History Courses for Fall 2012
The History Department has produced this short "catalog" to help you, the student, choose your classes for Fall semester. In it you will find short descriptions of the content, objectives and, in some cases, requirements, for the classes. We have also listed the professors who are teaching these classes. You may want to contact them directly if you have questions or want more information about a course. Just go to the EIU history department's website and click on "Faculty."
HIS 1500: WORLD CIVILIZATION: SOCIETY AND RELIGION
Dr. Joy Kammerling
This course examines the interrelationships between society and religion in the great civilizations of the ancient and medieval worlds. The emergence of distinct traditions in Egypt and the Near East, India, China, and classical Greece and Rome are examined, and the impact of the new, dynamic religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam spreading beyond their homelands through Europe, Asia and Africa are considered. By comparing the development of these different civilizations, we consider such questions as: What forces drive historical change? How do societies interact and influence one another? What is the role of environment? Of significant events and people? Of new ideas and beliefs? In shaping historical development?
HIS 1521: WORLD HISTORY: HUMAN RIGHTS IN HISTORY
Dr. Sace Elder
This course examines how since the sixteenth century human rights have become a dominant but widely contested set of principles in international politics and global culture. The course will explore the philosophical origins and historical consequences of human rights in Europe and the Atlantic World, Africa, and Asia. The course is for non-history majors. History majors and Social Science majors are excluded from the course; on-campus students are excluded from on-line versions of the course.
HIS 1522: WORLD HISTORY: SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
Dr. David Smith
Between 1520 and 1870, some 11 million Africans were transported to the Americas, largely on European ships, to serve as slaves. What is slavery? How did this horrible “human traffic” occur? And what was the experience of life on a slave plantation? This course will look at practices of slavery from across the globe. This course is for non-history majors. History majors and Social Science majors are excluded from this course; on-campus students are excluded from on-line versions of the course.
HIS 1526: WORLD HISTORY: THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY WORLD
TBA
This course focuses on peoples and events from the Great War to the Cold War's end that continue to affect our world today, such as colonialism, the Great Depression, the world wars, the Holocaust, liberation movements and terrorism, technology, the environment, and civil rights. People discussed will include Gandhi, Mao Zedong, Lenin, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Hitler, and Stalin. This course is for non-history majors. History majors and Social Science majors are excluded from the course; on-campus students are excluded from on-line versions of the course.
HIS 1590: ROOTS OF THE MODERN WORLD: SOCIETY AND RELIGION (HONORS)
Dr. Lee Patterson
This course will explore the historical origins of the world's great religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We will study the lives of the "founders" of each faith, learn the central beliefs of each group, and analyze the conflicts (spiritual and political) that promoted changes of belief and practice over time.
HIS 2010: HISTORY OF THE U.S. TO 1877
Drs. John McElligott, Mark Voss-Hubbard, Nora Pat Small, and Charles Foy
At its most basic level, this course is a survey of the political, social, economic, and cultural history of the colonial and post-colonial United States. Every professor, however, structures the course somewhat differently, sometimes relying on themes such as community and culture, other times emphasizing one particular historical thread (such as politics)to provide a framework for the class. No matter how it is taught, students are introduced to the use of primary sources and the interpretive nature of history, that is, how historians reconstruct past events to write history.
HIS 2020: HISTORY OF THE U.S. SINCE 1877
Drs. Jonathan Coit, Martin Hardeman, Terry Barnhart, and TBA
"America grew up in the country then moved to the city," wrote one prominent American historian. A bitterly divided, largely agrarian country at the end of the Civil War, the United States grew to be a world power by the end of the nineteenth century. That power would only grow over the next 100 years--a time that could rightly be called "the American Century." But the pace of growth and development were not without consequences. Many Americans found themselves struggling to preserve and advance democratic traditions and individual opportunity. This course introduces students to the paradoxes, struggles, successes, and failures of American history, 1877 to the present.
