History
History majors are uniquely equipped for understanding our ever-changing world and the diversity of the human experience. Our majors study the causes and consequences of change and learn to see the world from the perspectives of others.
As History majors practice the arts of explanation and empathy, they also cultivate a broad set of research, communication, and critical thinking skills. These skills include the location and analysis of texts, data, and evidence; the mastery and synthesis of large bodies of written and visual media; the furnishing of written and oral arguments and descriptions; the evaluation of the arguments of others; and the application of interpretive, quantitative, and digital tools.
Our majors are encouraged to hone all these skills in the process of independent research conducted under faculty guidance, either in the Capstone Experience (HIST 302) or the more ambitious Honors Thesis (HIST 393, 394). They are also encouraged to craft the major to their own particular interests, either by pursuing a geographically broad historical education or by concentrating on a particular region or theme that interests them. Concentrations pursued by our majors include War, Empire, and Revolution; Women, Gender, and Sexuality; Global Connections; Race, Ethnicity, and Diasporas; Religion, Thought, and Culture; and Medicine, Technology, and Environment.
In all of these ways, History majors acquire a unique blend of social-scientific and humanistic knowledge. They assemble an unusually wide body of applicable skills and knowledge. These skills serve our students well in an almost limitless variety of careers, from law, education, journalism, and public affairs to business and medicine. Accordingly, the major also positions students well for graduate training in history, law, public policy, business, and medicine. History majors get what they need to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace, to be active and informed citizens, and to cultivate lifelong learning.
major requirements
Students have two options in pursuing a History Major: one emphasizes geographic breadth and the other a thematic track. With departmental approval students may also pursue History Honors.
Option 1: History Major - Geographic Breadth
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 001 | Time Travel: How to Make History | 4 |
| HIST 302 | The Capstone Experience | 4 |
| Select at least one course from four of the categories below 1 | 16 | |
| North America | ||
| The Making and Breaking of the United States | ||
| Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble: United States, 1865-1941 | ||
| The United States Since 1941 | ||
| Sports in Modern America | ||
| American Military History | ||
| Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties | ||
| Revolutionary America | ||
| Women and Gender in US History | ||
| Does Sex have a History? The History of Sexuality in the United States | ||
| How Black Women Made Modern America | ||
| Coming to America: U.S. Immigration History | ||
| African American History | ||
| Era of Jefferson and Jackson | ||
| Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Black Political Thought in America | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Colonial America | ||
| History of North American Indians | ||
| History of Sexuality and the Family in the U.S. | ||
| Slavery and the American South | ||
| Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley | ||
| Rise and Fall of the Old South | ||
| Europe | ||
| Inventing the Modern World: Europe in Global Perspective, 1648-present | ||
| Three English Revolutions | ||
| Democracy's Rise and Fall | ||
| Greek History | ||
| Roman History | ||
| Medieval Civilization | ||
| The Holocaust: History and Meaning | ||
| France from Medieval to Modern:Soc., Pol. & Art | ||
| The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History | ||
| The British Empire and the Modern World | ||
| 19th Century Paris and the Invention of Modernity | ||
| History of Global Fascism | ||
| Latin America | ||
| The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America | ||
| Heroes, Dictators, and Revolutionaries: Latin America since Independence | ||
| Narcos: The Global Drug Wars | ||
| Seminar in Latin American History | ||
| Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest | ||
| Africa | ||
| African Civilization | ||
| African American History | ||
| Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies | ||
| History and Cultures of Ghana | ||
| Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness | ||
| Globalization and Health in Ghana | ||
| African Women, Voices and Lives | ||
| Africans and the Atlantic World | ||
| United States and Africa | ||
| Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | ||
| Asia | ||
| Empire, War, and Resistance in the Middle East | ||
| In Search for Modern China | ||
| Transnational | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean and Other Rogues of the Atlantic World | ||
| Empire, War, and Resistance in the Middle East | ||
| The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America | ||
| Heroes, Dictators, and Revolutionaries: Latin America since Independence | ||
| Histories of Globalization | ||
| Science and Technology in the Making of the Modern World | ||
| Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties | ||
| From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra | ||
| Coming to America: U.S. Immigration History | ||
| Narcos: The Global Drug Wars | ||
| Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness | ||
| African Women, Voices and Lives | ||
| Africans and the Atlantic World | ||
| United States and Africa | ||
| Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | ||
| The British Empire and the Modern World | ||
| History of Total War | ||
| History of Global Fascism | ||
| Elective Requirement 1 | 11 | |
Additional courses to meet the minimum of 35 credits | ||
| Total Credits | 35 | |
- 1
From the 35 credits, majors must have 12 credits (3 courses) at 303 and above; and 4 credits (1 course) in the pre-1800 period.
