2025-2026 Academic Catalog

History (HIST)

HIST 111  - World History I  (3 Hours)  
A study of world history to c. 1500 that introduces the skills and methods of historical study. Students will be asked to reason historically, think clearly and analytically, read critically, and convey their understanding of change and continuity through clear and concise essays. They will apply the skills learned by writing a critical or comparative book review in which they judge how another historian has applied those skills. This course is required for education students seeking certification in social studies. Offered yearly. C21:HC,HU,NW
HIST 112  - World History II  (3 Hours)  
A study of world history since c. 1500 that builds on the skills and understanding developed in HIST 100/111 and extends them through more complex reading assignments and a research project in which students fashion their own interpretation of a period, person or an event. Historical skills are interrelated and cumulative. This course is required for education students seeking certification in social studies. Offered yearly. C21:HC,HU
HIST 180  - T:Special Topics  (3 Hours)  
These courses focus on areas of History not specifically covered in the general curriculum.
HIST 210  - African-American History since 1865  (3 Hours)  
This course provides the opportunity for students to gain a chronological and thematic understanding of African-American history since the Civil War. It examines and evaluates the legacy of slavery, the nature and evolution of African-American culture and thought, the promise and perils of emancipation, the accomplishments and failures of Reconstruction, the origins and consequences of segregation, the struggle for civil and political rights, and the ongoing effort to create an integrated society. Students who have completed HIST 337 may not also receive credit for HIST 210. C21: CL,HU,DI.
HIST 211  - The United States to 1865  (3 Hours)  
This course analyzes the cultural, economic, political, and social developments of the European North American colonies and the United States through the Civil War. It emphasizes the origins of American nationalism and republican ideology during the colonial and revolutionary periods, the rise of the two-party system, and its maturation in the Federalist, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian eras, and the social, economic, cultural, and political tensions that culminated in the American Civil War. Offered alternate fall terms. C21:CL,DI,HU,WA.
HIST 212  - The U.S. Since 1865  (3 Hours)  
This is a continuation of HIST 211, but may be taken out of sequence. The Civil War was a watershed moment for the American people and marks the beginning of "modern" America. This course traces that transformation, emphasizing the dramatic late-19th century social, economic, and political changes wrought by industrialization, immigration, and expansion and that forged the powerful nation of the 20th century–a century of conflict at home and abroad that challenged and redefined American ideals. Offered alternate fall terms. C21:CL,DI,HU,WA.
HIST 213  - Virginia History  (3 Hours)  
A study of Virginia & U.S. history from early English visions for "Virginia" into the twenty-first century. It explores Virginia's long road toward racial and social inclusivity and analyzes its relationships with the British Empire, the United States, and the wider world. Students who have received credit for HIST 102 or HIST 318 may not also receive credit for HIST 213. C21:CL,DI,HU.
Curriculum: DI
HIST 215  - The Sixties  (3 Hours)  
This course deals with the turbulent 1960s in America, a time period that still haunts the country today as it continues to grapple with issues that arose during that period: questions of race and ethnic diversity, women’s rights, sexual expression, and identity, street demonstrations, violence, foreign wars, distrust in government, climate and the environment, changing attitudes toward religion, and controversial presidents. Because much legacy, lore, and stereotypical images have arisen about that time, this course seeks to examine the “Long Sixties” – roughly, the period of time starting with the civil rights movement in 1955 and ending with the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1973 – by studying several aspects of American life that underwent tremendous change during that time, as well as new features of American life that emerged for the first time. As such, the course will attempt to cut through all of the accumulated images we have of the 1960s today by looking mostly at primary sources that were produced during the 1960s themselves, rather than merely relying upon modern-day interpretations. The course adopts a “universal classroom” model that integrates different learning styles and formats and combines films, student-led discussions, lectures, and informal classroom discussions. The reading load is intense, and much of the knowledge that students will come away with about the 1960s will come through those readings. Throughout, the course challenges students to read and write effectively just as it pushes them to observe, listen, think, and research critically. NOTE: This course deals with a turbulent period of time that many Americans considered shocking, violent, and deviant. Most of the readings examined in this course are primary sources that were produced during that time. Some of them, as well as films we watch, contain profanity, racial slang, sex, and nudity; advocate drugs and revolution; discuss racial strife and violence; and depict war and its atrocities graphically. Students who have received credit for The Sixties as HIST 101 may not also receive credit for HIST 215. C21:DI,HC,HU.
