San Francisco State University, Department of History

Spring 2005

~Course Descript ion Booklet~

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Western Civilization.. 1

History 110—Western Civilization I, 3 Units. 1

History 111—Western Civilization II, 3 Units. 1

World History. 2

History 114—World History to 1500, 3 Units. 2

History 115—World History Since 1500, 3 Units. 2

United States History. 3

History 120—History of US through Reconstruction, 3 Units. 3

History 121—History of US since Reconstruction, 3 Units. 3

History 130—US History for Foreign Students, 3 Units. 3

Historical Analysis. 4

History 300—Seminar in Historical Analysis, 3 Units. 4

Course in Comparative History. 5

History 317—Holocaust & Genocide, 3 Units. 5

European History to 1500. 5

History 323—Imperial Rome, 3 Units. 5

History 326—The Byzantine Empire, 3 Units. 6

History 329—The Early Church 313-787, 3 Units. 6

History 331—The High Middle Ages, 3 Units. 6

European History since 1500. 6

History 336—The Reformation, 3 Units. 6

History 342—Europe and the French Revolution. 7

History 346—Recent European History. 7

History 348—Recent European Intellectual & Cultural History. 7

History 386—Soviets, the West & the Cold War, 3 Units. 7

History 390—European International History 1918-Present, 3 Units. 8

History 400—Modern European Imperialism... 8

United States History. 9

History 422—Founding of the American Nation. 9

History 424—History of the US 1827-1877. 9

History 427—History of the United States 1916-1945. 9

History 450—History of California. 9

History 463—History of La Raza in the United States, 3 Units. 10

History 465—U.S. Ethnic and Race Relations II, 3 Units. 10

History 466—History of US People of Color, 3 Units. 10

History 468—Women in the U.S. 1890-Present, 3 Units. 10

History 471—U.S. Constitution since 1877, 3 Units. 11

History 476: US Environmental History. 11

History 489—Dynamics of the American City, 3 Units. 11

History 490—History and Literature of Baseball 11

Latin American History. 12

History 520—Central America & the Caribbean. 12

History 528—History of Brazil, 3 units. 12

History 550—Social Change in Latin America, 3 Units. 12

Asian History. 13

History 570—Imperial China, 3 Units. 13

History 571—History of Modern China. 13

History 588—History of Southeast Asia. 13

African and Middle Eastern History. 14

History 605—Islamic World II, 3 Units. 14

History 611—Modern Africa, 3 Units. 14

Jewish History. 14

History 633—Modern Jewish History, 3 Units. 14

History Pro-seminars. 15

History 640.1—European Witch Craze 1550-1650. 15

History 640.2—Second World War. 15

History 642.1—Labor in the United States West 15

History 642.2—American Revolution, 3 Units. 15

History 644.1—Journeys in the New World. 16

Courses for Preparation to Teach in California Public Schools. 16

History 759—Curriculum and Instruction in Social Science I, 3 Units. 16

History 769—Curriculum and Instruction in Social Science II, 3 Units. 16

Courses for the Honors Program in History. 16

History 697—Honors Thesis, 3 Units. 16

History 698—Directed Reading in History, 3 Units. 16

Graduate Courses in History. 17

History 700—History as a Field of Knowledge, 3 Units. 17

History 710.1—The Black Death. 17

History 740.1—Culture and Society in the Belle Époque. 17

History 780—Founders of the American Nation, 3 Units. 18

History 790—The United States in the1920’s and 1930’s, 3 Units. 18

History 850.1—Modernity and the Islamic World. 18

History 896—Directed Reading In History, 3 Units. 18

Supervised Study and Fieldwork. 19

History 680/880—Archives/Historical Agency Internship, 3-4 Units. 19

History 690/890—Edit & Publish the History Journal, 1-4 Units. 19

History 699/899—Special Study, 1-4 Units. 19

 

 

History courses may be used to satisfy some University graduation requirements in General Education.  History majors and minors may find it advantageous to take courses that will count both for University graduation requirements and for their major or minor.

 

General Education.  The University permits students to count a maximum of 12 units of courses in both General Education and their majors.  In choosing any General Education course, read the Bulletin carefully so that the course you choose will meet all aspects of the requirements within clusters.  If you are in doubt, consult a General Education advisor to be certain that the course you select will fulfill the requirements in question.

 

The Spring schedule includes the following History courses that satisfy various General Education requirements:

SEGMENT II COURSES:  HUMANITIES & CREATIVE ARTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

While the U.S. History Requirement is not technically General Education, it is required of all students and is therefore listed here.  The History Department offers 3 courses that meet the U.S. History Requirement:

v      History 120, The History of the U.S. through Reconstruction

v      History 121, The History of the U.S. since Reconstruction

v      History 130, The History of the U.S. for Foreign Students

History 120 and 121 assume that the student has some background in U.S. History from attending secondary school.  History 130 is intended for those students who did not attend secondary school in the U.S. and covers a broader range of topics.  Schedule information is available on page 1 of the course booklet.  Please consult the bulletin for courses outside of the department that may be used to meet the U.S. History requirement.

 

 

The University permits students to count a maximum of two courses in both Segment III General Education and their majors.  In choosing any General Education course, read the Bulletin carefully so that the course you choose will meet all aspects of the requirements.  This is especially important with regard to Segment III, where students must choose a cluster and must follow requirements within clusters.  If you are in doubt, consult a General Education advisor to be certain that the course you select will fulfill the requirement in question.

 

 

 

# *	Meets graduation requirements for state and local government: Consult Bulletin. Meets requirements for General Education: Consult Bulletin.

Lower Division Courses

Please note:  If you are seeking to attain the competency waiver for entry into a single-subject credential program, you are required to take History 114 and History 115. 

