Spring Courses
2013 Spring Semester
Below is the list of Undergraduate courses offered by the History Department for Spring 2013. Extensive course listings can also be found on the Enrollment Services Homepage.
- 79-104 Global Histories
Lectures 1 & 2 Global Histories: Globalization through History
Lecture 3 Global Histories: Latin America and the Global Environment
Lecture 4 & 5 Global Histories: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East Since 1945
People throughout the world are caught up in multiple processes that cross national boundaries, link distant regions, and in many cases, encompass the planet as a whole. These transnational, transregional, and planetary processes are the latest incarnations of interactions that have been developing for a long time. If you want to understand the world today and where it might be heading, it’s crucial not only to think globally but also to relate current global processes to comparable processes in the past.
This course offers you several options for expanding on the skills you need to think globally through the medium of history. As their descriptions indicate, the differently titled lectures vary in their subject matter and the particular pathways they provide for exploring global processes. However, they all involve a mix of lectures and recitations; they have similar amounts of reading; and they all use essay-writing as the primary medium of assessment. Most importantly, they all strive to help you: (1) identify and assess the varied ways that scholars interpret global interactions as they unfold through time; (2) bring together insights from diverse fields in the humanities and social sciences to illuminate the development of global connections, differences, and divisions; (3) read, listen, discuss, take notes, and craft written arguments supported by different kinds of evidence; and, above all, (4) use explorations in global histories to engage the workings of the world today and in the future.
- 79-104/1&2 Global Histories: Globalization through History
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture 1, MW 12:30-1:20 |
Lecture 2, MW 1:30-2:20 |
| R. Rouse |
9 units |
Recitations-Fridays-A-J |
Recitations-Fridays-K-P |
Thinking globally requires the ability to think historically. Many journalists, activists, and scholars have been using the term "globalization" to highlight what they believe are rapid recent increases in interactions that connect people in different parts of the planet. Significant shifts have certainly been taking place over the last few decades, but globalization itself has been developing for at least five hundred years. How does the situation that we face today relate to earlier phases of this history? And how can we enhance our ability to engage the changing world around us by exploring the relationship between past and present global interactions? As we pursue these questions, you will not only become more adept at identifying and assessing varied interpretations of global processes as they unfold through time but also develop a series of "transferable skills" that should give you significant advantages well beyond the limits of this course. These include making sense of the dizzying workings of the world today, clarifying where you stand on major debates regarding current global issues, developing effective ways of learning through reading, listening, and discussing, and turning your ideas into compelling written arguments.
- 79-104/3 Global Histories: Latin America and the Global Environment
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture 3-MW 12:30-1:20 |
| J. Soluri |
9 units |
Recitations-Fridays-Q-R |
Global Histories courses introduce students to the ways that historians, along with social scientists and humanists in other disciplines, analyze major transnational or global processes as they unfold over time. Lecture 3 is focused on the diverse lands and peoples that comprise Latin America and the Caribbean. We will study some classic themes in this region’s history – conquest and empire, slavery, anti-colonial struggles, export-led national development, and urbanization and poverty - through the analytical lens of environmental history. Environmental historians explore how human actions and thoughts condition, and are conditioned by, biogeophysical forces (i.e., nature). We will pay close attention to how historical flows of people, diseases, plants, animals, ideas, and commodities have shaped contemporary Latin America and the Caribbean - the planet’s most urbanized and biologically diverse macroregion. The course is designed not only to help you to make better sense of human – environment interactions, but also to hone your ability to read academic texts for main ideas, take useful notes, and compose logical arguments based on evidence. These skills should be of value to you far beyond the course.
- 79-104 4/5 Global Histories: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East Since 1945
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture 4, MW 12:30-1:20 |
Lecture 5, MW 1:30-2:20 |
| L. Eisenberg |
9 units |
Recitations-Fridays-S-T |
Recitations-Fridays-U-V |
This course begins by introducing students to the Middle Eastern priorities and policies which the US inherited from the British in the aftermath of the Second World War. The focus then moves to American interests and involvement in the region from the Cold War through today, with special attention to recurrent historical themes and primary source documents.
- 79-165 Freshman Seminar: The Historian as Detective and Storyteller
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| J. Devine |
9 units |
TR 9:00-10:20 |
Early on Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend 1937, three young men set out in a used car from their home in Bayonne, New Jersey to pick up and bring home another hometown friend who was finishing his freshman year at the University of Notre Dame. They called themselves “The Rover Boys.” They kept a typewritten daily journal of their trip, which they stretched into a 15-day journey that took them west to South Bend, south to New Orleans, and northeast back home to New Jersey.
This journal offers a set of first-hand accounts from a different time and place in America, witnessing through their eyes, diverse parts of the country, and connecting first-hand with various elements of the period’s history. Moreover, these young men were about that age (19-20 years old) when, in modern American society, adolescents transition to adulthood – graduate from high school; go to college, or to work; perhaps marry and start families; perhaps leave home to set out on their own. In other words, they “come of age.”
