Courses Offered in History

This course will introduce students to the experience of academic exploration that is at the heart of a liberal arts education. Through study of one or more compelling questions or topics in a small seminar setting, students will practice creative and critical thinking and will learn to express themselves effectively and appropriately in a college setting. They will develop relationships and practices that allow them to effectively utilize college resources and become members of a community of learners. The specific topic of the seminar will be developed by individual faculty and will be announced in advance. First year seminars are required for first-year students and transfer students with fewer than 15 credits. Not open to students who have received credit for IDS 189 or another first year seminar course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: First Year Seminar

A systematic study of the major patterns of global history from its origins through the early modern period. Analyzes the distinguishing characteristics of the world's major pre-modern civilizations and the relationships and points of cultural exchange among them. Examines the historical roots of many of the world's diverse cultural traditions. This course develops critical thinking, writing and analytical skills. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS101.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

A systematic study of the major patterns of global history in the modern period. Analyzes the distinguishing characteristics of the world's major civilizations, and the gradual integration of the diverse cultures of the world into an interconnected system. This course develops critical thinking, writing, and analytical skills. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course examines the interconnected history of the Atlantic World that took place on the ocean and on four continents from the age of exploration in the fifteenth century to the abolition of slavery in the nineteenth century. The collision of old worlds produced conflict but in the process it would ultimately create an interconnected community of diverse peoples and cultures, the beginnings of globalization. The course will consider a wide range of topics including exploration, colonization, commerce, migration, slavery, creole societies, revolution and piracy. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

Through film, fiction, history, and reporting, this course will look at how colonialism shaped the divided world we live in today. We will discuss political economic, cultural, and environmental impacts of colonialism and the development of underdevelopment. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course is an introduction to world history since 1900. Students will examine topics and themes in modern history and explore the diverse cultural, social, political and economic transformations leading to our increasingly globalized world. Topics may include capitalism, colonialism, anti-colonialism, race, democracy, world war, nationalism, ethnicity, genocide, the Cold War, human rights, technological development and globalization. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course explores the transnational history of the United States in the modern global era. Students will examine the roots of globalization, from the earliest migrations across the Bering Straits, the origins and development of colonization and imperialism, up through the foundations for the modern "American empire." They will explore the dominant historical themes that trace the origins and development of the hemisphere's encounters, connections, and relationships with the peoples and environments of Asia, Africa, and Europe.Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course explores war from antiquity to the present as a cultural, social and political phenomenon. The course emphasizes the influence of ideological and religious factors on attitudes towards war, the relationship between war and social change, the interaction and exchange between cultures that is often produced by war, the links binding war and technology with political power and economics, and the historic and seminal influence of war on the creative and expressive realms of art, cinema and literature. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course examines themes in world history focusing on patterns of interaction, comparative developments, the diffusion of ideologies and technologies, and the formation of a global community. Course themes will vary with instructor, but be placed in a global context continuously. Readings, discussions, and source analysis will aid in the assessment of historical phenomena from varied perspectives. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course will introduce students to how lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans people, queers, and other sexual and gender minorities are understood and have been understood historically in various times and places across the globe. The class will consider the changing nature of same-sex desires, sexual acts, and relationships; societal definitions of and responses to same-sex love and sexuality; the societal conditions that facilitated the emergence of subcultures, identities, and movements based on same-sex sexuality; and gender differences in the history of same-sex love and sexuality in different parts of the world. Students will engage in historical practices such as interpreting primary sources from ancient times to the present and analyzing secondary sources.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

The course is an introduction to philosophies of history and recent developments in methodology, with consideration given to interpretative trends and conflicting schools of historical writing. Students are required to complete an historiographical project. Required of all History majors. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS402 or who have taken HIS290.
Prerequisite: Level I Written Communication (W-I) course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

This course traces the development of the United States from the colonial period to the end of the Civil War, surveying the economic, political, social and cultural aspects of this development. Constitutional development at the national and state levels will be explored, with particular emphasis on the Massachusetts experience. This course provides the matrix for courses in American Literature, Education, Economics, Government and Sociology. Three lecture hours per week. Fulfills Massachusetts's teacher certification American Government requirement. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS204.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

