History
(HIST)
100—The Historian’s Craft, 1 Cr.
This course will introduce students to the discipline of history as a
field of study and research. Course activities include using primary and
secondary sources, and improving analytical skills related to historical study,
especially the identification and critique of historical interpretations. Of
particular interest is how historians research and use varied methodologies to
write history. Department faculty will discuss with students their areas of
expertise, interests, and careers. Required for all broad field social studies
and history majors, but open to any interested students.
101—Western Civilization to 1600, 3
Cr.
The story of civilization in the
Mediterranean area and Europe from the earliest civilization of Egypt and
Mesopotamia, through Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and
Reformation to about 1600.
102—Western Civilization since 1600,
3 Cr.
The story of civilization in the West
from about 1600 to the present, including the Enlightenment; the social,
political, and industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries; and the
two great wars of the 20th century.
105—World History to 1500, 3 Cr.
This thematic and comparative course
surveys broad patterns of human development across cultures, the ways in which
civilizations interacted, and recurring processes and problems encountered in
global history up to 1500 C.E. Central themes are agricultural revolution,
development of global trade networks, and the significance of disease in world
history. Students will investigate social, cultural, religious, and political
aspects of the different periods covered.
106—World History since 1500, 3 Cr.
This thematic and comparative course
surveys broad patterns of human development across cultures, the ways in which
civilizations interacted, and recurring processes and problems encountered in
global history from 1500 to the present. Central themes are the development of
global trade networks, the significance of slavery in different world cultures,
the foundations of the modern industrialized world, the rise of nationalism,
and the effects of globalization. Students will investigate social, cultural,
religious, and political aspects of the different periods covered.
111—The United States to 1865, 3 Cr.
A survey of the political, economic,
cultural, and social developments in U.S. history from Pre-Columbian America to
the Civil War.
112—The United States since 1865, 3
Cr.
A survey of the political, economic,
cultural, and social developments in U.S. history from Reconstruction to the
present.
153—Introduction to Latin American
History 3 Cr.
A survey of Latin American history from
Pre-Columbian civilizations to the present. The course emphasizes the complex
agency of Latin American peoples in their cultural, social, political, and
economic interactions.
217—Christianity in the Ancient World,
3 Cr.
We begin our study with some context:
the significant developments that established the social, political, economic,
philosophical and religious foundations in which the Jesus movement entered.
Combining the evidence from archeological discoveries with advances in
scholarship made over the last two centuries in our historical and textual
understanding of Christianity’s origins, we gain a clearer understanding of the
ancient struggle between Roman Power and the Jewish people’s passionate belief
in a just God. The course also surveys the diversity that existed in Christian
interpretation even as “The Church” began to be constructed. The course concludes with travel to Italy for
two weeks as we will experience the integration of our textual learning with
archeological and historical site visits.
218—Christianity in the Ancient World,
3 Cr.
Same as 217 without the travel and
study abroad.
220—The City in History, 3 Cr.
This course examines and traces the
evolution of a specific urban center chosen for study by the instructor.
Whether organized chronologically to investigate the social, economic,
cultural, and political processes that shaped urbanization and urbanism and the
human responses to them, or thematically to examine the city as political
capital, entrepôt, cultural center, or as financial hub, to name a few
possibilities, cities are human creations at the center of civilization. This
course includes a period of travel and study in the chosen city and its
environs. May be repeated for credit if the city chosen for study and travel is
different.
221—The City in History, 3 Cr.
This course examines and traces the
evolution of a specific urban center chosen for study by the instructor.
Whether organized chronologically to investigate the social, economic,
cultural, and political processes that shaped urbanization and urbanism and the
human responses to them, or thematically to examine the city as political
capital, entrepôt, cultural center, or as financial hub, to name a few
possibilities, cities are human creations at the center of civilization. This
course does not include travel or study abroad.
247—World of Ideas, 3 Cr.
This course examines significant
concepts in the letters and sciences. Students will read seminal works and
contemporary commentary. The interdisciplinary emphasis invites students to
reflect upon the timelessness of these ideas throughout history and in their
own life and times.
254—History through Film, 3 Cr.
