LSU Department of History

Hist 3071: Louisiana (T Th 12:10 - 1:30)
A general survey of Louisiana’s history from the earliest days of European colonization to the present. Although the primary focus is on events that took place within the boundaries of the colony, territory, and state, we will also cover material intended to help students understand Louisiana’s past and present in terms of relevant regional, national, and international events and contexts. Within those broad parameters, students will be required to develop an accurate mental timeline of important events, eras, and developments in the state’s history. Drawing on reading assignments and lecture materials, students will also be asked to develop and express historically informed opinions about the significance of the state’s history in three exams. Prof. Alecia Long.

Hist 3118, section 1: World War II in Global Perspective (T 3:00-6:00)
This course will explore the origins, experiences and outcomes of World War II in regions beyond Europe. Rather than focusing on the better-known theaters and participants, this course will emphasize the impact of the conflict on soldiers and civilians who experienced the war in sub-Saharan and North Africa, Southeastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and the Russian interior. There will be extensive reading every week (approximately 250-300 pp.), as well as two shorter papers (5-7pp) and one research paper. There are no exams for this course. This course may also be taken for graduate credit. . Prof. Suzanne Marchand.

Hist 3119, section 1: Race, Ethnicity, and Nation in North America to 1800 (W 1:30-4:30)
This seminar seeks to explore the ways that categories of race, ethnicity, and nation converged and diverged during the first three centuries of European settlement in North America. The goal is to connect ideology to lived experience--how did people think and how did they act? The first part of the course will consider the history of these concepts; medieval and early modern European understandings of human difference; and early encounters between Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans. The second part of the course will focus on the European settlement of North America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, examining in particular imperial competition, colonial societies, relations between Indians and Europeans, and slavery. The final part of the course will consider how the "Atlantic Revolutions" of the late eighteenth century reshaped understandings of race, ethnicity, and nation and set the stage for the modern era. Readings will include selected primary sources, journal articles, book chapters, and several inexpensive textbooks. Writing assignments will include several one-page response papers, a midterm paper, and a final paper. Participation is a key element in the course and attendance at every meeting is expected. Prof. Mark Thompson.

Hist 3119, section 2: History of Sex in the United States (W 3:00-6:00)
Students in this course will be introduced to the burgeoning scholarship on the history of sexuality in the United States. Although there are many subfields within the history of sexuality, we will focus on books and cultural documents that explore the connections among sexuality, reproduction and social equality in different periods of U.S. History. Students will be required to read several books and articles, take two exams, and write one book review. In order to help students make the link between historical and contemporary issues surrounding sexuality, reproduction, and social equality students will be introduced to the methodology of oral history and will co-create one oral history interview with a Louisiana woman. Instructor permission required. Prof. Alecia Long.

Hist 3119, section 3: American History Through Memoir (Th 3:00-6:00)
This seminar examines American thought and culture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as seen through personal memoir and the autobiographical form. We begin in the 1830s with Black Hawk’s Autobiography and Washington Irving’s A Tour on the Prairies, and move through modern war memoirs to controversies of the 1960s, as represented by James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul on Ice. We focus on historical context in addition to content, to establish a fuller cultural background. Grading is based on several short, critical papers, and class discussion. Prof. Andrew Burstein.

Hist 3119, section 4: America's Founding Myths (T Th 3:00-4:30)
This course will explore the various myths used to glorify America’s founding generations. We will examine myths surrounding the Puritans, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Paul Revere, Molly Pitcher, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, John Adams in folklore, artwork, satire, film, and history. We will assess the larger meaning of national creation stories, the impact of war on storytelling, and then compare these myths with the actual historical conditions of violent conquest, slavery, dueling and mudslinging politics that shaped the world of the founders. Prof. Nancy Isenberg.

Hist 4007: The Early Middle Ages (M W F 12:30 - 1:30)
This course seeks to introduce the student to the history of the Early Middle Ages, 300-1000 AD, through a focus on primary source readings. The student will learn how to analyze these and other sources, and how to use them in the study of history. We will cover the major religious, political and cultural changes within this transformative period. The geographic focus of the course is the Mediterranean basin and beyond, comprising early European, Byzantine and Islamic societies. The class will be graded based on discussions, two papers, one oral presentation, a midterm and final exam. Prof. Maribel Dietz.

