Current Courses
2023-24
NB:
- Cross-listed courses: certain courses offered by the Departments of Modern Languages and Classics, Anthropology, and Religious Studies may, in special circumstances, be cross-listed and counted towards a major, minor, or concentration in History. In such cases, the student must obtain the Department's permission. Those courses automatically acceptable in History are listed in the Academic Calendar and appear below.
- The following denotes full-year courses: "1XX/2YY," "AXX/AYY," "BXX/BYY." Students must enroll for both semesters when registering. (The A and B designations denote different sections of the same course.)
- "WW" denotes web courses.
- Students are reminded that not every course listed in the Academic Calendar can be offered every year. Some classes are only offered every couple years. Students are encouraged to consult with the Department regarding course offerings in planning their schedules.
- Students are reminded that courses in History can be applicable for credit towards majors and minors in other disciplines and interdisciplinary programs and that not all courses automatically appear as such in the Academic Calendar. Students are encouraged to consult with Departmental Chairs and Program Coordinators about specific courses in History that may be eligible for credit in programs outside History.
Class locations:
AG | Art Gallery of Nova Scotia |
AT | Atrium |
B | Burke Building |
DA | Akerley Blvd., Dartmouth |
DL | Dartmouth Library |
DT | Spring Garden Road Library |
HC | Homburg Centre |
LA | Loyola Academic |
ME | McNally East |
MM | McNally Main |
MN | McNally North |
MS | McNally South |
P21 | Pier 21 |
SB | Sobey Building |
WT | World Trade Convention Center |
HIST 1000 1A - Making History (Fall) |
T. Stretton Course description: Through examining a small number of historical events in depth, students will be introduced to the techniques required to practice history. They will have the opportunity to ‘make history’ by applying their skills in research, analytical thinking and writing to produce their own interpretations of select events. |
HIST 1000 1B - Making History (Fall) |
R. Barbosa MW 11:30 am - 12:45 pm Class location: LA271 Course description: Through examining a small number of historical events in depth, students will be introduced to the techniques required to practice history. They will have the opportunity to ‘make history’ by applying their skills in research, analytical thinking and writing to produce their own interpretations of select events. |
HIST 1000 2A - Making History (Winter) |
R. Barbosa Course description: Through examining a small number of historical events in depth, students will be introduced to the techniques required to practice history. They will have the opportunity to ‘make history’ by applying their skills in research, analytical thinking and writing to produce their own interpretations of select events. |
HIST 1000 2B - Making History (Winter) |
L. Warner TR 11:30 am - 12:45 pm Class location: LA179 Course description: Through examining a small number of historical events in depth, students will be introduced to the techniques required to practice history. They will have the opportunity to ‘make history’ by applying their skills in research, analytical thinking and writing to produce their own interpretations of select events. |
HIST 1203 1XX/2YY - Twentieth Century in Europe (Fall/Winter) 6 credits (full-year course) |
D. Campbell Course description: This course surveys the major issues and events of the Twentieth Century in Europe. Emphasis will be placed on the First and Second World Wars, the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, the emergence of the United States as a world power, Communist revolutions and their impact, and the effects of all of these events on the lives of ordinary people. |
HIST 1215 1WW - Ireland: An Introduction (Fall) |
W. Keough TR 10:00 - 11:15 am Class location: Synchronous Remote Course Description: The course is a general introduction to Ireland through a survey of the island’s history. Although it is situated on the fringes of Europe, Ireland was influenced by developments on the continent from the earliest times. In addition, the later experience of overseas migration connected Ireland to developments across the Atlantic and beyond. This course will pay particular attention to how Ireland’s history reflects these broader European and transatlantic connections. |
HIST 1222 1 - Intro to East Asian History (Fall) |
B. Wright Course description: This introductory course explores historical change and social transformation in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from antiquity to the present. Emphasizing especially the Chinese and Japanese experiences, this class will examine some of the most salient social, intellectual, political, and economic features apparent in the heritage of these societies, as well as some of the ways each society has influenced the others. |
