This is the first version of the 2024–25 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.
Undergraduate major: history (BA)
Undergraduate minor: history
Undergraduate certificate: Jewish studies
Graduate degrees: MA in history; PhD in history
Faculty: https://history.uiowa.edu/people/
Website: https://history.uiowa.edu/
History is the centerpiece of a humanities education. History unlocks important insights into the world we inhabit, understanding the past on its own terms. Because of the geographical breadth of the department's courses, history students develop a global consciousness as they develop key transferable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and empathy.
Faculty and students in the department participate in many of the university's interdisciplinary departments and programs, including the departments of African American Studies; American Studies; Asian and Slavic Languages and Literatures; Classics; Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies; Global Health Studies; International Studies; Latin American Studies and Latina/o/x Studies; and the Native American and Indigenous Studies program.
In addition to the undergraduate and graduate programs offered by the Department of History, many history courses are approved for the GE CLAS Core. Look for courses with prefix HIST under Diversity and Inclusion, Historical Perspectives, International and Global Issues, and Values and Culture areas in the GE CLAS Core section of the catalog. History courses approved for the GE CLAS Core may not be taken pass/nonpass, even when they are taken as electives.
The University of Iowa Libraries offer excellent resources for undergraduate study in all fields of history, with distinct strengths in U.S. history. The Main Library houses the Henry A. Wallace papers and related collections, the Iowa Women's Archives, and other unique materials. Special Collections has a vast archive of both printed and digitized materials, including five decades of papers and work donated by TV news correspondent Tom Brokaw. The State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch also hold valuable research materials. The Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio offers assistance with projects in the digital humanities.
History Courses
History majors should take HIST:2151 Introduction to the History Major during their sophomore year or the first semester after they declare the major. First-year students planning to major in history may be admitted to HIST:2151 with permission from the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of History.
HIST:1000 First-Year Seminar 1-2 s.h.
Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities). Requirements: first- or second-semester standing.
HIST:1010 History Matters 3 s.h.
How do we understand the past on its own terms and what is its relevance to the present? Introduction to historical thinking through a variety of topics. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1016 The History That Made Our World 3 s.h.
How does history help to explain our interconnected world? Introduction to international and global thinking through a variety of topics. GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues.
HIST:1025 Medieval Religion and Culture 3 s.h.
Religion in Europe from classical antiquity to dawn of the Reformation; the religious element in traditions such as art, architecture, literature. GE: Historical Perspectives. Same as RELS:1225.
HIST:1030 Introduction to Islamic Civilization 3 s.h.
Survey of texts, ideas, events, institutions, geography, communities, literature, arts, sciences, and cultures in Islamic communities and societies since the 7th century. GE: International and Global Issues; Values and Culture. Same as RELS:1130.
HIST:1040 Diversity in History 3 s.h.
How did diversity affect past societies? How does history help us to understand diversity today? Introduction to thinking about diversity and inclusion; topics vary. GE: Diversity and Inclusion.
HIST:1049 Introduction to Native American and Indigenous Studies 3 s.h.
Exploration of past, present, and future of American Indians in the United States and beyond through film, art, music, and comedy. GE: Values and Culture. Same as AMST:1049, NAIS:1049.
HIST:1050 Modern Religion and Culture 3 s.h.
European and American religious life from Renaissance to 21st century; focus on specific themes, such as secularism, regionalism, pluralism. GE: Historical Perspectives. Same as RELS:1250.
HIST:1101 The Modern World 3 s.h.
How did today's globalized world come to be? Which aspects of globalization are new and which are inherited from the past? Taking a long-term perspective, this course traces the development and acceleration of global interdependence since the 14th century; how far-flung parts of the globe have been linked to one another, how long-distance connections affected the societies involved, and how individuals have experienced and contributed to such global networks; students develop an understanding of globalization's long history leading up to the present and of their place in contemporary global networks. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1115 The History of Oil 3 s.h.
Historical perspective on business, science, geology, technology, politics, environment, and culture of the global oil industry; the rise of oil as the most influential international business of the last 150 years, the material foundation of economies, a major force in world politics, a shaper of daily life, and a guide to understanding Earth's deep history. Offered fall semesters. GE: Sustainability. GE: Historical Perspectives. Same as EES:1115, ENVS:1115, GEOG:1115.
HIST:1166 Rapid Response History 1 s.h.
Bringing historians' expertise to bear on breaking news.
HIST:1216 The American Dream in Historical Context 1-3 s.h.
Introduction to the “American Dream” from the perspective of workers in the United States.
HIST:1261 American History to 1877 3 s.h.
America before European colonization; encounters between Native Americans, Europeans, and Africans in North America; the rise and decline of European imperial powers; the independence and expansion of the American republic; economic, political, and social change from the American Revolutionary era through Civil War and Reconstruction. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1262 American History 1877-Present 3 s.h.
America since Civil War and Reconstruction; politics, society, and culture from the post-Civil War decades through the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, and two world wars; the "Cold War" with Soviet communism abroad and at home, social protest movements and their influence on electoral politics, and the evolving economic and political role of U.S. in the world. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1290 Native American Foods and Foodways 3 s.h.
Native Americans as original farmers of 46% of the world's table vegetables; examination of food as a cultural artifact (e.g., chocolate, tobacco); food as a primary way in which human beings express their identities; environmental, material, and linguistic differences that shape unique food cultures among Native peoples across the Western Hemisphere; close analysis of Indigenous foods, rituals, and gender roles associated with them; how colonization transformed Native American, European, and African American cultures. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as AMST:1290, GHS:1290, NAIS:1290.
HIST:1401 The West and the World: Ancient 3 s.h.
Many consider Greece and Rome important influences for the modern West, but who influenced the Greeks and Romans? Students look to the ancient Near East, home to civilizations such as Egypt and the Babylonians, and investigate the formation of larger communities, study how peoples of the ancient Mediterranean viewed their world, follow the paths of Greeks and Romans, and end with Christianization of the Roman Empire, to not only understand the history of the period, but also learn how to think, read, and write critically. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1402 The West and the World: Medieval 3 s.h.
How have events of European history shaped modern institutions, politics, and culture worldwide, and how have other regions of the world shaped Europe? Students explore this question by tracing European history in a global context from the late Roman Empire to the 18th century to not only understand this history, but also learn how to read, write, and think critically about it. GE: Historical Perspectives.
HIST:1403 The West and the World: Modern 3 s.h.
Why are debates about Western Civilization so heated? What is the relationship between the West and other world regions? Exploration of the idea of "the West" as it evolved from interactions between modern Europe, its colonies, and other regions; overview of topics including politics, slavery, global economy, colonialism, migration, and cultural norms over the last 300 years. GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues.
HIST:1601 Civilizations of Asia: China from Origins to the 17th Century 3 s.h.
Introductory survey of Chinese history and civilization from its origins to 1800; exploration of traditions in politics, social organization, thought, religion, and culture. GE: Historical Perspectives. Same as ASIA:1601.
HIST:1602 Civilizations of Asia: China from the 17th Century to the Present 3 s.h.
Introductory survey of Chinese history from the 17th century to present; exploration of political, social, economics, and culture. GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues. Same as ASIA:1602.
HIST:1604 Civilizations of Asia: Japan 3-4 s.h.
GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues. Same as ASIA:1604.
HIST:1606 Civilizations of Asia: South Asia 3-4 s.h.
Civilization of a vast region that includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues. Same as ASIA:1606, RELS:1606.
