History (HI)
HI-103 Connecting Ancient Worlds: World History to 1500
LASC Categories: GP, TLC
Surveys economic, social, political and intellectual developments of global societies and their inter-relationship from ancient times to 1500. Counts for Global/Thematic in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-104 Age of Empires: World History 1500 to the Present
LASC Categories: GP, TLC
Surveys economic, social, political, and intellectual development of global societies world civilizations and their inter relationship from 1500 to the present. Counts for Global/Thematic in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-105 Modern World History
LASC Categories: GP, TLC
Surveys economic, social, political, and intellectual development of global societies and their inter-relationship from 1914 to the present. Counts for Global/Thematic in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-111 US History to 1877
LASC Categories: CON, USW
From colonization through the Civil War era. A study of politics, society, economy, diplomacy, and culture in that period. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-112 US History 1865 to the Present
LASC Categories: CON, USW
From the Civil War era to the present. Topics include politics, society, economy, diplomacy, and culture in modern America. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 3 Credits
HI-140 We the People: Writing the Constitution (writing Ii)
LASC Categories: CON, WR2
Prerequisites: EN-101
While building skills in research, writing, and information literacy, this course also provides historical perspectives on current issues, focusing upon the state and federal constitutions as living documents. Students will develop tools to understand the ways that laws reflect, limit, and shape society. Counts for a 100-level Europe/US course within History major.
Spring only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-150 Special Topics
Special topics at the introductory level; especially appropriate for first- and second-year students. Geographic region or historical approach varies by course and instructor.
Other or on demand and other or on demand. 3 Credits
HI-155 World History Through Film
LASC Categories: GP, DIV
This course introduces students to several important themes in world history through the medium of film. It will focus on issues of race, class, and gender in different countries during the 20th century up to the present. In addition, it will examine related issues such as colonialism, migration, diaspora, urbanization, family, food culture, music and dance, religion, resistance, genocide, and others. Students will learn how to use film as a historical source, as a product of the place and period in which it was created. It counts for the 100-level Global/Thematic category in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-156 Modern Global Environmental History
LASC Categories: GP
This course examines twentieth century world history through an environmental lens. The course will explore the significance of natural resource distribution in uneven globalization, the human and environmental costs of resource extraction in different national and colonial contexts, the role of natural disasters in shaping and accelerating social and political change, environmental costs and experiments that came with mobilization for war, the cross-generational legacies of twentieth century environmental disasters, and the meanings and possibilities of sustainable development. Counts for Global/Thematic in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-172 Plots, Scandals, and Villains
LASC Categories: GP, TLC
Historical scandals, plots, and the labels of "villain" or "hero" are rich opportunities to analyze history in context. What counts as a scandal varies widely by time and place. How a plot or crime is reported or understood in primary source material can frame a narrative of "good" versus "evil," and how those meanings change over time. Students will use the lens of these types of global events to highlight historical circumstance, chronology, and context while identifying and utilizing historical sources and methods. This course counts for the "Thematic/Global" category in the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-178 A History of Ghana
LASC Categories: GP, DIV, TLC
The diverse country of Ghana in West Africa has many histories, each attuned to different perspectives. While all of Ghanaian history cannot be covered in one course, students will be introduced to many important issues from ancient and ancestral Ghana to the present. Through the voices of both Ghanaians and scholars of Ghana, students will take a long view of history to understand the important status of Ghana in the world today. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Fall only and every year. 3 Credits
HI-181 History Explorations Cohort I
This is a one-credit course that is designed to support integrative learning and development of metacognitive skills for students considering teaching history and social studies at the K12 level in Massachusetts. It is the first of a three course sequence that is required for students in the Educators' Track in the History Major, but is open to all History majors interested in exploring social studies education as a career and deepening their history studies.
Other or on demand and every year. 1 Credit
HI-193 First Year Seminar History
LASC Categories: FYS
Introductory level course covering topics of special interest to first year students. Offered only as a First Year Seminar.
Fall only and every year. 3 Credits
HI-200 The Historian's Craft
Prerequisites: one 100-level history course.
A methods course providing hands-on exploration of history as both a professional field and a scholarly discipline.
