution of Roman, Islamic, Byzantine, and Germanic societies from the end of the Roman Empire through the rise of Latin Christendom by the year 1000; the nature of political power, role of religion, place of gender, cultural production, and changing social structures.
112 The High Middle Ages (3) Malegam
  The evolution of Europe, ca. 1000 to 1400, with emphasis on the organization of the medieval state; the role of law and religion, considering the impact of the crusades and religious dissent; economic growth; the rise of urbanism; aspects of daily life, artistic innovation, and new modes of thought.
113 History of the Jews in Christian Europe to the 18th Century (3) Saperstein
  The position of Jews in relation to Church and State; organization and self-government of the Jewish community; movements of Jewish spirituality; divisions within Jewish society; the background of Emancipation and Enlightenment.
114 History of the Jews in Islamic Lands (3) Saperstein
  The legal status of Jews under Islam; the impact of the Muslim conquest and Abbasid rule over the Jewish community of Babylon, the flourishing of Jewish civilization in Muslim Spain; Metatherian Jewish society in the Middle Ages; the Ottoman Empire; modernity and its effects.
115 Messianic Movements and Ideas in Jewish History (3) Saperstein
  A survey of Messianism as a central force in Jewish history, stressing both theoretical implications and concrete manifestations. Topics include Biblical Christianity, the origins of Christianity as a Jewish Messianic movement, the Sabbatian movement, Zionism, and contemporary messianism.
116 West Africa to Independence (3) Blyden
  A thematic survey of West African history, focusing on the diversity of African culture, West African kingdoms and empires, Islam, the trans-Saharan trade, African contact with Europe, slavery and the slave trade, and the colonization of Africa.
117 The British Empire (3) D. Kennedy
  The British Empire from its rise in the 17th century to its demise in the 20th century.
118 China to 1800 (3) McCord
  Survey of Chinese civilization from its ancient beginnings to the last imperial dynasty.
123–24 European Intellectual History (3—3) E. Kenned
  Hist 123: The "Century of Genius" and the Enlightenment; God, nature, man, and society, from Descartes to the French Revolution. Hist 124: Responses to the French Revolution and the Enlightenment; historicism, evolution; nihilism, psychoanalysis; communism; fascism; existentialism, structuralism, postmodernism, and neo-orthodoxy.
126 The United States and the Wars in Indochina, 1945—1975 (3) Spector
  The American role in the Indochina Wars, emphasizing the period 1961—1975, and from the perspectives of the Vietnamese, French, and Americans in Vietnam. Related intellectual and political developments in the United States; Cold War relationships with China and the Soviet Union.
129 War and the Military in American Society Spector from the Revolution to the Gulf War (3)
  Social and psychological dimensions of war and military service.
130 Sexuality in U.S. History (3) Staff
  Same as AmSt 130/WStu 130.
132 History of Germany (3) Zimmerman
  Political, social, and cultural development. From 1815 to the present.
133 U.S. History, 1890—1945 (3) Ribuffo, Berkowitz
  Political, social, diplomatic, and intellectual developments, with particular emphasis on the "searching" '20s and New Deal.
134 Contemporary U.S. History Since 1945 (3) Ribuffo
  Political, social, diplomatic, and intellectual developments, with particular emphasis on the Cold War, "silent" '50s, and disrupted '60s.
135 The Two Germanys and the Cold War (3) H. Harrison
  Why was Germany divided after World War II? Why did it stay divided for 45 years? How was it reunited in 1990? This course examines developments in East and West Germany, relations between the two Germanys during the Cold War, their foreign policies, and how other countries treated them.
136 Europe in the 20th Century (3) Staff
  Diplomatic, political, and cultural developments from the turn of the century to the present. Prerequisite: Hist 40.
137–38 History of American Foreign Policy Since World War II (3—3) Thornto
  Emphasis on American and Soviet strategy and foreign policy in the era of the Cold War. Hist 137: World War II to the Vietnam War; Hist 138: Vietnam to the "New World Order."
139–40 Women in the United States (3—3) Murphy, C. Harriso
  Survey of women's experience in U.S. history, the way gender has organized relations of power, and the impact of race, region, class, and ethnicity on women and on gender roles. Same as AmSt 139/WStu 139–40.
