This page allows you to search a particular semester's course offerings in History and filter them by Major/Minor requirement. We also invite you to explore Penn History courses on the Pathways App. This fun, game-like platform allows you to see connections between History courses, so that you can better sequence them. It also encourages you to ask “how can History help us answer big questions?” Give it a try!
Title | Instructors | Location | Time | Description | Cross listings | Fulfills | Registration notes | Major Concentrations | Major/Minor Requirements Fulfilled | ||||
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HIST 0310-401 | Warriors, Concubines & Converts: the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East & Europe | Oscar Aguirre Mandujano Zeinab Eskandari |
COLL 314 | MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM | For almost six hundred years, the Ottomans ruled most of the Balkans and the Middle East. From their bases in Anatolia, Ottoman armies advanced into the Balkans, Syria, Egypt, and Iraq, constantly challenging the borders of neighboring European and Islamicate empires. By the end of the seventeenth century, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Cairo, Baghdad, Sarajevo, Budapest, and nearly Vienna came under Ottoman rule. As the empire expanded into Europe and the Middle East, the balance of imperial power shifted from warriors to converts, concubines, and intellectuals. This course examines the expansion of the Ottoman sultanate from a local principality into a sprawling empire with a sophisticated bureaucracy; it also investigates the social, cultural, and intellectual developments that accompanied the long arc of the empire's rise and fall. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify and discuss major currents of change in the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East. The student will have a better understanding of the roles of power, ideology, diplomacy, and gender in the construction of empire and a refined appreciation for diverse techniques of historical analysis. | NELC0450401, NELC0450401 | Cross Cultural Analysis History & Tradition Sector |
https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST0310401 | Diplomatic, European, World | Africa/Middle East, Europe, pre-1800 | |||
HIST 0350-401 | Africa Since 1800 | Lee V Cassanelli Taylor Prescott |
MEYH B3 | MW 12:00 PM-12:59 PM | Survey of major themes, events, and personalities in African history from the early nineteenth century through the 1960s. Topics include abolition of the slave trade, European imperialism, impact of colonial rule, African resistance, religious and cultural movements, rise of naturalism and pan-Africanism, issues of ethnicity and "tribalism" in modern Africa. | AFRC0350401, AFRC0350401 | Cross Cultural Analysis History & Tradition Sector |
World | Africa/Middle East | ||||
HIST 0360-401 | History of the Middle East Since 1800 | Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet | COLL 314 | TR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM | A survey of the modern Middle East with special emphasis on the experiences of ordinary men and women as articulated in biographies, novels, and regional case studies. Issues covered include the collapse of empires and the rise of a new state system following WWI, and the roots and consequences of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Iranian revolution and the U.S.-Iraq War. Themes include: the colonial encounter with Europe and the emergence of nationalist movements, the relationship between state and society, economic development and international relations, and religion and cultural identity. | NELC0650401, NELC0650401 | History & Tradition Sector Cross Cultural Analysis |
World | Africa/Middle East | ||||
HIST 0400-401 | Colonial Latin America | Marcia Susan Norton | STNH AUD | MW 12:00 PM-12:59 PM | The year 1492 was pivotal in the history of the world. It precipitated huge population movements within the Americas and across the Atlantic - a majority of them involuntary as in the case of indigenous and African people who were kidnapped and enslaved. It led to cataclysmic cultural upheavals, including the formation of new cultures in spaces inhabited by people of African, European and indigenous descent. This course explores the processes of destruction and creation in the region known today as Latin America in the period 1400 - 1800. Class readings are primary sources and provide opportunities to learn methods of source analysis in contexts marked by radically asymmetrical power relationships. | AFRC0400401, AFRC0400401, LALS0400401, LALS0400401 | History & Tradition Sector Cross Cultural Analysis |
https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST0400401 | World | Latin America/Caribbean, pre-1800 | |||
