Courses

HIST-100/0, World History 1000-1550: When Strangers Meet
A yearlong commitment. Four class periods per week for Juniors. When Strangers Meet explores and connects key episodes in world history that contributed to the emergence of a global network. The course begins with the rise and reach of Islam, then examines the Mongol empire, and ends with the rise of European nation states and their subsequent competition overseas. By delving into specific stories, from Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca, to Marco Polo's appointment to the court of Khubilai Khan, to the first interactions between European explorers and Native Americans, students examine the political, social, and cultural forces that shaped the development of society from 1000 to 1550. An equally important objective of the course is to hone the skills of historians and social scientists: the abilities to think objectively; to read and evaluate primary documents and secondary materials; to organize outline notes; to distinguish between more and less important evidence to employ in written and oral argument; to use library research tools; and to utilize a variety of textual, visual, statistical, and physical materials to understand and explain the past.

HIST-200, The Early Modern World 1500-1800
Four class periods per week. For Lowers. Focusing on developments in the Atlantic Rim, this course offers an interregional perspective on the period 1500-1800. The course examines the economic competition that drew the nations of Europe into the broader world. Through close scrutiny of the Atlantic Rim and the trade of goods and slaves, students probe the intertwining of personal, political, and economic relations that developed during this time. As in HIST-100, a central aim of the course is to enhance student development of the central skills of historical analysis and exposition. Particular emphasis will be placed on the skills of critical reading and historical writing.

HIST-300/4, The United States
A two-term commitment. Four class periods. For Uppers and Seniors. This course, along with History 310, completes the department's diploma requirements. The sequence emphasizes three goals: a survey knowledge of American history through the Great Depression; the acquisition of skills by daily exercises in reading, note-taking, and writing; and in-depth study of organizing themes.

HIST-300/5, The United States
Four class periods. For Uppers and Seniors. This course, along with History 310, completes the department's diploma requirements. The sequence emphasizes three goals: a survey knowledge of American history through the Great Depression; the acquisition of skills by daily exercises in reading, note-taking, and writing; and in-depth study of organizing themes.

HIST-310, The United States
Four class periods. For Uppers and Seniors. Students must take HIST-310 in the term immediately following their completion of HIST-300. The focus is on the United States during and after World War II. Prerequisite: successful completion of History 300/4 or 300/5. Prerequisite: Successful completion of HIST-300/4 or 300/5. Students completing this course who wish to take the College Board Advanced Placement examination should check with their teachers, since extensive review is required.

HIST-320/4, Topics in United States History for International Students
A two-term commitment. Four class periods. A course for entering Seniors for whom English is a second language. The intention of this course is to recognize the particular needs and strengths of students. The content is focused around key questions and issues in United States history. These include how a democracy emerged in America, the enduring dilemma of race and ethnicity, the rise of the American economy, and America's role in the world. The course emphasizes writing and language skills by gradually increasing the complexity of assignments and the amount of reading.

HIST-P300, Us History Pseudo Credit

HIST-SS480, Disease & Medicine in the United States: Pox & Pestilence
Five class periods per week. Open to Uppers and Seniors. See also SCIE-480. In recent years, historians have begun to understand the impact of disease on the human story and have incorporated it into the more traditional narratives. In common with other parts of the world, the history of the United States has been profoundly influenced by infectious disease. In this course we invite you to come along on a multi-disciplinary journey to explore the impact of disease on the American experience in the 19th and 20th centuries. After exploring the pre-contact situation in the Americas, we will focus on syphilis, smallpox, bacterial sepsis, cholera, yellow fever, malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, polio, HIV/AIDS, and bioterrorism agents such as anthrax. Students will research the role these diseases played in the social, military, and political history of the United States together with the science and medicine that developed in response to them. This is a research seminar and students will use a variety of sources to write a term paper. There is no final examination. A student in this course is elegible for credit in either history or science. A student who wishes to receive history credit should sign up for HIST-SS480; a student who wishes to receive science credit should sign up for SCIE-480. (Ms. Doheny and Dr. Hagler)

