Note: This is the 2020–2021 eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or .
Program Requirements
The Major Concentration History is a highly flexible program that emphasizes both breadth and depth, while introducing students to different historical theories and methodologies. Students select from a wide variety of courses on diverse cultures and societies around the world from antiquity to contemporary times, and also on thematic subjects such history and sexuality, imperialism and colonialism, histories of science, environmental history, and the history of thought and ideas. Students design their program to match their geographic, chronological, thematic or methodological interests.
Students wishing to complete a history program should consult a Program Adviser at the beginning of their first year, and fill out a departmental program advising/audit form. For more information, visit the program’s website at .
Important note: Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits may not be included in the credit requirements for history programs.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
36 credits of history courses (HIST courses or selected courses offered in other units - see list below) according to the following requirements.
Distribution requirement:
-3 credits from Group A
-3 credits from Group B
-3 credits from Group C
Temporal Breadth requirement:
-At least 3 credits focused on the period before 1800
-At least 3 credits focused on the period after 1800
Notes: The same course may be used to satisfy both a Distribution and Temporal Breadth requirement. HIST 299 may not be used to satisfy Temporal Breadth requirements.
Level requirement:
-Maximum 15 credits of complementary courses at the 200-level or lower
-Minimum 6 credits of 400- or 500- level courses. Note: students may use at most 3 credits of HIST 413 or 499 to fulfill this requirement.
Group A:
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HIST 202 Survey: Canada to 1867 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of early Canada, from periods known mainly through archaeological records to the Confederation era. Social, cultural, economic and political themes will be examined.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Desbarats, Catherine (Fall)
Fall
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HIST 203 Survey: Canada since 1867 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of the development of Canada from Confederation to the present day. Social, economic and political history will be examined in a general way.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Wright, David John; McCutcheon, Shawn; Johal, Rishma (Winter)
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HIST 211 American History to 1865 (3 credits)
Overview
History : Introduction to the history of colonial North America and the United States up to the Civil War, in their Atlantic context.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: La Monica, Michael; Stantina, Celine; Stieva, Rebecca (Winter)
Fall
-
HIST 212 Medieval Europe (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history and culture(s) of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Bruce, Travis (Fall)
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HIST 214 Early Modern Europe (3 credits)
Overview
History : Survey of European history from the Late Middle Ages to the eighteenth century.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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HIST 215 Modern Europe (3 credits)
Overview
History : Survey of European history from the eighteenth century to the present.
Terms: Winter 2021, Summer 2021
Instructors: Cowan, Brian (Winter) Aitken, David (Summer)
-
HIST 216 Introduction to Russian History (3 credits)
Overview
History : The longue durée of Russian history from its origins in Kievan Rus and the Rurik dynasty, through the Romanov dynasty, the Soviet period, and post-Soviet developments.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken HIST 236.
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HIST 221 United States since 1865 (3 credits)
Overview
History : Examines the defining moments and movements in the U.S. since Reconstruction, including populism, progressivism, the World Wars, the New Deal, the Cold War, the sixties and its consequences. Emphasis on the political, social and ideological transformations that ensued.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Fall
-
HIST 226 East Central and Southeastern Europe in 20th Century (3 credits)
Overview
History : Introductory survey of east central and southeastern European history from the twilight of nineteenth-century imperialism to the most recent expansion of the European Union. Consideration will be given to the two world wars and their consequences; nationalism, fascism, and socialism; and the revolutions of 1989.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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HIST 250 Making Great Britain and Ireland (3 credits)
Overview
History : Survey of the development of the multinational state in the British Isles and Ireland from antiquity to the seventeenth century revolutions. Emphasis on state making and ethnicity formation in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as English overseas territories in Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Group B:
-
HIST 200 Introduction to African History (3 credits)
Overview
History : This course stresses the interactions of the peoples of Africa with each other and with the worlds of Europe and Islam from the Iron Age to the European Conquest in 1880.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Sandwell, Rachel (Fall)
-
HIST 201 Modern African History (3 credits)
Overview
History : While covering the general political history of Africa in the twentieth century, this course also explores such themes as health and disease, gender, and urbanization.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
HIST 205 Ancient Mediterranean History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of the ancient Mediterranean world, focusing on Greek and Roman civilization.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Kleinman, Brahm (Fall)
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken HIST 275.
