History Course Descriptions

HIST 101- Western Civilization To 1500 *SSC              Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys the history of Western Civilization from the Neolithic Revolution to the Reformation. Includes the political and economic development of cities and early states, and the birth and influence of religion and culture in the Near East, Europe and the Mediterranean.

 

HIST 102- Western Civilization Since 1500 *SSC        Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys the history of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present. Includes the development of modern states and economies, the dynamics of revolution, new ideas of science and society, and the problems of war.

 

HIST 110- Selected Topics                Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

In-depth study of a selected topic.

 

HIST 111- World History To 1500 *SSC          Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys world history from Neolithic times to the Columbian Exchange. Includes the development of Eurasian empires in India, China, Africa and Persia; the influence of Buddhism and Confucianism in Central and East Asia; the growth of Islam; the effects of Mongol conquest; and the relationship of early Western civilization to Asia and Africa.

 

HIST 112- World History Since 1500 *SSC    Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys world history from the Columbian Exchange to the present. Includes the development of modern nation states and economies; the effects of European colonialism and imperialism; revolution and change in Africa and Asia; the global development of science and technology; and the issue of war in the modern world.

 

HIST 201- US History *SSC *DPD    Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys the political, cultural, and social history of the United States up to Reconstruction.

 

HIST 202- US History *SSC *DPD    Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

Surveys the political, cultural, and social history of the United States since Reconstruction.

 

HIST 203- Historical Methods  Credits: 5.00

Introduction to the methods and tools of historians. A required course for the major, this is the foundation of the capstone series which cultimates in HIST 403.

 

HIST 210- Selected Topics                Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

Selected topics; varies by term/professor

 

HIST 310- Selected Topics                Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

Selected topics; varies by term/professor.  Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 314- The Great Depression     Credits: 5.00

The Great Depression of the 1930’s is often described as a period of great turbulence in American culture. If indeed this is so, what was the nature of the upheaval? Why did it occur? What legacies did this period establish for today’s society? Using a variety of source material, we will evaluate the evidence and assess the effects of a profoundly important historical moment. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of research and critical thinking skills. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 319 - US History Through Film                Credits: 5.00

This course explores the ways in which U.S. history has been represented through film. Our goal is not to critique films’ historical “accuracy,” but rather to examine the ways that popular, visual culture may operate to re-affirm or challenge widely held understandings of history – and of ourselves as Americans. Our viewing, discussion of and writing about films will often use the concepts of race, gender, and class as primary analytical lenses. Additionally, one central question will inform our exploration of film and history – to what extent does Hollywood function as a public historian? Other topics of exploration could include: why are some periods of history ignored in popular visual culture? Whose version(s) of history are privileged in mainstream movies? How do films use history to speak of the times in which they are made? Is film a valid form of historical narrative? While this is not a class on film per se, we will also learn about filmic methods, practice writing film reviews, and consider “Hollywood” as a hegemonic cultural industry. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

 

HIST 321- Ancient World   ***UWR                  Credits: 5.00

Beginning with an introduction on the rise, progress, and fall of the Near Eastern empires, the course focuses on classical Greece and achievements of Hellenistic culture, and the political history and institutions of the Roman Republic and Empire. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 325- History of Christianity                        Credits: 5.00

This course will explore the global history of Christianity from its early beginnings to the present day. Throughout our study, we will give special attention to the major figures, events, literature, beliefs, institutions, circumstances, and controversies, which shaped the church and how they have impacted its development. Prerequisite: None, but other History and Social Science courses are strongly recommended. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 330- U.S. Women’s History  ***UWR                 Credits: 5.00

Overview of women’s experiences and roles in U.S. history from colonial period to present. In depth focus will be on culture, politics, and work from the mid-nineteenth century to late twentieth century. Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent recommended. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 333 - Labor & the Working Class in American History                       Credits: 5.00

This course examines the history of labor and working people in America from the colonial period to the present. Incorporating an expanded definition of “labor,” it explores the diversity of work experiences in America, the history of organized labor movements, and the larger processes of social and economic change that have affected work and workers. While the work experience receives central attention, the course gives equal consideration to the comparative dimensions of class and cultural identity, ethnicity, race and sex, family and community, technology and work politics, governmental policy, and the structure of the labor market. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

 

