HI 200 The Making of Our Contemporary World (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course is designed to provide a broad conceptual grasp of the modern world by examining the major developments and events of the past century. Two world wars, a cold war, decolonization and ethnic conflicts have made the 20th century one of the most tumultuous in world history. The growth of the global economy has produced fundamental changes in lifestyles and in the types of issues that confront us. Rapid urbanization, the changing roles of women, the communications revolution and the spread of consumer societies have created conditions unknown to earlier generations. But not all cultures have created conditions unknown to earlier generations. Not all have benefited equally, and this has created tensions between the "haves" and "have nots." The world's different societies share the globe uneasily, but know they must coexist. The challenge is to make that happen.
Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
HI 217 Arts and Society (3 credits)
Presents the formal aspects of creative works by man, including the terminology and techniques by which the great periods have been categorized. Developmental aspects of the visual arts (painting, sculpture, architecture) and of music are emphasized, including some chronology and stylistics. Direct experience with the lively arts constitutes a basic part of the course.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 236 History of Ireland: From St. Patrick to "The Troubles" (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course traces the history of Ireland from the days of St. Patrick to today's "troubles" in Northern Ireland. It will consider the experience of the Irish people, their lives, religion and political plight as they struggled for independence, stability and respect. It will also focus on the rich and lively culture they created over the centuries and their impact on the larger world community.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 241 Minutemen and their World (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course investigates colonial history with particular emphasis on three nearby communities Concord, Lexington and Lincoln that played a decisive role in the opening battle of the American Revolution. The class will not only study traditional accounts but also learn how historians, archaeologists and architects are uncovering that history. Students will have the opportunity to handle original source materials and discuss with experts the policy debates about the preservation of this 18th-century heritage and its presentation to the 20th-century public.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 244 Constitutional History of the United States (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
Focuses on America at the time of the break with England. Looks at Constitutional documents their sources and their inclusions. Includes the development of Constitutional aspects of order in the United States as the country grew from an agrarian and simple commercial republic to an urban and industrialized world power, and from a homogeneous to a widely diversified people.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 261 Latin America (1800-present) (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
Introduces the major currents of Latin American history from 1492 to the 20th century. Topics will include the Iberian and Amerindian background, the social and economic structures of the colonial period, slavery and race relations, the Wars of Independence, the continuing legacy of the colonial period, the integration of Latin America into the world economy, 20th- century revolutions, and the history of U.S. relations with Latin America.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 264 History of China: Before Confucius, After Mao (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Introduces the civilization of China. Examines the intellectual, political, social and economic patterns of the civilization. Discusses the roles of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Traces the growth of Chinese culture, including thought, art and life, dynastic cycles, inner Asian barbarians, and Confucian civilization at its height. Examines the coming of the West and the traumatic consequences of that encounter for China. Traces the struggle to resist, adapt and respond to the Western challenge. Emphasizes the revolutionary nature of the entire process for China. Examines the 20th-century blend of traditional Chinese and modern Western techniques that have combined to create contemporary China.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 265 History of Japan: Samurai and Salarymen (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Introduces the civilization of Japan. Examines the intellectual, political, social and economic patterns of the civilization. Discusses the warrior society of early Japan and its response to Chinese culture. Traces the development of a distinctive Japanese civilization in early Heian society, the resurgence of the warriors, and the development of feudalism. The course examines Japanese aesthetics and the influence of zen in noh plays, gardens and paintings. Discusses the long civil war and the reasons for closing the country in the early 17th century. Examines the growth of pre-modern society and economy during the long Tokugawa era. Treats the coming of the West and Japan's sprint to modernize during the Meiji period, the decisions that led to the China and Pacific wars, the American Occupation, and the growth of a dynamic global economy in contemporary Japan.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 266 Middle East: Islamic and Contemporary (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