This course will use the coming-of-age concept as a framework to examine the period of these boys’ lives from their birth to their Spring 1937 journey, while also using this conceptual framework to examine the current generation of 19-year-old Americans, and their coming-of-age experiences. Particular themes will include: politics and economics; the role of government in modern society; the role(s) of technology in societal change; manners, morals and popular culture; diversity; science and religion; and the art of historical story-telling. We will also focus on the Log and, through creative historical research, expand and illuminate its references to the period’s history. The course has no prerequisites, but it is assumed that its students will have had at least 1 year of U.S. History in high school.
- 79-168 Freshman Seminar: The Juvenile Court: Past and Present
This course will track the development of an authentically American institution, the juvenile court, from its late 19th century origins to the present day. We will integrate historical, legal, sociological, and cultural perspectives in tracking the court’s evolution, culminating in a careful look at how recent nationwide reform movements are playing out in Pittsburgh.
Readings will include a wide variety of secondary and primary historical sources from different time periods. We will also view and discuss several feature and documentary films (including Frederick Wiseman’s 1973 classic, “Juvenile Court”).
As opportunities develop, we may also observe at the Allegheny County Juvenile Court, as well as hear from Court practitioners as guest lecturers.
The course will be discussion-based. I will do very little formal lecturing, and I expect students to take on increasing responsibility as the semester progresses for launching and guiding class discussions.
Evaluation will be based on in-class mid-term (25%) and final exams (25%), several oral presentations and brief writing assignments (25%), and contributions to class discussion (25%).
- 79-202 Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-1750
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Creasman |
9 units |
MW 10:30-11:50 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-251, and former title, Flesh and Spirit: Early Modern Europe, 1400-1800, may not enroll.]
This course examines European history from the Black Death to the French Revolution, a period known to history as the “early modern” period. That is, it marks a period in European history that was not quite medieval, and yet not quite modern. Many features of modern society, such as the nation-state, free-trade economies, religious pluralism, scientific rationalism, and secular culture trace their origins to the early modern era, yet the period was also marked by important continuities with the Middle Ages. During this course, we will explore how Europeans re-imagined their world in its transition from the medieval to the modern. Topics to be considered will include the “renaissance” of the arts, the problems of religious reform, exploration and colonialism, the rise of science, and the expansion of the state. Through these developments, we will focus on Europeans’ changing notions of the human body, the body politic, and the natural world, as well as their re-interpretations of the proper relation between the human and the divine, the individual and the community, and the present and the past.
- 79-206 The European Union at the Crossroads
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Funk |
9 units |
TR 9:00-10:20 |
The course will start with a short discussion of the current crisis of the European Union; however, we will not review the many recipes economists offer to solve that crisis. Instead we will explore the policy choices the European Union can make and the constraints it faces in efforts to balance the need for a more effective, closer union and the diverse interests of its member states. This requires a deeper understanding of the history of the EU, the reasons why and when European nation states decided to “pool sovereignty,” and some understanding of the institutional structures which the EU has developed over time. In a final section we will then revisit the current crisis and discuss the possible outcomes each of you see after having read and thought about European (dis-)integration.
- 79-207 Development of European Culture
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| D. Harsch |
9 units |
TR 3:00-4:20 |
This course surveys the evolution of European culture from 1500-1950. It defines 'culture' broadly to include not only philosophy, literature, and art but also science, manners, sexuality, morality, and religion. Lectures, readings, and discussions will introduce students to European thinking and writing on these questions. The course will place cultural change in the context of politics and society. Readings will include historical studies, novels, plays, and memoirs. Assignments will include six 3-page essay and one 6-page essay.
- 79-222 Between Revolutions: The Development of Modern Latin America
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| K. Faulk |
9 units |
MWF 1:30-2:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-290, and former title, Between Revolutions: The Development of Modern Latin America, may not enroll.]
When the Haitian Revolution began in 1789, everything south of the newly created United States was under European colonial rule, slavery was an established institution, and the Catholic Church held considerable power over the daily lives of people. However, when the Mexican Revolution began in 1910, Spanish and Portuguese colonialism had collapsed along with slavery, and the power of the church had greatly diminished. New societal institutions emerged that reflected novel ideas about the role of secular nation-states, ”free market” economies, and the meanings of “civilization.” This course will use scholarly writings, fiction, film, and video to analyze the profound changes that took place in Latin American society during and between these two important revolutions. We will pay attention to the lives of both elites as well as the “everyday” people who helped to shape the region’s history.
