History (HIS) Courses

HIS-101 World History to 1500

Exploration of the origins of human societies and the development of their hierarchical structures and the network connections between them across the world. An effort will be made to develop a conceptual framework for analyzing different societies and network interactions comparatively so as to highlight meaningful similarities and differences among them. This course, along with HIS 102, is especially recommended to those students taking their first college-level history course.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-102 World Hist Since 1500

This course traces the increasing interdependence of the world's different societies as improved communications tie more of the world closely together. This will involve explaining the transformations wrought upon different areas by industrialization and the reactions this process has created across the globe. This course, along with HIS 101, is especially recommended to those students taking their first college-level history course.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-200 Topics World Comp History

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-201 Big History

The Big History movement within World History started a couple decades ago, and was more fully brought to light by the publication of David Christian's Maps of Time in 2004. Big Historians believe that the proper temporal unit to study human history should include the full thirteen billion years since the Big Bang. Therefore, this course provides an interdisciplinary look at the history of our planet from the perspectives of physics, geology, biology, chemistry, and environmental studies in addition to more familiar disciplines such as anthropology, economics, political science and history. In essence students will be studying human history from the widest possible frameworks, as well as from the more detailed attention that is more typical of historians. This course can fulfill a requirement for the Environmental Studies minor.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion,

HIS-210 Topics in Ancient History

This is an introductory course that focuses on a specific topic in ancient history and requires no previous work. Course may be repeated as topic changes. Depending on subject matter, this course may be cross-listed. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion, Literature/Fine Arts
Equated Courses: CLA-113

HIS-211 Ancient History: Greece

A survey of Greek history from the end of the Bronze Age (ca. 1100 B.C.) to the time of the Roman conquest of the Greek world (first century B.C.). Emphasis is on the origin, evolution, and problems of the most important Greek political-social-cultural structure, the polis or city-state.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion, Literature/Fine Arts
Equated Courses: CLA-105

HIS-212 Ancient Rome

A survey of Roman history from the Etruscan period (6th and 5th centuries B.C.) to the transformation of the Roman world to the medieval (4th and 5th centuries A.D.). Emphasis is on the origins, nature, effects, and evolution of imperialism in Roman politics, culture, and society.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion, Literature/Fine Arts
Equated Courses: CLA-106

HIS-220 Topics Med & Early Mod Europe

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-230 Topics in Modern Europe

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-231 19th Century Europe

This survey will cover events in European history from the French Revolution to the end of the 19th century. It will explore nationalism, utopianism, Europe's quest for colonial expansion, and the rise of the Industrial Revolution. In addition to these vast issues, the course also examines developments in social history including family life, change in urban areas, health, medicine, and gender.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-232 20th Century Europe

This survey will examine significant events in European history from 1900 to the end of the 20th century. The course will cover circumstances leading to World War I, the rise of fascism, and World War II. The survey ends with a discussion of the Cold War, its ultimate demise, and nuclear legacy. Since there was more to the 20th century than military history, the class will also consider how European societies reacted to war and will focus on life on the home front, gender relations, cultural change, and consumerism.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-235 Topics Economic Hist European

The purpose of this course is to study economic issues in European history. A substantial part of the course is devoted to the Industrial Revolution. What caused the Industrial Revolution and why did it occur in England? What effects did it have on living standards? Other topics will vary, but may include: agriculture, demography, Poor Laws, the Great Depression, and the gold standard. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: ECO-101
Credits: 0.5-1
Equated Courses: ECO-214

HIS-236 History of Economic Thought

Designed for non-majors as well as majors, this course examines the intellectual history of economics. The ideas of great economists (including Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Keynes, Schumpeter, and Knight) are analyzed and compared. Particular emphasis is placed on differing views toward capitalism-especially predictions about its eventual fate.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion, Behavioral Science
Equated Courses: ECO-205

HIS-240 Topics in American History

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-241 United States to 1865

An introduction to American history and to the departmental Core Goals in the process of historical investigation and understanding. Students will learn the basic facts and conceptual themes involved in Native Indian cultures, Puritanism, the American Revolution, the New Nation, expansionism, slavery, reform, and the Civil War. The course focuses on significant everyday experiences and social history of women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-242 United States 1865-1945

The emphasis is upon some of the major issues in American politics and society between 1865 and 1945: Reconstruction, the growth of big business; populism, farmers, workers, and immigrants; urbanization and reform movements among rural and urban labor and minority groups; and the Second World War. In addition to studying national history and the emergence of the United States as a world power, students will have an opportunity to investigate their own family histories.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-243 US Since 1945

