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2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog | 20253

PDF of History Courses

History Courses

All History Courses

HST 1114 United States History I, to 1877 (3 credits)

This is a survey of American history from the colonial era to 1877. It covers pre-contact America; the interaction of American, African, and European peoples during exploration and colonization; the development of new blended cultures; the growth of unfree labor; the role of war in early America; the founding of a new nation; early attempts to construct a national identity, and growth of cultural tensions leading to the Civil War and Reconstruction. It includes discussions of the increasingly diverse makeup of the American population and emphasizes the development of analytical skills focusing on reading, oral presentation, and writing. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 7]
Common Course Outline

HST 1115 United States History II, since 1877 (3 credits)

This is a survey of United States history since the Civil War. It covers social, economic, and cultural changes during the Gilded Age; Populism and Progressivism; internationalism and imperialism; World War One; 1920s America; the 1929 Crash and Great Depression; the New Deal; World War Two; the Cold War; the Great Society; the Vietnam War; the New Right and Reagan Era; Globalization, and contemporary society. It includes discussions of the increasingly diverse makeup of the American population and emphasizes the development of analytical skills focusing on reading, oral presentation, and writing. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 7]
Common Course Outline

HST 1304 World History I, Prehistory-1500 (3 credits)

A global and cross-cultural study of the early period of world history, including ancient civilizations and empires, classical China, India, Greece, and Rome, interaction of civilizations, influence of Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam as world religions, the Arab world and culture, Medieval Europe, African and American pre-contact cultures and civilizations. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 8]
Common Course Outline

HST 1305 World History II, 1500-Present (3 credits)

A global and cross-cultural study of the modern period of world history, including the major cultural/continental areas which existed in 1500, the influence of European expansionism and colonialism, interaction of nations and peoples, reform and change in religious patterns, the French Revolution and Napoleon, the development and spread of the Industrial Revolution, Marxism and Communism, global rearrangements of the twentieth century, decline of European colonialism, and contemporary conditions. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 8]
Common Course Outline

HST 1898 Introduction to Writing a World History Paper (1 credits)

The aim of this course is to introduce students to research in a humanities discipline and to have them develop those skills through researching and writing an essay of about 1500 words based on primary-source evidence, as well as some historical literature. Co-requisite(s): HST 1304 or HST 1305 or instructor consent.
Common Course Outline

HST 1899 Introduction to Writing an American History Paper (1 credits)

The aim of this course is to introduce students to research in a humanities discipline and to have them develop those skills through researching and writing an essay of about 1500 words based on primary-source evidence, as well as some historical literature. Co-requisite(s): HST 1114 or HST 1115 or instructor consent.
Common Course Outline

HST 2218 Medieval Europe (3 credits)

Survey of political and intellectual history in Europe from the collapse of Roman power in Western Europe to the fifteenth century. Topics include the rise and growth of the Christian Church and the Papal Monarchy; the Byzantine Empire; the Frankish Kingdom; the Investiture Contest; the Crusades; the twelfth-century Renaissance; the emergence of secular, regional monarchies; representative institutions; and the panoramic crises.
Common Course Outline

HST 2219 Medieval European Culture (3 credits)

A survey of aspects of the cultures of Medieval Europe (ca.400-1450), from the Christian Roman Empire to the Renaissance. The course will cover both the Latin West and the Byzantine East. Themes will include Religious life, Intellectual culture, Political thought, Literary expression, the Visual Arts, and Social History.
Common Course Outline

HST 2228 Renaissance and Reformation Europe (3 credits)

Survey of European history from ca. 1400 to 1648 with emphasis on the rise of humanist culture; the growth of stronger "national" governments in England, France, Spain, and Italy; the disintegration of Christian unity and the emergence of rival Christian churches; the emergence of the mercantile, pre-capitalist economic system, and the intensification of conflict made possible by greater resources and religious rivalries. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 2500 Native Americans and the United States, 1600s-Present (3 credits)