141–42 History of France (3—3) E. Kenned
  Hist 141: Old Regime: monarchy and social classes; the Church; the Enlightenment; the 1789 revolution; Napoleon. Hist 142: From 1814: breaks and continuities in the succession of regimes; the interplay between revolution and tradition; the weakened international position of France; Gaullism and the survival of France; European Unity.
143 The Making of the Modern Balkans (3) Agnew
  States of the Balkan peninsula—Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania—including developments since the decline of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of Balkan nationalist movements, and continuing through the collapse of the Soviet bloc.
144 The Habsburgs in East Central Europe (3) Agnew
  History of the Habsburg monarchy in its East Central European Context. Reformation and Counter-Reformation; conflict with the Ottoman Empire; great-power competition in Europe; response to the Enlightenment and the French Revolution; the rise of nationalism; and final dissolution in World War I.
145 Russia to 1801 (3) Atkin
  Survey of Russian history from the rise of the Kievan confederation in the ninth century to the establishment of Imperial Russia as a European great power. Attention will be given to the political, socioeconomic, and cultural history of the East Slavs, especially the Russians.
146 Russia Since 1801 (3) Atkin
  Survey of Russian and Soviet history from the reign of Alexander I to the Stalin era. Attention will be given to the contending forces of revolution, reform, and conservatism; diplomatic relations; economic development; and social change.
147 Victorian Britain (3) D. Kennedy
  Major themes in 19th-century British history: industrialism, democratization, urbanization, imperial expansion, class and gender schisms.
148 The French Revolution (3) E. Kennedy
  Social, political, economic, and cultural history of the decade of revolution, 1789—1799. Attention to its structural consequences in France and in Europe at large.
149 Spain and Its Empire, 1492—1700 (3) Norton
  Major transformations of the period: From cultural pluralism to ethnic homogeneity, from medieval fragmentation to imperial expansion in Europe and America; from religious reform to Catholic Reformation, from global dominance to decline.
150 20th-Century Britain (3) D. Kennedy
  Major themes of 20th-century British history: industrial decline, imperialism and decolonization, the making of a welfare state, the cataclysm of global war, integration with Europe.
151–52 History of England (3—3) Pec
  Development of English civilization and its impact on Western culture. Hist 151: To 1689. Hist 152: Since 1689.
153 Tudor England (3) Peck
  Aspects of the constitutional, social, intellectual, economic, and religious development of England, 1485—1603.
154 Stuart England (3) Peck
  The civil wars, Restoration, and Glorious Revolution. Political, religious, socioeconomic, and intellectual developments in England, 1603—1714.
156 European Integration: A History (3) Staff
  An examination of the origins and development of the European Union.
158 Modern Jewish History (3) Schwartz
  A secular history of the Jewish people from the 18th century to the present state of Israel; emphasis on European and Middle Eastern political, economic, and cultural influences.
159 The Holocaust (3) Saperstein
  The origins, causes, and significance of the Nazi attempt to destroy European Jewry, within the context of European and Jewish history. Related themes include the behavior of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; literary responses; contemporary implications of the Holocaust for religion and politics.
160 History of the Jewish People in America (3) Staff
  The study of the Jewish minority in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasis on the interaction between a powerful majority culture and that of protean minority people. Prerequisite: Hist 39–40 or 71–72.
161 History of Israel (3) Schwartz
  A history of Israel from the origins of Zionism and the British Mandate through the Oslo Accord and its legacy.
163–64 History of Latin America (3—3) Klaré
  Hist 163: Analysis of Spanish and Portuguese imperialism in the New World, 1492—1820. Hist 164: A problems approach to Latin America, 1820 to the present; thematic emphasis on neocolonialism, corporatism, liberalism, caudillismo, modernization, populism, and revolution.
166 Immigration, Ethnicity, and the American Experience (3) Anbinder
  Examination of the role of immigration, ethnicity, and ethnic conflict in American life, with particular attention to the urban immigrant experience from 1820, to 1924.
167 Themes in U.S. Cultural History (3) Staff
  Same as AmSt 167.
168 America Before 1764 (3) Silverman
  An examination of prehistory, colonization, and the shifting dynamics among European Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans before 1764.
169 Revolutionary America (3) Silverman
  An examination of the War of Independence and other events that reshaped life for Native Americans, African Americans, and European Americans in the era of the American Revolution; emphasis on a continental approach to the period.
