This page contains the Spring 2025 undergraduate course guide. View our Winter 2025 course guide here.
Meeting the Requirements
Each semester, numerous history department courses fulfill one or more General Education requirements, including Historical Studies (HS), United States Diversity (DU), Global Diversity (DG), and Interdisciplinary (I). Some courses are cross-listed with other departments, such as Economics and Legal Studies. These courses and others may count toward major requirements in other departments. We advise you to contact your major advisor to determine whether a history course may count for a non-history major.
This semester's courses also fulfill various requirements for history majors and minors, including:
- Non-Western - The following courses will automatically satisfy the non-western requirement: HIST 110: World History to 1500; HIST 111 World History Since 1500; HIST 116 History of Japan; HIST 117 Science and Society in Modern China; HIST 130 Middle East History I; HIST 161: Africa Since 1500; HIST 203 Ancient Near East and Egypt; HIST 220 Capitalism and Alternatives in Latin America; HIST 250 Intro to South Asian History and Culture; HIST 320ML: From Muhammad to the Caliphate; HIST 324 Globalization in the Indian Ocean; HIST 345 China in the 19th Century; HIST 354 History of Mexico.
- Pre-1500 - The following courses will automatically satisfy the pre-1500 requirement: HIST 100 Western Thought to 1500; HIST 110 World History Before 1500; HIST 130 Middle East History I; HIST 203 Ancient Near East and Egypt; HIST 204 Ancient Rome; HIST 350 The Fall of Rome.
- Note, there are courses being offered this semester that may satisfy the non-western requirement or the pre-1500 requirements that are not on this list. The courses listed above will automatically count towards these requirements, but if you are taking a class that you believe meets either requirement, and it’s not listed here, inquire with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator at undergrad@history.umass.edu.
- Integrative Experience - The following courses will satisfy the Gen Ed Integrative Experience Requirement (affects primary history majors): HIST 394EI: Human Rights and Energy in Eurasia; HIST 394PI: History and Its Publics
- Junior Year Writing - The following courses will satisfy the Junior Year Writing requirement: HIST 450-01: Policing in the Modern US; HIST 450-02: Ancient World in Popular Media; HIST 450-03: China and the United States; HIST 450-04: Biography.
Spring 2025 UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
HIST 101 Western Thought Since 1600 (HS)
Jon Olsen | MW 11:11-12:05pm, Friday discussions
The purpose of this class is to look back on the past 400+ years and analyze how Western society developed in order to better understand phenomena such as revolution, romanticism, nationalism, industrialization, war, and other related themes. Of these themes, nationalism will serve as a connective tissue running throughout the course as we investigate the different ways in which it has been expressed and how it has functioned in different contexts, the impact that it has had in different areas, and the way in which it has interacted with and influenced other important ideologies.
HIST 111 World History Since 1500 (HS, DG)
Brian Bunk | MW 9:05-9:55am, Friday discussions
The goal of the course is to understand the development of key aspects of world history from the late fifteenth to the late twentieth centuries. The course examines human interaction in specific situations developing through time, including the development of significant social, political, or economic institutions or ideologies. Students are exposed to historically important events, developments, or processes as a way of teaching them to understand the present and direct their futures as well as gain an awareness of and appreciation for an historical perspective. The readings of the course include a variety of primary and secondary sources in order to better analyze and understand the diversity of global norms and values and the way they change over time. The course work emphasizes the development of critical thinking and writing skills. This course fulfills the non-western requirement for history majors and the historical studies in global perspective (DG) portion of the General Education program.
HIST 112H Intro to World Religions, Honors (I, DG)
Susan Ware | TuTh 11:00-12:15pm
This class introduces students to the history, geography, beliefs, daily life, Scripture, and architecture of religions around the world. We will study closely the most historically dominant religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) -- getting acquainted briefly with smaller faiths that they encounter in their historical trajectories: Sikhism, Jainism, Shinto, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.
The class will consider each tradition as not only a deliberate implementation of an initial vision, but also a product of forces in a particular place and time. We will see them become agents of change affecting outsiders as they spread geographically on the tails of military, economic, and philosophical conquests. The major religions will be studied as related parts of the two families in which they have arisen: first Indus Valley traditions, then Middle Eastern traditions. Students will be responsible for learning detailed maps of countries in the Middle East, north Africa, central Asia, and east Asia
HIST 115 Modern China (HS, DG)
Steve Platt | MW 11:15-12:05pm, Friday discussions
This is a four-credit survey of Chinese history from 1600 to the present day. We will cover topics including: the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty; Chinese-Western encounters; internal threats to the Confucian state; transformations of Chinese thought and culture in the 19th century; the revolutions of the 20th century; the rise of Mao Zedong; the People’s Republic of China; the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution; and the dramatic transformations China is undergoing today as a result of economic and political reforms since Mao’s death.
