Course Descriptions
HIS 101 - World History I: Ancient to Early Modern
Credit Hours: 3
Ancient empires of East and West. Cultural, economic, and political developments
in all major portions of the world through the 16th century. [S2 912N]
HIS 102 - World History II: Modern to Contemporary
Credit Hours: 3
The world, East and West, and its cultural, social, and political developments
from the 17th century to the present. (HIS 101 World History I is not a prerequisite
for HIS 102 World History II.)
[S2 912N]
HIS 111 - United States History I: to 1877
Credit Hours: 3
The age of exploration and discovery, colonial civilizations, and the emergence
of a new nation. The expansion of national territory and sectionalism through
the Civil War and Reconstruction. [S2 900]
HIS 112 - United States History II: Since 1877
Credit Hours: 3
The U.S. as an emergent world power and the major political, economic, and
social forces in the domestic experience to the present. [S2 901]
HIS 230 - Hollywood History
Credit Hours: 3
This course demonstrates how filmmakers reflect the perceptions,
traditions, values, fears, and aspirations of their generation. Students
will study film criticism, read primary historical sources, and analyze
secondary historical works before viewing contrasting films on a subject.
HIS 257 - The History of Sports in America
Credit Hours: 3
Examines the important role that sport plays in American society and explores
how cultural, political, and social factors have shaped the development of
amateur and professional sports.
HIS 270-9 - Special Topics
Credit Hours: 3
Special topics in history depending upon demand and staff.
HIS 310 - Ancient Greece and Rome
Credit Hours: 3
This class will survey the ancient European cultures of Greece and Rome. It
will focus upon the social, economic, literary and artistic themes that shaped
the two cultures and also upon the legacy they left to Western civilization.
HIS 311 - Modern Britain 1689-Present
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the period of the Glorious Revolution, the evolution of
Britain as a world economic and political power in the 18th and 19th Centuries
and the decline of Britain as a global power in the 20th Century.
HIS 312 - Modern Germany 1871-Present
Credit Hours: 3
Creation of the Second Reich, Weimar, the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi
Germany, divided Germany in the Cold War and its reunification. The course
will also focus on the role of Germany in world politics throughout this era.
HIS 313 - French Revolution and Napoleonic Era
Credit Hours: 3
Explores the origins and course of the French Revolution, the effects of the
Napoleonic era and the impacts of this period on European history.
HIS 315 - Modern Russia
Credit Hours: 3
This course covers the creation of Imperial Russia under
Peter the Great to its collapse, the rise and fall of Soviet Russia,
and the post Soviet era.
HIS 316 - Modern European History Colloquium (1848 to present)
Credit Hours: 3
Selected themes from Modern European history including ideologies (liberalism,
nationalism, socialism, fascism), wars (causes and consequences of imperial
conflicts, and World Wars I and II), intellectual movements (in sociology,
psychology, science, and philosophy), and the evolution of industrial capitalism
and industrial society.
HIS 320 Modern Ireland
Credit Hours: 3
This course surveys modern Irish history from 1700 to the present. It will focus on the development of Irish nationalism as a response to British imperialism, as well as the resistance to nationalism among different groups. Important themes include colonialism, famine, revolution, emigration, and continuing sectarian tensions.
HIS 322 - Women and Gender in History
Credit Hours: 3
This course deals thematically with the roles, significance and evolving perceptions
of women (and gender) in the West from the ancient, medieval and modern eras.
A second emphasis will investigate the concept of women's history within the
field of history itself.
HIS 326 - Hitler, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust
Credit Hours: 3
This course explores one of the most horrific eras in the twentieth century,
if not the entire history of humanity. Political, social, economic, cultural,
and historical dimensions will be examined not only in Germany, but also in
Europe, to understand the origins, actions and consequences of Hitler and Nazi
Germany. This course will also attempt to comprehend the incomprehensible -
the genocidal extermination of the Jews - through investigating the perpetrators,
the bystanders, the victims, the survivors and the historians.
HIS 336 - Modern China and Japan
Credit Hours: 3
This course focuses on the emergence of China and Japan
in the 19th Century and their development as global powers in the 20th
Century.
HIS 343 - Latin America
Credit Hours: 3
Examines selected themes from Latin American history from
pre-Columbian societies to the present, including the great American
empires, the Spanish conquest, colonial politics and society, independence,
the formation of modern states, and contemporary history. [S2 910N]
HIS 350 - World Geography
Credit Hours: 3
This course fulfills the requirements for history students
working toward a social studies education certificate. It
will familiarize students with the pivotal social, political and economic
events in the history of Illinois from prehistory down to the present
day. This course will also allow students to develop an
understanding of the character of various regions throughout the world
as influenced by environmental, historical, and cultural forces. Emphasis
will be given to thinking geographically in the study of man/land relationships
and place formation.
