Undergraduate
Course Designators
Below are descriptions of courses with the following ‘designators (the 3 letter code in front of the course number):
| HIS | History |
| JHA | Joint History and Asia-Pacific Students |
| JHN | Joint History and New College |
| 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)
300 Level Courses (2016-2017)
300-level HIS courses are more specialized and intensive. They deal with more closely defined periods or themes. They vary in format, with some being based around lectures, and others involving tutorial or discussion groups. Most 300-level courses have Prerequisite, which are strictly enforced. First year students are not permitted to enrol in 300 or 400-level HIS courses. Although some upper level courses do not have specific Prerequisite, courses at the 300- and 400-level are demanding and require a good comprehension of history.
HIS 304H1-F Topics in Middle East History: Palestine and Israel
Contrary to persistent myths, the Arab-Israeli conflict over the land of Palestine is modern and secular in origin. Focusing on the analytics nationalism and colonialism and based on key primary documents, this course provides an overview of the political struggles over Palestine between Zionist Jews and Palestinian Arabs since World War I. Weekly lectures provide an overview of the political struggles over Palestine between Zionist Jews, Palestinian Arabs and Arab Jews in the twentieth century in the context of British colonialism, UN negotiations and resolutions, Thirdworldism, superpower rivalry and everyday cooperation and occupation on the ground. We will cover the landmark events of this entangled history, such as the Balfour Declaration, the 1948 war, the Suez Crisis of 1956, the June and October wars in 1967 and 1973, the Camp David Accords of 1978, the Palestinian Uprisings of 1987-91 and 2000 and the on-going Israeli siege of Gaza. We will end with the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS). The course will conclude with a debate over the one-or two-state scenario for Israel/Palestine.
Textbook(s): Smith, Charles, Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History with Documents (New York: Bedford, St. Martins, 2010).
Instructor: J. Hanssen
Lecture: WF 9-11
Division: I
HIS 307H1-S Canadian Political Issues
This course examines ten moments when particular issues dominated Canadian politics. Because 2017 is the 150th anniversary of Confederation, this year the course will pay particular attention to the issues that prompted Confederation and surrounded nation-building. Each week an issue will be the focus of attention in the class. Students will examine the background of the issue, partisan divisions, political debates in Parliament and in the wider public, the mobilization of popular support and opposition by politicians and the media, and the outcomes. Issues to be studied will likely include responsible government; the Confederation debates; strategies for building a robust national economy; minority rights; the franchise (women, Aboriginal people, the Chinese); unemployment in the Great Depression; health insurance; the October crisis of 1970; free trade.
No textbook is required.
Tentative Course Requirements: a primary source assignment, a research essay, a mid-term test, and a final examination
Prerequisite: HIS263Y1/HIS264H1
Instructor: I. Radforth
Lecture: T 3-5
Division: II
HIS 309H1-F The European Reformations
The European Reformation of the sixteenth century is popularly portrayed as a search for a purer and simpler church in reaction to abuses and corruption in the Catholic Church. Yet for many in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, ‘reform’ and ‘purity’ was also about drawing tighter boundaries between true and false beliefs. Criticism of the western Catholic church was mounting from the later fifteenth century, and many proposals for reform circulated. Long before Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin began writing, reform movements were triggering significant social and religious changes, and sometimes sending religious minority groups into exile.
Martin Luther’s theological arguments provided the catalyst for social and intellectual upheavals culminating in a lasting split among western Christians between the Catholic Church and the new Protestant denominations. These upheavals reshaped the spiritual and political landscape of sixteenth century Europe. They profoundly affected the way people worshipped and how ritually they marked key life-cycle events like marriage, childbirth, and death. They also triggered a wave of exiles and expulsions and created the phenomenon of the ‘religious refugee.’
This course will look at theological debates, the interplay of religion and politics, and the connections between social class, gender and reform. We will look at how exile shaped the thought of individuals and the experiences of communities. We will also consider the path that reform took within the Catholic Church, from new religious orders like the Jesuits to the Council of Trent.
Prerequisites: HIS243H/VIC240Y or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: E. Ferguson
Lecture: M 1-3
Division: II/III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 311Y1-Y Introduction to Canadian International Relations
This course is a lecture-tutorial course designed to outline not only Canadian external relations but also imperial and foreign developments involving Canada as a colony or as an ally from 1750 to Stephen Harper. Attention will be given to British and American defence and foreign policies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as they affect Canada.
Textbook(s): Norman Hillmer and J.L. Granatstein, Empire to Umpire, second edition; Robert Bothwell, The Penguin History of Canada.
Tentative Course Requirements: term work (20%), two essays (20% each), and final exam (40%).
Recommended Preparation: a course in Canadian history or politics.
Instructor: R. Bothwell
Lecture: TR 2
Tutorials: TBA (bi-weekly)
Division: II/III
HIS 312H1-F Immigration to Canada
The course explores the peopling of Canada by newcomers from the time of the arrival of French settlers in early Canada and Acadia to recent decades, when peoples of diverse backgrounds have entered the country. Attention is paid to the making of immigration and multicultural policies, their implementation, and the relations between the host society and the newcomers. The focus, however, is on the immigrants themselves: their lives in the country of origin and reasons for leaving, the migration experience itself, early settlement and work in Canada, and life within immigrant enclaves and communities. Special attention is given to immigration as a gendered experience.
