ProudDad17
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So, there is certainly no shortage of history classes at University of Michigan that focus on gender, religion, sexuality, etc, but if you look closely at the courses offered and look at course descriptions, there are many courses that do address more traditional historical knowledge, as well as courses designed to develop critical thinking skills and spark debate. Here is a sampling that I found interesting:
HISTORY 101 - What is History?
You might think you know what history is: it’s what happened in the past — the names, dates, and events that fill textbooks. But think again. History is not about memorizing facts. It’s about asking questions about the past, finding clues, and using our imaginations to piece those clues together into stories — stories that shape our present and future. • Does this mean history is fiction? • Who gets to do history — whose stories should we accept as true? • How is history different in different parts of the world? • How do political struggles, in the U.S. and around the globe, shape the way people see the past and use it in their everyday lives? • Can history predict or improve the future, and if not, what is history for? • Must histories only be written in books? Or are there other sites that "produce" history? Put another way, where can we "find" history? This course will introduce you to various approaches to history, drawing examples from across the globe and throughout the centuries. But above all, it will teach you new ways of thinking critically and internationally about the world you live in — its past, present, and future. And it will help you prepare for any future courses or endeavors that require you to assess different kinds of evidence, to grapple with conflicting interpretations about a topic, to engage in critical inquiry and analysis, to craft an argument, and to develop empathy through historical or cultural understanding. Book Cost: Course pack and one paperback book (used copies of the book are generally available).
HISTORY 200 - Ancient Greece to 323 B.C.E.
In History 200, we investigate ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age until the death of Alexander the Great (ca. 1500 to 323 BCE). This is a course where we follow the lead of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, and inquire into the past (historia in Greek originally meant inquiry!) We use ancient evidence to look into a range of issues that emerge in the course of ancient Greek history: the nature of interactions between Greeks and other ancient civilizations of the Near East and North Africa; political developments in Greek city-states (especially Athens and Sparta); the tensions between local identities and a common Greek identity; gender and sexuality, freedom and slavery in Greek politics and society. We do all this while holding up modern interpretations of the ancient Greek past and its legacy to critical re-examination, with the aim of better equipping ourselves to evaluate modern claims about ancient civilizations and what the ancient Greeks might mean for us now.
HISTORY 202 - Doing History
The course provides a structured and cohesive foundation in the analytical, methodological, compositional, and historiographical skills involved in “doing history.” Students will encounter a diverse set of primary sources in order to evaluate how historians identify and interpret the clues, evidence, and omissions in the historical record. Students also will read secondary historical texts on selected subjects, with a focus on historiographical debates over competing interpretations of the past and consideration of the various approaches of political, social, cultural, and other subfields of history. In addition to the critical analysis of primary and secondary sources, HISTORY 202 focuses on the practice of historical writing and the development of research skills, preparing students for the requirements of more advanced history courses, especially the capstone Junior/Senior Colloquium.
HISTORY 202 also introduces concentrators to ways of “doing history” outside the classroom, from archival research to public history. As a group, the seminar will visit one or more of the research libraries affiliated with the University of Michigan for hands-on experience with primary sources and manuscript collections. Individual sections of HISTORY 202 might take field trips to museums and other public history sites in Southeast Michigan, in order to explore the presentation of history and the operation of historical memory in action. The course also will explore the ways in which the Internet and new media technologies have changed the methods of “doing history,” including the increasing availability of digital archives and visual sources.
HISTORY 240 - The World Since 1492
What is globalization and when did it begin? How did different parts of the world become deeply connected? Why are some places rich and others poor? We will address these questions, and more, in this introductory survey of the modern world from c. 1450 to the present. This course is an introductory survey of the modern world from c. 1450 to the present. The course will focus on the development of what has been called the ‘modern world system.’ The modern world-system developed with the advent of capitalism and brought in its wake significant changes for different regions of the world. The manner in which different regions were integrated into this new world-system had far-reaching consequences for their internal development and for their relations with the rest of the world. Our aim will be to examine the process by which the modern world-system integrated different regions during the historical stages of its development. We will examine the development of the modern world-system through the following stages: -the first stage of merchant capitalism, c. 1450 -c1750 -the second stage of industrial capitalism, c. 1750 -c. 1870 -the third stage of monopoly capitalism, c 1870 -c.1914 -the fourth stage of defensive monopoly capitalism, 1914 -1945 -the fifth stage of reformed capitalism, 1945 -c. 1989 -the sixth stage of global capitalism, c. 1989 –2008 -the seventh stage of late or crisis capitalism, c 2008-to the present With each stage, we will identify the defining characteristics of capitalism at that stage, and explore its implications for the internal and external development of different regions of the world.
