COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

HIS 101-102 HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION. (3-3).

The first half, 101: Social, cultural, political, intellectual, and other developments to ca. 1600; emphasis on the
West.
The second half, 102: Social, cultural, political, intellectual, and other developments ca. 1600 to the present;
emphasis on the West.

HIS 209 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES I. (3)
An introductory survey of American history from the colonial era to 1876. It explores the political, social, cultural, and economic development of American society from colonial times through the end of Reconstruction.
Special emphasis is given to the Revolutionary period, the establishment of American political institutions, the causes of the Civil War, and the impact of Reconstruction.

HIS 210 HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES II. (3)
An introductory survey of American history since Reconstruction. It explores the political, social, cultural, and economic forces at work in creating modern America. Special attention is given to Americans’ experience in war,
civil rights for African Americans, and the changing status of women.
 

HIS 311 INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL THINKING AND RESEARCH. (3) Spring, odd years.
An introduction to the techniques of historical methodology, and to some of the major literature.
 

HIS 312 MISSISSIPPI HISTORY. (3).
An introductory survey of Mississippi history from native American society to the present. It examines the social, cultural, economic, and political factors that have gone into shaping modern Mississippi and considers how Mississippi reflects the influences of a distinctive southern regional culture and a broader American culture.
 

HIS 320 THE GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD. (3)
A survey of Greek civilization through the Hellenistic Age, with emphasis on art, literature, philosophy, social aspects; Roman civilization is treated from its origins to the third century A.D., emphasizing political institutions,
economics and social developments.
 

HIS 324 WOMEN IN EUROPEAN HISTORY: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE AGE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. (3)
The history of women and gender in European history from ancient Greece to ca. 1800.
 

HIS 326 WOMEN IN AMERICAN HISTORY. (3)
Survey of the experiences of women in America from the seventeenth-century colonial settlements to the present, focusing on changes in the conceptions of womanhood and in the realities of women's lives and work.
Women's participation in the social, economic, political, and cultural spheres will be studied in terms of the lives of ordinary women as well as of prominent individuals. Topics explored will include women's domestic and
wage work, marital patterns, the concept of sisterhood, the institutions of marriage and the family, legal rights, education, social and political movements.
 

HIS 328 LATE ANTIQUITY AND THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES. (3)
Survey of the period from the early third through the tenth century. Emphasis on social, political, religious, and economic continuity and change between classical Graeco-Roman civilization and the Germanic and Byzantine
successor states.
 

HIS 329 HIGH AND LATE MEDIEVAL EUROPE. (3)
The role of economic and demographic expansion in creating or transforming medieval institutions and development (1000-1300). The response of high-medieval civilization to the economic and demographic collapse of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries (1300-1500).
 

HIS 335 EARLY MODERN EUROPE. (3)
A study of the political, social, intellectual, and religious history of Europe in the period 1500-1750; the decline of medieval institutions; the growth of Northern Humanism; Protestant and Catholic Reformations; religious
wars; the centralization of government; the scientific revolution.
 

HIS 345 EUROPE. 1750-1914. (3)
A study of the major events and developments in Europe from 1750 through 1914, with particular emphasis on the French revolution, industrialization, the rise of nationalism, and the revolutions of 1848.
 

HIS 350 EUROPE SINCE 1914. (3)
Major developments in Europe from World War I to the present day, with particular emphasis on the rise of Hitler and the Third Reich, the Cold War, and European Union.
 

HIS 351 EUROPEAN COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICA. (3)
The story of the formation of the Spanish, French, and British colonies in North America. Emphasis is on development in southern North America, the Gulf Coast, the Caribbean, and the West Coast.
 

HIS 352 AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND EARLY REPUBLIC, 1763-1829. (3)
Causes of the Revolution; the antagonists compared; emergence of sentiment for independence, reasons for American success; struggle for a stable government; rise of political parties; War of 1812; controversies over tariff, bank, and internal improvements; John Marshall, Monroe Doctrine.
 

HIS 358 THE LATIN AMERICA REPUBLICS. (3)
A survey of the political, economic, and cultural developments of the Latin American states since 1808, with special emphasis on Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Special attention is also devoted to the contemporary
problems of modern Latin America.
 

HIS 360 U.S. 1829-1860 JACKSONIANISM, NATIONALISM, SECTIONALISM. (3)
Westward expansion; the age of Jackson; the bank, sections, and slavery, expansion and conflict; mounting clashes between the sections.
 

HIS 361 CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION. (3)
A study of the social, economic, and political development of American society from the antebellum era through Reconstruction, emphasizing those features that led to the Civil War, the impact of the war on northern and
southern society, and the political and social impact of Reconstruction.
 

HIS 363 U.S. 1876-1920 FROM THE GILDED AGE TO THE PROGRESSIVE ERA. (3)
The growth of business and industry; settlement of the Great Plains and agrarian progressive era and the politics of reform. The First World War.
 

HIS 365 AMERICA SINCE 1940. (3)
A study of the progress of America from 1940, focusing on the impact of World War II, the Cold War, and the Vietnam War on American society. It emphasizes an understanding of various movements of social change, such
as civil rights, women’s movement, student protests, and gay liberation.
 

