Undergraduate Program

How does a country with five percent of the world's population, a country that nominally values freedom above all else, come to have nearly a quarter of the world's incarcerated people? In this survey course we investigate the history of imprisonment in the United States--as theorized and as practiced--from the founding of the republic to the present day. Special attention is paid to the politics, economics, race politics, and religious logics of contemporary mass incarceration, and to the efforts afoot to end mass incarceration.

Location

(MWF 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

How did archaeology come to be the way it is now? This course will survey some of the major theoretical trends that have shaped anthropological archaeology. More specifically, students will learn how anthropological theory has influenced the interpretive frameworks and epistemologies of archaeological inference. We will spend half of the semester focusing on early archaeological theory, and the second half on topics and theories that are now central in archaeology. By the end of this course, students should be able to define and identify the major theories in archaeology that include culture-history, processualism, post-processualism, middle-range theory, Marxism, agency, identity, feminist, community, and indigenous archaeology.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Social dance plays an important role in every society, simultaneously fostering community and self-expression. From the Waltz to Contra Dancing, Ragtime Dances to Rock n Roll, and Tango to Salsa, this course explores the history and culture of several social and popular dances in the United States from the country's founding to the present. Students discover how cultural beliefs are embedded in social dance practices, and how, vice versa, social dance practices can help shape changing norms and behaviors. Through a mixture of lectures, readings, discussions, video-viewings and experiencing the basic steps, each social dance form studied is contextualized within its time period. The course as a whole considers patterns of cultural change across the decades in terms of gender, race, class and social identities. No previous dance experience is necessary.

Location

(MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This course revolves around the most essential question in modern German history: was Hitler's regime particular to Germany, German culture, and German society, or was merely the manifestation of an immanent quality in all modern nation states? What does it mean to compare any political figure to Hitler? Was his kind of "evil" suis generis or dangerously banal? This course places the rise and fall of the Nazi Party and Hitler in the longer duree of German history, from the Second Empire and WWI, to Weimar, the Nazi State, and the Two Germanys of the Cold War.

Location

(TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

This course traces the dramatic rise and fall of Russia’s empire, beginning with the medieval world of Kievan Rus’ and concluding with the collapse of the Romanov dynasty in 1917. We will explore how a loose federation of Slavic principalities grew into one of the largest land empires in history, and how rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Catherine the Great and Nicholas II sought to balance tradition, reform, and autocracy. Along the way, we will examine Russia’s expansion across Eurasia, the experiences of serfs, nobles, and ethnic minorities, and the tensions between Westernization and distinctively Russian paths of development. Students will read chronicles, manifestos, political tracts, and works of literature, while engaging with key debates in modern scholarship. By the end of the course, students will understand how the legacies of empire, modernization, and revolution shaped both Russia and the wider world.

Location

(MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

The second of a sequence of two, the course approaches "The Divine Comedy" both as a poetic masterpiece and as an encyclopedia of medieval culture. Through a close textual analysis of the second half of "Purgatorio" and the entirety of "Paradiso," students learn how to approach Dante’s poetry as a vehicle for thought, an instrument of self-discovery, and a way to understand and affect the historical reality. They also gain a perspective on the Biblical, Christian, and Classical traditions as they intersect with the multiple levels of Dante’s concern, ranging from literature to history, from politics to government, from philosophy to theology. A visual component, including illustrations of the "Comedy" and multiple artworks pertinent to the narrative, complements the course. Class format includes lectures, discussion, and a weekly recitation session. Intensive class participation is encouraged. No prerequisites. Freshmen are welcome. Part of the Dante Humanities Cluster.

Location

(MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

An introductory survey of the history of South Asia from the Mughal period to the present, with a special emphasis on the British colonial era and the making of the Indian and Pakistani nations. Course readings will emphasize South Asia's remarkable religious, cultural, and environmental diversity and the challenges and promises that such diversity presents to national identity in these two post-colonial nations. Course format will be an informal mix of lectures, discussions, student presentations, and films.

Location

(TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

This course examines the role of religion in the politics of the Middle East. In the first part, the course introduces key concepts and terms necessary for understanding contemporary Middle Eastern politics and political discourse. The second part focuses on the central issues from the late 19th-century through to the Arab Spring, such as the emergence of constitutionalism, Arab nationalism, the rise of Islamism, the debate on Islam’s compatibility with liberal democracy, Islamic feminism, and the concept of post-Islamism. The third part of the course illustrates these issues with five corresponding case studies which provide insight into the trajectories of political Islam in Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Egypt. Throughout this course, we will pay particular attention to gender issues and women’s participation in civil society, government, and religion.

