HIST: History
This study examines how the growth of the United States to the Civil War embodied free enterprise and slavery, small farms and workshops along with plantations, and visions of liberty that simultaneously denied basic human rights to millions. The goal is to understand why and how these contrasts originated and evolved and how they shaped the course of U.S. history to 1861.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students in this course examine the degree to which Emancipation changed the quality of life for African Americans. Students consider how the slow pace of economic transformation in the South gave rise to sharecropping and the convict leasing system, which served to prevent African Americans from migrating to other regions of the country and influenced political, social, and cultural endeavors within the African-American community. This course concludes by analyzing how "external" developments such as U.S. involvement in World War I affected prospects for migration out of the South and created opportunities for a new beginning. This course was previously HIS-243124 The African American Experience.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
From very humble beginnings in the 17th century, American art ultimately displaced Paris as the center of the art world in the post - WWII era. The course examines the relationship of artists to major historical themes and developments, which means at each juncture we look at the topic from historical and art-historical perspectives. Throughout those years, there were incredible successes, raging controversies, and numerous struggles for dominance, as artists, patrons, critics, and the public made and remade their place in American society. In the 17th century, we explore European influences on painting and architecture, which mostly derive from English and Dutch sources, but then consider the arts in connection to the Triangle Trade and Consumer Revolution. In the 18th century, the Colonies see more immigration from other parts of Europe (German, Scots-Irish, French) and slavery becomes more widespread, which we follow through the 19th century to distinguish between planter culture and what becomes the more industrialized North – all of that influences the artistic tastes and expenditures of peoples in the colonies and states, as do the great variety of political and religious views. From the 19th century through the 20th century, the public is exposed to art through media, public monuments, museums, and exhibitions, and paintings increasingly depicted immigrants, Indians, slaves, as well as people of all classes. Students will consider how artists gradually found a place in American culture, how art became a profession in an evolving nation, and how art influences and is influenced by diverse societies.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
During this course students will explore important events in Colonial American history from the pre-colonial era through the mid-eighteenth century. Students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course, including European conquest; the American Natives' response to the European presence; the beginnings of English America; the settlement of the Puritan Colonies; growth and conflict in New England; Spanish policy and Native Response in New Mexico; ethnic diversity of the Middle Colonies; the Caribbean connection; expansion in the south; slave life and culture; religious awakenings; America in the early eighteenth century; and colonial America at the mid-eighteenth century. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. .
Attributes: Liberal
This course, offered through the Civil War Residency, explores important events in American Military history from the pre-colonial era through the 21st century. While every aspect of American history will not be discussed in depth, students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this study, some in great detail. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will study the basic historical contours of the Arab-Israeli conflict starting in the nineteenth century, but with a particular focus on the period since the founding of the state of Israel in 1948 up to the present day. The student will examine the economic, political, military, and religious perspectives of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
This course is a survey of the political and social development of 'monsoon Asia' from the origins of its civilization to the present. Students will consider various philosophical and religious theories, as well as the wars, environmental phenomena, and class structures that have influenced the development of East Asia.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This study will focus on the growth and impact of a market economy throughout the world and explore the ways European economic development helped to transform societies in Africa, the Americas, and Asia since (approx.) 1400. Through tracing the emergence of a market economy, students will assess social, political and cultural trends in Europe that were effected by economic change and consider how Europe was transformed by contact with the rest of the world. Similarly, they will examine how the traditional relationships in Africa and the Americas dissolved in the face of international economic expansion coordinated by European businessmen. Students will: analyze the growth of international trade; trace the interaction between rural and urban areas within Europe; explain how developments in one part of the world had consequences in other regions; and discuss how economic change influenced ideas and politics the world over.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
This study explores the rise of modern life as defined by major turning points in world events, e.g. industrialism, nationalism, and globalization. In addition, this study provides students with an introduction to the meaning of history and aspects of the historical process. This course was previously HIS-242114 .
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal, Partial West Civ Gen Ed
This course will introduce students to Global History to 1500, through texts, film, and interactivity. The course will explore the rise of the world's first major civilizations (including Mesopotamia, China, India and Egypt); specific cultural, political and social encounters; the classical foundations of both the Greek and Roman civilizations; and the impact of religion, memory schemes, and oral traditions in shaping world civilizations. Students will begin to learn the art and science of historical inquiry through the use of primary sources, maps and timelines, to bring into perspective our contemporary view of the origins of civilizations. This course was previously HIS-242104.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will survey the history of the development of the major religious traditions of the world including Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as many of the indigenous religious traditions. In the process, students will have the opportunity to answer the question, 'What is religion?'
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
Who were the Progressives? And what was their legacy? Through this study, students will have the opportunity to analyze and assess the variety of historical theories proposed by historians to explain the origins, legacy, and demise of Progressivism. During this course the student will explore important events during the Progressive Era in American History. While every aspect of this period in American history will not be discussed in depth, students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course, including the Gilded Age and Progressive Era; the price of progress: capitalism; the wild west; the new South; the rise of industry; the Gilded Age; economic depression and political crisis; professionalism; the language of empire; race and power under Jim Crow; consumer culture and leisure; progressivism: the reform Vision; environmental issues; and the Great War.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the origins, events and major personalities of the American Revolution, in the period from 1763-1789. Topics include the development of the American colonies, the reasons for the break with Great Britain, the course and character of the revolution, as well as the philosophical and political debate over the Constitution. The student will gain a better understanding of the major political, intellectual, social, economic, and cultural trends of the revolutionary period in American history, with a focus on the Revolution itself and the subsequent creation of a new constitutional system of government.
Attributes: Liberal
Sex, History and Art will introduce the student to the practices of sex and the role of art in the development of Western society. Although it is often a controversial topic, sex is a necessity for survival as are food, clothing, and shelter. Sex is a powerful force in the development of religion, politics, and art. Throughout the period of study, culture and the role of ideas will be emphasized as students examine the symbolism and narratives of sex across a range of topics.
Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, Western Civilization Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal
This study explores the ideas and institutions that arose from the ancient and medieval worlds, e.g. philosophy, law, and Christianity, that lay the foundations of western society. In addition, the study examines the development of the west in the context of world affairs. Finally, this study provides students with an introduction to the meaning of history and aspects of the historical process.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
This study of the rise of the modern age as defined by major turning points in western history, e.g. industrialism, revolution, and world war. In addition, the study examines the development of the West in the context of world affairs. Finally, this study provides students with an introduction to the meaning of history and aspects of the historical process.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
"Art, Music, and History I" is a survey of European culture from Ancient Greece through the Renaissance, which examines the many historical contexts that underlie art and music. Students do not need any background in the arts, as this is a course we will build from the ground up by first exploring the questions: What is art? Is it necessary? Where does it come from? Why is it important? And "What does it mean?" Our world is filled with art and music, and it did not get that way by accident. Broadly speaking, this is a course about cultural history, or how people live their lives in society--what they think, what they value, and what they do. If you can understand these basic ideas within your own life, then you will be able to understand them in history and vice versa. Although our focus here is on the arts, it is important to emphasize that we will study them within the political, social, economic and technological backgrounds from which they sprang and which they also influenced. Hopefully, you will see art, music, history and the world around you in ways you never thought possible.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal
Introduction to Guitar and Guitar Music is designed to introduce students to the instrument of guitar and the music associated with it from a historical, as well as a practical, perspective. We will also explore the mechanical aspects of guitar construction as it evolved over the centuries by considering various materials such as wood, metal, bone, glue, synthetics, and strings, and we’ll look at the building techniques/tools of luthiers (guitar-builders). This study will focus on American History, asking students to consider and write about the Baroque, Classical, or Romantic as styles of music/eras important within a broad outline of Western Civilization.
Attributes: *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal
This course is intended to provide students with an overview of the history, diversity and impact of human habitation across the entire globe. It shares with Karl Jaspers the sense that we live in a period that "requires the whole history of mankind to furnish us with the standards by which to measure the meaning of what is happening." Three questions are central to the courses: 1) why are some countries richer than others; 2) what difference do beliefs and ideas (as opposed to material circumstances) make to human history; and 3) what impact have these differences had on the lives of the world's peoples?
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
Focused on the U.S. Constitution, this course will help students understand and interpret the document that outlines America's fundamental rules and government structures and discover major constitutional issues. Students will examine a variety of topics related to the history and content of the Constitution and its role in American life.
Attributes: Liberal
The content of this course will vary by term and section. Students may repeat this course for credit as long as the topic differs. Please refer to the Term Guide for course topic offerings.
Attributes: Liberal
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Historical Studies (HIST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.
The goal of this study is to introduce students to an understanding of the American West that transcends traditional perceptions of the American Frontier and its related mythology. Students in this study will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course and explore the history of the American West from the pre-colonial era through the 21st Century. Topics will include definitions of 'the American West' from several perspectives, the historiography of the American West, and the social, political and cultural history of the American 'frontier.' Issues of race and gender are integrated throughout.
Attributes: Liberal
This study provides an overview of Mexican history and material culture. Themes addressed in this study include the interaction of indigenous, European, and African peoples, the use and spread of material wealth, and the impacts of religion, education, and imperialism on expansion and development. The basic structure of this study is chronologically based but incorporates geography and cultural themes to addressed variations within the Mexican experience.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will examine the issue of race in contemporary US politics. Students will examine issues relating to white supremacy/white nationalism, immigration and demographic/cultural change, and how racial resentments connect to economic issues, among others. Students will explore how these issues affect electoral politics, campaigns, and how office-holders govern. We will learn how politicians and partisan media use these issues to move public opinion, and how mainstream media cover these issues. This course is cross listed with POLI 2013.
Cross-listed with POLI 2013.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to understand and appreciate the variety of cultures developed by the Native American peoples of the Americas, and how they influenced Euro-American society. During the course of this study the student will examine the role of Native Americans in American history and the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, and culture of Native American Indian Nations. First Peoples may be included in Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies This course was previously HIS-243134 First Peoples of North America.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
Why are we so fascinated with stories? Is it just because we like identifying with characters and circumstances; peering into lives outside our own; escaping to a world not possible for us? Or is there something more essential to who we are? In the New World, millions of people with their countless stories forged an identity that collectively became the American narrative. How did that develop? Is there such a thing as an American Identity? If so, how could we define it? From selections of literature in the period 1607-1850 students will discover how Americans thought of themselves, of others, of the world they inhabited, and of the supernatural. Students will dig deep into their meaning; examine the role of thinking in the creation of literature; analyze how writers write; and ask questions that they might not be able to answer. The readings are a diverse selection of literature by an even more diverse assortment of authors, including works by preachers and drunks, philosophers and fools, heroes and slaves, and radicals and Romantics.
Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal
What was life like for the first European colonists? What were the ideas, events and actions that led to the American Revolution? What did the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution mean to the people who wrote it? How did the idea of liberty and the practice of slavery develop and co-exist? What was it like to be a woman, an immigrant, a slave, or a poor worker in America’s formative years? This course will explore such questions. In doing so, we will meet and hear the voices of a diverse group of people ranging from well-known figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington to others who by law and custom were excluded from the political process but still made a significant impact upon our nation’s history and identity. This course was previously HIS-241214 U.S. History to 1865: What Does It Mean To Be A Free Nation?.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
In 1865, the United States was in tatters. Civil War had divided the nation into two, and even after the war ended, deep rifts remained between whites and blacks, immigrants and 'natives,' and the descendants of European settlers and indigenous Americans. The meaning of a simple word - freedom - lies at the core of these rifts and that word will guide our study. The course begins with a look at how the meaning of freedom changed in the Reconstruction era before moving into an exploration of America’s westward and overseas expansion in the late 19th century, the economic booms and busts of the period between the two world wars, the social upheavals of the civil rights movements of the 1960s, and the conservative turn of the post-Reagan era. This course was previously HIS-241224 U.S. History From 1865 to the Present.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will examine the History of Women and Work from the colonial period to the late 20th century. Students will explore the ways historical events and circumstances have shaped women's wage work, as well as the diversity of women's work experiences arising from different cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic status. Students will also explore how social expectations and ideologies shaped women's work.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The scholarship of many historians suggests that trade and commerce are among the most important factors that have influenced the evolution and direction of human civilizations. Accordingly, this course examines how economic developments have served as a catalyst for change throughout the development and spread of Western Civilization. In order to understand the distinctive features of the history, institutions, society, culture, and politics of Western Civilization, students will be introduced to Western philosophies or theorizations of 'economy' in terms of history and civilization, and examine differricultural expansion. They will follow the evolution of such theories and consider how they have shaped historical developments from antiquity to the present. Students will illustrate connections between economic, social, cultural, and political developments within the context of the historical and contemporary West. In short, students will engage with 'the economic' as a particularly useful lens for understanding Western Civilization. This course was previously HIS-242504 An Economic History of the West.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
This study examines the changing environmental geography of North America from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Readings cover the history of the physical interactions between humans and the natural world as well as the intellectual transformations and the changing ways in which human societies inhabiting North America have conceptualized the environment. This study focuses on key turning points in U.S. environmental history and the historical forces behind those transformations in the modern era, emphasizing events in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will study the evolution of medicine and public health in the US from colonial times to the present. This course will consider the relationship between American History and medicine and health. Each section of the course will focus on a different component of that history. Assignments will ask students to demonstrate their understanding of how individuals and communities respond to laws and regulations of health care systems. Students will apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support and verify conclusions in a se4ries of essay assignments.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will explore important events in the history of American families and children from the pre-colonial era through the 21st Century. The diversity in family life that we see today is the result of changes in the way we make a living and the rise of the American value of self-actualization that has taken place over the past 300 years. We will explore the social developments and the 20th century challenges of economic collapse and world wars to understand the shifts in values and expectations that have accompanied the transition.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course examines the development of, and debates about, U.S. social welfare institutions and policies. In particular, this course examines how social welfare philosophy, mission, and practice evolved from its original altruistic and voluntary roots to become professionalized and identified with casework rather than social reform. Topics of this study include: the origins and inspirations of social welfare programs and philosophy in the United States; the impact of the Civil War; the “Scientific Charity” Movement; the history and evolution of Child Welfare policy; the Settlement House Movement; The Great Depression and the origins and evolution of Social Security Policy; the Johnson Administration's Great Society programs and War on Poverty; Welfare to Workfare in the 1970s; the state of social welfare in the USA today.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
During this study students will examine the rich history and political, social, economic and cultural development of Long Island from the prehistoric period, through the colonial era and up to the present day.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, students will examine decisive battles that have shaped the character and course of Western Civilization and America from the origins of organized warfare in ancient Western Asia through the recent Gulf Wars. Students will also examine the nature and the evolution of military strategy throughout the history of the West.
Attributes: Liberal
We will examine the people, events, and ideas in an economic context from the first settlements in 1607 through the 20th century in order to understand their many connections; to learn how to think about the discipline of History; and to understand why business and economics are essential to history. Leraning Objectives: 1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of historical events within the context of business and economics 2. Understand how to think about and analyze history 3. Use those skills in essays that demonstrate college-level writing ability 4. Understand the importance of history, business, and economics in their personal lives.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, we will examine American History from the discovery of the Hudson River by Europeans to the present day by studying the river, its valley, and the places directly connected to that large swathe of New York State. We will see how far and wide its impact stretched as we learn how to think about the disciplines of History and the Arts; understand their many connections; and to understand why history and art are so important to civilization. We will study the notion of local history and its connections to state, national, and international history, as well as how the Hudson River Valley influenced and was influenced by the arts of literature, painting, architecture, sculpture, and music. Materials assigned for the course will cover the diverse groups living in the region. The course culminates in a research project as an essay, photographic essay, or short documentary.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Genealogy, Family, and History is a course in which we will explore fundamentals of genealogical and historical research for the purpose of connecting ancestry and history. To that end, a student will select a branch or branches of their family tree to make those connections.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to give students the opportunity to survey the history of Antebellum slavery, the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, and introduce them to the major historical problems of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. These include the causes of the war; the character of Antebellum American slavery; the causes behind the Confederacy’s defeat; the Lincoln enigma; and the character and legacy of Reconstruction, within the context of the broad sweep of American history from the Colonial period through the Reconstruction era. The Civil War: Introduction is offered in conjunction with the Civil War History Residency.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will examine history and management practices in order to understand their many connections, and why they are so important in business.
Attributes: Liberal
This study introduces students to the vast and diverse history of the United States using the theme, “the pursuit of happiness,” as a lens through which to explore social, political, economic, and cultural changes over time. In addition, students will explore the theme through the lens of the diverse communities that make up the United States. The study also introduces students to the practice of “doing history,” particularly of searching for and examining “primary” documents. This study can also be used for student seeking credit in educational planning.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course explores American history and culture during the critical decade of the 1970's. Students will read and view a variety of works (textual and cinematic) through which they will learn about important economic, political, social and cultural events, individuals, debates, and developments in the 1970's. Themes discussed throughout the course may include, but are not limited to: the fate of liberalism in post-1960's America, the rise of ethnic identity and its impact on the rights revolution, gender and the politics of sexuality, religion and the rise of the South, Nixon and Watergate, Carter and political malaise, urban decay, environmentalism, and encounters with terrorism.
Attributes: Liberal
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Historical Studies (HIST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.
The study will focus on the social, political, economic, and cultural history of 20th century Europe. Students will begin by reading an overview of the period and will then do additional reading and writing in specific areas of interest.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
From very humble beginnings in the 17th century, American art ultimately displaced Paris as the center of the art world in the post - WWII era. The course examines the relationship of artists to major historical themes and developments, which means at each juncture we look at the topic from historical and art-historical perspectives. Throughout those years, there were incredible successes, raging controversies, and numerous struggles for dominance, as artists, patrons, critics, and the public made and remade their place in American society. In the 17th century, we explore European influences on painting and architecture, which mostly derive from English and Dutch sources, but then consider the arts in connection to the Triangle Trade and Consumer Revolution. In the 18th century, the Colonies see more immigration from other parts of Europe (German, Scots-Irish, French) and slavery becomes more widespread, which we follow through the 19th century to distinguish between planter culture and what becomes the more industrialized North – all of that influences the artistic tastes and expenditures of peoples in the colonies and states, as do the great variety of political and religious views. From the 19th century through the 20th century, the public is exposed to art through media, public monuments, museums, and exhibitions, and paintings increasingly depicted immigrants, Indians, slaves, as well as people of all classes. Students will consider how artists gradually found a place in American culture, how art became a profession in an evolving nation, and how art influences and is influenced by diverse societies.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will examine the history of Eastern Europe during the so-called 'long' nineteenth century including the impact of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period, the post-Revolution restoration, the Polish uprisings in Russia in 1830 and 1863, the 1848 revolutions, the abolition of serfdom in mid-century, the Balkan states’ gaining independence, and the First World War. Students will focus on the divisions of Eastern European territory among the great powers of the region: Prussia/Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, as well as the rise of mass politics, nationalism, and socialism as forces that shaped the region. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history and/or Western Civilization is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine history and management practices in order to understand their many connections, and why they are so important in business.
Attributes: Liberal
In this multidisciplinary approach to Africa's civilizations and cultures, students will gain knowledge of African history and its interactions with the Western world. Students will gain an understanding of structures, systems, and interrelationships between and across the nations of the continent through an exploration of the history of colonization and its impacts; different geographic regions of the continent; and a variety of literary and journalistic texts. Students also will explore such issues as sustainability and well-being by bringing in shared resources on such topical issues as disease prevention and spread, climate change, family and kinship networks, women and development, religion, and literature. Students engage in discussions, prepare case studies, and write short essays and a research paper, and prepare a visual presentation based on some aspect of their research. This course was previously HIS-243344 African History and Culture. Prerequisites: Introductory coursework in world history, advanced level research and writing skills.
Cross-listed with CUST 3167.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of the campaign for the 2016 presidential election, including the major policy issues relating to economics, race, gender, foreign policy, and other categories of issues. The student will gain an understanding of political and ideological divisions within each of the major parties, as well as between them.
Attributes: Liberal
Sex, History, and Art is a course in which we will examine how sex has shaped history and appears in art. We will focus on making connections between those concepts as we learn how to think about the discipline of History, and to understand sex, history, and art are so important to civilization.
Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, Western Civilization Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of his era. Students, who take this particular study will examine in depth the military history of the period including the Seven Years, and the War of 1812, and especially the American Revolutionary War, all within the larger cultural, social, and political context of the times.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of his era. Students who take this particular study will examine in depth the Constitutional history of the Revolutionary era, all within the larger military, cultural, social, and political context of the times.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of his era. Students who take this particular study will examine in depth the origins and character of the first political party system in American History, all within the larger military, cultural, social, and political context of the times.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of this era, such as the causes of the war, the relationship between the First Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, the Renaissance and the Revolution; the factors behind America’s triumph in the war; revolutionary ideology and the institution of slavery; the Critical Period in American history; the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution; the origins and character of the first national party system in America; and the causes and course of the War of 1812. This section on Medical and Military history explores the impact of disease on the military and civilian populations as well as society overall during the American Revolution.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of this era, such as the causes of the war, the relationship between the First Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, the Renaissance and the Revolution; the factors behind America’s triumph in the war; revolutionary ideology and the institution of slavery; the Critical Period in American history; the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution; the origins and character of the first national party system in America; and the causes and course of the War of 1812. In this section we will focus on what the American Revolution meant to—and for—women, highlighting women’s participation in and contributions to the revolutionary movement. We will focus on diverse experiences of individuals as women’s participation was influenced by their race, socio-economic class, free or enslaved status, family circumstance, and whether they supported the patriot/colonial independence cause or remained loyal to the British crown.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of this era, such as the causes of the war, the relationship between the First Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, the Renaissance and the Revolution; the factors behind America’s triumph in the war; revolutionary ideology and the institution of slavery; the Critical Period in American history; the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution; the origins and character of the first national party system in America; and the causes and course of the War of 1812. This section uses biography to explore major questions of the Revolutionary and early national periods. Students will research and write about a member of the revolutionary generation (their choice) with input from the professor.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of this era, such as the causes of the war, the relationship between the First Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, the Renaissance and the Revolution; the factors behind America’s triumph in the war; revolutionary ideology and the institution of slavery; the Critical Period in American history; the creation and ratification of the U.S. Constitution; the origins and character of the first national party system in America; and the causes and course of the War of 1812. This section on religious history explores the origins and meaning of the First and Second Great Awakening, the role of religion in the Revolutionary War, and the experience of Roman Catholics in the early national period.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The Revolutionary War Residency provides students the opportunity to survey the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years War until the end of the War of 1812 and to introduce them to the major historical issues of his era. Students who take this particular study will examine in depth the relationship between the institution of slavery and the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections under this title might include: The Age of Reagan; The Liberal Ascendancy; American Culture and The Cold War; History of America in the 1960s; American Modernism; No Ordinary Time: America in the Depression Years, 1929-1941; The Progressive Era in American history. This course will consider the history of the United States in the 20th century. Each section of the study will a different component of that history. After discussion with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will examine the people, events, and ideas in an economic context from the first settlements in 1607 through the 20th century in order to understand their many connections; to learn how to think about the discipline of History; and to understand why business and economics are essential to history.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
During this course students will explore important events in Colonial American history from the pre-colonial era through the mid-eighteenth century. Students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course, including European conquest; the American Natives' response to the European presence; the beginnings of English America; the settlement of the Puritan Colonies; growth and conflict in New England; Spanish policy and Native Response in New Mexico; ethnic diversity of the Middle Colonies; the Caribbean connection; expansion in the south; slave life and culture; religious awakenings; America in the early eighteenth century; and colonial America at the mid-eighteenth century. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. Students who enroll in this study at the advanced level also will complete a research paper of substantive length and scholarly value.
