Undergraduate Course Listing

A study of ancient wars fought in desert conditions between the Late Bronze Age and late antiquity. Includes an introduction to the problems of reading primary sources, ancient military history, military operations in deserts, and logistics.

Cross-listed: AHCL-1100H

Subjects covered include the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the Enlightenment, among others. Excludes HIST 1200Y.

Subjects covered include the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the nineteenth-century women's movement, the Russian Revolution, the world wars, Nazism, the Holocaust, and the Cold War, among others. Excludes HIST 1200Y.

Terror. An examination of ten events, both "big" and "small," and how they can be linked to larger social, cultural, political, and economic transformations. Not a chronological survey, the course explores the nature of historical change through a series of case studies while introducing students to the basic methods of historical analysis.

Love, sex, and intimacy have played an important role in history but are often obscured by the dictates of various prescriptive ideologies, or by the suspicions and stigmas surrounding them. This course addresses the power and various forms of love, sex, and intimacy from the Middle Ages to the present.

Examines themes in world history before 1800, paying special attention to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Excludes HIST 1400Y, 1700Y.

Examines themes in world history since 1800, paying special attention to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. Explores the creation of a global division between rich and poor nations. Excludes HIST 1400Y, 1700Y.

New technologies unleash new powers. Students explore historical moments when scientific or technological developments wrought profound change. Not a survey course, case studies like the printing press, vaccination, automobile, military technologies, and space travel allow students to investigate the mechanics of change at pivotal moments of cultural transformation.

Following upon the successes of the Scientific Revolution, Europe transformed radically during the eighteenth century. This course explores the impact of rapid urbanization, exploding literacy, and the application of science to social issues like gender relations, sexuality, poverty, health care, and race, to chart Europe's development as it raced towards the era of democratic revolution. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Medieval Europe from the birth of Christianity and collapse of the Roman Empire in the West through the establishment of "barbarian" kingdoms, survival and transformation of the Eastern Roman Empire, spread of Islam, Carolingian Renaissance, ninth- and tenth-century invasions, and Europe's gradual recovery and reorganization around the year 1000. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2050Y.

Cross-listed: AHCL-2051H

Popularly associated with castles, cathedrals, crusades, and valiant knights, this period also saw the rapid development of powerful centralized governments, cities, international trade networks, technological innovation, universities, improved literacy, book production, art and architecture, church reform, social intolerance, and a new focus on the individual and individual emotion. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2050Y.

By exploring shifting concepts and experiences of childhood in history, this course helps students to question some modern-day assumptions of the inherent 'nature' of childhood that guide parents, educators, and policymakers. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Explores how war has shaped and been shaped by society in the period before 1800. Specific case studies are chosen by the instructor. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

An introduction to ancient history from Archaic Greece to the late Roman Empire, examining both the history of this period and its construction by ancient writers. Excludes AHCL 2100Y, 2102H, 2105H. Prerequisite: 4 university credits.

Cross-listed: AHCL-2103H

A study of problems in the development of modern European societies from various perspectives, using a variety of modern and contemporary sources. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2201H.

A study of Ontario as a political, economic, and cultural region. Topics may include provincial political culture and state formation; writers and artists; farms, factories, and cities; education policy; First Nations; the provincial north; Ontario in the Great Depression; Ontario and Canada. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: CAST-2215H, POST-2215H

Explores transformations in Ontario politics, culture, and social and economic life from the Second World War to the present. Themes may include immigration, human rights, Toronto's growth, the Ontario north, economic restructuring from the Autopact to NAFTA, health, education and social policy, and the impact of the common sense revolution. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: CAST-2225H, POST-2225H

Explores the history of the creation of Canada in the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Beginning with the rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada in 1837 and 1838, the course traces debates about democracy and nationhood through the battles over responsible government in the 1840s, the confederation process in the 1860s, and the expansion of Canada westward up to 1885. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: CAST-2235H

Explores the 1960s, a decade of shifting meanings of "Canadian." The accent is on the ironies of Canadian identity. Topics may include fiscal policy, youth cultures, the women's movement, racial identity and the Chuvalo-Ali fight, sex scandals and politics, working-class revolt, upheavals in Quebec, and the challenge of Aboriginal rights. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: CAST-2285H, POST-2285H

Explores Indigenous histories and grounding history in lands, knowledges, languages, and genders. Examines methodologies such as oral narratives, orality, and land-based research along with methods for gathering knowledge related to Indigenous histories. Explores scholarly positionality as historians, research ethics, and the various formats being used to articulate Indigenous histories. Recommended prerequisite: INDG 1001H. Excludes INDG 2305Y.