HIST:1607 Civilizations of Asia: Korea 3-4 s.h.
Introduction to Korean history and culture; how meanings of "Korea" and "Koreans" changed from ancient times to present; relevant issues of politics, society, and culture; events that shaped ancient Korean states—Koryo state (918-1392), the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), Japanese colonization (1910-1945), and the two Koreas (1945-present); how present perspectives on Korea have influenced understandings of its past. GE: Historical Perspectives; International and Global Issues. Same as ASIA:1607.
HIST:1609 India Now! Surveying the World's Largest Democracy 3-4 s.h.
Introduction to India and its place in global economics, politics, religion, science, and culture since independence in 1947; India's contributions and adaptations to contemporary world, gender roles, changing sexual standards, and new ways India enters American lives—from globalized Bollywood films and music to new foods, fashions, and lifestyles; students examine the quiet revolution of affirmative action that has brought self-respect to millions, and market liberalization that has heightened economic inequality; consideration of ongoing challenges to world's largest democracy and contemporary efforts, both peaceful and violent, to address them. GE: Values and Culture. Same as ASIA:1609.
HIST:1610 Introduction to Asian Religions 3 s.h.
Religious beliefs, practices in India, China, Japan. GE: Values and Culture. Same as ASIA:1040, RELS:1404.
HIST:1612 Introduction to Buddhism 3 s.h.
Development of Buddhism in India, its spread across Asia, and arrival in the West; exploration of diverse Buddhist philosophies, practices, and cultures; readings from India, Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. GE: Values and Culture. Same as ASIA:1060, RELS:1506.
HIST:1708 Civilizations of Africa 3 s.h.
Introduction to the study of Africa; brief survey of African history; aspects of modern African life, including political and social issues, economic and health problems (including HIV/AIDS); classroom discussion of selected African films and assigned African novels. GE: Values and Culture.
HIST:2122 World History: Feudal Age to Nuclear Age 3 s.h.
World history from the late 1400s to 1945; colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, and industrialization as forces of global social and cultural transformation. Same as IS:2122.
HIST:2148 The Invention of Writing: From Cuneiform to Computers 3 s.h.
Invention of writing as one of the most momentous events in the history of human civilizations; how the use of written sign systems, notations, maps, graphs, encryptions, and most recently, computer programs have consequences that reach deeply into all aspects of people's lives; how writing fascinates and delights, fosters reflexive thinking and facilitates development of complex societies, and gives rise to institutions of social power and control; students explore the invention of writing and its consequences in broad international and interdisciplinary context. Taught in English. Same as ANTH:2248, ASIA:2248, CL:2248, CLSA:2048, COMM:2248, GRMN:2248, IS:2248, LING:2248, TRNS:2248, WLLC:2248.
HIST:2149 The Worlds of Jews and Judaism: An Introduction to Jewish Studies 3 s.h.
Introduction to the interdisciplinary field of Jewish studies; topics include history from ancient origins to the present, sociology of Jewish life in the U.S. and internationally, ethical and religious principles and practices, Jewish embeddedness in non-Jewish societies, and controversies within and surrounding the Jewish world. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as RELS:2240, SJUS:2240.
HIST:2150 Jews, Judaism, and Social Justice 3 s.h.
Jewish frameworks for grappling with justice and ethics from ancient world to present day; emphasis on internal diversity of Jewish experience as well as interactions with dominant and other minority cultures. Same as GWSS:2050, RELS:2250, SJUS:2050.
HIST:2151 Introduction to the History Major 3 s.h.
Topics vary; development of skills needed to succeed as a history major and post-graduation; exploration of diverse sources historians use (textual, visual, oral history, digital, material culture); examination of primary sources created by the people studied; analysis of how historians comb evidence to offer varying interpretations of controversies; how to frame historical questions, find and interpret relevant sources, integrate them into clear arguments; the ways history is used in public life (public service, education, policy making, political debate, information management, culture industry); students complete at least one graded paper to be included in history portfolio (HIST:3193). Requirements: history major.
HIST:2190 The Book in Global History 3 s.h.
Introduction to history of the book and book arts in diverse global contexts; histories of visual and verbal media, cross-cultural exchange, and the book's impact across time and space; hands-on work with historical books and book arts including papermaking, woodblock and letterpress printing, and binding. English and English and Creative Writing majors may apply this course to the Craft and Method requirement. GE: Historical Perspectives. Same as ENGL:2901, UICB:2190.
HIST:2195 Digital History Workshop 3-4 s.h.
Introduction to use of new media in historical research and writing; web-based publishing and blogging; photo, text, and video editing; digital mapping; curation of digital resources; projects may include short documentary videos, web development, mapping projects, or collaborative curation (identifying, digitizing, annotating artifacts or documents from university collections) in collaboration with UI Libraries Digital Research and Publishing.
HIST:2230 Fame and Celebrity in U.S. History 3 s.h.
Cultural history of the meanings and implications of fame and celebrity in America; conception of fame in the 18th century as something earned through great deeds and conferred by future generations; rise of a culture of celebrity in 19th- and 20th-century America; focus on theater, sports, movie, and musical stars; use of celebrities to sell products; implications for presidential campaigns; instant and ephemeral celebrity generated by television and the internet. Same as AMST:2230.
HIST:2250 The History of Social Justice Movements 3 s.h.
History of contemporary social movements in the U.S. and how these movements have directly affected policies related to environment, food, reproductive justice, civil rights, immigration, labor, race, and gender; students read, explore, discuss, and write about the history of contemporary social movements in the U.S. that had lasting effects on policies related to environment, agriculture, health, reproductive justice, civil rights, labor, race, gender, and immigration; exploration of multiple modes of representation and resistance including protests, boycotts, strikes, music, art, writing, riots, civil disobedience, theater, poetry, dance, and poetry. Same as GWSS:2250, SJUS:2250.
HIST:2266 Civil War and Emancipation 3 s.h.
160 years later, what can we learn about American history from studying a war that both killed and liberated an unprecedented number of people? Why did it take a war to end slavery? How did emancipation occur and how did enslaved people accelerate the destruction of U.S. slavery during the war? Same as AFAM:2266.
HIST:2267 African American History to 1877: From Slave Cabin to Senate Floor 3 s.h.
Experiences of African and African American people in the American colonies and the states of the new nation; history of Africans and African Americans as early settlers, enslaved and free, in places such as Detroit, Chicago, New York, and New Orleans; interactions with Indigenous people; role in the war for American independence; long history of resistance to slavery and racial discrimination; exploration of the rich history of community building, creation of significant Black social and cultural institutions, and formation of Black political thought and political activism. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as AFAM:2267.
HIST:2268 African American History Since the Civil War 3 s.h.
Exploration of racial oppression of African Americans and multiracial struggles against that oppression since the Civil War era; students examine the history of racism at individualized and systematic levels; historical efforts made by individuals and collective movements in service of the long Black freedom struggle; and the ways these twinned histories have shaped modern America. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as AFAM:2268.
HIST:2280 Introduction to Latina/o/x Studies 3 s.h.
Introduction to field of Latina/o/x studies through interdisciplinary readings from literature, history, sociology, political science, urban studies, and anthropology; commonalities and differences among long-standing Latina/o/x populations (i.e., Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans); challenges faced by newer arrivals (i.e., Dominican Americans, Salvadoran Americans, Guatemalan Americans, Central and South American immigrants). Taught in English. GE: Diversity and Inclusion. Same as LATS:2280.
