Department of History
Professors: Leslie Choquette (Director of the French Institute), Carl Robert Keyes (Chairperson, Pre-Law Advisor), Irina Mukhina; Associate Professors: John Bell (sabbatical AY 2025-26), Deborah Kisatsky, Thomas Wheatland (Post-Baccalaureate Scholarship Advisor); Visiting Assistant Professors: Samantha Davis, Barry C. Knowlton; Lecturers: Daniel Mandell, Kristen Vogel.
Mission Statement
Students of history embark on disciplined journeys through the past. Through coursework in an array of subjects, students encounter diverse civilizations and cultures. They practice the historical method of interpreting human thought and action in varied contexts, and they improve their reading, writing, and oral communication skills. By developing historical empathy and learning to articulate informed judgments about the past, students acquire a more astute perspective on the present and future. They may be inspired to contemplate their own engagement with the wider world and to contribute more purposefully to the betterment of human society. The History Department’s mission of fostering historical and self-awareness serves the University’s mission of forming graduates known for intellectual seriousness, thoughtful citizenship, and devotion to the common good.
Graduate School Preparation
The History Department is strongly committed to preparing interested students for graduate work in History by fostering the critical skills necessary for success. Faculty mentor students who aspire to master’s or PhD-level work and assist those students in selecting a graduate program, preparing graduate school applications, and narrowing the field of study. Those interested should consult with the History Chair or any faculty member in the department.
Programs of Study
Courses
AAS 350: AMERICAN ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY AMERICAN STUDIES SEMINAR
Credits 3Each fall, the American Antiquarian Society and five Worcester colleges and universities sponsor an interdisciplinary research seminar focusing on a different aspect of early American history and culture. The seminar topic and research methods combine several disciplines, and students from a wide variety of majors have participated successfully in this unique undergraduate opportunity. Recent seminar topics have included “Puritan Captivity Narratives and Native Stories,” “America’s Environmental Histories,” and “Sexualities in Early America.” The seminar meets at the American Antiquarian Society and is conducted by a scholar familiar with the Society’s collections. The seminar topic for Fall 2024 is “Living in New England in the Age of Revolutions,” led by Prof. Joseph Adelman (History, Framingham State University). Selection is highly competitive. The participating students are chosen by a screening committee made up of representatives from the five participating institutions: Assumption University, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester State University. This seminar fulfills the HIS 400 Research Methods requirement for History majors and minors.
HIS 114: WORLD HISTORY I
Credits 3This course explores important episodes and trends in the history of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas from ancient times until the late eighteenth century. Participants study the origins and worldwide expansion of Christianity, the dramatic transformation of Western European societies during the Renaissance and after, and the collision and convergence of European, American, Asian, and African civilizations across the centuries. The course emphasizes the written analysis of primary and secondary documents.
HIS 115: WORLD HISTORY II
Credits 3This course explores the expansion of political participation in Europe from the Atlantic Revolutions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to the present. Students study the commercial revolution in Europe and North America as well as other areas of the world. They examine the experiences of societies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas as global capitalism emerged and European and North American colonial empires expanded. The course also treats the two World Wars of the twentieth century and the emergence of powerful challenges to liberal democracy worldwide, including communism, fascism, and anti-colonial nationalism. It concludes with the study of particular episodes and trends in world history after 1945. At the instructor’s discretion, these might include the Cold War, emergence of the United States as a superpower, the rise of mass consumer societies, decolonization, changes in gender and family relations, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other themes. The course emphasizes the written analysis of primary and secondary documents. HIS 114 is not a prerequisite.
HIS 116: EUROPEAN HISTORY I
Credits 3This Honors course explores human ideas and experiences that have shaped the Western World from ancient times through the Middle Ages. The ages of classical Greece and Rome, the rise of Christianity, the emergence of medieval culture and thought, the slow evolution of national identities, and myriad political, religious, and social conflicts of the pre-modern eras are explored. The course emphasizes written analysis of primary and secondary sources.
