History (HIST)

HIST 1000  Making History    
3 credit hours  
Through examining a small number of historical events in depth, students will be introduced to the techniques required to practice history. They will have the opportunity to ‘make history’ by applying their skills in research, analytical thinking and writing to produce their own interpretations of select events.
HIST 1203  The Twentieth Century in Europe    
6 credit hours  
Students examine the major themes of the history of the twentieth century as they played out in Europe. Emphasis will be placed on the First and Second World Wars, the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, the Cold War, Decolonization, and the effects of these events on the lives of ordinary people.
HIST 1215  Ireland: An Introduction  IRST 1215  
3 credit hours  
The course is a general introduction to Ireland through a survey of the island’s history. Although it is situated on the fringes of Europe, Ireland was influenced by developments on the continent from the earliest times. In addition, the later experience of overseas migration connected Ireland to developments across the Atlantic and beyond. This course will pay particular attention to how Ireland’s history reflects these broader European and transatlantic connections.
HIST 1222  Introduction to East Asian History    
3 credit hours  
This introductory course explores historical change and social transformation in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from antiquity to the present. Emphasizing especially the Chinese and Japanese experiences, the class will examine some of the more salient social, intellectual, political, and economic features apparent in the heritage of these societies as well as some of the ways each society has influenced the others.
HIST 1252  Canada to Confederation    
3 credit hours  
This course will examine early Canadian history from the time of the first native-European contact up to Confederation. Emphasis will be placed on the development of New France/Lower Canada, Upper Canada, and the West. Political, social, and economic themes will be considered.
HIST 1253  Canada: Confederation to the Present    
3 credit hours  
This course will examine the shape of political culture in modern Canada; the debate between the advocates of the nation state and of federalism; and the impact of industrialization, regionalism, war, and depression on that debate.
HIST 1255  The US since 1865    
3 credit hours  
Students examine the history of the United States from the end of the Civil War to our present moment. Students study the major developments of the period through an array of perspectives as diverse as America itself, paying particular attention to themes of inequality, power, identity, and foreign relations.
HIST 1260  History of the Americas    
3 credit hours  
This is an introductory survey of the history of the Americas, focusing on the era of European colonization and subsequent independence movements. This course is designed to help students understand the different historical experiences of the societies of this region and the ramifications of these differences for the present time.
HIST 1301  Introduction to the History of Science and Technology    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the complex relationships between science, technology, and human societies in the Western world and are provided instruction in academic reading, research, and writing. Topics covered include the development and expansion of scientific inquiry and methodology, technological innovations, major developments and the cultural significance of science and technology.

HIST 1800 – 1825 Special Topics in History
6 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

HIST 1826 – 1849 Special Topics in History
3 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year. 