Location

(MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Latinos now number more than 60 million people and represent one of the quickest population surges in the history of the American republic. But they include a diverse collection of nationalities and ethnic groups whose variety poses analytical challenges to historians and other scholars. Using a case study approach that will emphasize primary sources and monographs, we will analyze a variety of strategies through which recent historians have interpreted the relationship of Latinos to American society. We will ask whether it makes a difference to understand Latinos as immigrants with unique histories, products of empire resulting from American economic expansion, or sojourners with ongoing ties to Latin America. We will consider national differences between Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. And we will examine how scholars have interpreted the relationship of Latinos to America's other myriad peoples. Our ultimate concern will be to prepare students for further research and writing in the field.

Location

(MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This introductory course will cover the difficult process of nation-building that twenty-odd societies south of the Rio Grande experienced during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand most references in Calle 13's song "Latinoamerica." Latin America became a space where questions of modernity and progress intersected with science and development. Foreign influence, intellectual, physical, and commercial, played a considerable role and many voices continued to be marginalized. As the twentieth century progressed, development strategies, shifting racial and gender norms, and the Cold War radically impacted the region's more modern history. We will explore these moments through a variety of traditional and less conventional primary and secondary sources. 

Location

(TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Goooal! In this introductory course, we will use soccer (alias, calcio, futebol or football) as a lens to study global history, culture, identity, and politics from the nineteenth century to the present. The origins of football are contested, but its trajectory as a cultural export is not. European immigrants first introduced “the beautiful game” to Argentina in 1867, yet at the time soccer was viewed as a bizarre, violent, and foreign fad in South America and most of the world. This course will trace football’s trajectory through European, Latin American, and African societies and study how it has been used to fabricate national, regional and barrio identities, promote multi-racial societies (or not), and entertain the masses. We will also examine the sport’s role among immigrant populations in the United States and its complicated relationship with the FIFA World Cup, television, marketing, women’s history, and workers’ movements. For their final project, students will develop a research project on a topic of their choice.

Location

(MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This introductory survey examines the history of African Americans from 1860 to the present. We will examine African Americans’ pursuit of freedom and justice as defined during different periods. Topics of study include the Reconstruction era; formation of Jim Crow segregation; Black migrations; the Civil Rights and Black Power movements; and the contemporary “color line” in the United States. Students will explore the impact of Black activism and cultural expression on national and international politics. By the end of the semester, students will understand key concepts and events that shaped post-emancipation Black history.

Location

(MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

An introduction to the religious and cultural development of Judaism. Will emphasize Judaism as a living tradition, one which has been subject to both continuity and change among its practitioners throughout its history.

Location

(TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

This will cover the broad history of energy from ancient civilizations using various resources for heat and power through the introduction of coal that sparked the industrial revolution, the exploitation of petroleum and natural gas in the late 19th century, and followed by the nuclear age. Today we are seeing a growth realization that renewable resources and conservation have important roles to play in powering civilization.

Location

(MW 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

HIST 200 is an introduction to historical practice - what professional historians actually do. It is a requirement for history majors, but we encourage all interested undergraduates to enroll.

Location

(TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

HIST 200 is an introduction to historical practice - what professional historians actually do. It is a requirement for history majors, but we encourage all interested undergraduates to enroll.

Location

(MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This course introduces students to key themes and concepts in U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer history from the nineteenth century to the recent past. Throughout, we will focus on queer communities and cultures. Though we often use terms like “LGBTQ community” to designate a collective group based on shared societal marginalization, queer communities are often fragmented not only along lines of gender and sexual identity but also along lines of race, class, citizenship status, religion, and more. Primary questions guiding our class include: What does “queer” mean? How do people marginalized in multiple and intersecting ways carve out livable lives, find moments of pleasure, and build community? What forces drive us apart, and what is the radical potential of working together? This class will also include a hands-on, collaborative archival research project on the LGBTQ history of the University of Rochester.

Location

(TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This course introduces students to key themes and concepts in U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer history from the nineteenth century to the recent past. Throughout, we will focus on queer communities and cultures. Though we often use terms like “LGBTQ community” to designate a collective group based on shared societal marginalization, queer communities are often fragmented not only along lines of gender and sexual identity but also along lines of race, class, citizenship status, religion, and more. Primary questions guiding our class include: What does “queer” mean? How do people marginalized in multiple and intersecting ways carve out livable lives, find moments of pleasure, and build community? What forces drive us apart, and what is the radical potential of working together? This class will also include a hands-on, collaborative archival research project on the LGBTQ history of the University of Rochester.

