Course listings are taken from the 2008-2010 Wagner College Undergraduate Bulletin. Courses added since this bulletin are partially listed in the Registrar's section of this website.
American
HI 101 Who Owns History? Understanding who we are as members of a community, as citizens of a nations, or as inheritors of particular cultures and traditions, largely depends upon the information we have been told about our past. Statues, monuments, holidays, museums exhibits, walking tours, popular books, websites, films, and televisions programs are all means through which the public is educated about its past. Popular history tells us who or what should be included in our "collective memory" of past events. Who decides who and what gets remembered? This course will introduce students to the professional study of history by exploring public myths and memories about the past, in light of scholarly research. Students will be taught how to take ownership of their own historical understandings and to understand the purpose and origins of many popular myths and legends.
HI 103 American History Survey to the Civil War. One unit. An introduction to the social, cultural, political, and economic history of the nation from the conquest and colonization of North America to the reunification of the United States at the end of the Civil War. Topics include: How did Europeans, Indians, and Africans give meaning to their experiences in the “New World” created by European colonization? How were the cultures of each group transformed by their interactions? How and why did the institution of slavery begin? How was the egalitarianism of the American Revolution reconciled with the reality of American slavery? What did “democracy” mean to the Revolutionary generation and which philosophical ideas most influenced the structure of government in the new nation? How did the rise of capitalism transform gender roles in American society? What has been the relationship between democracy and capitalism? How did the political controversy over slavery cause the American Civil War? Offered as required.
HI 104 American History Survey Since the Civil War. One unit. An introduction to the social, cultural, political, and economic history of the United States since the end of the Civil War. Topics include: Reconstruction; the New South; immigrant experiences; civil rights movements; urbanization; westward expansion; corporate capitalism; economic globalization; progressivism; the New Deal; the World Wars; the Cold War and McCarthyism; gender and society; countercultures and the American left; foreign policy. Offered as required.
HI 208 Colonial America, 1607–1753. One unit. This course deals with the planting of the British colonies in North America, the interaction between the indigenous population, Europeans and Africans, the development of a colonial society with regional differences, and the creation of the British Empire. Offered as required.
HI 212 Revolutionary America, 1754–1800. One unit. British Imperial politics and the rise of American political thought; colonial protests leading to the Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of 1787; the Federalist era; the roles played by Franklin, Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison will be stressed. Offered as required.
HI 213 The Rise of Democratic America, 1800–1847. One unit. The Jeffersonians in power, the War of 1812, Jacksonian democracy and the rise of modern political parties, settling the West, the market revolution, religion and social reform, sectional controversy, and the Mexican American War. Offered as required.
HI 214 The Civil War and Reconstruction. One unit. Examines the American Civil War and its aftermath with an emphasis on the causes and consequences of the conflict between North and South. Topics include: How did slavery and capitalism compare as rival economic and social systems? What caused the Civil War to happen? What principles did the Confederate States of America stand for? Why did the South lose the war? What were the experiences of women during the war? What made the Civil War the first “modern war”? Why did Abraham Lincoln abolish slavery during the war? What were the experiences of former slaves after Emancipation? What have been the legacies of slavery? What were the goals of Reconstruction? Why did it fail? How have the Civil War and Reconstruction been remembered and interpreted in the century and a half since the war ended? Offered as required.
HI 216 Masters, Po’ Whites, and People of Color. (D) One unit. The development of a slave society in the ante-bellum south and the emergence of a segregated, “Jim Crow” society in the twentieth century. Offered as required.
HI 219 Origins of Modern America, 1877–1919. One unit. Urban-industrialism and the “New Immigration”; the “Robber Barons” and working class militancy; the Populist and Progressive reform movements; the rise of America to world power in the age of the “New Imperialism”; the Spanish-American War; and World War I. Offered as required.
HI 220 America in the Era of Prosperity, Depression, and Reform, 1919–1939. One unit. Conservatism, the “New Era” and culture conflicts in the 1920’s; “isolationist” foreign policy; the Great Depression of the 1930’s; and the struggle for New Deal reforms. Offered as required.
HI 221 The US and World War II. One unit. A study of American involvement in the war against European fascism and Japanese imperialism, including military, political, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the conflict. Offered as required.
HI 223 America in Recent Times. One unit. The Soviet-American Cold War; the Korean War; the Anti-Communist crusade at home; the Great Society reforms; the Vietnam War; the Radical ’60s, and the new Conservatism. Offered as required.