Attributes: Liberal
This course examines the changing environmental geography of North America from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Readings cover the history of the physical interactions between humans and the natural world as well as the intellectual transformations and the changing ways in which human societies inhabiting North America have conceptualized the environment. This study focuses on key turning points in U.S. environmental history and the historical forces behind those transformations in the modern era, emphasizing events in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study is a global, thematic approach to visual and performing arts history that integrates both Western and Non-Western visual and performing arts in terms of style, aesthetic and meaning. In this context arts considered 'western' are examined in tandem with Indigenous 'Non-Western' expressions in which both similarities and differences will be explored. Building on a foundational discussion of the creative process, definitions of this process, design methods and iconography, the arts will be understood within cultural, political, social, economic and institutional influences on artists and human creativity. Within this thematic consideration of the role, function and meaning of the arts the course provides a broad overview throughout the known history of the human experience, particularly in Non-Western Cultures.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
Sections under this title might include: American History, Cinema and Jazz; American History, Culture and the Arts; History of American Jazz Music. This course will consider the intersection of the arts and American history. Each section of the study will focus on a different facet of that history. After discussion with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
This course examines the history of immigration to cities and urban areas of the United States since the nineteenth century. It considers the causes of immigration, the social, cultural, and economic adaptation of various groups, return immigration, the significance of race, the varied experience of different immigrant groups, the development of ethnic group identities, changing American policy and attitudes towards immigrants and ethnic groups, and the impact of immigration on American society and culture.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections under this title might include Blue Collar America; American Labor History; Labor Movements in the U.S. This course traces the experiences of working-class Americans from the beginnings of the Second Industrial Revolution at the end of the 19th century to the recent advent of a service-based economy. Regardless of the specific section, this course will consider work, family, community, and politics - these and other dimensions of working people’s lives will be considered through reading and writing assignments. Each of the sections will also place the American labor movement(s) in the context of the larger, international labor movement. After consultation with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
In the 1960’s labor unions were at the height of their economic and political powers. Collective bargaining provided union members with wages and benefits that kept pace with corporate profits, and even set standards for non-union workers. In politics, unions were an essential base of the Democratic coalition and crucial to passing social legislation like the Civil Rights Act and Medicare. Today, unions represent fewer than one in ten workers and struggle to produce political and economic wins for the working class. This course will examine this historic decline and its impact on society, as well as attempts by unions and workers to fight back and restore the power of unions. It is recommended that students who enroll in this course have experience in labor unions, or take a prior course on the labor movement or working class themes. (Recommended: HIST 3085 American Labor History and/or LABR 3020 Development of the Labor Movement)
Attributes: *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course is part of the Civil War Residency with a required field trip April 21 - April 23, 2023, in Sharpsburg, Maryland and Gettysburg Pennsylvania. This course will investigate in depth the military history of the United States from the colonial period through the 20th century. Prior advanced level coursework on the American Civil War, era of Reconstruction, and/or American military history is recommended for registration in this course.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will examine the way Americans have defined and currently define our national identity as a people, as a community. That definition has changed over time as groups once excluded gradually found greater acceptance. Students will consider those changes and the struggles necessary to overcome resistance on the part of those who hope to define American national identity in more exclusionary terms. They will also study contemporary debates around the changing nature of American national identity, and exclusionary definitions of American national identity that some Americans continue to believe in. The course will explore how questions of immigration, ethnic/racial/religious identity, and demographic changes to our population affect the question of American national identity. Prerequisites: An introductory course in American history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
This course covers religion in American history from colonial times to the present. Sections might include: Jefferson’s Bible: Reason and Religion in America. This course explores American Religious History from pre-colonial times to the present. Students will evaluate some facet of Native American, colonial, early republican, antebellum, regional and contemporary religion, alternative religions and other topics from a wide variety of perspectives. Students will also evaluate the impact of religious institutions upon Americans of various ethnic backgrounds, races and social classes. After consultation with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course offers an examination of the nation's urban (and suburban) development and reflects the city's pivotal role in the unfolding of American history. Students will focus on various aspects of urban development, social class and class relations, the evolution of technology, race relations, redevelopment in the post-World War II nation, and significant changes in urbanization in a post-9/11 nation.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
We will read a variety of selections from American Literature and then discuss them as a group. In those discussions, each student will explain their insights into the material as a way to understand the creative process, historical context, and meaning of those works over time.
Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections might include: America in the Age of Revolution; History of African-American Women; Women’s Issues in American History; The Women’s Suffrage Movement. This course examines the histories of women in the U.S., from the time of Europeans' first contact with the New World to the present. Students will explore how historical events and circumstances have shaped gender roles and the structure of family relationships, as well as the diversity of women's experiences as a result of differing cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic status. Students might focus on women's daily lives, their interactions with their families and other social institutions (e.g. government, religion, etc...), women's activism, and women's impact on sociopolitical structures in the United States, and in the world today. After consultation with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title. Some introductory level coursework in U.S History is recommended but not required for this course. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. This course was previously HIS-243254 U.S. Women's History: Lives and Voices.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will investigate history of Ancient Greece from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period in Greece, Southern Italy, Sicily and Western Asia. This will include political, cultural, artistic, intellectual, and economic aspects of the Greek world. Students will explore the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, and culture of Western civilization and relates that development to the history of other world civilizations.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
This course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the social history of the canal system. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to learn more about the canal systems, their role in New York’s social and cultural history, and the changes they wrought in the society, culture, economics, and politics of New York State and the larger world.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will chart the development of the Roman Republic and Empire. Students will investigate the history of the Italian peninsula from the development of settled villages through the end of Justinian I’s reign in 565 CE. Through the use of primary and secondary sources students will explore the political, social, artistic, military, and religious contributions to both the ancient and modern worlds.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the events, ideas, and variety of peoples during the period 1500-1960 in order to understand their many connections; to learn how to think about the discipline of History; and to understand why history is so important to civilization.
Attributes: Liberal
"Art, Music, and History I" is a survey of European culture from Ancient Greece through the Renaissance, which examines the many historical contexts that underlie art and music. Students do not need any background in the arts, as this is a course we will build from the ground up by first exploring the questions: What is art? Is it necessary? Where does it come from? Why is it important? And "What does it mean?" Our world is filled with art and music, and it did not get that way by accident. Broadly speaking, this is a course about cultural history, or how people live their lives in society--what they think, what they value, and what they do. If you can understand these basic ideas within your own life, then you will be able to understand them in history and vice versa. Although our focus here is on the arts, it is important to emphasize that we will study them within the political, social, economic and technological backgrounds from which they sprang and which they also influenced. Hopefully, you will see art, music, history and the world around you in ways you never thought possible.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal
Students in this course will travel figuratively from the neo-colonial realities of the early 21st century Caribbean into the historic past. In doing so, they gain an opportunity to view and understand the situation in the Caribbean in a global context. Internationalization of the region, plantation societies, piracy, and cultural contacts between the native peoples of region and Europeans will be covered. Students will examine primary documents and work with a mapping tool to gain insights of the region’s broader history in the Atlantic world as well as the similarities and differences of the British, French, and Spanish Caribbean. This course was previously HIS-244224 Caribbean: Cruises.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This course explores American history and culture during the critical decade of the 1970s. The student will read and view a variety of works (textual and cinematic) through which they will learn about important economic, political, social, and cultural events, individuals, debates, and developments in the 1970s. Themes discussed throughout the course may include but are not limited to: the fate of liberalism in post-1960s America, the rise of ethnic identity and its impact on the rights revolution, gender and the politics of sexuality, religion and the rise of the South, Nixon and Watergate, Carter and political malaise, urban decay, environmentalism, and encounters with terrorism.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
The period between 1880 and 1940 is characterized by the escalation of national tourism. This occurrence was dependent upon the continual development of communication networks and transportation systems across the American landscape. It resulted in tourism emerging as a form of geographical consumption. Students will examine the growth of the tourist industry, which centered on the various sights and scenes of the American landscape, as well as the individuals, agencies, and corporations that advocated tourism as one’s patriotic duty, or as an individual’s right in relation to American citizenship. James Agee in Fortune noted that the automobile was “the opium of the American people,” and went on to describe the American roadside by 1934 as “incomparably the most hugely extensive market the human race has ever set up to tease and tempt and take money from the human race.”
Attributes: Liberal
This course examines the development of, and debates about, U.S. social welfare institutions and policies. In particular, this course examines how social welfare philosophy, mission, and practice evolved from its original altruistic and voluntary roots to become professionalized and identified with casework rather than social reform. Topics of this study include: the origins and inspirations of social welfare programs and philosophy in the United States; the impact of the Civil War; the “Scientific Charity” Movement; the history and evolution of Child Welfare policy; the Settlement House Movement; the Great Depression and the origins and evolution of Social Security Policy; the Johnson Administration’s Great Society programs and War on Poverty; Welfare to Workfare in the 1970s; the state of social welfare in the USA today. This course combines critical reading, writing, and discussion to illuminate the elements of evidence, values, and interpretation in the study of social welfare history and to fulfill guidelines for the Historical Studies Area of Study. This study can provide Historical Perspectives for Community and Human Services degrees and Historical and Comparative Perspectives for Public Affairs degrees. It also includes coverage of the basic narrative of American history from the 1800s to the present, knowledge of U.S. government and private philanthropies and how their policies and practices have impacted the quality of life for diverse population groups, and how the U.S. social welfare practices compared and contrasted to Western European welfare practices.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The groundswell of support that President Trump gained in the 2016 presidential election from voters residing in rural areas caught the nation by surprise. Since then, scholars, popular commentators and others have been looking at issues of race, economics, religion and gender in efforts to understand better not only the history and current socio-economics of rural and deindustrialized parts of the United States but also the role of women. Women both contributed to Trump’s popularity and formed significant coalitions in protest of the president’s racial, anti-immigrant and anti-feminist politics. This study uses a set of contemporary texts as a basis for delving into historic moments of the mid-20th through early 21st century that have contributed to shaping a rural American identity. Through readings and discussions – online and face-to-face – we use a feminist lens to analyze and critique texts that offer multiple perspectives. In doing so, we examine our own assumptions of rural America and the role that gender plays in shaping rural identities, perceptions, and critiques.
Attributes: Liberal
Examine international trends and the nature of socio-technological change over the past 25 years. Develop skills to forecast current and future trends in business, employment, trade, capital and labor flows, human rights issues and politics.
Attributes: Liberal
Popular culture increasingly includes references to historical figures, events, and commemorations. Often, those references actually take the much more focused form of biopics, miniseries, or popular works of fiction or non-fiction. This study will examine that trend, asking how it started, who is consuming these historical forms, and how accurate the history portrayed is. Lerning Objectives: 1. define and explain public history as a discipline and popular culture as a method of framing history. 2. analyze the manner in which popular culture demonstrates and uses history. 3. demonstrate the ability to use primary and secondary sources when investigating and writing history.
Attributes: Liberal
Sections under this title might include: History/Politics of Infectious Disease; Disease in History. This study will focus on the ways in which human history has been and continues to be shaped by the phenomenon of disease. Students will consider the range of diseases that plague humans, where they come from, how they became significant elements in human life, and how inquiry has enlarged our understanding of their history. Each section of the course will take a different approach to the history of disease. After consultation with their advisor, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
This course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the natural history of the canal system. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to learn more about the canal systems, their role in New York’s natural history, and the changes they wrought in the natural world.
Attributes: Liberal
his course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the preservation and exhibition of the canal system. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to learn more about the canal systems, their role in New York’s heritage preservation movements, their role as exhibition objects, and their function as a centralizing force in exhibition and fundraising efforts.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will explore the history of the early American Republic from 1789-1815. The student will gain a better understanding of the major political, intellectual, social, economic, and cultural trends of the tumultuous early years of the American Republic after the Constitution through the end of the War of 1812. Issues of particular focus will include: slavery, the development of government institutions and political parties, and American foreign policy.
