History (HIS)
Introduction to history, historical thinking and the history of the United States within a global context, examining the ways a distinct American society developed within larger patterns of world history. Themes will vary by instructor but may include democracy, freedom and equality; global conflict; imperialism; industrialization and economic systems; migration and immigration; nationalism; and revolution.
Principal civilizations of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas from prehistory to about 1500 A.D., focusing on religious ideas, patterns of economic and cultural development, and artistic and literary achievements of these civilizations, as well as their influences on one another.
History of major world civilizations and the growth of the modern global community as well as the spread of ideologies and cultures.
A chronological, thematic, and analytical study of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic history of the United States from colonial origins and early nationhood through the era of Reconstruction.
A chronological, thematic, and analytical study of the political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic history of the United States from the end of Reconstruction to the present.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
Military conflicts and practices throughout history and around the world with emphasis on broad strategy and tactics.
See SEES 2380 for course information.
See SEES 2381 for course information.
Introduction to the history of East Asia from ancient times through today. Examines the interrelated histories of Korea, Japan, and China and their relationships with the wider world, including trade and cultural exchanges, reform and revolution, war, colonialism, Cold War geopolitics, and globalization.
Central debates in Women's and Gender History from European, American, and global perspectives. Provides theoretical background and analytical skills for advanced coursework.
Historical thought and historiographical practice in the West from their emergence in the classical world to the present.
Course prepares students for first-time participation in a Model Organization of American States simulation. Stresses historical and contemporary hemispheric issues. May be repeated for a total of six credit hours under different topics.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
Introduction to the diverse settings in which historians work, including historic preservation, heritage tourism, community history, documentary work, museums, historical societies, historical editing, government, and business, and the various approaches they utilize. Also familiarizes students with oral history theory and practice.
Internship at an institution or program engaged in public history. Applies themes, ideas, and issues covered in HIS 3300.
A survey of Chinese history from its origins to 1700. Treatment of artistic, cultural, economic, literary, political, social and religious developments in China that have shaped East Asian civilizations.
Explores the history of women and gender in Modern China and the impact on that experience by factors such as class, ethnicity, and geography.
A survey of the internal and external forces which have affected the development of Japanese civilization from ancient times to the twentieth century. Emphasis upon political, economic, and cultural developments which have shaped modern Japan.
A survey of Islamic civilization, especially under the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman empires; analysis of contemporary national, regional, and international problems with attention to the historical-geographical and political-geographical elements.
Survey of Middle East history from the rise of Islam to Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798.
Exploration of maritime history from a global perspective, including interactions of economics, societies, militaries, transport, and technology with the maritime environment.
Introduction to West African history, culture, customs, and societies from the earliest times to 1975.
History of Africa since the early nineteenth century and analysis of contemporary African issues in a wider historical context.
The social, political, economic, religious, and cultural experiences of women living in Africa from the pre-colonial era to today.
Global history of childhood from prehistory to the present, with an emphasis on the emergence of the modern concept of childhood.
See CLA 3302 for course information.
See CLA 3303 for course information.
History and culture of the ancient Romans from the founding of the city through the reign of Constantine ending in A.D. 337 with attention to literature, religion, political institutions, social issues, philosophy, and art.
The British Empire from its rise to decolonization.
A survey of the philosophic, literary, religious, social, economic, and political history of India from the 18th century until today. Covers constituent elements that serve as the foundation for not only India, but for modern South Asia. Establishes a framework of critical analysis for issues of both historical and contemporary importance such as national identity, economic development, gender issues, and environmental sustainability.
Examines festivals, spectacles, celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies of Renaissance Europe, revealing their roles in forging social identities, demonstrating power, and expressing emotion.
See CLA 3304 for course information.
A study of the historical, social, cultural, and intellectual currents of Russia.
A study of society, literature, history, and politics of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and present post-communist Russia.
A survey of the political, cultural, and economic development of German-speaking Central Europe since the eighteenth century.
A survey of pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas and an examination of Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Emphasis will be given to Meso-American and Andean civilizations, the creation of colonial society, and the forces leading to the end of political colonialism in Latin America.
A survey of the evolution of Latin American countries since Independence. Emphasis will be placed on economic and social factors influencing national development and contemporary issues such as narcoterrorism, the debt crisis, liberation theology, the rights of indigenous peoples, the ecology, and hyper-urbanization.
A survey of the presidency and the presidents. Subjects include backgrounds, parties and elections, ratings of presidents, selected case studies, and the vice presidency.