HISTORY 241 - America and Middle Eastern Wars
This exciting course treats the impact and experience of warfare on the Middle East in the last third of the 20th Century and into the 21st. We will examine how the Cold War, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have shaped the modern MiddleEast. We will consider political and social history as well as the military aspect. We will also look at the causes for Washington policy-making toward the region. Grading is based upon class participation and attendance (mandatory) and on examinations.
HISTORY 260 - United States to 1865
This course introduces the student to American history from the founding of European settlements in North America to the fighting of the Civil War. Lectures and discussions emphasize the migration of people from Europe and Africa, the variety of settlements, racial interaction, the formation and development of new political, economic, social and religious institutions, and their role in the transformation of everyday life. Certain events, like the American Revolution and the Civil War, are examined in detail. This course also familiarizes the student with the interpretation of a wide range of evidence available for historical analysis – diaries, letters, accounts, newspapers, autobiographies, biographies, essays, monographs, fictional narratives, paintings, and films. Course lectures sketch the big picture, while discussion sections explore issues addressed by the lectures and raised in the readings.
HISTORY 318 - Europe in the Era of Total War, 1870-1945
In 1945, Europe was in ruins. Two global conflicts between 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 had leveled entire cities with the destructive powers of industrialized warfare. These conflicts produced genocidal regimes that pursued mass murder at a previously unimaginable scale. What made such violence possible, and how did ordinary men and women experience it? History 318 will seek answers to these questions by beginning with an account of Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. We will explore the social dislocation that accompanied Europe’s transformation from a predominantly rural and agrarian society into a modern industrial economy and consumer society. You will read about the ideologies and cultural forces that helped people understand—and misunderstand—these often bewildering developments: liberalism, socialism, and nationalism. We will follow the events that took Europe from the devastation of World War I to the postwar revolutions that reshaped political and economic life in Russia. The final weeks of the class will explore the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe, and the prolonged nightmare of the Second World War.
The list continues. None of this answers the OP's original question of where she should attend. Only she can answer that, after careful consideration. I just didn't want U of M to be painted as a place where there are only "fluff" history courses. DS is a STEM major, but I wouldn't mind seeing him take some of these courses to broaden his scope and develop critical thinking and debate skills.
HISTORY 101 - What is History?
You might think you know what history is: it’s what happened in the past — the names, dates, and events that fill textbooks. But think again. History is not about memorizing facts. It’s about asking questions about the past, finding clues, and using our imaginations to piece those clues together into stories — stories that shape our present and future. • Does this mean history is fiction? • Who gets to do history — whose stories should we accept as true? • How is history different in different parts of the world? • How do political struggles, in the U.S. and around the globe, shape the way people see the past and use it in their everyday lives? • Can history predict or improve the future, and if not, what is history for? • Must histories only be written in books? Or are there other sites that "produce" history? Put another way, where can we "find" history? This course will introduce you to various approaches to history, drawing examples from across the globe and throughout the centuries. But above all, it will teach you new ways of thinking critically and internationally about the world you live in — its past, present, and future. And it will help you prepare for any future courses or endeavors that require you to assess different kinds of evidence, to grapple with conflicting interpretations about a topic, to engage in critical inquiry and analysis, to craft an argument, and to develop empathy through historical or cultural understanding. Book Cost: Course pack and one paperback book (used copies of the book are generally available).
HISTORY 200 - Ancient Greece to 323 B.C.E.
In History 200, we investigate ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age until the death of Alexander the Great (ca. 1500 to 323 BCE). This is a course where we follow the lead of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, and inquire into the past (historia in Greek originally meant inquiry!) We use ancient evidence to look into a range of issues that emerge in the course of ancient Greek history: the nature of interactions between Greeks and other ancient civilizations of the Near East and North Africa; political developments in Greek city-states (especially Athens and Sparta); the tensions between local identities and a common Greek identity; gender and sexuality, freedom and slavery in Greek politics and society. We do all this while holding up modern interpretations of the ancient Greek past and its legacy to critical re-examination, with the aim of better equipping ourselves to evaluate modern claims about ancient civilizations and what the ancient Greeks might mean for us now.