Curriculum: DI, HC
HIST 218  - Protest and Dissent in American History  (3 Hours)  
At various key moments in American history, individuals or groups of people have raised their voices in protest against a variety of issues, ranging from poor working conditions to racial discrimination to unequal pay to police brutality and more. This course will examine the rich history of protest and dissent in the United States, assessing the issues, methods, and outcomes of various movements from 1800 to the present to better understand where we are in the movement toward true justice and equality today. C21:CL,HU,OC,DI.
HIST 219  - Sports in American History  (3 Hours)  
Sports have been a key component of life in America since the colonial period. This course will examine the period between 1700 to the present, focusing on the modern era to consider how sports have reflected shifts in American society with respect to race, gender, ethnicity, politics, and protest, as well as how sports have shaped our world today. By looking at various games, including football, baseball, boxing, golf, tennis, and more, this course will assess the significance of sports in American history and explore how leisurely pastimes became multi-billion-dollar businesses. C21: HC,HU,WA,DI.
HIST 220  - US Ethnicity and Immigration  (3 Hours)  
American history is a complex story that combines the study of race, class, gender, and ethnicity within the context of regional and national events. This course will focus specifically on the story of immigrants within this larger historical context. Immigrants are not a homogeneous group. Therefore, this course will trace the ways people of various races, ethnicities, and sexualities have developed over the time period between 1492 to the present in the United States. We will examine places of confluence and departure in this development to better understand the diverse story of immigrant life in public and private spheres. This course will emphasize how historical events have been interpreted by contemporaries, historians, and the public alike. Students will be encouraged to develop reading, writing, and verbal skills through assignments, in-class discussions, reading and examining primary source materials. This course will illuminate the deeper understanding of history that can be gained by examining and incorporating the story of immigrants and their impact on the past, present, and future of the United States. C21: HC,HU,DI.
HIST 231  - History of Western Medicine  (3 Hours)  
This course is a survey of the history of Western medicine beginning in classical times with Hippocrates and Galen and ending with contemporary debates over access to health care. Along the way, we will explore humoral medicine, pandemics such as the plague and Spanish flu, the Scientific Revolution, Vesalius’s breakthrough anatomy book, the international race to figure out blood flow, and the rise of germ theory. We will also investigate clinical breakthroughs in treatment, the revolution in surgery, advances in drug therapy, the professionalization of medicine, the development of hospitals and other healthcare delivery systems, and challenges confronting public health. In this course, students will: Learn about the chronological development of Western medicine and how it came to be the dominant approach to health and healing; acquire a basic understanding of the discipline of history, and come to understand that “doing” history requires developing arguments and supporting those arguments with arguments; “do” history by analyzing primary source documents as well as critiquing secondary source works and writing essays about such materials; gain experience in constructing essays that contain lucid and logical arguments supported by evidence; learn that medicine, like any other human enterprise, occurs in and is influenced by context, whether it is of the political, social, or religious variety and that such factors must always be taken into consideration. Students who completed this as HIST 100 may not enroll. C21:HC, HU.
Curriculum: HC, HU
HIST 237  - Introduction to Oral History  (3 Hours)  
Oral history is a field of study concerned with learning and interrogating the past by creating and analyzing recorded interviews with historical actors. Its products are significant sources for historical understanding and are especially important in research of the traditionally marginalized. This course is an introduction to the field and a hands-on practice of oral history. The course will introduce students to the origins of scholarly oral history, its theories, methods, ethics, best practices, and uses of oral history. The course will also examine oral history's interventions in the field of history and highlight its uses in public history. In this course, students will design an oral history project to conduct historical research and produce a scholarly product. C21:CL,HU,EL.
