History Department (HIS)
College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities
Department Chair: Víctor Macías-González
401A Wimberly Hall; 608.785.8349
Email: vmacias-gonzalez@uwlax.edu
Department Chair: James Longhurst, Interim Spring 2024
403F Wimberly Hall; 608.785.8344
Email: jlonghurst@uwlax.edu
www.uwlax.edu/academics/department/history
Our mission
The mission of the UW-La Crosse Department of History is to provide leadership in history education and scholarship. We provide our students with a solid foundation in the critical thinking and analytical skills necessary for interpreting documents and historical research. We develop historical understanding and global perspective through courses in the university’s general education program and a balanced world history curriculum, strengthened by faculty specialties in a wide range of time periods, cultures, geographical areas, and thematic approaches. Our public history program develops analytical and interpretive skills through a curriculum focusing on material culture studies, oral history, cultural resource management, and community studies. Our programs prepare students for opportunities in fields such as teacher education, editing, archives and museum studies, as well as for careers in law and government. Finally, we serve the community by sharing our expertise when issues of historical importance engage the public’s interest.
Courses numbered HIS 100-299 are primarily for first years and sophomores. Courses numbered HIS 300-499 are open to sophomores, juniors, seniors, and to those first years who have appropriate general education background.
Advanced placement
Advanced placement exams to earn credit are available in American history or European history as developed and administered by the Educational Testing Services (ETS), Princeton, New Jersey. Information is available from the department chair.
A degree in history: B.A. or B.S.?
Along with choosing a major program in history, you will need to choose the degree -- that is, whether that major is a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. We can broadly describe the differences between the two; specific and up-to-date requirements are on the major and degree requirements tabs above.
With the B.A., you spend up to two years learning a world language; with the B.S., you conduct additional coursework in the sciences. This is an important decision with long-term implications. Think about the following:
- Will you have the language skills to succeed in the workplace?
- Do you see yourself living in a major metropolitan area where business and public affairs are regularly conducted in languages other than English?
- Are you thinking about graduate studies in history? Most Ph.D. programs require the ability to read in at least one language other than English.
- Are you considering international journalism or business?
- Do you already have, or plan to take, additional courses in the sciences that might not count towards a B.A.?
- Are your interests in history linked to scientific, medical, or technological issues?
- Will you work in the public sector, in education or health?
For many outcomes, it is likely that you will need to work in a language other than English to succeed. UWL offers training in Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Russian and other world languages. Explore the options! If you have already completed language training in high school, you may already be ahead of the game. See the Department of Global Cultures and Languages for additional information on this topic. For the B.A., you will need to complete the equivalent of two years of training in a world language. For the B.S., you will need to complete one additional course related to the sciences, and also a research-emphasis course or sequence of courses in the major. For history, this is HIS 490.
Regardless of whether you complete the B.A. or B.S. degree, you will still need to decide on your major.
The following is the department's faculty and staff as of the publication date of this catalog. This list will not be updated again until the next catalog is published in July.
Professor
Ariel Beaujot
John Grider
James Longhurst
Víctor Macías-González
Gita Pai
Kenneth Shonk
Associate Professor
Penelope Hardy
Gerald Iguchi
Heidi Morrison
Tiffany Trimmer
Jennifer Trost
Lecturer
Abigail Bernhardt
Benjamin Hamburger
Andrew Howard
Administrative Support
Amy Ticknor
Courses
+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
Contemporary Global Issues
This course will offer a contemporary multi-disciplinary perspective regarding the major issues and trends confronting the global society as it enters the 21st century. Emphasis will be given to a critical review and assessment of the origin and present condition of the plethora of situations and problems affecting modern global society. The student will also learn to critically evaluate current and future events. The course will incorporate the views and approaches of the following disciplines: sociology/anthropology, economics, geography, political science, and history. Students may only earn credit in one of the following: ANT 202, GEO 202, HIS 202, POL 202, SOC 202. Offered Spring.