HIST 117 Science and Society in Modern China (HS, DG)
Guanhua Tan | TuTh 11:30-12:45pm
Science has meant many things in modern Chinese history. It has been pursued as a force for sovereignty, enlightenment, civilization, modernity, economic development, social transformation, political liberation, state authority, democracy, populism, individual opportunity, international solidarity, global power, and more. This course will explore how science has shaped modern Chinese history and the roles played by scientists in supporting and challenging the state. It will also examine how specific social, cultural, and political contexts have shaped the practice and policy of science in China, and how the specific visions for science that have emerged there have influenced and inspired people within the country and around the world. Throughout the course, we will be attuned to the effects of power relations on the history of science in China, including the Chinese state’s geopolitical maneuverings in the contexts of colonialism and the Cold War, revolutionary challenges to ivory-tower elitism, and scientists’ struggles to find their voices within and against the state.
HIST 120 Colonial Latin America (HS, DG)
Heidi Scott | MW 11:15-12:05pm, Friday discussions
This course surveys the history of colonial Latin America, examining the encounters between Iberians, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, and African peoples over the course of three centuries. The class explores the reciprocal effects of this contact. What effects did the conquest have on the peoples, cultures, environments, and demography of the Americas? What were the characteristics of the societies, cultures, and environments that emerged from this ongoing process of contact, conflict, and colonialism? We examine, among other themes, experiences and portrayals of conquest, the formation of colonial communities, the role of the Catholic Church, slavery and the formation of racialized caste systems, everyday life in colonial society, and the collapse of empire in the early nineteenth century. Opposing viewpoints and historiographical debates set the tone for at least some lectures and discussions. We make frequent use of textual and visual primary source materials throughout the semester. Assignments for the course include a midterm exam, an assignment based on the analysis of historical sources, a book review, and active participation.
HIST 131 Middle East 1500 to Present (HS, DG)
Mohammad Ataie | TuTh 8:00-8:50am, Friday discussions
This course aims to give students the tools to think, read, and write critically about the modern Middle East. We begin with the rise of the Safavid Empire in Iran and the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia. We then look at the shifting balances of power within these empires which were caused by both internal and external forces. Next, we move into the era known as the “Modern” Middle East, exploring both the essential role of European imperialism in shaping this period and reactions to it. We continue on towards our final destination, the present day, by examining particular events and longer trends that have fundamentally shaped the region. We end our course with a look at the Israeli colonization of Palestine and the Axis of Resistance. At the end of the course, students gain insight into the nuance and complexity of the events in the Middle East and the long histories which continue to shape the region.
HIST 151 US Survey, Reconstruction to Present (HS)
Sam Redman | TuTh 1:00-1:50pm, Friday discussions
This course will provide students with an understanding of American political, social, and economic history from the period of Reconstruction in the late 19th century through the late 20th century. The course explores politics and culture, as well as the interactions of race, class, and gender in U.S. history. Particular attention will be paid to struggles for justice, African American history, and women’s history. Primary source readings will be emphasized.
HIST 155 Empires to Nations: The making of the Atlantic World (1400-1800) (HS, DG)
Asheesh Siddique | MW 10:10-11:00am, Friday discussions
This course will examine the transformation of the Atlantic World from a world of empires into one of nation-states through examining the interactions between Africans, American Natives, and Europeans from the fifteenth through the end of the eighteenth century. We will explore the role of people, pathogens, plants, animals, ideas, and institutions in forming societies and cultures across a vast geographic expanse, and how the transformation of these communities across four centuries through migration, settlement, war, and trade helped forge the modern world. How did the Atlantic world transform from a world of empires – both native and European – into one of nation-states during the period from the 1400s to 1800s? Students will read both complex primary sources and key historiographical interventions, practicing the skills of interpreting evidence in both oral and written contexts in both class discussions and through essay assignments. Other assignments will include a midterm exam and a final exam, and evaluation of active participation during discussion meetings.
HIST 161 Africa Since 1500 (HS, DG)
Elizabeth Jacob | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
This course is an introduction to that rich, complicated, and diverse experience that has come to be known as African history. While frequently overlooked in many history courses, African history demands our attention, our resources, and our awareness. Our purpose is two-fold: 1) to facilitate proficiency in engaging in scholarly and/or professional conversations related to African matters and 2) to promote an awareness of demographic forces that have shaped the world in which we live.
HIST 181 History of Western Science and Technology II (HS)
Emily Hamilton | MW 9:05-9:55am, Friday discussions
This sequel to History 180 surveys Western science and technology in their cultural context from the Scientific Revolution to the Cold War. The course introduces students to key scientific ideas of the modern age. Important subjects include the social organization of science, the creation of the laboratory as the key site for the production of scientific knowledge, and the development of the “techno science” that gave rise to industrial R & D and produced the technological infrastructure of modern life. No prerequisites, although previous exposure to a course in modern European or American history is helpful.
