History Department (HIS)

HIS 110 Cr.3

World History

This course examines world history using a specific theme. The course is global in scope from ancient times to the present and covers a minimum of three civilizations. Instructors trace the development of one theme over multiple historical periods and places in the world. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.

HIS 200 Cr.3

Historiography and Historical Methods

This course is an introduction to historiography (the history of the study of history) and historical research methods. In addition to introducing students to historiography, the course also introduces students to historical research methods, use of primary sources, problems of interpretation, and composition. Prerequisite: open to history majors and minors only. Offered Fall, Spring.

HIS 202 Cr.3

How We Got Here: History of Today's Global Issues

This course focuses on the historical roots of pressing current issues with global implications. Students engage with such transnational topics as climate change, pollution, food insecurity, healthcare, inequality, corruption, violence, or human migration. Students learn to think historically about complex challenges, preparing them to address problems in their communities and future careers. This class helps students develop a sense of who they are as global citizens. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 210 Cr.3

Survey of the United States

This course examines United States history from the period of the revolution to the present. It focuses on the development and reform of American politics, the evolution of American society and culture, and the place of the United States in the world. Students may not take HIS 210 if they've received credit for AP US History. Offered Annually.

HIS 220 Cr.3

Survey of Latin American and Latino History

This course is an introduction to Latin American and U.S. Latino history. The course surveys how conquest, conversion, colonialism, nationalism, neocolonialism, and immigration affected Iberian cultures in the Americas and Europe from 1300 to 2000. Iberian colonialism initiated processes of Catholic conversion, labor exploitation, and cultural syncretism that continued into the 19th century, complicated by the development of U.S. and European informal empire in Latin America. Liberal oligarchies oversaw uneven development that led to social and political revolutions, and the development of feminism and modern homosexuality. U.S. intervention in the political, social, and economic affairs of Latin America destabilized the region, prompted dictatorships and "dirty wars," and initiated migratory currents that expanded Latino populations in the U.S. The Mexican American and Puerto Rican experiences are surveyed. The course examines how hierarchies grounded in notions of race, class, gender, and sexuality have impacted the lives of people throughout the Americas. Offered Every Third Semester.

HIS 230 Cr.3

Survey of Ancient and Medieval Worlds

An historical survey of the civilizations of West Asia, North Africa, and Europe from the advent of urbanization in 4000 BC to the beginning of the Renaissance (ca. 1300 AD). Topics discussed will be the nature and status of women, ethnic and religious minorities, the importance of geography and technology. Special emphasis will be placed on studying historical themes that have survived to the present day. Offered Spring.

HIS 240 Cr.3

Survey of Europe

This course covers the history of countries in Europe and may consider such events and topics as the Black Death, the Renaissance, the Reformation, colonialism, the French Revolution, wars among European nations, nationalism, liberalism, and totalitarianism, as well as Europe's interaction with non-Western cultures. Upon completion of the course, students place European history within the context of global history. Students may not take HIS 240 if they've received credit for AP European History. Offered Fall.

HIS 250 Cr.3

Survey of Asia

This course introduces students to various aspects of Asian history with special focus on the Modern period (i.e., post-1800). In particular, students compare the political, social and economic structures as well as the religious/philosophical underpinnings of Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 260 Cr.3

Survey of the Middle East

This is an introductory course designed for students who would like to better understand the history and cultures of the Middle East and who have had little to no exposure to the region or even to the study of history. It covers the political, social, cultural, and economic Middle East from the rise of Islam to the present. We select several major themes: the message of Islam, the development of Islamic civilization, Ottoman and Iranian cultures, responses to European imperialism, and nationalist and religious movements. Offered Annually.

HIS 280 Cr.3

Survey of the History of Modern Science

Science may seem sterile and remote from everyday life, something that takes place in a laboratory, something unaffected by the social, cultural, and political world around it - in short, something unaffected by history. Yet our modern concept of science, its ideals, and the way it is practiced all have their own history, and this is intricately related to the history of the broader world. To understand this relationship, this course explores changing historical conceptions of what it means to do science, where it can be done, who gets to participate, what ethical considerations should govern its conduct, and what kinds of questions science can answer. We consider human beings as students and practitioners of science, but also as subjects of scientific inquiry. While we consider science around the world, our focus is on science in the West. Our goal is to better understand the history that led to our image of modern science, but also to develop ideas about how to make science more democratic - and why it is so important for us to do so. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 285 Cr.3

Survey of Modern Africa

This survey course is designed to introduce students to modern African history, from roughly 1800 through the 1970s. It gives a broad overview of African societies as they changed in the face of profound transformations like the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, independence, and globalization. Offered Annually.

HIS/ARC 295 Cr.3

Pyramids, Temples and Towns! The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt

This course is a survey of the archaeology of Ancient Egyptian civilization from an anthropological perspective and examines the Neolithic through Roman periods, ca. 5000 BC - AD 285. In this course, students investigate the rise and development of Egyptian culture by examining selected archaeological sites and the material remains left behind by the ancient Egyptians. Using these materials, students address specific topics of Ancient Egyptian civilization including the formation of the centralized state, sacred vs. secular space, royal and private mortuary practices, urbanism, religion, roles of women in society, everyday life, history of Egyptian archaeology, recent discoveries, and future directions in the archaeology of Egypt. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Every Third Semester.