+HIS 205 Cr.3
Ethics and Religion
This course is a comparative historical survey of selected religions which focuses upon the distinctive ways that each religion developed norms of good and bad behavior that it imposed upon its adherents. What behaviors did each religious tradition label as good or bad, pure or impure? Why did each tradition place behaviors in those categories? How did those value judgments concerning good and bad behaviors change over the centuries? Some of the topics covered in this comparative historical fashion will include the treatment of women, attitudes toward abortion, contraception, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, war, attitudes towards other religions, and environmental ethics. Offered Spring.
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. 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 are able to place European history within the context of global history. Offered Fall.
HIS 250 Cr.3
Survey of Asia
This course will introduce students to various aspects of Asian history with special focus on the Modern period (post-1800). In particular, it will 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 Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
HIS 260 Cr.3
Survey of the Middle East
This course is an introductory course designed for students who would like to understand better the history and cultures of the Middle East but who have had little 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 will 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. Credits generated in this course apply as electives in the major or minor. 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. In order to understand this relationship, this course will explore 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 even what kinds of questions science can answer. We will consider human beings as students and practitioners of science, but also as subjects of scientific inquiry. While we will consider science around the world, our focus will be on science in the West. We cannot possibly consider every place, space, and discipline of science in one semester, but we will consider a variety of case studies, and you will have the opportunity to supplement our work with your own research. 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's 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, we will 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, we will 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/RGS 301 Cr.3
Women and Gender in the Modern United States: 1890-Present
This course introduces students to key developments in the history of women and gender in the modern period of U.S. history. It explores the diversity of women's experiences and gender constructs in relation to work, activism, citizenship, family life, and demographic changes, and cultural changes. (Cross-listed with HIS/RGS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Alternate Years.
HIS/ARC 302 Cr.3
Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Language and Culture of Ancient Egypt
Ever wonder what all those birds, snakes and other symbols on Ancient Egyptian monuments mean? In this course you will find out! This course is an introduction to the language and culture of Ancient Egypt. We will 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, we will explore aspects of Egyptian culture through their own words. Through translating sentences and basic texts, we will 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 to be covered are the origins of writing in Egypt, historical development of the language, daily religion, beliefs in the afterlife, the family, social structure, literature and the role of writing in Egyptian culture. From students of archaeology or linguistics, history or modern languages, or anyone who has ever seen an artifact from Ancient Egypt and wanted to know what the hieroglyphs say, this class has something for everyone! 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. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 303 Cr.3
Money and Crime
Money and crime are just ideas. We will ask what makes something money? When, why, and where did money start and how has it changed? We will also examine crimes based on money such as counterfeiting, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and swindling. We will 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 will be integrated with a field experience for secondary social studies teachers and provide a forum for students to consider both the theories and practices of teaching. A significant portion of this course will be dedicated to collaborative reflection and discussion of teacher candidates' experiences in their field placements. Teacher candidates will design, enact, and assess activities to enhance student learning. Teacher candidates will work together to create a collegial and supportive community of educators. Assignments are designed to support reflective practice and to critically analyze teacher candidates' development as educators. A multi-day, consistent schedule in the middle school field experience classroom will be established by the course instructor in consultation with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher. Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring.
HIS/RGS 305 Cr.3
History of Motherhood in the United States
This course considers motherhood in nineteenth and twentieth century United States history from a variety of perspectives. It explores women's experiences as mothers, across lines of class, race, and relationship status. It also examines the politics of motherhood in US history, and considers both the restrictive and the empowering dimensions of ideologies of motherhood. (Cross-listed with HIS/RGS; may only earn credit in one department.) Offered Alternate Years.
+HIS 306 Cr.3
Ethnic America
The role and impact of immigrants and ethnic minorities on the political, economic and cultural development of the United States from colonial times to the present. Emphasis on the immigrant experience - the problems of immigrant adjustment, patterns of immigrant mobility and assimilation, and the persistence of ethnicity and ethnic tensions. Offered Alternate Years.
HIS 307 Cr.3
Comic Books and History
This course examines how transregional historical events and experiences have been depicted in comic books, manga, graphic histories, and works of illustrated journalism. Focusing on how history is represented in these visual sources helps us understand the complexity of human memory, identity, and agency. As we investigate these issues, we will also investigate the historical contexts shaping primary source creation and track change and continuity over time. Offered Alternate Years.