HIS 117: EUROPEAN HISTORY II
Credits 3This course studies the rise of the modern state, the rise of scientific inquiry and modern science, the course and implications of industrialization, and the role of ideology as an agent of politics, revolution, and war. The course emphasizes written analysis of primary and secondary sources. HIS 116 is not a prerequisite.
HIS 180: UNITED STATES TO 1877
Credits 3The first semester of this two-semester survey of American history begins with a study of indigenous peoples. It then examines the colonial encounters among European settlers, aboriginal inhabitants, and Africans; the growth of the English colonies in the context of the Atlantic World; tensions between the colonies and England culminating in the Revolution; the emergence of the first American republic, 1783–1844; sectional rivalries and westward expansion; the collapse of the “second party system” (Democrats v. Whigs); Civil War and Reconstruction. The course emphasizes written analysis of primary and secondary sources.
HIS 181: UNITED STATES SINCE 1877
Credits 3The second semester of this two-semester survey of American history briefly reprises the story of the Civil War and Reconstruction, then focuses upon the rise of an urban, industrial, ethnically diverse America in the years before the Great Depression. The course next explores the re-inventing of the American republic during the New Deal, World War II, and Cold War years, and concludes with an examination of the roots of the current “culture wars.” The course emphasizes written analysis of primary and secondary sources. HIS 180 is not a prerequisite.
HIS 202: ANCIENT ROME, 509 B.C.–565 A.D.
Credits 3From Rome’s rejection of Etruscan supremacy to the death of Justinian. Emphasis on Rome’s transition from Republic to Empire and on the subsequent transition from paganism to Christianity.
HIS 222: GREAT BRITAIN SINCE 1688
Credits 3This course surveys and investigates the history of Great Britain from the Gloriously Revolutionary settlement of its 17th century constitutional crises to the 20th century events and developments that have brought it from its “Finest Hour” to its “Brexit Moment.” The course focuses primarily on the political history of Britain, and from that perspective looks at the social, cultural, and intellectual history of one of the modern world’s most wealthy, powerful, and influential countries.
HIS 230: RENAISSANCE EUROPE
Credits 3Led by the humanists’ rediscovery of the classical world, Renaissance writers, artists, political analysts, philosophers, and theorists opened new horizons of culture and learning. Europeans developed critical attitudes toward the past, explored the globe, established new methodologies for nearly every discipline, and created new modes of artistic and literary expression in ways that profoundly shape our world today.
HIS 235: FRANCE SINCE 1789
Credits 3A study of France from the end of the Old Regime to the emergence of the Fifth Republic, emphasizing revolutionary traditions, church-state relations, and France’s European and world position.
HIS 241: RUSSIA: PRE-REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Credits 3From the Kievan period (tenth century) to the Bolshevik Revolution with special attention to such topics as Byzantine influence, westernization, technological development, art and literature, and revolutionary tradition.
HIS 242: RUSSIA SINCE 1917
Credits 3Beginning with a summary study of traditional Russian political culture, the Russian revolutionary heritage, and the origin and early development of the Bolshevik wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, the course investigates the collapse of the old order, the seizure of power by Lenin and his followers, and the history of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1989.
HIS 250: COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA
Credits 3This course is a survey of colonial Latin American history. It traces the historical origins of Latin American society, focusing on the clash of cultures. Themes include an examination of the Iberian and pre-Columbian societies; conquest and subordination of Amerindian civilizations by Spain and Portugal; the distribution of power; land and labor issues; and the order and instability of colonial society.
HIS 251: LATIN AMERICA SINCE 1821
Credits 3This course is intended as a survey of modern Latin American history beginning with independence from Spain and following through the explosive impact of the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The course ends with an examination of the present-day struggle for democracy and economic stability in Latin American nations, such as Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and the countries of the Central American republics. The themes of the course focus on the causes and consequences of structural instability in Latin America since 1800. Special emphasis is placed on the collapse of the region’s traditional liberal/export model of national development in the 1930s and current political and economic crises.
