Prerequisite/Corequisite Key
| P = Course must be taken previously | C = Course must be taken concurrently | E = Course can be taken previously or concurrently |
| (RQ) = Required | (RM) = Recommended |
HIST 101
World History to 1500
3 credit hours
The first of a two-part sequence, this course examines the development of societies and cultures from Neolithic times up to 1500. The course gives particular attention to the ways in which differing patterns of social organization have shaped the dynamic interaction between human societies and their environments.
HIST 102
World History Since 1500
3 credit hours
The second of a two-part sequence, this course examines the ongoing development of societies around the world with a particular emphasis on the increasing scale and intensity of global interaction in the period since 1500. Major topics include population growth, technological change, inter-continental migration, and the rise of a global economy.
HIST 103
United States History to 1877
3 credit hours
This course is a general survey of American social and political history from Pre-Columbian civilization through Reconstruction. It will address issues of slavery and freedom, gender, class, race, diplomacy, war, politics, economics, and culture.
HIST 104
United States History Since 1877
3 credit hours
This course is a general survey of American social and political history since the late 19th century. It will address themes of gender, class, race, politics, diplomacy, war, economics and culture.
HIST 190
Economic Development in United States History
3 credit hours
This course is an accelerated general survey of U.S. history with an emphasis on the nation's economic development. In addition, this course will also address themes of race, class, gender, diplomacy, war, culture and politics and it will explore methods for implementing Illinois history standards in elementary and middle-school classrooms. The completion of at least 30 credit hours is required for enrollment. Students cannot receive credit for this course and HIST 103 or 104. Offered fall.
HIST 200
Introduction to Discipline of History
3 credit hours
E: Complete two of the following: HIST-101, HIST-102, HIST-103, or HIST-104
This course introduces majors to the conventions and research methods of the discipline of history. The course requires students to complete a substantial research paper or proposal. Topics will vary according to instructor. Offered spring.
HIST 201
Digital Humanities
3 credit hours
This is a project-based course designed to teach the basic theories and tools needed to engage digitally with the humanities. Students will compose a digital exploration of some historical topic that demonstrates such skills as curating, analyzing, editing,or modeling information. Offered fall.
HIST 203
History of the Holocaust
3 credit hours
This course introduces students to the historical study of the Holocaust, and covers such topics as the development of "scientific" racism in 19th and 20th century Europe, the rise of political anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany, the creation of the camp system, and the implementation of the Final Solution. We will pay particular attention to the historical legacy of the Holocaust: how and why has it come to be seen as a benchmark for evil? In what ways has the Holocaust been memorialized? What political purposes does the Holocaust continue to serve?
HIST 208
Modern Europe, 1789-Present
3 credit hours
Survey of the history of modern Europe from the French Revolution through the early 21st century emphasizing social, cultural, economic and political developments. Also interrogates the historical notion of the "modern period" with its connotations of decisive rupture from the past and unprecedented acceleration of historical change. Offered fall even years.
HIST 211
Women in Modern European History
3 credit hours
Explores the history of women in a European context since the mid 17th century. Ideas about women, gender, and sexuality, the changing social and economic conditions of women's lives, and women's political activism will be examined. Offered every spring odd years.
HIST 213
History of Modern Germany
3 credit hours
This course introduces students to the historical study of Germany. It covers unification through the world wars, the division of the nation, and Germany's contemporary transformation into a multiracial, multiethnic democracy. Students will also be introduced to historiographic debates in German history, including the Historikerstreit over the place of the Holocaust in German history and memory. Offered as needed.
HIST 215
History of Modern Russia
3 credit hours
This course examines Russia and the Soviet Union from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Topics include czarist modernization, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, Leninism, Stalinism, WWII, the Cold War, and Post-Communist Russia. Special emphasis is given to Soviet empire-building, minority policies in the Soviet Union, and foreign relations with the US. Offered fall odd years.
HIST 221
American Foreign Relations
3 credit hours
What are the responsibilities of global leadership and how did the United States attain such power? From Cold War to post-Cold War, the essence of America in the world will be analyzed. Historical trends, current economic and political events, differing theories of America's world role and the ethics of American diplomacy and war will be assessed. Offered as needed.
HIST 228
African-American History
3 credit hours
This course explores the history of African-Americans from slavery to freedom, beginning with the slave trade and concluding with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 1960's through Black Lives Matter. Other topics include slave religions, abolitionism, the Harlem Renaissance, and Jim Crow apartheid. Offered as needed.
HIST 230
Illinois History
3 credit hours
This course explores Illinois history from its settlement by native Americans to the present. It integrates Illinois history with broader developments in American history throughout. Topics include French settlement in the 18th century, American settlement in the early 19th century, the struggle over slavery, late 19th century immigration and industrialization, 20th century African-American migration to Chicago, the Great Depression and World War II, postwar conflicts over race and housing, Chicago's political machine, and deindustrialization. Offered fall.