Fall and Spring and every year. 4 Credits
HI-205 Native America
LASC Categories: TLC, USW, DIV, DAC
This survey covers the broad sweep of Native American history and focuses on the encounter between American and European civilizations and how Native culture has adapted through the centuries. Counts for Europe/US in the History Major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-207 American West: Myth and Reality
The historic development of the West, its impact on the American character, and a study of how myths became accepted "fact." Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-208 American Immigrant History
Survey of immigration. Topics such as old-world background, impact on the United States, nativism, cultural pluralism, religion, mobility, family and politics. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-211 History of US Foreign Policy I
LASC Categories: USW
Colonial origins to the era of the Spanish American War. The sources and developments of United States foreign policy in that period. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-213 Colonial Latin America
The People of Latin America from Pre-Columbian societies to the wars for independence, focusing on race, sex and power. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-214 Modern Latin America
LASC Categories: TLC, GP, DAC
The people of Latin America from independence to the present, focusing on race, sex and power. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-216 Labor, Capital, and Power in United States History
LASC Categories: HBS, USW
The history of the United States economic development. Topics to be addressed include: slavery; consumerism and market economies; industrialization and de-industrialization; gendered and racialized divisions of labor; the global movement of capital, goods, and workers; union organizing; and the role of government and the law in shaping the economy. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-217 US Social History
LASC Categories: TLC, USW, WAC, DIV, DAC
Considers topics and approaches in the field of social history in the United States. Counts for Europe/US in History major. [Applicable to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor.]
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-218 US Constitutional History I
LASC Categories: CON, HBS, USW
The development of constitutional history to 1865. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major,
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-219 US Constitutional History II
LASC Categories: CON, USW, HBS
The development of the United States constitution since 1865. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-220 American Military History
An overview of American military history from colonial times to the present. Students will develop a conceptual and methodological framework for studying the American military system and how it has changed over time and how it has shaped, and been shaped by, both U.S. and global history. Counts for Europe/United States in the History Major.
Spring only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-221 African-American History I
The people of African descent from the emergence of the slave trade to the Civil War, focusing on race, gender, and power. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-222 African-American History II
The people of African descent from the end of the Civil War through the twentieth century, focusing on race, class, gender, and power. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-223 History of France I
Domestic and foreign problems of nineteenth and twentieth century France. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-224 English History I
LASC Categories: TLC, WAC
English history from earliest settlement to the reign of Elizabeth I. Origins of the Common Law, Parliament, and English liberty. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-225 English History II
LASC Categories: TLC, WAC
English history through the English Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the British Empire, the World Wars, and decline. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-226 Latin American History Through Film
This course will explore how filmmakers have portrayed Latin American History in their movies. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-227 American Popular Art and Architectural History
LASC Categories: CA, ICW, TLC
An introduction to and survey of popular architectural and artistic expression in American life from the point of initial European contact with Native American groups through the present. Focus on a variety of material and classifications of art and architecture, including high-style, vernacular, folk, popular, commercial, ethnic, and regionally-oriented materials. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-228 Currency, Commodities, and Crashes: Global Economic History, 1500-2000
LASC Categories: GP, HBS
This course explores economic ideas, events, and institutions in world history, from approximately the rise of modern banking through the Industrial Revolution and into the integration of the early 2000s. This course situates concepts such as labor, long-run/short-run, panics and depressions, capital, trade, political economy, colonialism, currency, and markets in global social and cultural contexts, considering not only economic reasons for the behavior of historical actors but also the importance of economic history (broadly understood) as part of an interdisciplinary approach to research. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-229 The Holocaust
In this course, we will examine the origins and prosecution of the Holocaust, the systematic destruction of Jews and Jewish life by the Nazi regime prior to and during World War II. From beginning to end this is a course about an extraordinarily bold and far-reaching mass murder, one that occurred in "civilized" Germany. The course focuses on the state and ideology that lay behind the genocide, its victims, and the voices of resistance against it. Counts for Europe/US in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-232 European Intellectual Hist II
Prerequisites: HI-103 or HI-104
The main theoretical works, philosophic, psychological and scientific, of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Counts for Europe/U.S. in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-234 Russian History I
