History (HIST)

The modern world consists of a number of regions defined by their geography, climate, human populations, economies, and cultures. These regions are very uneven in their economic development and social conditions. The course addresses this global situation and follows the rise of civilizations and the great cultural traditions in the ancient Mediterranean, the Middle East, Europe, China, India, Africa, and the Americas. The course examines the preconditions for the rise of complex economies, cultural achievements, and modern societies, and concludes with current developments.

The history of Latin America from colonial times emphasizing the political evolution of the several republics. Special consideration will be given to the political, economic, military, and social relations of the U.S. with Latin American countries in the 20th century.

This course will students understand how ideas about gender have shaped the lives of women and men in Latin America and how women and men have, in turn, influenced ideas about gender. The course will improve students ability to understand and analyze historical documents, processes, and writings, and will improve students' verbal and written skills though public speaking and writing.

An overview of the historical development of Latin American film, from early to contemporary films, along with a study of the methods of critical inquiry developed to analyze film and cultural and political history in Latin America. This course provides differing visions of Latin American history as constructed through film. We analyze some of the major films of Latin American cinema with a view to the characteristic marks of this cinema, its aesthetic, major themes, the various ways that it impacts political, social and cultural systems and how social-political changes in turn impact the production and politics of film. Films will be in Spanish and English subtitles.

Nationalism and nation states; patterns of diplomacy; origins, conduct, and settlement of World War I; Russian Revolution; fate of democracy; rise of totalitarianism; World War II and the Holocaust.

The history of the "Big 3" of the world's religions -- Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism -- is traced from antiquity to the present day. Key individuals, texts, theological innovations, and reformations will be discussed and analyzed. This is predominantly a lecture-style course, although there will be occasional class discussions on primary or secondary religious texts. May not be taken for credit by students who have completed HIST 380 World Religions I.

The history of Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of faiths with a similar worldview that have been placed under the heading of Nature Religions is traced from antiquity to the present day. Key individuals, texts, theological innovations, and reformations will be discussed and analyzed. This is predominantly a lecture-style course, although there will be occasional class discussions on primary or secondary religious texts. May not be taken for credit by students who have completed HIST 380 World Religions II.

An examination of how women shaped the course of US history and of how key political and social events shaped their lives. Since no single experience conveys the history of all American women, this course will discuss the diverse realities of women of different races, classes, ethnicities, and political tendencies. It looks at how and why the conditions, representations, and identities of women changed or remained the same. By incorporating women into our vision of history, we develop a more complete understanding of our past.

Examines the creation of the American nationality from its diverse roots, which include almost all the world's great cultures. Special stress on immigration, African American history, and the relationships among concepts of race, class, and gender.

Examines how the U.S., its values, and its institutions came to be. Colonization, "Indian" relations, slavery, the American Revolution and the Constitution are studied in the context of the colonial world, including Latin America. Controversial issues and the challenge of discovery are stressed.

Traces America's transformation from agrarian republic to Industrial Empire. Stresses impact of industrialization on all aspects of life, the nature of slavery, the failures of "Reconstruction", and the western and urban frontiers. Explores the adventures that made America a great power.

Traces how America attained economic and military power and what it did with that power at home and abroad. Discusses the World Wars, the Great Depression, the limits of the "welfare state," the movement for Black equality, and the transformations of the 1960's.

Explores the historical roots of contemporary issues. Topics vary by semester but always include the Cold War and America's international position, tensions over immigration and racial integration, and the historic roots of changes in popular culture and daily life.

A historical analysis of contemporary globalization in trade, technology, labor, and culture. The course includes a comparative analysis of the world's leading economies (e.g. Great Britain, Germany, United States, and Japan), and considers their varied responses to industrial revolutions in the past two centuries.