HIST:2288 Latina/o/x History from Conquest to the Present 3 s.h.
Beginning with 16th century and stretching to the present, students map varied terrains of Latina/o/x history, exploring Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, Dominican American, and Central American experiences in the United States; major themes include details of conquest and resistance, immigration, work, and creation of racial, gendered, and sexual differences within and between Latino/a/x communities; focus on shared Latina/o/x identity and changing images of Latina/o/x peoples within American popular culture; effects of current political issues on Latina/o/x community today.
HIST:2292 Native American Law and Policy: A History 3 s.h.
Native Americans are citizens of governments that predate the U.S.; what it means to be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe within the U.S.; exploration of the peculiar status of Native nations and their citizens since 1789. Same as AMST:2292, NAIS:2292.
HIST:2420 Germany in the World 3-4 s.h.
The Federal Republic of Germany's increasing prominence in post-Cold War international affairs against backdrop of 20th-century history; Germany's role in the European Union and the changing relationship between Europe and the United States. Taught in English. GE: International and Global Issues. Same as GRMN:2720.
HIST:2431 Roman Law, Order, and Crime 3 s.h.
Case-based introduction to Roman law; principles of Roman law ranging from standards of evidence to trial procedures to various topics in civil and criminal law, including family law and the law of delict. Same as CLSA:2151.
HIST:2444 Engineering and Technology in the Ancient World 3 s.h.
Technologies developed and used in the ancient world—primarily in Greece and Rome, also in Egypt and the Ancient Near East; agriculture and food preparation; construction and architecture; technologies related to warfare. Same as CLSA:2144.
HIST:2461 Middle East and Mediterranean: Alexander to Suleiman 3 s.h.
HIST:2465 Europe Since 1945 3 s.h.
Europe since World War II: recovery, cold war, social and economic change, global perspectives.
HIST:2483 History of Britain: Fall of Rome to the Norman Conquest 3 s.h.
History of Britain from fall of Rome (after 410) and through Anglo-Saxon era, until Norman Conquest of 1066; Anglo-Saxon kings and kingdoms, church and society; poetry, historical writings, archaeology.
HIST:2684 Korean War: Local and Global History 3 s.h.
Examination of the Korean War as a local, regional, and global event; major topics of the war including its origins, methods of warfare, refugee question, war crimes, POWs, propaganda, memory, and commemoration from the perspective of multiple nations; discussion and analysis of scholarly works, textbooks, diplomatic documents, memoirs, fiction, visual sources, and film. Same as ASIA:2684.
HIST:2687 Perspectives on Korea 3 s.h.
History of Korea from earliest times to present; changing meanings of Korea and Koreans; relevant issues of politics, society, and culture; events that shaped ancient Korean kingdoms, the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), Japanese occupation, and divided Korean peninsula; how present perspectives on Korea have influenced understandings of its past; placement of Korea within a regional and global context to examine Korea's relationship with the world. Same as ASIA:2887.
HIST:2802 Gender, Religion, and Social Identities in the Modern Middle East 3 s.h.
Gender, religion, and social identities historically have served to articulate notions of modernity, community, and political ideologies; in the Middle East and North Africa, these categories have been used to assert European colonial and racial supremacy and patriarchal dominance as well as anti-colonial resistance and social revolution; examination of the formulations of gender, religion, and social identities with special emphasis on reformulation of individual and communitarian identities in the region after independence from European colonial powers.
HIST:2804 The Middle East Through Graphic Novels and Animated Film 3 s.h.
Contemporary history of the Middle East and North Africa with emphasis on visual media—comics, animated films, and political cartoons; art as political manipulation/expression and resistance; students gain knowledge through a variety of personal accounts about the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lebanese Civil War, civil war in Syria, or Islamic revolution in Iran.
HIST:2810 The Modern Middle East 3 s.h.
Fundamental questions that go beyond the boundaries of the Middle East and North Africa (e.g., legacy of colonialism, race/racism, identity, citizenship, violence); roots of present events.
HIST:3101 History Internship 1-6 s.h.
Internship involving historical work. Requirements: consent of director of undergraduate studies and Pomerantz Career Center.
HIST:3106 History Behind the Headlines 1-3 s.h.
Examination of selected national and international news stories and their historical background; a goal of creating informed world citizens.
HIST:3108 History of Human Rights 3 s.h.
Introduction to history of human rights in the 20th century; disjuncture between human rights in theory and in practice; provides an international approach to the history of human rights by situating U.S. human rights activism and policy in a global context; focus on human rights following World War II, contradictory impact of the Cold War; emergence of human rights politics in 1970s United States, challenges of post-Cold War human rights activism, and human rights rhetoric of the Global War on Terrorism.
HIST:3126 History of Globalization 3 s.h.
Broad overview of globalization in modern world history; focus on evolution of international business, world economy, interstate system, and cultural interchange in 19th and 20th centuries; long-distance trade and exchange; global economy under British Empire; globalization after 1945 following a 30-year period of nationalism, war, and depression; global market integration in late 20th century under American supremacy.
HIST:3128 Topics in Global Environmental History 3 s.h.
Examination of changing relationship over time between humans and nonhuman world in global and transregional contexts; environmental history from different angles; how humans have depended on, interacted with, and been shaped by natural world over time; how people have perceived and assigned meaning to natural world around them; how human attitudes and actions have altered or reshaped landscapes and their inhabitants; becoming sensitive to gendered, class, and racial aspects of environmental change; topics, scope, and time periods may vary.
HIST:3131 Unnatural Disasters: A Global History 3 s.h.
What is a natural disaster? How do we assess "naturalness" of these events within political, social, and historical contexts in which they occur? Are disasters specific moments of crisis, or rather, are they slow—unraveling across time and space years before and after the moment their pain is most acutely felt? Examination of these questions at a global scale. Same as GEOG:3131.
HIST:3132 Science, Medicine, and Race 3 s.h.
Examination of social construction of race in scientific and medical thought; focus on Atlantic world (Europe, Africa, the Americas); construction of race in other parts of world.
HIST:3133 Science, Technology, and Society in the Modern World 3 s.h.
Origins and history of modern science and technology in cultural, social, political, and economic context from 1500s to present, with focus on Europe and the United States.
HIST:3137 Politics of the Archaeological Past 3 s.h.
How control over management of material remains of the ancient past, and representations of that past, intersect with the identity of diverse groups, including archaeologists, Indigenous peoples, national governments, collectors, ethnic minorities and majorities, museum curators; struggles for control of the archaeological past at different scales (artifacts, skeletal remains, sites, imagery, narratives) and in different regions of the world. Same as ANTH:3237, MUSM:3237.
HIST:3143 International Politics: The History of the Present 3-4 s.h.
Historical approach to international relations; comprehensive overview of key developments and concepts in history of international politics.
HIST:3145 Europe and the United States in the Twentieth Century 3 s.h.
Traveling in time and across the Atlantic, through movies and documentaries, propaganda and art, government documents and private letters, students explore the history of Europe and the United States in the 20th century and watch major events unfold: impact of the Great War and rise of fascism, World War Two and the Holocaust, origins of the European Union and NATO, major crises and resolution of the Cold War, transatlantic conflict and cooperation.
HIST:3147 The Cold War 3 s.h.
Examine the contours of Cold War history from its roots prior to 1945 through the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991; study a variety of perspectives in order to further elucidate the complexities of this period and the "new Cold War."
HIST:3150 Feminist Readings of History 3 s.h.