HIST 1222 2 - Intro to East Asian History (Winter) |
B. Sewell Course description: This introductory course explores historical change and social transformation in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from antiquity to the present. Emphasizing especially the Chinese and Japanese experiences, this class will examine some of the most salient social, intellectual, political, and economic features apparent in the heritage of these societies, as well as some of the ways each society has influenced the others. |
HIST 1252 1A – Canada to Confederation (Fall) |
S. Joudrey Course description: This course will examine early Canadian history from the time of the first native-European contact up to Confederation. Emphasis will be placed on the development of New France/Lower Canada, Upper Canada, and the West. Political, social, and economic themes will be considered. |
HIST 1253 1 - Canada: Confederation to Present (Fall) |
D. Banoub Course description: This course will examine the shape of political culture in modern Canada; the debate between the advocates of the nation state and of federalism; and the impact of industrialization, regionalism, war, and depression on that debate. |
HIST 1253 2A – Canada: Confederation to Present (Winter) |
D. Banoub Course description: This course will examine the shape of political culture in modern Canada; the debate between the advocates of the nation state and of federalism; and the impact of industrialization, regionalism, war, and depression on that debate. |
HIST 1253 2B - Canada: Confederation to Present (Winter) |
D. Banoub TR 8:30 - 9:45 am Class location: ME110 Course description: This course will examine the shape of political culture in modern Canada; the debate between the advocates of the nation state and of federalism; and the impact of industrialization, regionalism, war, and depression on that debate. |
HIST 1254 1 - The United States to 1877 (Fall) |
S. Lurie TR, 4:00 to 5:15 pm Class location: Remote - Synchronous Course description: This course deals primarily with the major themes of American history from the colonial period to the Civil War and Reconstruction; the origins and nature of American government, politics, and society; the origins of slavery and racism; and expansion. These themes will be approached through a study of the major groups and events in American history (the New England Puritans, the Founding Fathers, Southern slaveholders; the American Revolution, the Civil War), as well as major political figures from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln. |
HIST 1255 2 - The United States: 1865 to Present (Winter) |
S. Lurie Course Description: This course will explore the history of the modern United States since its Civil War, examining the social, economic, political, and transnational developments of the last century and a half. Through lectures and reading, we will cover such themes as political economy, international relations, urbanization, social movements, migration, and the development of the state. |
HIST 1301 1A - Intro: History of Science & Technologies (Fall) |
L. Digdon Course description: The modern concept of science encompasses the study of the natural world in a systematic manner to accumulate knowledge. The term “science” dates only to the early nineteenth century, however, humans’ desire to understand the world around them stretches back through human history. Throughout the term we will follow the evolution of scientific inquiry and methodology from antiquity to modernity. This course examines the major developments in the history of science and technology, including the emergence of science in antiquity, medieval science, the Scientific Revolution, the expansion of science in the modern world, the relation between science and society, and the cultural significance of science and technology. |
HIST 1301 1B - Intro: History of Science & Technologies (Fall) |
L. Digdon Course description: The modern concept of science encompasses the study of the natural world in a systematic manner to accumulate knowledge. The term “science” dates only to the early nineteenth century, however, humans’ desire to understand the world around them stretches back through human history. Throughout the term we will follow the evolution of scientific inquiry and methodology from antiquity to modernity. This course examines the major developments in the history of science and technology, including the emergence of science in antiquity, medieval science, the Scientific Revolution, the expansion of science in the modern world, the relation between science and society, and the cultural significance of science and technology. |
HIST 1301 2WW - Intro: History of Science & Technologies (Winter) |