- 79-231 American Foreign Policy, 1945-Present
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| N. Kats |
9 units |
MW 3:00-4:20 |
This course provides an introduction to the study of U.S. foreign policy. Its main focus will be on problems and possibilities confronting the world during the Cold War as well as global political changes in the post-Cold War era and since 9/11. Important foreign policy strategies which will be discussed include the strategy of containment, NSC-68, the Eisenhower-Dulles “New Look,” the Kennedy-Johnson “flexible response,” “détente,” the democratic peace, and contemporary approaches to combating global terror. Theoretical readings in history and political science will be used as analytic filters to assess both scholarly evaluations of American foreign policy and key historical episodes.
- 79-239 Food Fights in American History, 1877-Present
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| R. Hutchings |
9 units |
MWF 11:30-12:20 |
This class will explore the post-Reconstruction history of the United States through an examination of major debates related to food production and consumption. The main theme of the course will be evolving attitudes towards food and food pathways as reflected in corporate and government activity, demographic patterns and shifts, and the transition of the American economy from largely industrial to largely service and technological. Examples of debates that explore these matters include the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, partly in response to Upton Sinclair's expose of the meatpacking industry, "The Jungle"; the Bracero Program in the 1940s and more generally the acquisition of a stable labor force in the 20th century; and the on-going controversy over the social meaning, corporate use, and consumer understanding of phrases like "organic" and "fair trade."
- 79-242 Topics in African American History: Reconstruction to the Present
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| J. Trotter |
9 units |
TR 10:30-11:50 |
This course examines the black experience from Reconstruction to the present. The evolution of race relations is an important component of the course, but the major emphasis is placed on the internal experiences of black people, within the framework of larger socioeconomic and political processes in U.S. history. Although the course includes a general text, assigned readings revolve around detailed studies of particular topics (e.g., work, family, and religion) or chronological periods (e.g., the Great Migration, Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights Era).
- 79-244 Women in American History
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| TBA |
9 units |
TR 12:00-1:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-379 and former title, Women in American History, may not enroll.]
This course examines U.S. history through the eyes of women and gender. It begins in the colonial era (1600s) and runs chronologically to the present. It covers topics such as witchcraft, the story of Pocahontas, women's work, motherhood, slavery, and much more. We will look at the lives of individual women, as well as trends among women, paying attention to questions of race and class. At the same time, we will explore changing concepts of gender, meaning ideas about what women are or should be. Finally, the course asks: how different does American history look when we factor in women and gender?
- 79-249 20th Century U.S.
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| S. Naqvi |
9 units |
MWF 12:30-1:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-204 and former title, 20th Century America, may not enroll.]
The twentieth century marked the rise of the United States as a global power. By the end of the century, the United States had achieved economic, military, and political dominance. The United States also made great strides in expanding political and civil rights for workers, women, African-Americans, and gays and lesbians. This course explores the cultural implications of these developments on the generations of American people who came of age in the twentieth century. It assesses both the triumphs and tribulations of twentieth-century life. We will analyze the continuities, contradictions, and conflicts in American history, especially in regard to the nation’s twin pillars: democracy and capitalism. Special attention will be given to the evolving relationship among the state, the corporate sector, and ordinary people. Topics include: Progressivism, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, and the New Conservatism.
- 79-254 The Jewish Diaspora in Latin America
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| M. Friedman |
9 units |
TR 12:00-1:20 |
This course explores the history of the Jewish presence in Latin America and the relevance of the Latin American experience in shaping Jewish identity. We will survey the presence of Jews in Latin America from the time of the conquest to the present. Among the topics we will consider are: the Inquisition and crypto-Jews in Latin America; Jewish immigration in early nineteenth-century Latin America; realtionships between Jews and non-Jews including other minority groups such as Arabs; relations between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews; Jewish cultural life and political activism in the context of the rise of modern-nation states, revolutions, military dictatorships and violence; antisemitism; and the influence of contemporary politics in Latin America on Jewish life.
- 79-260 Topics in German Literature and Culture: Vienna at the Turn of the Century
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| G. Eichmanns |
9 units |
MWF 2:30-3:20 |
Vienna at the turn of the century (that is, at the turn of the last century, 1900) was many things: the political center of the Habsburg dynasty—the Austro-Hungarian Empire; the meeting place of Czechs and Slovaks, Hungarians and Romanians, Slavs, Poles, Italians, Serbs, Bulgarians and Germans; the center of German-language music and theater; the birthplace of Zionism, of psychoanalysis; the battleground for liberalism and anti-Semitism; the haven for socialism; the home of café-culture and the waltz; the garrison for an outdated army; the city of baroque urban palaces and squalid backyard tenements; the center for Enlightenment public policy and reactionary bureaucracy; the showcase for historicism; and the birthplace of Modernism. In an effort to understand today’s intellectual environment, therefore, we will spend the next ten weeks examining Vienna before the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. We will be looking at a huge, at times confusing canvas which by necessity includes almost every aspect of culture. We will start with politics and move on through art, architecture, music, literature, psychoanalysis, and philosophy. Leading us throughout will be Robert Musil's Man without Qualities, by far the most comprehensive and insightful study (in literary form) of the period. At the same time, we will be reading other sources, viewing slides and films, and listening to recordings.
