History Courses

HIS101 United States History to 1877 (3)

This course provides a survey of United States history from European beginnings through the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. The course considers the changing configurations of American culture and its modes of expression, religion, politics, and literature. Also covered are the rise of the Federalists, the War of 1812, the emergence of the Jacksonian Movement, westward expansion, war with Mexico, and the Civil War. Special emphasis will be placed on economic, political, and social forces from colonial times to the Civil War.

HIS102 United States History since 1877 (3)

This course provides a survey of United States history from post-Civil War Reconstruction to the present. The course considers the changing configurations of American culture and its modes of expression, religion, politics, and literature. Emphasis will be placed on the changing role of the government in the lives of people and on the changing position of the United States in world affairs. The course will also cover the impact of industrialism, imperialism, two world wars, and the cold war on the policies of the United States.

HIS103 History of Western Civilization I (3)

This course provides a survey of the development of western culture and institutions from the ancient world to the time of the European Renaissance and Reformation. The course will cover the civilizations of the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome, as well as the development of European nations from the early Middle Ages to the High Middle Ages. Emphasis will be on political, social, religious, and cultural life. The course will also cover the rise of Christianity and its importance from the end of the Roman Empire through the rise of European civilization in the Middle Ages.

HIS104 History of Western Civilization II (3)

This course provides a survey of the history of Europe from the Reformation and Renaissance to the present. The spiritual, intellectual, social, political, and economic foundations will be covered, with emphasis on the religious wars of the 16th century, the Age of Absolutism of the 17th and 18th centuries, and the American and French Revolutions of the 18th century and the many European revolutions of the first half of the 19th century. The course will also cover the breakdown of order in the early 20th century which led to World War I and World War II, the aftermath of World War II, the Cold War, and the fall of the Soviet Union.

HIS202 Introduction to Ancient History (3)

This course provides an introduction to the political, social, and economic development of the ancient world from 5000 BCE to the collapse of the Roman Empire (roughly 500 CE). The course will examine the similarities and differences between various cultures and civilizations and how the past has influenced the modern world.

HIS204 Readings in Western Civilization I (3)

This interdisciplinary course critically examines the ideas and values of Western culture from ancient beginnings in Mesopotamia, the Near East, Greece, and Rome through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, and the beginning of the modern period.

HIS205 Readings in Western Civilization II (3)

This interdisciplinary course critically examines the ideas and values of Western culture from the beginning of the Early Modern period to the 20th Century. The course focuses on the most influential writings and ideas that have shaped the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Western world during the Modern era.