HIST 101-001Western Civilization: Ancient World to 1500 Instructor: Martha Carlin (carlin@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 1pm-2:15pm This course surveys the extraordinary arc of early Western civilization over 4,500 years, from about 3000 BCE to 1500 CE. We will trace such landmarks as the birth of governments, massive building projects, and writing in the ancient Near East and Egypt, the soaring intellectual and cultural achievements of the classical world, and the dramatic political, religious, technological, and artistic developments of the European Middle Ages and the early Renaissance. We will also look in depth at some individual careers and events that had long-term effects on Western history. To do all this, we will read a textbook written by a modern scholar who has distilled generations of scholarly work in constructing an overview of the ancient, classical, and medieval past. We will also read a sourcebook containing a wide range of original texts written by people of those cultures who described their own world as they saw it. In addition, we will examine non-textual sources, including examples of the art, architecture, and material cultures of ancient, classical, and medieval Western civilization.
HIST 150-001Multicultural America Instructor: Marcus A Allen (allen393@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 1pm-2:15pm How does multiculturalism make American culture and society better? While answering this question, this course examines the role of slavery in shaping colonial America, the process of European immigrants becoming white in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Asian American experience in America and the attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American culture.
HIST 151-202American History: 1607 to 1877 Instructor: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern 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: Brian Scott Mueller (bsm@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 10:30am-11:20am 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 203-001The History of Medieval Europe: The Early Middle Ages Instructor: Martha Carlin (carlin@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 10am-11:15am This course will survey the history of Europe in the early Middle Ages, c. 500-1000 CE. During the first ten weeks of the semester we will examine the broad history of the period, and we will look at some individual events and developments and trace their long-term effects on European society. These special topics will include the collapse of the Roman empire in the West and its survival in the East, the spread of Christianity and Islam, the invasions and migrations of the Germanic peoples in Western Europe (including the Anglo-Saxons, the Franks, and the Vikings), and the rise and fall of the Carolingian empire. In the latter part of the semester we will examine in some detail the conditions of daily life in early medieval Europe. To do all this we will read works by modern scholars who have attempted to reconstruct pieces of the medieval past, and also accounts by medieval people of their own world as they saw it, and we will consider examples of the art, architecture, and material culture of the period.
HIST 303-001A History of Greek Civilization: The Greek City-State Instructor: Andrew E Larsen (larsena@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 10am-11:15am This course looks at Ancient Greece from the 15th century BC Mycenaean period down through the Classical period, ending with the rise of Philip of Macedon in the mid-4th century. It explores the major events of Greek history in that period, including the Bronze Age Collapse, the emergence of the polis as the center of Greek society, the development of Athenian democracy, and the Peloponnesian War.
There is am interactive and immersive game in this class—The Threshold of Democracy, Athen 403 BC—that explores the nature of Athenian democracy and the ideas in Plato’s Republic at a pivotal moment in Athens’ history. The classroom is transformed into the Athenian Assembly in the wake of Athens’ devastating defeat at the end of the Peloponnesian War. As members of the Assembly, students must make difficult decisions about issues such as citizenship, education, elections, remilitarization, and political dissent. The game aims to help students understand the nature of Athenian democracy by simulating it.
HIST 307-001A History of Rome: The Republic Instructor: Andrew E Larsen (larsena@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 11:30am-12:45pm This course explores the history of Rome from its founding in the 8th century BC down through the collapse of the Republic in 31 BC. It explores the major challenges in understanding early Roman history, such as the very limited written sources for early Roman history, and seeks to provide students with an understanding of the complexities of Roman culture, religion, and politics.
There is an interactive and immersive game in this class—The Crisis of Cataline—that forces students to explore the complexities of the Roman Senate and the Republic as a political system. Players become Roman senators dealing with the complexities of Senatorial procedure while dealing with the possibility of a conspiracy to overthrow the Republic. The game helps students recognize the degree to which the Roman Republic was different from the modern American Republic.
HIST 319-201The Era of the Crusades Instructor: Andrew E Larsen (larsena@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern The Crusades are one of the most famous and most misunderstood facets of the Middle Ages. Crusaders appear in modern films and video games and the idea of crusading influences the relationship between modern Western society and the Islamic world. This course, taught online, will examine the events of the crusades from their inception down to their fraught modern legacy. It will challenge popular ideas about what crusading was and why people became involved in crusading.
The course will also help students develop the ability to read and understand contemporary scholarship and gain some appreciation of the important historical concept of historiography, the evolution of writing about the past.
