I. Objective

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) is offering a Minor in History. The minor was first offered in Semester 1, Academic Year 2006/2007. The Minor in History is open to all NTU students.

Studying History helps students to understand human experience and thought at different times and places. History as a discipline encompasses every dimension of human interaction, including social life, the economy, culture, thought and politics. By examining both continuities and changes through time, students of History can make sense of the present in terms of the past, and the past in terms of the present.

Students of History study individuals, groups, communities, and nations at any epoch, and they study them from every imaginable perspective using all the techniques of the humanities and social sciences to raise questions and probe for answers. Characteristically, historians base their research on the careful study of documents contemporary with the happenings they are interested in. Because the study of History involves critical analysis of evidence and rigorous formulation of arguments, the discipline is an excellent preparation for a wide field of careers – from law, government, and public policy to the arts and business.

The fields of study are defined in two ways: 1. Through the intersection of space and time, as for example, in the histories of modern Southeast Asia and East Asia. 2. By topic, as for example, in the histories of science and technology, gender, or revolutions.

To satisfy the requirements for a Minor in History, students must complete at least five courses, including HH101, which is a compulsory course and also the prerequisite for all other courses in the History programme. Subject to approval, students may also take, as electives, history-related courses such as ADM131 Western Art History I and ADM132 Western Art History II offered by the School of Arts, Design and Media.

II. Curriculum

Contact Person

Assoc Prof Ho Khai Leong
Email: klho@ntu.edu.sg

III. Description of Courses

HH101 What is History? Concepts, Practices and Critiques

A thematically structured critical introduction to the course of history: its meanings, frameworks, interpretations, schools of thought, practitioners and its uses and abuses. The course will analyze both the traditional and new methods of studying, analyzing and interpreting the past and its relationship to our present and the future. This exciting debate on the concepts, practices and critiques of history will be framed by in-depth analysis of selected case studies that provide further critical insights into the discipline and its relationship with other scholarly disciplines.

HH201 The Making of Civilizations

This course discusses the history and civilizations of both the Western and non-Western worlds up to the 15 th century CE. It also analyzes how these societies interacted with one another and how this interaction paved the way for the coming of the global era. Major themes include the rise of social complexity, the growth of empires, and the development of distinct cultural traditions.

HH202 Modern Southeast Asia: The Formation of Nation States

The goal of this course is to highlight and examine patterns of transitions – evolutionary as well as revolutionary – in the societies and cultures of Southeast Asia. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of the modern Southeast Asian states through the wake of de-colonization, but the precolonial and colonial periods will be studied as well.

HH203 History of Singapore

An introduction to the history of Singapore with reference to ancient Temasek, Singapore in the precolonial Malay World, as a colonial state, as a state of Malaysia, and as an independent republic. A variety of themes will be covered in relation to these different periods: political, social, cultural and economic. Attention will also be given to the more recent question of nation-building in Singapore.

HH204 East Asia: Traditions and Transformations

This course covers modern China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam since 1500 in the context of world history. Contact with the industrialized West in the 19 th century caused the most profound and extensive transformation in this region. The course seeks to answer the following question: Why and how did East Asia transform into what it is today? Topics include the Western impact, cultural transformation, communist movement, Japan's militarism, and its postwar economic success.

HH205 The Islamic World: Tradition and Modernity

This course offers an introductory survey of the Islamic world as well as the fundamental concepts and devotional practices of the Islamic faith. It examines the transformation of the terms of coexistence and competition over time between Islamic society and the West. It surveys major events and broad patterns of human activity, for example, wars, migrations, conversions, trade and cultural exchange.

HH206 The Rise of the West

This course traces the development of Western domination since 1500 following Europe's search for political centralization, the impact of the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, the English and French revolutions and the Industrial Revolution. It discusses the formation of modern European empires and their expansion into Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Topics also include cultural encounters, military conquest, economic integration, the new imperialism, colonialism, nationalism, and the culture and politics of the post-colonial world.

HH207 Science and Technology in Historical Perspective

This course surveys the major scientific and technological developments in various cultures, including those of China and Europe. It examines the transformations in the study of astronomy, medicine and natural philosophy, and compares the approaches to knowledge and the cultural values attached to science and technology in different societies. In so doing, it places these developments in their cultural, social and political contexts.

HH208 Revolutions: Theories and Cases

This course is a comparative study of the major revolutions that transformed political, social and economic structures and values, for example, in France, Russia, China, the United States and Mexico. It examines such themes as: contrasts and common patterns in their causes, phases and outcomes; relations between leaders and masses; and major theories of revolution.

HH209 War and Peace

This course focuses on modern military conflicts and the attempts to resolve them. Major themes include the origins of wars, developments of modern military technology and strategies, emergence of international organizations, organization of war economies, and the nature of the peace settlements and legacies for postwar culture and politics.

HH210 Gender in History

A comparative analysis of the roles of women and men in various societies and periods, this course discusses a wide range of issues, such as the following: the social organization and cultural construction of gender and sexuality; the relationship between family structure, sexual attitudes and the economic and political roles of women; and the role normative concepts of femininity and masculinity play in the legitimization of social and political order as well as in attempts to effect, and respond to, social change.

HH211 Special Topics in History

This course covers selected topics in the study of political, social or intellectual history.

IV. Teaching Staff

History Minor Teaching Staff