Location

(TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

The Paris Olympics, the reconstruction of Notre Dame, new reproductive rights in the French constitution, political tension between France and the United States – France has been in the headlines increasingly often since 2024 alone. This class will provide a deeper understanding of these and many other current events in French domestic and foreign policy by considering both their historical causes and their potential consequences for France, for the world, and for us.

Location

(MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

The Paris Olympics, the reconstruction of Notre Dame, new reproductive rights in the French constitution, political tension between France and the United States – France has been in the headlines increasingly often since 2024 alone. This class will provide a deeper understanding of these and many other current events in French domestic and foreign policy by considering both their historical causes and their potential consequences for France, for the world, and for us.

Location

(MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Location

(TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Hear UR is a history-oriented podcast that takes on a subject related to the environmental history of Rochester. Over the course of this semester, this class researches, develops, and produces one season of episodes for Hear UR. Students divide into teams of three, where they take on the roles of Producer, Lead Researcher, or Engineer. Together they develop the subject matter of the season and episodes; locate primary sources to interpret; identify a body of secondary literature; draft and re-draft podcast scripts; master the use of microphones, recording studios, and audio editing software; create a website to host each episode, where they post a written article on the same topic, provide primary source images, additional links, and script; finally they organize and execute a public roll out of the season, using social and traditional media platforms, local public radio and television, and University communications.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Hear UR is a history-oriented podcast that takes on a subject related to the environmental history of Rochester. Over the course of this semester, this class researches, develops, and produces one season of episodes for Hear UR. Students divide into teams of three, where they take on the roles of Producer, Lead Researcher, or Engineer. Together they develop the subject matter of the season and episodes; locate primary sources to interpret; identify a body of secondary literature; draft and re-draft podcast scripts; master the use of microphones, recording studios, and audio editing software; create a website to host each episode, where they post a written article on the same topic, provide primary source images, additional links, and script; finally they organize and execute a public roll out of the season, using social and traditional media platforms, local public radio and television, and University communications.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

The United States received the largest number of immigrants in the western hemisphere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but immigrants’ relative impact in Latin American countries like Brazil and Argentina was arguably more substantial. This course explores the complex events, trends and personal considerations affecting migrants' decisions and experiences. In exploring the movement of Italians, Japanese, Mexicans, and other groups to and within the Americas, we will seek to understand their movements as a function of three essential questions: why do people migrate; who migrates; and how do they choose where they migrate? The course will incorporate a variety of materials including interviews, memoirs, monographs, and demographic studies. Students will also discover Rochester’s own rich immigrant history. Graduate students will develop an extended exploration into the dynamics of internal migration and immigration over the course of the semester.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

The United States received the largest number of immigrants in the western hemisphere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but immigrants’ relative impact in Latin American countries like Brazil and Argentina was arguably more substantial. This course explores the complex events, trends and personal considerations affecting migrants' decisions and experiences. In exploring the movement of Italians, Japanese, Mexicans, and other groups to and within the Americas, we will seek to understand their movements as a function of three essential questions: why do people migrate; who migrates; and how do they choose where they migrate? The course will incorporate a variety of materials including interviews, memoirs, monographs, and demographic studies. Students will also discover Rochester’s own rich immigrant history. Graduate students will develop an extended exploration into the dynamics of internal migration and immigration over the course of the semester.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

In this colloquium we will look at the history of international feminism and explore its many faces. We will examine the various factors that have contributed to womens historically lower status in society; will look at the emergence of womens rights and feminist movements as well as the distinctions among various feminist theories, and will discuss the relevance of feminism today.

Location

(T 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

In this colloquium we will look at the history of international feminism and explore its many faces. We will examine the various factors that have contributed to womens historically lower status in society; will look at the emergence of womens rights and feminist movements as well as the distinctions among various feminist theories, and will discuss the relevance of feminism today.

Location

(T 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

This class centers African American religiosity—examining African religious retentions in America from the 17th century to the present. We will examine religious traditions of African Americans that include Voodoo, Black Hebrew Israelites, Moorish Movement, Five Percenters, Christianity, and the Nation of Islam.  Themes of liberation, humanity, nationhood, love, language, identity, and culture will be explored throughout the semester.