A survey of religion from the period of discovery to the present with emphasis on the diversity of American religion, the origin and development of major denominations, and the interaction of religion and society.
Examines the history of slavery in the United States and how that history has been portrayed in feature films, television series, and documentaries in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
A survey of the history of black Americans from their African origins to the present. Emphasis will be given to the economic, social, and political impact of the presence of black people in the American colonies and the United States; attention will be given to the institution of slavery, the emancipation movement, the rise of segregation, black nationalism, and the ideologies and personalities of the civil rights movement.
The political, economic, and social history of Texas in its regional setting in the American Southwest from the period of colonization to the present.
Exploration of interactions between North American people and the animals and environment of the continent through the activity of hunting.
A history of indigenous peoples in the Americas, focusing on the area known now as the continental United States.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
See MH 4300 for course information.
A history of the Mexico’s 1910 Revolution and its legacies of violence, popular resistance, and negotiated state rule. Explores themes and issues of power and revolution, gender, race, class, religion, youth activism, indigenous mobilization, and more.
A history of China from 1700 to the present that considers cultural, economic, literary, political, social, and religious developments. Emphasis will be given to the late imperial state, the Chinese heritage, decline, conflict with the West, revolution, and modernization.
Political, religious, intellectual and social transformations in the Middle East during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The interaction of policy, military force, and society in the waging of war and the quest for peace and security in the Middle East.
The history of peoples of African descent in the Diaspora worldwide.
Focuses on Viking life, culture, trade, and migrations from AD 790 to 1100. Includes methods and applications of interdisciplinary research, particularly emphasizing the potential of archaeology to make contributions to historical studies.
Emergence of medieval civilization through the blending of Roman, Christian, and Germanic institutions, customs, and beliefs.
A study of the flowering of medieval civilization, with emphasis on the medieval church and the origins of the modern state.
Medieval British history, emphasizing the development of parliament and the common law; the medieval church in the British Isles; the social impact of warfare; the demographic impact of famine and plague in England and Britain.
The political, economic, intellectual, artistic, and religious upheavals in Europe from the thirteenth through the sixteenth centuries and the resulting social, political, religious, and cultural changes.
The Medieval Mediterranean as a global region, highlighting the various connections and cultural hybridities that linked peoples of Europe, Africa, and “Asia” (now called the Middle East).
The development and maintenance of permanent contacts by Europeans with other peoples and cultures around the world between the late Middle Ages and the turn of the 19th century.
A history of Europe from the age of absolutism to the enlightenment. Emphasis will be upon the major political, economic, social, cultural, scientific, and intellectual developments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Background and history of the French Revolution; relatively brief consideration of the effects of the Revolution and Napoleon upon Europe.
From ancient Greece to the early medieval world, this course examines the status and roles of women in European society--the ideas, customs, and laws that affected the lives of women as well as the roles that women performed. We also explore how women both contributed to European culture and society and were prevented from realizing their full potential.
A study of the status and roles of women in European society from the Crusades through World War I.
Problems of peace making and international organization; rise of Fascism and Communism; background and history of World War II.
Political, social, and economic development of the European nations from the Congress of Vienna to the outbreak of the First World War; the rise of liberalism and growth of nationalism; imperialism and the development of international rivalry.
History of ideas and their social and economic background from Classical Greece through the Baroque period. Course includes Greek and Roman philosophy, Early Christianity and Scholasticism, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the idea of a mechanistic universe. Considerable emphasis on literature; some attention to art and music.
History of ideas and their social and economic background from the Enlightenment to the present. Course includes study of Enlightenment philosophy (Reason, Nature, God, and Man), Romanticism, Democratic theory and Marxism, Idealism, Darwinism, Fascism, and Existentialism. Considerable emphasis on literature; some attention to art and music.
Study in a specialized area of history not covered by regular course offerings. May be repeated once for credit provided topic is different.
The history of Britain under the Tudor and Stuart dynasties.
Major topics in French history from Waterloo to the present day, including the Bourbon Restoration, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, the Second Empire, republicanism, colonialism, the world wars, and Gaullism.
The political, social, and economic history of Britain from the end of the Napoleonic War to the beginning of the First World War.
The political, social, and economic history of Britain from the beginning of the First World War to the end of the first Blair government.
A tutorial course for undergraduates with intensive study of a given period or topic in European history. The nature and precise limits of the study will be established after consultation between professor and student. No student may take more than one history reading course in a given semester. A maximum of six semester hours of reading courses may apply toward a history major.
