Fall 2015 Lower Division Course Descriptions

COURSE TITLE: Premodern World History
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 1010
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MW 12:40-2:10PM
INSTRUCTOR: Anthony Perron
CORE AREA/FLAGS: Explorations: Historical Analysis and Perspectives (EHAP)
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS: This is not a survey course in world history. Though we will
touch on major turning points in the history of the Old World before 1500, the intent of HIST 1010 is to examine
specific examples of cultural contact in the ancient and medieval periods. Our aim will be to understand the
dynamics of such “global encounters” in a comparative context and to focus on phenomena of world-historical
importance that are often left out of courses defined by more traditional “civilizational” boundaries. The
principal interpretive framework for this class will be the concept of “barbarian” societies and their interactions
with settled empires and states. We will begin with the deep origins of both civilization and its barbarian
“other” in Eurasia around 3000BC, moving on to study how various empires in world history dealt with
barbarian societies on their frontiers, including the Persian Empire and the Scythians, the relations between
Han China and the Xiongnu and the Roman Empire and the Germanic peoples, the efforts by early-medieval
states such as Tang China, the Abbasid Caliphate, the Byzantine Empire, and the Frankish Kingdom to create
spheres of influence among the peoples across their borders, and the triumphant irruption during the High
Middle Ages of barbarians such as the Vikings/Normans in Europe, the Turks in the lands of Islam, and the
Khitan and Jurchen peoples in China. HIST 1010 will conclude by examining the remarkable steppe empire of
the Mongols. Throughout the semester we will ask questions such as how did the definition and perception of
barbarians change from one society to another across time and space? What efforts did civilizations make to
maintain a separation between themselves and their barbarian others? How successful were they at achieving
this goal? What cultural and social factors served as a bridge between societies of the premodern world? And
how did the contact between civilizations and barbarian peoples change both through a process of adaptation
and hybridization?
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will learn to read primary texts with a sensitivity to change and
context, understand the various mechanisms of cultural exchange and confrontation at work in the premodern
world, and become more proficient at presenting arguments in oral and written form.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: There are no prerequisites for this course.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Penguin Atlas of World History
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS: Regular short write-ups on the assigned reading; midterm and final essays;
term paper based on independent research
COURSE TITLE: Founders of the West
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 1110 01, 02
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: 9:40-11:10; 2:40-4:10 TR
INSTRUCTOR: DR L. TRITLE
Core Area: Historical Analysis and Perspectives (HAP)
FLAGS: NONE
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS: This course offers a critical analysis of the societies
and cultures generally regarded as the “Founders of the West,” namely those of the ancient
near east and the Greeks and Romans. It is a study not only of increasing cultural development
and sophistication, but of cultural diversity and assimilation. Emphasis will be placed on these
developments as they occurred first in the eastern Mediterranean world and between the
Greeks and their eastern neighbors, ranging from the Egyptians to the south and the Persians to
the east (e.g., exploring also Phoenician influences such as the alphabet, the “Orientalizing” style
of art; this followed by the legacy of the conquests of Alexander the Great). Attention will then
turn to the west and the similar intersections of culture in Italy as Italic peoples, Etruscans and
Latins, came into contact with the Greeks and Carthaginians, leading to the emergence of GrecoRoman culture and civilization, the pluralism of the Roman world.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students should come away from the course with an
understanding of the development of the world in which they live, the nature of such historical
concepts as change and continuity, as well as the acquisition of a basic grasp of historiography
and methodology. Student ability to think and write critically should also be enhanced as there
will be significant opportunity to apply writing and thinking skills.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: NONE
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Early Christian Writings. Trans. by M. Staniforth. Rev. Trans. by A. Louth. New York: Penguin
Books, 1968/1987.
Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. by N.K. Sandars. New York: Penguin, 1960.
Euripides. Greek Tragedies, vol.3: Heracles, Helen, Iphigenia in Tauris, Ion. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2013.
Tacitus. Agricola and Germania. Trans. by H. Mattingly. New York: Penguin Books, 1948/2009.
