Undergraduate
Course Designators
Below are descriptions of courses with the following ‘designators’ (the 3 letter code in front of the course number):
| HIS | History |
| JHP | Joint History and Political Science (administered by Political Science Department, Room 3018, Sidney Smith Hall) |
| NMC | Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations (administered by the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, 4 Bancroft Avenue) |
NOTE: All courses shown on this page are accepted towards a History program. However, as shown above, they are not all administered by the Department of History.
Course Nomenclature
- Y1-Y is a full course, both terms.
- Y1-F is a full course, first term (fall session)
- Y1-S is a full course, second term (winter session)
- H1-F is a half course, first term (fall session)
- H1-S is a half course, second term (winter session)
200 Level Courses (2016-2017)
200-level HIS courses are surveys that introduce in broad outlines the history of a particular country, region, continent, or theme. Most are essential background for further upper-level study in the area. Students will generally attend two lectures and participate in one tutorial each week. The 200-level courses are open to first year students as well as those in higher years.
The Department regularly offers a number of HIS299Y1 Research Opportunity Programs, which are open only to students in their second year. In this course, you work as a Research Assistant to a professor on a particular subject. In past years, students in HIS299Y1 courses have done oral history interviews, sought out manuscripts in provincial archives, and gathered primary source documents in the university libraries. Students in their first year should check with the Faculty Registrar in February for the list of ROPs that will be offered in the following academic year.
HIS 202H1-F Gender, Race and Science
This course examines scientific ideas about human difference from the 18th-century to the present. It explores how scientists and their critics portrayed the nature of race, sex difference, and masculinity/femininity in light of debates over nation, citizenship, colonialism, emancipation, knowledge and capitalism. The course will also introduce students to the uses of gender and race as analytic categories within the practice of history. While the course draws much of its subject matter from the history of the United States, it also explores selective issues in European and colonial contexts.
Instructor: C. Dale
Lecture: T 3-5
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II/III
HIS 208Y1-Y History of the Jewish People
This course surveys the history of the Jews throughout the world from c. 300 CE to the present. The first term will be devoted to the pre-modern period, paying special attention to migration, acculturation, relations with non-Jews, and change and continuity within Jewish communities throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. The second half of the course will cover the modern period. Students will have opportunity to engage with a variety of primary and secondary sources; written assignments will allow students to analyze primary sources directly.
Recommended Preparation: HIS102Y1/HIS103Y1/HIS109Y1
Instructor: O. Yehudai
Lecture: MW 2
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I/III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 220Y1-Y The Shape of Medieval Society
The European middle ages spanned the centuries between the fall of the Roman Empire–one of the greatest, largest, and wealthiest empires in history–and the beginnings of modernity. We will study the main events and personalities of the period, but the focus will be on making real the experience of being a medieval person: a peasant, maid, merchant, or knight; a viking warrior, a queen, a nun, a monk or the emperor. You will gain some insight into what separates our experience of life from those of people in this era, but equally how much you share with our ancestors of a millennium ago.
Tentative Course Requirements: two essays (total of 30%), a mid-term test (15%), a final examination (30%) and tutorial participation (25%).
Instructor: S. Ghosh
Lecture: TR 10
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
Pre-Modern: 1 credit
HIS 230H1-F Indigenous and Early Colonial Caribbean History
This course introduces students to the study of Caribbean history from first human settlement to the late 18th century. Subject matter covered includes indigenous social structures, cosmology and politics; the process of European conquest; the economics, society and political order of colonial society; the Middle Passage; the everyday lives and struggles of enslaved peoples.
Exclusion: HIS294Y1
Instructor: M. Newton
Lecture: T 10-12
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 231H1-S Revolution and Emancipation in the Colonial Caribbean
This course explores the history of the late eighteenth and nineteenth century Caribbean, from the Haitian Revolution to the U.S. occupation of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Students learn about the first struggles for political independence; the struggle to abolish the slave trade; slave emancipation; indentureship and struggles to define freedom after emancipation.