A study of major political, economic, social, intellectual and diplomatic currents in Russia, from the Kievan era to Stalin. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-235 Russian History II
A study of major political, economic, social, intellectual, and diplomatic currents in Russia, from the Kievan era to Stalin. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-236 Nature and Culture in Premodern East Asia
LASC Categories: GP, TLC
This course will examine premodern East Asian history through the lens of interactions between humans and nature, exploring how people in the regions of present-day China, Japan, (North and South) Korea, and Vietnam engaged with the land, water, plants, and animals to forge new cultural patterns, social relations, and political institutions. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-237 Modern Far East History II
LASC Categories: GP
The transformation and re-invention of East Asian societies since World War II. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-243 Introduction to Public History
Introduction to the field, theory, and practice of Public History and associated institutions such as museums, archives, and historical sites. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-245 History of Modern Germany I
The origins and growth of Brandenburg-Prussia; their impact on the rest of Germany from the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire to the emergence of the Second Reich in 1871. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-246 History of Modern Germany II
German economic and political crises from 1870 to the present. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-247 Central America and the Caribbean
This survey examines the political, cultural and social history of Central America and the Caribbean from pre-Columbian times to the present with an emphasis on the 20th century. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-248 Seminar on Globalization & Human Rights
LASC Categories: USW, GP, DAC
This class is taught with SO 228 LatinX Experiences. WSU and A.I.D. program participants in their sophomore year will explore globalization and human rights and issues of personal growth and academic development. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-250 Special Topics in History
Special topics at the introductory or intermediate level; especially appropriate for first and second-year students.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-251 Roots of China's Rise: Reform, Revolution and Reinvention
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
Examines the modern historical roots of China's rise as an international power, from the decline of its last imperial dynasty through the tumults of 20th century social movements to its recent emergence as a global economic power. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-252 Civil War and Reconstruction
LASC Categories: DIV, TLC
The causes, consequences, and meaning of the Civil War and Reconstruction, as viewed from multiple perspectives. Social, political,military and cultural history will all be explored to develop a rich and multilayered understanding of questions of violence and division,emancipation, voting rights, military service, terrorism, gendered violence, and the draft, among others, Counts for Europe/US in theHistory major.
Spring only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-255 Faculty-Led Study Abroad: China Cultural Immersion
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
Experientially based immersion in the culture and society of China, consisting of language study, visits to historical and cultural sites, cultural immersion activities in local life, and the opportunity to engage with Chinese students. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-257 Political Terrorism in Historical Perspective
A comparative approach to the terrorist movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, concentrating on the European groups. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-258 Russia Since the Stalin Era
An analysis of the major political, economic and diplomatic developments in the (former) Soviet Union since the death of Stalin; the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-261 Middle East History I
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
The rise and expansion of Islam; the Caliphate; Muslim religion, civilization and its impact on the West, decline of medieval Islam. Counts for Middle East/Asia in History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-262 Middle East History Ii: the Ottoman Empire, 1289-1920
LASC Categories: GP, TLC, WAC
The Ottoman Empire: expansion, institutions, impact on Europe, decline of the Empire. Counts for Middle East/Asia in History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-263 The Modern Middle East, 1900-present
LASC Categories: GP, DIV
This course is an invitation to reconsider our preconceived notions about the modern Middle East, by way of introduction to the rich history of the region since 1900. Students will learn about the legacies of the Pan-Arabism in the era of decolonization, the politics of oil in the Gulf, and the rise of authoritarian states (Syria, Iraq). We will focus on histories of violence and the struggles of stateless peoples (Palestinians, Kurds, Armenians) and consider the dynamics of popular uprisings, revolutions and rebellions, both failed and successful ones. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-265 Land and Power in North America
LASC Categories: HBS
This course will survey the history of American land use from pre-contact Native North America to the present. The course will examine how peoples of North America came to acquire, control, utilize, and transform the landscape. In turn, the class explores how land shaped American history. Topics of study include early American agriculture, the plantation system, land policy, settlement and agricultural expansion, scientific and technological change, industrial transformation, land use in wartime, land policy, and water rights. It will introduce students to the diverse people, places, and cultural traditions that collectively constitute the American landscape. Europe/US in History major.