This course surveys the transformation of politics, culture, and society in the United States since the end of the Second World War. It provides an introduction to some of the critical events and issues confronting the post-1945 world. Key themes will include the reconfiguration of work, consumption, and the structure of the U.S. economy; the changing role of the U.S. in the world in the context of the Cold War; changing patterns and meanings of immigration; suburbanization, urban poverty, and the relationship between space, race, and class; social movements on behalf of black civil rights and the liberation of women, gay men, and lesbians; the expansion of state power in wartime and peacetime; and the rise of a new conservative movement.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-244 African American History

Emphasis on several crucial periods: slavery; Reconstruction and its aftermath; the civil rights and Black liberation movements of the 1960s; and contemporary African American culture. Relations between Blacks and Whites will be examined through the reading and discussion of classic African American texts by Douglass, Jacobs, Washington, DuBois, Wright, Angelou, Moody, Walker, Malcolm X, King, Baldwin, Gates, and others.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-245 Topics in Economic Hist, U S

The purpose of this course is to use economics to improve our understanding of history and to use history to improve our understanding of economics. Examples of questions that may be addressed are: Why is the U.S. wealthy? How do government policies affect the economy? How has the role of government changed over the course of U.S. history? How did the institution of slavery and its abolition affect Southern economic development? Is the current U.S. banking system better than the systems that preceded it? What caused the Great Depression? Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: ECO-101
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: ECO-213

HIS-250 Topics Latin American History

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval.Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-252 Peoples & Nations of Latin America

A survey of the history of Latin America from Pre-Columbian times through the Wars of Independence and the national period to the current day. This course will examine the various internal dynamics and external influences that have shaped the experiences of the countries of Latin America since independence. Emphasis on socioeconomic structures as the conditioning environment for political and cultural developments. A major focus will be historical analysis of scholarly monographs and primary source documents.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Equated Courses: HSP-252

HIS-260 Topics Asian History

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-262 Modern China 1911 to Present

A survey of modern China. The class will examine the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty and the emergence of Nationalism through the end of the Second World War, the rise of Chinese Communism through the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and contemporary China to the present.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-270 Special Topics: African History

Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-272 Africa Since 1885

The period from the European Partition of Africa in 1885 to Post-independence was one of the most significant and drastic eras of change for Africans, drawing them into a global wage labor economy, and seeing them interact in new ways with migration, the World at War, and the Colonial Endeavor.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-287 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-288 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-300 Adv Topics: World & Comp History

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in world and comparative history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval.Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-301 Craft & Theory of World History

This is an upper level course in world history. Students will read secondary literature about world history and will read world history textbooks more for historiographical analysis than for content. Emphasis will therefore be on the theories and practices of world history; students will be expected to produce a significant term paper focusing either on a curricular proposal for a world history course or on an historiographical analysis of current trends and developments in the field.
Prerequisites: HIS-101 or HIS-102
Credit: 1

HIS-310 Advanced Topics in Ancient History

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in ancient history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval.Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for Topics and Descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1
Equated Courses: CLA-212

HIS-320 Adv Topics: Medieval & Early Modern Europe

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in medieval and early modern European history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-330 Adv Topics: Modern Europe

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in modern European history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-340 Advanced Topics: American History

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in American history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous credit in History
Credit: 1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-350 Advanced Topics in Latin America

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in Latin American history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1
Distribution: History/Philosophy/Religion

HIS-360 Advanced Topics in Asian History

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in Asian history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-370 Advanced Topics in African History

This course provides opportunities for small group and independent work in intensive study of selected topics in African history. Since the content of this course varies from semester to semester, it may be repeated for credit upon the instructor's approval. Refer to the Course Descriptions document on the Registrar's webpage for topics and descriptions of current offerings.
Prerequisites: One previous course in History
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-387 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-388 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-487 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-488 Independent Study

Individual research projects. The manner of study will be determined by the student in consultation with the instructor. Students must receive written approval of their project proposal from a department Chair before registering for the course.
Prerequisites: none
Credits: 0.5-1

HIS-497 Philosophy & Craft of History

This course is required of all majors in history and should be taken in the junior year. Students have an opportunity to read different examples of historical writing and to examine the philosophical and methodological assumptions which underlie the historian's craft.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1

HIS-498 Research Seminar

All history majors must take this course in the fall semester of their senior year, while other juniors or seniors are welcome to enroll with the consent of the instructor. Emphasis on research techniques, conferences with the instructor, and independent development of individual projects focused on a topic with a global or comparative component.
Prerequisites: none
Credit: 1