Program Overview

History (HST)

The Department of History at Wake Forest University offers a comprehensive program in history, providing students with a deep understanding of the past and its relevance to the present. Historians collect, organize, and explain complex data, and with impressive skills in critical reading, research, analysis, writing, and public speaking, Wake Forest's history majors are prepared for a wide range of professions.

Overview

Wake Forest's history majors pursue careers that range across entrepreneurship, education, government service, healthcare, public-interest foundations, publishing, consulting, journalism, and beyond. The program also provides excellent preparation for graduate study in law, business, and the arts and sciences.

Faculty and Research

The faculty's research and teaching investigate the political, religious, social, cultural, and economic ideas and institutions that people have used to order their lives. The curriculum introduces students to historical methodologies and the fundamentals of research and writing. Faculty members include:

• M. Raisur Rahman, Chair and Professor
• Michele K. Gillespie, Professor
• Lisa M. Blee, Professor
• Simone M. Caron, Professor
• Robert I. Hellyer, Professor
• Jeffrey D. Lerner, Professor
• Monique E. O'Connell, Professor
• Barry Trachtenberg, The Michael H. and Deborah Rubin Presidential Chair of Jewish History and Professor
• Benjamin A. Coates, Associate Professor
• Stephanie Koscak, Associate Professor
• Nathan A. Plageman, Associate Professor
• John A. Ruddiman, Associate Professor
• Susan Z. Rupp, Associate Professor
• Charles L. Wilkins, Associate Professor
• Mir Yarfitz, Associate Professor
• Qiong Zhang, Associate Professor
• Michaela Appeltova, Assistant Professor
• Guy Mount, Assistant Professor
• Nisrine Rahal, Assistant Professor
• J'Nese Williams, Assistant Professor

Programs

The Department of History offers the following programs:

• History, B.A.: The Bachelor of Arts in History provides a comprehensive education in history, with courses spanning ancient civilizations to modern times.
• History, Minor: The minor in History allows students to explore historical topics and methodologies in depth, complementing their major field of study.

Courses

The Department of History offers a wide range of courses, including:

