History Courses
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HI 101 - HUM United States History to 1877 - Humanities Core Course (4.00 credits)
This course traces the foundations of early American history from the Age
of Discovery through the Civil War era. Included will be examinations of colonial society, the causes and
consequences of the American Revolution, the rise of mass democracy, and the growing sectionalism that tore the
nation apart in 1861.
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HI 102 - HUM United States History Since 1877- Humanities Core Course (4.00 credits)
This course examines the history of the United States from America’s late
nineteenth century industrial revolution to 9/11 and its aftermath. Emphasis will be on the nation’s rise as an
economic and military superpower, its political development, and its multicultural identity.
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HI 111 - NCH History of Pre-Modern Asia - Non-Western Cultural Heritage Core Course (4.00
credits)
This course examines the history of Asia up to 1500.
There will be a focus on cross-cultural contacts within Asia and with the larger world. By semester's end, students
will have a factual understanding of Asia's role in the international community, including the cultural, political,
intellectual and economic factors that have influenced this region's history. They also will learn to critically evaluate
historical materials relevant to the study of Asia. *Prerequisite(s): Power of Language English Core course.
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HI 112 - NCH History of Modern Asia- Non-Western Cultural Heritage Core Course (4.00 credits)
This course examines the history of Asia from
approximately 1500 until the present day. It will focus on cross-cultural contacts within Asia and with the West. By
semester's end, students will have a better appreciation of Asia in our international community, and will better
understand the cultural, political, intellectual and economic factors that have influenced this region's history.
*Prerequisite(s): Power of Language English Core course.

HI 114 - WCH Western Civilization I - Western Cultural Heritage Core Course (4.00 credits)
This course will examine the evolution of Western
civilization from its origins in ancient Mediterranean communities (c. 3000 BCE) to the end of the Thirty Years’
War (1648). Emphasis will be placed on the role of politics, economics, culture, religion, and ideology in shaping
European societies.

HI 115 - WCH Western Civilization II - Western Cultural Heritage Core Course (4.00 credits)
An exploration of historical developments that dominated
Western civilization from 1500 through the present. Emphasis will be placed on the role of politics, economics,
culture, religion and ideology in shaping modern society in Europe and the United States.

HI 208 - Technology and Values in American Experience (4.00 credits)
An effort to understand the values implicit in the choices that have been made in substituting a newer
technology for an older technology throughout American history. Transportation, systems of production, the
generation of power, medicine and armaments constitute areas of particular emphasis.
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HI 209 - Nineteenth-Century Europe (4.00 credits)
This course examines political, economic, social, and cultural developments in Europe from 1815 to
1914. Emphasis will be placed on the industrial revolution, conservatism, liberalism, socialism, romanticism,
nationalism, imperialism, anti-Semitism, romanticism, realism, and modernism.

HI 210 - Twentieth-Century Europe (4.00 credits)
This course examines political, economic, social, and cultural developments in Europe from 1914 to the
present. Emphasis will be placed on World War I, the Russian Revolution, Fascism, Nazism, Communism, World
War II, the Cold War, decolonization, the collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the evolution of
the European Union.

HI 215 - British History: Themes and Topics (4.00 credits)
Beginning with the Saxon invasions and extending through the modern empire, themes in this course
will include English legal history, the common law and parliament; social and cultural life; the relation of England
to Ireland, Scotland and Wales; the English reformation and Civil War; military and naval history; and the
consolidation of empire.

HI 220 - The American Radical Tradition (4.00 credits)
This course will offer a historical survey of the American Left, from the Founding generation to the
present day. The study of politics, labor, gender, race and intellectual change will all be utilized to explore a number
of contested issues - socialism, black power and the student movement - that have shaped this nation's past and
informed its present.
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HI 224 - History of Modern China (4.00 credits)
This course traces China's history from the turbulent close of the dynastic era at the end of the 19th
century through the present Communist period. Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to describe,
explain and analyze diplomatic, political, social, economic and technological interactions between China and its
Asian neighbors as well as between China and the West for the modern period.

