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New York, 12866
SKIDMORE PHONE
518-580-5000
History
Chair of the Department of History:
Tadahisa Kuroda
Professor: Tadahisa Kuroda, David
H. Porter Professor
Associate Professor: Margaret J.
Pearson
Assistant Professors: Jennifer Delton,
Matthew D. Hockenos, Jordana Dym, Joseph Hodge, Erica Bastress-Dukehart
"An unexamined life is not worth living." —Socrates
History is a way by which men and women come to understand who
they are as human beings. The study of history is a vital part
of a liberal arts education. Encompassing the whole range of
human experience, the discipline of history employs established
methods of investigation and research to deal critically with
processes of change. The Skidmore History Department expects
its students to acquire a broad knowledge of the past and to
be able to work in depth in areas and at topics of an individual's
particular interest. Students should develop the capacity to
identify major historical problems, interpret varying bodies
of knowledge, deal critically with a range of historical sources
and present their ideas in a clear, vigorous, and graceful form.
Courses offered by the department explore the pasts of the United
States, England, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and
range from the ancient world to the present. History students
are encouraged to develop areas of interest in related disciplines
and programs such as international relations, American and Asian
studies, government, and philosophy as well as to study abroad.
THE HISTORY MAJOR: A major requires thirty-two credits in history,
including the colloquium and nine additional credits at the
300 level. Students should take additional colloquia if possible.
In cooperation with the advisor, a student majoring in history
should construct a program to include a broad knowledge of history
in general, as well as specific knowledge of one area of history
in greater depth. The program should include a variety of approaches
to the study of history and should demonstrate the ability to
work at different levels.
INTERDEPARTMENTAL MAJORS: In conjunction with the relevant departments,
the History Department offers majors in government-history and
history-philosophy. See Interdepartmental
Majors. Other interdepartmental majors can be arranged.
The department participates in the Asian studies major and minor,
the environmental studies major and minor, the international
affairs minor, the Latin American studies minor, and the law
and society minor.
THE HISTORY MINOR: A minor in history
consists of twenty credits in history including the colloquim
and six additional credits at the 300 level.
Credits toward the major: Courses successfully completed through
Advanced Placement, courses completed at other accredited institutions,
and course credit received in programs abroad may, with the
permission of the chair, be counted toward history require-ments.
Of the work submitted for the major, interdepartmental majors,
and the minor, the department requires that at least half be
credits taught in the Skidmore History Department and listed
in the Skidmore catalog.
The department will treat six credits of Advanced Placement
in either American or European history accepted by Skidmore
College as equivalent to four credits toward the major or minor
in history or to the history component of the Government/History
and History/Philosophy interdepartmental majors.
The following courses provide both Liberal Studies credit and
credit toward the history major or minor: LS2
113, 124.
PHI ALPHA THETA: Alpha Delta Tau Chapter.
Founded in 1921, Phi Alpha Theta is an international history
honor society and a professional society for students and historians.
Phi Alpha Theta recognizes academic excellence in the study
of history. Eligibility requirements include: completion of
a minimum of four courses in history; a 3.10 cumulative grade-point
average in history; and a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average
in two-thirds of all other courses.
First-year students are welcome in all courses numbered 103
through 247.
HI 103.
MEDIEVAL EUROPE 4 The formation of Europe: from the
breakdown of Roman political authority in the West in the fourth
century to the rise of national states and their conflicts in
the fourteenth. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
E. Bastress-Dukehart HI 104. EARLY MODERN
EUROPEAN HISTORY 4 The evolution of modern European
politics, society, and thought: from the Renaissance and Reformation
to the French Revolution. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
E. Bastress-Dukehart HI 105. NINETEENTH-CENTURY
EUROPE: IDEOLOGY AND REVOLUTION 4 An intensive examination of the
revolutions in economics, politics, and society in Europe from
1789 to 1914. Emphasis on the French and industrial revolutions;
the rise in nationalism, liberalism, socialism, imperialism,
and the women's movement; international rivalry and diplomacy
culminating in World
War I. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
M. Hockenos
HI 106. TWENTIETH-CENTURY
EUROPE: AGE OF CONFLICT 4 An intensive examination of the
political, economic, social, and cultural history of Europe
from World War I. Emphasis on world wars, fascism, Nazism, communism,
the Holocaust, new nations and nationalism, the Cold War, and
the collapse of Soviet communism. (Fulfills social sciences
requirement.) M. Hockenos HI 107. WRITING
ABOUT HISTORY 4 A brief study of a number of significant
issues in history. Students will be introduced to the discipline
of history and will have an opportunity to develop and improve
writing skills. (Meets expository writing requirement for students
who placed at EN105 level or who have completed EN103; fulfills
social sciences requirement.) A.
