2012-2013 courses in history
Beginning survey courses
151 History of the West and the World I (4). Fall and Spring. This course examines the history of early human societies. The course begins with Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures and their transformation into ancient urban civilizations. It continues with the development of the classical civilizations and the major world religions, and the interaction of impulses from these, down to the European transoceanic voyages around the year 1500 A.D. Secondary themes include evolution of societies around the world, the contrast of urban and sedentary and nomadic strategies for societies, and the development of technology. B. Berglund, B. de Vries, D. Howard
151H Honors West and the World I (4). Fall. The first half of the course will be comprehensive coverage of world history from early hunting-gathering societies to the medieval mercantile empires before A.D. 1500. The second half will be a research and writing project resulting in a class book on the topic, “The Others: How Barbarians, Heretics, and Other Groups Were Excluded in the Ancient World.” Each student will participate in planning the book and will research and write one chapter. The course fulfills the core credit requirement of History of the West and the World. Enrollment is limited to 20 students and is restricted to those who qualify for honors enrollment. B. de Vries
152 History of the West and the World II (4). Fall and Spring. The history of modern human societies is studied. The course includes coverage of the scientific revolution and the European Enlightenment tradition; key political, economic, social, and religious developments in the West, including the non- Western world’s contribution and reaction to them; and events of global significance through the latter half of the twentieth century, such as the industrial revolution, the world wars, and decolonization. D. Diephouse, W. Katerberg, D. Miller, E. Washington
152H Honors West and the World II (4). Spring. An intensive study of world history since 1500. The first half of the course will offer an overview of the entire period, tracing broad patterns of historical development in a global context. The second half will focus intensively on autobiography as a form of historical narrative. Student working groups will analyze selected autobiographies (for example: John Stuart Mill, Autobiography; Leon Trotsky, My Life; Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth; Jawaharlal Nehru, Toward Freedom; Malcolm Muggeridge, Chronicles of Wasted Time) as a basis for individual research projects and class presentations. Each student will prepare a historically-informed personal autobiography in lieu of a final exam. This course meets a core requirement in the History of the West and the World. Enrollment is limited to 20 students and is restricted to those who qualify for honors enrollment. D. Diephouse
Intermediate Courses
All 200-level courses require taking History 151 or 152 first or permission of the instructor.
World Regions
231 Ancient Near East (3). Fall. A cultural history of the ancient Near East from prehistory to Alexander (350 B.C.), based on evidence from archaeology, cultural anthropology, ancient texts in translation, biblical accounts, and contemporary historical records. Special consideration is given to artistic and linguistic traditions, literatures of origin and identity, and the impact of the recovery of these ancient cultures on modern civilization. B. de Vries
232 Hellenistic and Late Antique Near East (3). A study of Near Eastern civilization from the conquests of Alexander to the early Islamic Caliphates, that is, from 350 B.C. to A.D. 900. Particular emphasis is placed on the cultural syncretism of the age, which saw the development of Judaism and the emergence of Christianity and Islam. Scientific, technical, artistic, social, religious, and political developments will all receive attention. Not offered 2012-2013.
233 Modern Middle East (3). Spring. A study of Middle Eastern history from the middle ages to the twentieth century, emphasizing the Ottoman Empire and its modern successor states after World War I and Iran. Topics include orientalism, colonialism, nationalism, the rise of Israel, and secularism and Islamic revivalism. D. Howard.
235 India and Its World (3). A cultural history of South Asia from the earliest times to the twentieth century. Primary emphasis will be placed on the civilization of Hindustan and the interplay of Hindu and Islamic religious and cultural forces there. Themes include the rise of the major Indian religions; the cultural synthesis of the Mughal Empire; the impact of British rule; and the rise of the modern nations of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Economic, social, political, religious, and intellectual themes receive consideration.
Not offered 2012-2013.
238 Latin American History (4). Spring. A study of continuity and change in Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present. Topics covered include the mingling of races and cultures in the conquest era, the long-term influence of colonial institutions, the paradox of economic development and continued poverty, the Cold War struggle between forces of the Left and the Right, and the growth of Protestantism in a traditional Catholic society. D. Miller
242 Africa and the World (3). A wide-ranging survey of prominent themes encompassing African history. The principal aim is to introduce students to some of the main currents of African history and to provide insights into its societies and cultures. Themes include pre-colonial cultures; Africa's place within the Mediterranean world including the development of the Church in Africa, commerce, and state building; the trans-Saharan and Atlantic trade; Islam and the sociopolitical changes it brought; European imperialism in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the development of African nationalism, resistance, and struggle for independence; neo-colonialism; and the origins of contemporary social, economic, and political problems in the new states of the area. Not offered 2012-2013.