HIST 2200  History of Media and Communications in Europe    
3 credit hours  
In this course on the long history of communications and the media, students will cover topics such as the making of medieval manuscripts, the printing revolution, censorship, the rise of the newspaper, the creation of public libraries, the inventions of photography, the telegraph, telephone and television, and the shift to digital formats, the world wide web, internet and social media.
HIST 2201  Environmental History of Europe, 1300 - 1900    
3 credit hours  
From farming practices in the medieval period to the smog and blackened landscapes of the industrial nineteenth century, Europeans have had an impact on their environment. Students explore the changes and how European encounters with the new world brought disease, and an exchange of foods, animals and plants between the continents. This course provides a long-term perspective on changes in climate, water and land use, breeding as well as species extinction, and the foods available in Europe and its North American colonies from 1300-1900.
HIST 2202  Environmental History of North America    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the environmental history of North America by examining the historical relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world in a transnational setting. Students consider various meanings and perceptions of nature over time, assess human use of nature, conflicts around resource use and sustainability, and public engagement.
HIST 2203  History of Childhood 1400-1900    
3 credit hours  
Students consider the child in Europe from infancy to adolescence through swaddling, disease, play and toys, the life of girls and boys, child labour, schooling, foundlings and orphans to the development of children’s rights. Students analyze evidence such as letters, diaries, novels, paintings, court records, furniture and clothing.
HIST 2205  Introduction to Art History    
3 credit hours  
Students examine major artistic movements, from the Classical period to Modern Period, while paying attention to global influences on Western Art. A range of art objects are investigated in order to develop skills in visual literacy and to understand how museums, galleries and institutions shape the ways we ‘see’ art.
HIST 2250  Soccer: A History of Brazil    
3 credit hours  
Students will trace the historical forces behind the evolution of soccer in Brazil – from an elite sport to a national passion with unifying powers. Topics include: the transition to a slave free society, immigration, the development of a national identity, urbanization, the military dictatorship, as well as gender divisions and the role of the media and economics behind the popularity of the sport.
HIST 2251  Pop Culture in Latin America    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the development of popular culture in Latin America to discover how diversity, social and political struggles influenced the diverse cultural aspects of the region. Music will be a major focus (samba, salsa, tango among others), but emphasis will be also given to visual arts, film and TV.
HIST 2303  Tudor and Stuart Britain    
6 credit hours  
This lecture and seminar course provides a broad survey of the social, economic, cultural and political histories of Britain between 1485 and 1714, with a focus on original sources and images and how historians interpret them. It will examine how this small island nation on the fringes of Europe began its transformation into a dominant world power, while experiencing religious reformation, invasion threats, civil war, republican experiment, and the execution of one king and the forced exile of another. It will also examine some of the remarkable personalities of the age, from Mary Tudor and Queen Elizabeth to Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and Isaac Newton.
HIST 2310  Rethinking Rural Nova Scotia  ACST 2310, ENGL 2310  
3 credit hours  
Students assess the significance of Nova Scotia’s rural landscapes by developing an understanding of their complex representations and histories. By using materials and approaches from both history and literature, students explore the value of interdisciplinary research for generating new thinking about how the past can inform the future.
HIST 2311  Inheriting Atlantic Canada: The Cultural Past  ACST 2311  
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: A minimum of twenty-four (24) university credit hours
Ideas, attitudes, and assumptions about Atlantic Canada have been influenced by social, cultural, political, religious, and ethnic traditions inherited from the past. The curriculum of this course covers a wide range of topics from gender, refinement, material culture, dress, food, and conspicuous consumption, to political choices and ethnic biases. Lectures, readings, class discussions, and mixed media demonstrate how historical events and previous ways of behaving and thinking continue to influence social and cultural customs and decision-making.
HIST 2317  Africa in the 20th Century: Colonialism and Independence    
3 credit hours  
An examination of the activities of the colonial powers in governing the territories and peoples which they acquired in the ‘Scramble’. The course will also study the reactions of Africans to colonialism and the factors which led to independence.
HIST 2334  Hamilton: History & Musical    
3 credit hours  
Students use Lin Manuel-Miranda’s "Hamilton: An American Musical" to study the history of the American Founding Era and its representation in popular culture. Students read and discuss the leading scholarship on Hamilton, as well as a selection of primary sources.
HIST 2336  Making Britain 1688 - 1870    
3 credit hours  
The period examined in this course is not only associated with the creation of the British state, but also its rise, by the middle of the 19th century, to the leading world power. Yet recent literature has demonstrated that this development was accompanied by profound social and economic transformations that were highly contested. In order to appreciate the nature of these struggles, this course will cover such diverse topics as the impact of overseas expansion, warfare, agricultural and industrial change, migration, political radicalism, and 19th-century Victorian morality.
HIST 2341  Atlantic Provinces History, to Confederation  ACST 2341  
3 credit hours  
Commencing with the earliest Native-European contact in the Atlantic Provinces, students in this course will examine the interactions among the peoples who inhabited the region up until the mid-nineteenth century. Major events, such as wars, treaties, and Confederation will also be considered.
HIST 2342  Atlantic Provinces History, from Confederation  ACST 2342  
3 credit hours  
Beginning with the post-Confederation era, and then moving into the phases of industrialization and deindustrialization, students will study social, economic, and political developments in the region up to the end of the twentieth century and beyond. Major events such as the two World Wars will also be considered.
HIST 2346  Black Heritage in Maritime Canada    
3 credit hours  
This course will provide an historical survey of the Black population in Maritime Canada, its origins, socio-economic conditions, and evolution to the present.
HIST 2397  The Lingering Death of Imperial Britain, 1870-Present    
3 credit hours  
Since the late nineteenth century, many Britons have been preoccupied with notions of imperial, economic, and social decline. Students test the validity of these perceptions by surveying important changes that have affected British society from the height of British imperial power to the present.