HIS 300 Cr.1-3

Topics in History

Topics selected by the individual instructor or by the students and instructor together. Special interests of both the bases of current world crises or areas of historical concern not covered in formal course work, may be the vehicles for this offering. Credits generated in this course apply as electives in the major or minor. Repeatable for credit - maximum 18. Offered Annually.

HIS/ARC 302 Cr.3

Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Language and Culture of Ancient Egypt

This course is an introduction to the language and culture of Ancient Egypt including an investigation of the birds, snakes and other symbols on Ancient Egyptian monuments. Students learn to read the hieroglyphic script used by the Egyptians to record aspects of their culture and daily lives for over 3,000 years. While learning the basics of Middle Egyptian grammar, the classical form of the language, students explore aspects of Egyptian culture through their own words. Through translating sentences and basic texts, students experience first-hand the classical form of the language used for writing everything from business receipts and letters, to historical documents and literary works, to esoteric theological texts which record details of their belief system. Topics covered are the origins of writing in Egypt; historical development of the language, daily religion, and beliefs in the afterlife; and the family, social structure, literature, and the role of writing in Egyptian culture. No prior knowledge of ancient Egypt or Egyptian language is needed or required, only a desire to gain insight into the thoughts of people who lived thousands of years ago. (Cross-listed with HIS/ARC; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 303 Cr.3

Money and Crime

In this course students explore what makes something money and when, why, and where money started and changed. Students also examine crimes based on money such as counterfeiting, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and swindling. Students study how money and its related crimes have become a system that shapes us and how different people around the world experience this system. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 304 Cr.2

Schools and Learning in Social Studies and Field Experience I

This course is integrated with a field experience for secondary social studies teachers and provides a forum for reflection. Teacher candidates work collaboratively to design, enact, and assess activities to enhance student learning. This course is a multi-day, consistent schedule in the middle school field experience classroom. Teacher candidates collaborate with their assigned cooperating teacher to explore best practices. Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring.

HIS 307 Cr.3

Comic Books and History

This course examines how transregional historical events and experiences are depicted in visual sequential narratives (i.e., combinations of images and text designed to be read in a particular order) such as comic books, manga, graphic histories, graphic memoirs, and works of illustrated journalism. Students investigate how history is represented in these visual sources, particularly focusing on the complexity of human memory, identity, and human agency. Students evaluate the trade-offs of reading history in "comics" format by exploring how visual sequential narratives both enhance and complicate our understanding of the past. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 308 Cr.3

U.S. Reform Movements

In this course, students learn about reform movements in the U. S. which happen in waves around dramatic events such as a compelling story, shocking photograph, expose, scandal, investigative journalism, or the force of a charismatic person. Students also explore reforms that result from a slow evolution of policy and politics, legal changes, institutional bureaucracy, or data-driven decisions. Students discuss who initiated reforms, what their motives might have been, and whose lives were intentionally or unintentionally affected by reform. Students investigate how reform movements have shaped current American policies. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 309 Cr.3

History of U.S. Science and Technology

This course explores the various ways in which Americans have encountered, developed, and experienced science and technology from the colonial period to the present using various lenses - politics, environment, military, labor, culture, race, gender, and others. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 310 Cr.3

Native American History

This course is a survey of Native American history in North America from the prehistoric era through the twentieth century with an emphasis on the United States. The course focuses on Native American cultural, political, and economic structures, as well as patterns and strategies of coexistence with and resistance to European and European American communities. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 311 Cr.3

Peace and War

An examination of the causes, consequences and nature of both war and peace in a global context. This course will consider war and peace throughout history and within various cultures. Offered Fall - Every Third Year.

HIS/ANT 312 Cr.3

Peoples and Cultures of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union

This survey course explores how people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have experienced the transition from socialism to postsocialism and beyond. Within the framework of cultural anthropology, students critically reflect on their own cultural experience and values in reference to the major concerns of postsocialism - including how the people of Eastern Europe understand the role of government, what it means to be a citizen, and how they view themselves as members of communities. In so doing, students gain a better understanding and appreciation of how and why different cultures experience, manage, and challenge political, economic, and social change. (Cross-listed with ANT/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 313 Cr.3

Colonial and Revolutionary America

A history of the founding and development of North American colonies and the era of the American Revolution, with special attention devoted to the establishment and evolution of Euro-American culture and the creation and maturation of American politics. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 316 Cr.3

The Vietnam War Era

This course focuses on the era of United States involvement during the long Vietnamese wars. The course approaches the era of the Vietnam wars by including significant transformations in social, cultural, and political history in the United States and Vietnam. Students examine the era within the context of decolonization and a global Cold War. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 317 Cr.3

American Environmental History

This course studies human societies and their changing relationships with their physical and natural surroundings. The focus is on the environmental history of North America from pre-Columbian times to the present. Topics explored may include the Columbian exchange, evolving concepts of humanity's relationship to nature, the development of a market economy, science and technology, government roles in conservation and preservation, and the recent emergence of an environmental movement. Offered Spring.

