History Courses

* Courses that also satisfy General Education requirements.

^# Courses with Beyond the Classroom Experiential Learning designation.

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Core Courses

HIST 2100 - Research and Writing in History ^* #

Introduction to principles and practices of historical research and writing. Emphasizes research methods and techniques, analysis of source material, construction of historical arguments, and effective written presentation of material in multiple contexts.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Rhetoric and Writing II

HIST 4020 - The Historian’s Craft: Capstone in History

A seminar primarily intended for advanced majors in history or a related field. Focusing on specific topics in American, European, or World history, the course will help students master topics such as historiographical debate, analysis of historical evidence, and current historical methodologies.

Introductory Courses

HIST 1110 - World History from Origins to 1400 *

This course will introduce students to human achievements in Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas from the origins of civilization to about the year 1400. Rather than taking a strictly chronological approach to civilizations and cultures, it will emphasize emerging cultures, traditions, and religions both as expressions of their time and place and as meaningful in our modern world.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Thought, Values and Beliefs
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 1120 - World History from 1400 to the Present *

This course will focus on the evolution of multiple, autonomous cultural centers within Africa, Eurasia, and the Americas prior to 1400 to an interconnected global system in the present. Topics covered include exploration, colonialism, responses to industrialization, the spread of the nation-state, the rise of modern science, the impact of a global economy, ethnicity and nationalism, migration, and mass culture.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2010 - United States to 1865 * 

A survey of American History from the age of discovery to the present, with special attention to the peoples, ideas, and cultures that created the United States.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2020 - United States since 1865 * 

A survey of American History from the age of discovery to the present, with special attention to the peoples, ideas, and cultures that created the United States.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

U.S. History

HIST 2030 - History of Tennessee *

A study of the political, economic, social, and cultural development of the state from the days of the Indians to the present.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2410 - Colonial and Revolutionary America *

The colonial period of American history from the earliest settlements in North America to independence and the U.S. Constitution; the European background to colonization, colonial settlements, the development of colonial social, political, and economic institutions, and the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2420 - Early National and Antebellum America *

The Constitution and presidencies of George Washington and John Adams; the War of 1812 and the emergence of nationalism; rise of the frontier; Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, emphasis on political, social, and economic developments that forged the new nation.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2430 - The Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction *

The Old South and the causes of the Civil War; the leaders; the chief political, military, and economic developments from the Compromise of 1850 to the end of Reconstruction.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2440 - Gilded Age to Jazz Age *

An exploration of American political, social, economic, and cultural life in the United States from the 1870s to the 1920s; topics include urban inequality, industrialization, mass immigration, Progressive reform, Jim Crow laws, and 1920s popular culture. 

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2450 - Depression Era to Recent Times *

An examination of political, economic, and social aspects of the recent past, including post-World War II readjustments, the Cold War, the Kennedy years, the Vietnam trauma, and the downfall of the “imperial presidency.”

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2460 - History of the American South *

The role of the South in the formation of the nation. Interpretations of the institutions and developments that made the South unique.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2920R - Topics: Exploring American History

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 3405 - American Public History

An upper-level course on American public history.

HIST 3420 - American Sexual Histories

An examination of shifting perceptions of gender and sexuality over the course of United States history. Topics include ideas about interracial romance, sex censorship, the eugenics movement, the development of LGBT identities, shifting marital and familial norms and the development of feminist thought.

HIST 3425 - Queer American History

While terms like gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex have relatively recent origins, the contemporary LGBTQ+ community has deep historical roots in America. Spanning from the seventeenth century to the present, this course explores the past experiences of individuals and groups who would be categorized today under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. It examines the long history of protest and political action that sexual minorities have undertaken in pursuit of civil rights and social justice, as well as the consistent legal and cultural backlash that has accompanied LGBTQ+ visibility. As we shift our focus from decade to decade, we will observe the ever-evolving ideas about what was “natural” and “normal” when it came to gender and sexual identity, and we will consider the many social forces shaping popular opinion on sexual matters (e.g. the press, lawmakers, scientists, religious figures, authors, filmmakers, etc.). Throughout the semester we will examine queer history within an intersectional framework; that is to say, we will contemplate the wide array of identities that constituted our subjects’ lived experiences, including race, ethnicity, nationality, class, gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and region. As we shall see, there has not been one uniform queer experience in the United States. Rather, there are countless factors that have shaped the lives of queer Americans throughout the centuries. This class will give students an opportunity to learn about some of these experiences, and to consider the methods that historians might use to uncover those queer histories that have yet to be told. 