L. Digdon Course description: The modern concept of science encompasses the study of the natural world in a systematic manner to accumulate knowledge. The term “science” dates only to the early nineteenth century, however, humans’ desire to understand the world around them stretches back through human history. Throughout the term we will follow the evolution of scientific inquiry and methodology from antiquity to modernity. This course examines the major developments in the history of science and technology, including the emergence of science in antiquity, medieval science, the Scientific Revolution, the expansion of science in the modern world, the relation between science and society, and the cultural significance of science and technology. |
HIST 2201.1WW Environmental History of Europe 1300-1900 (Fall) |
L Warner Course description: From farming practices in the medieval period to the smog and blackened landscapes of the industrial nineteenth century, Europeans have had an impact on their environment. Students explore the changes and how European encounters with the new world brought disease, and an exchange of foods, animals and plants between the continents. This course provides a long-term perspective on changes in climate, water and land use, breeding as well as species extinction, and the foods available in Europe and its North American colonies from 1300-1900. |
HIST 2202 2 Environmental History of North America (Winter) |
H. Green |
HIST 2203 2 History Childhood 1400-1900 (Winter) |
L. Warner |
HIST 2205 1 - Introduction to Art History (Fall) |
L. Warner |
HIST 2250.1 Soccer: A History of Brazil (Fall) |
R. Barbosa T, 4:00 - 6:30 PM Class location: LA271 Course description: Students will trace the historical forces behind the evolution of soccer in Brazil – from an elite sport to a national passion with unifying powers. Topics include: the transition to a slave free society, immigration, the development of a national identity, urbanization, the military dictatorship, as well as gender divisions and the role of the media and economics behind the popularity of the sport. |
HIST 2251 1 - Pop Culture in Latin America (Fall) |
R. Barbosa MW, 2:30 - 3:45 pm Class location: LA271 Course description: Students explore the development of popular culture in Latin America to discover how diversity, social and political struggles influenced the diverse cultural aspects of the region. Music will be a major focus (samba, salsa, tango among others), but emphasis will be also given to visual arts, film and TV. |
HIST 2303.1XX/2YY Tudor and Stuart Britain (Fall/Winter) |
T. Stretton MW, 2:30 - 3:45 pm Class location: LA275 Course description: This lecture and seminar course provides a broad survey of the social, economic, cultural and political histories of Britain between 1485 and 1714, with a focus on original sources and images and how historians interpret them. It will examine how this small island nation on the fringes of Europe began its transformation into a dominant world power, while experiencing religious reformation, invasion threats, civil war, republican experiment, and the execution of one king and the forced exile of another. It will also examine some of the remarkable personalities of the age, from Mary Tudor and Queen Elizabeth to Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Isaac Newton. |
HIST 2310 1 Rethinking Rural Nova Scotia (Fall) |
K. Kehoe Class location: Remote Asynchronous Course description: Students assess the significance of Nova Scotia’s rural landscapes by developing an understanding of their complex representations and histories. By using materials and approaches from both history and literature, students explore the value of interdisciplinary research for generating new thinking about how the past can inform the future. |
HIST 2310 2 Rethinking Rural Nova Scotia (Winter) |
K. Kehoe Class location: Remote Asynchronous Course description: Students assess the significance of Nova Scotia’s rural landscapes by developing an understanding of their complex representations and histories. By using materials and approaches from both history and literature, students explore the value of interdisciplinary research for generating new thinking about how the past can inform the future. |
HIST 2311 1 - Inheriting Atlantic Canada (Winter) Prerequisite: A minimum of twenty-four (24) university credit hours |
N. Balan Course description: Ideas, attitudes, and assumptions about Atlantic Canada have been influenced by social, cultural, political, religious, and ethnic traditions inherited from the past. The curriculum of this course covers a wide range of topics from gender, refinement, material culture, dress, food, and conspicuous consumption, to political choices and ethnic biases. Lectures, readings, class discussions, and mixed media demonstrate how historical events and previous ways of behaving and thinking continue to influence social and cultural customs and decision-making. |
HIST 2341. 1 Atlantic Provinces History to Confederation (Fall) |