This course will explore the history of American Indians' relations with Anglo Americans, dating from the 1600s to the present, in the region now covering the United States. In doing so, it will ask students to consider how this history shaped American society. This course will focus on the issues of contact, Native opposition to colonization, intercultural understanding and misunderstanding, and assimilation. It will also analyze the effects of the US government's policies confronting Native Americans, as well as how Native people creatively resisted, accommodated, and adapted to their changing realities to preserve their autonomy and cultural identities. Students will study the causes and effects of the French and Indian War, the creation of pan-tribal alliances, the Indian Removal Act, boarding schools and allotment, the Red Power Movement, and other events that shaped Native American history. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 7]; [Nisidotaading Course Requirement]
Common Course Outline

HST 2580 Russia (3 credits)

Survey of the development of the Russian peoples and nation, from the principality of Kiev through the rise and dominance of Muscovy, to the revolution of 1917 and the establishment of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the Soviet Communist federation, to the present, with stress upon political, dynastic, economic, social, and cultural patterns.
Common Course Outline

HST 2600 Topics in History (3 credits)

Study of a specific historical topic or development, person, or time period, with the specific title being announced in each semester's class schedule.
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HST 2610 Minnesota History (3 credits)

This course's goal is to help students identify both why and how major events in Minnesota's past occurred by uncovering the means through which economic, political, and cultural forces motivated Minnesotans to act. The students will explore what makes Minnesotan culture distinct from a historical perspective. They will also survey the history of the Minnesota area--its environments, people, and cultures. In addition, this course will expose students to a variety of methods to understand history. The students will explore the local historical society and read primary and secondary sources covering Minnesota's history. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 7]
Common Course Outline

HST 2660 Women and History (3 credits)

Introductory survey of the role of women in history, approached thematically and topically. Based on the feminist critique of history, a cross-cultural approach emphasizes a comparative critique and evaluation of women in various historical contexts. [Core Curriculum Goal Area(s) 5 & 8]
Common Course Outline

HST 2667 Men and Women: Gender in America (3 credits)

This course seeks a close-up view of American culture from the colonial era to the modem era through the stories of individuals. In order to better understand these stories, the class first develops an interpretive framework using gender as the central theme. All individuals are shaped by the conventions of gender in any given time period. Those expectations change over time, and students will explore those changes and how individuals respond to them. Individuals are looked at in a variety of historical settings, including urban areas, the frontier, and a variety of middle landscapes. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 2700 The History of World Religions (3 credits)

A historical survey of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, from their origins to the present.
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HST 2799 Religion in America (3 credits)

This course explore the history of America's diverse religious traditions since the colonial era and their relationship to historical developments in society, politics, and culture. We will consider how religion has both acted as a conservative force in society by preserving the status quo AND been the motivation for radical democratic upheaval. We will investigate patterns of religious establishment, revivalism, the influence of science on religion, the rise of a national civil religion, changes in denominational structures and theology, secular accommodation, and cycles of denominational growth and change. While we will explore the history of American Christianity, we will also study the influence of other faith traditions.
Common Course Outline

HST 2925 People of the Environment: Environment and History (3 credits)

An examination of past interactions between human society and the natural world in what is now the United States. Issues to be discussed in the course include Native American resource management; the ecological effects of the arrival of Europeans, Africans, and Asians in North America; resource exploitation in the industrial era; the preservationist and conservationist movements; and the historical roots of current environmental problems.
Common Course Outline

HST 2953 Study-Travel, History and the Social and Behavioral Sciences (1-6 credits)

Study Travel course in History.
Common Course Outline

HST 3117 American Revolutionary Era, 1763-1800 (3 credits)

Consideration of the redefinition of the British Empire following the Great War for Empire in 1763, the rise and development of colonial rebel opposition, evolution of political philosophy and ideology culminating in the 1776 Declaration of Independence, the war for independence, the new nation under the Articles of Confederation, the writing and ratification of the new 1787 Constitution, and the contribution of the Federalists during the 1790s. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 3128 Testing Democracy: Reform in Antebellum America, 1787-1865 (3 credits)