HIST 3450 - African American History to 1865

A survey course that may cover comparative or regional histories or themes (such as religious, economic, or gender history) that centers on the United States. Offered on demand.

HIST 3455 - African American History since 1865

An exploration of the trials and triumphs that African Americans have experienced from Reconstruction to the present; topics include the Jim Crow era, the Great Migration, Civil Rights struggles, and black artistic and literary movements.

HIST 3460 - American South to 1865 

This course examines the history of the American South from European exploration of the southern coast and contact with the region’s native peoples until the Civil War.

HIST 3465 - American South since 1865

This course surveys post-Civil War southern history focusing on Emancipation, segregation, New Deal, civil rights movement, and rise of the Sunbelt addressing political, economic, and cultural changes.

HIST 3470 - American Popular Culture

An exploration American history through the lens of popular culture, arts, and entertainments. Topics will include the development of American newspaper publishing, the early age of radio, escapist cinema in the Depression era, and the politics of popular music in the 1960s.

HIST 3475 - The Modern Civil Rights Struggle

This course surveys the history of the modern civil rights movement by examining protests tactics, the impact of the Cold War, white mass resistance, and federal legislation; grassroots and charismatic leadership, white mass resistance, and the political, cultural, transnational legacies of the movement.

HIST 3480R - Topics in Urban History

An upper-level course on U.S. urban history.

HIST 3485 - Civil War in American Memory

An upper-level course on the Civil War in American memory.

HIST 3820 - United States and the Middle East

This course will examine the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East and its relations with the countries of that region from 1789 through the present.

HIST 3920R - Topics: Interpreting American History

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 3950R - Topics in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 4500R - Special Topics in Historical Study

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

European History

HIST 2210 - Medieval Europe, c. 300-1500 *

This course covers the history of the medieval period from the transformation of the Roman era through the end of the fifteenth century. This class will focus on themes like religious growth and change, the development of medieval social structures and institutions, and cultural interactions between Europe and its neighbors.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2220 - Early Modern Europe, c. 1500-1800 *

This class looks at the processes, institutions, and relationships that “made” modern Europe. Special attention will paid to religious, political, economic, and social development in this period of contradiction and intellectual tumult. Topics covered will include artistic, scientific, and religious movements; imperialism and exploration; Absolutism; Constitutionalism, and the Enlightenment.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2230 - Modern Europe, c. 1800-present *

This course surveys important themes and developments of European history from the beginning of the French Revolution to approximately the turn of the  twenty-first century. Topics covered may include the balance of power in Europe and international relations; the rise of imperialism; the spread of industrial society; the problems of world wars and reconstruction; the decline of European colonial systems, and the diplomacy of the Cold War.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirement:

• Historical Understanding

HIST 2930R - Topics: Exploring European History

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 3110 - Ancient Greece

A broad survey of the political, cultural, and social history of Ancient Greece. Topics may include Bronze Age culture, the Persian Wars, Classical Athens and Sparta, the rise of Macedonia, as well as the art, philosophy, and religion of Greece’s polis-based society. May be registered as CLAS 3110. Credit not allowed in both HIST 3110 and CLAS 3110.

HIST 3120 - Ancient Rome

This course provides a broad survey of the political, cultural, and social history of Ancient Rome from its founding to its transformation in the fifth century C.E. Topics covered include art, philosophy, and literature; the rise of bureaucratic government; the Roman economy; and life under the emperors. May be registered as CLAS 3120. Credit not allowed in both HIST 3120 and CLAS 3120.

HIST 3200 - Renaissance Culture and Society

An exploration of the rise of humanism in fourteenth-century Italy and the spread of humanistic ideas into greater Europe and the responses to it throughout high culture, religion, government, the sciences, and expansion abroad to ca. 1600.

HIST 3210 - Reformation Europe and the World

A study of the religious, political, social, and economic factors involved in the Protestant and Catholic Reformations as well as their impact on European culture and continued religious reform through the end of the seventeenth century.