Tentative Course Requirements: document analysis; research essay; mid-term test; and final exam.
Recommended Preparation: HIS263Y1/HIS264H1
Instructor: I. Radforth
Lecture: T 3-6
Division: II
HIS 314H1-F Quebec and French Canada
A survey of French-Canadian history since the Confederation, including the evolution of a distinct society in Quebec as well as of French-Canadian communities elsewhere. Relations with English Canada, the federal state, and the North American economy will be examined. Among other topics: the influence of Catholicism on French-Canadian life, and the rise of a multicultural, democratic society in modern Quebec.
Exclusion: HIS314Y1
Instructor: S. Mills
Lecture: W 1-3
Division: II
HIS 318H1-S Histories of the West in Canada
What happens when histories of Canada begin in the West? This course examines the critical challenges that the myths and legacies of the West pose to Canadian history, from pre-contact to 1990. Themes include First Nations and colonialism, immigration, racism, economic development, regionalism, and illegal economies (sex work, bootlegging, etc.)
Prerequisite: HIS263Y1/HIS264H1
Instructor: L. Bertram
Lecture: R 2-4
Tutorial: R 4-5
Division: II
HIS 323H1-S Rites of Passage and Daily Life in the Middle Ages
Reflecting on the life cycle (birth, childhood, youth, old age and death) in the medieval period gives the opportunity to cross over the thresholds into the dwellings and daily lives of peasants, nobles, monks, nuns and burghers. It also provides an interesting angle from which to study the differences between female and male life experiences, and to confront important contemporary questions (such as adolescent rebelliousness) in a completely different historical setting. Questioning the historiography on the medieval life cycle will be an important part of the course.
Prerequisite: a course specifically on the Middle Ages such as HIS220Y1
Exclusion: HIS323Y1
Instructor: I. Cochelin
Lecture: T 4-6
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 324H1-F British Imperial Experience, 1600-2000
The British empire, at its zenith, covered one-quarter of the earth’s land surface. Whatever the rights and wrongs of its history were, the legacies of this global experience continue to influence politics in today’s world. Equal coverage is given to early modern and modern history. Some background in British history or international relations is strongly recommended. This course begins at home with English expansionism in the British Isles before moving on to deal with case studies selected from North America, the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia and East Asia. Coherence comes from thematic foci consisting of economics, law, migration, gender and governance.
Prerequisite: HIS103Y1/109Y1/241H1/244H1/245H1/368H1/337H1/349H1
Recommended Preparation: HIS102Y1/103Y1/109Y1/202H1
Instructor: J. Mori
Lecture: TR 4
Division: III
HIS 326H1-F Topics in Chinese History: Bodies and Sentiments in Chinese History
This course is a thematic approach to physical bodies, sensory experience, and emotional states in Chinese history. Fear and love, taste and touch, muscle and bone: these appear to be fundamental parts of what it means to be human, unchanged since the beginning of written records. But have people always felt like we do now? Have they always regarded their bodies as we do? Or are bodies and feelings historically specific?
If so, how have they changed over time?
A focus on China’s particular trajectory against the context a broader world history also raises the question of how geographically specific feelings and bodies might be. Are there such things as unique or untranslatable sentiments and bodily experiences particular to a physical location? If so, are there ways for us to understand them as students of the human condition?
Students should arrive in this class with some previous knowledge of Chinese history.
Tentative Course Requirements: Biweekly content checks, 2 short papers, 2 map quizzes, final multimedia project
Prerequisite: HIS280Y1 OR another course in Chinese history. Students who are unsure of their qualifications should contact the instructor before term.
Instructor: Y. Wang
Lecture: T 5-7
Division: I
HIS 330H1-F Germany from Frederick the Great to the First World War
This survey history of modern Germany begins by illuminating the unchanging rhythms of everyday life in pre-modern Europe. It ends in a very different age – when motorcars and trams rumbled through the streets of huge cities, when German battleships prowled the North Sea and Zeppelins hovered above Lake Constance, when Nobel Prize-winning scientists were the envy of the world, when Expressionism was exploding artistic conventions, and when new ideas about race and eugenics were emerging.
Did Otto von Bismarck’s invocation of “blood and iron” in 1862 epitomize Germany’s transition to modern times? Or should we look to other developments to understand how the Germany of Goethe and Schiller became the Germany of Hitler and the Holocaust? Several themes are highlighted: social conflict (and the search for community), confessional division (and popular piety), regional diversity (and the “imagined nation”), the women’s movement (and patriarchal resistance), and political battles that contributed, paradoxically, to both polarization and stalemate. Taking up these contentious themes will allow students to engage critically with Germany’s fractured past.
Audio-visual materials and a 15-minute discussion period are featured in every class. We will view an East German film based on Heinrich Mann’s satire of Germans’ subject mentality under Kaiser Wilhelm II. And students will have access to a vast array of images and documents (in translation) on the website of the German Historical Institute, Washington, D.C.
Required Reading: James Retallack, ed., Imperial Germany 1871-1918: The Short Oxford History of Germany (pb. 2008); Theodor Fontane, Effi Briest, orig. 1896, in English translation (pb).
