Graduate Program

Fall Term Schedule

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Fall 2023

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
HIST 400-1 History of Nature Stewart Weaver T 2:00PM - 4:40PM
This course explores the history of the idea and condition of nature from the Enlightenment to the present. Drawing on contemporary historical scholarship as well as a range of thinkers and writers from Thoreau to Carson and beyond, we will study the many ways in which humans have thought about and treated the natural world around them and how the natural world has shaped human history in turn. We will also meet occasionally with a parallel course on "the Politics of Nature" (GSWS 213). Some background in history is recommended. Location Rush Rhees Library Room 305 (T 2:00PM - 4:40PM)
HIST 404-1 Readings in Atlantic History Michael Jarvis T 10:20AM - 1:00PM
This course surveys recent scholarship on the early modern Atlantic world emphasizing comparative, transnational and connective methodologies. Topics will include imperial rivalries, the emergence of creole cultures, trade and smuggling, oceanic and coastal environments, the circulations of commodities, diseases, print, and ideas, slavery and the slave trade, community studies of Atlantic places, and the promise and limits of an Atlantic perspective. Students will produce an original research paper on an Atlantic topic. Location Rush Rhees Library Room 445 (T 10:20AM - 1:00PM)
HIST 421-1 Topics in Early Modern European History Marcin Jarzabek –
Current political conflicts and open wars both use the memory of past confrontations. Central and Eastern Europe is no exception here; only the Russian aggression on Ukraine in 2022 made us fully aware of those historical interconnections. Using various examples from the region (Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus), the course has two parallel aims: (1) to present the main (collective) memory conflicts in that region in the 21st century and (2) to examine the usage of the past in current memory politics. We will focus on an in-depth study of selected historical conflicts on the "Bloodlands" (to use the term by Timothy Snyder) and their role in creating a politics of memory: the legacy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (16th-18th century) and the Habsburg Empire (16th-20th century), World War One (1914-1918) and "wars of Pygmies" that followed, World War Two and the Shoah, Polish-German and Czech-German reconciliation, Russian imperialism and its implications in Ukraine and Belarus, communism and anticommunism. The course will have a form of a seminar which includes some lecture introductions from the instructor but predominantly students' presentations on chosen case studies and in-class discussions.
HIST 421-2 Topics in Early Modern European History through Witchcraft and Witch Hunts, 1400-1800 Thomas Devaney –
During the Renaissance and Reformation, many people throughout Europe became convinced that society was threatened by conspiracies of witches. The resulting panics led to the execution of thousands of people, mostly lower-class women. The course delves into intellectual, cultural and social history to explain how and why this happened, with discussion of both broad trends and local factors. As we will see, responses to witchcraft reflected major changes in European society, culture, and politics that lent new meanings to traditional ideas about witches, possession, and malefice and enabled the systematic condemnation of certain groups of people. The ways in which these ideas were mobilized in individual communities and the reasons for doing so varied widely, however, and we will therefore closely examine several specific examples of witch hunts in order to better understand why they were appealing to so many, why they flourished for a time, and why they ultimately faded.
HIST 440-1 Public History: Theory and Practice Molly Ball T 2:00PM - 4:40PM
In this course, students will coordinate with a community partner to design and plan an exhibit about Rochester's own history. By collaborating with their classmates and a community partner over the course of the semester, students will be able to actively engage with the techniques and theories that they are reading about in the classroom. In addition to learning more about Rochester's own history, students can expect to explore how elements of ethnography, public outreach, design, and digital technology contribute to public history. As a culmination, students will plan the launch of the exhibit at an off-campus site for the greater Rochester community. Location Morey Room 525 (T 2:00PM - 4:40PM)
HIST 451-1 Life in the City: Latin American Urban History Molly Ball TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
Today Latin America is the most urbanized region of the world. Over 80 percent of its population lives in urban areas, many of which are megacities or primate cities. Just over one hundred years ago, however, the region was largely agrarian and rural. This seminar explores the process of that urbanization from 1850 to the present. From the mass arrival of immigrants to cities like Montevideo, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires, to the internal migrations spurred by land accumulation and mechanization, students will read about and discuss the politics of urban spaces, the daily negotiations that occurred between residents and officials, the environmental challenges that urbanization provoked, and the persistence of cultural diversity. Students will write an original research paper on a topic of their choosing. Location Rush Rhees Library Room 456 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
HIST 482-1 Apocalypse Now…& Then: A History of Apocalyptic Thought Laura Smoller TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM
This seminar examines the history of beliefs about the end of the world in the western Judeo-Christian tradition. We will examine such topics as the birth of apocalyptic thought, the medieval development of various aspects of traditions about the End (such as the figure of Antichrist and millenarian traditions), millennial influences on the discovery and colonization of the New World, millennial movements of the last two centuries (such as the Millerites and the Mormons), and contemporary apocalyptic scenarios. A major theme of the course will be the flexibility of apocalyptic language, its ability to interpret various historical situations, and its power to move people to acceptance or action. Location Rush Rhees Library Room 226 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)
HIST 491-12 Master's Reading Course Elias Mandala –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 491-2 Master's Reading Course Stewart Weaver –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 491-3 Technology in Medieval European Economy Thomas Devaney –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 491-6 Master's Reading Course Ruben Flores –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 495-6 Master's Research Ruben Flores –
Graduate level research course for the M.A. level.
