History Department

HIST 102 studies the growth of Western European civilization from absolutism to the present. It is an introduction to the study of history, giving a general perspective of the development of those political, economic, and social institutions that explain our present-day civilization. An attempt is made to orient the student’s thinking to present world problems.

HIST 106 is a survey of major political, social, ideological, and economic developments in Russia from the 10th century to the present. Emphasis is on the Romanov Empire, political movements and reforms in the 19th century, revolutions in the early 20th century, the USSR and its collapse, the Russian Federated Republic and its policies toward the former Soviet republics and other regional and international issues.

HIST 121 is a survey of the history of the Armenian people from ethnogenesis to the present. Topics include: The Artashesian, Arshaguni, Bagratid, and Cilician kingdoms; Armenia under the domination of Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Mongol, Turkish, and Russian empires; the religious and cultural heritage of the Armenian people; the emergence of the Armenian Question in the 19th Century; World War I and the Armenian Genocide; the first Republic of Armenia and international treaties up to 1923; Soviet Armenia; the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; re-establishment of an independent Armenian Republic in 1991 and its relations with the Armenian Diaspora, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States in the 21st century.

HIST 131 surveys the development of Africa from 1800 to the present. Themes covered include: colonization and underdevelopment, neo-colonialism, nationalism, and African independence movements. Case studies of individual African countries are used to analyze the various themes.

HIST 132 examines the geographical, cultural, and historical realities of the Philippines from the Spanish colonial period until the present. Particular emphasis is given to past and present U.S.-Philippine relations and the contemporary social, economic, and political situation in the Philippines.

HIST 115 investigates the legal, economic, political and social issues surrounding the dramatic transformation of gender relations in contemporary society. Topics included are women’s private lives, public, and political roles, and the public policy that has affected women’s lives. The course focuses on leaders of the Women’s Movement in the United States who worked to change laws, open doors to new occupations, and create and influence new institutions, as well as old ones. Using biography, primary sources documents, and socio-historical studies, the course focuses on women in the 1940s, then moves forward into the Women’s Movement of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and the conservative react ions to the movement in the 1980s and 1990s.

HIST 117 is a survey course that looks in depth at United States history from the colonial period to Reconstruction. The English colonies, the Revolutionary War, the Constitution, the New Nation, Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction will all be examined.

HIST 118 is a survey course that looks in depth at United States history from the Reconstruction period to the present. The Reconstruction period, the Gilded Age, Populism and Progressivism, Imperialism, the Great Depression and New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam, Watergate, and the Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Obama years are examined.

HIST 122 is a survey of the discovery, exploration, and settlement of California. Emphasis is placed development of particular political, economic, and social institutions, along with California’s relationships with the United States and the rest of the world.

HIST 135 examines the history of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia during the twentieth century and the legacies of the Vietnam War up to the present. The course surveys the histories of Chinese influence in the region, French colonialism, and the different phases of U.S. commitment. It studies wartime experiences on the U.S. home front, the Cold War conflict and rivalry, and decolonization across the world. The course also explores how Vietnam continues to influence the U.S. as shown in its foreign policy and subsequent wars, its political debates, and its popular culture.

HIST 152 introduces students to the history of protest movements in the 1960s, focusing on the period 1954-1974. Students learn about the social conditions that gave rise to protest movements, the goals, internal dynamics, leadership, strategy and tactics used by these movements and the impact the various protest movements had on the society within which they existed. Particular emphasis is placed on an examination of the civil rights movements, the student movement, the anti-Vietnam movement, the minority empowerment movements, the women’s movement and counter-culture.

HIST 104 is a general survey of 19th and 20th Century Latin American history. The course focuses on the political, economic, and social development of Latin America. In addition, the course offers an historical review of U.S. Latin America relations. The course is designed to acquaint the student with the area’s basic history so as to better appreciate and understand contemporary social and political change in Latin American societies.

HIST 105 is an introductory course focusing on the contemporary political, economic, and social history in Central America and the Caribbean. The course focuses on the 20th Century, with special attention given to the role and impact of United States policy in the region. This class discusses race, gender, ethnicity and social class in Central America and the Caribbean.

HIST 113 is an in-depth study of the emergence of the Mexican institutions and traditions from Pre-Colombian societies to the present. The course is designed to meet the needs of the college student who wishes to understand the development of the modern Mexican nation. Modern Mexico and its development is the primary concern of this course.

HIST 136 explores the history, causes, and potential solutions to the problems of war. The history of individual wars is examined with a broader picture of war in general, including ancient warfare, the Middle Passage, the rise of modern war, and the development of total war. An interdisciplinary approach is taken in exploring the immediate causes of war, including historical, economic, political, anthropological, sociological, and psychological causes. The course probes moral and philosophical aspect for the ultimate causes of war. Finally, solutions are considered, including diplomacy, treaties, the United Nations, a one-world government, and the dismantling of nation-states.

HIST 140 is a general survey of the world from earliest times up to 1500 with emphasis on the development of human ideas, arts, and institutions. Emphasis is placed upon the development of major civilizations, migration and settlement patterns, religion, philosophy, and technology.

HIST 141 is a general political survey of the world from the 1500s to the present, with emphasis on the development of human ideas, arts, and institutions. The characteristics of the medieval and modern worlds are examined.