HIST 234
History of Colonial Latin America
3 credit hours
This course examines the history of Spanish and Portuguese conquest and colonization of the Americas in the 15th through 19th centuries as well as the indigenous empires and societies that existed before contact. Topics include conquest, indigenous and African slavery and labor, religious conversion and hybridity, colonial economies, and movements toward independence. The course also focuses on the political, social, and cultural effects of the so-called "Columbian Exchange" including the impact of European diseases and animals and the creation of new social and ethnic categories. Offered as needed.
HIST 240
Latin American History
3 credit hours
This course examines the development of Latin American nation-states in the 19th and 20th centuries (roughly 1800-1990s). It provides an introductory exploration of the social, economic, political and cultural history of the various countries in the region, with a specific focus on Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Cuba, and Guatemala. Topics include independence movements, liberalism, nationalism and modernity, U.S.-Latin American relations, industrialization, and Cold War military dictatorships. Offered as needed.
HIST 242
History of Africa
3 credit hours
A survey of major historical themes that have shaped African life over long periods of time and across the continent. Topics include trade and migration, ecology and human adaptation, the family and sexual division of labor, colonialism and the challenges of the post-colonial period. Offered as needed.
HIST 243
History of the Middle East
3 credit hours
A survey of the Middle East, its people, geography, cultures and history. Primary emphasis will be upon the Islamic period (7th century-present) and upon the interrelated development of religious beliefs, political and social ideologies, and cultural practices. Offered as needed.
HIST 244
History of East Asia
3 credit hours
This course explores the political, economic and cultural history of East Asia, especially China and Japan, and the conflicts arising from the impact of Western imperialism. Offered as needed.
HIST 245
History of Modern Japan
3 credit hours
This course explores the history of Japan from the 16th century to the present, with a special emphasis on Japanese culture. Themes will include Western influences on modern Japan, the role of the state, the changing character of civic life, the impact of economic development on Japanese society, and tensions between individualism and conformity, social, political, economic and cultural history of modern Japan. Offered fall odd years.
HIST 247
History of Mexico
3 credit hours
This course introduces students to the major historical developments in the formation of the modern Mexican nation (1810-present), with emphasis on the construction of official national historical narratives and heroes as well as popular resistance to them. Topics include independence, 19th century wars and dictatorships, the Revolution, national identity, land and labor reform, student and popular protest, and border issues. Offered fall.
HIST 250
Topics in American History
3 credit hours
This course focuses on special topics in American history. This course may be repeated when a new topic is offered.
HIST 250
Special Topics: Comtemporary Issues in African American History
3 credit hours
This course will focus on contemporary issues in African American History with a emphasis on issues that have affected the African American Community from 2O14-2024. There will be an in-depth exploration of contemporary issues such as educational inequities in the African American community, criminal justice reform, mental health crisis, educational inequities, economic inequality, workplace discrimination, and social justice and activism in the African American community.
HIST 251
Special Topics: Topics in European History
1 to 5 credit hours
This course focuses on special topics in European history. This course can be repeated when a different topic is offered.
HIST 252
Topics in Non-Western History
3 credit hours
This course focuses on special topics in Non-Western history. Course may be repeated when a different topic is offered.
HIST 253
Special Topics: History
1 to 4 credit hours
This course will explore important topics of global, comparative or thematic significance. Course may be repeated when a new topic is offered.
HIST 325
Modern Germany
3 credit hours
P: HIST-200 or instructor consent
This course further develops students' understanding of the formation of the modern German nation and its role in contemporary global politics, economics, and culture. Students will analyze historiographie debates in German history, including those over the causes of the First World War, the place of the Holocaust, and the role of German colonialism in shaping modern German politics, culture, and society. Offered as needed.
HIST 348
Issues in History
3 credit hours
This course includes selected topics in history developed through analytical and interpretive readings. Course may be repeated when a new topic is offered.
HIST 351
Colonial Legacy in Africa
1 to 6 credit hours
P: HIST-200 3 credit hours in History
The course examines western colonial rule in Africa and Asia during the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the legacy of colonialism in the decades since decolonization. It explores the motives behind colonization, the ways in which colonial rule altered or left unchanged pre-existing social, political, economic, and cultural structures, and the challenges that confronted new nations upon independence. The course rejects the ideological presuppositions that underpin much of the literature on "postcolonial studies" and in favor of a balanced appraisal of the positive and negative aspects of the colonial legacy. Offered spring even years.
HIST 370
Field Experience
3 to 9 credit hours
The course is for students who perform internships, work for government agencies, archives, museums, libraries and historical societies, or present an off-campus experience judged by the faculty advisor and division director to be of significant value in history education. Junior/senior standing and instructor's consent.
HIST 395
Senior Seminar
3 credit hours
P: HIST-200 plus one 300 level History course and senior standing in History or History Education
This course is an opportunity for students to demonstrate, refine and consolidate knowledge of skills and content acquired during their previous years of study. It is a collaborative as well as a culminating learning experience that permits students to pursue individual research projects and submit them to their peers. The seminar will center upon a topic to be determined by the instructor. Offered spring.