History

Art & architecture in Europe, the Mediterranean (esp. Greece & Rome, ) & the Middle East in prehistoric, ancient, & medieval periods, with introduction to issues & themes of art history.

The history of the visual arts in the West from the Early Renaissance to the present.

A survey of painting, sculpture, and architecture created in the present-day United States, from the founding of Jamestown to the great Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.

A study of painting, sculpture, and architecture done in the United States since the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition from Thomas Eakins and Gross to great contemporary artists such as Andrew Wyeth, Frank Gehry, and Jeff Koons.

An internship in an elective area of concentration.

The artistic contributions of the ancient societies of Egypt, the Aegean, Greece and Rome, placed within appropriate cultural contexts.

European & Mediterranean art & architecture from the late Roman Empire to the 14th c. with emphasis on the social, religious & political contexts of visual production.

Italian art & architecture from 1300-1480, investigation of the political, religious & social contexts of the visual productions of artists such as Giotto, Donatello, Masaccio, Mantegna & Botticelli.

Major works of European painting, sculpture, and architecture from the seventeenth through mid-eighteenth centuries. Special emphasis on how historical events affected the production of artistic monuments.

An examination of the visual arts since 1900 that emphasizes their historical roots and present social significance.

Notable buildings and architects in the last hundred years: Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Antoni Gaudi, LeCorbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Robert Venturi, I.M. Pei, Walter Gropius, Philip Johnson, Frank Gehry. Emphasis on the influence of modern technology on the practice of architecture.

Artistic movements and artists around the world from the 1960s to the present; Pop Art, Minimalism, Neo- expressionism, Arte Povera, Graffitti Art, and Performance Art, from Warhol to Wyeth to Haring and Koons.

Italian art & architecture from 1480 to 1550. Investigation of stylistic, political & social contexts of art. The idea of Mannerism & artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael & Titian.

Themes and images of women in the visual arts as an expression of the needs, desires and attitudes of society; and a study of women artists from ancient times to the present, with regard to how being female may, or may not, have affected their work.

Philadelphia's unique contribution to American painting, sculpture, and architecture, from the early Swedish and Welsh settlers of the Delaware Valley, to Andrew Wyeth and Robert Venturi.

Nineteenth century painting and sculpture in Europe and America, focusing on Cezanne, Courbet, Delacroix, Goya, Eakins, Homer, Manet, Monet, Rodin and West.

Construction of gender and sexuality as visualized through art and various forms of visual culture. Topics include the gaze, feminist art, gendered construction of fashion, queer identities and art, and bodies and censorship.

History of photographic styles and techniques from 1826-Present. Emphasis on the relation of photography to capitalism, colonialism, racism, feminism, and gender identities in contemporary culture.

The visual arts in Ireland concentrating on the Golden Age from the 5th to the 9th Century: architecture of the early monastic settlements, manuscript illumination and its influence, and the cultural impact of the Irish forms of monasticism.

Selected themes or periods in the history of art examined in depth.

Co-requisite 1-credit course designed to provide an embedded study-abroad experience to complement a requisite Art History course.

Independent research projects under the guidance of a department faculty member. Passing grade depends on student thesis acceptable to two faculty members.

Seminar on selected topics in ancient or medieval art as announced. Topics will vary depending on the instructor.

Seminar on the 20th century's most famous artist, with discussion of friends such as Braque, Apollinaire, Gertrude Stein, and Erik Satie.

The course will consist of two 50 min lectures (MF) and a Wednesday evening movie screening. There are no prerequisites, and the course will count for Fine Arts credit. Students will take both a midterm and final and write short movie review/responses.

An introduction to the theories and criticism relevant for the study and interpretation of art and art history such as feminism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, deconstruction, post-colonialism, and postmodernism. Prerequisite: At least one prior Art History course.

Art History capstone writing and research seminar, which builds on AAH-4010 Interpreting Art. Students practice advanced art historical research and write culminating research project.

An intensive research project under individual direction. Permission of chairperson required.