Attributes: Liberal
This study presents an aspect within the growing field of Public History - the Museum Educator. Museum education has expanded from a limited focus on teaching school-aged children to a wide range of activities that fosters community, addresses social issues, and provides educational programming to a diverse audience within museums and galleries of all subjects - history, art, cultural history, science, etc. Museum educators direct education departments, create museum/web-based programs and learning resources, collaborate with exhibition development teams, and work with various community groups.
Attributes: Liberal
This course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the geology of and surrounding the canal system. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to learn more about the canal systems, their geology surrounding them, the changes to geology brought about by their creation, and their function as a major force in the geology of New York State.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the intellectual and political movement known as the Enlightenment. They will gain a broad understanding of the period, with a particular focus on the ideas generated by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Hume, among many others. Students will also examine the social and political impact these ideas had on Europe and the West during that period. They will discuss such issues as human rights, civil liberties, religious toleration, social justice, the role of government and the relationship between the citizen and the state, among others. Prerequisites: An introductory course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
This course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the economy of the canal systems. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to learn more about the canal systems, the economic considerations that went into creating and developing them, and the long-term economic ramifications of the canals.
Attributes: Liberal
This advanced level research course gives students an opportunity to propose and carry out a semester long, self-directed, in-depth research agenda. The focus of the research is on place as a community in a geographical location or physical environment. Students can explore the local history of the place where they live (or some other place of interest and research, among other things, a particular topic or period of local history by engaging with historical scholarship, consulting local archives and historical societies and/or interviewing community members who have witnessed local history. Students also will collaborate with others interested in history, the arts, and culture to learn concepts for thinking about place as process, a coming together of nature and culture, the local and global and of issues ranging from gender, class, ethnicity and the environment to modernization, conservation, and preservation. This course was previously HIS-244774 Exploring Place: History.
Attributes: Liberal
This course, which may be taken in conjunction with other sections of “New York’s Canals,” will focus on the responses of artists, musicians, and writers to the canal system or life in and around it. Students will be expected to participate in on-site sessions to see the canal systems.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will survey the ways in which fashion in the United States has been shaped by major developments in American history. Beginning with the development of the textile industry, this course will place fashion and the fashion industry within social, cultural and economic frameworks, and will cover a variety of topics including: industrialization, immigration, 'becoming American', labor movements, gender and the women's movement, class differentiations, haute couture, consumer culture, and the influence of the entertainment industry and globalization on the American fashion, textile and apparel industries. This course was previously HIS-243194 Fashion in U.S. History.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course reviews the development of sport in America from 19th century interest in physical culture to late 20th century spectator sports as a defining feature of American life.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will study the film industry, films and audiences from the advent of motion pictures during the early twentieth century to the present. This course will consider the relationship between American History and film. Each section of the study will focus on a different component of that history. After discussion with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
In the United States, the pursuit of walking in wilderness areas and of outdoor recreation has roots in forestry and farming and was often a response to industrialization. However, the use of the wilderness for recreation and hiking has not included all Americans. In this course, we will consider both the leaders in guiding, trail blazing, developing equipment, and organizing groups to advocate for the pursuit of hiking, the interests of hikers, and wildness preservation AND the groups—especially BIPOC, differently abled, and those without the material wealth to pursue wilderness exploration—who have long been excluded from this history.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course explores the American diet from Native American cultures prior to European contact to the present. Students will consider topics like the ways that Americans gather food and cook, the impact of technology on diet and food preservation, environmental issues, gender, the ecology of commodity chains, reform movements, ethnic diets, food surpluses and famines, cooking traditions and innovations, and the emergence of restaurants, supermarkets, fast food.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study provides a broad historical inquiry into European history between 500-1000 CE. The course considers the successor states to the Roman Empire in Western Europe. It will also chart the growth and development of the Early Medieval Christian Church. The course will also investigate the roles and contributions of marginalized people such as women, Jews, and non-Europeans. This study satisfies the general education requirement for Western Civilization through its broad-based discussion of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, society, culture, and religion of Europe during the early medieval period. This study meets the Historical Studies Area of Study Guidelines that demonstrates an understanding of historical processes and events that have shaped social change and contemporary human problems. History of Early Medieval Europe also meets the guideline for developing research skills and knowledge of forms of citation shared by professional historians.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
What did people really eat in the Middle Ages? This study will explore the production, preparation, regulation and consumption of medieval food and drink. It will also explore the role of food in relation to social status and the role of food in medieval culture. This study addresses the Historical Studies Area of Study Guidelines relating to research skills, including a basic understanding of how to use libraries, archives, databases and other internet resources. It also addresses the guideline addressing an understanding of history as creative art, a subjective discipline and an imaginative interpretation of the past. Prerequisites: A previous course in Western Civilization or World History is strongly recommended but not required.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to provide the student with the opportunity to investigate the major historical problems concerning the Age of Jackson. Specifically the course will examine the significance of Andrew Jackson to the age that bears his name, the origins and the character of the second American political party system; the character and origins of the Religious revivals known as the Second Great Awakening; and the relationship between the Market Revolution and Jacksonian Democracy.
Attributes: Liberal
This course provides students an opportunity to research their family's history and to place their family within the broader context of American History. Because no two students come from the same families, the assignments and topics covered will vary widely, depending upon the student's family background. Topics may include slavery, immigration, legal policy and laws concerning immigration, miscegenation laws and many other things. Most importantly, students will consider historical events surrounding their family's history.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to give the student the opportunity to examine in depth U.S. Twentieth Century History from the beginning of the Conservative Ascendancy in 1964 until the end of the Century. As historians of the Early National Period have dubbed the era from 1824-1848 the Age of Jackson after the most significant President of the era, Andrew Jackson, so Historians Sean Willentz and Steven Hayward have described this era as the Age of Reagan after the President who symbolized the Conservative Ascendancy and its values.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will investigate in depth the generalship of some of the more important Generals during the American Civil War, and the impact of Northern and Southern generalship on the Confederacy's defeat. As a highly advanced independent reading and research study, it can serve as a capstone study for students who are interested in designing a concentration in Military History or American History. Generals of the Civil War is offered in conjunction with the Civil War History Residency. Prerequisites: Prior advanced level coursework on the American Civil War, era of Reconstruction, and/or American military history. This study is part the American Civil War History Residency, which includes a three-day bus chartered field trip to Antietam National Battlefield Park (Sharpsburg, MD) and Gettysburg National Battlefield Park (Gettysburg, PA). During this trip, students will tour the 2 battlefields while listening to classmates give their presentations at each of the assigned spots on the tour and participate with other students in evening discussions. Attendance at the residency is required. Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: · Identify and explain the historical significance of important events, actions, individuals, and concepts related to the History Generalship during the Civil War such as Concentration in time vs. space, Interior Lines, Total War, Conciliatory War, etc. · Demonstrate an understanding of some of the various theories of Civil War Generalship, such as those proposed by T. Harry Williams, J.F.C. Fuller, Sir Basil Liddell-Hart, by identifying the various principles and elements of those theories. · Demonstrate the ability to critically read historical literature, by identifying the main thesis of an article, or book, the major evidence and arguments used by an author in support of his/her thesis, and finally to use rules of logic and evidence to critically analyze the author’s arguments and evaluate his/her evidence. · Demonstrate a mastery of the methods that historians use to construct historical theories about the past; knowledge of the skills and methods used by historians to research and investigate the past.
Attributes: Liberal
The assassination of President William McKinley, and the ascension of Vice President Theodore Roosevelt to the Presidency ushered in an era of reform in American History known as the Progressive Era. From 1901 through the end of Wilson's Presidency, reform minded Presidents, Congressmen, Federal Judges, and State and Local officials attempted to bring "hope and change" to America. In a sense the era represented a Constitutional Crisis in American History. Reformers like Teddy Roosevelt believed Constitutional Reform was necessary. Some of the most important Amendments to the US. Constitution were ratified during this period, the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth amendments. Activist Judges broadly construed the Constitution to allow Federal and State governments to expand their powers in order to check the power and influence of Big business, and to conserve America's natural resources for future generations. Democratic President Woodrow Wilson even saw America's involvement in the Great War as an opportunity to reform the international order so that WWI would be "the war to end all wars," and the war that would "make the world safe for democracy." However, by 1920 the reform fever that had gripped the country had subsided. Warren G. Harding, the new Republican President, coined a new word. He described his presidency as "a return to normalcy." Normalcy meant the opposite of Progressivism, a return to business as usual. Calvin Coolidge, Harding's successor, contended that "the business of America was business." Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover restored Republican Hegemony over National politics. America's concern was prosperity. The roaring twenties were full swing. Still America was changing dramatically. For instance during the Nineteen Twenties the Culture Wars of began. America's old cultural guard combated the demons of modernity, urbanization, and immigration. America could never return to Normalcy. The Great Depression ensured that. By the end of Hoover's presidency desperate citizens were crying out for help from a new generation of reformers led by another politician named Roosevelt.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will examine the concept of genocide from different global perspectives. Students will investigate the buildup and patterns that emerge in genocides all over the world.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
In 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt's triumph in the Presidential Election heralded the end of one long era in American History and the beginning of another. From the election of Abraham Lincoln until Roosevelt's victory over Hoover, the Republican Party had dominated American politics. Roosevelt's victory led to the Democratic Party's dominance until the election of Richard Nixon in 1968. This study will give the student the opportunity to examine in depth the origins, course, character, and legacy of the Democratic Triumph in American Politics.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will gain a broad understanding of the various paths along which German identity might have developed, as well as how Germanness has been shaped by key events and trends. A key facet of understanding German nationalism is that Germans have defined themselves and membership in their national community differently at different times, and usually have had competing definitions (each supported by different groups) at the same time. The question: Who is a German? has been incredibly complicated. Understanding German nationalism will give the student great insight into some of the most important and tragic events in human history. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to give the student the opportunity to examine in depth the history of the Early American Republic from the inauguration of George Washington as President until the inauguration of James Monroe as President. Special attention will be paid to the origins of the American Political Party system; the political, economic, and military policies pursued by the two parties, and their influence on the course of American History.
Attributes: Liberal
This course explores the history of American medicine, disease, health, and wellness. Approaches to the treatment of various illnesses over time will be the main focus of the course. After reading and reviewing a series of collaborative readings, students will complete a detailed research project about a particular disease or condition and its treatment over time. Students must possess advanced college level research and writing skills to succeed in this course.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Through this study, the student will investigate the major historical topics concerning WWI, including; the origins of the War; the factors behind the Allied victory in the war; the legacy of the war; the nature of total war; the origins and impact of American involvement in the war; the experience of trench warfare; etc.
Attributes: Liberal
This course is part of the Civil War Residency. This study will examine the development of the American Presidency from its creation until the present. Topics covered will include: the ideological and experiential roots of the Presidency; the creation of the Presidency; Federalist, Jeffersonian, and Jacksonian conceptions of the Presidency; the President at war; the President in the industrial age; Watergate as a Constitutional crisis; the role of the executive bureaucracy; and the President and Foreign Policy.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will examine the theories and methods of historic preservation in architecture. The course will consider the methods used when preserving a building, as well as the methods and theories involved in listing a building on the National Register of Historic Places.
Attributes: Liberal
This course is part of the Civil War History Residency. Through this study the student shall explore the relationship between religion; and politics, economics, society, and culture in the formation of American history from the Civil War to the present. In other words, the student will investigate how Religion has influenced American political, cultural, social, and economic history, and how in turn cultural, social, political, and economic factors have shaped American religion. Topics covered will include, countervailing trends in American religious history, Religion and the Confederacy's defeat, The Social Gospel movement, Protestant Progressivism, Church State relations, the Culture Wars, and the new Religious pluralism.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study introduces 'historiography,' which can be described as 'the history of the history.' Historiography asks how historians have explained events or themes in history over time or how they have identified certain individuals or groups as historical subjects. It asks how world views and/or ideologies impact the interpretation or re-interpretation of previously viewed sources, and how access to new sources or new questions or new methodologies impact historical interpretations. This course was previously HIS-244444 Historiography: Researching and Writing About History.
