HIST Course Descriptions
Table of Contents
- HIST 100 World History
- HIST 110 Western Civilization to 1648
- HIST 111 The Modern and Postmodern World
- HIST 120 Western Civilization from 1648
- HIST 151 United States to 1865
- HIST 152 United States from 1865
- HIST 250 Colonial Vestiges & Liberal Hopes: Latin America
- HIST 285 Selected Topics
- HIST 290 Doing History and Politics
- HIST 295 Individualized Study
- HIST 330 The American West
- HIST 331 England to 1688
- HIST 333 Immigration Nation
- HIST 336 Cultural History of Sports
- HIST 338 History and Film
- HIST 340 History of the Middle East
- HIST 360 Modern Russia
- HIST 380 Racism, Slavery, and Civil Rights
- HIST 385 Selected Topics
- HIST 393 Introduction to Public History
- HIST 399 Cross-Cultural Experience
- HIST 401 Christianity: Ancient Rome to the Reformations
- HIST 402 Christianity: 1600 to Present
- HIST 410 Ancient Rome: Republic to Empire
- HIST 419 The Medieval World, 1000-1300
- HIST 422 Europe: 1890-Present
- HIST 456 Deep Dives in History
- HIST 458 America’s Beginnings: From Revolution to Republic
- HIST 459 America’s Reckoning: The Civil War & Reconstruction
- HIST 460 The American Century, 1890-1999
- HIST 461 The History of Right Now
- HIST 475 Field Experience
- HIST 485 Selected Topics
- HIST 490 College to Career
- HIST 495 Individualized Study
HIST 100 World History
3 credit hours
An introductory college-level modern world history course. Students cultivate their understanding of world history from c. 1200 CE to the present through analyzing historical sources and learning to make connections and craft historical arguments as they explore concepts like humans and the environment, cultural developments and interactions, governance, economic systems, social interactions and organization, and technology and innovation. This course is offered through High School Concurrent Enrollment Early College Program.
HIST 110 Western Civilization to 1648
3 credit hours
A survey of Western civilization from the ancient world through the Reformation and religious wars, including attention to the origins and development of religious, political, and economic life and ideas. This course is offered through High School Concurrent Enrollment Early College Program.
HIST 111 The Modern and Postmodern World
3 credit hours
This course examines the history of the United States and Europe from 1750 to the present day. It critically explores the rise of the ideas of freedom, equality, and justice, while asking what role did the Christian faith, and the courage to express it, have in the formation of the modern and postmodern world?
HIST 120 Western Civilization from 1648
3 credit hours
A survey of European civilization from early modern Europe to the present day. Special attention is given to the political, economic, and religious developments that continue to influence European society and its role in world events. This course is offered through High School Concurrent Enrollment Early College Program.
HIST 151 United States to 1865
3 credit hours
The first half of a two-semester survey of American history. The course surveys historical development from human origins in North America through the founding of the United States to the end of the Civil War. This course is offered through High School Concurrent Enrollment Early College Program.
HIST 152 United States from 1865
3 credit hours
The second half of a two-semester survey of American history. The course surveys historical development in the United States beginning with Reconstruction of the nation during and after the Civil War and continuing through contemporary times. This course is offered through High School Concurrent Enrollment Early College Program.
HIST 250 Colonial Vestiges & Liberal Hopes: Latin America
3 credit hours
Latin American countries from colonial times to the present, with an emphasis on the conditions that have led to the crises of recent years.
HIST 285 Selected Topics
3 credit hours
Occasional special courses scheduled to fit the interests of students and faculty and the needs of a shifting society. A course in presidential elections is offered in presidential-election years.
HIST 290 Doing History and Politics
3 credit hours
This course examines research, writing, and presentation skills as well as diving deeper into the foundational approaches to knowledge in history and politics. In addition, this class will explore career preparation and opportunities open to students in these fields.
HIST 295 Individualized Study
1-3 credit hour
Individualized study or supervised research in an area of special interest to the student which is outside the regular offerings of the major. Additional course fee (per credit) is required.
HIST 330 The American West
3 credit hours
This course uses distinct historical episodes to study the North American West from the 1600s to the present. It examines the West as a mythical landscape of freedom, adventure, and individual opportunity while also studying its reality as a place of unusual violence, cultural conflict, economic and environmental challenges, and political turmoil. Special attention is devoted to indigenous history, U.S. geographic expansion, the Pacific Northwest, race and ethnicity, labor, politics, popular culture, and the environment.
HIST 331 England to 1688
3 credit hours
The growth of the English nation from Roman times to the Glorious Revolution, with special attention given to constitutional and religious development.
HIST 333 Immigration Nation
3 credit hours
This course investigates American history from the colonial period to the present through the topic of immigration. It provides much-needed historical context for ongoing debates over immigration, citizenship, Americanization, race, ethnicity, and national belonging.
HIST 336 Cultural History of Sports
3 credit hours
This course examines the historical development of sports from a cultural perspective. It focuses primarily on North America from the pre-colonial era to the present. We will devote special attention to race and ethnicity, class, gender, religion, politics, education, and the media to investigate how and why sports have become a popular cultural phenomenon, as well as how they have influenced—and been influenced by—broader patterns of cultural and social change. Since sports have historically served as symbolic sites of exclusion, inclusion, protest, and power for minority groups, we will examine the impact of athletic competition on the development of race and gender relations.