For AP and transfer credit only. Does not fulfill Arts and Sciences core history requirements.

Investigation of history of diverse nations and regions since 1500. Political, technological, and economic revolutions; modern state formation; cross-cultural conflict and exchange; social movements; environmental transformation; rise of global economy.

Selected core courses exploring religion in different eras with emphasis on cross cultural interaction.

Selected core courses exploring relationship between environmental and technological change in different eras and societies.

Selected core courses on empire and practice of imperialism in different eras.

Selected core courses exploring issues of race and/or gender in different eras.

This course will trace the formation of diverse societies, culture, politics, and interactions in the Atlantic basin beginning in the 15th century Primary source material will be analyzed.

Selected core courses offering transnational perspectives on the development of American society.

Selected core courses on political, social, and cultural interaction among different societies in Asia and Pacific basin.

Selected core courses that take a global or comparative approach to major issues.

Selected core courses on different aspects of ancient world, its classical origins, the influence of Christianity upon societies the development of its institutions and culture, and its spread to include almost the entire European continent.

In-depth study of American history from the pre-Columbian period to the Civil War and Reconstruction, with a particular emphasis on engaging historical problems as a process of inquiry and interpretation. Designed especially for history majors and future teachers, but open to all students.

In-depth study of American history from the end of Reconstruction to the present, with a particular emphasis on engaging historical problems as a process of inquiry and interpretation. Designed especially for history majors and future teachers, but open to all students.

The political, economic, social, and intellectual life of the American colonies and the clash of racial and ethnic groups in America to 1763.

The colonial resistance to Great Britain; the making of the Constitution; and the continuing struggle, to 1810, to define the meaning of the Revolution.

The development of the Republic from the presidency of Jefferson through the Mexican War; revolutions in transportation and commerce, struggles of nationalism and sectionalism; issues of race and gender and the ferment of reform.

A study of the causes of a war in which Americans fought Americans; the war's evolving nature and eventual outcome; the fight over the meaning and the extent of reconstruction; and the long term political, economic, and social consequences of the war and the end of slavery.

Causes and results of industrialization and urbanization; responses to economic and social change, including popular protest movements; nationalism following the Civil War; U.S. imperial ambitions.

Major problems and domestic developments in the United States in World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression and World War II.

Major problems and domestic developments in the United States since 1945: reconversion, Cold War, the """Good Society"""" of the 1950s

Diplomatic history from World War I to the present, including involvement in European and Asian struggles, cooperation in international organizations.

The frontier as a place, as a process, and as an idea animating and explaining American expansion since the revolutionary era, including the cultural, social, political, economic dimensions of this expansion, both in the American West and abroad.

The wars of America from their European antecedents to 1900; relations between the military and society; role of the military in national development.

History of US Supreme Court. Topics include court's major decisions, historical development of the court and the court's effect on American society and politics.

Major themes in American constitutional history. Role of the US Constitution and its interpretation in US political and legal history

American economic growth from the colonial era to the present and its impact on political, social present and cultural life, including American industrialization; rise of the corporation; military-industrial complex; capital-labor relations; globalization of American capitalism.

The evolution of American Medicine from the colonial period to the present day. Topics include the rise and fall of heroic medicine, the demise of scientific medicine, the growth of modern surgery, the evolution of medical practice.

Social, cultural and economic forces that reshaped the American landscape from the colonial era to the present; the place of nature in American thought and society; and the evolution of environmental politics in the 20th century.

Study of American Indians from pre-Columbian times to the present, including land use practices, social customs, gender relations, U.S. government removal and assimilation policies, post-colonial political economy, and contemporary issues of cultural identity and sovereignty.

Pre-famine Irish emigration to North America; the famine; post-famine movement; Irish-American labor, politics, urban and suburban developments.

The forced migrations of Africans to the New World, the institution of slavery, and the struggle of Afro-Americans to gain equality in American society.

Themes of resistance and creativity with the development of the African-American communities in the era following the Civil War. Reconstruction, Northern migration, Jim Crow and segregation, and protest thought and Civil Rights.

