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.

An examination of historical events, both "big" and "small," related to the theme of terror. The course explores the nature of historical change through a series of case studies while introducing students to the basic methods of historical analysis. Excludes HIST 1500Y.

The course explores the theme of terror and the nature of historical change through a series of case studies. Building on HIST 1501H, HIST 1502H serves as an introduction to the study of history with a special focus on the development of research skills. Prerequisite: HIST 1501H or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 1500Y.

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.

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.

Provides an introductory survey of French colonialism in North America, from the first French incursions on the continent to the cession of its colonies to Britain in 1763. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 3020Y.

Cross-listed: CAST-2021H

The late medieval world was devastated by overwhelming calamities, including the Little Ice Age, the Black Death and other forms of "pestilence," famines, economic crises, endless wars, rebellions, breakdown of order, ubiquitous violence, and religious turmoil. The course examines these disastrous developments, as well as the human efforts to cope. 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.

Explores the Renaissance both as a period in European history and a cultural development linked to the changes in European economy and society, religious concerns, political culture, learning, and art. Also examines the Renaissance as a perceived watershed in Western history and in the concept of Europe. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2050Y.

Investigates shifting concepts and experiences of childhood in Europe and North America from the Middle Ages to the Cold War. 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

Explores the history of the United States from precontact and early European settlement in the 1600s to civil war and reconstruction in the second half of the 1800s. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2110H. Students may take only one of HIST 2110Y or 2111H for credit. Not offered regularly.

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

The origins and history of the rebellions of 1837 and 1838 in Upper and Lower Canada and the fight over democracy and responsible government in British North America in the 1840s. Course operates in conjunction Season One of the audio podcast series 1867 & All That and students learn to create and edit podcast episodes in a flipped classroom with an intensive writing focus. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the instructor. Excludes CAST-HIST 2235H.

Cross-listed: CAST-2236H

A study of Indigenous involvement in the fur trade and imperial politics of the eighteenth century, the development of European "civilizing" policies, and the growth and ideology of the modern Indigenous political movement. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits, including 1.0 CAST or HIST or INDG credit at the 1000 level with a minimum of 60%. Students may take only one of CAST-HIST-INDG 2255Y or 2256H for credit.

Cross-listed: CAST-2256H, INDG-2256H

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.

War, politics, and society in Canada from first encounters between Europeans and Indigenous peoples to the period of Confederation. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 2330Y.

Cross-listed: CAST-2331H

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 historical survey of slavery, slave trading, and the contested meanings of freedom in Africa, Brazil, Cuba, the United States, and the Caribbean. We examine revolutions, revolts, being bought and sold, representations of blackness, slave cultures, health, belief systems (Voodoo, Santeria, Obeah), abolition, post-emancipation disporas, and reparations. 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

Surveys the social, cultural, institutional, and intellectual histories shaping Western world attitudes about the mind and brain, while exploring the histories of madness, mental deficiencies, insanity, and mental health during the period when psychiatry and psychology emerged as formal scientific disciplines. Prerequisite: 3.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: PSYC-2621H

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, GESO, 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.

Explores the intersections between film and history. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 2800Y.

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, MDST-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

Provides a detailed investigation of the history of French Canada from 1763 to the late nineteenth century. It covers numerous political transformations as well as economic, social, and cultural developments that shaped French-Canadian nationalism and collective identity. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST-CAST 3020Y.

Cross-listed: CAST-3021H

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

An exploration into our digital world and how we use it to understand the past. From the examination of digitized and born-digital records, to the analysis of websites and e-publications, students will become familiar with the various aspects of historical research, creation, and public diffusion in an electronic environment. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

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.

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

The collapse of the Roman Empire in the West and its replacement by Germanic kingdoms; the survival of the Roman Empire in the East and the birth of Byzantine civilization. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits. Excludes AHCL 3120H, AHCL-HIST 3180H.

Cross-listed: AHCL-3182H

A study of Anatolia in Antiquity. Topics include Lydian, Achaemenid, Seleucid, and Roman Empires, urbanism, roads, local languages and cultures. including Lycia, Isauria, and Pontus, as well as village life and cities such as Sagalassus, Ephesus, Sinop, and Euchaita. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: AHCL-3190H, ANTH-3190H

Offers critical examination of the structure, function, and practices of official religion between the late Iron Age and the rise of monotheism in the late antique Mediterranean. Archaeological remains and ancient texts demonstrate how state-sponsored cults served to bind the populace and codify social and political behaviour. Prerequisite: 8.0 univeristy 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-3221H, AHCL-3221H

A history of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1939. The course examines this history as a series of experiments with a focus on the complexities and contradictions of these transformations. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3250Y.