Studies geography and peoples of the Middle East today. Examines Muhammad's teachings, Arab conquests, the formation of Islamic civilization, dominions of the Turks and Mongols, Latin Crusades, Ottoman Empire and Safavid Iran. World War I and European mandates, emergence of modern Turkey and Egypt, Israel's birth and struggle for existence, plight of the Palestinian refugees, Arab conservatism versus socialism, and other issues are explored.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 279 Modern South Asia (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course provides a general overview of Modern South Asian history for students with no prior background in the study of the subcontinent or its history. After a brief introduction to ancient and pre-modern India, the course will address the rise and decline of the Mughal empire; the advent of British colonial rule and subsequent cultural and social change under the British Raj; race, gender and caste during the colonial period; the emergence of nationalism and the freedom struggle, with particular emphasis on Gandhi; Independence, Partition and decolonization; the colonial and postcolonial economic history of the region; and popular perceptions of South Asia by western and diasporic communities. It will engage with the larger processes of social change in South Asia by focusing on the interrelated themes of politics, economics, religion, race and gender.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 280 The Caribbean: Past, Present, Future (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course will build an understanding of the insular Caribbean using traditional historical sources as well as fiction, film, and the Internet. The focus will be on the societies of the Greater Antilles-Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Jamaica-although the smaller islands will also be considered. About two-thirds of the semester will highlight historical events that have shaped the modern Caribbean-slavery, the plantation system, the transition to free labor, independence movements and relations with the United States, to name a few. The last month of the course will examine current trends, including democratization, the growth of tourism, free trade zones, drug trafficking, and migration, as well as attempts at regional integration. Those discussions will help us forecast what the future of a small, poor, underdeveloped region like the Caribbean might be.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 287 Contemporary Japan (3 credits)
In 1945, Japan was a devastated and defeated nation, its cities in ashes, its economy a shambles. Today, Japan is one of the world's leading industrial powers and a major force in the global economy. It is the first non-Western nation to become a mature post-industrial society. This course examines contemporary Japan in light of its recent history; it attempts to highlight some of the reasons for Japan's very real success and the costs of that success to the Japanese. Issues include the American Occupation, the Cold War, the relationship between government and business, the "income doubling" decision, the role of economic nationalism, and domestic and international political relationships. Living and working conditions, the education system and "examination hell," and the emergence of new outlooks and values among young Japanese are examined. Several videos highlight these changes.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 298 Experimental Course in History (3 credits)
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 299 Experimental Course in History (3 credits)
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 304 History of Espionage (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course surveys the world of espionage from ancient times to the present. Students will study historically important spies, spymasters and organizations and their methods and motivations. In the final analysis students will attempt to understand the role espionage has played in shaping international relations, the modern state, military operations and more recently, the corporate world. To that end, the course will attempt to understand the kinds of motivations for spying, the evolution of and professionalization of espionage organizations, how the spy is regarded in society at large. Additional themes to be explored include the differences between the realities of espionage and how it is portrayed in fiction and film, and ethical questions surrounding both corporate and state espionage.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 305 Arts and Society (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course examines the interaction of art, politics, economics and culture during the last six centuries, starting with the Renaissance. Particular attention will be paid to three different countries in three very different centuries. Holland in the 17th century, the Age of Rembrandt and the Dutch East India Company; France in the 19th century, the Age of Impressionism and the Industrial Revolution; America in the second half of the 20th century, the Age of Abstract Expressionism and American Empire. This course will provide an introduction to the history of art and the art of history for the beginner. (Course requires students to meet at Boston museums at least 3 times which each count as a class.)
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 306 War and Society (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
War has had a decisive impact on past civilizations and is a preoccupation in our own. This course explores a community's hopes, pretenses and fears; its social structure and level of technology; and its sense of honor and capacity for sacrifice. The course examines the place and practice of war in five different settings; the medieval West, 17th-century England and the English Civil war, 18th-century France and the French revolutionary army, Western Europe and World War I, and America in the nuclear age. A variety of books, films and other materials are used to present a vivis and thoughtful account of each culture and its involvements with war.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 308 Drugs Trades in World History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
Drugs trades licit and illicit are often controversial. By examining the histories of trade in drugs both small, easily transported and large bulk commodities this course aims to explore the long history of the global economy and its relevance to contemporary problems of "globalization."