• HST 101: Western Civilization to 1700: Survey of ancient, medieval, and early modern history to 1700.
• HST 102: Europe and the World in the Modern Era: Survey of modern Europe from 1700 to the present.
• HST 103: World Civilizations to 1500: Survey of the ancient, classical, and medieval civilizations of Eurasia with a brief look at American and sub-Saharan societies.
• HST 104: World Civilizations since 1500: Survey of the major civilizations of the world in the modern and contemporary periods.
• HST 105: Africa in World History: Examines the continent of Africa from prehistory to the present in global perspective.
• HST 106: Medieval World Civilizations: Provides an overview of world civilizations in the period generally understood as "medieval," from 600 C.E. to 1600 C.E.
• HST 107: Middle East & the World: Examines the Middle East region from the inception of Islam in the 7th century to the 20th century.
• HST 108: Americas and the World: Examines North, Central, and South America in global perspectives from premodern times to the present.
• HST 109: Asia and the World: Overview of Asia (primarily East, Southeast, and South Asia) since 1500 with emphasis on economic, diplomatic, cultural, and religious interactions with the outside world.
• HST 110: Atlantic World since 1500: Examines the major developments that have linked the civilizations bordering the Atlantic Ocean from 1500 to the present.
• HST 112: Big History: A History of the Cosmos and Humanity's Place In It: Beginning 13.7 billion years ago and drawing on the sciences, social sciences, and history, this course offers a contemporary understanding of how the physical, social, and mental worlds people inhabit came to be.
• HST 113: Health, Disease and Healing in World History: Examines political, economic, and cultural responses to sickness and disease in global historical context.
• HST 114: Gender and Sexuality in World History: Introduces the global and historical breadth of gender and sexual systems.
• HST 115: Global History of Exploration: Surveys exploration from prehistoric migrants peopling the continents to the modern age of space exploration.
• HST 119: Venice and the World: The history of Venice is intertwined with many of the central themes of world history.
• HST 120: Formation of Europe: Habsburg Empire and its Successor States: The development of Central and East-Central Europe as a multiethnic unity under the Habsburgs.
• HST 121: London and the World: Introduction to London's history as a global city since the 16th century.
• HST 150: United States History: Survey of U.S. history from the colonial period to the present.
• HST 151: The Golden Age of Burgundy: Burgundian society, culture, and government in the reigns of Philip the Bold, John the Fearless, Philip the Good, and Charles the Rash.
• HST 161: History Museums: Introduces students to history museums and surveys the major issues involved in the collection and display of historical objects.
• HST 162: History of Wake Forest: A survey of the history of Wake Forest from its beginning.
• HST 171: Historical Biography: Study of biographies of men and women who have influenced specific histories and civilizations.
• HST 172: Historical Novels: The role of the historical past in selected works of fiction.
• HST 173: Historical Films: Examines the value of film as a source for understanding the past.
• HST 206: The Early Middle Ages: European history from the end of the ancient world to the mid-12th century.
• HST 207: The High Middle Ages Through the Renaissance: European history from the mid-12th through the early 16th centuries.
• HST 209: Europe: From Renaissance to Revolution: A survey of European history from the 15th to the 18th century.
• HST 214: Atlantic History to 1800: Science, Empire, and Environment: Explores the ways in which western science and empire developed in tandem to control natural resources in the Americas, Africa, and Europe until 1800.
• HST 215: Atlantic History from 1800: Science, Empire, Environment: Inquiry into the ways in which colonialism and the practices of western science have shaped social, political, and terrestrial landscapes in the Americas, Africa, and Europe from 1800.
• HST 216: General History of Spain: History of Spain from the pre-Roman period to the present day.
• HST 217: France to 1774: The history of France from the Paleolithic period to the accession of Louis XVI.
• HST 218: France since 1815: The history of France from the restoration of the monarchy to the Fifth Republic.
• HST 219: Germany to 1871: Social, economic, and political forces leading to the creation of a single German nation-state.
• HST 220: Germany: Unification to Unification 1871 to 1990: The Germans' search for stability and unity in a society riven by conflict.
• HST 221: The British Empire to 1815: Explores the early history of the British Empire and imperialism until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
• HST 222: The British Empire from 1815: Examines the British Empire and British approaches to imperialism from the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 through to the Brexit crises of the late 2010s.
• HST 223: The British Isles to 1750: Discusses religious reformations in the 16th century; political and scientific experiments in the 17th century; and the commercial revolutions of the 18th century.
• HST 224: Great Britain since 1750: Addresses topics in British history from the Industrial Revolution to New Labour.
• HST 225: History of Venice: The history of Venice from its origin to the fall of the Venetian Republic.
• HST 226: History of London: Topographical, social, economic, and political history of London from the earliest times.
• HST 228: Georgian and Victorian Society Culture: Social and economic transformation of England in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• HST 229: Venetian Society & Culture: An examination of Venetian society, including the role within Venetian life of music, theatre, the church, and civic ritual.
• HST 230: Russia: Origins to 1865: A survey of the political, social, and economic history of Russia, from its origins to the period of the Great Reforms under Alexander II.
• HST 231: Russia and Soviet Union: 1865 to Present: A survey of patterns of socio-economic change from the late imperial period to the present.
• HST 235: The History of European Jewry from the Middle Ages to the Present: Examines the Jewish historical experience in Europe from the medieval period to the Holocaust and its aftermath.