- 79-266 Russian History: From Communism to Capitalism
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Kilichenkov |
9 units |
MW 9:00-10:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-281 and former title, Russian History: From Communism and Capitalism, may not enroll.]
This course covers a broad sweep of Russian history from the socialist revolution in 1917 to the turmoil of the present. Spanning almost a century of upheaval and transformation, the course examines the October revolution, the ruthless power struggles of the 1920s, the triumph of Stalin, the costly industrialization and collectivization drives, the battle against fascism, and the "wild west" capitalism and collapse of the social welfare state in the present time. The course provides essential background for anyone interested in understanding the explosive, history-making events in the former Soviet Union.
- 79-267 The Soviet Union in World War II: Military, Political and Social History
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| W. Goldman |
9 units |
TR 10:30-11:50 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-282, and former title, The Soviet Union in World War II: Military, Political and Social History, may not enroll.]
On June 22, 1941, Hitler invaded the Soviet Union. German troops quickly reached the hills above Moscow, surrounded Leningrad in the longest running siege in modern history, devastated the country's economy, and slaughtered millions of Soviet civilians. Eventually, the Red Army came back from defeat to free the occupied territories and drive Hitler's army back to Berlin. This course examines why and how the war was fought. Using history, films, poetry, veterans accounts, documentaries, and journalism, it surveys the rise of fascism, the Stalinist purges of the Red Army, the Hitler-Stalin pact of 1939, the Nazi massacres of Soviet Jews, peasants, and partisans, life on the home front, and the great battles of the war. Occasional Thursday evening film screenings. (There is no weekly Thursday evening class, although there is an occasional Thursday evening film, which is required.) The class will view four to six movies on Thursday evenings throughout the semester between 6:30 and 8:30. Attendance required.
- 79-268 History of the Russian Military
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Kilichenkov |
9 units |
MW 1:30-2:50 |
Calling all military and technology buffs! This course is a survey of Russia's military history from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. Following a chronological order, it focuses on the most important historical problems of Russian military development: the creation and transformation of a modern armed force in the age of modernization. The course begins with the revolution of 1917 and the creation of a new Soviet Army and Navy by the Bolsheviks. It deals with World War I, the Russian Civil War, World War II, the Cold War, the military's participation in the political struggles of the 1990's, and the wars in Afghanistan, Chechnya and Georgia. It examines some of the greatest battles of the 20th century, and provides a comparison with the German and U.S. armies. The course will also explore the role of the military in the social, economic and political developments of modern and contemporary Russia.
- 79-269 Historical Imagination in 19th Century Russian Literature
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| C. Castellano |
9 units |
TR 3:00-4:20 |
Pushkin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy all ruminated upon their nation’s historical destiny. This course aims to describe the role played by imagination in these authors’ efforts to wreak from Russia’s past a vision of her future. Emphasis is placed upon the figurative operations of language that allow narrative to function as a guidepost to a collective mission and a map of the individual’s location within the projected historical scheme. Lecture and discussion formats are combined at each class meeting. Written papers, oral presentations, and participation in discussions are required.
Prerequisites: None for 9 units; an additional 3 units, requiring permission of the instructor, can be earned for work done in Russian.
- 79-275 Introduction to Global Studies
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| P. Eiss |
9 units |
MW 9:00-10:20 |
"Globalization" is a familiar term that is often used to invoke the idea that places around the world are rapidly becoming more interconnected. This is so, but it is also true that this is far being from a simple or harmonious process. Rather, "globalization" involves a wide range of uneven and disputed cultural, political, economic, and social developments that often influence one another but vary markedly in their significance, impact, and intensity. Economic crisis, impoverishment, rising inequality, environmental degradation, pandemic disease, and militant ethnic, religious, and nationalist movements are just as much a part of the contemporary global landscape as are technological innovation, instantaneous communication, shifts in the global division of labor, the creation of new wealth and knowledge, the promotion and defense of human rights, and the rise of cosmopolitan values and perspectives. This course introduces you to important ways of thinking about globalization and will acquaint you with the kinds of research, evidence, and information upon which these kinds of thinking rely. It serves as a foundation for further study of the contemporary world in advanced Global Studies courses.
- 79-276 The Global and Local: Theory, Practice and History in Anthropology of Globalization
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| R. Maddox |
9 units |
TR 10:30-11:50 |
Theories about culture, society, and history often play a critical role in guiding anthropological investigations of the contemporary world. Even so, there are great differences of opinion concerning what is meant by "culture" and "society" and “history” and how the "real world" phenomena that these concepts represent are actually interrelated. This course examines some of the most important theoretical traditions in anthropology and considers how they can help or, in some cases, hinder us from better understanding contemporary forms of globalization. The course will help you to recognize theoretical assumptions and perspectives when you encounter them in your studies, and will also give you some practice in applying and using these perspectives to better understand the world around us.
