Department of History
Fahy Hall
(973) 275-2984
shu.edu/history
Faculty: Connell (LaMotta Chair); Fieldston; Giblin Gedacht; Greene; Harvey; Hoffer; Knight (Director, Russian and East European Studies); Matusevich (Chair); Molesky; Quinn; Rekabtalaei (Co-Director, Middle Eastern and North African Studies); Rzeznik; Schultz (Co-Director, LALS)
Faculty Emeriti: Browne; Lurie; Wangerin
The Department of History offers a major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in History. Through the study of human achievements, struggles, hopes, and triumphs, the department equips students to better understand the complexity of the world and to engage thoughtfully in shaping its future.
History courses broaden students’ perspectives and prepare them to live and lead in a diverse, interconnected society. By examining the past of many cultures—including their own—students deepen their understanding of cultural difference while developing essential skills in critical thinking, historical analysis, and effective oral and written communication. Graduates in history are well prepared for careers in business, law, education, journalism, and public service, as well as for advanced study in the humanities and related fields.
The department also contributes to a wide range of interdisciplinary programs, including Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Catholic Studies, Latin American and Latino/Latina Studies, Russian and East European Studies, Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. History majors may pursue Honors in History through a senior-year program of independent research, culminating in a thesis that allows students to graduate with distinction.
Phi Alpha Theta – Lambda-Epsilon Chapter
The national history honors society invites students who have taken 12 or more credits in history and have a GPA of 3.1 in history and 3.0 overall to apply for membership. Having a major in history is not a requirement for induction.
Honors Research in History
The History Department invites outstanding undergraduate majors to pursue intensive research and produce a Senior thesis as part of a community of history honors students. History honors students will be admitted to the program in the Spring semester of their Junior year and undertake two semesters of honors course work (a total of 6 credits for the program) during their senior year. These six credits will include a designated Honors section of HIST 5199 Senior Seminar in the Fall and HIST 5711 History Honors Research in the Spring.
During the Spring semester of their Junior year, qualified students will be invited to apply for the History Honors Program. Students will consult with a proposed thesis adviser and submit a one-page project proposal, including the proposed adviser’s signature. Upon recommendation of the History Honors Research Committee, the program coordinator will inform applicants whether or not they have been accepted into the program. Accepted students may then enroll in the honors section of HIST 5199.
During the Fall semester of their Senior year, admitted students will participate in a designated honors section of HIST 5199 Senior Seminar, to be led by the program coordinator. Throughout the Fall semester, students will continue to consult with the thesis adviser while fulfilling the requirements of HIST 5199.
During the Spring semester of their senior year, students will enroll in HIST 5711 Honors Research, continuing to pursue independent research under the direction of the thesis adviser. As part of their course requirements in HIST 5711, students will also participate in periodic meetings with fellow history honors students, led by the program coordinator. During these meetings, students will be expected to present updates on their ongoing research. The completed thesis must be submitted by April 15. Those who miss the deadline for submission will receive a grade and credit for HIST 5711, but will not qualify for history honors. Students will be required to present their research findings publicly at the History Honors Symposium in late April.
Eligible students who request admission to HIST 5711 but who have not participated in the history honors section of HIST 5199 may be allowed to enroll at the discretion of the History Honors Research Committee and with the approval of the department chair.
History B.A./Business Analytics M.S. Dual Degree Program
The Department of History and the MS program in Business Analytics offer a dual degree program that allows students to complete two degrees in five years. At the completion of this program, students will have a BA in History and an MS in Business Analytics. Students should apply for this program in their Junior Year. If accepted, students take 9 credits in Business Analytics in their senior year which are applied towards the MS. These credits replace 9 credits of undergraduate electives and count toward the 120 credit BA. Upon completion of 120 credits and their major and Core requirements, students receive a BA in History. They are then expected to take the remaining 21 credits for the MS degree in their 5th year.
Note to Students: The following listing represents those courses that are in the active rotation for each department, i.e., have been offered in the past five years. Some departments have additional courses offered more rarely but still available – to find the complete list of all official courses for a department, please use the “Course Catalogue Search” function in Self-Service Banner.
Course Descriptions
Note: History courses do not have prerequisites and may be taken out of sequence with the exception of the following: HIST 2180 Introduction to Historical Research is the prerequisite for HIST 5199 Senior Seminar; and HIST 5199 Senior Seminar is the prerequisite for HIST 5711 Honors Research.
HIST 1101 World History I (3 Credits)
This course traces and interprets the evolution of world civilizations from the emergence of early humans up until approximately 1500, and seeks to study and compare diverse historical experiences worldwide. The content of the course is organized both chronologically and thematically. The advancement of human societies through time is reflected in general themes of universal application: human origins and human culture; settling down; empire and imperialism; the rise of world religions; and the movement of goods and people.
