2010-2011 - Sweet Briar College

2010-2011 Catalog historyHIST 327 (3)–Ethnohistory in the BalkansPrerequisite: HIST 144. UK Prime Minister TonyBlair described Yugoslavia as a land of “butchery”and “barbarism.” This has been a common intellectualperception for centuries. This course, usinga case study of the modern Balkans and the formerYugoslavia, examines and challenges this claim byexploring the intersection of ethnohistory and nationalismthrough the case study of the Yugoslav peoplesand states to 2000. Offered every third year. V.1.HIST 330 (3)–The History of theEuropean UnionPrerequisites: GOVT 109 and HIST 210. Theidea of a united Europe is not new. However, theonly peaceful attempt to achieve unity occurredafter the Second World War. This course criticallyexamines how and why the organization evolvedfrom a limited customs union and trade agreementin 1952 to one with a major role on the internationalpolitical and economic stage today. Offeredevery three years. V.1, V.7.HIST 333 (3)–The Great War in EuropePrerequisites HIST 144. Not open to studentswho received credit for HNRS 308 in Spring2009. The Great War is often considered the bloodybirth of the modern world. Arguably, it was the first“total war,” precipitated America’s entry onto theworld stage, facilitated the Bolshevik Revolution,destroyed Europe’s multiethnic empires, and setthe stage for fascism and World War II. This courseexplores the diplomatic, political, and economichistory of the war and its myriad legacies. Offeredalternate years. V.1.HIST 336 (3)–Civil War, Reconstruction,and the New SouthPrerequisite: HIST 135, HIST 136, or HIST225. This course examines the causes and consequencesof the Civil War and the Reconstructionof the South and its effects on white and blackAmericans. We will pay particular attention todebates over the proper interpretation of theseevents and the role played by them in nationalmemory. As part of the requirements for the course,students will conduct archive-based research ontopics relevant to the course and to the researchneeds of the Legacy Museum of African AmericanHistory in Lynchburg, Virginia. This course maynot be taken on a P/CR/NC grading option. Offeredevery third year.HIST 339 (3)–Slavery and Emancipationin AmericaPrerequisite: HIST 135 or HIST 225. Thiscourse explores the rise, development, andabolition of slavery in North America. Wewill consider the distinctive characteristics ofAmerican slavery and of master-slave relations,the development of regional slave cultures, andthe impact of the internal slave trade. Wewill also consider changes in African Americanexperience following emancipation. As part ofthe requirements of the course, students willpursue research in local and regional archivesculminating in a project that serves the needs oflocal historical institutions. This course may notbe taken on a P/CR/NC grading option. Offeredevery third year.HIST 348 (3)–19th- and 20th-CenturyNationalismPrerequisite: HIST 210. While nationalism hasoften played a legitimate and constructive rolein political life, it has all too often been thesource of intolerance, hatred, war, atrocity,and genocide. This course provides an opportunityfor a close examination of the phenomenonof nationalism from its emergence inRevolutionary France to the end of the 20thcentury. It begins with an examination of someof the theories of nationalism and discussion ofthe relationship of nationalism to religion, languageand culture, ethnicity, and regionalism.The core of the course is a series of case studies.Offered every three years. V.5.HIST 355 (3)–War and Society in ModernEuropePrerequisite: HIST 143 or HIST 144. The studyof war will illustrate connections between socialorganization, technology, and values in variousperiods in early modern and modern Europe.The course will conclude with an historical viewof military thinking during the age of nuclearweapons. Offered alternate years.HIST 358 (3)–The Cold War as HistoryPrerequisite: HIST 210. This historiographycourse presents a number of major works byhistorians and political scientists. The studentswill learn the narrative history of the Cold War,will examine works by various Cold War schol-127­