Feminist analysis has revolutionized the writing of history—not only on gender and sexuality, but also on topics as diverse as politics, economics, international relations, and social hierarchies (e.g., race, class, ability, religion); students examine feminist transformations of history with specific topics chosen by instructor. Same as GWSS:3150.
HIST:3155 The World Since 1945 3 s.h.
HIST:3157 Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights 3 s.h.
History of gender and sexuality as components in international human rights activism and law; current debates, representative topics. Same as GWSS:3157.
HIST:3160 Malcolm X, King, and Human Rights 3 s.h.
Religion and politics of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the context of U.S. civil rights and international human rights in West Africa and the Muslim world; emphasis on civil rights connections to Gandhi, the Nobel Peace prize, and other international experiences that have impacted Pan Africanists, such as Stokely Carmichael, who worked on human rights. Recommendations: international studies major or undergraduate standing. Same as AFAM:3500, RELS:3808.
HIST:3171 Slavery in World History 3 s.h.
Introduction to study of slavery through the lens of world history; exposure to a range of societies where slavery was prevalent; identification of similarities and differences over different time periods and geographical distances; exploration of Roman slavery, slavery in non-Islamic Africa, trans-Atlantic slave trade in the United States and the Caribbean, and Native American slaveries, among others.
HIST:3191 Individual Study: Undergraduate arr.
HIST:3193 Undergraduate History Portfolio 0 s.h.
Submission of required history portfolio. Requirements: history major and senior standing.
HIST:3205 American Cultural History 3 s.h.
Nineteenth- and twentieth-century U.S. history from a cultural perspective; culture defined broadly to encompass paintings, sculpture, theater, novels, and newer forms of entertainment made available by lithography, photography, cinema, the phonograph, radio, and television; rather than assume Americans were passive consumers of commercial culture, students examine how Americans expressed themselves through foodways, home decor, clothing fashions, or slang; how Americans drew on these cultural forms in social/political struggles over race, gender, class, and sexuality. Same as AMST:3205.
HIST:3217 Latina/o/x Immigration 3 s.h.
Immigration experiences of people arriving in the United States from other regions of the Americas (e.g., Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, South America); what has fueled immigration—social, political, and economic developments in the United States and other nations; territorial conquest, colonialism, real and imagined borders, chain migration, formation of immigrant communities, acculturation, circular migration, social networks; how migration restructures gender relations; immigrant communities and pan-Latina/o/x identity in the United States. Same as LAS:3217, LATS:3217.
HIST:3220 Pandemic Politics: The COVID-19 Crisis in Historical Perspective 3 s.h.
How the COVID-19 crisis marks an unprecedented public health and public policy moment in American history; challenges to public polices and governing institutions that have important parallels in earlier historical moments—particularly the Great Depression and the mobilization for World War II—and also mark important departures; examination of historical, political, and public policy implications of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States; placement of current moment in historical perspective; history of key public policies including public health, health insurance, employment security, and social assistance across the last century.
HIST:3230 American Environmental History 3 s.h.
Introduction to environmental change in American history; human-nature interactions from colonial period to recent past; food and agriculture, industrial technologies and transportation, energy production and consumption, urbanization and sprawl, public lands and public works, environmental politics and law, toxic pollution and health, natural disasters, climate change.
HIST:3232 History of American Inequality 3 s.h.
Survey of causes and consequences of inequality in modern American history.
HIST:3240 U.S. Energy Policy in Global Context 3 s.h.
Historical and contemporary aspects of U.S. governmental planning and policy on a wide range of energy issues in global context. Same as GEOG:3780, GHS:3780, POLI:3431.
HIST:3242 The United States in World Affairs 3-4 s.h.
America's emergence as leader in world affairs; imperialism, international collaboration, participation in world wars, the Cold War.
HIST:3249 Midwestern History 3 s.h.
People of Iowa and surrounding Midwestern states—a land where people work hard, are practical, down to earth, and honest; the idea of a place in the heartland as real or simply a myth; history of Midwestern states from Native American occupation to present; how reality, ideas, and images are portrayed. Same as AMST:3249.
HIST:3250 American Stuff: Discovering History in Things 3 s.h.
Introduction to the historical study of material artifacts; how people have used objects to construct their memories, identities (e.g., class, race, sexuality, gender, nation), relationships, and status/power; how objects have inadvertently shaped us; finding artifacts in local collections; analyzing artifacts as historical sources; researching how objects were produced and sold and how they were used or misused; curating one's own exhibition; objects range from utilitarian (e.g., guns, farming tools, office gadgets, automobiles) to decorations, toys, souvenirs, and more. Same as MUSM:3250.
HIST:3251 The Office: Business Life in America 3 s.h.
History of business life in America from birth of Wall Street to rise of Silicon Valley; modes of managing and regulating office workers; changing designs of office buildings, furniture, gadgets; corporate response to rise of class inequalities and growing gender and racial diversity in workforce; portrayal of businessperson in novels, movies, television, art, photography. Same as AMST:3251.
HIST:3253 The Civil Rights Movement 3 s.h.
History of the American civil rights movement. Same as AFAM:3053, AMST:3053.
HIST:3256 The Great Migration(s) in the Midwest 3 s.h.
Investigation of African American migration to and within the Midwest; first and second Great Migrations (1910–1940, 1940–1970); focus on reaction to and social, cultural, political, and economic impact of newcomers arrival; class time devoted to actual practice of historical research; students work on a collaborative project focused on the history of racial discrimination, housing segregation, and resistance to that oppression in Iowa's six metropolitan areas. Same as AFAM:3256.
HIST:3257 Civil Rights and Racial Justice: A Tour Through the South 1-3 s.h.
Exploration of the history of modern civil rights movement through lectures, shared readings, videos, and discussion; includes preparation and two-week tour of civil rights sites in the South. Prerequisites: SJUS:1001 or SJUS:2250 or GWSS:1002 or CCCC:2220 or AFAM:1030 or AFAM:2268 or HIST:2268 or AFAM:3053 or AMST:3053 or HIST:3253 or HIST:3232 or AFAM:3100 or HIST:3160 or HIST:3260 or AFAM:3260 or HIST:3282 or GWSS:3282 or HIST:4130. Same as AFAM:3257, GWSS:3257, SJUS:3257.
HIST:3259 Making Change, Making History: Iowa's Black Activists and Digital History 3 s.h.
From the 1830s through the end of the 19th century, African Americans formed local, state, and national meetings called “Colored Conventions,” where they strategized about how to achieve social justice; students explore Iowa's connections to this history of political activism. Same as GWSS:3459, SJUS:3459.
HIST:3260 Violence in Black America 3 s.h.
Examination of violence—physical, structural, gendered, and psychological—and its impact of shaping Black American experience through resistance, cultural production, and community development. Same as AFAM:3260.
HIST:3262 The Black Midwest: History, Literature, and Culture 3 s.h.
Exploration of history, culture, and art of the Black Midwest using literature and scholarly readings, poems, music, and film; modern issues impacting Black Midwesterners; cultural, social, and political contributions of Black Midwesterners to the region and nation. Same as AFAM:3262.
HIST:3264 Technology in American Culture and Society 3 s.h.
Social and cultural history of technology in the United States from cotton gin to smartphone; how technologies have shaped and been shaped by American culture, society, and politics—encompassing technologies of production, communication, transportation, entertainment, warfare, voting, surveillance, and more; economic forces spurring technological innovation and ways in which ordinary users re-appropriate technologies; cultural responses to new technologies (e.g., writers, artists, filmmakers, critics) ranging from fear to celebration; utopian and dystopian imaginings of future technologies. Same as AMST:3264.