HIS 318 Cr.3

Exhibition Development and Design I

This course explores best practices in exhibit design and development through practicum that exposes students to concept development, special planning, production, and installation on a budget. Field trips and work with local institutions are an important aspect of this course. Topics include oral history, museums in the community, museum organization, exhibition planning and design, care of artifacts and collections, and the visitor experience. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 319 Cr.3

Twentieth Century United States

This course examines the social, economic, political, and diplomatic history of contemporary United States from the 1890s to the millennium. Major topics may include the development of the modern bureaucratic state; consumerism; the rise of the US as a global power; and the roles of gender, ethnicity, and race in culture, society, and politics. Special attention is given to developing skill in reading recent historical scholarship. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 320 Cr.3

Careers in Public History

This course is an introduction to the careers of public historians. The class covers such topics as cultural resource management, public policy, museums, oral history, archives, etc. As part of this class students have the opportunity to meet with professionals in the field which provides them with a sense of the various careers they may choose to pursue. This class also provides networking opportunities for future employment in public history. Offered Fall.

HIS 321 Cr.3

Wisconsin History

An exploration of the history of Wisconsin, focusing on place, people, and the development of regional culture. Special emphasis will be given to environment, native peoples, ethnicity, the Progressive transformation of state politics, and community from the territorial period to the recent past. Offered Spring - Even Numbered Years.

HIS 322 Cr.3

Public Education in Wisconsin and America

This course is an investigation into historical changes marking K-12 public education in the United States beginning with the legacy of Puritan culture and colonial antecedents, and concluding with historical perspectives on the nature of public schooling and the role of the federal government in education policy today. Particular attention is paid toward Wisconsin's system of public education as a reflection of state history, as well as local and national trends. Among the other major topics addressed are: the purposes of schooling, the ideas of major educational reformers, struggles over school curriculum, religion and public education, the origins of standardized testing, the emergence of teacher unions, urban and rural school challenges, and school privatization. Offered Spring - Odd Numbered Years.

HIS 323 Cr.3

The World War II Era

This course focuses on the causes, conduct, and consequences of World War II. The course examines the war not only as a military conflict but as a global event embedded in forces echoing throughout the twentieth century. Themes include social, cultural, diplomatic, and political aspects. Different theaters or themes are emphasized while still recognizing the global character of the war. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 324 Cr.3

Civil War and Reconstruction

A study of US History from 1820 to 1877 with an emphasis on the Civil War and Reconstruction and the political, economic, and social implications for the United States. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 325 Cr.3

The Global Cold War

The United States and the Soviet Union spent almost half of the twentieth century engaged in a hostile confrontation, which had profound effects on the rest of the world. This course explores the origins of the Cold War from its development in 1945 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It studies the economic and ideological conflicts between the two countries, the proxy wars, and other conflicts and competitions short of war through which they fought, as well as explaining the effects of the Cold War on politics and culture around the world. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 327 Cr.3

History of Buddhism

This course addresses the history of Buddhism from its beginnings in the Indian subcontinent to its spread into other regions such as Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan, various areas of Southeast Asia, and eventually to the West. Emphasis is on Buddhism in practice in a variety of social, political, economic, cultural, and linguistic contexts over a long history; this involves how Buddhism mixed with local concerns, becoming in many cases a hybrid religious form. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 328 Cr.3

History of Hinduism

A survey of the historical development of the Hindu religion from its origins in the early Vedic period through the 20th century. Some of the topics covered include the evolution of the belief of reincarnation, the development and significance of the caste system, the development of Hindu attitudes toward women, and the evolution of the principal Hindu gods and goddesses. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 329 Cr.3

History of Islam

A survey of the historical development of Islam from its origins through the present day. It will also analyze the central beliefs, practices, and institutions of Muslims. Special attention will be given to the situations of women in the Islamic world. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 330 Cr.3

History of Religions

This course will be a historical and broadly comparative study of religion, religions, and religious phenomena. First, it will incorporate a cross-cultural study of such phenomena as myth, ritual, sacred places, gods and goddesses, mysticism, and the various forms of religious community and authority. Second, it will also trace the historical development of the scholarly study of comparative religion. Finally, it will focus on the historical evolution of a particular religious phenomenon through many centuries, i.e., the historical evolution of the devil and the concept of hell in the Old Testament and Christianity. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS/ARC 331 Cr.3

The Ancient Greek World

A historical and archaeological survey of the ancient Greek world (Greece proper, the Aegean Islands, southern Italy, western Turkey). Periods discussed will include Cretan (Minoan), Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Early Greek Christian. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 332 Cr.3

Ancient Rome and the Mediterranean

A historical and archaeological survey of the ancient Mediterranean area (with emphasis on the Italian peninsula) from the founding of the city of Rome to the collapse of the western Roman Empire in the fifth century ACE. Periods discussed will include: Italy in the Neolithic period, the founding of Rome, Etruscan Domination, the Roman Republic, the Roman Principate/Empire, and the advent of Roman Christianity. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 333 Cr.3

Christianity to 1517

This course surveys the history of Christianity from its origin up to the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Topics to be covered will include the following: question of the reliability of the Gospels as historical sources, early heresies, Christological and Trinitarian controversies, the conversion of Western and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages, the evolution of the papacy and monasticism, the Crusades, and the status and treatment of women in ancient and medieval Christianity. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 335 Cr.3

History of China

This course analyzes various aspects of Chinese history over centuries and into contemporary times. Students focus on the role of people who have not been ethnically Chinese in the history of China and identify factors in a long history that have set the stage for the economically, politically, and culturally powerful nation-states of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) today. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 336 Cr.3

