Academic Catalog

History (HIST)

HIST 121  - Western Civilization I  (3 Credits)  

From ancient Near Eastern origins through classical Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and Reformation Era to the seventeenth century.

HIST 122  - Western Civilization II  (3 Credits)  

From the seventeenth century through the Age of Absolutism, the Enlightenment, and the French Revolution to the era of nationalism and industrialism and the modernism of the twentieth century.

HIST 131  - American History to 1865  (3 Credits)  

The Age of Discovery and the Colonial Era through the American Revolution, nation building, the rise of the party system, slavery, and the Civil War.

HIST 132  - American History Since 1865  (3 Credits)  

Reconstruction, the emergence of industrialism, the development of world power status through the World Wars, and post-1945 trends.

HIST 141  - Asian Civilization I  (3 Credits)  

Asian civilization from its origins in India, China, Japan, and other societies through 1500 AD. Emphasis on social, intellectual, and technological change in the development of the culture and history of the area.

HIST 142  - Asian Civilization II  (3 Credits)  

Asia in the modern era, 1500 AD to present, the age of Western expansion and penetration and the social, political, economic, and intellectual transformation of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

HIST 190  - Great Lives: Biographical Approaches to History and Culture  (3 Credits)  

Examination of various historical and culture developments through the lives of notable individuals from ancient times to the present; specific lives change each semester and cover a wide range of areas of accomplishment.

HIST 200  - Topics in History  (3 Credits)  

Listed in the Schedule of Courses, chosen according to timely interest.

HIST 201  - First-Year Seminar in European History  (3 Credits)  

Topical seminar for freshmen who enter with a score of 4 or higher on AP European history.

HIST 202  - First-Year Seminar in American History  (3 Credits)  

The course is designed for first-year students with requisite AP credit, the purpose being is to introduce them at the outset to the richness and diversity of historical inquiry. Specific issues will vary from semester to semester according to the expertise of the course instructor, but all topics will be chosen so as to acquaint students with a broad range of historical approaches--e.g.- social, cultural, political, diplomatic, and intellectual history. Moreover, the course will emphasize historical interpretation and will require students to employ the basic skills of the discipline, notably research and communication, both written and oral.

HIST 297  - History Colloquium  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 121 and HIST 122 OR HIST 131 and HIST 132 OR HIST 141 and HIST 142 and major status. Introduction to what history is and what historians do with a focus on historiography, speaking, and writing.

HIST 298  - History Practicum  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 297. Introduction to what history is and what historians do with a focus on research, speaking, and writing.

HIST 299  - Introduction to the Study of History  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 121 and HIST 122 OR HIST 131 and HIST 132 OR HIST 141 and HIST 142 and major status. In HIST 299, students learn how to “think like historians." They practice the essential skills of historians as they undertake the research and writing of a history research paper and its related projects. The course prepares students for the research, writing, and thinking required in upper-division history courses.

HIST 300  - Topics in History  (3 Credits)  

Listed in the Schedule of Courses, chosen according to timely interest.

HIST 304  - The Civil War   (3 Credits)  

Development of Southern nationalism and the Confederacy; emphasis on social, economic, and political as well as military aspects of the war.

HIST 305  - The American West  (3 Credits)  

Exploration of interactions among various peoples who have lived along the American frontier and/or the American "West."

HIST 307  - Native American History  (3 Credits)  

Overview of Native American experiences in North America, with a focus on the pre-contact era to the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890; also addresses 20th-century and contemporary Native American experiences and issues.

HIST 308  - US Labor History  (3 Credits)  

Study of work and labor in the United States; emphasis on economic, political, social, and cultural changes in work and the labor movement.

HIST 310  - US Urban History  (3 Credits)  

History of cities and urban life in the United States from the colonial period to twentieth century.

HIST 313  - African American History through 1865  (3 Credits)  

A survey of the African American experience in the British colonies of North America and in the early United States from African roots through the Civil War, with a focus on the experience of both slaves and free blacks.

HIST 314  - African American History since Slavery  (3 Credits)  

A survey of the African American experience since emancipation in 1865; covers segregation and lynching, black nationalism, the Great Migration, and the civil rights movement.