This course will explore the grass roots movements that tried to expand the benefits that the founders originally guaranteed for elite white males. These powerful reform movements challenged established authorities, compelling them to either accommodate popular demands or coerce a restoration of the status quo. We will investigate the resulting clashes that characterized reform efforts during the early 1800s, including those centered on anti-slavery, women's legal rights, temperance, religious reform, and other causes. In doing so, we will examine both why many people were denied equality and how the gradual extension of toleration and equal opportunity developed. By understanding past tragedies, successes, and conflicts, students will be better citizens of the present.
Common Course Outline

HST 3137 The American Civil War (3 credits)

This course will explore the economic, political, and cultural causes of the Civil War. It will address how and why slavery ended during the Civil War, as well as the legacy of race and racism in America. It will analyze the development of national sectionalism beginning in the 1840s, the influence of Manifest Destiny and frontier expansionism, the growth of southern nationalism, southern secession and the establishment of the Confederate States of America, and the military and economic dimensions of the war. Finally, it will analyze whether violent conflict was necessary to resolve the nation¿s differences.
Common Course Outline

HST 3159 The World at War, 1931-1945 (3 credits)

This course covers the history of global war and its consequences. Beginning with the development of fascist and totalitarian states in Europe, nationalism in Asia, and the impact of economic depression, the course follows the war by considering issues on the home front and battlefield, debates over strategy and diplomacy, and decisions leading to the Holocaust and the development of atomic weaponry. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 3187 American West (3 credits)

The American West is both an idea and a place, and although it is difficult to define, it is central to an understanding of how Americans see themselves and are viewed by people around the world. This course focuses on the trans-Mississippi West, but recognizes these are imposed boundaries and that the region is shaped by decisions and policies imposed by Easterners. This study moves across time, examining the lives and cultures of the earliest peoples, the effects of immigrants who competed for land and resources, and the legacy of this westward experience for modem society. The West, too, is real and imagined, and the course will consider its impact on American popular culture.
Common Course Outline

HST 3208 Greece And Rome, 1500 BCE-500 CE (3 credits)

Survey of Ancient Greek and Roman civilization to the Fifth Century CE. Emphasizes political, intellectual, and cultural issues.
Common Course Outline

HST 3258 The Roman Civil Law Tradition (3 credits)

Study of the Roman Civil Law Tradition as it developed from Antiquity through the Middle Ages, the Early-Modern period and on into the nineteenth century. Prerequisites: Sophomore status and successful completion of at least 6 credits of History (HST) courses, or consent of instructor.
Common Course Outline

HST 3277 Readings and Research in European History (3 credits)

This is a junior/senior-level topics course on European history. The unifying principle of the course is that students are required to participate in a colloquium format in which they present, analyze, and discuss various readings over the semester and that they produce a research paper of 4000+ words on some specific aspect of the course subject. Prerequisite: HST 1304 or HST 2208 or HST 2218 or HST 2228 or HST 2510 or HST 2520 or consent of instructor. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 3409 Colonialism and Modernization in the Non-Western World (3 credits)

A survey of African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern civilizations featuring the impacts of modernization introduced through colonialism on the traditional societies of these civilizations.
Common Course Outline

HST 3419 East Asia (3 credits)

Political, economic, social, and cultural institutions of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese civilizations, from the ancient period to the present. Special consideration will be given to the spread of Chinese civilization and culture as the basis of East Asian "Confucian" cultures.
Common Course Outline

HST 3429 South and Southeast Asia (3 credits)

Historical, political, social, economic, and cultural developments from ancient civilizations to contemporary nations, including the influence of European colonial activities, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Kampuchea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Philippines. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 3459 Latin America (3 credits)

Introductory survey of selected themes and problems in the historical, economic, social, and cultural development of Latin America. (Might not be offered every year.)
Common Course Outline

HST 3500 History Research and Writing (1 credits)

