Courses

HIST 120   Local and Kansas History (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to the history of the region that is today the state of Kansas, from approximately 900AD to the present. This course will examine the cultures, economies, politics, and relationships with the natural environment of the various peoples who have inhabited what we now know as Kansas. In addition, students will learn about the complex relationships between the many peoples who have lived in Kansas.

HIST 125   Western Civilization: Ancient World to the Renaissance (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to major developments, ideas, and personalities that have shaped institutions and practices in the Western world to approximately 1500. Students will analyze and discuss the Ancient Near East, Greek and Roman civilizations, the rise of Western Christendom, and the emergence of the Renaissance. It is not necessary to take HIST 125 before HIST 126.

HIST 126   Western Civilization: Scientific Revolution to the Modern Age (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to major developments, ideas, and personalities that have shaped institutions and practices in the Western world since approximately 1500. Students will analyze and discuss transoceanic exploration, religious reformations, Scientific Revolution, constitutionalism, industrialization, and more recent themes of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is not necessary to take HIST 125 before HIST 126.

HIST 128   Medieval History (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to major developments, ideas, and figures of the medieval world. Students will analyze and discuss the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of Western Christendom, the effects of Viking raids, medieval warfare, the Crusades, and the devastation of the Black Death.

HIST 129   Early Modern Europe 1500-1789 (3 Hours)

This course introduces students to early modern European history, with emphasis on the economic, social, and political developments that have shaped the modern world. Students will examine the Renaissance, intercultural exchange between Europe and the world, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, the Scientific Revolution, Absolutism, Constitutionalism, the Enlightenment, and the French Revolution.

HIST 130   European History Since 1789 (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to the major political, intellectual, economic and social developments in Europe from the end of the 18th century to the present, including modern political ideologies, major wars, the growth of strong governments, the effect of modern science on social and political thought, the Industrial Revolution, the creation of large middle classes and the effect of modern technology.

HIST 132   History of Africa (3 Hours)

This course introduces students to the history of Africa until the present. It emphasizes the fundamental characteristics and long-term developments in the evolution of African political and socioeconomic institutions.

HIST 135   Eastern Civilization (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to the societies, cultures, institutions, and geographic and environmental features of India, China, Japan and Korea. Students will analyze and describe early settlements, mythology, the development of centralized governments, major dynasties, philosophies, religions, and areas of popular culture.

HIST 137   African American History (3 Hours)

This course surveys the major themes and developments in African American culture and history from colonialism to the present. Topics will include Africa prior to the slave trade; American enslavement, resistance, and emancipation; racial segregation and the civil rights movements; urbanization; and African American arts and literature. Emphases will be on the analysis and interpretation of these developments.

HIST 140   U.S. History to 1877 (3 Hours)

This survey course in U.S. history emphasizes developments and trends in American society prior to European colonization through Reconstruction. Topics include the Colonial era, the Revolutionary period, the expansion of the Republic during the mid-19th century, and the Civil War and Reconstruction. The emphasis will be on analysis and interpretation of these developments.

HIST 141   U.S. History Since 1877 (3 Hours)

This survey course will introduce students to developments and trends in American society from the late 1870s to the present. Topics will include the Reconstruction era, industrialization, immigration, reform movements, wars, social and cultural trends, and foreign policy. Emphasis will be on analysis and interpretation of these developments.

HIST 143   Ancient Greece, the Near East and Egypt (3 Hours)

This course introduces students to the history and culture of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and Greece to approximately the first century BCE. Students will analyze and describe the region’s mythology and religion, development of centralized governments and empires, and key figures through the Hellenistic period. Special emphasis will be placed on both written texts and archaeological remains.

HIST 145   History of Ancient Rome (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to major developments, ideas, and figures of ancient Rome. Students will analyze and discuss major facets of Roman history, such as the transition from a monarchy to a republic, the Punic Wars, the establishment of the Principate, and wars of conquest. Students will also discuss Roman art, literature, and culture through careful analysis of both archaeological and written evidence.

HIST 149   History of India (3 Hours)

This survey course is an introduction to the history of India. The course examines Indian cultures and civilizations from the ancient Indus River Valley Civilization to the present nation-state of India. This course evaluates literature, art, architecture and other forms of cultural aesthetics as well as political, economic, and religious developments.

HIST 150   Islam: Religion and Civilization (3 Hours)

This course surveys major themes and developments in Islamic culture and history from the life of the Prophet Muhammad to the present Muslim diaspora. Topics will include Islam’s major teachings and practices; its main religious branches; expansion and political development since the seventh century; interactions with the West; and Islamic law, philosophy, arts, science, and literature. Emphases will be on the analysis and interpretation of these developments. HIST 150, HUM 150 and REL 150 are the same course; enroll in one only.

