University Catalog 2023-2024

History - Modern Europe (HISE)

History - Modern Europe (HISE)

HISE 1210  Eur & Wider World To 1789  (3)  

European history from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution: the Renaissance and the Reformation, the origin of the modern state and of capitalism, the beginnings of colonialism, the scientific revolution, and the Enlightenment.

HISE 1220  Emerg Cont World 1789-  (3)  

The impact of the French Revolution and Napoleon; reaction and revolt; the growth of nationalism; the industrial revolution and the rise of socialism; international rivalry, imperialism, and the coming of World War I; rise of totalitarianism and the failure of international security; World War II and postwar developments.

HISE 1500  Special Topics  (3)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department.

HISE 1510  Napoleon in Russia 1812  (3)  

This seminar is a close study of Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812, the impact it had upon the Russian empire, and the place that it came to occupy in Russia's historical memory. The seminar, which meets twice per week, emphasizes the timely reading of assigned readings and active participation in class discussions.

HISE 1910  Special Topics  (3)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Notes: For special offering, see the Schedule of Classes.

HISE 1940  Transfer Coursework  (0-20)  

Transfer Coursework at the 1000 level. Department approval may be required.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 2160  Europe in the 18th Century  (3)  

Examines developments in human ecology and power, critiques of tradition from diverse groups, and efforts to implement novel models, both cosmopolitan and nationalistic, for a rational and just society.

HISE 2170  Europe in the 19th Century  (3)  

Explores the quest for popular and national security in an age of radically shifting material circumstances deeply influenced by concepts of political and social equality.

HISE 2210  Modern Germany  (3)  

A survey of the political, social, and economic development of Germany from the revolution of 1848 to the aftermath of the Second World War. Topics include unification, Bismarckian Germany, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich.

HISE 2220  France in the Tropics  (3)  

A survey of the French colonial empire in the 19th and 20th c, with a focus on Africa and Asia. Topics will include the role of race, class, and gender in colonial society, colonial medicine, education, urban planning, among others.

HISE 2230  France since 1789  (3)  

A survey of French history since 1789, with particular attention to social, cultural, and political change. Among other topics, we will examine political upheaval, imperialism, class dynamics, changing gender roles, and questions of French identity in the modern era.

HISE 2240  Rus Rulers & Tyrants, 900-1825  (3)  

Political, social, and economic developments in Russia from the earliest times to the mid-19th century. Kievan and Muscovite background, reforms of Peter the Great, and the effects of westernization.

HISE 2250  Russia Since 1825- Present  (3)  

This lecture course covers the last decades of the Tsarist regime, the Russian revolution of 1917, the Soviet Regime from Lenin and Stalin, the collapse of the Soviet Regime in 1991, and the Putin era.

HISE 2260  Paris Since Antiquity  (3)  

This course traces the evolution of the city of Paris from its origins as a backwater of the Roman Empire, to its importance as a center of Enlightenment thought in the 18th century, its emergence as the ‘capital of modernity’ in the 19th century, and on through its contested status in the 20th and 21st centuries. We will explore the city through the lenses of protest and revolution, leisure and consumption, public health and urban planning policies, and immigration and multiculturalism, amongst others.

HISE 2310  Medieval England  (3)  

A survey of the political, social, and intellectual development of England from the Anglo-Saxon period to 1485.

HISE 2320  Early Modern England  (3,4)  

A survey of the political, social, economic, and cultural development of England from the founding of the Tudor dynasty to the rebellion of the American colonies (1485-1776). Topics include the Reformation, the civil war, relations with Scotland and Ireland, political thought, crime and riot, education, and domestic industry.

HISE 2330  History of Scotland  (3)  

An introductory lecture course on the history of Scotland from earliest times to the present day, covering social, political and economic topics.

HISE 2410  Spain, 1369-1716  (3)  

Surveys the course of Spanish history from the completion of the medieval Reconquest and the rise of the Trastamara dynasty in the fourteenth century until the end of Habsburg Spain in the early eighteenth century, with particular attention to state formation and the role of Spain as a great European power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Besides politics, the course examines central topics in the social, religious and cultural history of late medieval and early modern Spain.

HISE 2420  The Age of Reformation  (3)  

Surveys the transformation of Western Christendom (c. 1400-1700), with emphasis on: late medieval religious practice; discontent and reform currents within the Church; the Protestant Reformations of Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, anabaptists, and others; and Catholic response and Counter-Reformation.

