HIST 102-201Western Civilization: 1500 to the Present [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Randolph A Miller (ramiller@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern
HIST 131-401 Instructor: Marcus B Filippello (filippem@uwm.edu) How did the world as we know it come to be? What were the earliest beginnings of today’s societies and cultures, and how have they changed over time? What are the forces that have shaped these developments? This course addresses these questions by systematically examining the rise and development of human societies from every part of the globe, while focusing on themes such as language, social organization, gender relations, technology, and religion. Using a variety of sources—both written and visual—we will learn to ask and answer questions as historians do. Learn to see the world in an all-new way and earn GER Humanities credits in the process.
HIST 152-201American History: 1877 to the Present [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern A century after its founding, the future of the United States remained uncertain. War had preserved the Union, but at a tremendous cost in terms of blood and treasure. Fissures still remained. Racial, social, economic, and political issues continued to divide much of the nation. African Americans, immigrants, workers, farmers, and myriad other groups struggled to make the United States “a more perfect Union,” as declared in the preamble of the Constitution. At the same time, the footprint of the United States grew, first westward across the continent, then to the farthest corners of the globe. As “We the People” took on a new, more expansive form and the size of the republic expanded, the U.S. government had to adapt, though not without controversy. This course will explore the interactions among these various groups, looking at how they viewed one another and how disputes between them came to change the role and functions of the national government.
HIST 152-402 Instructor: Joseph A Rodriguez (joerod@uwm.edu) This course covers the History of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to the present with an emphasis on social history, labor, women, and minorities, ,
HIST 203-001The History of Medieval Europe: The Early Middle Ages [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Martha Carlin (carlin@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 9:30am-10:45am This course covers the period in European history from about 500 to 1000 CE, which used to be known as “The Dark Ages.” However, as we will discover, this violent, fascinating era was far from dark and dreary. It was an age that saw such historic events as the rise of both Christianity and Islam, the collapse of Roman power in the West, the invasion of Europe by Germanic tribes, the brief but spectacular empire of Charlemagne, and the explosive emergence of the Vikings who helped to destroy it.
Over the course of the semester, we will survey the political, military, religious, and cultural history of the period, and also the history of daily life. To do this, we will read works by modern scholars as well as accounts written by medieval people themselves, and we will examine non-documentary sources such as coins, sculptures, buildings, weapons, ships, and skeletons, which together will help us to reconstruct the world of early medieval Europe.
History 203 will provide you with a good overview of early medieval European history, and it will also enable you to understand the significance both of broad and long-term historical patterns, and of outstanding individual careers and events. It should also enable you to develop important skills in reading and evaluating sources carefully and critically; identifying and analyzing a wide variety of types of evidence; using such evidence to reconstruct and interpret the past; and combining research and analysis with thoughtful writing to produce clear, original, and persuasive arguments, both oral and written.
HIST 229-401 Instructor: Thomas D Haigh (thaigh@uwm.edu) Explores the intersection of health and race in the US, from the Columbian Exchange (when European diseases killed most of the native inhabitants of the Americas) to Obamacare and Covid-19. We will be integrating the history of specific diseases such as TB, AIDS, syphilis, schizophrenia, and cholera with the development of medical science and the broader history of the United States. Topics include health and slavery, the history of public health, immigration & ethnic communities, Jim Crow, urban segregation, the Great Society programs of the 1960s, the culture wars of the 1980s, healthcare reform, the opioid crisis, and the decline and sudden reemergence of epidemic infectious disease.
HIST 248-201The First World War [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern World War I represented a cataclysmic break from the past as it helped usher in a new modern epoch in global history. The Romanov, Habsburg, Ottoman, and other empires crumbled beneath the strains of war and revolution as kings, Kaisers, czars, and sultans fell from power. Meanwhile, the conflict gave rise to newly independent nations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This course will explore how nationalism, ethnic rivalries, and militarization ended the fragile peace that had existed across Europe since the start of the twentieth century. Besides the diplomatic and military aspects of the “Great War,” this course examines the economic, social, and cultural changes wrought by this global conflict. When the “war to end all wars” finally concluded, a desire for vengeance set in motion a series of decisions that laid the foundation for an even more catastrophic war some two decades later, dashing the hopes for a new, more peaceful world.