The Liberal Arts College in America from Harvard to Skidmore
T. Kuroda B.
United States Environmental History
T. Kuroda
HI 108.
COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA 4 Explores Latin America society
from initial encounters between Europeans and Native Americans
to early-nineteenth-century wars of independence. Focuses on
interactions among native American, African, and European peoples
and institutions. Topics include conquest and colonization;
church, crown, and commoner; labor and environment; class and
caste; women; and commerce in principal Spanish districts (Peru,
Central America, and Mexico), Portuguese Brazil, and French
Saint Domingue (Haiti). (Fulfills social sciences requirement;
designated as a Cultural Diversity course.)
J. Dym
HI 109.
CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICA 4 Introduces the economic, political,
social, and intellectual history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century
Latin America. The course material is organized both thematically
and chronologically, focusing on a series of topics that are
key to understanding the emergence of the former colonies of
Spain, Portugal, France, and England into a group of distinct
nation-states. Topics include legacies of empire, political
participation, and national identity in multicultural contexts,
as well as dictatorship and democratization. (Fulfills social
sciences requirement; designated as a Cultural Diversity course.)
J. Dym
HI 110.
BRITISH EMPIRE: AN INTRODUCTION 4 An introductory survey of the British
Empire from its earliest beginnings in the sixteenth century
through decolonization in the post-World War II era. This course
will focus on the political, economic, cultural, and ecological
causes and consequences of British overseas expansion. Topics
include the ecological and biological impact of British imperialism;
Elizabethan commercial expansion; the plantings of Ireland;
early settlements in the New World and the impact on indigenous
peoples; the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the plantation system
in the Caribbean; the American Revolution and the end of the
first British Empire; the ideologies of the British Raj in India;
the "New Imperialism" of the late nineteenth century
and the "scramble for Africa"; the transfer of technology
and culture; decolonization; and the contemporary legacy of
empire. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
J. Hodge HI 121. AMERICAN
HISTORY TO THE CIVIL WAR 4 An exploration of major issues
and problems of the American past: the colonial experience to
the Civil War. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
J. Delton HI 122. AMERICAN
HISTORY SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 4 An exploration of major issues
and problems of the American past: from the Civil War to the
present. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
J. Delton
HI 201. GREEK HISTORY
3 A study of Greece from the Mycenaean
age to the Trojan War to Alexander the Great. The course focuses
on the heroic age, the development of the city-state, the origins
of democracy, the nature of imperialism, intellectual and cultural
achievements, economic conditions, and family life. Special
emphasis is given to the study of the ancient sources: literary,
historiographic, archaeological, and numismatic. (Fulfills social
sciences requirement.) M. Arnush HI 202. ROMAN HISTORY
3 A study of Rome from its foundation
by Romulus to the principate of Justinian and the end of antiquity.
The course focuses on the Etruscan world, the rise of Rome in
Italy, the impact of Hellenism, social and political institutions
in the Republic, imperialism under Augustus, the evolution of
Roman culture and the spread of Christianity. Special emphasis
is given to the study of the ancient sources: literary, historiographic,
archaeological, and numismatic. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
M. Arnush HI 210. ENGLAND
TO 1688 3 Traces the history of English society
and state formation from the Anglo-Saxon conquests through to
the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The course will introduce students
to the major political and constitutional developments in medieval
and early modern England, including the Magna Carta, English
Common Law, the growth of Parliament, the English Civil War,
and the Revolution of 1688. This course will also address important
economic, social, and cultural topics such as medieval society
and institutions, changes in gender relations, the plague, theft
and poverty, and the English Reformation. (Fulfills social sciences
requirement.) J. Hodge HI 211. STATE AND
PEOPLE: ENGLISH REVOLUTIONS, 1485-1832
4 Between 1485 and 1832 England (Britain)
underwent a series of revolutionsreligious, political, and economic.
This process transformed a society that was still feudal in
many respects into a modern state with increasingly broad representation
and one which was poised for the move toward democracy in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will examine processes
of change which were social, cultural, and economic, as well
as political. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
J. Hodge HI 215. TOPICS
IN HISTORY 3 Topically organized courses based
on problems and issues of special interest at the introductory
level. The specific themes to be examined may differ from year
to year. Recent offerings include "An Introduction to U.S.
Environmental History," "Modern African History,"
and "Vietnam War." This course with a different topic
may be repeated for credit. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
A.