245 East Asia to 1800 (3). Fall. This course is a history of East Asian civilizations from early times until the early modern period. Emphasis is on the history of China and Japan, but the history of Korea is also included. Primary objectives are for students to grasp the essential patterns of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean social structures, political systems, cultural values, and religious and ethical norms as they developed from the late traditional period through to 1800, and also to appreciate the similarities and differences among these civilizations. B. Berglund
246 East Asia since 1800 (3). A history of East Asia from 1800 to the present, this course emphasizes the history of China and Japan, but the history of Korea is also included. Primary objectives are for students to grasp the essentials of the patterns of East Asian societies on the eve of the modern period, then to gain an appreciation of the travails of modernity in all three countries as they were transformed from traditional societies to modern nation-states. Another objective is to gain an appreciation of the inter-relatedness of the East Asian nations’ histories in the past 100 to 150 years. Not offered 2012-2013.
North America
229 U.S.A. (4). Fall. This survey looks at American history according to several interlocking themes: colonial roots and cultural and political divergence; the costs and benefits of expansion; industrialization and immigration; American leadership in the twentieth century; and challenges in the current century. This course is not intended for those who plan to take period courses in American history. W. Van Vugt.
251 Early America (3). Fall. Study the region that became the United States, from the first European settlements through the Napoleonic wars. We will treat colonial America as a cluster of distinct socio-cultural regions: plantation Virginia, Caribbean Carolina, Puritan New England, commercial mid-Atlantic, and the Scots-Irish backcountry. These regions converged to sustain a successful war against the British, but almost fell apart again during the first decades of independence. We will pay special attention to the unexpected dynamics of the Revolutionary War and to the Constitution as establishing an arena of combat rather than a set of settled answers. J. Bratt
252 The Expanding Nation (3). An examination of United States history after independence as the nation expanded, industrialized, and came to dominate the Western hemisphere. Special attention is given to the nation’s foundations, western expansion, and slavery; the Civil War and Reconstruction; the Progressive response to industrialization; and the United States’ overseas expansion and participation in World War I. Not offered 2012-2013.
253 Recent America (3). An examination of United States history from the 1920s to the present, focusing on the ways in which recent history shapes contemporary American culture, politics, economics, and religion. Topics include the “Roaring Twenties” and the Great Depression, WWII, Cold War America and Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement and the Rights Revolution, conservative politics and religion, a post-industrial economy, and the role of the state at home and abroad. Special attention is given to changing configurations of race, religion, ethnicity, and gender in American social relations, and to the intersections of cultural history with political and economic history. Not offered 2012-2013.
255 African-American History (3). This is a survey of African-American history from West African societies to contemporary times. It highlights the creation of a slave society in British North America, African-American intellectual traditions, the African-American church, and social and political movements for freedom. Not offered 2012-2013.
256 Women and Gender in U.S. History (3). A study of the lives of women and men in American history from the colonial era to the present. The course examines the history of feminism and women’s rights, the social construction of femininity and masculinity, changing understandings of sexuality, and the relationship between Christianity and feminism. It provides an introduction to significant questions and methodologies in women’s history and gender studies, and equips students to approach contemporary issues related to women and gender from a historical perspective. Not offered 2012-2013.
257 History of the North American West (3). A study of the American West from the pre-Columbian plains to present-day California, and as a landscape of the mind as well as a real place. The course will plumb the historical significance of the myths made about the West as well as events that actually transpired there, and students will be encouraged to reflect on what the existence of the two “Wests” tells them about America as a whole. Not offered 2012-2013
258 U.S. Military History (3). Spring. This course studies the military as an American institution from the colonial period through the "War on Terror." Though primary focus will be on the major wars fought by the United States, the course will also examine the various social, economic, and political factors influencing the development of the American military. E. Washington
Europe
223 Russia (3). A survey of the political, social, and cultural history of Russia from its medieval origins as Muscovy through the Romanov Empire and Soviet Communism. The course will address the importance of Orthodox Christianity, the expansion of Russian rule across Eurasia, the interactions between ethnic Russians and their subject peoples, the attempts to modernize Russia along Western lines, and the history of the Soviet regime and its legacies for Russia today. Not offered 2012-2013.
225 England (3). Fall. A survey of English history including the Anglo-Saxon background; the medieval intellectual, religious, and constitutional developments; the Tudor and Stuart religious and political revolutions; the emergence of Great Britain as a world power; and the growth of social, economic, and political institutions in the modern period. W. Van Vugt.
