Course Descriptions

History
LA 836, (406) 657-2119

* HSTR 101 Western Civilization I
[formerly HIST 104 The West and the World to 1648]
3 cr.  Examines the development of western civilization from its origins through the Middle Ages, and the mutual influence western civilization and world civilizations had on each other.  Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, religious, and cultural issues which shape the world today.

* HSTR 102 Western Civilization II
[formerly HIST 105 The West and the World since 1648]
3 cr.  Examines the development of western civilization since the early modern era, and the mutual influence western civilization and world civilizations had on each other.  Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, religious, and cultural issues which shape the world today.

* HSTR 103 Honors Western Civilization I
[formerly HIST 106 Honors:  History of Western Civilization to 1500]
3 cr. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.  Covers the development of Western Civilization from its origins through the Middle Ages.  Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, and cultural issues which shape the western world today.

* HSTR 104 Honors Western Civilization II
[formerly HIST 107 Honors:  History of Western Civilization Since 1500]
3 cr. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.  Covers the development of Western Civilization from the Italian Renaissance to the present.  Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, and cultural issues which shape the western world today.

HSTR 298 Internship
[formerly HIST 296 Cooperative Education/Internship]
V 1-9 cr.  Provides university credit for a sophomore work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty.  Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

HSTR 302 Ancient Greece
[formerly HIST 332 Ancient Greece]
3 cr.  Examines the civilization of Ancient Greece from the Minoan Crete period (c. 2600-1400 B.C.) to the fall
of the Corinth in 146 B.C. with emphasis on the contributions of politics, art, literature, and philosophy to the western tradition.

HSTR 304 Ancient Rome
[formerly HIST 333 Ancient Rome]
3 cr.  Covers the history of ancient Rome from its earliest point through the years of the Republic and Empire.

HSTR 305 Middle Ages
[formerly HIST 335 Middle Ages:  Creation and Climax of Medieval Europe]
3 cr.  Considers the collapse of ancient civilization and the emergence of a new distinctive European civilization in the millennium between 300 and 1300 A.D.  Emphasis is placed on the decline and fall of Rome; the integration of Greco-Roman, Christian, and German elements in a new culture; and the creation of European political, economic, social, and intellectual institutions.

HSTR 317 Renaissance & Reformation
[formerly HIST 336 Renaissance and Reformation Europe]
3 cr. Prerequisite: HSTR 101 or equivalent.  Explores the events and ideas from the waning of the Middle Ages through conclusion of the Thirty Years War.  Examines the impact of the Hundred Years War, the bubonic plague, the roots of the modern nation state, civic and northern humanism as well as the social, political, cultural, and religious issues from the beginning of Luther’s protest to the end of the religious wars in Europe.

HSTR 318 Enlightenment & Revolution 1648-1815
[formerly HIST 338 Enlightenment and Revolution, 1648-1815]
3 cr.  Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual issues in Europe from the end of the religious wars to Napoleon’s downfall.  Central themes are the nature of baroque culture and its use by absolute monarchies in continental Europe and the character of the Enlightenment and its role as a precursor to the French Revolution.  The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon will be examined in detail.  Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European history.

HSTR 322 19th Century Europe
[formerly HIST 340 19th Century Europe:  1815-1918]
3 cr.  Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual developments from Napoleon’s downfall to the end of the Great War.  Central themes are the phenomenon of the industrial revolution and the frustration and fulfillment of modern nationalistic and liberal agendas in Europe, all culminating in World War I.  Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of the history of the “long nineteenth century.”

HSTR 324 20th Century Europe
[formerly HIST 342 Twentieth-Century Europe, 1918-2001]
3 cr.  Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual developments since World War I.  Central themes are the Great Depression and the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, World War II, the postwar recovery of Europe, the Cold War, and European unification.  Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of the history of the “short twentieth century.”

HSTR 330 History of Mexico
[formerly HIST 459 History of Mexico]
3 cr.  Surveys the Mexican colonial background, War for Independence, and political, social, and economic development to the present.  Emphasis on Santa Anna, Juarez, the Diaz dictatorship, the Revolution of 1910, and recent political and economic developments.