HIST 2401  Canadian Political History    
3 credit hours  
This course is an analysis of the development of Canadian politics and public policy from confederation to the Chretien years. While the main focus is federal politics, developments at the provincial level will be analyzed through a number of case studies. Public policy initiatives including social welfare programs, bilingualism and multiculturalism will also be analyzed.
HIST 2402  History of Cuba    
3 credit hours  
Students will gain a multifaceted and nuanced view of Cuba's complex past, examining how this history has shaped and continues to shape the present. Themes include gender and race relations, social policies and programs, governance and politics, state-building and economic development.
HIST 2403  History of Canadian Culture(s)    
3 credit hours  
This course is an examination of Canadian culture from the late 19th century to the present. It will involve the study of novels, magazines, music, art, film radio, television. Emphasis will be placed on the government's attempts to foster a pan-Canadian culture and the challenges of doing so in a country of regions each with its own distinct cultures.
HIST 2420  The World at War 1914-1918    
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the First World War and its significance in the history of the twentieth century. Themes include the causes of the conflict, the war aims and strategies of the belligerent powers, the character of various military operations and the war’s impact on civilian populations.
HIST 2421  The World at War 1939-1945    
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the Second World War and its importance in global history. Themes include: the war’s roots in the 1920s and 1930s, the goals of Axis and Allied powers, and military operations on land, at sea, and in the air. Special attention will be paid to the war’s impact on civilians.
HIST 2440  Revolutions in Latin America    
3 credit hours  
Students examine some of the major revolutions that have taken place in 20th-Century Latin America. Students explore the background, participants, reasons and consequences of these revolutions.
HIST 2441  Race and Racism in Brazil    
3 credit hours  
Students analyse Brazil’s role in the Atlantic World from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries, focusing on socioeconomic and political issues related to Afro-Brazilian History. Topics include the colonial economy, slavery, the movement for independence and its failure to bring about change, the consequences of colonialism, as well as the impact of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration on the social conditions of Afro-Brazilians.
HIST 2451  Greek History I: From Minos to the Medes  ANCS 2451  
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the history and culture of the ancient Greeks from the Bronze Age through the Persian Wars. Students explore Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and the social, historical and cultural development of the Archaic period, including the origins of the Greeks and the evolution of the polis and early political systems. Among the topics students will examine are the evaluation of the Spartan military state, Athenian democracy, pre-Classical Greek religion, art, architecture and literature. Students read the works of various ancient authors and to consider the archaeological and epigraphical evidence for this period of Greek history.
HIST 2452  Greek History II: The Golden Age of Greece  ANCS 2452  
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the history of the Greeks from the Persian Wars through the death of Alexander the Great. Students study the historical, political and cultural developments of the Greeks in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, including the rise and fall of Athens, democracy in action and the cultural achievements of Athens in her “Golden Age” (e.g. religion, theatre, philosophy, art and architecture). Students explore the activities of other Greek states (e.g. Sparta, Boeotia, Syracuse), the roles of men and women in Greek society, the causes and aftermath of the Peloponnesian wars, the conquest of Greece by Phillip II of Macedon and of the Persian Empire by his son, Alexander. Students read various works of ancient authors and to consider archaeological and epigraphical evidence relevant to this period of Greek history.
HIST 2453  Republic and Revolution: Roman History I  ANCS 2453  
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the history of Italy and the city of Rome from the Iron Age through the end of the Roman republican system of government. Students explore the origins and evolution of the Roman Republic, including the interaction among Romans, their Italian neighbours such as the Etruscans, and the Greek and Phoenician peoples of the eastern Mediterranean. Among the topics students examine are the political and military history of the period as well as the social and cultural context that encapsulates and informs this history, and the eventual decline of the republican system amidst the political turmoil and revolution of the first century BC. Students read the works of various ancient authors and to consider archaeological and epigraphic evidence for this history of the Roman republic. Content will vary from year to year.
HIST 2454  Bloody Caesars: Roman History II  ANCS 2454  
3 credit hours  
An introduction to the history of the Roman world from the establishment of the Principate under Octavian/Augustus to the decline of the Roman empire in the western Mediterranean and Europe. This course will explore the evolution of the Principate and its eventual replacement by the Dominate, the nature of Roman imperialism, the role of the emperor as a political and religious figure, the interaction among the Romans and their neighbours in central Europe and the Near East, and the eventual political and economic disintegration of the imperial system. Students will be asked to consider such topics as different models of Roman economic, social, and political organization, the role and status of women in the Roman world, the codification of the Roman legal system, and the intellectual and religious developments that laid the foundations for subsequent historical periods in Western Europe and the Mediterranean. Students will be asked to read the works of various ancient authors and to consider archaeological and epigraphic evidence relevant to the history of the Roman imperial period. Content will vary from year to year.
HIST 2471  History of Football  ACST 2471  
3 credit hours  
Students analytically examine the evolution of sports such as soccer, rugby, Australian and North American football from the nineteenth century onwards, commencing with the earliest forms of vernacular football. Although the scope will be international, special attention will be paid to Atlantic Canada.
HIST 2472  History of Hockey  ACST 2472  
3 credit hours  
Students analytically examine the evolution of sports such as shinty, hurling, field hockey, ice hockey, and sledge hockey from the nineteenth century onwards, commencing with the earliest forms of vernacular stick sports. Although the scope will be international, special attention will be paid to Atlantic Canada.
HIST 2500  War and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean  ANCS 2500  
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to warfare as it was practiced by the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean and the degree to which military organization and the act of waging war affected other aspects of these societies, including political ideology, religious beliefs, and economic exchange systems.