History 110 and History 111 will not be accepted as substitutes.

 

 

 

 

 

History 110—Western Civilization I, 3 Units

Rodriguez, MWF 1110-1200

 

This course examines the development and shape of the Mediterranean Basin and Western Europe prior to A.D. 1500.  We look at the values, ideals, and practices of men and women as expressed in history, literature, art, and institutions.  Through an exploration of various cultures in times of both crisis and creation, we will learn something of the major influences that have helped to form our world of today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 History 111—Western Civilization II, 3 Units                        

    Jackson, TTH 1410-1525

 

This course treats the development of thought, culture, and institutions in Europe from about 1500 to the present.  Among the topics to be considered are the Renaissance, the reformation, the emergence of the nation state as a replacement for medieval kingdoms and empires, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution and the impact of Napoleon, the spread of European culture throughout the world as a result of imperialism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the two great twentieth century wars that devastated Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 114—World History to 1500, 3 Units

Section 1 – Cheruki, MWF 1310-1400

Section 2 – Cheruki, M 1610-1855

Section 3 – Peard, TTH 1410-1525

 

Following a prefatory topic on human origins, the course will concentrate on examining the origins and development of the civilizations of the Near East, India, China, Africa, Europe and the Americas from circa 3000 BC to circa 1500 AD.  The social and intellectual aspects of culture will be emphasized. 

 

 

 

History 115—World History Since 1500, 3 Units

Section1- Behrooz, MWF 1210-1300

Section 2 - Arrieta, TTH 935-1050

Section 3 - Oñate, T 1610-1855

 

This is a beginner's course that helps students analyze the major developments in world history from 1500 to the present. Historical encounters between Asians, Africans, Latin Americans, and Europeans will provide the central focus for this semester.  Studying the events of the past that shaped the modern world will provide students with the background for understanding contemporary struggles and achievements.  Among the themes explored are: the “conquest” of the “New World”, imperialism and anti-imperialism, the great revolutions, inventions, wars, and creations which led to the “universal civilization” we might be heading towards in the 21st Century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

U.S. History Courses
-History 120, 121, and 130 meet the University’s U.S. History Requirement-

-Please Consult the Bulletin for details-

 

History 120—History of US through Reconstruction, 3 Units

Sections: 1- Leikin, MWF 1010-1100; 2-Germany, MWF 1210-1300; 3-Sigmon, TTH 935-1050; 4-Leikin, TTH 1235-1350

History 120 presents the history of the United States from the earliest inhabitants to the end of the Civil War.  While particular topics will vary somewhat from section to section, you can anticipate that most sections will treat the following:  the nature of life for American Indians before the arrival of European peoples, early European settlements in North America, the nature of the English settlements in North America, the struggle between France and Britain for North America, the American Revolution, the writing of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, acquisition of territory from France, Spain, and Britain, the early development of industry and cities, war with Mexico and the acquisition of additional territory, the changing status of women, the nature of slavery, the increasing conflict over slavery, and the Civil War.  Most sections will utilize a basic textbook and several supplementary readings.

 

 

History 121—History of US since Reconstruction, 3 Units

Sections: 1-Mabalon, MWF 910-1000; 2-Germany, MWF 1010-1100;   3-Mabalon, MWF 1110-1200; 4-Kidner, MWF 1410-1500; 5-Leikin, TTH 1100-1215; 6-Sigmon, TTH 1235-1350; 7-Sigmon, TTH 1410-1525; 8-Germany, W 1610-1855

History 121 presents the history of the United States since the end of the Civil War.  While particular topics will vary from section to section, you can anticipate that most sections will treat the following:  Reconstruction after the Civil War and especially the experience of African Americans, industrialization, urbanization, large-scale immigration from Europe and Asia and anti-immigrant sentiments, patterns of politics in the late 19th century, the Spanish-American War and Imperialism, Progressivism, World War I, the changing status of women, the Great Depression of the 1930s and the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the presidencies of Nixon and Reagan.  Most sections will use a basic textbook and several supplementary readings.

History 130—US History for Foreign Students, 3 Units

Germany, MWF 1310-1400

This is an introductory course, intended only for students who have had no prior introduction to the history of the U.S.  In nearly every instance, this means that History 130 is open only to students who did not attend high school in this country and whose school did not offer a course in U.S. history.  Any student who took U.S. history in high school should take History 120, or 121 to satisfy the graduation requirement in U.S. history. This course covers American history, from colonial times to the present, and satisfies the University graduation requirement in U.S. History.

 

 

History 300—Seminar in Historical Analysis, 3 Units

Section 1-Loomis, M 1610-1855

Section 2-Curtis, TTH 935-1050

Section 3-Katz, TTH 1235-1350

Section 4-Waldrep, T 1610-1855

Section 5-Hsu, W 1610-1855

 

 

Required of All History Majors and Minors, Prerequisite to Upper-Division Courses

History 300 introduces students to the concepts and methods of historical research and analysis; it is required of History majors and minors, and should be taken early to provide a base for taking other upper-division courses.