• HST 236: The Nazi Holocaust to 1941: Explores the preconditions and causes of the Nazi Holocaust and situates the Holocaust within the history of European colonial genocide and the rise of totalitarian regimes.
• HST 237: The Nazi Holocaust from 1941: Examines the systematic attempt to exterminate European Jewry and other groups targeted by Nazi Germany.
• HST 239: Jewish History in the Americas: Examines the rich history of American Jewry from the period of first settlement to the present.
• HST 242: Middle East before 1500: A survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the emergence of the last great Muslim unitary states.
• HST 243: Middle East since 1500: A survey of modern Middle Eastern history from the collapse of the last great Muslim unitary states to the present day.
• HST 244: Pre-Modern China to 1850: Study of traditional China to 1850, with an emphasis on the evolution of political, legal, and social institutions.
• HST 245: Modern China since 1850: Study of modern China from 1850 to the present, focusing on the major political, economic, and cultural transformations.
• HST 246: Japan before 1600: A survey of Japan from earliest times to the coming of Western imperialism.
• HST 247: Japan since 1600: A survey of Japan in the modern world.
• HST 250: Premodern South Asia: A survey of ancient and medieval South Asia beginning with the Indus Valley civilization to the decline of the Mughal Empire.
• HST 251: Modern South Asia: A survey of colonial and post-colonial South Asia beginning with the political conquest of the British East India Company in the mid-18th century until the present.
• HST 254: American West to 1848: The first half of a two-semester survey course of the North American West, from roughly 1400 to 1850.
• HST 255: U.S. West from 1848 to Present: The second half of a two-semester survey course of the U.S. West, from 1848 to the present.
• HST 256: The U.S and the World,: The first half of a two-semester survey on U.S. foreign relations.
• HST 257: The U.S and the World since 1914: The second half of a two-semester survey of U.S. foreign relations.
• HST 258: Colonial North America: Surveys and explores the encounters between natives and newcomers in North America between 1492 and 1763.
• HST 259: Revolutionary North America: Examines the transformation that unfolded during the struggles for sovereignty in North America between 1760 and 1800.
• HST 262: Antebellum America: Examines the sociocultural, economic, religious, and political transformations of American society from the period after the Revolutionary War through the onset of the American Civil War.
• HST 263: The U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction: The political, social, and military events of the war and the economic, social, and political readjustments which followed.
• HST 264: U.S. History: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Conflict: Political, social, and economic developments in the U.S. from 1877 to 1933.
• HST 265: US History since the New Deal: Political, social, and economic history of the U.S. since 1933.
• HST 266: The History of the Slave South: Examines slavery and southern distinctiveness, from the first interactions of Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans through the Civil War and Emancipation.
• HST 267: The Making of the Modern South since the Civil War: Traces the history of race relations and southern culture, politics, and economics from sharecropping and segregation through political reform, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Republican New South.
• HST 268: African History to 1870: Overview of African history prior to the establishment of European colonial rule, covering the period from the 4th century until 1870.
• HST 269: African History since 1850: Overview of African history, beginning with the period following the abolition of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and ending with contemporary challenges of independent African nations.
• HST 271: African American History to 1870: Examines the experiences of African-descended people from Africa to America and from slavery to freedom.
• HST 272: African American History since 1870: Examines the experiences of African-descended people from the destruction of slavery to Reconstruction, from rural to urban, and from Jim Crow to Civil Rights.
• HST 275: Modern Latin America: Survey of Latin-American history since independence, concentrating on the 20th century.
• HST 284: Latin America's Colonial Past: Studies the history of Latin America's colonial past from the precolonial era to the wars of independence in the early 19th century.
• HST 300: History Fin de Siecle Vienna: Examination of major developments in Viennese culture, politics, and society from the 1880s to 1918.
• HST 302: Plants of Empire: Power and Pleasure: Study of the social, cultural, and political meaning of plants grown to finance and maintain empires since 1500.
• HST 303: Spaces of Science: Observatory, Laboratory, Field: Examines how new physical spaces and types of workers have shaped the content, practices, and social contours of western science from 1500.
• HST 304: Travel, History and Landscape in the Mediterranean: This course considers broader debates about the nature of "Mediterranean" societies in the late medieval and early modern period through case studies of particular places.
• HST 305: Medieval & Early Modern Iberia: Examines the variety of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish cultures that flourished on the Iberian peninsula between the years 700 and 1700.
• HST 306: Science, Magic, and Alchemy in Europe: Examines scientists and magicians in medieval Europe, who developed theoretical models and practical approaches to understand and to manipulate the natural world.
• HST 307: Italian Renaissance: Examination of the economic, political, intellectual, artistic, and social developments in the Italian world from 1350 to 1550.
• HST 308: World of Alexander the Great: An examination of Alexander the Great's conquests and the fusion of Greek culture with those of the Near East, Central Asia, and India.
• HST 309: European International Relations since World War I: Surveys European International Relations in the 20th century beyond treaties and alliances to the economic, social, and demographic factors that shaped formal arrangements between states.
