HIS 101 Western Civilization: Late Antiquity to the Renaissance
This course surveys the social, cultural and political development of western Europe between 500 and 1500. The course investigates inter alia the collapse of the Roman Empire, conflict between secular and ecclesiastical governments, and feudalism; international relations between Christianity and Islam as well as the Old and New Worlds; changes in religion, economics and intellectual life. The survey shall comprise and inquiry of period literature. [European/ Classical Concentration] 3:0:3
HIS 102 Western Civilization: The Reformation to 1918.
This course surveys developments in Western Europe’s political, cultural, social and intellectual history from the European Reformation to World War I. The survey investigates inter alia the rise of the modern state, the development and importance of technology, changing patterns of urbanization, international relations, warfare, and social transformations. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 103 Introduction to the Ethics of the Historical Profession
The profession of historical inquiry, research and instruction composes review of primary and secondary sources. An additional component addresses professional and ethical presentations of that historical inquiry, research, and instruction. History majors shall explore the ethics of research and scholarship; will be introduced to historiographical theories, employ primary and secondary sources; form proper historical citations; understand plagiarism; draft and present proper curriculum vitaes; draft and write personal statements; and draft and write historical abstracts. The course is required for freshmen or transfer students majoring in history within their first academic year. 3:0:3
HIS 104 LE American History Survey Through the Civil War
Introduction to the social, cultural, political and economic history of the United States from the conquest and colonization of North America to the reunification of the nation at the conclusion of the Civil War. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 105 LE American History Survey Since the Civil War
Introduction to the social, cultural, political and economic history of the United States since the conclusion of the Civil War. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 210 Ancient Greece
This course surveys Greek history from the Dark Ages to the Hellenistic period. Traces the political, economic, social, religious and cultural developments. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 211 The Great War: 1914-1918.
World War One was the crucible of the modern world and it altered the political, economic, intellectual, social and cultural realities of inside and outside Europe, culminating in a redrawn map of Europe’s political boundaries. This survey examines the war’s multiple cause and effects. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 212 Roman Civilization
This seminar studies the civilization of ancient Rome from the Iron Age to the age of Constantine, with concentration on the late Republic and early Empire. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 220 History of the American West
Investigates the Western United States from the early 16th century to the present. Themes embraced are: Euro-American interactions with Native Americans; extension and escalation of the federal government into the West; exploitation of natural resources; formation of borders and national identities; race, class and gender relations; impact of immigration and emigration; aggression and criminality; and continuing perseverance of Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier” myth in American culture. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 221 Peoples and Civilizations of North America’s First Nations
Examines the peoples and civilizations of North America’s First Nations. Indigenous nations, from diverse civilizations, are featured to accentuate specific forms of economy, social organization and spirituality. Investigation of more traditional cultures that existed in advance of the formation of Western domination, as well as more contemporary cultural history and modern-day economic, sociopolitical and cultural continuity, change and revitalization will be considered. The survey shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 250 Nazi Germany
This seminar studies the Nazi movement in Germany and Europe, from the post-World War I era to the outbreak of World War II. Topics include: race and racism, religion, and gender; experiences of men and women in Germany; the role of the church and business; Fascism; occupation, persecution, collaboration and resistance. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 251 The French Revolution
This seminar studies the French Revolution and its implications for Europe and the world. It considers the social, political and ideological causes of the Revolution in 1789 and then examines the successive stages of revolution from the experiment with constitutional monarchy to the radical republic and the Terror to Napoleon’s popular dictatorship. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 260 The Civil Rights Era
Examines the years between 1954 and 1975 which has been portrayed as a “Second Reconstruction” and the “Fulfillment of the promise of the American Revolution.” The seminar will impart a concentrated investigation through marked examination of primary and secondary sources, documentaries and films. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 261 The Making of the American Republic, 1754-1820
Examines the formation of a novus ordo saeclorum by assessing the experiences after 1763 as the colonizers in the thirteen British colonies rebelled against the authority of the British Crown and created a new republic. The seminar will investigate the political and ideological foundations of the rupture from Britain, the military and social course of the War of Independence, the postwar strain to attain a constitutional order that would sustain republican liberties, the creation of the Constitution to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, emphasizing economic growth, territorial expansion and social change. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 262 The Great Depression