 

 

In 1828 T.B. Macaulay wrote, “to write history respectably . . . is very easy.  But to be a really great historian is perhaps the rarest of intellectual distinctions.”  Despite the somewhat hyperbolic quality of Macaulay’s comment, there is a great deal of truth in it.  The purpose of this course is to start you on the road to appreciating great history by familiarizing you with the techniques of writing and evaluating history.  As an apprentice historian, you will learn something of the craft of the profession. You will explore some of the varieties of history and of historical explanation, and you will engage in your own historical project.  In most sections, students will both present critiques of the work of historians, and conduct and present their own research project. Most sections will cover the various stages of creating a successful historical essay: selecting a subject, locating sources, gathering useful notes and data, organizing a presentation (written or oral), and compiling footnotes and a bibliography.  Some sections will use a particular topic as a means of exploring historical analysis, historiography, and research methods. Students are advised to complete all Segment I requirements before taking History 300, and also to complete History 110, 111, 120, and 121.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 317—Holocaust & Genocide, 3 Units

Felstiner, T 1610-1855

 

This course will introduce students to the history of genocide, raising questions such as these: How could monstrous genocidal events happen? What conditions allow them? For instance, was the Holocaust caused by long epochs anti-Semitism, by earlier models of persecution and murder, by new ideologies? What attitudes towards race, gender, religion, and class, have made certain groups vulnerable to persecution? What systems of terror, co-optation, and deception have turned persecution into mass murder? What forms of resistance and rescue have developed? What political, moral, and psychological effects of past genocides persist today?

We will use essays, primary sources, testimonies, films, poetry, comics, for understanding genocidal events among Native Americans, Africans, Armenians, Ukrainians, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Darfur.

This course fulfills the university's Segment III requirement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 323—Imperial Rome, 3 Units

Hoffman, MWF 1010-1100

 

The Rome of the Caesars was both a city of one million inhabitants and an empire which stretched from Scotland to the Euphrates River.  Both the city and the empire which it controlled were filled with contrasts: Greeks, Celts, Germans, Persians, and Egyptians complemented the Italians; side by side lived the very rich and the wretchedly poor; the cult of Isis was practiced next to that of Christ; stoic philosopher-Kings were followed by debauched sons and matricides.  This course will examine this kaleidoscope of Rome from 49 BC to AD 325. We will begin with the Roman Revolution and its New Order, and will follow the course of Rome’s history up to the religious revolution of Constantine the Great, a revolution which brought the end to the ancient world.  We will examine all phases of this great epoch through the eyes of her greater writers and artists: poets and men of letters (Virgil and Pliniy), novelists (Apuleius’ Golden Ass), satirists and scandalmongers (Juvenal and Suetonius), and historians (Tacitus).  There will be a short essay, a midterm, and a final exam.

History 326—The Byzantine Empire, 3 Units

Anagnostopoulos, T 1900-2145

 

This course will examine the major characteristics of life and thought in the Byzantium between the sixth and fifteenth centuries.  Students will have some modern scholarly guides, but will learn much from artifacts and from those who then visited or lived in Constantinople (diplomats, crusaders, Procopius, Constantine Porphyrogenitos, Michael Psellos, Anna Comnena).  What did the Byzantine believe to be good, beautiful and true?  Why did they hold their perceptions and in what ways did these perceptions change?  These are the central questions the course will attempt to answer.  Evaluation will be based upon class participation, two written analyses that employ primary sources, and a final examination.

 

History 329—The Early Church 313-787, 3 Units

Kidner, MWF 1210-1300

 

History 329 is a history of the Christian Church from the conversion of Constantine to the end of the fifth century CE with a concentration on (a) the establishment of the Imperial Church, (b) the phenomenon of monasticism, (c) the Trinitarian and Christological controversies, and (d) Christians outside the Roman Empire.

 

Possible readings include: Henry Chadwick, The Early Church, rev. ed.; Peter Brown, The Rise of Western Christendom; Sr. Benedicta Ward, Daily Readings with the Desert

 

History 331—The High Middle Ages, 3 Units

Rodriguez, MWF 1310-1400

 Using original source as well as modern scholarship, students will learn about European life and thought from the years 1000 to 1500.  The course will be a combination of lectures and discussions on primary sources that will range from the Letters of Abelard and Heloise to Jean de Joinville's Life of Saint Louis to literary texts such as Boccaccio's The Decameron.  The aim is to provide the student with a solid foundation in High Medieval European politics, laws, culture, society, and daily practices.  Students will participate in class discussions, take 3 exams and complete a 10 page research paper based on original sources.
This course meets Segment III requirements.

 

 

History 336—The Reformation, 3 Units

Elliott, TTH 1100-1215

The Reformation was the first great revolution in Western history.  At a time when spiritual matters were paramount, religious practices of centuries’ standing were overturned in many parts of Europe.  Having both elite and popular dimensions, the 16^th century Reformation movement had an impact on European society far more wide-ranging than the Renaissance.

This course will have a dual focus, both historical and social –

1) looking closely at the key figures and events that were involved in this continent-wide confrontation between Protestants and Catholics; and 2) placing the Reformation firmly in its human context, examining ways in which the Reformation affected peoples’ real lives – from workplace to worship service.

Through lecture, readings and visuals, we will examine the relationship between religious developments and social/political situations in a variety of national settings – German, English, French, and Spanish. Course work will include two short papers, occasional written responses and a final exam.

 

History 342—Europe and the French Revolution

Kidner, MWF 1110-1200

Political and social developments in France, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Low Countries, 1760-1795.  Lectures and discussions.  Two examinations, one book review (6-8 pages, typed).  Possible required reading: Jeremy Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution, 3^rd ed.; R. R. Palmer, Twelve Who Ruled; Lynn Hunt (ed.), The French Revolution and Human Rights; David A. Bell, The Cult of the Nation in France. This course meets Segment III requirements.

 

 

History 346—Recent European History

Jackson, TTH 935-1050

 

This survey of 20^th century Europe is designed to provide an overview of one of the most tumultuous eras in human history.  War, revolution, Communism, Fascism and economic crises are juxtaposed with revolutionary movements in art and literature.  Using history, literature and film, the course will also investigate the causes of World War I, the interwar period, as well as the era following World War II, including the Cold War, decolonization, and the social turbulence of the late 1960s.  We will finish with the collapse of the Soviet bloc and some notes on ongoing history. This is a Segment III course.