261 Ancient Greece and Rome (3). Fall. Discover the ancient Mediterranean world with a focus on the history of Greece and Rome, from the late Bronze Age to Late Antiquity. Learn about the political, social, and economic developments of the ancient Mediterranean world, which in turn gave rise to shifts in intellectual, artistic, and religious thought and practice. Study in depth the development of the Greek polis, Athenian radical democracy, the conquests of Alexander, the institutions of the Roman Republic, the rise of the Roman Principate, and the birth of Christianity. J. Winkle
262 Saints and Heroes in Dark-Age Europe, 400-1000 (3). A study of the emergence of Europe out of the Roman Empire alongside the Byzantine Empire and Islamic commonwealth. Special attention is given to the Christianization of the Roman Empire, Christian missions to Western Europe, the role of monasticism, and the way that early medieval Europe, like its neighboring cultures, integrated its Roman-Hellenistic heritage into its new forms. Not offered 2012-2013.
263 Medieval and Renaissance Europe, 1000-1500 (3). This course includes a treatment of one of the most formative periods in the development of European culture and institutions, when strong monarchies emerged out of feudalism and a new religious vitality transformed Christian spirituality. These impulses are traced through the rise of schools and universities, the Crusades, and the role of the papacy as a unifying political force in Western Christendom, concluding with the late-medieval economic and demographic crisis and the break-up of the medieval worldview in Renaissance Italy. Not offered 2012-2013.
264 Reformation and Revolution (3). A survey of early modern European political and social history from the early 16th century to the late 18th century, with particular emphasis on the Protestant Reformation, its social and intellectual origins, and its political and social contexts and consequences, and on selected “revolutionary” political and intellectual movements, such as the Thirty Years’ War, the English Revolution, the emergence of modern science, the Enlightenment, and the French Revolution. Not offered 2012-2013.
266 Nineteenth-Century Europe (3). This course explores Europe’s “long nineteenth century,” from the French Revolution to the outbreak of World War I. During this period Europeans experienced profound changes in almost every area of life, as a largely rural and stratified “traditional society” gave way, painfully and sometimes violently, to the increasingly urban and industrialized “mass society” of the early twentieth century. These years were a seedbed for many forces and movements that still shape our world today, from nationalism, socialism and feminism to secularization, democratization and globalization. This was a time of clashing interests, clashing ideas, and clashing ways of life, when people both celebrated progress and called it into question. Not surprisingly, it was also the time when the modern academic discipline of history had its origins. The course focuses on some of the key individuals, events, and issues that mark this era of change. Not offered 2012-2013.
267 Twentieth-Century Europe (3). Spring. From the national rivalries of the “Europe of armed camps” before World War I to the current European Union and its multicultural discontents, the twentieth century in Europe was a period marked by frequent catastrophe and change. Since 1914 Europeans have endured two of the most destructive wars in human history and experienced the effects of such utopian projects as the Soviet “dictatorship of the proletariat,” the Nazi racial state, and the technocratic welfare state. Their global status has also changed with the loss of colonial empires and the impact of the Cold War. This course analyzes major events, personalities, and ideologies of the twentieth century along with their implications for the lives of ordinary Europeans. D. Diephouse.
268 Women and Gender in European History (3). An introduction to topics in the history of women in Europe and to the use of gender as a historical category of analysis. This course examines experiences unique to women as well as the changing perceptions of masculinity and femininity throughout European history. Not offered 2012-2013.
Global Histories
271 War and Society (3). A survey of key episodes in world history from the perspective of the social history of war. The course emphasizes the social, economic, cultural, and religious contexts and consequences of warfare. Case studies drawn from various civilizations and from the ancient, medieval, and modern eras explore the thesis that armed conflict has been a significant variable affecting the processes of world historical development. Not offered 2012-2013.
272 Contemporary World (3). Focus on the Korean War, using the war as a point of entry for the study of post-World War II global dynamics. The course will consider the antecedents and consequences of the war, but especially the meanings it held in the eyes of the different nations affected by the conflict, and the policies and behavior they generated in response. Not offered 2012-2013.
273 The Communist World (3). A survey of the history of Communism and the legacies of communist rule. The course will address the variations in Marxist thought, the totalitarian model of Stalinism, the rise of communist movements in the developing world, dissident resistance, Communism and the church, the failures of the regimes in Eastern Europe and Russia, and the reforms and repression of Deng Xiaoping in China. Not offered 2012-2013.
Theory and Practice of History
294 Research Methods of History (2). Interim. An introduction to historical sources, bibliography, and research techniques, giving particular attention to the different genres of history writing, the mechanics of professional notation, and critical use of print and electronic research data bases. Intended as preparation for 300-level courses. B. Berglund.