HIST:3265 American Monuments 3 s.h.
History of public monuments in America from the inception of first major monuments in the 1820s to the latest incarnations (e.g., counter-monuments such as the 9/11 Memorial, spontaneous and temporary monuments, online memorials); how monuments have depicted Indians, Blacks, Southern confederates, women, and other groups; how monuments have commemorated wars, Indian massacres, lynchings, and political movements (e.g., civil rights, women's suffrage); how monuments have been reinterpreted through popular protests and depositing of artifacts; why monuments have attracted so much controversy, culminating in recent events at Charlottesville. Same as AMST:3265.
HIST:3267 Apocalyptic Visions and Movements in U.S. History 3 s.h.
The end of the world as imagined, feared, and in some cases, desired by Americans from 1700s to present; status of apocalypse in various religious communities and in American culture more generally (i.e., literature, art, popular culture); focus on political and social implications of apocalyptic visions; how they shaped historical events and periods (i.e., American Revolution, Civil War, Cold War); how they contributed to nationalism, racism, and imperialism as well as pacificism, anti-Americanism, utopian communities, and opposition to industry and technology; what role apocalypticism plays in the United States today.
HIST:3270 Colonial North America, ca. 1600-1775 3 s.h.
Introduction to major themes in colonial American history prior to the American Revolution; Native American history; colonialism and Native resistance; slavery; material culture; religion and spirituality; immigration; gender and sexuality in cross-cultural perspective. Same as NAIS:3270.
HIST:3271 American Revolutionary Period 3 s.h.
Political and military history of colonies 1754-1776; imperial upheaval; building a new nation; creation of federal system.
HIST:3272 Native Americans in the Age of Empires, ca. 1500-1815 3 s.h.
Overview of major issues in Native American history during the period of European Imperialism; colonialism, diplomacy and alliance building, warfare, captivity, religious and spiritual exchanges, revolution, and the disintegration of Native-European alliances in the early 19th century. Same as NAIS:3272.
HIST:3273 War and Violence in Early American Societies and Culture 3 s.h.
Introduction to role of warfare and violence in shaping early American society.
HIST:3275 History of Slavery in the U.S.A. 3-4 s.h.
Beginning, expansion, and ending of American slavery; how our national memory of slavery in popular culture (in high school history, in historical landmarks and museums) helps or hinders our understanding of history of slavery in the U.S. Same as AFAM:3275.
HIST:3282 Women and Power in U.S. History Since the Civil War 3 s.h.
Major events and themes in U.S. women's history from late 19th century to present; how women's experiences have differed from men's; exploration of distinct but interconnected histories of different groups of women; changing ideals of femininity; women's experience of industrialization, immigration, depression, war, and sexual revolution; women's activism for social reform, women's rights, labor, civil rights, peace, and the New Right. Same as GWSS:3282.
HIST:3289 The Atlantic World c. 1450-1850 3 s.h.
Interactions between peoples of Europe, Africa, and the Americas between the 15th and mid-19th centuries, interconnected system of exchange that defied national and imperial boundaries; encounters between Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans in different parts of the Americas; forced and voluntary resettlement of Africans and Europeans overseas; development of plantation slave societies; biological consequences of transatlantic contact; circulation of people, goods, and ideas; development of creole societies; era of revolutions; abolition of slavery. Same as NAIS:3289.
HIST:3401 Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East 3 s.h.
Survey of political, economic, religious, and social change in ancient Egypt from ca. 3000 B.C.E. until its conquest by Persia, and of the ancient Near East from ca. 3000 B.C.E. until Alexander the Great's conquests. Same as CLSA:3401.
HIST:3403 City of Athens: Bronze Age to Roman World 3 s.h.
Athens from Bronze Age to end of Roman period; topics include the city's role in development of political democracy and religion, as well as the art and archaeology of the city. Same as ANTH:3821, CLSA:3821.
HIST:3404 The World of Ancient Greece 3 s.h.
Survey of Greece history from ca. 2000 B.C. to 300 B.C.; Minoan, Mycenaean, and Greek society and culture; contact between Greek mainland and eastern Mediterranean cultures; development of the polis; political developments throughout the period; readings include a variety of sources in translation as well as modern interpretations; methodological problems in studying ancient Greece including interpretation of ancient historiography and using evidence from art, archaeology, and literature; knowledge of ancient Greek not required. Same as CLSA:3404.
HIST:3409 Medieval Civilization I 3 s.h.
Europe from the decline of Roman empire to the eleventh century; cultural, political, economic, artistic and architectural foundations of Western civilization. Same as MDVL:3409.
HIST:3410 Medieval Civilization II 3 s.h.
Europe from the eleventh century to the Italian Renaissance; cultural, political, economic, artistic, and architectural foundations of Western civilization. Same as MDVL:3410.
HIST:3413 Early Modern Britain: The Tudor and Stuart Era 3 s.h.
History of Britain during the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs (1509-1714); focus on political institutions, economic development, civil conflict, religious change, origins of the British Empire, and everyday life.
HIST:3414 Science, Magic, and Religion in Early Modern Europe 3 s.h.
Magic and witchcraft, religious beliefs and practices, and the development of science, technology, and medicine during the late Middle Ages, Scientific Revolution, and Enlightenment. The natural and supernatural; astrology and astronomy; alchemy and chemistry; popular and elite knowledge; occult beliefs and mysticism; male and female magical, scientific, and religious practitioners; and science, magic, and religion in European politics and colonialism.
HIST:3415 Britain and Its Empire: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries 3 s.h.
Britain and its empire from the Revolution of 1688 to the outbreak of World War I; topics include the growth of the British Empire; trans-Atlantic slave trade and its abolition; Industrial Revolution; political union and ongoing conflict between England, Scotland, and Ireland; political reform, expansion of franchise, and rise of labor and feminist movements; science, art, and culture; religion in British life.
HIST:3416 Modern Britain: War and Empire in the Twentieth Century 3 s.h.
Great Britain from the First World War to Tony Blair's political triumph; World War I and the postwar settlement, expansion of the British Empire in the Middle East, rise of the Labour Party, the Depression, appeasement, World War II, Labour Party's triumph after the war, decolonization and emergence of postcolonial independent states around the world, 1960s cultural changes, Margaret Thatcher's political ascendancy, transformation of the Labour Party under Blair, and emergence of a new, multicultural and multiracial Britain.
HIST:3420 Health and Healing in Early Modern Europe 3 s.h.
Health, healing, and medicine (1200-1700); transmission of medical knowledge from medieval Islam and ancient Greece; healers including physicians, midwives, surgeons, apothecaries, and ordinary people; epidemic disease; diet and the body; sex and reproduction; health in the colonial Atlantic world; healing and religion including prayer, magic, and witchcraft. Same as GHS:3420.
HIST:3423 Ireland in the Early Middle Ages 3 s.h.
Ireland and the northern British islands 400-1000 C.E., a region of small kingdoms and thin population, lacking natural resources, far from Rome and ancient centers of Mediterranean culture; development of civilization, including monastic, legal, theological, and scholarly traditions that had a major impact on continental Europe; early medieval Irish history; introduction to the world of historical scholarship. Same as MDVL:3423.
HIST:3427 Family, Gender, and Society in Early Modern Europe 3 s.h.
