100 Level Courses

HIS 103Y1-Y Statecraft and Strategy:  An Introduction to the History of International Relations

This course seeks to promote an understanding of the historical development of organized international relations during the period 1648 to 1945.  It will highlight the varying roles of war in the international system: as an instrument of national policy; as an agent of change within the system; and as a threat to the survival of international society.  Appropriate attention will be paid to the contributions made by individuals, ideas and institutions to the evolution of international order, through such ordeals by fire as the Wars of Louis XIV, the Napoleonic Wars, the Wars of National Unification of the 19th Century and the 1st and 2nd World Wars of the 20th Century.

Textbook(s):  F. Bridge and R. Bullen, The Great Powers and the European States System
Lynn, John A., The Wars of Louis XIV, 1667-1714
McKay, Derek and Scott, H.M., The Rise of the Grat Powers, 1648-1815
Parker, R.A.C., The Second World War

Tentative Course Requirements:  2 essays (25% each); participation (15%); final exam (35%)

Exclusion:  All other 100-level HIS courses

Instructor:  V. Dimitriadis
Lecture:  MW 6-8
Tutorials:  TBA
Pre-Modern:  ½ credit

Back to Top

200 Level Courses

HIS 241H1-S Europe in the Nineteenth Century, 1815-1914

This course gives an introduction to major themes in European history over the ‘long’ nineteenth century.  The geographical focus will be on the countries of Western Continental Europe, especially France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, though at times developments in Great Britain and Russia will be discussed; the themes covered will be quite wide ranging. Political developments to be covered include the establishment of Restoration Europe, the revolutions of 1848, the unifications of Italy and Germany, imperialism and the coming of the First World War.  We will also discuss industrialization and its manifold effects, a variety of intellectual and social movements, and changes in cultural life over the course of the century.  The course explores the history of everyday life as well as the history of high politics and culture, and emphasizes the importance of multiple approaches to historical problems.  Attendance at lectures, tutorial participation, reading, research, and writing are all essential components of this course.  In the tutorials, students will discuss a variety of primary sources, including novels, essays, and public speeches.  Students will also work closely with tutors on the preparation of essays.

Textbook(s):  John Merriman, History of Modern Europe, Vol. 2.
Marvin Perry, Sources of the Western Tradition, vol. 2 (7th ed.)

Recommended Preparation:  HIS 103Y1/109Y1

Instructor:  V. Dimitriadis
Lecture:  TR 5-7
Tutorials:  TBA
Division:  III

Back to Top

HIS 243H1-F Early Modern Europe, 1450- 1648

The shape of modern European society is set in the early modern period.  Expansion overseas sets some European nations on a path of imperial and colonial development, which shapes international relations into the twentieth century.  The revival of classical forms revolutionizes art and architecture, and provides new models for education, politics, law, science, and gender relations.  The split of Christendom into Protestant and Catholic churches inspires intellectual and artistic creativity and sparks violent wars that still resonate today.  Modern states and our continuing fascination with determining ‘national identity’ take shape out of the competition between dynasties, social classes, faiths and territories.  A drive for order and obedience makes Europeans more concerned with identifying and policing the poor, women, children, and even themselves.

Instructor:  F. Timbers
Lecture:  TR 1-3
Division:  III
Tutorials: TBA
Pre-Modern:  ½ credit

Back to Top

HIS 263Y1-Y Introduction to Canadian History

This course surveys salient political, cultural, and economic developments in Canadian history from the era that preceded European colonization through at least the late twentieth century. A multiplicity of themes will be covered, with particular emphasis on: native-newcomer interactions; human manipulation of the natural northern North American environment; French-English relations; violent conflict involving Canadians both at home and abroad; and, not least, major constitutional issues and the evolving role of the state.

Over the span of the course significant events, institutions, and individuals will be introduced and critically examined, while regional and ethnic diversities will be highlighted. Also, wherever possible Canadian history will be integrated into a wider spatial and conceptual context that takes into account the profound importance of such trans-national phenomena as imperialism and fluctuating migratory patterns. The result will be a heightened understanding of the complexity and dynamism of this country’s past.

Textbook(s):  R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith, Journeys: A History of Canada (Toronto: Nelson, 2006); Francis and Smith, Readings in Canadian History: Pre-Confederation, Seventh Edition (Toronto: Nelson, 2007); —, Readings in Canadian History: Post-Confederation, Seventh Edition (Toronto: Nelson, 2006).