Traces the development of the United States from 1865 to its present status as a world power, analyzing the economic, political, social and cultural factors. The functioning of American federal and state constitutions is analyzed. Provides the knowledge and understanding needed by teachers and by professionals who may interact with the public sector. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS205.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course will examine Native American histories in the context of global Indigenous studies, nation-state formation, colonialism, and genocide.  It will connect, compare, and contrast U.S. and Latin American Indigenous histories.  Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, The Human Past

Traces African American roots from the early kingdoms in West Africa to the American Civil War. Emphasis will be placed on the socio-historical processes that account for the status of Blacks in American society and the New World. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS326.

Credits: 3.00

Analysis of the period from Reconstruction to the present. Special emphasis will be put on the role of charismatic Black leaders and theoreticians of the 1920's and their impact on the development of the ideologies of the 1960's. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS327.

Credits: 3.00

U.S. Women's History presents women's history both as an integral part of United States history and as a distinct subject of historical inquiry. Using a variety of sources, this course will explore the public and private lives of U.S. women of different class, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds from the colonial period to the present. The course will also introduce students to the methodology of women's history. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS363 or HIS363A.

Credits: 3.00

Gender nonconforming individuals have been documented in communities and cultures in what would become the United States since the sixteenth century. The efforts of transgender people over the twentieth century and into the twenty-first to achieve visibility and justice are adding rich, vibrant chapters to the history that will be examined in this class. Students will consider trans issues as the products of specific historical, political, medical, psychiatric, social, and cultural circumstances. Analyzing primary sources, considering gender theories, and reading key texts will facilitate students understanding of trans history. The class also asks students to analyze trans identities as they intersect with ideas about sexuality, race, and medicine. 3 lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society

This course examines the history of the different Latino populations of the United States, beginning with U.S. expansion in the nineteenth century. We explore the history of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans and Central Americans in the United States in the context of U.S. relations with the sending countries (Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War, Dominican and Central American occupations), and changes over time in U.S. society and economy. The historical construction of race and ethnicity, gender, and changing forms of identities is also examined. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS380.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just

The course covers the Chinese civilization from ancient to modern times. It summarizes major historical events; stresses the internal and external struggles of China; concentrates on politics, economy, culture, and society; and analyzes China's role in international affairs. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS304.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

Surveys the early cultures of East Asia, religious beliefs and social customs. Concentrates upon China and Japan, the emergence of the United States and Russia as Asian powers, World War II and the wars in Korea and Vietnam. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS302.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course provides a general historical coverage of Japan. It discusses Japanese political changes, economic development, and cultural transformation. The course searches for answers to the fundamental questions regarding the essence of the Japanese society. In a time when the roads are filled with Japanese cars, it is also necessary to understand the people who contribute to making Japan an important country in both Asia and the world. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS385.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course presents the account of: ancient history of Africa, the Arab conquest, modern changes in North Africa, tribal life south of the Sahara, impact of European imperialism, contemporary developments in the emerging nations. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS330.

Credits: 3.00

This course is concerned with modern African history with emphasis on the rise and fall of the European colonial empires, and the emergence of the new African states. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS331.

Credits: 3.00

Through lecture and discussion, the student is introduced to major events and themes in the modern history of India, from the rise of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century to the colonial period of the late 18th and 19th centuries, the decades of the freedom struggle in the early 20th century, and the rapid political and socio-economic changes that have occurred since partition and independence in 1947. The course emphasizes, in addition to important political changes, aspects of cultural and economic history. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have taken HIS 396.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past, World Cultures

This course is an introduction to the British Empire since 1783. It traces the history of the "Second British Empire", a period marked by unprecedented expansion and a transition from the older colonies of the Atlantic world to the new domains in Asia and Africa. Through lecture, discussion and writing-intensive assignments, this course offers an introduction to the political, economic, social and cultural history of the empire's expansion in Asia and Africa throughout the nineteenth century and its eventual dissolution in the twentieth century. Three lecture hours per week. Prerequisite: WI course.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Communication-Level II