Course Requirements: an in-class midterm quiz; an essay proposal (not graded); a term essay of about 12 typed pages; an in-class final quiz; mandatory attendance on the day we discuss Effi Briest; and regular attendance at other lectures.
Prerequisite: HIS241H1/EUR200Y1
Exclusion: HIS341Y1
Instructor: P. Mersereau
Lecture: W 1-3
Division: III
HIS 331H1-S Modern Baltic History
This course is an examination of political, social, cultural and economic developments in Baltic history from 1900 to the present day. Although the whole Baltic Sea region will be considered, special attention will be paid to the small Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We study the emergence of independent Baltic States in context of the Russian Revolution and the First World War, the interwar period of independence, the casualties of the Second World
War, the fate and daily life of the Baltic nations under Soviet rule, the fall of the Soviet Union and the Baltic Revolution; national rebirth and the restoration of independence. The course will conclude with discussion of some modern dilemmas, such as national and cultural identity, rewriting of history and European integration of the Baltic countries.
Textbook(s): Toivo U. Raun, Estonia and the Estonians, Hoover Institution Press, 2nd ed., 2001; Andrejs Plakans, The Latvians: A Short History, Hoover Institution Press, 1995; John Hiden & Patrick Salmon, The Baltic Nations and Europe: Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania in the Twentieth Century, Longman, 1995.
Tentative Course Requirements: attendance, readings, participation (10%), test (20%), an essay (30%), and the final exam (40%).
Recommended Preparation: HIS250H1/HIS250Y1/HIS251Y1 or permission of the instructor
Exclusion: HIS331Y1
Instructor: J. Kivimäe
Lecture: W 5-7
Division: III
HIS 335H1-F Soviet Cultural History
This course will explore Russian culture – art, architecture, film, and literature – from 1917 to the collapse of the USSR. Readings and screenings will trace the main developments of Soviet cultural history, from the Russian Avant-Garde and proletarian culture to socialist realism, and from Khrushchev’s “thaw” to Soviet village and urban prose of the 1960s and an example of Soviet postmodernism. A key theme in the course is the intersection of culture, history, and revolution. How is the Russian revolution represented and rewritten over time? How is history itself a revolutionary project and for how long? How do the utopian impulse of the 1920’s, the complexities of high modernism, and the official culture of “socialism in one country” relate to one another? What does it mean when Stalin changes the title of a film originally called “Cinderella” to “The Shining Pat”? Is dissidence limited to writing the Gulag Archipelago? How did novels, films, and art respond to issues of class, ethnicity, nationality, and gender?
Textbook(s): Richard Stites, Revolutionary Dreams; James Scott, Seeing Like a State; Shelia Fitzpatrick, Cultural Revolution in Russia; Elena Zubkova, Russia After the War, & novels and stories by Mikhail Bulgakov, Fyodor Gladkov, Alexandra Kollontai, Andrei Platonov, Yuri Trifonov, and Evgeny Zamyatin.
Prerequisite: HIS250H1/HIS250Y1
Instructor: T. Lahusen
Lecture: T 5-7
Division: III
HIS 338H1-F The Holocaust: Preconditions, Consolidation of Nazi Power, War, and Occupation (to 1942)
This is the first of two linked courses on the Holocaust, the program of mass killing carried out under the leadership of Nazi Germans during World War II. Destruction of Jews occupied the centre of Nazi ideology and practice. Accordingly, this course will examine varieties of antisemitism in Europe; German policies against Jews from 1933 to 1939; the expansion of terror with war and conquests in 1939, 1940, and 1941; and Jewish responses to persecution and extreme violence. Particular attention will be paid to how the Nazi assault on Jews connected with attacks against other people within Germany and, after 1939, in German-occupied Europe: people deemed disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Afro-Germans, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, Poles, and Soviet prisoners of war. The approach will be chronological, up to the end of 1941/beginning of 1942.
In addition to the lectures, students will attend bi-weekly tutorial groups to discuss the assigned readings. Films will be presented in conjunction with a the
course. Assignments include analysis of a primary source, a map quiz, a mid-term test, a term project, and final examination.
Textbook(s): Victor Klemperer, I Will Bear Witness; 1933-1941: A Diary of the Nazi Years (VK); J. Noakes and G. Pridham, Nazism, A Documentary Reader, 1919-1945, vol. 3, Foreign Policy, War and Racial Exterination (N&P); Heinz Heger, The Men with the Pink Triangle; Jan Gross, Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland; Sara Ginaite-Rubinson, Resistance and Survival: The Jewish Community in Kaunas, Lithuania, 1941-1944
Tentative Course Requirements: participation (20%); midterm test and an analysis of source (20%); term paper (30%); final exam (30%)
Prerequisite: Completion of six undergraduate full-course equivalents
Recommended Preparation: A course in modern European history
Lecture: F 10-12
Tutorials: TBA (bi-weekly)
Division: IIIBack to Top
HIS 341Y1-Y Germany Among the Global Empires 1650-2010
This course places Germany’s long national history in a transnational and global context, exploring its place among the global empires of Britain, Russia, France and the United States from the mid-seventeenth century to the present. Central events of the German nation-state’s political, social and cultural developments are analyzed through a framework focused on both military expansion and the development of the world economy after 1700. Particular attention is paid to the interplay between strategies for a global expansion and transformations in national culture, looking at Germany in the world and the world in Germany
Prerequisite: Two HIS courses from the following: HIS102Y/103Y/107Y/109Y/241H/242H/243H/244H/EUR200Y/HIS250Y/271Y
Lecture: T 1 & R 1-3
Tutorials: TBA
Division: IIIBack to Top
HIS 343H1-S History of Modern Espionage
The course will explore the history of espionage, from its modern foundations in the years immediately preceding the First World War to the post 9/11 era. We will also take stock of emerging trends in the conduct of intelligence.