This course satisfies the Gen Ed requirements by using historical methods of analysis to explore course content and develop analytical and critical thinking through inquiry and synthesis of concepts in the history of science. Students will develop written and oral communication skills through short assignments and a longer research paper, as well as gain experience with collaborative work through a semester-long group project organizing a timeline. Broader themes in science will be explored, situating the practice of science within society. Students will be exposed to historically important events, developments, and processes, examining science as a human endeavor influenced by social, political, and economic factors. Students will use a variety of primary and secondary materials to examine the social context of science and important people and ideas in Western science, as well as to reflect on the contemporary role of science as understood through understanding its origins.
HIST 190STA Drugs and Capitalism in Global History
Matthew Wormer | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This class explores the relationship between drugs and capitalism from 1500 to the present. From coffee and tobacco to opium and cocaine, addictive commodities have remade labor regimes, trade networks, and consumer cultures around the world, a “psychoactive revolution” that some scholars consider key to understanding the making of modern capitalism. Students will examine this topic through a series of chronological case studies that will allow them to situate debates over drugs and society in their global historical context.
HIST 201 Imperial America: The US and the World, 1898 to Present (HS)
Christopher Appy | MW 9:05-9:55am, Friday discussions
This four-credit GenEd course examines the assertion of U.S. power from the conquest of the Philippines to the “Global War on Terror.” Some of the key questions we consider are: How do we define U.S. imperialism? What are its institutions, resources, practices, goals, justifications, and consequences? Can imperialism and democracy co-exist? How does U.S. imperialism benefit or harm different groups at home and abroad? What ideas and forces have opposed U.S. imperialism? How have U.S. leaders described and justified their foreign policies? How do their official explanations compare to historical realities? What principles and interests have been most decisive in moving the U.S. toward military action? There are no prerequisites required to take this course.
HIST 202 Civil War Era (HS)
Sarah Cornell | MW 9:05-9:55am, Friday discussions
What caused the US's bloodiest war? How and why did the Civil War transition officially from a limited war to preserve the status quo to a revolutionary total war that embraced emancipation and more? What were the long-term outcomes of the defeat of secession and the destruction of racial slavery? How did different groups define meaningful freedom, citizenship, and the role of the federal government during Reconstruction? How did a counter-revolution overturn many of Reconstruction's successes? We will also study the ongoing battles over historical memories of the war, attending to how the Civil War was and is remembered, misremembered, represented, and misrepresented in popular culture. The course concludes with an assessment of the legacies of the era. This is not a course solely devoted to military history.
NOTE: Students can attend lectures in the classroom, zoom in live, or watch Echo recordings before their in-person Friday discussion section.
HIST 222B Data: From the Library of Alexandria to the Internet
Asheesh Siddique | MW 11:15-11:05pm, Friday discussions
What is data? How has it been created, used, and stored in human history? What forms have humans invented in order to circulate and share it with others? And what values have societies invested in data? Challenging the idea that data is value neutral and historically static, this course will explore these questions through a history of the politics of information and its technological manifestations in societies mainly, but not exclusively located in the landmass that came to be called Europe and in the north Atlantic world. A recurring theme in the course will be the relationship between the claims that people make to political power; and the accounts that they give of how data should be created, circulated, interpreted, and controlled. How has this relationship changed over time, and how has it been inflected by changes in the nature of politics and new technological developments?
HIST 241 The Irish Experience (HS)
Laura McNeil | TuTh 10:00-11:15am, no Friday discussions
This course will examine the economic, political, and social developments in Ireland, from the 1798 Rebellion to the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland. In particular, we will look at the rise of revolutionary, constitutional, and cultural nationalism in Ireland and Irish-America.
The course fulfills General Education objectives in History (HS) by asking fundamental questions about the past and applying the ideas we study in real contexts. Students will examine both primary and secondary sources (i.e. those created at the time and those written by modern scholars) to assess different historical interpretations of critical events and people in modern Irish history. The course also emphasizes communicating those historical assessments effectively, both in bluebook exams and take-home essays.
Specifically as a four-credit class, this class asks you to not only look closely at documents from the past, but also to read and critically assess several monographs about Irish history by professional historians. You will need to think not only about the information they offer, but also about the ways in which they present the past.
Similarly, it also asks you to look closely at several documentaries and films about Irish and Irish-American history, and to think about the interpretations they offer. For documentaries, think especially about the ways they put together interviews, oral histories, visual materials, re-enactments, etc., to convey both information and understandings of history. For movies, think about them as historical fiction: What visions of Irish history do they give us? Where do you think they are likely to be accurate, and where might they be taking liberties for a more dramatic story?
HIST 242H American Family in Historical Perspective, Honors
Martha Yoder | TuTh 2:30-3:45pm
Since the 1960s, Americans have experienced rapid and potentially disorienting changes in marriage and reproduction, in expectations of the family, and in the relationship between work life and home life. In this course we will take an historical and cross-cultural approach to studying these changes. Exploring the ways in which economic and political structures have affected the family since the period of European colonization, we will also examine the roles played by race, ethnic origin, immigration, and structural inequality in shaping familial differences. In the final weeks of the semester, we will employ this historical perspective as we examine questions about new definitions of family, the household division of labor, and the relationship between society and family in the postindustrial and increasingly politicized and globalized environment of the late-20th/early-21st centuries.