The course examines the development and operation of American sports, with a particular focus on the ways that a variety of men's and women's sports' rules, governing bodies, leagues, and the media coverage of them have both reflected and shaped American values and beliefs. The course will focus on the post-industrialization era and will examine the roles that class, ethnicity, race, gender, economic and media forces, politics, and regional preferences have played in influencing the sporting activities of Americans, opening opportunities for some and limiting them for others. Cross Listed with SMS 265. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just

The course introduces students to the European experience by examining broad historical themes. Emphasis will be placed on how historians have organized and interpreted major developments throughout various periods in European history. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS220.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course covers the history of Europe from the time of the fall of the Roman Empire to the invading Germanic, Slavic, and Hunnic tribes, to the time of the Renaissance with its major contributions to civilization. Three lecture hours per week. Offered in alternate years. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS306.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

Studies the changes in European culture, religion, economics, and politics from the 15th through the 17th centuries. The art, literature, and economic evolution of the Renaissance, as well as the theological and political differences of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations will be stressed. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS307.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Creative Expression & Apprec, The Human Past

A survey of modern German History. Examines the complexities of modernIzation during the Bismarkian and Wilhelmine eras, Germany's role in World War I, the "crisis years" of Weimar, the social, cultural and political dimensions of Nazism, the Third Reich and the Holocaust; the nature of a divided Germany and the implications of reunification in the contemporary era. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS334A. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS334B.

Credits: 3.00

Surveys European history from 1914, including World War I, the period between the wars, World War II, and the Cold War, focusing on political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS309A.

Credits: 3.00

A survey of Irish culture and history from the pre-Christian to the modern period. Three lecture hours per week. Students who have received credit for HIS340, HIS341, or HIS342 may not receive credit for HIS275.

Credits: 3.00

The development of Russia from Pre-Kievan and Kievan time to the establishment of Soviet Russia. The student is encouraged to build an understanding of modern Russia by pursuing appropriate readings. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS310.

Credits: 3.00

This course provides an overview of contemporary China. It examines the political changes, economic progresses, and cultural transformations in recent and current China. Focusing on three most important events as case studies, the course tries to lead the students into a strongly evidence-based understanding of the origins, developments, and consequences of these important moments in contemporary China. The Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976 illustrated how ideological fanaticism could produce chaotic impacts upon human behaviors in the Chinese attempt to create a new culture. The Tiananmen Movement of 1989 demonstrated Chinese students and citizens' call for changing China's social/political institution towards democracy. The open door and economic growth in the 1990's and into the 21st century have dramatically improved the Chinese living standard that help formulate a new world view for the Chinese to stress the rising significance of China on the world stage. This course also requires students to compare contemporary China with their own societies and cultures in order to foster a comparative global perspective. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society, World Cultures

This course examines the history and culture of ancient Rome from the origins of the city to the disintegration of the western empire, tracing along the way the reasons for its meteoric rise and spectacular fall. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: The Human Past

This course covers the development of Chinese medicine and its influences upon China and other countries of both past and present. The course will use Meridian, Acupuncture, Herb Medicine, Chinese Yoga, and Seppuku as four critical examples to demonstrate the essence of Chinese medicine.  The course studies how medicine plays an important role in changing human behaviors and how social institutions transform as a result of medical progress. The course highlights the unique role of Chinese medicine in improving people’s health and quality of life as well as raising public developmental and institutional confidence in social growth. Three lecture hours per week.  