HIST 315  - U.S. Immigration History  (3 Credits)  

This course explores the experiences of immigrants in the United States and the creation of ethnic identity from the colonial period to the present.

HIST 318  - The American Revolution  (3 Credits)  

Overview of the cultural, economic, political, and social factors that fueled the American colonies movement toward rebellion and independence.

HIST 319  - The Early American Republic  (3 Credits)  

Cultural, social, political, and economic history of the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War.

HIST 320  - The Gilded Age   (3 Credits)  

A survey of the period from the Civil War to the turn of the century; covers such topics as urbanization, industrialization, immigration, reform movements, and developments in law, family, recreation, race, and labor.

HIST 321  - The Progressive Era   (3 Credits)  

A survey of the first quarter of the twentieth century; covers reform efforts and World War I, as well as developments in law, recreation, race, business, and labor.

HIST 322  - US Environmental History  (3 Credits)  

This course considers interactions between human populations and their physical environments from early arrivals in North America through the 20th century, addressing the impacts of this exchange on both culture and nature.

HIST 323  - Colonial America  (3 Credits)  

This course considers how people of Native American, European, and African descent shaped and were shaped by colonial America's environmental, social, cultural, and economic realms, and how those experiences changed between the 16th and 18th centuries.

HIST 324  - Chinese History through Film  (3 Credits)  

This course explores the intersection of Chinese history and cinema during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Themes of exploration include revolution, gender, sexuality, socio-economic class, as well as the dynamics of globalization, among others (e.g., humor, violence.) Students will also build skills in analysis, speaking, writing, and digital fluencies.

HIST 325  - Technology and Culture  (3 Credits)  

Development of American technology and its relation to U.S. culture from the colonial period to the present.

HIST 326  - History of Manhood in the US  (3 Credits)  

Gendered history of men and masculinity in the United States from the colonial period to the present.

HIST 327  - US Women's History to 1870  (3 Credits)  

Significant cultural, economic, and political developments that shaped the lives of women in the United States from the pre-colonial period to the passage of the 15th Amendment.

HIST 328  - US Women's Hist Since 1870  (3 Credits)  

This course is a survey of the history of women in the United States from 1870 to the present. It examines the significant cultural, economic, and political developments that shaped the lives of American women, placing gender at the center of historical analysis. The course also stresses the variety of women's experiences, acknowledging the importance of race, ethnicity, and class in shaping female lives.

HIST 329  - U.S. History and Film  (3 Credits)  

This course examines historically oriented motion pictures as both primary and secondary sources of information about the history of the U.S. The course examines the relative successes or failures that major films have had in portraying the past, and analyzes how present events, cultures, and attitudes shape our view of the past.

HIST 330  - Introduction to Public History  (3 Credits)  

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to public history and community engagement. Students explore career opportunities in the field, meet with working professionals, and develop marketable job skills by participating in hands-on projects that have an impact on campus and in the community.

HIST 331A  - History of Ancient Greece  (3 Credits)  

Greek history from Mycenae and Homer to the Hellenistic kingdoms; emphasis on primary source criticism.

HIST 332  - History of Ancient Rome   (3 Credits)  

Mythic origins of the city to the Barbarian invasions; emphasis on primary source criticism.

HIST 334  - Early Modern European Women’s History  (3 Credits)  

Explores key areas of European women's lives, including family life, religion, sexuality, and witchcraft, from 1300 to 1700.

HIST 335  - The Renaissance   (3 Credits)  

Provides an in-depth look at the intellectual, political, social, and artistic developments in Europe known as the Renaissance.

HIST 336  - The Reformation   (3 Credits)  

Provides an in-depth look at the religious, intellectual, and social developments of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

HIST 337  - Medieval Islamic Civilization  (3 Credits)  

This course traces the articulation and development of Islamic Civilization from the appearance of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century CE to the spread of this civilization impulse throughout much of Eurasia and Africa by the 13th century CE.

HIST 338  - From Mongols to Ottomans  (3 Credits)  

This course traces the major developments that shaped the Nile to Oxus region from roughly the 13th to the 18th centuries. This period witnessed several transitions which shaped the background to the modern world in Eurasia, following the Mongol Irruption and closing with the stabilization of the “classical” Ottoman state.

