History

• CAS HI 363: Early Chinese History
  From the Bronze Age to the seventeenth century, China changed dramatically yet maintained political and cultural cohesion, unlike any other civilization. This course explores both diversity and unity in early Chinese society as well as their historical legacies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS HI 367: The Odd Couple: China and the USA, 1776 to the present
  The USA, a bastion of capitalism, and China, the largest communist state on earth, are the two major global powers today. It was not always this way, and the course will map three centuries of this complex historical relationship, filled with mutual admiration and misunderstanding. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Creativity/Innovation
• CAS HI 369: Introduction to Modern Japanese History
  Developments from late Tokugawa Japan and the Meiji Restoration (1868) to the present. Focus on Japan's economic, political, and social adjustment to modern times, the evolution of twentieth century Japanese imperialism, and Japan's growth after World War II.
• CAS HI 378: Armenia from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
  Introduction to Armenian history from antiquity to the medieval period. Themes include geopolitical competition for regional hegemony, the conversion to Christianity, adoption of the Armenian alphabet, quality of leadership under the five kingdoms, and the national struggle for survival.
• CAS HI 379: Modern Armenian History and Literature
  Introduction to modern Armenian history and literature from the nineteenth-century "cultural renaissance" to the upheavals of the twentieth century--genocide, independence, and Sovietization--and the literatures of Soviet Armenia and the diaspora.
• CAS HI 380: The Armenian Genocide
  Examines the emergence of the Armenian Question in the Ottoman Empire as a national and international issue. Analysis of Armenian-Turkish relations after the Young Turk revolution in 1908. Focuses on the processes of genocide, survivor memory, and international responses.
• CAS HI 381: History of Modern Iran, 1900-Present
  Geographical/historical background; social structure, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversities; Anglo-Russian interventions; consequences of tobacco concession; constitutional revolution and reform; Qajar legacy; centralization, secularization, modernization under Pahlavis; oil and Mossadeg; autocracy and revolution; liberals, communists, fundamentalists, and Islamic revolution. Also offered as CAS IR 397.
• CAS HI 382: Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century
  The twentieth-century history of the non-Arab Muslim Middle East, i.e., Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Analysis of the constitutional revolutions in Turkey and Iran, Kemalism, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and communism in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Also offered as CAS IR 328.
• CAS HI 384: History of Genocide
  History and comparative analysis of genocidal mass murder with focus on the twentieth century. Hereros, Armenians, holomodor, Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur. Attention to political leaders, state ideology, dehumanization of victim groups, geopolitical competition, war, empire building and decline.
• CAS HI 389: Americans and the Middle East
  Examines the intersecting histories of America and the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the present, focusing first on American missionary and educational efforts in the region and then on American political and military involvement after World War II.
• CAS HI 390: Mecca to Dubai: Cities in the Middle East
  Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Historical Consciousness
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS HI 393: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, analysis of conflicting narratives through primary sources and film. Students present their own reflections on the conflict and debate possibilities of resolution. Counts toward majors and minors in History, International Relations, Middle East & North Africa Studies, and Jewish Studies. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
• CAS HI 397: Modern Latin America
  Struggles for equality and inclusion in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, and Bolivia from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
• CAS HI 400: Topics in History
  May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Topic for Fall 2020: The Great Patriotic War: The Soviet Experience of World War II. Considers the experience of World War II in the Soviet Union from 1939 to 1945. Explores how the Soviet Union emerged victorious (at great cost) and how the war dramatically transformed Soviet society, politics, gender relations, and the economy.
• CAS HI 401: Senior Honors Seminar 1
  The first of a two-semester seminar that guides students through the research and writing of an honors thesis grounded in primary historical research. Students participate in a workshop environment and are matched with an additional faculty advisor.
• CAS HI 402: Senior Honors Seminar 2
  The second of a two-semester seminar that guides students through the research and writing of an honors thesis grounded in primary historical research. Students participate in a workshop environment and are matched with an additional faculty advisor.
• CAS HI 407: Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
  Topic for Fall 2017: Magic, Witchcraft, and the Demonic in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. Magic, witchcraft, and the demonic as understood, employed, and feared in medieval Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. Exploration of religious world views; visual culture; healing and medical practices; matters of gender, power, and social control, including counter-magic, legal prohibitions, and inquisition. Also offered as CAS RN 470.
• CAS HI 408: War in Film and Literature
  This course explores, through works of film and literature, human experiences of combat, suffering, and death. Topics range from medieval Japan to Africa, the Americas and Europe, WWI, WWII, and various "small wars" from the 19th through 21st centuries.
• CAS HI 410: Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
  Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe's most religiously diverse region -- from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian "reconquest" of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE. Also offered as CAS RN 410.
• CAS HI 414: Society and Culture in Early Modern Europe
  Examines selected topics in the history of Europe between the Renaissance and the Age of Revolution. The current offering focuses on the persecution of religious dissents, minorities, and witches; Wars of Religion; and the slow spread of ideas of toleration.

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