HIS 353 - African American History
Credit Hours: 3
This course will provide the student with a comprehensive survey of the role
that African-Americans have played in shaping America as we know it today. Starting
in Africa, moving through the arrival of the slave ships in the early 1600s,
the Colonial period, the Revolutionary and Civil War periods, and into the
last half of the twentieth century, African-American history will chronicle
the sweep of events that have brought African-Americans and their struggle
for social and economic equality to the forefront of American life.
HIS 356 - U.S. Foreign Relations
Credit Hours: 3
Examines central themes, events, and personalities in U.S.
relations with the world, including economics, racism, strategic interests,
nationalism, and politics.
HIS 359 - Immigration to the United States
Credit Hours: 3
This course surveys American immigration history with a special focus on ethnic and race relations. It emphasizes several critical issues such as ethnic and racial contact and conflict, language maintenance, immigration law, the "laws" of immigration, multiculturalism, nativism, and religion.
HIS 360 - Revolution and Nation Making
Credit Hours: 3
Follows the path of American colonial society as it matured prior to the break
with Britain. It will trace the causes of the American revolution and the effect
of war on society including the social, economic and political changes it brought
about. Finally, it will focus upon the creation of the Constitution.
HIS 361 - Colonial America
Credit Hours: 3
This course follows the age of exploration, discovery,
and colonization, with an emphasis on the development of culture, economy
and politics of the English colonies of North America. It will then
focus upon international rivalry on the continent and the tensions
leading to the Revolution.
HIS 362 - History of the Early Republic
Credit Hours: 3
Follows the new nation from the 1790s through the 1850s including the development
of political parties, War of 1812, nationalism, sectionalism, Jacksonian democracy,
Manifest Destiny, Mexican War, reform movements and the political divisions
leading to war.
HIS 364 - Civil War and Reconstruction
Credit Hours: 3
The Civil War is the keystone in American history. This course will trace the
causes of the war, its military history, and its social, political, and economic
impact upon the nation during Reconstruction.
HIS 366 - The U.S. in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era
Credit Hours: 3
The United States from the end of Reconstruction to the end of the Progressive
Era, with discussion of the issues surrounding segregation, immigration, industrialization,
foreign policy, the Spanish-American War, the rise of Progressivism, and World
War I.
HIS 368 - Contemporary America
Credit Hours: 3
The United States from the early days of the Cold War to
the present, with consideration of 1950s culture, Kennedy, the civil
rights movement, the Great Society, Vietnam, the counterculture, Watergate,
the rise of the American right, and contemporary issues.
HIS 369 - World War II and the Great Depression
Credit Hours: 3
The United States from 1920 to 1945, with reference to the consumer culture,
interwar foreign policy, the Great Crash, Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal,
the road to war, and World War II.
HIS 370-9 - Special Topics
Credit Hours: 1-3
Special topics in history depending upon demand and staff
HIS 371 - Religion in American History
What has been the role of religion in America? Taking a thematic and chronological approach, this course seeks to answer this question
by exploring the way religion has shaped the people, cultures, and institutions in America from its pre-Columbian roots to the 21st century.
HIS 373 - The History of Ideas in America
This course is designed to introduce students to the major contours in intellectual history from the time of the Puritans to the present. In this class, the students should develop a clear understanding of how ideas have shaped the course of American History.
HIS 398 - Historiography
Credit Hours: 3
An introduction to the historian's craft, with special
reference to methodologies, interpretations, values, evidence, and
conclusions found in historical writings.
HIS 400 - Methods of Teaching History and Social Studies
Credit Hours: 3
Designed to acquaint the prospective teacher of history and social studies
with the techniques, materials, resources, and problems of teaching at the
secondary level. This course, intended for students in the teacher certification
program, ordinarily does not apply to the history major.
Prerequisite(s): acceptance into the Teacher Education Program.
HIS 470-9 - Special Topics
Credit Hours: 1-3
Special topics in history depending upon demand and staff.
HIS 481 - Public History Internship
Credit Hours: 3
Provides an opportunity for on-the-job experience in community agencies in
such fields as cultural resource management, archival work, historical preservation
and interpretation. Students must be history majors with junior standing and
have the approval of the agency and history faculty.
HIS 497 - Seminar in History I
Credit Hours: 3
Capstone course with an in-depth study of historiography,
historical method, and historical criticism.
HIS 498 - Seminar in History II
Credit Hours: 3
Capstone course with an emphasis on a synthesis of historical skills as demonstrated
through original primary research and presentation of findings. |