American History
J. Delton, T. Kuroda B.
English History
J. Hodge C.
Medieval History
E. Bastress-Dukehart D.
Modern European History
M. Hockenos E.
Russian History F.
Ancient History
M. Arnush G.
Literature and Philosophy of History H.
Latin American History
J. Dym I.
African History
HI 216.
TOPICS IN HISTORY: NON-WESTERN 3 Topically organized courses based
on problems and issues of special interest at the introductory
level. The specific themes to be examined may be different from
year to year. This course with a different topic may be repeated
for credit.
A. Chinese History
M. Pearson B.
Japanese History
M. Pearson C.
Islamic History D.
Other
(Designated non-Western culture courses.) HI 223. AMERICA
AND THE WORLD: A HISTORY OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
3 America's interactions with the
rest of the world from the 1870s, when the United States first
began to question its traditional posture of aloofness and define
a new role for itself in international affairs. Course will
trace the development of the U.S. from its position as a peripheral
force in world affairs to its role as an international superpower:
how and why did American leaders devise policies to protect,
manage, and extend U.S. interests abroad, who opposed these
policies, and what factors inhibited the implementation of these
policies. (Fulfills social sciences requirement.)
J. Delton
HI 228.
RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER IN LATIN AMERICA
3 Looks at how different ideas about
race and ethnicity have shaped Latin American politics and societies
from colonial times to the present. Themes covered include:
interactions of Iberian, American, African, and Asian peoples;
official and unofficial management of multiethnic and multicultural
societies; scientific racism; and the relation between theories
of race and development of ideas about class, gender, and nation.
J. Dym HI 241. INTRODUCTION
TO IMPERIAL CHINA 3 An introductory survey of the major
cultural, political, and ideological developments in China from
earliest times to the fall of the last Chinese dynasty, with
focus on several important eras and their contributions to Asian
civilizations. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills
social sciences requirement.) M. Pearson
HI 242. INTRODUCTION
TO MODERN CHINA 3 An introductory survey of the major
political,
economic, and social developments in China, from the foundation
of the last imperial dynasty in 1644 to the present. Emphasis
is on the major stages of the revolution, from the Opium War
to the present. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills
social sciences requirement.) M. Pearson
HI 247. THE RISE
OF JAPAN 3 An introductory survey of Japanese
history and culture from its beginnings through World War II.
Focus is on ways in which Japanese women and men have transformed
borrowings from other cultures to create their unique forms
of government, society, and the arts. Sources include a diary,
short stories, legal documents, and films. (Designated a non-Western
culture course; fulfills social sciences requirement.)
M. Pearson CC 226. GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORIANS
3 Readings in translation of the
great chroniclers of history from the Greek and Roman worlds:
Greek, the works of Herodotos (the father of history), Thucydides
and Xenophon; Roman, the works of Livy, Polybius, and Tacitus.
The course will focus on the methodology of writing history,
comparative studies, and modern interpretations. (Counts toward
the history major.) HI 254. INTELLECTUAL
HISTORY MODERN EUROPE 3 The principal currents of modern
European thought: the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
M. Hockenos HI 261. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIFE AND POLITICS,
1619 TO THE PRESENT 3 A history of black people in America
from slavery through emancipation to the present. The course
examines such topics as: slave culture, black resistance, the
Harlem Renaissance, the development of jazz, blues, and soul
music, the civil rights movement and its aftermath, and the
crisis of the inner cities to understand how black people have
defined their place in American life. (Fulfills social sciences
requirement; designated as a Cultural Diversity course.)
J. Delton HI 262. AFRICA
SINCE 1800 3 A general survey course on African
history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing
primarily on the period of formal colonial occupation starting
in the late nineteenth century. Students will be introduced
to a variety of topics including the partition of Africa, African
collaboration and resistance, the political and economic structures
of colonial rule in Africa, and the social and cultural repercussions
on African polities and peoples. Some time will also be spent
understanding pre/post-colonial material and cultural developments,
including the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the rise of African
independence movements, and the challenges facing the continent
today. (Fulfills social sciences requirement; designated as
a Cultural Diversity course.) J. Hodge
HI 298.
HISTORY WORKSHOP 1
A topical workshop, seminar, discussion group or lab/studio
experience, which can link to a regular History Department course
offered at the 200 level or serve as a freestanding course.
A.
American History
J. Delton, T. Kuroda B.
English History
P.A. Lee C.
Medieval History
E. Bastress-Dukehart D.
Modern European History
M.Hockenos E.
Russian History F.
Ancient History
M. Arnush G.
Literature and Philosophy of History H.