HIST-SS485, Out of Tune: Music and the State in The Twentieth Century
Four class periods per week. Can governments control culture? What effect can political oppression have on an artist's work? What does it take to be accepted by a totalitarian state as a legitimate composer? Can you determine the real intentions of a composer working under a repressive regime? While some composers enjoyed approval and even served the purposes of the state, the 20th century is rife with examples of composers whose work was compromised, neglected, even forbidden. The rise of the technology of mass media also aided governments in their use of music. Hitler and Stalin, for example, were both masters of propaganda and were acutely aware of the power of music to influence people. The course includes an exploration of the work of Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aaron Copland, amongst others, as well as the attitudes of the governments under which they worked. It ends with an examination of the artistic deprivations imposed by the Cultural Revolution in China. Students also will research a case study of their choice. A student who wishes to receive history credit should sign up for HIST-SS485; a student who wishes to receive music credit should sign up for MUSC-485. (Ms. Doheny and Mr. Walter)

HIST-SS520, Economics I: Macroeconomics and the Global Consumer
Four class periods per week. The course introduces students to the basic principles of macro- and microeconomics and their application and relevance to national and international public policy. Students examine the development of the contemporary global economy and use basic theoretical tools to analyze current issues. Classes consist primarily of discussions, although the course also employs role-playing, debates, guest speakers, films, and student reports on their term projects. Students completing this course are eligible to enroll in HIST-SS521 and/or HIST-SS522. Fall Term - Limited to Seniors. Coupled with HIST-SS521 in the winter, the fall course will prepare students to take both the macroeconomics and microeconomics AP exams. Winter Term - Preference to Seniors. Students enrolling in HIST-SS520 in the winter will be prepared to take the macroeconomics AP exam. Spring Term - Preference to Seniors. Students seeking opportunities to develop a basic understanding of the discipline prior to attending college are encouraged to enroll, although those enrolling in the spring will not be prepared for an AP examination.

HIST-SS521, Economics II: Microeconomics and the Developing World
HIST-SS521 continues the introduction to economics begun in History-Social Science 520. Students utilize the basic principles learned in HIST-SS520 and study microeconomics, theory of the firm, the organization of markets, and the role of governments in all areas of the global economy. Special attention is given to development economics, resource markets, questions concerning racial and gender wage discrimination, and public sector issues such as health care and the economics of the environment. Students also study a range of economic development models and complete an applied research project using such models in relation to a contemporary developing country. Classes consist primarily of discussions, simulations, problem sets, and guest lectures. Prerequisite: successful completion of HIST-SS520.

HIST-SS522, Economics Research Colloquium
This research colloquium investigates public policy issues in the field of economics. Topics include the debates over sustainable growth, tax reform, supply-side economics, labor organization, national industrial policy, pollution, population growth and welfare policy, and the ethical responsibilities of business. Classes center around discussion of individual students' works in progress; a term paper and presentation on an issue of choice are required. There is no final examination. Prerequisite: Successful completion of HIST-SS520.

HIST-SS530, International Relations
This course will introduce the student to international relations by investigating the major schools of thought in international relations. The class also will examine the historical setting in order to understand emerging developments in various areas of the world. Events in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas will be addressed as the current international situation unfolds. Class discussion is a major component of this course. (Mr. Gurry)

HIST-SS531, Comparative Government
This course introduces students to the world's diverse political structures and practices. A comparative study of six nations - Britain, Russia, China, Nigeria, Mexico, and Iran - serves as a core for the course. By examining the political implications of different types of social and economic development, students become familiar both with general political concepts and with a broad array of specific issues, and they are able to use their knowledge as a template for examining how other countries respond to global challenges. Students customarily chose whether to write an in-depth paper or take a final exam. The course does prepare students to take the AP examination in Comparative Government and Politics, though this is not its primary goal. (Mr. Williams)