HIST 269-001Asian Americans in Historical Perspective [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Joseph A Rodriguez (joerod@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 3:30pm-4:45pm This course covers the history of Asian Americans. By studying history, we can better understand current issues such the rise of anti-Asian violence and the Asian community’s response, college admission debates, wars and immigration, and the connection between US-Asia international relations and how Asian Americans are treated in the U.S.
HIST 363-001Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 2pm-3:15pm Following Germany’s humiliating defeat in World War I, Germans, facing economic and political turmoil, longed for new leadership, someone in the mold of Otto von Bismarck, to return Germany to greatness. This course will examine how Germany’s dramatic fall from grace after World War I created a perfect storm for the rise of Hitler. Nationalism, racism, and antisemitism combined to wreak havoc on Germany’s fragile democracy. After notable missteps, Hitler and his National Socialist German Workers’ Party stepped into the void. Once in power, Hitler waged war on internal and external enemies. This course will explore how the Nazis constructed the Third Reich and the effect that Hitler’s totalitarianism had on Germans, at the local and national level, and Europeans. In doing so, this course will look at Hitler’s use of brute force and propaganda to gain the allegiance of Germans for his racial and expansionist policies that resulted in the Holocaust and World War II. Finally, this course will explore the collapse of the Third Reich and postwar reconstruction in Germany, a process inextricably linked to the emerging Cold War.
HIST 379-201Introduction to Jewish History [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Lisa D Silverman (silverld@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern Have you ever wondered about Jewish life before the Holocaust? Or wanted to know what the big fuss is about Kabbalah? And where did Yiddish words like “schlemiel” and “schlimazel” come from? This online course covers the historical foundations of Jewish civilization from antiquity to the present day. Through a combination of lectures, readings, class discussions, and films, you will learn about Jews and the variety of their responses to political, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges in history. We will examine this broad span of Jewish history using traditional sources as well as alternative perspectives, including books, essays, memoirs, tracts, letters, and other documents.
HIST 386-001Africans in World History: Communities, Cultures, and Ideas [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Rebecca Shumway (shumwayr@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 11am-12:15pm Africans played fundamental roles in shaping the history of the world up to 1850, and this course will focus on African agency in pre-modern world history. The course will challenge stereotypes about Africa as an unchanging and isolated continent. As scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. has stated, “Nothing could be further from the truth.” In addition to examining vast trade networks and some of the world’s greatest and wealthiest empires, we will explore the diverse physical environments and cultural features of this huge continent and its people, think critically about slavery, and examine important histories rarely heard or written about throughout most of the world. The class will alter your perceptions of Africa and Africans.
HIST 398-001Honors Seminar: [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Martha Carlin (carlin@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 2pm-3:15pm The medieval castle was both a physical fortress and a slice of medieval society. Castles were built by magnates – kings, bishops, and great lords – but people of every status lived and worked in them. Castle residents and guests included lords and ladies, their children and companions, priests and other clergy, household officers and servants, knights and men-at-arms, and visitors of all degrees.
In this course, we will examine the multi-faceted world of the medieval castle through the writings of modern scholars, and also through original medieval texts and surviving objects, such as buildings, artwork, and the material culture of everyday life. We will consider what it was like to live and work in a medieval castle; how castles were constructed and used, and how their designs changed over time; and the role of castles in medieval society, politics, and war.