Fall only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-267 US-Latin American Relations
LASC Categories: USW, WAC, DAC
This course will analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural impact of the interactions between and among the governments and people of the US and Latin America. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-268 American Revolutionary Period
LASC Categories: TLC, USW, CON
The causes, consequences, and meaning of the American Revolution, as viewed from multiple perspectives. Social, legal, constitutional, political, military, and cultural history will all be explored to develop a rich and multi-layered understanding of questions of representation, taxation, slavery and freedom, Indigenous experiences, military strategy, popular mobilization, and political ideology, among others. Counts for Europe/US in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-269 History of the Ancient Mediterranean World
The rise, development, and fall of the civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean from the beginning of civilization in the Fertile Crescent to the fall of Rome in the west, and the rise of successor states. topics include the birth of agriculture, cities, writing, and trade, religions, and the development of empires and cultures, including but not limited to the Sumerians, Babylonians Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, and their interactions with the wider world. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-270 History of Modern Italy
Study of modern Italy from 1789 to the present. Counts for Europe/U.S. in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-274 The History of Gender and Sexuality in America
LASC Categories: TLC, USW, DIV, DAC
The history of sexuality and gender in America. Includes investigations of lesbian and gay histories; transgender histories; attempts to regulate and define sexuality; practices of birth control; the intersections of race, class, and gender; the social construction of gender; and the challenges of doing hidden histories. Counts for Europe/US in the History major. [Applicable to the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor.]
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-276 Jewish History I
This course constitutes a systematic introduction to the Biblical history of the Jewish people down to the 12th century. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-277 Jewish History II
History of the Jewish people from Medieval period to early Modernity. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-278 African History Before 1800
LASC Categories: GP, TLC, DAC, DIV
An introduction to the history of societies and cultures of Africa up to 1800. We will consider such topics as Nubian queens in Egypt, the diffusion of Bantu languages, transcontinental trade networks, the spread of Islam and Christianity, the rise of West African empires, and the transatlantic slave trade. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-279 African History Since 1800
LASC Categories: GP, TLC, DAC, DIV
An introduction to the history of groups and countries within Africa from 1800 to the early 21st century. Like the rest of the world, Africa was also changing rapidly during these centuries. Topics include the extraction of wealth, European colonial rule, pan-Africanism, independence and development during the Cold War, and Africa today. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-280 Introduction to African Diaspora History
LASC Categories: TLC, GP, DAC
Students will learn about the development of the African diaspora and how it has shaped the world since antiquity. We will consider the movements, experiences, and exploits of ordinary people and celebrated figures of African descent through such topics as imperial expansion; slavery, resistance, and freedom; nationalism and the civil rights movement; and current global issues. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-282 History Educators Cohort II
Prerequisites: HI-181.
This is a one-credit course that is designed to support integrative learning and development of metacognitive skills for students considering teaching history and social studies at the K12 level in Massachusetts. Students will work with a cohort of future History educators to develop their own pedagogical or educational practice in history, and to support each other. It is the second of a three course sequence that is required for students in the Educators' Track in the History Major, but is open to all History majors interested in exploring social studies as a career and deepening their history studies.
Other or on demand and every year. 1 Credit
HI-283 Food in American History
LASC Categories: ICW
American History, 1607 to the present, as understood through the changing and diverse meanings of food. Food reflects broader economic, culture, and political trends and structures in American history as well as providing a multi-sensory window into the past. As part of this class, students will engage in a civic engagement and/or public history project related to the history of food. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Spring only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-284 Gender & Sexuality in the Middle East And North Africa
LASC Categories: GP
Middle Eastern women and queer folks are often imagined as oppressed, voiceless, and subdued by religion, traditional patriarchal society & the authoritarian state. This course will challenge these notions, focusing instead on the lived experience of men, women, gender non-binary and transpeople in the Middle East and North Africa, examining the historical construction of complex and intersecting identities and people's understanding of gender and sexual difference. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History Major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-285 History of Baseball
LASC Categories: USW, TLC, DAC
History of baseball from the first bat-and-ball games to the present. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-286 American Legal History
An overview of American legal history from the colonial era to the present. Counts for Europe/US in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-290 Health and Healing in America
LASC Categories: ICW, TLC, WAC
Explores topics in the history of medicine, health, disease, and healing in US history. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-300 The Early National Period of the US: 1783-1829
LASC Categories: USW, TLC
Prerequisites: HI-111
The Confederation, Constitution, the emergence of political parties, and the rise of American nationality. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-301 Research and Writing of History
Prerequisites: HI-200 Historian's Craft
The history of history. A study of historiography, theory of history, and practice of historical research and writing. Continues from Historian's Craft, and lays the foundation for capstone-level work.