Winks, R.W. and S. P. Mattern-Parkes. The Ancient Mediterranean World. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2004.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Short Papers on sources (4-6 pp)
Midterm & Final Examination
COURSE TITLE: Founders of the West
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 1110 01, 02
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: 9:40-11:10; 2:40-4:10 TR
INSTRUCTOR: DR L. TRITLE
Core Area: Historical Analysis and Perspectives (HAP)
FLAGS: NONE
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS: This course offers a critical analysis of the societies
and cultures generally regarded as the “Founders of the West,” namely those of the ancient
near east and the Greeks and Romans. It is a study not only of increasing cultural development
and sophistication, but of cultural diversity and assimilation. Emphasis will be placed on these
developments as they occurred first in the eastern Mediterranean world and between the
Greeks and their eastern neighbors, ranging from the Egyptians to the south and the Persians to
the east (e.g., exploring also Phoenician influences such as the alphabet, the “Orientalizing” style
of art; this followed by the legacy of the conquests of Alexander the Great). Attention will then
turn to the west and the similar intersections of culture in Italy as Italic peoples, Etruscans and
Latins, came into contact with the Greeks and Carthaginians, leading to the emergence of GrecoRoman culture and civilization, the pluralism of the Roman world.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students should come away from the course with an
understanding of the development of the world in which they live, the nature of such historical
concepts as change and continuity, as well as the acquisition of a basic grasp of historiography
and methodology. Student ability to think and write critically should also be enhanced as there
will be significant opportunity to apply writing and thinking skills.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: NONE
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Early Christian Writings. Trans. by M. Staniforth. Rev. Trans. by A. Louth. New York: Penguin
Books, 1968/1987.
Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. by N.K. Sandars. New York: Penguin, 1960.
Euripides. Greek Tragedies, vol.3: Heracles, Helen, Iphigenia in Tauris, Ion. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 2013.
Tacitus. Agricola and Germania. Trans. by H. Mattingly. New York: Penguin Books, 1948/2009.
Winks, R.W. and S. P. Mattern-Parkes. The Ancient Mediterranean World. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2004.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Short Papers on sources (4-6 pp)
Midterm & Final Examination
COURSE TITLE: Revolutions in the Making of the West
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 1204.01 and HIST 1204.02
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MW 8:00-9:30 and MW 9:40-11:10
INSTRUCTOR: Courtney Spikes
CORE AREA: EHAP
FLAGGED:
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS: This course will explore political, social, economic, intellectual, and
cultural currents in the development of “the West” from circa 1500 to the present. More specifically, we will
use the notion of “revolution” as the prism through which we examine the political, religious, economic, social,
and cultural transformations of the last five hundred years. Topics will include the Reformation, the Glorious
Revolution in England, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment, the American, French and Haitian
revolutions, the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the Russian Revolution, the Nazi Revolution, the
postwar decolonization and civil rights movements, the youth rebellions and the sexual revolution of the
1960s, among other topics. Special emphasis will be on the question of change and continuity in Western
history – in the Western worldview, in power relationships between people and groups of people (defined by
confession, class, gender, nation, race, etc.) and in the ways that ordinary Europeans experienced the forces
around them. This course combines instructor lectures with close discussion of texts (including images) and
relevant historical debates, thereby creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment. The course
emphasizes the development of critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students will be able to identify and explain the key issues, events and
people appropriate to the subject matter of the course. Students will explore the structure of societies across
eras and regions. Students will learn how to analyze the criteria by which we interpret the past. Students will
improve their analytical skills through reading and interpreting primary and secondary sources. Students will
learn how to construct arguments about the past based on evidence and utilizing critical language reflective of
the subject matter and the discipline of history.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND: None.
REQUIRED TEXTS: TBD
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS: At minimum, students will take two examinations and write at least eight
pages of finished historical analysis (in one or more formal papers). The course emphasizes reading
assignments based on primary sources to encourage students to interpret the voices of the past.
TERM: Fall 2015
COURSE TITLE: Becoming America
COURSE NUMBER: EHAP/History 1300
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: MWF 11:30-12:30, 12:40-1:40
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Cara Anzilotti
COURSE DESCRIPTION (PRINCIPAL TOPICS COVERED):
This course serves as an introductory survey of American history from the fifteenth century to the mid nineteenth
century, from the pre-Columbian period to the eve of the Civil War. It focuses on the experiences of individuals
and groups, and examines their relationships to the broader structures of American society. Though broad in
scope this course will explore in depth various facets of American history, examining changes to society over
time by exploring their causes and analyzing their consequences. Topics include indigenous societies before
contact with Europeans, the colonization of North America, the shaping of colonial society, race and slavery, the
American Revolution and its aftermath, life in the early republic, political developments in the new nation,
expansionism and westward migration, the creation of a market economy, the growth of sectionalism and its
consequences. This course will help students understand American history as a series of cross-cultural
interactions, internal migrations and new immigrations, and historical experiences shaped by race, class, gender
and region. Students will trace the development of an American cultural identity and the transformation of
America’s place in the world.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will learn to think and write about early American history with an emphasis on analyzing cause and
effect. They will develop a deeper understanding of the forces that have shaped the American experience over
time.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
None.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Roark, Johnson, Cohen, The American Promise
Johnson, Reading the American Past
Breen and Innes, Myne Owne Ground
Seaver, A Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison
MacLeod, Slavery, Race and the American Revolution
Northup, Twelve Years a Slave
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Attendance at lectures and participation in class discussions; two analytical essays on the assigned readings, 4-5
pages each; a midterm and a final exam.