Option 2: History Major - Thematic Track
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 001 | Time Travel: How to Make History | 4 |
| HIST 302 | The Capstone Experience | 4 |
| Tracks 1,2 | 12 | |
| Select three courses (12 credits) from one of the tracks below | ||
| Global Connections Track | ||
| African Civilization | ||
| Inventing the Modern World: Europe in Global Perspective, 1648-present | ||
| Three English Revolutions | ||
| Democracy's Rise and Fall | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean and Other Rogues of the Atlantic World | ||
| Empire, War, and Resistance in the Middle East | ||
| The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America | ||
| In Search for Modern China | ||
| Histories of Globalization | ||
| Science and Technology in the Making of the Modern World | ||
| Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties | ||
| From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra | ||
| Coming to America: U.S. Immigration History | ||
| History of Racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia | ||
| Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness | ||
| Globalization and Health in Ghana | ||
| France from Medieval to Modern:Soc., Pol. & Art | ||
| Paris: The Global City | ||
| African Women, Voices and Lives | ||
| Africans and the Atlantic World | ||
| United States and Africa | ||
| Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | ||
| The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History | ||
| The British Empire and the Modern World | ||
| History of Total War | ||
| Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest | ||
| Women, Gender, and Sexuality Track | ||
| The Making and Breaking of the United States | ||
| Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble: United States, 1865-1941 | ||
| The United States Since 1941 | ||
| Women and Gender in US History | ||
| Does Sex have a History? The History of Sexuality in the United States | ||
| Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies | ||
| Era of Jefferson and Jackson | ||
| Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| African Women, Voices and Lives | ||
| History of Sexuality and the Family in the U.S. | ||
| War, Empire, and Revolution Track | ||
| African Civilization | ||
| Inventing the Modern World: Europe in Global Perspective, 1648-present | ||
| Three English Revolutions | ||
| Empire, War, and Resistance in the Middle East | ||
| The Making and Breaking of the United States | ||
| The United States Since 1941 | ||
| The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America | ||
| Heroes, Dictators, and Revolutionaries: Latin America since Independence | ||
| In Search for Modern China | ||
| Histories of Globalization | ||
| American Military History | ||
| Revolutionary America | ||
| Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| History of Racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Colonial America | ||
| The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History | ||
| The British Empire and the Modern World | ||
| History of Total War | ||
| Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest | ||
| Race, Ethnicity, and Diasporas Track | ||
| The Making and Breaking of the United States | ||
| Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble: United States, 1865-1941 | ||
| The United States Since 1941 | ||
| The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America | ||
| Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties | ||
| How Black Women Made Modern America | ||
| African American History | ||
| Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies | ||
| Era of Jefferson and Jackson | ||
| Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| Coming to America: U.S. Immigration History | ||
| History of Racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia | ||
| Black Political Thought in America | ||
| Colonial America | ||
| History of North American Indians | ||
| Africans and the Atlantic World | ||
| United States and Africa | ||
| Slavery and the American South | ||
| Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies | ||
| History of Global Fascism | ||
| Rise and Fall of the Old South | ||
| Religion, Thought, and Culture Track | ||
| Three English Revolutions | ||
| Democracy's Rise and Fall | ||
| The Making and Breaking of the United States | ||
| Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble: United States, 1865-1941 | ||
| The United States Since 1941 | ||
| History and Cultures of Ghana | ||
| The Holocaust: History and Meaning | ||
| History of Global Fascism | ||
| Medicine, Science, Technology, and Environment Track | ||
| Technology in America's Industrial Age | ||
| Technology in Modern America | ||
| Pirates of the Caribbean and Other Rogues of the Atlantic World | ||
| Science and Technology in the Making of the Modern World | ||
| Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties | ||
| History of Modern Medicine | ||
| Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness | ||
| Globalization and Health in Ghana | ||
| American Environmental History | ||
| Build Your Own Track | ||
Create your own track with the help of your advisor. Department approval required. | ||
| Elective Requirement 2 | 15 | |
| Additional courses to meet the minimum of 35 credits. | ||
- 1
With Department approval, majors may take one relevant course outside of History to fulfill track requirements. For descriptions of tracks and region and time period designations, and for additional courses that might qualify for tracks or geographical focus, see the History Department website.