The history of the construction of gender and gender relations from pre-Columbian societies to contemporary Latin America. Special emphasis will be given to the creation of archetypes and the contrast between legal codes and realities across time, race, class and regional divides.
The dynamic relationship between religion and war throughout American history. Coverage stresses, but extends beyond, the Christian faith and traditions.
A history of the evolution of Inter-American relations from colonization to the contemporary development of regional economic blocs. Topics will include relations among the American colonies, efforts at unification after independence, the expanding role of the United States in hemispheric relations and the Latin-American reaction, and the evolution of regionalism in the hemisphere.
A tutorial course for undergraduates with intensive study of a given period or topic in Global history. The nature and precise limits of the study will be established after consultation between professor and student. May be repeated once with a change of contents for a total of six credit hours.
The settlement, growth, and development of Anglo-American colonies in North America.
The creation of an American nation out of thirteen colonies. Topics include the social, economic, political, and ideological roots of the colonists' resistance to imperial power, the decisions for revolution and independence, the fighting of the Revolutionary War, the rise and fall of the Confederation, and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.
An overview of the challenges related to creating the new nation of the United States including political, diplomatic, social, economic, and cultural issues and controversies.
A survey of legal and constitutional documents, ideas, cases, and debates, in American history from the colonial era to 1877.
Causes, military operations, and aftermath of the American Civil War.
Religion in America from the end of Reconstruction to the present. Special attention devoted to religion's intersection with culture and politics and to the growth of religious pluralism in America.
Major economic, social, and political developments in the United States within the prescribed chronological limits, with secondary emphasis on the rise of the United States as a world power and its involvement in World War I. Primary emphasis given to industrialization, the farmer revolt, the Progressive Movement, and the ramifications of these events in politics and society.
Continuation of HIS 4371 with emphasis on the post-Progressive decade, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and domestic developments since the New Deal. Of secondary emphasis is the coming of World War II and the consequent rise and development of the Cold War.
The origins, major events, and legacy of the struggle to gain full equality for African Americans in the century following the American Civil War. Emphasis on the philosophies and strategies employed to realize full citizenship rights for blacks, individual and institutional leadership, the participation of women, the role of religion, and the impact of this social justice movement on the South, the United States, and the world. (Graduate students may not receive credit for both HIS 4375 and HIS 5375.)
Women's history in America from the colonial period to the end of the Civil War, emphasizing the changing roles of women and their contribution to and participation in American society.
A social, political, and economic survey of women in the United States from the end of the Civil War to the present, emphasizing the women's movement and its influence on American society.
History of global conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1991 including cultural, social, economic, political, and religious aspects.
The frontier in American history from early colonial times to the end of the nineteenth century, with emphasis on the significance of the frontier in American history and historiography.
Southern culture with three topics in the ante-bellum period and three topics in the post-bellum period.
The political, economic, social, cultural, and diplomatic development of the United States in the 1960s.
Emergence, expansion, and impact of urban growth in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasis given to the mechanics of city building, the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of urban development and the changing image of the city in the minds of the American people.
Investigation of the physical, social, cultural, and economic relationships between humans and their environment in America from pre-contact to the present.
The foundations of U.S. diplomacy with particular emphasis on transnational influences, e.g. democracy, gender, trade, slavery, race, and imperialism.
Overview of the origins, course, and legacy of the US experience in the Vietnam War.
The emergence of the United States as a global power, with emphasis on ideology, economics, race, religion, and militarism.
Major military conflicts in North America from European colonization to the close of the Plains Indians Wars.
Major military conflicts in United States history from the Spanish-American War to the present day.
Enduring beliefs about and attitudes toward the world and themselves held by Americans. Emphasis on patterns of beliefs as bases for assurance and commitment. From Puritans through transcendentalists.
Beliefs Americans have relied on to define and comprehend the world and themselves. Emphasis on what Americans needed and were able to believe in their search for assurance from the naturalism of the Gilded Age to the personal experiential quest of the present.
A tutorial course for undergraduates with intensive study of a given period or topic in American history. The nature and precise limits of the study will be established after consultation between professor and student. No student may take more than one history reading course in a given semester. A maximum of six semester hours of reading courses may apply toward a history major.
Course prepares advanced students for leadership roles in a Model Organization of American States simulation. May be repeated for a total of six credit hours under different topics.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.