Social and gender ideologies as inscribed in patterns of authority (household, church, state); ranges of human endeavor (intellectual, psychological, biological); community organization (social, economic, legal, sexual); their influence on concept of community. Same as GWSS:3427.
HIST:3436 Food in Ancient Mediterranean Society 3 s.h.
Practices and values influenced by consumption and production of food in ancient Mediterranean societies; varied topics, including methods of food production and distribution, hierarchies of status as associated with food, food and ethnic identity, food and health, food and religion; focus on classical Greek and Roman society, Egypt, the ancient Near East, and Persia. Recommendations: familiarity with Greek and Roman civilization and history. Same as ANTH:3204, CLSA:3836.
HIST:3448 Barbarians and the Fall of Rome 3 s.h.
Did barbarian hordes cause the decline and fall of the Roman Empire? In the span of just a few hundred years, the Roman Empire of the Mediterranean world was transformed in terms of culture, religion, and the peoples that inhabited it, but we can't place all the blame for the so-called fall of Rome on the Huns, Visigoths, Vandals, and other migrating peoples; students explore textual, visual, and archaeological evidence for the spread of these “barbarian” cultures, the sacking of Rome, and the late antique transition to the Middle Ages from 200-800 C.E. Same as CLSA:3148.
HIST:3470 France from 1815 to Present 3 s.h.
History of France in the 19th century to present; major topics include the French Revolution, France and the European balance of power, Napoleon, the Bourbon Restoration, the Revolutions of 1830 and 1848, Napoleon III and the Second Empire, creation and survival of the Third French Republic, relations between the French state and the Catholic Church, the Dreyfus Affair, French colonial expansion, France and the origins of the First World War, France's role in World War I, and France and the origins of the Second World War.
HIST:3473 German History 1648-1914 3 s.h.
Introduction to history of German-speaking lands from the devastation of the Thirty-Years War through the trauma of World War I, cutting across the French Revolution, the Revolutions of 1848, and German unification (1871); role of the German nation-state in European politics, not centered on the rise of that state and those politics, instead, an exploration of the vast diversity of German communities that emerged and persisted across this period; students are challenged to think about ways in which German history was part of a global history that extended into Iowa as well as many other places in the world.
HIST:3475 Germany's Twentieth Century 3-4 s.h.
How did Germany come to play such a great role in 20th century history, and how does that legacy shape the 21st century? Students pick up the story with Germany as an upstart new nation-state in the late 19th century and explore cases and consequences of World War I; the promise and crises of the Weimar Republic; Nazism, the Holocaust, and World War II; divided Germany in the Cold War; reunification; what the larger power structures, economic developments, and geopolitics were that shaped this history; how ordinary people experienced and contributed to it, and what Germany's impact is on the larger world.
HIST:3492 Russian Literature in Translation 1860-1917 3 s.h.
Survey of major works, figures, and trends of 19th- and early 20th-century Russian literature; age of the Russian novel; works of Turgenev (Fathers and Sons), Tolstoy (Confession), Dostoevsky (The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov), and Chekhov (plays). Taught in English. Same as RUSS:3202, TRNS:3203, WLLC:3202.
HIST:3494 The Russian Revolutions and Their Legacies 3 s.h.
The Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917 unquestionably changed the fabric of Russian political and social life, transforming Russia from an autocratic imperial power to the first self-proclaimed socialist federation in Europe; students explore sources, nature, and consequences of the revolutions by intensively analyzing politics, society, and culture in late imperial and Bolshevik Russia; students review events and revolutionary movements of late 19th century, changes in political practices extending from late tsarist period, and development of Leninist and Stalinist ideology after the revolutions. Same as RUSS:3494.
HIST:3501 Rebel Island: A History of Cuba 3 s.h.
Cuban society and revolutionary movements since the late colonial period, including the years since 1959. Same as LAS:3501.
HIST:3502 History of Mexico 3 s.h.
Mexican history since the eve of the Spanish invasion, with focus on the national period; indigenous groups, conquest and demographic disaster, Native survival, labor and migration, social protest and rebellions, nationhood, revolution, regional differences, religions, popular culture, economic growth and distribution, state building, environmental change, international relations; survey. Same as LAS:3502, NAIS:3502.
HIST:3508 Disease and Health in Latin American History 3 s.h.
Survey of major topics in Latin American history in relation to development of medicine and public health. Same as GHS:3508, LAS:3508.
HIST:3515 Introduction to Modern Latin America 3 s.h.
Introduction to modern history of Latin America from independence movements of the early 19th century to present; topics include race and ethnicity, slave emancipation, gender, labor relations, and foreign interventions; exploration of relationship between economic, social, and political structures over time to explain difference and commonality between Latin American people and societies; focus on topics pertaining to histories of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. Same as LAS:3515.
HIST:3522 Indigenous Women and Rural Unrest in Latin America 3 s.h.
Trace the major and everyday forms of contestation between Indigenous peoples and the groups that have tried to assimilate, subjugate, or dominate them in Latin America, concentrating on Mesoamerica, the Amazonia, and the Andes; explore questions of power, identity, and resistance through the lens of gender. Same as LATS:3522.
HIST:3539 History of Environmental (In)Justice in Latin America 3 s.h.
Introduction to history of environmental change in Latin America; examination of pre-Hispanic cultures and spaces; reshaping of landscapes due to colonialism; commodification of nature in early republics; consolidation of 19th-century agro-economies; land-tenure changes and integration of regional markets due to neoliberalism in 20th century; relationship between environmental problems (e.g., biotic invasions, soil exhaustion, biodiversity loss, pesticide contamination) and imperial domination; scientific racism, state formation, and income inequality. Same as GEOG:3539.
HIST:3650 Chinese History from 1600 to 1911 3 s.h.
Chinese history from the 17th to early 20th century, history of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911); Qing's role in shaping aspects of today's politics in China and the mentality of Chinese people; foundation of Manchu state in early 17th century, Ming-Qing transition in 1644, politics and society during the high Qing era, decline of the empire under foreign invasion and inner rebellions in the 19th century, collapse of the dynasty in 1911. Same as ASIA:3650.
HIST:3652 Twentieth-Century China 3 s.h.
Communist revolution from 1920s to founding of People's Republic of China in 1949; Mao Zedong's radical policies, Cultural Revolution; Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms; China today. Same as ASIA:3652.
HIST:3685 Modern Korean History 3 s.h.
Transformation of Choson Korea to North and South Koreas; local, regional, and global transformations in Korea from the late 19th century to present; severing of historic ties with China; encounters with the West and Japan; new ideas of civilization and political community; erasure of Choson as a country in 1910; colonial experience; civil war; industrialization; creation of North Korea; democratic movement in South Korea and spread of diasporic communities abroad; Korean peninsula as a laboratory for analyzing compressed communist and capitalist modernities of the 20th century. Same as ASIA:3685.
HIST:3755 Understanding Health and Disease in Africa 3 s.h.
Cultural, historical, and political framework for the delivery of health care services in African nations. Recommendations: junior or higher standing. Same as GHS:3555, IS:3555.
HIST:3758 The Ancient African Past 3 s.h.
Africa to 1880; oral tradition and other sources; political development, ecological change, slavery and slave trade. Same as AFAM:3758.
HIST:3760 The Making of Modern Africa 3 s.h.
Africa in colonial and postcolonial period; economics, political structures of colonialism; social change, political life in the 20th century. Same as AFAM:3760.
HIST:3810 History of the Modern Middle East 3 s.h.