Cross-listed: INDG-2306H

This course meets the Indigenous Course Requirement.

Explores the multifaceted encounters that resulted from European colonialism. The focus of the course is on the lives and experiences of Indigenous peoples in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Pacific basin to develop a comprehensive understanding of colonialism and resistance on a global scale. Prerequisite: INDG 2306H. Excludes INDG-HIST 2305Y.

Cross-listed: INDG-2307H

This course meets the Indigenous Course Requirement.

Was Louis Riel a traitor who deserved to be executed? Did diplomat Herbert Norman kill himself because of American accusations that he was a Communist? Was the bombing of Air India Flight 182 "Canada's 9/11"? This course uses such episodes to explore political, social, economic, and cultural changes in Canada. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 2350Y. Students may take only one of HIST-CAST 2360Y or 2361H for credit.

Cross-listed: CAST-2360Y

An examination of Canada's participation in military action during the 20th century, including World War I and II, Korea, and more recent conflicts. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

A survey of the continent's history from earliest pre-colonial times to the eve of European colonial conquest, focusing on diversity and change in African societies. Themes include the development of precolonial technology and trade, state formation, and Africa's incorporation in the growing world economy. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: IDST-2401H

Traces the legacies of the heritage which is central to black cultures in the Americas. Those sold from Africa brought skills to replicate communities as well as religious traditions like vodun. Despite savage efforts to erase them, diasporic populations resisted, maintaining their identities despite sustained violence and trauma. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Topics include Native resistance, colonial domination, slavery, independence, neo-colonialism, nation building, dictatorship, and revolutionary change. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST-IDST 2470Y or 2471H for credit.

Cross-listed: IDST-2471H

Medicine is simultaneously scientific and social. What gets defined as a disease? Who heals? Who can access health care? Such questions reveal how political, cultural, and economic forces have shaped medicine throughout history. We explore topics highlighting this interaction between the scientific and the social in a variety of historical contexts. Prerequisite: 2.5 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: SOCI-2601H

An overview of the history of feminist ideas, strategies, and actions in Canada. We explore the diversity and distinctiveness of Canadian feminism at different historical moments, celebrating the strength and creativity of organized and individual forms of resistance, while also probing the complicated, difficult, and sometimes "messy" workings of feminism. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits, including 0.5 WMST, CAST, or HIST credit at the 1000 level, or permission of instructor. Excludes WMST-CAST 2110H.

Cross-listed: WMST-2711H, CAST-2711H

Examines the political and social developments of China, Japan, and Korea up to the late nineteenth century. The course begins with the rise of some of East Asia's most fascinating and powerful empires. The transformation of this region in the mid-nineteenth century coincided with Western encroachment. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Examines the political and social developments of China, Japan, and Korea from the late nineteenth century onward. While the course explores how East Asians responded to the challenge of the rising West, it also focuses on the internal dynamics of these societies which resulted in wars and revolutions. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Considers feature, documentary, animated, and activist films that engage with critical environmental issues. Topics include popular portrayals of animals and endangered species; histories of environmental injustice; the development of environmentalism; the role of storytelling in history, science, and culture; and the challenges of depicting climate change and the Anthropocene. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: CUST-2805H, ERST-2805H

Explores the intersections of sport and politics across different regions and time-periods. Draws on historical and other sources to consider how sports have been used to advance political projects and agendas. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

A behind-the-scenes history of everyday life in Canada, exposing the complex histories of such common activities as drinking, barbecuing, gambling, and sex. The course emphasizes the "otherness" of previous moments in time as a way to foster an awareness of the contingency of our current historical moment. Prerequisite: 6.0 university credits. Students may take only one of HIST-CAST 3010Y or 3011H for credit.

