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DEPARTMENT OF HISTORYMajor in History | Social Science Composite with History Emphasis | Teacher Certification | Minor in History | Course Descriptions CHAIR: Terry D. Bilhartz FACULTY: Barker , R. Bruce , S. Bruce , Cashion , Castillo-Crimm , Hendrickson , Olson, Pappas , Pruitt , Rowe , Shadle , Steele Knowledge of history is a key to the future. History is the foundation of virtually all academic disciplines because intellectual progress is based on a critique of traditional assumptions, dogmas, and paradigms. In a series of writing-intensive courses, students develop analytical, verbal, and cultural skills that can be applied to a variety of professional settings. History students enhance their critical abilities by examining original texts, acquiring research skills, learning to write, and analyzing social, political, economic, and cultural change over time, talents that will serve them well in any employment setting. Although most history students pursue careers in teaching, museum studies, and records management, they can also be found working successfully in medicine, the law, government service and business. History majors are required to take four semesters of a single foreign language. The languages offered at Sam Houston State University are French, German, and Spanish. However, any language can be accepted in transfer. Because the Sam Houston Memorial Museum is part of Sam Houston State University, history majors interested in museum careers have the opportunity of completing a museum internship as part of their undergraduate curriculum. History majors at Sam Houston State University will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Scholarships: A variety of University and departmental scholarships are available. Since all history department scholarships are arranged by faculty nomination, students do not apply for them directly. Information on University scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Academic Scholarships website at or telephone (936) 294-1672. REQUIRED HISTORY COURSES FOR MAJORS The Bachelor of Arts degree requires 36 semester credit hours of course work, including HIS 163, 164, 265, 266, and 369. All History majors are required to complete at least one 400-level history course. At least 12 hours of advanced history must be taken in residence.
Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with teacher certification at the secondary level (grades 8-12) should use their 18 elective hours and an additional 9 hours to satisfy the required certification courses. The required education courses are listed below. With teacher certification, the BA degree total is 134 hours. Those students not seeking certification should use their electives to fulfill the University requirement for advanced hours.
For teacher certification, no grade below C in social science courses is accepted. Minor in History (without Teacher Certification) A minor in history requires 21 semester credit hours, including 163, 164, 265, 266, and nine hours of upper-level history electives. For history courses, no grade below C is accepted. Minor in History (with Teacher Certification) A history minor with teacher certification requires 27 semester credit hours, including HIS 163, 164, 265, 266, 369,398, (376 or 377 or 378 or 379), (331 or 332 or 333 or 336 or 381 or 389 or 391 or 478 or 495), and three hours of any upper-level history elective. For history courses, no grade below C is accepted. UNITED STATES HISTORY HIS 163 UNITED STATES HISTORY TO 1876. [HIST 1301] The colonial origins of the United States and growth of the Republic to 1876. Credit 3. HIS 164 UNITED STATES HISTORY SINCE 1876. [HIST 1302] Continuing survey of the United States to the present. Credit 3. HIS 360 AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY. A study of selected themes bearing on the relation of religion and culture in America from colonial times to the present. Credit 3. HIS 361 THE UNITED STATES AND THE VIETNAM WAR. The course will focus on the United States involvement in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1975. In particular, it will deal with the issues of nationalism and communism in Southeast Asia, the first Indochina war between the French and Vietnamese, the United States military effort in Indochina from 1965 to 1975, and the postwar political, economic, and social problems in the region. The course will also deal with the impact of the Vietnam War on American culture and foreign policy. Credit 3. HIS 376 EARLY AMERICA TO 1783. A survey of early American history from the beginnings of European colonization through the American Revolution and the War for American Independence. Credit 3. HIS 377 AMERICA IN MID-PASSAGE, 1783-1877. The course will survey United States history from 1783 to 1877 and will examine the origins of the U.S. Constitution, the early republic and rise of the two party-system, the nature of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, the sectional crisis and the Civil War, and the era of Reconstruction. Credit 3. HIS 378 THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN AMERICA, 1877-1945. This course will examine United States history from 1877 to 1945 and will include discussions of the Industrial Revolution, the Populist and Progressive movements, World War I, the era of the 1920s, the Great Depression and New Deal, and World War II. Credit 3. HIS 379 RECENT AMERICA, 1945 TO THE PRESENT. This course will examine United States history from the end of World War II to the present and will include discussions of the Cold War; the civil rights and environmental movements; the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the war on global terrorism; the public policy debates surrounding the role of the federal government in the modern economy; and