Other or on demand and every year. 4 Credits
HI-303 Colonial North America to 1763
Prerequisites: HI-111 and HI-112
This course will cover colonial North America, focusing on the colonies that become the United States, from the first arrivals to 1763. Topics include the peopling of the Americas from Asia and Europe, the rationale for European colonization, the foundation of the English empire, settler/native relations, the African slave trade, colonial policy, interactions with the French, Dutch, and Spanish colonies, expansion in the eighteenth century, colonial culture, the rivalry between Great Britain and France, and the expulsion of France from North America. Counts for United States/Europe in the history major.
Fall and Spring and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-308 Europe in the Age of Revolution and Nationalism: 1789-1870
Prerequisites: HI-103 or HI-104
The French Revolution, Napoleon, Congress of Vienna; nationalism, liberalism, socialism; Second French Empire; German and Italian unifications. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-310 Massachusetts History
Prerequisites: HI-111 or HI-112
A survey of Massachusetts history from its colonial origins to the present era, including the social, economic, political, constitutional development of state history and culture. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every year. 3 Credits
HI-311 Ancient Rome
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course will cover Roman history from the Indo-European migration into Italy to the fall of the Roman Empire in the west. Topics include the peopling of the Italian peninsula, the founding of Rome, the establishment of the republic, the emergence of Rome as a great power, the fall of the republic and establishment of the empire, the expansion of the Roman world, Roman culture and society, the rise of Christianity, the barbarian invasions, the fall of Rome in the west, and the persistence of Rome in the east. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-312 20th Century Europe I
Prerequisites: HI-103 or HI-104
The politics and economics of World War I; the pattern of restlessness between the wars in the rise of dictatorship in Germany, Italy, and Spain; the regimentation of economic control. Counts for Europe/United States in History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-318 Ethnic Identities in China
LASC Categories: TLC, GP, DAC, WAC
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course examines the modern history of ethnic identity formation in China and its frontiers and borderlands. It explores how China's own history of territorial expansion and political subjugation driven by ethnic minority rule shaped Chinese concepts of ethnic unity and diversity. The intersecting trajectories of European imperialism and Chinese ethnic nationalism will also be discussed, with the goal of situating the construction of ethnic categorization in China to global processes of colonialism and nationalism. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-319 Material Culture
Focuses on the way scholars use and analyze objects in historical, social and cultural content. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-320 Citizen Nation
LASC Categories: CON, USW, WAC, DIV, DAC
Prerequisites: Writing II.
Explores the history and meaning of citizenship in the United States, including discrimination, rights struggles and changing citizenship criteria. Counts for Europe/US in History major. [Cross-listed with PO-320.]
Fall only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-321 Museums and Society
Course on the history of museums and their development as a major space for public history and memory. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological for the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-322 Nationalism
LASC Categories: GP, HBS, DAC
Examines the theories of nationalism, the development of the modern nation-state, and its effect on global politics. [Cross-listed with PO-322.] Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-323 Empire
Prerequisites: HI-103 and HI-104
Theories and models of colonization, the reaction of colonized peoples, and the way historians analyze imperialism from 1400 to 1920's. [Cross-listed with PO-323.] Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-324 Museum Education and Interpretation
Prerequisites: Writing II.
Public history and museum education focuses on the use of institutional collections, technology, and programming to support a community-engaged mission. This hands-on course focuses on how practitioners develop visitor-centered educational programs within their institutions, the theories and models they draw on to serve the public, and act as a bridge between academic and publicly-oriented research. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological within the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-326 Global Histories of Violence
LASC Categories: GP
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This seminar will explore the disparate histories of violence and its different forms: colonial violence and anticolonial resistance, state violence and the carceral state, counterinsurgency and torture, genocide and ethnic cleansing from the early modern era to the present. The study of violence will be rooted in historical context but will also consciously take on a comparative approach. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-327 Out of Place: Displacement, Refugeehood, Migration in or of the Middle East
LASC Categories: GP, DIV
Prerequisites: Writing II
This course focuses on migrants and refugees in and of the Middle East. It explores the histories of human mobility within and from the region since 1500. We will pay close attention to the reasons people have migrated, and how some ended up refugees and asylum seekers because of war and persecution; circulation of work migrants and political activists; and the racialization and discrimination in destination countries. Through this course we will identify and empathize with the diverse experiences of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and work migrants. Counts for Middle East/Asia.