HIST 238  - Black Autobiography and History  (3 Hours)  
This course will be a thematic and comparative historical study of changing social forces and conditions in Black U.S. life in three significant eras of the 20th century. The three major historical terrains under investigation will be Jim Crow America before 1950, the mid-century Black Freedom era, and 1980s America. Through a critical historical analysis of scholarly products and autobiographical material by various Black Americans, such as Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Maya Angelou, and Barack Obama, the course will require students to analyze significant transformations and continuities of Black life in America and to assess their meanings for the broader U.S. society. The course will also be an introduction to the study of the past that asks students to think through the slippery nature and usefulness of both autobiographical works (memory records) and formal historical scholarship to society. Rather than memorize names, dates, and other timeline data, or survey a long record of happenings, the course will challenge students to consider that behind the events of the past are people thinking thoughts, making choices, taking actions, and in the process forming lives and societies; and sometimes those very individuals decide to determine for themselves an authoritative record for History. An enduring question of the course will be what historical value can one gain from individuals crafting narratives to make sense of themselves and their society?
Prerequisite(s): none C21: HC,HU,DI
Curriculum: HC,HU,DI
HIST 239  - Introduction to Public History  (3 Hours)  
The National Council of Public History defines Public History as "the many and diverse ways in which history is put to work in the world," but how and why is history 'put to work'? Is it limited to the products of museums, historical societies, and national monument workers? Could it encompass film, theatrical pieces, and street art? Who is the legitimate historian, and on what bases? The queries and debates inspired by Public History are often contentious and deeply connected to national memory and patriotism, concepts of heritage, and contemporary politics at the local and national levels. This course will push students to grapple with these questions as they work on a Public History project in the community. By the course's end, students will not only have a clear understanding of professional study and interpretation of the past—and its stakes—but also an introduction to new technical skills useful for anyone interested in public-facing careers involving the Humanities such as teaching, public policy, nonprofit work, or political office. C21:CL,HU.
Curriculum: CL,HU
HIST 240  - European Warfare & Society  (3 Hours)  
A survey of European history through the lens of how warfare and decisive battles shaped and reshaped European politics, geopolitics, culture, and society from the religious conflicts of the late medieval era through the imperial conflicts of the 18th century. Other wars covered include the Austro-Ottoman wars, the Italian Wars, the Thirty Years War, the Anglo-Dutch Wars, and the American and French revolutionary wars. When taught as a travel course, the individual wars emphasized will depend on the travel locations. Offered occasionally.
HIST 241  - History of England to 1714  (3 Hours)  
This course begins with a rapid survey of England's geography, medieval experience and continues with a more detailed analysis of the Tudor and Stuart reigns. Emphasis is on the origins of the English nation and on the seventeenth-century revolutions. Offered alternate years. C21:HC,HU.
HIST 242  - Modern Britain  (3 Hours)  
From the Glorious Revolution, this course extends the study of Britain into the modern era. Particular attention will be paid to the Industrial Revolution, the fall of the British Empire and the rise of a welfare state, the challenges of incorporating Ireland, Scotland and Wales into Britain, Britain in two world wars, and Britain’s gradual decline in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Offered occasionally. C21: HC,HU.
HIST 243  - Holy Roman Empire, 1500-1789  (3 Hours)  
Centered on the Thirty Years' War, this course focuses on the history of the Habsburg Lands from the Reformation (1510s) to enlightened despotism under Frederick the Great & Maria Theresa (1740–1780s). It addresses the impact of the Reformation on society, politics, and diplomacy in the Holy Roman Empire, the negotiations and conflicts over religious and secular power, the transition to the modern-state systems after the Thirty Years' War in 1648, the rise of absolutism, and the effects from the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. Offered occasionally.