Latinos in the United States: 1450-2000

This course will introduce students to the diverse experiences of Hispanic peoples in the United States through an interdisciplinary survey of their social, historical, political, economic, and cultural experiences. Focus on Mexican American/Chicano, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, and Central American experiences. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 337 Cr.3

La Crosse Wisconsin in World History

This course explores the connections between La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the wider world from 1840s to present. At a regional scale, students investigate how the story of La Crosse's origins and expansion fits into the broader history of the state of Wisconsin, the Mississippi River Valley, and the Midwest. At a global scale, we connect La Crosse and Wisconsin's story to long-distance and long-time frame processes including long-distance migration, industrialization, warfare (e.g., WWI, WWII, and Cold War), and demands for social and economic reform (e.g., Progressive Era, Civil Rights movement, and the student protest movement). Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 338 Cr.3

Sugar, Coffee, Rubber, Bananas: Commodities in World History

This course examines the history of everyday commodities we consume or use, often without considering where they came from (e.g., sugar, coffee, rubber, and bananas). Students focus on the development of plantation-style agriculture in the Americas, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Africa from the 1600s to the 1930s. Power relationships between laborers, landowners, colonial governments, and consumers are examined to connect trade goods to the historical societies in which they were produced. Particular emphasis is placed on links between European imperialism, labor migration, and inequality. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS/ARC 340 Cr.3

Origins of Cities

This course provides students with a comparative understanding and appreciation of urban life and its long history by examining the origins and development of urban life. Students explore the character of modern cities from an anthropological perspective. Students examine the earliest cities in the Old and New Worlds and comparatively explore the varied ecological, social, political, and demographic processes associated with urbanization in various ancient civilizations (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, Andes, and Mesoamerica). With a focus on archaeological cities, this course draws heavily on ethnographic and sociological studies of urban forms. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 341 Cr.3

Nineteenth Century Latin America

Study of the problems of nation-building, regionalism, political instability, economic underdevelopment and social disunity from the Wars of Independence (1810-1825) to the First World War. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 342 Cr.3

Twentieth Century Latin America

The struggle for economic development, political democracy, and social justice in the period of developing nationalism since World War I. The Non-Hispanic Caribbean is included. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 344 Cr.3

Latin America: 1450-1830

This course will analyze Iberian and Amerindian societies to understand the establishment and evolution of Hispanic institutions and cultures in Latin America from 1450 until 1830. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 345 Cr.3

U.S.-Latin American Relations

This course will explore US relations with Spain and the Latin American republics from 1776 to the present day. It will devote careful attention to the economic and political goals of US foreign policy in Latin America and explore how these goals compromised Washington's efforts to forge closer ties with the Latin American nations and have fueled social inequities and dislocation. Themes include diplomacy, Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, Interventionism, the Good Neighbor Policy, the Alliance for Progress, NAFTA, Human Rights, Pan-Americanism, Hemispheric relations, Latin American relations with Western Europe, and the role of the Roman Catholic Church and NGOs in U.S.-Latin American relations. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 346 Cr.3

The Middle Ages

The emergence and flowering of medieval European civilization - in its political, religious, socio-economic and cultural aspects - from the Germanic invasions to the Renaissance era. This course will also examine the Byzantine and Islamic civilizations; their interaction with the West; and the contributions made by the Muslim and Byzantine peoples to medieval Europe. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 347 Cr.3

Greater Mexico

This course examines the Mexican experience in the United States as an integral part of Mexican history. Includes a focus on the evolution of Northern Mexico, the rise of the Chicano/Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, and Mexican ethnic enclaves in the U.S. Southwest and Midwest. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 349 Cr.3

Twentieth Century Europe

The emergence of Europe as a political, cultural, social, industrial and military power during the 19th and 20th centuries. This course will also explore European interaction with non-Western cultures, the two world wars, the Cold War, decolonization, the decline of Europe as a premier world power, and the break-up of Eastern Europe and Soviet regimes. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 350 Cr.3

Oral History Theory, Methods, and Practice

This course introduces students to research, project design, interviewing, and technological skills necessary for doing oral history work. The course also explores the theoretical and ethical underpinnings of oral history as a research methodology. The course builds a new generation of oral historians to help preserve local, regional, and global history. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 351 Cr.3

France and the French Empire: 1750-Present

This course is the history of France and its empire since 1750 incorporating major social, intellectual, political, and economic trends in both a domestic and international context. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 352 Cr.3

Germany: 1848-1989

Development of Germany through wars of unification and emergence as a world power, World War I and Weimar Republic, Nazi rule and World War II, and changes in the post-war Germanys. The "German Catastrophe" of National Socialism and the Holocaust has brought all of German history under the microscope in an effort to figure out what went wrong. Because of the high stakes in understanding and diagnosing the past, the telling of German history has generated an unusually large number of arguments and controversies, some of which we will consider in our discussions. Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ANT/ARC 353 Cr.3

Maya Civilization

The course presents an overview of the Maya culture located in southern Mexico and Central America. The class is organized chronologically into several sections that focus on the origins; adaptations to various environments; social, political, and religious organizations; and the belief systems of the Maya beginning at around 3000 BC. While emphasis is on Pre-Hispanic Maya, the course also explores life ways of contemporary Maya people. (Cross-listed with ANT/ARC/HIS, may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Summer.