Cross-listed: CAST-3011H

Examines the first Trudeau era and its enduring legacy vis-a-vis Canadian politics, culture, and society. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 4061H. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Cross-listed: CAST-3061H

The art of bringing history to a wider public. This course explores issues of memory, commemoration, heritage preservation and interpretation that face historic sites, museums, heritage societies, and archives in Canada and throughout the world. Excludes HIST-CAST 4071H. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Not offered regularly.

Cross-listed: CAST-3071H

History in everyday life. Building upon the themes discussed in Public History I, this course explores how history is both viewed and used by the public in such everyday pursuits as tourism, film and television, the Internet, the courts, and popular writing. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Not offered regularly.

Cross-listed: CAST-3072H

An in-depth study of the practice of ancient warfare from the Bronze Age to the Arab Invasions. Themes examined for each era include logistics, recruiting, intelligence, strategy, and naval warfare. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits including AHCL 2102H or 2105H (or 2100Y).

Cross-listed: AHCL-3103H

Explores the cultural, political, and social history of the United States from 1945 to the present. Topics include Cold War culture and the Vietnam War; civil rights, antiwar, and feminist movements; popular culture; and the history of political ideas, from liberalism and radicalism to conservatism and neoliberalism. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3120Y.

A study of the political, administrative, social, and cultural history from the assassination of Julius Caesar to the death of Augustus, with special attention paid to the ancient sources. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of instructor. Excludes AHCL 3963H.

Cross-listed: AHCL-3130H

How do we understand our complex and quickly changing twenty-first century world? This course examines contemporary issues in Canada and the United States in historical perspective by utilizing flashpoint issues, individuals, and events to explain longer trends and developments within a continental, cross-border analytical framework. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 4290Y, 4957.

Cross-listed: CAST-3170H

Offers both a survey of the life and deeds of Alexander and an examination of the background, the ancient sources (studied in English), and modern assessments. Prerequisite: 4.0 university. Excludes AHCL 3070H.

Cross-listed: AHCL-3171H

In ancient Greece and Rome, exclusionary rituals and secretive initiation cults like those of Dionysos, Mithras, Isis, and Christianity overturned entrenched social norms and threatened the cohesion of the state. Archaeological and written evidence provide evidence for the origins, impact, and legacy of such practices in the Ancient Mediterranean. Prerequisite: 8.0 university credits including both AHCL 2102H and 2105H (or 2100Y) or both ANTH-AHCL 2205H and 2206H (or 2200Y). Excludes AHCL-ANTH 3220Y.

Cross-listed: ANTH-3222H, AHCL-3222H

A history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991. The course examines this history as a series of social, political, economic, and cultural experiments with a focus on the complexities and contradictions of these transformations. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Why did Japan bomb Pearl Harbor and provoke the Pacific War? In order to answer this question and examine the impact of the war, this course traces the history of Japan's imperialism and militarization, which led to war with Russia, China, and ultimately the United States. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Examines women's wartime and postwar lives in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. While concerned with wars' brutal impacts, it also considers women's agency and roles. The course also explores how the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, and class shaped women's wartime experiences. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: WMST-3333H

Examines the First World War from a global perspective. Through assigned readings, written assignments, and online discussions, students examine topics ranging from military operations in all the major theatres to studies of the war's impact on the European and North American home fronts. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3350Y, 4370Y.

During the Second World War there were significant developments in military tactics and technology, but also in societal norms, ideology, and morality. This intensive course provides a detailed chronologicalthematic overview of some of this conflict's most important themes, controversies, and historical debates. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3360Y, 4360Y.

Examines the North American national-security state from the Cold War to the present, including domestic and foreign intelligence-gathering, state-sponsored espionage, surveillance, covert action and torture, propaganda, education, academic and medical research, dissidence and other subversive practices, and human rights. Prerequisite: 4.0 univeristy credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 4381H. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Capitalism and globalization shape our world in profound ways. Utilizing a "glocal" approach that combines global and Canadian cases within a transnational context, this course seeks to interrogate and understand the evolution and development of modern capitalism and globalization from the late nineteenth century into the early twenty-first. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3080Y, 3081H.

