Department of History

Professors Emeriti: Steven M. Gelber, George F. Giacomini Jr., Arthur F. Liebscher, S.J., Jo B. Margadant, Sita Anantha Raman, Robert M. Senkewicz, David E. Skinner, Nancy C. Unger

Professors: Naomi J. Andrews (Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. Professor), Paul P. Mariani, S.J. (Edmund Campion, S.J., Professor), Barbara A. Molony (Walter E. Schmidt, S.J., Professor), Harry N.K. Odamtten, Amy E. Randall

Associate Professors: Sonia C. Gomez, Matthew L. Newsom Kerr (Department Chair), Thomas P. Turley

Assistant Professors: Mateo J. Carrillo, Jeannette Estruth,  Héctor Linares

Teaching Professors: Gregory Wigmore

Associate Teaching Professors: Meg Eppel Gudgeirsson

Courtesy Appointments: Anthony Q. Hazard Jr. (Professor of Ethnic Studies)

The major program in history provides students with an understanding of the human experience through the analysis of evidence derived from both the recent and more distant past. As history majors, students learn essential skills, understand the breadth and similarities of the human experience, and acquire specific geographical and thematic knowledge. A degree in history provides excellent preparation for careers in education, journalism, media, government, law, business, and international affairsall of which are careers that utilize the history major’s expertise in discovering, organizing, and analyzing the forces that shape the contemporary world.

Requirements for the Major

In addition to fulfilling university Core Curriculum requirements for the bachelor of arts degree, students majoring in history will complete 13 history courses distributed in the following manner:

(1) Four lower-division courses, which may include HIST 11A and 12A

(2) Nine upper-division courses, encompassing:

  • HIST 100S
  • HIST 101S (prerequisite: HIST 100S)
  • Six other upper-division courses
  • One Seminar course (apart from HIST 100S and 101S) taken after the student has completed 115 quarter units

(3) Geographic breadth requirement: at least one course in four of the following fields:

  • Global
  • Americas (US & Latin)
  • Europe
  • East and South Asia
  • Africa and West Asia

(4) An optional senior project (HIST 197), which makes one eligible for Honors in History, may be taken as one of the required upper-division courses

Honors in History

History majors may be selected for graduation with Honors in History provided they have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in their history courses and complete a senior project (HIST 197) in a manner approved by the faculty honors committee.

Students may also qualify for Phi Alpha Theta, the international honor society in history, Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Nu, and other academic honor societies, as well as the honors at graduation. For more details, see Chapters 8 and 10.

Directed Reading / Research

Students can complete directed reading/research (HIST 199) in source materials and secondary works dealing with selected historical problems in world and comparative history. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair and instructor.

Hybrid Courses

Hybrid courses are offered throughout  the History Department. In our hybrid courses, students are offered the opportunity to study subject matter as lower-division students while learning alongside upper-division students. Lower-division hybrid courses are worth 4 units. Upper-division hybrid courses are worth 5 units. Upper-division hybrid courses require students to do more in depth subject matter exploration through additional assignments and instructor prompts.

Requirements for the Minor

Students must fulfill the following requirements for a minor in history:

  • Seven history department courses, at least four of which must be upper-division

Lower-Division Courses: Cultures & Ideas

11A. and 12A. Cultures & Ideas I and II

A two-course sequence focusing on a major theme in human experience and culture over a significant period of time. Courses emphasize either broad global interconnections or the construction of Western culture in its global context. Courses may address such topics as civilization and the city; explorations, migrations, and nations; and empires and rights. Successful completion of C&I I (HIST 11A) is a prerequisite for C&I II (HIST 12A). (4 units each quarter)

Required Upper-Division Courses

100S. Historical Interpretation

An investigation of the diverse methods historians use to examine the past. Required of all majors. For history majors or with permission of the instructor. Successful completion of HIST 100S is normally required to take HIST 101S. (5 units)

101S. Historical Writing

Researching and writing history papers. Required of all majors. For history majors and minors; majors will be given priority. Recommended to be taken in the sophomore or junior year. Prerequisite: HIST 100S. (5 units)

Lower-Division Course: Global History

21. Human Rights and Humanitarianism

In this class, we will examine the histories and ideologies of human rights and humanitarianism; consider their underlying assumptions and power dynamics; and investigate the ways these histories relate to current legal, political, and humanitarian organizations and movements. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division is listed as HIST 121(4 units)

24. Modern Jewish History

This class examines modern Jewish history and, by extension, the experience of modernity. We begin in the seventeenth century, investigate the Scientific Revolution and its effects on religiosity, before exploring the Enlightenment, the advent of nation-states, industrialization, and class identity. We then trace the rise of race theory and diverse Jewish responses to antisemitism and the Holocaust. The final two weeks concern the contentious origins of the modern state of Israel, including Zionism and Arab-Israeli relations. (4 units)

43. The Haitian Revolution in World History

Between 1789 and 1804, the French colony of Saint-Domingue was the site of the only successful slave revolt in history, surpassing other revolutions by realizing radical Enlightenment promises of abolition and racial equality. Haiti was the only free black state in the Atlantic world, and the implications of its origins in slave revolution sent shockwaves through the slave owning Atlantic world.  The consequences for modern Haiti have been shaped by the 19th-century ransom Haiti paid to France, the 20th-century U.S. occupation, and ongoing political and economic instability that persist into the 21st century. This class explores both the radical revolution that founded Haiti and its global repercussions, both within the nation and in the broader Atlantic world. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper division listed as HIST 143. (4 units)

59. War and Peace in Modern International Thought, 1500-Present

Does “might make right” in international relations? Are humans “hard-wired” for conflict and war? What are the best means to promote international peace? This course examines how European and U.S. thinkers from 1500 to the present debated major questions of war, peace and international relations. Major topics include balance of power theory in early modern Europe and the 18th century counter-ideal of “perpetual peace”; the rise of a “liberal” image of international relations centered on the pacifying effects of modern capitalism and global trade; the Marxist critique; and the development of a realist theory of the naturalness of imperialism and racial hierarchy. We also examine the role of gender and race in U.S. foreign policy decision-making in the Spanish-American, Philippine-American wars; and the impact of two world wars and the Cold War on the strategies and symbols of antiwar movements in the 20th and 21st centuries. (4 units)

67. Anticolonialism and Decolonization in the 20th Century

This course has three main goals. First, it offers students the voices of the anticolonial rebels who forced Europeans to abandon their empires in the three decades after World War II—the phenomenon of “decolonization.” We trace the roots of this activism to transnational networks of activists and intellectuals that spanned the globe beginning after World War I, including figures like W.E.B. DuBois, Nehru, and Kwame Nkrumah. Second, we explore how diverse peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean came to identify as members of the “Third World,” and the achievements and limits of this project. Special attention is paid to the Bandung Conference, the Suez Crisis, the decolonization of the British and French empires, and the role of India in charting a “non-aligned” path in the Cold War. Third, we examine the legacies of anticolonial politics and decolonization for contemporary politics in multiple world regions. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course.  Upper-division listed as HIST 167. (4 Units)

68. Global 1968

History is not only an account of what happened, but also why things change.  This class will focus on the political, cultural and social events of 1968, both within and without the United States, and the legacies and ramifications for twenty-first century political culture.  A better comprehension of where we are at present comes from an understanding of the past. In addition to gaining some knowledge of history, the aim of this course is to help students improve their interpretive analyses and critical thinking skills through reading, writing, and class discussions. (4 units)

68A. Migration, Border, and Citizenship in a Global Perspective

Situated in the context of the decline of the empires and the rise of the modern nation-states across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, the course studies how the development of systems of border controls and population movements have produced modern concepts about citizenships, displacements, homelessness, or statelessness. The course examines the history of forced evacuation, ethnic violence, socio-economic deprivation, armed conflict, and the development of exclusionary politics as constitutive of a new set of political and legal norms. By using a comparative framework, the course assesses how ideas about belonging and othering are constructed and contested in everyday lives. (4 units)

79. Technology: Steam to Cyborgs

This course provides an overview of important technological advances since the Industrial Revolution and takes a close look at a few specific technological touchstones from about 1750 to 1939. The rise of machines during this period profoundly influenced and challenged what it means to be human. A key goal is to question and explore the social and cultural context of emerging technologies and use the past as a guide for preparing ourselves in our own time of rapid change. Topics include the factory system, steam engines, photography, sound recording, electricity, industrial automation and design, and robotics.This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course.  Upper-division listed as HIST 179. (4 units)

