History

The influence of Classical, Germanic, and Slavic traditions and the impact of Christianity on the development of medieval Europe.

This course introduces students to the later medieval history of Europe, covering the period dating roughly from the year 1000 A.D to the beginning of the Renaissance. Special attention will be given to characteristic institutions and ideas in this period, including changes in the medieval church and Christianity, the evolution of political and social structures in Europe, and developments in education and scholarship. Attention will also be paid to the ongoing influence of forces outside Europe on medieval life and activities.

This course examines the history of the territories and colonies that became Canada. It begins before European-First Nations contact and ends in 1867, at Confederation. Given the extensive time and space covered by this course, we will focus on three questions which have shaped the country Canada is today:

1. How did North American colonization manage to supplant indigenous societies? How did it compare to processes of colonization elsewhere in the world?
2. After the fall of New France, why did the British allow the French to retain their own language, religion and culture? How successful was this policy in maintaining peace?
3. Why did the colonies of British North America agree to form a new country together? Why didn’t they join the US, remain as British dependencies or become independent countries in their own right?

This course explores the history of Canada since Confederation [1867]. Topics include national expansion, Aboriginal and Metis resistance, economic cycles, and two world wars. The course also considers the ways in which the lives of the diverse peoples of Canada have been transformed by industrialization, urbanization and immigration, and affected by race, class, gender and region.

This course examines indigenous North America from pre-European contact through the mid-19th Century. It focuses on the history of indigenous peoples and nations within the present-day boundaries of the United States and Canada (Turtle Land). Emphasis will be placed on appreciating the diversity of traditions and pasts experienced by the many nations of Turtle Island and to work against monolithic treatments of this topic. This course will proceed chronologically from the contact period through the establishment of European colonies and settlements to consider especially how native peoples responded to these developments. Themes include cross-cultural collaborations across linguistic and spatial divides, the clash between settler and indigenous economies, political and religious systems and the relationship native peoples developed with other racialized groups. Special attention will be paid to the complex relationship native peoples have had with European forms of Christianity over time.

This course examines indigenous North America from the mid-late 19th Century through the early 21st Century. It focuses on the history of indigenous peoples and nations within the present-day boundaries of the United States and Canada (Turtle Island). Emphasis will be placed on appreciating the diversity of traditions and pasts experienced by the many nations of Turtle Island and to work against monolithic treatments of this topic.

An introduction to the history of early modern Europe, outlining the main periods and surveying some of the major political, intellectual, social, economic, and artistic developments that shaped European history from the close of the Middle Ages to the end of the eighteenth century.

An introduction to the history of modern Europe, outlining the main periods and surveying some of the key political, intellectual, social, economic, and cultural developments that shaped European history from the French Revolution to the reunification of Germany and the fall of Soviet communism in the late twentieth century.

An introduction to the Classical period of Islamic history, from the birth of the Prophet Muhammed in 570 to the fall of Baghdad to the Mongols in 1258.

A study of the early modern and modern history of the Muslim world, beginning with the Mongol conquests of the mid 13th century and ending with the modern day. The course demonstrates how the Muslim world has developed into the form it has at present, enabling students better to understand the events and issues that they see making headlines today.

This is the first course of a two-part series on the history of racism in North America. Using critical assessments of race and racism as entry points, this course will introduce students to major themes in the history of the United States and Canada from the late 17th Century and/or colonial era through period of the American Civil War as well as Canadian Confederation in 1867.

The role of scientific knowledge in different spheres of our lives has become only more and more important. Given its prominent role, it is equally important to reflect upon science as an integral part of culture, so that our acknowledgement of its importance can go hand-in-hand with a critical and analytical attitude towards it. This course engages in such a reflection by means of exploring how the different elements that constitute what we now call “science” have emerged through time. It shows how our modern philosophical, observational and experimental ways to explore nature and the universe arose in a gradual process that began in the West in the 4th century BC and evolved into the so-called “scientific revolution” of the 17th and 18th centuries. It also explores some of the ethical dilemmas raised by scientific developments and their technological applications.