HIST-SS532/1, East Asia
This course can be taken separately, or in a sequence with HIST-SS532/2. If taken as a sequence, they offer students a comprehensive introduction to three of the world's most important countries, the region they share, and their relations with the rest of the world. When practical, these classes engage in collaboration with Chinese and Japanese language classes, respectively. There are term-long film series, and students use extensive intranet sites as resources and in daily assignments. Fall Term: HIST-SS532/1(Modern China)-Four class periods per week. Following a rapid survey of Chinese history, the class concentrates on modern China since the early 19th century. Required reading includes selections from The Search for Modern China by Jonathan D. Spence and its accompanying documents anthology. Students write a research or other major paper or a series of short essays. There is no final exam. (Mr. Drench)

HIST-SS532/2, SS East Asia
This course can be taken separately or as part of a sequence with HIST-SS532/1. If taken as a sequence, they offer students a comprehensive introduction to three of the world's most important countries, the region they share, and their relations with the rest of the world. When practical, these classes engage in collaboration with Chinese and Japanese language classes, respectively. There are term-long film series, and students use extensive intranet sites as resources and in daily assignments. WINTER TERM: HIST-SS532/2 (Modern Japan and Korea)-This course offers a survey of Japanese history, an introduction to Japanese culture, and an intensive examination of modern Japanese and Korean issues. While it is taught in loose collaboration with Japanese 300, no knowledge of the Japanese language is necessary. Students read two required texts chosen from among Japan's Postwar History, by Gary D. Allinson; The Two Koreas, by Don Oberdorfer; Inventing Japan, by Ian Buruma; North Korea: Another Country, by Bruce Cumings; and Japan: A Modern History, by James L. McClain, Learning to Bow, by Bruce Feiler; Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami; and The Book of Masks, by Hwang Sun-won. Students write a research or other major paper or a series of short essays. There is no final exam.

HIST-SS533/1, SS The Middle East, Central and South Asia
This course can be taken separately, as part of a sequence with HIST-SS533/2. If taken as a sequence, they offer students a comprehensive introduction to a broad swath of the world in which Islam is the most widely practiced faith and with which the United States is intimately involved. Stretch-ing from Morocco to Kashmir, from the Balkans to Sudan to the former Soviet Central Asian republics, this vast area includes the world's oldest crossroads in the heart of the Middle East and a contemporary cauldron of issues competing for our attention. The class will feature guest speakers, a film series, and opportunities for corresponding via e-mail with students in the region. Andover's intranet and off-campus Internet sites are used extensively as resources and in daily assignments. (Mr. Drench) FALL TERM: HIST-SS533/1 - (The Middle East Heartland)-Four class periods. The fall term concentrates on the interior Middle East and North Africa. We survey history from the dawn of Islam to the present day, and then examine selected issues in depth. These issues have included the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Gulf War, statelessness, political Islam, terrorism, women and minorities, water and oil, the Iraq War, and the post-9/11 world. During the term, students are assigned several books to read. Other readings have included journal articles and primary documents. Students write a research or other major paper or a series of short essays, and engage in roll-plays or contribute weekly reports from online media sites they follow regularly throughout the term. There is no final exam.

HIST-SS533/2, The Middle East Asia
This course can be taken separately or in a sequence with HIST-SS533/1. If taken as a sequence, they offer students a comprehensive introduction to a broad swath of the world in which Islam is the most widely practiced faith and with which the United States is intimately involved. Stretching from Morocco to Kashmir, from the Balkans to Sudan to the former Soviet Central Asian republics, this vast area includes the world's oldest crossroads in the heart of the Middle East and a contemporary cauldron of issues competing for our attention. The class will feature guest speakers, a film series, and opportunities for corresponding via e-mail with students in the region. Andover's intranet and off-campus Internet sites are used extensively as resources and in daily assignments. WINTER TERM. HIST-SS533/2 (The Greater Middle East) - Four class periods. The winter term concentrates on the area between the Persian Gulf and the borders of Russia and China. There is a historical survey highlighting major themes, followed by an in-depth investigation of modern and contemporary issues. These have included political Islam, Afghanistan's instability, Iran's revolutions and nuclear program, the partition of India and the Indian-Pakistani rivalry in its Kashmiri and nuclear dimensions, regional energy-related issues, and the emergence of Muslim-majority states in Central Asia following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Students are assigned one or two books to read and/or choose another title from a varied booklist. Studnets write a research or other major paper or a series of short essays, and engage in role-plays or contribute weekly reports from online media sites that they follow regularly throughout the term. There is no final exam. (Mr. Drench)

