Saint Anselm College's Catalog

Please note that old catalog numbers are in brackets.

History 100 (Hi B) Introduction to the Study of History
This course is intended to introduce you to the ways that historians learn, know, and think. We will explore how to read, understand, and critique books and articles written by historians, and we will also begin to learn how to conduct historical research and construct arguments based on that research. We will read about history and do history in this class.

History 101 (Hi 1) Origins of Western Civilization
Western Civilization from its Middle East origins to approximately 1600.

History 103 (Hi 3) War and Revolution in the Modern World
Compares and contrasts various wars and revolutions since 1500 by explaining their context and place in the modern era.

History 104 (Hi 4) The Peopling of America
An introductory level course exploring the history of the diverse ethnic and racial composition of the United States from the colonial period to the present. The course will examine the impact of mass immigration and inter-race relations in this country. The course will make use of autobiography, oral history, and primary sources to show how the United States developed into a pluralistic society. This course will discuss the experiences of European, African American, Asian and Latin American immigrants.

History 105 (Hi 5: World Empires) World History, 1500—present
This course examines the development of the modern world from approximately 1500 AD to the present. Topics include the role of European expansion and colonization in creating the new global network, and the cultural exchange between Western and non-Western civilizations.

History 106 (Hi 6) The U.S. Presidency
The power of the U.S. President was intended to be limited, but has generally grown throughout the years since George Washington served as the first president. We explore the limits specificed in the Constitution as well as the ways in which the Presidents have used institutional, Congressional, and personal strategies to expand their powers.

History 107 (Hi 7) Cities and Social Change
An introduction to urban and social history. It examines selected cities over time, looking at their physical composition and the impact of their economic, social, political, and cultural functions on social change.

History 225 (Hi 20) Early Modern Europe
The course explores the origins of modernity in early modern Europe, and it examines the major economic, political, social, intellectual, and cultural developments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Topics of special interest include the Thirty Years’ War, witchcraft, rise of absolutism, “consumer revolution”, colonial expansion, the Scientific Revolution, the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, and the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

History 226 (Hi 21) Modern European History
A survey of the major political, economic, social, and cultural events that have shaped modern Europe since 1815. Topics discussed include the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of modern political ideologies, and the conflicts of the twentieth century.

History 250 (Hi 41) United States History to 1877
A survey of basic American economic, political, and social developments, which covers the period from colonial times through Reconstruction.

History 251 (Hi 42) United States History from 1877
A survey of basic American economic, political, and social developments, which covers the period from the Gilded Age to the present.

History 275 (Hi 60) Asian Civilization
The course introduces the history of Asia, with primary attention to East and Southeast Asia. It explores interactions among the Asian countries, and ways in which Asians made sense of social relations, politics, economic change, and culture. (This course was formerly numbered History 10.)

History 276 Early Africa
TBA

History 277 Modern Africa
This course provides an introduction to the themes and events of African history from 1807 to the present. Of course, within the limited scope of a semester, it would be impossible to convey every detail of two centuries of history. Rather, the course will focus on outlining major trends and on equipping students with the basic knowledge and analytical resources needed to interpret the African past. Readings will encourage students to think about how history is written and to develop their own interpretations of primary documents. Class discussions will provide an opportunity for students to engage more creatively with the course materials and to practice thinking historically.

Advanced Courses

History 311 (Hi 11) Ancient Greece
A study of the political, social, and cultural history of Greece from Homer to 146 B.C. Topics include: the Age of Homer, rise of Sparta and Athens, Athenian democracy and imperialism, and Hellenism.

History 312 (Hi 12) Ancient Rome
A study of the political, social and cultural history of Rome from 509 B.C. to the Fall of the Empire. It will examine the rise of the Roman Republic, expansion and imperialism, Roman society and culture, and Roman legacy to the West.

History 313 (Hi 13) The Early Middle Ages
This course examines the creation of Western Medieval society after thefall of Rome by looking at the rise of Christianity, feudalism and
chivalry, and the renaissance of the 12th century.

History 314 (Hi 14) The High Middle Ages
This course examines the flowering of medieval civilization in the 13th century, the development of the national monarchies, the Black Death and
the Hundred Years War.