HISE 2430  Modern Spain since 1700  (3)  

Examines the course of modern Spanish history from the Bourbon succession through the loss of overseas empire, the political and social evolution culminating in the bloody civil war of 1936-39, and the subsequent dictatorship of Franco, to contemporary democratic Spain and the challenges it faces.

HISE 2500  Memories of Violence 20th Cent  (3)  

Among the many instances of violent and traumatic collective experiences in 20th century Europe, this class will focus on three particular case studies, the Holocaust in Germany, the bombing of Guernica in Spain, and the siege of Saraievo during the Bosnian War. These cases are not chosen at random, but for their ability to shape how we narrate individual and collective responses to most traumatic experiences of state imposed violence in 20th century Europe.

HISE 2890  Service Learning  (0-1)  

Students complete a service activity in the community in conjunction with the content of a three-credit co-requisite course. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 2910  Special Topics  (1-4)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 2911  Special Topics  (1-3)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Notes: For special offering, see the Schedule of Classes. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 2940  Transfer Coursework  (0-20)  

Transfer Coursework at the 2000 level. Department approval may be required.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3000  Historical Methods: HISE 3190  (1)  

Historical Methods Lab. For description, consult the department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3190  The Spanish Civil War  (3,4)  

The Civil War of 1936-39 considered both as the watershed of modern Spanish history and as an event of major international significance. Readings and discussion focus on the causes and course of the conflict, and on its consequences down to the present.

HISE 3220  WWII In French Film  (3-4)  

This seminar examines the representation of the era of Nazi occupation and the Vichy Regime (1940-44) in films produced between the 1940s and the 2000s. We will focus on depictions of daily life, the politics of collaboration and resistance, and the French role in the Holocaust.

HISE 3230  The French Revolution  (3)  

The French Revolution is among the most written-about historical subjects, and for good reason. Along with the American and Haitian Revolutions, it prompted dramatic shifts in ideas and practices of governance, politics, law, as well as social, racial, and gender hierarchies. These shifts radically transformed French society, had a lasting impact on the rest of Europe, and also had significant global repercussions. This seminar will pursue two major objectives: understanding the events of the Revolution, and engaging with historians’ interpretations of those events.

HISE 3250  Russia at War, 1939-1945  (3-4)  

This seminar provides an overview and analysis of the Second World War on the Eastern front. The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, inaugurated one of the bloodiest wars in history. The Soviet victory following devastating defeats and losses at the war's outset, was indispensable to the overall Allied victory. The Soviet victory was won at enormous cost, whether in human lives lost or in the physical devastation of the country. The victory also transformed the Soviet Union into a superpower and left the Soviet Union in control of much of Eastern Europe. The course requires reading, discussion, and the writing of a research paper.

HISE 3260  Putin's Russia  (3-4)  

The period between the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the present in Russia has witnessed dramatic changes in every dimension of Russian life, from political ideology and institutions to the transformation of economy, society, and broader culture. This seminar seeks to illuminate the nature of these transformative changes, focusing particular attention on Vladimir Putin's rise to power, the character of his rule, and the reasons for his popularity in Russia. The reasons for the growth in popular as well as state hostility to the West and Western culture forms a particularly important part of the course.

HISE 3270  Lit/Soc In Russ To 1917  (3)  

An exploration of the central role that writers and literature played in the culture and society of nineteenth and early twentieth-century Russia. Readings include selected novels, poetry, critical essays, and memoirs as well as secondary historical literature. The course focuses upon the role of literature in Russian society and the relationship between literary representations and history.

HISE 3280  Lit/Soc In Russ To 1991  (3)  

An exploration of the role that literature and writers played in the history and culture of the Soviet Union from its inception to its collapse in 1991. Readings include selected novels, poetry, and memoirs as well as secondary historical literature. The course focuses on the relationship between writers and the state and society in the Soviet period and the relationship between literary representations and history.

HISE 3290  Origins WWII 1919-1939  (3)  

European international affairs from the treaty of Versailles to Hitler's invasion of Poland, emphasizing the diplomatic, political, and military forces that contributed to the outbreak of the Second World War.