93. Cold War

This course concentrates on the origins and consequences of the Cold War from a global perspective. The course covers the period from 1945 until 1991, considering economic, political, and social implications of the ideological conflict of communism versus capitalism. The course explores the origins of the conflict, the formation of opposing blocs, the interplay between periods of tension and détente, the engagement with contemporary anti-colonialism movements, and the relationship between the center of the conflict in the North Atlantic/European arena and its global periphery, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the enduring legacies of the Cold War.  (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: Global History

102S. Genocide and Gender in the 20th Century

This course will explore the mass murder of specific populations in the 20th century. One of the main topics we will examine is how the social construction of genderidentities and norms informed the unfolding of genocide. How did it contribute to victims' experiences of, and responses to, genocidal violence? How did it influence perpetrators' genocidal strategies and processes? An examination of how gender intersected with ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, social class, and sexuality in different historical and cultural contexts will deepen our understanding of genocide. Also listed as GNSX 108. (5 units)

116S. Sex and Gender in the Age of High Imperialism

Senior seminar on the role of sexuality and gender in the global expansion of European hegemony in the 19th and 20th centuries. Explores these themes through literature, historical scholarship, and film. Also listed as GNSX 124. (5 units)

121. Human Rights and Humanitarianism

In this class, we will examine the histories and ideologies of human rights and humanitarianism; consider their underlying assumptions and power dynamics; and investigate the ways these histories relate to current legal, political, and humanitarian organizations and movements. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 21. (5 units)

123. Plagues, Epidemics, and Infections

An exploration of scientific, social, cultural, political, and ethical contexts in the history of infectious diseases and epidemics. Particular attention is given to how the social framing of epidemiological thought has shaped responses by societies, how public health is an intrinsically political matter, and how we can envision the place played by social justice perspectives in fashioning global public health. (5 units)

124. History of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

This course surveys the impact of sexually transmitted infections in a variety of national contexts, from the early modern period to recent times. The focus is mainly upon the history of classic venereal diseases such as syphilis and gonorrhea as well as more recently HIV/AIDS. How have medical debates about sexual contagion both influenced and been influenced by cultural conventions of blame, stigma, and moral judgment? Do representations of STDs provide a window into how a society organizes gendered expectations and constructs an image of deviant sexuality? How have responses to the problem of STDs changed over time? Can we examine this history to better understand broader cultural evolution on issues as diverse as prostitution and promiscuity, medical treatment and prophylaxis, and the politics of feminism, gay rights, and patients rights? Also listed as GNSX 140A. (5 units)

129. Reproductive Justice in Global Perspective

“Reproductive Justice” (RJ) was invented in 1994 by Black American feminists as a scholarly and organizing concept to analyze the intersection of reproductive rights and social justice. The study of RJ in historical and contemporary contexts now applies across borders and cultures, at the intersections—many of them transnational—of gender and sexuality, medicine, freedom and enslavement, ethnicities, eugenics and involuntary sterilization, the politics of birth control and abortion, the ownership of birthing bodies, and the global commercialization of child-rearing. This course will examine these global and intersectional issues from theoretical, empirical, and historical perspectives. Also listed as GNSX 127 & ETHN 176. (5 units)

138S. Gender and Rights in the Modern Era

This seminar examines gender and rights in the contexts of citizenship, marriage and divorce, reproduction, health, the workplace, the body, and other categories of analysis with cases taken from modern Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania. Also listed as GNSX 127. (5 Units)

143. The Haitian Revolution in World History

Between 1789 and 1804, the French colony of Saint-Domingue was the site of the only successful slave revolt in history, surpassing other revolutions by realizing radical Enlightenment promises of abolition and racial equality. Haiti was the only free black state in the Atlantic world, and the implications of its origins in slave revolution sent shockwaves through the slave owning Atlantic world.  The consequences for modern Haiti have been shaped by the 19th-century ransom Haiti paid to France, the 20th-century U.S. occupation, and ongoing political and economic instability that persist into the 21st century. This class explores both the radical revolution that founded Haiti and its global repercussions, both within the nation and in the broader Atlantic world. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower division listed as HIST 43. (5 units)

145. Islam in the Modern World

Islam is an understudied and thus poorly understood force in world affairs. As a result, many myths and fears have developed about its ideas, institutions, and activities. This course analyzes the diversity and complexity of Muslim cultures and societies in global affairs during the past two centuries. Special attention is paid to Muslims in Europe and the United States. (5 units)

153. Civil Rights and Anti-Colonial Movements

This course examines the connections between two historical developments often treated separately: the US civil rights struggle and African anti-colonial movements. By placing these two movements in a transnational framework, the course explores the global challenge to the racialized world order of the 19th and early 20th century. How did the civil rights struggle gain momentum in the aftermath of World War II? What was the longer history and role of "Black Nationalism" and Pan-Africanism in the transnational struggle? What were the connections between the civil rights movement and contemporary independence movements in Africa and Asia? One of the central goals of the course is to show how we can expand our understanding of US history by reaching beyond the interaction between the US government and other nation states to examine political and cultural change. Also listed as ETHN 149. (5 units)

167. Anticolonialism and Decolonization in the 20th Century

This course has three main goals. First, it offers students the voices of the anticolonial rebels who forced Europeans to abandon their empires in the three decades after WWII, and examines how these rebels forced the colonial governments to begin the process we call “decolonization.” Second, we ask why and how diverse peoples of Africa, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean came to identify with a global political project: the idea of a “Third World”; why it thrived and what it achieved during its heyday, from 1955-1975; and what kinds of fractures within and resistance without caused it to decline and collapse. Third, we examine the continuities and discontinuities that link the era of decolonization and the Cold War to an earlier 20th century global story of the “anticolonial transnational”—networks of activists and intellectuals that spanned the globe beginning after WWI. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course.  Lower-division is listed as HIST 67. (5 Units)

179. Technology: Steam to Cyborgs

This course provides an overview of important technological advances since the Industrial Revolution and takes a close look at a few specific technological touchstones from about 1750 to 1939. The rise of machines during this period profoundly influenced and challenged what it means to be human. A key goal is to question and explore the social and cultural context of emerging technologies and use the past as a guide for preparing ourselves in our own time of rapid change. Topics include the factory system, steam engines, photography, sound recording, electricity, industrial automation and design, and robotics.This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 79. (5 units)

Lower-Division Courses: United States History

27. Digital and Public History

This course is an introduction to the intersection of digital history and public history. The course will explore digital literacy, with a focus on public history. Students will discuss how public history differs from academic history and how public history presents its material. Students will consider how digital history provides a unique outlet for public history. Students will explore how history is preserved online both in primary and secondary sources. Students will learn about the continuity and sustainability of digital history, including a lifelong commitment to both preservation and creation of history. Students will also explore how historians access sources created digitally, which has rapidly changed in just a few decades meaning some sources are inaccessible without old technology. In this course, students will interact and use a variety of digital tools and resources. Students  apply their mastery of the technologies in the culmination of a digital public history exhibition. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as History 127.  (4 units)

55. African American Pursuit of Freedom

This course covers various strategies African Americans used to attain freedom. These include slave rebellions, moral suasion for the Abolitionist movement, pamphleteering and political tracts by Black intellectuals and their impact on contemporaneous political discourse. Conversely, it engages with important judicial, executive, and legislative decisions that affected the African American struggle for freedom, equality, and manhood/womanhood in the 19th century. It will therefore give particular attention to film and written documentaries on rebellions like the Nat Turner rebellion, cases such as the Missouri Compromise (1820), and laws like The Fugitive Slave Law (1850). It will also examine cases like Dred and Harriet Scott (1857), and the proclamations like the Emancipation Proclamation/13th amendment (1863-1865). Also listed as ETHN 137. (4 units)

60. Race & Immigration  in the U.S.

Since its founding immigration has been one of the most celebrated characteristics of the United States, but it is also one of the most contested. This survey course will look at the history of immigration to the territory that makes up the United States from the late 18th century to the present day. Students will examine immigration policies and practices, integration and exclusion, race and citizenship, and anti-immigrant movements. The course focuses on the historical forces driving immigration and the experiences of individuals and communities, as well as the reception of immigrants based on social categories like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and religion. As such, we will cover salient issues in immigration discourse over the last century including xenophobia, exclusion laws, deportation policy, and border policing - all of which are pertinent to immigration policy today. This class will ground students in the history of immigration in the United States, but will also provide opportunities to reflect on current debates.  This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 160. (4 units)