The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with the historical evolution of espionage and to assess the nature of the contribution of intelligence services to the functioning of the international system in peace and war. Our focus will be on an examination of the intelligence systems of three major powers that shaped the historical development of espionage: Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia. The first half of the course explores the history of intelligence and its impact down to the end of the Second World War. The second half of the course is devoted to aspects of Cold War intelligence, the popular culture of espionage, and more recent intelligence developments and controversies.
Textbook(s): Christopher Andrew, Richard Aldrich and Wesley Wark, eds. Secret Intelligence: A Reader (London: Routledge, 2009); will include a course reader with selected articles and chapters. A detailed bibliography will be provided for students.
Tentative course requirements: three written assignments and a final exam.
Exclusion: HIS343Y1
Recommended Preparation: HIS103Y1 or an equivalent introduction to modern international relations
Instructor: M. Vallieres
Lecture: T 12-2
Division: III
HIS 344H1-FConflict and Co-operation in the International System Since 1945
This course examines the conduct and consequence of international politics in an atomic/nuclear age when the stakes of the “Great Game” were not just the fates of states and nations, but also the survival of humanity itself. The diplomatic, strategic and economic aspects of international relations will all receive appropriate elucidation.
Tentative Course Requirements: two written assignments, a term test, and a final exam.
Exclusion: HIS344Y1
Recommended Preparation: EUR200Y1/HIS103Y1/HIS241H1/HIS242H1
Instructor: T. Sayle
Lecture: T 5-7
Division: III
HIS 346H1-F Rice and Spice in Southeast Asia: a Regional Food History
This course examines the importance of food products such as rice, spices and sugars in the livelihoods of the inhabitants of Southeast and in the world economy. Although we will study the circulation of other food products from the region, we use these three commodities to frame our analysis of the changing meanings of food products in Southeast Asian history. The course traces the circulation of these products within the Southeast Asian region in the pre-modern period; into the spice trade of the early modern era, and the establishment of coffee and sugar plantations in the late colonial period; the production of “national” dishes in the modern era and the consumption of these dishes in global settings. We will explore each of the commodities through the prism of food and ritual, identity, scarcity, consumption and globalization.
I assume no prior knowledge of Southeast Asian or food history.
Recommended Preparation: HIS283Y1
Instructor: N. Tran
Lecture: T 1-3
Division: I
HIS 347H1-F The Country House in England 1837-1939
This course examines class, distinction and community through the lens of the English country house from 1837 to 1939. Topics include owners, servants, houses, collections, gardens and rituals such a fox hunting.
Prerequisite: A previous course in British or European history
HIS349H1/HIS302H1
Instructor: L. Loeb
Lecture: TR 10-11
Division: III
HIS 349H1-S The British Search for Identity
This is an introductory course in the history of Britain from 1800 to the present day. The course will pay special attention to the changing role of monarchy. We will consider how the monarchy has defined its role in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, how it has weathered scandals and republican movements, and how its relationship with the media has evolved. Other themes will include race, ethnicity, gender and the welfare state. The intent is to put contemporary issues relating to the decline of Britain into historical perspective.
Textbook(s): A course reader.
Tentative Course Requirements: 2 written assignments, tutorial participation and a final exam
Exclusion: HIS239H1
Instructor: L. Loeb
Lecture: TR 11
Division: II
HIS 351Y1-Y History of Twentieth Century Russia
This is a survey of the history of Twentieth-Century Russia, exploring political, social, cultural and economic developments, with an emphasis on the Russian Revolution and Stalinism. The course is intended to challenge standard assumptions and interpretations of modern Russian historical development as students examine the major historical controversies in the field, the evolution of western historical thinking about the Soviet Union and the complex interrelationship between history and politics.
Textbooks: Readings include E.H. Carr, What is History?; R. Suny, The Soviet Experiment and others.
Prerequisite: HIS250Y1/250H1/242H1
Instructor: L. Viola
Lecture: M 3-5
Tutorial: M 5-6
Division: III
HIS 355H1-F History of Pre-modern Medicine
This course surveys major themes and developments in the history of medicine from c.600 BCE to 1800 CE. Topics include: Hippocrates, Galen and their reception in the Middle Ages; monasteries, medicinal gardens and hospitals; medieval licensing of physicians and pharmacists; medieval scholastic medicine; the Black Death; Renaissance anatomy and charlatans; New World drug discoveries; William Harvey’s heart, William Withering’s foxglove, the isolation of morphine.