HIST 245 Chinese Diasporic History (HS, SB)
Richard Chu | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
This course deals with the Chinese living in various parts of the world, including the Caribbean, the United States, and Southeast Asia, and their experiences as an ethnic minority.
HIST 275-01 The Craft of History
Jennifer Heuer | MW 2:30-3:45pm
This course provides history majors with an introduction to the philosophy of history, historical methodology, and general schools of historiography. We will consider how historians inside and outside the academy pose questions, and how they find, select, evaluate, interpret, and analyze evidence in order to propose answers to those questions. Finally, we will reflect as well upon questions about the purposes and goals of both studying and writing history.
HIST 275-02 The Craft of History
Garrett Washington | TuTh 2:30-3:45pm
This course provides history majors with an introduction to the philosophy of history, historical methodology, and general schools of historiography. We will consider how historians inside and outside the academy pose questions, and how they find, select, evaluate, interpret, and analyze evidence in order to propose answers to those questions. Finally, we will reflect as well upon questions about the purposes and goals of both studying and writing history.
HIST 281 Global History of Soccer (HS, DG)
Brian Bunk | MW 2:30-3:45pm
Soccer is without question the world’s most popular sport. Its impact reaches beyond entertainment to influence and reflect cultural values and identities, economic interests and power relationships between peoples and nation states. The course takes a historical approach by surveying important developments within the game and how they impacted people at the local, national and international level. Select case studies examine in detail the particular ways the sport has promoted and/or challenged significant global phenomena such as the expansion and resistance to imperialism and authoritarianism, the development of racial and national identities and gender relationships.
HIST 301 Women and Gender in Latin America
Diana Sierra Becerra | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This course uses gender as an analytical lens to understand 500 years of Latin American history, from the conquest of the Americas to the present-day neoliberal era. We will learn how patriarchy and gender shapes power relations, including political and economic institutions, social relationships, and identities. In turn, we will also explore how the individual and collective actions of women?from witches and beauty queens to armed revolutionaries?have transformed the region. In some cases, their actions have confronted the power of colonizers, fascists, and imperialists.
HIST 302 Early Middle Ages 300-1000
Anna Taylor | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
Focusing on the religious and intellectual history of Western Europe, this course
explores aspects of medieval culture in western and northern Europe up to about the end of the eleventh century. Topic and themes include the synthesis of Christian and pagan traditions, competing sources and forms of authority, and the development of religious movements. Most early medieval documentary sources from the region were written by elite Christian men, but we will also try to reconstruct the voices and experiences of other groups. The Middle Ages are weird, barbaric, fascinating and perplexing. We will not be looking at some glorious past full of knights, kings, and heroes.
HIST 305 Renaissance and Reformation Europe
Brian Ogilvie | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
Origins of modern Europe through transformations in Christianity, political thought, and culture, including origins, course, and effects of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, rise of the modern state system, beginnings of European colonialism, social and economic changes; developments in education, literature, philosophy, and the arts.
HIST 316 USSR
Audrey Altstadt | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This is the history of the USSR as a multi-national state. This course examines Communist ideology, economic development, political terror, dictatorship, and the non-Russian minorities. We will read primary sources, literature and interpretations of the Soviet experience.
HIST 321 Shi'i Islam, A Historical Approach
Hadi Jorati | MW 4:00-5:15pm
What is Shi'ism? Is it an ideology, a sect, a cult, or something else? How is Shi’i Islam different from other Islamic sects, and how did it come to be? Who are the Shi’is? What do we know about Shi’i Societies in the past or present or about their beliefs and practices? Where are these societies located and how did they develop?
From its inception to various steps of transformation and in its many manifestations in history and in the modern world, the many misrepresentations and misinformation have created a sense of mystery about this topic. This course does not aim at providing a final and definitive answer to the above questions or similar ones. Instead, we will together approach this topic methodically and critically and discuss various issues in light of the available information and in connection with the current discourse. This course is aiming to present the student with a nuanced and critiqued understanding of development of islamic societies and various ramifications of major historical events. We will start with the issue of succession to the Prophet, and disputations about the role of Ali, to the revolt of Hussein and its aftermath, culminating in the emergence of the new Shi’i identity and its solidification in Iraq during the period of the Imamate. Then we tackle the issue of the relation between the office of the Imamate and the Abbasid Empire, and concurrent with it the career of the later Imams in the Twelver tradition, and the issue of the Ghayba. Afterwards we focus on the role of Shi’i societies in the peripheries of the empire, and the relation between Shi’i orthodoxies and heterodoxies in those societies, and how it led to the rise of Safavid twelver Shi’ism, and the establishment of a new orthodoxy in Iran. Parallely we will also briefly discuss the Zaydis and Isma’ilis, as well as the principles of Imami Doctrine (Aqida).