Latin American History
J. Dym I.
African History HI 299. PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP IN HISTORY
3 Internship opportunity for students
whose curricular foundations and cocurricular experience have
prepared them for professional work related to the major field.
With faculty sponsorship and department approval, students may
extend their educational experience into such areas as archives,
museums, galleries, libraries, historical societies, preservation,
and other professional areas. Prerequisite: previous
study related to the area of the internship experience.
NOTE: Courses on the 300-level are open to sophomores only with
permission of instructor. HI 301. EARLY MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION
3 The culture and society of Europe:
300 to 1100. Special emphasis upon the development of the early
Christian church, the thought of Augustine of Hippo, the rise
of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire, and the economic revival of
Europe in the eleventh century. E. Bastress-Dukehart
HI 302. THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES
3 European civilization: 1100 to
1400. Special emphasis upon the Renaissance of the twelfth century;
the rediscovery of Aristotle; the thought of Peter Abelard,
Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham; the Roman Church at its
height; the breakdown of Christian unity.
E. Bastress-Dukehart HI 303. INTELLECTUAL HISTORY MEDIEVAL
AND RENAISSANCE 3 The principal currents of Western
European thought: the Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance,
and the Renaissance of the North. E.
Bastress-Dukehart HI 304. RENAISSANCE DIPLOMACY AND THE
FORMATION OF THE EARLY MODERN STATE
3 The emergence of early modern political
practice and theory. This course traces the development of Renaissance
diplomacy from its origins among the Italian city-states of
the early fifteenth century to its maturation in the courts
of the great seventeenth-century monarchs, including Louis XIV.
The course will also examine the relationship between the development
of diplomatic cultures and practices (which includes a consideration
of the Renaissance archetypes of prince, courtier, and diplomat)
and the formation of the first modern states.
E. Bastress-Dukehart HI 305. SCIENCE AND THE CHURCH: EUROPE
FROM LUTHER TO VOLTAIRE 3 The emergence in early modern Europe
(1500-1800) of two competing world views: Christianity and scientific
rationalism. The course will examine the competition between
these two ideologies for control of the political, economic,
and social machinery of European culture, especially as represented
by the modern state, and for the right to define the principal
modes of cultural expressionthe literary, plastic, and performing
arts. E. Bastress-Dukehart HI 306. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON,
1789-1815 3 A study of the causes and course
of the Revolution in France, the reign of Napoleon, and the
effects of the Revolution and Napoleon on other European states.
M. Hockenos HI 310. AGE OF THE TUDORS
3 A detailed examination of the political,
economic and social process which transformed late medieval
England into the bureaucratic state and secular society which
are the basis of the modern British system. Attention will be
given to social change and to the iconography and ideology of
kingship. J. Hodge HI 311. AGE OF THE STUARTS
3 Political, economic and social
change in the period of the early and later Stuarts, with emphasis
on the remaking of the English Constitution and emerging concepts
of political and social rights. Attention will be given to the
developments of this period as a background for American ideas
and institutions. J. Hodge HI 312. MODERN ENGLAND: WHIGS AND TORIES
3 An intensive examination of the
early industrial state in its political and economic development
but also with reference to its appearance in art and literature.
Attention will be given not only to the development of party
government and the emergence of an industrial society but to
diverse impulses toward reform. J. Hodge
HI 321.
AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY 3 From the age of discovery to 1763.
This course examines the evolution of mature American societies
from their European origins, and gives special attention to
the increasingly shared experiences, ideas, and institutions
of the thirteen diverse colonies which later became the United
States. T. Kuroda GH 322. THE HISTORY
AND POLITICAL THOUGHT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
3 The creation of a new nation: 1763-1789.
This course will give special attention to the political ideas
which gave direction to the American Revolution and the Constitution.
T. Kuroda HI 323. THE NEW
AMERICAN REPUBLIC 3 From Washington through Jackson,
1789-1840. This course will examine the United States as an
emerging nation in search of security and stability in the face
of political, economic, social, and international pressures,
and study how that republic evolved to become the democracy
of the Jacksonian age. T. Kuroda HI 324. CIVIL WAR
AND RECONSTRUCTION 3 Division and reunification, 1840-1877.
This course will examine the importance of sectionalism, the
breakdown of national institutions, the revolutionary impact
of the war, and the dilemmas attending reconciliation. Special
attention will be given to the role of race in shaping popular
attitudes and public policy before, during, and after the war.
T. Kuroda
HI 328. AMERICA
IN THE AGE OF REFORM: 1876 TO THE NEW DEAL
3 The United States' response to
industrialization, immigration, urbanization, and economic crisis
in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This course
use a variety of primary and secondary materials to examine
how Americans deal with the problems of modernity.