The experience of childhood in America, including topics such as the invention of adolescence; child abuse and protection; child labor; compulsory schooling and immigrant assimilation; juvenile delinquency; age of consent; dating; children in the movies; children as consumers; and youth culture and rebellion.

The study of the influence of region, race, and ethnicity on gender definitions in America; and the impact of those ideas in shaping women's lives, sexuality, housework and wage labor, and access to power and politics, from the colonial period to the present.

An investigation of the city's past and present through reading historical accounts and exploring today's city. Changes and continuity in politics, economy, and social composition from 1682 to today, with particular attention to social structures and the changing physical environment of the city.

Cultural history as revealed through artificats, including everyday objects, decorative arts, and architecture; issues and controversies related to museum exhibits; the role of the Internet in material culture studies.

Introduction to history and practice of historic preservation of buildings and landscapes with focus on US. Students will learn how to research buildings, analyze law and public policy, engage with community planning and assess environmental and economic outcomes.

Explores how historical thinking and knowledge are necessary to build environmental, social, and economic sustainability today. Topics include climate history, Indigenous knowledge, ?green? capitalism, Black ecologies, historical tourism, historians as activists, conservation, and gentrification.

Explore four different ancient societies between ca. 3000 BCE-500 CE: Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman. Topics include archaeology, historiography, and the modern reception of the seven wonders.

Explores the primary evidence for Cleopatra?s reign in ancient Egypt, the kingdom over which she ruled. Students will investigate Cleopatra's reception over time to compare with the image of her we have today.

It is through the study of archaeological evidence that the history of ancient Egypt can be reconstructed. This course will begin with the unification of Egypt (ca. 3100 BCE) and continue to the end of the Second Intermediate Period.

Archaeological evidence and the history of ancient Egypt. Explores emergence of the New Kingdom when the Egyptians were creating their first empire and continues to the coming of Alexander the Great.

Who was Robin Hood? Was he England?s best archer, noble outcast, and friend of the downtrodden? We will trace his medieval legend through the centuries culminating in the movies and novels of today.

Evolution of the European West from its classical origins. The influence of Christianity on European institutions and culture. Relations between European West and both Islam in the Near East and North Africa, and the Christian Byzantine East of Europe and Russia

Forces and personalities that helped to shape Rome's identity and place in the world.

European history between unification of Germany and WWI. Politics, diplomacy, economic transformations, art, literature, and revolutionary movements will be explored.

The social and political history of the Irish state in the 19th and 20th centuries.

History of Imperial Russia from the reign of Catherine the Great to the fall of Nicholas ll and the Romanov dynasty. Topics include politics, culture, society, and revolutionary movements in Russia during the late 18th-early 20th centuries.

History of the Russia and the Soviet Union from the collapse of the Romanov Dynasty to the Present. Political and cultural history are explored from the Bolshevik Revolutions through the Soviet and Post-Soviet eras. Special focus on authoritarian rule.

Eastern and Central Europe from the end of World War II through the Revolutions of 1989. Focus on political, social and cultural history of the region and the nature of these states' relationship with the Soviet Union.

Select topics in European History.

The impact of 19th century European colonialism on Africa the division of Africa into European dependencies; change and continuity in African culture; the emergence of independent African nation sates after World War ll; their difficulties and opportunities.

East Asia region (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong), late 19th century to mid-20th century. Topics include Sino-Japanese War, revolution in China, colonialism in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, rise and fall Japan's empire, and Korean War.

East Asia region (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong), mid-20th century to present. Topics include communist revolutions in China and Korea, occupation Japan, economic """miracles"""" in Japan

History of Indian subcontinent from late Mughal period through British Empire, culminating in independence and partition in 1947. Emphasis on knowledge, power and state formation; resistance, revolution, and nationalism; gender and the role of women; and post colonial legacies.

Development of science & consequential transformations in mechanics, anatomy, astronomy, botany and physics (1400-1700). Special attention to the social and human contexts in which science and scientific knowledge was produced.