HISE 3300  Death Disease Destitution  (3-4)  

Death, Disease, Destitution and Despair in Early Modern Europe Readings, discussion, and a research paper examining the experience of and social reaction to illness, insanity, poverty, and death in Western Europe.

HISE 3311  Gardens Parks and Green Spaces  (3,4)  

This course examines the creation of gardens, parks and public space in Europe and the Americas from 1500 to the present day. We will study the historical evolution, technology and art form of gardens and public parks as well as their social significance, taking into account issues of race, ethnicity, gender and class.

Corequisite(s): HISE 3890.

HISE 3390  Europe Since 1939  (3)  

A survey of European history since the outbreak of the Second World War, covering all major states. Topics will include the war and its aftermath, the division of the continent in the Cold War, the development of welfare states and socialist systems, the emergence of the idea of a united European community, and the collapse of Communism in eastern Europe.

HISE 3513  Hist of Jews in Russ 1772-2000  (3)  

This course studies the history of the Jews in Russia from the First Partition of Poland in 1772 until the beginning of the twenty-first century. The course examines the evolution of that Jewish community itself and the issues that divided that community.

HISE 3890  Service Learning  (0-1)  

Students complete a service activity in the community in conjunction with the content of a three-credit co-requisite course. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.

Corequisite(s): HISE 3311.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3910  Special offering: Europe  (3,4)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3911  Spec Offering Europe  (3)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3921  Special Offering Europe  (3)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3922  Special Offering Europe  (3)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 3940  Transfer Coursework  (0-20)  

Transfer Coursework at the 3000 level. Department approval may be required.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 4140  Household Gender Sexuality  (3,4)  

This course examines the structure, function, and emotional content of families in Europe from the Renaissance to the 18th century. The construction of gender as well as attitudes to and the regulation of sexuality will also be discussed.

HISE 4890  Service Learning  (0-1)  

Students complete a service activity in the community in conjunction with the content of a three-credit co-requisite course. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 4910  Special Topics  (1-3)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 4940  Transfer Coursework  (0-20)  

Transfer coursework at the 4000 level. Departmental approval required.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 5380  Junior Year Abroad  (1-20)  

Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 5390  Junior Year Abroad  (1-20)  

Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 6050  The Italian Renaissance  (3-4)  

An examination of cultural, religious, and political developments in Renaissance Italy and their impact on the rest of Europe.

HISE 6100  Ren & Ref 1450 to1660  (3)  

Examines religious and secular aspects of the breakdown of Christian unity from the Renaissance to the mid-seventeenth century. Topics include the decline of the Church; philosophical and doctrinal conflict; dissent and renewal in the Protestant Reformation; the Catholic Reformation; ideology, politics, and wars of religion; Counter-Reformation; and foreign intervention in France and the Netherlands.

HISE 6140  Rev-Napol Eur 1789-1815  (3)  

This course explores the questioning of traditions throughout Europe, the exchange of concepts of social organization among regions, and the emergence of an imperial power that redirected civilization.

HISE 6330  Imperial Spain 1469-1659  (3,4)  

Examines the rise and decline of Spanish power in Europe and the Atlantic world and the internal development of the Spanish kingdoms from unification under Fernando and Isabel through the reigns of Charles V and Philip II to the end of the Habsburg dynasty. Besides politics and diplomacy, reading and discussions will address religious practice and the Spanish Inquisition, the art and literature of the Golden Age, and the cult of honor with its consequences for social structure, economic life and gender relations.

HISE 6350  Crime/Punish Hanov Engln  (3,4)  

This in depth seminar focuses on crime, punishment and the justice system in eighteenth-century England. We will investigate such topics as the rise of defense lawyers, the goals of punishment and the development of a system of police. Students will also make use of a digitized data base, theoldbaileyonline, which contains the transcripts of trials held at the Old Bailey courthouse in London to write a research paper.

HISE 6370  Seminar Early Mod Englnd  (3)  

Readings, discussion, and research paper will focus on a selected topic of English history between 1485 and 1789. Topics will include Religion and Society and Georgian England, 1714-1783. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 6380  Sem Mod British History  (4)  

Readings, discussion, and a research paper focusing on one of the following periods of modern British history: Britain in the Age of Revolution, 1760-1850; The Victorian Era, 1830-1900; Britain in the Age of World War, 1900-1945. On occasion, the seminar might focus on a topic rather than a period. Course may be repeated 4 times for credit.

