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Course Catalog 2009-2010 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
History
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 Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
Carol Lasser, Professor, 1st Semester Department Chair
Leonard V. Smith, Frederick B. Artz Professor, 2nd Semester Department Chair
Zeinab Abul-Magd, Assistant Professor
Eric Estes, Adjunct Assistant Professor
Michael Fisher, Robert S. Danforth Professor
Suzanne Gay, Professor
Heather Hogan, Professor
Carl Jacobson, Adjunct Assistant Professor
David E. Kelley, Associate Professor
Clayton R. Koppes, Professor
Gary J. Kornblith, Professor
Shelley Lee, Assistant Professor
Shulamit Magnus, Associate Professor
Pablo Mitchell, Associate Professor
Emer O’Dwyer, Assistant Professor
Renee C. Romano, Associate Professor
Annemarie H. Sammartino, Assistant Professor
Steven S. Volk, Professor
Sam A. White, Assistant Professor
Ellen Wurtzel, Assistant Professor
Brian Yates, Mellon Post Doctoral Fellow in African American Studies and History
History encompasses the study of peoples, cultures, and institutions across many periods of time. Courses offered at Oberlin include histories of the Americas, Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and South, East and Central Asia. History classes examine these areas from a variety of historical approaches, including political, social, cultural, intellectual, economic and environmental perspectives, and may focus as well on gender, religion, labor, race and/or ethnicity. Some courses focus on particular national or regional histories while others are comparative, transnational or global. The most common entry into the history curriculum is through 100-level courses, either surveys that cover a broad time span and geographical range, or first-year seminars that explore particular historical problems or approaches in small-class settings. Also at the 100 level, the department offers several small classes designed for second-year students considering the major. In all fields, 200-level courses are largely topical, dealing with a more limited geography (one region or nation), time period, or historical problem. At the 300 level, students with appropriate preparation can pursue advanced topics in small-class settings, either colloquia or research seminars that provide focused training in historical research and writing. Students may arrange private readings with faculty members on topics of mutual interest. Some majors complete their work in the department in the year-long Honors (500-level) Program.
Advanced Placement.
Students with a grade of 4 or 5 on the U.S. History AP examination will be awarded four hours of credit. Students with a grade of 4 or 5 on the European AP history examination will be awarded three hours of credit, and students with a grade of 4 or 5 on the World History AP examination will be awarded three hours of credit. Students wishing to transfer IB or other credits originating from high school courses should consult the Chair of the Department. Students may receive credit either for AP work or for IB work, but cannot receive credit for both in the same field. Students who have received AP or IB credits are still encouraged to begin their history courses with the appropriate introductory level (100) courses as these are valuable gateways to subject matter and historical methodologies and approaches not often covered in high school courses. AP or IB credit is granted only during the first year that a student enrolls at Oberlin College.
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Major
The requirements of the History major are as follows: - a minimum of 30 hours in History courses;
- at least one course from each of the following three regions: 1) North America 2) Europe, Russia 3) Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, the Caribbean. Students may request that courses in the category “Global or Comparative” history be counted in any one region empasized by the instructor. Transfer credits from college-level courses and Oberlin courses apply to this distribution requirement; credits earned at the secondary level, such as AP and IB do not fulfill this requirement;
- at least one 300-level or above course taught by faculty in the Oberlin History Department; and
- at least 18 hours of coursework taught by members of the Oberlin History Department. Twelve hours may be applied to the major through any combination of AP or IB credit, credit from approved study-away programs, and credit from selected courses based on historical methodologies taught in African American Studies (African, African American, and Caribbean history), East Asian Studies (Korean History), and Classics (Greek and Roman History).
- First-Year Seminars taught by members of the Oberlin History Department will count toward the major.
- Grades below “C–” will not count toward the major.
Minor
The minor in history consists of not fewer than 15 hours of credit in history courses. These must include at least one 300- or 400-level course. Minors must take at least 10 hours of history from members of the Oberlin History Department. Concentrations in the Major
In consultation with their departmental advisor, majors are expected to develop a balanced program of historical study culminating in a concentration (at least four courses drawn from geographic, chronological, or thematic groupings). The choice of field of concentration will depend on a number of factors including plans after graduation, particular interests, linguistic competencies, and staffing strengths in the Department. A fuller description of “Concentrations in the History Major” is available from History Department advisors, the History Department office, and our web site (www.oberlin.edu/history). Honors
The Honors Program in history offers the opportunity for recognition of distinguished achievement in historical research and writing. Qualified students are invited to enter the program in their seventh semester. Students wishing to be considered for Honors should indicate that interest to the department chair in their sixth semester. Further information is available from members of the department. See also the general statement on Honors on our web site (www.oberlin.edu/history). Transfer of Credit
As detailed in the section above on the Major, students may be eligible to transfer a maximum of 12 hours toward the major. Students seeking to transfer credit toward the major in History for classes not taken at Oberlin, but taken after their declaration of a History major, should consult in advance with their advisor and the History Department chair. They should also obtain the “History Department Guidelines on Transfer Credit toward the History Major,” available in the History Department Office. Winter Term
Check with the Department to determine History faculty who will be participating in Winter Term 2010 and will be available to sponsor projects. History Online
For more information on the History Department, courses, times, and instructors, please visit our home page at: www.oberlin.edu/history. Topical Courses in European History
- HIST 171 - From Empire to Independence: Eastern Europe from the late 18th Century to WWII
- HIST 172 - From the Iron Curtain to the Velvet Revolution: Eastern Europe under Communism
- HIST 202 - Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Reform and Reaction
- HIST 274 - How Societies Remember: History and Memory in 20th Century Europe and the Soviet Union
- HIST 275 - Gender and Nation in Modern Europe
Topical Courses in American History
- HIST 248 - Second Wave Feminism in the U.S.
- HIST 269 - American Women in the 1950’s
- HIST 271 - “Wonder-full” Narrations of the New World
- HIST 272 - Becoming “American”: Natives, Slaves, and Colonists in British North America
Topical Courses in Asian History
Topical Courses in Latin American History
Topical Courses in Russian History
- HIST 274 - How Societies Remember: History and Memory in 20th Century Europe and the Soviet Union
Topical Courses in Global and Comparative History
- HIST 276 - Spain and the Pacific World, 1571-1898
- HIST 277 - Environmental Issues in the Nineteenth Century
European History Colloquia
- HIST 375 - Totalitarianism in Comparative Perspective
American History Colloquia
- HIST 334 - Comparative Cultural Encounters in North America
- HIST 335 - Gender and Labor in Early America
- HIST 336 - Motherhood in the U.S., 1930-present
Asian History Colloquia
- HIST 442 - Democracy and Human Rights in China
Latin American History Colloquia
Russian History Colloquia
- HIST 375 - Totalitarianism in Comparative Perspective
Global and Comparative History Colloquia
- HIST 380 - Commodities, Nature, and Society
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