This course uses film and relevant
texts to study themes in history. The course will critically analyze how the
histories of peoples, nations and culture, as well as political, economic,
cultural and social conflicts are portrayed and worked out in popular films.
Students will develop critical thinking skills and learn to read films as
cultural texts. Depending upon the instructor, students may be required to
attend regularly scheduled film showings, watch films on their own time, or
make other arrangements requiring additional student time. Must be taken
concurrently with ARTS 254.
295—Islam and Christianity in the
Middle Ages, 3 Cr.
A
study of the three great religions/civilizations of the Mediterranean region in
the middle ages—Islam, Byzantine Christianity, and western Christianity—from
about 400-1500, focusing on their basic beliefs and religious practices, and
their economic, social, political, and cultural characteristics. It also
studies the points of contact and conflict among the civilizations, including
the crusades, the Reconquista, and the Islamic intellectual influence on
Western Europe through Sicily and Spain. The role and experience of the Jews
through the centuries are also explored.
304—The Holocaust, 3 Cr.
A study of the development and
implementation of the genocide known as the Holocaust. The course considers
events in post-WWI Europe, investigates the roles of specific nations during
the inter-war period and WWII, and concludes with the liberations of “the
camps” and the creation of Israel in 1947–48.
308—The Vietnam War, 3 Cr.
The course traces the evolution of
American involvement that culminated in a major land war in Asia, examines
American and Vietnamese goals in Vietnam, analyzes the divisive impact of the
war upon American politics and society, and assesses the consequences and
lessons of the Vietnam War upon the American body politic.
311—The
1960s: Liberation and Reaction, 3 Cr.
This
course covers the social, political, and cultural history of 1960s America. The
course examines the political consensus of the 1950s and its breakdown in the
1960s. It also examines the various cultural and social movements of the decade
and concludes by analyzing the resurgence of conservatism in the early 1970s.
315—Building a New Europe, 3 Cr.
This
course analyzes the political developments in Europe since World War II. After
examining the Cold War, focus shifts to the process of political and economic
integration that has created the European Union. Examples are drawn from the
leading nation-states on the European continent with a focus on Great Britain.
330—Early Modern Europe, 1600-1815,
3 Cr.
Modern European civilization in its
transformation from religious to more secular and material perspectives: the
birth of political absolutism and constitutionalism; the rise of science and
the age of Enlightenment; the first great secular political revolution of
modern times, the French Revolution.
335—Ideas in European Society, 3 Cr.
The history of Europe from the French
Revolution to World War I (1789–1914), focusing on the role of ideas in the
social and political changes of the time, including the rise of industry; the
spread of democracy; the development of liberalism, nationalism, socialism,
Marxism, imperialism, and national competition leading to war.
342—Atlantic Revolutions, 3 Cr.
This course will focus on the Atlantic
Ocean and the four continents surrounding it – Africa, South America, Europe,
and North America – to compare the connections, discontinuities, and possible
trends from the late 1600s through mid-1800s. After examining the exchange of
people, ideas, and good in the Atlantic systems after Columbus and ensuing
networks of trade, slavery, and empire, the central part of the course will
focus on the great revolutions which transformed the Atlantic world: the
American, French, and Haitian Revolutions.
344—The Enlightenment, 3 Cr.
This course examines the main themes of
the European Enlightenment, the conceptual and cultural revolution that
transformed Europe between 1680 and 1800. Among the results of this upheaval
are the birth of modern science, the development of representative democracy, a
series of wars, and the birth of modern commercial society. The Scottish
Enlightenment and eighteenth-century America will receive special attention.
The principal objective is to understand the birth of the modern mind in the
dilemmas and debates of this remarkable era.
346—Colonial America to 1763, 3 Cr.
This course explores topics in early
American history from 1492 to the conclusion of the French and Indian War.
Areas include European exploration in North America, the Atlantic exchange,
free and forced migration, political, religious, and military relationships
among American Indians, Europeans, and Africans, patterns of settlement,
strategies of cultural adaptation, and the development of a uniquely American
culture within the British Empire.
347—Civil War and Reconstruction,
1850-1877, 3 Cr.