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 309 Genocide in Modern History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Value, Ethics, and Society
Mass killing has become one of the most troubling and permanent features of our modern world. The Holocaust under the Nazis prompted the United Nations to draft the 1948 Convention on the Prevention of Genocide, and yet the world continues to see mass killings that target specific ethnic or religious groups around the world. Why has genocide remained endemic in a world preoccupied with humanitarian causes and human rights? This course studies the historical causes of past genocides, and explores some recent cases of genocide in context. What do the perpetrators and victims tell us past and present? What makes genocide distinct from other mass killings, and what were the historical conditions and contexts that paved the path to genocide? Why are genocides so difficult to prevent? This course will examine four cases of genocide around the world in search of answers.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 310 Historic Approach to Modern Terrorism (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course traces three centuries of terror and terrorism, from the French Revolution of 1789 to the present day. The course will examine the specific socio-cultural contexts and ideologies that shaped terrorist actions in modern history. The course will study the ideologically and culturally diverse motives and goals that drove political radicalism: the overthrow of feudal monarchies, national liberation, anarchist ideals, and establishing a religious fundamentalist state, as with ISIS, are just some examples of modern terrorism.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 311 Revolutions and the Modern World (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Why do revolutions happen and how do they change the world? This course focuses on three great revolutions: the French Revolution, the Russian Revolution and the Chinese Revolution. The course will examine the conditions that led to these revolutions, key revolutionary players and their opponents, as well as revolutionary values, beliefs and strategies. It will look at popular movements and mass social conflict, but will not neglect such colorful individuals as Robespierre, Napoleon, Lenin, Stalin and Mao Zedong. There will be opportunities to grasp the experience of these revolutions through studying historical documents, maps, audio and film recordings. Ultimately, the course should help students develop a better understanding of the modern world.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 314 History of the World Economy (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course traces the history of a world economy from its formation in the pre-industrial era to the present, showing how trade and colonial interests have influenced modern history. It focuses on the competition for world markets and the struggle for empires. It also considers the impact of this struggle on foreign relations and the quality of life in industrial nations.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 315 Fashion Film and Food in South Asia (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course introduces students to major historical examples of architecture, painting, sculpture, clothing, cuisine and film in the Indian subcontinent. An emphasis is placed on understanding the cultural, political and religious significance of these works against changing ideas of domesticity, economic development and concepts of beauty and taste.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 316 Women and Gender in South Asia (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course is an interdisciplinary investigation into the meaning of gender in South Asia. It looks into the way women's lives and gender constructions have been influenced by the major historical events of colonialism, imperialism and post-colonialism. Students will study feminist, orientalist, post-colonial, psychoanalytic and nationalist critiques through specific historical and ethno-historical works on South Asia. It is an interdisciplinary investigation into how gender, race and class have affected colonial and post-colonial South Asian consciousness. On a broader level, readings will examine some of the historical motivations for colonialism and imperialism, the nature of the "colonial encounter," the relationship between colonial peoples and the metropole, and gender identities in post-colonial South Asia and diasporic South Asian communities.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 317 South Asian Religions (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Value, Ethics, and Society
South Asia has a rich cultural legacy, which has spread around the world. Not only did it birth several world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, but it is also home to ancient communities of Muslims, Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. In an interdisciplinary manner, students will engage with a broad history of the region through examining the origins, cultural practices and political influences of different religious traditions. Studentns will examine the development of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism in the time of antiquity, the rise of a unique Indo-Islamic culture during the medieval period, the influence of British colonialism on indigenous religious practice and law, the emergence of religiously oriented nationalism in South Asia during the 20th century and the practice of religion by diasporic South Asian communities today. The emphasis will be placed on reading a wide variety of sources at the crossroads between history, literature and scripture.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 323 The Medieval West (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course covers approximately 1,000 years of Western history, from the decline of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Italian Renaissance. It includes topics such as early Christianity, Germanic invasions, Byzantine and Islamic cultural influences, Carolingians, feudalism and manorialism, Vikings, church-state controversies, monasticism, Romanesque and Gothic architecture, Crusades, growth of towns and universities, Scholasticism, the Black Death, and everyday life.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 328 The Romantic Age (3 credits)