HIS 354 Cr.3

Spain to 1700

This course will examine political, religious, socio-economic, and cultural developments from the beginnings of Visigothic rule to the decline of Spain in the seventeenth century. Particular attention will be paid to Muslim and Jewish contributions to Spanish culture, as well as Iberian voyages of exploration and imperial ventures in the "New World. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 355 Cr.3

Historical Non-Fiction

This course teaches students how to bridge rigorous historical research with popular audiences via the literary genre of historical non-fiction. Students learn to write using historical sources and creative writing techniques that engage non-specialist readers using vivid description, narrative structure, voice, and point of view. Students participate in storyboarding exercises/workshops and audio recording training. Throughout the course there are numerous opportunities to examine and critique successful samples of historical non-fiction including books, articles, essays, podcasts, and graphic novels. Offered Spring - Every Third Year.

HIS 356 Cr.3

History of Mexico

Survey of Indian and Hispanic roots of modern Mexico from 1450 to the present. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 357 Cr.3

Crime and Punishment in America

This course is an introduction to crime and punishment in America from colonial times to the present with an overview of the law and basic institutions of the criminal legal system. Students explore how different groups of people experienced these institutions, how crime patterns and punishment have changed, the differences between crime and violence, different types of crimes (e.g., violent, property, and white-collar), and why America has the criminal legal system it does. This course makes extensive use of evidence from inside and outside the criminal legal system including police reports, court records, crime data, program evaluations, newspapers, and popular culture. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 359 Cr.3

Women, Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe

The course examines changes in ideas about and experiences of gender and sexuality in Europe between 1700 and 2000. Topics emphasized include changing family structures, women's emancipation and feminism, the intersection of race with gender and sexuality, the politics of reproduction, and gender transformation through war and revolution. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 360 Cr.3

Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Latin America

The course analyzes historical transformations in Iberia and Latin America and their effects on women's and men's lives and gender relations. The relationship of gender and power will be explored to understand inequalities; themes will include precolonial societies, colonialism, religious change, urban labor, nationalism, sexuality, and homosexual cultures. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 361 Cr.3

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This course examines the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students focus on its origins, the actors involved, and key social and political factors that have shaped it. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 362 Cr.3

Human Rights and the Middle East

This course surveys the historical roots and practice of human rights in the Middle East focusing primarily on the modern era. Topics include definitions of vulnerability, minority, and religious rights; human rights violations; and non-governmental organization (NGO) activism. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 363 Cr.3

Modern South Asia

This course examines the history of the Indian subcontinent (a part of the world now known as South Asia) from the eighteenth century to the present day. Students study Indian society in the twilight of the Mughal Empire and the early years of European colonial expansion. The course spans the social, cultural, political, economic, military, and technological development of India during the presence of the East India Company and, later, the British Raj. Students trace the rise of competing visions of Indian nationalism and the struggle for independence. Lastly, students explore the political, social, and economic developments in the nations of present-day South Asia and their impact on the world. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 364 Cr.3

Gandhi and the World

A dominant figure in India's struggle for independence from British rule, M. K. Gandhi (1869-1948) is also one of the twentieth century's most influential political activists and thinkers as well as a famous pacifist who inspired peace and civil rights movements globally. This course charts Gandhi's life and career against events in London, South Africa, and India. Students examine the evolution and application of his ideas and techniques of non-violent resistance and his attitudes toward the economy, society, and state. Gandhi's influence on Indian politics and society is critically assessed and his claim to be the "apostle of non-violent revolution" is examined against developments since his death in 1948. Prior knowledge of Indian history is not required for this course. Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 365 Cr.3

Ancient Iraq

A historical and archaeological survey of ancient Iraq (Syro-Mesopotamia) from its prehistoric origins in the neolithic period to the Seleucid period. Ethnic groups discussed will include the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Kassites, Amorites, Chaldeans, and Elamites. Topics will include the rise of urbanism, cuneiform writing, religion, literature, displaced persons, gender relations, and social structure. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 366 Cr.3

Ancient Israel

A historical and archaeological survey of coastal Syria and Palestine from the neolithic period to the Roman conquest. Various ethnic groups discussed will include the Eblaites, Phoenicians, Philistines, Canaanites, Arameans, Israelites, Samaritans, and Judeans. Special emphasis will be placed on putting biblical history in its Palestinian context. Topics will include social structure, gender relations, religion, and literature. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 368 Cr.3

History of Babylonian Language and Culture I

This course is a survey of Babylonian history, culture, and language. Babylonian, was the most extensive of the cuneiform languages of the ancient Near East, was the language of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians and was used for over two millennia. Students will study aspects of the history and culture of ancient Babylonia, as well as learn the fundamentals of Babylonian grammar and syntax, and the cuneiform writing system. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 369 Cr.3

History of Babylonian Language and Culture II

This course is a second semester survey of Babylonian history, culture, and language. Babylonian, the most extensive of the cuneiform languages of the ancient Near East, was the language of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians and was used for over two millennia. Whereas the student studies grammatical forms and is introduced to the cuneiform writing system in the first semester, the student in the second semester will work with documents. Students will study aspects of the history and culture of ancient Babylonia in later periods, as well as read legal, economic, and literary texts in the original language. Prerequisite: HIS 368 or ARC 368. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 371 Cr.3

