Course Descriptions

HIS 102 - Introduction to African-American Studies
This is an interdisciplinary exploration of the experience and initiative of people of African descent throughout the world. Students will be introduced to the history, religion, sociology, politics, economics, creative production and psychology of African peoples, especially in the United States. In addition, the course introduces a variety of perspectives, theories, practical applications and methods of studying African peoples and their social evolution. A student may earn credit for HIS102 or AFS100, but cannot earn credit for both courses because they are equivalent courses. 3 Credits.

HIS 103 - African-American History I: to 1865
This course explores the history of African-Americans since they left their West African ancestral homeland to the moment they were emancipated following the Civil War. It emphasizes the brutalizing impact of the slave trade on its victims, slave life, the establishment of white supremacy, the strategies slaves adopted to transcend their ordeal and the achievements and contributions they made in America. In addition, the course deals with the fight for the emancipation of slaves and the steps leading up to the end of chattel slavery in America. 3 Credits.

HIS 104 - African-American History II: since 1865
This is a survey of African-American history since Reconstruction era to present. It examines their epic journey as reflected in the decades of segregation, World War I, urban life in the north, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Civil Rights Movement. The course also covers the economic, social, cultural and political developments connected with the presidency of Barack Obama and the era of globalization. 3 Credits.

HIS 109 - Global History I: to the 1500s
This course surveys the history of human societies around the world from the beginning to the 1500s. By examining the social, political, intellectual, and economic developments of non-western civilizations including Africa, the Americas, and Asia, students will gain an appreciation of the diversity and commonalities of the ways humans have lived in the various places and times of the world. 3 Credits.

HIS 110 - Global History II: Since the 1500s
This course surveys the history of human societies around the world from the 1500's to the present. By examining the social, political, intellectual, and economic developments of world civilizations including Africa, the Americas, and Asia, students will gain an appreciation of the extent and diversity of the history and cultures of the non-Western World. 3 Credits.

HIS 111 - United States History I - to 1865
A historical survey from early Native American-European exchange to 1865, the end of the Civil War. Key topics include the settling of what became the U.S., the growing rift between the colonists and Great Britain, the American Revolution, the framing and implementation of the Constitution, Jacksonian Democracy and its influence on America, the impact of antebellum reform, slavery, the growth of industry, territorial expansion, and the Civil War. 3 Credits.

HIS 112 - United States History II - since 1865
This course is a survey of the United States from after the Civil War through the Obama presidency. Key topics include the rise of industrial and urban dominance, the struggles affecting agriculture and industrial labor, the growing impact of the United States regarding international matters, and the increasing role of government in American life. 3 Credits.

HIS 113 - Western Civilization I: Beginning to 1700s
A survey of western regimes, society (including the structures of the economy and social classes), and culture (including religious and philosophical ideas) and the west’s relationships with other societies and cultures from the ancient world to the Scientific Revolution. Topics may include Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the development of Christianity, the development of the Islamic World, the Byzantine Empire, Medieval Europe, the Mongolian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the English revolutions of the 1600s, and the Scientific Revolution. 3 Credits.

HIS 114 - Western Civilization II: 1700s to the Present
A survey of western regimes, societies (including economic and class structures), and cultures (including religious and philosophical ideas)—and the west’s relationships with other societies and cultures—from the French Revolution to the present. Topics may include the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution (and the revolutions it inspired), nation-building and nationalism, European imperialism, the World Wars, the Soviet Revolution, the Great Depression, decolonization, the Cold War and its end, and the unification of Europe. 3 Credits.

HIS 153 - Traditional East Asian History
The course will survey the histories of China, Japan, and possibly additional East Asian countries up to 1600. Topics will include the developments of the Chinese and Japanese emperorships, the development of the Japanese shogunate, and the developments of East Asian philosophies and religions and other elements of East Asian culture. 3 Credits.

HIS 154 - Modern East Asian History
The course will survey the histories of China, Japan, and additional East Asian countries from 1600 to the present. Topics will include the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty, Edo Japan, the Meiji Restoration, World War II in Asia, the Chinese revolutions of 1911 and 1949, the Korean War, and postwar developments in East Asia. 3 Credits.

HIS 200 - Women in the United States: A Historical Perspective
This course surveys the diverse history of American women from European contact to the present, with special attention given to the extensive range of women’s experiences as shaped by race, class, ethnicity, gender and sexual identity. Women’s relationship to and their actions in both the private and public sectors will be studied, along with varying conceptions of womanhood. In addition, the course examines how women in the United States have both influenced and have been influenced by the political, economic, social, and cultural development of American civilization. 3 Credits.

HIS 211 - History of Sport in the United States
A survey of sport from its earliest Native American, African and European roots to the sport and games-oriented contemporary society. Professional, amateur and intercollegiate sports for men and women, and the Olympic Games movement are examined in detail. 3 Credits.

HIS 216 - Special Topics in History
This course is designed to address specific topics of interest in history. Offerings are more specific and focused than the introductory surveys. Topics may change from semester to semester based on faculty and student interest. 3 Credits.

HIS 219 - Twentieth Century Europe
The course will survey social, cultural, economic, international, and political developments in the history of Europe in the twentieth century. Prominent topics will be the causes and effects of the two world wars, European imperialism and decolonization, the development of fascism and dictatorship, the two postwar economic booms and ensuing stagnations, the Cold War, the demise of the Soviet Union, and European unification. 3 Credits.

HIS 240 - American Urban History
This is a survey of the development of American cities from pre-colonial times to the present, focusing on the forces that have stimulated their growth and transformation. Among the forces given consideration include the influence of immigrants and migrants, commerce and entertainment, technological and industrial revolutions, population mobility and suburbanization, private and public responses to post industrial urban decay, race and ethnic issues as well as class and gender matters. Throughout, the story of the American urban life will be presented in the context of the broader patterns of the social, cultural, political and economic history of the nation. 3 Credits.

HIS 275 - The Holocaust: History and Legacies
The Holocaust is explored as a transcendent narrative, a lens for exploring both genocide and human rights. Building upon knowledge primarily gained in the historical field of Western Civilization, historical analysis is used to examine both the historical and select cultural ramifications of the Holocaust and the expansion of human rights in the post-1945 era. 3 Credits.