Current Courses
A complete list of history courses with descriptions can be found here.
Courses with an *asterisk* also satisfy General Education requirements.
More information on the four-level curriculum structure can be found here.
Summer 2022
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.
Satisfies the following General Education requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western; and Thoughts, Values, and Beliefs
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: Mark Johnson
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: Kelli Nelson
HIST 3930R – Interpreting European History: Evangelicalism in 18th Century British Atlantic
A thematic or comparative course that centers on Europe.
Instructor: Tucker Adkins
HIST 4920R – Internships in History
Instructor: Michael Thompson
Fall 2022
Courses by Level
Introductory Courses
HIST 1250 – The First Year Experience
Instructors: Edward Brudney and Gerda Zinner
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.
Satisfies the following General Education requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western; and Thoughts, Values, and Beliefs
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
2000-Level 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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Rhetoric & Writing/Composition II
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: Kelli Nelson
HIST 2230 – Empires, Nations, and Wars: Europe since 1800 *
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: John Swanson
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: William Kuby
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Julia Cummiskey
HIST 2880 – History of the Modern Middle East *
The Middle East is one of the most important and complex areas of the world, and the region’s events and affairs have always been of international significance. This course will examine the modern history of the Middle East and will explore the sources of its complexity and world-historical importance. After introducing the pre-modern history of the region and the rise of Islam, we will examine the major events and developments that have shaped the modern Middle East, including politics and reform in the Ottoman Empire in the face of growing penetration by outside powers; World War I, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and the formation of new Middle Eastern states; World War II and the Cold War in the Middle East; the Arab-Israel conflict; and the Iranian Revolution. We will conclude by examining more recent events in historical perspective, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Annie Tracy Samuel
3000-Level Courses
HIST 3485 – The Civil War in American Memory
Students will examine how Americans have reconstructed the memory of the Civil War to suit their needs and circumstances. It will explore how soldiers and other participants understood their own lives and how their descendants and subsequent generations shaped the meaning of the war for the sake of political, economic, and cultural power. To pursue these questions, students will learn about the theory of historical memory, the politicization of memory, and how Americans have consciously constructed the memory and meaning of the Civil War to make sense of and influence the present.
Instructor: Mark Johnson
HIST 3920R – American Indian History since 1877
A thematic or comparative course that centers on the United States.
Instructor: Jessica Arnett
HIST 3930R – Viking History
A thematic or comparative course that centers on Europe.
Instructor: Lindsay Doyle
HIST 3930R – Ireland since 1500
A thematic or comparative course that centers on Europe.
Instructor: James Guilfoyle
HIST 3940R – History of Sport in Modern Africa
A thematic or comparative course that centers on a global area in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, or Africa.
Instructor: Julia Cummiskey
HIST 3940R – Postcolonial Caribbean
A thematic or comparative course that centers on a global area in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, or Africa.
Instructor: Edward Brudney
4000-Level Courses
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.
Instructor: Carey McCormack
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 WGSS 4150.
Instructor: Kathryn Taylor
HIST 4500R – Youth, Race, and Crime in America
This course is an advanced seminar or colloquium for majors in history or a related field and will focus on a particular theme in American, European, or World history.
Instructor: Susan Eckelmann Berghel
HIST 4920R – Internships in History
Instructor: Susan Eckelmann Berghel
Courses by Subject/Region
U.S. History Courses
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: Kelli Nelson
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: William Kuby
HIST 3485 – The Civil War in American Memory
Students will examine how Americans have reconstructed the memory of the Civil War to suit their needs and circumstances. It will explore how soldiers and other participants understood their own lives and how their descendants and subsequent generations shaped the meaning of the war for the sake of political, economic, and cultural power. To pursue these questions, students will learn about the theory of historical memory, the politicization of memory, and how Americans have consciously constructed the memory and meaning of the Civil War to make sense of and influence the present.
Instructor: Mark Johnson
HIST 3920R – American Indian History since 1877
A thematic or comparative course that centers on the United States.
Instructor: Jessica Arnett
HIST 4500R – Youth, Race, and Crime in America
This course is an advanced seminar or colloquium for majors in history or a related field and will focus on a particular theme in American, European, or World history.
Instructor: Susan Eckelmann Berghel
European History Courses
HIST 2230 – Empires, Nations, and Wars: Europe since 1800 *
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: John Swanson
HIST 3930R – Viking History
A thematic or comparative course that centers on Europe.
Instructor: Lindsay Doyle
HIST 3930R – Ireland since 1500
A thematic or comparative course that centers on Europe.
Instructor: James Guilfoyle
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 WGSS 4150.
Instructor: Kathryn Taylor
World History 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.
Satisfies the following General Education requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western; and Thoughts, Values, and Beliefs
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Julia Cummiskey
HIST 2880 – History of the Modern Middle East *
The Middle East is one of the most important and complex areas of the world, and the region’s events and affairs have always been of international significance. This course will examine the modern history of the Middle East and will explore the sources of its complexity and world-historical importance. After introducing the pre-modern history of the region and the rise of Islam, we will examine the major events and developments that have shaped the modern Middle East, including politics and reform in the Ottoman Empire in the face of growing penetration by outside powers; World War I, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and the formation of new Middle Eastern states; World War II and the Cold War in the Middle East; the Arab-Israel conflict; and the Iranian Revolution. We will conclude by examining more recent events in historical perspective, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Annie Tracy Samuel
HIST 3940R – History of Sport in Modern Africa
A thematic or comparative course that centers on a global area in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, or Africa.
Instructor: Julia Cummiskey
HIST 3940R – Postcolonial Caribbean
A thematic or comparative course that centers on a global area in Latin America, the Middle East, East Asia, or Africa.
Instructor: Edward Brudney
Core & Departmental Courses
HIST 1250 – The First Year Experience
Instructors: Edward Brudney and Gerda Zinner
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Rhetoric & Writing/Composition II
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Instructor: Carey McCormack
HIST 4920R – Internships in History
Instructor: Susan Eckelmann Berghel
General Education 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.
Satisfies the following General Education requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western; and Thoughts, Values, and Beliefs
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Rhetoric & Writing/Composition II
Multiple sections and instructors
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: Kelli Nelson
HIST 2230 – Empires, Nations, and Wars: Europe since 1800 *
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: John Swanson
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirement: Historical Understanding
Instructor: William Kuby
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.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Julia Cummiskey
HIST 2880 – History of the Modern Middle East *
The Middle East is one of the most important and complex areas of the world, and the region’s events and affairs have always been of international significance. This course will examine the modern history of the Middle East and will explore the sources of its complexity and world-historical importance. After introducing the pre-modern history of the region and the rise of Islam, we will examine the major events and developments that have shaped the modern Middle East, including politics and reform in the Ottoman Empire in the face of growing penetration by outside powers; World War I, the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, and the formation of new Middle Eastern states; World War II and the Cold War in the Middle East; the Arab-Israel conflict; and the Iranian Revolution. We will conclude by examining more recent events in historical perspective, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Arab Spring.
Satisfies the following General Education Requirements: Historical Understanding; Non-Western Cultures
Instructor: Annie Tracy Samuel