HIST 338 History and Film
3 credit hours
This course will include some combination of history through film as well as the history of films. The genre or topic will differ by term. Students will explore the ways in which films reflect, construct, and challenge our understanding of historical moments and cultural contexts. Whether examining historical epics, biographical dramas, or purely fictional narratives, this course will offer a critical lens on how cinema serves as both a mirror and a maker of history. Students will engage in close analysis of films and related readings, developing the ability to critically assess the role of cinema in history.
HIST 340 History of the Middle East
3 credit hours
Explores the political, economic, social, and religious developments in the Middle East from the eighteenth century to the modern era, with emphasis on the latter period.
HIST 360 Modern Russia
3 credit hours
A study of 20th- and 21st-century Russia and other former Soviet republics, with emphasis on their current significance in the world and the factors in their history that brought the Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
HIST 380 Racism, Slavery, and Civil Rights
3 credit hours
Explores the development of race-based slavery in the American colonies, slavery and abolitionism in the nineteenth century, and Black resistance to racism and
pursuit for racial justice.
HIST 385 Selected Topics
3 credit hours
Occasional special courses are scheduled to fit the interests of students and faculty and the needs of a shifting society.
HIST 393 Introduction to Public History
3 credit hours
This course will introduce students to the various fields within public history, the ethical and methodological standards, and give students the opportunity to work on a public history project.
HIST 399 Cross-Cultural Experience
3 credit hours
This course offers in-depth discipline specific cross-cultural study designed to enhance the intercultural emphasis of various academic majors. The course includes class meetings followed by travel to various locations throughout the world. Students will use core disciplinary knowledge to serve, learn and interact with other cultures. (Students must meet eligibility requirements.) Additional course fee is required.
HIST 401 Christianity: Ancient Rome to the Reformations
3 credit hours
The development of Christianity from its appearance within the Greco-Roman world through the period of the Reformations.
HIST 402 Christianity: 1600 to Present
3 credit hours
Christianity's development from the period of the Reformations through its global spread during the modern era, observing its historical context and relationship to the surrounding cultures.
HIST 410 Ancient Rome: Republic to Empire
3 credit hours
A survey of Republican and Imperial Rome from the 6th century BCE through the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth century A.D. Political, economic, and social developments are stressed, including the rise of Christianity and the early church.
HIST 419 The Medieval World, 1000-1300
3 credit hours
A survey of Europe and the Middle East in the High Middle Ages. Special attention is given to the important political, economic, and religious developments of this period.
HIST 422 Europe: 1890-Present
3 credit hours
Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries, with emphasis on the upheavals of the two world wars and the status of the European states today.
HIST 456 Deep Dives in History
3 credit hours
This course is a seminar that allows students to study some of the great works of American history. In addition to mastering the historical knowledge the books provide, students will develop an advanced understanding of both the social and political climate within which the books were written, and the historiographical traditions that informed the interpretations.
HIST 458 America’s Beginnings: From Revolution to Republic
3 credit hours
This course explores the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution and follows the nation created in its aftermath. We will study the revolution as a war for independence from Great Britain, an experiment in republican government, a struggle to transform the very nature of American society, and as a catalyst for democratic revolutions that shook the foundations of the Atlantic world. Because the revolution was not a single event but a multifaceted conflict and movement, we will explore how indigenous peoples, African Americans, women of all social statuses, the disenfranchised poor, and those who remained loyalists experienced this transformative period. In the second half of the course, we will study the paradoxes that accompanied the creation and expansion of the early United States.
HIST 459 America’s Reckoning: The Civil War & Reconstruction
3 credit hours
The Civil War and Reconstruction are arguably the most significant, transformative, problematic, and misunderstood events in all of American history. The meanings of these events are complex and take many different forms: national, sectional, racial, constitutional, individual, cultural, intellectual, and moral. This course concentrates on four broad themes central to this fraught historical period: the crisis of union and disunion in an expanding republic; slavery, race, and emancipation as national problems, personal experiences, and social processes; the experience of modern, total war for individuals and society; and finally, the political and social challenges of Reconstruction.
HIST 460 The American Century, 1890-1999
3 credit hours
Explores America’s changing roles in the 20th century and the ways these influenced the social, economic, intellectual, and political currents in American life. This course also examines the rise of interest groups, the increased political prominence of ethnic and women's groups, and the impact of these groups on American culture.
HIST 461 The History of Right Now
3 credit hours
This course focuses on the emerging history of the twenty-first century within and beyond the United States. Major themes include the history of technology, the rise of terrorism and non-state actors, the resurgence of authoritarianism and white nationalism, and the erosion of truth.
HIST 475 Field Experience
2-10 credit hou
Supervised experiences in museums, historical societies, and government agencies. Pass/No Pass. Prerequisites: upper-division history majors, and by permission.
HIST 485 Selected Topics
3 credit hours
Occasional special courses scheduled to fit the interests of students and faculty and the needs of a shifting society. A course in presidential elections is offered in presidential-election years (2012, 2016, etc).
HIST 490 College to Career
3 credit hours
Provides a bridge from content and methodology studies to post-college experiences whether they be professional school, graduate school, or employment.
HIST 495 Individualized Study
1-3 credit hour
Individualized study or supervised research in an area of special interest to the student which is outside the regular offerings of the major. Additional course fee (per credit) is required.