This course extends from the Napoleonic period to the early 20th century. It includes such topics as French hegemony, continental blockage, and the fall of the Empire; English sea power and her colonial strength; Eastern European strength and tsarist Russia; revolutions of the mid-century; American Civil War; Industrial Revolution; liberalism and the growth of socialist ideology; and the Romantic movements.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 331 Modern British History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This survey of modern British history begins with the origins of British nationalism in the 18th century and concludes with an analysis of the problems of contemporary Britain. Themes include the interplay between society and institutions, persistence and change, as well as an examination of internal and external factors which contributed to Britain's 19th-century ascendancy and 20th-century decline.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 332 Islam and Muslims in European History (3 credits)
This course introduces you to the rise of Islam in Europe since the colonial period. When thinking about European society, we tend to conjure cathedrals, medieval knights, and Victorian era regalia, not mosques and Islamic madrasas, even though these have dotted European metropolitan landscapes for decades if not centuries. Iberian Europeans once lived under Islamic rule, for example. The Renaissance was inspired by Islamic learning. In fact, Spain, France, the UK, Germany, and Italy have been home for generations to large numbers of Muslims from North Africa, the Middle East, India, and Turkey. Throughout the course, we will consider the difficulties of being Muslim in current day Europe, especially with the growing popularity of the xenophobic right wing. Lastly, we will consider what it means, in the European mind, to be “French”, “British”, and “German,” and explore the critical role that race has played since the end of imperialism in the 20th century.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 334 The Soviet Union and After (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course introduces the main currents of Soviet and Russian history, from the fall of the Russian Empire and Bolshevik Revolution to the present. Treats social and cultural factors and their interrelation with politics, Stalinism, World War II, growth and expansion of the Soviet bloc, and the post-Stalin era. It also discusses the breakup of the Soviet Union and the development of Russia, Ukraine, and other successor states.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 340 Colonial America (1400-1750) (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course analyzes the processes by which European states discovered, explored and colonized the Western Hemisphere. The political, economic and cultural expansion of Europe, the development of intercolonial rivalries and a comparison of imperial systems are some areas of inquiry.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 342 The Revolutionary Generation in the United States (1750-1815) (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course studies intensively the causes, course and result of the War for Independence. It also examines the formation of the national state.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 343 Modern United States History (1920-present) (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course provides an overview of U.S. history from the aftermath of World War I to the present. As we move through the past century, we will address some of the most dramatic developments in American history: massive internal migrations; the Great Depression; World War II; the Cold War and McCarthyism; a range of movements for civil, environmental, labor, and social rights; the Vietnam War and several other global military interventions; deindustrialization; revolutions in sex, identity, and gender; the rise of conservatism; surging economic and social inequality; the War on Terror; and the uneven emergence of postindustrial society. Individually, these are fascinating stories. Taken together, they help us make sense of how the U.S. transformed itself into the nation we know today.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 344 Constitutional History of the United States (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course focuses on America at the time of the break with England. It looks at constitutional documents their sources and their inclusions. It also includes the development of constitutional aspects of order in the United States as the country grew from an agrarian and simple commercial republic to an urban and industrialized world power, and from a homogeneous to a widely diversified people.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 346 Economic History of the United States (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course provides an overview of American economic development from the colonial period through the 20th century. It considers political and social issues (e.g., slavery and race) in the creation of the American nation and examines the shift from an agricultural to an industrial environment. In that context, it pays special attention to the emergence of rationalized corporate structures and the political/regulatory responses to these changes.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 347 Work and the American Worker (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course looks at the history of work and the American worker from, roughly, the late 19th century to the present. It considers such issues as shifting styles of work, i.e., the evolution and meaning of the assembly line, scientific management, and the re-engineered workplace of today. It also examines the changing nature of working-class life and community among native-born and immigrant workers, women, and racial minorities. It explores the evolution of organized labor movements in the U.S. and their relationships to government and politics. This leads us into discussion of the role of law and government in workers' lives through the state response to strikes, government support or opposition to unionization, and anticommunism.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 348 History of American Technology (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course examines the relationship of the American people to their tools and machines, broadly understood, from colonial times to the present. It considers factors that encourage and discourage innovation. It pays particular attention to shifts in the organization of production, the military's connection to technological change, and the increasing importance of science-based technology in American society.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 349 History of Modern U.S. Foreign Policy, 1945-Present (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