HIST-SS534/2, Africa, Ecology, and the Global Economy
Africa ranks among the most resource-rich and least densely populated regions of the world. Why, then, are so many countries racked by poverty, disease, and war? Using resource endowments and global trade as our point of departure, we will examine the modern history of sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to discussion of common readings in fiction and nonfiction, each student will choose a nation, develop its current economic and environmental profile, and trace the roots of that nation's experience back through the 20th century to the colonial period. The course will include mastery of some basic concepts in ecology, economics, and international political economy, and require regular readings assigned and delivered online. The term's work will culminate in a mock roundtable of formal country briefs to the United Nation's Environment Programme in Nairobi. Open to Uppers and Seniors. (Dr. Shaw)

HIST-SS534/3, SS Africa and the World
SPRING - The modern challenge. Among the greatest achievements of the 20th century was the liberation of African countries from colonial rule. This course examines the modern history of the continent using the lens of economics. However, the course is designed for those who have not enrolled in formal economics courses but are interested in learning a few basic economic concepts. From the rationale for colonialism and the sharing in Europe of the Magnificent African Cake (1885-1945) through the heady promise of growth and development with independence (1945-1980) to the current challenge of debt, aid, and the question of post-colonialist dependency (1980-present), we will look at all three stages of modern history on the continent. Students will research one topic in depth. Open to Uppers and Seniors. No prerequisites.

HIST-SS535/3, Introduction to Latin America
Not offered in 2009-2010. This one-term course will introduce the student to many of the basic issues and themes that contribute to an understanding of Latin America. The class will deal briefly with the region's common history, the pre-colonial and colonial experiences. Rather than attempt a full survey, the course will review in some depth historical and contemporary issues in Brazil and Mexico, by far the largest countries of the region. Regionally, the class will look at a number of common themes: the New Left in Latin America; issues of U.S. foreign policy; common economic problems and prospects; regional integration, etc. Each student will be asked to look at a given Latin American country, invoking this thematic material as appropriate. The goal is to understand this important and neglected region, in its diversity and commonality, as its many links with the United States become ever more pressing. (Mr. Perry)

HIST-SS571, Gender Studies In Gender Relations
How does your moment in history shape your sexuality and your identity as a man or a woman? How does your culture shape those same aspects of your self? How do differences of gender create cross-cultural misunderstanding? Who decides what is feminine or masculine? How have mass media shaped our beliefs about gender? This course will include reading, discussions, films, guest speakers, short papers, and a final research project. There is no prerequisite and there is no final examination. (Dr. Rotundo)

HIST-SS572, Nuclear Power and Weapons Proliferation and Response
Not offered in 2009-2010. This seminar follows the evolution of and reaction to atomic energy and The Bomb, from the discovery of fission in 1938 on Otto Hahn's table in Nazi Germany, to Hiroshima, the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the START talks, SDI and Chernobyl in the 1980s, and the increased danger of proliferation and nuclear terrorism after the Cold War into the 21st century. Historians, chemists, physicists, political scientists, and journalists are among those who tell the story in lectures, documents, and secondary accounts. Readings include: Sheldon Stern, The Week the World Stood Still; Richard Smoke, National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma; and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists articles (2009-10). The course entails class seminars, field trips, films, readings, a research project, a period test, and a final examination.