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society, World Cultures

Using COVID-19 as a leading case study, this course reviews major pandemics and famines in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines human behaviors and social institutions in times of crises of both past and present. It highlights how East Asians respond to outbreaks of pandemics and famines as well as how their societies transform as a result. The course will lead students into strong evidence-based understandings of the origins, developments, and consequences of pandemics and famines to establish clear patterns of change and continuity in human crisis behaviors and social institutional management of the crises. Using critical thinking as a tool in examining primary and secondary sources, students will become systematically familiar with important evidence and prevailing theories so that they can formulate well-organized and well-supported interpretations of their own. By participating in class discussions and completing writing assignments, students will receive the necessary training to present their viewpoints in coherent and convincing manners. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society, The Human Past

The course provides an overview of the important Asian-Pacific crises and flashpoint involving North Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the South China Sea. Focusing on human behaviors and social relations, the course will lead students into strong evidence-based understandings of the origins, developments, and consequences of these social and political upheavals to establish clear patterns of change and continuity. Using critical thinking as a tool in examining primary and secondary sources, students will become systematically familiar with important evidence and prevailing theories so that they can formulate well-organized and well-supported interpretations of their own. By participating in class discussions and completing writing assignments, students will receive necessary necessary training to present their view points in coherent and convincing manners. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Contemporary Society, The Human Past

This course provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to diverse worldviews of the best-known movies, novels, and operas related histories and cultures of the Silk Road. The course leads students to experience critical studies of the most popular artworks depicting tales of human adventures in exploring
the Silk Road as well as romance stories of intercultural relationships in particular in order to appreciate their universal artistic creativity and cultural aestheticism. Students also compare Silk Road movies, novels, and operas with those of their own cultures in order to find similarities and differences. Using historical fictional writing and movie making as mediums, the course guides the students to acquire
necessary strategies and skills as well as applying them to writing short fictions, making short movie clips, or composing short operas as their final assignments for the course. The students are given chances to present their works on or off campus. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Creative Expression & Apprec, World Cultures

The course covers the history of Chinese and Japanese Americans from early immigration to later integration into the American society. It discusses their experiences of surviving in the new land and their adaption to an unfamiliar social environment. It examines the development of Chinese and Japanese American communities such as Chinatowns and Japantowns to see how they provide the new immigrants with a sense of safety and social-cultural support. It also demonstrates the processes through which Chinese and Japanese immigrants become an important part of the growing Asian American population in the United States. The course encourages students to compare and contrast their own life experiences with those of Chinese and Japanese Americans in order to develop understanding of living in a multicultural society and identify actionable plans to promote integrated diversity. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just, The Human Past

This course will closely examine Tibet and the Dalai Lama, Kung Fu, Sumo wrestling, and Fengshui as a gateway to understanding the diverse worldviews found in East Asia’s most prominent religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism, and Taoism. Students will learn that these religions provide followers with spiritual inspiration and intellectual interpretations for understanding the relationship between humans and the universe. As they compare and contrast East Asian religions to other world religions and their religious beliefs and practices, students will analyze the role of religion in creating ethical values, fostering emotional maturity, and influencing personal behavior. The research methods used in this course will guide students to discover, interpret, and share information responsibly.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Pers Growth & Responsibility, World Cultures

This course provides an opportunity for students to be exposed to diverse worldviews of the best-known Chinese and Japanese historical movies and novels. Based upon historical knowledge, the course leads the students to experience critical studies of the most popular Chinese and Japanese historical movies and novels in order to appreciate their artistic creativity and cultural aestheticism. The students also compare East Asian historical movies and novels with those of their own cultures in order to find similarities and differences. Using fictional writing and movie making as mediums, the course guides the students to acquire necessary strategies and skills as well as applying them to writing short historical fictions or making short historical movie clips as their final assignments for the course. The student are given chances to present their works on or off campus. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Creative Expression & Apprec, World Cultures

Using regional museums, this course focuses on relevant topics intended to introduce the student to the place of museums in society and education. Various facets of museum operation will be highlighted. Attention will be given to career opportunities existing in museum work. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS375.

Credits: 3.00

An introduction to the theory, methods, and goals of archaeology in the Old and New Worlds. Topics include the history of the discipline, excavation and the interpretation of archaeological remains, the uses of documents, dating techniques, and the examination of several Old and New World cultures. Three lecture hours per week. Offered annually. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS376.