Hist 4017: 20th Century Europe (M W F 12:30 - 1:30)
A survey of European history from 1900 to the present, with particular attention paid to intellectual, cultural, and political developments. Course requirements include a variety of readings, the viewing of a number of films, five short papers, and a final exam. Participation in class discussions counts toward the final grade. Prof. Meredith Veldman.

Hist 4022: France Since 1770 (T Th 9:00-10:30)
This course covers the principal political, social, economic, and intellectual developments in France during the last two and a half centuries. Special emphasis is on two topics: how the government evolved from absolute monarchy to republic, with interruptions for constitutional monarchy and empire, and how the French people experienced the social and economic changes resulting from this political upheaval. Required reading: four books; required testing: midterm examination and final examination. Prof. Benjamin Martin.

Hist 4032: The Balkans, 1879-Present (M W F 10:30-11:30)
This course will trace the social, political, and economic developments of the Balkans and the influence of international developments upon them from 1878 to the present. The modern Balkan states to be considered are Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. The reading will consist of seven books which will provide insights into Balkan culture and attitudes. There will be two papers based on the reading, a mid-term, and a final examination. Prof. Karl Roider.

Hist 4044: Stuart England (M W F 1:30- 2:30)
This course covers Britain's 'Century of Revolution' from 1603 to 1714, a period which saw civil war, the trial and execution of a king, and the overthrow of a dynasty. Course requirements include a midterm, final, and research paper. Prof. Victor Stater.

Hist 4050: British Colonialism in South Asia (Tu Th 10:30-12:00)
The contemporary historiography of Britain acknowledges the pivotal place of British colonial rule in South Asia for the political, economic and cultural development of the metropole as well as the Indian Ocean region. By focusing on the period between the founding of the East India Company in 1600 to the end of British imperial rule in 1947, this course provides a focused consideration of Britain’s colonial experience in South Asia, emphasizing cross-cultural exchange and development during this important period in British history. Prof. Reza Pirbhai.

Hist 4053: Jefferson and Hamilton (T Th 10:30-12:00)
This course focuses on the life and legacy of Thomas Jefferson; the apparent contradiction of his eloquent defense of liberty and his ownership of slaves; and his political rivalry with Alexander Hamilton. It also concerns issues of national self-definition in the period 1776-1809. The final grade is a composite of short papers and a midterm and final exam. Prof. Andrew Burstein.

Hist 4055: The Civil War (T Th 10:30-12:00)
The history of the American Civil War (1861-1865), in the context of the era of North/South sectional conflict (1830-1877). Discussion of political, economic, cultural, and racial issues as ell as military campaigns. Essay examinations include both lectures and assigned readings. Prof. Charles Royster.

Hist 4065: History of Contemporary America (M W F 8:30-9:30)
The history of America since 1945, focusing on domestic events, but not excluding foreign policy crises with significant domestic repercussions. This course makes particular use of appropriate aural and visual resources: radio, film, television, internet. The course includes careful coverage of the recent past, and one assignment may be done using on-line sources exclusively. Prof. David Culbert.

History 4071: The Antebellum South (T Th 9:00-10:30)
This course covers the history of the American South from the colonial period to 1861. Topics that receive particular attention include: slavery from its beginnings to the mature institution, with treatment of origins, the slave world, and the master-slave relationship; the nature of the southern economy; the white social order; the southern mind; political history from the Revolution to the breakup of the Union, emphasizing the connection between the South and the nation. Prof. William Cooper.

Hist 4075: American Economic History to 1860 (T Th 10:30-12:00)
This course will explore the historical record of economic growth and development of the United States from its colonial beginnings until the Civil War. Topics to be covered include: the colonial period, the Revolution, the economic background and impact of the adoption and ratification of the Constitution, slavery, population and territorial growth, technological change, the role of government in the economy, and successive episodes of boom and bust. The course is cross-listed with ECON 4075, but no expertise in either economic theory or mathematics is presumed or required. The course syllabus will list the required reading. Grades in the course will be determined by grades on a midterm examination, a final examination, and a paper of 12 to 15 pages in length. Cross-listed as ECON 4075. Prof. Paul Paskoff.

