Department of History

Faculty Members

Deutscher, Tom

Reese, Alan

Wright, Sharon

Historians and history students study the past to understand how and why change happens to individuals, societies and countries. Students engage the world through history and make sense of it, finding meaningful connections between the past, present and future. These connections embrace geography, culture, politics, society and the dynamics of change.

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History Fact Sheet

What Can I Do With This Major?

History Degree Requirements

College of Arts & Science Department of History

History Courses Taught By St. Thomas More College

HIST 111.3 — 1/2(3L-1T)

Landmarks of Medieval History

The heirs of Rome; Charlemagne; Vikings, Magyars and the rise of feudalism; peasant life; Islam and the Crusades; the rise of France; the twelfth century renaissance; the Holy Roman Empire; the age of Pope Innocent III; medieval women; chivalry, castles and cathedrals; the late middle ages.
Note: Students with credit for HIST 114 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 114.6 — 1&2(3L-1T)

Ancient and Medieval World

Landmarks of Near Eastern history; Greek and Hellenistic experiments in politics, empire and thought; Rome from city-state to world state; Christianity in a pagan world; heirs of Rome; Charlemagne; Vikings, Magyars and the rise of feudalism; peasant life; Islam and the Crusades; the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy; medieval women; chivalry, castles and cathedrals.

HIST 120.6 — 1&2(3L-1T)

History of Europe from Renaissance to Present

A survey of significant forces in modern Europe from the 15th century; the shaping of the modern world; the concentration of political power and the expansion of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries; the liberal experiment in the 19th century; the 20th-century dilemma.
Formerly: HIST 112.
Note: Students with credit for HIST 121 or 122 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 121.3 — 1/2(3L-1T)

Europe to Modern Age 1348 to 1789

The Black Death; Renaissance and Reformation; the wars of the seventeenth century; the rise of modern science; the agricultural revolution; the Enlightenment.
Note: Students with credit for HIST 112 or 120 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 122.3 — 1/2(3L-1T)

Europe in Age of Mass Culture 1789 to Present

Population growth; the age of political revolutions; Romantics and Liberals; nationalism and socialism; the industrial revolution; towards gender equality; the two World Wars and the Cold War; towards economic and political integration.
Note: Students with credit for HIST 112 or 120 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 202.3 — 1/2(3L)

Formation of Europe 300 to 1000

A history of the West from the Christianization of the Roman Empire in the fourth century to the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in the tenth century. Themes include: the survival of Romanitas, monasticism and the western Church, the barbarian kingdoms, the Carolingian Renaissance, and the rise of feudalism.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level or 6 credit units CLAS.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 205.3 — 1/2(3L)

Europe and World in High Middle Ages 1000 to 1300

Cluny and the Gregorian reform; the rise of feudal monarchy; Byzantium, Islam and the Crusades; twelfth century renaissance; universities and scholasticism; new forms of religious life; the peasantry; medieval women; the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy; castles and cathedrals; feudal monarchies.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain. Students with credit for HIST 212 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 213.6 — 1&2(3L)

Medieval England 1000 to 1460

Studies elements in the political and constitutional history of medieval England and considers the relevance for the 20th century of documents such as Magna Carta, and emphasizes the cultural achievements of the period and examines the ways of life of the common people.
Formerly: HIST 251.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 215.6 — 1&2(3L)

Byzantine Empire 330 to 1453

An introduction to the empire, centred on Constantinople, which dominated much of Eastern Europe and the Near East for a thousand years after Rome. Themes include religious and cultural developments; the relations between the Byzantine, the Islamic world, and the Latin west; the Byzantine Commonwealth and the cultural development of Eastern Europe.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Other Regions. Students with credit for HIST 211 may not take this course for credit.