HIST 1102 World History II (3 Credits)
This course traces the evolution of the modern world from approximately 1300 to the present. The scope of this course is understandably broad as it combines global themes, intercontinental commerce, religious and ethnic strife, mass politics and totalitarian ideologies, with their regional variations. From the 13th Century Mongol conquests of Eurasia that expanded dramatically the concept of time and space, to the 20th Century information and communication revolution that rendered this same concept relative, this course follows the evolutionary trajectory of the modern world.
HIST 1201 Western Civilization I (3 Credits)
Development of Western civilization from its origins in the Near East to the Scientific Revolution.
HIST 1202 Western Civilization II (3 Credits)
Development and expansion of Western civilization from Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution to the present.
HIST 1301 American History I (3 Credits)
Colonial America through the end of the Civil War.
HIST 1302 American History II (3 Credits)
Reconstruction to the present.
HIST 1401 History of Latin America I (3 Credits)
Survey of the development of the New World empires of Spain and Portugal from Pre-Columbian times through independence.
HIST 1402 History of Latin America II (3 Credits)
Evolution of societies and nation states from the 1820s to independence.
HIST 1501 History of Africa I (3 Credits)
This course offers a broad survey of the history of African continent from the earliest human communities up to the present. It focuses on the evolution of African societies and cultures and a variety of global historical developments that shaped them. The course makes a point of connecting the history of Africa and its peoples to some the major events in global history that both impacted Africa and sometimes originated there.
HIST 1502 History of Africa II (3 Credits)
Study of the traditional peoples and cultures of Africa; survey of contacts between Africa and the outside world with emphasis on colonialism, decolonization and the independence era.
HIST 1551 Middle East 1 from 600 - 1800 (3 Credits)
This course attends to the civilizations in the Middle East and North Africa that were influenced by Islam and explores the formation of Islamic empires from the 7th century emergence of Islam to the early modern period. Some of the topic covered include the transformation of a Muslim community in the Arabian Peninsula to an Islamic political entity in the 7th century, scientific renaissance in the Islamic world, development of Islamic law and legal systems, religious and cultural diversity in the Middle East, and early colonialism in the region. The course aims to acquaint students with the shared features distinguishing Islamic societies and the diverse traditions, cultures, and peoples that have enriched the Islamic world.
HIST 1552 Middle East II 1800 to Present (3 Credits)
An introduction to the modern history of the Middle East, from Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt (1798) to the present.
HIST 1601 History of Traditional Asia (3 Credits)
Survey of the historical development of major Asian civilization (ancient Near East, India, China, Japan and Korea), primarily pre-modern. (Formerly ASIA 3102).
HIST 1602 History of Modern Asia (3 Credits)
Asian history and culture from the 19th century to the present. (Formerly ASIA 3103).
HIST 2101 Freshman Seminar (3 Credits)
Freshman Seminar is a small-group, discussion-based course designed for first-year history majors. Through common readings and seminar dialogue, students explore a focused historical question or theme, build foundational skills in historical thinking and analysis, and begin to engage with the discipline’s methods and approaches. The seminar also fosters a community of learners and serves as an introduction to the History Program.
HIST 2141 History-Global Economy (3 Credits)
A survey of the impact of ideas, technology, culture, and circumstances on the history of the global economy from 1492 to 1992.
HIST 2146 World History of Warfare (3 Credits)
An introduction to the history of warfare from ancient times to the present. The impact of warfare on history, and the interaction of society with warfare.
HIST 2170 Women in Antiquity (3 Credits)
Inquiry into the social, political and legal status of women in ancient Greece and Rome.
HIST 2180 Introduction to Historical Research (3 Credits)
Required of all history majors. Method and rationale of historical research.
HIST 2183 Historians of Greece and Rome (3 Credits)
HIST 2221 Roman Civilization (3 Credits)
Investigation of the tension between individual liberty and the traditional power of state and society and of the political and social institutions that maintain social cohesion in a complex society.
HIST 2315 History of New York City (3 Credits)
This course explores the social, political, economic, and cultural history of New York City. Topics covered include changing patterns of immigration; crime and policing; social activism; class, ethnic, and race relations; skyscrapers, parks, highways, and the shaping of the built environment; and arts and culture. From laborers to political bosses, from slaves to reformers, from tenement dwellers to urban planners, we will focus on the diverse people who have called New York City their home.
HIST 2319 History of New Jersey (3 Credits)
The state of New Jersey from colonial days to the present. Emphasis on factors having heaviest impact on the state today.
HIST 2321 Environmental History of the United States (3 Credits)
Explores the changing relationship between people and the environment in the United States. As a general survey of the nation’s environmental history, the course examines a variety of issues, including our changing understanding of the “natural” world and our place in it; the consequences of human efforts to commodify and control nature; social and ethical responses to environmental problems; and the evolution of environmental policy.
HIST 2341 Women in America to 1869 (3 Credits)
Explores the role of women in America from settlement to the split in the suffrage movement after the Civil War. This course will ask students to think not just about women’s impact on American politics, culture, and society from settlement to 1869 but also about how the American historical narrative changes when viewed through women’s eyes.