 

History 348—Recent European Intellectual & Cultural History

Curtis, TTH 1235-1350

This course surveys the intellectual and cultural history of Europe from the Enlightenment through the present day.  It will examine changes in European thought from the rationalism of the "age of reason" to the belief in science and progress in the nineteenth century to the crisis of modern thought in the twentieth.  Special attention will also be paid to the ways in which artistic movements like Romanticism, Impressionism, and Modernism have paralleled and reflected intellectual trends, and how both intellectual and cultural history have reacted to the changing European social and political landscape over two centuries.  All of the reading for this course will be based on primary sources (philosophic texts, novels, poetry, and the like; some in entirety and others in excerpts) and approximately one class session per week will be devoted to discussion of these texts.  Careful reading, class attendance, and participation in discussions will be very important to success in this course.

 

History 386—Soviets, the West & the Cold War, 3 Units

D’Agostino, TH 1610-1855

 

The global confrontation between Soviet Russia and the United States 1945-1991.  We are interested not only in its political and military aspects, but also its effects on popular culture and life.  The course begins with analysis of the contrast between the cozy wartime alliance with Soviet Russia (as depicted in wartime propaganda films) and the beginnings of the Cold War.  There follows close analysis of the nuclear arms race as well as the superpower confrontations in the Berlin Blockade, the Korean War, the Suez Crisis, the Cuban missile crisis, the Vietnam War, and the international political struggle unleashed in the sixties.  Attention is paid to the Communist interface with movements against European colonialism.  The course ends by describing efforts to end the Cold War, from the Détente period to the Gorbachev reforms.  Lectures, discussions, and about 10 films are featured.  Departures from orthodoxy permitted.  Original thinking encouraged.  Students will write a paper and final exam.  Texts:  Martin Walker, The Cold War, P.J. Hanrabin, Retreat from Colonialism, and others. This is a Segment III course.

History 390—European International History 1918-Present, 3 Units

D’Agostino, TTH 1410-1525

 

This course covers the international relations of the major powers from the end of World War One to the Cold War.  Topics include: the origins and ideas of Communism and Fascism, the death throes of the European colonial empires, the international causes of the Great Depression, the moral collapse of Europe before the forces of Hitler, Mussolini, and their allies, and the rise to power of the United States in Asia and Europe.  Attention is paid to scientific and cultural developments, especially to the rise of nuclear physics and nuclear weapons, in the superpower arms race and in proliferation among smaller powers.  We contemplate the glory and excesses of the "Age of Extremes." Conventional wisdom is eschewed.  Fresh notions are hailed with enthusiasm.  Texts: Hobsbawm, Age of Extremes, and others.  This is a Segment III course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 400—Modern European Imperialism

Getz, TTH 935-1050

 

 This class introduces the student to the theories about, and the practices of, European imperialism.  After discussing such analyses as those of Lenin and Hobson, the class will focus on case examples of European takeover in the non-Western world.  Among the topics are: the great explorers (Stanley, Livingstone, Sir Richard Burton); the diplomatic maneuvers which divided the world (the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885); imperial exploitations and atrocities (the “Red Rubber Scandal”); anti-imperialism and the “March to Independence”; and how novelists and filmmakers viewed the imperial society (Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, Meryl Streep).  There is a multi-media approach including outside lectures, films, slides, and recording.  The bulk of the class sessions will be in lecture-discussion form.  Toward the end of the semester, however, students will have a chance to deliver oral reports on their term paper topics.  Student-designed examinations are the means                                 of testing.  This class satisfies Segment II and Segment III requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 422—Founding of the American Nation

Sheppard Wolf, MWF 1210-1300

This lecture-discussion course explores the origins, ideology, and consequences of the American Revolution, covering the period from the 1760s to the 1820s.   In one of the most creative periods in our history, the men and women of thirteen provincial colonies overthrew a great European power to begin a national experiment that is still unfinished.   While we will focus in large measure on the distinctly American political ideas that propelled and evolved from the Revolutionary movement, we will also discuss the social and cultural implications of the Revolution, especially regarding African Americans and women. There are five required text books, several primary-source readings, two papers, one midterm, one in-class debate, and a final exam.

History 424—History of the US 1827-1877

Loomis, MWF 1110-1200

In the period between 1827 and 1877, the United States experienced massive and fundamental changes.  This course will focus on the nature and implications of the transformation of American society in the nineteenth century: the market revolution and onset of industrialization, the creation and realignment of political parties, new patterns in family and sex roles, the impact of religion and reform movements, westward expansion and the growing sectional crisis, the changing role of government in the midst of a brutal war, the end of slavery and the creation of new systems of exploitation and race relations.  Classes will be conducted on a lecture-discussion basis.  Requirements include two essays, a midterm, and a final.

 

History 427—History of the United States 1916-1945

Tygiel, TTH 1410-1525

The years from 1916-1945 encompass many of the formative events in the creation of the modern Untied States: two world wars and their impact on social relations, civil liberties, and international affairs; the expansion of a culture of consumption in the 1920s; the creation of the American welfare state in the 1930s; significant periods of social activism regarding economic justice, racial equality, and women’s rights; the increasing movement of American women into public life and the labor market.  This lecture/discussion course will examine social, economic, cultural, and political patterns and developments; in particular, we will explore the ways in which inequalities along the lines of class, race, ethnicity, and gender were both reinforced and challenged through social movements and government policies.  We will also discuss various controversies among historians in interpreting these issues.  Readings will include 5 to 6 books, and a number of articles on library reserve.  Course grading will be based on 3 take-home analytical essays utilizing the assigned reading, an Internet research paper, and class participation.