Prerequisite: A course in medieval or pre-modern history
Recommended Preparation: HIS220Y1
Instructor: N. Everett
Lecture: W 10-12
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 361H1-S The Holocaust from 1942
This is the second of two linked courses on the Holocaust, the program of mass killing carried out under the leadership of Nazi Germans during World War II. In this course, we will continue with a chronological approach, starting with 1942, a year that marked both the peak of German military power and a massive escalation in the murder of Jews. Particular attention will be paid to the connections between the war and the Holocaust throughout the years 1942, 1943, 1944, and 1945. Issues to be addressed include resistance by Jews and non-Jews; local collaboration; the roles of European governments, the Allies, the churches, and other international organizations; and varieties of Jewish responses. The last part of the course will focus on postwar repercussions of the Holocaust in justice, memory and memorialization, and popular culture.
In addition to the lectures, students will attend bi-weekly tutorial groups to discuss
the assigned readings. Films will be presented in conjunction with the course.
Tentative Course Requirements: analysis of a primary source, an essay, a mid-term test, and a final examination.
Prerequisite: completion of 6 undergraduate full-course equivalents and HIS338H1.
Exclusion: HIS338Y1
Recommended Preparation: a course in modern European history.
Instructor: D. Bergen
Lecture: F 10-12
Tutorials: TBA (bi-weekly)
Division: III
HIS 362H1-F The Hansa: The World of Merchants
This course seeks to examine the rise and decline of the Hanseatic League in medieval Europe from the late twelfth to the late sixteenth century. Topics will include the organization of the German Hansa and its maritime activities; the Hanseatic long distance trade and the biographies of the Hanseatic merchants; the cultural aspects of the medieval communication. Particular attention will be given to the daily life of the Hanseatic merchants in Western and Eastern Europe. The very special idea of this course is to demonstrate the historical case of an early integration of Europe.
Besides the lectures a 3-part series film “The Hanseatic League” will be presented and discussed in conjunction with the course.
Textbook(s): Philippe Dollinger, The German Hansa (1970); and a packet of readings compiled by the instructor.
Tentative Course Requirements: a mid-term test (20%), an essay, 10-12 pages (30%), class participation (10%), and the final exam (40%).
Prerequisite: HIS220Y1 or permission of the instructor.
Instructor: J. Kivimäe
Lecture: W 5-7
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 364HI-S From Revolution to Revolution: Hungary from 1848 to 1989
Once a powerful kingdom in Central Europe, Hungary and the Hungarians have a rich history of interchanging periods of conquest, dominance, expansion and contraction.
This 12-week course has its focus on the multiple transformations of Hungary: From the revolutionary “Springtime of Nations” in 1848 when Hungary’s quest for independence was halted through political sovereignty and partnership with Austria in the Dual Monarchy between 1867 and 1918, to a truncated but independent existence in the interwar period; from there to subjection first to Nazi Germany and then to the Soviet Union, and finally to renewed independence in 1989 and membership in the European Union in 2004.
The focus is on the revolutions of 1848-1849, 1918-1919, the 1956 Revolution against Soviet rule and the collapse of communism in 1989. The story has been invariably heroic, violent and tragic. In the long peaceful periods, long at least for East Central European conditions, Hungary changed from a patriarchal and rural country to an urbanized and industrialized nation.
The course will offer a chronological survey of the history of Hungary from 1848 until the present. It is ideal for students with little or no knowledge of Hungarian history but who possess an understanding of the main trends of European history in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Prerequisite: A 100 level HIS course
Instructor: R. Austin
Lecture: W 10-12
Division: III
HIS 368H1-F Early Modern Britain, 1485-1660
Introduction to the political, social and religious history of early modern England, Scotland and Ireland. Particular attention will be paid to the history of the monarchy, Protestant Reformation, gender issues and relations between different parts of the British Isles.
Textbook(s): Robert Bucholz and Newton Key, Early Modern England, 1485-1714. A Narrative History, 2nd edition. An electronic reader of weekly assignments is also posted by Blackboard.
Tentative Course Requirements: book review (15%), document study (15%), research essay (30%), final exam (30%), Clicker participation in class by cellphone (10%).
Exclusion: HIS337Y1
Recommended Preparation: EUR200Y1, HIS109Y1/243H1/244H1
Instructor: A. Logue
Lecture: T 11 & R 11-1
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 369H1-S Aboriginal Peoples of the Great Lakes, 1600 to 1830
Explores the history of Aboriginal peoples (Indigenous and Métis) living in the Great Lakes Region from the 16th century to the aftermath of the War of 1812. Weaving together interdisciplinary sources, this course examines central events in Great Lakes history including the formation of the Wendat and Haudenosaunee Confederacies and key Anishinaabek alliances, the arrival of European newcomers into an Indigenous landscape, the social-political impact of new diseases, reactions to the presence of European missionaries, the fur trade, major conflicts and peace processes including the Great Peace of Montreal, the Treaty of Niagara and the 60 Years War for the Great Lakes; and ending with the period of significant encroachment of new settlers on Indigenous lands after the War of 1812. Readings this year will concentrate on the history of the Huron-Wendat, so that students will acquire in-depth understanding as well as breadth. Tutorial discussion groups guided by the professor (participation graded), primary source analysis, essay, exam.