Term: Fall 2015
Course Title: The United States and the World
Course # and Section: HIST 1400-01; HIST 1400-02
Section Times: 01: MWF 9:10am-10:10am; 02: MWF 11:30am-12:30pm
Instructor: Sean Dempsey, S.J.
Core: EXP-Historical Analysis and Perspectives
Course Description:
This course is an introductory survey of the modern history of the United States, roughly from the time of
the Civil War until the present day. It focuses on the experiences of groups and individuals and their
relationships to the broader structures of United States society, by examining changes to American
society over time, exploring their causes, and analyzing their consequences within a transnational (or
global) context. The course also highlights several important themes that will help students better
understand the ways in which the US and its place in the world changed over time, including:
immigration and migration, industrialization and deindustrialization, globalization, race and race
relations, gender and sexuality, and several others.
This course is a combination of lectures and classroom discussion, which will most often be based on the
assigned reading (study questions will be provided ahead of time to help focus the discussion).
Classroom participation is integral to the student’s engagement with historical sources and the debates
that surround them. Assigned readings and study questions emphasize primary sources as well as
historiographical essays. Students will complete a midterm and final exam and write two book reports (35 pages each) and a longer research paper (8-10 pages) on a topic of their choice (in consultation with the
instructor), in addition to the readings and study questions that will be due each time class meets.
Student Learning Outcomes:
There are two major learning outcomes for this course. The first is a deeper understanding of both the
chronology and major themes of U.S. history in the modern period, with a special emphasis on the global
dimensions of this history. The second is a basic understanding of the craft of history, with special
attention to the analysis of primary historical sources, as well as an understanding of how historians use
evidence in order to understand and debate the meaning of the past.
Prerequisites/Recommended Background: None
Required Texts:
DuBois, W.E.B., The Souls of Black Folk, 1903 (1994 reprint ed.).
Terkel, Studs, Hard Times, 2005 reprint.
Friedan, Betty, The Feminine Mystique, 1963 (2013 reprint ed.).
Appy, Christian, Patriots: the Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides, 2004.
Additional readings on electronic reserve.
Course Work/Expectations:
Students are expected to attend the lectures, complete all assignments on-time (including readings, study
questions, and papers), and participate actively in the classroom discussion. Grades will be based on a
combination of two exams, two book reports, one research paper, and class participation.
COURSE TITLE: The United States and the Pacific World
COURSE NUMBER: History 1401/APAM 1118
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: Section 01 Tu & Th 11:20 a.m.-12:50 p.m. &
Section 02 Tu & Th 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
INSTRUCTOR: Professor Constance Chen
CORE AREA: Satisfies the Historical Analysis and Perspectives (EHAP) Requirement
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
Since the eighteenth century, when merchant ships shuttled back and forth between New
York and Canton, the United States has had significant exchanges and encounters with the
Pacific World. Using race, class, and gender as prisms, this lower-division course will explore
the ways in which the development of American histories, cultures, and societies have been
transformed by Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans from the earliest contact to the
twenty-first century within transnational and comparative frameworks. Topics to be discussed
will include international politics and the enactment of immigration legislations, nativist
sentiments, the formation of nationalist ideals, labor and work, changing ethnic enclaves, and
racial and gender discourses, among others. Students will analyze these themes and issues in
light of the "opening" of the Pacific markets, the Westward expansion, and American
participation in international conflicts as well as other historical events.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
To acquire an understanding of the political, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that
have shaped the development of the United States in light of exchanges with the Pacific World
from the colonial era to the twentieth-first century; to explore and discuss primary sources and
secondary documents in order to synthesize and critically evaluate the information presented to
develop independent points of view on issues including immigration policies, international
relations, and racial discourses.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
None.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Readings will include a variety of primary documents such as institutional records,
newspaper accounts, and personal letters as well as scholarly monographs and articles.