HIST 244  - 19th Century Germany & Europe  (3 Hours)  
A survey of 19th-century European history through the lens of the consolidation and unification of the German states. The primary focus will be on the German-speaking peoples and the eventual German Empire and their relations with France, Great Britain, and Russia. The course will analyze the evolution of the ideological conflicts among conservatives, liberals, and nationalists specifically in the German context and across Europe more broadly, along with the rise of new radical ideologies, industrialization, scientific and positivist mentalities, and racial and imperial views that shaped those conflicts and helped propel those nations toward the Great War by the turn of the twentieth century. Topics include the origins of German nationalism, German Unification efforts, nationalist challenges in Central and Eastern Europe, European revolutions, the entrenchment of capitalist beliefs economically, socially, and culturally, and the rise of the Marxist critique, the industrial and commercial revolutions, and the expansion of global empires and the imperial racial discourses behind them. C21:CL, HU.
Curriculum: CL,HU
HIST 245  - Royal France  (3 Hours)  
The growth and development of the French nation from ancient Gaul through the reign of Louis XIV– Charlemagne and the rise of feudalism; the first Capetians; Louis IX, Philip IV, and the foundation of absolute monarchy; the Hundred Years' War; Francis I and the French Renaissance; Henry II and the religious civil wars; Henry IV, Richelieu, Mazarin and the consolidation of monarchical power; and Louis XIV, the majesty of Versailles and the legacy of the Sun King. Offered alternate years. C21:HC,HU.
Curriculum: EL,HC,HU
HIST 246  - Six Wives of Henry VIII  (3 Hours)  
Henry VIII looms large in history—literally and figuratively. Much of the reason for his stature stems from the many women he married, two of whom he discarded quite violently. Who were these supporting players in the life of this charismatic and Janus-faced king? During this course we will explore the lives of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr who shared the same husband but who were remarkable individuals in their own right. While analyzing these women, we will also investigate how they each in their own way breached the traditional boundaries that limited women's lives during the early modern period, In addition to reading scholarly biographies of these women and their irascible and dangerous husband, we will explore fictional treatments of this remarkably dysfunctional family in literature and film. C21:HC,HU.
HIST 249  - The Lives of Wives  (3 Hours)  
Marriage is one of the central institutions of society in Western Europe and the United States. While the practice has endured for centuries, societies have continually negotiated and renegotiated the definition and purpose of marriage as well as debated the appropriate behaviors of spouses. This course will examine how the lives of married women in Europe and the American colonies evolved from the early modern era to the contemporary period in the context of these continuous debates about marriage and women's roles in it. Topics include how marriages were made (courtship, dowries) and ended (divorce, and widowhood), pregnancy and childbirth, wives and work, the ideal wife, wives in power and politics, and female spirituality and religion. Other issues, such as sexuality, education, and child rearing, will be woven into these main themes. This course can count towards the European OR American major requirement. It may also count as an elective on the gender, sexuality, and women's studies major or minor. C21:HC,HU
HIST 251  - Colonial Latin America  (3 Hours)  
This course provides an overview of Latin America through the 1820s, beginning with the pre-1492 American and Iberian backgrounds. Topics include: Spanish and Portuguese conquest and colonization; Iberian imperialism and the Atlantic World; race and slavery; socio-economic and cultural patterns; and the struggles for independence and nation building. Offered alternate years. C21:NW,GE,HU
Curriculum: NW
HIST 252  - Modern Latin American History  (3 Hours)  
This is a continuation of HIST 251, but may be taken out of order. Beginning with the independence movements during the early 1800s, this survey course addresses the major developments in Latin America through the 20th century. It emphasizes the socio-economic legacies of independence, the mid-19th century political ideologies and struggles, the position of Latin America in relation to the U.S., the major social and economic concerns of the 20th century, and the rise and demise of authoritarian regimes. Offered occasionally. C21:NW,GE,HU.
Curriculum: NW
HIST 256  - The History of Witchcraft  (3 Hours)  
Beliefs about witchcraft are ubiquitous. Every society—even the most "enlightened" ones—have had episodes where the idea that certain people can harm others through supernatural means was manifested in deadly or embarrassing ways. This course will investigate the history of witchcraft from the ancient world up to the present day. Along the way, students will ponder the various theories of witchcraft as well as study how circumstances and theory sometimes intersected in horrific witch-hunts. Students will be challenged to put themselves into the shoes of people in the past and to recognize—without being judgmental—that witch beliefs had logic, even if that logic does not always make contemporary sense. As a result of this exploration, students should begin to recognize that the strands of witch beliefs that ran through the ancient and early modern worlds are still with us in the present day. Offered alternate years. C21:HC,HU.