HIST 2800-2825 Special Topics in History
6 credit hours
Course content varies from year to year.

HIST 2826-2849 Special Topics in History
3 credit hours
The subject matter of particular three (3) credit hour courses will be announced from time to time. They will cover aspects of history in one or more of the major geographical areas of North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The topics to be examined will be determined by the instructor.

HIST 3000  The Discipline of History    
3 credit hours  
This course addresses the nature of historical study, that is, the theories, methods, principles and problems associated with the discipline of history. It examines the following basic areas of historical inquiry: the purposes of historical study; the relevance of the past; the relationship between the past and present; the nature and validity of historical knowledge; the relationship of history to other disciplines; and the current state of historical interpretation.
HIST 3100  History of Gender, Feminism and Sexuality in Canada    
3 credit hours  
This course offers a survey of the historical experiences, status and activities of Canadian women in all their diversity from 1900 to the present. Topics will include women’s economically valuable work in the household and the paid labour force, and family life and sexuality. Special emphasis will be placed on women’s struggles for economic equality and full political and social participation in Canadian society
HIST 3110  Women in the Two World Wars    
3 credit hours  
Students examine women’s experiences during the First and Second World Wars. During both conflicts, women fought as soldiers and spies, worked in industry and support services, tended to the wounded and served as symbols of home and family. Women were also targets of unprecedented violence.
HIST 3201  The Trouble with Normal    
3 credit hours  
Students examine the history of the body, with particular attention to changing ideals of beauty, constructions of disability, the medicalization of the body, the gendered body, and other topics. The primary focus is on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as historicizing contemporary ideas of healthy bodies, disablement, and bodily practices. The focus will be primarily on North America, although comparative perspectives will be taken from time to time.
HIST 3202  History of Medicine    
3 credit hours  
Students examine the history of medicine, with an emphasis on Europe and North America . Topics considered include changing ideas of disease causation and treatment, the impact of pandemic, epidemic, and endemic disease, the role of practitioners and institutions, and concepts of public, international, and global health.
HIST 3203  History of the Body, Health and Sexualities, 1400-1900    
3 credit hours  
Students surveys the changing knowledge of human anatomy, attitudes to health care, hygiene, and clothing, understandings of conception, pregnancy and childbirth as well as the histories of sexuality and same-sex relationships in the centuries from the Renaissance to the early industrial era.
HIST 3205  A History of Women Artists  IPHH 3205, WGSS 3205  
3 credit hours  
Students explore the history of women in the arts over the past 500 years from influential figures like Fontana, Gentileschi, Ruysch, or Bonheur. Inspired by the 1971 question, "Why have there been no great women artists?", students examine how academies of art, galleries, and historians came to ignore or erase their contributions. With a focus on Europe, the course extends to women’s creative works around the globe and may include field trips to galleries and museums.
Note: Recommended but not required HIST 2205.
HIST 3300  Popular Music & Culture in Britain since 1850    
3 credit hours  
Students explore popular culture in Britain during the 19th and 20th centuries through the study of British popular music – emphasizing the youth culture that emerged after World War II. American and Imperial cultural influences are examined through groups and movements such as the Beatles, Punk, and Reggae.
HIST 3301  Crime and Punishment in England Before 1800    
3 credit hours  
This course is a survey of the history of crime and punishment in England in an age before professional police forces and standing armies. Students trace the evolution of criminal courts, the role of juries and the shift from physical punishments to imprisonment and transportation. Other topics include medieval ordeals, dueling, riots and popular protest.
HIST 3303  Law and Society in Britain 1500-1800    
3 credit hours  
The law was an essential constituent of pre-modern English society, shaping everything from inter personal relations to the nature of government. Students examine the institutions and culture of law from the end of the medieval period to the dawn of the modern age, excluding crime and criminal law. Topics include law courts and litigation, church law and the policing of morality, community justice, law and literature, defamation, censorship and state formation.
HIST 3305  Guns, Violence, and the Law    
3 credit hours  
Students survey advancements in firearm technology and the role of guns in Canadian society, including the use of firearms in hunting, militia service, sport, crime, and youth organizations. Finally, students examine the history of gun control.
HIST 3325  Shakespeare's London  ENGL 3325  
3 credit hours  
The city of London was central to William Shakespeare’s success as a poet and playright. Students examine the history of the cosmopolitan capital where he lived and worked from the 1580s to the 1610s. They explore historical themes and realities he engaged with, such as the creation of Britain and the cosmopolitan mix of nationalities in the fastest growing city in Europe, as well as subjects such as theatres and theatregoers, entertainment, education, law and litigation, the royal court and censorship.
HIST 3340  Protest in the Early U.S.    
3 credit hours  
Students push beyond elections and legislatures to explore the wide array of American political behavior enacted in the early United States (approx. 1763 to 1865). Students assess the impact of various protests on the halls of power and analyze the strategies employed by marginalized groups.
HIST 3341  The History of the American Present    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the historical roots of several major issues in current American society (past topics have included Black Lives Matter, gun violence, abortion access, voter suppression, economic inequality, and climate change). Students think historically about the present and contemplate the ways in which past developments shape our current world.
