Return to History | Courses Index

[1] Graduate Courses in History (HIST)

5301 STUDIES IN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY Examines the changing relationship between humans and their environment. Topics include European, American, and/or World history including territorial expansion, religion, race, and gender as they relate to the environment. On demand.

5302 HISTORY OF WITCHCRAFT  This upper division course explores the history of witchcraft in Europe and the British colonies culminating in an in-depth examination of the Salem witch trials.  We will pay particular attention to magical knowledge and the social, cultural, religious, and political causes of witchcraft accusations.  We will also discuss the profile and stereotype of the witch as well as what circumstances might make people usually safe from accusations equally susceptible. On demand.

5305 THE UNITED STATES AND THE MIDDLE EAST, 1776 TO THE PRESENT An overview of the evolution of the relationship between the United States and the Middle East from American independence to the present day.  On demand.

5306 ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE This course covers the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade from the early 16th to the late 19th century. Students examine why Europeans bought slaves, why Africans sold slaves, how slaves coped, resisted, and adapted, and how the Atlantic slave trade came to an end. Lecture, discussion, document analysis, writing. Offered every other year, or on demand.

5308 AMERICAN WOMEN’S HISTORY Examines the history of American women from the colonial period to the present. Emphasis on class, race, and ethnic differences. On demand.

5309 WOMEN IN EUROPEAN HISTORY This survey uses a variety of primary and secondary sources to study the role of women and gender in European history. On demand.

5311 AMERICAN COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY HISTORY The age of exploration, colonization, and developments leading to the American Revolution, 1492-1783. Emphasis on the contribution of the era to American political, social, and intellectual tradition. On demand.

5318 ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST NATIVE AMERICAN CIVILIZATIONS This course provides an overview of the Native American civilizations of the American Southwest to about 1800. Various methodologies for studying the period and area will be employed, including archaeology, ethnography, and historical linguistics. The focus of the course will be on the Anasazi, Hohokam, Mississippian, Mogollon, Salado, and Sinagua civilizations. On demand.

5322 EARLY NATIONAL HISTORY, 1783-1848 The course covers the social and political development of the United States from its origins in 1787 to 1848.  The class focuses on the debate over the Constitution, political and philosophical differences among Americans in the early republic, the market revolution, social change and reform of the antebellum period, the political controversies of the 1790s and the 1830s, westward expansion, sectional tensions and the differences in the social and economic development of different regions of the United States.  Lecture, discussion, analysis of documents, participatory classroom activities, research, and writing.  On demand.

5325 AMERICAN LIFE AND THOUGHT TO 1865 Political and social thought and cultural trends from the Puritan era to the Civil War period. On demand.

5326 AMERICAN LIFE AND THOUGHT SINCE 1865 Political and social thought and cultural trends since 1865. On demand.

5327 THE AMERICAN WEST Influence of the frontier and of western expansion on the history of the United States. On demand.

5328 MODERN LATIN AMERICA An examination of critical issues that challenge the countries of contemporary Latin America, from race and the environment to debt, development, and democracy. On demand.

5330 CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION, 1848-1877 Upper-division elective.  The course covers the sectional crisis of the 1850’s, the establishment of the Confederate States, social and political developments in the Union and Confederacy during the war, emancipation, military policy and strategy, and Reconstruction.  Lecture, discussion, analysis of documents, participatory classroom activities, research, and writing. Fall.

5332 A HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES The history of European interactions with Asia, northern Africa, and eastern Europe, 1000-1300, centering on crusading. On demand.

5333 UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION AND ETHNIC HISTORY FROM COLONIAL TIMES TO PRESENT This course examines immigration to the United States from the colonial period to the present.  It considers social, cultural, political, and economic themes to analyze immigrant experiences and explain native-born attitudes toward newcomers.  Lecture, discussion, document analysis, writing.  On demand.

5335 DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES Survey of the diplomatic history of the Revolutionary period, the early national era, the Civil War, America’s rise to world power, two world wars, and the Cold War. On demand.

5336 WORK, WEALTH, AND POWER IN UNITED STATES HISTORY This course explores the social and cultural history of the American working classes. Topics include the rise of industrialization and wage labor, slavery, the labor movement and labor relations, war, deindustrialization, and globalization. While the emphasis will be exploring the beliefs and experiences of American workers, the course will also pay attention to the historical development of capitalism in the United States and will examine the relationships of power between Americans of different economic positions. On demand.

5338 AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH FILM Examination of how the history of film and the film industry in America relates to broader political, economic, cultural and social trends. On demand.

5340 THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN AMERICA, 1877-1920 Topics examined include the conquest of the last western frontier, the rise of big business, progressivism, and the United States as a world power. On demand.