HIS 252: RELIGION IN COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA
Credits 3Human sacrifice, cannibalism, bloodletting, confession, penance, miracles, and the Virgin of Guadalupe all make up the diverse religious beliefs of Latin America. This course examines these beliefs from the Aztec and Maya, to the Spanish conquistadors, to their descendants, and presents students with a firm historical understanding of the establishment of Christianity in the Americas. We will explore the similarities and differences between Latin America’s religious beliefs in the colonial period, with a particular emphasis on the spread of Catholicism and its successes and failures in replacing preexisting beliefs in Mexico and Yucatan.
HIS 254: NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN
Credits 3An interdisciplinary course that seeks to integrate the methodology and findings of anthropology, biology (genetics and nutrition), history, and linguistics in the study of representative Indian groups within select culture areas; for example, the Arctic, the Subarctic, the Eastern Woodlands, the Northwest Coast, the Southeast, the Southwest, and the Plains.
HIS 255: FROM CONTACT TO CASINOS: INTERACTIONS WITH INDIANS IN NORTH AMERICA
Credits 3This interdisciplinary course considers in depth some important issues and problems concerning interactions with Native North Americans past and present. Topics include traditional cultures and cycle of life as well as interactions with non-Natives from the 17th century to today. We will focus on several case studies of such interactions. Examples include (but are not limited to): 1) King Philip’s War (1675-1678). In proportion to population, this vicious conflict inflicted greater casualties than any other war in American history. 2) 19th-century wars between the Lakota and the United States and their aftermath. 3) Reinvention of the Mashantucket Pequots and the creation of Foxwoods. 4) James Bay Cree struggles over land and sovereignty in the Canadian Subarctic (northern Quebec).
HIS 257: HISTORY OF CANADA
Credits 3A survey of Canada’s history from pre-colonial times through the present.
HIS 258: COLONIAL AMERICA
Credits 3This course explores the development of European colonies in North America with emphasis on the English colonies that eventually formed a political union and became the United States. Rather than focusing solely on the experiences of European settlers, we analyze a series of encounters among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans throughout the colonial period, placing these exchanges within the broader context of the emerging Atlantic World. We also use a comparative approach to examine the emergence of distinctive regional patterns among those colonies and their roles in the imperial contests of the era. Topics addressed include the organization of early American culture around the interactions of Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans in North America; the diverse origins of explorers, settlers, and migrants; the political, cultural, and economic development of English colonies; slavery and other labor systems; and the first rumblings of the American Revolution produced by tensions within and beyond colonial British America.
HIS 267: AMERICAN FOREIGN RELATIONS SINCE 1776
Credits 3An examination of U.S. interactions with the world from 1776 to the present. Topics include the diplomacy of the American Revolution, American westward expansion, the United States’ emergence as a world power, both World Wars, the Cold War, 9/11, and aftermath. The cultural, economic, and political context and consequences of U.S. globalism at home and abroad are emphasized.
HIS 269: THE AFRICAN AMERICAN DREAM
Credits 3This course examines how African Americans have resisted racial oppression by defining themselves as both part of and apart from American society. Beginning in the age of slavery and emancipation, it traces this tension in Black culture between integration and self-determination through Jim Crow and the Harlem Renaissance to the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements and into the present, concluding with a discussion of Afrofuturism and the Obama era.
HIS 270: IMMIGRATION AND AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1815
Credits 3A study of the role of the immigrant in American history, the impact on American society, and the process of assimilation and identification. The consequences of restriction since 1921 are also investigated.
HIS 272: GERMANY SINCE 1890
Credits 3A study of the development of Germany as a world power in the nineteenth century. Topics include Germany’s experiences in war and peace; monarchy, democracy, and dictatorship from the era of Wilhelm II through the age of Hitler; democracy and reconstruction in West Germany since World War II; the Cold War; the reunification of Germany; and Germany’s role in a new Europe.
