A study of a special topic with an emphasis on discussion and participation. Descriptions of HIST 200 courses offered in a given semester are available on the History department Website or in the History department office prior to registration for that semester. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
| Distribution Area | Prerequisites | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 course |
Fall Semester information
Barbara Whitehead200A: Tps:The Black Death: Europe in the Plague Years
The period of the Black Death and the Hundred Years War, roughly the 14th and 15th centuries in Europe, saw a transformation of European life. The period began in the late Middle Ages, a time when there existed a strict social hierarchy dominated by the militarized aristocracy--the errant knights with their "chivalrous" ways--and ended in the Renaissance with the rise of the wealthy, urban and urbane bourgeoisie, a new class whose very existence was a threat to the aristocracy and their way of life. What part did the Black Death play in this social transformation? What part did the Hundred Years War play? In this course we will look at and question the concept of chivalry, the impact of the Black Death on European culture and life, and the role of Joan of Arc in bringing the Hundred Years War to a successful conclusion for France. This course will be taught as a W course with an emphasis on reading and analyzing primary sources.
Spring Semester information
Aldrin Magaya200A: Tps:Health and Healing in Africa
For many people, the mention of health and disease in Africa invokes images of a collapsing public health system and millions dying from infectious diseases such as Ebola and AIDS. Focusing on the twentieth and the twenty-first century, this course will introduce students to the major socio-economic, political, and cultural ideas that shaped health and healing in Africa. We will use an interdisciplinary approach, mainly historical and anthropological, to examine diseases, therapies, healing institutions, and conceptions of illness among various African communities. Using case studies in Africa, this course will analyze the interplay between colonialism, race, gender, and health. The case studies will help in establishing how the colonial racial apartheid system generated the conditions in which epidemics such as Tuberculosis, Malaria, Ebola, Cholera, and AIDS flourished among the socially and economically disadvantaged African communities.
Glen Kuecker