5343 HISTORY OF MEXICO A history of the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, focusing mostly on the events and figures after 1800. Topics include the War of Independence, the role of the peasantry and organized labor, Mexican Catholicism and Church-State Relations, the Mexican Revolution, relations with the U.S. and the world, emigration and immigration, and NAFTA.  Alternate years.

5345 THE SOUTH TO 1865 Survey of the old South, with an emphasis on southern nationalism, slavery, politics, and social and intellectual developments. On demand.

5346 THE SOUTH SINCE 1865 The path of the South back into the Union, the problems faced by the region, and their legacy to the present. On demand.

5347 IDEAS AND SOCIETY IN MODERN EUROPE A study of the inter-relationships among the arts, science, religion, and social change in Europe since 1648. On demand.

5350 AMERICA IN DEPRESSION AND WAR, 1920-1960 Examination of political, social, economic, and intellectual developments. Topics include the Twenties, the Depression, America in World War II, and the Cold War. On demand.

5353 INTER-AMERICAN RELATIONS A historical review of political, economic, and cultural relationships between the United States and Latin America, with special attention to the period from 1898 to the present. On demand.

5355 THE ROLE OF ARKANSAS IN THE NATION United States history as reflected in the history of Arkansas. Emphasis on the ways Arkansas reflects or departs from national trends. Fall, spring, summer.

5358 RECENT AMERICAN HISTORY The political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic history of the United States from 1960 to the present. On demand.

5360 BIRTH OF EUROPE, 300-1000 European political, social, economic, religious, and intellectual development from the establishment of Christianity as an officially sanctioned religion to the dawn of the feudal age. On demand.

5361 MEDIEVAL CIVILIZATION, 1000-1400 European political, social, economic, religious, and intellectual development during the High Middle Ages. On demand.

5362 TUDOR AND STUART ENGLAND 1485-1690 A survey of the political, religious, social, and economic history of England and the British Isles during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. On demand.

5365 THE HISTORY OF IMPERIALISM:  A REVIEW OF WORLD COLONIAL SYSTEMS This course is a review of world imperialism from the early modern era through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  The course will consider political, economic, social, class, gender, geographical, and ethnological themes and addresses the perspective of the West and other cultures (particularly in Africa and Asia).  Prerequisite (s) HIST 1320, 2320. Offered 2 year cycle.

5369 VICTORIAN BRITAIN A historical survey of the primary elements constituting British society from the end of the Napoleonic period through the First World War.

5370 EUROPE, 1815-1914 Europe’s political and cultural development from the Vienna Congress to the eve of World War I. On demand.

5374 THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION The early modern age in Europe. On demand.

5376 EUROPE, 1914-1939 Background and history of World War I; peacemaking and international organization; the rise of Fascism, National Socialism, and Japanese imperialism; and collapse of the peace. On demand.

5377 EUROPE IN A GLOBAL ERA World War II, the Cold War, development of the European Union, collapse of the Soviet Union and other recent events. On demand.

5378 ABSOLUTISM, ENLIGHTENMENT, AND REVOLUTION European history in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, concluding with the French Revolution. On demand.

5379 SPAIN: CRUSADE, COLUMBUS, AND EMPIRE Major factors in the rise and decline of Iberia during the early modern era, plus an examination of early exploration and colonialism. On demand.

5380 CZARIST RUSSIA Russian history from its beginning to 1917. Fall.

5381 MODERN CHINA Chinese history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On demand.

5382 RUSSIA SINCE 1917 Russian history from the revolutions of 1917 to the present. Spring.

5383 MODERN JAPAN Japan since 1800, including such topics as the overthrow of feudalism, the Meiji Restoration, the struggle for representative government, imperialism, ultranationalism, militarism, and the economic miracle. On demand.

5385 FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NAPOLEON The causes of the revolution and its impact on France and Europe with emphasis on social, political, and economic changes through revolution and the reforms of Napoleon. On demand.

5386 THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC, 1931-1945 Critical evaluation of Japanese-American relations covering such topics as Asian nationalism, Western imperialism, and Japanese expansion. (This course may be counted as either United States or World History.) On demand.

5387 THE ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST Islamic civilization and recent history of the Middle East. Emphasis on the development of Islam as a major religion and total lifestyle, and Islamic revisionism; Arab nationalism; revival of Islamic fundamentalism; and conflicting Arab-Israeli aspirations and claims. On demand.

5388 AFRICAN HISTORY Cultural changes and problems of modernization. On demand.

5389 THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD DURING THE ROMAN REPUBLIC, 750 BC-27 BC An examination of the Roman Republic (750-27 BC) and its integration with the diverse populations and cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.  Every other year.