P. Twohig Course description: Commencing with the earliest Native-European contact in the Atlantic Provinces, students in this course will examine the interactions among the peoples who inhabited the region up until the mid-nineteenth century. Major events, such as wars, treaties, and Confederation will also be considered. |
HIST 2342 2 Atlantic Canada since 1867 (Winter) |
P. Twohig Course description: Beginning with the post-Confederation era, and then moving into the phases of industrialization and deindustrialization, students will study social, economic, and political developments in the region up to the end of the twentieth century and beyond. Major events such as the two World Wars will also be considered. |
HIST 2356 2 Japan Since 1945 (Winter) |
W. Sewell |
HIST 2381.1 - China Before 1800 (Winter) |
X. Sun TR, 2:30 - 3:45 pm Class location: LA275 Class description: This course explores roughly four millennia of Chinese history, from the distant origins of Chinese society to its zenith during the Qing Dynasty. Divided into three eras - Ancient, Early Imperial, and Late Imperial - the class follows a thematic approach that considers the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual, and social change within each era. No previous study of China is required. |
HIST 2401 1 - Canadian Political History (Fall) |
D. Banoub Course description: The course is an overview of Canadian political history from Confederation to the early 2000s, introducing students to the study of political power in its historical, social, and cultural context. Focusing mainly on federal politics, the course will examine expressions of authority and resistance in Canadian history, stressing the complicated interactions between governed and governors. The study of politicians and key events in Canada’s political history will be grounded in themes of inclusion and exclusion, and coercion and consent. Students are encouraged to think culturally, investigating how politics draw from and contribute to ideas about race, class, and gender. While the history of Canadian politics will be the course’s focus, lectures, assignments, and discussions will also stress the politics of history-making in Canada, focusing on how certain narratives have been politicized. |
HIST 2402 2 History of Cuba (Winter) |
I. Saney |
HIST 2420 1 The World at War 1914-1918 (Fall) |
D. Campbell MW, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm Class location: LA277 Course description: Students are introduced to the First World War and its significance in the history of the twentieth century. Themes include the causes of the conflict, the war aims and strategies of the belligerent powers, the character of various military operations and the war’s impact on civilian populations. |
HIST 2421 2 The World at War 1939-1945 (Winter) |
D. Campbell MW, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm Class location: LA277 Course description: Students are introduced to the Second World War and its importance in global history. Themes include: the war’s roots in the 1920s and 1930s, the goals of Axis and Allied powers, and military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. Special attention will be paid to the war’s impact on civilians. |
HIST 2451 1 Greek History I: Minos to Medes (Fall) |
A. Barclay TR, 11:30 am - 12:45 pm Class location: MM223 Course description: Students are introduced to the history and culture of the ancient Greeks from the Bronze Age through the Persian Wars. Students explore Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and the social, historical and cultural development of the Archaic period, including the origins of the Greeks and the evolution of the polis and early political systems. Among the topics students will examine are the evaluation of the Spartan military state, Athenian democracy, pre-Classical Greek religion, art, architecture and literature. Students read the works of various ancient authors and to consider the archaeological and epigraphical evidence for this period of Greek history. |
HIST 2453 2 - Republic & Revolution: Rome History (Winter) |
J. Farr Course description: Students are introduced to the history of Italy and the city of Rome from the Iron Age through the end of the Roman republican system of government. Students explore the origins and evolution of the Roman Republic, including the interaction among Romans, their Italian neighbours such as the Etruscans, and the Greek and Phoenician peoples of the eastern Mediterranean. Among the topics students examine are the political and military history of the period as well as the social and cultural context that encapsulates and informs this history, and the eventual decline of the republican system amidst the political turmoil and revolution of the first century BC. Students read the works of various ancient authors and to consider archaeological and epigraphic evidence for this history of the Roman republic. Content will vary from year to year. |
HIST 2454 2 - Bloody Caesar's: Roman Hist II (Winter) |
