Department of History

Field Description

The Department of History has three paramount aims for its undergraduates, whether they are majors, minors, or students in the required core courses.

First, we foster an appreciation for studying the past for its own sake, in all its variety, ambiguity, and strangeness. To this end, each course emphasizes the exploration and interpretation of primary sources, the raw materials with which historians construct the narrative of the past.

Second, the faculty aims to help students understand that the past has shaped the present. We ask them to participate in the never-ending dialogue between the past and the present by encouraging them to explore difficult questions: What happened? Why did it happen? What were the consequences? What were the dominant values and the dissident voices? How did different cultures and societies interact? How did contemporaries and later generations differ in interpreting events? What are the context and meaning of the changes that have occurred in business, medicine, economics, politics, religion, culture, urban affairs, and gender and race relations? After exposure to these questions, students enter the world personally enriched and better equipped for whatever profession they choose.

Third, the department understands its role in educating students for effective membership and leadership in a global political, social, and economic community by providing an historical understanding of the major world cultures. In courses that range from ancient to modern times, from Asia to New York City, and from the history of women to African-American history, we try to contextualize the world for students.

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The Major

History majors are required to take at least eight history courses (24 credits) numbered 3000 and above. They must take one course in at least three different areas of the globe; these areas include American, Latin American, European, African, and Asian history. Majors are encouraged, but not required, to take the Capstone Course (History 4900). Majors must also write a substantial research paper (minimum of twenty pages) under the supervision of a professor in one of their courses. Students may take six credits toward their majors in other departments, if the courses are related to their program of study; prior consultation with a history department advisor is required.

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The Minor

The minor in history (completing three courses at the 3000 level or above) is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the discipline for students who are majoring in other academic areas. Students can choose courses from different regions, such as the United States, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and West, South, and East Asia. These courses may focus on urban, intellectual, economic, or political issues. History combines perfectly with studies in international business, economics, business ethics, or finance, as well as many other fields.

Students completing the Tier III disciplinary concentration in history also qualify as a history minor. To fulfill the collegewide requirement for Tier III with a disciplinary concentra tion in history, students take three upper-level courses (9 credits). Two of these courses must be at the 3000 level, followed by HIS 4900, the history capstone course. Interested students should consult with the history department.

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Electives and Tier III Courses

American History

HIS 3005	Social Welfare Policy	3 credits
HIS 3008	Religion and Politics in the United States	3 credits
HIS 3041	Colonial America: From Settlement to Independence	3 credits
HIS 3044	The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850 – 1880	3 credits
HIS 3055	The Sixties in America ( BLS 3055 ) ( LTS 3055 )	3 credits
HIS 3060	African American History	3 credits
HIS 3102	American Conservatism: Origins, Development, and Contemporary Controversies	3 credits
HIS 3400	City and Suburb in Twentieth-Century America	3 credits
HIS 3410	History of American Business Enterprise	3 credits
HIS 3415	U.S. Economic History	3 credits
HIS 3420	American Foreign Relations in the Twentieth Century	3 credits
HIS 3445	History of the Cold War	3 credits
HIS 3450	History of American Medicine	3 credits
HIS 3455	Science and Technology in American Life	3 credits
HIS 3456	American Intellectual History	3 credits
HIS 3460	Topics in American History	3 credits
HIS 3472	American Urban History	3 credits
HIS 3550	The Immigrant in American History	3 credits
HIS 3551	History of the People of the City of New York	3 credits
HIS 3552	The Great Depression, 1929 – 1940	3 credits
HIS 3560	History of the Jewish People in America	3 credits
HIS 3650	Women in America	3 credits