HI 225 - History of Modern Japan (4.00 credits)
This course traces Japan's history from the period of the Meiji Restoration in the mid-19th century to
the present period. Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to describe, explain and analyze
diplomatic, political, social, economic and technological interactions between Japan and its Asian neighbors as well
as between Japan and the West for the modern period.
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HI 230 - American Minds I - From Puritanism to Transcendentalism (4.00 credits)
This course explores the development of American thought from the era of New England Puritanism to
the age of sectionalism and Civil War. It will center on close readings of classic texts, essays and speeches penned
by a number of significant thinkers including Anne Hutchinson, Thomas Paine, Henry David Thoreau, Harriet
Jacobs, and Herman Melville. An analysis of "native" ideas, the class offers students fresh and original ways to think
about the American past.
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HI 231 - American Minds II - From Victorianism to Multiculturalism (4.00 credits)
This course explores the development of American ideas from the post-Civil War Victorians to
contemporary debates over multiculturalism and postmodernism. It will center on close readings of "classic" and
controversial texts written by such original thinkers as Henry Adams, W.E.B. Du Buois, Charlotte Perkins Gilman,
Reinhold Niebuhr and Richard Rorty.
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HI 303 - Jeffersonian America (4.00 credits)
This course explores the formative years of the early American republic from the drafting of the
Constitution to the age of sectionalism. Topics include the emergence of competitive political parties, the nation’s
divided reaction to the French Revolution, the unexpected growth of popular democracy, the War of 1812, and the
expansion of slavery across the country’s southwestern frontier. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 304 - Sectionalism and Civil War (4.00 credits)
This course examines the causes, character, and consequences of America’s Civil War. Topics include the failure of
antebellum politics, the centrality of the slavery “question,” arguments for and against secession, and an overview of
the military campaigns that defeated the Confederacy. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 306 - Recent History of the U.S. (4.00 credits)
An intensive analysis of the vexing economic, political, social and diplomatic forces responsible for
shaping the American experience since 1900; conflicting interpretations emphasized. Enrollment limited to
sophomore status or above.
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HI 307 - American Economic History (4.00 credits)
The growth and development of the American economy and its impact on human welfare. Emphasis is
placed on the role of the entrepreneur, particular businesses, industrialization, government policy and labor.
Agrarian endeavor and slavery, and periodic recessions and depressions, together with the problems of
unemployment and reindustrialization are considered. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 308 - History in Literature (4.00 credits)
An exploration of recent history (1900-2000) through the novel. This course will analyze how race,
myth, power and class in the modern world have been interpreted by writers from around the globe. It will further
assess how literary movements have sometimes reflected and sometimes challenged the values of their societies.
Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 309 - American Intellectual History (4.00 credits)
An examination of the major social and intellectual movements in the United States. Enrollment limited
to sophomore status or above.
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HI 311 - The Ancient World
An examination of the history and interconnection of ancient regions, including Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Assyria, Israel, Greece and Rome. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 312 - Rise of Europe, 400 - 1400
An exploration of the growth of western Europe from its Greek and Roman heritage and the fall of
Rome through the consolidation of the Church and Christianity, the rise of kingship and nationhood, the emergence
of classes, and economic, social and cultural developments. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 315 - The Early Modern World: Religion, Renaissance and Encounter (4.00 credits)
An examination of the religious, political, cultural and scientific changes in Europe between 1400 and
1750, with emphasis placed also on the Ottoman Empire, the encounter with America, the expansion into Asia and
Africa, and other global realities. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 316 - Birth of the Modern Age (1600-1800) (4.00 credits)
An analysis of an emerging, world-dominating Europe, with emphasis on the Enlightenment, the
nation-state, global conflicts, civil wars and revolutions, and social, cultural and economic developments.
Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 318 - Overseas Chinese Communities (4.00 credits)
In this course, we will trace the history of overseas Chinese communities during the modern era.
Special attention will be paid to the Chinese communities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and the United States.
Upon completion of the course, each student will be able to describe, explain and analyze the effects of nationalism,
citizenship and globalization on transnational groups in general and the overseas Chinese in particular.
*Prerequisite(s): HI 112 or HI 220 or permission of instructor. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 320 - Middle East in Modern Times (4.00 credits)
This course examines the major political, social, economic, and intellectual movements that have
shaped states and peoples in the modern Middle East. The class will survey the rise of Islam and the history of the
region from the seventh through the eighteenth centuries, but primary attention will be devoted to the nineteenth an
twentieth centuries, particularly the challenges presented by Euro-American encroachment and the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 321 - North Africa in Modern Times (4.00 credits)
This course examines the major political, social, economic, and intellectual movements that have
shaped states and peoples in North Africa. The class will survey the rise of Islam and the history of the region from
the 7th through the 18th centuries, but primary attention will be devoted to the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly
the challenges presented by European colonialism and decolonization. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or
