Courses
HIS110* Ancient World (3 credits)
A survey of global societies including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, from prehistory to around AD 500. There will be a focus on the birth of civilization and its struggle for existence. No prerequisites.
HIS120* Medieval World (3 credits)
A survey of global societies including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, which existed in the thousand year period between the ancient and modern eras
(c. AD 500 - 1500). Attention will be given to the massive and creative developments of this period. No prerequisites.
HIS 160* Nineteenth Century Europe (3 Credits)
This course examines the major political, military, social and cultural developments in Europe from the French Revolution in 1789, through the Napoleonic Wars, 19th century revolutions and reactions, the unification of Italy and Germany, the growth of socialism, the zenith of imperialism, and the road to world war. The course will focus on the struggle for equality and liberty and the forces that opposed them. This examination will end with the tragic annihilation of many political and social advances by the Great War, 1914-1918, and the dawn of the age of extremes.
HIS 171* Contemporary World (3 Credits)
A survey of world history since 1945, which includes emphases on the Cold War, the post-colonial Third World, and globalization. This course will study the cultural, political, economic, and environmental impact of Western society on the rest of the world. There will also be an examination of nationalist and extremist responses to that impact, including the issue of modern terrorism.
HIS201 US History to 1877 (3 credits)
A survey of social, political, economic, religious, and cultural institutions from
Pre-Columbian America to the end of Reconstruction. No prerequisites.
Name change from American History to 1877
HIS202 US History Since 1877 (3 credits)
A survey of the social, political, cultural, and economic developments in the United States with special attention given to the emergence of the United States as a world power. No prerequisites.
Name change from American History From 1877
HIS203 Survey of American History (4 credits)
A survey of the political, economic, social, and religious movements in America from the Age of Discovery to the present. (Adult evening program only).
HIS 300 Northern Great Plains (3 credits)
A regional study of the Northern Plains with primary coverage of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas and some coverage of surrounding states and cities such as Chicago. This course begins with the Plains Indians around 1800 and continues to the present. Techniques in regional and local history will be investigated.
HIS310* Ancient Greece (3 credits)
This course covers the political, social, economic, and cultural history of ancient Greece from the Dark Ages through the Classical and Hellenistic eras until Roman conquest. No prerequisites.
HIS320 Roman Republic and Empire (3 credits)
This course covers Roman political, social, economic, and cultural history from the Roman Republic to the fall of the Roman Empire. No prerequisites.
HIS334* Early Medieval Europe (3 credits)
Development of political, social, and economic institutions from the fall of the Roman Empire to the high middle ages. Concentrates on the barbarian invasions and their successor kingdoms, the early Byzantine state, the rise of church power, and the Carolingian and Ottonian Renaissance.
HIS335* Late Medieval Europe (3 credits)
Development of political, social, and economic institutions from the beginning of the high middle ages to the eve of the Reformation. Concentrates on the struggle between the church and state for supremacy, the Crusades, the origins of nation-states, and the great famines and plagues of the fourteenth century.
HIS345* Early Modern Europe (3 credits)
A survey of early Modern Europe from the Renaissance and Reformation through the Catholic Counter-Reformation and Baroque Period; the Religious Wars, and the emergence of France as the continental superpower. No prerequisites.
Formerly HIS315 Europe From 1300-1715
HIS 355 Modern Africa (3 credits)
A study of African history since the early 19th century with a concentration on the impact of European imperialism and the rise of New Africa after independence. Emphases will include an examination of imperialism, nationalism, socialism, and ethnic rivalry.
HIS 360 Modern Latin America (3 credits)
A study of Latin American history since independence, including an examination of the Caudillo era, the rise of Marxism, the challenge of democracy, and American intervention.
HIS365* Modern Asia (3 credits)
A survey of the history of Modern Asia with concentrations on the Middle East, India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Emphases will include European imperialism, sociopolitical revolutions, wars for independence, world wars, traditional reactions to Western culture, and the realities of the new global order and economy. No prerequisites.
HIS405* Colonial America (3 credits)
Centers on the origins of the English colonial movement to the New World, early Euroamerican settlements through the growth of Colonial America, the French and Indian War, and the colonial crisis that led to the opening shots of the Revolution at Lexington and Concord. No prerequisites.
HIS410* Revolutionary America (3 credits)
Centers on the origins of the War for Independence. Also focuses on the struggle of the new nation, the problems of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention, Federalism, and the Jeffersonian Revolution of 1800. No prerequisites.
HIS415* The New Republic (3 credits)
US history from President Jefferson's first term through Federalism and Jacksonian democracy to the war with Mexico. Focuses on westward expansion, Manifest Destiny, and treatment of Native Americans. No prerequisites.
HIS417 American Civil War (3 credits)
Traces the main political, social, and military events in American history from the war with Mexico in 1846-1847 through the crisis of the 1850s culminating in the Civil War from 1861-1865. No prerequisites.
HIS419 Gilded Age America (3 credits)
US history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 to the end of the century. Focuses on the problems of immigration, industrial expansion, and labor relations. Also discusses the growing sense of the United States as a world power, American Imperialism and the Spanish-American War. No prerequisites.
HIS427 Medieval England (3 credits)
Traces the major political, social, and administrative changes from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. No prerequisites.