HIST-SS574, Expansion and Indian Policy in the 19th Century: kill the Indian, Save The Man
In this course, students will explore the dramatic and often tragic events that accompanied the rapid expansion of white America in the 19th century. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Thomas Jefferson hoped to realize his dream of expanding the United States. The journeys of Lewis and Clark and other explorers helped open up the continent and make the dream a reality. The remarkably rapid expansion of white America permanently altered the way of life for native peoples as they faced intrusion into their traditional homelands. Throughout the 19th century the white government developed policies to deal with the Indian problem, from assimilation to removal, from reservations to allotment. In this course, students will examine these policies and the race theories that underpinned them. How influential, for example, was the measurement of human skulls by Samuel Morton for his Crania Americana? What did it mean to kill the Indian and save the man? And how, then, could white officials justify the destruction of the buffalo in the name of progress? Students will use the collections at the Peabody Museum, together with traditional written source materials, to uncover white and Indian perspectives as the continent came under the control of the U.S. government. (Mrs. Doheny)

HIST-SS575, Abolitionism in Black and White Against Slavery
Offered in winter and spring terms, this IP seminar explores the American anti-slavery movement through the lives and work of abolitionists, both black and white. Among the questions we will adress are: How did black and white abolitionists understand and approach the movement differently, and how did their motivations differ? How did slaves themselves resist slavery? White abolitionists believed that the slaves should be freed, but how many believed that former slaves should enjoy rights equal to those of whites? How was the threat of violence (armed uprising) used in anti-slavery arguments? How did the changing nature of slavery (e.g., the growth of the domestic slave trade) influence the anti-slavery movement? Both secondary and extensive primary sources will be used. After completing the introductory reading, each student will pick a topic to research and write about. Members of the seminar will meet regularly to discuss their research with one another and will also have regular individual meetings with the instructor. The major research paper or project will be due at the end of the term. Students interested in taking this IP seminar should apply to be an Abbot Independent Scholar (application available in the Dean of Studies' Office). Enrollment is limited to five students. (Mrs. Chase)

HIST-SS577A, American Popular Culture
In this course, students will examine the history of popular culture in the United States. The course will ask students to engage with a variety of popular culture forms (material culture, visual and aural culture, popular literature, etc.) and will introduce them to methodologies from different historical fields and perspectives. Students will investigate popular culture as evidence of the attitudes, assumptions, values, and anxieties of a society. Students will be encouraged to explore the contested meanings of culture, community, and membership in the United States as they cultivate an awareness of the ways popular culture has shaped -and been shaped by- race, class, and gender. Students will study both commercial and noncommercial aspects of popular culture, as well as consider how new forms of technology have altered the ways popular culture is produced and consumed. The course will examine the important role that American popular culture plays-and has played-in globalization. By looking at the products of popular culture historically, students will sharpen their abilities to read critically the popular culture of their own time. There is no final exam. (Ms. Ainsworth)

HIST-SS577C, The Founders and Their World
Those who founded the American republic confronted challenges that seem strikingly familiar: nation-building; terrorism; a ballooning national debt; use and misuse of the American military force; losing the respect of Europe; government suspension of civil liberties; and nasty presidential campaigns and disputed elections. This seminar invites a deeper understanding of the group of Americans present at the creation. Although they joined in making a revolution, they ultimately disagreed violently on the meaning of that revolution and its results. Making extensive use of primary documents and of recent appraisals of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, and others, students will develop their own understanding of these individuals and how they met the challenges of their time. Investigating those who invented the nation will raise questions such as: Why are there so many founding fathers and, apparently, so few founding mothers? Have historians overlooked figures that should be considered part of this group? Why did few of these apostles of freedom oppose slavery? Why did former colleagues and friends turn into bitter enemies? Why did so many of the founders die profoundly disillusioned with their new America? Students are expected to participate actively in seminar discussion and to write a research essay. There is no final examination. (Mr. Henningsen)