History 315 (Hi 15) The Renaissance
An intellectual, cultural, and social history of 14th-15th century Europe. Special emphasis on society and politics in Renaissance Italy, the humanists, and their patrons. Machiavelli and statecraft, and Christian humanism of Erasmus and More.

History 316 (Hi 16) The Reformation
This course covers the Age of the Reform in 16th century Europe. Students will study the thought of the religious reformers, the impact of the Reformations and the Counter Reformation, the interaction of religion and politics in France, England, and Germany, and the rise of toleration.

History 317 (Hi 17) Medieval Spain
This course examines the history of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim conquest in 711 to the Christian Reconquest of Grenada in 1492. The course emphasizes the chief social, political, religious and economic transformations within the Christian and Muslim peninsular Kingdom.

History 324 (Hi 19) Special Topics: Early Europe
Topics to be arranged.

History 325 (Hi 25) Early Modern England
This course covers Reformation politics under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and the Puritan upheavals of Oliver Cromwell.

History 326 (Hi 26) Modern Britain
This course investigates modern England since about 1760, concentrating on social, political, cultural, and imperial issues, and Britain's new
European status since World War II.

History 327 (Hi 27) Early Modern France
Social, cultural and political foundations of the Ancient Regime in France from 1500 to the French Revolution of 1789. Covered in the course: the French Renaissance, the development of absolutism, French society and culture and the coming of the French Revolution.

History 328 (Hi 28) The Habsburg Empire
A survey of this unique Central European state from its emergence in the 16th century to its fall in 1918. Emphasis is on the 18th and 19th centuries.

History 329 (Hi 29) Modern Germany
The history of the German lands since 1815. Topics include Germany’s unification and industrial transformation, the rise of Nazism, the country’s division after World War II and its subsequent reunification.

History 330 (Hi 30) Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century
Europe’s most volatile and crisis-ridden region. Topics include the emergence of the independent East European states, their subsequent political and economic problems through World War II, and the rise and fall of Communist regimes.

History 331 (Hi 31) European Socialism
An examination of the origins of Socialism and its historical European development. Attention will be given to the thought of Karl Marx, the growth of socialist political parties, both reformist and revolutionary, and the establishment of Communist regimes in Russia and Eastern Europe.

History 332 (Hi 33) Modern France
Modern France will begin with the aftermath of the Napoleonic era and conclude with France of 1989, two hundred years after its famous revolution. It will cover domestic political and social issues, so intertwined in French history, and seek to appreciate France’s position in the contemporary modern world.

History 333 (Hi 24) Europe since 1945
Devastated and impoverished in 1945, Europe lay in the shadow of the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the last sixty years have presented terrible challenges, the European people have experienced a remarkable regeneration during this period. This course will investigate this regeneration and contemplate the various difficulties Europe faced and continues to face today. Topics covered will include the Cold War, the postwar “economic miracle,” Communist rule in Eastern Europe, European unification, immigration, and the Revolutions of 1989.

History 345 (Hi 38) Mid-Victorian Britain
The period between 1851 – 1867 constituted the high noon of Victorian England, an era when Britain enjoyed unprecedented stability and prosperity. Beneath the equipoise of these years, however, great changes took place, and Victorians attempted to deal with what they saw as the transition from the medieval to the modern world. This course identifies several areas in which significant change occurred, such as politics, art, and religion and others. Within the selected areas, students will learn to appreciate the great literature of the period and examine the historical forces influencing the art, culture and people of the mid-Victorian period. Cross-listed with EN 345.

History 349 (Hi 39) Special Topics: Modern Europe
Topics to be arranged.

History 350 (Hi 43) Colonial North America
This course focuses on British North America in the 17th and early 18th century, including social, intellectual, and political growth, race relations, and the development of trans-Atlantic economic and imperial ties.

History 351 (Hi 45) Jacksonian America: 1824-1850
A study of the market and transportation revolutions, Jacksonian politics, the rise of the west, the impact of religious revivals, and the multiple reform movements of the 19th century.

History 352 (Hi 46) The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877
An analysis of the complicated set of events surrounding the break down of the American political and social consensus, the war itself and the new directions taken by the nation in the post-war period.