Knowing the Oceans: A History of Human Understanding of the Ocean Environment

This course explores historical attempts to access and understand the two thirds of our planet often ignored by land-focused histories. The course follows a roughly chronological path, delving into a variety of different - and changing - ways of knowing, including religious, experiential, and scientific, and it examines the various people and groups whose interests led them to and beneath the sea, as well as the various individuals and organizations whose patronage provided the means to access it. Along the way, the course considers these investigators' complicated relationships with technology, which allowed, controlled, and shaped access to and understanding of the oceans. The goal is a more complex understanding of the place of the three-dimensional, global ocean in global scientific, technological, cultural, and environmental history. Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 372 Cr.3

History of Women in the Ancient World

A history of the nature and status of women in the ancient world as derived from textual sources, including works of literature, private letters, economic documents, and tomb inscriptions. Areas studies will be Syro-Mesopotamia, Israel, Iran, Anatolia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean world. Also discussed will be the study of women as derived from archaeological sources. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 373 Cr.3

World War I

This course examines World War I from a global perspective. Students analyze the causes, nature, and results of the war related to the societies, economics, politics, and cultures of Europe and beyond. Attention is given to global effects of the war as well as the ways that this war transformed the nature of warfare and life in the 20th century. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS/ARC 374 Cr.3

Ancient Turkey

An historical and archaeological survey of ancient Anatolia (the geographic name of Turkey) and surrounding regions (e.g., Syria and the Caucaucus) from its prehistoric origins in the Neolithic period, the rise of urbanism, Assyrian mercantilism, Pre-Hattic cultures, the Hittite kingdoms, the Neo-Hittite states, Urartu, Phrygia, Lydia, Cimmerians, Medes, Persians, and various states in the Graeco-Roman period to the advent of Anatolian Christianity. Topics will include cuneiform writing, religion, literature, law, gender relations, and social structure. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS/ARC 375 Cr.3

Iran before Islam

An historical and archaeological survey of ancient Iran and surrounding regions from prehistoric origins to the advent of Islam in the 7th century AD. Among the topics discussed will be: the rise of urbanism and writing at Proto-Elamite Susa, Elamite civilization in southwestern Iran, Medes, Scythians, and Persians in the Iron Age, the Persian Empire, as well as the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanian kingdoms of later antiquity. Emphasis will be on the study of primary sources in translation (Sumerian, Akkadian, Elamite, Old Persian, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, amongst others). Topics will include cuneiform writing in Iran, religion, literature, gender relations, classical traditions about Iran, and social structure. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS, may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 377 Cr.3

U.S. Labor History

This course focuses on the history of the American working class from the late eighteenth century to the late twentieth century. The course examines the domestic, cultural, religious, economic, political, and social issues working people faced in the United States. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 378 Cr.3

The American West

This course focuses on the history of the Trans-Mississippi West from European contact to the late 20th century with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics covered include the federal West, settlement, immigration, extractive industries, agriculture, aridity, the environment, and Native Americans. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 382 Cr.3

Imperialism in Asia and the Pacific

This course focuses on the modern imperialism of the West and Japan in Asia and the Pacific and covers the period from the "age of exploration" to the period of decolonization following the Second World War. The course also analyzes forms of what might be called neo-imperialism in Asia and the Pacific following that period. Topics emphasized include theories of imperialism as a constituent element of global modernity, the British Empire in Asia with particular respect to India, relatively informal imperialism in China, French and Dutch colonialism in Southeast Asia, the American takeover of Hawaii and US colonization of the formerly Spanish Philippines, and the rise and fall of the Japanese empire. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 383 Cr.3

Women in South Asia

This course maps the history of women in South Asia. While the primary emphasis will be colonial and post-colonial South Asia, the course will begin with ancient India and trace women's history through the medieval period. We will survey the historical institutions, practices, and traditions that define the position of women. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 384 Cr.3

Epidemics in World History

While the modern, global economy seems particularly vulnerable to the rapid and worldwide spread of disease, epidemics and pandemics have been a part of the human experience since people started living together in large numbers. This course asks how historical societies experienced, explained, and dealt with epidemic disease. Students explore the human experience with epidemics around the world from antiquity to the present and investigate how societies understood disease, their efforts to respond to or mitigate epidemics, and how these experiences shaped (and shape) our society and our understanding of each other and the world. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 385 Cr.3

British Empire

This course is an introduction to the expansion, consolidation, and eventual disintegration of the modern British Empire. Students survey British imperial history from the sixteenth century until the late twentieth century to understand the causes of imperial expansion and decline, ideologies of empire, the nature of imperial power, the roles of gender and culture, and the legacies of British colonialism. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 386 Cr.3

Religion and Conflict in Modern South Asia

This course explores religion as a source of conflict in modern South Asia. Using case studies of violent conflicts in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, students examine the place of religious ideas and practices in defining social identity and shaping actual communities and the role of religion in politics in the context of South Asia during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Materials include theoretical texts, human rights reports, ethnographic accounts, and films. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 389 Cr.3

Women and Gender in the Middle East

This course examines the role of gender in Middle East history, from the first years of Islam to present, focusing on women's activism and changing experiences. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 390 Cr.3

Social Justice Informed Public History

Social justice informed public history looks at public history projects that tell the history of historically marginalized peoples with a special eye towards projects that use history to move policy forward in today's world. In this class students create a best practices document for working with historically disadvantaged peoples, critically assess documents (e.g., emails, policy, and newspaper articles) with an eye towards best practices in social justice, and propose social justice informed public history projects in the format of undergraduate research grants. While the public history projects are proposals - not completed during the class - students may choose to continue their projects, seeking funds to cover their time and expenses through undergraduate research opportunities. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 392 Cr.3