HIST 0730-401 | Introduction to the Ancient Near East | Joshua A Jeffers | MEYH B4 | TR 3:30 PM-4:29 PM | The great pyramids and mysterious mummies of Egypt, the fabled Tower of Babel, and the laws of the Babylonian king Hammurabi are some of the things that might come to mind when you think of the ancient Near East. Yet these are only a very few of the many fascinating -- and at time perplexing -- aspects of the civilizations that flourished there c. 3300-300 BCE. This is where writing first developed, where people thought that the gods wrote down what would happen in the future on the lungs and livers of sacrificed sheep, and where people knew how to determine the length of hypotenuse a thousand years before the Greek Pythagoras was born. During this course, we will learn more about these other matters and discover their place in the cultures and civilizations of that area. This is an interdisciplinary survey of the history, society and culture of the ancient Near East, in particular Egypt and Mesopotamia, utilizing extensive readings from ancient texts in translation (including the Epic of Gilgamesh, "one of the great masterpieces of world literature"), but also making use of archaeological and art historical materials. The goal of the course is to gain an appreciation of the various societies of the time, to understand some of their great achievements, to become acquainted with some of the fascinating individuals of the time (such as Hatshepsut, "the women pharaoh," and Akhenaten, "the heretic king"), and to appreciate the rich heritage that they have left us. | ANCH0100401, ANCH0100401, NELC0001401, NELC0001401 | Cross Cultural Analysis History & Tradition Sector |
World | Africa/Middle East | ||||
HIST 0850-401 | Introduction to Modern India | Daud Ali Anirudh Karnick |
LLAB 109 | MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | This introductory course will provide an outline of major events and themes in Indian history, from the Mughal Empire in the 16th century to the re-emergence of India as a global player in the 21st century. The course will discuss the following themes: society and economy in Mughal India; global trade between India and the West in the 17th century; the rise of the English East India Company's control over Indian subcontinent in the 18th century; its emergence and transformation of India into a colonial economy; social and religious reform movements in the 19th century; the emergence of elite and popular anti-colonial nationalisms; independence and the partition of the subcontinent; the emergence of the world's largest democracy; the making of an Indian middle class; and the nuclearization of South Asia. | SAST0001401, SAST0001401 | History & Tradition Sector Cross Cultural Analysis |
World | East/South Asia | ||||
HIST 0851-001 | India: Culture and Society | Anannya Bohidar Ayesha Sheth |
MEYH B5 | MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | What makes India INDIA? Religion and Philosophy? Architectural splendor? Kingdoms? Caste? The position of women? This course will introduce students to India by studying a range of social and cultural institutions that have historically assumed to be definitive India. Through primary texts, novels and historical sociological analysis, we will ask how these institutions have been reproduced and transformed, and assess their significance for contemporary Indian society. | RELS0008001, RELS0008001, SAST0008001, SAST0008001 | Humanties & Social Science Sector Cross Cultural Analysis |
World | East/South Asia | ||||
HIST 0876-401 | Medicine in History | Amy S Lutz | COHN 402 | TR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM | This course surveys the history of medical knowledge and practice from antiquity to the present. No prior background in the history of science or medicine is required. The course has two principal goals: (1)to give students a practical introduction to the fundamental questions and methods of the history of medicine, and (2)to foster a nuanced, critical understanding of medicine's complex role in contemporary society. The couse takes a broadly chronological approach, blending the perspectives of the patient,the physician,and society as a whole--recognizing that medicine has always aspired to "treat" healthy people as well as the sick and infirm. Rather than history "from the top down"or "from the bottom up,"this course sets its sights on history from the inside out. This means, first, that medical knowledge and practice is understood through the personal experiences of patients and caregivers. It also means that lectures and discussions will take the long-discredited knowledge and treatments of the past seriously,on their own terms, rather than judging them by todays's standards. Required readings consist largely of primary sources, from elite medical texts to patient diaries. Short research assignments will encourge students to adopt the perspectives of a range of actors in various historical eras. | HSOC0400401, HSOC0400401, STSC0400401, STSC0400401 | History & Tradition Sector | World | |||||