HIST 2342 Women in America 1869-Present (3 Credits)
Traces the history of American women from the split of the suffrage movement in1869 through the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, through the women’s movement and into the 1980s and 1990s. This course will ask students to think not just about women’s impact on American politics, culture and society, but also about how the American historical narrative changes when viewed through women’s eyes.
HIST 2365 Italian American History (3 Credits)
This course traces changing perspectives and historical change over four centuries in a distinctive ethnic community. Topics covered include the age of exploration, early American attitudes toward Italy, nativism, the Great Migration, urban settlement patterns, ethnicity in American Catholicism, anarchism, Fascism, the Mafia, assimilation, mothers and daughters, influence on popular music, depictions in film and TV, Italian Americans and African Americans, the move to the suburbs, and the future of ethnicity.
HIST 2368 U S Latino/a History (3 Credits)
This course explores the diverse peoples of Latino/a heritage
who have been part of the history of the United States from the colonial era to the present.
HIST 2372 Economic History of US (3 Credits)
Economic development of the United States from colonial origins to contemporary position as a world power.
HIST 2373 American Business History (3 Credits)
This course surveys the history of private businesses in the US from the Revolution to the twenty-first century. In very important ways, the history of the US is the history of American businesses. These entities, whether shops, plantations, partnerships, or corporations, had a massive impact on their eras and, in turn, reflected those eras. Issues covered include slavery, immigrants, labor, law, technology, racism, sexism, nativism, and prejudice. Specifically, this course provides an introduction to this important crossover between business and the humanities through case histories.
HIST 2375 African-American History I (3 Credits)
Course explores the experience of African-Americans from the medieval West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay through the trans-Atlantic slave trade to enslavement in the colonial era and nineteenth century and finally emancipation in the Civil War. Topics of gender, class, and black resistance will be explored within that chronological framework.
HIST 2376 African-American History II (3 Credits)
The interaction between black and white society in the United States and the nature of black society and cultures from 1865 to post World War II.
HIST 2381 American Legal History I (3 Credits)
Introduction to the development of law in America from the origin of English common law and its reception in the English colonies to the 20th century United States, with emphasis on the political, social, and economic factors influencing this development.
HIST 2382 American Legal History II (3 Credits)
Introduction to the development of law in the United States in the twentieth century.
HIST 2383 American Legal History II (3 Credits)
HIST 2385 History of Medicine in the US (3 Credits)
HIST 2386 American Military History (3 Credits)
Development of American military institutions, policies, experiences and tradition in peace and war from colonial times to the present.
HIST 3120 Intro to Digital Humanities (3 Credits)
HIST 3121 DH for Cultural Heritage (3 Credits)
HIST 3160 Totalitarianism (3 Credits)
This course focuses on totalitarianism – both as an idea and a societal and state arrangement. The 20th century witnessed the rise of powerful totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Mao’s China. But it would be too easy to think that these particular nations were uniquely susceptible to totalitarian rule. Again and again, we are confronted with totalitarian phenomena in situations when individuals are asked or demanded to surrender their personal autonomy in pursuit of a collective goal. From the Nazi marching grounds in Nuremberg to Stalin’s show trials to the re-education camps during Mao’s Cultural Revolution to more recent charismatic cults in the United States, this course will draw on theory, literature, film, biographical accounts, and historical case studies to better understand the meaning and nature of totalitarian movements.
HIST 3165 History of the Cold War (3 Credits)
This course provides a comprehensive look at the history of the Cold War that pitched the United States against the Soviet Union during the period between 1945 and 1989. The class will emphasize the global nature of the contest between two competing ideologies; it will examine the impact of the Cold War on geopolitics, on the process of decolonization, and on internal and cultural developments in the West as well as within the so-called “socialist camp of nations.”
HIST 3210 The Contemporary World (3 Credits)
Sources and events of this revolutionary century that explain the problems and possibilities of the contemporary scene. (Formerly HIST 2210)
HIST 3211 World War I (3 Credits)
Surveys the diplomatic, military and geopolitical aspects of the First World War from its preliminaries to its conclusion, giving special consideration to its causes and consequences. (Formerly HIST 2211)
HIST 3212 World War II (3 Credits)
Surveys the diplomatic, military and geopolitical aspects of the Second World War from its preliminaries to its conclusion, giving special consideration to causes and consequences. (Formerly HIST 2212)
HIST 3220 Greek Civilization (3 Credits)
Rise of Hellenic culture from its genesis in the Aegean Bronze Age, the major interactions of the city-states in the 6th and 7th centuries, the Classical Period and its decline. (Formerly HIST 2220)
HIST 3221 Roman Civilization (3 Credits)
Investigation of the tension between individual liberty and the traditional power of state and society, and of the political and social institutions that maintain social cohesion in a complex society. (Formerly HIST 2221)
HIST 3228 Medieval Women (3 Credits)
Throughout the Middle Ages, the experiences of women varied widely. Focusing on four broad categories – queens, wives, religious women, and women of ill-repute – this course looks at the broad scope of women’s roles in medieval Europe. How did a woman’s marital status affect the expectations of her role in society? What was life like for women in towns versus peasant women? What did medieval families look like, and what were the roles of family members? What legal rights and obligations did women have, and what recourse did they have in resolving disputes? What limitations and opportunities existed for women in the Middle Ages? Why did women become prostitutes? How and when were women able to wield very real political power? Readings will include primary sources such as letters, literature, legal documents, saints’ lives, histories, handbooks, and other contemporary writings.