This course will examine the philosophical, theological, and legal roots of Islam from Mohammed to the present. We will focus on what it means to be Islamic in the Middle East, what it means to practice Islam in a Western culture, and the ways in which individuals who practice Islam are affected by Western ideology: both theological (i.e. Judeo-Christian) ideations as well as Western notions of civil liberties dating as far back as the Magna Carta and even to first century Roman law.

Students gain an understanding of the history and culture of Greece, Rome, and ancient Palestine. Walk a mile in someone else's sandals while tracing the early foundations of Western culture. Using disciplined analysis and creative interpretation to reconstruct aspects of ancient civilizations, students are challenged to escape their own personal and cultural perspectives.

This course examines how women in different regions of the world have helped to shape their nation's society and history. It also explores the connections and/or lack of connections between women, women's movements, and key political events during the twentieth century. The course will both draw some general themes and look at some specific case studies.

A study of the African-American experience since 1800, including African roots, formal and informal institutions of oppression, change in continuity in folk culture, and history of social institutions.

Basic facts and issues of U.S. urban history; reasons for the growth, development, and decay of cities; origins of contemporary urban political, social, and economic problems.

This course explores the city throughout world history as both place and space. The course begins by examining the early history of cities in the ancient world around the globe and then moves across time to examine the medieval, early modern, and modern/contemporary city. By the end of the course students will be expected to understand how and why cities have been constructed and how cities and the idea of the city have, over time, been historically interconnected even before the global urban world of today.

Basic institutions of the contemporary city studied in their historical context, using Chicago as a case study. Political machines, social and political reform traditions, planning agencies, ethnic neighborhoods, organized crime and many other urban institutions.

A study of the people, places, demographics, institutions, politics, culture, and national context of the federal Prohibition (of alcohol) era in Chicago. Students will learn not only about historical events and personages but also consider the interplay of various social, political and economic factors which made the Prohibition era within Chicago unique.

Development of LGBTQ narratives, cultures and organizations within Chicago with reference to their historical context. Students will learn not only about leaders and significant developments within Chicago LGBTQ history but also learn about local, national, and international developments which aided in formation and development of sexual orientations and gender identities.

What is digital labor? Since the mid-twentieth century, labor forces have radically changed in relation to new digital, electronic computing technologies. Perhaps the clearest example of this change is the evolution of computer programming as a respected and highly paid profession. But those who work directly with computers are not the only ones affected. As computing systems have steadily reorganized aspects of society, the idea of what counts as labor has changed. This course introduces students to historical and contemporary issues in the history of technology to explain how our national and global work forces are shaped by digital, electronic technology. We will look at everything from World War II electronic codebreaking to present-day struggles over net neutrality. We will also look at the "hidden labor" behind our digital technologies, from hardware's origins in African mines and Chinese factories to the strenuous manual and psychological labor hidden in the back-ends of many of our favorite online services. Throughout, students will learn how seemingly unrelated changes share a common history. The course will include several guest lecturers from academia and industry. Students will be asked to write papers, do multimedia projects, and engage with their classmates in group projects.

A historical inquiry into the development of nuclear energy, its military uses, policy formation, and the attendant problems. Topics included: Manhattan Project, decision to use the bomb, legislation, AEC, arms race, testing, fallout, civil defense, disarmament efforts, foreign programs, espionage. This upper level course is reading intensive. Students are expected to read the required materials for discussion. A mid-term and final examination will assess student understanding of the nuclear issues. A research paper on an approved topic will comprise the remainder of requirements. There are also several films included for this class.

Examines the birth and evolution of professional engineering. Topics include engineering education, professional standards, industrial and government contexts, distinctive modes of thinking, and engineering in popular culture.

This course introduces students to the history of video gaming while providing instruction in scholarly practice with an emphasis on research and writing. Topics include the technical and cultural history of the video games, academic writing, and humanities research methods.

This course investigates different disasters throughout history to show how disasters catalyze legislative and technological change. Since our understanding of what constitutes a disaster is constructed through public discourse and popular media, this course will employ a variety of media and teaching techniques. In addition to discussion, lecture, and required readings, students will watch documentaries and read news articles to piece together the histories of regulatory changes effected by disasters in the realms of power production, environmental stewardship, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure, public health, reproduction, food production, and more.