65. Parties & Presidents: US Political History

An exploration of U.S. politics from the creation of the American republic to the present. Themes studied will include the rise and demise of political party systems, clashes between rival interest groups, and the evolving relationship between Americans and their government. The course will focus on several critical turning points in U.S. history when events, individuals, and various social and cultural factors helped shape the nation’s political development. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 165. (4 units)

70. The American Revolution

Intensive study of the origins, progress, and culmination of the American Revolution to 1800. Emphasis is on the interplay between constitutional, social, economic and racial issues during the formative era of the United States. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Also listed as HIST 170. (4 units)

71. The New Nation: U.S. From Hamilton to Jackson

An examination of the social and political history of the United States during the half-century following the American Revolution. Course topics will include: the creation of the American republic; social and economic changes since the colonial period; the rise of political parties; the evolution of slavery, race relations, and white supremacy; early American expansion and foreign relations, including interactions with Native peoples; and the evolving role of government. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper division listed as HIST 171. (4 units)

72. The Civil War Era

A study of the major aspects of the antebellum period, the Civil War, and introduction to the problems of Reconstruction. Emphasis is on the development of the slave system and resistance to it on the part of African Americans and other abolitionists, and the role of race and gender in the conduct of the war and in the development of Reconstruction. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as History 172. (4 units)

72B. Reconstruction Through the Progressive Era

This course focuses on the history of the United States from 1862-1920, a period bookended by two major movements: Reconstruction and Progressivism. While the Reconstruction Amendments aimed to create equality, they were followed by Jim Crow segregation. The United States relied heavily on low paid labor provided by immigrant populations but also embraced xenophobia and immigration limitations. And the nation experienced a series of economic recessions that resulted both in the robber barons and the emergence of the Progressives. Students will explore how these all existed at the same time, changing the identity of the United States.  This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 172B. (4 units)

74. Protest and Activism

A social history of the United States during the decades of the 1960s and 1970s. The focus of the course is on the grassroots efforts of previously marginalized groups, such as people of color and women, to participate more fully in civic, public, and cultural life and on the reaction of others to that effort. Attention also is given to foreign policy, especially on US engagement in a series of conflicts in the third world. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 174. (4 units)

75. Natives and Newcomers: Early North America

This course explores the history of North America from the eve of European colonization through the mid-18th century. It focuses on key social, economic, and political developments during the period and on cross-cultural interactions between (and among) Euro-American colonists, Native peoples, and peoples of African descent. While the course examines the settler colonies that subsequently became the United States, it also emphasizes the development of the rival French and Spanish empires in North America as well as the rise of pan-Native movements aimed at resisting colonial domination. This course strives to investigate North America’s colonial past by considering a wide range of perspectives, reflecting the diversity of the various peoples who shaped its development. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 175. (4 units)

82B. Childhood in the United States

This course focuses on the history of childhood in the United States, examining both different moments of childhood as well as how American societies defined childhood. Until the mid-late nineteenth century the concept of “priceless child” was not established, and adults saw children as sources of labor as well as a continuation of a patrilineal line. Students will learn about the relationship between childhood and public organizations including, but not limited to, legislatures, educational institutions, and courts. Looking at the history of childhood in the USreveals changing ideas about family, gender, schooling, race, religion, and a nation’s values. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper division listed as HIST 182B. (4 units)

83. North America: Peoples & Lands

This course examines the ways in which human activity has shaped the landscape and built environment from pre-contact North America through the present day. It also investigates the reverse: the ways geography has shaped American and California history.Topics covered include: conflicts between Natives and Euro-Americans over land; the role of racism, immigration, and war in shaping settlement patterns; the rise of cities and suburbs; the emergence of conservation and environmental movements; and the ways in which nature, people, and governments have coped in the wake of disasters, both natural and man-made. We will also consider how an understanding of the past might inform current debates about California's drought and wildfires, the effects of climate change, and the future of American cities. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 184. (4 units)

84. United States Women’s History

Examination of the rich history of the changing social, economic, political, and intellectual life of women in the United States. Focuses on issues of gender, race, class, geographic setting, and ethnicity. Primary and secondary sources will be used to examine women’s self-conceptions and self-identifications, as well as gender constructs and prescribed roles. Also listed as GNSX 57. (4 units)

85. United States Environmental History

Study of American environmental history from the pre-Columbian period to the present. Examines the interactions in history between the physical environment and economics, politics, gender, race, ethnicity, and religions. (4 units)

86B. Rethinking Silicon Valley Histories

This course is an introduction to the history of Silicon Valley. Moving chronologically between 1945 and the present, we will study the history of our significant region, and stories about the area’s technology industry. With a focus on social justice, this class will explore race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, health and disability, immigration and labor, and diversity and inequality in technology and the modern United States. In this class, students will experience first-hand the history of the early Silicon Valley through a wealth of primary sources, such as newspaper accounts, oral histories, photographic images, government documents, corporate reports, advertisements and business journalism, and more. We will also engage an exciting and emerging secondary literature. (4 units)

89. American Metropolis: Urban History of the US

This class will explore the history of the American metropolis. We will ask: what makes a city? How have people built cities, inhabited them, and lived urban lives? What drives urban Together we will begin to think of cities as sets of relationships, as well as a distinct spatial form. To that end, this course will use cities as a lens to research the following themes in United States history: labor and markets, wealth and inequality, ethnic identity and race, sexuality and gender, and the environment and disability during and since industrialization. With these frames of analysis, we will examine what ideas activists, architects, planners, social scientists, literary scholars, critical theorists, and sociologists have generated about urban America. Our tools of exploration will include lectures, discussions, scholarly books, primary sources, articles, blogs, and films. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 189. (4 units)

96A. Colonization, Revolution, and Civil War: The United States, Origins to 1877

A survey of the history of the United States from European colonization to Reconstruction. Political, economic, social, and intellectual aspects of America’s first 250 years. (4 units)

96B. The United States, 1877 to Present

A survey of the history of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to Hurricane Katrina, that interrogates the development of American political, economic, social, and intellectual life over the last century. (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: United States History

105. Interracial Intimacy: Race & Sex in Modern America

This course examines the history of interracial intimacies from the late 19th century to the present. Going beyond the black-and-white binary, this course examines the making and unmaking of multiracial families, communities, and identities in the United States. Students will study the forces that have brought people of different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds together and tore them apart. In the process students will develop a critical understanding of the comparative process of racial formation over time, and the role the media, and federal and local governments played in policing intimacy across racial lines. Students will end the quarter exploring the influence multiracial individuals, families, and communities have had on local and mainstream institutions and cultural practices. Also listed as ETHN 176 and GNSX 147A. (5 units)

113. Black Power

This course explores the history of Black Power by examining the philosophical positions and plans of action that defined this branch of the Black Freedom Movement. As Black Power activists sought to fight racism and achieve liberation by asserting Black political, cultural, and economic autonomy, the course therefore centers critiques of capitalism, political organizing, community empowerment, and artistic expression as articulated and practiced by Black Power activists throughout the 20th century. Also listed as ETHN 175. (5 units)

114. Race, Class, Gender, and Freedom

This course will be devoted to an exploration of the definitions and expressions of freedom within the United States by a variety of groups through the lenses of race, gender and class. The idea of freedom was present from the time our nation was founded and since then, individuals and groups within American society have claimed authority to define and defend their freedoms. The main themes will be political freedom (including speech, religion, civil rights, etc.), economic freedom, personal/sexual freedom, and exporting freedom. Also listed as ETHN 100. (5 units)

119. Gender,  Sexuality, & Social Movements in the 20th c. U.S.

Gender and sexuality are oftentimes excluded from the studies of political movements, although both intersect with other core categories of analysis (i.e. race, economic status, and citizenship, etc.) that have shaped and been shaped by a century of social and political movements in the United States This course moves  chronologically, exploring major and minor movements, beginning with a discussion of the uses of gender in historical analysis and ending with an exploration of current social movements. In between, we will read primary and secondary sources that illuminate the various, often contradictory, ways that ideas about race, gender, and sexuality have converged to influence major social and political movements that continue to shape our world today. Also listed as GNSX 168 and ETHN 169. (5 units)

127. Digital and Public History

This course is an introduction to the intersection of digital history and public history. The course will explore digital literacy, with a focus on public history. Students will discuss how public history differs from academic history and how public history presents its material. Students will consider how digital history provides a unique outlet for public history. Students will explore how history is preserved online both in primary and secondary sources. Students will learn about the continuity and sustainability of digital history, including a lifelong commitment to both preservation and creation of history. Students will also explore how historians access sources created digitally, which has rapidly changed in just a few decades meaning some sources are inaccessible without old technology. In this course, students will interact and use a variety of digital tools and resources. Students will learn how these technologies have changed, and apply their mastery of the technologies in the culmination of a digital public history exhibition. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as History 27. (5 units)  