Course Limit: 4

HISE 6420  Readings In Holocaust  (3-4)  

Examines the origins and development of the Nazi Final Solution; the experience of the victims, perpetrators, rescuers, and bystanders; and the relationship between history and memory.

HISE 6430  Religion & Society in Golden Age Spain  (3,4)  

Examines Spanish religious history from the late fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. Among other topics, readings and discussions will focus on: the collapse of religious pluralism and the end of convivencia (the coexistence of Christians, Jews, and Muslims); the Spanish Inquisition (its purposes, process, personnel, and consequences); varieties of religious practice in early modern Spain; and the characteristics of Spanish Catholicism in the Counter-Reformation.

HISE 6510  The Russian Revolution:1900-24  (3,4)  

The course explores the origins and nature of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917. It focuses equal attention upon the policies of the tsarist regime and the various social movements, political parties, and ideologies that arose in opposition to that regime. The reasons for the Bolshevik victory in October 1917 and the character of the early Bolshevik regime from 1917 through the Civil War are problems the course addresses. The contentious debates historians have conducted on almost every aspect of the revolution are an important part of the course's readings and discussions.

HISE 6511  Stalin's Russia, 1924-1953  (3,4)  

This seminar addresses four major questions: 1) What was the nature of the political, social, and cultural system that came into existence under Stalin and how did that system evolve during his lifetime? 2) What was the scope and nature of political repression and state terror under Stalin? Given the reality of state terror, how can we explain the geniune enthusiasm that the regime was able to mobilize for so many of its initiatives? 3) What was the Soviet experience during World War II, and how did the war affect Soviet society and politics? 4) What was the range of experiences that ordinary individuals and families encountered in their private lives during the Stalin era? A major question throughout the course is the character of Stalin's personal rule and the extent of his responsibility for the major developments under his leadership.

HISE 6512  Stalins Shadow: Soviet 1953-91  (3)  

This course examines the evolution of the Soviet Union from Stalin's death until its collapse in 1991. Its primary focus is on the important changes that occurred in the political, cultural, and social spheres within the Soviet Union itself and in the stances that the Soviet Union adopted toward the rest of the world. The initial changes, which contemporaries described as the thaw, witnessed a liberalization that culminated in an explicit denunciation of many of Stalin's policies. The course concludes with an inquiry into the Gorbachev reforms of glasnost and perestroika, which culminated in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

HISE 6520  Immigr & Identity in France  (3,4)  

This seminar will explore the history of immigration to France since the late 19th century and attendant debates over national identity, secularism, and race. We will examine colonial and postcolonial migration, the rise of xenophobic extremist political parties, minority activism, and controversies over the place of Islam in French society.

HISE 6600  Photography & Historical Imagi  (3-4)  

This class aims to explore the relationship between historical memory and photographic practice.

HISE 6601  Jewish Life & Culture Ctr Euro  (3)  

This course explores the many facets of Jewish life and culture in Germany and other Central European nations. We will focus on the relationship of various Jewish communities with their Gentile neighbors, local and state authorities and trace the course and success of the Haskalah movement (the Jewish enlightenment). We will be particularly sensitive to the daily life experience of women in their struggles to find a voice and acceptance as women and as Jews, as well as the dramatic rise of a Jewish middle class in the realm of science, finance and industry.

HISE 6610  Postwar Cultures: Divided Cont  (3)  

This course explores the many ways daily practices and political ideologies have intersected in the lives of ordinary European citizens in the era of the Iron Curtain.

HISE 6660  Private Violence, Public Consequences  (3-4)  

Examines and analyzes private violence in a variety of forms that opposed, contested, supplemented, or substituted for state power from the Renaissance through the twentieth century in Europe. Separate multi-week sections of the course will concentrate on vendettas and blood feuds, dueling, piracy and banditry, and the Sicilian mafia.

HISE 6910  Spec offerings: European  (3,4)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 6911  Spec offerings: European  (3)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 6913  Spec offering: European  (3,4)  

For specific offering, see the Schedule of Classes. For description, consult department. Course may be repeated up to unlimited credit hours.


Maximum Hours: 99

HISE 7910  Special Topics  (1-3)  

Courses offered by visiting professors or permanent faculty. For description, consult the department. Notes: For special offering, see the Schedule of Classes.