HIS 308 Cr.3
U.S. Reform Movements
An exploration of moral and political reform and the reform impulse in the United States. Reform topics will include women's rights, antislavery, civil rights, temperance, populism, social and economic justice, and progressivism. Offered Occasionally.
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. This course will focus 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 Spring - Every Third Year.
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 is a survey course that 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, we will examine the major concerns of postsocialism - including how people understand the role of the government, what is means to be a citizen, and how they view themselves as members of communities - in order to gain a better understanding of how people experience, manage, and challenge the broad changes that have occurred in the political, economic, and social systems. More importantly, we will focus on how people have redefined what they value in life, what it means to be a "good" person, and what it means to be "postsocialist" in light of these changes. (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 314 Cr.3
The Holocaust
This course is designed to introduce students to the Holocaust from the perspective of historians, writers, and poets. Careful study using historical methods will inform our understanding of the "historical actors" and their motivations. Critical thinking about the complex causes can help us see that historical events are not inevitable, but the product of decisions and actions taken by people. Offered Spring - Even Numbered Years.
HIS 316 Cr.3
The Vietnam War Era
This course covers the history of the long Vietnamese wars with a focus on the era of United States involvement. 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. It also examines 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 Occasionally.
HIS 318 Cr.3
Exhibition Development and Design I
Course surveys 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 the local institutions will be 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 Spring - Every Third Year.
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
Introduction to Public and Policy History
An introduction to public and policy history. Class time will be devoted to the background, methods and application of public and policy history. The class will cover topics in cultural resource management, public policy, or museum exhibits. 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
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 will be 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 may include social, cultural, diplomatic, and political aspects. Different theaters or themes may be 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
America in the Cold War
The United States spent almost half of the twentieth century engaged in a hostile confrontation with the Soviet Union. This course will explore the origins of the Cold War from its development in 1945 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It will study the economic and ideological conflicts between the two countries, as well as explaining the effects of the Cold War on U.S. domestic politics and culture. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 326 Cr.3
Modern Christianity
This course surveys the history of Christianity from the beginning of the Protestant Reformation until the present. Offered Alternate Years.
HIS 327 Cr.3
History of Buddhism
A survey of the historical development of the Buddhist religion - its doctrines, practices, and institutions - from its origins through the 20th century. This course will analyze how Buddhism first evolved in India and focus upon the distinctive ways that it developed in Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, and Japan. 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 334 Cr.3
Themes in Chinese History
Each semester this course will examine a specific aspect of the history of China from earliest times to the present. Included will be the Chinese family; the role of ideology in Chinese history (Confucianism, communism, etc.); the revolutionary period (1800-1949); and China since 1949. Offered Alternate Years.
HIS 335 Cr.3
History of China
A survey of the history of China from earliest times to the present. Included are the study of traditional China, the impact of western civilization on that traditional society, and the rise of communism. 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, WI and the wider world (1840s-present). At a regional scale, we will 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 will connect La Crosse and Wisconsin's story to long-distance and long-time frame processes including: long-distance migration, industrialization, warfare (WWI, WWII, Cold War), and demands for social and economic reform (the Progressive Era, the Civil Rights movement, and the student protest movement). Offered Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
HIS 338 Cr.3
Sugar, Coffee, Rubber, Bananas: Commodities in World History
This course examines the history of everyday commodities that we consume or use, often without considering where they came from (sugar, coffee, rubber, bananas). It centers on the development of plantation-style agriculture in the Americas, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Africa from the 1600s-1930s CE. Power relationships between laborers, landowners, colonial governments, and consumers are examined in order to connect trade goods to the historical societies in which they were produced. A particular emphasis is placed on links between European imperialism, labor migration, and inequality. Offered Every Third Semester.
HIS 339 Cr.3
Russia and the Soviet Union
The origins and development of the Russian state from Kievan Rus through the collapse of the Soviet Union. This course will also examine the global impact of Russian interaction with Asian, Islamic, and Western cultures. Offered Occasionally.