155. African American  Pursuit of Freedom

The course covers various strategies African Americans used to attain freedom. These include slave rebellions, moral suasion for the Abolitionist movement, pamphleteering and political tracts by Black intellectuals and their impact on contemporaneous political discourse. Conversely, it engages with important judicial, executive, and legislative decisions that affected the African American struggle for freedom, equality, and manhood/womanhood in the 19th century. It will therefore give particular attention to film and written documentaries on rebellions like the Nat Turner rebellion, cases such as The Missouri Compromise (1820), and laws like The Fugitive Slave Law (1850), It will also examine cases like Dred and Harriet Scott (1857), and proclamations like the Emancipation Proclamation/13th Amendment (18631865). Also listed as ETHN 137. (5 units)

158. Turmoil and Reform: United States 1877–1920

This informal lecture/discussion course examines the rich history of the evolving social, economic, political, and intellectual life of Americans from the end of Reconstruction through the peace following World War I. This course traces the dramatic changes that took place as the United States transformed into an urban industrial giant. This course also examines tensions between poverty and wealth, and the nation’s struggles over immigrants, gender, race, and America’s rightful role in global politics. (5 units)

160. Race and Immigration in the United States

Since its founding immigration has been one of the most celebrated characteristics of the United States, but it is also one of the most contested. This course will look at the history of immigration to the territory that makes up the United States from the  late 18th century to the present day. We will examine immigration policies and practices, integration and exclusion, race and citizenship, and anti-immigrant movements. Students also examine the forces driving immigration and the experiences of individuals and communities, as well as the reception of immigrants based on social categories like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and religion. As such, we will cover salient issues in immigration discourse over the last  century including xenophobia, exclusion laws, deportation policy, and border policing - all of which are pertinent to immigration policy today. This class will ground students in the history of immigration in the United States, but will also provide opportunities to reflect on current debates. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower- division listed as HIST 60 (5 units)

165. Parties & Presidents: US Political History  

An exploration of U.S. politics from the creation of the American republic to the present. Themes studied will include the rise and demise of political party systems, clashes between rival interest groups, and the evolving relationship between Americans and their government. The course will focus on several critical turning points in U.S. history when events, individuals, and various social and cultural factors helped shape the nation’s political development. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 65. (5 units)

168. Malcolm and Martin

This course explores the lives, philosophies, and political activism of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In an effort to complicate the violence/nonviolence paradigm, which has often pitted the two men as political opponents, this course seeks to uncover the long trajectory of the philosophical development and political activism of both men through the end of each of their lives, in 1965 and 1968 respectively. Both figures’ lives and activism are situated within the black freedom movement of the 20th century, which was both transnational and global. As such, this course attempts to locate these two figures within various iterations of black nationalism, civil rights activism, anti-colonialism, and Black Power. Also listed as ETHN 133. (5 units)

170. The American Revolution

Intensive study of the origins, progress, and culmination of the American Revolution to 1800. Emphasis is on the interplay between constitutional, social, economic, and racial issues during the formative era of the United States. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 70. (5 units)

171. The New Nation: U.S. From Hamilton to Jackson

An examination of the social and political history of the United States during the half-century following the American Revolution. Course topics will include: the creation of the American republic; social and economic changes since the colonial period; the rise of political parties; the evolution of slavery, race relations, and white supremacy; early American expansion and foreign relations, including interactions with Native peoples; and the evolving role of government. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower division listed as HIST 71. (5 units)

172. The Civil War Era

A study of the major aspects of the antebellum period, the Civil War, and the problems of Reconstruction. Emphasis is on the development of the slave system and resistance to it on the part of African Americans and other abolitionists, and the role of race and gender in the conduct of the war and in the development of Reconstruction. (5 units)

172A. American Slavery/Emancipation

An investigation of slavery and the slave trade in North America, focusing especially on the United States and its colonial antecedents. We will consider the ways in which Euro-American colonization and the American and Haitian revolutions influenced ideas about race and slavery. We will also examine challenges to slavery, including various forms of resistance by the enslaved, as well as the anti-slavery and abolitionist movements that undermined the institution and contributed to its demise. The course will emphasize the lived experiences of the enslaved and of freed people in the wake of emancipation, as well as slavery’s lingering role in shaping ideas about race. Finally, we will consider more recent depictions of slavery intended for broader audiences, such as literature and film, in order to discuss the place of slavery in public consciousness and historical memory. (5 units)

172B. Reconstruction Through the Progressive Era

This course will focus on the history of the United States from 1862-1920, a period bookended by two major movements: Reconstruction and Progressivism. While the Reconstruction Amendments aimed to create equality, they were followed by Jim Crow segregation. The United States relied heavily on low paid labor provided by immigrant populations but also embraced xenophobia and immigration limitations. And the nation experienced a series of economic recessions that resulted both in the robber barons and the emergence of the Progressives. Students will explore how these all existed at the same time, changing the identity of the United States. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 72B. (5 units)

173S. Japanese American Incarceration

In this seminar students will closely examine the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. With a close reading of carefully selected primary and secondary sources students will study the historical and political context of wartime incarceration and its present-day implications. In so doing, students will examine the history of Japanese migration to the U.S., the legal and social exclusion of Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans, the post-WWII resettlement years, the redress movement, and current trends in Japanese American historiography. Also listed as ETHN 146. (5 units)

174. Protest and Activism: The U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s

A social history of the United States during the decades of the 1960s and 1970s. The focus of the course is on the grassroots efforts of previously marginalized groups, such as people of color and women, to participate more fully in civic, public, and cultural life and on the reaction of others to that effort. Attention also is given to foreign policy, especially on US engagement in a series of conflicts in the third world. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 74. (5 units)

175. Natives and Newcomers: Early North America

This course explores the history of North America from the eve of European colonization through the mid-18th century. It focuses on key social, economic, and political developments during the period and on cross-cultural interactions between (and among) Euro-American colonists, Native peoples, and peoples of African descent. While the course examines the settler colonies that subsequently became the United States, it also emphasizes the development of the rival French and Spanish empires in North America, as well as the rise of pan-Native movements aimed at resisting colonial domination. The course strives to investigate North America’s colonial past by considering a wide range of perspectives, reflecting the diversity of the various peoples who shaped its development. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIS 75. (5 units)

177. Gays and Lesbians in United States History

Examination of the significance of gay men and lesbians across the broad sweep of American history, beginning with pre-Columbian Native Americans and concluding with the modern era. Religious, intellectual, economic, political, and social ramifications will all be examined. Also listed as GNSX 138. (5 units)

178. Race and World War II

Cross-listed with ETHN 178. For course description see ETHN 178. (5 units)

179A. Technology, Labor, and Capitalism

Artificial intelligence and the knowledge economy. Computation and Credit. Satellites and social media. Philanthropy and factory flight. “Doing what you love” and digital activism. Climate change and corporate consolidation. This class will explore changes in capitalism, technology, and labor in the twentieth- and twenty-first century United States. We will learn how ideas about work and technology have evolved over time, and how these dynamic ideas and evolving tools have shaped the present day. (5 units)

180. Indigenous/Native Americans of the United States

Native American history from colonial times to the present from the perspective of native peoples. The focus is on selected Indian peoples in each historical period with an emphasis on native responses to changing historical circumstances, the continuity of Native American cultures, and Indian relations with the U.S. government in the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include colonialism, Native Americans and environments, regional, and tribal histories. Also listed as ETHN 113. (5 units)

181. Black Girl Magic: African American Women’s History

This course will explore African American women's history and celebrate their many triumphs through racial and gender oppression in American society. The course will be a space to critically engage Black women's literature and theory on race and processes of racialization in the United States. The course highlights the ways that Black women have challenged dominant conceptualizations of race through critically reflecting on their lived experiences and rigorously interrogating seemingly "race-less" concepts like geography, mobility and humanity. Course requirements include active engagement with readings, discussions, and writing assignments. Also listed as ETHN 138A and GNSX 173. (5 units)