Fall and Spring and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-332 American Environmental History
LASC Categories: ICW, NSP
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course explores the impact of environmental conditions on American historical and cultural development and examines changing attitudes toward environmental issues. Environmental history is an interdisciplinary field that focuses on the physical, material, cultural, intellectual, governmental, and economic processes, which helped transform and shape our environment and society in different places and times. This course explores American history through an environmental lens. It examines America's interaction with nature the environment, and environmental science since the arrival of Europeans in the fifteenth century. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-333 Women in Latin America
Prerequisites: HI-213 HI-214 HI-226 or HI-247
Examines the roles of women in diverse societies including Mexico, Brazil and Caribbean nations. Emphasis on the modern period. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-334 Environmental Crisis and Management in China
LASC Categories: HBS, NSP
This course will examine the history of the relationship between Chinese society and culture, economic development, state power, scientific theories, and the environment. Recent media reports have highlighted a worsening environmental crisis in China while at the same time reporting on China as a new leader in the development of alternative energy sources. Government, domestic and international non- governmental organizations, urban and rural activists, scientific studies and discourses, and evolving political ideologies will be addressed. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-335 Imperial Crossroads of Modern East Asia
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
Examines East Asian history at the crossroads of Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Korean colonial and nationalist movements in a region called Manchuria, presently China's northeast border with Russia, Korea, and Mongolia. Counts for Middle East/Asia within the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-336 Race, Sex, and Power in the American South
LASC Categories: DIV
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course covers the history of the American South from its colonial beginnings through the Civil Rights era. We will dissect the tangled history of race and sex in the region from multiple perspectives. Throughout, we will highlight the ways that viewing history from the margins creates an expansive perspective for revealing the structures of power and the functioning of the law in the South. We will question stereotypes of regional distinctiveness and backwardness and critically assess the relationship of the South to the nation. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Alternating and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-337 Travels in Asia
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
Travels in Asia examines modern East Asian history through the lens of Chinese, Japanese, European, and American travel narratives from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries. Counts for Middle East/Asia in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-342 History of Early Modern Europe
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course analyzes political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural developments in Europe in global context from approximately 1450 to the beginning of the revolutionary period (approximately 1780). This course includes major events and phenomena such as the impact of the Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, the Enlightenment, colonization, and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This course counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-351 Age of Jackson
LASC Categories: USW, TLC
Prerequisites: HI-111 or HI-112
Political, social, economic, and intellectual developments in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-353 The Age of Reform: US History,1877-1920
Prerequisites: one History course.
An analysis of the transformation of America, including reform response to the Gilded Age's industrialization, urbanization and immigration patterns. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-356 The History of the Cold War
LASC Categories: USW
Prerequisites: HI-104 or HI-105 or HI-112
The origins of the Cold War, American, Soviet and Chinese foreign policies, arms control negotiations and future prospects. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-373 African Immigration in the 20th Century
LASC Categories: GP, TLC, DAC
Prerequisites: Writing II
Why do we commonly hear about a "brain drain" in African countries or human rights violations of refugees entering Europe? This course examines how these current global issues developed through the history of immigration from the African continent to North America and Europe during the 20th century. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-375 Popular Music and Performance in Modern Africa
LASC Categories: CA, TLC, DAC
Prerequisites: Writing II
This course looks at changes in popular music in Africa since the late 19th century. Instead of studying the practice of traditional or art music in Africa, students will gain a stronger understanding of the significance of global connections between Africa and other parts of the world by examining the performance of popular music in a variety of spaces, including streets, nightclubs, and ceremonies. Counts for Africa/Latin America in the History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-377 American Fascism
LASC Categories: USW
Prerequisites: 9 credits in history beyond the 100-level or permission of the instructor.
The history of American Nazi movements, including neo-Nazi, anti-government, and paramilitary movements, have a history spanning decades and connecting to early nativist, racist, and hypernationalist movements from the founding forward. This course systematically analyzes the ecosystem of American Nazism largely in the 20th and 21st centuries, taking into account the structures that impact the formation of these movements as well as the individuals who lead and embrace their ideologies. The study of American Nazism is interdisciplinary, requiring extensive study of information literacy, historical contexts, sociopolitical events, and legal approaches to dismantling the influence of American Nazism. Europe/US in History major.