Exclusion: HIS294Y1
Instructor: M. Newton
Lecture: T 10-12
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
HIS 241H1-F Europe in the Nineteenth Century, 1815-1914
This course gives an introduction to major themes in European history over the ‘long’ nineteenth century. The geographical focus will be on the countries of Western Continental Europe, especially France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, though at times developments in Great Britain and Russia will be discussed; the themes covered will be quite wide ranging. Political developments to be covered include the establishment of Restoration Europe, the revolutions of 1848, the unifications of Italy and Germany, imperialism and the coming of the First World War. We will also discuss industrialization and its manifold effects, a variety of intellectual and social movements, and changes in cultural life over the course of the century. The course explores the history of everyday life as well as the history of high politics and culture, and emphasizes the importance of multiple approaches to historical problems. Attendance at lectures, tutorial participation, reading, research, and writing are all essential components of this course. In the tutorials, students will discuss a variety of primary sources, including novels, essays, and public speeches. Students will also work closely with tutors on the preparation of essays.
Exclusion: EUR200Y1
Recommended Preparation: HIS103Y1/HIS109Y1
Instructor: D. Sokolowski
Lecture: TR 1
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
HIS 242H1-S Europe in the Twentieth Century
This course surveys the history of European politics, culture and society from 1914 to the present day. Lectures will cover an array of events and themes, from the two world wars, to the Russian Revolution, the rise of fascism, the Holocaust, the onset of decolonization, and the creation of the European Union. Special attention will be paid throughout to a number of themes relating to war, violence, nationalism, culture and gender in twentieth-century Europe.
Exclusion: EUR200Y1
Instructor: V. Dimitriadis
Lecture: TR 1
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
HIS 243H1-F Early Modern Europe, 1450- 1648
The shape of modern European society is set in the early modern period. Expansion overseas sets some European nations on a path of imperial and colonial development, which shapes international relations into the twentieth century. The revival of classical forms revolutionizes art and architecture, and provides new models for education, politics, law, science, and gender relations. The split of Christendom into Protestant and Catholic churches inspires intellectual and artistic creativity and sparks violent wars that still resonate today. Modern states and our continuing fascination with determining ‘national identity’ take shape out of the competition between dynasties, social classes, faiths and territories. A drive for order and obedience makes Europeans more concerned with identifying and policing the poor, women, children, and even themselves.
Instructor: E. Ferguson
Lecture: TR 1
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 244H1-S Early Modern Europe, 1648-1815
This course will survey the history of Europe from the Thirty Year’s War to the Napoleonic Empire. We will explore the principal themes which transformed Europe during this period: the birth of the modern nation-state; the increasing scale of warfare; the ebb of Christian influence; the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment; the emergence of capitalist economies; the consolidation of transatlantic colonial empires; and the French Revolution and the invention of popular democracy. Students will read a range of primary and secondary source materials; attendance at lectures, participation in tutorials, course reading, and writing are all required components for this course.
Tentative Course Requirements: One brief written assignment, one essay, final exam, and tutorial participation.
Instructor: P. Cohen
Lecture: TR 10
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 245H1-S European Colonialism, 1700-1965
This class will introduce students to the history of European colonialism. It will analyze the nature of colonial rule, the impact of empire on both colonies and metropoles, and delve into questions of power, gender and culture. It considers slavery and abolition, imperial networks, colonial capital, colonial competition, colonial cultures, the twilight of colonial rule, and a variety of settings.
Exclusion: HIS398Y0 (Oxford class, 2014)
Instructor: E. Jennings
Lecture: W 10-12
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
HIS 250Y1-Y History of Russia, 860-1991
This course in an introductory survey that examines the political, social, and cultural developments that shaped the Russian empire from the settlement of Kiev in the 9th century to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Textbook(s): Nicholas V. Riasanovsky and Mark D. Steinberg, A History of Russia, Oxford University Press, 8th Edition: 2011
Tentative Course Requirements: tutorials (15%); 2 essays (25% each); final examination (35%).