This course describes and analyzes the
causes, character, and consequences of America’s greatest crisis. The time
period is from the sectional crisis of the late antebellum period of the 1840s
to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. The class will examine the roots of
sectional conflict, the course, conduct and consequences of war, and the
efforts to reconstruct the nation. The goal will be to understand how and why
events happened as they did, whether the fundamental conflicts of the war were
solved by Reconstruction, and why the Civil War has occupied such an important
place in American history and memory.
349—U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, 3 Cr.
This course examines the border, or
boundary, between Mexico and the U.S. We will seek to connect the border’s
historical origins with contemporary border issues. The course will examine the
forces, policies, people, and events that produced the border as a “middle
ground” of contact, conflict, and accommodation that occurs when two or more
cultures come into contact with one another.
351—The American West, 3 Cr. An
analysis of the American West as both place and processes. Topics include
western myths and realities, Native American-Euroamerican relations,
environmental, economic, and political transformations, and western social
relations. Prerequisite: three credits of HIST or junior standing.
352—Women in American History to
1900, 3 Cr.
This course explores the ways in which
women in American have experienced and given meaning to their history from
1500-1900. This thematic analysis of the cultural roles and the social
realities of American women examines such topics as family and private life,
work and the economy, and community and public life.
353—Women in American History since
1900, 3 Cr.
This course explores recent U.S.
history through the eyes of women. It analyzes how gender roles have changed
over time by race, class, and culture. It examines women’s experience in the
family, religious, political, and social organizations. Topics of interest
include the suffrage movement, settlement houses, prohibition, the labor
movement, women in war and peace, and modern feminism.
354—American Environmental History,
3 Cr.
An analysis of the ways in which
Americans have interacted with their natural environment over time: population
pressures on the land, the impact of the market economy, technology, social
structures and social relations involved in the use, exploitation, and
conservation of a particular natural resource, and human attitudes toward the
environment.
355—Women’s Work: Gender and Labor
in U.S. History, 3 Cr.
This
class examines women as an economic force in American history. Topics will
include women’s unpaid and paid domestic work, women and industrialization, the
growth of labor unions, female-dominated professions, and opportunities for
women in higher education. Feminist frameworks of recognizing women’s search
for gender equality will inform the analysis of the role of race, class and
ethnicity in creating sexual divisions of labor.
359—The 20th Century, 3 Cr.
A study of selected themes and topics
in the history of the 20th century.
360—Culture and State in Russia, 3
Cr.
The story of Russian civilization from
its origins to the present, through the age of the tsars and the upheaval of
Revolution to the rise and fall of the Soviet system in the 20th century,
studying the characteristics of culture and state that have defined the Russian
experience and set it apart from the rest of Europe.
370—Asia in the Modern World, 3 Cr.
The history of the three major states
and societies of Asia–China, Japan, and India, since 1750, including the coming
of the West, the heyday of imperialism, nationalist stirrings and responses,
and the 20th century transformations.
373—History of South Africa, 3 Cr.
The course will consider the patterns
of colonization, examples of cooperation and conflict between the various
groups that came into contact in South Africa, strategies of resistance to
imperial control, and connections to the broader global networks of trade,
imperialism, slavery, and discovery. Special attention will be given to the topics
of violence, assimilation, and institutionalized racism during the colonial
imperial, and post-colonial periods of South African history.
380—Women, Men, Love, and Family, 3
Cr.
A study of the role of women and the
relationships between women and men in Western society, from the ancient Greeks
to the present, including the prominent gender roles, the attitudes toward
sexuality and love, the patterns of sexual behavior, and the patterns of family
life. Prerequisite: three credits of HIST or junior standing.
385—The History of Medicine, 3 Cr.
This course presents an introductory
survey of the history of western medicine, the evolution of the major doctrines
of health and illness, and the changing position of health care providers in
society during the past 2500 years. It examines the ancient Greek innovations
in healing, the medieval rise of hospitals and the changes to medicine brought
about by the Scientific Revolution. The course culminates with the
professionalization of medicine and the rise of the modern hospital system.
465—Seminar I, 3 Cr.
Study of the nature of history and of
historical research techniques.
466—Seminar II, 2 Cr.
Preparation, composition, and
presentation of an historical research paper or project.