History
Course Descriptions
HIS 101 The Beginning of Western Culture
An analysis of the primary civilizations in the Near East, the classical world of Greece and Rome, and the Middle Ages of Europe into the 13th century.
HIS 102 The Shaping of Western Civilization
A consideration of European institutions and values from the waning of the Middle Ages through the remodeling of Europe by Napoleon.
HIS 103 The Modern World
A study of the main currents in Western civilization from the time of Napoleon to the present.
HIS 104 The Modern Non-Western World
An introduction to various centers of cultural and political power in Asia and Africa of the last 200 years.
HIS 120 America to 1815
A survey of the relations between Native, European, and African peoples from first contacts to the War of 1812, drawing on social, cultural, and environmental history as well as political and economic history. The course will move topically as well as chronologically through the colonial and early national period. Themes include the legacies of massive ecological and demographic change, the colonial competition for North America, Indian-white conflict and collusion, enslavement of African peoples, the creation of the United States, and internal as well as foreign conflicts in that nation’s early years. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)
HIS 121 19th-Century United States
A survey of United States history from 1815-1900, drawing on social, cultural, and environmental history as well as political and economic history. The course will move topically as well as chronologically through the years in which the United States came to prominence despite internal dissent and violence. Themes include the emergence of a national identity, political system, and economy, slavery, expansion, and empirebuilding, regional differences, the Civil War and its aftermath, and industrialization. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)
HIS 122 20th-Century United States
A survey of United States history from 1900 to the present, drawing on social, cultural, and environmental history as well as political and economic history. The course will move topically as well as chronologically through the modern era. Themes include industrialization and urbanization, the significance of gender, race, and ethnicity in American culture, the growth of a strong federal government, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the creation of a consumer society, the rise of identity politics, and the passing of American hegemony. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)
HIS 150/350 Latin American History
This course examines the histories of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean from the 1790s to the 1990s. Centering our analysis in the Latin American experience, we will examine cultural trends, social interactions, and economic development as well as the relations that each of these regions shared with the United States. Special attention will be paid to independence movements, neocolonialism, dependency and underdevelopment, ecological transformations, the Latino/a diaspora, and the struggles of indigenous communities. (Prereq.: Consent of instructor required for HIS 350)
HIS/WST 155/355 Cultural Conflict and Change in Latin America
Center for Global Education course. In the International Programs section, See Social Change in Central America: Exploring Peace, Justice, and Community Engagement (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua).
HIS 162/462 20th-Century South Asia
This course explores the processes of colonialism, nationalism, decolonization, and independence in the area now politically known as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Upper division students will have additional assignments and different exams from lower division. (Prereq.: Consent of instructor required for HIS 462)
HIS 195 Topics in History
An introduction to selected historical topics not regularly offered in lower division classes. The specific topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.
HIS 225 History of the Twin Cities
The Minneapolis and St. Paul area serves as a case study for the themes of frontier urbanization, industrialization, and economic change; transportation, immigration, and ethnicity; and urban politics and reform.
HIS 234 Minnesota History
This course examines the racial, ethnic, political, and economic history of Minnesota, from the earliest inhabitants (Ojibwe and Dakota), through the period of British and French exploration, and to the development of statehood.
HIS 236 American Indian History
A study of the native people of North America from the pre-Columbian period through European exploration and settlement to the present, emphasizing American Indian contributions to world culture, tribal structure, and intergovernmental relations.
HIS 241 Topics in African American History
Selected topics in African American history not regularly examined in other departmental offerings. The specific topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.
HIS 242 History of African American Civil Rights, 1619-1915
A survey of the development of African American civil rights focusing on legal, economic, and political issues influenced by race and class, emphasizing emancipation and integration of slaves and former slaves.
HIS 243 History of African American Civil Rights, 1915-1972
A continuation of HIS 242 with special emphasis on the contributions of W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, A. Philip Randall, Charles Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and Martin Luther King Jr.