HIST 3352  Race and Racism in the United States    
3 credit hours  
The racial roots of US history are traced in order to explore the importance of struggles for racial justice as well as changes and continuities in forms of racial oppression.
HIST 3354  The Foreign Protestants and the Founding of Lunenburg  ACST 3354  
3 credit hours  
Students examine the history of the Foreign Protestants (Lunenburg Germans) in Nova Scotia from the founding of Lunenburg in 1753 to World War II. Topics include settlement history, material and cultural traditions, the persistence of their ethnic identity into the 20th century, their importance to 19th century fishing and shipbuilding, and the designation of “Old Town” Lunenburg as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
HIST 3364  Nova Scotia in the Romantic Age, 1768-1836  ACST 3364  
3 credit hours  
Students examine the Romantic Era in Nova Scotia using a methodology that is part historical, part documentary, and part conceptual. The historical focus is on Maritime explorers and scientists between 1768 and 1836. The documentary focus is on how their discoveries led to the “making” of Nova Scotia. The conceptual focus is the impact of science and exploration on Romantic Literature.
HIST 3371  The Chinese Cultural Revolution in History and Memory    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the origins, dynamics and legacies of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) which has been commonly viewed as the darkest era in the history of the People’s Republic of China.
HIST 3372  Food in Chinese History    
3 credit hours  
Students examine the centrality of food provision, production, and consumption in Chinese history. Food is used as a medium to facilitate students’ understanding of imperial and modern governance, agricultural and economic developments, ecological transformations, cultural and social relationships, and the invention of tradition in China.
HIST 3381  China before 1800 (formerly HIST 2381)    
3 credit hours  
Students in this course explore roughly four millennia of Chinese history, from the distant origins of Chinese society to its zenith during the Qing Dynasty. Divided into three eras - Ancient, Early Imperial, and Late Imperial - the class is organized around a thematic approach that considers the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual, and social change within each era. No previous study of China is required.
HIST 3382  China in Revolution:1800-1949 (formerly HIST 2382)    
3 credit hours  
Students in this course explore the collapse of imperial China and the ensuing efforts to renew Chinese society. While chronological, the course takes a thematic approach, considering the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual, and social change within the Late Imperial and Republican eras.
Note: No previous study of China is required, but HIST 1222 or HIST 3381 (formerly HIST 2381) are recommended
HIST 3383  China since 1949 (formerly HIST 2383)    
3 credit hours  
Students in this course explore Chinese history since the founding of the People’s Republic. The course is organized thematically and examines the dynamics of political, economic, intellectual, and social change so as to provide students with a more analytical understanding of contemporary China.
Note: No previous study of China is required, but HIST 1222 or HIST 3382 (formerly HIST 2382) are recommended
HIST 3384  Japan before 1800 (formerly HIST 2354)    
3 credit hours  
After a brief survey of prehistoric Japan, students in this course explore two formative eras in Japanese history: the era of courtly (or aristocratic) society and the era of the samurai (warriors). Although the course proceeds chronologically, in order to provide students with a more analytical understanding a thematic approach is employed, considering political, economic, intellectual, and social issues in each era. No previous study of Japan is required.
HIST 3385  Late Tokugawa and Imperial Japan: 1800-1945 (formerly HIST 2355)    
3 credit hours  
After a brief survey of the Tokugawa Shogunate, emphasizing those features of society most pertinent to the ensuing era, this course examines the recreation of Japanese society between the Meiji Restoration and the Pacific War. While chronological, in order to provide students with a more analytical understanding of the era the course follows a thematic approach, considering political, economic, intellectual, and social issues.
Note: Either HIST 1222 or HIST 2354 is recommended.
HIST 3386  Japan since 1945 (formerly HIST 2356)    
3 credit hours  
Students examine the history of Japanese society after the Pacific War, with occasional reference to earlier eras. Through a thematic approach, exploring political, economic, intellectual, and social issues students may gain a more analytical understanding of contemporary Japanese society.
Note: HIST 1222 or HIST 2355 are recommended
HIST 3393  History of Vietnam (formerly HIST 2393)    
3 credit hours  
After surveying the emergence of Vietnamese civilization from antiquity, students will explore Vietnam’s history since the founding of the Nguyen Dynasty. These roughly two centuries fall into four eras—dynastic, colonial, Cold War, and independent socialist republic—in which political, economic, intellectual, and social issues are addressed. No previous study of Vietnam is required.
HIST 3394  History of Korea (formerly HIST 2394)    
3 credit hours  
After briefly surveying the rise of Korean civilization since antiquity, students examine three turbulent eras in Korean history: (1) the long era of gradual change during the Yi dynasty that culminated in confrontation with imperialist powers, (2) the half-century of Japanese domination, and (3) the era of civil war and continuing division. Students will consider political, economic, intellectual, and social issues in each era.
HIST 3400  Rome’s Eternal Glory: The Age of Augustus  ANCS 3400  
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours in ANCS or 30 credit hours overall
Students examine a key transitional historical period in the Roman world, with the dissolution of the republic and its replacement with a monarchy during the reign of Rome’s first emperor. Through a close analysis of ancient material and textual evidence, students will examine and evaluate the Age of Augustus.
HIST 3403  Canadian Identity and Public Memory    
3 credit hours  
