HIST Course Descriptions

Table of Contents

HIST 100 World History

3 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.

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HIST 110 Western Civilization to 1648

3 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.

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HIST 111 The Modern and Postmodern World

3 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?

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HIST 120 Western Civilization from 1648

3 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.

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HIST 151 United States to 1865

3 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.

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HIST 152 United States from 1865

3 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.

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HIST 250 Colonial Vestiges & Liberal Hopes: Latin America

3 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.

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HIST 285 Selected Topics

3 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.

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HIST 290 Doing History and Politics

3 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.

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HIST 295 Individualized Study

1-3 hours

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.

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HIST 330 Myth & Reality in the American West

3 hours

Examines the relationship of the American West to the rest of the nation through its exploration, settlement, and development. Special attention is given to the Pacific Northwest and to the Native American experience.

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HIST 331 England to 1688

3 hours

The growth of the English nation from Roman times to the Glorious Revolution, with special attention given to constitutional and religious development.

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HIST 332 England from 1688

3 hours

England in the modern age, emphasizing the response of its institutions to its rapidly changing role in the European and world communities.

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HIST 340 History of the Middle East

3 hours

Explores the political, economic, social, and religious developments in the Middle East from the ancient to the modern era, with emphasis on the latter period.

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HIST 343 History of Southern Africa

3 hours

A study of the history of southern Africa from about 1500 to the present with particular attention to the native groups of the region, Dutch colonization and British imperialism, and relations between diverse ethnic groups in the last two centuries.

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HIST 360 Modern Russia

3 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.

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HIST 380 Race and Slavery in America

3 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.

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HIST 393 Making History Matter: Introduction to Public History

3 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.

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HIST 399 Cross-Cultural Experience

3 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.

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HIST 401 Christianity: Ancient Rome to the Reformations

3 hours

The development of Christianity from its appearance within the Greco-Roman world through the period of the Reformations.

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HIST 402 Christianity: 1600 to Present

3 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.

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HIST 410 All Roads Lead to Rome

3 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.

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HIST 419 Castles & Cathedrals: Europe 1050-1300

3 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.

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HIST 422 Europe: 1890-Present

3 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.

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HIST 456 Classics of American History

3 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 histiographical traditions that informed the interpretations.

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HIST 458 Tea & Taxes: America,1754-1825

3 hours

Studies the world of the founders. Emphasis is placed on the ideological, social, and political milieu that gave birth to the American Revolution and Constitution. The course also considers the radical changes in American society the revolution set in motion.

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HIST 459 The State(s) of the Union: America, 1825-1898

3 hours

Examines the causes of the Civil War. In addition, slavery, Christianity, the westward movement, the struggle for power in Congress, Abraham Lincoln, the rise of Northern industrialism, and Southern society are all studied in their own right and in relation to the conflict some historians call "the crossroads of our being."

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HIST 460 America, 1898-Present

3 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.

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HIST 468 America in the Time of the Two World Wars, 1898-1945

3 hours

Considers how economic growth and then depression challenged the American government and people to redefine the American Dream and to discover new avenues for achieving it. At the same time, Europe confronted America with two world wars, which also changed the nature of American society and the role of the United States in the world.

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HIST 469 Recent America, 1945-Present

3 hours

Studies America as the leader of the Western world during the Cold War and how that role impacted 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.

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HIST 475 Field Experience

2-10 hours

Supervised experiences in museums, historical societies, and government agencies. Pass/No Pass. Prerequisites: upper-division history majors, and by permission.

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HIST 485 Selected Topics

3 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).

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HIST 490 History Seminar

3 hours

The course examines the methods professional historians use in writing history and the main currents in American historiography through the reading of America's most influential historians. Working closely with the instructor, students are required to write a research paper based on primary sources. The paper will be permanently retained by the history faculty.

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HIST 495 Individualized Study

1-3 hours

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.

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