History

Survey of the emergence and spread of major world civilizations from prehistory to 1500. Equal weight given to the civilizations of Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Written Communication in the disciplines.

Survey of some of the major trends, events, and forces of change since 1500 with particular emphasis on exploration, revolution, imperialism, industrialization, and their consequences. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society.

Evolution of the American constitutional republic and its ideas, institutions, and practices from the colonial period to the Civil War; the American Revolution, historical challenges of the American political system; religious traditions; immigration; the difference between a democracy and a republic; the tensions between liberty and equality, liberty and order, region and nation, individualism and the common welfare, and between cultural diversity and national unity. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Oral Communication in the disciplines.

Evolution of the American constitutional republic and its ideas, institutions, and practices from the Civil War to the present; historical challenges of the American political system; religious traditions; immigration; cultural diversity; social, political, and economic transformations in American life during the twentieth century; social consequences of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on politics and culture; origi s, effects, aftermath, and significance of the two world wars, the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, and the post-Cold War era. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society.

History of early modern and modern Europe from the emergence of the Renaissance to the present. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Written Communication in the disciplines. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society.

Rise of America from a colonial marchland to a global superpower in the twentieth century with emphasis on such themes as war and diplomacy, the transnational and cultural dimensions of American expansion, and America's growing interaction and connections with the wider world.

Chinese history from the origins of Chinese civilization to the present.  Three semester hours. 

Middle Eastern and Islamic history from the imperial encounters and Ottoman reforms, and the defensive modernization efforts of Middle East in the nineteenth century, to the current problems confronting the region.  Emphasis on the creation of new nation-states in the aftermath of the First World War, Arab Nationalism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and America's emergence as the dominant external power in the region.  Three semester hours. 

Research methods employed by historians, including a review of information technology, use of libraries and archives, and the process of writing a research paper. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Critical Thinking in the disciplines.

introduction to the methods of archaeological research; history of the archaeological discipline, including the origins of professional archaeology, significant theoretical developments in the field, and current issues in archaeological practice. Ways in which archaeology informs historical research and reveals the social and cultural development of prehistoric peoples on the European and North American continents. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Interpreting Texts.

Study of American political economy, emphasizing forces that have determined economic growth and development since 1607; social, political, and economic transformations in American life from 1607 to the present; structure and function of the U.S. market economy as compared with other economies. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Quantitative Literacy in the disciplines.

Religious history of the ancient Mediterranean, focusing on myth and its modern interpretations, magic as a category of activity separate from religion, and the role of ritual in the religious lives of Greeks and Romans. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Interpreting Texts.

History of African American slavery and race relations in the New World with emphasis on Brazil, the United States, and the colonial Caribbean possessions of Spain, France, and Great Britain.  Three semester hours. 

Selected case studies employing specific historical approaches or methods chosen by the instructor in response to students.

This course offers a critical examination of the "long 1960s," or the political, cultural, social, and economic transformations that swept through the United States and the world from the mid-1970s. Topics include liberalism and conservatism in U.S. politics, the counterculture and student movements, the relationship between the Cold War and decolonization, and activism for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and environmentalism. Lectures and discussions explore how the 1960s marked a threshold between the mid-twenieth century and our current world.

Comparative study of world regions and nations through an exploration of prominent historical themes, trends, and processes that connect cultures and societies across borders or across the globe.  Three semester hours. 

The American South from prehistory to the Civil War, emphasizing the normative character of the experience of the region, its centrality in the formation of American culture, and the overall process of sectional differentiation.

Origins and consequences of the American Civil War. Emphasis on regionalism, sectionalism, and nationalism; economic interdependencies and conflicts; abolitionist saints and pro-slavery divines, and other cultural counterpoints; modern war and ancient traditions; battlefield tactics and broader social strategies; compromise and the deferred commitments to equality and social justice during the post-bellum Reconstruction period.

Women's history in the U.S. from colonial times to the present with emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

History, liturgy, and doctrine of the church from approximately 100 C.E. to the present. Includes Augustine, Francis of Assisi, Luther, Calvin, Isabella of Spain, Wesley, and John XXIII.