- 79-278 Rights to Representation: Indigenous People and their Media
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-303, and former title, Rights to Representation: Indigenous People and their Media or 79-303, Visual Anthropology, may not enroll.]
For decades anthropologists have been “picturing” others, in images as well as in words. This course explores the turn-around: when those who have been subjects of description take the opportunity to represent themselves. After a brief history of visual anthropology, we will concentrate on modes of representation developed by indigenous peoples. We will explore the meanings of “indigenous,” in connection with various modes of representation, including film, dramatic performances, art, the Internet, and social media. During the semester, we will compare—across time and space—the purposes for which media are used, the transmission of cultural values in media, the organization of production, and the intended audience. Anthropological method and theory will guide our inquiries. Course materials include disciplinary readings, documents dealing with indigenous rights, and examples of the work of indigenous peoples.
- 79-301 The Jewish American Experience
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| B. Burstin |
9 units |
MW 3:00-4:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-254 or 79-317 and former title, The Jewish American Experience, may not enroll.]
This course is designed to look at the history of the Jewish community in America up to the present time. While the history of American Jewry is more than three centuries old, we will focus primarily on the 20th century. We will explore not just historical themes and developments, but we shall also spend time focusing on contemporary issues and perspectives. In our discussion, we shall touch on aspects of American history, European history and world Jewish history. There will be a variety of classroom activities including lectures, discussion, oral reports, films and guest speakers. The aim of this course is to make each class provocative, lively and informative by raising issues and questions regarding the past, present and future of the American Jewish community.
- 79-307 Religion and Politics in the Middle East
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| L. Eisenberg |
9 units |
MWF 10:30-11:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-397 and former title, Religion and Politics in the Middle East, may not enroll.]
This course looks at the historic relationship among Islam, Judaism and Christianity and what they have to say about the nature of government, the state’s treatment of religious minorities, and relations among states. We will consider the impact of religion on domestic and foreign policy in selected Middle Eastern countries and communities, the role of religion in fueling conflicts, the phenomenon of religious fundamentalism, the challenge and opportunity this presents to the United States, and the potential for religion to help advance Middle East peace.
- 79-311 Introduction to Anthropology
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-201 and former title, Introduction to Anthropology, may not enroll.]
Cultural anthropologists "make the strange familiar and the familiar strange," attempting to understand the internal logic of cultures which might, at first glance, seem bizarre to us, while at the same time probing those aspects of our own society which might appear equally bizarre to outsiders. In doing so, anthropology makes us more aware of our own culturally-ingrained assumptions, while broadening our understanding of the possibilities and alternatives in human experience. This course will use ethnographic writings (descriptive accounts of particular cultures), as well as ethnographic films, to investigate the ways in which diverse societies structure family life, resolve conflict, construct gender relations, organize subsistence, etc. We will assess the advantages and pitfalls of comparing cross-cultural data, analyze the workings of power within and between societies, and consider the politics of cultural representations. We will also discuss what the anthropologist's relationship is to the people s/he studies, and the responsibilities inherent in that relationship. Throughout the course, students will learn the importance of an historical perspective on culture, looking at how and why societies change, and considering how we, as anthropologists, should assess these changes.
- 79-317 Art, Anthropology and Empire
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| P. Eiss |
9 units |
MW 12:00-1:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-364, and former title, Art, Anthropology and Empire, may not enroll.]
This seminar will explore the anthropology and history of aesthetic objects, as they travel from places considered "primitive" or "exotic," to others deemed "civilized" or "Western." First, we will consider twentieth-century anthropological attempts to develop ways of appreciating and understanding objects from other cultures, and in the process to reconsider the meaning of such terms as "art" and "aesthetics." Then we will discuss several topics in the history of empire and the "exotic" arts, including: the conquest, colonization and appropriation of indigenous objects; the politics of display and the rise of museums and world fairs; the processes by which locally-produced art objects are transformed into commodities traded in international art markets; the effects of "exotic" art on such aesthetic movements as surrealism, etc.; and the appropriation of indigenous aesthetic styles by "Western" artists. Finally, we will consider attempts by formerly colonized populations to reclaim objects from museums, and to organize new museums, aesthetic styles, and forms of artistic production that challenge imperialism's persistent legacies.
- 79-325 Art and Religion
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| E. Balas |
9 units |
TR 6:30-7:50pm |
The Art and Religion course-seminar will explore several major artistic manifestations prompted by religious beliefs during the history of art. Emphasis will be on the arts, although general historical eschatological and philosophical explanations will be assessed as well. Major religions will be brought to discussion in one or several of their artistic manifestations. The course-seminar will be based on discussions facilitated lectures given by the professor, in addition to student research presentations.