Latin American History

HIS 3020

Afro-Brazilian History

3 credits

HIS 3070

History of Civilizations in Latin America

3 credits

HIS 3075

History of Caribbean Civilizations

3 credits

European History

HIS 2013	Medieval Europe	3 credits
HIS 2021	Early Modern Europe 1517 – 1715	3 credits
HIS 2022	Europe in the Eighteenth Century	3 credits
HIS 2023	Europe in an Era of Revolution	3 credits
HIS 2026	The Origins of Western Capitalism, 1400 – 1800	3 credits
HIS 2031	Nineteenth-Century Europe	3 credits
HIS 2032	Europe in the Early Twentieth Century	3 credits
HIS 2033	Europe and the World Since 1945	3 credits
HIS 2538	The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry	3 credits
HIS 3011	Ancient Greece	3 credits
HIS 3012	The Ancient World: Rome	3 credits
HIS 3016	Europe in the Age of the Renaissance	3 credits
HIS 3100	Jesus – A Historical and Critical Approach	3 credits
HIS 3221	European Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries	3 credits
HIS 3222	European Intellectual History in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries	3 credits
HIS 3230	Modern Imperialism	3 credits
HIS 3250	The Third Republic in France	3 credits
HIS 3340	Women in Europe: Ancient to Modern	3 credits
HIS 3351	Russia Under the Tsars	3 credits
HIS 3352	The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Regime	3 credits
HIS 3360	Topics in European History	3 credits
HIS 3367	Comparative Revolutions	3 credits

African History

HIS 3061	Survey of African History	3 credits
HIS 3062	Women in African History	3 credits
HIS 3063	History of the African Diaspora	3 credits
HIS 3815	History of African Religions	3 credits

Asian History

HIS 1512	Introduction to the Religions of Asia	3 credits
HIS 3080	A Survey of Asian History	3 credits
HIS 3084	The Historical Search for the Prophet Mohammad	3 credits
HIS 3085	The Islamic Middle East and North Africa: 622 – 1789	3 credits
HIS 3086	The Modern Middle East and North Africa	3 credits
HIS 3165	Classical Buddhism	3 credits
HIS 3170	Classical Chinese Philosophy	3 credits
HIS 3345	Asian American History	3 credits
HIS 3346	The Rise of Asia in World Affairs ( AAS 3346 ), ( POL 3346 )	3 credits
HIS 3380	Contemporary Islamic World	3 credits
HIS 3446	History of Modern Iraq	3 credits
HIS 3820	History of Chinese Religion	3 credits
HIS 3841	Ancient India	3 credits
HIS 3842	The Making of Modern India	3 credits
HIS 3851	The Heritage of Chinese Civilization	3 credits
HIS 3852	Modernization and Westernization in Asia	3 credits
HIS 3853	The Emergence of Modern Japan	3 credits
HIS 3854	China in Revolution	3 credits
HIS 3860	Topics in African, Asian, or Latin American History	3 credits

General Department Courses

HIS 3500	Colloquium in History	3 credits
HIS 4900	Capstone Course: In Search of History	3 credits
HIS 5000	Independent Research and Reading in History	variable
HIS 5100	History Internship	3 credits
HIS 6001H	History Honors I, II, and III	variable

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Special Program

Honors Program in History

History majors and other interested students will be admitted to the program in their junior or senior year. All students will be required to have had at least 12 hours of history courses with B+ average in history and a general average of B. Students falling short of these requirements may be admitted to the program upon the recommendation of two history faculty members.

The honors program may consist of two tutorials taken consecutively and devoted to reading and researching an area of the students choice. For College requirements for honors, see the Honors Programs section in Part 9 of this bulletin.