Curriculum: HC,HU
HIST 260  - East Asia to 1650  (3 Hours)  
The course provides a thematic and chronological survey of the diverse geographic and cultural units that collectively form what we call East Asian civilization. In particular, we examine the shared historical experiences of present-day China, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia from the beginning of recorded history to the middle of the seventeenth century. It pays special attention to their interrelationships of political, social, economic, religious, and artistic change, while taking into account the adaptation and development of these broader trends within the unique environment of each regional unit. C21:GE,HU,NW,WA.
HIST 262  - Global Women in WWII  (3 Hours)  
Using gender as an analytical tool, this course introduces students to women’s experiences in the global World War II, with a major focus on England, China, France, Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the United States. The course is arranged thematically and often asks students to examine the global women’s wartime experience comparatively. The major topics include but are not limited to wartime mobilization of women, women as combatants, women on the home front, women as victims of war, and women in war memories. By exploring these topics, this course introduces students to debates on gender and nation, war and sexuality, gender and violence/trauma, women’s agency in global WWII, etc. On top of the assigned readings, this course often uses films and documentaries to enrich the student’s learning experience. C21:GE,HU,WA.
HIST 263  - Women & Gender in Chinese History  (3 Hours)  
Women and gender relations in today’s China have experienced enormous changes, yet one may argue correctly that the legacy of Confucian China remains substantial and that tradition has continually undergone reinvention in our day in the context of globalization. This course examines the history of Confucian gender ideology, gendered cultural practices, and values; the late imperial and early republican change in the context of the rise of Chinese nationalism, the interactions with the rest of the world (i.e. Western influences), women under socialist rule and in the reform era. Thus, this course is composed of two relevant parts. First, to examine the ways in which Chinese society staged social/cultural environments to fashion women’s lives, we look at Confucian gender ideology and the family system. Second, to think critically about how changes have been made, we focus on three moments in history: late Qing China, Republican China, and Socialist China. Students have the opportunity to continue to understand the nature of primary and secondary sources and further apply their skills in writing a research paper (making knowledge of their own) by critically using sources gathered from archives, museums, libraries, government offices and social media. This project is divided into stages so that students have a working timetable to follow for better writing results. The class will also have the opportunity to incorporate feedback from the instructor and their peers into the writing during the semester. C21:HC,HU,NW,WA.
HIST 265  - Modern China, since 1949  (3 Hours)  
Today’s generation of U.S. college students grew up with China-made, either in the form of material goods or as a concept that carries political/cultural meanings imagined by the rest of the world. The social, political and cultural connotations of China-made have experienced tremendous changes in the last three decades. But what have happened within China that triggered the western imagination of it in the past century? How should we understand the rise of modern China and the main challenges and opportunities it is facing today? What internal and international forces have driven the dramatic development in this most populous nation in the world? In order to answer these questions and situate modern China in its own historical background, this course leads you back to WWII (known in China as the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance) to trace the roots of revolutions and reforms that led to what we know of China today. We will follow a chronological and thematic order in exploring the history of modern China since 1937. The main historical periods include WWII, the Civil War, the early years of the People’s Republic of China, the Cultural Revolution, the Reform era in Deng’s years, and China after Deng. The topics examined in this course include but are not limited to: War and the making of the Socialist China, the Cultural Revolution and its global context, the pitfalls and challenges of the economic reform, women in China’s development, China’s global factories, one-child policy and its aftermath, environmental issues and the aging population and its implication for the society and its economy. C21: EL.
HIST 271  - Middle East 500-1400  (3 Hours)  
This course provides an overview of the development of the Middle East from the birth of Islam to the rise of the Ottoman Empire. It seeks to acquaint students with the political, socio-economic, cultural, and religious forces that shaped the lives of Middle Eastern peoples during this period. Topics include the life of the Prophet Muhammad; Islamic belief (Sunni and Shi’i) and institutions; the foundation of the Islamic states; the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires; the Mongol invasions; and the Crusades. Offered alternate years. C21:NW.