Hist 4079: Women in American History (M W F 10:30 - 11:30)
This course explores the history of women in America from the colonial period to the present day. We will read primary sources, scholarly articles, and monographs that examine how women have experienced, shaped, and understood life in the American colonies and the United States. In doing so, we will do more than identify women’s contributions to the political, economic, social, cultural, intellectual, and military history of this country. Rather, we will look at this history through women’s eyes, interrogating how gender, sex, and sexuality, as well as such factors as race, ethnicity, class, or region, shaped the lives and experiences of women living in the American colonies and the United States. Students enrolled in this course will write several short essays, as well as a midterm and final exam. Prof. Carolyn Lewis.

Hist 4091: China to 1600 (M W F 9:30-10:30)
This course presents a survey of approximately three thousand years of Chinese history, from the dawn of Chinese civilization around 1500 B.C. to about A.D. 1500, the eve of the modern Western intrusion. The class will focus on political and cultural history, and the course will devote some attention to such aspects of Chinese civilization as archeology, language, philosophy, literature, religion, and art. There is no specific course prerequisite for enrolling in this course. Prof. John Henderson.

Hist 4093: Pre-modern Japan (M W F 11:30-12:30)
Political and cultural history and civilization from the beginnings to the close of the Japanese middle ages. Prof. John Henderson.

Hist 4096: The Modern Middle East (T Th 1:30-3:00)
Major problems of the Middle East and North Africa in the modern period; internal Arab social, economic, and intellectual developments; Muslim responses to European colonialism; modern Arab nationalism and political trends; Islamic reformist and revivalist movements; problem of Palestine. Prof. Reza Pirbhai.

Hist 4140: The Vietnam War (T Th 3:00-4:30)
French colonial rule and Vietnamese nationalism; Ho Chi Minh and the war against the French (1946-1954); The National Liberation Front (Vietcong); process of American involvement and disengagement; counter-insurgency and the air war; anti-war movement in the United States; reasons for failure of American policy; Vietnam since 1975; lessons and legacies for the U.S. Prof. Stanley Hilton.

Hist 4195: Communist China (T Th 1:40-3:00)
In 1949, Mao Zedong established the People’s Republic of China (PRC), initiating three decades of Communist rule that was to take China through dramatic social and economic upheavals, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Today, more than 30 years after the death of Mao in 1976, China is experimenting with new forms of social and economic organization under the banner of “Communism with Chinese characteristics.” As the economic interests increasingly outweigh ideological differences in the global marketplace, the PRC is in the process of creating a "China" and a "Chinese" identity that is as much about capitalism, flashy karaoke discos, and flaunting its international muscle as it is about the revival of traditional social and religious rituals.
Requirements: Four quizzes: 10% each (total of 40%); Midterm: 30%; Final: 30%. See course webpage here Prof. Margherita Zanasi.

Hist 4197: Scandals in American History (T Th 12:00 - 1:30)
Beginning with Benedict Arnold (the first "American" traitor) and ending with President William J. Clinton's sex scandal while in office, this class will ask how scandals reflect the changing political conditions of democracy. We will examine not only why scandals happen, but how these controversies act as a public forum for debating some of the most fundamental issues of democratic politics.
Political scandals have never been merely personal tragedies. As public events capable of triggering moral and legal crises, they can be understood (in the words of the British scholar John Thompson) as "political struggles fought out in the symbolic realm." In most instances, scandals contribute to the ongoing debate over what is dangerous to American democracy, invoking (at times exaggerating, even distorting) palpable fears of deceit and secrecy, sexual disorder, racial impurity, social violence, tyranny and anarchy. As we will see, political scandals are more than an entertaining sideshow to the normal activities of democratic governance. By creating a public and national forum, they shape the shifting norms on state power and constitutional authority, the moral expectations for political leadership, and the very language of nationhood. There will be three take-home exams. Required readings: John Marszalek, The Petticoat Affair (2000); Michael Les Benedict, The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson (1973); Eric Rauchway, Murdering McKinley (2003); James Madison, A Lynching in the Heartland (2001); Keith W. Olsen, Watergate: The Presidential Scandal that Shook America (2003). Additional readings in course packet. Prof. Nancy Isenberg.