HIST 3229 Early Middle Ages (3 Credits)
Surveys medieval European political, legal, social, economic, cultural and religious history from circa 300 to circa 1000. Through discussion of a wide range of primary sources, students in this course will analyze the processes through which early Europeans amalgamated elements of Roman, "barbarian," and early Christian cultures to create a new civilization in western Europe.
HIST 3230 The High Middle Ages (3 Credits)
The history of medieval Europe from 1000 to 1350, analyzed through discussion of primary sources, scholarly articles and monographs. The course charts a wide range of interconnected transformations - economic, social, cultural, political, legal, intellectual, religious - that make up what some historians have called “The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century.”
HIST 3231 The Vikings (3 Credits)
From ca. 800-1100 CE, Norsemen from Scandinavia conducted raids along the coastlines and waterways of Europe. Who were these people? This course examines the complex society of Viking society and culture, including settlement patterns, pre-Christian religious practices, daily life, gendered roles, social behaviors, political power, and conflict resolution.
HIST 3232 The Crusades (3 Credits)
This course is a survey of the Crusades. Beginning with a brief overview of biblical ideas of holy war and the political situation in Europe around the end of the eleventh century, it will examine the course of this movement from Pope Urban II’s first call to the Crusades in 1095 through the Crusades of the thirteenth-century via the accounts of Christians, Muslims, and Jews who experienced these movements first-hand. This course will also consider how the Crusades continue to influence modern politics as well as how they are presented in popular media, and will grapple with the idea of what is at stake when history is misreprented.
HIST 3234 Medieval Italy (3 Credits)
This course treats the history of Italy from the early Middle Ages to the Council of Trent. Emphasis is placed on the dramatic changes in peoples, state institutions, religion, the economy and society that occurred during these centuries. The abiding and sometimes determinant role of geography in Italian history is a subject that receives particular attention. All areas of the peninsula are discussed, with special attention to relations between peripheral or provincial areas and cultural or administrative centers. Major intellectual, religious, social and political developments are explored through primary and secondary readings, and a mixture of lecture and class discussion. (Formerly HIST 2234)
HIST 3235 Modern Italy (3 Credits)
This course treats the history of Italy from the Baroque Age down to contemporary events. Emphasis is placed on the dramatic changes in peoples, state institutions, religion, the economy and society that occurred during these centuries. The abiding and sometimes determinant role of geography in Italian history is a subject that receives particular attention. All areas of the peninsula are discussed, with special attention to relations between peripheral or provincial areas and cultural or administrative centers. Major intellectual, religious, social and political developments are explored through primary and secondary readings, and a mixture of lecture and class discussion. (Formerly HIST 2235)
HIST 3240 The Renaissance and Reform (3 Credits)
Beginning of modern Europe as the renewal of trade is followed by rediscovery of the ancient world, discovery of the New World, changes in art, literature and thought and the division of Christianity by the Protestant movement. (Formerly HIST 2240)
HIST 3242 French Revolution-Napoleon (3 Credits)
Intellectual ferment of the enlightenment, through the upheaval of the revolution and its despotic aftermath. (Formerly HIST 2242)
HIST 3243 History of Britian and Empire I (3 Credits)
Restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the Reform Bill in 1832. (Formerly HIST 2243)
HIST 3246 Kievan Rus' and Muscovy (3 Credits)
From the origins of the Russian nation to Peter the Great. (Formerly HIST 2246)
HIST 3253 History of Britian and Empire II (3 Credits)
The Reform Bill of 1832 to the present. (Formerly HIST 2253)
HIST 3254 Early Modern Ireland (3 Credits)
Political, economic, and social history of Ireland from the Treaty of Limerick in 1691 to the Great Famine of the 1840s. (Formerly HIST 2254) Crosslisted with CORE 3424 Engaging the World
HIST 3256 History of Imperial Russia (3 Credits)
Historical legacy of the Russian imperial period from the reign of Peter the Great to Russia’s entry into World War I.
HIST 3257 East Central Europe (3 Credits)
Political evolution and social and economic development of modern Poland and Danubian Europe from 1700 to present.
HIST 3258 Eurasian Frontier Russian Hist (3 Credits)
Focusing on a series of regional and historical episodes, the course examines the process of Russian imperial expansion from the 16th century up to the time of the Russian revolution, the peoples caught up in the empire and the ways in which experience of empire was reflected back into Russian culture.