Location

(MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This course introduces students to historical archaeology and uses archaeological sites, material culture, and architecture to investigate European colonization of the Americas. Topics include Euro-Indian contact, the transfer of European and African cultures to American shores, creolization and the emergence of distinctly American traditions, Atlantic connections, and how non-documentary sources help us understand the lives of African-Americans, Indians, and white settlers.

Location

(MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This course introduces students to historical archaeology and uses archaeological sites, material culture, and architecture to investigate European colonization of the Americas. Topics include Euro-Indian contact, the transfer of European and African cultures to American shores, creolization and the emergence of distinctly American traditions, Atlantic connections, and how non-documentary sources help us understand the lives of African-Americans, Indians, and white settlers.

Location

(MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Interviewed by the Chicago Daily News in 1924, Mussolini said that Fascism was “the greatest experiment in history in making Italians.” Within the historical and political framework of the so-called Ventennio Fascista – from 1922 to 1943 – the course examines Mussolini’s cultural politics as a fundamental strategy not only to gain popular consent and propagate the ideology of the regime, but to implement his vision of Italian national identity. Topics include the fascist philosophy and politics of education, the myth of Rome and its imperial legacy, the archeological, architectural, and restoration projects, the graphic arts, fashion, sports, gender roles, dissent, historiography, and documentary film. Emphasis will be placed on documentary materials in addition to secondary sources. A selection of films on the regime complements the course.

Location

(T 3:25PM - 6:05PM)

Boasting two thousand years of uninterrupted presence on the land, Italian Jewry is the oldest Jewish community of the European Diaspora. Located at the center of the Mediterranean basin, over the centuries it was enriched by the contribution of a variety of Jewish internal traditions (autochthonous, Ashkenazi, and Sephardic, among the main ones), while at the same time developing a very complex relation with the surrounding non-Jewish environment. Such dynamics paradoxically reached their apex with the institution, starting in the sixteenth century, of ghettos, i.e., Jewish segregated quarters. Established in 1516 and in existence until 1797, the ghetto of Venice was the first of such settlements and was to give its name to all subsequent ethnic enclosures in modern history. Surrounded by water and walls, physically separated from the Christian population of the city―although, as a matter of fact, not isolated from it―Venetian Jews developed their own communal institutions, an elaborate system of religious and social practices, and articulated a rich cultural and intellectual life.

The course will examine the most relevant aspects of the Italian Jewish experience in its Venetian declination during the existence of the ghetto. Through the examination of a variety of documentary, literary, and artistic sources, both Jewish and non-Jewish, we will explore the conditions that concurred in making sixteenth-eighteenth century Venetian Jewry exemplary among Italian communities, and unique in the context of the European Diaspora.

Location

(TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Interested in designing an original research project? This seminar introduces students to source identification,  prospectus preparation, and grant-writing techniques for historical research. To prepare for your project, we will discuss select readings on questions of memory, power, archives and our motivations as writers of History. The course is mandatory for students interested in completing the History Honors program next year. Students who are planning on developing an alternate research project are also welcome to enroll. As a 4.0 credit course, the course only meets the first eight weeks of the semester. There is a class trip to Washington, D.C., during spring break.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

This research seminar focuses on spatial dimensions of historical study and analysis and how the physical world reflects historical change. We will survey how historians use spatial, textual, and visual analysis to advance research into Early Modern Atlantic network formation, circulations of disease, news, ideas, and material culture, and witchcraft hysteria before students learn GIS and database building basics and develop their own research topics.

Location

(W 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

This seminar introduces the rich and complex history of one of the world’s greatest and most iconic cities: London. From its foundation as a Roman settlement astride the River Thames to its postwar emergence as a center of global capital, few cities have made so distinctive a mark on the world. Drawing on a variety of primary sources, historical essays, and cultural artifacts, students will study how London has been shaped by settlement, trade, industry, empire, war, political upheaval, and social change over the course of two millennia. Key themes will include London’s growing importance as a manufacturing and trading center during the medieval period; its emergence as the seat of the British monarchy and Parliament; the changes wrought by the Reformation; the effects of revolution, plague, and fire in the seventeenth century; the city’s unprecedented growth during the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries; its role as the metropolitan heart of the empire; the effects of war and decolonization; postwar immigration; and the making of a new multicultural London in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Location