This course addresses the question "How do technologies change the world?" through examining the history of computing. Readings and discussions on the people, technologies, ideas, and institutions of modern computing; and the uses of computers in computation, control, simulation, communication, and recreation. We'll learn about hardware heavyweights, software moguls, and where the World Wide Web came from.

How does history become known, and how do certain accounts become popularized as the truth or "common knowledge"? What role do visual media, particularly films and documentaries, play in the process of creating and understanding our shared past? Can film be a force for uncovering and popularizing "hidden" histories that upset our assumptions about the past? This course takes a novel approach to less well-known chapters in history by looking at how films and documentaries can be tools for disseminating historical knowledge and how they can also be activist interventions in how we understand the past and its relationship to the society we live in today. Throughout the course, we will watch films and documentaries that try to answer the questions posed above, and we will read historical accounts of the events they convey. Students will learn how to write a short history from primary documents and then transfer it to an audio or a visual medium. This will result in 2 projects: a short podcast and a short documentary film on a historical topic.

An investigation into a topic of current or enduring interest in history, which will be announced by the instructor when the course is scheduled.

The transformation of the physical and biological sciences from the Enlightenment to the 20th Century and its effects on culture, politics, and belief; the creation of science-based technologies and the creation of the profession of scientist.

Explores the process of technological change during the birth of industrial societies. Considers the context of early industrial development in Europe, then examines the industrial revolution in Britain and America. Concludes by assessing technology's role in European domination of Asia and Africa.

Examines technological change as a characteristic activity of modern societies. Investigates the science-based "second" Industrial Revolution in Europe and America. Explores the varied responses of artists, writers, architects, and philosophers to the machine age. Concludes by discussing technology's place in the modern nation-state.

Development of quantum theory, relativity, and molecular biology; the growth of science to its present important position in government, economic life, and technological development.

Did you know that programming used to be a feminized field? For decades the history of computing has been a collection of stories of "great men" and the machines they designed. Yet, from the earliest days of computerization, women have played a major role in computing's history. These stories have often been submerged, and historians have only recently begun to write them back into the main narrative of the history of computing. Today, this is changing what we think we know about technology's past and how we see our own interactions with it. In this course, students will look at the history of computing through the eyes of women pioneers -- some famous, some ordinary -- and discuss why we haven't heard very much about this history until now. The class will help you better understand why gender, sexuality, and race play an important role in where computing has been and where it is going and, even more importantly, how technological change is interdependent with social categories.

Students will be provided an opportunity to explore a unique aspect of 20th century medical technology. The complex nature of medical technological development crosses the scientific, engineering, political, economic and clinical boundaries. This focused examination provides a historic setting to better understand the inter-disciplinary nature of the medical and scientific communities in the 20th century. Historic critical analysis encompasses the clinical, scientific bases, and technical components of audiology technology and cochlear implants, joint replacement and prostheses, corneal/retinal replacements and artificial eyes, and cardiac pacemakers. The class is based on the literature contained in the many specialty journals that commonly include historic, biographical and autobiographical articles written largely in non-technical terms. Physiological explanation is provided in class.

Students will be provided an opportunity to explore a unique aspect of 20th century medical technology. The complex nature of medical technological development crosses the scientific, engineering, political, economic, and clinical boundaries. The emergence of artificial organs is a focal theme in the delivery of modern medical science over the last 60 years. This concentrated examination provides a historic setting to better understand the inter-disciplinary nature of the medical and scientific communities in the 20th century. The medical science community is particularly sensitive to their historic development. The many specialty journals commonly include historic, biographical, and autobiographical articles that reflect this consciousness. They are written largely in non-technical terms and are accessible by the general population. Physiological explanation is provided in class.

Consent of department. For advanced students.