HIST 339  - Modern Middle East History  (3 Credits)  

This course traces the major cultural, political, and economic developments that have shaped the modern Middle East from the 19th century to the present time.

HIST 341  - Europe in the Middle Ages I  (3 Credits)  

Conversion of Constantine to the last Viking raids.

HIST 342  - Europe in Middle Ages II  (3 Credits)  

Investiture crisis to the Italian Renaissance.

HIST 354  - History of France  (3 Credits)  

Restoration Era to de Gaulle.

HIST 358  - History of Modern Russia  (3 Credits)  

Late Imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet eras of Russian history. Key topics include emancipation of enserfed peasants and the Great Reforms, radical intelligentsia, empire and nationalism, industrialization and urbanization, Russian Revolution, Stalinism, World War II, space race and the Cold War, Soviet collapse, and the Putin era.

HIST 361  - History of Latin America I  (3 Credits)  

Native cultures, Spanish conquest, and colonial institutions.

HIST 362  - History of Latin America II  (3 Credits)  

Nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

HIST 364  - History of Japan  (3 Credits)  

This course explores Japanese history from pre-modern times to the present. We focus on specific topics, including the rise of new state forms, nationalism and democracy, as well as industrialization, colonialism, the Asia Pacific War and its consequences, and finally post-war changes, “lost decades,” and current-day dynamics.

HIST 365  - Late Imperial China  (3 Credits)  

Examines China’s political, social, and cultural history from the Age of Division through the rise of the Qing empire (3rd c. -17th c. CE), with a focus on the nature of empire, notions of ethnicity and difference in a pre-modern era, as well as gender, power, and ideology.

HIST 366  - Modern China  (3 Credits)  

Explores the history of China from the high Qing period (18th c.) through to the present day, with an emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries and today's shifts. Key topics include revolution (from Marxism to Maoism), nationalism, colonialism, and the Asia-Pacific War (1937-1945).

HIST 368  - Gender in Chinese History  (3 Credits)  

An exploration of the role of gender and family in Chinese history, from imperial times to present.

HIST 370  - History of Socialism  (3 Credits)  

Global history of socialist ideas, movements, and countries from the 19th century to the present.

HIST 371  - European Diplomatic History I  (3 Credits)  

Development of the modern state system from the Thirty Years War to the middle of the nineteenth century.

HIST 372  - European Diplomatic History II  (3 Credits)  

From the unification of Germany through two World Wars to the Cold War.

HIST 375  - Military History   (3 Credits)  

The art of war and its impact on society from the seventeenth century to the present; analysis of military developments in terms of organization, technology, and strategy.

HIST 378  - World War II in World History  (3 Credits)  

Global history of the conflict spanning its origins, conduct, and consequences. Specific topics and geographic focus will vary depending on the instructor teaching the course.

HIST 380  - United States Since 1945  (3 Credits)  

Emphasis on major issues of the postwar era, including the Cold War, McCarthyism, civil rights movement, Vietnam, black militancy, and feminism.

HIST 385  - Arab-Israeli Conflict  (3 Credits)  

Surveys the development and evolution of what is commonly referred to as the "Arab-Israeli conflict" from the mid-19th century to the present.

HIST 387  - Turkey from Empire to Republic  (3 Credits)  

This course covers the history of Modern Turkey and its transition as a society and political unit from an imperial Ottoman to a republican Turkish reality. While political, cultural, and religious topics are covered, the primary focus is historical, interrogating how Turkish society evolved in response to a series of domestic, regional, and international challenges in the past century and a half.

HIST 390A  - The United States and Vietnam  (3 Credits)  

Political, diplomatic, military, economic, and cultural study of Vietnam and of the United States' role in Indochina.

HIST 395  - U.S. History and Popular Culture  (3 Credits)  

This course explores the history of the United States through popular culture. Topics include fashion, food ways, television, movies, and music.

HIST 400  - From College to Career  (1 Credits)  

Prerequisite: History major status; Junior or senior status; HIST 298 or 299. Guidance and activities to help history majors think about and plan their post-UMW lives and careers and for finding and choosing the path or paths that best suit their interests and needs. Offered only as pass/fail; does not count in the history major.