(R 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

According to data from the National Safety Council, unintended injuries cause over 224,000 deaths and 62,000,000 cases involving medical attention per year across the country. Since the nineteenth century, “accidents” from car crashes to the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster have become increasingly central to American life. This course charts the history of accidents and explains why U.S. society has chosen to control some risks but not others. We will explore how accidents have changed over time alongside the introduction and diffusion of new technologies; cultural beliefs about safety; the political and economic interests of specific stakeholders; and the efforts of experts, corporations, nonprofits, families, and the government to keep the public safe. On one level, the course follows the unforeseen effects of modern industry, transportation, infrastructure, and consumer products. On another, it demonstrates how the ideals of personal responsibility and free enterprise continue to influence the safety movement. Using injuries as a lens, we will combine history with technical communication and public policy. We will also learn skills including close reading, critical thinking, primary and secondary research, and writing.

Location

(M 5:00PM - 7:30PM)

This course examines the formation and evolution of American health policy from a political and historical perspective. Concentrating on developments from the early twentieth century to the present, the focus of readings and discussions will be political forces and institutions and historical and cultural contexts. Among the topics covered are periodic campaigns for national health insurance, efforts to rationalize and regionalize health care institutions, the creation of Medicare and Medicaid and the further evolution of these programs, the rise to dominance of economists and economic analysis in the shaping of health policy, racial and gender disparities in access to care and in quality of care, the formation and failure of the Clinton administration's health reform agenda, health reform in the George W. Bush administration and the 2008 presidential campaign, and national health reform and pushback during the Obama administration.

Location

(R 4:50PM - 7:30PM)

Yes, there are Black people in Mexico (2.5 million, according to the most recent census). In this multidisciplinary seminar we will analyze the immense variety of historical experiences that Africans and their descendants have had in Mexico from 1520 to 2020. From the “Black “conquistadors” and maroon leaders of the colonial period to the recent arrival of Black migrants from Haiti, Honduras, and Congo, this course asks us to consider the many dimensions and limitations of the “Afro-Mexican” concept. We will also examine Black Mexicans’ complex relationships to the United States and to specific African-American communities and intellectuals. Building on film, anthropology, dance, photography, sociology, migration studies, art history, food studies and original archival documents, this seminar is open to all. In Spring 2022, students will interact with outside experts participating in the Unbordering Migration speaker series and develop a final paper on a topic of their choice. 

Location

(M 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

This course provides undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue in-depth, independent exploration of a topic not regularly offered in the curriculum, under the supervision of a faculty member in the form of independent study, practicum, internship or research. The objectives and content are determined in consultation between students and full-time members of the teaching faculty. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department. Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed through the Independent Study Registration form (https://secure1.rochester.edu/registrar/forms/independent-study-form.php)

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, Seniors identify a topic, develop a project plan, conduct substantive work, and present their findings or creations in a final written report, portfolio, performance, or presentation. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, Seniors identify a topic, develop a project plan, conduct substantive work, and present their findings or creations in a final written report, portfolio, performance, or presentation. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, Seniors identify a topic, develop a project plan, conduct substantive work, and present their findings or creations in a final written report, portfolio, performance, or presentation. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, Seniors identify a topic, develop a project plan, conduct substantive work, and present their findings or creations in a final written report, portfolio, performance, or presentation. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, Seniors identify a topic, develop a project plan, conduct substantive work, and present their findings or creations in a final written report, portfolio, performance, or presentation. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

This course provides undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue in-depth, independent exploration of a topic not regularly offered in the curriculum, under the supervision of a faculty member in the form of independent study, practicum, internship or research. The objectives and content are determined in consultation between students and full-time members of the teaching faculty. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department. Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed through the Internship Registration form ( https://secure1.rochester.edu/registrar/forms/internship-registration-form.php)

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

This course provides undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue in-depth, independent exploration of a topic not regularly offered in the curriculum, under the supervision of a faculty member in the form of independent study, practicum, internship or research. The objectives and content are determined in consultation between students and full-time members of the teaching faculty. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.  Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed through the Independent Study Registration form (https://secure1.rochester.edu/registrar/forms/independent-study-form.php)​

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

This course provides undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue in-depth, independent exploration of a topic not regularly offered in the curriculum, under the supervision of a faculty member in the form of independent study, practicum, internship or research. The objectives and content are determined in consultation between students and full-time members of the teaching faculty. Responsibilities and expectations vary by course and department.

Location

( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)