HIST 325 First World War
Andrew Donson | TuTh 11:30-12:45pm
The First World War was “the great seminal catastrophe” of the twentieth century that ended fifty years of peace, prosperity, and optimism by killing ten million soldiers and another ten million civilians. This course explores the First World War as a total war that involved all citizens of the combatant nations and a world war that affected countries on all continents. The course looks at the war’s origins, the everyday life of soldiers, the Ottoman fronts, the neutrals, colonial and minority subjects, genocide, civil war, children and women, rural people, peacemaking, and fascism. It gives special emphasis to German social and political history.
HIST 334 Tudor England
Jessica Keene | MW 2:30-3:45pm
This course traces the history of England in the era of the Tudor dynasty, from the early reign of Henry VII through the `Golden Age? of the English Renaissance under Elizabeth I. Students will examine the leading personalities and legacies of the Tudor monarchs and transformations in politics, religion, the economy, the social order, and the gender order in sixteenth century England that occurred during their reigns. Key topics of study include the establishment of England as an `early modern? state, the English Reformation, England's evolving geopolitical relationship with Continental Europe, and the beginnings of English overseas exploration and expansion into the Atlantic World.
HIST 337 City, Industry, and Labor in Colonial England
Priyanka Srivastava | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This course examines economic and social developments in India during the period of British imperialism (1757-1947) with a specific focus on the histories and political economy of urban and industrial development, and factory and non-factory work. The course begins with broad discussions of the transformation engendered by colonial policies, which integrated India into a global imperial economy. We then discuss the makings of colonial cities; the environmental costs of colonial urban development; the patterns of rural-urban migration; the workings of racial capitalism; the foundation and expansion of jute and cotton textile industries in the two most prominent industrial cities of British India—Calcutta and Bombay; and working and living conditions in the two cities. We will conclude this course with a brief analysis of Indian economy in the post-independence period.
HIST 337AH Race, Sex, and Empire, Honors
Priyanka Srivastava | TuTh 2:30-3:45pm
Focusing on the period of British rule in India from the late eighteenth to early twentieth century, this course offers students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how race, sexuality, and gender shaped the history of imperialism, including its imposition and modes of rule, as well as resistance to it. The course is organized around weekly themes, primary and secondary readings, films, visuals, and other resources. Key themes include: colonial knowledge systems and the practices of cultural representations; the ?woman question? and colonial power; the workings of racialized labor regimes; practices of race-mixing and racial segregation in the colony; dominant notions of sexual propriety and sexual deviance and its impact on gender relations in India as well as Britain; science, medicine and colonial power; and finally, the impact of colonial configurations of race, gender, and sexuality in shaping anti-imperialist ideas and practices.
HIST 339 British Empire since 1783
Matthew Wormer | TuTh 8:30am-9:45am
Broad survey of the many parts of the British Empire, why and how those parts were acquired, what political or social philosophy motivated the types of government they were given, and why and how they obtained their freedom.
HIST 347 Traditional Japan
Garrett Washington | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
This course traces the history of Japan from the distant past through the centralization and prosperity of the Tokugawa period (1600-1868). It will focus on social, political, cultural, and religious history and will place familiar figures like the Japanese samurai, sumo wrestler, geisha, haiku poet, and Buddhist monk in their proper historical context. Through a variety of primary sources, from the performance piece to the autobiography to the legal edict, a textbook, activities such as a Tea Ceremony and virtual visits to an ancient temple and a 17th-century merchant house, and a GIS-based class project, students will learn about the diversity, constant reinvention, and conflict, but also the harmony that characterized traditional Japan.
HIST 349H Sex and Society in Modern Europe, Honors
Jennifer Heuer | MW 4:00-5:15pm
This seminar examines the social organization and cultural construction of gender and sexuality. We will look at how people experienced the dramatic changes that have affected Europe since the eighteenth century and consider how such developments were themselves influenced by ideas about masculinity and femininity. We will explore topics including “Enlightenment” understandings of sexuality, race, and nature; citizenship during the French Revolution; changing patterns of work and family life; fin-de-siècle links between crime, madness, and sexual perversion; the fascist cult of the body; battle grounds and home fronts during the world wars; gendered aspects of nationalism and European colonialism; the sexual revolution of the post-war era; and contemporary issues of immigration and identity.
HIST 357 Women and Revolutions
Diana Sierra Becerra | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
In the twentieth-century, working-class women have built revolutions to dismantle oppressive systems and create a free society. They organized workers, waged armed struggle, and built alternative institutions. Why did women join revolutionary movements? How did gender shape their participation? How did women define the theories and practices of revolutionary movements? We will consult diverse sources to understand the experiences and dreams of radical women. Historical case studies from Latin America will be our main focus. These histories offer critical lessons that can inform our present-day struggles to get free.