HIST 3264 Modern Ireland (3 Credits)
This course examines the political, cultural, economic, social, and religious history of Ireland from the act of Union (1800) to the present day. In particular, it seeks to explain the competing Irish identities that have shaped the troubled history of the country in the last two centuries. Seton Hall’s rich archival resources in Irish history—in particular the world-famous MacManus Collection—will be used to supplement the work of the classroom.
HIST 3265 History of Modern Germany (3 Credits)
Comprehensive survey of Germany beginning with its political and economic modernization, through the world wars of the 20th century to the present
HIST 3266 History of 20th Century Russia (3 Credits)
Russia since 1917. (Formerly HIST 2266)
HIST 3269 History of Ukraine (3 Credits)
Social and Political History of the Lands and Peoples of Modern Ukraine from medieval times to the present-day.
HIST 3276 Transformation of Russia 1894-1932 (3 Credits)
Russia’s development from a traditional agrarian society under the Tsars to a major industrialized power under totalitarian rule.
HIST 3278 Anna Karenina (3 Credits)
Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina is an epic tale of passion, intrigue, betrayal, and redemption. It is also a penetrating and encyclopedic portrayal of Russian life in the period following the Great Reforms of the 1860s. This course uses Anna Karenina as the starting point for a multifaceted investigation of nineteenth century Russian history and culture.
HIST 3288 Film & History in Europe (3 Credits)
This course will examine the complicated relationship between film and history in twentieth-century Europe. Students will view, discuss, and critique some of the most celebrated and influential films from Western and Eastern Europe. Students will read movie reviews, works of film theory, as well as interviews with notable filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman, Agnès Varda, François Truffaut, and Federico Fellini. One principal objective of the course will be to investigate how films reflect (or do not reflect) the intellectual, cultural, and political concerns of the era in which they were produced.
HIST 3340 Native Amer Hist to Removal (3 Credits)
This is a survey of Native American history, spanning the period before colonization to U.S. Indian removal in the 1830s. The course’s major themes include pre-Columbian North America; the dynamics of initial encounters with Europeans and Africans and sustained intercultural contact; the multifaceted changes wrought by colonization and Native peoples’ creative adaptations to them; and Native experiences of U.S. settlement and government policies, including “civilization” and removal.
HIST 3341 Colonial America (3 Credits)
This class covers the first centuries of European colonization of North America. While this course begins in the fifteenth century and at times considers the Caribbean and the trans-Mississippi West, we will focus most of our attention on eastern North America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The major themes include initial encounters, subsequent exchange between Native peoples, Europeans, and Africans, and the creation of a “new world”; alliances with Indigenous peoples and competition among European empires; the development of colonial societies and plantation slavery, an Atlantic economy, and an increasingly integrated British Empire in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. This course ends with the Seven Years War, which was global in scope but began in the Ohio Valley, and which catalyzed the movement for British American independence.
HIST 3342 Revolutionary America (3 Credits)
This course explores the American Revolutionary era, from the origins of the crisis of the British Empire in the 1760s to the first presidential administrations in the 1790s. Topics include colonial resistance to imperial taxes and restrictions; social hierarchies and conflict in colonial societies; how resistance became revolution; the War for Independence as a conflict encompassing civil war among Americans, global war between Britain and France, an Indigenous struggle to control the Ohio Valley, and a large uprising of enslaved people; efforts to create republican governments, new social institutions, and a functioning union; debates over ratifying the Constitution; and the emergence of party conflict over political economy, constitutional interpretation, and views of citizenship in the 1790s.
HIST 3352 Democracy Slavery Manifest Dst (3 Credits)
Politics and thought in the Jacksonian Era, the westward movement, and the development of Manifest Destiny and sectionalism. (Formerly HIST 2352)
HIST 3353 Civil War and Reconstruction (3 Credits)
Slavery and sectionalism; causes and character of the Civil War; Reconstruction in its varied aspects. (Formerly HIST 2353)
HIST 3363 America 1945-1979: Victory & Aftershocks (3 Credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to the major events and trends in U.S. politics, society, and culture from the end of World War II to the aftermath of the Cold War. Students will assess a range of sources, draw connections between disparate historical phenomena, and in doing so, develop an understanding of the years between 1945 and 1989 as a coherent period in U.S. history.
HIST 3364 History-Civil Rights Movement (3 Credits)
Review of major events and campaigns. The decade 1955-65 represents the temporal focus of the course, but the movement's 20th century antecedents and the period beween 1965-68 are discussed; the period within which the movement was broadened in internatioal perspective and transformed into a struggle for human rights. Goals and objectives of the struggle and the movement's impact on United States society are identified and evaluated.
HIST 3365 Family-Poverty-Socl Justice US (3 Credits)
This course considers how race, region, and gender have shaped Americans’ understandings of families in poverty in the twentieth century. We will consider the solutions to poverty proposed by reformers and policymakers alongside the lived experience of poor families themselves. Our goal
will be to think critically about the sources of poverty as well as about how ideas about social justice, poverty, and poor families themselves have changed over time. 3
HIST 3366 Afro-American Lives: James Baldwin (3 Credits)
Afro-American Lives explores the life of a key African American intellectual, political leader, and social activist who made important contributions to the struggle for civil rights. This course examines the life of James Baldwin primarily through his non-fiction collection of essays and social commentary on race, class, and gender.