HIS 280: ASIA TO 1800
Credits 3This course is designed to introduce students to some of the major themes of East Asian history focusing on China, Japan, and Korea, from the Neolithic period to roughly 1800. The course begins by defining the notion of East Asia, and subsequently explores continuity and change in the region as a whole and within its discrete cultural components. Major themes include the origins of cultural continuity, the rise of the bureaucratic state, the evolution of Confucian thought and social roles, and the development and spread of Buddhism.
HIS 281: ASIA SINCE 1800
Credits 3This course surveys the history of East Asia, mostly China, Japan and Korea, from the late seventeenth century to the present. Students will have an opportunity to learn about the diversity within East Asia by studying various voices of Asian people. It aims at deepening students’ understanding of East Asian history and culture. In addition to studying the political, social, and cultural transformation of China, Japan and Korea, the course will also address various themes in East Asian history. How did these countries deal with Western imperialism and problems of modernization? How did they interact with each other in the modern world?
HIS 282: JAPAN SINCE 1868
Credits 3Designed to introduce students to the major themes of Japanese history during the late nineteenth century and the twentieth century, the course begins by defining the nature of Japanese feudalism on the eve of 1868 and the internal and external challenges that resulted in the momentous political, social, and cultural transformation known as the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The course continues by exploring the domestic and international forces leading to war in the Pacific, the period of American occupation, and post-war recovery.
HIS 285: WOMEN’S STUDIES I: IMAGES OF WOMEN IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE
Credits 3This course is an introduction to the study of women. The course develops a coherent, integrated view of women and their roles; emphasizes the full range of contributions of and the limited opportunities for women; examines and appraises the experiences of women; and critically examines the thinking about women at various times and from various perspectives. The basic approach is interdisciplinary and the concentration of the course is on women in North America from the 19th century to the present.
HIS 290: ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST I (TO 1800)
Credits 3This course examines the history of the pre-modern Middle East from the genesis of Islam in seventh century Arabia to the advent of Western power and dominance in the region. The course covers religious, cultural, and socio-economic developments in the Middle East. In addition to examining the origins of the Qur’an and Muhammud’s proselytizing mission in the Arabian Peninsula, the course analyzes the reasons for Islam’s rapid political takeover of territory stretching from Spain to Central Asia. It also examines how the conquered territories and peoples exerted a strong formative influence on the development of Islam. The Islam’s numerous philosophic, scientific, and technological achievements which marked a period of progress in the European Middle Ages are stressed.
HIS 291: ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST II (SINCE 1800)
Credits 3This course examines the history of the modern Middle East. It covers the period in which the traditional societies of the Middle East were profoundly altered by their contacts with the Western world. It analyzes broad social issues such as the changing role of the middle class, the transformation of traditional authority and the emergence of potent new symbols of power in the twentieth century, such as nationalism, modernization, and resurgent Muslim identities.
HIS 306: RISE AND DECLINE OF EUROPEAN PRIMACY, 1870 TO THE PRESENT
Credits 3An investigation of the emergence of Germany, France, and Great Britain as great world powers and their subsequent collapse after the First and Second World Wars. Special consideration given to the influence of imperialism, militarism, and power politics.
HIS 309: DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF EUROPE IN THE 19TH CENTURY
Credits 3In this course we will study the art and science of diplomacy by concentrating on the dramatic decisions and errors that led the Great Powers to create the Concert of Europe, which shaped European foreign relations throughout most of the nineteenth century, and later abandon it. After a preliminary set of readings on diplomats and their craft, we will turn our attention to four of the most significant foreign policy developments of the nineteenth century: the Congress of Vienna of 1815, the London Conference of 1830 (which addressed the issues at the core of the revolutions of 1830), the Crimean War and the Paris Peace Conference of 1856, and the Berlin Conference of 1878. As we examine how each of these events unfolded, we will concentrate on the decisions made by the governments and their foreign policy experts, as well as the factors that shaped these decisions. In an effort to explore the circumstances and options that faced Great Powers during these tense times, we will conduct role-playing exercises that will enable each member of the class to place themselves in the shoes of the diplomats we will be studying.
