History Department

An examination of the roles of women and men in the society, religion, and culture of the ancient Greek and Roman world. Readings will include historical, religious, medical, legal, philosophical, and literary texts. Representations of men and women in the visual arts will also be considered. (Also listed as CLAS 1307.)

This course will explore the history and legacy of contact between Greek, Roman and Persian cultures through an examination of archaeology, visual sources and text. With the help of a number of primary and secondary historical and theoretical readings, we will analyze architecture, sculpture and 'minor' arts that both reflect, and reflect on, this cultural exchange. The course's primary focus will span from the sixth century BCE and the rise of Cyrus the Great, through the war between Alexander the Great and Darius the III in the fourth century BCE, and up to the 4th century CE with the Sasanian Empire and beginnings of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine Empire. Though focused specifically on the relationship between Ancient Greece, Rome and Persia, this course will ultimately enable students to identify and reflect on parallels in modern discourse as they relate to the constructs of "West" and the "East." (Also listed as CLAS 1312.)

Students entering Trinity with a score of 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) Exam in US History or European History will receive credit for this course. Credit may be awarded in both US History and in European History, for a maximum of 6 credits.

Students entering Trinity with a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher-Level International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam in History of the Americas or in History of Europe will receive credit for this course. Credit may be awarded in both History of the Americas and in History of Europe, for a maximum of 6 credits.

Today, overseas Chinese comprise the fourth-largest diaspora in the world, with millions of Chinese citizens creating communities in nearly every country in the world. The purpose of this class is to explore the history of these overseas communities, taking note of how migration has shaped the identities, cultures, and lived experiences of people who claim some connection to the space that today we call China. Our class will begin in the sixteenth century, which saw the first sustained migrations of peoples from China into Southeast Asia following the Ming dynasty's removal of a ban on maritime trade, and continue to the present day. (Offered every other year.)

This seminar is devoted to the study of the theoritical framework and historical practice of microhistory, the intensive study of a particular individual, incident, family or community in order to illuminate the contours of larger historical themes and processes. Readings will be focused on the early modern era (c. 1500-1800), and the seminar will culminate in students researching and writing an original piece of historical scholarship in the microhistorical mode. Offered every other year.

A study of Greek history from the age of colonization to the death of Alexander the Great (c. 750- 323 B.C.), with emphasis on the social and political institutions of Athens and Sparta, relations between Persia and the Greeks, the period of the Peloponnesian War, and the rise of Macedon. (Also listed as CLAS 3312.)

History of France from the middle of the eighteenth century to the coup of Napoleon in 1799. The course will focus on the political, fiscal, and intellectual origins of the French Revolution (1789-1799), the unfolding of the Revolution in Paris and in the provinces from the calling of the Estates-General to the Reign of Terror, international war between France and Europe, and the Revolution's long-term consequences for French and European history. (Offered every other year.)

This course explores the origins, implementation, and legacy of the Nazi murder of six million Jews in Europe during World War II. Special attention will be paid to the motivations and actions of the perpetrators, the perspectives of the victims, and historiographical debates concerning the genocide. (Also listed as GRST 3438.)

This course interrogates "migrant cities" in the Americas, that is, cities that grew and developed in relationship to the movement of millions of peoples across regions, borders, and oceans. We will consider three broad migrations: 1) European migrations to Atlantic metropoles such as New York, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo between 1870 and 1930; 2) internal migrations of people (including of African and Indigenous descent) from the U.S. South to northern cities; from the Brazilian northeast to its southern industrial cities; and from peasant communities to cities such as Lima and Mexico City; 3) finally, we will study the South-North migration from Mexico and Central America to the U.S. between 1970 and the present. By comparing these migrations in the United States and Latin America, we will explore how the movement of people has shaped cities across the hemisphere and we will interrogate the commonalities and common histories of both regions. In the process, we will challenge several myths about the United States and Latin America: Is the U.S. "melting pot" truly exceptional or has the whole continent been impacted by migrations across regions and borders? Have cities represented spaces of opportunity and liberation for migrants or are they sites where inequality and oppression have simply adopted a different form? How does legal status, race/ethnicity, and economic conditions influence how migrants fare in their new cities? Is the presence of Latinos in U.S. cities a new phenomenon or and an old one? Does this presence represent a threat, an opportunity, or more of the same?

A selective survey of the principal currents of economic growth and change in Latin America since the sixteenth century. Special attention given to the uneven formation of market economies, and to problems associated with colonialism and neo-colonialism; with international financial crises and adjustment; and with ideologically diverse models of development. (Also listed as ECON 3442.) Prerequisite: ECON 1311 and 1312

This course provides a survey of American Business History from precolonial times through the modern day. It explores the different economic systems that existed in the lands that are now the United States, how these morphed over time into the form of capitalism currently being practiced, and how this affected American business, culture, politics, and society along the way. (Also listed as BUSN 3461)

In this class, we will examine the history of American utopian thought and the communities built by visionaries from the era of colonization through the present day. From praying towns to health spas to Wakanda, we will explore how people dreamed of perfection in a world that they felt constricted their potential. This course will emphasize the utopian visions of those who were marginalized, oppressed, and dispossessed by mainstream U.S. society as a means of understanding how communities responded to profound inequalities by dreaming of a more just world, and how they manifested these visions into reality. We will also use race, class, and gender as lenses for analyzing the limitations and injustices inherent to other intentional communities, and how utopianism could perpetuate the harms of settler colonialism, slavery, and racism. As we dream of a better world, we must always remember the context in which we live and the past that continues to shape our visions of the future.

From time to time the department will offer special topic courses not described in the Courses of Study Bulletin. Announcement of such courses will be by special prospectus. May be repeated on different topics.

This course introduces students to the field of urban history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We will adopt a transnational approach, surveying cities across the world and reviewing themes, debates, and questions that structure the field of urban history. Rather than telling a comprehensive history of cities over the past two centuries, we will focus on the tension between transnational processes and the select history of a number of cities across the world. Topics to explore will include migration, urban growth, class, race, and gender as categories shaping the urban experience, and transnational flows of ideas, science, and culture.