History 353 (Hi 47) Emergence of Modern America: 1877-1929
America’s dynamic growth from an agrarian nation into an urban, industrial world power. Attention is focused on the new problems created by this rapid growth, and the attitudes and ideas which retarded or fostered solutions of these problems, culminating in the Stock Market Crash.

History 354 (Hi 48) Contemporary America: 1929 to Present
Focuses on recent events, modes of thought and the impact of technological developments which explain current popular attitudes, government, and culture in domestic America.

History 355 (Hi 50) Modern American Foreign Relations
Surveys American foreign relations from 1890 to the present. The course examines the emergence of the United States as a world power, the challenges of war and peace, and America in the Cold War and post-Cold War world.

History 356 (Hi 51) Old South
The course goal is to engage the student in the themes, issues and approaches to the history of the American South from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 until the end of the Civil War. The Old South was a joint creation of blacks and whites. It was also the most powerful slave society in the modern world. Therefore, we will look at black-white relations, especially those in the institution of slavery. Social class and gender roles will be studied as catalysts in southern history. We will look at the beginnings of southern consciousness, the rise of sectionalism, and southern nationalism culminating in the secession movement and Civil War, which brought an end to the Old South.

History 357 (Hi 53) United States Labor History
A study of the development of organized labor movements in the United States from the colonial period to the present.

History 358 (Hi 54) History of New England
A focus on New England’s unique history and culture, and its influence and interactions with American history and development from the age of European explorations to the present.

History 359 (Hi 55) American Women’s History
A study of the history of women in the United States from early European settlement through the late 20th century. The course examines the ways in which the roles of women have changed in response to economic, political and cultural forces.

History 360 Irish America
Irish America will examine the impact of Irish immigration to the United States. Approximately nine million Irish men and women entered this country from 1700 to the present. We will study the social, cultural, political and economic interplay between these immigrants and the United States. To understand Irish America it will be necessary to look at events happening in Modern Ireland which resulted in the exodus.

History 374 (Hi 59) Special Topics: United States
Topics to be arranged.

History 375 (Hi 61) Colonial Latin American History
This course traces the development of the Central and South American nations from their discovery to 1824.

History 376 (Hi 62) Modern Latin American History
This course traces that development from independence to the present, with stress on the ABC powers and Mexico.

History 377 (Hi 64) History of Russia
A survey of Russian history in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on the fall of the tsarist empire, the Communist superpower of the 20th Century, and its successors.

History 378 (Hi 65) Modern China
Surveys China from the decline of the Qing dynasty to the present. The course examines late Imperial China (1750-1911), Republican China (1912-1949), and the People’s Republic of China (1949-present) to understand the paradox of Chinese growth without development, China’s response to the challenges of the West and Japan, and the constant struggle of China to modernize.

History 379 (Hi) 66 Modern Japan
Surveys the development of Japan since the Meiji Restoration. The course examines Meiji Japan (1868-1912), the Japanese empire (1895-1945), and the Japanese economic “miracle” (1945-present) in which considerable attention is afforded to the transformation of Japan from a relatively sheltered feudal society to a preeminent world economic power in little more than a century.

History 380 (Hi 67) History of Southeast Asia
This course surveys the social, economic, political, and cultural development of Southeast Asia from precolonial times to the present. The nations to be covered include Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos.

History 381 (Hi 68) Atlantic World
This course examines the Atlantic World from roughly 1492 to 1825. Topics include European expansion and conquest, creation of the Atlantic economy, slavery and the slave trade, and the different indigenous stragies of accommodation, resistance, and rebellion.

History 382 (Hi 69) History of the Middle East
The course surveys the history and culture of the Middle East from the
time of Muhammad to the present. Three themes are emphasized: the emergence of Islam, the Ottoman Empire, and the historical background of the contemporary problems of the region.

History 383 (Hi 77) Applied History
An introduction to applied history methodology. The course concentrates on archival techniques for manuscript and record collection and preservation, and oral history techniques, interviewing, and transcribing.
Prerequisite: Two semesters of History

History 384 British Empire
The British Empire took a leading role in globalization throughout the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. In this course we will investigate how the British and various colonized peoples made the empire together. At the same time, we will study the various tensions and forces that made empire difficult and eventually impossible to sustain. Along the way, we will familiarize ourselves with various interpretations of imperialism, sample the empire's impact on art and literature, confront some of the moral dilemmas associated with the empire, and come to understand why the empire inspired such devotion and hatred among people throughout the world.