 

History 450—History of California

Sections: 1- Sigmon, 0910-1000; 2-Dreyfus, MWF 1410-1500; 3- Leikin, T 1900-2145

History 450 covers the history of California from the period preceding Spanish colonization to the present.  While particular topics vary from section to section, most sections treat the following: the consequences of the Native American/European contact, the making of Hispanic California, the Gold Rush, the ultimate rise of American dominance, and California’s role in the twentieth-century U.S. history.  The course addresses the characteristic social, economic and political patterns that define the state, and examines conflict and accommodation between Californians on the basis of race, ethnicity class and gender.  Most sections employ a text and supplementary readings, and all require written work.  [History 450 satisfies the California state and local government requirement.

                           

History 463—History of La Raza in the United States, 3 Units

                                                                        1-Mirabal, TTH 935-1050, 2-Mirabal, 1235-1350

 

Raza history from pre-colonial to contemporary times. Social, cultural, political, and economic heritage of La Raza and their contributions to American society. Satisfies the U.S. history requirement.

 

History 465—U.S. Ethnic and Race Relations II, 3 Units

Mabalon , MWF 1210-1300

This is part II of a two-semester course focusing on ethnic and race relations in the United States. This semester focuses on the period from the Reconstruction to the present. In this course, we will discuss how race and ethnicity was experienced by different groups at significant points in American history, race relations among groups, and how gender, sexuality and class intersect with race and ethnicity to shape life experiences. Each week, we will analyze, compare and contrast the experiences of Native Americans, European Americans, African Americans, Asian

Americans, and Latina/os. Using varied sources such as books and articles, archival documents, films (documentaries and Hollywood films), and memoirs, we will discuss how women, men, youth, the working and middle class, and immigrants experienced race, racialization, and ethnic experiences throughout American history. At the end of the course, students will be able to identify and discuss key historical and contemporary issues facing several racial/ethnic groups in the United States, understand how race, class, and gender are historically specific and contingent categories, and to contextualize their own racial experiences within U.S. history. Each week, students will analyze different viewpoints, interpretations, voices, and historical narratives on the topics of racism, slavery, labor, immigration, women and gender, citizenship, ethnic identity, culture, media representations, interethnic and interracial relations, resistance, politics, and nationalism.

                           

 

History 466—History of US People of Color, 3 Units

                                                                        Salomon, TTH 1100-1215

History of the U.S. people of color, their experience in the development of American society, from 1600s to present. Consequences of domination and racism in thwarting economic interests, and responses to limiting institutional arrangements

 

History 468—Women in the U.S. 1890-Present, 3 Units

Katz , T 1900-2145

American women differ by race, class, ethnicity, age, culture, sexual orientation, and family situation.  Yet gender remains a significant category for historical study.  This course examines the histories of women in the modern United States, from the 1890s to the present.  The course also explores the ways in which gender ideology has changed over time, and through this process, enables students to think about the ways in which ideas about gender have been socially-constructed (not biologically determined).  We will analyze the many factors that reshaped both gender ideology and women’s lived experiences, including the influences of feminist movements.  Finally, the course introduces students to the methodologies of women’s history and to the often hidden ways that gender influences many aspects of the American past. Course requirements include a willingness to engage in some exciting reading, to participate in class discussions, and to write two medium length take-home essays on the course materials, a book review and an oral history paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 471—U.S. Constitution since 1877, 3 Units

Waldrep, TTH 1100-1215

 

This class will look at the constitutional and legal history in the United States from the Civil War to the present.  Students will analyze primary source documents, including landmark Supreme Court opinions as well as the writings of leading historians.  There will be two primary source research assignments as well as weekly readings.  Two midterms will precede the final examination.

 

 

 

 

History 476: US Environmental History

Dreyfus, MWF 1010-1100

This course examines the history of Americans' interactions with the physical environment of the current United States from the European colonial period to the present.  We will address a number of inter-related questions.  How has the natural environment established parameters for human economic and social activity?  How have human beings interpreted and then reshaped their environmental surroundings in an effort to satisfy their perceived needs?  How have different groups of human occupants of American soil interacted in their quest to manage, control and distribute the resources of the land?  What impact has "race" and gender exerted on perceptions of our place in and relationship to the non-human environment?
            Students will have an opportunity to answer these questions through exposure to some of the best current literature in the field.  Additionally, students will have a chance to consider some of the philosophical and political issues surrounding resource use as the class studies the views of advocates such as John Muir and Aldo Leopold, as well as late-twentieth century environmentalism and government policy.

 

History 489—Dynamics of the American City, 3 Units

Sections: 1-Nguyen, MW 1410-1525; 2- Silverman, TH 1900-2145; 3-LeGates, TTH 0935-1050

Historical development and contemporary condition of urban America, city planning, federal-city relations; dynamics of urban policy making; class, gender, race and ethnicity in urban America.

                       

                                   

 

History 490—History and Literature of Baseball

Tygiel, TH  1610-1855

Baseball has often been viewed as a symbol of American culture, values, and society.  Utilizing novels with baseball themes and historical studies of the national pastime, this course will examine American life as it is revealed through baseball.  Readings will include five to six novels and four to six history texts.                              

 

 

 

History 520—Central America & the Caribbean

Onate, TH 1610-1855

 

This course offers a thematic approach to the history of selected countries in the Caribbean basin since 1492.  It is designed to examine the culture, the economics, and the politics of a region whose identity and development have been determined by its relationship with Europe, Africa, and North America. The course emphasizes such themes as population and settlement, the European invasion, plantations and slaves, nationhood, and literature and national identity.  In the course students will also ponder the region's prospects for economic growth and democracy in the first decade of the new millennium. History 520 satisfies GE (Segment III) requirements , Latin America Area Studies Minor requirements, Subject Matter Competency Certification for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Sciences and History, and History Major requirements.