Survey of the history of human rights. Topics include: the intellectual origins of human rights; the United Nation's efforts to codify human rights protection after WWII; and the ongoing affronts to human rights around the world.

The Jews in relation to the larger civilizations in which they have lived; Jewish intellectual and moral contributions; Jewish history in the Christian world; the Holocaust; formation of a Jewish homeland, Israel.

Selected topics in world history.

An internship in a local historical archive, museum, park, or library.

A more extensive internship in a local historical archive, museum, park, or library.

Selected topics in American history of interest to faculty and students.

The formation of diverse Mediterranean societies and the emergence of the individual within those societies. Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Israel, and the broader Mediterranean cultures of Greece and Rome.

The evolution of the European West from its classical origins. The influence of Christianity upon the development of European institutions and culture. Relations and mutual influences of the European West with its neighbors, the new world of Islam in the Near East and North Africa, and the Christian Byzantine East of Europe and Russia.

The rise of Greek civilization from Mycenaean times to the Macedonian conquest of Greece by the father of Alexander the Great: Homer, the emergence of the polis, the Persian and Peloponnesian wars, and the flowering of Greek culture at Athens during the 5th and 4th centuries.

How the ancient Mediterranean world changed between the conquests of Alexander the Great and the death of Cleopatra VII; Hellenistic society, kings and queens, Ptolemaic Egypt, science and art, and encounters between Greeks and Romans.

The achievement of the Pax Romana from the reforms of Augustus to the break-up of the western Empire in the fifth century A.D. Topics treated include life in the provinces, the romanization of indigenous peoples, the legions and society, culture and decadence in the capital, and the rise of Christianity.

The end of the ancient world -- ancient sources and modern theories. A multi-faceted analysis of Mediterranean society from AD 200 - 750: politics, economy, religion, urban life, art, social relations, literature.

Selected topics in Ancient history of interest to faculty and students.

Europe from the fall of Rome to the end of the Viking Age.

The emergence of the mendicant orders (Augustinians, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Poor Clares), their mission and influence on medieval Christianity; popular piety, heresy, and the papacy; attempts at converting Jews, Muslims, and pagans.

Between 500-1500 C.E. in Europe certain women were accused of poisoning, witchcraft, adultery, whoredom, and assassination of their husbands and children. Learn about these women and how the accusations relate to their roles in society.

The decline of society in the Late Middle Ages and the emergence of commercial capitalism; the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire and the evolution of city-states and new monarchies in the fifteenth century; the crisis of the Papacy and the emergence of humanism; the Italian universities in the Late Middle Ages and the development of new tastes in literature, art, and architecture.

The cultural transition of traditional Western Christendom to modernity in the 18th Century, including its clash with religion; emphasis on scepticism and empiricism; rehabilitation of natural desires and emotion; efforts to re-engineer human society; new perceptions of economics, crime and punishment, and aesthetics; creation of a reading public; role in the American founding; impact upon issues of gender and race.

Social, political, and cultural history of Europe from the fin de siecle to European unification; world wars and revolution, East-West divide, consumer society and popular protest.

Europe from the end of World War II to the European Union; postwar reconstruction; Cold War; the growth of consumer society; the collapse of the Soviet Empire; changing conceptions of European identity.

The debts England owes to the Celtic, particularly the Irish, world; changed relations, from fruitful cultural exchange to antagonism, after the Norman Conquest of England. Irish missionary and educational importance; relations between Celtic peoples; why monarchy developed in England and Scotland, but not in Wales and Ireland.

Emergence of Britain as the preeminent global capitalist economy and political power from the glittering court of Charles II to Britain's loss of its American colonies and its victory over revolutionary France. Connections between political-economic developments and social and cultural change including industrialization; war, economic growth and state formation; smuggling, gin, and criminality; empire; domesticity, women and the novel, high and low art in London.