Other or on demand and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-381 The First World War
The origins, course, and consequences of the First World War. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-383 History Educators Cohort III
Prerequisites: HI-282.
This is a one-credit course designed to support integrative learning and development of metacognitive skills for students considering teaching history and social studies at the K12 level in Massachusetts. Students will work with a cohort of future History educators to practice professional development, to analyze historiography for teaching, to understand and apply state standards for educators to the study of history, to evaluate their own pedagogical or educational practice, and to support each other. This is the third and final course of a three course sequence that is required for students in the Educators' Track in the History Major.
Other or on demand and every year. 1 Credit
HI-385 Doing Historic Preservation
Prerequisites: Writing II.
This course serves as an introduction to the theory and practice of historic preservation. The course is designed to examine the history of the preservation movement in United States, and explore the ways in which laws, public policies, and cultural attitudes shape how we preserve or do not preserve the built environment in America. Students will engage directly with the community and take part in projects that focus on experiential learning and direct applications of historic preservation. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological within the History major.
Fall only and every 2-3 years. 3 Credits
HI-390 World History for Educators
LASC Categories: TLC, GP
Prerequisites: HI-200
This course examines history through global perspectives for future educators. It deals with pedagogical approaches to and frameworks for teaching on major themes running through global history from premodern to contemporary periods. The course investigates broad themes in global history ranging across technological and scientific discoveries, shifting forces of political power and imperial formation, and the evolution of ideas about culture and society. Counts for Global/Thematic/Methodological in the History major.
Fall and Spring and every year. 4 Credits
HI-391 U.S. History for Educators
LASC Categories: USW
Prerequisites: HI-200 Historian's Craft
This course examines United States history while providing in-depth training and practice in approaching this content area as future educators. It deals with major themes running through US history from its early origins to contemporary periods. The course investigates broad themes in US history ranging across the processes of colonization and imperialism, economic development, slavery, political development, cultural change, and social movements. Counts for Europe/United States in the History major.
Alternating and every year. 4 Credits
HI-400 Independent Study in History
Special topics for advanced research and study under the guidance of a faculty member. Consent of instructor.
Fall and Spring and every year. 1-6 Credits
HI-408 Directed Study: History
Directed study offers students who because of unusual circumstances may be unable to register for a course when offered, the opportunity to complete an existing course with an established syllabus under the direction and with agreement from a faculty member.
3 Credits
HI-440 Internship in History
Internships in museums, archives, government agencies, etc. at beginning professional level in cooperating institutions, under joint supervision of agency and faculty.
Fall and Spring and every year. 6-12 Credits
HI-445 Public History Practicum
Prerequisites: HI 243 (Introduction to Public History) and 9 credits in the Public History minor
The Public History Practicum is designed to allow students to apply the concepts they have learned in courses progressing to a Public History minor. In this course, students will create, produce, or mount an exhibit, event, or project showcasing their understanding of Public History concepts, methods, and approaches. This project can then be incorporated into a portfolio of students' work in the Public History minor.
Other or on demand and other or on demand. 3 Credits
HI-450 Special Topics in History
Advanced special topics in history; course may be taught as an upper level seminar.
Other or on demand. 3 Credits
HI-460 Senior Research Seminar in History
LASC Categories: WAC, CAP
Prerequisites: any two 100-level History courses and HI-200
Capstone research, writing and portfolio seminar for seniors in the history major; students produce a substantive original research paper.
Fall and Spring and every year. 4 Credits
HI-465 American Antiquarian Society Seminar
LASC Categories: CAP
Prerequisites: HI-200 or Permission of Instructor
The American Antiquarian Society sponsors a prestigious annual seminar each fall for a select group of undergraduates from Worcester colleges and universities; participants produce a substantial original research paper. The topic and theme varies year to year, guided by a visiting scholar at the AAS. Suitable for upper-level undergraduates who can work independently and have strong analytical and writing skills. Usually 2 slots are reserved for WSU students through a competitive application process.
Fall only and every year. 4 Credits
HI-470 Senior Thesis in History
LASC Categories: CAP, WAC
Prerequisites: any two 100-level History courses and HI-200.
History major capstone option for students who intend to write a senior thesis in history.
Fall and Spring and every year. 4 Credits