The history department let me know that there are some FYS courses that still have seats. See the listings below for more information.
History 114F: From Sumo to Sonic: Japan at Play (FYS)
Professor Colton Runyan
Time: MWF 8:50-9:40AM
This class explores the many ways the Japanese have played throughout time including sports, card games, martial arts, video games, poetry contests, and more. We will contemplate the general societal impact of play and look to Japanese history as a specific, and oftentimes distinct, example. The class is a combination of lectures about the historical and cultural significance of Japanese games and class time devoted to you playing some of those games to better understand them. By the end of this course, you will know about the sumo wrestling competitions that delighted the Heian court over one millennium ago as well as current baseball phenom Otani Shohei. You will have explored the wonderful virtual worlds of visionary video game creators, such as Miyazaki Hidetada and Kojima Hideo, while trying your hand at some of Japan’s most enduring board and card games. No knowledge of Japan or the Japanese language is required for this course.
History 116F: Independence at 250: The American Revolution and its Broader Impact (FYS)
Professor Jeffers Lennox
Time: W 1:20 – 4:10PM
The Declaration of Independence was both part of and yet separate from the American Revolution. The document is both a statement of principles and also a list of grievances. Its authors looked to the future and hoped to create something new, while historians too often read independence backwards and assume the United States would always become a country. This course will explore the making and meaning of Independence as it relates to the American Revolution and its significance within North America and beyond. While other countries drew inspiration from the Declaration, many living within the boundaries of what would become the United States — enslaved workers, women, Indigenous peoples, and others — felt excluded from the project that the Declaration announced. By reading the most recent and exciting scholarship and investigating relevant primary sources, this course will look within and beyond the United States to ask new questions and understand different perspectives on the meaning of the American Revolution.
History 124F: History and the Turn to the Present (FYS)
Professor Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins
Time: MF 2:50 – 4:10PM
This course attempts to make sense of contemporary politics, economics, and society through an historical examination of the present. It will discuss contemporary topics such as neoliberalism, nationalism, COVID-19, critical race theory, the forever war, the New Cold War, etc. It will also raise methodological questions on the promises and perils of using history to understand the present.
History 166: Oral History (crosslisted with STS and ENVS)
Professors Courtney Fullilove and Jon Kozak
There are two sections of this class
Time: WF 10:50 – 12:10PM
This course introduces students to the practice of oral history, including tools and methodologies, best practices, and hands-on experience conducting, archiving, and interpreting interviews. Participants will conduct interviews in projects on coastal communities in an age of climate change and/or the history of fossil fuel production.