- 2
From the 35 credits, majors should have 12 credits (3 courses) at 303 and above (excepting HIST 306); 4 credits (1 course) in the pre-1800 period; and 4 credits (1 course) in Latin American, African or Asian History.
Requirements for honors
- Fulfillment of major requirements
- minimum of 3.5 GPA in courses presented for the Major
- HIST 393 Honors Thesis in History (4 credits) and HIST 394 Honors Thesis in History (4 credits)
- With departmental approval these courses may be substitutes for the 302 The Capstone Experience.
History Minor Requirements
Each student's minor program is prepared in consultation with the advisor of minors in the history department. Advanced placement credit may not be used for the minor program.
| The minor consists of a minimum of 15 credits. | ||
| At least 4 credits must be at the 200 or 300 level. | ||
| Maximum of one course (4 credits) of transfer or cross-listed courses may count toward the minor. | ||
Concentration in Public History
History majors may earn a concentration in Public History by completing a total of 16 hours in the following courses:
| HIST 305 | Public History (required) | 4 |
| HIST 306 | Internship in Public History (required) | 4 |
| Select at least two of the following: | 8 | |
| Introduction to Museums and Museum Professions | ||
| Museum Collections and Exhibitions | ||
| Special Topics in Museum Studies | ||
| Museum Internship | ||
| Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley | ||
HIST 338 | (2-4 credits, may be repeated for up to 8 credits) | |
HIST 339/370/ANTH 370 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Graduate Work in History
Lehigh University has been granting advanced degrees in history for more than seventy years. Its graduates have become university and college professors, secondary school teachers and administrators, museum directors, and public servants. The graduate program offers a wide range of courses that reflect strengths across the faculty, including 19th and 20th century US History; Latin American, Caribbean, West African and Atlantic African-Diaspora history; British, French and Spanish Atlantic World Empires; and African-American history. Course offerings also reflect thematic approaches across time and space, including: Digital Humanities; Public History; Gender History; the History of Technology; American and European Intellectual History; and the Cultural History of Warfare.
The department has close ties with the Lawrence Henry Gipson Institute for Eighteenth Century Studies which sponsors yearly symposia and provides research support for both faculty and students. The history of technology program is closely tied to Lehigh's Science, Technology, and Society program. Lehigh's libraries are especially rich in materials for graduate research in history, including a rare books collection and an extensive collection of scholarly periodicals and monographs. Graduate programs provide intensive and specialized study, and the policy of limited enrollment permits close relations between faculty and students.
Admission to graduate study in history is competitive and dependent upon the applicant's undergraduate preparation and record, recommendations, and Graduate Record Examination scores. Besides general requirements for College of Arts and Sciences graduate programs, the following special requirements apply to graduate study in history.
Master of Arts
Graduate Program
The Lehigh History graduate program offers training in preparation for a career in research and teaching as well as non-academic pursuits. The overarching theme of the program is Transnational History. Courses related to this theme are offered by faculty members across the department, over a wide range of geographical regions and chronological periods. Coursework focuses on developing both the fundamentals of historiographical analysis and historical research methods. The MA is designed to be a generalist degree that can prepare students for a number of careers or for more advanced graduate work. Former graduates work in a variety of areas including secondary education, public history, library services, business and government positions. The program provides training for those seeking to teach Global, transnational US, Atlantic World, European, African, Middle Eastern or Latin American histories at the secondary or community college level, as well as for those who will continue on to more advanced graduate work and a career in research and college level teaching.
Admission to the PhD. program is not automatic for students who complete the MA at Lehigh. Prospective PhD. students are encouraged to identify specific fields of interest and faculty members with whom they would like to work. At the PhD. level, students may consider department strengths in the following areas:
· African and Atlantic African-Diaspora History
· Latin American and Caribbean History
· British, French and Spanish Atlantic World Empires
· Early Modern and Modern European Intellectual History
· Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights and Refugee Studies
· Ottoman Empire and Islamic World History
· Modern Chinese History
· Colonial America and Early American Republic
· Native American History
· Gender History
· 20th century US History
· African-American History
Students applying for the PhD. program should consult the list of faculty bios to learn more about these research specialties to help determine their compatibility with potential mentors. Not all fields may be accessible in a given year, given faculty leaves and mentoring duties. Applicants should contact faculty members directly if they have questions about the possibility of working on a related research field, or they may contact the Graduate Director, Professor Nitzan Lebovic with any questions about this process.