HI 225 History of New York City. (D)One unit. This course explores the history of New York City from the founding of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam to present day. Because of its broad historical sweep, the course does not touch upon every aspect of the city’s history, but rather introduces students to major issues of each era and examines some selected topics in greater depth. Special emphasis will be placed upon the experiences of different social classes and ethnic groups. Issues addressed in this course include: What has been unique about New York’s urban environment? How have ethnic, racial, class divisions shaped the history of the city? How have immigrants been central to the history of New York City? What has been the relationship of New York to the rest of America? What contributions has New York made to America’s political, economic and cultural traditions? Offered every fall semester in First Year Program, and a second section every other fall semester as a 200-level course.
HI 226 Topics in the History and Politics of Gender. One unit. An introduction to the history of gender relations in America, including a discussion of feminist theories, gender in contemporary culture, and the politics of gender. Offered as required.
HI 228 African American History. One unit. A study of the social, economic and political history of the African American experience in America. A brief survey of the African, his/her culture and civilization s it existed before capture is covered. Emphasis is on the capture process, the Middle Passage, the nature of the slave trade, northern and southern slavery, abolition and the challenges of emancipation. The course spans four centuries of the Black experience in the United States commencing with Africa.
HI 230 The Sixties: Protest and Reform. One unit. A tumultuous era when Americans challenged authority and tradition and changed the world — the Civil Rights Movement, the New Left and the New Right, the Free Speech Movement, Student Activism, the Pro- and Anti-War Movements, the Counterculture, Brown Power, Women’s Liberation, Gay Rights, and Environmentalism. Offered as required.
HI 231 The Vietnam War. One unit. An exploration of Vietnamese history and culture; French imperial rule in Indochina; American intervention into southeast Asia; the war and its impact upon America and Vietnam; and the role of the international community. (This course is also listed in the Asian History section.) Offered as required.
HI 235 Native American History. (D) One Unit. This survey course will examine the history of the North American continent from a “facing east” perspective, in which the history of the region will be explored through the eyes of the native population. It will explore American Indian cultural identity before the European invasion and pan-Indian movements of the 19th and 20th centuries from the Ghost Dance movement to the Red Power movements of the 1970’s. This will provide both the historic background for the problems confronting American Indians today, as well as challenging the way we understand and define U.S. history. Offered as needed.
HI 245 History of the Caribbean. One unit. Focuses on the island nationals of the Caribbean. An examination of the region is conducted as students explore the history and culture of the Greater and Lesser Antillean islands. Students are introduced to the colonial powers that have influenced and shaped the area from the 15th century to the present. The British, Dutch, English, French and Spanish islands are examined using a variety of sources. In addition to an overall overview of the area, specific attention to the history and culture of the following island nations is given. Major topics include: European colonialism and its impact on the area, the influence of African slavery, human geography, challenges of independence, the Caribbean in today’s world order.
HI 315 American Social History I. One unit. The development of American society from a pre-capitalist colony to the Civil War. Class, race, sex, and ethnic relations provide the framework within which socioeconomic change will be studied. Offered as required.
HI 316 American Social History II. One unit. The development of American society from the Civil War to the present. Class, race, sex, and ethnic relations provide the framework within which socioeconomic change will be studied. Offered as required.
European
HI 110 The Ancient World. One unit. A survey of Ancient Greece and Rome from the Trojan War to the decline of the Roman Empire. We will examine politics and culture in Classical Athens; Greek philosophy and art; Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age in the Mediterranean; the development of the Roman Empire and life during the “Pax Romana”; the beginnings of the Christian church; and the slow decline and transformation of Rome during the Late Antique period. Offered as required.
HI 111 Medieval and Early Modern Europe. One unit. What institutions — both religious and secular — were developed to control and organize medieval and early modern lives? Who exercised power over whom and how? We will investigate the changing cultural practices and assumptions of these men and women, their political behavior, their social life and family organization, the ideas they cared about, the wars they fought, and the problems they faced. We will read myths, plays, letters, poetry, law codes, philosophical and religious works, listen to music, and see films. Students will explore how historians do history — by dealing directly with the primary sources that have survived from this long, creative period in Europe — as well as what life was like in the past for men and women, peasants and town dwellers, kings and commoners. Offered as required.
HI 112 Western Civilization in Modern Times. One unit. The making of modern Europe — its economy, culture, politics, and peoples — in relation to the United States and the World. How have science and technology transformed modern life? Why did French revolutionaries abolish slavery? How did imperialism generate conflict and creativity in international markets and in the arts? Can the lessons of World War II and the Holocaust be applied to contemporary genocides? Students become informed citizens, able to debate current events around the world. Arts, novels, films, political tracts, and other sources will be analyzed. This course includes a trip to see a historical play, such as Cabaret, on Broadway. Offered as required.