HIST 1155-401 | Introduction to Asian American History | Eiichiro Azuma Zhaoyuan Yu |
COHN 402 | MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM | This course will provide an introduction to the history of Asian Pacific Americans, focusing on the wide diversity of migrant experiences, as well as the continuing legacies of Orientalism on American-born APA's. Issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality will also be examined. | ASAM0102401, ASAM0102401 | History & Tradition Sector Cultural Diviserity in the U.S. |
https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST1155401 | American, World | US | |||
HIST 1310-401 | Africa and the Transatlantic Slave Trade | Roquinaldo Ferreira | COLL 314 | MW 5:15 PM-6:44 PM | This course focuses on the history of selected African societies from the sixteenth through the mid-nineteenth centuries. The primary goal is to study the political, economic, social, and cultural history of a number of peoples who participated in the Atlantic slave trade or were touched by it during the era of their involvement. The course is designed to serve as an introduction to the history and culture of African peoples who entered the diaspora during the era of the slave trade. Its audience is students interested in the history of Africa, the African diaspora, and the Atlantic world, as well as those who want to learn about the history of the slave trade. Case studies will include the Yoruba, Akan, and Fon, as well as Senegambian and West-central African peoples. | AFRC1310401, AFRC1310401, LALS1310401, LALS1310401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | World | Africa/Middle East, pre-1800 | ||||
HIST 1350-401 | Faces of Jihad in African Islam | Cheikh Ante Mbacke Babou | WILL 421 | TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | This course is designed to provide the students with a broad understanding of the history of Islam in Africa. The focus will be mostly on West Africa, but we will also look at developments in other regions of the continent. We will explore Islam not only as religious practice but also as ideology and an instrument of social change. We will examine the process of islamization in Africa and the different uses of Jihad. Topics include prophetic jihad, jihad of the pen and the different varieties of jihad of the sword throughout the history in Islam in sub-Saharan Africa. | AFRC1350401, AFRC1350401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST1350401 | Intellectual, World | Africa/Middle East | |||
HIST 1361-401 | Sex Matters: Politics of Sex in the Modern Middle East | Secil Yilmaz | BENN 345 | MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM | The course concentrates on the history of sexuality as it informed and shaped political and social change in the Middle East, and vice versa, in an engagement with global historical contexts. What does sexuality have to do with power, political rule, and mass movements in the modern Middle East? What can the study of sexuality and body politics teach us about colonialism and state formation over centuries of imperial rules and colonial regimes, as well as in the contemporary context of neoliberal capitalism? What is the relationship between studying LGBTQIA+ movements alongside with feminism and the use of sex and sexuality as an analytical category? This course will investigate selected themes such as modernity, nationalism, and colonization and connect them to harem lives, politics of veiling/unveiling, reproductive rights, race, polygamy, masculinity, and early modern concepts of same-sex desire in connection with modern queer thought and activism to ask questions about the preconceived notions about "Middle Eastern sexualities." The course focuses on discussing on some of the many roles that sex and gender politics have played in social and political change in the Middle East, while thinking about gender, history, and society comparatively and transnationally. | GSWS1361401, GSWS1361401 | Gender, World | Africa/Middle East | |||||
HIST 1455-401 | Independence and Revolution in Latin America: Crises and Crossroads | Juan P Ardila Falla | MCNB 582 | R 5:15 PM-8:14 PM | Was it inevitable that the countries in Latin America would become independent, republican nations? What was the impact of revolutions throughout the region from Mexico to Buenos Aires? This course studies the main social, political, economic, and cultural tensions that shook Spanish and Portuguese America during the first decades of the nineteenth century. Through close readings of primary and secondary sources, we will reflect on the meanings and implications of independence and the rise of new republican nations throughout the region. The course is expansive across time and space as we explore topics including the Tupac Amaru Rebellion in Perú, the Comunero Revolt in New Granada, and how the French and Haitian Revolutions, as well as U.S. independence, were perceived throughout Spanish and Portuguese America. We will also delve deeply into the diversity of independence movements. Why did a monarch hold onto power for years after independence was proclaimed in Brazil? How were societies divided during the struggle and who fought on which side? The course culminates with a study of the impact and legacy of independence and revolutions on the region in the mid-19th century and thereafter. | LALS1455401, LALS1455401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | Diplomatic, World | Latin America/Caribbean | ||||