HIST 236.3 — 1/2(3L)

Italy in Age of Baroque 1550 to 1789

A survey of Italian history in the early modern period, with emphasis on the states system and the foreign presence, economic developments, social foundations, religious reform, and the transition from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 285.6 — 1&2(3L)

Christianity in Europe from 1500 to 1965

An examination of the development of Christian denominations in Europe from l500 to l965. Topics will include the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic or Counter-Reformation, the challenges of the English and French Revolutions, overseas missionary activity, major church councils, and the impact of scientific discoveries.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.
Note: Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 298.3 — 2(3L)

Special topics – The middle ages on film

The course is a survey of various film portrayals of medieval culture.  Popular ideas about the medieval world are largely a creation of fiction writers’ and film directors’ depictions of the past.  This course will focus on themes such as: the medieval discussion of the relationship between faith and reason, the ideal of the knight, the crusades, portrayals of medieval monarchs, and the medival martyr in film.  Through our study of primary source texts and several films, we shall explore the many interpretations of medieval culture and the ways in which medieval ideas, figures and events have been used as commentaries on modern issues.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 100-level.

HIST 307.3 — 1/2(1.5L-1.5S)

Seminar in Ancient Medieval and Renaissance Biography

A view of the historical period through the documents relating to a single individual. Students will have the opportunity to work on the topic from various perspectives, including social, institutional, intellectual, cultural, and gender history. Possible individuals to be studied include Peter Abelard, Elizabeth I, Erasmus, and Joan of Arc.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 200-level or permission of the instructor.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 309.3 — 1/2(1.5L-1.5S)

Crusades and Aftermath

Examines the socio-economic pressures and spiritual goals basic to the Crusades, military encounters, the organization of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1291), and ensuing contacts between Christians and Muslims to the eighteenth century.
Formerly: HIST 313
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 200-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 330.3 — 1/2(1.5L-1.5S)

Humanist Thought in Renaissance Italy 1300 to 1527

A reading course in the development of renaissance Humanism from Petrarch to Machiavelli. Topics will include the cult of the classics, the Greek revival, new trends in education, civic humanism, and renaissance philosophy, history and political thought.
Formerly: HIST 315
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units HIST at the 200-level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 398.3 — 1/2(1.5L-1.5S)

Special Topics – Violence and Crime in Medieval England

This course examines social and organized violence in medieval Europe.  Emphasis placed on: relationship between “social” or “private” violence and more “organized” forms of violence in dispute resolution; attitudes towards violence in different places and periods.
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in history at the 200 level.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe & Great Britain

HIST 402.3 — 1/2(3S)

Aspects of Late Antiquity

A study of the cultural and intellectual history of Late Antiquity based on the reading of primary sources in translation. Topics include church-state relations, the survival of the classical heritage, education, the early papacy, influential women, early monasticism and the fathers of the church.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 403.3 — 1/2(3S)

Topics in the History of Early Medieval England The Anglo Saxon Renaissance

Designed to introduce honours history students (not necessarily specialists in the area) to the primary sources and historiography of the Anglo-Saxon Renaissance. Given the scarcity of contemporary documentary evidence for large portions of this period, it is important for students to become familiar with non-documentary primary sources. Such sources include those revealed by archaeology, numismatics, and art history. Scholars must learn to use these sources in their efforts to understand the existing documentary sources and place them in a wider historical context.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department.

HIST 421.3 — 1/2(3S)

Erasmus and Renaissance Humanism

Erasmus of Rotterdam was the world’s first best-selling author who lived amidst the transformations and upheaval of early modern Europe. Student seminar presentations will include: the origins of northern humanism; Erasmus and Thomas More; Erasmus and the classical heritage; Erasmus as satirist; education; biblical and patristic studies; spirituality; controversies with Catholic and Protestant critics; peace and toleration.
Formerly: HIST 462.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.

HIST 424.3 — 1/2(3S)

Catholic Reform and Counter Reformation in Italy 1540 to 1650

A seminar on Catholic Reform in Italy focusing on early projects for reform, the development of the Papacy, new religious orders, the Council of Trent and its implementation, the Roman Inquisition, and the Index of prohibited books.
Formerly: HIST 466.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the department.
Note: Pre-1815; Europe and Great Britain.