This course explores how food was made, consumed, and understood in the past. What did food and eating mean to different people at different times, in different places? How did everyday foods, like sugar or potatoes, travel around the world? What impacts did human-made and natural disasters have on eating habits and food supplies, and how did the presence and absence of food influence people's behaviour? In this course, students learn to connect local and global interactions, past events, and the present through food. (formerly HIST 2123). Students who have taken HIST 2123 cannot take this course for credit.
Pre-Colonial Africa HIST1133A
T TH
01:00PM-02:20PM
Precolonial Africa explores the history of Africa up to the nineteenth century. Topics covered include Africa's place in hominid evolution, Africa's contribution to the Neolithic revolution, rise of the states versus stateless societies, traditional religion versus world religions, coastal societies versus inland societies, long-distance trade and the rise of empires, and domestic slavery versus transoceanic slavery and their effects on development. The objective is to challenge stereotypic notions about precolonial African societies, to contribute to students' understanding of Africa's place in early world history, and to introduce students to some of the key historiographical debates on precolonial African history. (formerly HIST 2133). Students who have taken HIST 2133 cannot take this course for credit.
Cars in World History HIST1173A
-
Cars have shaped our world more than any other technology over the past century. Mass motorization created new opportunities for travel and consumption, changed the way people worked, transformed cities, and contributed to rising pollution and climate change. In this course we will explore the car's social, cultural, and environmental impacts on a global scale. (formerly HIST 3173). Students who took HIST 3173 cannot take this course for credit.
Exploring History HIST2003A
W F
09:00AM-10:20AM
This mandatory course for History Majors and Honours students provides an introduction to the discipline of History. The course examines a variety of historiographical and method- ological approaches to History, as well as the history of History. It encourages students to re-examine their assumptions about History, but it will also help students develop their basic historical research and writing skills. Exploring History provides a foundation for upper-year History courses and students are strongly encouraged to take it before their third year. Prerequisite: At least 6 credit hours in History courses at St. Thomas University.
World History to 1400 HIST2013A
M W F
10:30AM-11:20AM
This 3-credit course is half of the world history survey. It gives an overview of world history events, issues, themes, and approaches until about 1400 of the Common Era (CE). It covers topics such as the origins of the universe (the Big Bang & Cosmic History), Paleolithic societies, the transition to agricultural societies, the rise of major states, empires and cultural traditions, the Silk Roads, and networks of cross-cultural interaction. NOTE: Students who have taken HIST 1013 or HIST 1006 cannot take this course for credit.
Early Modern Europe HIST2033A
M W
02:30PM-03:50PM
This course provides an introduction to early modern European history from the end of the so-called Middle Ages to the era of the French Revolution (more or less the 15th to the 18th centuries). Students will study social, cultural, political, economic and other developments in order to better understand how the societies we recognize today evolved from the rather different world of the late Middle Ages. The course traces themes and topics such as religious belief, absolutist politics, interactions between majorities and minorities, the changing status of women, and Europe's place in an increasingly global setting.
The Material World HIST2103A
W
02:30PM-05:20PM
This course examines themes in world history through the use and study of material objects. Histories of everyday materials and objects allow us to examine diverse issues such as the environment, history, technology, and culture. In general, historians have relied primarily on text-based sources and this course will explore the role and use of material objects in doing history. We will examine theoretical approaches to material history as well as survey the historical literature of this branch of study.
War & Famine in Horn of Africa HIST2113A
T TH
10:00AM-11:20AM
This is a course on the history of Northeastern Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia, the most populous country in the region. Northeastern Africa, commonly known as the Horn of Africa, consists of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Designed with history and non- history Majors in mind, the course will explore major landmark events in the history of this region from antiquity to the present.
Modern East Asia HIST2173A
M W F
11:30AM-12:20PM
This course surveys the history of East Asia from ca. 1500 to the present. It examines the richness and complexity of societies in Japan, Korea and China, and East Asia's engagement in the making of the modern world.
