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Department: History

Randall Law

Associate Professor of History

Office:

Berte Humanities Building 305

Contact Information:

Box 549031
Birmingham-Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Rd
Birmingham, AL 35254
Office Phone: (205) 226-7836
Office Fax: (205) 226-3089
E-mail: rlaw@bsc.edu

Brief Career Background:

Randall Law has been a member of the Faculty of Birmingham-Southern since 2003.  Before that, he taught at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, and the University of Utah and Westminster College in Salt Lake City.  His first book, Terrorism: A History, was published by Polity Press (UK) in 2009.  That same year he spent four months as a Fulbright Research Scholar in Odessa, Ukraine, researching that city's experience with terrorism in the early twentieth century.  In 2011, he received two awards at the College, the ODK Excellence in Teaching Award and the Richebourg Gaillard McWilliams Faculty Scholarship Award.

Educational Background:

B.A. in Russian, Amherst College, 1991
M.A. in Russian Studies, Yale University, 1993
Ph.D. in History (concentrations in Russia and modern Europe), Georgetown University, 2001

Areas of Academic Interest:

• Russia (particularly late 19th and 20th centuries)
• Europe (particularly France and Germany) since the French Revolution
• The history of terrorism

Courses Taught:

HI 102 European Civilization I (1)
The historical development of European social and political attitudes and institutions through the Age of Enlightenment.

HI 103 European Civilization II (1)
The historical development of European social and political attitudes and institutions from the French Revolution to the late twentieth century.

HI 120 The History of Terrorism (1)
An examination of the history of terrorism with the twin goals of explaining its contemporary prevalence and its historical significance. Emphasis will be placed on the political, social, and cultural contexts of terrorism and political violence; critical, literary, and popular responses to terrorism; changing definitions of terrorism; and the interrelationship between terrorism and modernity. Particular attention will be paid to revolutionary terrorism in Europe and Russia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; ethno-nationalist terrorism in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa in the second-half of the twentieth century; anti-imperialist and left-wing terrorism in the 1960s and 1970s; and the recent upsurge in religiously inspired terrorism. Also listed as HON 120, this course may be counted by Honors Program students toward fulfillment of their course requirements.

HI 245 Russian Civilization (1)
An introduction to the history of Russia and its distinctive political, social, and cultural institutions and expressions, from the formation of Russia in the first millennium common era through the breakup of the Soviet Union (an IC designated course).

HI 248 Modern Germany (1)
An examination of the history of Germany from the era of Bismarck through reunification at the end of the Cold War. Topics include the creation of the German nation-state, participation in the World Wars, Weimar, Nazism, East and West Germany, and post-reunification. The course emphasizes the use of Germany as a case study for studying the problems and paradoxes of European development in the modern era.

HI 250 Topics in the History of Terrorism (1)
An exploration of terrorism through focused study of four to six episodes in its history. Following an historical and methodological introduction, possible subjects include the Sicarii, the Carbonari, Russian revolutionary terrorism, the Ku Klux Klan, the Irish Troubles, Israel/Palestine, the Malayan Emergency, the Weather Underground, anti-abortion violence, eco-terrorism, and September 11 (a Leadership Studies designated course). Prerequisite: sophomore standing or above.

HI 342 French Revolution and Napoleon (1)
Analysis of the causes and course of the Revolution in France and the spread of revolutionary ideas and institutions in Europe, 1789-1815. Prerequisite: HI 300 or consent.

HI 344 Europe, 1914-1945 (1)
The development of the major European countries and of international relations in the era of the world wars. Prerequisite: HI 300 or consent.

HI 346 Russia in the Twentieth Century (1)
A study of Russia and its transition in the twentieth century from a backward behemoth to the world’s first socialist state and finally to a struggling post-communist nation. Topics include the crises of late Imperial Russia, the Russian Revolution, Stalinism, official and popular culture in the Soviet Union, the construction of “mature socialism,” and the collapse of the U.S.S.R. Prerequisite: HI 300 or consent.

HI 349 The Cold War: American and Soviet Perspectives (1)
A study of the Cold War from both the U.S. and Soviet perspectives, from its origins during the closing days of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Emphasis is placed on the Cold War’s political and cultural impact on the home fronts, as well as the interrelationship between foreign and domestic policy. Prerequisite: HI 300 or consent.

HI 400 Senior Research Symposium (1)
The senior capstone seminar, in which students write a major research paper on a topic of their choice with consent. Students will present their research in a senior conference. Prerequisite: consent.

HI 401 Senior Research Project in History (1)
Qualified students may register for this course to meet graduation requirements for Disciplinary Honors in History. Prerequisites: HI 400 and consent.

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A senior moment

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Campus Spotlight:

Honors Day 2012

BSC celebrated the academic achievements and leadership roles of students, faculty, and staff.