Information for Applying to the History Department Graduate Program
The most important elements of the application file for the review process are:
--The personal statement which details the student’s interest in pursuing graduate study in History.
- The applicant's academic record, with special emphasis on their performance in history and related subjects.
- Recommendation letters from two or three faculty mentors who can speak to the applicant's potential for graduate work in the discipline. One of these letters may come from a former employer or non-academic mentor if they can speak to related skill sets the applicant may possess.
- GRE scores are required, though they are rarely the determining element in an application file. A strong performance on the Verbal section of the GRE is what is most important.
- The ability to write clearly and intelligently as demonstrated by a relevant writing sample, perhaps drawn from a seminar or research paper completed for a recent course, or a chapter or section of a thesis. Please limit submissions to about twenty pages maximum (excluding notes and bibliography). **All materials are to be uploaded on the online application.
Financial Awards and Deadlines
PhD students are normally supported by a package of five or six years of fellowship and TA-ship funding. Limited fellowship, TA-ship, and scholarship support is available to MA students each year, depending upon the size the graduate student population and the number of financial support offers being made to PhD applicants.
To be considered for financial support as an incoming student, all materials must be submitted by January 15. If you are not seeking financial aid, the deadline for applications for the fall semester is April 15.
For additional information on the graduate program or to schedule a campus visit, please contact the graduate program director, Professor Nitzan Lebovic .
What is Transnational History?
Transnational History has emerged in recent years as an umbrella term for a variety of approaches that seek to capture dynamic change over time in ways that go beyond traditional historiographies bounded by national frameworks. Transnational History aims to put national developments in broader regional and global context, and to explain them in terms of cross-national influences as well as local causes. Transnational History may also consider the dissemination, circulation, and evolution of ideas, people, commodities, material culture, and spiritual practices in relation to changing political and social dynamics and fluid cultural identities, including national, religious, racial and gender identities. As such, Transnational approaches have influenced cutting edge scholarship across many scholarly subfields and are reshaping the teaching of basic survey courses in US history, World history and beyond.
M.A. Program Requirements
The M.A. is conferred upon students who meet the requirements listed below within six years of entering Lehigh. The MA may be either a terminal degree or a step toward the doctorate. Those wishing to go on for a Ph.D. at Lehigh must apply separately for that program by the beginning of the final MA semester, with the principal requirement being that they must have the agreement of a faculty adviser who will direct their graduate capstone project. All students must maintain a 3.3 grade point average on Lehigh's 4.0 scale. Students must submit their plan for completion of the Master's Degree as soon as possible after they have completed 15 credits toward their degree.
The MA requires the successful completion of 30 hours of course work that must include: Historical Research (HIST 401) (3 credits); three different iterations of Readings in Transnational History (HIST 403) (9 credits); four or five elective graduate-level courses (12-15 credits); and an MA Capstone Project: Master’s Essay, Master’s Field Examination, MA Portfolio (all 3 credits), or MA Thesis (3-6 credits).
| HIST 401 | Historical Research | 3 |
| HIST 403 | Readings in Transnational History 1 | 9 |
| HIST Grad Electives | 12-15 | |
| MA Capstone 2 | 3-6 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
3 different iterations of Readings in Transnational History (HIST 403) for a total of 9 credits are required.
- 2
MA Capstone Project may include a Master's Essay, Master's Field Examination, Master's Portfolio, or Master's Thesis for a total of 3-6 credits.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Students in the Ph.D. program in history must maintain a 3.5 average after two semesters of study. During the second semester, doctoral students select one major and two minor fields in which to take comprehensive written and oral examinations. No professor may direct more than one field, but the direction of a field may involve two professors. The dissertation will be in the major field. The dissertation advisor will chair a special committee that will oversee the student's graduate program. The other members of the special committee will be determined by the student in consultation with the major advisor, and must include at least one faculty member from another department or from outside of Lehigh University. An original dissertation is required, and it must be successfully defended to the examining committee. All Ph.D. students must meet the University Concentrated Learning Requirement. They must take Historical Research (401), and must take at least 18 hours of directed readings courses (400 series) beyond the M.A. The student's dissertation committee determines whether proficiency in a foreign language or proficiency in quantitative methods will be required for the doctoral degree.