Attributes: Liberal
This course explores American popular culture from the minstrel shows of the nineteenth century to YouTube of the present. Topics include popular music, radio, television, film, popular literature including comics, the Internet and many other things. Students will read scholarship about American popular culture and write scholarly essays. Students will also be invited to use media other than written essays for their final projects.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course covers American sexuality from colonial times to the present. Students will consider topics like sexual interactions between Native American and Europeans during the conquest of the New World, regulation of sexuality in the colonies, gender and sex reform in the nineteenth century, race and sexuality, love and intimacy from the nineteenth century to the present, homosexuality, transsexuality, intersexuality and many other issues.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study is an exploration of Europe between 1000-1500 C.E. Topics will include: the political, social, economic, religious and military history of this period. This course will also look at the daily lives of those who lived during the period including women, Jews, heretics, non-Christians and other marginalized people. Students will study the development of the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, and culture of Western Civilization. They will also consider the development of Western Civilization to other regions of the world.
Attributes: Liberal
The Christian Population of the World as of 2022 stands at over 2.5 billion people. Christianity’s phenomenal growth as a small religious sect in Western Asia to the largest Religion on Earth. Today most Christians live in Earth’s Southern Hemisphere. The Growth of Christianity is a global phenomenon. This study examines the history of Christianity from the time of Jesus of Nazareth to the present. The study will both focus on the development of Christian thought and on the influence of Christianity on the intellectual, cultural, political, and economic history of the World. Students will consider topics like Cultural Antecedents; 1st Century Palestine; The Graeco-Roman World; The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ; Paul and the Spread of Christianity; The Church Fathers; Creeds and Councils; Roman Catholicism in the Middle Ages; Scholasticism; The Renaissance and the Reformation; The Counter Reformation; Pietism and Revival; The Enlightenment; Christianity in the Modern World; The Church and the Challenges of the 21st Century, etc. Prerequisites: Western Civilization, World History, or the History of World Religions recommended.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, we will examine American History from the discovery of the Hudson River by Europeans to the present day by studying the river, its valley, and the places directly connected to that large swathe of New York State. We will see how far and wide its impact stretched as we learn how to think about the disciplines of History and the Arts; understand their many connections; and to understand why history and art are so important to civilization. We will study the notion of local history and its connections to state, national, and international history, as well as how the Hudson River Valley influenced and was influenced by the arts of literature, painting, architecture, sculpture, and music. Materials assigned for the course will cover the diverse groups living in the region. The course culminates in a research project as an essay, photographic essay, or short documentary.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study explores global governance bodies associated with the League of Nations (1919-1945), and (primarily) the United Nations (1945 – 2010), as they have responded to global economic, social and political issues. The study covers the theoretical foundations of global governance as well as the practical roles and real-world impact of intergovernmental bodies, their agencies, treaties and conventions on global populations from 1919 – 2010s. This study is designed to provide learning in Historical, Comparative and Theoretical perspectives for students seeking degrees in the Social Science Area of Study; or to provide learning in Theoretical and Philosophical Concepts and Historical and Comparative Concepts for students seeking degrees in the Public Affairs Area of Study. It covers the development of distinctive features of the history and institutions of Western Civilization and relates these developments of Western Civilization to other regions of the world across the 20th century and into the 21st century.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections of this course will focus on the Reconstruction, the period of history immediately following the U.S. Civil War. While sections might differ in focus or conceptual frame, each will cover the historical narrative of the era, as well as the causes leading up to the Civil War and the longer term effects of Reconstruction. Upon consultation with their mentor, students may take more than one section of this course.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will explore important events in the history of American families and children from the pre-colonial era through the 21st Century. The diversity in family life that we see today is the result of changes in the way we make a living and the rise of the American value of self-actualization that has taken place over the past 300 years. We will explore the social developments and the 20th century challenges of economic collapse and world wars to understand the shifts in values and expectations that have accompanied this transition.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
What was the Byzantine Empire and why is it important in the 21st century? The student will investigate these questions through the reading of primary sources in English translation and secondary sources, in addition to art, music and other resources available on the internet. The learner will consider the development of the Eastern Church and its troubled relationship with the Latin Church in the West. Contact with Western Europe, the Muslim world and the structure of the Byzantine state and society will also be considered. This study meets the Historical Studies Guidelines for an understanding of the diversity of sources that record and interpret the past, the ability to analyze and interpret historical resources and perspectives and the ability to think critically and communicate effectively. Prerequisites: Western Civilization I is desirable but not required.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the French Revolution, including the major social, economic and political causes of dissatisfaction with the Old Regime system. Students will explore distinctions among the groups that made up the initial pro-revolutionary coalition. Students will explore the moderate phase that culminated in the Constitution of 1791 and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, the shift to the radical phase (focusing on Robespierre and The Terror), the period of reaction leading to Napoleon’s rise to power, and his years as head of state. Highly Recommended (not required): An introductory-level course in European history.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will trace the origins of the Latin Church in the West from its origins to the Reformation. The student will explore the history of the early Church to the most powerful spiritual and political force in medieval Europe. This study will also consider the Church’s role in the spiritual, political, social and cultural development of Europe. This study addresses the Area of Study Guidelines in regards to an understanding of historical processes and events that have shaped social change and contemporary human problems, an understanding of the linkage between history and other disciplines, and the development of research skills and knowledge of citation forms used by professional historians. Prerequisites: Western Civilization I is helpful but not required.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of the major developments in European history during the Cold War and the post-Cold War eras. Topics will include economic, political, social, and cultural history, with particular attention paid to: decolonization as it affected Europe, the development of the European Union, the consequences of the fall of the Soviet Union, challenges posed by increased immigration into Europe, the resurgence of anti-democratic politics in the 21st century, and the broad impact of globalization on Europe throughout the decades. Highly Recommended (not required): An introductory level course in modern Western Civilization.
Attributes: Liberal
One might define the West as a way of thinking about life. At present, Western ideas transcend geographical bounds and have found hospitable abodes in the East as well as in the West. Therefore, it is legitimate to talk about the Westernization of the world. Through this course, students will examine the development of the Western world view from the time of Moses and Thales to the 18th Century Enlightenment. Specifically, students will consider the contributions made by the Greeks, the Romans, and the Hebrews to the Western mind, and how the tension between humanism and theism have helped shape our thoughts even today. Recommended: Western Civilization I or World History I
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
The History of Western Architecture examines architecture, history, and the artistic/creative processes in order to understand their many connections. To that end, we will learn how to think about the discipline of History, the creative process, and how to understand why architecture and history are so important to civilization.
Attributes: Liberal
This study explores historical and contemporary topics and issues related to prisons and prison systems within the United States from Colonial times until the present day. The prison system and diverse prison populations in the United States is examined from a variety of perspectives and contexts including (but not limited to): The development of U.S. prison systems over time; Institutional and policy developments, reforms, discourses, and debates; Major events and people within U.S. prison history (escapes, ‘riots’, etc.,); Prisons and prisoners within American Popular Culture; Prison Cultures; Issues related to diverse prison populations (gender, race, age, class, sexual orientation, religion, etc.,); and Prisoners’ rights; Numerous social, economic and political circumstances leading up to and during America’s involvement in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and related interventions including Cambodia and Laos and their effects on the prison system; America’s interventions in South and Central America during the Reagan era and their relationships to the prison system; Some of the ways in the which the United States’ relationship changed with the rest of the world after the events of September 11, 2001.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will explore the main issues confronting Imperial Russia in its attempts to develop a unified and defensible state, a viable agricultural and industrial economy, and a stable social and cultural structure. Students should be able to describe the problems of urban vs. rural growth, the problems and strengths of the autocracy, the organization of economic life, and the adaptation of cultural values to secular goals. They should be able to compare and contrast the development of Russian institutions with those of Western Europe in the same period, i.e. from the early modern era through the First World War. Prerequisites: An introductory course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will examine the history of Jews in the Habsburg Austrian Monarchy from 1670 to 1918, gaining an understanding of the major events of this history. Of particular interest will be the innovative and tolerant policies towards Jews of Joseph II, the spreading of the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), questions of assimilation and acculturation, the effects of the revolutions of 1848, the Ausgleich (Compromise) of 1867 that granted autonomy to Hungary, the First World War, the cultural contributions to Jews to culture in Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and other areas, and broader movements of nationalism (both Jewish and non-Jewish). Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the history of the Jews in the Russian Empire from 1772 through 1917. They will move through the major events of this history, examining the impact of the Russian takeover of Polish and Ukrainian lands with significant Jewish populations broadly, as well as specific developments including the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), assimilation and acculturation, urbanization, industrialization, Zionism/Jewish nationalism, Socialism/Bundism, and political developments such as the Polish uprisings in Russia in 1830 and 1863, the abolition of serfdom in mid-century, the Revolution of 1905, the First World War and the Revolutions of 1917. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of the major developments in Ukrainian history over the past two millennia, with a focus on recent decades. Topics will include economic, political, social, religious, and cultural history, with particular attention paid to: the historical development of a Ukrainian national consciousness along with competing identities on the territory of Ukraine, antisemitic violence committed by Ukrainians as well as by other governments in Ukraine, the development of Ukrainian institutions—including the Cossacks, the division of Ukrainian lands among more powerful neighbors, including Poland-Lithuania, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, the period of Soviet domination, the reestablishment of an independent Ukraine at the end of the Cold War, and the present-day Russian invasion. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in Western Civilization II is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will consider the relationship of Jews to German society from 1770-1933. They will discuss the impact of Enlightenment ideas and economic development on Jewish attempts to assimilate, the forms this assimilation took, the roots of racial antisemitism of the late 19th and 20th centuries, and Jewish responses to it including alternatives to assimilation such as Zionism. Students will analyze the position of Jews in German society in Weimar period and the rising tide of antisemitism in Germany, examining this relationship in order to understand the historical background of the Holocaust as well as that relationship in its own right. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
This course explores Latin America’s social history and U.S.-Latin American relations from 1821 to the present. Students will examine historical, cultural, ethnic, economic, social, and political themes, as well as issues of migration and foreign relations in the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and South America. Prerequisites: Introductory coursework in world history from 1800 to the present is recommended This course was previously HIS-243154 .
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal
This is an interdisciplinary undergraduate seminar, which seeks to provide students with an introduction into Jamaica's socio-political history. This seminar will examine a selection of materials drawn from literary texts, films and music, alongside historical and sociological accounts, in an effort to comprehend the socio-political energies and tension underpinning the construction of the Jamaican identity and experience from the point of colonial contact to the through to the present. The course is organized thematically but it proceeds in chronological order to focus on the major socio-political, economic and cultural period of change in the Jamaican society and the wider Caribbean region. The larger conceptualized issues which this seminar will address include different forms of colonialism and the ways in which contemporary identities have responded to such historical constructs. It will be particularly concerned with examining the complex web of relationships between creativity and cultural production and showing how literature and music for example can provide alternative perspectives on matters such as history, race, culture and national identity.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This multidisciplinary course explores the historic origins of current political conflicts and social conditions in the Middle East. Students will examine the geography of the region and its peoples, religions, cultures, ethnicity and civilizations, Western expansion and influence in the region, the rise of nationalism, and the impacts of the West in the region. Contemporary politics, the development of nation-states, and the themes of tradition, change, and revolution also will be discussed. Prior study in history, religion, sociology, anthropology, or politics is recommended. This course was previously HIS-243414 The Middle East.
