HIST 490
Note: The course number 490 is used to denote multiple different courses. Please scroll down to view the various course descriptions.
America's Pacific Wars: From the Philippines to Vietnam.
Michael
Hunt
Description: Over a seventy-five year period
(between 1899 and 1973) the United States
fought four major wars in eastern Asia. The sustained twentieth-century
U.S. drive to
establish its preeminence in eastern Asia began with a colonial war in
the Philippines
and continued with a long-simmering rivalry with Japan that erupted in
1941 and swept the
Pacific. From that high water mark, the U.S. drive ran into trouble,
first in Korea when
Chinese intervened against U.S. forces and then in Vietnam. A diverse
and determined set
of Asians repeatedly challenged and ultimately turned back the U.S.
military drive. China
in particular figured prominently as it evolved from a passive prize of
U.S. ambitions
into an active and effective opponent.
Students who have taken History 570 (The Vietnam War) should not enroll
in this course.
The overlap will be substantial.
Readings: a mix of standard histories (books and
articles), memoirs, oral histories, and
primary documents. The reading will average around 110-120 pages a
week.
Graded assignments: three papers, a final exam, and
regular, active participation in the
weekly recitation.
For more information see Prof. Hunt's personal site: http://www.unc.edu/~mhhunt.
Religion and Politics in Ancient Greece
Fred Naiden
This course integrates major events and processes in Greek political history with the study of Greek religion. For those interested in History or Classics, it provides a new context for the study of ancient Greece. For those interested in Religious Studies, it provides a new context for the study of Ancient Christianity and Judaism, and for the study of comparative religion. For graduate students, it provides a foundation for advanced study of Homer, Herodotus, and Attic drama, as well as an introduction to Greek epigraphical sources.
Aims of the course:
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To analyze Greek religious practices of the Archaic and Classical Periods, with stress on rituals and religious regulations as opposed to mythology and religious topics in Greek philosophy.
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To place religious practices in their legal, political, and cultural context, in short, to integrate them into the study of Greek history. Anthropological and sociological models for the analysis of religion will be canvassed, and source problems such as the manipulation of religious material by Greek writers, notably Homer and Herodotus, will also be addressed.
In the first month, a workshop approach to the classification and analysis of Greek religious practices, with emphasis on primary sources. In the second month, application of analytical tools to important events and processes in Archaic and Classical political history. In the third month, adaptation of the conclusions reached in the first two months to recent secondary literature on Greek political history and Greek religion.
Formation of Christian Europe
Brett Whalen
This course examines the formation of Christian Europe and its
relationship with the
wider world through the lens of European expansionism. Chronologically,
the course
focuses on the eleventh century (i.e. the early stages of Europe's
demographic, political
and economic take-off) through the sixteenth century (i.e. the
beginning of Europe's
overseas colonial activities). Topics for discussion include the
crusading movement,
missionary work, pilgrimage, and long-distance commercial travel. We
will also consider
how the medieval expansion of Europe fits into some broader models of
cross-cultural
encounter in the premodern world, paying specific attention to concepts
such as
conversion and assimilation.