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Students will be evaluated by their attendance and participation, formal writing
assignments, in-class essay exams as well as other exercises designed to delve further into the
class topics and themes.
COURSE TITLE: Modern Asia
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 1800
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: T&R 8:00-9:30 (Section 1), 9:40-11:10 (Section 2)
INSTRUCTOR: Sun-Hee Yoon
CORE AREA (IF APPLICABLE): EHAP
FLAGS (IF APPLICABLE): Writing
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS
This course introduces Modern East Asian history through the voices of those who made it. As a broad survey of
East Asian history from 1600to the present, it examines the major developments, institutions, and forces that
shaped the identity of East Asians. While following a basic chronological organization, the course will use names
such as empire-building, economic expansion, nationalism, popular culture, and gender to explore that history.
The course will pay more attention to the conflicts, interactions, and mutually constitutive experiences of the
peoples of China, Japan, Korea and Euro-American powers instead of treating the histories of individual national
in isolation.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will learn how to read critically by studying a variety of primary source materials. They will develop a
basic cultural and historical vocabulary, and improve their understanding of today’s China, Japan, and Korea. In
addition, students will improve their skills in writing essays that use primary source as evidence in support of
argument.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
None
REQUIRED TEXTS
1. Patricia B. Ebery, et al., Modern East Asia: From 1600: A Cultural, Social and Political History, (Any edition)
Houghton-Mifflin, 2006.
2. Hildi Kang, Under the Black Umbrella: Voices from Colonial Korea, 1910-1945, Cornell University Press, 2001.
3. Jonathan Spencer, Mao Zedong: A Life, Penguin, 2006.
4. Primary Source Reader
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
In this course, there are two examinations (a mid-term and a final), two papers, and a map quiz.
COURSE TITLE: What is History
COURSE NUMBER: HIST 2000
SECTION TIMES/DAYS: TW 1-2:30
INSTRUCTOR: Amy Woodson-Boulton
CORE AREA (IF APPLICABLE):
FLAGS (IF APPLICABLE): Writing Skills, Information Literacy
COURSE DESCRIPTION/PRINCIPAL TOPICS:
To address the question “What is History?”, this course engages students in four interrelated questions. 1) What
is the difference between history and fiction? 2) What is the relationship between the modern idea of progress
and the development of history as a discipline? 3) How did racism, nationalism, and imperialism, and critiques
thereof, shape the discipline of history? 4) How have new approaches to knowledge, power, and language
challenged the idea of progress?
Using European imperialism as a case study (with a particular focus on the British Empire), this course will
introduce students to class, race, and gender as categories of analysis, showing students how historians have
used new sources, questions, and methods to understand power relations and cultural and social change.
Reading historical writings from primarily the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as primary sources,
students will investigate Whig history, imperialism, nationalism, and the relationship between historical
methodologies and theories of progress and development, as well as the relationship between historical and
fictional narratives. In their own research work, students will consider their methodologies and the questions that
they are asking, and how these come out of their own particular historical moment.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This course aims to improve students’ academic performance in upper division history courses by providing
instruction in how to write a research paper, cite primary and secondary sources in the footnotes, and compose a
well-organized bibliography that includes monographs and journal articles. The course also aims to train students
to assess traditional and non-traditional forms of historical evidence and become familiar with a variety of
historical methods and approaches. Students will learn to read histories as both primary and secondary sources,
assessing historical narratives as documents in and of themselves, presenting arguments about the past that are
always formed in a politicized present. See also the Learning Outcomes for the Information Literacy and Writing
Skills flags.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND:
This course is open to History Majors/Minors only. While there are no prerequisites, I do recommend that you
have taken at least one lower-division History course at LMU.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Timothy Parsons, The British Imperial Century, 1815-1914, [e-book through LMU library]
European Imperialism, 1830-1930: Climax and Contradiction, Alice L. Conklin (Editor), Ian Christopher Fletcher
(Editor), Houghton Mifflin College Div, 1998. ISBN-10: 0395903858/ISBN-13: 9780395903858
Selected readings on MyLMUConnect
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS:
Class Participation
Reading responses (x5)
Discussion leader
10.0
10.0
2.5
Identifying a topic assignments
35.0
Prospectus drafts/presentation
32.5
Take-home final
10.0