Cross-listed with CUST 3340.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
Modern American History is a survey course, which covers events in American history from Reconstruction in the south in 1877 through the present. Students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course, including Reconstruction, western settlement and the frontier, industrialization, immigration, American imperialism and world power, the Progressive movement, WW I, the Roaring Twenties, the Depression, the New Deal, WW II, the Cold War and Nuclear Age, the 1950s, Civil Rights, the 1960s, Vietnam, and the resurgence of conservatism in the 1980s. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. Understanding the historic roots of contemporary crises is becoming all the more important as we enter the third decade of what has become an increasingly politically volatile 21st century. To do so, students will identify a current issue early in the semester and perform extensive research on its historic roots. This project will culminate in a research paper of approximately 4,000 words due at the end of the semester. The project is aimed at satisfying the SUNY general education guidelines for U.S. History and Civic Engagement by giving you the capability to: demonstrate understanding of United States’ society and/or history, including the diversity of individuals and communities that make up the nation; explore the role of individual participation in U.S. communities and government; and apply historical and contemporary evidence to draw, support, or verify conclusions. Some introductory level coursework in U.S. History is recommended but not required for this course. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. This course was previously HIS-243214 Modern American History.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study explores the modernization of China's culture, social relations, economy and politics during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Students may investigate topics such as the collapse of China's imperial order in the face of alien invasion and internal rebellions; political, cultural and economic revolutions inspired by Western models; the history and evolution of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party leadership of China since 1949; contemporary controversies regarding expanding democracy and human rights; etc. Prerequisites: Introductory level coursework in modern world history of Pacific Asia history is recommended. This course was previously HIS-243324 .
Cross-listed with CUST 3350.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, students will survey the military history of China, from approximately 1500 BCE to the present. While every aspect of Chinese history will not be discussed in depth, students will examine various political, social, and cultural themes in this study, some in great detail. The Course will also include a discussion of the Chinese Way of War vs. the Western Way of War. Other Topics Covered include “Continuity and Conflict in Chinese Military History,” The Influence of the Northern Frontier on the Character of Chinese Military History,” The Taiping Rebellion,” The Classic Chinese Military Authors,” “Warlordism” “The Nationalist Army to 1949,” “The Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1931-1945,” “The Peoples’ Liberation Army,” “Chinese Conflicts1949 to the Present.” Etc. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. Prerequisites: NA. Corequisites: NA.
Attributes: *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, students will survey the military history of Japan, from approximately 500 ACE to the present. While every aspect of Japanese history will not be discussed in depth, students will examine various political, social, and cultural themes in this study, some in great detail. The course will also include a discussion of the Japanese Way of War vs. the Western Way of War. Other topics covered include: “The evolution of tactics, weapons, and strategy in early Japanese History,” The Influence of the Bushido Code on Japanese Military History,” “Zen Buddhism and Japanese Military Culture” “The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan, 1853-1945,” “The First Sino-Japanese War,” The Russo-Japanese War,” “The Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1931-1945,” “The Rape of Nanking,” “Japanese War Crimes in World War II,” “The Reemergence of Japanese Military Power, 1945-Present,” Etc. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized. Prerequisites: NA. Corequisites: NA.
Attributes: *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will focus on the development and eventual decline of the Soviet Union, from the fall of the Czarist system, which came shortly after the Tsarist system, to the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the development of the Bolshevik movement and its seizure of power, the nature of the Revolution of 1917, Stalin's dictatorship and the purges and the impact on World War II and the Cold war, the postwar struggle between reformers and the status quo, and the nature of the recent effort to democratize Russian politics and the society, and the reimposition of centralized state control will be considered.
Attributes: Liberal
Students will examine the topic of multiculturalism in American society over the past few decades in order to gain a broad understanding of what multiculturalism is, how it developed and why, and what it means for a whole host of issues in American society from national, racial and cultural identity to education and social studies curricula to affirmative action policies and much more. Students will examine the writings of multicultural thinkers and critics of multiculturalism to explore all sides of the debate, from a variety of ethnic and racial perspectives. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in American history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
This advanced study on curriculum design addresses the insight and skills needed as a professional educator in a museum environment working with all age groups. It prepares the museum educator for the development of educational programs while addressing diverse museums as well as alternative learning sites. Current trends in museum education are addressed to include integrated and interdisciplinary learning; meeting the teachers’ needs; the challenges in relation to the changing landscape/role of the museum professional; issues of diversity; and collaborative learning. A theory into practice component is included to provide students with the opportunity to create curricula that applies to permanent collections and/or temporary exhibitions at area museums.
Attributes: Liberal
During this course, students will examine the issues surrounding ethnic, religious, cultural, national and other related forms of identity in modern Europe. Students will discuss basic theories of how national identities develop and different categories of nationalism/national identity. They will engage in critical thinking about and gain a better understanding about the issues surrounding ethnic, religious, cultural, national and other related forms of identity. Prior to taking this course an introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of Native Americans in American history and the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, and culture of Native American Indian Nations. Issues of social justice, race, class, and gender will be emphasized as students engage with primary and secondary sources written by and about this diverse population of Americans. The research component in this course will allow students to intensively explore an area of particular interest in depth and develop higher level research and learning skills.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *Diversity Gen Ed, Liberal
This course explores the history of changing relationships between American culture and its environment, as that relationship has been manifest physically as well as conceptually. Students will gain familiarity with the main eras and episodes of American history as they relate to American culture’s grounding in nature: the European encounter with a (supposedly) virgin wilderness; the rapid exploitation of resources that accompanied westward and industrial expansion; the closing of the frontier and the development of resource conservationism; continued industrialization of the nature-culture relationship through nearly a century of war; the modern tension between economics and a concern for ecological health and balance. This course was previously HIS-243544 Nature in American History.
Cross-listed with CUST 3380.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of the broad themes in the history of New York City. The student will examine the economic, cultural and political forces that have transformed what was once a small settlement on the lower tip of Manhattan into the metropolis that exists today.
Attributes: Liberal
New York State’s history encompasses a wide range of people and places. In this course, students will consider the overall history of the state through the lens of a particular time period or place. From the Indigenous Peoples who were here before European contact to the multitude of ethnic groups who immigrated to New York and the enslaved and later freed peoples brought to the state, the people who have called the state home are of particular interest in this course. So, too, are the ways in which New York’s history has been part of the larger story of the American past and the ways in which New Yorkers have participated in their communities, through their votes, their protests, and their very lives.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This advanced writing and research course offers students an opportunity to become more informed about contemporary issues, problems, controversies, and questions and topics of national and international significance from a historical perspective. Students will draw The New York Times online as well as other online sources, print publications and radio and television broadcast news. Prerequisites: 6 credits in college level history courses. This course was previously HIS-243504 News Sense: Consuming and Producing in the 21st Century.
Attributes: Liberal
Since the mid-twentieth century, oral history has established itself as an important method of historical scholarship, practiced not only within a variety of historical fields yet also within other disciplines that comprise the humanities and social sciences. This study reflects on the origins and usage of oral history. Students will explore its historiography; the methodologies of oral history expressed within the critical debates - the paradox of memory, interpretation, objectives in oral history, etc.; oral history as a tool of empowerment/advocacy; oral narratives as performance, and oral history in relation to contemporary care strategies.
Attributes: Liberal
This course explores the world of Atlantic piracy, and the infamous pirates and privateers whose stories inform our modern, romanticized view of pirates. Students will be introduced to the dreaded Jolly Roger as well as swashbuckling figures such as Blackbeard and the unnamed, one-legged pirate who was likely the model for Long John Silver in Treasure Island. Sailors escaped from horrible working conditions on merchant and naval ships by becoming pirates. In doing so, they created a more equitable reality aboard their own ships, electing their officers, dividing their booty among the crewmembers fairly, and creating a new social order. Through examining both the myth and reality of being a pirate, the course looks at the world that pirates called their home. The role of pirates in the construction of empires in the Early Modern Era will be addressed, and the popular depiction of pirates versus the historical reality will be investigated.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will look at the field of Public History and consider how exhibition is used within the field. Students will consider the wide variety of Public History work undertaken by history professionals, as well as the manner in which those projects may be presented both through innovative (e.g. digital and virtual) and more traditional means. The study will also probe the intersection of Public History and exhibition.
Attributes: Liberal
Public History engages the public in a dialogue with the past and present in a variety of venues. In this course, students will explore the concepts and practices of the field, examining Public History as critical consumers, participating in the production of Public History, and exploring the theory and practice of Public History. Prerequisites: Experience with research projects is recommended This course was previously HIS-243434 .
Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal
This course introduces students to the main themes and personalities of the Renaissance and Reformation periods of Western culture. Students will consider the medieval precursors to the Italian Renaissance; examine the art, literature and philosophy of the Renaissance itself, humanism, and the debates in Christendom surrounding the Protestant Reformation. The course satisfies the Western Civilization general education requirement through its study of the history, institutions, society, and culture of the Renaissance and Reformation periods, and/or the Humanities requirement through its study of conventions and methods associated with the Humanities. Please note that students cannot use the course to satisfy both requirements. Prerequisites: Introductory coursework in world history is recommended This course was previously HIS-244344 Renaissance and Reformation: Origins and Impacts.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
Students will examine the origins, events and major personalities of the American Revolution, in the period from 1763-1789. Topics to be considered within the course include the development of the American colonies, the reasons for the break with Great Britain, the course and character of the revolution, as well as the philosophical and political debate over the Constitution. Students will gain a better understanding of the major political, intellectual, social, economic, and cultural trends of the revolutionary period in American history, with a focus on the Revolution itself and the subsequent creation of a new constitutional system of government. .
Attributes: Liberal
This course offers a study of the histories of the diversity of individuals and communities that make up U.S. society. Students will examine U.S. history in the context of native, captive, and immigrant ethnic groups and their interactions with one another. Ethnic history serves as a vehicle for revealing the complexities of political, economic, social and cultural issues. Students will analyze such issues and the civic engagement of individuals and communities across time, inter- and intra-ethnic interactions, and space. This course was previously HIS-243234 American Ethnic History.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic within the larger field of American History. In consultation with his/her mentor and the course instructor, the student will help to focus the study and its objectives.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic within the larger field of European History. In consultation with his/her mentor and the course instructor, the student will help to focus the study and its objectives.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic with the larger field of Historical Studies. Students will read and analyze both primary and secondary scholarly writings from historians who write with differing cultural, historical, sociological, political, and philosophical frameworks.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic within the larger field of Other World Civilizations. In consultation with his/her mentor and the course instructor, the student will help to focus the study and its objectives. Students are expected to meet the requirements of the Western Other World Civilizations general education component within the work of the course.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This course will consider civilization in the Ancient World by allowing students and faculty to explore in detail a particular facet of the ancient world. The specific content of the course varies, but every iteration of this course will emphasize the careful use of sources and methods as are employed in the study of ancient history.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic within the larger field of European History. In consultation with his/her mentor and the course instructor, the student will help to focus the study and its objectives.
Attributes: Liberal
Topics in Women in Western Civilization allows students and faculty to explore in greater depth a particular aspect of the history of women in Western Civilization. The specific content of the course varies, but every iteration of this course will emphasize the careful use of sources and methods as are employed the study of women's history.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose of this study is to allow students to focus on a special topic within the larger field of World History. In consultation with his/her mentor and the course instructor, the student will help to focus the study and its objectives. Students are expected to meet the requirements of the Other World Civilizations general education component within the work of the course.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This study explores the history of the Atlantic World during the Colonial Period. Through exploration and the search for wealth, Europeans encountered vastly different cultures both on the American continent and in the transportation of slaves from Africa. Indigenous cultures in the Americas were altered or destroyed by European contact and the competition between European empires seeking to control the New World. Africans found themselves swept up in the clash of cultures as they were transported to America to provide labor for the colonists' economic endeavors. Students will explore the social, cultural, environmental, and economic implications of this interaction of cultures.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
Study the 18th century Enlightenment that changed the perception of the universe, rocked the thrones of Europe, shook the roots of religious heterodoxy and gave new dimensions to philosophy, literature and the arts. Read classic studies by Enlightenment scholars and analyze the influences of the Enlightenment upon the development of the United States policy and the role of women in Europe and beyond. Develop a set of personal conclusions and assess the contemporary meaning of the Enlightenment. This course was previously HIS-224054 The Enlightenment.
Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
During this course the student will focus on the economic crisis of the United States during the 1930s and the political response to it. Students will examine the impact of the depression on American society in terms of social disruption, economic growth, and political development, as well as the subjective impact of the crash and depression, the political demands placed on the federal government for relief and reconstruction, their success and/or failure as public policies and the reasons for the growth of the labor movement and its political orientation. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in American history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
In this course, offered as part of the Civil War History Residency, students will survey the history of warfare in Western Civilization, beginning with the origins of organized warfare in the Ancient Middle East through the recent Gulf Wars, as part of this Civil War Residency course. They will examine in depth the military operations of the Civil War as the prototype of modern wars in the West.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will examine the history of the Reformation, including the teachings of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other key Reformation theologians. Students will consider the reasons why, by the early sixteenth century, Europeans were receptive to a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church, the political and social circumstances of the time, the impact of the Reformation both on high politics as well as religious institutions, and the belief systems of ordinary Europeans. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
The Silk Road conjures exotic images of camel caravans, the smell of spices and lure of distant places. This study will investigate the origins of silk road trade routes, the states that developed in Central Asia as a result of these routes and the movements of people, trade goods, technology, ideas, beliefs and even epidemic disease. Prerequisites: A previous course in Pre-modern East Asia or World History is strongly recommended but not required.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
Sections under this title might include: American Foreign Policy, 1939 to present; History of American Political Thought I: 1763-1876; History of Political Thought II: 1890-present; History of American Foreign Policy; History of American Political Parties; American Government; American Politics, 1974-2008; Barack Obama and His Presidency; Federalists and Jeffersonians; The American Presidency; The Evangelical Right in American Politics and Culture; Understanding the U.S. Constitution; The Tea Party in American Politics; Historical Biography: Theodore Roosevelt. This course will consider the history of the U.S. politics and government. Each section of the study will focus on a different component of that history. After discussion with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections under this title might include: Race and Gender in U.S. Media; Race and Representation in U.S. History and Culture. This course will consider the history of race and representation of race in U.S. history and culture. Each section of the study will focus on a different component of that complex history. After discussion with their advisors, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
Sections of this course will focus on the United States Civil War. Although each section might take into account a different perspective or use a different conceptual frame, each course will cover the basic historical narrative of the Civil War, including factors that led to the war and results of the war. Upon consultation with their mentor, students may take more than one version of this course.
Attributes: Liberal
hrough this study, the student will investigate the major historical problems related to the history of WWII, including the origins of the War, the Hitler enigma, the factors behind the Allied victory in the war; The relationship between the emergence of the new feminism in America and the War effort; the origins of the Cold War; the Germany First strategy; the wisdom of the Mediterranean Campaign; the wisdom of the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb, etc.
Attributes: Liberal
This course places the United States in the historic, political, cultural, and social currents of the world. It invites students to explore the historic processes that have shaped some key themes and dynamics of U.S. history from both internal and external points of view. We will view the United States less as an independent entity and more as a part of a world community. Such a perspective creates an opportunity to deepen the basic narrative of the American experience by internationalizing it, while also helping us understand how such aspects of U.S. society as churches, small businesses, neighborhoods, cultural communities, and mass media might be forces in shaping world politics. We will make the movements of people in and through the Americas, the stories of how the United States came to be 50 states (and some territories), and the precarious role of early 21st century world leadership the central themes of the study. Students are encouraged to bring to this course a curiosity about America's historic place in the world, a desire to strengthen Historical Studies research and writing skills, and a willingness to think outside the box. This course was previously HIS-243394 .
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
This course examines the relationship between the United States and Middle East, defined for the purposes of this study as all the land from North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and Turkey (MENA). Students will consider the important events, forces, people, and policies that have shaped that relationship, as well as the ways in which the relationship reflects the evolution of the American society, economy, domestic politics, and foreign relations. Prerequisites: Introduction to Psychology and/or Sociology, Macroeconomics, and a decided interest in issues that inform the historic engagement of the U.S. in the Middle East.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
This study examines and compares the diverse histories of women in the modern Middle East. Students will investigate topics such as women and: Islamic religious traditions; family life and traditional cultural institutions; work life and economic institutions; legal status and political institutions; relation to Western and Islamic feminism; etc. This course provides an historical perspective on contemporary social, political and gender relationships in the Middle East. Prerequisites: Previous study in modern world history, OR women's history, OR women's studies.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, *World Hist & Glb Awnss Gen Ed, Liberal
In this course, students will explore important events in the history of World Societies through 1715. The course will cover how political, economic and cultural aspects of history in the non-western world have been shaped by changing ideas and concepts. Students will be introduced to the families, foods, workplaces, religions, and diversions of peoples of the past through lively, descriptive writing and extensive primary sources that give voice to a wide range of individuals. This course will examine various political, social and cultural themes, some in great detail.
Attributes: Other World Civilization Gn Ed, Liberal
This course examines the role and impact of international and domestic media on political developments in Europe. It explores the perspectives of various European audiences and the role of historical circumstances and media in shaping those perspectives. Students will consider the ways in which the media can shape public opinion and how its perspective may be influenced by dominant political/economic theories and ideologies. Comparisons with the U.S. perspective will be considered when relevant. Prerequisites: U.S. History II and courses in the social sciences, including economics.
Attributes: Liberal
How do history and Hip Hop connect? This course explores that question through a study of how the historical and contemporary societal factors that shaped the growth and evolution of Hip Hop in the U.S. informed and were informed by individual and group racial, class, and gender identities. The course begins with a look at the 1970s boroughs of New York City, where Hip Hop emerged, and then journeys across New York City and the United States, exploring how the beats and breaks of the Bronx evolved into both an artistic genre as well as a political and cultural movement. We will study 1) the complex networks of social structures in the 1970's Bronx that enabled the emergence of Hip Hop within dynamics of power, privilege, oppression, and opportunity; 2) the 1980's growth of the genre through the commercialization of rap; 3) the early 21st century uses of Hip Hop as a vehicle for political organizing, education, community outreach, and entrepreneurialism in cities across the U.S.; 4) the challenge of balancing the political potential of Hip Hop against the commercial context of popular arts; and 5) the harnessing of Hip Hop as a vehicle for personal uplift and empowerment alongside actions for social justice. This course was previously HIS-243554 Hip-Hop America: The Evolution of a Cultural Movement.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *Diversity Gen Ed, Liberal
This study is based on the idea that we can understand American history through the history of mental illness, and that we can understand the history of mental illness by understanding American history. Theories of mental illness, its diagnosis and treatment, and social attitudes toward it intersect with the history of institutions, science, gender roles, views about the family and social ideals in the US. As we explore these topics, we will arrive at a greater understanding of how mental illness can reflect larger cultural issues. Students will explore both the historical development of theories of mental illness, and the debates concerning diagnosis and treatment. In order to understand the context of these developments, students will study American history from the late 1800s to the present.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
Study selected ethnic conflicts among the 5000 ethnic groups found in about 170 nation-states. Focus on past and contemporary conflicts between and among ethnic groups and between ethnic groups and the state. Specific case studies will vary from term to term, but students can count on discussing the global context of ethnic conflict from the Americas to Europe to Asia and beyond. Students will do academic research on an ethnic conflict of their choice ranging from the Native American Genocide to the World War II Holocaust to contemporary and ongoing conflicts of today. This course was previously HIS-243854 Ethnic Conflict in Global Perspective.
Attributes: Liberal
Students should be able to describe the evolution of technology in the United States, its origins and its impact on American society. The issues to be examined will include the following: the economy of Native American life, the nature of the colonial economy, the birth of American independence, the industrial revolution, the development of the culture of liberty and free trade, the tension between free and slave labor systems of production, the impact of the Civil War, the industrial system and the rise of the corporation, the history of American agriculture, the political response to industrialization, the birth of a war-time economy, the impact of the Great Depression, the development of telecommunication systems, the automobile and its impact on American life, the rise of the aircraft industry, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and robotics.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will examine the political and social climate, with a particular of focus on racial issues, in the United States during the three decades following the Second World War. The student will gain a thorough knowledge of the movement that organized to push for the enactment of civil rights, divisions within that movement, as well as forces that opposed the goals of the movement. The student will gain a familiarity with the lives and careers of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Bayard Rustin, A. Philip Randolph among others, and with such organizations as the NAACP, CORE, the Urban League, and Black Muslim organizations.
Attributes: Liberal
Foundations of American History is an advanced level survey course which covers important events in American history from the pre-colonial era through the Civil War and the end of Reconstruction in the south in 1877. Students will examine various political, social and cultural themes in this course, including pre-colonial America, European conquest, colonial development, the American Revolution, the U.S. Constitution, the Early National Period, the Jacksonian Era, the Age of Reform, nationalism, expansionism, immigration, reform, regional development, causes and effects of the Civil War, and Reconstruction. Critical reading skills and the ability to analyze and evaluate primary and secondary historical sources and produce written interpretations will be emphasized.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study explores the ideas and institutions that arose from the ancient and medieval worlds, e.g. philosophy, law, and Christianity, that lay the foundations of western society. In addition, the study examines the development of the west in the context of world affairs. Finally, this study provides students with an introduction to the meaning of history and aspects of the historical process.
Attributes: Western Civilization Gen Ed, Liberal
The purpose of this study is to give students the opportunity to survey the history of Antebellum slavery, the Civil War and the Reconstruction era, and introduce them to the major historical problems of the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. These include the causes of the war; the character of Antebellum American slavery; the causes behind the Confederacy’s defeat; the Lincoln enigma; and the character and legacy of Reconstruction, within the context of the broad sweep of American history from the Colonial period through the Reconstruction era. Civil War History is offered in conjunction with the Civil War History Residency.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This study will examine the history of the Adirondacks through the lens of a critical paradox: how can humans preserve our natural beauty while allowing public access to these places? The study will first investigate the pull factors and industries of the Adirondacks and the effects on the conservation movements. Students will read William H.H. Murray’s writings and explore historical promotional images of the Adirondacks. This class will first investigate the pull factors and industries of the Adirondacks, and the effects on the conservation movements. Students will examine the future of conservation, tourism, and the role of gender, class, and race in the Adirondacks.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
In this study, students will examine the rich history and political, social, economic and cultural development of Long Island from the prehistoric period, through the colonial era and up to the present day. Students will explore topics in Long Island history including the environment and ecology of Long Island, an examination of the indigenous peoples, the settlements of the colonial era, the events of the American revolution, the development of commerce and transportation in the 18th through the 20th centuries, whaling and other maritime industries, antebellum Long Island, the Civil War, post War development, Gold Coast Long Island, World War I, Prohibition, suburban development, World War II and post-war Long Island, offering an overview of the changes in life and culture of the past several centuries.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will study the presidency of Barack Obama and the United States as a society from 2009 to the present. The student will gain an understanding of Barack Obama's approach to governance and his political/ideological beliefs, along with the intellectual and cultural context out of which Obama developed those beliefs. There will be a particular focus on Obama's conception of ethnic/racial identity as well as American national identity and how these ideas inform his broader worldview. The student will also gain an understanding of the major political, social, cultural, and economic issues of the time period under study.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will examine American society during the turbulent 1960s. The student will gain a broad understanding of the time period, including political, social, cultural, and economic developments. The student will examine, among other topics, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War and protests against it, the counter-culture, the rise of conservatism, urban violence, the women's movement, and the split within the liberal movement over Vietnam.