HIST 1475-401 | History of Brazil: Slavery, Inequality, Development | Melissa Teixeira | CANCELED | In the past decade, Brazil has emerged a leading global power. As the world's fifth-largest country, by size and population, and the ninth-largest by GDP, Brazil exerts tremendous influence on international politics and the global economy, seen in its position as an emerging BRIC nation and a regional heavyweight in South America. Brazil is often in the news for its strides in social welfare, leading investments in the Global South, as host of the World Cup and Olympics, and, most recently, for its political instability. It is also a nation of deep contradictions, in which myth of racial democracy -- the longstanding creed that Brazilian society has escaped racial discrimination -- functions alongside pervasive social inequality, state violence, political corruption, and an unforgiving penal system. This course examines six centuries of Brazilian history. It highlights the interplay between global events -- colonialism, slavery and emancipation, capitalism, and democratization -- and the local geographies, popular cultures, and social movements that have shaped this multi-ethnic and expansive nation. In particular, the readings will highlight Brazil's place in Latin America and the Lusophone World, as well as the ways in which Brazil stands as a counterpoint to the United States, especially in terms of the legacy of slavery and race relation. In this lecture, we will also follow the current political and economic crises unfolding in Brazil, at a moment when it has become all the more important to evaluate just how South America's largest nation has shaped and been shaped by global events. | AFRC1475401, AFRC1475401, LALS1475401, LALS1475401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | Economic, World | Latin America/Caribbean | |||||
HIST 1550-401 | East Asian Diplomacy | Frederick R Dickinson Alice Liu Kimberly St Julian Varnon |
BENN 419 | MW 12:00 PM-12:59 PM | Home to four of the five most populous states and four of the five largest economies, the Asia/Pacific is arguably the most dynamic region in the twenty-first century. At the same time, Cold War remnants (a divided Korea and China) and major geopolitical shifts (the rise of China and India, decline of the US and Japan) contribute significantly to the volatility of our world. This course will examine the political, economic, and geopolitical dynamism of the region through a survey of relations among the great powers in Asia from the sixteenth century to the present. Special emphasis will be given to regional and global developments from the perspective of the three principal East Asian states--China, Japan and Korea. We will explore the many informal, as well as formal, means of intercourse that have made East Asia what it is today. Graduate students should consult graduate syllabus for graduate reading list, special recitation time and graduate requirements. | EALC1711401, EALC1711401, EALC5711401, EALC5711401, HIST5550401, HIST5550401 | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST1550401 | Diplomatic, World | East/South Asia | ||||
HIST 1593-401 | 20th Century China: Democracy, Constitutions, and States | Andrew Starling Arthur Waldron |
COLL 314 | TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | Since 1900 four types of states have ruled China: dynastic, elective parliamentary, authoritarian nationalist, and communist. We will trace each from its intellectual origins to conclusion. By doing so we will present a solid and wide-ranging narrative of China's past century, introducing newly discovered material, some controversial. Above all we will dig into the issues raised by the century's mixture of regimes. Right now China is a dictatorship but once it was an imperfect democracy. Does this prove that Chinese are somehow incapable of creating democracy? That sadly it is just not in their DNA? Or only that the task is very difficult in a country nearly forty times the size of England and developing rapidly? That without dictatorship the Chinese almost inevitably collapse into chaos? Or only that blood and iron have been used regularly with harsh effectiveness? You will be given a solid grounding in events, and also in how they are interpreted, right up to the present. Readings will be mostly by Chinese authors (translated), everything from primary sources to narrative to fiction. We will also use wartime documentary films. Two lectures per week, regular mid-term and final exams, and a paper on a topic of your own choice. No prerequisites. | EALC1731401, EALC1731401 | World | East/South Asia | |||||