Prerequisite: HIS263Y1/HIS264H1/HIS271Y1/ABS201Y1
Exclusion: HIS369Y1
Instructor: H. Bohaker
Lecture: MW 10-11
Tutorials: T11 & W11
Division: II
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 373H1-F Servants and Masters, 1000-1700
This course will explore the history of all types of servants, from the ladies-in-waiting to the domestic slaves, in Western Europe between 1000 and 1700. The goal will be to observe especially their working and living conditions, as well as the changing perception of service through time.
Prerequisite: a course on the Middle Ages or on the early Modern Period
Instructor: I. Cochelin
Lecture: T 2-4
Division: III
Pre-Modern: ½ credit
HIS 377H1-F 20th Century American Foreign Relations
This course surveys the history of American foreign relations from World War I to the present. Themes of the course include the rise of the United States as a major power; the role of culture and ideology in international relations; and the implications of foreign policy for American national identity.
Prerequisite: HIS271Y1/POL208Y1
Exclusion: HIS377Y1
Instructor: M. Vallières
Lecture: F 12-2
Division: II
HIS 378H1-S America in the 1960s
The 1960s represent one of the most contested decades in American history; for some, the 1960s were a dream while, for others, they were a nightmare. This course examines the political, social, and cultural contours of America during this turbulent decade. Specific topics to be covered include: the vision of the Great Society; ethnic, racial, and sexual liberation movements; counterculture and the rise of the New Left; controversies surrounding America’s involvement in Vietnam; and, conservative backlash and the rise of the New Right.
Prerequisite: HIS271Y1
Instructor: M. Savage
Lecture: F 12-2
Division: II
HIS379H1-S Vietnam at War
This course examines the French and American Wars (1945-75) in Vietnam and its effects on the population of Vietnam and Southeast Asia. It begins with a brief overview of pre-colonial Vietnamese history and moves into a study of the impact and legacies of colonial rule and centres on the impact of the Wars on the cultures, economies, and societies of Southeast Asia.
Prerequisite: HIS283Y1 or another Asian history course.
Exclusion: HIS400H1
Instructor: D. Huynh
Lecture: TR 1-3
Division: I
HIS 383Y1-Y Women in African History
The past 30 years have seen African women’s history enter its second generation. During this time, African historians have produced a body of literature moving the sub-field from the margins to a more central position. This course subjects our increasing knowledge about African women’s history from the mid-19th century to the present to critical analysis. It goes beyond restoring women to history and seeing African women as victims impacted upon and struggling against colonialism and neo-colonialism. More specifically, it examines how African women’s lived experiences have been captured, represented, packaged, and delivered to different audiences. Central to this enquiry will be critical interrogation of concepts such as “Africa,” “woman/women,” “body,” “modernity,” “colonial/post-colonial,” “poverty,” “agency,” “space,” “motherhood,” “power,” “culture.”
Prerequisites: HIS295Y1/297Y1/NEW150Y1/NEW250Y1/NEW351Y/POL301Y1 or permission from the Instructor
Exclusion: HIS383H1
Instructor: N. Musisi
Lecture: W 2-4
Division: I
HIS 385H1-F History of Hong Kong
This course examines the growth of Hong Kong from a trading port set up by the British Empire for their China trade in the mid-19th century, to the city’s rise as a major centre of the world economy and of the Chinese diaspora since the mid-20th century. It focuses on both Hong Kong’s internal developments and broader contexts.
Exclusion: Students cannot take both the Y and H version of HIS385
Recommended Preparation: HIS280Y1/JMC201Y1
Instructor: C. Lim
Lecture: F 12-2
Division: I
HIS 387H1-F France, 1610-1848
This course considers the history of France, from the rise of absolutist monarchy under the seventeenth-century, Bourbon monarchs, through Enlightenment, the Revolution and Napoleonic Empire, and the Restoration, to the fall of the constitutional monarchy in 1848. Particular attention will be paid to the character of social life under the Old Regime, the emergence of the central state, the place of France in the European war and diplomacy, the French colonial experience in the Americas, the transition between divine right monarchy and republicanism, economic development, and the social and cultural change. Students will study a variety of primary sources as well as historiographical perspectives.
Prerequisite: one HIS/FRE course
Exclusion: HIS388Y1
Instructor: B. Lukas
Lecture: F 12-2
Division: III
HIS 388H1-S France Since 1848
This course explores modern and contemporary France, from the Revolution of 1848 to the 1990’s. We will examine in detail fin-de-siècle culture and society, as well as major political dramas and traumas, including the Paris Commune, the Dreyfus Affair, the Vichy regime, and the wars of decolonization. Beyond the realm of politics, the course delves into a number of social, intellectual and cultural themes including pluralism and feminism in France, the place of intellectuals in French society, and forms of French cultural expression. Finally, the course opens a window onto the broader French-speaking world, by analysing colonialism and neo-colonialism, as well as the emergence of la Francophonie.
Tentative Course Requirements: one essay and a final exam.