J. Delton HI 329. THE AMERICAN
CENTURY 3 A cultural and political study
of the United States' years as a world power, from the Second
World War to the end of the Cold War. The course uses a variety
of primary and secondary source material (including films, music,
and novels) to examine how Americans fought over the changing
meaning of affluence, world power, gender, race, and democracy
in the last half of the twentieth century.
J. Delton HI 332. RUSSIA TO
1855: FROM TSAR TO EMPEROR 3 Course deals with origins of Russia,
growth of Muscovy; establishment of absolutism and serfdom;
the Russian empire to the nineteenth century; reforms and counterreforms;
and cultural changes. The Department
HI 333. HISTORY
OF SOVIET SOCIETY 3 The evolution of Soviet society
from just before the 1917 revolutions to the present with concentration
on economic and social changes, the history of nationalities,
the cultural revolution of the 1930s, and social changes to
the present. The Department HI 335. GERMAN HISTORY
SINCE 1814 3 The German Confederation, the revolutions
of 1848, unification, the German Empire, Weimar Germany, Nazi
Germany, the postwar period. M. Hockenos
HI 343. THE CHINESE
REVOLUTION 3 An examination of the major issues
and events in the Chinese Revolution, from the foundation of
the Republic in 1911 to the present, with emphasis on the relationships
between social, economic, and political goals; the methods used
to gain them; and the impact of changes on personal and intellectual
freedom. (Designated a non-Western culture course.)
M. Pearson HI 347. JAPAN'S
MODERNIZERS: SAMURAI, WEAVERS, WRITERS, AND PROSTITUTES
3 The lives and works of men and
women who transformed nineteenth-century Japan from feudalism
to modernity, and from weakness and isolation to international
prominence. Autobiographies, novels, films, and conventional
histories will be used to show how Japan was able to change
so rapidly. (Designated a non-Western culture course.)
M. Pearson
HI 361.
TOPICS IN HISTORY: WESTERN 3 Topically organized courses based
on problems and issues of special interest at the advanced level.
The specific themes to be examined may differ from year to year.
Recent offerings include "The Historian as Detective,"
"Utopias and Science Fiction," and "The Fifties."
This course with a different topic may be repeated for credit.
A.
American History
J. Delton, T. Kuroda B.
English History
J. Hodge C.
Medieval History
E. Bastress-Dukehart D.
Modern European History
M. Hockenos E.
Russian History F.
Ancient History
M. Arnush G.
Literature and Philosophy of History H.
Latin American History
J. Dym I.
African History HI 362. TOPICS IN
HISTORY: NON-WESTERN 3 Topically organized courses based
on problems and issues of special interest at the advanced level.
The specific themes to be examined may differ from year to year.
Recent offerings include "The Middle East in the Twentieth
Century," "Islamic 'Fundamentalism' and Revolution,"
"The Han Dynasty." This course with a different topic
may be repeated for credit. A.
Chinese History
M. Pearson B.
Japanese History
M. Pearson C.
Islamic History D.
Other
(Designated non-Western culture courses.) HI 371, 372.
INDEPENDENT STUDY 3, 3 Research in any period or topic
in history not available in existing course offerings. Consent
of the department is required. HI 375. COLLOQUIA
IN HISTORY 3 Each year the department will offer
colloquia in several of the areas listed below, the specific
theme in an area to be announced before registration. Each colloquium
will require readings for the weekly discussion meetings, oral
reports, and a paper based on the student's research. All
colloquia are open to any student meeting the prerequisite of
twelve credit hours in history. At least six credit hours of
prior work should be in the same area (i.e., American, English,
Medieval, etc.) as the colloquium chosen.
By permission of the instructor only. A.
American History
J. Delton, T. Kuroda B.
English History
J. Hodge C.
Medieval History
E. Bastress-Dukehart D.
Modern European History
M. Hockenos E.
Russian History F.
Ancient History
M. Arnush **G.
Chinese History
M. Pearson **H.
Japanese History
M. Pearson I.
Literature and Philosophy of History J.
Early Modern Europen History E. Bastress-Dukehart **K.
Colloquium in Islamic History
HI 399. PROFESSIONAL
INTERNSHIP IN HISTORY 3 Professional experience at an advanced
level for juniors and seniors with substantial academic and
cocurricular experience in the major field. With faculty sponsorship
and department approval, students may extend their educational
experience into such areas as archives, museums, galleries,
libraries, historical societies, preservation, and other professional
areas. Prerequisite: previous study related to the area
of the internship experience.