HIST 1610-401 | Medieval and Early Modern Jewry | Anne O Albert | CANCELED | Exploration of intellectual, social, and cultural developments in Jewish civilization from the rise of Islam in the seventh century to the assault on established conceptions of faith and religious authority in 17th century Europe, that is, from the age of Mohammed to that of Spinoza. Particular attention will be paid to the interaction of Jewish culture with those of Christianity and Islam. | JWST1610401, JWST1610401, JWST1610401, NELC0355401, NELC0355401, NELC0355401, RELS1610401, RELS1610401, RELS1610401 | Cross Cultural Analysis History & Tradition Sector |
European, Jewish, World | Africa/Middle East, Europe, pre-1800 | |||||
HIST 1710-401 | Jews in the Modern World | Beth S Wenger Alexandra Zborovsky |
FAGN 216 | TR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM | This course offers an intensive survey of the major currents in Jewish culture and society from the late middle ages to the present. Focusing upon the different societies in which Jews have lived, the course explores Jewish responses to the political, socio-economic, and cultural challenges of modernity.Topics to be covered include the political emancipation of Jews, the creation of new religious movements within Judaism, Jewish socialism, Zionism, the Holocaust, and the emergence of new Jewish communities in Israel and the United States. No prior background in Jewish history is expected. | JWST1710401, JWST1710401, NELC0360401, NELC0360401, RELS1710401, RELS1710401 | Cross Cultural Analysis History & Tradition Sector |
https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST1710401 | Jewish, World | Europe | |||
HIST 2351-401 | Silencing: Voices of Dissent in the Middle East | Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet | COLL 311F | R 3:30 PM-6:29 PM | The Middle East boasts a rich and vibrant literary tradition. At the same time, modern Middle Eastern literature has incorporated innovative techniques to produce unique literary forms that give meaning to the contemporary circumstances of the region. This course will survey this literary history as a window through which to observe and understand Middle Eastern society. We will begin by reading excerpts from classical texts, since these works resonate strongly in contemporary Middle Eastern culture. Next, we will read Middle Eastern novels from various countries and different eras. The last part of the course will focus on memoirs that shed light on wars and conflicts through personal reflections. We will use literary works (epic poetry, novels, memoirs) as historical texts and analyze the social milieux in which these works emerged. | NELC2565401, NELC2565401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | Intellectual, World | Africa/Middle East, Seminar | ||||
HIST 2401-401 | Indians, Pirates, Rebels and Runaways: Unofficial Histories of the Colonial Caribbean | Yvonne E Fabella | DRLB 4C4 | W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | This seminar considers the early history of the colonial Caribbean, not from the perspective of European colonizing powers but rather from “below.” Beginning with European-indigenous contact in the fifteenth century, and ending with the massive slave revolt that became the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), we will focus on the different ways in which indigenous, African, European and creole men and women experienced European colonization in the Caribbean, as agents, victims and resistors of imperial projects. Each week or so, we will examine the experiences of a different social group and their treatment by historians, as well as anthropologists, archaeologists, sociologists, and novelists. Along the way, we will pay special attention to the question of primary sources: how can we recover the perspectives of people who rarely left their own accounts? How can we use documents and material objects—many of which were produced by colonial officials and elites—to access the experiences of the indigenous, the enslaved, and the poor? We will have some help approaching these questions from the knowledgeable staff at the Penn Museum, the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, and the Van Pelt Library. | AFRC2401401, AFRC2401401, GSWS2401401, GSWS2401401, LALS2401401, LALS2401401 | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST2401401 | Diplomatic, World | Latin America/Caribbean, pre-1800, Seminar | ||||
