HIST 549 - Colloquium In European History

Credits: 4

Seminar investigating what is at stake in globalizing European history through contemporary debates about major themes in the European past. Looks at how historians construct their arguments: the presuppositions; the hypotheses; the source base and nature of evidence. Why is it important to connect European history to wider international context and trends? How do these interconnections challenge time-honored interpretations of the field? What methods encourage comparative inquiry? To what extent do European historians draw on theories, methods and modes of analyses that originate outside of Europe? How broad are the cross-cultural dialogues? Where possible, students focus on debates among historians (for example, David Landes vs. Kenneth Pomeranz); they also look at the views of historians working outside of Europe. Themes include, but are not limited to, geography, maps and space; urbanization and labor migration; economic development; globalizing European women’s history; at the heart of empire; the origins of human rights; museums and cultural property. As a hands-on course on ‘doing’ history, the seminar is open to all graduate students in all fields, as well as those outside the department interested in historical methods. It also is appropriate for future secondary education teachers.