HIST 500-1 Problems in Historical Analysis Ruben Flores F 9:00AM - 11:40AM
This course addresses questions of interest to beginning graduate students in history. These may include: the history of the historical profession, styles of historical writing, relations between history and literature, ethno-history, and the functions of history as criticism and as social memory. Location Rush Rhees Library Room 456 (F 9:00AM - 11:40AM)
HIST 510-1 Advanced Historical Studies (1cr) Thomas Devaney –
Blank Description
HIST 520-1 Advanced Historical Studies II Thomas Devaney –
No description
HIST 591-01 PhD Readings in History Molly Ball –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-02 PhD Readings in History Thomas Devaney –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-04 PhD Readings in History Pablo Sierra –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-05 PhD Readings in History Thomas Fleischman –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-06 PhD Readings in History Ruben Flores –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-09 PhD Readings in History Michael Jarvis –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-1 PhD Readings in History: Past & Present Politics of Archaeological Practice Stefanie Bautista San Miguel M 2:00PM - 3:00PM
This independent study will explore the politics of past and present archaeological practice with a specific focus on colonial and imperial approaches, their subsequent appropriations of material culture for museum, and the consequences of these practices. To better understand the history of this topic, the beginning of this course will focus on the foundational theories of postcolonialism which were seminal to later anthropological, archaeological, and historical studies of decolonization. The latter half of this course will focus on specific studies of decolonizing museums Location (M 2:00PM - 3:00PM)
HIST 591-11 PhD Readings in History Matthew Lenoe –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-12 PhD Readings in History Elias Mandala –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-14 PhD Readings in History Mical Raz –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-15 PhD Readings in History Joan Rubin –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-16 PhD Readings in History Laura Smoller –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-17 PhD Readings in History Brianna Theobald –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-18 PhD Readings in History Stewart Weaver –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-20 The Frontier in World History Thomas Devaney –
Our world is replete with frontiers. We speak of the frontiers of science and medicine, of new or unexpected frontiers in the farthest reaches of the globe, of space as the ‘final frontier.’ The term itself implies action: frontiers are to be crossed, conquered, and pushed back. These frontiers of our popular imagination owe much to a theory first articulated more than a century ago. While it has been challenged, historians have since explored how various frontiers—physical, religious, political, linguistic, cultural—have defined societies throughout the world. Viewing frontiers as barriers but also sites for cultural exchange, we’ll look at colonization, settlement, trade, and the spread of ideas.
HIST 591-21 PhD Readings: Russia and Soviet Union, 1880-1941 Matthew Lenoe –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-22 PhD Readings: Socialist Economies Thomas Fleischman –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 591-30 PhD Readings in History Laura Smoller –
Individual, specialized reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-01 Independent Reading Course Molly Ball –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-02 Independent Reading Course Thomas Devaney –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-04 Independent Reading Course Pablo Sierra –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-05 Independent Reading Course Thomas Fleischman –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-06 Independent Reading Course Ruben Flores –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-09 Independent Reading Course Michael Jarvis –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-11 Independent Reading Course Matthew Lenoe –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-12 Independent Reading Course Elias Mandala –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-14 Independent Reading Course Mical Raz –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-15 Independent Reading Course Joan Rubin –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-16 Independent Reading Course Laura Smoller –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-17 Independent Reading Course Brianna Theobald –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-18 Independent Reading Course Stewart Weaver –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-19 Independent Reading Course: The World Thomas Slaughter –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-20 Independent Reading Course Thomas Devaney –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-21 Independent Reading Course: German History Thomas Fleischman –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-22 Independent Reading: Labor/Immigration Molly Ball –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-23 Independent Reading Course Tatyana Bakhmetyeva –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-24 Independent Reading: Food History Thomas Fleischman –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 592-25 Independent Reading Course Brianna Theobald –
Individual, specialized independent reading courses; topics, relevant to student's program, chosen in consultation with faculty member.