HIS 430 British Empire and Commonwealth (3 credits)
A study of the British Empire with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries with regard to the expansion of empire, colonial government, nationalist responses, the impact of world wars, the collapse of empire, and the formation of the Commonwealth.
HIS435* Modern Britain (3 credits)
A study of modern Britain from 1815 to the present. There will be an examination of Britain's domestic transformation into a social welfare state, its cultural and intellectual achievements, its participation in world events, the climax and collapse of the British Empire, and Britain's post-imperial legacy. No prerequisites.
HIS440 Modern Germany (3 credits)
A study of Modern Germany from 1871 to the present with an emphasis on the political, economic, social, cultural, intellectual, and military achievements as well as its challenges for itself and the world during the Second Reich, Weimar Republic, Third Reich, and Bundesrepublik. No prerequisites. Was HIS340X
HIS445* Modern Russia (3 credits)
A survey of Russian history from 1682 to the present with an emphasis on the political, economic, social, cultural, intellectual, and military achievements as well as its challenges for itself and the world through the Russian Empire, Revolution, Soviet Union, and current Russian Federation. No prerequisites.
HIS448 Baroque and Enlightenment Europe (3 credits)
This course covers Europe from the end of the religious wars with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 through the Age of Absolutism and ending with the Enlightenment. Special attention will be given to the decline of Austria, the eclipse of France, and the rise of Prussia and England. No prerequisites.
HIS450* French Revolution & Napoleonic Era (3 credits)
A study of French and European history from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 to the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. This course will examine the political, cultural, and military impacts of the Revolution and Napoleon on the 19th century world. No prerequisites.
HIS460* Europe and the Great War (3 credits)
This course covers the main political, economic, and military causes of the Great War, 1914-1918. It begins with the growing political and diplomatic tensions in Europe at the turn of the century brought on by the naval race and the nationalist and imperial rivalries in Central Europe, and continues through the war to the Peace of Versailles. No prerequisites.
Formerly HIS330 Europe: Era of World War I
HIS490* Directed Study (1-3 credits)
HIS492* Independent Study (1-3 credits)
HIS494* Internship (0-9 credits)
HIS499* History Seminar (Special Topic) (4 credits)
This seminar will cover an announced special topic. The seminar may be organized as either a reading or a research seminar with the former requiring considerable reading on the topic with a formal annotated bibliography and the latter requiring advanced research on the topic in the form of a formal paper. In either case, historiography and historical theories will be emphasized. This course is required of all History majors for graduation; must be a junior or senior.
Political Science Courses
POL 111 Introduction to Political Science (3 credits)
An introduction to the nature of politics and political organizations. It includes a history of the origins of law and of the state, especially in western civilization and discusses the various types of states, governments and political philosophies. It also focuses on international politics, organizations and diplomacy.
POL 112 American Government (3 credits)
Covers the nature of the American federal system as it is structured under the American Constitution including the national, state and local governments. It also studies the political processes through which our governmental system functions.
POL 291-292 Independent Study (1-3 credits)
POL 293 Directed Study (1-3 credits)
POL 295-299 Internship (0-9 credits)
POL 310 Developing and Transitional Nations (3 credits)
An interdisciplinary study of less developed countries in transition from Soviet-style socialism to other forms of social and economic systems. Include geographical, historical, cultural, lgal and economic aspects; basic concepts and definitions; selected current theoretical approachesto the study of political and economic systems and their application to selected developing and transitional countries. (Same as ECO 310)
POL 320 Modern Global Perspectives (3 credits)
This course is the study of the global systems which interact across cultures, the wonderful variety of cultures on earth, their strugle for economic parity and justice, and the process of moving from one culture to another. This course will incldue a study of the clash of values between cultures, the effects of population demograhpics, the use/misuse of natural resources, development in industrialized and non-industrialized nations, conflict and terrorism, cooperation among nations, and the environmental issues shaping the world of the future.
POL 330 Comparative Government (3 credits)
A comparative study of foreign governmental systems with regard to their political institutions and parties, legal systems, civil liberties, poltical philosophy, historic achievements, civilian or military power, ethnic or tribal tensions, the element of nationalism, and their federal, centrist, or autonomous structures. An investigation of international ruling bodies will also be examined. (Prerequisite: POL 111)
Law Courses
POL 410 American Law (4 credits)
An advanced introduction to the American legal system with an in-depth exploration of the US Constitution and the institutions and processes of the local, state and federal courts. Emphasis will be placed on major historical cases as well as major issues and cases facing the courts today. (Prerequisite: POL 112)
COM 411 Mass Media Law (4 credits)
Discusses the legal issues affecting the mass media, including the First Amendment rights, libel, fair trial rights, privacy, and public access to information. Students study the U.S. Constitution, court cases and legislative actions which are the foundations for media law.
BUS 410 Business Law (3 credits)
A first course in law for the business practitioner. Topics include the U.S. Constitution and the Uniform Commercial Code, crimes and torts, courts and procedures, contracts, sales, business organizations, agency, government regulation, and property. Major themes include legal research, the international legal environment, ethics, and corporate responsibility. The course concludes with a moot court, in which students play the roles of plantiff, defendant, counsel, clerk of court, judge and jury.