HSTR 332 Pre-Columbian & Colonial Latin America
[formerly HIST 357 Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin America]
3 cr.  Covers the history of Latin America before the arrival of the Europeans, conquest and colonialism, paying particular attention to the interchange between native and European cultures, the place of the Church in the colonial period, and pre-independence political and economic development.

HSTR 336 Modern Latin America
[formerly HIST 358 Modern Latin America]
3 cr.  Deals with selective topics such as the independence movement, the social/cultural/political/economic development of Latin American countries, with special emphasis on U.S.-Latin American relations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

HSTR 365 History of Ancient Near East
[formerly HIST 331 The Ancient Near East]
3 cr.  Examines the course of human development in the fertile crescent and Egypt from the furthest horizon of history to the Hellenistic period of the fourth century BCE.  Analyzes the political, military, economic, social, and artistic evolution of Mesopotamia, Ancient Israel, and Egypt in the intercultural milieu that compromised the “trade basin” of the ancient Near East.  Considerable attention will be given to primary sources and archaeological contributions.

HSTR 366 Middle East in the 20th Century
[formerly HIST 453 The Middle East in the Twentieth Century]
3 cr.  Considers the Arab Awakening and examines the Middle East in its contemporary setting with emphasis on the Arab-Israel conflict and the rise of nationalism in Turkey, Iran, Israel, and the Arab states.  It explores the recent revolutionary changes in the Arab World and Iran as well as the impact of Islamic fundamentalism on contemporary Middle East.

HSTR/HON 420 Historical Archaeology of the Classical World
[formerly HIST/HON 420 Archaeology of the Classical World]
3 cr.  Examines the material culture (i.e. art, architecture, and artifacts) of Greece and Rome beginning with the Minoans and Mycenaeans (c. 2000 B.C.E.) and ending with Constantine in the early fourth century C.E.  The course explores the following:  defining classical archaeology, dating systems, archaeological methods, the material culture of the Mediterranean basin, the formation and perpetuation of the “classical tradition” in art and architecture, understanding of chronology and dating, urban planning and construction techniques, architectural orders, artistic styles, and the process of archaeological reconstruction.

HSTR 423 European Intellectual History
[formerly HIST 430 History of European Thought and Culture:  From the Enlightenment to the Present]
3 cr.  Explores the history of thought and culture from the age of Enlightenment to the present day through an examination of the importance of ideas, as well as their authors, to social change in the modern world.  Special emphasis will be placed on the age of reason and reaction against its conclusions as well as on the public debate and sociability that sustained intellectual inquiry.  Special topics may include:  the Enlightenment, salon culture, the importance of printing to revolutions, the exchange of ideas across national borders, and the role of ideas in creating social change.

HSTR 428 Historical Archeology in the Americas
[formerly HIST 425 Historical Archeology in the Americas]
3 cr.  Explores how archaeological research contributes to the understanding of American history.  The class examines the development of historical cultures and sub-cultures in the New World from 1500 to the recent past.  Focus will be on the importance of material culture; the intimate relationship between archaeology and primary documents; and a review of current
models, theories, and paradigms used in archaeological interpretation.  A secondary focus will be the use of technology in the process of archaeological analysis.

HSTR 439 Colonial and Independent Africa since 1884
[formerly HIST 471 Colonial and Independent Africa, 1884-present]
3 cr.  Examines the political, economic, social, and cultural development of Africa from the Congress of Vienna to the present, emphasizing the results of European conquest and the legacy of colonialism in independent Africa.

HSTR 440 Topics in Southern Asia since 1750
[formerly HIST 463 History of Southern Asia Since 1750]
3 cr.  Surveys the political, economic, social, and cultural development of southern Asia, from the decline of the Mughal Empire to the rise of post-colonial nations, with particular emphasis placed on religious and philosophical development of the Asian subcontinent.