HI 115 Cities and Civilization. One unit. A survey of four cities at particularly creative times in their history: Classical Athens, Imperial Rome, Medieval Paris, and Renaissance Florence. Each city is compared the New York City at particularly relevant moments in the New York’s history and development. The class visits the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Museum, and the Morgan Library. This course is only taught as part of a freshman learning community. Offered fall semester.
HI 251 Ancient Mediterranean Cities. One unit. This course will trace the development of urban civilizations in the ancient Mediterranean basin, beginning with the impact of successive waves of settlers---Egyptians, Hebrews, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans. We will then focus on life in Roman cities, using both Rome and Pompeii as examples. How do modern historians use archeology, literary evidence and art to reconstruct ancient urban life? We will study social class, gender and urban politics, theater and spectacle, food and gastropolitics, and evolving civic ideals as Rome exported its powerful urban paradigm throughout the empire. Offered alternate years as needed.
HI 253 The World of the Crusades. One unit. This course will focus on Western Europe at a time of intense creativity, expansive growth, and significant interactions with non-Christian, non-Western neighbors. Topics will include the Viking expansion, El Cid, Saladin, the Templars, the Islamic response to Western Crusaders, cathedral and castle-building, pilgrimage, Venice and Byzantium, Marco Polo, and Jewish communities in the Mediterranean. Class trips to the Cloisters and to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Offered as required.
HI 254 After the Black Death, 1348–1750. (I) One unit. A survey of European society during the four centuries following the arrival of the bubonic plague. Topics to be discussed include the psychological and spiritual impact of recurring epidemics, forms of popular revolt, carnival, changing gender roles, witchcraft, the organization of peasant villages, the growth of cities, and efforts to improve public health. Offered as required.
HI 257 Gender, Sexuality and the Rise of the West. (I) One unit. This course traces the development of “male” and “female” from the ancient world through the nineteenth century, focusing on the impact of gender on culture and on political and social organization. Changing scientific and medical ideas about sexuality will be discussed. Topics will include attitudes toward chastity, prostitution and childbirth, the history of costume and cross-dressing, conflicting notions of “honor,” the use of gender fro political and social commentary, and the impact of the Enlightenment on the “gendering” of state and society. The course will also compare the gendered model of the Western nuclear family to non-Western examples. Offered alternate years as needed
HI 262 Renaissance Italy 1300–1600. (I) One unit. The period of great wealth and cultural magnificence in Italy that was fostered by rapidly growing city-states such as Florence and Venice. The course will focus on Renaissance music, literature, art, and architecture, as well as political life, the culture of the laboring classes, the roles of women, and the rise of a highly sophisticated urban aristocracy. Offered as required.
HI 269 Modern France and the World. (I) One unit. A study of the making of modern France and its contacts with other cultures from 1871 to the present. Topics include: the transformation of peasants into Frenchmen; popular culture, sports, avant-garde art, and urban life; socialism, nationalism, and the Dreyfus Affair; war and imperialism; American expatriates in Paris; labor and the Popular Front; Vichy France, Charles DeGaulle, and the Algerian War; the student revolt of 1968; Existentialism; relations with Africa and the Arab World; the New Europe; and contemporary issues. Offered as required.
HI 281 Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. (I) One unit. Study of the Nazi movement in Germany and Europe, from the post-World War I era to the Holocaust. Topics will include: Hitler’s ideas on race, religion and gender and their appeal; experiences of men and women in the Nazi State; the role of the church and big business; comparisons with Italian Fascism and Vichy France; Nazi persecutions, collaboration, and resistance; the Final Solution and the Jews. We will also analyze recent debates over the representation of this era in film, literature (including the comic book Maus), museum exhibits, and commemorative monuments. The course includes a trip to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Offered as required.
HI 283 The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. One unit. The Revolutions of 1905 and 1917; Leninism; Stalinism; the Great Patriotic War; the Cold War; the reforms of Krushchev and Gorbachev; the collapse of the Soviet Empire; and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Offered fall semester of even-numbered years.
HI 284 Women and Men in Modern Europe and the World. (I)One unit. How have gender roles changed over the past century and why? How have sexuality and sexual identities changed? Through comparisons among different countries, religious and ethnic groups, and classes, this course will address how industrialization, imperialism, and war challenged definitions of womanhood and manhood and produced shifts in priorities in home, workplace, and political arenas. Topics include: campaigns for equal rights, the cult of domesticity, dueling and male honor codes, prostitution, trench warfare and male bonding, homosexuality, fashion, and feminism. Offered as required.