Curriculum: NW
HIST 272  - The Modern Middle East  (3 Hours)  
An examination of the Middle East (Egypt and the Arab East, Turkey, Israel, and Iran) from the 19th century to the present. An effort is made to relate recurring upheavals in the area, including conflicts between ethnic-religious groups and economic classes, to structural transformations. Topics include: the end of the Ottoman and Safavid empires; Western imperialism and colonialism; Middle Eastern nationalism; the Arab-Israeli conflict; the economics and politics of oil; the Islamic revival; the U.S. invasion and Iraq; and women's history. Offered alternate years. C21:NW.
Curriculum: NW
HIST 280  - T:Special Topics  (3 Hours)  
These courses focus on areas of History not specifically covered in the general curriculum.
HIST 299  - A History of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800  (3 Hours)  
Using the Atlantic Ocean as the stage, this discussion-based course introduces and explores the relationships among European, African, and American nations and peoples from their initial contacts in the fifteenth century to the end of the revolutionary era in the early nineteenth century. It transcends traditional geographical boundaries to analyze these encounters and highlight patterns and connections among the major social, cultural, economic, and political events of the early modern world. It also emphasizes how the peoples of the four continents and their histories were intricately connected. Some of the topics this course analyzes include: Atlantic exploration, systems of colonization, Native American and African resistance and cultural resiliency, Atlantic commerce, Atlantic slavery, slave societies and abolition, the Enlightenment and era of Atlantic revolutions, and the emergence of modern ideologies and nation-states across the Atlantic world. C21: GE,HU,WA,NW.
HIST 300  - Historical Methods & Historiography  (3 Hours)  
An introduction to the historical methods, professional standards, and the evolution of historical interpretations. Students will learn the fundamentals of historical research and writing and employ those skills while completing a research project. Historical content for the research component will vary based on the fields of the professor. Offered yearly. C21:CC.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 185 and one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: CC
HIST 319  - Geographical History  (3 Hours)  
This thematic course illustrates how geographic methods and approaches can further our understanding of past societies and civilizations. Course topics will vary among instructors, but each offering will analyze and compare the relationships of peoples to the places they inhabited and came to inhabit in the early modern and modern eras, as well as the intra-regional, interregional, and transoceanic networks that connected societies. Offered alternate spring terms.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 320  - Native American History  (3 Hours)  
This course explores the major political, economic, social, and cultural themes in Native American history from the precontact era through the 20th century. The course will consist of lectures and readings-based discussions surveying Native American history and will introduce ethnohistorical methods. Offered alternate years. C21:DI, EL, NW.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: DI, EL, NW
HIST 321  - The Contest for Eastern North America, 1550-1763  (3 Hours)  
This course analyzes the Native American and European struggles to control North America from initial contacts through the Great War for Empire that concluded in 1763. It focuses primarily on the Native, European, and settler interactions in what became the United States, and east of the Mississippi River, but also addresses the French and Spanish-claimed territories and the broader Atlantic World context. Topics include the development of colonial societies, cultures, economies, and governments; the Native experiences, responses, and resiliency in the "shatter zones" that resulted from European colonization; forced and voluntary migrations and demographic changes over time; and the development of racial and ethnic identities. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 322  - The American Revolution, 1763-1789  (3 Hours)  
The chief subjects of discussion will be the development of British imperial reorganization beginning in the 1760s, the growth of American resistance to the mother country, the campaigns in the War for American Independence, the efforts at government building, and the socio-cultural changes brought forth by revolutionary ideologies. Offered alternate years. C21:OC.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 324  - The Age of Jackson, 1824-1845  (3 Hours)  
This course surveys the history of the United States from the election of 1824 to the outbreak of the Mexican War in 1846. Primary emphases include: the rise of democracy, the growth of the market, and the ferment of social reform; Indian removal and territorial expansion; the Bank War and the Nullification Crisis; the growth of southern sectionalism; and the development of competing definitions of the Republic. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 326  - The Civil War and Reconstuction, 1861-1877  (3 Hours)  