Survey of major political, socioeconomic, and cultural changes in the Middle East and North Africa after 1900.
HIST:3995 History Honors Research Seminar 0-3 s.h.
Research and method seminar; developing and writing an honors thesis in history. Corequisites: HIST:3996. Requirements: GPA of 3.33.
HIST:3996 Honors Thesis 3 s.h.
Individual research and writing under supervision of faculty member; occasional group sessions with other students in the course.
HIST:4130 Museum Literacy and Historical Memory 3 s.h.
Concepts and methods for understanding the role of museums in shaping knowledge and collective memory of history; institutionally based exhibits and collections, historical markers and public monuments, public holidays and events, media and artistic works that interpret the past; how events, people, and civic ambitions are memorialized and how memories of them are shaped; appearance of museums and related practices in the non-Western world after 1850. Same as MUSM:4130.
HIST:4201 History of the American Deaf Community 3-4 s.h.
Students discuss the roots of American Deaf community, exploring the development of a distinct language known today as ASL and the culture of Deaf people in America during 19th and 20th centuries. Taught in American Sign Language. Prerequisites: ASL:2002 with a minimum grade of C. Requirements: students who have not completed ASL:2002, but plan to take ASL:2002 concurrent to this course may enroll with consent of the instructor; please contact the ASL program for more information. Same as ASL:4201.
HIST:4203 Disability in American History 3 s.h.
HIST:4216 Mexican American History 3 s.h.
Survey of Chicana/o (Mexican American) history from 18th century to present; Mexican American society's diverse nature, explored through class, ethnic, gender, and regional divisions. Same as LAS:4216.
HIST:4334 Topics in American Borderlands History 3 s.h.
Broad historical overview of the American Borderlands, a region that has been the site of conflict, cultural exchange, and economic interdependence.
HIST:4400 The Roman Empire 3 s.h.
History of Roman Empire from assassination of Julius Caesar through 5th century A.D.; political, economic, cultural, and social developments from the transition to imperial power to the shift of power from west to east. Same as CLSA:4400.
HIST:4403 Alexander the Great 3 s.h.
History of Alexander the Great and the generals who succeeded him in ruling the lands he conquered; military, political, and social history. Same as CLSA:4403.
HIST:4407 The Hellenistic World and Rome 3 s.h.
Social, economic, political, intellectual history of Graeco-Roman world, from fourth century B.C.E. to Justinian's reign.
HIST:4412 History of the Medieval Church 3 s.h.
Development of Christianity to end of great schism; rise of Roman primacy, development of monasticism, orthodox and heterodox groups. Same as MDVL:4412.
HIST:4422 The Book in the Middle Ages 3 s.h.
Relation of text, decoration, function, creators, and audience in different genres of medieval manuscript books 400-1500 A.D. Same as SLIS:4910, UICB:4910.
HIST:4428 Nineteenth-Century Europe 3 s.h.
Political, social, economic, and cultural factors.
HIST:4429 The Book in Early Modern Europe 3 s.h.
History of the book and communication in Europe 1400-1800; production, distribution, and use of texts in cultural context. Same as SLIS:4920, UICB:4920.
HIST:4430 Topics in Material Analysis 3 s.h.
Analysis and description of physical book artifacts and their component parts (parchment, paper, bookbinding) and allied specialties (the lettering arts, printing and illustration techniques); reading, writing, presentations. Same as UICB:4930.
HIST:4433 France Under Nazi Occupation, 1940-1944 3-4 s.h.
Political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that prevailed following the Nazi conquest of France in 1940; examination of this period of upheaval through work of prominent historians of France; representations of occupied France in literary works, documentary, and fictional films produced during the war and in the politically fraught culture of collective memorialization that formed in aftermath of this national trauma. Taught in English. Requirements: for 4 s.h. option—prior enrollment in FREN:3060 and FREN:3300. Same as FREN:4433.
HIST:4455 Religious Conflict: Early Modern Period 3 s.h.
Religious conflict among European Christians (Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Radicals), as well as between Christians and non-Christians from the Late Middle Ages through the Reformation of the 16th century and beyond. Same as RELS:4155.
HIST:4478 Holocaust in History and Memory 3 s.h.
Origins and implementation of Holocaust; perpetrators, victims, and bystanders; impact of Holocaust on post-World War II world.
HIST:4504 Latin American Studies Seminar 3-4 s.h.
Examination of past, present, and future of Latin America; interdisciplinary. Taught in English. Same as ANTH:4700, LAS:4700, PORT:4700, SPAN:4900.
HIST:5431 Roman Law, Order, and Crime 3 s.h.
Case-based introduction to Roman law; principles of Roman law ranging from standards of evidence to trial procedures to various topics in civil and criminal law, including family law and the law of delict. Recommendations: some background in Roman history. Same as CLSA:5151.
HIST:6002 Introduction to Graduate Studies in History: Historiography and Methods 3 s.h.
Students gain a better understanding of the principal intellectual strengths of the history department, degree requirements (e.g., MA essay and comprehensive exams), various methodological approaches and audiences, fundamental analytical skills (e.g., how to write a historiographical essay, how to use databases, how to edit their own work), and professional issues (e.g., participation in conferences and academic associations); for students getting started on their MA essays or PhD dissertations. Requirements: first-year history graduate standing.
HIST:6003 History Theory and Interpretation 3 s.h.
Introduction to basic theoretical approaches to historical research.
HIST:6004 Comprehensive Exams Seminar I 3 s.h.
Comprehensive exams seminar; for history graduate students in semester prior to comprehensive exams. Requirements: history graduate standing in third semester.
HIST:6005 Comprehensive Exams Seminar II 3 s.h.
Comprehensive exams seminar; for history graduate students during the semester in which they take their comprehensive examinations. Requirements: history graduate standing.
HIST:6140 Engaged Scholarship in the Humanities 0,3 s.h.
Survey of literature on community-engaged scholarship (CES) in the humanities; exploration of the pioneering work of engaged scholars in Native American, Latino, and African American studies; students write a research prospectus that is consistent with CES methodologies. Same as AMST:6140.
HIST:6158 Approaches to Teaching Global History arr.
Approaching history from a global or international perspective; introduction to issues; preparation for teaching courses at college level; historiographies and methodologies, problems of periodization and area divisions, syllabi on world and global history.
HIST:6250 American Religious Histories 3 s.h.
Focused examination of the variety and vagaries of religious experiences in the Americas, 16th to 21st centuries. Same as RELS:6150.
HIST:6475 Seminar: Reformation Culture arr.
Culture and thought of 16th-century Europe. Same as RELS:6475.
HIST:7101 Research Seminar arr.
Research for students in all areas of history.
HIST:7122 Readings: History of Gender and Sexuality arr.
Topics in international and transnational history of gender and sexuality. Same as GWSS:7122.
HIST:7126 Readings on the History of Human Rights arr.
Survey of recent literature on history of human rights; development of bibliographies; readings from individual areas of interest (e.g., transitional justice, migration, gender and sexuality, labor).
HIST:7137 Readings in Global Environmental History 3 s.h.
Environmental history is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary area of study that draws from a variety of social science, humanist, and natural science fields; examination of development in the field of global environmental history with focus on histories of the Global South; assessment of salient debates within the field, past and present; various methodological strategies employed by environmental historians; relationship of the field with area studies and "global turn"; students gain a functional fluency and understanding of how the field's growth has shaped the discipline of history more broadly.
HIST:7140 Climate Change in World History 3 s.h.
Readings on climate change and its impacts on planetary life across time.