Examining the drama of the Cold War, the policies that defined it, and the resulting search for a post-Cold War approach to world relations, This course analyzes the twists and turns of recent U.S. foreign affairs. Meant to hone one's powers of analysis, the course is especially valuable to students with interests in international business and the general "global mission" of Bentley University.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 350 Serfs, Slaves and Sojourners: The Minority Experience in the United States (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course examines the historical experiences of minorities in the United States. It looks specifically at Mexican-American, Afro-American, Native American and Asian American peoples. It discusses their experiences in the development of the United States and their contributions to contemporary American society and culture. The course focuses on major figures, events, presidential actions and legislative fiats that have impacted the American experiences of these minority groups. The diverse nature of contemporary American society will be examined and discussed.
Typically Offered: Spring
HI 351 The American Religious Experience (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Value, Ethics, and Society
This course explores the role of religion in American life from the colonial settlements of the early 17th century to the present.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 353 History of Capitalism in Modern America (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course examines the history of capitalism in the United States since the 1890s. It considers the emergence of mass production and consumption, changes in the organization of business, evolutions in the role of government, the impact of depression and war on the economy, globalization and international trade, and gender, class, and race as they relate to the wider economy. This class will get you thinking about work, leisure, consumption, politics, finance, advertising, money, and popular culture. Capitalism in the United States, we’ll discover, has shaped and was in turn shaped by all these other domains of American life.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 354 The New Nation (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course focuses on the monumental changes that took place in the first half of the 19th century, as well as the Civil War that tore the nation apart. Topics such as the emergence of democratic politics, Western expansionism, Indian removal, the rise of industrial capitalism, slavery, the birth of the women's rights movement, and Abraham Lincoln's political career will all be studied intensively. Students should come away from the course with a sophisticated understanding of how the social, political and economic institutions that define our own world began and developed over time.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 355 American Environmental History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
This course introduces students to the major events, issues and ideas in American environmental history. It enables them to analyze the role played by the environment through American history. It also encourages students to confront changing definitions of wilderness and nature and enable them to appreciate the role that ideologies play in shaping Americans' relationship with their environment.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 356 The United States: From Nation to Empire (1865-1920) (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course focuses on the history of the United States in the "Gilded Age" and "Progressive Era" periods. It begins with an overview of Reconstruction in the South and ends with and account of World War I. Along the way, topics for discussion include immigration, urbanization, business, art, religion, literature, technology, organized labor, machine politics, women's suffrage, the Populist movement, the status of African-Americans, the displacement of Native Americans in the West, range wars in the West, and the Spanish-American War.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 357 America and Its Arts (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
An introduction to the arts of America (painting, sculpture, decorative arts, architecture, photography, prints and print advertising) as they relate to the unfolding of American history from the time of the American Revolution to the present.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 358 U.S. Women's History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course will examine U.S. women's history from the colonial era to the present. Course material will offer a broad perspective on women's lives, especially their work lives and economic contributions, as they have changed over time.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 359 Immigration in U.S. History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course provides an overview of the history of immigration to the United States. Because America is a nation of immigrants, immigration and immigrants have constantly challenged and transformed the nation. The course will examine the shifting causes and patterns of immigration, similarities and differences among the experiences of immigrant groups in the United States, the growth of nativism, the development of legal restrictions, and the effects of immigration on the economic, social, cultural and political life of the nation over time. Finally, because immigrants are also individuals, students will read several biographical accounts.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 360 American Urban History (3 credits)
Context and Perspective: Institution and Power
By 1920, the number of Americans living in metropolitan areas surpassed the number in rural areas for the first time. In the century that followed, the metropolitan experience influenced every facet of life in the U.S. And each transformation in politics, culture, labor, and economy in turn remade America’s cities and suburbs. This class will follow the movement of people, capital, and ideas across the metropolitan landscape during the twentieth century: from the influx of immigrants and African-Americans to northern cities, to the flight of predominantly-white residents to the suburbs, to the exodus to the Sunbelt, to the return of middle-class knowledge workers and immigrants to downtowns over the past four decades. And we will learn how various actors and institutions—from the federal government, real estate developers, to individual homeowners—shaped the fate of the places we live.