J. Farr Course description: An introduction to the history of the Roman world from the establishment of the Principate under Octavian/Augustus to the decline of the Roman empire in the western Mediterranean and Europe. This course will explore the evolution of the Principate and its eventual replacement by the Dominate, the nature of Roman imperialism, the role of the emperor as a political and religious figure, the interaction among the Romans and their neighbours in central Europe and the Near East, and the eventual political and economic disintegration of the imperial system. Students will be asked to consider such topics as different models of Roman economic, social, and political organization, the role and status of women in the Roman world, the codification of the Roman legal system, and the intellectual and religious developments that laid the foundations for subsequent historical periods in Western Europe and the Mediterranean. Students will be asked to read the works of various ancient authors and to consider archaeological and epigraphic evidence relevant to the history of the Roman imperial period. Content will vary from year to year. |
HIST 2471 2 - History of Football (Winter) |
L. Pattison Course description: Students analytically examine the evolution of sports such as soccer, rugby, Australian and North American football from the nineteenth century onwards, commencing with the earliest forms of vernacular football. Although the scope will be international, special attention will be paid to Atlantic Canada. |
HIST 2848 1 Special Topic: Mining History (Fall) |
H. Green Course description: This course critically explores histories of mining in North America from various disciplinary perspectives. We will examine cultural, environmental, gender, economic, racial, and popular histories of mining from the 19th to 21st centuries. Most of the case study examinations will focus on Canada, though some will include other nations. |
HIST 3000 1 - The Discipline of History (Fall) |
T. Stretton MW, 1:00 - 2:15 pm Class location: B201 Course description: This course addresses the theories, methods, principles and problems associated with the discipline of history. It examines the following basic areas of historical inquiry: the purposes of historical study; the relevance of the past; the relationship between the past and present; the nature and validity of historical knowledge; the relationship of history to other disciplines; and the development of historical interpretation. |
HIST 3000 2 - The Discipline of History (Winter) |
T. Stretton Course description: This course addresses the theories, methods, principles and problems associated with the discipline of history. It examines the following basic areas of historical inquiry: the purposes of historical study; the relevance of the past; the relationship between the past and present; the nature and validity of historical knowledge; the relationship of history to other disciplines; and the development of historical interpretation. |
HIST 3203 2WW History: Body, Health, & Sexualities (Winter) |
L. Warner |
HIST 3300 1WW - British Pop Music & Culture (Fall) |
A. Knapp Course description: This course will explore popular culture in the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries through the study of popular music. Attention will be given to the youth culture that emerged after the Second World War and its importance for the spread of Rock and Pop music. In addition to developments in the United Kingdom, American and Imperial cultural influences will also be examined through musical styles and movements such as Rock and Roll, Punk, and Reggae. |
HIST 3300 2WW - British Pop Music & Culture (Winter) |
A. Knapp Course description: This course will explore popular culture in the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries through the study of popular music. Attention will be given to the youth culture that emerged after the Second World War and its importance for the spread of Rock and Pop music. In addition to developments in the United Kingdom, American and Imperial cultural influences will also be examined through musical styles and movements such as Rock and Roll, Punk, and Reggae. |
HIST 3305 1 Guns, Violence, & the Law (Fall) |
B. Brown |
HIST 3340 1 Protest in the Early US (Fall) |
S. Lurie |
HIST 3352 2 Race and Racism in the US (Winter) |
S. Lurie |
HIST 3403 1 Canadian Identity and Public Memory (Fall) |
B. Brown |
HIST 3410 2 The Scientific Revolution (Winter) |
L. Digdon |
HIST 3451 0YY Film and History (Winter) 6 credits in one semester |
H. Green Class description: Based around documentary and feature films, this seminar course critically explores the history of The North from the 18th century to the present. Although this is a 6 credit hour course, it is normally offered over one term. Students should expect a larger workload when compared to a three credit course. |
HIST 3470 1 - British Black Atlantic (Fall) |