Advanced Courses
Enrollment in all 300-level courses requires completing two courses in history first or permission of the instructor.
World Regions
331 Studies in Middle Eastern History (3). Fall. A study of U.S.-Middle East relations since about 1900. Under the conceptual framework of culture and imperialism, the topic is not limited to just foreign policy but the full range of economic, social, and cultural exchanges between Americans and Middle Easterners, including military alliances, commercial ties, media coverage, Christian Zionism, immigration, scholarship, and the like. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. D. Howard
338 Mexico and the Americas (3). Mexico has two roots-Hispanic-Catholic and Amerindian. It is poised between modernity, visible throughout the country, and tradition which continues to influence the thought and behavior of individuals at all levels of society. Mexicans are torn between a fierce loyalty to their country and a profound cynicism about its institutions and leaders. Finally, Mexicans simultaneously admire and resent their rich and powerful neighbor to the north. This course examines Mexico from its pre-Columbian and Iberian origins through its recent embrace of neoliberal economics and democratic politics. It concludes with the experience of Mexican-Americans in the US. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. Not offered 2012-2013.
346 Modern China (3). Spring. An in depth, comprehensive treatment of Chinese history from the Qing Dynasty, about 1650, to the present. In addition to the basics of political, social, and economic history, which makes it very relevant for business or international relations students in light of China's importance, the course will also stress intellectual and religious currents, including the role of Christianity. Appropriate for Asian Studies or Chinese/Japanese majors, or anyone who has had HIST 245 or 246, or has upperclass standing and has taken HIST 151 or 152. B. Berglund
North America
354 American Religious History (3). How did evangelical revivals help end slavery—and give it continuing power? What are the three chief modes of Catholic social thinking? How could Jefferson be so wrong (yet maybe also right) in predicting that all Americans would become Unitarians? German Lutherans, Polish Jews, and Dutch Calvinists—are American immigrant groups more alike or different? Religion is an intensely personal matter but has always had major public impacts over the course of American history. This course will trace the dynamic evolution of Soul and Society in America from 1776 to 1976, exploring the rules of the game, how different groups played them, and how they evolved over time. You should leave this course with a good grasp of the contours of American religious history and its leading consequences for American life. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. Not offered 2012-2013.
355 American Intellectual History (3). Spring. A study of the rival systems of ideas and values—liberal, radical, and conservative—that came into conflict in the 1960s and ‘70s as evidenced in Hollywood movies of the era. Since the film industry was undergoing its own overhaul during these years, this episode provides an exemplary case study in the interaction of art and life, of ideas and context, and of cultural products and their audiences. The course will conclude by considering how these contentions led into the ‘culture wars’ that beset the United States to the present. This course is cross-listed with CAS 395 and is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. J. Bratt
356 American Social and Cultural History (3). Fall. A study of the development of American society from colonial times to the present organized around the themes of power, consumption, material culture, and the social construction of space. Attention will be given to the ways in which new sources, methods, and theoretical frameworks open up new topics and questions in American history, including the changing meaning of the American landscape, the development of suburbia, the rise of consumerism and the mass media, popular religion and the creation of sacred space, and the hidden ways in which power is exercised. Class, gender, and race will be categories of inquiry and analysis. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. K. Du Mez.
357 American Economic History (4). A study of United States’ economic history from colonial times to the present, emphasizing the foundations of the American economy, the dynamics behind American economic expansion, the history of American business, the costs and benefits of industrialization and modernization, and the causes for the economic changes of the 21st century. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. Not offered 2012-2013.
358 Native American History (3). (Studies in the North American West). Surveys the history of Native Americans in what is now the United States from the centuries before European contact to the present. The course is continental in scope, but focuses especially on the American West, with some comparisons to indigenous peoples in Mexico and Canada. Specifically, the course looks at the rise and decline of regional Native American chiefdoms and states in the centuries before European contact; Christian missions and the fur trade in the eighteenth and early-nineteenth century; the "Indian Wars" in the American West, 1840s-1890s; efforts to assimilate Native Americans in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century; and efforts to promote Native American civil rights and sovereignty—"Red Power"—in the twentieth century. Not offered 2012-2013.
Europe
362 Studies in Medieval Europe (3). This course will examine the history of the Crusades, from its inception with the First Crusade in the eleventh century to the fall of the mainland Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1292. Special attention will be given to the religious, political, and social contexts of the Crusades, the motivations of the crusaders, and medieval Christian attitudes towards Muslims and Jews. Not only Crusades in the Middle East will be examined but also the Reconquista in Spain and the Crusades against the Cathars and in the Baltic. Substantial attention will be given to historical interpretations and historiographical debates about the significance of the Crusades. Not offered 2012-2013.