Cross-listed: CAST-3390H, ADMN-3390H

Explores Canadian and American relations with the Republic of Cuba from the era of the Spanish-American war to the present. Special emphasis is given to the Castro era, and to the divergent North American attitudes and policies towards the Cuban revolution. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3954H, 4480Y, 4481H, 4952. Students may take only one of HIST 3480Y or 3481H for credit. Offered only at Trent University Durham.

A survey of the history of France from prehistoric times to the present. Prerequisite: FREN 1100Y or 1102H, and a minimum average of 70% on all FREN credits completed. Excludes FREN-HIST 3505Y. Offered only in Nantes.

Cross-listed: FREN-3506H

A survey of the history of France from prehistoric times to the present. Prerequisite: FREN 1100Y or 1102H, and a minimum average of 70% on all FREN credits completed. Excludes FREN-HIST 3505Y. Offered only in Nantes.

Cross-listed: FREN-3507H

A social history of the changes in family life in England wrought by the Reformation, the Renaissance, civil war, the Enlightenment, and industrialization. While focusing upon plebeian families, it considers broad legal and social trends that affected all families and all members of the English household, including extended family, servants, and apprentices. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3953Y (2005-2006), 4560Y, 4959Y (2005-2006). Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

The figure of the Roma has been both romanticized and denigrated. This course examines the cultural construction of Roma from their first appearance in Europe in the fifteenth century until today. We focus on the cultural and political beliefs that have contributed to the formation of group identity. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the Chair. Excludes HIST 4661H.

Explores the centuries-old obsession among Western elites with the political, technological, and social future of humankind. Special emphasis on anti-capitalist and eco-doom dystopians including Thomas Malthus, Karl Marx, and Paul Ehrlich. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits. Excludes HIST 4730H. Offered only at Trent University Durham.

A social history of crime between 1500 and 1900, from the perspective of the prosecutors and the courts as well as that of the criminals. Topics include witchcraft, sodomy, murder, theft, rape, and prostitution. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3850Y, 4751Y, 4850Y. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Cross-listed: FRSC-3751Y

A historical perspective on contemporary environmental problems, both within North America and around the globe. Topics include the impact of environmental thought; toxic threats to human health; landscape photography and media depictions of the environment; the rise of international environmentalism; and the current politics of global warming. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-ERST 3956H.

Cross-listed: ERST-3756H

Encompasses developments from the beginning of European settlement in the New World to the prerevolutionary period in the mid-eighteenth century. Topics include the destruction and reconfiguration of indigenous societies, cross-cultural relations, European transatlantic migrations, the slave trade, and overseas trade, as well as war and conflict in colonial empires. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 3755Y or 3759H for credit. Excludes HIST 3955Y.

The 1980s in Canada were a time of tremendous change. Exploring the cultural, economic, political, and social transformations of the decade, this course examines issues as diverse as MuchMusic's impact, constitutional battles, free trade, the "new" West's emergence, and the Oka Crisis. Prerequisite: 6.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: CAST-3785H, POST-3785H

Selected social, economic, institutional, intellectual, and cultural features of early modern Europe (ca.1500- ca.1800), with special emphasis on popular culture, including such themes as gender relations, sexuality, popular religion, riots, literacy, crime, and popular politics. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 3800Y or 3810H for credit.

HIST 4020D is a double-credit research project leading to a thesis of about 15,000 words. HIST 4010Y is a single credit because the same thesis is submitted to the other department/program in a joint-major. Arrangements to be made through the chair of the department. The department deadline for a thesis abstract and bibliography (signed by the thesis supervisor) is May 1 of the student's third year. See trentu.ca/history for details. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits.