Admission to the PhD. program is not automatic for students who complete the MA at Lehigh. Prospective PhD. students are encouraged to identify specific fields of interest and faculty members with whom they would like to work. At the PhD. level, students may consider department strengths in the following areas:
- African and Atlantic African-Diaspora History
- Latin American and Caribbean History
- British, French and Spanish Atlantic World Empires
- Early Modern and Modern European Intellectual History
- Holocaust, Genocide, Human Rights and Refugee Studies
- Ottoman Empire and Islamic World History
- Modern Chinese History
- Colonial America and Early American Republic
- Native American History
- Gender History
- 20th century US History
- African-American History
Students applying for the PhD. program should consult the list of faculty bios to learn more about these research specialties to help determine their compatibility with potential mentors. Not all fields may be accessible in a given year, given faculty leaves and mentoring duties. Applicants should contact faculty members directly if they have questions about the possibility of working on a related research field, or they may contact the Graduate Director, Prof. Nitzan Lebovic, with any questions about this process.
| Historical Research | ||
HIST 400-level Coursework 1, 2, 3 | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| Total Credits 4 | 42-72 | |
- 1
Two different iterations of Readings in Transnational History (HIST 403).
- 2
Students may take up to two Independent Study (HIST 492) courses per semester.
- 3
The student's dissertation committee determines whether proficiency in a foreign language or proficiency in quantitative methods will be required for the doctoral degree.
- 4
Credit requirements for the program may vary. Students joining the program without an M.A. are required to complete 72 credits. Students with an M.A. from Lehigh are required to complete 42 credits, while students with an M.A. from another University are required to complete to 48 credits.
Major Fields
Major fields are Technology, Modern Britain, Colonial America, Nineteenth Century United States, Twentieth Century United States. (The Nineteenth and Twentieth century fields may be divided topically rather than chronologically; for example, a Student may be examined in labor/social history 1800-present, and in political history 1800-present.)
Minor Fields
Any of the major fields listed above may also be minor fields. Examples of other minor fields are American Studies; Ancient History; Early Modern Europe; Modern Europe; Latin America; Environmental History; Japan; Public History; Science, Technology and Society studies.
Language Requirements
The student's dissertation committee determines whether proficiency in a foreign language or proficiency in statistical methods will be required for the doctoral degree.
Undergraduate Courses in History
Petitions are required for first-year students to take 100-level or higher courses, and for sophomores to take 200-level or higher courses. HU fills humanities distribution requirements; SS fills social science requirements; ND not designated.
For Advanced Undergraduates and Graduate Students
Graduate students may take 300 level courses, for which they receive 3 credits. Undergraduates must take them for 4 credits.
Courses
HIST 001 Time Travel: How to Make History 4 Credits
Students discover the power of historical analysis in a rapidly changing world by investigating a series of pressing contemporary problems. History emerges as a vital tool for confronting human diversity and understanding how societies are transformed. Skills acquired include causal analysis, empathy, interpretation, source criticism, information management, digital methods, public engagement, and argumentative writing. Themes addressed vary with instructor.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, Q, SS, SW, W
HIST 005 (AAS 005) African Civilization 4 Credits
SubSaharan Africa through the millennia of the ancient world to the present. Human origins, state and nonstate systems, the external slave trade, colonialism, resistance to European rule, independence movements, and neocolonialism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 007 Technology in America's Industrial Age 4 Credits
Traces the development of American technology from the preindustrial colonial era until America's emergence as the world's leading industrial power. The interactions between technology and culture, society, politics, and the economy will also be addressed.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
HIST 008 Technology in Modern America 4 Credits
Traces the evolution of modern American technology, including automobiles, aircraft, computers, nuclear weapons, television, space, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology.Includes critiques of technology such as environmentalism. The interactions of technology and culture, society, politics, and the economy will also be addressed.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW
HIST 012 Inventing the Modern World: Europe in Global Perspective, 1648-present 4 Credits
The rise of modern nation states; the scientific and industrial revolutions; social movements and the French and Russian revolutions; impact of Enlightenment philosophy, nationalism, liberalism, imperialism and fascism; the development of modern class structure and transformations in gender relations, art, popular culture and society.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 015 (GS 015) Three English Revolutions 4 Credits
