HIST 151-201American History: 1607 to 1877 Instructor: Nicholas Miller (mill2667@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern This course is a survey, designed to help you develop an understanding of the events and debates which led to the founding of the United States as a nation in 1776 and the Civil War that divided it from 1861 until 1865. Through lectures, readings, videos, and writing assignments this course introduces students to social, political, and economic developments in American History from the Age of Discovery to 1877.
HIST 151-402American History: 1607 to 1877 Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 12:30pm-1:20pm
The preservation of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” required the creation of a national government, Thomas Jefferson proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Earlier in the same document, he declared it “self-evident” that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and if denied, the “People” have the right to create a new government. Jefferson’s words inspired Britain’s North American subjects to revolt against the Crown and seek independence. For more than a century before, and for another century after, however, the inhabitants of North America fought, with both words and blood, over whom to identify as the “People,” and thus deserving of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” and what sort of government could most likely guarantee such rights.
Beginning with the arrival of the first European settlers at Jamestown in 1607, this course will chronicle the rise of representative government in the United States, looking at its myriad forms and debates over what it should look like and what powers it should possess. Living among one another on the same lands, however, did not mean that all were accepted under the umbrella of “We the People,” as the preamble to the U.S. Constitution puts it. With each movement West, from the earliest migration to the New World until the westward expansion of the mid-nineteenth century, conflict emerged between whites, ethnic groups, Native Americans, and African slaves. 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 152-402American History: 1877 to the Present Instructor: Brianna Quade (bmquade@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 10:30am-11:20am Franklin D. Roosevelt. Eminem. The Wu-Tang Clan. Beyoncé. Martin Luther King Jr. Claudia Jones. Alice Paul. Langston Hughes. Kendrick Lamar. Lizzo. What do all these names have in common? Each person’s story is important to understanding American experience. What is the American experience and what does it mean to be American? How has American history shaped the world around us? These questions and more will be answered over the course of the semester. Beginning in the year 1877, with one of the major turning points in American history, with the Civil War over and Reconstruction underway, the American government and citizens alike had new questions to grapple with. They not only questioned what “freedom” would look like, but what to do the restructure America socially and geographically. This course will ask and answer questions central to understand how American history was shaped after this turning point. Affectionately known as the second half of US history, this course is designed to introduce students to American history in the period after the Civil War to the present. This course will utilize texts important and necessary to understanding American history, such as music, literature, art, film, diaries, and government documents. While this course covers over one hundred years of history, making it impossible to cover everything about US history, the course will introduce students to the important themes, events, and figures necessary to understanding this period, such as race, class, gender, world wars, industrialization, expansion, civil rights, and political changes. Throughout this course central themes, figures, and documents will be used to make sense of the past, but also understand how our past effects the present. Students will be immersed in the past and gain understanding that those pasts are not so distant. Students will be able to make sense of history through popular culture texts such as TV, radio, film, and music and the world around them.
HIST 152-201American History: 1877 to the Present Instructor: Gregory T Carter (cartergt@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s 2007 survey, “What Will They Learn?” found that 7,000 college seniors, on average, got the equivalent of an “F” on their sixty-question test on United States history and institutions. In 2012, even though History is one of seven core subjects taught in college, only seventeen percent of college graduates could attribute the phrase, “government of the people, by the people, for the people” to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Yearly articles like these point to college curricula as the reason why students are not gaining the general knowledge they need to be informed adults.
History 152: American History, 1877 to Present is one of the classes at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that attempts to give you this knowledge. On one hand, this is a lower-level elective that may remind you of high school. On the other, this may be the last time that you study U.S. History in a structured way for the rest of your life. What you do here will influence your attitudes towards others’, your understanding of contemporary issues, and what you teach your children decades from now.
HIST 175-001East Asian Civilization to 1600 Instructor: Xin Yu (yu35@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 10am-11:15am This course traces the history of East Asia from the Bronze Age to the early seventeenth century. Along with Hist 176 (East Asian Civilization Since 1600), this course looks at how the region called East Asia became what it is today. While the course covers major events and dynasties in China, Japan, and Korea, it focuses on larger patterns across the region, such as the emergence of the East Asian writing system, the development of empires, the introduction of Buddhism, the rise and dominance of Confucianism, the commercial revolution, and the eve of early modernity. Engaging with texts, images, and group projects, students will gain a basic understanding of East Asian history and become familiar with methods of the history discipline.