Exclusion: HIS250H1
Instructor: K. Pauksens
Lecture: MW 11
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 251Y1-Y East Central Europe
The course aims at surveying major historical developments in the area between the German-speaking lands and the former Soviet Union, beginning with the late Middle Ages. Most attention will be paid to the Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, Hungarians, and the Balkan peoples. Though the history of East Central Europe is often omitted from university curricula, the peoples of this area, situated in the heart of Europe, deserve serious study. As the course attempts to show, they have made throughout the centuries an important contribution to world history. The tutorials discuss a number of themes related to though not identical with the subjects of the lectures — on the basis of assigned readings for each week.
Background readings: P.S. Wandycz, The Price of Freedom; A History of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present, and L.S. Stavrianos, The Balkans since 1453.
Textbook(s): Robin Okey, Eastern Europe 1740-1985. Feudalism to Communism, Hutchinson, 2nd ed., 1986.
Tentative Course Requirements: first term paper (20%), second term paper (25%), a final examination (35%) and tutorial participation (20%)
Instructor: P. Wróbel
Lecture: T 10-12
Tutorials: TBA
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 262H1-S Canada: A Short History of Here
Designed for non-history students, this introductory survey fulfills the Society and Its Institutions breadth requirement. It is open to all who want to know more about Canada. Make sense of politics today and develop a deeper understanding of Canadian society and its institutions through study of the major events and demographic trends that have shaped the development of this country. Topics will include First Nations/newcomer relations (including treaties and the Truth & Reconciliation report), French/English relations (including Quebec separatism), regionalism, the North, economic history, constitutional developments, and the development of Canadian identity, including common symbols associated with Canada. No essay requirement. Instead, enhance your critical reading and thinking skills through short writing assignments and weekly discussions of tutorial readings.
*This course will not count towards History program requirements or as a prerequisite for upper level courses.*
Exclusion: HIS263Y1
Instructor: H. Bohaker
Lecture: MW 2
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
HIS 264H1-F Critical Issues in Canadian History
Using artefacts, archival documents and Canadian art this course introduces History majors to key issues in Canadian social, military and economic history and foundational principles of analysis. Lectures and readings familiarize students with debates around histories of political expression, war, colonialism, gender and sexuality and help prepare them for upper year Canadian courses.
Exclusion: HIS263Y1
Instructor: L. Bertram
Lecture: R 3-5
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
HIS 271Y1-Y American History Since 1607
Designed to introduce students to a broad range of American history, this course surveys the political and economic, as well as the social and cultural history of the United States from first contact between Europeans and Native peoples through the turn of the 21st century. Topics covered include: the development of colonial America, the emergence and growth of the American nation; slavery, sectional conflict and the Civil War; the development of modern America; the rise of the liberal state and the conservative counter-offensive; efforts by minority groups at overcoming their second-class status; and, America’s rise to international predominance. Overarching themes include the evolution of race and gender identities, as well as the ongoing struggle within the United States to live up to its founding principles of equality and inalienable rights.
Instructor: E. Bryer/C. Wellum
Lecture: W 6-8
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
HIS 280Y1-Y History of China
Does China have “five thousand years of continuous history”? We will explore this deceptively simple question in this introduction to the history of what is now China from before the development of writing to the present. No previous knowledge is required.
In addition to covering basic information about chronology and environment, this course will be organized around some key tensions:
• Material life and popular culture vs. ideal norms and elite culture • Changes vs. continuities: when did key watersheds occur, and what were their consequences?
• “Chinese” societies vs. their neighbors, especially the nomadic peoples of the northern steppes • People vs. nature–physical modifications to the environment over time • People vs. their bodies– gender, sexuality, and families
By the end of the course, we will have explored not just what we know, but how we know about China’s history. You will be introduced to the practice of reading primary historical documents in translation, with a view to how historians use them to produce knowledge about the past.