the evolution of American popular culture. Credit 3. HIS 382 IMMIGRATION AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN HISTORY. A study of ethnic group relations, nativism, and racism in the historical development of American civilization, with special emphasis on the patterns of assimilation and non-assimilation of particular ethnic groups. Credit 3. HIS 383 AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY. A survey of American women’s history, focusing on everyday concerns (including work, marriage, family, sexuality, reproduction, and education) and on the social forces which have aided or blocked change in women’s roles in American society. Particular attention is paid to differences in race, class, and ethnicity. Credit 3. HIS 385 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC HISTORY. A study of selected topics in American Diplomatic History. Credit 3. HIS 386 THE MILITARY AND WAR IN AMERICA. This course is a survey of the American military experience from the Colonial period to the present, emphasizing the growth of the military institution and the relationship between that institution and American society. Credit 3. HIS 392 AMERICAN INDIAN HISTORY. A course which will examine the history of Native Americans in the United States. Although the emphasis is historical, the course does include ethnographic material. Credit 3. HIS 393 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY. A comprehensive course in the African American experience which explores the various forces shaping race relations in the United States. Credit 3. HIS 398 TEXAS AND THE SOUTHWEST. As a study of the Greater Southwest, this course surveys Spanish expansion and the Spanish-French rivalry in the lower Mississippi region and Texas. Special emphasis is given to geographic factors and cultural developments. Credit 3. *HIS 433 HISTORY OF THE BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT. This course examines the black civil and human rights struggle in the United States. While many scholars point to the landmark 1954 Brown Decision as the pivotal event that signaled the birth of the modern Civil Rights Movement, this course first examines earlier periods of activism. Special emphasis is placed on the black response to Jim Crow, the emergence of national organizations, World War I, the New Deal, and World War II as immediate catalysts for change, school desegregation, local activism, student sit-ins, national leadership, “Black Power”, the white backlash, and the ongoing affirmative action discourse. Credit 3. Prerequisites: HIS 163, 164. * Subject to action by the Board of Regents, The Texas State University System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. HIS 468 THE ERA OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1763-1789. An intensive study of the issues of conflict between English continental colonies and British imperial policy which led to the movement for independence. Consideration is also given to internal colonial conflicts and attempts to solve the federal problem culminating in the formation of the Constitution. Credit 3. HIS 469 THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION. An examination of the sectional conflicts of the 1850s and the Civil War. This is primarily a military, political, institutional and diplomatic study. Credit 3. HIS 470 THE HISTORY OF THE WEST. A study of the settlement and development of the Trans-Mississippi West and its influence upon national and international affairs. Credit 3. ENGLAND AND BRITISH EMPIRE HISTORY HIS 363 TUDOR-STUART ENGLAND, 1485-1714. This course explores the era of the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation and Henry VIII, the Elizabethan Renaissance, the English Civil War and the Stuart restoration, following the major themes of social, political, economic and intellectual development during the period. Credit 3. HIS 364 MODERN ENGLAND, 1714 TO PRESENT. A continuation of HIS 363, emphasizing the effects of industrial change, the enmity of France in foreign affairs, Great Britain’s renewed expansion overseas following the American Revolution, movements favoring social and economic reform, and political trends to the present. Credit 3. HIS 381 BRITISH EMPIRE AND COMMONWEALTH. The study of the British Empire and Commonwealth to the present time. Special emphasis is given to the rise of colonial and dominion nationalism, the imperial conferences, and the unfolding of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Credit 3. LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY HIS 391 COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA. This course is designed to trace the conquest and development of the colonial institutions of Spain and Portugal in the Americas, including the Spanish borderlands as the center of Spanish colonial activity and power in the Americas. Credit 3. HIS 495 CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICA. The development of the South American Republics from their independence to the present. Social, economic, and political development will be closely examined. Credit 3. EUROPEAN HISTORY HIS 265 WORLD HISTORY FROM THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES. [HIST 2311] A survey of world history from the dawn of civilization in Mesopotamia, China, India, Egypt, and Mesoamerica through the Middle Ages in Europe and Asia. The Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation, as well as the rise of nation states and the commercial economy are stressed as background to modern history. Recommended as a basic history course for all liberal arts majors. Credit 3. HIS 266 WORLD HISTORY FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE AGE OF IMPERIALISM. [HIST 2312] A survey of world history since sixteenth century. Special attention is given to European expansion