M. Vance T 4:00 - 6:29 pm Class location: LA177 Course description: The term the “Black Atlantic” has been used to describe the interconnected nature of Black communities in the Atlantic world. This course examines the British dimension of that transatlantic experience. Among topics covered are: Britain’s involvement in African slavery, the migration of Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, and the nature of the Black community in the United Kingdom. |
HIST 3475 1 Histories of Indigenous & Settler Relations (Fall) |
H. Green |
HIST 3505 2 Museum Studies (Winter) |
S. Joudrey Course description: Students are introduced to the world of museums and museum studies. They will learn about the history of museums, the constantly evolving purpose of such institutions, particularly during the twentieth century and in the contemporary world, their role in public education, archival and collections management, exhibitions, funding models, governance, and current debates in the field. This course is a combination of seminars and site visits to museums, which will require that students engage with the museum community in Nova Scotia. |
HIST 3845 1 Special Topic: American Controversy (Fall) |
S. Lurie |
HIST 4301 1 Community Leadership in Atlantic Canada (Fall) |
K. Kehoe |
HIST 4401 1 Crime in Canada (Fall) |
B. Brown |
HIST 4500 1XX/2YY - The Honours Seminar (Fall/Winter) 6 credits (full-year course) |
N. Neatby Course description: Honours History students have the opportunity to engage in independent research and write an honours thesis with the help and direction of a supervisor. The Honours Seminar provides a framework to assist each student in the preparation of the thesis. The seminar places an emphasis on research skills, historical methods and approaches, theories of history and the use of sources and evidence in order to help students develop and write the honours thesis. Students will be evaluated on their course work and presentations as well as the honours thesis. |
HIST 4501 0YY Public History (Winter) |
N. Neatby R, 1:00 - 3:45 pm Course location: MM219 Course description: Public history includes the practices and presentation of history outside academia involving a wide range of practitioners - from historians, museum curators, and film makers, to researchers, journalists, and archivists. This course will examine the evolution of public history as a discipline and a practice through both a classroom and a workplace component - including mentored volunteer work in a public history setting. |
HIST 4530 2 Forced & Free Migration in Latin American (Winter) |
R. Barbosa Course description: This course will examine the reasons and consequences of migration in Latin America. It will emphasize the forced migration of Africans and the free migration of Europeans and Japanese to countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Peru. |
HIST 4574 2 Interdisciplinary Study Asia (Winter) |
W. Sewell Course description: In this seminar students examine memories of the Asia-Pacific War in China, Korea and Japan. They will investigate how history and politics have been shaping and shaped by collective and individual memories of this conflict. |
HIST 6301 1 Community Leadership in Atlantic Canada (Fall) |
K. Kehoe |
6501 0YY Public History (Winter) |
N. Neatby |
HIST 6650 1XX/2YY - Seminar in Advanced Historiography (Fall/Winter) - Required 6 credits (full-year course) |
N. Neatby Course Description: This seminar will examine selected contemporary historiographical issues and guide Masters students in the preparation of their thesis proposals. |
6672 1 Crime in Canada (Fall) |
B. Brown |
HIST 6673 2 Forced & Free Migration in Latin American (Winter) |
R. Barbosa W, 4:00 - 6:29 pm Course description: This course will examine the reasons and consequences of migration in Latin America. It will emphasize the forced migration of Africans and the free migration of Europeans and Japanese to countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Peru. |
6574 2 - Interdisciplinary Study of Asia: Food (Winter) |
W. Sewell Course description: In this seminar students examine memories of the Asia-Pacific War in China, Korea and Japan. They will investigate how history and politics have been shaping and shaped by collective and individual memories of this conflict. |
HIST 6690 1XX/2YY – Thesis Research (Fall/Winter) - Required 6 credits (full-year course) |
N. Neatby Course description: Students will engage in the research and writing of a thesis under the supervision of a thesis supervisor. The student must satisfy the supervisor that thesis research and all other methodological and disciplinary preparation for the successful handling of the thesis topic have been completed. Supervisors may require a demonstration of language competence or extra course work as preparation for the treatment of certain thesis topics. Students will publicly defend their thesis, following which a final grade will be determined by the thesis committee. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. |