HIST 203-001The History of Medieval Europe: The Early Middle Ages Instructor: Martha Carlin (carlin@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 10am-11:15am FOR COURSE SYLLABUS, GO TO PROFESSOR CARLIN'S WEBSITE AT:
http://people.uwm.edu/carlin/
AND CLICK ON "COURSES" (DROP-DOWN MENU)
(If the course syllabus is not yet available for the coming semester, click on the most recent syllabus for the same course, which will be very similar to it.)
HIST 294-201Seminar on Historical Method: Research Techniques Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern What is it that historians do? Can anyone be a historian? Does it require a special skillset? Based on the bestseller lists for works of non-fiction, it would seem as though anyone can do history. The names atop these lists include television hosts like Bill O’Reilly and journalists such as Cokie Roberts, neither of whom are trained historians. Technology, moreover, makes it easy for everyone to access genealogical records and other digital archives with the click of a button. In reality, history is no different than medicine, engineering, or quantum physics. Doing the work of a historian requires learning the crucial skills that allow for a true understanding of the past, as opposed to just skimming the surface. This course will help you understand how historians read and conduct research by doing so yourself. Over the course of the semester, you’ll be carrying out tasks designed to help you understand historiography, methodology, research methods, and writing. This includes the use of Chicago Style citations, locating reference materials, carrying out bibliographic research using traditional and electronic resources, and the critical evaluation of primary and secondary sources. Throughout the course, you’ll be completing the steps that make up the preliminary stages undertaken before the major research and writing undertaken for a major project, as you might complete in the capstone course, History 600.
HIST 303-001A History of Greek Civilization: The Greek City-State Instructor: Andrew E Larsen (larsena@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 11:30am-12:45pm Ancient Greece is often seen as the birthplace of Western Civilization. Although this is a rather outmoded view of where Western culture begins (since it ignores the contributions of Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt), it is certainly true that early Greece has powerfully shaped modern Western society, and many elements of Greek culture are still famous today: Athens and Sparta, great thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle, the great epic poems attributed to Homer, the sculpture and temple architecture, the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and more. This course aims to provide students will a solid foundation for understanding the world of the Ancient Greeks. The class will include a 6-day classroom game designed to help the students gain a deeper understanding of how Athenian democracy functioned.
HIST 372-002Topics in Global History: Latino, Latin American & Caribbean Cities Instructor: Michael Martin (memartin@uwm.edu) Meets: W 5:30pm-8:10pm The field of Urban History is dominated by theories that are deeply rooted in the experience of Europe and the United States. This course, however, is designed to approach urban development from the point of view of Latin America. The course will explore how social and economic forces have influenced the development of colonial and modern Latin America cities, US barrios and cities built by the indigenous people of the Western Hemisphere. A special emphasis will be placed on the spatial development of the city and forces that bolster economic segregation.
The class will begin with the pre-Columbian urban experiences of indigenous people originating from what is now called Mexico and Peru, as well as the urban experiences of Iberians. We will examine some of the world’s greatest ancient cities and will discover that urban design and architecture that we consider Latin American a mix of Spanish, Islamic and indigenous styles. Next, we will look at the Latin America urban experience. Spanish colonialism was more urban than any other colonial empire in the world’s history and that Spanish colonial urban planning is the uniting factor of all Latin American cities. We will see how the trends of neocolonialism and nationalism built the mega-cities of modern Latin America. The final section will look at barrios (Latina/o neighborhoods) in cities across the United States. We will study how these communities came to be, what important issues affected them, and what the future has in store for them.
Throughout this course, an attempt will be made to cultivate your knowledge and understanding of the many unique races and ethnicities that make the Latin American experience. This class will involve lectures, movies, slideshows and exposure to music and art.
HIST 373-002Topics in Gender and History: When 'Normal' Wasn't: Sex and Gender to 1700 Instructor: Ariana N Myers (myersan@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 4pm-5:15pm This course will examine the premodern history of sex and gender in Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa, and the Middle East from the ancient world up to the year 1700. Whereas many popular interpretations claim all history prior to the present was characterized by repression and conformity, human societies were remarkably diverse and adaptable in how they classified and treated sexual and gender variety among them. Most importantly, they changed over time. This course will challenge students to question how and why these changes occurred as they did.
