New Student Registration: History

• HIST 101 – Western Civilization: Earliest Civilizations to the Wars of Religion
• HIST 102 – Western Civilization: Columbus to Decolonization
• HIST 103 – No It Wasn’t Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in Early World History to 220 CE
• HIST 104 – Still Not Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in the Ancient World 220-1300CE
• HIST 121 – Global Race & Ethnicity I, 1300-1776
• HIST 122 – Race/Ethnicity in Global History II, 1776-present
• HIST 132 – Global History: Illicit Cargos and the Making of the Modern World (1789-present)
• HIST 141 – Empire & Plague, 1300-1800
• HIST 142 – Revolution:  Global from 1750
• HIST 198 - Selected Topic: Past into Present (offered as a selected topics course for 2026-2027 only)

Six credits of these courses are required for a major, joint major, advanced major, joint advanced major, honours, minor, or subsidiary in History, and any of these courses may be electives in any program.  

Students are strongly advised not to take more than 6 credits from these courses, as only 6 credits can count towards any History program. (Those who complete more than 6 credits can only use the additional credits as open electives.)

Students intending to complete a pair in History are reminded that only 6 credits of these courses may be used in a pair, as at least 6 credits of a pair must be at the 200-level or above.

The choice of introductory history courses is one of personal preference and students may choose any combination of the above courses. Students are not required to do all 6 credits in the same area of study.  The first-term courses are not prerequisites for the second-term courses.

Bachelor of Arts students who are interested in taking HIST 101, HIST 102, ENGL 100, and PHIL 100 may want to explore the option of the Humanities Colloquium, which offers these courses in an integrated, chronologically coordinated way.

Course Descriptions

HIST 101  Western Civilization: Earliest Civilizations to the Wars of Religion
This course explores the early history of Western Civilization. Topics include: Classical Greece and the Roman Republic and Empire; Christianity; the Byzantine Empire; Islam; the Carolingian Empire; Feudalism and Manorialism; the Economic Revival; Medieval Society and Culture; the Growth of National Monarchies; the Age of Exploration and Discovery; the Renaissance and the Reformation. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.

HIST 102  Western Civilization: Columbus to Decolonization
This course explores the history of Western Civilization from the European conquest of the Americas to the end of the Cold War. Topics include: Europe’s overseas expansion; the age of absolutism; the scientific revolution; the Enlightenment; the American War of Independence; the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte; the Industrial Revolution; Nationalism, liberalism, feminism, and imperialism; the two World Wars; decolonization; and the Cold War. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.

HIST 103  No It Wasn’t Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in Early World History to 220 CE
It may come as a surprise to the history channel, but ancient monuments were not built by aliens. Rather, they stand as evidence of the complex societies that existed throughout the ancient world and the goods, ideas and people that connected them. From the Han Dynasty in China to the Roman Empire in Europe to the early trade networks of the Nok in West Africa, the ingenuity, mobility and interconnectedness of premodern cultures will be explored. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 103, HIST 116 or ART 143. Cross-listed as ART 143. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.

HIST 104  Still Not Ancient Aliens: Economic and Cultural Exchange in the Ancient World 220-1300CE
Scholars now know that the premodern world was more profoundly interconnected by trade, cultural exchange and migration than we had ever realized. Still Not Ancient Aliens examines some of these interconnections, from the roads of the ancient Wari of Peru to the cultural and trade connections of the Polynesian Islanders, to the premodern trade networks operating in the far North and the cultural mosaic of Islamic Spain. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 104, HIST 116 or ART 144. Cross-listed as ART 144. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.

HIST 121 - Global Race & Ethnicity I, 1300-1776
W.E.B. Du Bois stated, “The problem of the colour line is the problem of the twentieth century,” but even earlier, the creation and operation of racial differences in colonial and capitalist contexts defined many key world events. This course examines the major events of world history from 1300 to the late eighteenth century’s “Age of Revolutions.” Global developments shall be examined via the social construction of racial, and ethnic differences between peoples. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 121 and HIST 110, HIST 111, HIST 141. Three credits. Offered 2026-2027.

HIST 122 - Race/Ethnicity in Global History II, 1776-present
W.E.B. Du Bois stated, “The problem of the colour line is the problem of the twentieth century,” but even earlier, the creation and operation of racial differences in colonial and capitalist contexts defined many key world events. This course examines the major events of world history from the late eighteenth century’s “Age of Revolutions” to the twenty-first century. Global developments shall be examined via the social construction of racial, and ethnic differences between peoples. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 122 or HIST 110, HIST 112, HIST 132, HIST 142. Three credits. Offered 2026-202

HIST 132 - Global History: Illicit Cargos and the Making of the Modern World (1789-present)
The ideas that sparked early-modern Atlantic revolutions resulted from earlier exploration and the exchange of people, goods, and ideas. The world has remained interconnected ever since. This course examines how this is the case by investigating human society and the historical processes that have shaped institutions and ideas since the 18th century. It will do so through a focus on the goods being exchanged – from sugar and spice to ivory and opium, and what that meant in society. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 132 or HIST 110, HIST 112, HIST 122, HIST 142. Three credits. Not offered 2026-2027.

HIST 141 - Empire & Plague, 1300-1800
This course examines the process of conquest and the rise of empires across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, spanning the centuries between 1300 and 1800. The course also addresses the impact of epidemics and pandemics, including the Black Death in Afro-Eurasia, and the genocide of indigenous populations in the Americas. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 141 or HIST 110, HIST 111, HIST 121. Three credits. Not offered 2026-2027.

HIST 142 - Revolution: Global from 1750
This course takes a global focus on revolutionary struggles, national liberation and resistance to various forms of social oppression (like racism, sexism and misogyny, homophobia/transphobia) in the 19th and 20th centuries. This includes liberal and radical revolutions like the American and Russian Revolutions, as well as social and emancipatory movements like feminism, anti-racism, anti-imperialism, national liberation, and struggles for gay rights. Credit will be granted for only one of HIST 142 or HIST 110, HIST 112, HIST 122, HIST 132. Three credits. Not offered 2026-2027.

HIST 198 - Selected Topics
The topic for 2026-2027 is Past into Present. There is an adage that history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. In this general interest course, students will learn how a firm grasp of historical knowledge can inform a deeper understanding of the contemporary world. Course themes will vary from year to year and may examine popular culture, global catastrophes, geopolitical conflicts, inequality, corruption, and everything in between. Three credits.

Please refer to Section 9.22 History in the Academic Calendar.

Click here to go to the History department webpage.