History Through Film

This course uses film, television, or similar media as a primary or secondary source in the study of history of a region, nation, or historical theme. Students study the history of peoples, nations and cultures through film, rather than studying the history of film itself. This course examines the perils and promise of using film as a source, briefly discusses film criticism and terminology, and includes historical context for the films in the course. Students should expect to read and write about film criticism, history, and historiography. Lect. 2, Lab 2. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 393 Cr.3

Material Culture

This course studies the history of museums from the seventeenth century to the present and reviews best practices in material culture analysis. Seminars expose students to historical sites, object analysis, didactic panel composition, and exhibition design. Field trips and work with local institutions are an important aspect of this course. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 394 Cr.3

Modern Japan

This course focuses on modern Japanese history up to and including the aftermath of the Second World War. Emphases are upon social, cultural, political, and economic transformations that occurred following the country's forced opening to trade and diplomacy in the middle of the nineteenth century, subsequent industrialization and the formation of a unified nation-state with a constitutional monarchy, and Japan's imperialism and modern wars. Themes include analyses of the contradictions involved in processes of modernity and modernization as well as consideration of ways we remember the period in question in manifestations of culture and as history. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 395 Cr.3

Postwar Japan

This course focuses on transformations and continuities following Japanese defeat at the end of the Second World War. The course covers how US occupation policies transformed Japan from a modern nation-state with a colonial empire into a Cold War client state that became an economic superpower. After analyzing the costs and benefits of the postwar "economic miracle," the course investigates significant changes that followed the end of the Cold War in 1989, the death of the Showa Emperor (Hirohito) who had reigned since 1926 in that same year, and the bursting of Japan's "bubble economy" in 1990. The course ends with a consideration of what has happened in Japan since the beginning of the twenty-first century, and what the future may or may not entail. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS/ARC 396 Cr.3

Ancient Syria

A historical and archaeological survey of ancient Syria and surrounding regions from prehistoric origins to the advent of the Roman conquest in the first century BC. Among the topics discussed will be the rise of urbanism and writing along the Euphrates River, religion, gender, social structure, and literature. Moreover, the student will study in translation the vast cuneiform archives from Ebla, Mari, Alalakh, Qattara, Nuzi, Emar, and Ugarit, to name a few. Furthermore, biblical, classical, and medieval sources concerning Syria in the first millennium BC will be studied. (Cross-listed with ARC/HIS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 397 Cr.3

African Nationalism

This course examines the role that ordinary African men and women played in ending colonialism and forming new nations, from the 1940s through the 1980s. It focuses on the processes of creating groups with collective goals, and the ways in which Africans articulated and contested their political visions for the future in the context of decolonization and the Cold War. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 398 Cr.3

Colonial Africa

This course focuses on African social history in the face of European colonialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It particularly examines the ways in which ordinary men and women accepted, adjusted to, or contested the changes that colonialism brought to their work, family, and community lives. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 399 Cr.3

Migration and Empire: 1200-1900

This course offers in-depth case studies of the Mongol, Ottoman, Dutch, and British empires from the 1200s to the 1900s, with particular emphasis on the role human migrations played in the creation and expansion of these empires. Students analyze selected types of migration in the context of these historical empires including military, refugee, enslaved, and opportunity-seeking. The construction of migrant group identity and reactions to migrants from different segments of imperial societies are also explored. Special emphasis is placed on the labor, religious, and ethnic or racial distinctions emerging as diverse populations came into contact with each other. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 401 Cr.3

Japanese Religions

This course examines the complex history of religions in Japan. Focuses include the various forms of Buddhism that came to Japan over centuries and how they interacted with the politicized animism and ancestor worship called Shinto. The course also addresses the way that modernity in Japan radically altered religious belief and practice, the relationship between post-1868 Shinto and nationalism, connections between Buddhism and imperialism, and post-1945 developments including the flourishing of new religions and religious cults. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 402 Cr.3

Secondary Content Methods for Teaching English Language Learners

This course explores the importance of teaching content to English Language Learners (ELs) at the secondary (grades 4-12) level. Students examine the various methods and teaching strategies that can be utilized to best teach students with limited English proficiency (LEP) while at the same time working to develop English language literacy. Students learn and use the Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) method. Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Offered Spring.

HIS 403 Cr.3

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Social Studies Education

This course introduces pre-service education majors to the foundational concepts, theories, and strategies associated with social studies and history education. Topics include lesson planning and learning segment design, variations of assessing student work, content literacy, teaching for social justice, theoretical approaches to social studies and history education, and instructional methods. Prerequisite: HIS 110; EDS 203, EDS 206. Offered Fall.