overseas, imperialism and colonization, the Industrial Revolution, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, nineteenth century nationalism and democracy, and the colonial rebellions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Such 20th century problems as World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union are also considered. Recommended as the second half of a basic history course for all liberal arts majors. Credit 3. HIS 333 RELIGION IN WORLD HISTORY. This course will survey the origins, development, and modern manifestations of the major living world religions. It will discuss the peoples, times and places of the founders of each tradition, the classical literature within each tradition and the canonization of these sacred writings, and the significant sects and schisms within the religions that have influenced major events in world history. Credit 3. HIS 336 THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST. This course will study the political, social, economic, and cultural development of the Middle East since the seventeenth century. The course will study such topics as the decline of traditional empires; the encroachment of Europe; the Eastern Question; the development of nationalism among the Turks, Arabs, and Iranians; Islam and modern ideologies; and the Middle East in the twentieth century. Credit 3. HIS 365 RUSSIAN HISTORY. After an introduction to the roots of Russia (Kiev, Christianity, the Mongol occupation, Ivan the Terrible, the Times of Troubles), the course of Russian history from Peter the Great to the present is surveyed. Credit 3. HIS 367 EUROPE IN THE AGE OF ABSOLUTISM AND REVOLUTION, 1648-1815. Europe in the Age of Absolutism and Revolution. A study of main trends in European history from 1648 to 1815. A major emphasis is on the Ancient Regime, the French Revolution and the period of Napoleon. Credit 3. HIS 368 EUROPEAN HISTORY, 1815-1914. The history of the principal European powers from the Congress of Vienna to World War I. Credit 3. HIS 369 THE WORLD IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. A study of global politics and diplomacy since World War I. Credit 3. HIS 370 ANCIENT HISTORY. The history of the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome with special emphasis upon their contribution to the cultural heritage of the western world. Credit 3. HIS 371 MEDIEVAL HISTORY. A study of the political, economic, social, intellectual, and religious institutions and developments in Europe from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century to the Renaissance. Credit 3. HIS 334 RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION. A history of Europe from the humanistic movement of the fourteenth century to the seventeenth century, with particular emphasis on intellectual and aesthetic trends as well as political sidelights. Credit 3. HIS 335 GERMANY AND CENTRAL EUROPE SINCE 1815. A study of German and Central European history, emphasizing the principal political, economic and social trends since the Congress of Vienna. Credit 3. HIS 480 MODERN FRANCE: FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE PRESENT. This course is a survey of the history of France from the French Revolution to the present. Credit 3. ASIAN HISTORY HIS 331 EARLY ASIAN HISTORY. A survey of Asian history from its beginnings to the fourteenth century. The emphasis is on the social and political foundations of traditional Asian society and the historical influences of religion on Asian culture. Credit 3. HIS 332 MODERN ASIAN HISTORY. A survey of Asian history since the fourteenth century. The emphasis is on the modernization of Asia and the influence of colonization, nationalism, and industrialization on present-day Asia. Credit 3. HIS 478 MODERN CHINA AND JAPAN. This course will focus on the history of modern China and Japan from the last Chinese dynasties to the present, with emphasis on the resilience and weaknesses of China’s imperial system; the challenges posed to China’s traditions by Western economic and cultural penetration; China’s twentieth century experiments in forms of government and in direction of its cultural development; and the political, economic, social, and intellectual history of Japan from the beginning of the Meiji period (1868) to the present. Credit 3. COURSES OF SPECIAL INTEREST HIS 372 HISTORIOGRAPHY. Special emphasis is devoted to a survey of historical interpretations and to the development of research skills. Credit 3. HIS 387 WORLD WAR II. A comprehensive study of the World War II period, emphasizing the events leading to the war in Europe, the progress of the war in the entire European theatre, the collapse of the Axis in 1945, the aftermath of the war, and the Cold War. In the Pacific theatre, the course traces the emergence of Japan, the effects of the collapse of the European colonial powers on Japan, relations between the U.S. and Japan, and the outbreak and progress of the Pacific war through the defeat of Japan. Credit 3. HIS 389 AFRICA: PAST AND PRESENT. A survey of the problems, potentials, and upheavals of Modern Africa. Emphasis is on such topics as the impact of the slave trade on African society, racial conflicts, apartheid, the emergence of African nationalism, the end of white colonial rule, and the difficulties of achieving economic and political stability in contemporary Africa. Credit 3. HIS 475 READINGS IN HISTORY. A course designed especially for advanced students in history with schedule problems who are capable of independent study. Prerequisites: Twelve hours of history, approval of the department chair, the instructor directing the study and a 3.4 overall GPA. This course may be taken for Academic Distinction credit. See Academic Distinction Program in this catalog. Credit 3. |
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