This course surveys the history of the United States from the outbreak of Civil War in 1861 to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Primary emphases include: the military history of the war; the political and social history of the Confederacy and the Union; and the history of Reconstruction in the South. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 338  - The Black Novel as History  (3 Hours)  
This course uses fiction to explore the nature and meaning of African-American history. Novelists studied will vary. Writers considered in the past have included Charles Chestnutt, James Weldon Johnson, Richard Wright, Chester Himes, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Charles Johnson, and Walter Mosley. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 339  - Women of the Black Freedom Movement  (3 Hours)  
The Black Freedom Movement, a socio-political struggle for full citizenship and human rights in the United States that encompassed both Civil Rights and Black Power activism, transformed life in the nation in the latter half of the 20th century. The movement's social, political, and cultural activity 1954 to 1980 dismantled the "Jim Crow" segregation laws in the South. The movement also pressured communities nationwide to end their less formal "de facto" practices of racist discrimination. Black women spearheaded, directed, and sustained much of this era's political activism and theorizing, especially its intensive community organizing. The result was new social and political possibilities for many African Americans. Yet, Black women's leadership and fundamental contributions remain underemphasized in popular understandings of history. This course will examine scholarship and media that not only recovers women's activism of the Black Freedom Movement but recognizes the importance of their political theorizing, cultural productions, social organizing, and attempts at institution-building in the face of state violence, patriarchal headwinds, and longstanding disinvestment in and hostility toward Black American communities. This course will examine key figures including Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Sonia Sanchez and Angela Davis within their community contexts, as well as groups and organizations such as the SNCC, Third World Women's Collective, and Combahee River Collective. C21:DI,HC,HU.
Prerequisite(s): Must have one 200-level HIST course
HIST 354  - The Renaissance  (3 Hours)  
During the 14th century, the Italian peninsula witnessed an explosion of intellectual and artistic creativity as classical forms were rediscovered and reinterpreted for contemporary purposes. This course will explore this movement which came to be known in later centuries as the Renaissance. Some of the topics covered are civic and Christian humanism, Renaissance self-fashioning, courtly culture, the Scientific Revolution, the evolution of the artist as a hero, conspicuous consumption, and the development of “taste.” Offered alternate years. C21:EL.
Prerequisite(s): Must complete one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: EL
HIST 355  - Religious Revolution in Europe  (3 Hours)  
In 1500 most of Europe officially subscribed to one brand of Christianity, the one articulated by the Catholic Church in Rome. The events of the 16th century, the so-called “Iron Century,” demonstrated that the ties that bound the Church, societies, and people could be, and in many cases, broken. This course examines how other expressions of Christianity emerged in Western Europe during the early modern period, and the impact that these expressions had on the way people approached God, society at large, and each other. This course covers the Lutheran, Reformed, English, Radical, and Catholic Reformations. Offered alternate years. C21:EL.
Prerequisite(s): Must complete one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: EL
HIST 361  - Modern Egypt  (3 Hours)  
– Described as the only true "nation" in the Arab world, Egypt has provided the modern Arab world with cultural and political leadership even as it has preserved its unique identity and historical experience. This course examines such crucial issues in modern Egyptian history (beginning in the mid-18th century) as Egypt's relationship with the great powers, state industrialization, Islamic reformism, Arab nationalism, and Arab socialism, Third Worldism, cultural production, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the experiences of "ordinary" Egyptians. Offered alternate years. C21:EL, NW.
Prerequisite(s): Must complete one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: EL, NW
HIST 367  - Israeli-Palestinian Conflict  (3 Hours)  
At its heart, the Arab-Israeli conflict has revolved around different nationalisms struggling for exclusive control of the same piece of territory, alternately called Palestine or Israel. This course explores the contending Arab and Zionist claims to the land during the 19th and 20th centuries and discusses the course of the resulting struggle. It also examines by-products of the conflict, including socio-economic, political, and psychological ramifications for Jews and Arabs both in Palestine-Israel and beyond. Offered alternate years. C21:NW.