363 Studies in Early Modern Spain (3). This course will examine the political, religious, and social history of Spain from the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella (starting in the 1460s) to the end of the Hapsburg dynasty (1700). Special attention will be given to two historical phenomena that distinguish Spain from northern Europe in this period: the evolution of Spanish Catholicism and the growth of the Spanish empire. Religion was a defining and divisive matter in European public and private life in the sixteenth century; much of northern Europe followed Martin Luther’s Protestant rebellion and broke from the Catholic church, and religious wars dominated the international scene. Spain’s rulers ensured that the Spanish church remained staunchly loyal to Rome, but the Spanish Catholic church itself underwent a profound series of changes, embracing some of the reform currents of the sixteenth century even while defiantly rejecting others. We will look closely at the Spanish church, the monastic orders, and the role of the Inquisition in daily life in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the same era, Spain’s political life was transformed by the acquisition of an enormous empire, both within Europe and overseas in the newly discovered Americas. We will also examine this imperial adventure and its consequences for both Spaniards and foreigners in Spanish-ruled territories as diverse as Mexico, Peru, Italy, and the Netherlands. Not offered 2012-2013.
364 Studies in Modern Europe (3). The course focuses on major trends, events, or regions in post-1789 Europe. Topics in the past have included sports, culture, and society in Europe; nationalism and communism in Eastern Europe; and the history of Christianity in 20th-century Europe. Not offered 2012-2013.
Global Histories
371 Asia and the Pacific since 1850 (3). This course usually examines the experience and impact of Westerners in East Asia, including foreign missionaries, merchants, diplomats, and academics. Not offered 2012-2013.
372 Europe’s Global Empires (3). Spring. Examine the dimensions of European imperialism from its inception and rise in the 15th century to its disillusion in the 20th. Learn about the wars, people, environment, religion, technology, and politics that created these empires and led to their demise. This course is eligible for concurrent registration with History 394. W. Van Vugt
Theory and Practice of History
359 Seminar in the Teaching Secondary Social Studies (3). Fall and Spring. This course is designed to assist student teachers in developing appropriate goals and effective methods of teaching history and social studies at the middle and high school level. The seminar also provides a forum for the discussion of problems that develop during student teaching. Prerequisites: History 375, concurrent enrollment in Education 346, and an approved history major. R. Schoone-Jongen, Spring
IDIS 375 Methods and Pedagogies for Secondary Social Studies (3). A course in perspectives on, principles of, and practices in teaching of history, government, geography, and economics at the secondary level. Included are teaching strategies, curriculum studies, readings regarding new developments in social studies education, and an examination of these topics as they relate to a Christian view of human nature. Prerequisites: Education 302-303 or permission of the instructor.
390 Independent Study. F, I, and S.
390H Honors Tutorial in History (3).
391H Honors Senior Thesis (3). A two-semester sequence designed to lead students to the writing of a more substantial seminar paper than is possible in History 394. Students spend fall term in History 390H conducting a thorough investigation of the secondary literature on and around a topic which they choose in close consultation with their advisor. They proceed in spring term to write a senior thesis upon that topic. Required for students in the department’s honors track and highly recommended for those planning to pursue graduate studies in history.
393 Museum Studies (3). (Also listed under Art History 393) F, S. Students in this museum internship will engage in 140 hours of interning in a museum with historical or archaeological exhibits, like the Grand Rapids Public (Van Andel) Museum, under the supervision of a curator. Placement will be facilitated by the instructor, and performance evaluation will be based on reviews by the museum staff and the course instructor. See Prof. Bert de Vries for information on the application process.
394 Research Seminar (2). Fall and Spring. An intensive
study of a specific question or topic
to the end of producing an article-length
(20-25 pages) paper based on original sources
and addressing a well-defined historiographical
problem in the field. Must be taken with a concurrent 300 level course. Not open to
first- or second-year students. See Quick Links: 394 Sections for 2011-2012 at the top right of this page for a listing of concurrent courses. B. Berglund,
J. Bratt,
D. Howard, W. Van Vugt
395 Historiographical Perspectives (3). Fall. The capstone in the history major, this course examines the history of historical writing in the Western tradition with a view toward articulating a critical Christian perspective on the discipline. Emphasis is on reading and discussion of significant monuments of Western historiography. By means of persistent critical reflection on the texts and on current epistemological and methodological issues, a variety of Christian and non-Christian perspectives are engaged and evaluated, and the students challenged to articulate their own. W. Katerberg