HIST 151   World History: Traditional (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to major trends and developments in world history to approximately 1500. Students will analyze and describe the beginnings of civilization throughout the world, the formation of classical cultures, the increasing interconnectedness of Afro-Eurasia, the Americas, and Oceania, as well as the broad social, political, and cultural developments of the world’s major civilizations.

HIST 152   World History: Modern World (3 Hours)

This is a survey course that introduces students to major trends and developments in world history since approximately 1500. Students will analyze and describe globalization, the rise and fall of empires, transformations from kingdoms to nation-states, industrialization, and broad social, political, and cultural changes and continuities in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

HIST 160   Modern Russian History (3 Hours)

This course examines Russian history within an Eurasian context. It is a study of three centuries of the social, political, economic and cultural forces that shaped Russian history, beginning with a survey of the events that place Russia outside the Western historical tradition.

HIST 162   Modern Latin America (3 Hours)

This course introduces students to the economic, social, political, and cultural history of Latin America since independence. Students will analyze individual nation-states, but also consider regional histories, like the history of Central America and the Caribbean. Literary and intellectual trends, together with contemporary popular culture, are featured in the course.

HIST 165   History of China (3 Hours)

This course will survey the history of China from its Neolithic origins until the twenty-first century by examining major overall themes, including political and military developments, social formations cultural trends and China's role in the larger world.

HIST 167   Introduction to History: Japan (3 Hours)

This survey course in Japanese history emphasizes developments and trends from the prehistoric period to the 21st century. Topics include Heian court culture, developments in Japanese Buddhism such as Zen, the rise of the samurai and the Shogunate, Japanese pirates, the wars of the Sengoku Period, Tokugawa governance and culture, the Meiji Restoration, Japan in World War Two, and modern Japanese culture.

HIST 180   North American Indian History (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to developments and trends in the history of Indigenous peoples (also known as American Indians and Native Americans) in North America from the emergence of human life on the continent through the present. Topics include Indigenous life prior to European migration, colonialism, adaptation and resistance to European and United States expansion, and sovereignty.

HIST 195   History of the Middle East (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces developments and trends in the history of the Middle East and northern Africa. Topics include the origins and development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; western colonialism; the rise of the modern nation-state; and contemporary challenges. Emphases will be on analysis and interpretation of these developments.

HIST 200   Empires of the Silk Road (3 Hours)

This course surveys the peoples and cultures along the Silk Road from prehistory to the modern period. Students will analyze and describe the major empires of Outer and Inner Eurasia, how pastoral nomadic peoples played vital roles in economic and cultural exchanges across vast distances, and how lifeways on the steppe differed from those of sedentary societies. Special emphasis will be placed on both written texts and archaeological remains.

HIST 210   Environmental History of North America (3 Hours)

This course will introduce students to the environmental history of North America as well as Environmental History as a distinct sub-field of History. Students by the end of this course should be able to more clearly see connections between what they would previously have considered history and the natural systems that made that history possible. By taking an explicitly interdisciplinary focus, this course will bring fresh insights to familiar historical narratives.

HIST 250   American West (3 Hours)

This survey course introduces students to the history of the western region of the United States. Topics include the indigenous nations of the West; the efforts of settler societies to colonize and extract resources; contemporary economic, environmental, and political challenges; and the West of myth as told through film and literature. Emphases will be on the analysis and interpretation of these developments.

HIST 260   Women in U.S. History (3 Hours)

This course examines how the experiences of women have shaped United States history. Coursework will investigate the construction of gender; intersections of race, ethnicity, class, sexuality and identity with gender; women’s work (paid and unpaid); politics and reform; and changing gender roles. Special attention will be paid to the divergent experiences and perspectives of diverse women in order to expand cultural understanding.

HIST 270   History Internship* (3 Hours)

Prerequisites : Department approval.

Students augment their academic course work with an internship in an appropriate setting under instructional supervision. Internship projects are cooperative efforts between appropriate supervisors in state, local or national museum or research facilities or other not-for-profit organizations and college staff and students. Internships give students the opportunity to participate in the real-world application of their academic studies. In addition, this synthesis of classroom study with practical experience provides students with skills and insights useful in selecting a career or avocation in community service. The student spends the equivalent of 10 hours per week performing internship duties over the course of the semester or a total of 150 hours.

HIST 291   Independent Study* (1-7 Hour)

Prerequisites : 2.0 GPA minimum and department approval.

Independent study is a directed, structured learning experience offered as an extension of the regular curriculum. It is intended to allow individual students to broaden their comprehension of the principles of and competencies associated with the discipline or program. Its purpose is to supplement existing courses with individualized, in-depth learning experiences. Such learning experiences may be undertaken independent of the traditional classroom setting, but will be appropriately directed and supervised by regular instructional staff. Total contact hours vary based on the learning experience.

HIST 292   Special Topics: (1-3 Hour)

This course periodically offers specialized or advanced discipline-specific content related to the study of history, not usually taught in the curriculum, to interested and qualified students within the program. This is a repeatable course and may be taken more than once for credit.