Credits: 3.00

This course features intensive examination of a specialized topic in public history. It emphasizes readings that reflect fresh trends in research strategies or interpretive directions. The professor will determine selection of the course topic. There may be field trips associated with this course. Three lecture hours per week. This course can be repeated for credit.

Credits: 3.00

An historical investigation of Massachusetts' North Shore during the most critical periods of national history. Particular interest is focused on the unique experiences of the various towns and cities. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS320.

Credits: 3.00

Examines the causes and development of the American Revolution. Beginning with an analysis of the political culture of the British North American colonies and the imperial structure, it traces the strains, which emerged between the imperial center and colonial peripheries. State and federal constitution making during the "Critical Period" and post-revolutionary development will be considered. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS343.

Credits: 3.00

An introduction to the methodology of oral history and its relationship to contemporary historical investigation. Students will develop technical mastery through classroom presentation and by conducting interviews with individuals who are knowledgeable about the topic under investigation. Interviews will be deposited in an appropriate historical archive. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS360.

Credits: 3.00

An overview of the built environment in the United States from colonial settlement to late 19th century. The course will examine how buildings related to American history. Emphasis is placed on the architecture of New England. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS377.

Credits: 3.00

This course covers the identification, classification, and interpretation of the artifacts and decorative arts of America. Particular attention will be paid to artifacts produced before 1860, and to how these objects are interpreted by archaeologists, historians and museum professionals. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS378.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the evolution of law enforcement as a means of controlling unruly populations and punishing disorder. It begins with the Night Watch and the constable system of the Colonial Era. It tracks this development through slave patrols, western vigilante organizations, the Texas Rangers, the Ku Klux Klan, 19th-century urban municipal police, modern professional departments, and finally, the establishment of militarized police forces equipped with Special Weapons and Tactics. It explains how a nation founded on skepticism about authority and military occupation came to develop the world's most elaborate and highly developed system of policing and incarceration. The course explains who gets authorized with the means of institutionalized violence, as well as the specific targets of their policing, including Native Americans, slaves, immigrants, labor unions, political protestors, "sexual deviants," and marginalized communities of color. Cross-listed with CRJ 341

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Diversity, Power Dyn, Soc Just

This course traces black Americans' struggle for equality since the 1930's with emphasis on the post-World War II period. It focuses on the individuals and social trends that laid the groundwork for change by the mid twentieth century. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS384.

Credits: 3.00

The course offers a survey of African American music from the late nineteenth century through the twentieth century with an emphasis on understanding texts/details of musical performance and how music interacts with its social and political context. Examined genres include spirituals, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, and hip-hop. No previous musical background is necessary.

Credits: 3.00

The course features intensive examination of a specialized topic in American History. It emphasizes readings that reflect fresh trends in research strategies or interpretive directions. The professor will determine selection of the course topic. Three lecture hours per week. This course may be repeated for additional credits.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the history of Central America from the conquest through the twenty-first century. Topics include indigenous populations, conquest, colonization, independence, race, ethnicity and national identity in the nineteenth century, the history of U.S. influence in the region, the history of social movements, protest, revolution and migration; the tenuous peace, globalization and continuing social unrest in the twenty-first century. Focus on El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS379A.

Credits: 3.00

Probably no other event in post-World War II American life divided Americans more than the Vietnam War. This course will examine the political, military, and diplomatic aspects of the war, while also studying those that questioned its wisdom and protested American actions. Since the 1960s, politicians across the political spectrum have used the “lessons” of Vietnam to defend vastly different policy objectives and actions. Artists, novelists, and filmmakers have tried to form and reflect American memory about the war and its aftermath. It is impossible to understand modern America without coming to grips with the Vietnam War and its legacy in American culture and foreign affairs. Three lecture hours.

Credits: 3.00

Examines the intellectual, cultural, and social impact of the First World War on Europe. Explores the prewar atmosphere of Europe, the long-term and immediate causes of war, the multiple experiences of combatants and noncombatants during the war, and the social, literary, and cultural movements and ideas emerging from these wartime experiences. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS315.