HIST 338- Cmp Frnt Cult Amer/Can West      Credits: 5.00

This course explores the idea of “the frontier” in the cultures of the American and Canadian west, as an inquiry into how this notion has evolved differently on each side of the border from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. We will emphasize social history themes (gender roles, the family, community, race) as these are illuminated through different aspects of pioneer life and sectors of frontier industry. We will sustain a particular focus on native/white interactions. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 340- HOW-Fmly PreIndst Era *AEH       Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Aesthetics & Humanities

Provides a historical overview of the history of women from Antiquity through the Protestant Reformation. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 341- HOW-Wmn’sMvmntModEra *AEH                Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Aesthetics & Humanities

An examination of the changing concepts of women’s roles and women’s rights in the domestic and public spheres. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 345 – Environmental History                  Credits: 5.00

An overview of the dynamic field of environmental history, covering environmental issues in vastly different historical settings, from the Pre-Columbian world to the modern, industrial United States. Prerequisites: WR 121 recommended; previous Social Science courses.

 

HIST 352- The Sixties          Credits: 5.00

The Sixties are often described as a period of great turbulence in American culture. If indeed this is so, what was the nature of the upheaval? Why did it occur? What legacies did this period establish for today’s society? Using a variety of source material, we will evaluate the evidence and assess the effects of a profoundly important historical moment. Particular emphasis is placed on the development of research and critical thinking skills. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 355 - Colonial Americas: An Introduction to Comparative History               Credits: 5.00

An introduction to the comparative history of European colonization in the Americas. Explores the central debates, themes, and interpretive shifts in a rapidly expanding field responding to ongoing globalization and the interconnectedness of the Americas. This course concentrates on culture: the everyday practices and systems of meaning through which human communities make sense of their world. It examines cross-cultural interaction among Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in a variety of colonial settings through such topics as cultural practices and belief systems; gender; labor; slavery; trade; missions; colonial; politics; and revolutionary struggles for independence. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

 

HIST 360- Military History                  Credits: 3.00

Evolution of warfare including the principles of war. Overview of American military history with emphasis on World War II. Impact of various revolutions (democratic, industrial, mechanical, scientific) on warfare. Crosslisted with MilitaryScience MS 202. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 401- Research            Credits: 1.00 TO 5.00

Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 403- Thesis                  Credits: 5.00

(Capstone) Major research paper demonstrating mastery of historical methodologies, use of primary as well as secondary sources. Prerequisite: HIST 407 and 420. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 405                 Credits: 1.00 TO 5.00

Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 407- Seminar               Credits: 1.00 TO 15.00

Prerequisite: HIST 420 and permission of the instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 410- Selected Topics                Credits: 1.00 TO 6.00

Directed studies in restricted historical topics. Students will be limited to 15 hours of topical studies as applied to 50 hours of major requirement. Prerequisite: Upper division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 420 (soon renamed HIST 303)- Historiography                   Credits: 5.00

Ideas and basic writings of great historians. Experience in original research and the historical process. Required of history majors. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 421- Medieval Europe  ***UWR             Credits: 5.00

Social, political, economic, and religious developments in Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire in the west to the period of the Renaissance in the late fourteenth century. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 422 - Violence in American History  ***UWR      Credits: 5.00

This course explores the problematic history of violence in America from the colonial period to the present. Utilizing analytical concepts such as race, class, and gender, it investigates the various types, causes, and historical consequences of violence; the politics, memory, and historiography of violence; and societal critiques of violence in America. Topics include America’s gun culture; the tradition of mob violence; collective and interpersonal violence; racial and ethnic violence; war; regional violence; gender and domestic violence; lynching; criminality; prisons; mass murders; school shootings; gang violence; terrorism; and mass media and the representation/consumption of violence. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 425- Hst Mdrn Sc:Grvty-Rltvty               Credits: 5.00

This course offers an introduction to the history of the sciences roughly between the times of Isaac Newton in the lateseventeenth century and Albert Einstein in the early twentieth. The course attempts to place science in the framework of modern culture and especially in Western Society. Among the topics emphasized is the idea of the scientific method and methods of experimentation. Specific subjects will include the foundations of modern science including gravity, chemistry, energy, evolution and the emergence of particle physics. In addition to building an understanding of the emerging ideas, the course works to study the ways in which social values are interwoven with scientific judgements. The course materials argue that scientists are not dispassionate catalogers of phenomena, but members of a society whose values and assumptions inform, and interact with their work. This relationship is especially true as it pertains to the development of a secular culture and specialization within science. Intimately bound up with the emergence of a secular culture and scientific expertise is the changing interaction between science and religion. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 427- Renaissance/Reform Europe  ***UWR      Credits: 5.00