Attributes: Liberal
During the course of this contract the student will examine the development of American foreign policy during the 20th century, with particular emphasis on the changing perceptions of America's role in world politics.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will study American politics, with a particular focus on national politics (the presidency and Congress), from 1974 to 2008. The student will gain an understanding of developments in American politics and society during the presidencies of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. This will include analyses of both domestic and international issues. The student will focus on the rise of conservative fortunes under Reagan, as well the pushback from progressive forces that propelled the Clinton presidency. The student will also gain some understanding of the major social, cultural, and economic issues of the time period under study.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will examine the history of antisemitism in recent centuries. The student will gain a broad understanding of the various forms antisemitism has taken from medieval times up to the present day. Students will pay particular attention to last two hundred years in this history, and will focus on, among other topics, the shift in mid-late nineteenth century Europe from religious antisemitism to 'racial' antisemitism, the antisemitic ideology of Nazism, and the relationship between the founding/existence of Israel and contemporary antisemitism.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will examine the relationship between technology and education in the United States from the late 19th century through modern times. We will explore how technology has transformed the concept of a classroom, and led to the rise and prevalence of online and blended study. There will be an emphasis on the historical, social, cultural, and ethical issues surrounding use of technology in education, and the study will introduce and explore key concepts of eLearning theory.
Attributes: Liberal
This study examines the history of the United States Navy from the Revolutionary War through the Spanish American War within the broad context of American History. Topics that will be covered by this study will include, the Navy's contribution to the American Revolutionary War effort, Barbary Terror, The Navy and the Debate over the Constitution of 1787, The philosophical and policy differences between the Federalists and the Jeffersonians, The War of 1812, the Age of Gunboat Diplomacy and the extension of the American Commercial Empire, the Mexican-American War, The Efficacy of the Union Blockade, The Commercial Raiders of the Confederacy, Alfred Thayer Mahan and the movement to expand America's Navy, and the Spanish American War. Advanced Level Reading, Writing, and Research Skills emphasized.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This student will examine the history of Jews in the United States of America from 1654 to roughly the present day. This student will examine the history of Jews in the United States of America from 1654 to roughly the present day. The student will gain an understanding of the major events of this history, with a focus on comprehending the changing nature of Jewish immigration-as the population changed from being predominantly Western European very early on to Central European by the mid-19th century and, after 1880, to East European. The student will gain an understanding of the matters of identity and assimilation for American Jews, both in terms of religious observance and cultural practices.
Attributes: Liberal
The purpose is to study the issue of socio-economic class in American society, in part by examining how it is portrayed in films. The student will gain a better understanding of the following: how class structures affect the social and economic lives of Americans, how class differences affect educational opportunities, what barriers prevent social mobility (i.e., mobility between classes), and what factors encourage social mobility, how race, gender, culture, and other forms of identity interact with class to affect the lives of Americans in various classes, and how Americans incorporate their class into their overall identity. This course, in studying the issue of socio-economic class in the U.S., will address social justice issues, including race, class, and gender, as well as explore matters of intersectionality so that students gain an understanding of how overlapping forms of identity-based discrimination interact with one another.
Attributes: *Diversity Gen Ed, Liberal
The student will study the Holocaust in order to gain some insight into the reasons--historical, cultural, institutional, political--why human beings committed these atrocities against other human beings, as well as the mechanism by which the perpetrators carried them out. The student will also study the broader history of modern Germany to put the Holocaust in context .
Attributes: Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of various ways to conceive of the Evangelical/Christian Right, identify contemporary groups as well as their agendas, and explore the movement’s role in elections and policy making. Students will also explore how the emergence of the movement has contributed to political conflict (even within the Republican Party)? What major policy changes can be attributed to a good degree to the influence of the movement? What is the movement's agenda? How has the Christian Right affected elections? What are the theological implications of the politicization of Evangelicalism? What effect has the movement’s ideology has on societal perceptions of morality and “family values?”
Attributes: Liberal
The student will gain an understanding of the Tea Party as a political movement in American politics, including the context out of which it arose in the months after the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between the Tea Party and earlier movements on the right, and between the Tea Party movement and the Republican Party. The student will also gain an understanding of the broad trends within American politics since 2008.
Attributes: Liberal
The Asian American History explores American history through the lens of the many Asian immigrant groups who have entered and settled in the United States since the nineteenth century. Students will examine the histories of various groups of Asians in the United States alongside governmental policies, economics, politics, religion, and cultural similarities and differences that have contributed to the shaping of Asian America. In addition to participating in discussion forums and writing short essays, students who take Asian American Experience will be asked to examine a special topic and develop a final project on that topic. 1. Identify and discuss how various political, social and cultural themes in Asian American history complicate the basic narrative of American history. 2. Analyze how Asian American experiences in the United States mirror America's evolving relationship with the rest of the world. 3. Dissect political, economic, social, and cultural aspects of American history, with an emphasis on diversity in American society. 4. Illustrate how common institutions in American society have affected Asian Americans and their relationship with others. 5. Evaluate primary and secondary historical sources for the purpose of producing original research and writing on Asian Americans.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
The content of this course will vary by term and section. Students may repeat this course for credit as long as the topic differs. Please refer to the Term Guide for course topic offerings.
Attributes: Liberal
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Historical Studies (HIST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.
This course will examine the history of women using the visual narrative of AMC’s Emmy Award-winning show, Mad Men. The backdrop – a fictional Madison Avenue advertising firm in March 1960 – on its surface seems to be a story of the “mad men.” Yet, a central focus of the show is the evolution of women’s lives in this dynamic period of American history. We will examine the transformation of the lives of women examining primary and secondary source materials. Some of these themes include women in prewar and postwar America, “the problem with no name”, women’s changing landscape in the workplace and the home, the sexual revolution, and the rise of feminism and women’s activism. Students will examine roles of gender, class and race through the course readings, our main texts, and the television series. As a class we will connect historical themes to contemporary themes and movements.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
The course will examine how conservative media has developed over the past three decades in the U.S., with a focus on talk radio. Students will analyze the type of rhetoric employed, in particular that relating to race, ethnicity, culture, religion, national identity, and immigration, as well as demographic change more broadly. They will study how this rhetoric has affected political campaigns and elected officials, as well how it has affected the way the broader media covers related issues. Students will explore the relationship between the conservative media, talk radio in particular, and individual conservative politicians as well as the Republican Party as an institution. Students will gain an understanding of how recent trends in conservative politics, in particular as it relates to what some have termed white identity politics or white racial anxiety, have been influenced by the issues driven by talk radio. An introductory level course in recent U.S. history and/or politics is strongly recommended
Attributes: Liberal
We will examine American history through the lens of rock and roll. Students will study the development and transformation of rock and roll from early blues to the present day. We will analyze how rock and roll became a tool for civic engagement and social movements in the United States. We will explore themes in rock and roll, and trace ideas in the music to expressions of American diversity. As a class we will explore rock and roll's influence, politically, socially and economically. Through listening, reading, viewing and writing, students will draw and verify conclusions. Students will be required to analyze primary and secondary documents, music and videos from the different time periods and connect the historical themes to the present day.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal
This course will delve into the cultural, political, and historical significance and impact of the iconic band, the Beatles. Beginning with World War II, we will trace the Beatles' journey to the present day. Through this exploration, we will analyze the phenomenon of Beatlemania and what sets the Beatles apart as a band that transcends generations. Students will also examine the Beatles' influence on gender roles, civil rights, psychedelia, feminism, women's rights, political issues, and the generation gap. Additionally, we will study the development of their albums, recording technology, and the art of rock music. Through active listening and critical analysis, students will gain a deeper understanding of the Beatles' music and its role as a lens for understanding history.
Attributes: Liberal
This study will examine the history of the Hapsburg Monarchy from 1740 until its demise in 1918, including the following: the state-building, reform-minded reigns of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the rivalry with Prussia over domination of Germany, the challenge of the French Revolution and the retreat under Franz I from the Enlightenment-based policies of Joseph II and Leopold II, the reactionary period dominated by Metternich from 1809 through 1848, the revolutions of 1848, the neo-absolutism of the 1850s, the period of constitutional experimentation leading to the 1867 Ausgleich, and the period leading up to and including the First World War, concluding with a discussion of why Austria-Hungary dissolved in 1918. Furthermore, students will focus on the so-called nationalities question throughout the period as well as on the attempts to develop an Austrian state patriotism or civic Austrian identity by various thinkers. Prerequisites: An introductory level course in European history is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
This study introduces students to the work and craft of historians. As part of a two-semester sequence, this study provides the foundation for a capstone study or final project that integrates a historical studies degree. The outcome of this two-semester project is either a research paper of approximately 25-30 pages that is based on primary sources as well as secondary sources following the guidelines for a historical journal article, with a complete bibliography following correct citation style. Or, the outcome is an audio-visual project that is based on primary sources as well as secondary sources and results in a 20-25-minute presentation, with a complete bibliography following correct citation style. During this term, students will decide what they want to know, find out what has been done already on their research topic, consider possible end products, conduct background research, conduct primary research, keep complete records of citation information and keep clear and relevant notes on sources to be used in the final project. Prerequisites: Available to Empire State College Historical Studies majors only.
Attributes: Liberal
During this course, students will complete primary and secondary research based on the historical topic and research question(s) developed during Senior Thesis I. Students will write the senior thesis report and present findings in a summary oral presentation for peers in the history profession Prerequisites: Available to Empire State College Historical Studies majors only. Senior Thesis I is strongly recommended.
Attributes: Liberal
Sections under this title might include: The French Revolution; The First World War; The History of the Second World War. This course examines the causes of war and the conditions under which the international community establishes peace among nations. Students will explore the major theoretical approaches explaining war and peace, interactions between the major actors in the international system, causal paths that lead to either war or peace, and the empirical support that the discipline offers to understanding the phenomenon, as it relates to a specific conflict or time period. After consultation with their advisor, students may complete more than one of the sections listed under this title.
Attributes: Liberal
This course examines the literature on the causes of war and the conditions under which the international community establishes peace among nations. It includes major theoretical approaches explaining war and peace, interactions between the major actors in the international system, causal paths that lead to either war or peace, and the empirical support that the discipline offers to understanding the phenomenon. Prerequisites: U.S. History, European and/or Diplomatic History.
Attributes: Liberal
The student will explore the history of Americans of African descent over the last four centuries. Through reading Franklin and other works the student will develop a solid understanding of slavery, both its origins as well as the course and ideology of slavery through the Civil War, the period of Reconstruction and the development of the Jim Crow segregationist system, the impact of industrialization and black migration from the South to the North in the early twentieth century, the movement for equality for African Americans starting with Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington through the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s, including an understanding of the ideas of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X (before and after his visit to Mecca) among others, as well as issues of the past thirty years including the question of ethnic/racial and civic/national identity for black Americans.
Attributes: Liberal
The internship is an opportunity for a student to apply the theories and methods of Historical Studies to a real-world experience. Students should work with their mentor and with the Career Services division of the Office of Collegewide Student Affairs to find an internships that meets their specific needs and fits within their degree programs. An internship may only be completed with the approval of the student's mentor. .
The student will examine immigration in the contemporary United States. The student will gain a broad understanding of the economic, social, cultural and identity-related issues faced by immigrants in contemporary America.
Attributes: Liberal
The 1950s was a decade of conformity, typified by the rise of suburbia, the man in a gray flannel suit, as well as an underlying dissatisfaction with gender roles – simply, blandness. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 1956 film directed by Don Siegel and based on Jack Finney’s novel of the same name, presents a statement with regard to collective paranoia – a fear of conformity, conspiracy, and constraint. Yet if we consider this film as a social commentary, then we must look at how it reflected upon a growing concern of Americans over the respect for authority and rigid gender roles. The rise of contemporary feminism threatened a patriarchal system by loosening traditional restraints on women. Opponents of female reform, in turn, invoked domestic ideology to return women to the home. They feared women, who easily slid from a nurturing influence to emasculating power. We will explore the issues that shaped Siegel’s film through its viewing and via a select body of readings that span the disciplines of history, anthropology, literature, and film studies, resulting in a robust discussion on gender, sexuality, and yes fear, within the mid-twentieth century.
Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Liberal
his study will investigate the internment of more than 110,000 persons of Japanese descent, including more than 70,000 people who were American citizens, during World War II.
Attributes: Liberal
Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Historical Studies (HIST). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.