Credits: 3.00

This course will examine the history of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era in France, considering as well the effects of both on their European and world contexts. Offered bi-annually. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS374.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the diplomatic, military, political, social and cultural dimensions of World War II in Europe. It analyzes the origins, events and outcomes of the war in Europe and explores how this central twentieth century event transformed Europe's diverse peoples, its identity and its place in the world. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS352.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the origins, characteristics, and end of the "witch craze" of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Europe. The course will set the witch craze in its widest historical context by examining the religious, social, intellectual, economic, demographic, and political trends of the period, as well as the general roles played by magic and superstition in early modern society. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of the Reformation in intensifying the witch craze and the Scientific Revolution in bringing about the "decline of magic". Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS361.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire. It will explore the origins and expansion of the Turkic warrior dynasty, the establishment and structure of the imperial Islamic state system, the contours of Ottoman society, economic decline, and disintegration of the Empire. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS391.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the history of Southeastern Europe from the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Balkan national movements in the early nineteenth century. Albeit one emphasizing culture and society, this course will also address the major political and diplomatic developments affecting the region. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS392.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the history and civilization of the Byzantine Empire. It will trace the origins, ideology, life, and culture of this influential and complex polity and society - one based on the continuity of Roman statehood and identity within the medieval Greek and Orthodox worlds. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS390.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the Holocaust in the context of modern European history. It examines the roots of anti-Semitism in Europe, the racialism of Nazi ideology and the social, political, and cultural factors leading to the genocide of millions of Jews and other groups during the Third Reich and World War II. The course explores the historical, human and ethical dimensions of this event and engages students on issues such as ethnic diversity and oppression in a specific historical context. Three lecture hours per week

Credits: 3.00

An individualized program for History majors and minors. An in-depth study of an aspect of history which falls within the expertise of one or more members of the History Department. The form of the program is developed cooperatively between the student and a consenting faculty member. The student may earn up to 6 credit hours by enrolling for 2 semesters. Students from other academic departments may take the course with permission of the History Department Chairperson. Not open to students who have received 6 credits for HIS500.
Prerequisite: Permission of Department Chairperson.

Credits: 3.00

A field experience conducted cooperatively by the Department and public/private institutions. While interning, students engage in professional activities relevant to their history studies. The experience provides training and knowledge leading to professional growth. Open to History majors and those minoring in history who have completed 12 History credit hours beyond the World Civilization core requirement. Potential interns need the permission of a qualified Department faculty supervisor and Department Chairperson. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS401.

Credits: 3.00

A study/travel course that incorporates a 1-2 week on-site research trip to an international location appropriate to the topic of the course. Topic varies. May be repeated for credit with permission of Department Chairperson. Lab fee. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS 403.

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: World Cultures

The seminar will involve examination and analysis of professional materials in journals and books of primary and secondary sources that deal with the process of research and writing a formal history paper. Faculty and peer discussion will also consider analytical and methodological points. Required of all History majors. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS405 or HIS405A.
Prerequisites:W-I, W-I and HIS290 or HST200 (W-II).

Credits: 3.00

This course fulfills these general education curriculum requirements: Written Commun-Level III

Designed as a one or two semester research program, up to 6 credit hours may be earned. The student is required to conduct research on an aspect of history which falls within the expertise of one or more members of the History Department. While expected to work with a minimum of direction, the student is required to meet with the research director on a regular basis. The specific nature of the research program is developed cooperatively between the student and the director. Not open to students who have received 6 credits for HIS600.
Prerequisites: An overall average of 3.0; a 3.5 average in History, and permission of Department Chairperson.

Credits: 3.00

The course includes an examination of the mechanics employed in the study, research, and writing of history. The philosophies, techniques, styles, emphases, and interpretations employed by prominent historians through the ages are studied. Lectures, discussions, oral reports, and written papers will be utilized. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS 700.
Prerequisite: Permission of the MA History program coordinator.