Examines the economic collapse of the 1920s and 1930s, which fixed social, cultural and political changes in motion that altered the nature of American life. Consideration will be on the methods contemporaries encountered and contributed in those changes, as well as on the historiography that elucidates the Great Depression. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States
Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 319 Russia in the 20th Century
Begins with the failure of the democratic revolution of 1905, emphasizing the Revolution of 1917 and Russia under Lenin. The rise of Stalin, collectivization of agriculture and industrialization, World War II and the Cold War. New democratic stirrings and the collapse of the Soviet system. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3
HIS 320 Jackson and the Legacy of Antebellum America, 1820-1854
Examines the political and social history of the United States from the Missouri debate to the ratification of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. A comprehensive assessment of the market revolution which altered American life, economic expansion, advancement of slavery, First Nation removal, religion and reform, altering positions of women, political movements connected with “Jacksonian democracy,” the impact of abolitionism, and the westward movement of entire peoples. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 321 The Prelude of Bleeding Kansas, 1854-1861
Examines the events that created the turmoil between residents of the State of Missouri and emigrants into the Territory of Kansas from 1854 to 1861 known as “Bleeding Kansas.” A comprehensive assessment of the social, political, economic, religious and military events that ultimately lead to the American Civil War. The course will also examine the important men and women that influenced the fore mentioned events. Students shall be required to visit local historical sites related to the events and peoples of Bleeding Kansas. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 322 The Bloodshed of Civil Strife, 1861-1865
Examines the causes and consequences of the conflict that created the American Civil War. Topics shall include: How did slavery and capitalism compare as rival economic and social systems? What principles did the Confederate States of America stand for? Why did soldiers on both sides fight? How did the war change the lives and roles of women? What made the Civil War the first “modern war”? Why did Abraham Lincoln abolish slavery? How has the American Civil War been remembered and interpreted in the century and a half since the war concluded? The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 323 The Epoch of Reconstruction, 1865-1867
Examines the consequences following the American Civil War in the aftermath referred to as Reconstruction. Topics shall include: What were the experiences of former slaves after Emancipation? What have been the legacies of slavery? What were the goals of Reconstructionalists? Why did Reconstruction fail? How has Reconstruction been remembered and interpreted in the century and a half since 1877? The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 324 The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1945
Examines the social, economic, political, religious and intellectual advancement and controversies that molded modern America. Particular consideration will be given to concerns raised by industrialization, urbanization, immigration, science and technology. The Labor, Populist and Progressive movements will be studied closely. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 325 The Cold War, 1945-1992
Examines the superpower rivalry and American anticommunism from the origins of the Cold War after World War II through to the election of William Jefferson Clinton. Students will examine the most important events, ideas and personalities and address key historical debates on topics including the origins of the Cold War; the development of atomic and nuclear weapons; McCarthyism; the expansion of the Cold War beyond Europe; race and gender relations; the growth of the “imperial presidency,” human rights, dissent, sexuality, neoconservatism, and the end of the Cold War. The course will also give detailed attention to Cold War crises—including the Korean War, the Taiwan Strait, Berlin, Cuba and Vietnam—and their impact on American domestic society. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of
period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 326 Bolstering the Dominoes of Indochina: The Contradictions and Consequences
Examines the history of American involvement in Vietnam, the experience of Americans and
Vietnamese who fought the Second Indochina War (1954-1975), and the impact of the war on American society. The course begins with a brief exploration of pre-colonial Vietnamese history and culture, French colonial dominance from the late 19th century through the 1930s, and the growing Vietnamese nationalist resistance that led to the First Indochina War (1945-1954). A further examination will be spent on the diplomatic and political course of the American war in Vietnam as well as the domestic consequences it wrought in both the United States and Vietnam. Students will seek an understanding of the Vietnam experience through the lives of those who experienced it. Finally, the course will end with a discussion of the legacy of the Vietnam War and its lingering presence in American life. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 330 U.S. Military History
This course is an overview of the U.S. military experience from pre-Revolutionary to the Present with a focus on how the nation thinks about, prepares for, and conducts warfare. The course will examine the interaction of the military, cultural, social, institutional, and international factors that have shaped U.S.
