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History Courses

• HIST S-46t Summer Seminar—Rebels with a Cause: Tiananmen in History and Memory
• HIST S-1040 The Middle Ages in History and Film
• HIST S-1151 History of the Book, From Gutenberg to E-Readers
• HIST S-1253 Reform, Republic, Terror, and Empire: The French Revolution, 1787-1804
• HIST S-1443 New England and the American Nation
• HIST S-1460 The Rhetoric of Freedom in America
• HIST S-1572 Summer Seminar—The Holocaust in History, Literature, and Film
• HIST S-1607 The American Revolution
• HIST S-1620 The Old South
• HIST S-1851 Study Abroad in Kyoto, Japan: Japan—Tradition and Transformation
• HIST S-1886 The Middle East: Rapprochement and Coexistence
• HIST S-1887 Perspectives on Islam: Religion, History, and Culture
• HIST S-1940 Study Abroad in Venice, Italy: A History of Consumption
• HIST S-1960 The Cold War
• HIST S-1967/W From Cold War to Global Terror: World History from 1945 to the Present

HIST S-46t Summer Seminar—Rebels with a Cause: Tiananmen in History and Memory (32861)

In spring 1989, millions of Chinese people took to the streets calling for political reforms. The nationwide demonstrations and the college students' hunger strike on Tiananmen Square ended with the People's Liberation Army firing on unarmed civilians. Student leaders and intellectuals were purged, imprisoned, or exiled. Discussion about Tiananmen remains a political taboo in China today despite the Tiananmen Mothers' struggle to keep the forbidden memory alive. This course explores the Tiananmen Movement in history and memory, and its long-term impact in Chinese society. Students can earn Harvard Extension School degree credit for HIST S-46t or HIST E-1837, but not both. (4 credits)

HIST S-1040 The Middle Ages in History and Film (32824)

*** HIST S-1040 has been CANCELED. ***

HIST S-1151 History of the Book, From Gutenberg to E-Readers (32823)

Today we are all conscious of a technological revolution in how we read books. But this is not the first time such a major change has occurred. In late antiquity scrolls were replaced by the parchment codex (the book form as we think of it now) and in the mid-fifteenth century printed books started to replace manuscript books. In an age of digital publishing, it is more than ever pertinent to study the impact of material textuality, the definition of authorship, the production and reception of knowledge, and the established literary networks. For the last few decades, the history of print culture has developed into a broad and vibrant field of scholarship. The purpose of this course is to give a survey of bookmaking, publishing, and authorship from Gutenberg to the digital age, with an emphasis on the Early Modern period (1450-1800). The themes of the course include the questions of manuscript and print cultures, the materiality of texts (how does the form of a book impact the way we read it?), censorship, the rise of the author, the formation of copyright, and the literary market. In order for the students to acquire basic knowledge in book history and to develop their skills in textual analysis, this course proposes an overview of the historical context of bookmaking in conjunction with a wider analysis of the current trends and theories of recent scholarship. (4 credits)

HIST S-1253 Reform, Republic, Terror, and Empire: The French Revolution, 1787-1804 (32724)

This course explores the development of the French Revolution from its eighteenth-century origins as a movement for reform of the absolute monarchy through a succession of state forms: constitutional monarchy, republic, government of the Terror, Directory, and the First Empire. It accents the divisions among the French people and the unstable yet powerful political and social dynamics that the French Revolution released into France, Europe, and the world—dynamics still evident in how we think about modern states and politics. (4 credits)

HIST S-1443 New England and the American Nation (32797)

This seminar treats selected topics in the history of the New England region within the broader context of the American national experience from the forming of the nation in the late eighteenth century into the twentieth century. The focus is on aspects of New England's economic, social, cultural, and material culture and its intellectual development and transformation. Topics to be examined include concepts of sectionalism/regionalism; the commercial maritime heritage; the agricultural and forest economies; transportation; immigration and migration; the decorative arts and architecture; manufacturing–the textile industry; the hill country of northern New England; Boston and urbanism; educational institutions; and tourism. There is one oral report special project focusing on historical images/objects as research documentation. Prerequisite: a basic survey course in American history is recommended. (4 credits)

HIST S-1460 The Rhetoric of Freedom in America (32715)

This social and political history course introduces classic texts in American political rhetoric—speeches, addresses, declarations, and works of fiction—all exploring concepts of freedom relative to the history of American race relations. Students read Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, and others. (4 credits)

HIST S-1572 Summer Seminar—The Holocaust in History, Literature, and Film (32168)

*** HIST S-1572 has been CANCELED. ***

HIST S-1607 The American Revolution (32345)

This course examines the major issues confronting Americans in the century prior to the American Revolution, as well as the main events and figures of the revolution itself. By exploring social, cultural, political, and economic developments in America's revolutionary period and the ultimate break that occurred between Americans and their British cousins, we gain a greater understanding of the formative event in our nation's history. (4 credits)

HIST S-1620 The Old South (32781)

This course examines Southern history, focusing on the period from 1800 to 1861. It considers the myths and facts about Southern society and culture, as well as slavery and Southern distinctiveness. Attention is paid to political events that ultimately created a short-lived Southern nation and triggered the Civil War in 1861. (4 credits)

HIST S-1851 Study Abroad in Kyoto, Japan: Japan—Tradition and Transformation (32604)

See Study Abroad for more information.

HIST S-1886 The Middle East: Rapprochement and Coexistence (31770)

This course surveys the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from its inception. It focuses on the effects of the wars in the region since 1948 and their impact, as well as the transformation of Palestinian and Israeli societies. The course concludes with an assessment of the negotiations and agreements between the Israelis and the Palestinians since the 1991 Madrid Middle East Peace Conference and explores the prospects of peace and security in the Middle East. (4 credits)

HIST S-1887 Perspectives on Islam: Religion, History, and Culture (31789)

This course is an overview of Islam in its religious, historical, cultural, and societal context. It examines beliefs, practices, sects, family organization, women's rights and status, the relationship between religion and politics, and the concepts of war (jihad), peace, and human rights. The course also explores Islam's encounter with the West, the impact of modernization, and the rise of revivalism, fundamentalism, and terrorism. (4 credits)

HIST S-1940 Study Abroad in Venice, Italy: A History of Consumption (32873)

See Study Abroad for more information.

HIST S-1960 The Cold War (32802)

This course introduces students to major topics in Cold War history. It begins with a discussion of the diplomatic legacy of the two world wars, proceeds to an analysis of postwar rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, and ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the disintegration of the Soviet Union (1991), and the making of the post-Cold War world order. (4 credits)

HIST S-1967/W From Cold War to Global Terror: World History from 1945 to the Present (32150)

This course is an integrative study of the world from the end of World War II to the present. Topics include the cold war; the Arab-Israeli conflict; creation of independent states in Africa; apartheid and its demise; Latin America's struggle for democracy and economic stability; the development of the European Union; the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the Soviet Union; Communist China; shooting wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf; the expansion of rights for women; atomic power and the problem of energy resources; environmental change; space exploration; the computer revolution; and the phenomenon of global terrorism. (4 credits)

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