This course is principally for History-baccalaureate- major and History-minor students and others who wish to learn the methods of research and presentation in a humanities discipline to a high level. This course must be taken together with one of the 3000-level, topical History courses, such as HST 3128, HST 3208, HST 3459, etc. Students in this course will learn methods of research in History through planning, researching, writing, and presenting an essay of about 4000 words based on primary-source evidence and historical literature. Co-requisite(s): Any 3000 level topical History course taught by same instructor as HST 3500 or another appropriate course approved by instructor.
Common Course Outline

HST 3650 Environmental History (3 credits)

Environmental History is a relatively new historical discipline dedicated to understanding how our surroundings have influenced our choices and how we have affected our surroundings. Until very recently, history has treated the physical environment of continents, rivers, soils, and climates as a backdrop for political, social, or cultural action. Sometimes a colorful background, but not often a factor in the action taking place in the foreground. At its most basic, Environmental History makes three claims. First, we are influenced by our environments. Second, we change our environments. Third, our knowledge of and attitudes toward our environment change. In this course we'll look at American History using each of these ideas and see things we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Prerequisite(s): Junior/Senior status or consent of instructor.
Common Course Outline

HST 3799 Tudor and Stuart England, 1485-1714 (3 credits)

This course will analyze the history and legacy of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties that ruled from 1485 to 1714. It will explore the changes that rewrote England's political, social, and religious structures and turned a weak monarchy into a global power. It will consider the impact of the English Reformation under Henry VIII, the counter-Reformation under Mary, the rise of Puritanism, and the Elizabethan Settlement establishing the Church of England. It will also explore the English Civil War and execution of Charles I, the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, and the coup d'etat in 1688 that opened the way to lasting parliamentary sovereignty and religious toleration in England.
Common Course Outline

HST 3800 Georgian Britain, 1688-1820 (3 credits)

This course will explore the changes that rewrote Great Britain¿s political, social, and economics structure and transformed Britain from a country still recovering from a political coup in 1688 into the world¿s most powerful empire by the early nineteenth century. It will consider the political impact of the eighteenth and nineteenth century wars with France, the cultural influence of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, the economic consequences of industrialization, the social implications of imperialism, and the cultural ramifications of the anti-slavery movement. It will also explore Britain¿s reaction to the American Revolution, its role in the Napoleonic Wars, and the consolidation of a British national identity.
Common Course Outline

HST 4000 Historiography (3 credits)

This course explores the history of writing history. It will examine how historians have interpreted the past and why their interpretations have changed over time. It will analyze postmodernism, Marxism, feminism, and other theories that have shaped how historians study history. Finally, this course will explore how historians use primary and secondary sources, as well as the procedures historians employ to write and research history. Prerequisite(s): Six credits earned in any two 3000-level HST-prefix courses or instructor permission.
Common Course Outline

HST 4500 Historical Methods (3 credits)

Historical Methods explores the work of historians and gives students an introduction to several subdisciplines of history and the tools, sources, and techniques they use, as well as practice in the processes of, research, analysis of sources, organization and citation, interpretation of primary and secondary materials, and presentation and historical writing. Students who are preparing to write a thesis will produce a prospectus. Other students may apply their learning in this course toward a research paper in another, 3000-level course. Prerequisite(s): Junior or Senior status.
Common Course Outline

HST 4600 History Portfolio (1 credits)

Students will prepare and submit portfolios of their graded assignments from History-courses demonstrating achievement of Learning Outcomes to fulfill requirements for the B.A./B.S. in History. Prerequisite(s): Senior Status and successful completion of at least 26 credits of courses that will count towards the 40 credits required for the B.A./B.S. in History.
Common Course Outline

HST 4783 Senior Thesis in History (3 credits)

Working with a faculty advisor, students complete research and write a scholarly thesis, then polish and present it in a public venue approved by the department. For students who produce, present, and have such a thesis accepted by the Department, the requirement to present a portfolio of graded assignments for the B.A./B.S. will be waived. Prerequisite(s): Senior status, successful completion of at least 31 credits of courses counting toward the History B.A./B.S., and at least a 3.25 GPA within the History major.
Common Course Outline

HST 4917 DIS Tchg Assoc | (1-2 credits)

Directed Independent Study | Teaching Associate
Common Course Outline