The course is taught online asynchronously, to maximize its flexibility and fit into students' schedules. There is regular weekly coursework (for most weeks, this takes the form of doing readings and posting thoughts about the readings) but students have flexibility about when to do this work.
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 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 Instructor: Rebecca Shumway (shumwayr@uwm.edu) Meets: TR 2:30pm-3:45pm African people have the longer history than any other group on the planet! This course provides a survey of important events and themes in African history before 1850, prior to European colonial rule. Emphasis is placed on how African people maximized their use of and relationship with the physical environments in which they lived; the diversity of African cultures and forms of social organization; and the global trade networks in which Africans participated. Assigned readings will be supplemented by in-class documentary films. Students will read and write a short paper about a thirteenth-century African epic.
HIST 399-001Honors Seminar: Seeing Race in Modern America Instructor: Gregory T Carter (cartergt@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 11:30am-12:45pm Discussing the genre of his recently Golden Globe-nominated movie, Get Out (2017), writer-director Jordan Peele quipped, “I submitted it as a documentary… Here’s the thing, the movie is truth. The thing that resonated with people was truth, so for me it’s more of a historical biopic.” His movie quickly became a horror classic, mainly because of how it compels viewers to consider matters of racism and representation in the United States. However, Get Out was not the first horror movie to do so. From Birth of a Nation (1915), to King Kong (1931), to Night of the Living Dead (1968), to Candyman (1992), horror movies have reflected everyday anxieties, even as they purvey images of the supernatural. They often use visual symbolism to communicate messages about race and racism, and audience reception (viewing habits, criticism, social networking) brings the real world to bear upon their fantastic realms.
Still, the questions we use to analyze the more distant past remain useful for this brand of popular culture: How do we train our eyes to see race accurately? What historical precursors inform this process? 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.
Note: Expertise in horror films is not a prerequisite of this course. Also, my aim is to avoid materials that may be triggering to any of you.
HIST 454-001God at the Movies: American Religion in Fiction and Film Instructor: Jessica L Nelson (nelso878@uwm.edu) Meets: MW 2:30pm-3:45pm If you love history, you probably first got inspired by it through some form of fiction or pop culture: maybe you were the child haunting the “YA historical fiction” section of your local library, or watching Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan, or Hamilton and picking apart all the details for historical accuracy. Studying history can transport us to a different time and place, and help us better understand our human connection with the people of that age – just like film and fiction can.
This course offers a general overview of the religious history of the United States, starting in the early colonial period through modern times – but through the lens of film and fiction. We’ll watch five movies (and read one book!) that offer a more personal, entertainment-laden viewpoint on history, and compare those representations of the past with scholarly analysis and writings from the time period. You’ll also have the opportunity to explore one or more films or books on a topic of your own choosing.
There are two main goals of this course: the first is for you to develop a better understanding of the overarching arc of the history of religions in the United States. Despite recent demographic changes in religious affiliation, the US remains an unusually devout nation, and the forces that have shaped churches, mosques, temples, and other spiritual centers and communities have also played a major role in the development of the US. Secondly, you will sharpen your analysis skills and understand how pop culture represents history in ways that respond to current interests.
This course is listed as being only open to juniors and seniors, but I will happily give permission to interested sophomores.
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, and it satisfies the university's QL-B requirement.
HIST 600-202Seminar in History: U.S. Constitutional History Instructor: Lex Renda (renlex@uwm.edu) Meets: No Meeting Pattern This version of Hist 600 provides the opportunity for an in-depth investigation of some aspect of U.S. constitutional history, with the main emphasis on writing a research paper of 20+ pages (5,000 words, exclusive of the title page, footnotes/endnotes, and bibliography) that is based preponderantly on primary sources (but with secondary sources utilized as well). Students negotiate their research topics with the professor, but they have considerable latitude. Papers may address the historical evolution of specific constitutional issues (for example, "freedom of religion," "the rights of the accused," "equal protection," "federal commerce power") by focusing on specific cases or a set of cases. Other papers may focus on political developments surrounding constitutional questions (such as the ratification of specific constitutional amendments, or the “Constitutional Revolution” of 1937). Papers might also involve a comparison of some specific aspect of constitutional development at different points in time (for example, a paper which compares levels of partisanship on the Supreme Court in the 1870s and the 2010s). Primary sources may include (but are not limited to) the Supreme Court's published opinions, legal briefs before the Court, contemporaneous newspaper editorials and news coverage, private manuscripts of the justices, debates and roll call votes in Congress and state legislatures on constitutional amendments, and analyses of Court decisions in law review journals at the time they were rendered. Secondary sources will include books and articles (written after the fact) by political and legal historians. This course is conducted online and asynchronously.