HI 286 On the Screen: Gender, Class, and Culture in Film. (I) One unit. This course offers students the two-fold opportunity to gain a better understanding of the history of the twentieth century and to become cultural critics of the cinema. Beginning with the invention of motion pictures in 1895 to the present, the course will trace the evolution of technology, style and meaning in mass entertainment in Europe, the U.S. and throughout the world. Films will be examined as cultural artifacts of their society, with particular attention to gender, sexuality, class, and ethnic and national identities. Works by major twentieth century directors, including such films as The Blue Angel (Germany, 1930) and Bicycle Thief (Italy, 1948), will be critiqued. Students will visit the Museum of the Moving Image and other independent cinema venues in New York City. Offered as required.
HI 288 Cities and Perversities: Turn-of-the-Century Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona. One unit. Beginning with Freud and the invention of the bicycle and the cinema, this course will explore major cultural, economic, and political events and ideas that shaped the twentieth century. Urban culture will be analyzed, with a particular focus on Vienna, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid, and on issues of class, gender, sexuality, and national identity. We will also examine how emigration, “new imperialism” and the tensions leading to World War I stimulated unprecedented global cultural exchanges. A primary goal of this course (and learning community) will be to understand the ways cultural artifacts (films, novels, paintings, writings) are shaped by historical and political forces. Offered as required.
HI 345 Global History of Food. One Unit. We will focus on the production, consumption, distribution and cultural perception of food and drink from the Ancient World to the present, concentration on the Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, South Asia and the Americas. The common readings for the course will link the cultural history of food to economics, politics, anthropology, psychology, film and literature. Students will be encouraged to do a wide range of independent research on the “foodways” of historical periods of particular interest to them. Alternate years as needed.
HI 374 History of Marxism. One unit. A study of the theory and practice of Marxism and related leftwing movements in the Western world from the early nineteenth century to the present, including non-Marxian socialism, anarchism, revolutionary Marxism, communism, and Euro-communism. Cross-listed w/GOV 372. Offered as required.
Non-Western and Global Perspectives
HI 120 Global History. One unit. This course traces the history of modern world beginning with the European expansions in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The main focus is to analyze the interdependence between the world regions and sustained contribution of the non-westerns world in making of the modern world. In conceptualizing global histories as interconnected the course also brings out the social, cultural, economic and ecological implications and diversities to understand the global imbalances in various aspects. Most importantly the course intends to give a comprehensive understanding of the present through the lens of the past.
HI 230 The Vietnam War. One unit. (Also listed in the American history section. See that section for the course description.)
HI 234 History and Politics of East Asia. (I) One unit. This course provides an overview of politics in China, Japan, and Korea from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. It deals with political history, institutions, the political process, political economy, and culture. Cross-listed w/GOV 234. Offered as required.
HI 238 History of Modern South Asia. One unit. This course is an introduction to South Asian history from the collapse of the Mughal Empire to the departure of British from the continent. We will explore the nature of pre-colonial South Asian society and economy; impact of colonialism both in terms of ideas and institutional structures; the nature of British colonial rule; the structure of the colonial economy and colonial modernity; the development of anti-colonialism and Indian nationalism. The course examines the various facets of the anti-colonial struggles in Indian subcontinent and critically engages with the leadership of Gandhi and how Gandhi succeeded in integrating diverse communities and contexts into a broader nationalist struggle on non-violent path. Offered alternate years as needed.
HI 242 African History and Politics. (I)One unit. This course provides an overview of the political, economic, and social history of Africa with a view towards understanding the challenges which have developed in creating the image of Africa and its peoples. An early historical survey will be given which sets the tone for an examination of such topics as the transatlantic slave trade, colonialism, and African resistance to imperialism. Equally important, a focus on the political forces influencing contemporary African regimes such as the emergence of modern forms of African nationalism, democratization, and the constraints to development in the post-independent era will be highlighted. Cross-listed w/GOV 242. Offered as required.
HI 247 History and Politics of Latin America. (I) One unit. This course examines post-1492 political events and movements, as well as historical processes and themes, in at least two of the following areas: the Caribbean, Central America, South America. Specific topics include colonialism, indigenous peoples, U.S. military intervention, authoritarianism, political mobilization and revolution, gender relations, and the current movement toward more democratic political institutions and increasing economic integration. Cross-listed w/GOV 247. Offered as required.