• HST 310: 20th Century Eastern Europe: Examination of the history of 20th-century Eastern Europe, including the creation of nation-states, World War II, and the nature of Communist regimes established in the postwar period.
• HST 311: Special Topics in History: Subject varies with instructor. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
• HST 312: Jews, Greeks and Romans: Largely from a Jewish context, the course explores the political, religious, social, and philosophical values shaped by the collision between Jews, Greeks, and Romans, from the Hellenistic Period to the Middle Ages.
• HST 315: Greek History: The development of ancient Greek civilization from the Bronze Age to the end of the Classical Period stressing social institutions, individual character, and freedom of social choice within the framework of cultural, political, and intellectual history.
• HST 316: Rome: Republic and Empire: A survey of Roman history and civilization from its beginning to about 500 C.E., with emphasis on the conquest of the Mediterranean world, the evolution of the Republican state, the growth of autocracy, the administration of the empire, and the interaction between Romans and non-Romans.
• HST 317: The French Revolution and Napleonic Empire: The revolution and wars that constitute one of the pivotal points in modern history.
• HST 318: Weimar Germany: Art, literature, music, and film of Weimar Germany, in historical context.
• HST 320: Write and Record! Diaries and Memoirs of the Nazi Holocaust: Examines a wide range of diaries and memoirs to illuminate the historical period of Nazism.
• HST 321: Zionism, Palestine, and Israel in Historical Perspective: Investigates both the European causes of Zionism and the Middle Eastern consequences of the establishment of the State of Israel.
• HST 322: Migrants and Refugees in Modern History: Explores forced migrations and the development of the concept of refuge from the 16th to 20th centuries, drawing on cases from around the world.
• HST 323: Wives, Writers, and Witches: Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe: Examines the diverse range of women's experiences in early modern Europe, using gender as a lens for analyzing transformations in households, culture, society, and politics between 1500 and 1800.
• HST 324: Fashion in the Eighteenth Century: Examines the relationship between consumer culture and democratic politics in the eighteenth-century, focusing on Britain, North America, France, and Haiti.
• HST 325: English Kings, Queens, and Spectacle: Examines how English royal authority was created, legitimized, performed, and challenged, between the reigns of Henry VIII and George III through ritual, image, and text.
• HST 326: The Industrial Revolution in England: A study of the social, economic, and political causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution in England.
• HST 327: Profit and Power in Britain: Examines economic ideas and British society between 1688 and 1914.
• HST 328: History of the English Common Law: A study of the origins and development of the English common law and its legacy to modern legal processes and principles.
• HST 331: The United States in Age of Empire, 1877 - 1919: Explores the late 19th and early 20th centuries when the United States joined in the global scramble for empire.
• HST 332: The United States and the Global Cold War: Considers United States efforts to secure its perceived interests through "nation building" and economic development in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and much of Asia during the Cold War and after.
• HST 333: European Diplomacy: The diplomacy of the great powers, with some attention given to the role of publicity in international affairs.
• HST 334: Mystics, Monarchs, and Masses in South Asian Islam: An introduction to Islam through South Asian social, political, cultural, and intellectual history.
• HST 335: Hindus and Muslims in India, Pakistan, and Beyond: Examines the shared yet different, intertwined yet separate histories of the Hindus and Muslims of modern India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka primarily over the last two centuries.
• HST 336: Gender and Power in African History: Examines the close relationship between understandings of gender and power in African societies with particular focus on the last several hundred years.
• HST 337: Women and Gender in Early America: History of women and gender roles from 1600 through the Civil War, including the social constructions of femininity and masculinity and their political, economic, and cultural significance.
• HST 338: Sexuality, Race and Class in the United States since 1850: History of gender relations from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.
• HST 339: Sickness and Health in American History: Analysis of major trends in health, sickness, and disease within the broad context of social, political, and economic developments.
• HST 340: Urban Africa: Examines how urban residents have worked to creatively shape some of sub-Saharan Africa's major transformations.
• HST 341: Africans in the Atlantic World: Explores Africans' experience in the Atlantic world (Africa, Europe, and the Americas) during the era of the slave trade.
• HST 343: The Silk Roads: Explores the global exchanges across land and sea from the Bronze Age to the Early Modern Era, and their impact on the states and stateless societies connected by the Silk Road.
• HST 344: Early Modernity in China: This course explores historic transformations in Chinese economy, society, thought, and culture from 1500 to 1800.
• HST 345: Early Modern Global Encounters: China and the World: Studies the impact of China's encounters with the early modern world.
• HST 347: The Rise of Asian Economic Power since WWII: An exploration of how Japan, South Korea, and China became dominant in world economies.
• HST 348: Samurai and Geisha: Fact, Film, and Fiction: Focuses on two well-known groups in Japanese history, the samurai (warriors) and geisha (entertainers).
• HST 349: American Foundations: An interdisciplinary study of American art, music, literature, and social history with particular reference to the art collection at Reynolda House, Museum of American Art.
• HST 350: World Economic History: Globalization, Wealth and Poverty, 1500-Present: Explores the growth of globalization and its role in the creation of wealth and poverty in both developed and underdeveloped nations.