HISTORY 202 - Doing History
The course provides a structured and cohesive foundation in the analytical, methodological, compositional, and historiographical skills involved in “doing history.” Students will encounter a diverse set of primary sources in order to evaluate how historians identify and interpret the clues, evidence, and omissions in the historical record. Students also will read secondary historical texts on selected subjects, with a focus on historiographical debates over competing interpretations of the past and consideration of the various approaches of political, social, cultural, and other subfields of history. In addition to the critical analysis of primary and secondary sources, HISTORY 202 focuses on the practice of historical writing and the development of research skills, preparing students for the requirements of more advanced history courses, especially the capstone Junior/Senior Colloquium.
HISTORY 202 also introduces concentrators to ways of “doing history” outside the classroom, from archival research to public history. As a group, the seminar will visit one or more of the research libraries affiliated with the University of Michigan for hands-on experience with primary sources and manuscript collections. Individual sections of HISTORY 202 might take field trips to museums and other public history sites in Southeast Michigan, in order to explore the presentation of history and the operation of historical memory in action. The course also will explore the ways in which the Internet and new media technologies have changed the methods of “doing history,” including the increasing availability of digital archives and visual sources.
HISTORY 240 - The World Since 1492
What is globalization and when did it begin? How did different parts of the world become deeply connected? Why are some places rich and others poor? We will address these questions, and more, in this introductory survey of the modern world from c. 1450 to the present. This course is an introductory survey of the modern world from c. 1450 to the present. The course will focus on the development of what has been called the ‘modern world system.’ The modern world-system developed with the advent of capitalism and brought in its wake significant changes for different regions of the world. The manner in which different regions were integrated into this new world-system had far-reaching consequences for their internal development and for their relations with the rest of the world. Our aim will be to examine the process by which the modern world-system integrated different regions during the historical stages of its development. We will examine the development of the modern world-system through the following stages: -the first stage of merchant capitalism, c. 1450 -c1750 -the second stage of industrial capitalism, c. 1750 -c. 1870 -the third stage of monopoly capitalism, c 1870 -c.1914 -the fourth stage of defensive monopoly capitalism, 1914 -1945 -the fifth stage of reformed capitalism, 1945 -c. 1989 -the sixth stage of global capitalism, c. 1989 –2008 -the seventh stage of late or crisis capitalism, c 2008-to the present With each stage, we will identify the defining characteristics of capitalism at that stage, and explore its implications for the internal and external development of different regions of the world.
HISTORY 241 - America and Middle Eastern Wars
This exciting course treats the impact and experience of warfare on the Middle East in the last third of the 20th Century and into the 21st. We will examine how the Cold War, Afghanistan, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the War on Terror have shaped the modern MiddleEast. We will consider political and social history as well as the military aspect. We will also look at the causes for Washington policy-making toward the region. Grading is based upon class participation and attendance (mandatory) and on examinations.
HISTORY 260 - United States to 1865
This course introduces the student to American history from the founding of European settlements in North America to the fighting of the Civil War. Lectures and discussions emphasize the migration of people from Europe and Africa, the variety of settlements, racial interaction, the formation and development of new political, economic, social and religious institutions, and their role in the transformation of everyday life. Certain events, like the American Revolution and the Civil War, are examined in detail. This course also familiarizes the student with the interpretation of a wide range of evidence available for historical analysis – diaries, letters, accounts, newspapers, autobiographies, biographies, essays, monographs, fictional narratives, paintings, and films. Course lectures sketch the big picture, while discussion sections explore issues addressed by the lectures and raised in the readings.
HISTORY 318 - Europe in the Era of Total War, 1870-1945
In 1945, Europe was in ruins. Two global conflicts between 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 had leveled entire cities with the destructive powers of industrialized warfare. These conflicts produced genocidal regimes that pursued mass murder at a previously unimaginable scale. What made such violence possible, and how did ordinary men and women experience it? History 318 will seek answers to these questions by beginning with an account of Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. We will explore the social dislocation that accompanied Europe’s transformation from a predominantly rural and agrarian society into a modern industrial economy and consumer society. You will read about the ideologies and cultural forces that helped people understand—and misunderstand—these often bewildering developments: liberalism, socialism, and nationalism. We will follow the events that took Europe from the devastation of World War I to the postwar revolutions that reshaped political and economic life in Russia. The final weeks of the class will explore the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe, and the prolonged nightmare of the Second World War.
The list continues. None of this answers the OP's original question of where she should attend. Only she can answer that, after careful consideration. I just didn't want U of M to be painted as a place where there are only "fluff" history courses. DS is a STEM major, but I wouldn't mind seeing him take some of these courses to broaden his scope and develop critical thinking and debate skills.