Social, political, economic, and religious developments in Europe from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, with special attention given to the short and long range intellectual impact of Renaissance and Reformation ideas upon the history of Western Civilization. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 433- French Revolution & Napoleon  ***UWR   Credits: 5.00

A study of the origins of the Revolution from the reign of Louis XIV to the dissolution of the Old Regime in the revolutions of 1789 and 1792, the reign of terror, subsequent reaction, and the rule and conquests of Napoleon. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 437- History of Modern Germany   ***UWR        Credits: 5.00

A study of various German states concentrating on Prussia and its unification of Germany under Bismarck, pressures in the new Reich leading to the great War, the Weimar Republic, Hitler’s Reich, the re-division of Germany after 1945, and its subsequent reunification. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 444- History of the Pacific Northwest   ***UWR           Credits: 5.00

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the historical events in the modern Pacific Northwest of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as their causes. The goal is to acquaint students with major events of the region, their chronology and stimulate creative and critical thought about the history of the Pacific Northwest. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 448- History of Modern Russia   ***UWR            Credits: 5.00

Social, political, and economic history of Russia and its empire from the emancipation of the serfs through the rise and fall of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the old Russian empire Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 458- Civil War/Reconstruction               Credits: 5.00

Slavery, the Old South, sectional conflict, Civil War, the Reconstruction era through 1877, the consequences of Reconstruction. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 460- American Constitutional History *SSC       Credits: 5.00

Gen Ed Core-Social Sciences

The origins and development of the Constitution of the United States and major issues in the interpretation of the Constitution up to the present. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 462 - History of Sexuality  ***UWR     Credits: 5.00

This course explores ho 19th and 20th century Europeans and Americans have constructed and reconstructed sexuality. Through focusing on sexual imaginations, sexual ideologies, behaviors and regulations, we will examine key moments in the history of sexuality in order to analyze the ways sexuality is inscribed into and reproduced through practices of social, political, and cultural regulation. Prerequisites: Any 100 or 200 level HIST course and WR 121 or equivalent.

 

HIST 466- History of the American West   ***UWR     Credits: 5.00

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the historical events and casual relationships in the modern American West. For the purposes of this class, the region shall include the seventeen western states that lie west of a border running roughly from North Dakota to Texas. The course will include as a theme the obvious problems of defining specific boundaries. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with major events of the region, their chronology and stimulate creative and critical thought about the history of the American West. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 478- History of Oregon             Credits: 5.00

The native peoples of Oregon, European contacts and settlement, and the development of Oregon society, culture, and politics to the present. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 479- History of Mexico              Credits: 5.00

This course is designed to provide the student with a broad overview of the historical events and casual relationships in what today is Mexico. The course will begin in the pre- Columbian period and reach into the late 20th century. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with major events of Mexican History, their chronology and stimulate creative and critical thought about the history of Mexico. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 480- History of the US 1900-1945          Credits: 5.00

Social, cultural, diplomatic, and political topics. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 481- US Since World War II      Credits: 5.00

Diplomatic, social, cultural, and political topics in recent American history. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 483- History of Native Americans/US                   Credits: 5.00

This course is designed to provide the student with an intensive examination of the history of the indigenous peoples of the United States and their relationship with the federal government, its agencies and to a lesser extent the general population. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with major events and topics as they relate to Native Americans and their chronology, as well as to stimulate creative and critical thought about the history of the first Americans. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 507- Seminar               Credits: 1.00 TO 15.00

Research design, methods and historical writing. Graduate level edition of History 407. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

 

HIST 512- Contemporary Developments in History                      Credits: 3.00

Readings, reports, group discussion, and lecture on major trends, problems, and interpretations in modern history. Particular emphasis on history as a part of the secondary school curriculum. Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

 

*SSC- Fulfills General Education Social Science Requirement

**DPD- Fulfills Difference, Power, and Discrimination Requirement

***UWR- Fulfills University Writing Requirement