Tentative Course Requirements:  15% Historiographic Essay; 15% Term Test; 15% Tutorial Participation; 25% Research Essay; 30% Final Examination

EXCLUSION:  HIS 262Y1

Instructors:  D. McKim
Lecture:  MW 6-8
Tutorials:  TBA
Division:  II

Back to Top

HIS 296Y1-Y Black Freedom

This course sets out to explore the profound contribution of people of African descent-from Olaudah Equaino to Angela Davis-to the history of the idea and practice of freedom in the Atlantic world.  Africans and people of African descent repeatedly created freedom; they did not earn it and it was not given to them.  Moreover, these struggles have not only benefited black people, they have significantly affected the Western notion of what freedom means, extending those meanings to encompass many new freedoms for many other people.  Black writers and historical actors have been at the vanguard of re-conceiving, implementing, and realizing the Enlightenment project of freedom that began in the eighteenth century, when freedom could not be defined without reference to slavery. The course is interdisciplinary, combining history, political philosophy and literary studies and examines a transnational phenomenon that crosses geographical as well as disciplinary boundaries.

EXCLUSION:  NEW 296Y1

Instructor:  S. Hawkins
Lecture:  TR 2-4
Tutorials:  TBA
Division:  I
Pre-Modern:  ½ credit

Back to Top

300 Level Courses

300-level HIS courses are more specialized and intensive. They deal with more closely defined periods or themes. They vary in format, with some being based around lectures, and others involving tutorial or discussion groups. Most 300-level courses have prerequisites, which are strictly enforced. First year students are not permitted to enrol in 300 or 400-level HIS courses. Although some upper level courses do not have specific prerequisites, courses at the 300- and 400-level are demanding and require a good comprehension of history.

HIS 302H1-S Victorian Material Culture

This course examines physical things produced and promoted during the first and second industrial revolutions.  It focuses on the twin processes of commercialisation and consumerism.  Topics include food, drink, soap, baths, parks, libraries, department stores, advertisements, housing, appliances and clothing.

Recommended Preparation:  HIS 349H1

EXCLUSION:  HIS 302H1

Instructor:  L. Loeb
Lecture:  MW 2-4
Division:  III

Back to Top

HIS 311Y1-Y Introduction to Canadian International Relations

This course will focus on a broad introduction to Canadian international relations from its beginnings to the present day. Topics to be covered include: the French and English presence in North America to 1759; the British presence in Canada; the search for responsible government; the changing nature of the Canadian-American relationship; the evolution of Canadian foreign policy and the establishment of the foreign policy bureaucracy (the Department of External Affairs); the First and Second World Wars; the period of appeasement; the Cold War; as well as the changing nature of Canada’s global role following the end of the Cold War. Issues such as the role of domestic opinion and the impact of international events on Canadian policy will also be considered.

Textbook(s):  Hillmer and Granatstein, Empire to Umpire: Canada and the World. Second Edition; Course Reader

Tentative Course Requirements:  First-Term paper (10%); Mid-Term (10%); Tutorial (20%); Second-Term Paper (30%); Exam (30%)

Instructor:  H. Metcalfe
Lecture:  TR 3-5
Tutorials:  TBA
Division:  II/III

Back to Top

HIS 343Y1-Y History of Modern Espionage

“Intelligence” is a subject shrouded in myths, and our understanding of the roles and capabilities of intelligence agencies is often equally cloaked in mystery. This course seeks to examine the historical rise to power of intelligence agencies in the twentieth century, and to understand the role of intelligence in war and international relations.  The evolution of spying is set in the context of major international developments from the 19^th century contest between Great Britain and Russia known as the “Great Game”, to the role of intelligence in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Particular attention will be given to the history of the spy services of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia, as well as to recent important developments in intelligence and international relations.

Textbook(s):  Will include a reader with selected articles and chapters, and a required text.  A detailed bibliography will be provided for students.

Tentative course requirements:  two written assignments, a midterm and a final exam.

Recommended Preparation:  HIS103Y1 or an equivalent introduction to modern international relations

Instructor:  G. Hamm
Lecture:  TR 10-12
Division:  III

Back to Top

HIS 349H1-S The British Search for Identity

This is an introductory course in the history of Britain from 1800 to the present day.  The course will pay special attention to the changing role of monarchy.  We will consider how the monarchy has defined its role in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, how it has weathered scandals and republican movements, and how its relationship with the media has evolved.  Other themes will include race, ethnicity, gender and the welfare state.  The intent is to put contemporary issues relating to the decline of Britain into historical perspective.

Textbook(s):  Document Book

Tentative Course Requirements:  book review (10%); one research essay (40%); tutorial participation (15%); final exam (35%).

EXCLUSION:  HIS 239H1

Instructor:  L. Loeb
Lecture:  MW 10-12
Tutorials:  TBA (bi-weekly)
Division:  III

Back to Top

HIS 372H1-F The Olympics

The modern Olympic Movement initiated by Pierre de Coubertin has outlasted all rivals (notably the Women’s and Workers’ Olympiads, and the Games of the Emerging Forces) and won the allegiance of virtually the entire world. It now enjoys enormous influence over the de­vel­op­ment of sports and other forms of physical activity and incorporates the Paralympic Games. But it continues to face new challenges--from the race for biomedical and technological advantage, the clash of rights and cultures, the widening disparity between rich and developing societies, the lure of the new ‘extreme’ sports, and most recently, the world-wide economic crisis. This course examines the aspirations, achievements, problems and prospects of the modern Olympic Movement and its implications for physical activity and health with specific reference to the Beijing and Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Toronto’s bid for the 2015 Pan American Games. As part of the course, students will attend an international conference to evaluate the implementation of the International Olympic Committee’s 1999 reforms.

