Eastern European, Russian and Eurasian History: 2007 - 2008

History Department: Introductory | European | United States | Russian | African | Asian | Latin American | Special

218 Eastern Europe, Russia , and Eurasia .  This two-block course will survey the history of the Eurasian region from Eastern Europe to the Central Asian and Pacific areas of Eurasia, with an important theme being the rise and fall of the Russian Empire, and the rise and fall of the Soviet bloc. The focus throughout will be on the ways in which religious, cultural, and ethnic identities were shaped by, accommodated to, and resisted the construction of national boundaries and identities. (Meets the Critical Perspectives: Diverse Cultures and Critiques requirement.) (Not offered 2007-08.)  2 units.

318 Modern Russia and the Soviet Union. This course will focus on more advanced study of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Soviet successor states in the 20th century. Topics will include the collapse of the Empire during the First World War, the attempted “building of socialism” in the Soviet period, the crisis of the Soviet system, and how Soviet conceptions of the relation between ethnicity and nationality shaped political and cultural identities before and after 1991. Prerequisite: History 218 or consent of instructor. (Not offered 2006 - 07) 1 unit — Johnson.

261 The Great Age of Islam, 550-1500.  Introduction to the Middle East from the rise of Islam in the 7th century to the consolidation of most of the region under the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century.  Emphasis on the social and political organization of early Islamic empires, Turkic and Mongol invasions, and the courtly military, legal and domestic spheres. (Meets the Critical Perspectives: Diverse Cultures and Critiques requirement.) 1 unit - Murphy.

262 Islamic Empires and their Discontents, 1500-present.  Study of the Middle East through the increasing economic and cultural globalization of the early modern and modern periods.  Focus on internal and external ideas of science and technology, economic and individual liberty, and religious identity.  Places these in the context of the rise and fall of nationalism, secularism, and Ottoman and European empires in the region. (Meets the Critical Perspectives: Diverse Cultures and Critiques requirement.) 1 unit - Murphy.

319 Modern Central Asia and Eurasia .  This course will focus on those regions that stand at the crossroads of European and Asian history, and that are often neglected in traditionally bounded survey courses. Topics will include the patterns of conquest, trade, technological diffusion, and religious conversion across these regions; the effects of Ottoman, Persian, Russian, Chinese, Soviet and Japanese colonialism; and the emergence of independent nations in the 20th century. Prerequisite: History 218 or consent of instructor. (Meets the Critical Perspectives: Diverse Cultures and Critiques requirement.) (Not offered 2007-08.)  1 unit.