Comparative study of geography and history of two southern states. Emphasis on teacher responsibilities in the public schools with regard to the standards of learning. This course satisfies the proficiency requirement for Written Communication in the disciplines.

Analytical study of the geography and cultures of the region, as well as the social, economic, and political institutions of the people who live in Appalachia.

Events and ideas involved in the long colonial era, especially in Virginia, and seminal intellectual and cultural conceptions of the American Revolution.

Events and ideas involved in the critical formative period of nation-building in the early and middle of the nineteenth century, with special emphasis on cultural patterns in religion and ideology, economic aspects of developing trade, commerce and slavery, and emerging regional tensions between North and South.

The history of Greece from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Period. Topics include the literature and culture of Greece, the rise of the polis and the development of the Classical world, and the transformation of the Greek world in the wake of Alexander's conquests.

The history of Rome from the founding of the city to the fifth century C.E. Topics include the origins of the city as described in myth and archaeology; the development of the republican constitution, Roman imperialism; the creation of the empire by Augustus Caesar; society, culture, and the economy of the Roman world; the religious life of the empire and the historical development of Christianity; and the transformation of the empire during the period of late antiquity.

Analysis of the historical development of culture and society from the sixth century C.E. to 1500; medieval society, institutions, and civilizations; manorialism and feudalism and the evolution of representative government.

Examination of patterns of racial diversity in the U.S. from colonial times to the present. Emphasis on the peculiar institution of slavery, the Jim Crow system of racial segregation, the Civil Rights movement, the relationship between European Americans and Native Americans, and the diverse experiences of immigrant communities.

Historical and political and diplomatic analysis of the post-1945 international history of the Cold War from the vantage points of Washington, Moscow, Beijing, and beyond.  Focus on the relationships and alliances of the Cold War era, the ebb and flow of political and military tension between the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc, and the effects of the Cold War on contemporary world affairs.  Three semester hours. 

Interpretive analysis of key questions and issues of English history from the Norman Conquest to the present. Topics include the process of nation-building on the island of Great Britain, the development of parliamentary democracy, and the role of England in colonization, imperialism, and industrialization.

Selected topics in history chosen by the instructor in response to students. May be re-taken for credit for different topics.

Exploration of historical, literary, and artistic portrayals of Jesus through the centuries.

The lives, writings, and influences of women on Christianity. Attention to the history of thought and the changes in culture and value systems. This course satisfies the Modes of Inquiry requirement for Understanding the Individual and Society.

This is a global history of the first half of the twentieth century with a focus on the First and Second World Wars. It links the military history of those conflicts with the impact of war on societies in the Americas, Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia. The course examines related subjects such as modernity, nationalism, industrialization, race, empire, revolution, strategy, and the broader cultural currents of the age. Lectures and discussions offer an integrated approach to the study of force and diplomacy, war and society, and thelocal and global during the era of the World Wars.

This is a course on Iran's historical relationship with the "West".  Through a series of discussions and projects, students study modern Iranian culture and politics, along with the connections between Iran, the United States, and other parts of the world.  The focus is the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, though the course prepares students intellectually for global citizenship in the twenty-first century.  Three credits. 

Advanced independent seminar research and writing in a specific area of history under the supervision of a faculty member.

Advanced directed research in a specific area of history, under the supervision of a faculty member. One to three semester hours.

Work experience related to the student's major, jointly supervised by the department and a professional in the field. Although the usual internship will carry either three or six hours credit, a student may elect to arrange an internship carrying between two and six hours credit with the permission of the department. Each hour of credit will require forty hours at the internship site.

Work experience related to the student's major, jointly supervised by the department and a professional in the field. Although the usual internship will carry either three or six hours credit, a student may elect to arrange an internship carrying between two and six hours credit with the permission of the department. Each hour of credit will require forty hours at the internship site.

Independent research in a special topic for honors.

Independent research in a special topic for honors.