HIST 419  - The Great War in the Middle East  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 297 and HIST 298 or HIST 299.. This seminar examines the history and multiple legacies of World War I for the Middle East. As such, the class explores the diplomatic background, imperial goals, military imperatives, personal experiences, negotiated settlement legacies, and evolving historiography of the conflict.

HIST 420  - The Great War, 1914-1918  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 and junior or senior status.The war's origins, its political and military leadership, the various land and sea campaigns, war poetry, the war's cultural legacy, the role of women, and peacemaking.

HIST 421  - Nazi Germany  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. German history from 1933 to 1945, including Hitler's rise to power, the causes of the 1939 war, the campaigns of World War II, the Holocaust, war crimes, and continuing Nazi legacy.

HIST 425  - Public History Seminar  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: AMST 306 or ARTH 315A or HISP 200 or HIST 298. Course familiarizes students with best practices in public history as practiced in United States and the principles of public history interpretation. Students participate in research and exhibit preparation in cooperation with a community partner.

HIST 427  - History of the Information Age  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status or permission of instructor. The digital humanities, history and new media, and the creation of online historical resources. Generally based in the history of the US, but it ranges more widely as appropriate.

HIST 428  - Digital History  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status or permission of instructor. The digital humanities, history and new media, and the creation of online historical resources.

HIST 432  - Ottoman Legacies  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. This seminar examines the Ottoman Empire’s history from its formation in the late 13th century until its final dissolution in 1923. The seminar also explores how Ottoman historians think about, analyze, and interpret that past, along with the cultural legacies left behind by the empire throughout the Middle East and the Balkans.

HIST 441  - Oral History  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299 or Permission of Instructor. Study of oral history methodology; explores how oral history and narration of the past generations' distinctive information about people's lives and political, social and cultural change; students receive training in oral history methods for conducting and analyzing interviews.

HIST 444  - American Slavery  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Slavery in America from its African origins to its demise during the Civil War.

HIST 449  - American Immigrant Experience  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299, junior or senior status or permission of instructor. This research seminar allows students to explore the movement of peoples in and out of the US from the colonial period to the present.

HIST 455  - Forgery and History  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Investigates circumstances and consequences of forgery in its historical context from the Hellenistic period (third century BCE) to the 20th century.

HIST 457  - History of Conspiracy Theories  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Examines the origins and impact of conspiracy theory thinking from the late 18th century to the present in a comparative context with special emphasis on France, the United States, and Russia.

HIST 462  - Women in Latin America  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Role of women in Latin American society from the preconquest period to the present.

HIST 465  - History of Childhood  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior Status. Research and reading seminar exploring the history of childhood and youth through social, cultural, and economic history, race & ethnicity, gender, queer studies, and global/postcolonial critiques. Exploration of primary sources and research methodologies with direct application in students’ own self-designed projects.

HIST 466  - Cultural History of Late 20th Century China  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Explores the methods of cultural history while engaging in a study of the People's Republic of China in the four decades leading up to the turn of the twenty-first century. Key realms of focus include visual culture, cinema, and fiction, as well as the themes of memory, identity, politics, and global capitalism.

HIST 468  - History of Stalinism  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisite: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status. Examines Soviet state and society under Stalin with particular attention to Communist ideology, collectivization and industrialization, popular culture, the Great Terror, everyday life, and World War II.

HIST 471  - Special Studies in History  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 and junior or senior status or permission of the instructor. Topical seminars. See Schedule of Courses each semester.

HIST 485  - Historical Research  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299, senior status and faculty approval of research topic. Capstone research and writing course involving the in-depth investigation of a subject under close supervision by a member of the department.

HIST 486  - Historical Research Abroad  (3 Credits)  

Prerequisites: HIST 298 or HIST 299 and junior or senior status and faculty approval of research topic. Alternative capstone research and writing course involving in-depth investigation of a subject in foreign archives under close supervision by a member of the department.

HIST 491  - Individual Study   (1-4 Credits)  

Individual investigation of a subject of historical significance, directed by a member of the department.

HIST 499B  - Internship   (1-12 Credits)  

Supervised off-campus experience, developed in consultation with the department. No more than 3 credits may be counted in the major.