• HST 352: Ten Years of Madness: The Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1966 to 1976: A history of the Chinese Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976.
• HST 353: War and Society in Early America: Examines the evolution of warfare among the indigenous and colonial societies of North America between 1500 and 1800.
• HST 354: The Early American Republic: A history of the formative generation of the United States.
• HST 356: Jacksonian America: The United States in the age of Jackson, Clay, Calhoun, and Webster.
• HST 358: Race, Gender and the Courts: Examines the impact of state and federal court cases upon the evolution of race and gender relations in the U.S. from 1789 to the present.
• HST 359: Prostitutes, Machos, and Travestis: Sex and Gender in Latin American History: Explores gender and sexuality across 20th-century Latin America and the Caribbean.
• HST 361: A History of Hip Hop: Scholarly analysis of the historical development and political import of hip hop culture from a transnational Black Studies perspective.
• HST 362: American Constitutional History: Origins of the Constitution, the controversies involving the nature of the Union, and constitutional readjustments to meet the new American industrialism.
• HST 363: Law, Justice, and Reparations: Introduction to the global praxis of reparative and transformative justice through historical case studies from the ancient world to the present.
• HST 365: Modern Native American History: Considers broad historical issues and debates about Native American identity, experiences with and memories of colonialism, cultural preservation and dynamism, and political sovereignty from 1830 to the present.
• HST 366: Historic Preservation and Conservation: Explores the history of the preservation and conservation movements organized to save historic buildings and landscapes in the U.S. and other nations.
• HST 367: Public History: Introduces students to the major issues involved in the practice, interpretation, and display of history for nonacademic audiences in public settings.
• HST 368: U.S. Environmental History: Focuses on human actors and actions while highlighting how the material, or natural, world impacted Americans and shaped the nation.
• HST 369: Modern Military History: Making war in the modern era, with special attention to the social context of military activity.
• HST 370: Topics in North Carolina History: A general chronological survey of North Carolina with emphasis on selected topics.
• HST 371: Transgender History, Identity, and Politics in the U.S.: This course explores the experiences of and responses to transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex (TGI) people in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America.
• HST 372: Queer Public Histories: Explores how public history projects document gay, lesbian, and queer communities in the U.S.
• HST 373: Anglo-American Relations since 1940: A study of the relations between the United States and Britain from 1940 to the present.
• HST 374: Protest and Rebellion in Latin America: A study of the history of protest movements and rebellions in Latin America from primitive and agrarian revolts to mass working-class and socialist organizations.
• HST 375: Black Lives: Explores both the lived experience and the historical reality of African Americans.
• HST 376: Civil Rights and Black Consciousness Movements: A social and religious history of the African-American struggle for citizenship rights and freedom from World War II to the present.
• HST 378: Race, Memory, and Identity: Explores the collective memory and identity of American-Indian and African-American communities and their response to historical trauma in their cultural imagination, spirituality, and political and social activism.
• HST 380: America at Work: Examines the American entrepreneurial spirit within the broader context of industrial, social, and economic change from the colonial period to the present.
• HST 381: Religious Utopias and the American Experience: Religious groups of many different origins have found in North America an open space for creating settlements that would embody their ideals.
• HST 382: Religion in the Development of Higher Education: Examines the role of religious groups in the founding of American colleges and universities and explores how their role has changed across history up through contemporary trends and issues.
• HST 384: Global Outlaws History since 1500: Examines the motivations, ideologies, goals, and behavior of those who have been deemed "outlaws" to international society since 1500.
• HST 385: History through Film: Bollywood and the Making of Modern India: Juxtaposes historical films made by the world's largest film industry base out of Bombay/Mumbai with textual primary sources and secondary historical works and seeks to understand films as both interpretations and sources of history.
• HST 387: The Last Great Muslim Empires: Examines, in a comparative way, central themes in the history of the Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid Empires in the early modern period.
• HST 388: Nation, Faith, and Gender in the Middle East: Traces the development of nationalism and its interaction with religious, transnational, and gender identities in the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries.
• HST 389: The British Empire in the Middle East: Covering the period from the late 18th to late 20th centuries, this course considers British involvement in the Middle East, exploring the political, economic, social, and cultural facets of imperial power, decolonization, and post-colonial international relations.
• HST 390: Research Seminar: Offered by members of the faculty on topics of their choice. A paper is required.
• HST 391: Making History: Seminar explores how historians make history through analysis, synthesis, and interpretation.
• HST 392: Individual Research: Writing of a major research paper.
• HST 395: Internship in History: Internship in the community that involves both hands-on experience and academic study.
• HST 397: Historical Writing Tutorial: Individual supervision of historical writing to improve a project initiated in HST 390 or HST 392.
• HST 398: Individual Study: Project for a qualified student in an area of study not otherwise available in the department; subject to approval.
• HST 399: Directed Reading: Concentrated reading in an area of study not otherwise available. May be repeated for credit.