Current topic: Medieval Invention. Explores a variety of medieval innovations and their impact including castle and cathedral architecture, armour and weaponry, tournaments, food and drink, clothing and clothmaking, time-keeping, health and sanitation, water power, education, sainthood, printing, and more. Students have the option to recreate a medieval invention for credit. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Examines the first Trudeau era and its enduring legacy vis-a-vis Canadian politics, culture, and society. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST or CAST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 3061H. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Cross-listed: CAST-4061H

A study of visual images in relation to broad themes in United States history. Topics include landscape painting and frontier expansion; documentary photography and political reform; mass media portrayals of feminism, civil rights, and other social movements; debates over monuments and memorials; Hollywood film; and the history of modern art. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 4958Y.

Cross-listed: CUST-4090Y

Seminar on the Holocaust and its victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. Topics include Nazi eugenics and race policy, the death camps, the SS and Nazi police battalions in Eastern Europe, the role of ordinary Germans, resistance, and the Holocaust in popular culture. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3310Y.

Examines the North American national-security state from the Cold War to the present, including domestic and foreign intelligence-gathering, state-sponsored espionage, surveillance, covert action and torture, propaganda, education, academic and medical research, dissidence and other subversive practices, and human rights. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3381H. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Explores Canadian and American relations with the Republic of Cuba from the era of the Spanish-American war to the present. Special emphasis is given to the Castro era, and to the divergent North American attitudes and policies towards the Cuban revolution. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3480Y, 3481H, 3954, 4952. Students may take only one of HIST 4480Y or 4481H for credit. Offered only at Trent University Durham in summer.

Select aspects of the history of health, healing, and early modern culture. Current topic: Medicine and society in Europe, 1500-1800. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 4550Y or 4551H for credit.

A social history of the changes in family life in England wrought by the Reformation, the Renaissance, civil war, the Enlightenment, and industrialization. While focusing upon plebeian families, it considers broad legal and social trends that affected all families and all members of the English household, including extended family, servants, and apprentices. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3560Y, 3953Y (2005-2006), 4959Y (2005-2006). Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

Current topic: Soviet Union and World War II. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 4600Y or 4601H for credit.

Examines how and why our environment and our relationship with it have changed over time. Topics include how to do environmental history, shifts in ideas about natural resources and wilderness, the history of the Trent and Peterborough environments, the urban environment (particularly Toronto), and the history of environmental science and environmental politics. Prerequisite: 10.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: ERST-4670H, CAST-4670H

Explores the centuries-old obsession among Western elites with the political, technological, and social future of humankind. Special emphasis on anti-capitalist and eco-doom dystopians including Thomas Malthus, Karl Marx, and Paul Ehrlich. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits. Excludes HIST 4730H. Offered only at Trent University Durham.

A social history of crime between 1500 and 1900, from the perspective of the prosecutors and the courts as well as that of the criminals. Topics include witchcraft, sodomy, murder, theft, rape, and prostitution. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3751Y, 3850Y, 4850Y, 4953Y. Offered in alternate years.

Cross-listed: FRSC-4751Y

Examines two hundred years of maritime depredations from the first raid of a Spanish treasure fleet in 1523 to the suppression of piracy in 1726. It addresses social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of piracy, the underlying conditions, and the representations of this popular historical theme in the media. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3747H, 4951Y. Students may take only one of HIST 4755H or 4757H for credit.

Explores madness in the West from the seventeenth century to the present, seeking to understand how mental illness has been constructed by the medical profession and society, and by those labelled mad. Social and cultural issues are approached through sources including patient narratives, asylum records, and film. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 4907Y.

Individual courses designed to provide opportunities for more intensive study of particular topics in areas of history offered by the department. Open to undergraduates in the fourth year of the Honours program in History. Permission from relevant instructors and departmental approval is essential before registering. Regular consultation during the year. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits.

Examines the history of Canada since the Second World War with an emphasis on political history. Topics include the post-World War II economic boom, the social transformations of the long 1960s, Quebec and English Canadian nationalism, Americanization, and the policies of key prime ministers including St. Laurent, Diefenbaker, Pearson, Trudeau, and Mulroney. Madatory field trip/retreat. Prerequisite: 14.0 univeristy credits. Students may take only one of CAST-HIST 4970Y or 4971H for credit.

Cross-listed: CAST-4971H