Course work and objectives: There will be a variety of reading and writing assignments, and one oral presentation, and everyone will be expected to take a lively part in the class discussions. The reading, writing, oral presentation, and discussions will challenge students both to gain an understanding of the world of the medieval castle, and to develop and polish their skills in:
reading and evaluating sources carefully and critically
identifying and analyzing a wide variety of types of evidence
using such evidence to reconstruct and interpret the past
combining reading and analysis with thoughtful writing to produce clear, original, and persuasive arguments
HIST 399-001Honors Seminar: [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Gregory T Carter (cartergt@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 2pm-3:15pm This honors seminar will pay special attention to science fiction movies (and television shows) since the late 1960s. These works reflect the anxieties of their times, even as they promote colorblind attitudes. They often use visual symbolism to communicate messages about race and racism. And fan activities (cosplay, shipping, social networking) link their sci-fi realms and the current racial climate. Still, the questions we use to analyze the more distant past remain useful for popular culture: How do we train our eyes to see race accurately? What historical precursors inform this process? Which representations have worked in favor of racial equality? Can detecting stereotypes lead to broader, anti-racist practice?
HIST 409-201Causes of the Civil War, 1828-1861 [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Lex Renda (renlex@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern All historians see the conflict over racial slavery as the fundamental cause of the Civil War. They often disagree with each other, however, over why and how slavery caused such divisions in American society, and they also distinguish the causes of the conflict over slavery from the reasons why that conflict resulted in a civil war, for it is not always the case that a conflict produces a war. Disagreements existed over slavery long before 1861 (when the Civil War started), and the federal union of states surviving for as long as it did with as divisive an issue as slavery is in some ways a more remarkable fact than the eventual breakdown of that union in 1861. And so, the questions we ask as historians are 1) in what ways did the institution of slavery divide Americans and how and why did the sources of those divisions change over time?, and 2) why was the political system able to confine such divisions to peaceful channels for so many years, and yet fail to confine it to such channels in the final analysis? This course, taught online, will provide you with different points of view on the answers to these questions, and in the process, enable you to come to your own conclusions.
HIST 450-001Growth of Metropolitan Milwaukee [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Amanda I Seligman (seligman@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 9:30am-10:45am History 450, Growth of Metropolitan Milwaukee, is designed to teach students to share sharing historical research with the public. All the assignments in this class are public-facing or self-reflective. In History 450, you will learn about the broad history of the Milwaukee area and the deep history of one particular event. This year’s theme is the birth of Zero, the first polar bear cub born in captivity to survive, an event which occurred in Milwaukee in 1919.
In this class you will deepen your research skills and interpret your knowledge to audiences at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) and online. You will collaborate with your classmates in a live Twitter re-enactment of Zero’s birth, write for a course blog about your research, curate a primary source with the option to publish it on the Documenting Milwaukee website, and enjoy professional development opportunities with staff of the Milwaukee Public Museum and the UWM Libraries. Please note that several class sessions and assignments will require travel to MPM and may conflict with your other classes or work schedule.
This course is sponsored by UWM’s Office of Undergraduate Research and is capped at 20 students. Assessment will occur through an “ungrading” process.
HIST 450G-001Growth of Metropolitan Milwaukee [GRAD, MAIN, 2] Instructor: Amanda I Seligman (seligman@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 9:30am-10:45am History 450, Growth of Metropolitan Milwaukee, is designed to teach students to share sharing historical research with the public. All the assignments in this class are public-facing or self-reflective. In History 450, you will learn about the broad history of the Milwaukee area and the deep history of one particular event. This year’s theme is the birth of Zero, the first polar bear cub born in captivity to survive, an event which occurred in Milwaukee in 1919.
In this class you will deepen your research skills and interpret your knowledge to audiences at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) and online. You will collaborate with your classmates in a live Twitter re-enactment of Zero’s birth, write for a course blog about your research, curate a primary source with the option to publish it on the Documenting Milwaukee website, and enjoy professional development opportunities with staff of the Milwaukee Public Museum and the UWM Libraries. Please note that several class sessions and assignments will require travel to MPM and may conflict with your other classes or work schedule.
This course is sponsored by UWM’s Office of Undergraduate Research and is capped at 20 students. Assessment will occur through an “ungrading” process.