HIS 2090: HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES TO 1877, HONORS
Dr. Mark Voss-Hubbard
The colonial period; the independence movement; framing and adoption of the Constitution; growth of American nationality; Manifest Destiny; the Civil War and Reconstruction.
HIS 2500: HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND WRITING
Drs. Edmund Wehrle and Michael Shirley
This introduction to researching and writing history aims: (1) To develop ability to assess and think critically about historical issues and how people interpret those issues; (2) To develop familiarity with a variety of sources and the conventions of citing those sources in historical writing; (3) To develop skills in analyzing historical data and reaching informed conclusions about those data. There are a number of short assignments which build particular skills, and which are interrelated in that they help build towards a required, final research paper. The techniques and sources covered in the assignments are applicable to all history courses.
HIS 2560: EARLY MODERN WORLD HISTORY
Dr. Newton Key
HIS 2650 begins with classical civilizations unraveling and ends with the threads of modernity; it moves from the global civilization of the previously nomadic Mongols in the 13th century to the export of the French Revolution to the rest of Europe and the New World circa 1800. The course introduces the rich source material of the early modern world, and helps refine your skills of analysis and synthesis. It also provides a broad narrative of events.
HIS 3100: HISTORY OF ENGLAND, 1066-1688
Dr. Newton Key
HIS 3100 examines early modern England - the age ruled by Tudor and Stuart monarchs, but shaped by many English men and women both commoners and aristocrats. Besides the political and religious narrative, we examine sources on specific intellectual, political, social, religious, and economic issues confronting the English (and Welsh, Scottish, and Irish) peoples. Course goals include: introducing (and general mastery of) a basic political and religious narrative of English history from the late 15th to early 18th centuries; and introducing and discussing various early modern sources.
HIS 3140: ANCIENT GREECE
Dr. Lee Patterson
This course surveys the history, culture, literature, and institutions of ancient Greece, beginning with the Mycenaean period and finishing with the coming of the Romans. One of our objectives is to observe the political, cultural, and economic changes the Greek world underwent. It is especially important to engage the Greeks on their own terms, for which the reading of ancient texts is vital. By the end of the term, the goal is for us to see how much the Greeks laid the foundations of western civilization even while in many ways they were, in some of their perspectives, very removed from modern times.
HIS 3175: HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY
Dr. Joy Kammerling
Survey course on origins and development of Christianity from Old and New Testament times to current churches and movements: Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox traditions, early communities, Middle Ages, Islam, Reformation, anti-Semitism, multicultural Christianity, American church history.
HIS 3245: AFRICAN HISTORY TO 1400
Dr. Roger Beck
This course complements HIS 3250. It begins with archaeological evidence for human origins in Africa, and continues through the rise of African empires between 900 AD and 1400 AD.
HIS 3255: COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA
Dr. Jose Deustua-Carvallo
Survey of Latin America to Independence, focusing on the rise of the great pre-Columbian civilizations, the political, social and religious structures of colonial Iberian American civilization, and the origins and process of Independence.
HIS 3555: MODERN WORLD HISTORY
Drs. Sace Elder and Anita Shelton
This course explores the major political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will examine the rise of industrialization and the international division of labor that served as the basis for vast global empires in the nineteenth century. They will explore the nationalist movements that brought down those empires, the challenges of nation-building in the post-colonial world, and the competing modern ideologies that inspired and shaped those nation-building projects. Nationalism, both productive and destructive, will be contrasted with the internationalism arising from the ashes of the two world wars in the form of new institutions such as the UN and the European Union. At the end of the course will be George Bush, Sr.'s "new world order" and the challenges to Western dominance presented by the Muslim world and China as students consider globalization at the beginning of the twentieth century.