5390 THE ROMAN EMPIRE: 40 BC-395 AD This course traces the development of the Roman Empire from Augustus’ Principiate to the last days of the Tetrarchy and the eventual break-up of Roman Territory into Eastern and Western halves. Every other year.

5391 TOPICS IN HISTORY Special topics in history to be determined by the needs of students who enroll. On demand.

5394 GERMANY SINCE 1918 A survey of German history since World War I, including the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, World War II, and the division and reunification of postwar Germany. On demand.

5397 HISTORY OF IRELAND, 1500-PRESENT Examines major themes in Irish history from the Tudor conquest of Ireland, and the ensuing Ulster plantation in the early 17th century, to the modern Troubles in Northern Ireland.  On demand.

6101 CONTINUING THESIS CREDIT This one hour course is used to satisfy the continuing education policy of the Graduate School for thesis students.  Students who do not complete their thesis in two semesters are required to take this one hour course until their thesis is finished.  On demand.

6300 HISTORIOGRAPHY AND METHODS An introduction to historiography and historical methods.  This is a required course.  Offered in the Fall.

6301 THESIS RESEARCH On demand.

6302 THESIS RESEARCH On demand.

6303 SELECTED TOPICS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY Examination of a specified topic in American history. (This course can be repeated if a different topic for credit.) On demand.

6304 SELECTED TOPICS IN EUROPEAN HISTORY Examination of a specified topic in European history.  (This course can be repeated if a different topic for credit).  On demand.

6305 SELECTED TOPICS IN NON-WESTERN HISTORY Examination of a specified topic in non-Western history.  (This course can be repeated if a different topic for credit.)  On demand.

6310 ADVANCED SOCIAL STUDIES INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS FOR MAT This course is designed to provide instruction in advanced instructional methods in secondary social studies to meet the needs of the Master of Arts in Teaching program.  The course examines the problems of teaching history and the related social studies in secondary schools focusing on the curriculum and the methods and strategies used by successful teachers in both history and related social studies.  The course emphasizes methods which will provide candidates with opportunities to practice using the Teacher Performance Outcomes assessment criteria.  The research component will focus on professional social studies scholarship.  Non-MAT students must have the approval of the Department of History Coordinator of Graduate Studies or Chair to enroll in this class.  Prerequisite(s):  Admission to the MAT program.  Offered once a year or as needed.

6315 CIVIL WAR SEMINAR This course is an intensive reading seminar on the American Civil War.  Students will read and analyze the recent historical scholarship on various aspects of the war and become familiar with the historiography of the war.  After completing this course, students will be familiar with the main topics, analyses, and debates historians have pursued when researching and writing about the Civil War.  On demand.

6323 COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA, 1492-1789 Principal interpretive problems of the Colonial and Revolutionary eras. On demand.

6324 NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA Reading Seminar.  This course provides an in-depth examination of scholarly work about the economic, social, political, and intellectual transition of the United States over the course of the Nineteenth Century from a pre-modern to a modern society.  Discussion, completion of historiography paper. Prerequisite(s) None.  On demand.

6325 TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICA The complexities and strains in American society associated with the rise to political, economic, and military power in the global community. On demand.

6340 THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD An intensive examination of post-war Europe. On demand.

6341 STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL HISTORY, 450-1450 The complexities of a developing European society as it goes through the processes of economic development, urbanization, social and political stress, and intellectual formation. On demand.

6342 STUDIES IN EARLY MODERN EUROPE Reading Seminar.  This course explores themes relating to the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the subsequent political and religious upheaval of early modern Europe. On demand.

6345 STUDIES IN MODERN EUROPE Development of modern Europe with an emphasis on the world wars, failure of peace conferences, and the rise of the dictators. On demand.

6350 SELECTED GRADUATE STUDIES IN AFRICAN AND ISLAMIC HISTORY This course is intended for graduate students who wish to pursue more advanced and specialized studies in African and/or Islamic History. The course will be conducted as a research seminar. Hence, students will be expected to select a topic mutually agreed upon by themselves and the professor and to work independently, under the professor’s tutelage, in researching and writing a final paper of publishable quality. On demand.

6370 HOLOCAUSTS IN HISTORY A study of the Holocaust of World War II in comparison with other genocides of the twentieth century, such as the Armenian, Cambodian, and Rwandan genocides.  On demand.

6371 RESEARCH IN HISTORY An advanced course in historical research and scholarly writing.  Students will be expected to produce an article-length paper based on primary sources.  This is a required course.  Offered in the Spring.

6397 INDEPENDENT STUDY IN HISTORY On demand.

6399 STUDIES IN ASIAN HISTORY On demand.