Typically Offered: Fall
HI 362 Ten Ideas That Shook the World (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Value, Ethics, and Society
Ideas have power in the world. This course explores the influence of ideas on events of the 20th and 21st centuries. Focusing primarily on European ideas and thinkers, such as Darwin, Marx and Freud, nationalism, socialism, evolution, it makes connections between political and social movements and the ideas that inspired or justified them. The ideas may be old, but their effects continue.
Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
HI 367 History and Culture of North Korea (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
In this seminar-style course, students will learn how to conduct research, evaluate sources and compile information on selected topics about North Korea, before writing up original research reports. Collectively, we aim to produce a “Bentley Guide to North Korea”, to be disseminated as an end-of-term binder for each student, and potentially also published on the internet.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 370 History of American Sports (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Sports occupy a central place in American life. But that was not always the case. Through the careful reading of old and new books, articles, and visual texts, this course will trace sports-related changes in the U.S. from the mid-19th century onward, addressing a series of socially and culturally revealing questions about how the U.S. developed its obsession with sports, and what it all means.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 371 Baseball as American History (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This reading-intensive class will use professional baseball as a lens to explore American history from the mid-19th century to the present.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 372 History of Boston (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
This course will focus on the history of Boston, one of Americas oldest and most influential cities (as well as the birthplace of Bentley). The course will chart the transformation of Boston from a small Native American settlement into a major metropolis, and it will introduce students to the people, ideas, inventions and events that shaped the city.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 373 History on the Road: Exploring Massachusetts in Five Field Trips (3 credits)
Saturdays course: first orientation session on campus, followed by five full-day field excursions. A course fee applies.
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Bentley University is located in a small New England region that has exerted a disproportional influence upon the history and development of the United States. Following the first English settlement upon Massachusetts shores in 1620, important events in early American history occurred at places located just a few short miles from this campus. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, talented and energetic individuals established and developed political, social, economic, cultural and scientific innovations here that shaped a new nation. This field-based course will transport you to five of those places: Concord, Salem, Waltham, Cambridge and Plymouth. Upon arrival, local academics, experts and guides will impart their knowledge of places they know and love. There is an extra course fee to cover the costs of transportation and museum admission fees.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 374 Topics in the History of Medicine (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
In this course, we examine themes of current interest in the history of medicine through historical lenses. Topics to be covered may vary, and currently include 1. Disease and imperialism, 2. The management of epidemics, 3. The epidemiological transition, and 4. Personal health management.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 381 The Civil War (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Race, Gender, and Inequality
The Civil War was arguably the most cataclysmic event in American history. This course explores reasons for the war, the war itself, and the consequences of the war.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 382 World War I (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course traces the origins, progress and consequences of World War I. Consideration is given to politics, diplomacy and military developments. Original films of the fighting are included, as well as slides of the battlefields and monuments as they now appear. Major consideration is given to the literature inspired by the war.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 383 World War II (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course deals with the rise of fascism and international tensions that led to World War II, the conflict itself in its many campaigns, and the results of the war on our present environment. Particular attention is devoted to the role of the leading military, political and diplomatic personalities of the period and their impact on the main events. Full use is made of film, and guest lecturers who experienced the war in various capacities visit the class.