HIS/ARC 340 Cr.3
Origins of Cities
This course examines the origins and development of urban life. Students will first explore, from an anthropological perspective, the character of modern cities. Students will next 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 (Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, Andes, and Mesoamerica). While the focus of this course is on archaeological cities, it draws heavily on ethnographic and sociological studies of urban forms. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a comparative understanding and appreciation of urban life and its long history. (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 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. Emphasis will be on Pre-Hispanic Maya; will also explore 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 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
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. The class explores 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 (violent, property, white-collar), and why America has the criminal legal system it does. 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 358 Cr.3
French Revolution
This course covers the French Revolution from a European and global perspective. It will cover the chronology of the Revolution, its political, cultural, social, and economic effects on Europe and the larger world, the experiences of various individuals and groups within it, and its long-term effects both in France and around the world. Offered Occasionally.
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, focusing 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 we today call South Asia) from the eighteenth century to the present day. It studies Indian society in the twilight of the Mughal Empire and the early years of European colonial expansion. Then it 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. Next it traces the rise of competing visions of Indian nationalism and the struggle for independence. Lastly it explores 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 twentieth century's most influential political activist and thinker 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. It examines 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" 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. Credits generated in this course apply as electives in the major or minor. 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 will examine World War I from a European and global perspective. It will cover the causes, nature, and results of the war as they relate to the society, economy, politics, and culture of Europe. Attention will also be given to some of the global effects of the war as well as the ways this war transformed the nature of warfare 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 will examine the domestic, cultural, religious, economic, political, and social issues working people faced in the United States. Offered Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
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 Fall - Every Third Year.
HIS 379 Cr.3
African Environmental History
This course examines how African environmental realities and Africans' conceptions of the environment shaped broader political, social and economic histories. It specifically addresses how 19th century economies, colonial policies, and post-independence priorities transformed Africans' relationships with their environments. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 380 Cr.3
The Rwandan Genocide
This course examines recent civil wars and genocide in Africa's Great Lakes as regional and historically-rooted phenomena. Beginning with examination of how ethnic identity related to political structures in the region in the late 18th century, the course traces their dynamic transformations in response to local, regional, colonial, and postcolonial influences. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 381 Cr.3
Health and Healing in African History
This class interrogates how African understandings of health and practices of healing transformed from the pre-colonial through the post-independence periods. In particular, it examines the interrelationship between health and politics in African thought, the integration of western biomedicine into African systems of healing, and the changing disease environment of capitalism, colonialism, and globalization. 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. It will cover the period from the "age of exploration" to the period of decolonization following the Second World War. The course will also analyze 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
The Idea of Asia
This course addresses relationships between Asia as a concept originating in the West and modern history. Focuses include Orientalism, Pan-Asianism, and Popular Culture. Orientalism examines western representations of "the East" as ideological bases for Western imperialism. Pan-Asianism examines how the Japanese, colonized Indians, and others have imagined Asian civilization as a solution to the problems of modernity. Popular culture examines imaginary conceptualizations of Asia in film, poster, and art. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 386 Cr.3
Women and Gender in Africa
An examination of gender and power in Africa, and the historical roots of inequality as experienced by women in the social, economic, religious and political spheres during the 19th and 20th centuries. Course combines case studies on: Queens, goddesses, warriors, gender systems, with thematic issues such as gender impact of colonialism, resistance, African feminism, women politicians and empowerment to provide a vivid image of the state of gender relations in Africa. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 388 Cr.3
Slavery
A study of the commonalities and differences between slave systems in Africa and the Americas which explores conditions in communities created by slaves and escaped slaves from the Americas, the Caribbean, and the southern United States. Focus on the impact of the slave trade, abolition and the nature of historical consciousness within Africa and the African Diaspora. 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 (emails, policy, 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 Spring - Every Third Year.
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. The premise is that we may study the history of peoples, nations and cultures through film, rather than studying the history of film itself. This course will examine the perils and promise of using film as a source, briefly discuss film criticism and terminology, and include 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 will be an important aspect of this course. Offered Fall - Every Third Year.