 

History 528—History of Brazil, 3 units

Peard, TTH  1100-1215

This course examines the history of Brazil from colonial times to the present. The first part of the course focuses on such formative colonial institutions as the sugar plantation, slavery, and the patriarchal family.  In the second part of the course we look at the Brazilian Empire in the nineteenth-century, especially at the process of modernization from the 1870s on.  In the final part of the course we look at selected topics of the twentieth-century.

 

History 550—Social Change in Latin America, 3 Units

Onate, TTH 1235-1350

In History/Social Science 550 we shall explore major new developments in Latin American history: the transition from societies that were traditional, rural, largely agricultural, and had authoritarian governments, to modern, industrial, urban nations, which, since about 1985, have dismantled public sectors, opened up their economies, and moved toward different forms of liberal democracy.  As far as possible, each region or country is treated in the same fashion, with the idea that students will be able to analyze similarities and differences in the processes of political and socio-economic change, and move on with reasonable facility to make frequent and wide-ranging comparative evaluations.  This course includes lectures, discussions, and visual materials.

History/Social Sciences 550 satisfies GE (Segment III) requirements, Latin America Area Studies Minor requirements, Subject Matter Competency Certification for the Single Subject Teaching Credential in Social Sciences and History, and History Major requirements.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 570—Imperial China, 3 Units

Hsu, MWF 1110-1200

 

The purpose of the course is to explore the historical development of the Chinese empire from around 900 to around 1700.  Imperial China underwent tremendous changes during this period: the disappearance of the aristocracy, the reconstruction of the state bureaucracy, the evolution of a new state orthodoxy of Neo-Confucianism, the integration of China into the world economy, the changing faces of gender relations, the rise of the vernacular literature, and the onslaught of "barbarian" rule - the Mongols and the Manchus.  Yet some of the old traditions remained, not to be superceded. We will be looking at these changes and continuities, among other aspects of Chinese political, social, and cultural history from the end of the Tang dynasty to the beginning of the Qing dynasty.  This is a Segment III course.

 

 

History 571—History of Modern China

Hsu, MWF 1310-1400

 

This course investigates the painful search for modernity in China's tragic recent history from 1600 to the present.  We study how China has been adapting and changing to cope with the challenge from the West, while struggling to preserve some of its immutable social-cultural values.  We also explore the tension between Han Chinese and China’s ethnic minorities, between mainland China and Taiwan, and between the Chinese state and the Chinese people.  This is a Segment III course.

 

History 588—History of Southeast Asia

Chekuri, MWF 1010-1100

 

Southeast Asia (Phillipines, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia,Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and Timor) is a place of striking diversity. As a region between India and China, Southeast Asia presents unique challenges for the study of societies, histories, and politics.  Rather than focus upon individual nation-states, this course will highlight broad themes that define Southeast Asia a region. Such themes include: The spread of world religions, pre-colonial states, trade and diasporas, European empires and colonialism, revolutionary and nationalist movements, authoritarian regimes, and globalization.

 

History 605—Islamic World II, 3 Units

Behrooz, MWF 910-1000

 

This course is a study of Islamic civilization (the Middle East), history, and culture from the 1700 to the present.  It focuses on a core region (the area between Nile and Oxus rivers).  Topics for the first part of the course include politics and society in the 18th and 19th centuries, the impact of European imperialism on the region's economy and culture, the response of regional (especially Ottoman) reform movements.  Topics for the second half of the course include the transformation of empires into nation-states, the rise of Arab nationalism, Arab-Israeli conflict, and the history of Iran, particularly its two 20th century revolutions.  The course also seeks to explain the rise of political Islam in light of its historical context.  Students will be able to identify the political and social forces that have contributed to the modern Middle East.  Students will discuss and analyze the region in light of divergent processes toward modernity by comparing and contrasting a variety of roads to and choices about modernity in the Islamic world.

 

 

History 611—Modern Africa, 3 Units

Getz, TTH 1235-1350

This upper division course covers the history of Africa during the period since 1750 CE, focusing primarily on the Sub-Saharan regions.  Through traditional lectures, videos, dialogues with the guest speakers, and discussions of primary sources, the class will explore African societies and their histories in depth.  The course will commence with the last, catastrophic decade of the African slave trades; the confrontation of Boer and Bantu in southern Africa; and the expansion of Islamic states in North, West, and Central Africa.  The period of European colonial rule in Africa will be treated in considerable detail, as will Africa's place in the larger world of Diaspora of its peoples.  During much of the semester, however, our focus will be on African movements for independence, and on the struggles to build new, free states in a global system still dominated by the West.  Reading, research, attendance, and writing will be emphasized in this course.  There also will be a project, during the second half of the semester, which will require you to work with other students outside of class meeting times.  This class satisfies Segment III requirements. 

 

 

History 633—Modern Jewish History, 3 Units

Dollinger, TTH 1100-1215

Jewish history from 1750 to the present.  Explores the impact of the European Enlightenment on Jews, American Jewish history from the colonial era to the present, the history of Israel, and the development of Jewish life in other regions of the world.

 

All History majors are required to complete at least one proseminar course from History 640, 642, or 644.  Students may take a proseminar in any field of their choice. 