182B. Childhood in the United States

This course focuses on the history of childhood in the United States, examining both different moments of childhood as well as how American societies defined childhood. Until the mid-late nineteenth century the concept of “priceless child” was not established, and adults saw children as sources of labor as well as a continuation of a patrilineal line. Students will learn about the relationship between childhood and public organizations including, but not limited to, legislatures, educational institutions, and courts. Looking at the history of childhood in the US reveals changing ideas about family, gender, schooling, race, religion, and a nation’s values. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 82B. (5 units)

183. Whiteness and Immigration in the United States

In this seminar, by examining the changing conceptions of “whiteness” over time, students will gain insight into the political, cultural, and economic shifts that have occurred in American history, reshaping the broader dynamics of race and ethnicity that continue to inform American life in the 21st century. Also listed as ETHN 172. (5 units)

184. North America: Peoples & Lands

America’s geography is not just the stage for American History but an integral player in that history. This course explores how Americans’ interactions with the continent’s physical geography and built environments have shaped the nation from the pre-colonial era through the present day. Topics covered include: land use by Native peoples and settlers; U.S. expansion; immigration and internal migrations; urbanization, suburbanization, and gentrification; the conservation, preservation, and environmental movements; and the response to natural and human-instigated disasters. Special emphasis is placed on topics related to California and on the experiences of people marginalized by race, class, and gender. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 83. (5 units)

185. African Americans in Postwar Film

This course examines the presence of African Americans in mainstream Hollywood films during the postwar period. How did Hollywood representations of African Americans change after World War II? What shifts and continuities occurred during the postwar period? And how did those changes reflect the ebbs and flows of civil rights activism through the 1970s? The goal of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of broader social and historical change by engaging the politics of race through a core aspect of American popular culture. Cross-listed with ETHN 135. (5 units)

186. California

Survey of the state’s diverse history: its Indigenous origins, Spanish invasion and missionization, the Mexican period, U.S. conquest, gold rush, and development to the present. (5 units)

187. Racism in the United States

Multidisciplinary study of racism in the United States. Its historical manifestations from the arrival of Europeans in North America to contemporary time; its psychological and political dimensions; and its impact on U.S. culture, law and economy. Also listed as ETHN 155 (5 units)

188S. The Making of Modern America: The Progressive Era

This seminar examines the progressives (18801920), a group of reformers who struggled to more equitably redistribute the wealth and power of the newly industrialized, urbanized America, achieving mixed results. The impact of this crucial period of reform on politics, gender, class, business, the environment, leisure, and foreign affairs will be examined in order to illuminate current political and social views and actions. Students are evaluated on their informed participation and a research paper. (5 units)

189. American Metropolis: Urban History of the US

This class will explore the history of the American metropolis. We will ask: what makes a city? How have people built cities, inhabited them, and lived urban lives? What drives urban Together we will begin to think of cities as sets of relationships, as well as a distinct spatial form. To that end, this course will use cities as a lens to research the following themes in United States history: labor and markets, wealth and inequality, ethnic identity and race, sexuality and gender, and the environment and disability during and since industrialization. With these frames of analysis, we will examine what ideas activists, architects, planners, social scientists, literary scholars, critical theorists, and sociologists have generated about urban America. Our tools of exploration will include lectures, discussions, scholarly books, primary sources, articles, blogs, and films. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 89. (4 units)

Lower-Division Courses: European History

16. Ancient Greek Religion

Consideration of the differing attitudes and expectations of polytheisms and monotheisms, and of religious expression in the context of classical Greek cult and ritual. Readings are drawn from a wide variety of literary, historical, philosophical, and epigraphical texts. Also listed as CLAS 67. (4 units)

17. Ancient Roman Religion

Examination of religious practices, institutions, and beliefs of the ancient Romans. Special consideration of interconnections in Roman religiosity between the acts/beliefs of individuals and the concerns of the state. Concludes with philosophic mysticism, magic, mystery religions, and Christianity. Cross-listed with CLAS 68. (4 units)

29. Early Modern Europe

This survey examines European history from the late medieval period to the French Revolution in 1789. It begins with the moral, political, and intellectual crisis spurred by the Black Death in the fourteenth century and continues tracing how European society evolved economically, socially, politically, and culturally through the early modern era. The course explores major social, political, and religious movements, as well as Europe’s overseas expansion, moving beyond traditional Eurocentric narratives to present a holistic, global perspective. Topics include medieval Europe, absolutist monarchies, the Renaissance, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and European colonialism. (4 units)

30. The French Revolution: An Introduction

The French Revolution of 1789 topped the greatest monarchy in Europe and ultimately ushered in Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire. But it also introduced into the Western world the political vocabulary we still use today. Whenever we use political designations such as left and right, or talk about nationalism and citizenship and the rights of man, the French Revolution is being invoked. This class explores the exciting events of the revolution through literature, art, and film and the often-heated debates among historians about the real meaning of these dramatic years. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 130A. (4 units)

33. This is What Democracy Looks Like? Fascism, Populism and Crisis

This course examines populist social movements in 19th and 20th century Europe and the US and the evolution of Italian fascism and National Socialism. It examines how populist movements of left and right respiond to crises of liberal democracy. It examines the roots and development of interwar European fascism, fascist movements in the US, and mature fascism in continental Europe.  We trace the continuities and discontinuities between mid-20th century “classic” European fascism and the contemporary radical right in both Europe and the US. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 103. (4 units)

39.  Rebellion and War in Modern France

This course surveys the history of France from the fall of Napoleon I founding of the Third Republic in 1870 to the present day with particular emphasis on republican universalism, political revolution, French overseas imperialism, the Dreyfus Affair, the struggle for women’s equality, the role and experience of France in the two World Wars, and late-20th century patterns of decolonization and migration. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 139. (4 units)

94. Europe

A thematic approach to European history, from Early Modern to the present. (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: European History

103. This is What Democracy Looks Like? Fascism, Populism and Crisis

This course examines the phenomenon of populist social movements in 19th century Europe and the US, and the evolution of Italian fascism and National Socialism. It examines how populist movements of left and right respond to crises of liberal democracy. It examines the roots and development of interwar European fascism, fascist movements in the US, and mature fascism in continental Europe. populism and fascism as in history and as political theory; its analytical strengths and weaknesses; the overlap and We trace the continuities and discontinuities between mid-20th century “classic” European fascism and the contemporary radical right in both Europe and the US.divergences between right-wing populism and classic European fascism; and the differences between reactionary and progressive forms of populism. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 33. (5 units)

106. Heretics and Holy Wars

Exploration of religion and the Mediterranean region between 235 and 622 CE. Attention will be paid to monasticism, pilgrimage, heresy, philosophy, and the relationships between the church and state, communities and individuals, and individuals and the divine. Also listed as CLAS 144. (5 units)

107. Archaic Greek History: Scientists and Spartans

If society collapsed, do you have the know-how to survive? Over three thousand years ago, this same question confronted the ancient Greeks. This course on Archaic Greek history examines how the Greeks used inquiry and experimentation to deal with problems such as climate change, epidemic disease, and economic decline. Students will study how these innovations forced the Greeks to confront social issues such as income inequality and environmental destruction that continue to have profound relevance. By studying the Greek response to such issues, students will be better able to think about the relationship between technology and society in the contemporary world. Cross-listed with CLAS 107. (5 units)

108. Classical Greek History

This is a class on how things fall apart. Its topic is civil strife in ancient Greece: autocratic coups and assassinations, rebellions and slave revolts, mob violence and kangaroo courts. In it, students will put Socrates on trial, explore the techniques of ancient demagogues, and write a guide for tyrant-spotting. They will also learn how the Greeks overcame internal conflict and healed communities torn apart by violence. The contemporary world can learn from the resiliency of ancient communities not only how things fall apart, but also how they might be put back together again. Also listed as CLAS 108. (5 units)

109. The Hellenistic Age

A cultural, social, and political review of Alexander the Great's conquests and their Hellenistic ramifications through the reign of Egypt's Cleopatra VII. Cross-listed with CLAS 109. (5 units)

110. Roman Republic

A political, military, social, and cultural review of the rise and fall of the most successful state the West has ever known. Also listed as CLAS 110. (5 units)

111. Roman Empire

A political, social, and cultural survey of the Roman Empire beginning with Augustus and tracing changes in Rome from the development of the Roman Empire as a world state to the development of Christianity as a world religion. Also listed as CLAS 111. (5 units)

114C. The Democratic City

Do you have what it takes to negotiate with royalty, save a city from famine, foil a tyrannical coup, and be home by dinner? In this course, students will study the nature and history of ancient democracy. They will actively engage with this subject by taking on the role of citizens in a model Greek democracy. They will need to collaborate, persuade, and debate in order to solve case studies based on the problems ancient democracies faced. Students will gain hands-on experience with direct democratic problem-solving while learning about the history of ancient democracy and its relationship to contemporary politics. Also listed as CLAS 114. (5 units)