Canadians have imagined their history in different ways. Canada has been imagined as a loyal member of the British Empire, a frontier society, a multicultural society, a warrior nation, and a land of regions. Students deconstruct national mythologies to develop a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of Canada’s past.
HIST 3406  The Renaissance in Europe    
3 credit hours  
Students will trace the developments of European ideas, art and culture in the Renaissance through the visual images of artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer or Holbein as well as writers such as Machiavelli, Erasmus, Marguerite de Navarre or Montaigne.
HIST 3409  On the Edge of Empire: Roman Britain and the Western Provinces  ANCS 3409, ICST 3409  
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours in ANCS or 30 credit hours overall
Students examine the history, organization, material culture, and cultural diversity of Rome’s western provinces, with particular attention paid to Britannia. Students also consider Roman imperialism and the interaction of Romans and subject peoples.
HIST 3416  Love and Family in China    
3 credit hours  
Students explore how Chinese private life has intersected with the public arena from the late 19th century to the present. Key topics include affection and bonding, changing perceptions of masculinity and femininity, marriage choices and social networking, the impact of the “one- child” policy, and re-interpretations of gender roles and family life before and after the Cultural Revolution and the economic reforms since the 1980s.
HIST 3417  War and Memory in the Twentieth Century    
3 credit hours  
This course will explore the experience of modern war and the ways in which various twentieth-century conflicts have been remembered socially and culturally. The topics covered include the First and Second World Wars, the Holocaust, the Algerian War, the Vietnam War, and the Balkan Wars. The focus of our study of these events will be on their impact on the values, attitudes and collective memory of European and North American societies.
HIST 3422  The Asia-Pacific War, 1937-45 (formerly HIST 2422)    
3 credit hours  
The Asia-Pacific War (1937-45) engulfed much of Asia and the Pacific and has lingering ramifications for the present. Students survey the origins, course, and outcomes of this cataclysm.
HIST 3423  The Humanities in Complex World: Science Diplomacy    
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: 18 credit hours
Science Diplomacy uses international and interdisciplinary research collaborations to solve complex regional and global challenges. Interdisciplinary research helps governments build better strategies for coping with war, migration, climate change, food insecurity, and national security. The humanities play a critical role and in this course students explore the real-life research-diplomacy nexus.
HIST 3451  Film and History    
6 credit hours  
Students explore the relationships between cinema and historical events and contexts. Although this is a 6 credit hour course, it is normally offered over one term. Students should expect a significantly larger workload when compared to a three credit course.
HIST 3460  Issues in Modern Irish History  IRST 3460  
3 credit hours  
This course will examine a range of topics that have been the focus of debate in Irish History. The issues to be explored will be selected by the instructor and may include such topics as: the history of the Irish Plantations, the affects of the Penal Laws, the consequences of the 1798 Rebellion, the rise of Irish Nationalism, the causes of the Great Famine, the consequences of mass Irish Emigration, the position of women in Irish society, and the significance of the Easter Rising. In addition to providing an understanding of some of the major issues in Modern Irish History, the course will also provide an overview of historical change in Ireland from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries.
HIST 3465  Scotland's Histories    
3 credit hours  
This course examines Scottish historiography in order to illustrate the development of Scotland’s competing identities from the early modern period to the present. Tensions along regional, ethnic, gender and class lines will be highlighted. Contemporary associations such as: Golf, whisky, Mary Queen of Scots, sober Presbyterians, the Highland Clearances, Glasgow’s football rivalry, and Trade Union radicals will be discussed.
HIST 3470  The British Black Atlantic  ACST 3470  
3 credit hours  
The term the “Black Atlantic” has been used to describe the interconnected nature of Black communities in the Atlantic world. This course examines the British dimension of that transatlantic experience. Among topics covered are: Britain’s involvement in African slavery, the migration of Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone, and the nature of the Black community in the United Kingdom.
HIST 3475  Histories of Indigenous and Settler Relations    
3 credit hours  
Relations between indigenous peoples and settler societies have been problematic wherever European colonization has taken place. Students study how these relationships have evolved over time with a view to developing a historical understanding of contemporary issues.
HIST 3500  History Field Course    
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to the application of archaeological method and theory to the study of history through a series of case studies. These case studies will focus on various periods in the history of Nova Scotia, paying particular attention to marginal and marginalized groups with respect to the historical record. Students travel to and study sites within the province of Nova Scotia, and make use of relevant archives. The case studies vary from year to year.
HIST 3505  Museum Studies  ANCS 3505  
3 credit hours  
Students are introduced to and given an overview of the world of museums and museum studies. Students learn about the history of museums, the constantly evolving purpose of such institutions, particularly during the twentieth century and in the contemporary world, their role in public education, archival and collections management, exhibitions, funding models, governance, and current debates in the field. This course is a combination of seminars and site visits to museums, which require that students engage with the museum community of Nova Scotia.
HIST 3510  History of Tourism in North America    
3 credit hours  
Students trace the factors that transformed the North American travel experience from the late nineteenth century to the present day. Attention is given to tourists’ search for an authentic experience, the hosts’ reactions, and how promoters chose to represent and sell their region through advertising.