HIS 249/349 The Designed Environment
This course addresses the designed environment, investigating architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. Class sessions consist almost exclusively of extensive walking tours and site visits to prominent examples of design excellence. (Prereq.: None for HIS 249; ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111, and an ART, HIS, or urban studies course for HIS 349)
HIS 280 The History Workshop
This course introduces history majors and minors to the historian’s craft. Students will examine the development of the discipline of history, the methods of analysis used by professional historians today, and the varieties of applications for history in professional careers and public life. Students will also gain and sharpen the research and writing skills critical to their success in upper-level history courses. Guest speakers and off-campus site visits will enhance course content. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111)
HIS 282 The History of Women Since 1848
This course examines in comparative perspective women’s changing political, economic, social, and sexual status since the 19th century, with attention given to social, racial, ethnic, and sexual differences among women.
HIS 300 Public History
Public history is the practice of historical methods with a nonacademic audience in mind. This survey explores the components of public history, many of its venues, and pressing issues in the field through examination of a range of topics (including, but not limited to): local history, historical memory, archives, exhibits, oral histories, documentaries, publishing, museums, historic sites, and historic preservation.
HIS 311 Topics in Women’s History
Exploration of selected topics in women’s history not regularly examined in other departmental offerings. The specific topic to be offered will be announced prior to registration.
HIS 316 U.S. Urban Environmental History
A chronological exploration of the interactions between Americans and the nonhuman world, with particular attention to urban and suburban areas. Topics include the commodification of nature, the death of the organic city, political movements organized around nature, ways of knowing nature, environmental justice, and relationships between culture and nature. Additionally, students will use both primary sources and fieldwork to explore the specific environmental history of a Minneapolis neighborhood.
HIS 323 Modern China
A selective treatment of Chinese history since the Opium War of 1839, the erosion of China’s isolation and collapse of the imperial system, and the Nationalist and Communist revolutions of the 20th century.
HIS 327 Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the U.S.
Center for Global Education course. In the International Programs section, see Nation Building, Globalization, and Decolonizing the Mind (Namibia).
HIS 331 Topics in United States History
In-depth exploration of selected topics in United States history not regularly examined in other departmental offerings. The specific topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.
HIS 332 History of United States Foreign Relations
A survey of United States foreign relations from the American Revolution through the Cold War, emphasizing changing definitions of war and peace, tensions between internationalism and isolationism, and the emergence of the United States as an economic and military power.
HIS 335 American Urban History
A study of urban development from colonial and frontier beginnings through the age of industrialization to the present, including the dynamics of urban growth and planning, politics and reform, and the growth of urban culture.
HIS 336 American Labor History
A survey of the history of work and the worker, primarily in the late 19th and 20th centuries, emphasizing the nature of work, working-class life and community, evaluation of organized labor, and the relationship of workers and union to the state.
HIS 338 American Legal History
An examination of the social, economic, and intellectual factors in American history that, combined with English and colonial antecedents, contributed to the emergence of our modern legal system. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)
HIS 343 The North American West
This course reckons with the contest of colonial powers in North America, the American conquest of the region, the role of the federal government in shaping the West, the rise of the most urban part of the United States, and the important role that the West plays in modern American culture. Themes include the persistence of Native peoples, ethnicity, race, and gender in Western daily and political life, the creation of an international borderlands, and the ecological transformation of Western landscapes.
HIS 346 Namibia and South Africa: A Historical Perspective
A survey of Namibia and South Africa including the experience of indigenous peoples, the impact of South African occupation, the war for independence, and the roots of apartheid and its institutionalization. (Center for Global Education course. In the International Programs section, see Nation Building, Globalization, and Decolonizing the Mind: Southern African Perspectives [Namibia]).
HIS 348 Russia and the Soviet Union in the 20th Century
An introductory historical survey of the Soviet Union, beginning with a brief examination of Russian history before turning to the Russian Revolutions of 1917, the rise of Stalin, the Cold War, and the emergence of Gorbachev. The course will emphasize political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural history.