Prerequisite: EUR200Y1/one course in HIS/FRE
Exclusion: HIS388Y1
Instructor: E. Jennings
Lecture: R 10-12
Division: III
HIS 389H1-F, L0101 Topics in History: Indigenous Newcomer Relations in Canada
The trajectory of Canadian history has been (and continues to be) shaped significantly by the changing relationships between indigenous peoples and newcomers to what is now Canada. Through lecture and discussion of readings, we will explore the multi-faceted contours of these relationships, starting with the present, and the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). We will also discuss how historical writing about indigenous-newcomer relations has and continues to, change over time and the impact of that writing. There will be three short written assignments of five pages each: i) a written response to the TRC findings; ii) a detailed examination of one (student-selected) item on display in the Royal Ontario Museum (following our class trip there); iii) a critique and proposed re-write of a Wikipedia entry or equivalent web resource on some aspect of the course topic. There will also be an optional field trip to the Woodland Cultural Centre and the Mohawk Institute Residential school at the end of October. Tutorial discussion groups guided by the professor (participation grade), three writing assignments, exam.
Prerequisites: HIS263Y1 or Aboriginal Studies Major, Minor or Specialist
Instructor: H. Bohaker
Lecture: MW 10
Tutorials: M 11 or W 11
Division: II
HIS 389H1-F, L0201 Topics in History: Business and Society
This course is designed for business and history students who want to know more about the structural development and social significance of business. For good or ill, business institutions and organizations have helped shape the modern world. By some measures, many firms are larger economic entities than medium-sized countries. Many have a cross-border reach, touching the work and consumption of individuals in every corner of the globe. They have immense political and social influence. Their current configuration is complex and a product of generations of technological and regulatory change.
Despite their importance, their changing social impact has played a relatively small role in historical and business study. This course takes as a given that many of our economic advantages are derived from business endeavors. It will introduce students to the origins and historical development of key economic institutions and organizations, such as limited liability companies and central banks. The course examines how the structure of business has changed, how social thinkers have evaluated its impact, and in what ways it has been associated with some of the greatest political and economic challenges of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Instructor: C. Kobrak
Lecture: T 4-6
HIS 389H1-F, L0202 Topics in History: History of Modern Israel
This course explores the history of the Jewish state from the rise of Zionism to the present. It begins by examining the social and ideological roots of Zionism in late 19th-century Europe, proceeds with the development of the Jewish community in Palestine under Ottoman and British rule, and then turns to the period following the establishment of Israel in 1948. Among the issues to be discussed are the Zionist-Arab conflict, immigration, the encounter between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews, the construction of a new Hebrew identity, the interaction between religion and state, the impact of the Holocaust, and the relationship between Israel and the Jewish diaspora.
Instructor: O. Yehudai
Lecture: T 4-6
Division: III
HIS 389H1-F, L0301 Topics in History: Early North American Borderlands, 1600-1900
This course will examine the history of U.S.-Mexican, U.S-Canadian, imperial, and Aboriginal borderlands from the 16th through the 19th centuries. In borderlands regions, diverse polities collided and converged, profoundly shaping one another’s historical development. With an eye towards comparative understandings, this course’s readings and lectures will explore the political, social, and environmental dimensions of early borderlands history.
Instructor: R. Hall
Lecture: R 10-12
Division: II
HIS 389H1-F, L0302 Topics in History: Muslim-Jewish Relations since 1500
The contemporary struggle between Israel and the Palestinians has shaped the perception of Muslims and Jews as eternal enemies. This course challenges this image by studying diverse interactions between the Jewish minority and the Muslim majority in the Ottoman Empire, Morocco and Yemen since 1500. We examine the evolution of Muslim-Jewish relations in the 19th and 20th centuries, brought about by the end of empire, colonial rule, the emergence of independent Arab states, conflict in Palestine and Israel, and the mass emigration of Jews from the Muslim world. How has the conflict in the Middle East influenced relations between Muslim and Jewish communities on a global scale?
Instructor: D. Schroeter
Lecture: R 10-12
Division: I
HIS 389H1-S, L0101 Topics in History: Digital History
Take your first steps into the exciting new world of the digital humanities! How will the shift from print to digital change what it means to be a historian? How will historical arguments and methods change? What skills will you need to be a next-generation historian? In today’s shifting media landscape, these issues are of paramount importance. Digital History is your chance to begin to explore them, while also getting practical experience in topics like:
• How to turn big data into historical arguments
• How to work with oral sources
• How the form of a historical argument affects its content
• How to use maps, GIS and other geographical tools in historical work
This course also provides preparation for the Department’s digital capstone project course, Hacking History, and is strongly recommended for all students with an interest in digital media.
Instructor: M. Price
Lecture: M 3-5
Breadth Requirement: 5
HIS 389H1-S, L0201 Topics in History: Museums and Material Culture in Canada
From the Stanley Cup to Terry Fox’s running shoes, material culture (objects) can play a central role in the construction of Canadian history and identity. Using film, digital collections and on-site museum visits, this course examines how objects (and the institutions that house them) offer historians hands-on ways of thinking about the past.
Instructor: L. Bertram
Lecture: T 10-12
Division: II
HIS 389H1-S, L0301 Topics in History: Islam and Muslims in the Balkans
The course examines the history of the Balkans from the Ottoman conquest in the fourteenth century until the present day with a particular focus on Islam, Muslims and Muslim culture. We will explore issues such as the formation of Muslim communities, relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in the Ottoman and Habsburg empires, Sufi Islam, Islamic art and architecture in the Balkans, Muslims as minorities and majorities in nation-states, and their experiences during the violent break-up of Yugoslavia. No prior knowledge of Balkan history or Islam is assumed.