The social and political history of the Irish state in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Exploration of emerging topics in field of Irish History, including but not limited to the Act of Union, the impact of the Protestant Ascendancy, and the cultural, social and political history of the modern Irish state.

Causes, nature and course of the French Revolution, including a study of its historical interpretation, and the Napoleonic aftermath of the Revolution.

Germany from the rise of Hitler to the end of the Second World War.

Major political, economic and social changes in the Russian Empire from the war against Napoleon to World War I; reform from above and revolution from below; Russia's industrial revolution; social and cultural modernization; the institution of monarchy under the last Romanov tsars; Russia's expansion in the East.

Russia from the 1917 Revolution to the present; the radical transformation of a state, economy and society in revolution and civil war, the Stalin dictatorship, the trial of World War II, and the patterns of reform and continuity in the post-Stalin and post-Soviet eras.

Examines history of the former Soviet Union and its states from 1989 to the present. Topics include 1989 revolutions; collapse of the USSR; German reunification; Yugoslav Wars; the rise of Putin; Color Revolutions; terrorism; Maidan; War in Ukraine

Social constructions gender in ancient Near East, ca. 3200-500 BCE, using artifacts and textual sources to learn how gender functioned in legal systems, religion, and family life. Topics include gender and power, women's experiences same-sex relationships, gender ambiguity.

Egyptian archeological record, Greek and Roman sources, modern literature, and film to study life and legacy of Cleopatra VII (first century BCE), Queen of Egypt.

Roles of women from ancient world to revolutionary France, including analysis of the status of women in Biblical, Greek, Roman, medieval, early modern and Enlightenment cultures and times. Themes of motherhood, women's work, women in literature and women's ways of exerting control over their lives.

The changing roles of women in society and politics in Europe from the 18th to 20th centuries. Topics include women and the household economy; women and revolution; feminism and feminist movements; the rise of female professions; women's literature and feminist critical theory.

This course explores modern Europe from 1850 to the present, using the evolution of soccer across Europe as a means to investigate politics, culture, and society across a tumultuous century and a half of European triumph and tragedy.

Explores American and European 1960s social movements via essays, memoirs, films, and music. Examines the complex and fascinating social, cultural, and political history of this turbulent and important era in modern history.

Co-requisite 1-credit course designed to provide an embedded study-abroad experience to complement a requisite History course. Must also enroll in [3-credit course] as corequisite; Required for embedded course, [name of course, e.g., Europe since 1945]

Selected topics in European history of interest to faculty and students.

The political, economic and social history of the Middle East with emphasis on the passing of imperial institutions and emergence of republics, trade and commerce, colonialism, and revolutionary movements.

The relation of the Jews to the historical process; the Jews in relation to the larger civilizations in which they have lived; Jewish intellectual and moral contributions; Jewish history in the Christian world; the Holocaust; formation of a Jewish homeland, Israel.

Roles of Middle Eastern women from the seventh century to the present era. Women's lives and experiences, with emphasis on their influence and contribution to the economy, politics, literature and the arts. Attention to the effects of regional, ethnic, class, and religious differences on women's status and activities.

Selected topics in Middle Eastern history of interest to faculty and students.

Early African history and anthropology culminating in the emergence of Africa as an arena of European economic penetration, the rise of the African slave trade, and the impact of early European colonization.

The impact of 19th century European colonialism on Africa; the division of Africa into European dependencies; change and continuity in African culture; the emergence of independent African nation states after World War II; their difficulties and opportunities.

Development of southern Africa, with particular emphasis on the formation of South Africa; interaction of the various African peoples and the Europeans who came to settle the region and the way in which that interaction led to the establishment of, and resistance to, the system of apartheid. The collapse of apartheid.

Selected topics in African history of interest to faculty and students.

The history and culture of the eastern Roman Empire from the founding of Constantinople in 330 by Constantine to its capture by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. The emperor and his court, Byzantine art and architecture, monasticism, Byzantine women, the rise of Islam, the Latin west and the Crusades.