PREREQUISITE: one HIS or POL course

EXCLUSION: PHE 302H1

Instructor: B. Kidd
Lecture: MWF 9-12 (Dates: May 11 - June 19)
Division: I/II/III

Back to Top

HIS 378H1-F America in the 1960s

Examines political, social, economic, and cultural histories of 1960s America in a manner that complicates popular portraits of the decade. Lectures will introduce key themes and events long chosen by historians of the period as critical sites of study, from the New Left to the sexual ‘revolution’. Readings, drawn heavily from other academic disciplines, provide new perspectives on where and how the 1960s happened. Particular attention will be paid to situating the decade within larger, transnational histories of race, sex, population politics, militarism, urbanism, and worldwide decolonization.

PREREQUISITE:  HIS 271Y1

Instructor:  B. Beaton
Lecture:  TR 6-8
Division:  II

Back to Top

HIS 385H1-S History of Hong Kong

This course examines the growth of Hong Kong from a trading port set up by the British Empire for their China trade in the mid-19th century, to the city’s rise as a major centre of the world economy and of the Chinese diaspora since the mid-20th century.  It focuses on both Hong Kong’s internal developments and broader contexts.

Recommended Preparation:  HIS 280Y1/232Y1/JMC 201Y1

EXCLUSION:  HIS 385H1

Instructor:  C. Lim
Lecture:  TR 12-2
Division:  I

Back to Top

HIS 389H1-F L5101 Topics in History: Sport and Globalization

This course will examine the role of globalization as it intersects with sport. Of particular importance will be the relationship between sport and international politics, as this course begins with the premise that what affected international politics carried over to the playing fields. Case studies will include the creation of the modern Olympic games, athletic-related consumer cultures, the social and civic impact of hosting large-scale sporting events, and the role of the media in spreading cultural ideas of sport.

Recommended Preparation: any twentieth-century history course.

Instructor:  H. Dichter
Lecture:  MW 5-7
Division:  I/II/III

Back to Top

HIS 389H1-S L5101 Topics in History: The Margins of Medieval Society

Less known then kings, knights and popes, those kept at the margins of medieval Europe can tell us much about the society that defined them.  This lecture course proposes to look at how medieval people conceptualized, identified and treated minorities and marginal groups and how these groups saw their own place within their world. The course will be divided in five units, each focusing on a specific marginal category: religious (Jews, Muslims, heretics and converts), social and economic (poor, slaves), disease and health (lepers), legal (criminals), and gender and sexuality (prostitutes, homosexuals, and the transgendered).  Each unit will include discussions of how each group was depicted in art and popular culture, how they were defined, and their place within the structure of society as well as points of contact and conflict.  Special attention will be paid to whether attitude towards minorities varied according to time (1000-1500) and space (northern and southern Europe, urban and rural areas).  Students will have opportunity to engage with a variety of primary and secondary sources as written assignments will allow students to both analyze primary sources and to examine the arguments made by historians.

Textbook(s):  R.I. Moore’s The Formation of a Persecuting Society, as well as course pack of primary and secondary texts.

Tentative Course Requirements:  short essay (20%), participation (20%), final essay (30%) and final exam (30%)

Instructor:  A. Guerson
Lecture:  TR 5-7
Division:  III

Back to Top

400 Level Courses

HIS 475H1-F Race, Segregation, and Protest: South Africa and the U.S.

This course explores the origins, consolidation, and unmaking of segregationist social orders in South Africa and the American South.  It examines the origins of racial inequality, the structural and socio-political roots of segregation, and the twin strategies of accommodation and resistance employed by black South Africans and African Americans.

Recommended Preparation:  HIS 271Y1/295Y1

Instructor:  J. Soske
Lecture:  MW 6-8
Division:  I/II

Back to Top

HIS 498H1-F/S/499Y Independent Studies

Independent studies courses are for students who wish to pursue a detailed research project under individual supervision. This requires the preparation of an extensive research paper ten to twenty thousand words in length. Where research proposals can be undertaken within the scope of an existing HIS seminar, students will not normally be allowed to enrol in independent studies. Independent study courses are open to senior undergraduate students who are currently enrolled in a History Major or Specialist Program and have a B+ average in a minimum of four History courses. The course designations are: HIS 498H1-F or S, and HIS 499Y1-Y. It is not practical to offer independent studies as a full-credit taken in one term (i.e. HIS 499Y1-F or S). Students are allowed only ONE independent studies course in History.

• Student must ballot for Independent Studies, including the proposal for the paper and the Supervisor's signature.
• Ballot forms are available online and in the Department of History (Sidney Smith Hall, Room 2074).
• Once the ballot has been approved, the Undergraduate Secretary will enrol the student directly into the course.

Back to Top