The political, social, economic, and cultural history of the modern German nation, with special emphasis on the eras of Wilhelmine Germany, the Weimar Republic, and the Third Reich. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 3300Y or 3301H for credit.

Examines the Nazi program of mass-murder in the context of earlier and later genocides, with particular emphasis on questions of agency and complicity. Topics include Nazi eugenics and race policy, the culture of the concentration camps, the role of ordinary Germans, resistance, and the Holocaust in popular culture. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 4310Y. Offered only at Trent University Durham in alternate years.

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 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.

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) remains one of the most controversial and disputed conflicts in history. Was the Spanish Republic fighting for democracy against a tide of fascism that would soon swamp Europe? Did Franco save Spain from Stalinist communism? This class tackles these and other questions. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits.

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.

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

An examination of developments in warfare during the European Middle Ages (300-1500 CE). Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 4510Y, 4511H, 4050Y (2010-2011). Students may take only one of HIST 3551Y or 3550H for credit.

Examines the changing place of world's oceans in European outlook, from fear-inspiring barriers to eagerly explored and hotly contested highways that enabled the personal fortunes and disasters, establishment of European seaborne empires, and exchanges of goods, germs, ideas, and to the often involuntary mixing of cultures. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Students may take only one of HIST 3600Y or 3601H for credit.

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 history of incarceration from the late 1700s to the modern day, focusing on the rise of institutions designed to segregate those labelled sick, deviant, or in need of reform. Through secondary and primary literature, incarceration is studied from the perspective of authorities, the public, and inmates. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

Cross-listed: FRSC-3711H

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.

Encompasses developments from the beginning of European settlement in the New World to the end of the seventeenth century. Topics include the destruction and reconfiguration of indigenous societies, cross-cultural relations, the establishment of plantation economies, mercantilism, and the transatlantic slave trade and its implications. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3755Y, 3759H.

Encompasses developments in the Atlantic World from the turn of the eighteenth century to the revolutionary period. Topics include the settlement of the overseas empires, the social structure of the colonies, plantation societies, interimperial conflicts and wars, and Atlantic revolutions. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3755Y, 3759H

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.

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 third year of the History program. Permission from relevant instructors and departmental approval is essential before registering. Regular consultation during the year. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair.

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, MDST-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 lives of individuals and families, both famous and ordinary, striving to make their way in the turbulence of the Renaissance period, shaped both by remarkable human achievements and creativity and by never-ending turmoil caused by climate change, epidemics, economic problems, wars, social conflicts, and religious crises. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair

Themes in the history of warfare during the Middle Ages, including knights, chivalry, infantry, archers, guns, fortifications, siege warfare, logistics, tactics, and gender. Prerequisite: 4.0 HIST credits or permission of the chair. Excludes 3551Y, 3550H, 4050Y (2010-2011). Students may take only one of HIST 4510Y or 4511H for credit. Not offered regularly.

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 look at the recruitment, camp, and battlefield adventures of men in the ranks of the British Army from 1803 to 1815. The course encourages students to think about creative ways to understand the daily lives of soldiers through simulated experiential learning. Prerequisite: 4.0 university credits or permission of the chair. Excludes HIST 3565H.

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.

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.

Students are placed in research projects with community organizations in the Peterborough or Haliburton area. Each placement is supervised jointly by a faculty member and a representative of a community organization. For details see Community Based Research Program. Prerequisite: 14.0 university credits and a minimum 75% cumulative average. Excludes HIST 3820Y, 3821H. Students may take only one of HIST 4820Y or 4821H for credit.

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

Traces the history of the concept of the self in Western culture, with a special focus on Canada. Examines key debates about the idea of the self through interdisciplinary readings in philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, politics, and history. Includes questions as to the concept's historicity, modernity, and its connections to modern debates about identity politics and political correctness. Prerequisite: 14.0 university credits.

Cross-listed: CAST-4975H