The Protestant Reformation, the Civil Wars, and the Glorious Revolution, from Henry the Eighth to John Locke. Examines how three bloody conflicts gave birth to the first modern society. Explores the origins of empire, capitalism, secularization, nationalism, and democracy.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, Q
HIST 017 (GS 017) Democracy's Rise and Fall 4 Credits
The promise and perils of democracy from the ancient world to the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 021 (CLSS 021) Greek History 4 Credits
The development of civilization from paleolithic times to the world empire of Alexander the Great.The social, economic, religious, philosophic, artistic, and literary development of the ancient world; the origin of political institutions.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
HIST 022 (CLSS 022) Roman History 4 Credits
Rome from its origins to A.D. 476.Political, social and religious developments.Transformation of the late Roman Empire to the early medieval period.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS
HIST 025 Pirates of the Caribbean and Other Rogues of the Atlantic World 4 Credits
Introduction to the history of the Atlantic World, through the lens of piracy and seafaring. Interactions between Europe, Africa, and North and South America, 1442-1825.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 026 The Wild, Wild West 4 Credits
Introduction to the American West as both region and process. Investigates the diverse populations living in the West, including Native Americans, Mexicans, African Americans, Chinese, and Euro-American settlers, miners, and cowboys. Explores the process of first Spanish/Mexican, French, Russian, and then Anglo-American expansion, as well as the rise of the myth of the Wild West. Themes include the evolution of land use, immigration, labor, social communities, cultural life, environment, and changing technologies.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, W
HIST 031 (JST 031) Empire, War, and Resistance in the Middle East 4 Credits
Over the past 200 years, empires have fought over the control of strategic trade routes and natural resources in the Middle East. Conflicts in Israel-Palestine, Iraq, and Syria emerged with the redrawing of borders. These geo-political changes shed light on how national identities changed but also on how Middle Eastern men and women resisted foreign occupation and domestic dictators alike. Through diverse media such as fiction, photography, and film, this course introduces students to the region’s rich history and legacy.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 041 The Making and Breaking of the United States 4 Credits
Native American cultures; European settlement; development of slavery and free labor systems; the Revolution; founding of the new nation; 19th century social, economic, cultural, and political development; Civil War.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 042 Big Dreams, Big Bucks, Big Trouble: United States, 1865-1941 4 Credits
America's transformation into an industrial and global power from Reconstruction after the Civil War to the Great Depression; includes social, political, and cultural developments.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
HIST 043 The United States Since 1941 4 Credits
World War II; Cold War at home and abroad; Civil Rights movement; the 1960s: Vietnam, the welfare state and social upheavals; new forms of cultural expression; feminism; rise of neoconservatism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 049 (GS 049, LAS 049) The True Road to El Dorado: Colonial Latin America 4 Credits
Examines the initial encounters of peoples of Iberian and African origins with the indigenous civilizations of the Western Hemisphere. Explores the development of a colonial economy and its global reach. Focuses on the birth of a distinctive Latin American society and culture, with attention to the Latin American patriots who fought for their freedom. No prior knowledge of Latin American history required.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 050 (GS 050, LAS 050) Heroes, Dictators, and Revolutionaries: Latin America since Independence 4 Credits
Examines the 200-year-long struggle of Latin American peoples to gain political representation, economic equality, and social justice. Explores key historical events in Latin America from the movement for independence in the early nineteenth century to today's modern societies. Topics include the wars of independence, the rule of caudillos, foreign military interventions, export economies, populism, social revolutions, the Cold War era, state terror and military dictatorships, and the war on drugs.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 075 (ASIA 075, MLL 075) Chinese Civilization 4 Credits
This course reviews the evolution of Chinese culture from the Neolithic up to the end of the imperial age in 1911. While the framework is historical, students are exposed to all facets of what defines civilization, including social traditions, philosophy, religion, material culture, literature, art and architecture, military science, education, law, and institutional history. Students are encouraged to continue their study of China afterwards with the course on Modern Chinese Civilization.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, SS, W
HIST 080 (ASIA 080) In Search for Modern China 4 Credits
This course is designed as a survey history of modern China from the late Ming to the present. We will ask some important questions over the course of the semester. When does "modern" China begin? How do we approach modern Chinese history? What are the boundaries of China/Chinese identity? Could these concepts stretch to include the Chinese diaspora? How has Chinese imperial history affected contemporary China’s state and society?
