Professor Pinnow’s Courses

FSHIS110 – Europe in the Age of Dictatorship and Democracy, 1914 – Present.
An introduction to major problems in the social, cultural, and political history of Europe in the 20th century, from the disillusionment of World War I to the challenges of post-communism.  Among the topics explored are the impact of total war on European civilization, Nazism and the rise of authoritarian regimes during the inter-war period, the significance of the Russian Revolution for Europe, decolonization and Europe’s changing place in world affairs, the reconstruction of democracy after 1945, the division of Europe during the Cold War, and the future of the nation-state within a unified Europe.

FSHIS201 – Stalin and the Twentieth Century
A study of the life, leadership, and legacy of Josef Stalin.  Students examine a variety of texts to explore the historical debates about Stalin and to become aware of the different forms of writing in the discipline.  Among the topics considered are the significance of Stalin’s personality, the role of ideology in shaping historical memory, and the struggle of later generations to understand the meaning of Stalin’s rule.  Effective writing and speaking within the guidelines is emphasized.

HIST153 – History of Imperial Russia, 1682-1917. A survey of Russian intellectual, cultural, and political history from the reign of Peter the Great to the fall of the Romanov dynasty in the February Revolution of 1917.  Problems considered include the strengths and weaknesses of autocracy, Russia’s rise to prominence as a European power, the role of serfdom in Russia’s development and underdevelopment, the formation of Russia as a multi-national empire, the politics and culture of the intelligentsia, and the internal dynamics which helped produce revolution at the beginning of the 20th century.

HIST155 – The Soviet Century, 1917-Present.  A survey of major problems in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union during the 20th century, from the promise of the October Revolution of 1917 to the uncertainties of post-Soviet life.  Among the topics explored are the causes of the 1917 revolutions, the nature of Bolshevism, revolutionary culture and utopianism during the 1920s, Stalinism and the transformation of Soviet society, the idea of the Soviet Union as a multi-national polity, the Great Patriotic War against Nazism, de-Stalinization and Soviet culture, the reconstruction of the Soviet system under Mikhail Gorbachev, and the complex legacies of Soviet socialism.

HIST310 – Europe at the Turn of the Century, 1880-1917.  A consideration of the cultural, social, and political questions associated with the rise of modern life and the weakening of traditional forms of thought and association.  Topics considered include the concepts of individualism and society, the ideology of progress, the cultural dimensions of science and technology, the place of the city and urban culture in European civilization, the politics of class, race, and gender, the importance of Empire for European self-identity, and the significance of World War I and the Russian Revolution as expressions of the conflict between tradition and modernity.  Prerequisites: History 109 or 110, or permission of the instructor.

HIST312 – State and Society Under Communism and Fascism.  A comparative investigation of the totalitarian regimes of Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union during the period 1917-1945.  Emphasis is given to the role of modern states in sculpting and mobilizing society.  Topics include the creation of the new man and woman, the politics of reproduction and populations, the definition of citizenship and participation, the organization of politics and the economy, and the aesthetics of power.  These themes are explored through the critical study of film, art and architecture, literature, and historical texts.  Prerequisites: History 109 or 110 or 155 or 159, or permission of the instructor.

HIST380 – Disease and Medicine in Modern History.  An investigation of responses to disease in different historical periods, with an emphasis on Europe and the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.  The social and cultural influences on medicine and public health are a recurring theme.  Among the topics explored are the definition of health and illness, epidemic and endemic diseases, the rise of professional and scientific medicine, therapeutics and theories of disease causation, public health and the individual, and the significance of class, gender, and race as factors shaping the experience of disease.  Prerequisites: One course in U.S. or European history or permission of the instructor.

HIST558 – Revolutionary Russia, 1900-1921.  A critical study of the major historical interpretations and problems regarding the fall of the Russian autocracy and the rise of the Soviet Union, the world’s first communist regime.  Analysis focuses on scholarly works, primary sources, memoir accounts, art, literature and film to understand how the Russian Revolution has been portrayed variously in historical memory.  Among the major themes explored are the role of personality, accident, and political parties, the influence of ideology on individual and government action, social polarization and the possibility of evolutionary change in Russia, and the creation of historical myth under the Bolsheviks.  Prerequisites:  History 153 or 155 or 253 or 312, and permission of the instructor.

HIST584 – Doctors and Deviants.  An historical study of social deviance in medical thought and practice with a concentration on the United States and Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.  A close reading of scholarly writing and primary evidence is emphasized to explore the sources of medicine’s power in modern society and culture.  Among the historical problems examined are scientific theories of human behavior, the delineation of the normal and pathological, the intersection of medicine and law, the statistical “discovery” of social illness, eugenics and the concept of degeneration, and the role of class, gender and race in the definition of the deviant individual.  These themes are investigated through such problems as suicide, criminality, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, homosexuality and madness.  Prerequisites: History 310 or 380 or permission of the instructor.

HIST600 – Senior Project I.  This seminar prepares students for the successful completion of their senior project in the following semester.  Course work combines in-class discussion, writing assignments, peer reviews, and presentations organized around the two major writing components of History 600 – the Senior Project and Outline.

INTDS315 – History of Neuroscience.  A historical examination of the major advances made in understanding the brain and nervous system.  The impact of important technical and theoretical breakthroughs in neuroscience research is explored from a cultural, historical, ethical, and health-related perspective.