HIST-SS577D, The United States From Roosevelt to Roosevelt: America in the First Four Decades of the 20th Century
Four class periods per week. This course focuses on U.S. history starting with the Progressive Era, the 1920s, and the New Deal. As we examine the major reform movements of the Progressive Era, we will see how they were transformed by war and the nation's postwar reaction. We will look at the continuities between the Red Scare of 1919-1920 and the social conflict of the Roaring Twenties. As we study Franklin Roosevelt's administration in depth and its response to the Great Depression, we also will look at the WPA and other government attempts to reshape American culture. We also will study the response of the press, politicians, and others to the disturbing news of Hitler's repression of the Jews, as well as Eleanor Roosevelt's efforts to help refugees escape Europe. We will explore selected topics in politics, social history, and the culture of the first four decades of the 20th century. (Ms. Dalton)

HIST-SS577E, Five Worlds: Water

HIST-SS578/3, Brazilian Cultural Studies
Four class periods. See also ENG-582B/3. One of the largest countries in the world and with a diverse population, geography, and economic base, Brazil is poised to become one of the giants of 21st-century global development. This course will look into important moments in the political, economic, literary, and artistic histories of the country in the 19th and 20th centuries, in an effort to understand how Brazil came to be what it is today and what it could become in the future. We will pay specific attention to the nation's formative years after independence from Portugal in 1822, the coffee boom of the early 20th century, the Vargas and Kubitschek regimes, the military dictatorship of the 1960s and '70s, and the new democratic period of recent years. These historical eras will be studied through the lens of the literature, film, art, and music being produced at the time. Of special interest will be the work of Machado de Assis, Gilberto Freyre, Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado, and participants in the 1922 Week of Modern Art movement, as well as the protest songs and films depicting life under the military regime. A student in this course is elegible for credit in either English or history. A student who wishes to receive English credit should sign up for ENGL-582B; a student who wishes to receive history credit should sign up for HIST-SS578. (Mr. Perry and Dr. Vidal)

HIST-SS579, Europe 1914-1945: War and Peace
Four class periods per week. Why did Europe become the battleground for two world wars fought within 25 years of each other? This seminar will examine the political, social, and economic conditions in Europe that set the stage for the bloodletting of the first half of the 20th century. The First World War caused the collapse of empires, the death of millions, and a fissure dividing an idealized old Europe and a disconcertingly modern new one. In the 1920s and 1930s the redrawn map of Europe, socialism, fascism, and Nazism all set the stage for the next great conflagration, while the art and literature of those years expressed key cultural shifts. The Second World War brought horrors that resonate to this day: Auschwitz, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin146s purges, the firebombing of Dresden, and the atomic bomb, to name just a few. When the war finally ended it would take a remarkable shift in thinking to reconstruct a war-torn continent. Readings will include historical narrative, literature, and memoirs. Independent reading, research, and writing will be the basis for assessment. There is no final examination. (Ms. Mulligan)

MUSC-485, Out of Tune: Music and the State in The Twentieth Century
Four class periods (two singles, one double.) Open to Uppers and Seniors. See also HIST-SS485. Can governments control culture? What effect can political oppression have on an artist's work? What does it take to be accepted by a totalitarian state as a legitimate composer? Can you determine the real intentions of a composer working under a repressive regime? While some composers enjoyed approval and even served the purposes of the state, the 20th century is rife with examples of composers whose work was compromised, neglected, even forbidden. The rise of the technology of mass media also aided governments in their use of music. Hitler and Stalin, for example, were both masters of propaganda and were acutely aware of the power of music to influence people. The course includes an exploration of the work of Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aaron Copland, amongst other case studies, together with the attitudes of the governments under which they worked. It ends with an examination of the artistic deprivations imposed by the Cultural Revolution in China. Students will also research a case study of their choice. A student in this course is eligible for credit in either history or music. A student who wishes to receive history credit should sign up for HIST-SS485; a student who wishes to receive music credit should sign up for MUSC-485. (Mr. Walter and Ms. Doheny) Prerequisite: Successful completion of a 200-level music course.