HIST 2605-401 | The Jewish Book from Scroll to Screen | Joshua Teplitsky | VANP 625 | MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM | Through much of their history, Jews have been known as a “people of the book” and have, often, prided themselves on such an association. The very definition of a book, what books contained, and who might use them are not so easy to define, and their study opens up new ways to think about the Jewish past. Books are perhaps the most important way people share ideas and change minds. But they are also commercial goods, collectors’ items, community memories, and cherished heirlooms. This course offers a cultural history of communication and knowledge in Jewish experience through an exploration of the history of the book. It will use primary sources, scholarly articles, and hands-on encounters with books in different shapes and sizes to explore the way people of the past engaged with books both texts and material objects. It will also offer examples of new methods in the study of the book drawn from the digital humanities. Tracing changing conceptions and uses of the book from the ancient world until the present, we will consider the way that books have shaped religion, caused upheaval, and changed over time, even to face their possible obsolescence in our own age. |
JWST2605401, JWST2605401 | European, Intellectual, Jewish, World | Europe, pre-1800, Seminar | |||||
HIST 2708-301 | War and the Arts | Arthur Waldron | COLL 217 | T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | War, it is often forgotten, is powerfully reflected in the arts. This highly flexible student-driven seminar will examine the phenomenon. Each student will choose a topic and materials for us all to examine and then discuss after an interval of 1-2 weeks. With benefit of discussion they will write a paper 10pp maximum, summing up topic and reactions, as we seek broader understanding. The material is very rich. Goya (1746-1829) Picasso ( 1881-1973) both dealt with war in ways that scholars have examined, as did John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) whose immense canvas “gassed” (1919) not yet received monographic treatment. Of musicians, Shostakovich (1906-1975) is very promising; sculptor and artist Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) is of an inexpressible profundity that takes us to issues of mourning. Novels of Zola (1840-1902) and Proust (1871-1922) are great literature that deals in places with military issues. Students are of course strongly encouraged to choose their own topics. We will begin with several weeks on Vietnam, our understanding of which has been completely transformed by the pivotally important work of Lien-Hang Thuy Nguyen, Penn Grad and Professor at Columbia, who may join us. For the first two classes we should read a short play, “The Columnist” by David Auburn, about Joseph Alsop (1910-1989) a highly influential writer of the Vietnam era, and relative of the professor. That should get things started. Then dig into “The Centurions” (1960) by Jean Laterguy (1920-2011) an absorbing novel. |
World | Seminar | ||||||
HIST 3201-301 | Capitalism and Charity: The Long, Complicated Connection | Thomas M Safley | FAGN 110 | W 12:00 PM-2:59 PM | Capitalism and charity seldom appear in the same sentence, much less the same title. They seem diametrically opposed. While capitalism is commonly understood as “an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit”, according to Merriam-Webster, charity refers to “generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering, also aid given to those in need”. The former implies self-interest, while the other breathes common interest. Yet, the two are closely, dynamically connected. As capitalism has emerged and evolved historically, so has charity changed to meet new circumstances and find new legitimations. From simple charity in the form of indiscriminate alms-giving have emerged “poor relief”, “work relief”, “social welfare” and, more recently “effective altruism” to name but a few permutations. Charity as a personal, face-to-face interaction between rich and poor has become cloaked in varieties of impersonal programs and institutions. This research seminar will explore the tensions (and synergies) between capitalism and charity over time. Through readings and discussions of primary sources, students will come to understand something of this historical dynamic. By completing independent research projects, they will contribute to that understanding as well. | Cross Cultural Analysis | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST3201301 | Economic, European, World | Europe, pre-1800, Research, Seminar | ||||