Pirates, Piracy & World Hist. HIST2233A
T TH
02:30PM-03:50PM
This course traces the history of pirates and piracy from pre-modern societies to the present day. Topics include piracy in the Greco-Roman world, the Barbary Coast, the South China Seas, the Caribbean, North America, and present-day Somalia.
Modern Latin America HIST2623A
T TH
01:00PM-02:20PM
This course surveys the history of Latin America from the early 1800s, when the Spanish and Portuguese colonies won their independence, to the present day. It focuses on how people have grappled with colonial legacies such as social and racial hierarchies, global economic inequality, and foreign domination. Major themes include the struggles of early nationhood, migration and urbanization, U. S. imperialism, social movements, revolutions, and human rights.
Gender in Early Modern Europe HIST3033A
T TH
08:30AM-09:50AM
Europe's early modern period (c. 1450-1800) was a time of political tumult, religious conflict, and seismic shifts in centuries-old institutions. The resulting social changes were profound; new roles emerged for men and women as new questions were asked and new norms evolved. This course takes a thematic approach to the changing lives of men and women, examining the role of gender in both the major events and the everyday realities of the period.
Disability in History HIST3053A
W
04:00PM-06:50PM
This course treats disability as a historical subject. It explores questions such as what it means to be disabled in various times and places, how people with disability lived their lives, how society at large conceptualized differences in physical ability and mental capacity, when and how disability intersected with other identity constructs, and the roles myth and religion played in all this.
Germany:1871-1945 HIST3363A
T TH
02:30PM-03:50PM
In 1871, newly unified Germany looked forward to a future that seemed to promise greatness. By 1945, after two world wars and the repressive Third Reich, the country was in ruins. How did this come about? In this course, students study social, cultural, political, and economic developments in order to understand better the history of one of Europe's most important states. Using text and images from the past, they learn more about how Germans lived, as well as considering broader issues like nationalism, racism, imperialism, and conflict.
The History Workshop HIST3553A
T TH
11:30AM-12:50PM
The Workshop provides students with the opportunity to enhance their skills of historical analysis, writing and oral communication through close engagement with an important historical event or issue. The Workshop is recommended for students planning to take 4000-level seminars, as well as students considering an application to graduate programs or professional schools. Please consult the History Department Handbook, Chair or web page for upcoming Workshop topics. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
Topics in Medieval History HIST4206A1
T
02:30PM-05:20PM
This advanced seminar deals with important aspects of social, religious, intellectual and institutional history in the so-called Middle Ages. Specific topics will change from year to year but generally focus on relationships between the different sorts of medieval communities. The seminar is intended for students with some background in pre-modern history, philosophy and/or theological traditions, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.
Winter Semester 2024
Course
Days
Time
Food in World History HIST1123B
T TH
01:00PM-02:20PM
This course explores how food was made, consumed, and understood in the past. What did food and eating mean to different people at different times, in different places? How did everyday foods, like sugar or potatoes, travel around the world? What impacts did human-made and natural disasters have on eating habits and food supplies, and how did the presence and absence of food influence people's behaviour? In this course, students learn to connect local and global interactions, past events, and the present through food. (formerly HIST 2123). Students who have taken HIST 2123 cannot take this course for credit.
Magic and Demons HIST1153A
M W F
12:30PM-01:20PM
What is magic? What are demons? How have constantly evolving beliefs about the supernatural impacted the course of human history (and vice versa)? This introductory survey explores how various cultures have sought to understand their world through appeal to supernatural forces-around the globe and throughout the ages.
Screening History HIST1783A
T TH
11:30AM-12:50PM
Most of us get our most vivid impressions of history from images, video, and film. This course explores what's behind the screens we watch, so we can consider how visual media presents history in particular ways, and also how we can use visual media to analyze the past. You will get an introduction to some of the challenges and benefits of Screening History. (formerly HIST 3783) Students who have taken HIST 3783 cannot take this course for credit.
Exploring History HIST2003B
T TH
11:30AM-12:50PM
This mandatory course for History Majors and Honours students provides an introduction to the discipline of History. The course examines a variety of historiographical and method- ological approaches to History, as well as the history of History. It encourages students to re-examine their assumptions about History, but it will also help students develop their basic historical research and writing skills. Exploring History provides a foundation for upper-year History courses and students are strongly encouraged to take it before their third year. Prerequisite: At least 6 credit hours in History courses at St. Thomas University.
