This seminar trains students in historical research techniques and the writing of history, and fulfills the University's Junior Writing requirement. See the History Department course description guide for various sectional sub-titles and descriptions.

This course examines events and ideas of Russia's revolutionary period from circa 1900 to the revolutions of 1917 and then the mechanisms of establishing Soviet power until about 1921. We will include the history of intellectual and social trends that form the basis of later revolutions and consider the Russian Empire and the USSR as multinational empires in which the non-Russians at times had their own interpretations of socialist and nationalist thought.

Why have poverty and inequality proven so persistent in modern Latin American history? What strategies have people proposed to deal with these problems, and with what consequences?

The Civil War era as the central epoch in American history; the crucial issues: development of sectional hostilities; why and how the war came, course and conduct of the war; attention to Lincoln and emancipation. Emphasis on the people. Biographies, narratives, and historical fiction.

This course examines the legal status of women in the United States, focusing specifically on the 20th and 21st centuries. How has the law used gender, sex, sexuality, and race to legally enforce inequality between women and men (and among women)? We will examine the legal arguments feminists have used to advocate for legal change and how these arguments have changed over time, paying specific attention to debates about whether to make legal arguments based on formal equality, substantive equality, liberty, or privacy.

This class is designed to help students prepare for life after the BA by acquiring important professional skills and perspectives. The class will explore a variety of subjects, including what qualifications history majors bring to the job market, the importance of internships and networking, customizing resumes and cover letters, job and internship search strategies, and interviewing skills.

An historical, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of families in America. We will examine the histories of various groups, exploring how these experiences have resulted in different family dynamics. We will then take up the question of the continuing relevance of race, ethnicity, and social class to families in America today and to the discussion of family in American politics. (Gen.Ed. HS, DU)

Japanese civilization. Emphasis on racism and ethnocentrism in non-Japanese perceptions of Japan; on Japanese literature; on the era of the Pacific War; and on Japan's economic development since 1945. (Gen.Ed. HS, DG)

General view of the cultural, economic, and political development of Latin America, 1492 to 1824. Topics include the Iberian and Indian backgrounds; Spanish and Portuguese imperial organization; role of Indians, Blacks, and Europeans in the New World; the coming of independence. (Gen.Ed. HS, DG)

What are the problems associated with developing equitable and just policy? Why does social policy in the United States continue to be marked by tensions between the principle of equality and the reality of inequalities in social, political, and economic realms? How might policy subvert or reinforce these differences and inequalities? This class examines the history of social policy in the United States, particularly those policies affecting concerns of gender, race, and class.