115S. Race, Gender, and Citizenship in the Atlantic World

This seminar examines the terms by which the notion of citizenship was defined and granted over the course of the past three centuries with a focus on the Atlantic world. Key historical questions we will explore include: Who is a citizen and what defines him or her as a citizen? On what grounds were rights granted to citizens? How were gender and race defined, and how did those definitions determine the meaning of citizenship? How did disenfranchised groups argue for their rights, and in what situations were their claims successful? Also listed as GNSX 169. (5 units)

120. The Crusades: Christian and Muslim Perspectives

This course traces the history of the Crusades from the 11th to 16th centuries, using both Christian and Muslim perspectives on these wars to gauge their impact upon both Western Europe and the Islamic society of the Mediterranean. Students will explore the interplay of religious, social, political, and economic forces that motivated Christians and Muslims during these struggles, the impact the Crusades had upon both Christian and Muslim religious and social sensibilities, and the reasons for the success of the early Crusaders, the complex response of Muslim authorities to the European invasion, and the eventual success of Muslim forces in driving Christian forces far back into Europe. (5 units)

122. The Holocaust

This course examines the persecution and mass murder of Jews in Nazi Germany and in Nazi-occupied Europe from 1933-1945. Although the mass murder of European Jewry will be a main focus, we will also discuss programs of discrimination, violence, and murder carried out against other groups deemed racially undesirable by the Nazis (e.g. people with mental and physical disabilities, Romanies, Slavic peoples, LGBTQ+ folks, and Afro-Germans). The course starts off contextualizing the Holocaust by looking at how modernity, imperialism, war, and various ideologies, such as antisemitism, nationalism, and scientific racism, shaped policies of discrimination and exclusion in Germany and elsewhere in Europe, and contributed to the rise of Hitler and a racial state. We will investigate the marginalization and persecution of Jews and other Others in Nazi Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe, considering differences and similarities in treatment in France, Amsterdam, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and the Soviet Union.(5 units)

122C. Modern Germany: Politics and Passions in the 20th Century

This course surveys 20th century German history through two world wars and the Holocaust, and its political forms from the Weimar Republic through the Third Reich, the two postwar Germanies, East and West (1949-89), and since the reunification of 1990. It also introduces students to a relatively new subfield in the discipline–the history of emotions. Drawing on the latest neuroscience, historians have developed new tools for investigating the mutability of emotions in different historical periods and cultural settings. Both the quality of individual emotional experience and the degree of emotional expressiveness vary. The theme throughout is how political regimes and social movements helped individuals navigate disorienting times by providing emotional scripts, norms, and communities. The euphoric emotions of the Third Reich–love for the Fuehrer, hatred for the Jew—turned to shame and guilt in postwar West Germany—with lasting consequences for contemporary Germany’s rightward turn. Through novels, diaries, political speeches, oral histories and film, we examine the inner “emotional history” of Germany’s tumultuous century. (5 units)

125. Keeping up with the Medici: Fame and Family in Renaissance Florence

What makes someone a "household name"? Is it talent, beauty, connections, or simply shrewd marketing? While fame, fortune, and celebrity may seem like modern phenomena, the cult of personality was equally prominent in Renaissance Florence. As is the case today, money played a key role in the arts. This course focuses on the ways in which the Medici family, through their social, financial, and spiritual support, transformed the city of Florence from an Italian commune with limited natural resources into the center of the European culture. And in doing so, transformed the notion of the artist from that of mere craftsman to superstar. Additional topics of discussion include the influence of the capitalist economics on artistic production, domestic art perceptions of the nude figure in religious paintings, the relationship between art and science, and the writings of Machiavelli. Also listed as ARTH 120. (5 units)

128. Crime, Prostitution, and Poverty in Victorian London

This course explores the social and cultural history of London from the 1830s to 1900. Particular emphasis is placed on the strong contrast that Victorian London offered between imperial splendor and grinding misery. Students will examine Victorian perception and experiences of London poverty, filth, prostitution, and assorted vices, as well as art, culture, entertainment, and social reform movements. (5 units)

130. Special Topics in European History

Courses offered occasionally on subjects outside the standard curriculum in modern Europe. (5 units)

130A. The French Revolution, an Introduction  

The French Revolution of 1789 topped the greatest monarchy in Europe and ultimately ushered in Napoleon Bonaparte’s empire. But it also introduced into the Western world the political vocabulary we still use today. Whenever we use political designations such as left and right, or talk about nationalism and citizenship and the rights of man, the French Revolution is being invoked. This class explores the exciting events of the revolution through literature, art, and film and the often-heated debates among historians about the real meaning of these dramatic years. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 30. (5 units)

131. Britain and the First World War

World War I gave birth to a range of difficult questions regarding the relationship between democratic ideals and how societies organize for modern conflicts, setting a strong pattern for the 20th century and continuing to possess strong resonances for today. What strains and opportunities does war place upon democratic societies? Does modern patriotism enable or distort the aspirations of free societies? What forces propel individuals to assist or resist modern war making? This course encourages students to think of war as not an activity solely directed by generals and politicians, but rather a social and cultural event that is formed and negotiated by citizens, workers, and parents. This course places the World War I battlefront in the context of British imperial history, and especially examines how four years of fighting shaped Britain’s modern national and civic identity. Readings and materials cover the significance of the home front in many forms including the propaganda machine, the Irish problem, public school tradition, industrial organization and trade union activity, and the women’s vote campaign. Civic groups organized by peace protesters, conscientious objectors, suffragists, and striking workers will be explored alongside groups such as national service advocates, Empire leagues, Boys Scouts, and civil preparedness organizations. (5 units)

132. Democracy Under Siege: Ancient Athens and Modern America

This course will trace the fate of the Athenian democracy after the Peloponnesian War through the Hellenistic Age (404-ca. 307 BCE). It will cover the foreign and domestic policies of Athens through this period, and cover both the problems and the opposition to democracy by non-democratic polities as well as by those opponents of democracy who lived in Athens itself. Although the United States of America is a Republic and not a Democracy in the Athenian mode (which in fact, was the intent of our Republic's founders), the USA in the 21st century is facing comparable opposition both domestically and in the realm of foreign affairs to those which confronted the ancient Athenians. Parallels between the world of the 4th century BCE and the 21st century will not only be noted, they will be emphasized through readings and class discussions. Also listed as CLAS 113. (5 units)

133. History of Sexuality

Study of the history of sexuality in modern Europe. Examination of topics such as the politics of prostitution, abortion, and pornography; changing sexual norms and practices; the invention of homosexuality and heterosexuality; professional and state involvement in the supervision and regulation of sexualities; intersections of sexuality with gender, ethnicity and race, nationality, class, and religion; connections between sexuality and imperialism; sexual communities and movements. Also listed as GNSX 137. (5 units)

134. Jews, Muslims, and Christians in Early Modern Iberia

This course covers the history of religious minorities (Muslim and Jewish peoples) in late medieval and early modern Iberia. During the medieval period, Christians, Muslims, and Jews coexisted in the peninsula, and their encounters oscillated between collaboration and confrontation. Following the Christian reconquest and the unification of Spain under Castilian rule, authorities sought to homogenize the peninsula to forge a Catholic identity. The course explores how religious minorities navigated growing marginalization and discrimination, while showing that some individuals of Jewish and Muslim descent achieved social respectability despite rising intolerance. (5 units)

135. The Spanish Golden Age

This course examines Spain during the period that scholars have defined as the “Golden Age.” From the early sixteenth century to the late seventeenth century, Spain experienced dramatic imperial expansion and became a major geopolitical power. Spain's transformation from a peninsular kingdom to a hegemonic global power involved profound socio-political, economic, cultural, and religious changes. During these two centuries, Spain achieved an unprecedented cultural splendor in the arts and letters. Alongside this cultural flowering, Spain also underwent institutional and social transformations. This course examines how Spain's imperial growth shaped the lives of early modern Spaniards and their understanding of themselves in Europe and beyond. (5 units)

136. Postwar Europe: Gender, Race, and National Identity in 20th-century Eastern and Western Europe

An exploration of the ways in which social anxieties and ideas about gender, race, nationality, class, and sexuality shaped political, economic, social, and cultural developments in post-WWII Eastern and Western Europe. Three units structure the course: Communism and the Cold War; immigrants, race, gender, and national identity in post-war and post-colonial Europe; and challenges to the established order — including the rebellions/revolutions in 1968, the women's and gay and lesbian liberation movements of the 1970s, and resistance to and the collapse of Communism. Also listed as GNSX 172. (5 units)