HIST 3350-401 | Religion and Colonial Rule in Africa | Cheikh Ante Mbacke Babou | VANP 402 | R 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | This course is designed to introduce students to the religious experiences of Africans and to the politics of culture. We will examine how traditional African religious ideas and practices interacted with Christianity and Islam. We will look specifically at religious expressions among the Yoruba, Southern African independent churches and millenarist movements, and the variety of Muslim organizations that developed during the colonial era. The purpose of this course is threefold. First, to develop in students an awareness of the wide range of meanings of conversion and people's motives in creating and adhering to religious institutions; Second, to examine the political, cultural, and psychological dimensions in the expansion of religious social movements; And third, to investigate the role of religion as counterculture and instrument of resistance to European hegemony. Topics include: Mau Mau and Maji Maji movements in Kenya and Tanzania, Chimurenga in Mozambique, Watchtower churches in Southern Africa, anti-colonial Jihads in Sudan and Somalia and mystical Muslim orders in Senegal. | AFRC3350401, AFRC3350401 | Cross Cultural Analysis | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202230&c=HIST3350401 | Diplomatic, World | Africa/Middle East, Research, Seminar | |||
HIST 3500-401 | Women and the Making of Modern South Asia | Ramya Sreenivasan | COLL 315A | MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | This course on women in South Asian history has four objectives - 1. To acquaint ourselves with the historiography on South Asian women. 2. To gain an understanding of evolving institutions and practices shaping women's lives, such as the family, law and religious traditions. 3. To understand the impact of historical processes - the formation and breakdown of empire, colonialism, nationalism and decolonization - upon South Asian women between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries. 4. To become familiar with some of the significant texts written about and by women in this period. We will read a wide variety of primary sources including a Mughal princess' account, devotional verse authored by women, conduct books, tracts, autobiographies and novels. | GSWS2601401, GSWS2601401, SAST2260401, SAST2260401 | Gender, World | East/South Asia, Research, Seminar | |||||
HIST 3700-401 | Abolitionism: A Global History | Roquinaldo Ferreira | VANP 305 | T 5:15 PM-8:14 PM | This class develops a transnational and global approach to the rise of abolitionism in the nineteenth century. In a comparative framework, the class traces the rise of abolitionism in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, examining the suppression of the transatlantic slave trade, the rise of colonialism in Africa, and the growth of forced labor in the wake of transatlantic slave trade. We will deal with key debates in the literature of African, Atlantic and Global histories, including the causes and motivations of abolitionism, the relationship between the suppression of the slave trade and the growth of forced labor in Africa, the historical ties between abolitionism and the early stages of colonialism in Africa, the flow of indentured laborers from Asia to the Americas in the wake of the slave trade. This class is primarily geared towards the production of a research paper. *Depending on the research paper topic, History Majors and Minors can use this course to fulfill the US, Europe, Latin America or Africa requirement.* | AFRC3700401, AFRC3700401, LALS3700401, LALS3700401 | Diplomatic, European, World | Europe, Research, Seminar | |||||
HIST 3703-401 | Taking Off: How Some Economies Get Rich | Melissa Teixeira | COLL 314 | T 3:30 PM-6:29 PM | What makes an economy grow? This question has been asked – and answered – many times over in the modern era. From Adam Smith’s classic Wealth of Nations (1776) to today’s political leaders, many have debated the ingredients necessary for a nation to prosper, or policies to promote growth. Some point to the need for fiscal responsibility, others an educated labor force, or to tariffs, natural resources, and the right laws. This seminar explores the deep history of this problem of economic growth. Students will read works by economists, social scientists, and historians that present different theories for why some nations develop faster than others. With case studies from across the globe, we will tackle topics like why Europe industrialized first, or the paradox of why the abundance of natural resources does not necessarily contribute to long-lasting economic development. This course also asks students to think critically about the metrics used to measure “success” and “failure” across nations, as well as how such comparisons between societies have been mobilized to legitimize imperial expansion, human exploitation, environmental destruction, or political repression. By discussing how governments, corporate interests, and individual actors have implemented strategies to increase national wealth, students will also be asked to grapple with some of the consequences of economic growth for the environment, human welfare, and social inequality. *Students may fulfill one geographic requirement for the History major or minor with this course. The specific requirement fulfilled will be determined by the topic of the research paper. | LALS3703401, LALS3703401 | Economic, World | Research, Seminar |