-
HIST 206 Indian Ocean World History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the “global” system connecting eastern Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and the Far East, from the earliest times to c. 1900.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
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HIST 208 Introduction to East Asian History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of East Asian civilization from earliest times to 1600, with emphasis on China and Japan, including social, intellectual, and economic developments as well as political history.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Vankeerberghen, Griet (Fall)
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HIST 209 Introduction to South Asian History (3 credits)
Overview
History : Charts the making of South Asian civilization, 2500 BCE- 1707 CE, through a selection of key themes and major trends. Focus on the transformation of local kinship ties into regional kingdoms and empires, the evolution of religion and the legacy of the expansion of Islam and consequent rise of Turkish, Afghan and Mughal empires in this area.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Pinkney, Andrea Marion (Fall)
-
HIST 210 Introduction to Latin American History
(3 credits)
Overview
History : Historical development of Latin America’s peoples through the pre-Columbian, colonial and national periods, c. 1300-2000. Introduces key historiographical debates of the subfield and emphasizes the interpretation of primary source texts (in translation).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
HIST 218 Modern East Asian History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of China and Japan from the seventeenth century to the present, including modernization, nationalism, and the interaction of the two countries.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Walker, Gavin (Winter)
Winter
-
HIST 275 Ancient Roman History (3 credits)
Overview
History : A survey of Roman history from the foundation of Rome to the fall of the Roman Empire.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Fronda, Michael (Winter)
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken HIST 205.
Group C:
-
HIST 207 Jewish History: 400 B.C.E. to 1000 (3 credits)
Overview
History : An overview of Jewish history from the period of Ezra and Nehemiah to the death of Hai Gaon, c. 1035. Focus on the experience of the Jews in Hellenistic and Islamic civilizations. Topics include Jewish sects, rabbinic literature in its various genres, the Karaite schism, and the rise of the Gaonate.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Hundert, Gershon (Fall)
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken JWST 216
-
HIST 213 World History, 600-2000 (3 credits)
Overview
History : A thematic and comparative approach to world history, beginning with the rise of Islam and ending with globalization in the late twentieth century. Trade diasporas, technology, disease, and imperialism are the major themes addressed.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Studnicki-Gizbert, Daviken (Fall)
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HIST 219 Jewish History: 1000 - 2000 (3 credits)
Overview
History : The Jewish experience from the rise of the European centres to the present.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Madej-Krupitski, Urszula (Winter)
-
HIST 223 Indigenous Peoples and Empires (3 credits)
Overview
History : History of Indigenous Peoples of North and South America and their early experiences of European conquest and colonization, c. 1400 - 1800.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Greer, Allan (Fall)
-
HIST 238 Histories of Science (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to the history of science, with attention to conceptual development and to institutional and social settings. Coverage will vary by instructor, but will include a range of periods (from antiquity to the 20th century), geographical settings, and themes (e.g. instrumentation; visualisation; experiment; science and society).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
HIST 240 Modern History of Islamic Movements (3 credits)
Overview
History : Islamic revival in the Middle East which led to the rise of different versions of Islamic traditions and beliefs. Emphasis on the nature and character of leading nationalist and Islamic movements and their ideologues since the late 19th century.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Abisaab, Malek (Fall)
-
HIST 249 Health and the Healer in Western History (3 credits)
Overview
History : The natural history of health and disease and the development of the healing arts, from antiquity to the beginning of modern times. The rise of "western" medicine. Health and healing as gradually evolving aspects of society and culture.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Wallis, Faith; Schlich, Thomas (Fall)
Note: Also available to first-year medical students in their options program.
-
HIST 262 Mediterranean and European Interconnections (3 credits)
Overview
History : Introduction to the cultural practices and political experiences that have shaped the Eastern Mediterranean and South-Eastern Europe examined diachronically. Topics adressed include empires and nations, religion, politics of memory and space, archeology and historical legacies, migrations.
Terms: Summer 2021
Instructors: Kellaris, Georgios (Summer)
Prerequisite(s): Permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken HIST 462.
The course is composed of two to four interrelated seminars and includes field excursions. One section of 30 students maximum will be offered.
There is a fee of $3,095 (in 2018) for the McGill Summer Studies in Greece activity associated with registration in course HIST 262. The fee includes accommodation based on double room occupancy, meals, onsite visits, course packs and travel within Greece when associated with onsite visits. Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements and travel insurance costs.
Des frais spéciaux liés à l'activité d'Etudes estivales en Grèce de McGill d’un montant de $3,095 (en 2018) sont associés à l'inscription au cours HIST 262. Ces frais comportent l'hébergement sur la base d'une chambre double, les répas, les visites aux sites, les coursepacks et les frais de déplacement liés aux excursions/visites en Grèce. Les étudiants sont responsables pour leur propre le voyage vers et de Grèce ainsi que pour les coûts de leur assurance médicale et de rapatriement.