HIS 3600: THE U.S. CONSTITUTION AND THE NATION
Drs. Lynne Curry and Jonathon Coit
History 3600 explores the legal issues that shaped the development of United States government, and the relationships of citizens to that government. The U.S. system is based on a written constitution that gives the government power and legitimacy. The course helps students understand the development of the ideas behind the Constitution and rule by law by analyzing the myriad ways that judges, lawyers, legal scholars, politicians, and ordinary citizens interpret the document. The "readings" of the Constitution by these groups often conflict, and in many instances their interpretation has changed over time. This makes it difficult to decipher the original intent of those who drafted the Constitution. Based on primary sources including the Constitution, amendments, state and federal legislation, and Supreme Court decisions, students realize how little the Constitution has changed over time but how much its interpretation has evolved to meet the demands of U.S. citizens, historically and today.
HIS 3750: AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY: A SURVEY
Dr. Martin Hardeman
A general survey of African American history from 1619 to the present. The course will include both primary and secondary readings and will explore such topics as slavery, Reconstruction, the Great Migration and the Civil Rights movement.
HIS 3800: U.S. DIPLOMATIC HISTORY
Dr. Edmund Wehrle
This course will survey America’s complex and increasingly important relations with the outside world. Several test cases will be examined in detail with the expressed aim of understanding not only the events and individuals involved but also the forces and ideas propelling American foreign policy. In particular, students will gain an appreciation for the major schools of thought and debates among historians about those forces shaping U.S. international relations. Students will write several papers, culminating with a term paper.
HIS 3810: THE HISTORY OF ILLINOIS
Dr. Charles Titus
The state of Illinois has a fascinating past which stretches from the era when pre-historic peoples created vibrant, flourishing cultures to the struggle for empire during the French and British colonial eras to contemporary times when the Prairie State serves as one of the industrial and agricultural centers of the nation. History 3810 traces these developments and examines the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of our state from pre-historic times to the very recent past. Students will read both scholarly and popular accounts of Illinois history and will examine and analyze primary documents which help explain why the state developed as it did. Students will read both scholarly and popular accounts of Illinois history and will examine and analyze primary documents which help explain why the state developed as it did.
HIS 3920: MILITARY HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Charles Titus
The military has been an important factor in the nation's history since the colonial era. History 3920 examines the military experience within this larger context of United States history. The course surveys the origins, strategies, tactics, logistics and consequences of selected American wars. The role of technology, military professionalism, and social views toward war and the military as these matters have affected United States history are also examined in the class.
HIS 3940: HISTORY OF AMERICAN JOURNALISM
Dr. Sally Renaud
Survey of journalism in the United States from colonial times to the present.
HIS 4303: COLONIAL AMERICA TO 1763
Dr. Charles Foy
The origins of England¿s North American Colonies and their cultural, economic, political, social, and religious development in the period ending with the French and Indian War.
HIS 4775: ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
TBA
Study of historical topics not typically presented in standard courses. Topics to be announced.
HIS 4775: THE SOUTH 1790-1913
Dr. Martin Hardeman
Study of historical topics not typically presented in standard courses. Topics to be announced.
HIS 4775: THE NAZI PAST IN GERMAN FILM
Dr. Sace Elder
Study of historical topics not typically presented in standard courses. Topics to be announced.
HIS 4850: MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN
Dr. Jose Deustua-Carvallo
This course focuses on the relationships among the following issues in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean: racial and ethnic identity; economic development; political structures, and migration.
HIS 4930: PUBLIC HISTORY: MEANING AND METHOD
Dr. Debra Reid
An introduction to public history that explores how conflicting interpretations of the past promoted by local amateurs, museum professionals, documentary producers and academic historians shape the public's understanding of the past.
The following courses are open to graduate students only:
HIS 5000: HISTORIOGRAPHY
Dr. Lynne Curry
Through intensive reading, writing, and discussion, students will explore and interrogate the scholarly discipline of History. How has the study of history changed over time? What theoretical frameworks have shaped scholars' views of the past? What kinds of questions do historians ask, and how do they find the answers? Why is there so much disagreement among scholars about the past? In addition to thorough preparation for, and active engagement, in our weekly discussions students will complete several short written assignments and one longer paper.
HIS 5010: ADMINISTRATION OF HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Ms. Patricia Miller
Intensive study and research into special topics relating to the management of historical sites, museums, and archives.