HIST 3371 US Diplomatic History II (3 Credits)
The foreign relations of the United States during a century of conflict and change. This course deals with American diplomacy at the end of World War I, isolation, the Good Neighbor policy, the challenges to the dictators, the response to World War II, atomic diplomacy, the Cold War, detente, American global hegemony and the challenges to it. (Formerly HIST 2371)
HIST 3372 Hist of Travel & Tour in US (3 Credits)
This course explores the history of American travel and tourism from the birth of American tourism in the early nineteenth century through the late twentieth century. It considers how travel and tourism have influenced American social relationships, culture, development and conservation, and international relations. We will also explore the history of travel technologies such as the train, the automobile, the airplane, and the spaceship.
HIST 3374 Immigration-Race-Citizen in US (3 Credits)
Ethnic minorities in the development of American life. (Formerly HIST 2374)
HIST 3375 Family in the U.S. (3 Credits)
This course explores the evolution of the family in the United States from colonial times through the present. We will examine the shifting boundaries of public and private in American life and chart the ways that the family—and ideas about its purpose and value—have changed. We will explore how laws and policies supported particular visions of the family and its role in society as well as consider the experiences of ordinary men, women, and children.
HIST 3376 Gender - Sexuality in the U.S. (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the study of gender and sexuality in US History.
This class examines how sexuality has been socially constructed, how
understandings of sexuality have changed over time, and how questions about
sexuality have been shaped by public debates about categories like race and class.
Topics will include sexual violence, queer communities, sexual rights, and the
regulation of sexuality by the state.
HIST 3377 US Since 1980 (3 Credits)
This course charts the monumental social, political, economic, and cultural shifts that took place during the closing decades of the twentieth century and the opening decade of the twenty-first. Focusing on the years 1980-2010, we will examine the rise of conservatism and neoliberalism; the development of new technologies such as personal computers and the internet; financialization and the growth of income inequality; the end of the Cold War and the advent of the global “war on terror”; new social movements; and the intensification of battles over national and cultural identity.
HIST 3378 Deportation in American Hist (3 Credits)
This course explores the long history of American deportation. It will address campaigns of expulsion and forced migration as government-sponsored programs and as local practices; the debates and conflicts that they generated; and the ways targeted groups claimed a place in U.S. society. Topics include the Alien and Sedition Acts, Black colonization, Indian Removal, Mormon expulsions, Chinese exclusion-era pogroms, Red Scare deportations, “Operation Wetback” against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, and 21st-century deportation campaigns.
HIST 3385 Health and Medicine in U.S. (3 Credits)
This course explores the history of health and medicine in the United States, attentive to the perspectives and experiences of both practitioners and patients. Moving from the colonial era to the present, it examines changing understandings of health and illness, the social impact of epidemics and disease, the development of medical practices and institutions, policy debates and efforts address health care inequalities, and the way that illness and health have been experienced across gender, race, and class lines.
HIST 3386 Religion US Mtghse-Megachurch (3 Credits)
This course offers a survey of the religious history of the United States from the colonial era to the present. It introduces students to both social and theological trends, exploring how different religious traditions developed, grew, and changed over time, not only in reaction to one another but also in relation to American society and the American experience.
HIST 3387 The Catholic Church in the United States (3 Credits)
Role of Catholics and the Church in the United States from colonial beginnings to the recent past, focusing on internal developments and on relations with the wider society. (Formerly HIST 2387)
HIST 3393 Public History Practicum (3 Credits)
HIST 3420 Hist Relig-Soc Early LatinAmer (3 Credits)
Explores the ways in which religious ideas and practices have shaped political, social, cultural and economic experiences in the region of Latin America from the 16th though the 18th centuries.
HIST 3430 Women-Gender Latin America (3 Credits)
Explores the historical experiences of women and the ways in which people in Latin America have defined gendered differences in society, politics, culture, and the economy from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries
HIST 3450 Race-Nation in Latin America (3 Credits)
Explores the interrelated ways in which race and nation have been defined in Latin America from the sixteenth through the twentieth century. Readings and discussions will trace both historical differences and links between understandings of race and nation across the hemisphere and between peoples and movements that challenge racial and national paradigms.
HIST 3465 History of Brazil (3 Credits)
History of Brazil will provide students with a survey of the history of the modern nation-state of Brazil beginning with Portuguese settlement in the 16th century through the emergence of Brazil as a global economic and regional political power in the late 20th century.
HIST 3523 Women/Gender Modern Middle Eas (3 Credits)
This course examines women and the construction of gender in the modern Middle East and North Africa. In its historical approach, the course will first examine women in Islam and early Islamic societies, and will then study women and women’s movements in the wake of colonialism, nationalist movements, and modernization projects of the 19th and 20th centuries. To challenge stereotypes about Muslim women and men, the course will analyze the cultural, social, economic, and political structures and discourses that have shaped gender and identity in the modern Middle East and North Africa.