HIS 310: DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF EUROPE IN THE 20TH CENTURY
Credits 3Diplomatic history of Europe since 1914 with an emphasis on the political collapse of Europe, the German problem in an age of international civil war, and the beginning of the Cold War.
HIS 332: BAROQUE EUROPE, 1600–1789
Credits 3This course explores the intersection of culture, politics, religion, and science in Europe from the seventeenth through the eighteenth centuries, a period of convulsive change in which the contours of the modern West were formed. The class introduces students to the richness and variety of creativity across many disciplines in a period typically designated as the “Golden Age” within the literary and artistic cultures of Spain, France, England, Italy, Holland, and Germany.
HIS 340: HITLER’S VIENNA
Credits 3A study of the political, social, and cultural history of the Austrian Empire, and particularly its capital city, Vienna, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Topics include the rise and decline of the Austrian Empire, the emergence of political liberalism, the rise of the “new Conservatives,” the crisis of traditional Austrian society and culture, and the crisis of Viennese modernism. The final third of the course takes a detailed look at the life and experiences of Adolf Hitler, who grew up amid all of these dramatic changes and crises -- crediting them with shaping his racist and reactionary worldview. The final goal of the course will be to evaluate the accuracy of Hitler’s assessment regarding the impact of Vienna on the tragic course of the twentieth century.
HIS 359: REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA, 1763-1815
Credits 3This course explores cultural, political, and economic changes in America from the age of imperial crisis through the era of the Early Republic. In addition to tracing the political history of the founding, we examine the experiences of Americans from diverse backgrounds, including women, slaves, free blacks, Native Americans, merchants, farmers, common soldiers, abolitionists, artisans, loyalists, and others. We examine their multiple perspectives on the Revolution, the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and the cultural and political turmoil that emerged amidst the ensuing rise of political parties. The course takes both a narrative and an analytical approach by focusing on major interpretive issues in a more-or-less chronological fashion. We also assess how well popular narratives of the Revolution and the Early Republic reflect scholarly understandings of the period.
HIS 360: ADVERTISING AND CONSUMER CULTURE IN EARLY AMERICA
Credits 3The emergence of conspicuous consumption and mass marketing are often associated with the twentieth century, but both have precursors going back centuries. This course examines advertising and consumer culture in America during what historians have termed the “consumer revolution” of the twentieth century. In addition to exploring the meanings of goods and the culture of acquisition and display, we will interrogate connections between consumer habits and political activities during the era of the American Revolution and into the early nineteenth century. We will consider formative debates, including whether supply or demand caused the consumer revolution and to what extent commerce and consumer politics played a role in the American Revolution. We will also grapple with enduring questions: Do consumers have moral and ethical responsibilities when they make purchases? In what ways do politics intersect with consumption? We will consult a variety of primary sources – newspaper advertisements, magazine wrappers and inserts, broadsides, catalogs, pamphlets, trade cards, bill heads, subscription proposals, bills of lading, printed blanks, watch papers, and furniture labels – as we analyze how early Americans participated in consumer society.
HIS 362: CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES
Credits 3This course examines the sectional conflict, the inability to resolve problems, issues leading to secession, the military, political, and social dimensions of the Civil War, and the era of Reconstruction.
HIS 363: THE VIETNAM WAR
Credits 3An exploration of how Americans and Vietnamese on all sides of the conflict experienced the war (1945–1975) and sought to discern meaning from it.
HIS 366: PUBLIC HISTORY AND PUBLIC DEBATE
Credits 3“What is public history?” Public history covers a broad array of methods and formats for educating general audiences about the past beyond classroom setting. The public regularly encounters history in a variety of venues, from civic architecture (including statues and monuments) to entertainment (including Hamilton!) to political debates about the meaning of the past and how to teach about it. General audiences also seek to be educated and entertained at public history sites, including museums, living history sites, and national historical parks. In the process of examining the diverse manifestations of presenting the past beyond the classroom, we will analyze the professional issues and political problems that practitioners of public history face. This will include an exploration of the relationship between historians and communities engaged in conversations and debates about both the purpose of history education and the intersections of history, cultural memory, heritage, and commemoration. Students will also gain practical experience through participating in a Community Service-Learning project or internship in collaboration with a local public history institution or organization.