HIST 3800 – 3825 Special Topics in History
6 credit hours
The subject matter of these courses will be announced from time to time.  They will focus on particular historical themes and/or specific chronological periods.  The topics to be examined will be determined by the course instructor.

HIST 3826 – 3849 Special Topics in History
3 credit hours
The subject matter of these courses will be announced from time to time.  They will focus on particular historical themes and/or specific chronological periods.  The topics to be examined will be determined by the course instructor.

HIST 3876 – 3899 Directed Study in History
3 credit hours 

4000-Level courses are designed for the advanced study of History. Students should have extensive university experience before they attempt these courses.

HIST 4200  Women’s Rights in Britain 1500-1925    
3 credit hours  
The rights and obligations of women in a society are often central to their status, economic power and life experience. Students examine changes in women’s legal rights, entitlements and duties in England and (to a lesser extent) Wales and Scotland over the course of more than four centuries. Topics include property rights, inheritance practices, domestic violence, the gap between legal theory and social practice, the differing experiences of single, married and widowed women, female citizenship and nationality, and women suffrage.
HIST 4301  Community Leadership in Atlantic Canada    
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Students use historical perspectives to understand current affairs in meaningful and evidence-based ways. Students are challenged to think about the broad application of research, communication, and critical-thinking skills to real-world situations through guest lectures, innovative learning materials and project creation.
HIST 4401  Crime in Canada    
3 credit hours  
In this examination of Canadian criminal justice history, subjects include: the changing definition of crime as understood by local communities and the state, law enforcement, the trial process, punishment, moral regulation and the role of gender, race, and ethnicity in shaping the development and operation of the justice system.
HIST 4431  International History since World War II    
3 credit hours  
In this seminar, students study the international history and culture of the 1945-1989 period in order to consider how colonialism and decolonization interacted with the Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. Students explore the connections between the 1945-89 years and the neoliberal present.
HIST 4500  Honours Seminar    
6 credit hours  
Prerequisite: admission to the final year of the honours program.
As part of this seminar, history honours students are required to submit and defend a substantial essay to be selected and prepared in conjunction with a faculty advisor.
HIST 4501  Public History  ACST 4501  
6 credit hours  
Prerequisite: permission from the instructor.
Public history includes the practices and presentation of history outside academia involving a wide range of practitioners - from historians, museum curators, and film makers, to researchers, journalists, and archivists. This course will examine the evolution of public history as a discipline and a practice through both a classroom and a workplace component - including mentored volunteer work in a public history setting.
HIST 4508  Seminar in Intellectual and Cultural History    
3 credit hours  
This interdisciplinary seminar will adopt a thematic approach in order to explore ideas in history across borders, cultures and centuries. Topics for exploration may include the media, the law, liberty, the family, gender and/or sexuality.
HIST 4519  Seminar in Modern European History    
6 credit hours  
A seminar on selected topics in the history of modern Europe, 1800 to present, intended for history majors and honours students. Topics to be examined will be selected by the instructor; students will be required to research and write a major paper on the topic selected, and present it to the seminar for discussion and criticism.
HIST 4520  Nazi Germany, Occupied Europe and the Holocaust    
6 credit hours  
In this course students will study some of the major historical and historiographical issues and debates concerning Nazi Germany, the Nazi Occupation of Europe, and the Holocaust.
HIST 4521  Constructing Race: Scientific Racism in Europe and North America    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the complexities surrounding the problematic construction of the idea of 'race' from the Enlightenment to the twentieth century. Topics covered include the changing motives behind the classification of humans and the (mis)use of science as an instrument of racism.
HIST 4527  Biography and History    
3 credit hours  
This course will examine the relationship between biography and history, beginning with consideration of how far the essentials of historical methodology can be followed in biographical study. A variety of forms of biography will then be examined, including private and public approaches to biography, autobiography, and popular biography. Specific biographical subjects will be explored in detail as case studies. The central question considered throughout will be whether biography, in any of its forms, can be considered either as a form of historical enquiry or as a valid historical source.
