AFH 5934/WOH 5932 – Rethinking the Black Atlantic
Dr. Philip Janzen
Description:
It has been nearly three decades since the publication of Paul Gilroy’s The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. In the intervening years, many scholars have taken up Gilroy’s ideas and contributed to the surge of scholarship on postcolonial theory, transnationalism, and the African diaspora. Others, however, have made important critiques of Gilroy’s framework and called for alternative conceptualizations. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to some of these debates, and more broadly, to recent trends in the study of the African diaspora and the Atlantic world. We will examine a broad range of topics and themes: slavery, revolution, religions, gender constructions, diasporic identities, and political expressions. Most course readings will draw from history, but we will also consider disciplines and genres such as literature, anthropology, geography, and autobiography.
AMH 5930 – Race and Ethnicity
Dr. Paul Ortiz
Description:
This interdisciplinary seminar explores the invention and reinvention(s) of race and ethnicity keying in on questions of racism, power, resistance, and the regimented fluidity of identities from the Age of Revolution to Black Lives Matter. Scholars have proven that race is a fiction, right? However, like Banquo’s Ghost, “It Will Not Down.” Theories and practices of racism continue to dominate discourses of crime, consumption, war, education and citizenship—among other areas—while shaping unequal relations between individuals and nations.
We will explore a broad array of topics, historical moments, and social relations that can be greatly enriched by using race and ethnicity as a comparative lens of historical analysis. These include: the Enlightenment and modernity; revolution and counter-revolution; racial capitalism; Indigeneity, genocide and settler colonialism; Black Internationalism; Gender and sexuality; Segregation and re-segregation; Immigration, forced migration, and non-citizenship; Critical Latino Studies; social movements and organizing; Neoliberalism, policing and mass incarceration; relational and intercultural approaches to the study of race and ethnicity.
AMH 6920 – Modern America
Dr. Lauren Pearlman
Description:
This seminar introduces graduate students to major themes and core literature in twentieth-century United States history. We will read a mix of standard texts and newer monographs, with a focus on recent conceptualizations, interpretations, and problems in the field. Particular attention will be paid to making connections between the economy, politics, and social life. We will also integrate the experiences of diverse social groups into broader historical context and larger historical problems. The course will also allow you to explore certain issues in depth by following a single subfield throughout the course. In addition, you will explore 1-2 periods more rigorously during the semester by reading widely in the literature on a single historiographical issue. Assignments are designed to 1) assist you with professional development, 2) provide you with a rich foundation for qualifying exams, and 3) help prepare you to teach a course in twentieth-century U.S. history.
HIS 5939 – Second-Year Research Seminar
Dr. Jeffrey Adler
Desccription:
This seminar is designed to provide a workshop on the basic mechanics of research and writing for the history profession. By the end of the semester, each student will produce a 10,000-word essay, ideally of publishable quality, based on research in primary sources. The paper can also serve as the preliminary investigation into a dissertation topic or as a potential dissertation chapter. Weekly meetings of HIS 5939 will explore research and writing strategies and will provide workshops involving peer assessments of each student’s research topic, abstract, preliminary draft, and final research paper. To pass this course, each student must complete and submit an abstract, a preliminary draft of his/her paper, and a final paper—all submitted on time.
LAH 6938 – Seminar in Modern Spanish America
Dr. Heather Vrana
Description:
This course will explore political, social, and cultural developments in modern Spanish America, with particular focus on Central America, Mexico, and the Southern Cone (and largely excluding the Caribbean). We will examine complex changes within the region in the post-independence period while emphasizing historiographic developments in the field over the last twenty years alongside earlier foundational works. Among the topics the course will explore are revolutions and social movements and their causes; crime and policing; gender and sex; culture exchange and contestation; political violence, historical memory, and transitional justice; the evolution of concepts of race, ethnicity and, social class; and environment and technocratic expertise. This course is designed to give you coverage in modern Spanish America (excluding the Caribbean). In addition to reading and participating actively in classroom discussions, you will complete several written assignments that will prepare you as academics and practitioners in the humanities and social sciences.