Credits: 3.00

This course promotes familiarity with the concepts of oral history and applies its techniques to specific historical situations. Students will have the opportunity, utilizing what they have learned, to pursue investigations within the framework of the class project theme which reflect their own scholarly interests. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS 703.

Credits: 3.00

This institute develops concepts, skills and capabilities for using information technology in history. It examines the role of information technology in the research, writing, presenting and teaching of history and aims to develop specific competencies in Web site evaluation, basic data analysis, Web page evaluation/development and multimedia presentations. Not open to students who have received credit for HIS 705.

Credits: 3.00

Drawing upon the activities of many area museums, this course considers a number of aspects of museum development and management and is suitable for students with varied academic interests and work experiences. Among the matters examined are financial management, computerization, exhibit design and development, governance, collections, and organizational policies. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 786N.

Credits: 3.00

Through readings, lectures, and hands-on experience, the course will familiarize students with the scope of archival theory and current archival practices. Topics include: arrangement and description of archival collections, collection development, records management, reference and access, historical use of documents, and preservation of archival materials. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 793.

Credits: 3.00

This course introduces the history, theory, and practice of public history. It examines the ideas and questions that shape and are shaped by public engagements with the past and the practical concerns that confront public historians and citizens as they explore, examine, interpret and utilize the past. There are no prerequisites.

Credits: 3.00

The course offers opportunities for intensive examination of highly specialized areas of historiographical importance in Early American history. May be repeated for credit with permission of the Department Chairperson. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 912.

Credits: 3.00

The place of the American colonies in the British imperial system, its effects on them, and their reaction to imperial policies is included. The causes, events, consequences, and various interpretations of the American Revolution are considered, as are the "Critical Period" under the Articles of Confederation, the adoption of the Constitution, and the Age of Federalism. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 711.

Credits: 3.00

Covers the identification, classification, and interpretation of the artifacts and decorative art of early America. Handcrafted and mass produced materials of both domestic and foreign manufacture will be considered. Focus is on the material culture of New England prior to 1860, and its interpretation by archaeologists, historians and museum professionals. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 790.

Credits: 3.00

A study of the built, cultivated, and natural environment from colonial settlement to the nineteenth century. The course also provides a detailed overview of historical preservation and cultural resource management. Emphasis is placed on how architecture and landscape have shaped the New England experience. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 791.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the development and social construction of black America from its ancestral roots in West Africa to Reconstruction with emphasis on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the growth of domestic slavery, racial formation, community development, and the juxtaposition of slavery and freedom in early United States history. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 756.

Credits: 3.00

History of the different Latino Populations in the United States, beginning with the Nineteenth century wars which brought large portions of Mexico under U.S. control, and tracing the major waves of migration from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. Conditions in the sending countries, U.S. influence, and different immigrant groups' experiences in the United States. A historical perspective on Latino life including identity, work, community, family, and political activism. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 725.

Credits: 3.00

This course is designed to familiarize the students with the major historical events of the period; to illustrate the major historical interpretations through assigned readings and lectures; to develop an awareness of the reasons behind the religious, cultural, political, and economic tensions of the day, with particular stress upon the development of humanism and individualism. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 741.

Credits: 3.00

This course surveys the civilization of early modern England by tracing the development of English structures, institutions, mentalities and events from the internal strife of the fifteenth-century Wars of the Roses to the external challenges of the eighteenth-century American and French Revolutions. A comparative approach will be utilized, encouraging students to place English developments in a European and global context. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 742.

Credits: 3.00

The European exploration, oceanic discovery, trade and settlement, 1450-present is included. Particular emphasis is placed upon the interrelationships of Europeans and the various peoples and civilizations contacted in extending the ideals of Europe to Asia, Africa and the Americas. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 940.