HIS 5020: HISTORICAL RESEARCH AND INTERPRETATION FOR PUBLIC AUDIENCES
Dr. Terry A. Barnhart
An introduction to the research methods and interpretive strategies used in the development of effective public programs at museums and historical societies.
HIS 5060: HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Dr. Nora Small
Introduction to the practice, theory and history of the field of historic preservation.
HIS 5110: HISTORY MUSEUM EXHIBITS I
Mr. Rick Riccio
A study of the role, function and development of history museum exhibits as a part of the interpretation process. Students will research and design a temporary exhibit.
HIS 5112: DIGITAL APPLICATIONS IN MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES I
Mr. Rick Riccio
This two-semester sequence course will teach students current standards in digitizing museum and archival collections and provide hands-on experience in digitizing two and three-dimensional objects. HIS 5112 is offered in the fall semester and will cover planning, preservation, and standards.
HIS 51601: RACE AND DEMOCRACY
Dr. Mark Voss-Hubbard
Intensive study of special topics in American history, to be determined by the instructor.
HIS 5330: MATERIAL LIFE IN AMERICA
Dr. Debra Reid
An historical overview of the significance and methods of studying artifacts made, purchased, and used by Americans from the early 1600s to the present. Topics include the ways material evidence reflects human adaptation to the environment, to social and cultural influences and to the rise of consumerism.
HIS 5350: TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN CULTURAL AND SOCIAL HISTORY
Dr. Jonathon Coit
This version of 5350 focuses primarily on historians’ debates about race and ethnicity in the twentieth century. As historians have moved beyond recovering the history of subaltern individuals and groups in U.S. history, they have struggled with several thorny conceptual issues. What is the process by which racial or ethnic identity is socially constructed? What is the relationship between race and class? What is the structure of dominant racial identity, and how is it impacted by, among other influences, immigration, economic change, and social movements? Are racial identities stereotypes constructed by relations of domination, social identities which emerge from commonalities in lived experiences, or a series of performances which position the subject in discursive fields?
HIS 5400: ENLIGHTENMENT AND EARLY INDUSTRIALIZATION
Dr. David K. Smith
The course will begin with an investigation of early industrialization, considering both theories of industrialization and specific topics such as consumerism, work and labor, mechanization, and the knowledge economy. The course will then turn to a broad consideration of the Enlightenment. We will begin with a review of the major historiographic positions on the Enlightenment and then turn to a series of specific topics, such as controversies over religion, the Battle between the Ancients and the Moderns, sentimentalism, and civil society.
HIS 5400: THE TROJAN WAR
Dr. Lee Patterson
The ancient Greek legend of the Trojan War, immortalized by Homer’s Iliad, has captivated
readers for generations. But is there a historical basis for it? This course will explore the
historical and archaeological evidence for a Bronze Age Trojan War in western Anatolia. In
order to gain familiarity with the Bronze Age context, we will investigate the world of the
Mycenaeans and the Hittites, with some attention given to the cuneiform records of the war in
the Hittite archives at Hattusa. We will also examine the archaeological findings at the site of
ancient Troy and the fierce debates about them that have raged since the 1870s. Finally, we will
consider the reliability of Homer himself as a source.
HIS 5700: WORLD WAR I
Dr. Roger Beck
Events during the Great War, including the Russian Revolution, and the treaties following it, profoundly shaped the remainder of the twentieth century and their consequences continue to affect us today. This course will study the war in all its aspects -- such as its origins, the home front and battle front, total war, women in the war, the Russian Revolution and its effect on the war, and the nature of the warfare. We will also devote much time to the war's global and on-going consequences. Term papers for the course will focus on local involvement and reaction to the war, using primary sources that might include personal family records, town memorials, local newspapers and histories, yearbooks, oral interviews and war records.
HIS 5991: NON-CREDIT INDEPENDENT STUDY
Drs. Nora Pat Small, Edmund Wehrle
Special permission of the department.