- 79-328 Photographers and Photography Since World War II
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-360 and former title, Photographers and Photography Since World War II, may not enroll.]
Invented in 1839, photography was a form of visual expression that immediately attracted a large public following. Portraiture, for example, was now available for the masses and not just the aristocracy. Starting around 1900, photography was practiced with two dominant strands. One of these firmly believed in the power of photographs to provide a window on the world, and was led by Lewis Hine, whose documentary photographs for the National Child Labor Committee helped to ameliorate living and working conditions for thousands of immigrant children. The other strand adhered to the philosophy of Alfred Stieglitz, founder of the elite Photo-Secession movement in the United States, who adamantly affirmed that photographs were first and foremost reflections of the soul. As such they were art objects, equal to painting, drawing and sculpture. These two schools of thought guided photographers throughout the twentieth century.
Following World War II, a collision of sorts occurred when human-interest photographs were organized into a landmark exhibition, called The Family of Man, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This mural-like display, which toured museums throughout the nation and provided a best-selling catalogue, angered many prominent photographers such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and others, but gave rise to a widespread popularization of photography. To counter this, Minor White launched a journal, Aperture, still in existence, which aimed to carry on the vision of Stieglitz. This course explores in depth the tremendous range of photographic expression since World War II and examines in particular the contributions of significant image-makers such as Helen Levitt, W. Eugene Smith, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Garry Winogrand, Harry Callahan, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Cindy Sherman, Annie Leibovitz, Duane Michals, Carrie Mae Weems, Nan Goldin, James Nachtwey, and many others. Classes include a slide lecture, student presentation, and video segments that introduce a focused selection of images by major photographers in an attempt to understand their intentions, styles, and influences. Some assignments involve attending exhibitions in museums and galleries around Pittsburgh.
- 79-337 China and Europe in the Modern World: The Great Divergence Debate in Economic History
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| E. Kaske |
9 units |
TR 3:00-4:20 |
For the past quarter century economists have been wondering about the miraculous rise of the Asian economies, most prominently the rise of China. This course will take a closer look at a debate among economic historians that asks the question in a different way: Why did this rise not happen two (or even five) centuries earlier? Why has Europe (and later the US) and not China ruled the world economy for so long? What were the factors that have been determining the rise or fall of early modern economies? The course will provide students with essential knowledge necessary to understand the differences between the Chinese and European economies and guide them through case studies to explore possible answers to a puzzle that has been occupying scholars for many decades.
- 79-340 Juvenile Delinquency and Film From the “Blackboard Jungle” to the “The Wire”
This course is not open to students who have previously taken 79-305 or 79-306.
How have American films portrayed juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system? What does filmmakers’ portrayal of juvenile delinquency tell us about American culture and society? Do films vividly capture or badly distort the "realities" of crime and the operations of the justice system? This course uses feature films (to be viewed in advance of class) from the post-World War II era to the present, as well as several popular and scholarly readings from the same time period, to explore these issues.
The course will be run as a colloquium, with students playing leadership roles in launching and guiding class discussions. There will be both a mid-term and a final exam. Two classes will be reserved for viewing and discussion of student-selected films.
- 79-343 History of American Urban Life
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| Z. Falck |
9 units |
MWF 9:30-10:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-243 and former title, History of American Urban Life, may not enroll.]
This course examines the development of urban America during the 19th and 20th centuries. It explores the evolution of urban structure; the development and impact of urban technologies (transportation, water/wastewater, energy and communications); ethnic and racial change and class conflict in the city; and political and policy issues. It discusses alterations in American city structure and form through the walking city, the networked city, and the development of the suburbs.
- 79-345 The Roots of Rock and Roll, 1870-1970
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| S. Sandage |
9 units |
TR 1:30-2:50 and Wednesdays 6:30-9:20pm |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-218 and former title, The Roots of Rock and Roll, may not enroll.]
This large-lecture course spans the century from 1870 to 1970 and spends 8 weeks on “roots” music – slave songs, Anglo-Appalachian ballads, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley, and 1920s-1930s blues and country – before you’ll hear a single electric guitar. After studying Bessie Smith, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Hank Williams, and other early artists, we’ll spend the last 7 weeks on revolutionaries like Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin. The format is informal lecture and discussion on Tues/Thurs afternoons, plus a required film screening every Wednesday evening, 6:30-9:20pm. Assignments include reading 2-3 books and many articles (including some cultural theory), weekly music listening, four short papers, occasional quizzes, and a final project.