HIST 593-1 Apprentice Teaching Thomas Devaney –
Apprentice teachers act as participant-observers in an undergraduate course under the close supervision of a member of the faculty. Ordinarily, students will attend the course; hold weekly meetings with the professor to discuss the progress of the course, and, in many cases, consider strategies for teaching the weeks assigned reading, assist the professor in preparing examination questions, paper topics, and other written assignments; gain experience in evaluating undergraduates work by reading and commenting on (but not grading) exams and essays; and prepare a lecture or lead a class discussion.
HIST 595-11 PhD Research in History Matthew Lenoe –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-15 PhD Research in History Joan Rubin –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-16 PhD Research in History Laura Smoller –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-17 PhD Research in History Brianna Theobald –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-18 PhD Research in History Stewart Weaver –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-2 PhD Research in History Thomas Devaney –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-4 PhD Research in History Pablo Sierra –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 595-9 PhD Research in History Michael Jarvis –
Graduate level research course for the Ph.D. level.
HIST 895-1 Continuation of Master's Enrollment – –
Blank Description
HIST 897-11 Master's Dissertation Matthew Lenoe –
Blank Description
HIST 897-14 Master's Dissertation Mical Raz –
Blank Description
HIST 897-15 Master's Dissertation Joan Rubin –
Blank Description
HIST 897-16 Master's Dissertation Laura Smoller –
Blank Description
HIST 897-17 Master's Dissertation Brianna Theobald –
Blank Description
HIST 897-18 Master's Dissertation Stewart Weaver –
Blank Description
HIST 897-2 Master's Dissertation Thomas Devaney –
Blank Description
HIST 897-4 Master's Dissertation Pablo Sierra –
Blank Description
HIST 897-5 Master's Dissertation Thomas Fleischman –
No description
HIST 897-6 Master's Dissertation Ruben Flores –
Blank Description
HIST 897-9 Master's Dissertation Michael Jarvis –
Blank Description
HIST 899-02 Master's Dissertation Thomas Devaney –
Blank Description
HIST 899-04 Master's Dissertation Pablo Sierra –
Blank Description
HIST 899-05 Master's Dissertation Thomas Fleischman –
No description
HIST 899-06 Master's Dissertation Ruben Flores –
Blank Description
HIST 899-09 Master's Dissertation Michael Jarvis –
Blank Description
HIST 899-11 Master's Dissertation Matthew Lenoe –
Blank Description
HIST 899-12 Master's Dissertation Elias Mandala –
No description
HIST 899-14 Master's Dissertation Mical Raz –
Blank Description
HIST 899-15 Master's Dissertation Joan Rubin –
Blank Description
HIST 899-16 Master's Dissertation Laura Smoller –
Blank Description
HIST 899-17 Master's Dissertation Brianna Theobald –
Blank Description
HIST 899-18 Master's Dissertation Stewart Weaver –
Blank Description
HIST 995-1 Continuation of Doctoral Enrollment – –
Blank Description
HIST 997-11 Doctoral Dissertation Matthew Lenoe –
No description
HIST 997-12 Doctoral Dissertation Elias Mandala –
No description
HIST 997-14 Doctoral Dissertation Mical Raz –
No description
HIST 997-15 Doctoral Dissertation Joan Rubin –
No description
HIST 997-16 Doctoral Dissertation Laura Smoller –
No description
HIST 997-17 Doctoral Dissertation Brianna Theobald –
No description
HIST 997-18 Doctoral Dissertation Stewart Weaver –
No description
HIST 997-2 Doctoral Dissertation Thomas Devaney –
No description
HIST 997-4 Doctoral Dissertation Pablo Sierra –
No description
HIST 997-5 Doctoral Dissertation Thomas Fleischman –
No description
HIST 997-6 Doctoral Dissertation Ruben Flores –
No description
HIST 997-9 Doctoral Dissertation Michael Jarvis –
No description
HIST 997B-1 PhD Dissertation - In Absentia Abroad Thomas Devaney –
No description
HIST 999-02 Doctoral Dissertation Thomas Devaney –
No description
HIST 999-04 Doctoral Dissertation Pablo Sierra –
No description
HIST 999-05 Doctoral Dissertation Thomas Fleischman –
No description
HIST 999-06 Doctoral Dissertation Ruben Flores –
No description
HIST 999-09 Doctoral Dissertation Michael Jarvis –
No description
HIST 999-11 Doctoral Dissertation Matthew Lenoe –
No description
HIST 999-12 Doctoral Dissertation Elias Mandala –
No description
HIST 999-14 Doctoral Dissertation Mical Raz –
No description
HIST 999-15 Doctoral Dissertation Joan Rubin –
No description
HIST 999-16 Doctoral Dissertation Laura Smoller –
No description
HIST 999-17 Doctoral Dissertation Brianna Theobald –
No description
HIST 999-18 Doctoral Dissertation Stewart Weaver –
No description
HIST 999-19 Doctoral Dissertation Thomas Slaughter –
No description