Instructor: M. Methodieva
Seminar: T 2-4
Division: III
HIS 389H1-S, L0401 Topics in History: Arab-Israeli Conflict
This course follows the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict from its inception in the late 19th century to the early 21st century. It examines the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Zionism and Palestinian Arab nationalism, the encounter between Jews and Arabs in Palestine during the late Ottoman and British mandate periods, the attainment of Israeli independence and the exodus of Palestinian Arabs, the succeeding wars between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the two intifadas, and the attempts to achieve a peace settlement and establish a Palestinian state.
Exclusion: HIS304H1
Instructor: O. Yehudai
Lecture: T 4-6
Division: I
HIS 389H1-S, L0501 Topics in History: Politics and Protest in Postwar North America
This course will explore the background, experience, and legacy of protest movements in North America during the post-1945 era. The course will draw on cutting edge historical literature, and will compare and contrast the American and Canadian contexts. Topics will include the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, music and culture, feminism, nationalism, environmentalism, labour, and the New Left.
Instructor: S. Mills
Lecture: W 1-3
Division: II
HIS 389H1-S, L0601 Topics in History: The Ottoman Empire, 1800-1922
The course examines the history of the Ottoman Empire from the beginning of the nineteenth century until its dissolution in the course of World War I. Topics include the Ottoman reforms and their impact on the Empire’s diverse populations, the diplomatic interactions that came to be known as “the Eastern Question,” the Young Turk revolution, and the Balkan wars. It also explores the Ottoman legacy in modern Turkey, the Middle East and the Balkans.
Recommended preparation: some background in nineteenth and twentieth century history
Exclusion: NMC355H
Instructor: M. Methodieva
Lecture: R 2-4
Division: I/III
HIS 389H1-S, L0701 Topics in History: Introduction to Archives
What is an archives? What makes archives different from libraries, museums and other cultural heritage institutions? This course explores the characteristics of records and archives from the perspectives of those who create them, those who use them, and those who are entrusted with their stewardship. You will learn about specific theories and methods applied by records managers and archivists to capture, organize, select, preserve and provide access to the documentary evidence and memory of our activities, in all forms and media. Visits to archival institutions and records and information departments in organizations will provide you with first-hand experience of the daily tasks of information professionals and the challenges involved in being an archivist in the 21st century.
Instructor: F. Foscarini
Lecture: R 3-5
HIS 389H1-S, L0702 Topics in History: Historiography
What is “history”? How do historians study and write about the past? What are some of the key questions involved in the writing of history? This course will survey the development of history as a discipline, as well as some of the important debates in historical method and theory.
Instructor: J. Dyck
Lecture: R 3-5
HIS 394H1-F 20th and 21st Century African Icons: Media and Biography
This course aims at focusing and contextualizing twentieth and twenty first century African Icons along with developing critical skills for visual and aural media. This combination cultivates in students of Africa critical capacity towards media literacy as well as equipping them with analytical reading and writing skills.
Prerequisites: HIS295Y1/HIS297Y1/HIS383H1/HIS386H1/HIS481H1/ NEW106Y1/NEW250Y1/NEW261Y1/NEW351Y1/POL301Y1 or permission from the Instructor.
Instructor: N. Musisi
Lecture: M 2-4
Division: I
HIS 395H1-F/S/Y Independent Studies
This course provides an opportunity for exceptional third-year students to undertake an independent research project on a topic for which there is not a suitable course offering. Students must find an appropriate supervisor from the Department, submit a proposal, and receive approval for the project. Students must be enrolled in either a History Specialist or Major program; have taken at least 3.0 FCE in HIS with a B+ average; and have approval of an instructor willing to supervise the project. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.
Prerequisite: Third-year standing; 77% average in 3.0 HIS FCEs.
Instructor: Staff
HIS 397H1-F Political Violence and Human Rights in Latin America
This course will explore human rights theory and practice from a Latin American perspective. There will be a focus on the local derivation, development and impact of the movement for human rights in Latin America. The course will focus on the history of organized protest against violence in the twentieth century.
Prerequisite: HIS292H1
Instructor: L. van Isschot
Lecture: T 10-12
Division: II
JHP 304Y1-Y Ukraine: Politics, Economy, Society
This course traces the history of Ukraine from earliest times to the present. Introductory sessions will treat the concept of national or territorial history as a cultural phenomenon followed by a chronological survey of the region’s development. Among the topics to be considered are: Kievan Rus’; the Mongo impact; Lithuanian-Polish-Crimean Tatar rule; Orthodox revival; the Cossack state; national revival under Austrian and Russian rule; post-World War I statehood; inter-war Poland and Soviet Ukraine; World War II to the present.
Within each of these periods, political, socio economic, and cultural factors will be considered to the degree that they had a determining impact upon the historical process. Much attention will also be given to developments among peoples living on Ukrainian territory, especially Jews, Poles, Germans, Russians, and Crimean Tatars.
Exclusion: JHP204Y1
Instructor: P. Magocsi
Lecture: TR 10
Division: III