History 385 Vietnam War
This course focuses on American involvement in Vietnam from 1954 to 1975, though we will also discuss events before and after this period. Students should note that this is not a course in military history. We will discuss military events, but we will also take a broader view of the conflict. Topics will include the reasons for American intervention in Vietnam, the experiences of people involved in the conflict, the viability of the South Vietnamese state, the causes of America's defeat (and North Vietnam's victory), responses on the home front, the war in American memory, and political consequences of the war. The course will consist of lectures and discussions. Readings will include historical monographs, memoirs, primary sources, and literary materials.

History 386 World War II
This course will look at the people, forces, ideas, and weapons that made World War II possible. The class will start by looking at the origins of instability in both Europe and Asia. After surveying the social and political characteristics of the main belligerents, the course will study how conflict in Central Europe and Asia eventually developed into a global war. While covering the war years, the course will pay special attention to the strategies and diplomacy of the nations involved, the role of ideology in decision-making, the influence of new weaponry and tactics, the impact of war on civilians, the experience of combat among soldiers, and the great challenges imposed on states and societies by a total war of unprecedented scale.

History 390 Comparative Women's History
This course explores the history of African, European and American women, comparing their experiences in war, politics, the legal system, capitalism and other aspects of society. This course stresses the benefits and pitfalls of comparative history, as well as the impact of gender on national and international developments.

History 399 (Hi 74) Special Topics: Special Areas
Topics to be arranged.

History 400 Independent Study

History 475-476 (Hi 75-76) Internship
A student originated internship supervised by the history department with cultural, legal, and state agencies. Not credited to History major requirements.

History 480 (Hi 80) Applied History Internship
An internship in local historical or manuscript collections for history majors.
Prerequisite: History 383 (Hi 77)

History 481 (Hi 81) Seminar in History Research
A course in research methods. Students research their own topic, write a paper, and defend the research before the seminar.

History 489 (Hi 89) Directed Reading Seminars
Reading seminars provide upper level students with the opportunity to pursue a particular topic, selected by historical theme, epoch, or interpretation.

Please note that while Geography classes are offered through the History Department, these CANNOT be used to fulfill history major requirements. They count as electives.

GE-02: Introduction to Political Geography: A New World Order?
You may have heard talk of a "borderless world" in which information, goods and services, and people flow freely and with increasing speed. In reality, of course, borders still play a critical role in identity formation, policy-making, and the exercise of power and control. In this introductory course we will take a look at the evolution of different types of borders and boundaries, from nation-states to political districts, and the political processes that transcend these borders, from multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) to transnational social movements. We will examine the differences between current and past relationships between states, the cold war versus the war on terrorism for instance, and the impact that borders have on different actors, such as multinational corporations and workers. This course will provide insights into the political processes that fill your newspapers and television screens. By the end of this course you'll know what the talking heads mean when they say "gerrymandering," "clash of civilizations," "globalization from below," and "NAFTA's chapter 11".

GE-21: Introduction to Economic Geography: Understanding the Global Economy
Overnight transportation networks, high-speed internet connections, and free trade policies have disrupted early models of the location of economic activities. In this introductory course we will take a look at where goods and service are produced, consumed, and disposed of in the current global economy. Signs of the global economy are everywhere: your t-shirt was probably made in Mexico or Malaysia, the banana you had for breakfast came from Costa Rica, and you can visit a Starbucks the next time you are in China. However, local culture, resources, and politics still play large roles in dictating where corporations locate—it is not a completely "footloose" economy. We will examine why so much innovation, and so many millionaires, are concentrated in California's Silicon Valley, as well as other examples of the importance of local conditions. Finally, with products flying across the globe, what happens to all those carbon emissions, and who takes responsibility for them? We will examine the carbon debate, and other social and environmental consequences of our economic activities.

Saint Anselm College, a Benedictine, Catholic, Liberal Arts College
100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester, New Hampshire 03102

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Copyrighted by the History Department, Saint Anselm College, 2006.