HIST 999B-2 Doctoral Dissertation in Absentia Abroad Laura Smoller –
Blank Description

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Monday
HIST 591-1 PhD Readings in History: Past & Present Politics of Archaeological Practice Stefanie Bautista San Miguel
This independent study will explore the politics of past and present archaeological practice with a specific focus on colonial and imperial approaches, their subsequent appropriations of material culture for museum, and the consequences of these practices. To better understand the history of this topic, the beginning of this course will focus on the foundational theories of postcolonialism which were seminal to later anthropological, archaeological, and historical studies of decolonization. The latter half of this course will focus on specific studies of decolonizing museums
Monday and Wednesday
Tuesday
HIST 404-1 Readings in Atlantic History Michael Jarvis
This course surveys recent scholarship on the early modern Atlantic world emphasizing comparative, transnational and connective methodologies. Topics will include imperial rivalries, the emergence of creole cultures, trade and smuggling, oceanic and coastal environments, the circulations of commodities, diseases, print, and ideas, slavery and the slave trade, community studies of Atlantic places, and the promise and limits of an Atlantic perspective. Students will produce an original research paper on an Atlantic topic.
HIST 400-1 History of Nature Stewart Weaver
This course explores the history of the idea and condition of nature from the Enlightenment to the present. Drawing on contemporary historical scholarship as well as a range of thinkers and writers from Thoreau to Carson and beyond, we will study the many ways in which humans have thought about and treated the natural world around them and how the natural world has shaped human history in turn. We will also meet occasionally with a parallel course on "the Politics of Nature" (GSWS 213). Some background in history is recommended.
HIST 440-1 Public History: Theory and Practice Molly Ball
In this course, students will coordinate with a community partner to design and plan an exhibit about Rochester's own history. By collaborating with their classmates and a community partner over the course of the semester, students will be able to actively engage with the techniques and theories that they are reading about in the classroom. In addition to learning more about Rochester's own history, students can expect to explore how elements of ethnography, public outreach, design, and digital technology contribute to public history. As a culmination, students will plan the launch of the exhibit at an off-campus site for the greater Rochester community.
Tuesday and Thursday
HIST 451-1 Life in the City: Latin American Urban History Molly Ball
Today Latin America is the most urbanized region of the world. Over 80 percent of its population lives in urban areas, many of which are megacities or primate cities. Just over one hundred years ago, however, the region was largely agrarian and rural. This seminar explores the process of that urbanization from 1850 to the present. From the mass arrival of immigrants to cities like Montevideo, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires, to the internal migrations spurred by land accumulation and mechanization, students will read about and discuss the politics of urban spaces, the daily negotiations that occurred between residents and officials, the environmental challenges that urbanization provoked, and the persistence of cultural diversity. Students will write an original research paper on a topic of their choosing.
HIST 482-1 Apocalypse Now…& Then: A History of Apocalyptic Thought Laura Smoller
This seminar examines the history of beliefs about the end of the world in the western Judeo-Christian tradition. We will examine such topics as the birth of apocalyptic thought, the medieval development of various aspects of traditions about the End (such as the figure of Antichrist and millenarian traditions), millennial influences on the discovery and colonization of the New World, millennial movements of the last two centuries (such as the Millerites and the Mormons), and contemporary apocalyptic scenarios. A major theme of the course will be the flexibility of apocalyptic language, its ability to interpret various historical situations, and its power to move people to acceptance or action.
Wednesday
Friday
HIST 500-1 Problems in Historical Analysis Ruben Flores
This course addresses questions of interest to beginning graduate students in history. These may include: the history of the historical profession, styles of historical writing, relations between history and literature, ethno-history, and the functions of history as criticism and as social memory.