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HIST 292 History and the Environment (3 credits)
Overview
History : Sketch of the history of the material aspects of human interaction with the rest of nature. Included will be a historian's view of the social, technical, and ecological implications of the great variety of activities devised by our species. Though global in outlook, this course will emphasize the relevant historiography of France, England and North America.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
HIST 298 Topics in History (3 credits)
Overview
History : An introduction to a topic or theme in History.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Elbourne, Elizabeth (Winter)
-
HIST 299 The Historian's Craft (3 credits)
Overview
History : Introduction to the discipline of history. What is history? Where is history done? How is history done? Why do history? Historical writing is emphasized. Recommended for history majors.
Terms: Fall 2020, Winter 2021
Instructors: Bruce, Travis (Fall) Anastassiadis, Tassos (Winter)
Restrictions: Open to U0 or U1 students only, except by permission of instructor
All undergraduate-level HIST courses.
Courses offered by other units
The following non-HIST courses may be counted as complementary courses toward a history program. Faculty regulations stipulate that a course may not be counted toward more than one program.
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CLAS 304 Ancient Greek Democracy (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Examines the conceptual history of popular government in the context of Greek political culture, from the 6th century BCE to the Roman conquest of Greece.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
-
CLAS 345 Study Tour: Greece (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : A study of Greek history and culture through the sites and monuments of ancient Greece. Includes preparatory meetings, site and museum visits, and specialized lectures on site. A fee is charged of $2400 to cover certain travel expenses within Greece, accommodation including breakfast and entrance fees to all sites visited throughout the tour.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisites:Permission of instructor.
Course includes preparatory class meetings at McGill followed by study tour in Greece. Typically offered in alternating summers.
Students are responsible for all expenses associated with travel, accommodation, food, etc.
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CLAS 406 Greek and Roman Historiography (3 credits)
Overview
Classics : Seminar on the works of the Greek and Roman historians (in translation) who founded a new literary genre for the exploration of past and present events; interpretation of their approaches towards history and theories for their study.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Prerequisite(s): 3 credits in Classics at the 300 level or up or permission of instructor.
Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken CLAS 490.
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JWST 240 The Holocaust (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Consideration of the history of the Holocaust and the literary, theological and cultural responses to the destruction of European Jewry.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Madej-Krupitski, Urszula (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
Restriction: Not open to students who have taken JWST 252 "The Holocaust"
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JWST 245 Jewish Life in the Islamic World (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Until the early modern period, most of the world’s Jews spoke Arabic and called the Islamic world home. This course explores the Jewish experience among Muslims from the seventh century until the present. Through close readings of primary sources and historical scholarship, students will learn how Jews under Islam shaped modern Judaism, how engagement with Arabic in Islamic Spain led to the revival of Hebrew, and how the Jewish-Muslim relationship fared in the twentieth century. The course also probes themes of history and memory in light of the departure of Jews from the Islamic world in the 1950s and 1960s.
Terms: Fall 2020
Instructors: Silver, Christopher (Fall)
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 303 The Soviet Jewish Experience (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : Sovietization both fueled the modernization of Russian Jewry and contributed to its eventual suppression. This experience will be examined from two perspectives: history and literature. The interrelationship between culture and politics and the effects of ideology and censorship on literature will be discussed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Readings in English
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JWST 311 Gender in Jewish History (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : How does the inclusion of women and issues of gender change our understanding of the Jewish past? By examining a broad range of historical sources from around the world—including prayer books, letters, newspapers, novels and diaries to music, art and film— this course examines this question from the Middle Ages to the present day. Major topics to be covered include: religion and spirituality, economic life, the body and sexuality, domesticity, relations with non-Jewish neighbours, and political activism.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Vedenyapin, Yuri (Winter)
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 334 Jews and Muslims: A Modern History (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : This course examines the modern history of Jewish-Muslim relations beyond just conflict. We will look at the experience of Jews and Muslims -- as individuals and communities -- who charted new cultural territory while navigating colonialism, nationalism, war, and decolonization, through close readings of a wide variety of primary sources (including letters, memoirs, fiction, music, film, and photography) and historical scholarship.
Terms: Winter 2021
Instructors: Silver, Christopher (Winter)
For detailed course content go to .
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JWST 366 History of Zionism (3 credits)
Overview
Jewish Studies : An examination of the development of the Zionist idea, the most influential expression of modern Jewish nationalism, which led to the creation of the Jewish state. The transformation of elements of traditional Jewish messianism into a modern political ideology. Hibbat Zion, Political Zionism, Cultural and Synthetic Zionism will be discussed.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020-2021 academic year.
For detailed course content go to .
Recommended: JWST 365