above.
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HI 323 - France Since 1815 (4.00 credits)
This course examines France since 1815 by focusing on political, economic, social, and cultural
developments. Subjects covered include the Restoration, the industrial revolution, the Revolution of 1848, the
Second Empire, the Commune, the Third Republic, imperialism, the Belle Époque, the First World War, the Great
Depression, the Popular Front, the Second World War, the Fourth Republic, the Fifth Republic, the Trente
Glorieuses, urban expansion, decolonization, and immigration. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 324 - Empire and Nation in Eastern Europe (4.00 credits)
This course examines the transition from empire to nation in East Central and Southeastern Europe by
focusing on political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Subjects covered include the rise and collapse of
the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires; the national states of the interwar years; the experiences of these states
and peoples during World War II; the rise and fall of Communist regimes in East Central and Southeastern Europe;
the disintegration of Yugoslavia; and the transition to parliamentary democracy and market economies in the years
since 1989. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 330 - Studies in U.S. History (4.00 credits)
An analytical inquiry into special periods and topics in American history. Enrollment limited to
sophomore status or above. This course is repeatable for credit.
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HI 340 - Studies in European History (4.00 credits)
An analytical inquiry into special periods and topics in European history, including courses on World
War I and World War II. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above. This course is repeatable for credit.
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HI 360 - Italian Renaissance (ART 360) (4.00 credits)
The Italian Renaissance seminar is an in-depth cultural history of the humanist movement in Italy from
1250 to 1550 and its impact on the fine arts, literature, politics, religion, education and science. The course includes
reading and discussion of primary texts by Petrarch, Dante, Boccaccio, Alberti, Machiavelli, Da Vinci,
Michelangelo and Vasari. Topics include the revival of Antiquity, the discovery of Nature, Statecraft, scientific
innovation and new concepts of genius and creativity. *Prerequisite(s): ART 155, ART 157, or HI 115. Enrollment
limited to sophomore status or above.
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HI 370-378 - Special Topics in History (variable credits)
Special subjects chosen as a response to student and faculty interest (e.g. Technology and American
Society, and Urban History). Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above. This course is repeatable for credit.
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HI 400 - Senior Honors Project (Variable (2.00 or 4.00) credits)
Students who have been invited and accepted to participate in the Honors in the
Discipline Program may register for this course in the semester or semesters (no more than two) in which the
research or creative project is initiated and/or completed. The total credit hours for the senior project shall not
exceed 4 hours. Completion of this course does not assure recognition for Honors in the Discipline. See Department
Chair for additional information *Prerequisite(s): Invitation to Honors in the Discipline Program. Enrollment
limited to sophomore status or above. Signature Learning Experience: Supervised Research.
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HI 400 - Senior Honors Project (Variable (2.00 or 4.00) credits)
Students who have been invited and accepted to participate in the Honors in the
Discipline Program may register for this course in the semester or semesters (no more than two) in which the
research or creative project is initiated and/or completed. The total credit hours for the senior project shall not
exceed 4 hours. Completion of this course does not assure recognition for Honors in the Discipline. See Department
Chair for additional information *Prerequisite(s): Invitation to Honors in the Discipline Program. Enrollment
limited to sophomore status or above. Signature Learning Experience: Supervised Research.
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HI 450 - Topics in Historiography (4.00 credits)
This course provides each student with the opportunity to think critically about the writing of history. It
also allows each student to practice his or her communication skills, both verbally and in writing. Rather than
reading simply for content, we will spend much of our time analyzing the various approaches to history. We will
attempt to understand the assumptions, biases, and interpretive paradigms that underlie each of these approaches. In
short, we will focus not on the "what" of history but on the "why" and "how." *Prerequisite(s): History majors
during the senior year. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above. Signature Learning Experience:
Capstone Experience.
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HI 470-474 - Internship in Historical Studies (Variable (2.00 or 4.00) credits)
This course provides students with applied field instruction in history. Forty hours of
on-site work is required for every credit hour granted. In addition to on-site work, students will complete writing
assignments designed to promote reflection on the work experience. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or
above. Signature Learning Experience: Internship. Register by Instructor. This course is repeatable for credit.
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HI 480-489 - Independent Study in History (variable credit)
Designed to offer an opportunity to use techniques of historical interpretation in specific problem
areas. *Prerequisite(s): Approval of the Department Chair, the Independent Study Committee, and permission of the
instructor. Enrollment limited to sophomore status or above. Register by Instructor. This course is repeatable for
credit.
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HI 490 - Independent Research in History (4.00 credits)
This independent research course focuses on a topic of mutual interest to the History major and
Department mentor. The course may be initiated in the student's junior year but no later than the first semester of the
senior year. The course must be registered during the semester in which it will be completed. Enrollment limited to
sophomore status or above. Signature Learning Experience: Supervised Research. Register by Instructor.
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