HIST 595-201The Quantitative Analysis of Historical Data [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Lex Renda (renlex@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern This is a “how to” course. It teaches you how to use (and not use) statistics to answer questions, and it provides you with a solid introduction to the application of quantitative methods to history. I do not assume that you have knowledge of statistics or any math beyond basic algebra, and your calculator will perform all of the computations. Your job will be learning how to interpret the results of those computations. While the questions, data, and applications we shall examine will usually be drawn from the disciplines of history and other social sciences, you will be able to use the skills you learn to analyze all types of quantitative questions. These skills will be important to you if you pursue graduate training in history or other social sciences, and they will be equally useful if you pursue a career in business, government, or teaching. I also use several “everyday” examples of statistical inference that will enable you to understand the use and abuse of statistics, regardless of your chosen career.
HIST 600-003Seminar in History: [UGRD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Rebecca Shumway (shumwayr@uwm.edu) Meets: W 11am-1:40pm This class is a senior-level capstone course organized around the theme “Africans, Slavery and the Atlantic World.” It is designed for History majors nearing the end of their undergraduate studies and assumes that students have taken a historical methods course that satisfies the degree requirements, have had experience locating and interpreting primary source materials. The topic of our investigations is the network of commerce, cross-cultural interaction and migration that connected Africa to the other continents around the Atlantic basin between c. 1450 and 1850. We read about Atlantic history in the first half of the class to get oriented, then focus on designing and writing an original research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Students negotiate their research topics with the instructor, but they have considerable latitude within the general boundaries of Atlantic history and the African Diaspora.
HIST 840-001Colloquium on Global History: [GRAD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Christine E Evans (evansce@uwm.edu) Meets: T 3:30pm-6:10pm
HIST 950-202Seminar on European History: [GRAD, MAIN, 1] Instructor: Lisa D Silverman (silverld@uwm.edu) Meets: W 6:30pm-9:10pm After the Holocaust, antisemitism became a mainstream taboo. Yet, antisemitism persists today in ways that are more violent, explicit, and widespread than they have been in decades. Why? And how does antisemitism relate to racism, sexism, and other forms of hatred? In this online graduate course, we will focus on exploring the ways in which an age-old paradigm of Jewish difference remains deeply embedded in European and other cultures after 1945. Issues examined will include the development of theoretical frameworks used for analyzing antisemitism in a wide variety of historical sources including speeches, trial transcripts, letters, films, drawings, and photographs.
HIST 950-202 Instructor: Lisa D Silverman (silverld@uwm.edu) After the Holocaust, antisemitism became a mainstream taboo. Yet, antisemitism persists today in ways that are more violent, explicit, and widespread than they have been in decades. Why? And how does antisemitism relate to racism, sexism, and other forms of hatred? In this online graduate course, we will focus on exploring the ways in which an age-old paradigm of Jewish difference remains deeply embedded in European and other cultures after 1945. Issues examined will include the development of theoretical frameworks used for analyzing antisemitism in a wide variety of historical sources including speeches, trial transcripts, letters, films, drawings, and photographs.
LATINO 101-001 Instructor: Kimberly L Hernandez (hernandk@uwm.edu) In this course we will examine the varying definitions, experiences, and contributions, historical and contemporary, of Latin@s in the United States, be they of Mexican, Caribbean, or Latin American descent. We will explore the intersections of identity, place, history, and social justice activism to:
• Examine the ways Latin@s have been defined in the United States, as well as the ways they have been perceived and accepted, rejected, and/or simply quietly tolerated by mainstream U.S. society
• Explore the varied Latin@s experience in the United States, including self-identification; family and community structure and maintenance; the quest for upward social mobility; the quest for social and economic justice; and contributions to the host society, culture, and economy
• Employ the terms, concepts, and methods required in Latin@ Studies through the following frameworks: economic, political, historical, racial, class, familial, gender, immigration and immigrant residence status, educational, artistic, and literary
• Critically analyze and discuss sources; share findings; debate the strengths and weaknesses of points raised in scholarly sources and the merits and shortcomings of policies and practices (current and historical); express our views clearly and concisely in carefully developed written form