HIST 3270 - Under Hitler’s Shadow: Europe 1929-1945

A comparative approach to the study of Europe from the outbreak of the economic depression in 1929 to the end of the second World War in 1945. Beginning with the rise of the National Socialist party, it examines political, cultural, and economic affairs in other areas of Europe, and the consequences of Hitler’s increasingly brash foreign policy. The course also focuses on WWII in Europe, focusing on the subjugation of the continent to German control, the Holocaust, resistance movements, and ultimate defeat of Hitler’s Germany.

HIST 3280 - The Holocaust

This course is about the genocide of the Second World War known as the Holocaust. The focus will be on the people involved: the perpetrators, victims, and bystanders. We will look at the origins of the tragedy and try to understand how it came about. The course will also include discussions concerning how people involved and affected by what happened have come to terms with the mass murder of Jews, Roma, and others during the war.

HIST 3300 - History of England, Part I: England to 1688/9

Upper-level survey examines important political, economic, social, and cultural developments, including the rise of English national identity, the development of Parliament, the Protestant Reformation, the English Civil Wars, the Restoration of the Monarchy, and the Glorious Revolution.

HIST 3310 - History of England, Part II: England from 1688/9

Upper-level survey examines important political, economic, social, and cultural developments, including England’s transition from a pre-modern to a modern society, the development of cabinet government, the rise and fall of the British Empire, the industrial revolution, and the question of Britain’s relative decline since World War II.

HIST 3330 - History of Modern Russia

This course surveys the history of Russia with emphasis on the modern period. Topics covered include imperialism, absolutism, the Enlightenment, industrialization and its impact, as well as the revolutions and rise of Soviet Russia.

HIST 3930R - Topics: Interpreting European History

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 3950R - Topics in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 4150 - European Women’s History to 1800

A survey of the history of European women in the medieval and early modern eras. Topics covered will include pre-modern ideas about gender and women; women’s role in and relationship to religion; women’s work; women’s position  within the household; the effect of class, marital status, and urban vs. rural residence on women; the emergence of women’s rights; and the effect of historical changes such as the Reformation and capitalism on the condition of women. May be registered as WSTU 4150. Credit not allowed in both HIST 4150 and WSTU 4150.

HIST 4160 - Nationalism and Ethnic Identity

This course is a seminar on nationalism and ethnic identity in Europe.

HIST 4170 - Minorities in 20th Century Europe

In this course, we will look at three groups of minorities in twentieth-century Europe: Jews, Germans, and Roma and try to problematize the category of “minority,” as we discuss historical events and circumstances.

HIST 4500R - Special Topics in Historical Study

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

World History

HIST 2510 - History of Epidemics and Society *

A survey of the history of epidemics in world history, from the ancient world to the present. The course will explore the ways different epidemic diseases reflected social, political, and cultural aspects of human society; how different knowledge, values, and belief systems shaped human responses to epidemic disease; and how epidemic diseases reshaped human society. Topics may include the plague, smallpox, yellow fever, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, HIV, Zika forest virus, Ebola, and COVID-19.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2610 - History of Sub-Saharan Africa to c. 1800 *

A survey of the history of sub-Saharan Africa to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Topics will include social structures and economic systems; culture and technology; kingdoms and state formation; impacts of Islam and Christianity in Africa; African participation in regional and world trade networks; slavery and the global slave trade; and the early European presence in Africa.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2620 - History of Africa, c. 1800-Present *

A survey of the history of Africa since the beginning of the nineteenth century. Topics will include the growth of indigenous empires in southern and West Africa; developments in family and communal life; impact of foreign traders, explorers, and missionaries and African responses to their presence; European colonial rule; African nationalist movements and independence; the Cold War; post-colonial social change; wars and failed states; current African trends and developments.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2810 - East Asia from Antiquity to 1600 *

This course covers the history of East Asia from antiquity to 1600, with particular focus on China, Japan, and Korea. Examining the histories and social structures of pre-modern China, Japan, and Korea, this class will cover not only the political narrative of these areas but also focus on literary, philosophical, cultural, and artistic achievements.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2820 - Modern East Asia *

This course examines the emergence of modern nations from the rich and diverse cultures of East Asia and their transformations since 1600, with particular focus on China, Japan, and Korea. The course analyzes linkages within Asia and with other regions. This course focuses on how modernity, imperialism, and nationalism shaped each area and the region.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2850 - Colonial Latin America *

Survey of colonial Latin America beginning with contact with Spain in the 16th century until the movements for Latin America Independence in the first quarter of the nineteenth-century.