HI 330 Imperialism and Its Legacy. (I) One unit. The construction of a modern sense of national, racial, and ethnic identity resulted from the conquest of three-quarters of the globe by Europe and the U.S. It found expression in poetry and power relations, the literary canon and the military cannon. How did these technological, economic, and cultural exchanges contribute to the exceptional creativity and devastating violence of the twentieth century? Why did sexuality and gender roles become part of the marketing of Empire in advertisements, films (like Tarzan) and children’s literature? Did the “civilizing mission,” economic, or political interests motivate the U.S. annexation of Hawaii or the British raj in India? We also compare and contrast examples of nationalist resistance and its legacy in such cases as Irish rebellion, Gandhi’s campaign for non-violence, African independence movements, the partition of the Middle East, and Vietnam. Offered as required.
HI 340 Gandhi and Modernism. One unit. Gandhi, in the history of modern world, stands out as an intriguing personality about whom Albert Einstein once remarked: “Generations to come…will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon the earth”. As an apostle of non-violence and the champion of anti-colonial movement in South Asia he inspired generations of humans across the world towards the paths of struggles for liberation. Gandhi was essentially a product of modernity and its encounter with the ‘other’. Ironically, standing on the shoulders of modernity, he tried to challenge modernity and render its influences as illegitimate. The course, while tracing the cultural and intellectual origins of Gandhi, his ideas, mission and struggles, tries to contextualize his relevance to the contemporary world. Offered every two years.
HI 347 Global Cities. One unit. Global cities in the world such as New York, London, Tokyo and Bombay are the epicenters of the phenomena of globalization. These global cities act as transnational connectivity nodes in terms of flow finance capital and cultural media such as film and art. The migration of labor from different continents and cultures add a distinct flavor to these cities, while posing new challenges in terms of econstituting the meaning and scope of metropolis. This course attempts to understand the way in which global cities accommodate the flow of citizens from different cultures and continents. This course attempts to recapture the city space through the lens of cinema and literary texts. Offered every other spring.
HI 356 Middle Eastern History and Politics. (I) One unit. This course provides an overview of the political, economic, and social histories of the Middle East since the nineteenth century with a view towards understanding the challenges which have developed in creating the image of the region and its peoples. Special emphasis is placed on colonialism, the resistance to imperialism, intra-Arab relations, the Arab-Israel conflict, and the role of the great powers in contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Cross-listed w/GOV 354. Offered as required.
General
HI 291 Special Topics. One unit. Discussion and analysis of regions, peoples, and problems not covered in the standing courses of the department; content varies in accordance with special interests of faculty and students. The course may be taken more than once, depending upon the topic. Offered as required.
HI 297 Research and Analysis. One unit. This course develops some of the skills important in the study of history and politics such as students’ critical analytical and writing abilities and increases their understanding of and ability to conduct historical and social science research. Topics may include evaluating primary sources, logical fallacies, Internet and library research, and citation methods. This is a required course for both history and political science majors. It should be taken in the sophomore year. Offered fall semester.
HI 394 Practicum in History. One unit. Take your skills into the field! You can work with experts at cultural institutions, museums, or historical societies (e.g., Ellis Island) on a project of your choice. No more than two internships may be taken towards the bachelors degree. Consult the department chair for further information.
HI 400 Senior Reflective Tutorial: Going Global: Autobiography and History. One unit. Explores the dynamic fashion in which cultural and intellectual identities—including our own identities—are shaped within specific socio-political contexts by looking critically at autobiographies. The use and abuse of personal narratives reveals disjunctions and connections between truth and memory, past and present, academic and experiential learning. Touching, shocking, infuriating but essential sources, autobiographies remind us of the possibilities and dangers inherent in looking at the world from a single perspective. In our global age, it is both challenging and imperative to try to understand national, civic, religious, ethnic and gendered identities. You will also have the opportunity to explore and craft your own cultural and intellectual autobiography as a 21st century citizen and imagine your own past, present and future. As part of the senior learning community, the RFT will offer a broader theoretical context and support for the senior research thesis. It will also provide opportunities for applied learning—on the job market, in public debate and in personal decision-making.
HI 490 Senior Seminar: Perspectives on Global History and Methods. One unit. Students will be asked to explore the global implications of select topics under discussion. They will locate their work as History majors in a broader and more comprehensive context. The common readings for the course will link cultural history to economics, politics, anthropology, psychology, film and literature. Students will complete a Senior Thesis on a topic of their choosing. They will each make a formal presentation of their research to the seminar, placing their own work in a global context and working with each other to develop and refine important questions related to their topics.
HI 493 Independent Study. One unit. An opportunity for the more advanced student to pursue an independent research project developed by the student and supervised by a history faculty member. The project must result in a research paper approved by the department chair and the supervising faculty member. Prerequisite: approval by the department chair.