HIS 407 Cr.3

Government and Society

This course follows the historical development of government forms and the ways that governments and societies interact with one another. Students learn how political arguments frequently generalize about "the government" or "the state" and its relationship to its citizens or subjects. Students use historical theories and debates to analyze the complicated relationships between how governments exert power and how segments of society demand, accept, or resist the order of their governments. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS/RGS 409 Cr.3

20th Century Civil Rights Movement

This course explores the modern civil rights movement in the U.S. and the struggle for African Americans and other marginalized groups to gain equal rights in voting, education, employment, housing, and other facets of life in the U.S. Students examine the role of a wide range of civil rights organizations with seemingly competing philosophies, leaders, and local people in shaping their own destinies. This course highlights and interrogates major national and local political struggles rooted in racial, gender, and sexual identities and their reciprocal relationships with international political and anti-colonial movements from 1941 to the present. The course concludes with exploring the link between convict leasing, prison reform movements, political prisoners, and the prison industrial complex as the New Jim Crow. Prerequisite: RGS 100 or EDS 206 or HIS 210. (Cross-listed with HIS/RGS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Occasionally.

HIS 413 Cr.3

Topics in Cultural History

This course is an introductory course on relationships between history and culture. Emphases vary whenever the course is taught. Generally, it covers three interrelated areas: (a) the history of the concept of culture and cultural practices, (b) cultural history, and (c) trans-disciplinary cultural studies. The course focuses upon signification in history, which may involve arts and aesthetics, symbols and signs, language and writing, customs and traditions, and various manifestations of culture in realms such as performances, architecture, cuisine, and apparel. The course makes connections between the place of culture in historical studies and other disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. Instructors may choose to introduce students to both conceptually-oriented readings and studies of particular manifestations of culture in various times and places across history and the globe. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 414 Cr.3

Ireland and the World: 1500-present

The history of Ireland has long held the imagination of people throughout the English-speaking world. The written record of the so-called "Land of Scholars and Saints" is indicative of the Irish people's literacy and is reflective of the great deal of interest paid to its history. Ireland's history is one filled with tragedy, complexity, redemption, revolution and rebellion, nationalism, intellectualism, and imperialism. Weaving through this historical narrative is the constant struggle regarding sectarianism, matters of gender and sexuality, economy, emigration, violence, and ethnicity. The relative smallness of Ireland allows the historian - and history student - to examine a wide variety of themes without sacrificing any of the nation's narrative. It is the overarching goal of this course to explore all these themes while analyzing the narrative of modern Ireland. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 416 Cr.3

History of Wisconsin State and Local Government

Beginning with sovereign First Nations, this course explores how Wisconsin's systems of governance developed in ways that were distinctive or similar to other states, and how these institutions shaped the experiences of people who lived here up until the present day. Topics include federal power in the 19th century, the territorial legislature, early city charters, drafting the state constitution, the Progressive era and Wisconsin Idea, Milwaukee party politics, municipal home rule, and transformations of the role of state government in the 20th century. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 418 Cr.3

Exhibition Development and Design II

This hands-on course teaches students to put together an exhibit. In this course students perform marketing and public relations, educational programming, curation, and interactive activities for an exhibit in the community. Offered Occasionally.

HIS 419 Cr.4

Teaching and Learning Social Studies in the Secondary School and Field Experience II

This course is integrated with a field experience. In the context of a real classroom, teacher candidates learn how to plan for and assess student learning in history and social sciences. With a focus on content knowledge, teacher candidates plan a variety of meaningful learning experiences, assess student learning, and monitor and modify instruction to best support the individual learners in the classroom. The teacher candidate designs, enacts, and assesses activities that advance student understanding to more complex levels. Teacher candidates gain experience in monitoring the obstacles and barriers that some students or groups of students face in school and learn how to design learning experiences to support all learners. A multi-day, consistent schedule in the field experience classroom is established by the course instructor in consultation with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher. Prerequisite: HIS 304; HIS 402, HIS 403, or concurrent enrollment; admission to teacher education. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring.

HIS 420 Cr.3

Global Fascisms

This course will explore the development and global presence of the varieties of fascisms during the 20th century. Beginning with the establishment of the Fascist Party in Italy, the course will explore its national variants in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Particular attention will be given to the visual culture and aesthetics of global fascist movements, their impact on gender, and their influence on political culture in the decades after World War II. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 422 Cr.3

A History of Global Sport

Sport is a bellwether of human society: a study of its history reveals a given society's values regarding culture, gender, play, and politics. From its origins as both ritual and pastime, sport has transformed over time - most notably in the 20th century - into a significant and vital element of modern society, thus warranting a critical and decidedly non-trivial study. The study of the history of sport provides an opportunity to examine the intersection of race, business, national identity, gender and sexuality, class, religion, politics, economics, and popular culture. As such, this course examines the global phenomenon of sport viewed through a historical lens of inquiry and contextualization. Offered Alternate Years.

HIS 450 Cr.1-12

History Internship/Field Experience

The internship or field experience provides a student with an on-the-job experience which is related to the history profession, inside or outside academe. A history faculty member shall supervise the selection process, the internship or field experience, and grading. A maximum of six credits may be counted toward the history major and three credits toward the history minor. Prerequisite: minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and minimum GPA of 3.00 in history. Consent of instructor. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

HIS 490 Cr.4

History Research Seminar

A capstone course in historical research and writing: themes and techniques of historical inquiry, research methods, use of primary sources, interpretation, and composition. Requires completion of a significant research and writing project. Prerequisite: HIS 200; 12 earned history credits, excluding current registration. Offered Fall, Spring.

HIS 497 Cr.1-3

Individual Study in History

Directed readings and research under the supervision of an assigned instructor. Repeatable for credit - maximum six. No more than six credits may count in the major and no more than three credits may count in the minor. Prerequisite: 20 credits in history, including current registration. Consent of instructor. Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.