Current Courses

Precolonial Africa explores the history of Africa up to the nineteenth century. Topics covered include Africa's place in hominid evolution, Africa's contribution to the Neolithic revolution, rise of the states versus stateless societies, traditional religion versus world religions, coastal societies versus inland societies, long-distance trade and the rise of empires, and domestic slavery versus transoceanic slavery and their effects on development. The objective is to challenge stereotypic notions about precolonial African societies, to contribute to students' understanding of Africa's place in early world history, and to introduce students to some of the key historiographical debates on precolonial African history. (formerly HIST 2133). Students who have taken HIST 2133 cannot take this course for credit.

This discussion-based course explores the global impact of modern sport from c. 1850 to the present. It focuses upon the global spread of sports such as track and field, soccer, cricket, hockey, and baseball and the manner in which such sports were resisted or appropriated by communities throughout the world. Course content examines the political, social, and cultural significance of modern sport rather than the intricate details of individual athletes or teams. (formerly HIST 3763). Students who have taken HIST 3763 cannot take this course for credit.

This mandatory course for History Majors and Honours students provides an introduction to the discipline of History. The course examines a variety of historiographical and method- ological approaches to History, as well as the history of History. It encourages students to re-examine their assumptions about History, but it will also help students develop their basic historical research and writing skills. Exploring History provides a foundation for upper-year History courses and students are strongly encouraged to take it before their third year. Prerequisite: At least 6 credit hours in History courses at St. Thomas University.

This 3-credit course is half of the world history survey. It gives an overview of world history events, issues, themes, and approaches until about 1400 of the Common Era (CE). It covers topics such as the origins of the universe (the Big Bang & Cosmic History), Paleolithic societies, the transition to agricultural societies, the rise of major states, empires and cultural traditions, the Silk Roads, and networks of cross-cultural interaction. NOTE: Students who have taken HIST 1013 or HIST 1006 cannot take this course for credit.

This course examines themes in world history through the use and study of material objects. Histories of everyday materials and objects allow us to examine diverse issues such as the environment, history, technology, and culture. In general, historians have relied primarily on text-based sources and this course will explore the role and use of material objects in doing history. We will examine theoretical approaches to material history as well as survey the historical literature of this branch of study.

This is a course on the history of Northeastern Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia, the most populous country in the region. Northeastern Africa, commonly known as the Horn of Africa, consists of Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Designed with history and non- history Majors in mind, the course will explore major landmark events in the history of this region from antiquity to the present.

A survey of the imagined historical period between the fall of the classical Roman and Persian Empires and the emergence of an early modern state system. This course will range widely in its coverage, including glimpses of experience in parts of Africa and Asia as well as Europe. Special emphasis will be placed on social history and the use of primary sources to probe beyond simplified political narratives.

This course examines the historical evolution of North America from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Selected themes include connections and comparisons between Canada and the United States, issues of national identity formation, the evolving relationship between the two countries, as well as the significance of borderlands studies.

This course presents the Atlantic Ocean as a conduit facilitating the movement of people, goods, and ideas from approximately 1500-1800. Themes include the transatlantic slave trade, experiences of Indigenous travelers, indentured servants, and British colonists, as well as transatlantic fraternal orders.

Focusing primarily upon Disney's theme parks and films, this course explores issues of representation, selectivity, and appropriation, and a wide range of topics including colonialism, gender, race, class, urban utopias, educational initiatives, and Orientalism. The course examines one of the world's most powerful entertainment companies and - more generally - the complex, controversial, and contested relationship between history and entertainment.

This discussion-based course examines gender and women's history in Canada from c. 1850 to c. 1980. It addresses traditional historical topics in the field (industrialization, the Great Depression, World War Two, etc.) as well as emerging topics such as sport, consumerism, and student culture. Our approach will be both chronological and thematic.

This research seminar course examines the practices and products of doing history through things in a comparative and global perspective. Until recently, historians have relied heavily on written documents for evidence, and this course challenges that approach. This course will consider some of the methods used to write history using physical things, as well as the varied literature produced by the study of material culture. Participants will produce a historical research paper based on significant use of material objects.

This course explores how food was made, consumed, and understood in the past. What did food and eating mean to different people at different times, in different places? How did everyday foods, like sugar or potatoes, travel around the world? What impacts did human-made and natural disasters have on eating habits and food supplies, and how did the presence and absence of food influence people's behaviour? In this course, students learn to connect local and global interactions, past events, and the present through food. (formerly HIST 2123). Students who have taken HIST 2123 cannot take this course for credit.

Modern Africa surveys the history of Africa from the nineteenth century to the present. The course focuses on three major topics: the scramble for Africa and the partition, European colonial rule, and the assessment of the post-independence era. Subtopics include missionaries and explorers, occupation and forms of resistance, settler colonies versus non-settler colonies, nationalism and wars of independence, post-independence successes and challenges, the Cold War and the War on Terror, and globalization and the fading significance of the nation state. The objectives for this course are to challenge stereotypic notions about contemporary Africa, to contribute to students' understanding of Africa's place in the modern world, and to introduce students to some of the major historiographical debates on modern African history. (formerly HIST 2143). Students who have taken HIST 2143 cannot take this course for credit.