Typically Offered: Fall and Spring
HI 384 Nazi Germany (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Culture, Change, and Behavior
Nazi Germany was one of 20th century’s most horrific genocidal regimes. How did this regime come to power and topple Germany’s liberal democratic government? This class begins with the final years of the Austro-Hungarian empire as they shaped Adolf Hitler’s personal and political thinking. It examines the impact of World War I on Germany, the history of anti-Semitism in Europe, the Nazi occupation of Europe, its racial policies, economy, culture, and the Holocaust. We will also discussNazi Germany as a case study of fascism, and will debate fascism and neo-fascism conceptually and historically.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 385 The Vietnam War (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Institutions and Power
This course examines the origins, events and consequences of the wars in Vietnam from 1945 to 1979. Special emphasis will be given to the causes of American involvement and the reasons for the failures of U.S. policy. The events of the wars are placed in different contexts demonstrating how ideological, diplomatic, social, cultural and economic considerations influenced the conduct, duration and end of the war. Topics include: French colonialism and in Vietnam, the outbreak of the Cold War and America's road to Indochina, how the war was fought, the battlefield experience of American troops, the media and the war, the American anti-war movement, the impact of war on Vietnamese society, Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese nationalism, the roles of the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia, the Sino-Vietnamese war, cinematic representations of the American War, and the Vietnam War's legacies in Southeast Asia and in the U.S.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 387 Origins of American Internationalism (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
This course explores why and how the United States emerged as global leader after 1945 by analyzing the origins of American internationalism. The course examines the crises and catastrophes from 1914 to 1945 that convinced Americans that their nation had no choice but to assume world leadership after World War II. American internationalism took concrete form in a host of new institutions launched from Washington: the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, United Nations, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council, Marshall Plan, Organization of American States, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Those institutions systematically reversed U.S. foreign policies of the interwar period and committed the U.S. to an economic, military, and political system that is under attack today.
Typically Offered: Once a year
HI 388 Europe Reborn: From Cold War to the War in Ukraine (3 credits)
Context and Perspectives: Globalization
Russia's recent invasion of the Ukraine is in part the result of years of NATO expansion and the contentious relations that ensued between the EU, NATO, and Russia after the Cold War. This course covers German reunification, the formation of the EU, the enlargement of NATO, and post-Cold War Eastern Europe, fundamental to understanding our world today.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 391 Selected Topics in American History (3 credits)
Explores a specific topic, location, period or theme in American history, such as cultural/social, political, economic and intellectual history.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 392 Selected Topics in European History (3 credits)
Explores a specific topic, location, period or theme in European History, such as cultural/social, political, economic and intellectual history.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 393 Selected Topics in Asian History (3 credits)
Explores a specific topic, location, period or theme in Asian history, such as cultural/social, political, economic and intellectual history.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 394 Selected Topics in Latin American/Caribbean History (3 credits)
This course explores a specific topic, location, period or theme in Latin American/Caribbean history, including cultural/social, political, economic and intellectual history.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 395 Selected Topics in World History (3 credits)
This course explores a specific topic, location, period or theme in world history.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 397 Experimental course in HI (3 credits)
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 398 Experimental Course in HI (3 credits)
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 399 Experimental Course in History (3 credits)
Experimental courses explore curriculum development, with specific content intended for evolution into a permanent course. A topic may be offered twice before it becomes a permanent course. Students may repeat experimental courses with a different topic for credit.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 401 Directed Study in History (3 credits)
This course presents opportunity for superior students to engage in specialized study. (Allows repetition for credit.)
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 402 Seminar in History (3 credits)
This course gives opportunity to small groups for study of selected topics. (Allows repetition for credit.)
Typically Offered: Every two or more years
HI 421 Internship in History (3 credits)
An internship provides students with an opportunity to gain on-the-job experience and apply principles and issues raised in the academic discipline to a work environment. Students are required to attend pre-internship workshops sponsored by the Center for Career Services, meet regularly with a faculty advisor, and develop a final paper or special project.
Typically Offered: Every two or more years