HIS 352 Modern Germany
A survey of the social, political, and cultural development of modern Germany, focusing on the question of Germany’s Sonderweg (special path) and examining such topics as romanticism, unification, the rise of national socialism, and the Holocaust.
HIS 354 Modern Britain and Ireland
This course will take a distinctively interdisciplinary approach (sources will include literature, film, music, and artwork) to explore a period of dramatic change in British politics, society, culture, and international status.
HIS 355 Cultural Conflict and Change in Latin America
For course description, see HIS 155.
HIS 357 Mexican History, Culture, and Cosmovision
An exploration of Latin American history from Pre-Columbian times through the conquest and colonial periods up to modern Latin America. The course will use a gendered lens to focus on Mexican history, culture and cosmovision. Additional readings and written assignments will be required for upper-division students. Taught on-site in Mexico through Center for Global Education. In International Programs, see the listing for Migration and Globalization: Engaging Our Communities (Mexico) (Prereq.: One previous history course or consent of instructor required)
HIS 360 Ancient Egypt and Classical Greece
This course examines the history of ancient Egypt and classical Greece from c. 3200 to 323 BC, and uses a variety of written and visual sources in an attempt to understand these societies. In addition to the “traditional” political narrative, it also looks at social, economic, and cultural aspects of life in antiquity.
HIS 361 Hellenistic Greece and Rome
This course examines the history of Hellenistic Greece and Rome from c. 800 BC to 476 AD, and uses a variety of written and visual sources in an attempt to understand these societies. In addition to the “traditional” political narrative, it also looks at social, economic, and cultural aspects of life in antiquity.
HIS 369 The Early and High Middle Ages
This course examines the history of Europe and the Mediterranean from c. 300 to 1350 AD, and uses a variety of written and visual sources in an attempt to understand medieval society. In addition to the “traditional” political narrative, it also looks at social, economic, and cultural aspects of medieval life. (Prereq.: MPG 3)
HIS 370 The Late Middle Ages to 1648
This course examines the history of Europe from c. 1300 to 1648 AD, and uses a variety of written and visual sources in an attempt to understand late medieval society. In addition to the “traditional” political narrative, it also looks at social, economic, and cultural aspects of life in this period.
HIS 374 Medieval Crusades
This course examines Western Europe’s crusading era (1095-1291 AD), a time when warriors from the Christian West attempted to “take back” the Holy Land from its Muslim occupiers. Through a close reading of primary sources, we will examine such issues as pilgrimage, holy war, and the complex relationships between East and West, between Muslims and Christians. We will pay particular attention to the question of historical representation.
HIS 378 Medieval Church
This course examines the history of the medieval church from Constantine the Great to Martin Luther (c. 300 to c. 1517 AD). It uses a variety of written and visual sources in an attempt to understand the medieval church and its influence, not only in religious matters, but also in the social and political spheres. Cross-listed with REL 378.
HIS 440 Topics in World History
This course will investigate topics in world history that are not included in regular course offerings. The specific topics to be offered will be announced prior to registration.
HIS 462 20th-Century South Asia
For course description, see HIS 162.
HIS 474 The World and the West
Europe’s discovery of the rest of the world, cultural interaction and conflict, the building of European empires in Asia and the Americas, and the breakdown of these imperial systems at the end of the 18th century.
HIS 480 Seminar
This course is required for the major, and enrollment is normally restricted to students who have nearly finished their coursework. Selected topics will be announced prior to registration. Permission of the instructor is required. This course fulfills the keystone requirement. (Prereq.: HIS 280 and ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111. Generally offered fall and spring terms.)
Internships and Independent Study Courses
HIS 199 Internship
HIS 299 Directed Study
HIS 399 Internship
HIS 499 Independent Study/Research
(Prereq.: 3.50 GPA in history)