History
Faculty: Assistant Professor Kieffer (coordinator) and Assistant Professor Wagh.
Students in the history program investigate the major institutions, ideologies, philosophies, politics, culture, social features, religious beliefs, and art and literature that shaped the United States and other societies of the world. An informed awareness of historical developments—and abundant opportunity to hone research and communication skills—prepares students for a diverse range of careers as well as for lives of action and contribution in contemporary society.
Degrees and Minors
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History -
History Minor
Courses
HIS/ENV 320: American Environmental History
Credits 4An analysis of changing perceptions and uses of nature and the environment in the United States from pre-contact time to the present. Emphasis is placed on examples of sustainability and conservation practice. Fulfills writing-intensive requirement.
HIS/WGS 211: History of Women in the U.S.
Credits 4Survey of women in United States from colonial to modern times. Introduces political, social, religious and economic factors that influenced women's roles in and contributions to U.S. society.
HIS 111: United States History to 1877
Credits 4A survey of the development of United States from its colonial origins to the end of Reconstruction. This course will place a major emphasis on the social, cultural, and political developments that led to the founding of the United States and how the fledgling nation navigated its first century.
HIS 112: United States History Since 1877
Credits 4A survey of the development of the United States from 1877 to the current era. This course will place a major emphasis on the social, political, and cultural movements that shaped America after Reconstruction and laid the foundations for current events.
HIS 115: The History of Equality in America
Credits 4Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that “all men are created equal” is the most powerful proposition in American history. This course examines how well America has and has not lived up to this foundational tenet by examining how Americans advocated for their recognition as equal citizens throughout history.
HIS 131: World History to 1500
Credits 4A survey of major developments in world history from ancient times to 1500. Emphasis is placed on the rise and fall of major civilizations and empires, the emergence and spread of enduring faiths and philosophies, and the evolution of regional and global networks that dispersed crops, diseases, technologies, and ideas.
HIS 132: World History Since 1500
Credits 4A survey of major developments in world history from 1500 to 1950. Emphasis is placed on the expansion and contraction of empires in Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe, and Middle East and on the origins and consequences of the French, Atlantic, Russian, and industrial revolutions and of the two world wars.
HIS 133: World History Since 1945
Credits 4A survey of developments in world history since the end of World War Two. Emphasis is placed on the global Cold War and its many consequences, decolonization and social justice movements in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, tensions in the Middle East, and challenges in the post-Cold War world.
HIS 202: Twentieth-Century Europe
Credits 4A survey of major developments in twentieth-century Europe. Special attention is given to social and cultural trends, the cataclysmic effects of two world wars, competing democratic, communist, and fascist ideologies, the Cold War division of Europe, the collapse of European and Soviet empires, and challenges for the European Union.
HIS 225: The History of Sports in the US
Credits 4This course explores how sports have shaped society, culture, and politics throughout American history by examining how athletic pursuits have provided avenues to break barriers and challenge commonly held beliefs. Students will ultimately learn how sports have been instrumental in projecting a vision of what it means to be American.
HIS 245: The Holocaust
Credits 4This course offers an in-depth examination of the persecution and attempted annihilation of European Jews and other targeted groups by Nazi Germans and their collaborators during World War Two. Topics covered include Antisemitism, Nazi ideology and policy, the Final Solution in its wartime context, and postwar legacies of the Holocaust.
HIS 255: Early Modern Europe, 1350-1700
Credits 4A survey of major developments in Europe between 1350 and 1700. Emphasis is placed on the Renaissance, the Reformation and wars of religion, interaction with the Ottoman Empire, conquest of empires in the Americas, and European rivalries. The rise of Western science and the emergence of the modern state will also be examined.
HIS 260: Modern European History, 1700-1900
Credits 4A survey of major developments in Europe between 1700 and 1900. Emphasis is placed on the Enlightenment, French Revolution and Napoleonic Era, revolutionary movements of the 1820s-1840s, socio-economic changes in industrial production, the emergence of ideologies such as socialism, liberalism, and nationalism, and competition for empires in Africa and Asia.
HIS 315: The Civil Rights Movement & Legacy
Credits 4This course examines the history of the modern Black freedom struggle, focusing on its development and processes, historical significance, and continuing legacy. Students will ultimately be challenged to use the civil rights movement as a case study in how ordinary citizens challenged America to live up to its democratic ideals.
HIS 340: Genocide in History
Credits 4This course examines genocides in history, with emphasis on examples from the twentieth century, including the Holocaust. The course explores the context in which genocides have occurred over the ages and also devotes attention to efforts in modern times to seek justice after the mass violence.
HIS 345: Modern Political Revolutions
Credits 4This course examines the origins, anatomy, and short and long-term consequences of several major world revolutions since 1750 that sought to completely transform the political, social, economic and ideological aspects of society. Emphasis is placed on the French, Bolshevik, anti-colonial, and Iranian revolutions.
HIS 350: Advanced Historical Methods
Credits 4This junior-level course, required of all history majors, emphasizes the skills, standards, and ethics required in practicing History. Students hone their ability to locate and analyze sources, prepare notes and bibliographies, formulate and engage historical arguments, and write and present historical research.
HIS 355: Readings in History
Credits 4This course allows students to immerse themselves in the history of a region, time period, specific person, or major event of interest to them. They will create a bibliography, read extensively, and regularly share their findings with the class.
HIS 360: American Constitutional History
Credits 4This course considers, from the perspective of social and political history, American constitutional development by placing emphasis on historical background and ideological context for constitutional controversies. Students will consider how certain court decisions and competing methods of constitutional interpretation have defined and redefined what it means to be American.
HIS 490: Capstone in History
Credits 4The senior capstone in history, required of all majors, involves completing a research project proposal and a substantial research essay on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with a history faculty mentor. The essay should demonstrate advanced historical methods and be formally presented to the campus community.