World History Since 1400 HIST2023A
M W F
10:30AM-11:20AM
This 3-credit course is part of the world history survey. It offers an overview of world history events, issues, themes, and approaches from roughly 1400 of the Common Era (CE) to the present. It covers topics such as the emergence of long-distance exploration, cross-cultural interaction, the early modern and modern worlds, the Columbian Exchange, industrialization, modern imperialism, world wars, networks, and globalization from circa 1400 onward. (formerly HIST 1023) This course counts toward the World History survey requirement for students pursuing a Major or Honours in History. NOTE: Students who have taken HIST 1023 or HIST 1006 cannot take this course for credit.
Modern Europe HIST2043A
T TH
02:30PM-03:50PM
Beginning with industrialization and a wave of revolutions that started in the late 1700s, this course traces the history of Europe to today. Who governed and whose labour made economies run? Who held power and who did not? While studying how Europeans interacted with each other and the world, students will analyse historical changes and explore issues of inclusion, exclusion and diversity. The course follows History 2033 chronologically but has no prerequisite.
World History Since WWII HIST2053A
T TH
01:00PM-02:20PM
This course examines developments in world history since the Second World War, such as the emergence of the Cold War, decolonization, the growth of American power and struggles for human rights. It also explores the consequences of urbanization, demographic growth, technological change, and environmental degradation.
History of Modern India HIST2183A
T TH
10:00AM-11:20AM
The course explores the history of the Indian subcontinent from c. 1500 onward. It considers the Mughals, the 18th-century successor states, British colonialism, Indian nationalism and postcolonial India to the present day.
Modern and Revolutionary China HIST3113A
W F
09:00AM-10:20AM
This is a survey of the final century of dynastic rule in China, until China's latest efforts to retrieve its status of world power. It examines the rise to power of the Nationalist and Communist parties, examining social and cultural developments, the impact of Western imperialism, and the evolution of revolutionary ideologies.
The British Atlantic World HIST3203A
T TH
01:00PM-02:20PM
This course presents the Atlantic Ocean as a conduit facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas from approximately 1500-1800. Themes include the transatlantic slave trade, experiences of Indigenous travelers, indentured servants, and British colonists, as well as transatlantic fraternal orders.
Archives, Knowledge & Power HIST3283A
M W
02:30PM-03:50PM
This experiential learning course introduces students to archives as repositories of knowledge, and to critiques of those institutions. Students learn how historians use archives with hands-on experience at the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. They explore grassroots and digital projects that preserve knowledge and experiences not normally represented in official archives: queer archives, indigenous language and cultural recovery projects, oral history initiatives, archives assembled by human rights activists, etc.
18th Century Europe at Play HIST3433A
T TH
08:30AM-09:50AM
This course examines the social history of leisure in Europe during the long eighteenth century (c. 1680-1820). With the rise of global trade in luxury goods, a new era of prosperity and wealth coincided with a richly-supplied market in beautiful non-essentials. This course will trace the social and cultural changes that went hand in glove with the entertainment fashions of the eighteenth century, and the encoded priorities and ideals of the people who enjoyed them.
Modern Empires HIST3593A
T TH
10:00AM-11:20AM
What is an empire? This course focuses on imperialism and empires from 1800 to the present. Using examples from a variety of historical empires across the world, we explore imperial societies, trade and exchange between peripheries and metropoles, imperial cultures, issues of race, gender and violence in imperial contexts. We also discuss the difficult beginnings and complex ends of empires, and their on-going legacies today.
Topics in Medieval History HIST4206A2
T
02:30PM-05:20PM
This advanced seminar deals with important aspects of social, religious, intellectual and institutional history in the so-called Middle Ages. Specific topics will change from year to year but generally focus on relationships between the different sorts of medieval communities. The seminar is intended for students with some background in pre-modern history, philosophy and/or theological traditions, whether Christian, Muslim, or Jewish.