HIS 368: THE COLD WAR
Credits 3This course traces the history of the Cold War through the lens of American policy, politics, and culture. Students explore the causes, character, and consequences of the Cold War by considering the role that strategic, political, economic, cultural, and ideological forces play in shaping events and their outcomes. The effects of the Cold War on life and culture (economic relationships, gender and race relations, popular culture) in the United States and around the world are treated in depth.
HIS 369: SEPTEMBER 11TH IN HISTORY AND MEMORY
Credits 3This course explores the history and meaning of September 11, 2001. We consider how and why the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon occurred. We also contemplate the significance of the attacks in the realms of American politics, culture, film, and public spaces. How is history made? How is it remembered? Who has the power to decide? By exploring these and related questions, we come to appreciate the complexity of the question “what happened?” on this day or any other. And we become attentive to the myriad ways in which the past is ever unfolding into the present—and the present into the past.
HIS 389: SPECIAL TOPICS IN HISTORY
Credits 3This course permits the study of selected topics in history. The topic normally changes each time the course is offered.
HIS 393: FROM JESUS TO MUHAMMAD: THE NEAR EAST IN TRANSITION
Credits 3This course examines the history of the Near East from 50 BCE to 750 CE. The course addresses a very critical period of transition for the Near East, one in which a variety of religious experiences structured the life of people in classical times and late antiquity. It analyzes broad social issues such as the changing patterns of urban rural interaction, the growing power and influence of marginal societies such as the peasants of Mesopotamia and the Bedouin of Arabia, the transformation of traditional authority and the emergence of effective new symbols of power. The course ultimately traces the significant developments by which the Near Eastern societies were transformed from classical Roman and Imperial Persian paradigms into a unified caliphate under the new religion of Islam.
HIS 397: PRACTICUM IN THE TEACHING OF HISTORY
Credits 3On occasion, students with a special interest in teaching history may work as assistants in the planning, teaching, and evaluation of one of the department’s introductory courses. Open only to juniors and seniors.
HIS 400: RESEARCH METHODS
Credits 3This course introduces the historical method of research, writing, and analysis. It explores how historians construct and defend historical arguments and the many sources and implications of interpretive difference.
HIS 401: HISTORY PRO-SEMINAR
Credits 3Designed primarily for history majors and minors in their junior or senior year, the Pro-seminar is formally linked to the History Seminar (HIS 402), taught by the same instructor in the same semester on a topic of the instructor’s choice. The Pro-seminar offers a broad survey of an historical subject or period, while the Seminar provides an opportunity for in-depth study and independent research on a discrete topic.
HIS 402: HISTORY SEMINAR
Credits 3A writing- and research-oriented course designed primarily for history majors and minors, the Seminar introduces students to the practice of historical scholarship. Students intensively study an historical problem or subject, and they conduct individual research on different aspects of the seminar topic. Previous seminars have treated the American Revolution, Slave Narratives, Renaissance Humanism, the Holocaust, Salem Village Witchcraft, the Dreyfus Affair, the Vietnam War, and World War II in the Pacific. The seminar is taken in conjunction with a Pro-seminar (History 391), a course providing background and context for the seminar topic. The Pro-seminar is taken in the same semester as the Seminar, usually in the junior or senior year.
WMS 385: WOMEN OF THE WORLD
Credits 3This course uses the personal stories of women around the world as a lens into current global issues. Each week participants read accounts of women’s lives in regions outside of the United States, along with readable texts that provide historical and contemporary background for personal experiences. Students encounter the powerful and the powerless; the rich and the poor; the courageous and the meek; and in learning their stories, also learn something about the world that they inhabit, and that we inhabit along with them. In this global age in which we live, what happens at the individual and the local level is intricately connected with what is happening around the world, including in our own homes and communities. In experiencing a “world of women,” we learn about the human struggles that unite and divide people across cultures in the modern world.