HIS 371 MOVIES AND AMERICAN SOCIETY. (3)
Popular movies are one of the most important forms of American mass culture in the twentieth century. In this course, we will explore the use of popular movies both as cultural artifacts (evidence) as well as a way of telling history. Thus we will learn to evaluate fictional movies for what they tell us about the era in which they were made and to appreciate the problems with the contributions of docudramas and documentaries to telling and
interpreting the past.
 

HIS 372 AFRICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN US SOCIETY. (3)
A general survey of the experience of African-Americans from colonial times to the present, with special emphasis on the topics of slavery, racism, black identity, the civil rights movement, and the role of African-Americans
in the development of American society.
 

HIS 401 INTERNSHIP. (Variable, 3-6).
Prerequisite: Advanced standing and the consent of Humanities
Division Head.
Qualified students may earn credit for participating in a program approved in advance by the faculty advisor and division. The nature of the internship and the number of hours to be worked will determine the number of credit
hours. A minimum of 120 hours is required for 3 hours credit. Three hours may be applied toward the major. Remaining hours will count as elective credit toward graduation.
 

HIS 405 HISTORY OF RELIGION IN AMERICA. (3)
A study of the relationship between religion(s) and various communities over the course of American history. The goal will be to try to understand the role that religion has played in shaping a community’s identity and understanding of the world and its place in the world and how that role has changed over time. The course will also examine the way in which religion has been shaped by society.
 

HIS 410 METHODS AND MATERIALS IN SECONDARY HISTORY AND SOCIAL STUDIES. (3) Fall.
Prerequisite: Admission to teacher education.
Required of students seeking teacher certification in history and social studies at the secondary level, with emphasis on the place of the social studies in secondary education; selection and analysis of aims and objectives; use of special techniques and methods; appraisal of techniques. This course does not fulfill the history requirement for the Social Sciences major, but only the professional certification requirement.
 

HIS 412 THE HISTORY OF INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY. (3)
The origins of important scientific ideas from the ancient world to the modern age. Examines major issues in the global development of industry and technology. Emphasis is placed on analyzing technological and scientific
change (including automation, the PC, biotechnology, and the internet) and its impact on societies.
 

HIS 415 HISTORY OF ENGLAND FROM THE NORMAN CONQUEST TO THE REFORMATION. (3)
Political, social, and cultural aspects of English history from the Norman Conquest to the beginning of the English Reformation, 1066-1529.
 

HIS 416 BRITAIN IN THE MODERN ERA. (3) Prerequisite: HIS 102.
This course focuses on the history of Great Britain from about 1870 to the present. The course examines the decline of Britain as a significant world power through a study of industry, economics, empire, and world strategic
role.
 

HIS 418 GERMANY FROM UNIFICATION TO REUNIFICATION. (3)
Major developments in German history from the unification of the country to the reunification of West and East Germany. Includes a focus on German participation in World War I, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party,
World War II, the Holocaust, and German post-war economic progress.
 

HIS 422 THE RISE AND FALL OF COMMUNISM: A GLOBAL STUDY. (3)
Provides a global study of socialism and communism in the modern era. Traces the rise of socialism in the late 18th and 19th Centuries to the recent fall of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. In doing so
the course adopts a global approach examining the European roots of communism, the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, China, Vietnam, and communist movements in Latin America. Also analyzes the Cold War in a Global context.
 

HIS 428 MODERN EASTERN EUROPE. (3)
Prerequisite: HIS 102.
The course examines the countries of eastern Europe in the modern era with a focus on the 20th century. Emphasis will be on Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Baltic nations from World War I through the decline of communism and the Soviet Union.
 

HIS 441 AMERICAN SOCIAL HISTORY. (3)
Prerequisite: HIS 209-210 or the consent of the instructor.
A study of the themes of race, class, gender, and ethnicity in American history, particularly considering the process of how American society has accommodated or thwarted the dreams of African-Americans, laborers,
women, and immigrants. Students will consider how these groups developed a common consciousness and organized to overcome social and political disabilities and how this process has worked in specific communities during different eras.
 

HIS 454 HISTORY OF THE SOUTH. (3)
The political, social, and economic factors involved in the change from a nationally oriented to a sectionally oriented South by 1860. The impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the post-bellum history of the South.
Turmoil and change in the twentieth century.
 

HIS 463 ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT. (3)
A survey of the major criteria, functions, and techniques of archival management.
 

HIS 464 INTERNSHIP IN ARCHIVES MANAGEMENT. (3)
A laboratory situation, in which the student performs all the principal functions of the archivist, using actual historical documents.
 

HIS 465 THE WORLD WARS AND THE HOLOCAUST. (3)
An in depth analysis of World War I and II. Includes an examination of Fascism in Italy under Mussolini and in Germany under Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust, WW II Japanese war aims and the Pacific theater, WW II in
Africa, and the Nuremburg War Crimes Trials.
 

HIS 470 THE RENAISSANCE: DEFINING THE PROBLEM. (3)
The definition of the Renaissance - whether there was one, and if so, what it was - has been debated by historians for more than a century. This course will examine how that debate has been shaped over time.
 

HIS 498 SPECIAL TOPICS. (3 to 6)
May be taken for credit twice, so long as total credit does not exceed 6
hours.
 

HIS 499 HISTORY CAPSTONE. (3)
A study of the use and abuse of history and historical evidence in a broad perspective, using material which majors have produced in their past coursework, as represented by portfolios of the work. Comparative history
will also be examined. Prerequisite: completion of HIS 311 or POL 310. Cannot be taken concurrently with HIS 311 or POL 310.

Photo: M. Burger