Course Descriptions

Major
Minor
 

CHAIR: JAMES S. OLSON

FACULTY: Barker, Bilhartz, Camfield, Cantrell, Castillo-Crimm, Coffey, Hayes, Hendricksen, Pappas, Pruitt, Rowe, Roth, Shadle, Steele

A minor emphasis in POL or ECO will require 9 additional advanced level hours as stipulated by those departments.

* HIS 163, 164 will satisfy the United States history required of all students by state law.

** HIS 265, 266 should be taken by all history majors and minors. HIS 369 and 372 must be taken by all history majors.

Students may take proficiency examinations in both 163, 164, and 265, 266; and if graded A or B, both grades and hours of credit will be awarded. With the consent of the Department Chair, qualified students may substitute upper division courses in European History for 265-266, and upper division courses in American History for 163-164.

History majors must take HIS 369 and 372 and 15 hours of advanced work (300 or 400 level) in addition to HIS 163, 164 and 265, 266 for a total of 33 semester hours. Majors seeking teaching certification must also include HIS 463 and (376, 377, 378 or 379).

Of the 128 hours required for graduation a minimum of 40 hours must be in advanced work at the 300 or 400 level, 24 of which must be in residence.

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 373 AMERICAN SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY TO 1877. A study of the major movements in American thought and outlook as affecting or reflecting change in American society, from Puritanism to the controversy over slavery. Credit 3.

HIS 374 AMERICAN SOCIAL AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY SINCE 1877. A study of the major movements in America as affecting or reflecting change in American society since 1877. Credit 3.

HIS 376 AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY, 1607-1763. American history from 1607 to 1763 emphasizing the colonization of the New World, insular as well as continental. The motives for English colonization are stressed, along with the significant political, social, and cultural developments. Special emphasis is also given to British imperial policy and administration. Credit 3.

HIS 377 THE EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY, 1789-1840. A comprehensive study of the economic, cultural, and constitutional development of the United States from 1789 to 1840. Special attention is given to the ideas, philosophy, and influence of leading figures of the period. Credit 3.

HIS 378 THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN AMERICA, 1865-1920. A study of American history from the end of the Civil War to 1920. Special attention is given to Reconstruction, settlement of the frontier, growth of business and organized labor, agrarian discontent, overseas expansion, the Progressive movement, and World War I. Credit 3.

HIS 379 RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY. An examination of United States history since 1920, emphasizing the development of the bureaucratic state, the rise of America to world power, and the social and economic foundations of American politics. In chronological sequence, such topics as the 1920s, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and contemporary America are examined. 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 462 THE HISTORY OF THE OLD SOUTH. Emphasis is placed upon the formation of political institutions and the part played by the South in Pre-Civil War events. The place of the slave and the free man is considered. Agricultural tenancy and industrial trends are given careful scrutiny. Credit 3.

HIS 463 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 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 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.

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.

HIS 467 ENGLISH CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY. An examination of the origins and development of British political traditions and constitutional practices. Recommended for pre-law students. Credit 3.

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 395 SOUTH AMERICA: NATIONAL PERIOD. The development of the South American Republics from their independence until World War II. The social, economic, and political development will be closely examined. Credit 3.

HIS 397 MEXICO AND THE CARIBBEAN: NATIONAL PERIOD. The principal emphasis is on the development of the Mexican and Caribbean republics from independence to the present. Particular emphasis is given to political, social and economic developments from 1810 to the present. Credit 3.

HIS 495 CONTEMPORARY LATIN AMERICA. A critical study of current situations in Latin America in the light of the Cold War and the problems arising since World War II. Credit 3.

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 365 RUSSIAN HISTORY TO 1917. 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 Nicholas II is examined in detail. Major emphasis is on the unique Tsarist climate of autocracy, Orthodoxy, national-mindedness, the growth of 19th century Russian revolutionary thought and action, and the expansion of Russian Europe and Asia. Credit 3.

HIS 366 RUSSIAN HISTORY SINCE 1917. An analysis of the major aspects of the Bolshevik Revolution and the new Soviet regime: War Communism, the New Economic Policy, the Five-Year Plans, Stalinism, World War II, and the postwar problems of Cold War and Coexistence. The course concludes with an investigation into the factors behind the end of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Credit 3.

HIS 367 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON, 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 473 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 477 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 480 FRANCE AND SOUTHERN EUROPE SINCE 1815. A study of France and southern Europe, emphasizing the principal political, economic and social trends since the Congress of Vienna. Credit 3.

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 REBELLION AND REVOLUTION IN MODERN CHINA. An examination of modern China from the last dynasties to the present. Topics of emphasis include the resilience and weaknesses of China’s imperial system and the challenges posed to China’s traditions by Western economic and cultural penetration, and China’s twentieth century experiments in forms of government and in directions for its cultural development. Credit 3.

HIS 479 JAPAN’S EMERGENCE AS A MODERN NATION. A study of the political, economic, social, and intellectual history of Japan from the beginning of the Meiji period (1868) to the present. Credit 3.

HIS 372 HISTORIOGRAPHY. A course required of all history majors. 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. Team taught. 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 399 SPECIAL TOPICS IN HISTORY. This course offers a variety of opportunities to examine selected, specific topics of special interest and relevance. Open to all students. History majors and minors are limited to one such course in their degree program. 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. Prerequisite: Twelve hours of history and approval of the department chair and the instructor directing the study. This course may be taken for Academic Distinction credit. See Academic Distinction Program in this catalogue. Credit 3.

HIS 498 FAMILY AND LOCAL HISTORY. Emphasis is on the study of community and family history, including genealogical research, oral history techniques, the history of family roles and relationships, and the development of villages, towns, and cities. Credit 3.

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