military history. [United States Concentration] 3:0:3
HIS 331 The Holocaust
This seminar examines the origins, implementation, evolution and aftermath of the Holocaust in and outside Nazi occupied Europe. The seminar investigates the experiences and perspectives of victims, perpetrators, accomplices and bystanders. The seminar also analyzes historians changed and changing understanding of the Holocaust. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 332 World War II
This seminar studies World War II’s causes and course, the Holocaust, military technology, the home and fighting fronts, and the postwar reconstruction. The seminar examines the experience of combatants and non-combatants in the war’s two major theaters as well as the experience of occupation and resistance. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 333 The Modern Middle East
This seminar examines the political, economic, social and intellectual history of the modern Islamic world. The course’s main themes are Islam and modernization; the Islamic world and World Wars I and II; colonization and decolonization; Islamic world and the Cold War; and the rise of the “radical” Islam. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 334 The Reformations
This seminar investigates the intellectual, economic, cultural, scientific and political background to the 16th century reformations as well as the theological controversies that led to and flowed from these reformations. The seminar is writing intensive. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 335 Modern Germany
This seminar examines changes in political, economic, social and cultural life in Germany from the late Wilhelmina Empire to post-Reunification. The seminar is reading and writing intensive. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 336 The Long 19th Century
This seminar will examine the history of the 19th century from the Napoleonic to WWI. It focuses on the major social, political, economic and intellectual trends in the 19th century that shaped the modern world. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 337 Modern Europe
This seminar examines major political, social, economic and cultural developments in Europe over the course of the 20th century. Main course themes include: the retreat of Liberalism; the rise of Fascism; the role of war in transforming society, European unity; the lives of women; the place of the “other” in European society; internal and external threats to open societies. The seminar shall comprise an inquiry of period literature. [European/Classical Concentration] 3:0:3.
HIS 400 History in the Public Realm
Prerequisites: EN 105, EN 106, HIS 103 and completion of a minimum of 75 credit hours. Interpreting the past is vital to understanding democratic ideals and civic life. All Majors will be required to complete 135 clock hours of internship experience at a selected historical institution approved by the student’s history advisor. Students are required to maintain a weekly journal of their internship activities. Upon completion of the internship, the student and internship supervisor will submit written reports of their experience and responsibilities to the student’s history advisor. 3:0:3
HIS 451 Thesis I
Prerequisites: EN 105, EN 106, HIS 103, passing the WCT and completion of a minimum of 75 credit hours. All Majors are required to complete a two semester thesis under the guidance of a fulltime history faculty member. The goal of the course is to give each history major the experience of a sustained, independent research project, including: formulating a historical question, considering methods, devising a research strategy, locating and critically evaluating primary and secondary sources. Research topics will be selected by students in consultation with the instructor. Classes will involve student presentations on various stages of their work and mutual critiques, as well as discussions of issues of common interest. The collaboration occurs in a seminar-like setting, in which a small group of students work with one professor for the entire semester, refining their historical skills and presenting their research findings. The students have to pursue a historical subject of their choice, in consultation with their professor. Students gain a better understanding of historical investigation through a careful analysis of primary and secondary sources and development of a well argued thesis. By the end of the semester, majors have emerged with a sense of fulfillment in producing a thesis proposal, state of the field essays, historiographical critique, and historical abstract. Students’ are required to enroll and successfully complete HIS451 during the spring semester of their junior year. On rare occasions, with departmental and advisor approval given for compelling written and documented reasons, a thesis may be started two semesters prior to graduation. The determination of the acceptation rests with the department chair and may not be appealed. All Majors are required to attend regularly scheduled thesis seminar workshops as scheduled. 3:0:3
HIS 452 Thesis II
Prerequisites: EN 105, EN 106, HIS 103, HIS 451 passing the WCT and completion of a minimum of 90 credit hours. All Majors are required to complete a two semester thesis under the guidance of a fulltime history faculty member. HI 452 is a continuation of HI 451. The goal of the course is to give each history major the experience of a sustained, independent research project, including: continuing formulating a historical question, considering methods, devising a research strategy, locating and critically evaluating primary and secondary sources. Classes will involve student presentations on various stages of their work and mutual critiques, as well as discussions of issues of common interest. The collaboration occurs in a seminar-like setting, in which a small group of students work with one professor for the entire semester, refining their historical skills and presenting their research findings. The students have to pursue a historical subject of their choice, in consultation with their professor. Students gain a better understanding of historical investigation through a careful analysis of primary and secondary sources and development of a well-argued thesis. By the end of the semester, majors have emerged with a sense of fulfillment in producing a thesis prospectus, historical citations, an annotated bibliography, critical book review, and final thesis. Students’ are required to enroll and successfully complete HIS 452 during the fall semester of their senior year. On rare occasions, with departmental and advisor approval given for compelling written and documented reasons, a thesis may be started two semesters prior to graduation. The determination of the acceptation rests with the department chair and may not be appealed. All Majors are required to attend regularly scheduled thesis seminar workshops as scheduled. This course will satisfy the EN 306 requirement for History majors. 3:0:3