- 79-347 Urban Crisis, Urban Renewal and Gentrification
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Skhuda |
9 units |
TR 3:00-4:20 |
Using readings, documentaries, films and site visits throughout Pittsburgh, students will explore three of the major ideas that have shaped our understanding of the postwar American City: Urban Crisis, Urban Renewal and Gentrification. Participants will study the linked processes of deindustrialization and suburbanization, and explore how the actions of policymakers, institutions and individuals created an overall decline in inner cities in the years after World War II. Additionally, we will investigate the ways in which governments and other urban actors attempted to reverse these trends (with mixed success) via urban renewal projects, many of which involved clearing land to build housing developments, highways and stadiums. Finally, we will explore the complex process of gentrification, or the “back to the city” movement. Starting with a history of the term, we will examine the racial landscapes of gentrification and how culture and politics have been influenced by and helped drive the course of urban change. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on tying theory and important case studies to concrete local examples.
- 79-349 The Holocaust in Historical Perspective
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| B. Burstin |
9 units |
MW 12:00-1:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-219 and former title, The Holocaust in Historical Perspective, may not enroll.]
This course explores the attitudes and actions of the Holocaust perpetrators, the bystanders, and the victims. Moreover, it discusses what implications and issues arise from this watershed event in World and Jewish history. It descends into the world of the Holocaust not only by reading about events and viewing several films, but also by meeting Holocaust survivors.
- 79-354 Energy and Climate: History, Science, Technology, and Policy in the US 1776-2076
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| D. Hounshell |
9 units |
MW 3:00-4:20 |
This course provides CMU students with a historically grounded, technically informed, and policy-centered examination of energy and climate in the United States from the American Revolution to the nation’s tri- centennial, by which time the nation will either have taken the necessary action to avoid massive catastrophes related to global warming or will be destined for—and perhaps already experiencing—a series of vastly catastrophic climate events that visit apocalyptic-like suffering and misery on large segments of the nation. Energy procurement and expenditure in the US and climate change have been surprisingly linked over the nation’s entire. Now is the time for CMU students to understand these relationships historically, technically and scientifically, and politically and geopolitically. The course is structured around the reading and discussion of landmark scholarship on energy and climate sewn together by lectures, films, and various unorthodox pedagogical methods.
- 79-357 History of Black American Music
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| K. Keeling |
6 units |
MW 2:30-3:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-370 and former title, History of Black American Music, may not enroll.]
Come and explore the rich musical heritage of Black America. This course will survey the music of Black America beginning with the African legacy and continuing through the music of the Twentieth Century. Class sessions will involve discussions, listening, viewing of films, and reports by students on topics of individual interest. Discussions will involve, historical, cultural and political perspective, as well as the music and composers themselves. Lecturing will be at a minimum. Innovative testing in quiz show format will be used.
No prerequisites required. Open to upper level undergraduate students.
- 79-360 Historical Evidence and Interpretation
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| A. Creasman |
12 units |
MW 3:00-4:20 |
Historical Evidence and Interpretation acquaints students with how historians practice their craft in interpreting events from the past. The emphasis is on learning to supplement standard secondary accounts of an event with primary sources such as memoirs, government documents, speeches, literary sources, news accounts, music, maps, and images. The goal is for students to develop a familiarity with the skills required to identify a research topic, find and work with many kinds of sources, create a strong thesis statement, design a persuasive paper, and produce a properly formatted and well-written research paper. Please note that coursework is appropriate for a 12 unit course.
- 79-372 Perspectives on the Urban Environment
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| J. Tarr |
9 units |
TR 1:30-2:50 |
This course will explore the interaction of cities, technology and the natural environment over time. In doing so it will consider major issues confronting cities today including landscape and site changes; water supply, wastewater disposal and flooding; solid waste disposal; transportation and suburbanization; energy changes; and the impact of deindustrialization. These themes will be approached through a combination of class discussions, lectures, and visiting speakers. Class participation is expected, and will comprise a portion of the grade. In addition to required texts, readings will be distributed on Blackboard.
- 79-380 Ethnographic Methods
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| J. Schachter |
9 units |
TR 10:30-11:50 |
In this class, students will become familiar with the history, the use, and the problems attached to “ethnographic methods.” Drawing on anthropological and historical literature, students learn to assess various methods, including observation, participation, interviewing, conversing, mapping, and documenting in visual media in order to create a “thick description” or ethnography. In addition to reading and watching films, the main work in the class involves a fieldwork project: each student is expected to develop a project that can be completed in one semester, that involves an application of one or more strategy of inquiry, and that can be written up in a final, interpretive and descriptive paper. There are no exams in the course.
- 79-383 Epidemic Disease and Public Health
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| C. Acker |
9 units |
TR 9:00-10:20 |
[Note: students who have already taken this course under its former number 79-336 and former title, Epidemic, Disease and Public Health, may not enroll.]
Epidemics of infectious disease are both biological and social events. Through the perspectives of the changing ecology of disease and social construction of disease, this course examines epidemics of such diseases as bubonic plague, cholera, yellow fever, and AIDS. Besides considering the social factors that help determine the epidemiology of a particular outbreak of disease, the course analyzes human responses to epidemic disease. These responses include popular attitudes toward the disease and those who contract it, as well as public health measures intended to control spread of the disease.