HIST 3525 Oil and Turmoil in the Middle East (3 Credits)
This course traces the history of oil in the Persian Gulf region from the nineteenth century to the present, with a special attention to the extraction and export of oil, its role in the transformation of everyday life, and its implications in social and political developments in the region, especially in Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Course readings will investigate the impact of oil on modernity, labor force, racial divisions, urbanization, nationalism, regional and international wars, and social and political tensions.
HIST 3527 Israel&Palestine:Entwined Hist (3 Credits)
The course explores the complicated history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the clash of two nationalisms.
HIST 3530 History of Iran (3 Credits)
Iran is perhaps one of the most misunderstood countries in our contemporary world. This course serves as an introduction to the history of Iran from the early modern period to the present, placing a special emphasis on Iran's connection to major regional and international trends. The covered topics include Iran's experience of modernity and imperialism, intellectual and religious trends, factionalism, national identity and nationalism, women and gender, the politics of oil, and the genesis of revolutions and social movements. The readings, complemented by literary texts, primary sources, slides, and films, empower students to better understand and analyze the nuances of current social, political, and cultural movements in Iran.
HIST 3532 Iran in Revolt: Power, Protest and the People (3 Credits)
Iran has been one of the most misunderstood countries in modern world history, and for good reason. Most people have encountered Iran primarily in the context of recent conflicts and crises, as portrayed through Western media. This course approaches Iran from the perspective of the masses, including workers, intellectuals, clerics, women, and youth, and examines how they have contested power through uprisings and revolutions in their search for freedom, dignity, and independence.
HIST 3535 Youth Culture in Middle East (3 Credits)
The Middle East is one of the fastest growing populations in the world, with a notable youth bulge. This course is an interdisciplinary course that introduces students to fresh perspectives on youth in the Middle East and investigates how social change in the Middle East is linked to its youth. Covering a large geographical area in the Middle East and North Africa, it draws on films, music, and graphic novels to explore the values, norms, and practices of youth in the MENA region. It further investigates the ways in which youth use art, fashion, music, film, and dance, to counter authoritative governments and promote their demands and interests.
HIST 3536 Middle East through Film (3 Credits)
This course treats films as historical sources that open windows onto the everyday lives, social anxieties, cultural concerns, identity formation, and national and international debates in various Middle Eastern and North African societies. Drawing on films from Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, and some other countries in the region, and secondary source readings, this course investigates important social and political events that have had long-lasting impact on the region and the world.
HIST 3554 History of North Africa (3 Credits)
Topics in North African history: the pre-Arab era, Arabization and Islamization; Ottoman rule, North Africa since the Napoleonic invasion.
HIST 3621 History of Traditional China (3 Credits)
For description, see ASIA 3127. (Formerly HIST 2621)
HIST 3622 History of Traditional Japan (3 Credits)
For description, see ASIA 3129. (Formerly HIST 2622)
HIST 3623 Gender Ethnicity Family China (3 Credits)
HIST 3624 Age of the Samurai (3 Credits)
The term ‘samurai’ is synonymous with Japan, but just who were the samurai? In Age of the Samurai, we will explore the rise, fall, and afterlives of Japan’s legendary bushi, or samurai, class. Specifically, the class will focus on how these men and women ruled the Japanese state, articulated the ideological underpinnings of their class consciousness, and rationalized their changing position in society over seven hundred years. Finally, students will investigate the modern period where this widely misunderstood historical category became, both at home and abroad, a foundational part of Japanese national identity. No previous knowledge of Japanese history or culture required.
HIST 3625 Japan and Pacific Empire (3 Credits)
This course will explore the rise and fall of the Japanese Empire starting with the Meiji Restoration of 1868 through to the end of the Pacific War and beyond. Examining the implications of empire, we will discover the domestic impact of imperialism on Japanese society at home as well as how the experience of Japanese colonization shaped countries abroad. Countries covered will include Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Manchuria, Micronesia, and multiple nations in Southeast Asia including the Philippines and Indonesia. Finally, we will turn our attention to the continued question of empire in the Pacific after WWII in the form of US occupation, cold war politics, and cultural imperialism.
HIST 3626 Monsters: A History of Japan (3 Credits)
To truly understand a society, study what it fears. Myths legitimize rule, monsters model undesirable behavior, heroes teach moral lessons, and legends reconstruct history. This course will trace how folklore, supernatural creatures, and the “uncanny” played a role in molding Japanese societal structures from the beginning of written history through to the eve of Japan’s modern period. Learn about the real-world events that shaped or were shaped by these monster stories while gaining competency in Japanese history and the ideologies that underwrite them from Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Shintoism. No previous knowledge of Japanese history or culture required.