Prerequisite(s): Must complete one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: NW
HIST 380  - T: Special Topics  (3 Hours)  
These courses focus on areas of History not specifically covered in the general curriculum.
HIST 396  - Modern China, 1800-1949  (3 Hours)  
This course will examine China's geography, traditional society, the penetration of Western Civilization, and the rise of Chinese nationalism. The course ends with the Long March. Offered alternate years. C21:EL.
Prerequisite(s): Must complete one 200-level HIST course
Curriculum: EL
HIST 400  - Independent Research  (3 Hours)  
This capstone course allows students to work individually with a professor to develop, research, and write on a topic they and the professor-mentor agree upon. The final product will be a twenty-five-page essay. Offered every semester. C21:CS,EL.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status, and permission of instructor
Curriculum: CS,EL
HIST 450  - Internship in History (Unpaid)  (3 Hours)  
Qualified students may combine their classroom knowledge with practical experience in internship placements in government, business, law, museums, research institutes, or other fields. Must complete 150 internship hours. Open to juniors and seniors with the permission of the department. Application required; see Internship Program. A special fee ($200) is charged for this course. C21:CS, EL.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 300 and permission of the department
Curriculum: CS, EL
HIST 451  - Internship in History (Unpaid)  (3 Hours)  
Qualified students may combine their classroom knowledge with practical experience in internship placements in government, business, law, museums, research institutes, or other fields. Must complete 150 internship hours. Open to juniors and seniors with the permission of the department. Application required; see Internship Program. A special fee ($200) is charged for this course. C21:CS,EL.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 300 and permission of the department
Curriculum: CS, EL
HIST 455  - Field Study  (3 Hours)  
A Field Study is an experiential learning course combining elements of workplace experience, observation, and research. Students are expected to work closely with a faculty field study supervisor to develop learning objectives and a plan of study appropriate to the discipline. Assignments may include a reflective journal, activity reports, and one or more directed research papers appropriate to the discipline. Workplace experience requirements should be similar to those of internships. Students should not receive compensation from workplace experience if they are receiving three-hour course credit. C21:CS
Prerequisite(s): HIST 300
HIST 457  - Internship in History (Paid)  (3 Hours)  
Qualified students may combine their classroom knowledge with practical experience in paid internship placements in government, business, law, museums, research institutes, or other fields. A special fee ($400) is charged for this course. C21:CS,EL.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 300
Curriculum: CS,EL
HIST 491  - Independent Study  (3 Hours)  
An independent study under the guidance of a member of the department. At least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and approval by the curriculum committee are required. Offered as needed. C21:EL.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 300
Curriculum: EL
HIST 492  - Independent Study  (3 Hours)  
An independent study under the guidance of a member of the department. At least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and approval by the curriculum committee are required. Offered as needed. C21:EL.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status and one 300- level HIST course or permission
Curriculum: EL
HIST 496  - Senior Project  (3 Hours)  
An extensive research experience for qualified history majors that allows them to develop and demonstrate historical research and writing skills. Requires research into relevant primary source materials and culminates in a 40-50 page thesis and a defense of it in front of the student's Senior Project committee. Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498). C21: CS, EL.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status and one 300-level course and permission of instructor
Curriculum: CS, EL
HIST 497  - Senior Project  (3 Hours)  
An extensive research experience for qualified history majors that allows them to develop and demonstrate historical research and writing skills. Requires research into relevant primary source materials and culminates in a 40-50 page thesis and a defense of it in front of the student's Senior Project committee. Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498). C21: CS, EL.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status and one 300-level course and permission of instructor
Curriculum: CS, EL
HIST 498  - Senior Project  (3 Hours)  
An extensive research experience for qualified history majors that allows them to develop and demonstrate historical research and writing skills. Requires research into relevant primary source materials and culminates in a 40-50 page thesis and a defense of it in front of the student's Senior Project committee. Student earns a total of six hours for the full senior project experience (496, 497, and 498). C21: CS, EL.
Prerequisite(s): Senior status and one 300-level course and permission of instructor
Curriculum: CS, EL