HIST 373 American Thought and Culture II
Jennifer Fronc | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This course examines aspects of American social and cultural history from the period of Reconstruction to the recent past. In addition to the assigned readings, this course will focus on mass and popular culture (films, television shows, music) as venues for political and social commentary.
HIST 378 Sex and the Supreme Court
Jennifer Nye | Tu 1:00-3:30pm
This course focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court and its rulings regarding sex and sexuality. We will examine several hot button issues confronted by the Supreme Court, such as reproduction (sterilization/contraception/abortion); marriage (polygamous/interracial/same sex); pornography/obscenity; sodomy; sexual assault on college campuses; and sex education in public schools.
Some questions we will consider include: What is the constitutionality of government regulation of sexual behavior, sexual material, reproduction, and sexuality and how and why has this changed over time? What is or should be the Court’s role in weighing in on these most intimate issues? In ruling on these issues, is the Court interested in liberty, equality, privacy, dignity, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or something else? We will consider how the Court and advocates framed these issues, used or misused historical and scientific evidence, and how the argument and/or evidence changed depending on the audience (i.e. the Court or the general public).
HIST 378J Social Justice Lawyering
Jennifer Nye | Th 1:00-3:30pm
Audre Lorde famously said that “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” and yet social justice movements and marginalized people continue to turn to litigation to advance their social justice goals. From fighting Jim Crow segregation to challenging the Muslim travel ban and the separation of refuge children at the border, judicial review has historically been used as a strategy to reign-in executive and legislative over-reach and protect Constitutional rights.
This course will examine how lawyers, social movements, and everyday people have used litigation to advocate for social justice in the United States. Through reading in-depth studies of important civil and criminal cases, we will explore such questions as: What is the history of social justice lawyering in the United States and how, why and when have social movements turned to litigation to advance their causes? What are the pros and cons of using litigation to achieve social justice, versus other tools like direct action, lobbying for political change, and community organizing? How effective is litigation in achieving the goals originally envisioned by lawyers, activists, and litigants? How have lawyers constrained or expanded the vision of social justice movements? What dilemmas do lawyers—who are ethically bound to zealously advocate for the interests of individual clients—face when they are additionally interested in advancing “a cause”? Cases explored may include issues such as civil rights, women’s rights, disability rights, environmental justice, poverty and people’s lawyering, immigration rights, and the rise of conservative social movement lawyering.
HIST 378R History of Reproductive Rights Law
Jennifer Nye | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
This course will explore the history and development of reproductive rights law in the 20th and 21st century United States, centering primarily on the reading of statutes, court decisions, amicus briefs, and law review articles.
We will look at the progression of cases and legal reasoning involving a wide variety of reproductive rights and justice issues, including forced/coerced sterilization, contraception, abortion, forced pregnancy/c-sections, policing pregnancy (through welfare law, employment policies and criminal law), and reproductive technologies. We will pay particular attention to how differently situated women were/are treated differently by the law, especially based on age, class, race, sexual orientation, relationship status, immigration status, and ability.
We also will examine the role lawyers have historically played in advancing (or constraining) the goals of the reproductive rights and justice movement(s) and will explore the effectiveness of litigation as a strategy to secure these rights. Finally, we will explore the relationship between reproductive rights and reproductive justice and consider whether reproductive justice can be obtained through advocating for reproductive rights.
HIST 380 Science, Technology, and War in 20th Century United States and Europe
Emily Hamilton | MWF 9:05-9:55am
This course will examine the nexus of science, technology, and war in the 20th century United States and Europe. This course will cover topics such as the development and use of chemical and biological warfare; scientific, political, medical, and philosophical implications of nuclear technology; the Manhattan Project and Big Science; Nazi science; Soviet agriculture; Cold War technology and the Space Race; missile technology; and psychological research and the military. As a unifying theme we will consider the impact of technological determinism and the centrality of science and technology in wartime politics and practice. Readings will consist of primary and secondary sources as well as historical and contemporary films. Requirements will include writing several short reflection papers as well as a longer research paper.
HIST 390NE Africa in the News
Elizabeth Jacob | TuTh 10:00-11:15am
Most people learn about Africa through the news. Yet media coverage of Africa often reads like a series of unmitigated disasters—stories of violence, poverty, and corruption. While these are real phenomena, they can only be understood through engagement with longer histories of capitalism, colonialism, and enslavement in Africa. This course will provide some of the historical context necessary to understand and interpret politics and society in contemporary Africa. Each unit will introduce a theme in contemporary African affairs and historicize it. Topics will include resource extraction, foreign intervention, and migration to Europe.