 

History 640.1—European Witch Craze 1550-1650

Scully, M 1610-1855

 

This pro-seminar, essentially for history majors completing their undergraduate studies, will concentrate on the antecedents and careers of the trials for witchcraft in Early Modern Europe. Students will read common readings about the trials in Spain, Italy, Germany, and France and discuss them each week. Then the group will concentrate on English trials, and as a group, create the context for the trials that took place there. Each member will then do personal research, using this common background, around the primary record of a single, different trial. This will be initially presented to the group and subsequently in a long research paper, which will draw on all the skills, databases, etc., available to the individual student.                                             

 

History 640.2—Second World War

D’Agostino, T 1610-1855

An investigation of writings on the origins of World War II, with stress on those that are usually called revisionist, that is, works that may take an unorthodox view on Churchill, Roosevelt, Hitler, and Stalin.

 

History 642.1—Labor in the United States West

Dreyfus, M 1900-2145

This course will focus on the history of workers in the western United States from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries.  We will address the social development of the working class in the West as well as workers' on-going organizational efforts.  We will examine any unique aspects of the western experience that may have shaped regional labor patterns.  Students will consider the effects of migration, immigration, gender, race, and work processes on workers' lives, mentality and perceived options. Students should emerge with a framework for studying and understanding working class history in general, as well as its specific features in the context of the American West during the nation's most industrial age.  The course will culminate in student presentations of their own research papers based largely on primary sources.

 

History 642.2—American Revolution, 3 Units

Longmore, W 1610-1855

The great historian Carl L. Becker argued three generations ago that the American Revolution was a struggle for "home rule" that became a struggle over "who should rule at home". If historians would nowadays reject that interpretation as oversimplifying the historical issues, they would still agree that the Revolution was more than a war of national independence.  It was the moment when the new nation defined itself.  But this involved more than the framing of the national and state governments.  Various kinds of "Americans" sought to appropriate the ideas and opportunities presented by that transforming era to enhance their individual and group prospects and their claims to citizenship.  The Revolution raised issues of class, culture, economics, gender, politics, race, region, religion, and the relationship of individuals to society.  The Revolution meant different things to different people.  Thus, when we examine the Revolutionary experience, we must keep in mind whose various Revolutions we are recounting. This seminar will consider not only some of the themes of the history of the American Revolution, but also the ways in which historians think and write about these themes.  Thus, we will both study the Revolution and study how to study the Revolution, how to think historically.  The format will be discussion, supplemented by some lectures.

History 644.1—Journeys in the New World

Peard, TH 1610-1855

This is an upper division undergraduate seminar focusing on writing about Latin America by discoverers, scientists and other travelers (including women) from 1492 to the 20th Century. The emphasis will be on diverse and evolving images of the New World, and the historical contexts of the changing ways of perceiving Latin America. We will also read theoretical literature on travel and imperialism. The course is for students from all areas of history, not only Latin America, as it is really about 'bridging' different worlds.

 

 

History 759—Curriculum and Instruction in Social Science I, 3 Units

Harrison, TH 1610-1855

 

Students will learn basic skills associated with planning and implementing curriculum for social studies in secondary schools.  Students will become familiar with state content standards and learn to organize Social Studies content to facilitate student learning.  Student will also learn to plan lessons and curriculum units that incorporate a variety of student learning styles.   Other topics include classroom management, resources, and tailoring curricula to the needs of diverse student populations.

 

History 769—Curriculum and Instruction in Social Science II, 3 Units

Fishstrom, T 1610-1855

 

Curriculum and Instruction II for single subject credential candidates in History and Social Science is designed to provide students with opportunities to examine and reflection on their instructional practices in the classroom.  We will explore issues related to teaching History/Social Science content as defined in the California State Department of Education Framework and Standards for History and the Social Sciences.  Additionally, we will exam the assessment of student learning in the classroom in light of theory, research and best known practice.  This course will also emphasize approaches for teaching history and the social sciences to English language learners and students from special populations.  Students will both examine and engage in the use of information technology knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the teacher performance assessment for a preliminary credential.

 

 

 

 

History 697—Honors Thesis, 3 Units

Hoffman

Tutorial leading to an honors project or thesis based on intensive study of a topic or problem. Topic to be determined by student and faculty member selected by the student.

 

History 698—Directed Reading in History, 3 Units

Hoffman

Directed reading in selected areas of history under the supervision of a faculty member.

 

History 700—History as a Field of Knowledge, 3 Units

Jackson, T 1900-2145. Required course for all students in the M.A. program.

 

This course is a graduate level seminar concerning recent developments in the research and writing of history by professional historians.  It is required of all history graduate students.  It will explore various schools and methods of history and attempt to understand some of the trends of historiography.  It will also serve to teach how to read critically and write logically.  Time limitations demand that this course be selective rather than comprehensive, and students should bear in mind that it will raise issues that cannot be answered during a particular class meeting or possibly at all.  The instructor is available by appointment outside of the office hours scheduled above for discussion of issues that cannot be addressed during class meetings and for suggestions regarding additional reading on particular topics.

 

Required Texts:

1.Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities Verso Books, 1991.

2.Christopher R. Browning, Ordinary Men Reprint edition (March 1993) Harperperennial Library;

3.Peter Burke, ed., New Perspectives on Historical Writing (Pennsylvania State UP)

4.Paul Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory Oxford Univ Pr (Trade).

5.Albert L. Hurtado, Intimate Frontiers:  Sex, Gender, and Culture in Old California University of New Mexico Press (1999).

6.Keith Jenkins, The Post-Modern History Reader Routledge 1997.

7.David Landes, Wealth and Poverty of Nations:  Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor (New York: Norton 1998).

8.Peter Novick, That Noble Dream Cambridge Univ Pr.

9.Norman J. Wilson, History in Crisis? Prentice-Hall.