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2860 - Latin America from Independence to the Present *

This course is designed as a survey of Latin American history from the movements for independence from Spain and Portugal beginning in the first quarter of the nineteenth century until the present. Specific topics will include the colonial heritage of Latin America, the roots of independence, the growth of nationhood, nineteenth- and twentieth-century economic development, caudillismo, and twentieth-century politics (particularly instances of dictatorship).

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2880 - History of the Modern Middle East *

Background and setting of the modern Middle East; factors influencing Great Power strategy; Islam; rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire; imperialism and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. 

Fulfills the following General Education Requirements:

• Historical Understanding
• Non-Western Culture

HIST 2940R - Topics: Exploring World Histories

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 3530 - Southern African History

A comparative historical study of the southern African region. Topics will include the societies and cultures of foraging, herding and agricultural peoples; pre-colonial states, empires, and trade; early European settlement and evolution of Euro-African communities; slavery and settler colonies; colonial rule and African responses; resistance, independence, and apartheid; independent states and societies; modern regional trends and developments.

HIST 3560 - Africa in the Atlantic World

The history of African peoples and cultures from the perspective of their interactions with the Europeans and Americans with whom they shared the Atlantic World, covering the period from its beginnings in the fifteenth-century until the early twentieth century. Topics will include contact between Africa and Europe and its impact on African societies; the Transatlantic slave trade and its impacts in Africa and the West; the development of African diasporas in the Americas; revolutions and abolitionism; European colonization in Africa;  development of Western understandings of Africa; and “back to Africa” movements.

HIST 3620 - Modern China

This course examines the emergence of China from about 1600 to the present. It explores the national history of China, as well as China’s place in East Asia and the world. Topics include High-Qing society and culture, revolution, internal and external migration, Euro-American-Japanese imperialism, nationalism, socialism, rural-urban divide, industrialization, war, globalization, the environment, and the re-emergence of China as an economic superpower.

HIST 3640 - Modern Japan

This course surveys the history of Japan from about 1600 to the present. It explores the political, economic, social, and cultural histories of Japan, as well as Japan’s place in East Asia and the world. Topics include the Tokugawa class system and ideology, famine, international trade and urban culture, Meiji reforms, foreign policy, migration, political movements, imperialism, colonial Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea, WWII, U.S. Occupation, postwar social change, and Japan’s role as an economic superpower.

HIST 3730 - Native Society in Latin America

This course covers indigenous society in Latin America from the period before contact with Europe until the beginning of the twenty-first century.

HIST 3820 - United States and the Middle East

This course will examine the history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East and its relations with the countries of that region from 1789 through the present. 

HIST 3940R - Topics: Interpreting World Histories

A rotating selection of special topics courses. 

HIST 3950R - Topics in the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

A rotating selection of special topics courses.

HIST 4500R - Special Topics in Historical Study 

A rotating selection of special topics courses. 

HIST 4620 - Gender and Sexuality in Modern East Asia

This course examines the history of East Asian women and men from approximately the seventeenth century to the present. East Asian countries shared religious traditions, experiences with imperialism, the central role of women and the construction of gender in modernity, and the physical movement of women and men among these countries. However, they also have differences. This course will explore changes over time in sexualities, work experiences, the gendered state, and marriage and family in East Asia. The focus will be on China, Japan, and Korea, with a brief discussion on Okinawa and Taiwan.  

HIST 4630 - Memories of WWII in East Asia

This course examines how different groups in various countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia have remembered the Pacific theater of WWII in the many years since its end. What is history? What is memory? How does history shape memory? How does memory shape history? This course will attempt to answer these questions by covering the history of the war and the postwar era with an emphasis on how postwar history shaped the memories of World War II in East Asia. How have different people in different social and temporal contexts remembered the war and understood its significance, such as through films and in museums? How have memories differed from group to group, such as feminists and ultranationalists? How have they changed over time? In what ways are the memories of the war made meaningful for the present? How do these memories influence relations between Japan and other countries in the postwar and contemporary periods? We will examine how these processes have unfolded primarily in East Asia, namely China, Japan, Korea, Okinawa, and Taiwan. 

HIST 4850 History of Modern Iran

This course examines the modern history of Iran with a focus on the period from 1800 to the present.