- 79-384 Garbage Gone Global: Managing Surplus, Waste, and Desire
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| K. Faulk |
9 units |
MWF 10:30-11:20 |
In this course, we will use readings and film to explore a variety of issues related to the production, classification, and management of waste. Topics to be covered include the environmental impacts of different waste disposal techniques, the global trade in used and discarded materials, garbage as a source of work and the way gender influences who does this work, the history and current structure of the waste disposal industry in the US and in other places around the world, and practices of recycling and scavenging. Throughout we will pay attention to the different ways we as humans think about, care for, and ultimately discard our material things. Class time will be dedicated to discussion, and students will complete weekly short assignments and a research paper. This course is open to all students.
- 79-389 Stalin and Stalinism
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| W. Goldman |
9 units |
TR 1:30-2:50 |
Joseph Stalin has been vilified and praised, damned and worshipped. He left behind a mixed and complex legacy: he created an industrialized modern economy in the Soviet Union, won a great and painful victory over the Nazis, built a police state, and destroyed the possibilities for socialist democracy. He sent millions of people to slave labor camps, and when he died, thousands wept at his funeral. This course will combine elements of biography and social history to examine Stalin, the man, and Stalinism, the phenomenon.
- 79-394 Revitalizing Pittsburgh: Malls, Mills and Medical Centers
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| F. Campet |
9 units |
TR 12:00-1:20 |
This course examines strategies for urban redevelopment and economic revitalization in the US since World War II. We will be examining the specific context of Pittsburgh with special focus on critical contemporary issues such as the role of medical centers, universities, technology, retail outlets, and gas drilling. We will be doing critical readings and primary research as we explore both the problems and possibilities of economic urban reinvention in the last half century.
- 79-396 Music and Society in 19th and 20th Century Europe and the U.S.
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| N. Kats |
9 units |
Thursdays 6:30-9:20pm |
This course will explore the interrelations between society and classical and popular music in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Europe and the United States. We will examine the importance of different musical forms in the life of society and how music contributed to the making of political consciousness, especially in the twentieth century. In addition to reading assignments, seminar discussions, and research papers in the history of music, students will be taken to the performances of the Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, and Chamber Music Society. A supplemental fee of a minimum of $250. will be charged to subsidize part of the considerable expense of purchasing tickets for concerts and performances. Prerequisite: Availability to attend musical events on several Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
- 79-397 Memoirs and Autobiography in Historical Context
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| D. Harsch |
9 units |
TR 10:30-11:50 |
This seminar will discuss memoirs/autobiographies by Americans and Europeans from the 18th-20th centuries. It will analyze the art of writing about the self in social and political context: what do authors reveal and not reveal about their lives? How have ethnicity, nationality, gender and social class influenced writing about the self? How has it been shaped by historical events such as war, revolution, and the Holocaust? Readings will include (parts of) memoirs and autobiographies of public people, including political leaders, philosophers, and artists, as well as by "ordinary" people who were not famous (before the publication of their memoir or autobiography). Assignments: eight 1-2 page response papers, one 5 page paper, and one 8-10 page final paper.
- 79-400 Advanced Seminar in Global Studies
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| R. Maddox |
12 units |
TR 1:30-2:50 |
This research seminar is the capstone course for Global Studies majors. The course is designed to give you a chance to define and carry out a research project of personal interest. The first few weeks of the course will be devoted to developing a research topic and locating sources. We will then work on how to interpret and synthesize sources into a coherent and compelling thesis or argument before you begin drafting your paper. Your research may be based on in-depth reading of a body of scholarly work, field notes from ethnographic observations, archival research, analysis of literary or visual media, or some combination of these sources. Incorporation of some non-English language sources is strongly encouraged where possible. Independent work, self-initiative, participation in discussion, and peer-evaluations are required. There are several interim deadlines that will be strictly enforced in order to ensure successful completion of the course.
Prerequisites: 79-275 and Theoretical and Topical Core must be complete or concurrently enrolled.
- 79-506 Global Studies Internship
| Instructor |
Units |
Lecture |
| J. Soluri |
9 units |
TBA |
This course provides Global Studies majors with a chance to explore global connections in Pittsburgh. Majors, working in close consultation with the Global Studies director and advisor, may receive credit for a volunteer experience with a non-governmental organization (usually in Pittsburgh) whose mission has a global reach. This could include an organization that supports projects in other countries, works with immigrants in the Pittsburgh area, or participates in international policy making/governance. We strongly encourage students to seek out opportunities that require use of a second language. Students will be required to maintain journals, write a final critical reflection on how the internship connects to academic work, and share their experience with other Global Studies majors. Global Studies advisor and director will assist students with matching their interests to local organizations and identifying an on-site supervisor available to collaborate in the ongoing and final evaluation of the student’s work. Prerequisite: Students must be Global Studies majors and obtain prior permission for the proposed internship from the Global Studies advisor.
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