HIST 4530  Forced and Free Migration in Latin America    
3 credit hours  
This course will examine the reasons and consequences of migration in Latin America. It will emphasize the forced migration of Africans and the free migration of Europeans and Japanese to countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba and Peru.
HIST 4565  Scottish Migration  ACST 4565  
3 credit hours  
From the late eighteenth to the middle of the twentieth century, Scotland had one of the highest emigration rates in Europe. This seminar course will examine a wide range of literature that discusses Scottish migration to various overseas destinations in order to place the Scottish presence in Nova Scotia in historical context.
HIST 4566  Irish Migration  IRST 4566  
3 credit hours  
During the nineteenth century Ireland had the highest emigration rate in Europe. In order to better understand this phenomenon, this seminar course will focus on the literature that discusses the nature of Irish migration and settlement from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries. While the course will examine Irish immigrants in their various destinations, it will focus in particular on Irish settlement in North America.
HIST 4567  British Colonization    
3 credit hours  
Migrants from the British Isles established settlements in places as far afield as Jamaica, South Africa, New South Wales and Vancouver Island. This course will examine some of the recent literature that touches on such diverse topics as: the encounter with indigenous peoples, the pioneering experience and the formation of colonial settlement identity.
HIST 4572  Memories of WW II in East Asia    
3 credit hours  
Students explore the memories of the Asia-Pacific War in China, Korea, and the impact of collective and individual memories of the conflict on the history and politics of the region is emphasized.
HIST 4573  The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire    
3 credit hours  
Although a product of the same era in global history as other nineteenth- and twentieth-century empires, the Japanese Empire was more subject to distinctly Asian influences. This particular historical experience is explored through an examination of social, intellectual, and cultural concerns alongside the more usual issues involving economics and international relations.
HIST 4574  Interdisciplinary Study of Asia    
3 credit hours  
Students explore select topics in East Asian history in an interdisciplinary manner, after which students examine a topic of their own choosing in consultation with the instructor. Student term papers must consider that topic from at least two different disciplinary perspectives, one being the discipline of history.
HIST 4576  Environmental History of China    
3 credit hours  
Students examine China’s environmental challenges and their historical roots. Key topics include philosophies of nature, human and non-human relations, natural disasters, sustainability, environmental governance and public engagement.
HIST 4577  Gender in Modern East Asia    
3 credit hours  
Students examine how gender intersects with cultural norms, social expectations, political agendas, and economic development in modern East Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
HIST 4631  Environmental History of Atlantic Canada  ACST 4631  
3 credit hours  
Prerequisite: At least sixty (60) credit hours
This interdisciplinary seminar course is an examination of the changing ways nature has been viewed and transformed in Atlantic Canada before and after European settlement, surveying environmental history up to the mid-20th century. Topics range from historic aboriginal resource use to colonial perceptions of nature and the early conservation movement.

HIST 4800 – 4825 Selected Topics in History
6 credit hours
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
As with other selected topics courses, the subject matter of these seminars will be announced from time to time.  Topics to be examined will be determined by the course instructor.  Seminars concentrate on group discussion and the presentation of research papers.

HIST 4826 – 4849 Selected Topics in History
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
As with other selected topics courses, the subject matter of these seminars will be announced from time to time.  Topics to be examined will be determined by the course instructor.  Seminars concentrate on group discussion and the presentation of research papers.

HIST 4876 – 4899 Directed Readings in History
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: permission of instructor
Each reading course will be organized by the instructor(s) involved. In general, each course will be centered round a specific theme, and the students will be expected, through their reading, to be familiar with all aspects of the chosen area. Examinations and/or papers will be required at the end of each course.