HIST 3627 Modern Monsters Japanese Hist (3 Credits)
This course will explore the evolution of modern mythologies in Japan to reveal Japan’s social, political, economic, and diplomatic history between the 19th and 21st centuries. These modern myths allowed the Japanese people to rise within an international system that favored Euro-American hierarchies of civilization without losing a distinctive cultural identity. No previous knowledge of Japanese history or culture is required.
HIST 3628 History of Japanese Masculinities (3 Credits)
This course will critically interrogate the notion of “manhood,” “masculinity,” “femininity,” and “gender” in Japan between the 700s-2020s. Starting from the assertion that gender is socially constructed and variable over time, we will seek to explore the way that masculinity and femininity developed and changed in the cultural context of Japan’s social, philosophical, political, and economic traditions.
HIST 3640 Contemporary India, 1940 - Present (3 Credits)
This course examines the political, social, and economic transformations of India from the final decade of colonial rule to the present. Beginning with the crises of the 1940s and the movement for independence, students explore Partition, nation-building, democratic institutions, economic reforms, and the challenges of diversity, inequality, and globalization. Through primary sources and historical scholarship, the course highlights key debates on secularism, identity, development, and India’s role in the world.
HIST 3651 History of Modern China (3 Credits)
Transformation and continuity in China since 1800. Includes the causes and implications of Qing Dynasty encounters with foreign powers, internal rebellions, dynastic collapse, tumult of the Republican period, war against Japan, civil war between the Nationalists and Communists, communist rule and contemporary reforms and ongoing one-party control of power.
HIST 3652 History of Modern Japan (3 Credits)
For description, see ASIA 3130. (Formerly HIST 2652)
HIST 4151 Colloquium - Global History (3 Credits)
Reading and discussion intensive course in Global History. Topic/s set by the instructor.
HIST 4181 Topics-Comparative Hist (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor. (Formerly HIST 2191)
HIST 4191 Supervised Research in History (1 Credit)
Individual reading and research projects. (Open only to junior and senior majors by arrangement with specific instructors).
HIST 4192 Supervised Research in History (2 Credits)
Individual reading and research projects. (Open only to junior and senior majors by arrangement with specific instructors).
HIST 4193 Supervised Research in History (3 Credits)
Individual reading and research projects. (Open only to junior and senior majors by arrangement with specific instructors).
HIST 4251 Colloquium-Euro History (3 Credits)
Reading and discussion intensive course in European History for History majors and others. Topic/s set by the instructor.
HIST 4252 Colloquium-European (3 Credits)
Reading and discussion intensive course in European History for History majors and others. Topic/s set by the instructor.
HIST 4280 Trip Abroad to Europe (3 Credits)
The specific destination will vary, but all trips will be led by one or more faculty members who will emphasize the history of the area and country visited. Included will be visits to historic sites and museums, with readings and lectures on related topics. Students are required to write a paper for the course, and to participate in discussions.
HIST 4281 Trip Abroad to Europe (3 Credits)
The specific destination will vary, but all trips will be led by one or more faculty members who will emphasize the history of the area and country visited. Included will be visits to historic sites and museums, with readings and lectures on related topics. Students are required to write a paper for the course, and to participate in discussions.
HIST 4283 Trip Abroad to Europe (3 Credits)
The specific destination will vary, but all trips will be led by one or more faculty members who will emphasize the history of the area and country visited. Included will be visits to historic sites and museums, with readings and lectures on related topics. Students are required to write a paper for the course, and to participate in discussions.
HIST 4290 Topics in European History (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor. (Formerly HIST 2290)
HIST 4291 Topics in European History (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor. (Formerly HIST 2291)
HIST 4351 Colloquium-American History (3 Credits)
Reading and discussion intensive course in American History for History majors and others. Topic/s set by the instructor.
HIST 4390 Topics in American History (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor. (Formerly HIST 2390)
HIST 4391 Topics in American History (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor. (Formerly HIST 2391)
HIST 4396 Topics in American History (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor.
HIST 4398 Topics in Amer Hist-Environmnt (3 Credits)
To be set by instructor.
HIST 4710 Internship (3 Credits)
Instruction and work experience in area historical institutions in the custody, care and management of documents, artifacts, and sites. (Formerly HIST 2710)
HIST 5199 Senior Seminar (3 Credits)
Capstone course, designed to engage senior history majors in careful study of an historical topic chosen by the instructor. Prerequisite: HIST 2180 Introduction to Historical Research and a total of 75 credits.
HIST 5711 Honors Research (3 Credits)
Typically taken as part of a year-long honors research in history program, this course allows outstanding undergraduate History majors to produce a senior thesis, building on a research paper undertaken in a previous course. It allows students to undertake intensive research over the course of the semester as part of a community of History honors students. In addition to meeting regularly with individual faculty mentors, students convene as a class with the honors research coordinator to report on their progress, discuss methodological concerns, and provide peer review. The course culminates with the honors research symposium, where students present their work to fellow students, members of the history department, and the wider university community.
Prerequisites: HIST 5199 with a minimum grade of D
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