What is "magic"? What are "demons"? How have constantly evolving beliefs about the supernatural impacted the course of human history (and vice versa)? This introductory survey explores how various cultures have sought to understand their world through appeal to supernatural forces-around the globe and throughout the ages.

This mandatory course for History Majors and Honours students provides an introduction to the discipline of History. The course examines a variety of historiographical and method- ological approaches to History, as well as the history of History. It encourages students to re-examine their assumptions about History, but it will also help students develop their basic historical research and writing skills. Exploring History provides a foundation for upper-year History courses and students are strongly encouraged to take it before their third year. Prerequisite: At least 6 credit hours in History courses at St. Thomas University.

This 3-credit course is part of the world history survey. It offers an overview of world history events, issues, themes, and approaches from roughly 1400 of the Common Era (CE) to the present. It covers topics such as the emergence of long-distance exploration, cross-cultural interaction, the early modern and modern worlds, the Columbian Exchange, industrialization, modern imperialism, world wars, networks, and globalization from circa 1400 onward. (formerly HIST 1023) This course counts toward the World History survey requirement for students pursuing a Major or Honours in History. NOTE: Students who have taken HIST 1023 or HIST 1006 cannot take this course for credit.

This course provides an introduction to early modern European history from the end of the so-called "Middle Ages" to the era of the French Revolution (more or less the 15th to the 18th centuries). Students will study social, cultural, political, economic and other developments in order to better understand how the societies we recognize today evolved from the rather different world of the late "Middle Ages." The course traces themes and topics such as religious belief, absolutist politics, interactions between majorities and minorities, the changing status of women, and Europe's place in an increasingly "global" setting.

This course surveys the history of East Asia from ca. 1500 to the present. It examines the richness and complexity of societies in Japan, Korea and China, and East Asia's engagement in the making of the modern world.

A survey of the imagined historical period between the fall of the classical Roman and Persian Empires and the emergence of an early modern state system. This course will range widely in its coverage, including glimpses of experience in parts of Africa and Asia as well as Europe. Special emphasis will be placed on social history and the use of primary sources to probe beyond simplified political narratives.

This course provides an overview of the history of the Middle East in the modern period, from c. 1800 to the present day, though with references to earlier eras too.

This course treats disability as a historical subject. It explores questions such as what it means to be disabled in various times and places, how people with disability lived their lives, how society at large conceptualized differences in physical ability and mental capacity, when and how disability intersected with other identity constructs, and the roles myth and religion played in all this.

This is a survey of the final century of dynastic rule in China, until China's latest efforts to retrieve its status of world power. It examines the rise to power of the Nationalist and Communist parties, examining social and cultural developments, the impact of Western imperialism, and the evolution of revolutionary ideologies.

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of slavery in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas from 1500 to the present. Upon completion of the course, students should have an understanding of important events in world slave systems, changes in the practice of historical forms of slavery, similarities and differences between different slave systems, and an understanding of the historical background of modern-day slavery.

This course explores the changing nature of youth culture in 20th century North America. It focuses on a variety of topics including schooling and university life, television, toys, food, music, sexuality, and political protest. Key themes include race relations, gender identity, and social mores.

What is an empire? This course focuses on imperialism and empires from 1800 to the present. Using examples from a variety of historical empires across the world, we explore imperial societies, trade and exchange between peripheries and metropoles, imperial cultures, issues of race, gender and violence in imperial contexts. We also discuss the difficult beginnings and complex ends of empires, and their on-going legacies today.

Hockey. The beaver. The canoe. Poutine. This discussion-based course examines some of Canada's most recognizable and influential symbols. The course proceeds thematically and focuses on specific symbols to explore key themes such as national identity, appropriation of Indigenous culture, political conflict, and commodification. Questions addressed in the course include: Where do symbols come from? How have their meanings changed over time? How does their popularity prioritize some interests over others? How have such symbols been appropriated, resisted, and reclaimed? And, perhaps most importantly, how are Canadians shaped by this symbolic landscape?

This course explores the global impact of modern tourism by focusing on a number of key questions: How, when, and why did tourism emerge? What motivates tourists to travel? Why do local communities embrace tourism? And how are the benefits and costs of this industry distributed? Planned case studies include: Beaches, Zoos, Theme Parks, Museums, Ecotourism, Shopping, Gambling, and Sex Tourism.

This research seminar course examines the practices and products of doing history through things in a comparative and global perspective. Until recently, historians have relied heavily on written documents for evidence, and this course challenges that approach. This course will consider some of the methods used to write history using physical things, as well as the varied literature produced by the study of material culture. Participants will produce a historical research paper based on significant use of material objects.