Instructor: Y. Wang
Lecture: TR 3
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 282Y1-Y History of South Asia
This year-long course addresses major themes in the history of South Asia, examining South Asian political economy, social history, colonial power relations and forms of knowledge, and the production of culture. The course emphasizes the period after 1750, particularly the study of colonialism, nationalism, and postcolonial citizenship and modernity. The analysis of the modern period is informed and preceded by an overview of ancient, medieval and early modern/Mughal history. Themes include the diversity of South Asian regional, political, religious, and cultural communities; law and sovereignty; women and gender in South Asian history; subaltern resistance and rebellion; capitalism in South Asia; and major questions in recent South Asian historiography.
Tentative Course Requirements: two short essays, take-home test, in class test, final exam, tutorial and class participation.
Instructor: P. Dhar
Lecture: MW 2
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 283Y1-Y Southeast Asian Crossroads
The course surveys the historical experiences of the states that constitute present-day Southeast Asia: Burma, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Throughout the course, you will be expected to examine critically the various aspects that scholars have used to define Southeast Asia as a region, such as shared environmental and cultural patterns, gender relations, and religious traditions.
During the course, you will be asked to analyze and respond to weekly readings and lectures in sections and written assignments. The assigned readings will require careful analysis and comparison with primary source materials. These documents will be made available in English translation in the course bulk-pack. In addition to the required readings, you will be expected to consult the web pages of several archival sites to examine maps, documents and images relevant to each period in the history of Southeast Asia.
Textbook(s): Mary Heidhues, Southeast Asia: a Concise History. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2000. Course Reader.
Instructor: N. Tran
Lecture: M 1-3
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I
HIS 291H1-F The History of Colonial Latin America
This course introduces the early period of Latin American history. Beginning with the heights of the last Amerindian civilizations (the Maya, Aztecs and Inkas), and with late medieval Spanish and Portuguese societies, we explore how these “old worlds” collide and converge after Columbus’ landfall in 1492. We study discovery, exploration, conquest and the consolidations of imperial rule, and we pay special attention to the emergence of new multi-ethnic societies in the Americas, ending with the rebellions that preceded the independence struggles of the early nineteenth century. There will be two lectures per week during the Fall semester, and one tutorial in most weeks.
Exclusion: HIS291Y1
Instructor: J. Dyck
Lecture: MW 3
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 292H1-S Latin America: The National Period
A survey of Latin American history from the wars of independence to the present day.
Tentative Course Requirements: class participation, two essays on course readings, midterm test, final exam.
Exclusion: HIS292Y1
Instructor: L. van Isschot
Lecture: MW 10
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II
HIS 293H1-S The Making of the Atlantic World, 1480-1804
This course introduces students to the social, economic, cultural and political history of the Atlantic world resulting from European exploration and colonization in the Americas beginning in the 1490s, and the growth of the transatlantic slave trade. It focuses on interactions between Africans, Europeans, and Amerindians around the Atlantic Ocean.
Prerequisite: HIS102Y1/106Y1/109Y1
Instructor: B. Mandelblatt
Lecture: TR 2
Tutorials: TBA
Division: II/III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 295Y1-Y African History and Historical Methodology
An introduction to African history and the methodology of history more broadly, this course sets out to question how historians do history, examine differences in theories of knowledge, and explore the relationship between academic and cultural representations of the past. The course also draws on anthropology and related disciplines.
Exclusion: HIS381H1, HIS382H1
Instructor: R. Callebert
Lecture: M 2-4
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 298Y1-Y Themes and Issues in History: Black America
An introduction to the history of African-American people in the United States from the transatlantic slave trade to our present moment. Focusing on critique of primary sources written, spoken, and performed by black subjects, we examine key figures and movements in enduring struggles against racism, sexism, state violence, and economic exploitation. Students gain practical and portable skills of close reading and primary-source analysis. Major themes include capitalism and slavery, theories of racial formation, gender and white supremacy, black nationalism and transnationalism, black feminisms, terrorism and social control, poverty and criminalization, culture and emancipatory aesthetics, survival and joy.
Instructor: C. Johnson
Lecture: F 11-1
Tutorials: TBA
Division: I