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 will be 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 will 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 Occasionally.
HIS 395 Cr.3
Postwar Japan
This course focuses on transformations and continuities following Japanese defeat at the end of the Second World War. It 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 Occasionally.
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 (1200s-1900s CE), with particular emphasis on the role human migrations played in the creation and expansion of these empires. Selected types of migration to be analyzed in the context of these historical empires include: military, refugee, enslaved, and opportunity-seeking. The construction of migrant group identity, and reactions to migrants from different segment of imperial societies, will also be explored. Special emphasis will be placed on the labor, religious, and ethnic or racial distinctions that emerged as diverse populations came into contact with each other. Offered Fall - Even Numbered Years.
HIS 401 Cr.3
Japanese Religions
This course examines the complex history of religions in Japan. Focuses will 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 Occasionally.
HIS 402 Cr.3
Secondary Content Methods for Teaching English Language Learners
This course will explore the importance of teaching content to English Language Learners (ELs) at the secondary (grades 4-12) level. Students enrolled in the course will 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. The primary method to be taught is called Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE). 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 will introduce pre-service education majors to the foundational concepts, theories, and strategies associated with social studies and history education. Topics to be introduced 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 405 Cr.3
The Migration Experience: 1600-present
This course examines personal experience (individual, family level) of long distance migration and what they can help us understand about historical migration patterns ca the 1700s-2000s CE. Types of world migration covered include 16th-18th century indentured and enslaved migrations to the Caribbean, 19th century wage-labor migrations to the Americas, and refugee migrations as a result of world wars in the 20th century. The course prioritizes analysis of visual and written primary source materials created by emigrants. Examples include diaries, letters, photographs, oral histories, and manga. These types of materials will be used to investigate selected aspects of the migrant experience, including: life in transit, maintaining ties to home, adjustment to new economic and cultural contexts, and prospects for being accepted into receiving societies. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 406 Cr.3
Topics in Social History
Social historians investigate the ways that different social groups are defined and treated according to categories such as race, class, and gender. They are also concerned with the way that ordinary people define themselves, make claims on governments, and organize for change. Each time the class is offered it will focus on a particular topic important to social historians. Examples might include migration, urbanization, industrialization, social movements, the family, identity, or slavery. Examples and case studies will be drawn from several times and/or places. Offered Occasionally.
HIS 407 Cr.3
Government and Society
Could absolute monarchs actually rule with absolute power? Were fascist and communist states really totalitarian in their control of society? Political arguments frequently make generalized claims about "the government" or "the nation" and its relationship to its citizens or subjects. Yet these terms are often only vaguely understood, especially in any historical depth. This course enables students to understand the historical development of state forms and the ways that states and societies interact with one another. Students will use theories and arguments employed by historians to make clearer the complicated relationships by which states exert power and societies demand, accept, or resist the imposition of order by their states. Offered Occasionally.
HIS/RGS 409 Cr.3
20th Century Civil Rights Movement
This course explores the modern civil rights movement in the US 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 US. It begins with the MOWM and examines the seemingly completing philosophies of civil rights organizations such as CORE, SNCC, SCLC, BPP, AIM, SDS, NCAI, YLP, RG, NOW, NBFO, the Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Bilitis, STAR and other civil rights organizations, leaders, and local people in shaping their own destinies. It 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. It 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 Spring.
HIS 410 Cr.3
British Empire
This course is an introduction to the expansion, consolidation, and eventual disintegration of the modern British Empire. It surveys British imperial history from the sixteenth century until the late twentieth century in order 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 413 Cr.3
Topics in Cultural History
This course is an introductory course on relationships between history and culture. Emphases will 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 will focus 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 will make 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 415 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 will 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 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 is a hands-on course that will teach students to put together an exhibit. This course will teach students to do marketing and public relations, educational programming, curation and interactive activities for an exhibit that will take place in the community. Offered Spring - Every Third Year.
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 assess 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 423 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 will build a new generation of oral historians to help preserve local, regional, and global history. Offered Alternate Years.
HIS 424 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 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.