171–72 U.S. Social History (3—3) Stot
  Hist 171: Daily life, institutions, intellectual and artistic achievements of the agrarian era, 1607—1861. Hist 172: The urban—industrial era from 1861 to present. Same as AmSt 171–72.
173 African American History (3) Alexander
  Survey of the African American experience, emphasizing the contributions of black Americans to and their impact upon American history. Same as AmSt 173.
175 U.S. Constitutional History (3) C. Harrison
  Examination of the text and interpretation of the document that is the foundation of the American government, with special attention to the changing character of race and gender as constitutional classes.
176 The Modern American Presidency (3) Berkowitz
  The development of the modern American presidency, from Theodore Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, examining the intersection of personal and impersonal forces in the creation of modern America.
177 The Jacksonian Era and the Rise of Mass Politics (3) Anbinder
  The period 1828—1850 and its continuing significance to American society; emphasis on national politics and the emerging sectional conflict.
178 History of the American West (3) Stott
  The interaction of environment and cultures among the different peoples vying for occupancy of the trans-Mississippi region of the United States from the early 19th century to the present.
180 The Nuclear Arms Race (3) Hershberg
  Political, military, diplomatic, scientific, and cultural consequences of the advent of nuclear weapons. The development and uses of the atomic bomb during World War II and the course and legacy of the U.S.—Soviet nuclear arms race during the Cold War.
181 U.S. Media and Cultural History (3) Staff
  Same as AmSt 181.
182 U.S. Diplomatic History (3) Hershberg, Brazinsky
  American foreign relations in the 20th century.
183 International History of the Cold War (3) H. Harrison, Hershberg
  Key events and themes of the Cold War, drawing on new evidence from U.S., Soviet, Chinese, German, East European, Vietnamese, Cuban, and other sources. Related historiographical controversies from multiple national perspectives. Why the Cold War began, why it lasted for 45 years, and why it ended.
184 Civil War and Reconstruction (3) Anbinder
  How tensions between the sections developed into violence, how a total war was fought on American soil, and how Reconstruction shaped the making of modern American politics and race relations.
185 Black Women in U.S. History (3) Alexander
  Black Women from the Middle Passage to contemporary times. Same as AmSt 185/WStu 185.
186 U.S. Urban History (3) Heap, Klemek
  The American city from colonial foundations to the present, relating social and economic forces to physical form. Special emphasis on transitions from preindustrial to industrial to metropolitan forms, focusing on implications for public policy and historic preservation. Same as AmSt 186.
187 History of Modern China (3) McCord
  China since 1840, with particular attention to political developments.
188 History of Chinese Communism (3) Thornton
  Survey of the leadership, ideology, structure, and foreign and domestic policies of the Chinese Communist Party from its inception to the present.
189 History of Modern Japan (3) Yang
  Japan's century of modernization—from the Meiji Restoration of 1868 to the present. Emphasis on historical, political, economic, and cultural factors.
190 History of Korea (3) Larsen
  An introduction to the history and culture of Korea from antiquity to the present.
191 Senior Honors Thesis (3) Staff
  Required of and open only to undergraduate honors candidates in history.
192 Internship (3) Staff
  Study of history through internships in museums, libraries, Congress, or other appropriate institutions and agencies. Prerequisite: approval of department.
193 History of the Middle East (3) Khoury
  Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Islamic backgrounds; rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire; action of European powers in the area; Ottoman breakup into the Turkish Republic and other states.
194 History of the Modern Middle East (3) Khoury, Robinson
  Beginning with Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. Development of nationalism and of modern states; impact of the West on culture and institutions; great-power imperialism; crises of Turkish Straits, Suez, Arab—Israeli relations; and other issues.
195 History of Central Asia (3) Atkin
  Introduction to the political, cultural, religious, and social history of Central Asia from ancient to modern times.
196 History of Southeast Asia (3) McHale
  An examination of Vietnam and its neighbors from the pre-colonial period to the present.
197 Independent Study (3) Staff
  Permission of instructor required.
199 Thesis Seminar (3) Staff
  A research paper is prepared using primary sources.
 

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© 2008 University Bulletin
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Information in this bulletin is generally accurate as of fall 2007. The University reserves the right to change courses, programs, fees, and the academic calendar, or to make other changes deemed necessary or desirable, giving advance notice of change when possible.