HIST 377-001Modern China Instructor: Xin Yu (yu35@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 2:30pm-3:45pm This course investigates history of China from the establishment of the Qing empire in 1644 to China’s rise to power today. While political events such as the Opium War and the Cultural Revolution are crucial in setting the stage, this course particularly puts the spotlight on ten women and men who not only played important roles in Chinese history but also experienced firsthand the social transformations that China has undergone over the past four hundred years. We will delve into these figures’ lives, read their writings against the historical background, and observe Chinese history through their eyes. Students will not only grasp the large historical trends of modern China but also become familiar with a human-centered approach to history, an approach that emphasizes empathy, agency, and contingency. As such, our course readings range from emperors’ edicts and politicians’ manifestos to bandits’ blueprints and peasants’ oral reports.
HIST 379-201Introduction to Jewish History Instructor: Lisa D Silverman (silverld@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern Have you ever wondered about Jewish life? Or wanted to know what the big fuss is about Kabbalah? And where did Yiddish words like “schlemiel” and “schlimazel” come from? This asynchronous 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, letters, and other documents. Assignments include quizzes, discussions, and papers based upon primary and secondary sources. There are no required books to purchase for this course.
HIST 398-001Honors Seminar: Seeing Race Instructor: Gregory T Carter (cartergt@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 1pm-2:15pm The scientific community has proven that we are 99.9% identical on the genetic level, advertising has sold us the idea that ambiguity is desirable, and critical race scholars have articulated how race is a social construction. But it is still common to think of race as biology, inherited traits, and physical appearance; as Matthew Pratt Guterl emphasizes, “Seeing race is making race.” This course will explore how Americans have discerned race merely by looking at others, from portraiture by Rembrandt Peale to Barack Obama’s assertion, “If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon,” in 2012. Over time, visual culture has changed, retained old meanings, and mirrored itself. Today, in this supposedly post-racial moment, we process more images than ever, scanning, measuring, and categorizing at the same time we frown upon stereotypes. As current events show, these everyday practices have repercussions as serious as life and death.
Because of the images of the future they purvey, we will be paying 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? This Honors seminar will focus on these questions in discussions and by reading and analyzing a range of interdisciplinary sources.
HIST 405-201The Age of the American Revolution, 1750-1789 Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and if denied, the “People” had the right to create a new government. Long before Jefferson’s words inspired the colonists to rebel, imperial clashes for control of the vast North American continent planted the seed of revolution. This course will explore how what started as a demand for political representation quickly turned into a battle for emancipation. Yet solidarity among the colonists was far from assured as social, economic, and political divisions threatened to rip the young nation apart before it was even established. The colonists united long enough to drive out the British, but these fissures remained and had an indelible effect on the shape of America’s new government. In addition to examining these aspects of the revolutionary era, this course will look at how the ideals of liberty and freedom espoused by the Founders were experienced by slaves, American Indians, and women.
HIST 409-201Causes of the Civil War, 1828-1861 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 593-001Seminar on Historical Method: Theory and Approach Instructor: Kimberly L Hernandez (hernandk@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 11:30am-12:45pm This course focuses on the historian’s craft, main trajectories in the study of history, and contemporary directions for historians. Emphasis is placed on tools used by historians to carefully produce and wisely consume historical arguments. We will learn how to identify, find, and carefully evaluate primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. In evaluating sources, we will consider the historical context, identify the perspectives of those who created them and those whose voices are heard through them, and reflect on those omitted from the record. We will recognize ways in which perspectives change over time or from disparate points of view. At the same time, we will learn to use the historian’s tools to construct our own credible, substantive historical narratives. By the end of this course, you should be able to effectively conduct research, carefully evaluate and engage with sources to the point of crafting your own well supported narrative, write persuasively with accurately cited evidence, and notice and interrogate historical claims and assumptions, even those that surround us in our everyday lives.
HIST 595-201The Quantitative Analysis of Historical Data 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. This course is being taught online, asynchronously. This course satisfies the university's QL-B requirement and (for students who entered the university prior to the fall 2022 semester), the History major's method requirement and method course prerequisite to Hist 600.