Credits: 3.00

The course examines the fall of Imperial Russia; the Provisional Government; the Bolshevik Revolution; the Lenin Regime; relations with Germany and the West; the Stalin Regime; the Five Year Plans; World War II; the Cold Wars; changing economic and political conditions; Krushchev; the Sino-Soviet split; the new Regime. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 748.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the Nazi era in Germany from 1933-1945. Particular emphasis will be on emergence of Nazism within postwar fascist movements, the political, social and cultural context for the rise and consolidation of Nazism in Germany, the social, cultural and racial ideologies of Nazism and its ultimate defeat in World War II. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 752N.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the Holocaust in the context of modern European history. It explores the roots of antisemitism in Europe, the racialism of Nazi ideology and the social, political, and cultural factors leading to the genocide of millions of Jews and other groups during World War II. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 797.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923. The course focuses on the ideological and political objectives of the Ottoman/Turkish state policy of genocide against the historic Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek populations of Asia
Minor, the physical annihilation of these peoples, aspects of the legacy of the Genocide, and the subsequent official Turkish campaign of genocide denial as a critical instrument in the construction of a modern Turkish national state and nationalist identity. Three lecture hours per week.

Credits: 3.00

Political, economic and social development of Latin America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including problems of economic development, dependency, and poverty and inequality; different forms of social movements, rebellion and revolution; race, gender and ethnicity; U.S.-Latin America relations; and literary and intellectual movements including dependency theory, liberation theology, magical realism, and testimonial literature. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 731R.

Credits: 3.00

Indigenous peoples are those whose presence precedes the construction of today’s nation-states, who remain ethnically differentiated and marginalized by those states. Native histories are thus inherently intertwined with global questions of colonialism, migrations, trade, and race. The course emphasizes Native histories from the nineteenth century to the present in the territory now forming the United States, but with significant attention to comparisons and connections with Latin American and global indigenous histories.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines controversial issues in the study of colonial and modern Africa. Themes could include the partition of Africa, collaboration or resistance to European rule, ideologies of domination, settler colonies, exploitation or development, nationalism and decolonization. Three lecture hours per week. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 765.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines the Cold War in Asia, focusing on the interactions between East and Southeast Asia and the United States. It analyzes the Korean War, the Taiwan Strait crisis, the Vietnam War, the Sino-Soviet split, and the US-China rapprochement. Course readings include both original documents and recent interpretations. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 775.

Credits: 3.00

This course examines literature, themes, theories, concepts and methods of world history, including comparisons of societies and cultural regions, processes of cross-cultural interaction, the development of civilizations, and large-scale patterns that influence historical development on a transregional or global scale. Topics may include colonialism, world system theories, trade, migration, race and ethnicity, gender and disease. May be repeated for credit with permission of the Department Chairperson. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 880.

Credits: 3.00

Individual or group tutorial and supervised field experience in areas such as archival management, historical editing, archaeological preservation, museum exhibition, legal research in public and private repositories. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 795.

Credits: 3.00

A study and travel course that incorporates a research trip to a location appropriate to the course. Topic varies. May be repeated for credit with the permission of the Department Chairperson. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 796.

Credits: 3.00 - 6.00

An individualized in-depth research under the personal direction of a departmental specialist in an area of choice will be conducted. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 875.

Credits: 3.00

The portfolio is a semester long project in which students in the M.A. History Program showcase the work that they have produced, engage in substantive revisions, and create a master narrative (15 – 20 pages) that explains the students historical, political, pedagogical, and philosophical trajectory. The student works closely with a faculty advisor and then has an oral defense with the advisor and two additional faculty members.

Credits: 2.00

This seminar is designed to develop the student's ability to conduct original research and write a formal historical paper, benefiting from both faculty and peer review of work in progress. Required for MA candidates in History.
Prerequisites: HIS700 and completion of 18 credit hours. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 990.

Credits: 3.00

The content is the same as above, but with an opportunity for more extensive work in the field. This should be selected by students intending to continue toward a doctoral degree. Oral defense of the thesis and area of thesis study is required. A master copy will be retained in Salem State College Library. Not open to students who have received credits for HIS 999

Credits: 6.00