A broad and basic introduction to Chinese society, culture, and history from its inception some three thousand years ago to eve of first significant Western European presence in China proper.

East Asia region (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong), late 19th century to mid-20th century. Topics include Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), revolution in China, colonialism in Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, rise and fall Japan's empire, and Korean War.

East Asia region (China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong), mid-20th century to present. Topics include communist revolutions in China and Korea, occupation Japan, economic "miracles" in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and rise of China in 21st Century.

Survey of the first half of China's twentieth century, from 1895-1949. Topics include the revolution toppling China's last empire; China's descent into warlordism; struggles to reunify the nation; war with Japan; and the Communist revolution of 1949.

China during its republican and Communist periods.

Modern and contemporary China, from 1949 to the present. Covers the Communist revolution 1949, under the rule and leadership of Mao Zedong; post-Mao transition and liberalization; Cold War rivalries; global reintegration since the 1980s; and new geopolitical hostilities.

The social and political history of modern Japan (1868- Present); its dramatic rise to world power status, the long road to WW II, the impact of Allied Occupation; themes of cooperation and conflict in state-society relations.

This course is a thematic historical survey focusing on the relationship between economic and non-economic processes -- social, cultural, and intellectual -- around the world the last three centuries. Readings are global in scope but will emphasize the historical experiences of East Asia, and in particular modern China and Japan.

The War in Vietnam in historical perspective from colonialism to the Cold War and national liberation.

Modern history of the Indian subcontinent from late Mughal Empire to the present. Themes include: expansion of British power, anti-colonial nationalism, birth of India and Pakistan, and contemporary politics, economics, and culture in the region.

Selected topics in Asian history of interest to faculty and students.

Establishment and maintenance of a Hapsburg colonial state; indigenous responses to religious and secular colonization; the creation of a multicultural society from African, indigenous, and Iberian peoples from the 1580s the 1780s.

Latin America's revolutionary century from the beginnings of political revolt in the 1780s to the beginning of economic modernization in the 1880s. Social and economic impact of the Bourbon Reforms; indigenous revolts and slave rebellions; liberal revolutionary movements culminating in the political independence but economic dependence of Spanish America; slavery and abolition.

Selected topics in Latin American history of interest to faculty and students.

Selected topics in world or non-western history of interest to faculty and students.

The political, diplomatic, economic, and social upheavals from 1900 to the Munich Conference.

Development of science when it underwent consequential transformations in mechanics, anatomy, astronomy, botany and physics (1400-1700). Special attention to the social and human contexts in which science and scientific knowledge was produced.

The Second World War, its aftermath, the Atomic Age, the emerging nations.

Interactions among science, technology and art that have shaped modern culture since the industrial revolution of the late 18th century. Special attention to the sources, styles, and contexts of creativity in various fields.

The origins of artificial life forms by modern science, the perspective of involved scientists, literary observers, politicians and businessmen, and society as a whole. Topics include cloning, transplantation, artificial organs, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Women in the development of modern (since 1600) science and technology, including gender issues shaping theories and research, the impact of innovation on women's lives, and women as professionsals and as creative workers.

The major wars of the 20th century: World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Cold War, wars of liberation.

Selected themes in the history of gender examined in depth.

Selected themes in the history of race examined in depth.

Selected themes in public history examined in depth.

The junior research seminar introduces majors to research methods, sources, and historiography -- how historians have reconstructed, interpreted, and written about the past. By examining diverse interpretations and historical controversies, the seminars help students develop their abilities to critique historical arguments and develop their own arguments. The course prepares history majors for their Senior Research Methods course, HIS 5501.

Student research and reports. Seminar format. Written permission of chair required.

An intensive research project under individual direction. Written permission of chair required.

The history and aftermath of Nazi Germand and the Holocaust.

Intensive study of themes in European intellectual and social History, such as Marxism in the twentieth century; Freudian thought and culture in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries; capitalism, communism and fascism in modern Europe; religion and ethics in the nuclear age.

Readings and discussion of selected topics pertaining to the history of gender and women in East Asia.