137. The Soviet Experiment

During World War One the Tsarist regime in the Russian Empire collapsed in political crisis and military defeat. This course will explore the Revolutions of 1917 and the subsequent Soviet experiment to build the first self-proclaimed socialist government and society. Readings, lectures, and discussions will focus on Soviet political and economic policies, cultural practices, everyday life, and the evolution of social identities and roles, taking into account gender, regional, and national differences. (5 units)

139.  Rebellion & War in Modern France

This course surveys the history of France from the fall of Napoleon I to the present day with particular emphasis on republican universalism, political revolution, French overseas imperialism, the Dreyfus Affair, the struggle for women’s equality, the role and experience of France in the two World Wars, and late-20th century patterns of decolonization and migration. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 39. (5 units)

Lower-Division Courses: African, West Asian, Middle Eastern History

40. Black Internationalism in the Atlantic Era  

This course will explore writings by African-born individuals during the Atlantic period. It will focus on how they describe their experience of slavery and colonialism in Africa, their perceptions of and experiences in the Western World, as well as African-American perceptions of and experiences in Africa. The themes we will explore will include, but not limited to, colonialism, slave captivity narratives, autobiographical and biographical accounts of free blacks and African slaves in Europe and the Americas, the experiences of African royalty abroad, and African contributions to the birth of African-American culture and the emergence of “Creole” societies in the New World. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 140. (5 units)

56. Women and African History

This course explores themes and perspectives on African Women's lives and their roles, contributions, and agency in shaping  histories, major historical events, civilizations, and societies. We will examine African women's activities in pre colonial, colonial, and postcolonial African societies. Further, we will explore the diversity of African women's experiences in local, regional, trans-oceanic, and international settings. Also listed as GNSX 60. (4 units)

57. Black Migration in the World

This course examines the dynamic and sustained relationship between Africa and the African Diaspora through the multiple lenses of U.S. blacks, West Indian, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-European, and Afro-Cuban missions, travel, migration, and repatriation to various locations in Africa. The course entails a consideration of the religious exchanges, ethnic/racial transformations, travel tropes, and discourses on Pan-African identity that characterized the Back-to-Africa Movement in various locations of the Atlantic World. It will introduce students to a historiography of Black intellectuals, individuals, and groups who look to Africa as not only an ancestral homeland, but as a site of Christian evangelization, trade, pursuit of freedom and happiness, as well as social justice. Also listed as ETHN 138. (4 units)

91. Africa in World History

Historical survey of the origins and development of African cultures from ancient times to the onset of European colonialism in the 20th century. Focus on selected civilizations and societies. Patterns of African social, economic, and political life, including women’s and gendered institutions, anticolonial movements, nationalism, and Pan-African histories. (4 units)

97. War and Peace in the Modern Middle East

This course explores the socio-economic and political history of the Middle East from the late Ottoman period to the present. We examine the region’s rich culture, religious heritage, and historical themes and developments. Themes include the impact of European imperialism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, processes of Ottoman reform and decline, the creation of colonial mandates, the era of Arab nationalism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the politics of oil, the role of the United States in the region, and the rise of political Islam. Finally, HIST 97 introduces students to an exciting array of primary and secondary sources including maps, films, speeches, treaties, and important correspondence.  (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: African, West Asian, Middle Eastern History

140. Black Internationalism in the Atlantic Era  

This course will explore writings by African-born individuals during the Atlantic period. It will focus on how they describe their experience of slavery and colonialism in Africa, their perceptions of and experiences in the Western World, as well as African-American perceptions of and experiences in Africa. The themes we will explore will include, but not limited to, colonialism, slave captivity narratives, autobiographical and biographical accounts of free blacks and African slaves in Europe and the Americas, the experiences of African royalty abroad, and African contributions to the birth of African-American culture and the emergence of “Creole” societies in the New World. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 40. (5 units)

141. Politics and Development in Independent Africa

African economic, social, and political problems after independence. Major ideologies and international conflict. (5 units)

149. Special Topics in African or Middle Eastern History

Courses offered occasionally on subjects outside the standard curriculum in African or Middle Eastern history. (5 units)

156S. Africa and the Disciplines

This course introduces students to a variety of unique historiographical approaches, methods, and interdisciplinary discourse generated in the historical study of Africa and how they may/are applied to other historical studies. It will examine the contributions and advances that the study of Africa has brought to the social sciences and humanities. That is, how in an effort to study Africa, researchers employ African modes of historical discourse along with several innovative methods that have enriched several fields of history as well as other disciplines. (5 units)

157. Black Migration in the World

This course examines the dynamic and sustained relationship between Africa and the African Diaspora through the multiple lenses of African Diaspora of the Indian Ocean, U.S. Blacks, West Indian, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-European, and Afro-Cuban missions, travel, migration and repatriation to various locations in Africa. The course entails a consideration of the religious exchanges, ethnic/racial transformations, travel tropes, and discourses on Pan-African identity that characterized the Back to Africa Movement in various locations of the Atlantic World. It will introduce students to a historiography of Black Intellectuals, individuals, and groups who look to Africa as not a homeland, but as a site of Christian evangelization, trade, pursuit of freedom and social justice. Also listed as ETHN 138 and HIST 57.  (5 Units)

Lower-Division Courses: East Asian, South Asian, and Indian Ocean History

48. China’s Rise to Global Power

In the past forty years, China has become the second most powerful economy in the world. It has also become a powerful military player as well. Many have assumed that China would become more democratic as it rose in strength. In fact, it has become more authoritarian and some speak of a new Cold War. As China’s ambitions have grown, some wonder about its impact on Taiwan, the South China Seas, and even internationally. In addition, its posture vis-à-vis Russia and the United States has changed as well. This course will trace China’s global rise to power since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. (4 units)

51. The South Asian California Dream: Global Communities and Exchanges

This course will introduce students to the history of diasporic communities spanning South Asia and California. By situating the history of South Asian migration in California from the mid 19th century to the present time, students will develop an understanding of South Asian culture in global and diasporic contexts. It explores the diversity of these experiences both by recognizing ethnic, religious, linguistic, or class differences, as well as by pushing our historical understanding beyond “stereotypes” of South Asian Americans. Students will uncover the complex experiences and voices of ordinary people who are at the intersection of the South Asian and the California story. (4 units)

54. Modern India

History is not only what happened, but also why things change. This course is designed to examine the development of modern India from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries. We will survey the period as a whole by selecting significant events, processes, themes, and transitions that have shaped modern Indian history. What was the impact of the confluence, integration, and conflicts between different cultures and religions? Why and how did Britain expand, conquer, and prosper at the expense of India? How and why did they exit? How did India become the world’s biggest democracy? The class, in effect, will encompass an overview of the political, economic, social, and technological forces as well as the unique and strong personalities, which have contributed to the making and breaking of India. A better comprehension of where we are at present comes from an understanding of the past. In addition to gaining some knowledge of history, the aim of this course is to help students improve their interpretive analyses and critical-thinking skills through reading, writing, and class discussions. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Upper-division listed as HIST 154. (4 units)

92. Modern East Asia

An examination of the emergence of modern nations from the rich and diverse cultures of the Pacific and their mutual transformations since 1600. Analyzes linkages within the region and with other regions using concepts borrowed from anthropology, cultural studies, economics, and political science. Particular focus on China, Japan, and Korea from the 1600’s to the present. (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: East Asian, South Asian, and Indian Ocean History

146A. Medieval and Early Modern Japan

From the early medieval period through the middle of the 19th century, Japan developed as a blend of indigenous cultures, religions, and institutions and continental (Chinese and Korean) civilization and later European and American ideologies and imperialism. This course examines culture, ideas, religions, society/economy, and global interactions. (5 units)

146B. Modern Japan in the World

An examination of Japanese history in its global context since 1600, with emphasis on its 19th century “economic miracle;” problems faced by a rapidly modernizing and globalizing society; questions of national security and imperialism; reconstructing gender, personhood, and rights of Japanese men and women at several key moments in “modern” society; social and political movements such as suffrage and labor; war and reconstruction; and diaspora, both of people and ideas. (5 units)