HSTR 447 Modern Asia
[formerly HIST 465 Topics in Modern Asian History]
3 cr.  Explores the development of modern Asia.  Topics, which will vary by semester, include Japan, Korea, and China.  Students will study these states from their early foundations to their emergence as modern states.  Special emphasis is placed on cultural development, particularly religion, literature, and music.  The course focuses on turning points in a given country’s (or region’s) history as well as various issues related to identity, social life, and government.  This course shall be repeatable for up to 6 credits with instructor approval.

HSTR 462 Holocaust in Nazi Occupied Europe
[formerly HIST 447 The Holocaust in Nazi Occupied Europe]
3 cr. Prerequisite: HSTR 102 or consent of instructor.  Examines the Holocaust in Nazi occupied Europe from 1933 to 1945.  Covers the origins, causes, motivations, and effects of the discrimination, internment, and genocidal actions of the Nazi regime.  The Holocaust is put into its larger historical perspective prior to and after the actual event.

HSTR 466 Islamic Civilization
[formerly HIST 451 History of Islamic Civilization]
3 cr.  Develops the social, political, cultural, and economic history of the Middle East from the rise of Muhammed and the Caliphate to the Umayyad and
Abbasid Empires and the establishment of the Ottoman Empire.  Emphasizes Islamic religious thought and philosophy and the flowering of Medieval Islam.

HSTR 473 War and Diplomacy in Europe 1648-1945
[formerly HIST 448 War and Diplomacy in Europe, 1648-1945]
3 cr.  Traces the changing patterns of warfare and the shifting relations of power among the major European states from the aftermath of the religious wars, through the upheavals of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, to the First and Second World Wars.

HSTR 491 Special Topics:  Modern European History
[formerly HIST 462 Topics in Modern European History]
3 cr.  Explores the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of a particular European country or region in the modern era.  The course focuses on turning points in a given country’s (or region’s) history as well as various issues related to identity, social life, and government.  The course seeks to provide a specialized knowledge of an individual European country’s (or region’s) history in more depth than the general European survey.  Topics under this title may include France since 1789, Germany since 1517, England since 1688, or Eastern Europe since 1918.  This course shall be repeatable for up to 6 credits with instructor approval.

HSTR 492 Independent Study
[formerly HIST 491 Independent Study]
V 1-5 cr. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and chairperson of the department.  Provides outstanding students an individual opportunity to explore material not covered by regular History courses.  The student’s proposal for independent study must be approved before registering and the student’s GPA in previous History courses must be at least 3.00.

HSTR 494 Seminar/Workshop
[formerly HIST 492 Seminar]
3 cr.  Provides advanced students an opportunity to investigate intensively topics pertinent to the field of History.

HSTR 494 Seminar/Workshop
[formerly HIST 493 Workshop]
1-8 cr.  Provides an opportunity for experimental study in an area of History.

HSTR 498 Cooperative Education/Internship I, II, III
[formerly HIST 490 Internship:  Public History]
V 1-6 cr.  Provides public history opportunities for students in local organizations which utilize public historians.

HSTR 498 Cooperative Education/Internship I, II, III
[formerly HIST 496 Cooperative Education/Internship]
V 1-9 cr.  Provides university credit for a work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty.  Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

HSTR 499 Senior Capstone:  Historical Methodology
[formerly HIST 499 Historical Methodology]
(WR) 3 cr. Prerequisite: 12 semester hours of history or consent of instructor.  Analyzes how historians ask methodological and interpretive questions and how they answer those questioned intellectually and technically.  Aids the student in developing an understanding of the historical profession and the tasks of the historian through research and writing exercises, the investigation and evaluation of primary and secondary materials, and study of various methodologies employed by historians.

HIST 109 Current World Problems 3 cr.  Stresses the historical origins, backgrounds, and significance of current world problems, movements, and trends.  Special emphasis is placed on the inter-relation between the diverse cultures of the world as they join the world community in the twentieth century.