HIST 390STA Utopias and Dystopias
Kevin Young | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
Another world is possible! Social movements everywhere have adopted this slogan in recent decades. Activists in the more distant past were often guided by the same belief. As they struggled to survive in the face of tyranny and oppression, many also fought to develop new revolutionary systems based on principles like equity, autonomy, inclusiveness, and environmental sustainability. This course examines some of these struggles and how their protagonists tried to create a better future. Case studies will include Black and Indigenous liberation movements in U.S. history, revolutions in Latin America and Asia, radical working-class movements in Europe, and even some examples from Massachusetts. We will also look at how some “revolutionary” visions have gone wrong, contributing to the oppression of certain groups. Finally, we will consider some radical visions that were ugly and horrific from the start, such as Nazism.
HIST 391P The History of Palestine/Israel
Mohammad Ataie | Section 1: MW 2:30-3:45pm; Section 2: MW 4:00-5:15pm
Palestinian liberation stands as one of the enduring Third-World struggles, continuing to shape Middle Eastern history and inspire various Islamic and justice movements across the world. This survey course will use primary and secondary sources to contextualize the Palestinian struggle within broader global forces, including settler colonialism, imperialism, Third World liberation, pan-Arabism, and pan-Islamism. We will start in the late Ottoman era and late nineteenth-century Europe, by focusing on anti-Semitism and the emergence of the Zionist nationalist movement in Europe. We will move on to the first half of the twentieth century to examine the British Mandate, the Palestinian revolt of 1936-39, the Nakba in 1948, the creation of the state of Israel, and subsequent Arab-Israeli wars. We will then study the formation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other Palestinian resistance movements in the latter half of the twentieth century. This course will conclude by discussing the Axis of Resistance, which has coalesced around Palestinian liberation.
HIST 392AH Greece, Rome, and the Mediterranean: Exploring the Past for Social Transformation, Honors
Jason Moralee | Weds 4:00-6:30pm
This seminar explores the history of the Ancient Mediterranean and its multiple influences on the modern world and contemporary contexts. The course asks how we can reimagine the scholarly study of Greece and Rome to engage with contemporary experiences and social transformation in today’s globally interconnected world. Together, we will trace the development of ancient ideas of race and ethnicity, slavery and freedom, gender and sexuality, belonging and hope, fear and oppression, and warfare and peacemaking, encountering others and othering. We will also consider the ways in which ancient ideas have influenced early modern, modern, and contemporary expressions of oppression and resistance and justice and liberation in social movements, art, theater, media, literature, politics, and scholarship.
HIST 392E The US in Latin America
Kevin Young | TuTh 11:30-12:45pm
Why has the U.S. government intervened so constantly in Latin America, and with what consequences? How have Latin Americans responded? This course examines U.S. motives and actions in Latin America, which for our purposes includes the Caribbean as well. We will assess the role of the U.S. government and military but also that of corporations, international financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the U.S. public. While these foreign actors have wielded tremendous power in the region, they have always operated within contexts partially defined by Latin Americans – an incredibly diverse population including presidents, dictators, militaries, landlords, clergy, industrialists, the middle class, wage workers, slaves, peasant farmers, women community leaders, LGBTQ activists, shantytown dwellers, migrants, and hundreds of ethnic groups. U.S. experiences with Latin America have often helped to shape both U.S. society and its interactions with the rest of the world, making this history of vital importance for understanding much of global history. The course places a special focus on close readings of primary source documents, including declassified government memos, speeches, newspaper reports, political cartoons, and the voices of some of the people who have opposed U.S. policies.
HIST 394CI Ideas that Changed History (Integrative Experience)
Emily Hamilton | MWF 11:15-12:05pm
Fulfills the IE requirement for History majors.
This class is about 1. Ideas that have changed the discipline of history. 2. Ideas that have changed the larger flow of history. 3. Ideas that have changed you, the student, and your relationship to history. 4. Ideas that have changed your personal history.Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Hist majors.
HIST 394TI Mongol and Turkish Empires (Integrative Experience)
Anne Broadbridge | MWF 10:10-11:00am
Fulfills the IE requirement for History majors, Middle Eastern Studies majors.
In this course students investigate the history of Genghis Khan and the Great Mongol Empire, the Mongol Successor Empires, and the copycat Temurid Empire, covering the time period 1150-1500. They look at the rise, expansion and fall of these empires, and at the complexities that make this history so gripping. They also learn unexpected secrets about the contributions made by Chinggis Khan?s womenfolk to this history, based on new research. Course fulfills the History Department?s pre-1500 requirement and one of its two non-Western requirements. In it students will reflect on themselves as students and history majors, on their college careers so far, and on what they have learned in their college careers. They will then make connections between these reflections and the diverse topics we cover in Mongol and Turkish history. This will be through a special paper, on two of four response papers, on both exams, and in guided discussion during most lectures. At the end of the course, they will not only have gained insight into the class material, but also insight into themselves and into their own personal knowledge of the world.
HIST 396W Navigating Washington
Robert LaRussa | F 12:00-2:00pm
This independent study is designed to give students preliminary understanding of how history, politics, economics, and the legislative and administrative processes in Washington shape US public policy, and the impact this has on US international relations. Students will be asked to analyze the impact of recent international trade decisions by the Trump Administration, with a focus on what and who drove these decisions, both inside of Washington and out. The course will focus on events that are happening now, including how the politics of the mid-term congressional elections have shaped policy. In the process, students will discover who influences these policies and a range of potential career paths in this area.