146C. Samurai Trouble: War and Peace in Japanese History

How did Japan develop a reputation as a nation of warriors? What does it mean to be a warrior in a country that experiences little armed conflict, as Japan did during the Tokugawa period (1603-1868)? And what happens when narratives of loyalty and sacrifice are allowed to take center stage during wartime? This course will explore these and other questions as we look at the longue-durée history of war and peace in the Japanese archipelago. Course readings will include classic Japanese literature on the topics of war and peace, contemporary scholarship, and various sources written by Japanese scholars and intellectuals. (5 units)

147A. Wonders of Ancient China

Chinese civilization from the earliest times to the early modern global encounter with the West. Includes Shang oracle bones, Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his terracotta army, the origins of the Great Wall and the Silk Road, Genghis Khan and the Mongol conquest, Tang empresses, Marco Polo, Zheng He and his expedition to Africa, the glories of the Ming dynasty, and Jesuit missionaries. Topics also include the evolution of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism; development of political institutions; analysis of the pre-industrial economic experience; and state-society relations. (5 units)

147B. China in Revolution, 1840-Present

Social, political, economic, and cultural development of China from the early 19th century to the present.  Topics include China’s state formation from monarchy to socialism; cultural history from Confucianism to individualism; issues of poverty and population; intellectual and cultural changes and the role of the West in these changes; and the indigenous forces shaping China’s modern evolution. Students will also have the opportunity to research a current topic as China emerges as a global technological, economic, and military power. (5 units)

150. Gender and Sexuality in East Asia

The historical study of women and men is necessarily the historical study of gendered societies. While there are important linkages among China, Japan, and Koreafor example, shared religious traditions, the varied experiences of imperialism, the central role of women and the construction of gender in modernity, and the physical movement of women and men among the three countriesthere are also significant differences. This course explores changes over time in sexualities, work experiences, civic culture, the gendered state, and marriage and family in the three countries. Also listed as GNSX 126. (5 units)  

151. Race and Imperialism in East Asia

Racism and ethnic discrimination were central factors driving imperialism in East Asia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Examining the three cases of France and the US in Vietnam, Japan in Korea, and the US in the Philippines, this course analyzes the role of racism not only in the colonies but also in the evolving definition of imperial nationhood in France, the United States, and Japan. (5 units)

151B. The Philippines under Colonialism, 1565-1946

Four hundred years of imperialist control, including cultural and human genocide under Spanish, American, and Japanese domination from the mid-1500s to the mid-1900s, have shaped the history of the Filipino people. Foreign imperialists have successfully held down the Filipinos’ ability to govern themselves for much of that time, but they have also supplied some of the tools for the Filipinos’ quest for freedom and cultural and racial equality. (5 units)

152. History of Christianity in China

The history of Christianity in China from the seventh century to the present. We will explore the earliest evidence of Christianity in China, the Franciscan missions to the Mongols, the arrival of the Jesuits, the Chinese rites controversy, the persecution of Christianity, the rise of Protestant missions, and the explosive growth of Christianity in China today. We will also explore issues of church-state conflict, religious debate and conversion, and the complex interplay between foreign missions and Chinese developments.  We end with a discussion of the current surveillance and control of Christianity in China. (5 units)

154. Modern India 

History is not only what happened, but also why things change. This course is designed to examine the development of modern India from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries. We will survey the period as a whole by selecting significant events, processes, themes, and transitions that have shaped modern Indian history. What was the impact of the confluence, integration, and conflicts between different cultures and religions? Why and how did Britain expand, conquer, and prosper at the expense of India? How and why did they exit? How did India become the world’s biggest democracy? The class, in effect, will encompass an overview of the political, economic, social, and technological forces as well as the unique and strong personalities, which have contributed to the making and breaking of India. A better comprehension of where we are at present comes from an understanding of the past. In addition to gaining some knowledge of history, the aim of this course is to help students improve their interpretive analyses and critical-thinking skills through reading, writing, and class discussions. This is a hybrid lower-division and upper-division course. Lower-division listed as HIST 54. (5 units)

159. Special Topics in Asian History

Courses offered occasionally on subjects outside the standard curriculum in Asian history. (5 units)

Lower-Division Courses: Latin American History

61. Dictators, Revolutionaries, Narcos: Mexico Since 1876

This course explores the history of Mexico from 1876 to the present, examining the roots of modern Mexican institutions, identity, and inequality. Students will analyze the authoritarian traditions that permeated Mexican democracy, the social movements that shaped official mythologies and public memory, and the technocratic policies that intensified poverty, urbanization, and migration during the twentieth century. Students will focus on the roles of race, class, and gender in Mexican society, as well as the consequences of foreign intervention, rural modernization, and globalization. Special attention is given to how neoliberal economic policies and the erosion of human rights/rule of law transformed society beginning in the 1970s. Crucially, students will immerse themselves in Mexican and US-Mexico borderlands history via music, film, media, popular art, literature, oral histories, and other primary/secondary sources. (4 units)

63. Race, Citizenship, Restriction: Mexican Migration to the U.S.

This course is an introduction to the history of Mexican migration to the United States. It examines the factors that fueled migratory flows (“push/pull”), the discourses that shaped Mexican and US perceptions of migrant criminality, and the US immigration laws and border enforcement regime that racialized Mexican American citizenship. Students explore the key roles played by US-Mexico borderlands geography, binational politics, US employers, race, social inequality, war, imperialism and industrialization, as well as globalization and neoliberalism in intensifying transnational Mexican migration. By analyzing these people and processes students will gain a greater understanding of how illegality was ascribed to Mexican migrant and Latino/a bodies. Crucially, students will immerse themselves in both the migrant and Mexican American experience via music, film, literature, oral histories, and primary and secondary sources. (4 units)

95. (In)dependence, Inequality, Revolution: Latin America since 1810

This course surveys the major social, economic, political, and cultural trends that informed modern Latin American history. We will study the nation-states forged in the wake of nineteenth-century independence movements and civil wars, their incredibly diverse peoples and customs, and how US intervention and imperialism shaped the development of these countries. Students will explore the following themes via primary and secondary sources, film, music, media, popular art, and literature: democracy and authoritarianism; liberalism and conservatism; modernization and neocolonialism; nationalism and populism; Communism and the Cold War; revolution and reaction; (im)migration and urbanization; and globalization and neoliberal reform. Emphasis is placed on social movements, racial and gender inequality, and struggles for national and individual self-determination throughout modern Latin America.  (4 units)

Upper-Division Courses: Latin American History

163. Colony, Slavery, Castro: The Caribbean since 1492

This course surveys the legacy of inequality and racism in the Caribbean from 1492 to 2000. In particular, it focuses on the cultures and development of Cuba, Santo Domingo (modern Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico. Students examine how indigenous and African slavery established the foundation for unequal legal/political institutions and social/racial hierarchies. Via primary and secondary sources, film, music, media, popular art and literature this course explores how European colonialism precipitated the rise of US imperialism in the late nineteenth century, as well as how US intervention supported dictatorships, stoked resistance/revolution, and intensified migration to the US. Special emphasis is placed on Caribbean diaspora communities and the rise of communism in Cuba. Students will gain insight into the political, socioeconomic, and cultural trends that made the region both an epicenter of violent social struggle and home to some of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest countries. (5 units)

164S. United States of Exception: Violence & Migration in North America

This seminar examines the essential roles of military, political, religious, social, economic, and racial violence in shaping Mexican migration to the United States during the long twentieth century. In particular, students will analyze primary and secondary sources, film, literature, popular art/music, etc. through the lens of the state of exception, a ‘temporary’ suspension of constitutional rights by a modern sovereign state during a state of emergency that often becomes the rule itself. Students will explore how armed crises like civil and global wars and socio-racial crises like immigrant ‘invasions’ have produced legislation, perceptions, and discourses that excluded Mexican migrants from the full protections of legal citizenship and social belonging, both in the United Mexican States and United States of America. (5 units)

169. Special Topics in Latin American History

Courses offered occasionally on subjects outside the standard curriculum in Latin American history. (5 units)

190. Commodities, Technologies, Conservation: Environmental Histories of Latin America

This course surveys how human beings throughout the Western Hemisphere perceived of, shaped, profited from, and protected their natural environments from 1492 to the present. Students will examine the vital roles played by people, animals, plants, minerals, climate, and technology in the construction of not only commodity-exporting economies but also nationalized and/or privatized landscapes as well as highly unequal land tenure and labor systems. Students will learn how Latin America’s natural resources, via an unprecedented network of exchange with roots in the fifteenth century, were integral to the creation of a globalized world economy centered at first in Europe and then the United States. (5 units)