HIST:7146 Temporality in History: United States and Beyond 1,3 s.h.
Introduction to growing field of temporal history; how time has been measured, regulated, experienced, and imagined in the West and non-West from antiquity to present with emphasis on 19th-and 20th-century United States; topics include time discipline (e.g., factory, slave plantation, corporate office), standard time, and deep time; focus on changing technologies of time (e.g., clocks, calendars) and to temporal impact of other technologies (e.g., cinema); application of temporal perspective to political revolution, warfare, nation building, class formation, gender relations, slavery, and urbanization. Same as AMST:7146.
HIST:7160 Global History of Race, Science, and Medicine 3 s.h.
Examination of the history of social construction of race in scientific and medical thought; use of science and medicine to conceptualize race, as well as how race was used by scientists and physicians in their practice; primary focus is on the Atlantic World—Europe, Africa, and the Americas—and touches briefly on the construction of race in other parts of the world. Same as GHS:7160.
HIST:7165 Global History of Incarceration 3 s.h.
History of incarceration across world regions from antiquity to present; particular emphasis on the Atlantic and trans-America between 16th and early 21st centuries; relevant historical literature on Middle East, Asia, Russia, and Australia; analytical focus on how epistemologies, structures, processes, and more recent debates (e.g., racial slavery, policing, science and medicine, war and revolution, migration, prison abolition, etc.) have shaped and transformed logics and practices associated with incarceration over time.
HIST:7190 Individual Study: Graduate arr.
HIST:7193 Thesis arr.
HIST:7202 Readings: 20th-Century Native American History arr.
Examination of the Indigenous 20th century through a series of themes including settler colonialism, sovereignty and self-determination, federal Indian policy, and Indigenous feminism; readings focus primarily on secondary sources, but attention is given to key primary sources; students are required to carry out specified research tasks. Same as NAIS:7202.
HIST:7205 New Histories: U.S. Slavery arr.
Our approach to study of slavery and discipline of history have been upended by recent works by and about women; exploration of that scholarship and consideration of where it takes us in grappling with systems and subjectivity of slavery. Same as AFAM:7205, GWSS:7205.
HIST:7207 American Emancipations 3 s.h.
Sample the historiography of slavery, abolition, and emancipation in the Western Hemisphere. Focus on the movements to abolish Black chattel slavery in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century United States; engage related histories throughout the Atlantic world.
HIST:7210 The Long Civil Rights Movement arr.
Exploration of the history and historiography of the modern Black freedom struggle in the United States, with particular attention to how historians in recent years have reconsidered traditional framings of that struggle's chronology, geography, gender politics, political aspirations, and achievements. Same as AFAM:7210.
HIST:7217 Social Movements in the United States from 1965 to Present 3 s.h.
Exploration of social movements in the United States and how they have shaped the country and its people since 1965; students study a range of historic movements that were diverse in their ideology and goals—from the fight for welfare rights to conservative tax revolts, LGBTQ+ rights to the White Power Movement—and examine more contemporary movements (e.g., Standing Rock and Black Lives Matter) and situate them historically in their respective protest lineages; interrogation of what constitutes a social movement and how and why they emerge, operate, and ultimately end; opportunity to work on a research project relevant to student's own interests.
HIST:7227 Readings in American Environmental History arr.
Introduction to historiography—classic texts and recent work—in American environmental history; topics from colonial period to recent past.
HIST:7236 Readings in Borderlands History arr.
Comparative borderlands; articles on diverse topics from borderland regions worldwide (main focus on U.S.-Mexico borderlands, with inclusion of European, Asian, African, and Latin American borderlands); analysis of each article for its thesis, research questions, methodology, primary sources, and weaknesses; seminar.
HIST:7246 United States in the World arr.
Historiographies that situate modern U.S. history in a global context; how historians study the American past beyond traditional, nation-centered frames; transnational histories of migration, nativism and exclusion; social movements; colonial empire-building; commercial and cultural Americanization; transfer of policy ideas; military occupations; decolonization; Cold War’s impact on social reform; post-9/11 moment.
HIST:7261 Readings: Early American History arr.
HIST:7263 Readings: Contemporary United States arr.
New work in American social, political, and economic history; readings tailored for students seeking background for research or preparing for comprehensive exams.
HIST:7271 Transnational U.S. History: Theory and Practice arr.
Benefits of transnational U.S. history and comparative analysis; exploration of connections between theory and practice in the field of history.
HIST:7293 Graduate Readings in Public History arr.
Overview of public history with attention to ways in which historians have engaged various publics; major theoretical constructs (memory, heritage, commemoration); public history methodologies (oral history, material culture, archival documentation); legal ethics; how history is communicated to the public; how public history sites contribute to public memory; how and why controversies emerge in public history settings; relationship between academic history and public history.
HIST:7414 Slavery and Social Death: 1200 B.C.E. to 1865 C.E. 3 s.h.
Exploration of various slave systems in antiquity, the middle ages, and modernity in terms of their motivations, utilization, and broader social, economic, and political implications; use of literary sources and archaeological remains to investigate slave cultures in ancient Near East and Egypt, Jewish exploitation of enslaved persons, and use of chattel slavery in Greek, Roman, early Christian, and Islamic societies; antebellum U.S. slavery. Same as ANTH:7414, CLSA:7114.
HIST:7425 Gender, Sex, and Women in the History of Science and Medicine 3 s.h.
Introduction to historical debates and current research in the history of gender, sex, and women in science and medicine from the medieval era to the 20th century.
HIST:7440 Readings in Modern German History arr.
Major problems in modern German history; historiographic debates organized thematically and proceeds chronologically from the French Revolution to the present; oral presentations and comparative essays.
HIST:7445 Readings: Imperialism and Colonialism 3-4 s.h.
Engagement of Europeans in an immense outward expansion of people, goods, ideas, and more than a few germs since 1492; exploration of some of the implications of this expansion by focusing on a selection of different colonial encounters and some legacies of European empires.
HIST:7456 Readings: Modern European History arr.
HIST:7505 Readings: Latin American History arr.
Introduction to historiography in the field of Latin American history; students deepen their understanding of the region's history and become acquainted with trends in topical concerns, sources, and methods that are shaping historical research on Latin America's past. Taught in English. Same as SPAN:7505.
HIST:7535 Readings in Latina/o/x History arr.
Introduction to major works and recent scholarship in Latina/o/x history.
HIST:7551 Readings: Globalizing Latin American Science and Medicine arr.
Recent trends in Latin American history of science and medicine.
HIST:7559 Race, Science, and Nature in Latin America arr.
Analysis of the history of United States and Latin America relations in the 20th century through the lens of scientific and agricultural change; how plant breeding, agrochemicals, heavy machinery, and irrigation systems set in motion trends that made the 20th century exceptional; possibility of feeding an unprecedented growing global population and transition of human species from being primarily rural to primarily urban in less than a hundred years; analysis of how a network of scientists, businesses, and governments made proliferation of agribusinesses possible to emphasize Indigenous and Mestizo peasants' role in that process. Same as AMST:7559, GEOG:7559.
HIST:7680 Readings in Modern Korean History 3 s.h.
Introduction to historiography of modern Korean history from late 19th century to present.
HIST:7691 Topics in East Asian History arr.
Introduction to major works and recent scholarship on border-crossing topics in East Asian history, including transnational/regional exchange, empire, frontiers/borderlands, migration, ethnicity, and historiography.
HIST:7706 Readings in African History arr.