NOTE: Interested students should email Prof. LaRussa at rslarussa@umass.edu, instructor consent is required.
HIST 398A Career Development Practicum
Yuri Gama | Tu 5:30-6:20pm
This 2-credit class is designed to help students prepare for life after the BA by acquiring important professional skills and perspectives. The class will explore a variety of subjects, including the different qualifications history majors bring to the job market, the importance of internships, networking and career fairs, customizing resumes and cover letters, job and internship search strategies, and interviewing skills. The course is focused on each student's individual path allowing the instructor to provide personal attention to topics broadly discussed in the classroom.
JUNIOR YEAR WRITING SEMINARS (HIST 450)
HIST 450-01 The Collapse of the USSR and Emergence of New States
Audrey Altstadt | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
The main focus of this course is the new states that emerged from the ruins of the USSR when it was dissolved by its leader Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1991. The US accepted the independence of each new state that had been inside the USSR and opened diplomatic relations with each. These new states, in addition to post-Soviet Russia, included Ukraine and its neighbors, the three Baltic states to the north, the South Caucasus states to the south, and five Central Asian states that stretch from Russian Siberia to China and Afghanistan.
To make sense of this complex process, we will examine three angles: (1) late Soviet efforts to reform under Gorbachev; (2) early post-Soviet political, economic, social, and cultural life in selected new states; and (3) the opening of US embassies and the American diplomats who carried out the opening of diplomatic relations. The last factor entails delving into US policy in these new states as the US strove to get assurances that new leaders would recognize Soviet obligations from nuclear non-proliferation to human rights and economic reforms favoring the creation of a market economy. Aspects 2 and 3 are intertwined.
Readings for the course will include eye-witness reporting and memoirs, scholarly analysis, US government aims and approaches, and interviews with American diplomats.
HIST 450-02 Monster, Foreigners, and Outsiders
Anna Taylor | TuTh 2:30-3:45pm
Idealized and despised, outsiders, both real and imagined, define a society through negative and positive examples. By placing primary sources in their historical contexts, we will examine the ways that a society represents and uses its outsiders. The structure of the class will be roughly chronological, but will also proceed thematically to examine different kinds of outsiders. The subjects of our inquiry will be the fantastic – such as zombies, revenants, and wild men – but we will also consider the related representations of real peripheral groups and individuals. We will also take comparative approaches, examining the representations and uses of the monstrous in various cultures. In the first part of the course, you will become grounded in the topic while working on aspects of research and written style. During the last section of the semester, you will research and write a long paper (5000 words plus footnotes and bibliography) on a topic of your choosing related to monsters and the monstrous (topic is subject to professor’s approval).
HIST 450-03 History of Policing in the Modern US
Jennifer Fronc | TuTh 1:00-2:15pm
History 450 is designed for undergraduate History majors to learn the conventions of academic writing; to explore a subject deeply; and to learn historical methods. Through reading primary and secondary sources, students will examine the historical and sociological literature on police and policing in the 20th century United States.
HIST 492H Witchcraft, Magic, and Science, Honors
Brian Ogilvie | TuTh 2:30-3:45pm
Modern science emerged in the late sixteenth and seventeenth century. Yet the period from 1550 to 1650 also saw widespread interest in occult powers and natural magic, and it was the height of the “witch craze” in Europe, a period in which about fifty thousand Europeans, most of them women, were tried and executed for the crime of diabolical witchcraft. Are these trends contradictory or complementary? Historians have disagreed vehemently about whether the new science was opposed to the Renaissance interest in the occult, demonology, natural magic, and witchcraft, or whether these were complementary aspects of the intense study of the natural world that characterized early modern science. This course will address these questions on the basis of intensive study of the primary sources and selected readings from modern historians of science, European culture, and occult knowledge. Though our focus will be on early modern Europe, we will look to the High Middle Ages for the origins of many European concepts of demonic and occult powers and the origins of modern notions of scientific explanation. On the most fundamental level, this course is about the history of reason and rationality: what did it mean to approach a problem reasonably, and what—if anything—did modern science add to the ways in which human beings justify their claims to know something? This is a combined honors undergraduate and graduate course. Graduate students will be expected to do more in-depth research and write longer papers than undergraduates.
HIST 498S Senior Bridges
Jessica Keene | Weds 5:30-6:20pm
This 1-credit course is a peer support group for seniors in their last semester. Meeting every other week, the course is intended to help students enter a career field or obtain their first job directly after graduation. It is also suitable for students applying for fellowships, internships, and graduate or professional schools. Supervised by a History Department faculty member with the assistance of the HFA Career Development Services Team, meetings will also feature alumni guests who will share their career experiences and offer advice.