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Courses

Courses in History (HIS)

HIS 1000	Themes in American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1001	Themes in Global History to 1500 C.E.	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1003	Themes in Global History Since 1500 C.E.	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1005	Modern American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1512	Introduction to the Religions of Asia	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2011	Ancient Greece	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2013	Medieval Civilization	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2021	Early Modern Europe	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2022	Europe in the Eighteenth Century	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2023	Europe in an Era of Revolution	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2026	The Origins of Western Capitallism.1400-1800	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2031	Nineteenth Century Europe	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2032	Europe in the Early Twentieth Century	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2033	Europe and the World Since 1945	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2050	"Modern America, 1880?1945"	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2053	"Recent America, 1945 to the Present"	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2090	The Third World in the Modern Era	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2165	Classical Buddhism	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2170	Classical Chinese Philosophy	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2538	The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3005	Social Welfare Policy	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3008	Religion and Politics in the United States	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3009	Topics in the History of Globalization	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3010	Central America: A Regional Study	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3011	Ancient Greece	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3012	The Ancient World: Rome	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3016	Europe in the Age of the Renaissance	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3020	Afro-Brazilian History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3041	Colonial America: From Settlement to Independence	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3044	The Civil War and Reconstruction	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3055	The Sixties in America	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3060	African American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3061	Survey of African History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3062	Women in African History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3063	History of the African Diaspora	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3070	History of Civilizations in Latin America	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3075	History of Caribbean Civilizations	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3080	A Survey of Asian History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3084	The Historical Search for the Prophet Mohammad (Cross-listed with REL)	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3085	The Islamic Middle East and North Africa: 622-1789	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3086	The Modern Middle East and North Africa	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3100	Jesus - A Historical and Critical Approach	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3102	"American Conservatism: Origins, Development, and Contemporary Controversies"	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3165	Classical Buddhism	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3170	Classical Chinese Philosophy	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3221	European Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3222	European Thought in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3230	Modern Imperialism	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3250	The Third Republic in France	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3340	Women in Europe: Ancient to Modern	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3345	Asian American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3346	The Rise of Asia in World Affairs	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3351	Russia Under the Tsars	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3352	The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Regime	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3360	Topics in European History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3367	Comparative Revolutions	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3370	Topics in European History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3380	Contemporary Islamic World	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3400	City and Suburb in 20th Century America	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3410	History of American Business Enterprise	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3415	U.S. Economic History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3420	American Foreign Relations in the Twentieth Century	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3445	History of the Cold War	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3446	History of Modern Iraq	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3450	Health Care in America: 1800 - Present	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3455	Science and Technology in American Life	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3456	American Intellectual History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3460	Topics in American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3472	American Urban History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3500	Colloquium in History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3550	The Immigrant in American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3551	History of the People of the City of New York	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3552	"The Great Depression, 1929-1940"	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3560	History of the Jewish People in America	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3650	Women in America	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3815	History of African Religions	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3820	History of Chinese Religion	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3841	Ancient India	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3842	The Making of Modern India	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3851	The Heritage of Chinese Civilization	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3852	Modernization and Westernization in Asia	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3853	The Emergence of Modern Japan	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3854	China in Revolution	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3860	"Topics in African, Asian, or Latin American History"	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 4900	Capstone Course: In Search of History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 5000	Independent Study History I	Variable hours and credits
HIS 5001	Ind Stud His II	Variable hours and credits
HIS 5002	Independent Study History III	Variable hours and credits
HIS 5003	Independent Study History IV	Variable hours and credits
HIS 5004	Independent Study History V	Variable hours and credits
HIS 5100	History Internship	6 - 8 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1000H	Honors Themes American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1001H	Honors Western Civilization	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1003H	Honors Global History 1500	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 1005H	Honors Modern American History	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 2044H	Honors Civil War & Rec	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3016H	Hon Civil War & Rec	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3346H	Hon The Rise of Asia in World Affairs	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3351H	Hon Russia & Tsars	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3450H	Hon His Amer Med	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3456H	Hon Amer Intel His	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3460H	Hon Topics Amer His	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 3472H	Hon Amer Urban His	3 hours; 3 credits
HIS 6001H	Hon History I	3 hours; 3 credits per semester
HIS 6002H	Hon History II	3 hours; 3 credits per semester
HIS 6003H	Hon History III	3 hours; 3 credits per semester

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Department of History

Field Description

The Major

The Minor

Electives and Tier III Courses

Special Program

Courses

Courses in History (HIS)