 

History 710.1—The Black Death

Rodriguez, W 1610-1855

Between the 11^th and 13^th centuries, Medieval Europe witnessed a remarkable recovery as her economy boomed, her boundaries expanded, her population grew and her polities began to gain the semblance of modern states. All this progress would be brought to a halt in the fourteenth century as Europe was hit by a series of natural and manmade calamities that devastated medieval society. These disasters – the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, the Great Famine, the Black Death, the Hundred Year’s War, the Peasant Revolts, and the Great Schism, among others – have gained fame in the work of writers like Barbara Tuchman (A Distant Mirror) and Johan Huizinga (The Warning of the Middle Ages) and are usually portrayed as bringing an end to Medieval Europe and ushering in a new age. The Black Death struck Europe in 1347, and within two years had killed 40% of Europe’s population. This course aims to understand the causes, immediate impact, and consequences of this catastrophe, and to analyze how a society deals with extreme crises.

History 740.1—Culture and Society in the Belle Époque

Curtis, T 1610-1855

 This graduate readings seminar will focus on European cultural and social history in the decades leading up to the outbreak of the First World War. On the surface, the Belle Époque was a period of unparalleled European power, prosperity, and cultural creativity; underneath, Europeans experienced a mounting sense of crises. We will examine both sides of this paradox, through readings and discussion on such topics as the social impact of modernization, the “culture wars” over religion, the rise of mass culture, changing patterns of city life, the beginnings of modernism, feminism and the “new woman,” the new imperialism, and the cultural anxiety caused by impending war. Readings will be located mainly in France with occasional excursions to London, Berlin, and Vienna, but students will have an opportunity to pursue areas of particular interest through historiographical essays. In consultation with the instructor, students may use this seminar to fulfill the field requirement in Gender in History instead of Europe Since 1500.

 

History 780—Founders of the American Nation, 3 Units

Sheppard Wolf, M 1610-1855

 

In this reading seminar we will explore the different ways historians have approached the idea of America’s founders and how their views and historical methods have changed over time. In addition to books focusing on the traditional “founding fathers,” we will read works that examine founding mothers, founding generations, and “forced founders” such as Indians, debtors, and slaves. Our readings will comprise a range of historical approaches, including traditional narrative history, social history, cultural history, psycho-history, and the new political history, and our discussions will explore on how idea of the “founding” of the nation has shaped historians’ understanding of the American past. Assignments will include several book reviews, class presentations, and a historiographical essay on a topic of your choice.

History 790—The United States in the1920’s and 1930’s, 3 Units

Tygiel, W 1900-2145

 

The 1920s and 1930s in America were both exciting and tumultuous. This is an era of sexual experimentation and political fundamentalism, of the resurgence of the KKK and the American Communist Party, of great writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernst Hemmingway and of the Scopes trial. The Great Depression, FDR, and the rise of Hollywood are all a part of America between the two World Wars. This will be a research seminar in which students will write research papers on any aspect of American History during those decades (and through WWII if they wish). While the focus of the readings will be on California, students may do research on the local, state, or national level.

 

History 850.1—Modernity and the Islamic World

Behrooz, M 1900-2145

 

This research graduate seminar examines the impact of Modernity on the Islamic World (Middle East and beyond) from the 1700s to the present.  The course will take a comparative approach to various patterns in the Middle Eastern societies (nationalism, Islam, socialism) attempting to implement, confront, learn, and adopt aspects of Modernity to the Middle Easter societies.  The goal is to find a topic of interest, which is both focused and manageable, and develop it into a research paper.  The first half of the course will be devoted to group discussion of selected reading assignments.  Participants will be assigned books for in class presentation and discussion.

 

 

History 896—Directed Reading In History, 3 Units
Loomis

Master’s written examination.  Students must consult with the Graduate Coordinator prior to enrolling for the exam.  Students should consult with faculty members whose expertise is the subject area of the exam they are writing.

 

 

History 898—Master's Thesis, 3 Units

Loomis
Master’s written thesis.  Students must consult with the Graduate Coordinator and with instructors who will be on their graduate thesis committee.  Students register for the Master’s thesis with the Graduate Office on  campus.

These courses are available as undergraduate and graduate courses.

 

History 680/880—Archives/Historical Agency Internship, 3-4 Units

Tygiel

An internship represents an unusual opportunity to earn credit by working at some off-campus site dedicated to the preservation of historic artifacts or documents.  Students might work in an archive, learning the various elements of the work there in organizing papers or photographs, preserving documents, and making such articles available to researchers.  Students might choose instead to work with an agency for historical preservation, learning the various elements involved in preserving or restoring buildings or artifacts, researching their history, and using them to inform the public.  Among the agencies where the student might work are the Labor Archives (on campus), the local branch of the National Archives, the Maritime Museum, or the Heritage Foundation.  Each internship will be separately arranged and every effort will be made to match your interests with an appropriate site for the development of those interests.  Students taking History 680/880 for the first time should register for four units.  Students repeating History 680/880 for credit should register for three units.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

History 690/890—Edit & Publish the History Journal, 1-4 Units

Waldrep

 

Supervised experience in editing and production of an annual journal of research done by SFSU students.  Not applicable to major or minor fields within history majors.  No more than a combined total of eight units may be earned in History 690 and 890.  Credit/no credit grades only.

 

 

History 699/899—Special Study, 1-4 Units

 

Supervised study of a particular problem selected by the student.  A petition for Special Study and an add form must be signed by the instructor and turned into the history department office before the student can register for the course.  A petition for Special Study that clearly outlines learning objectives and methods as well as evaluation of learning objectives must be completed and signed by the course instructor, student’s faculty advisor, and the History Department Chair before a student may enroll in this course.