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 091 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, Q, SS, SW, W
HIST 101 (GS 101) Histories of Globalization 4 Credits
Critical historical perspectives on current debates around “globalization” and the varied paths and responses to modernity, using recent scholarship associated with the New Global History. The “Rise of the West” paradigm, Industrial Revolution and modernization theory; creation of global financial markets, nationbuilding and New Imperialism; Great Depression and World Wars as global historical events; postwar decolonization, Cold War and emergence of North-South relations; impact of consumerism, movements for women's rights, ethnic nationalism and religious fundamentalist movements in traditionbound societies.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 105 Sports in Modern America 4 Credits
Surveys the social, cultural, and political role of sports in America since the Civil War. By addressing the development of sports and its relationship with race, class, ethnicity, gender, the media, popular culture, and government, this class will examine the impact of sports in making the America and Americans of the 20th century.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
HIST 107 (GS 107) Science and Technology in the Making of the Modern World 4 Credits
This course covers world history from 1400, focusing on the rise of science, with important and wide-ranging implications for the modem world and the society we live in today. Global travel, exploration, trade, and technological innovations played essential roles in the exchange of knowledge and the development and rise of modem science. Science and technology have also contributed to the growing disparities in the modem world.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW, W
HIST 110 American Military History 4 Credits
The American military tradition from colonial times to the present.America's wars and the development and operation of military institutions within the political, economic, ideological, and technological milieu of American society.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
HIST 112 Takin’ It to the Streets: The Global Sixties 4 Credits
Welcome to the Days of Hope and Rage. The Global Sixties explores a watershed decade of unprecedented political activism and backlash, focusing on social movements (free speech, students, civil rights/Black Power, feminisms, environmentalism), national liberation struggles, and global counterculture. We examine the ideologies, tactics, and meanings of 1960s movement culture and new subcultures related to Rock n Roll, sexual freedom, and illicit drugs. Course materials include the stuff of the 60s, including visual, textual, and audio sources.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
HIST 118 (HMS 118) History of Modern Medicine 4 Credits
Introduction to Western medical history from the 18th century to the present day. Students will explore patient/practitioner relationships, examine changing ideas concerning health, sickness, and disease, chart changes in hospital care and medical education, and tackle topics such as eugenics, medical experimentation, and health insurance.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
HIST 120 Revolutionary America 4 Credits
Origins and development of the American republic from 1750 through the adoption of the Federal Constitution.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 121 From Alexander the Great to Cleopatra 4 Credits
This course covers the Hellenistic Period, from Alexander's conquests to Cleopatra's loss to Rome (4th-1st centuries BCE). We will learn about the Hellenistic empires in Greece, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt. In this course students will discuss how Greek culture spread throughout these parts of the world while incorporating local practices in the areas of art and architecture, religion, magic, and technology.
Attribute/Distribution: HE
HIST 124 (WGSS 124) Women and Gender in US History 4 Credits
Roles of women in American society from colonial to present times: attitudes toward women, female sexuality, women's work, and feminism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 125 (HMS 125, WGSS 125) Does Sex have a History? The History of Sexuality in the United States 4 Credits
Explores the history of sexuality in the United States from the colonial era to the present. While sexuality can appear timeless and stable, sexual ideologies, categories, and behaviors have consistently evolved and have transformed society in the process. The class pays special attention to relationships between sexuality, race, class, and the state, as well as how law, medicine, and the media have shaped sexual identities and experiences. In so doing, the class develops sophisticated readers of historical and contemporary cultures.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 126 (AAS 126, WGSS 126) How Black Women Made Modern America 4 Credits
This course introduces students to the significant themes and events that have shaped the African American women’s historical experience from slavery to the present. We examine the social, political, and economic meaning of freedom for women of African descent.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 130 (AAS 130) African American History 4 Credits
Blacks in America from the first importation of Africans to the implementation of civil rights laws. West African origins, slave trade, slavery, free blacks and emancipation and study of Reconstruction, segregation, urbanization, and the struggle for racial equality.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 131 (AAS 131, GS 131, WGSS 131) Women, Gender, Sexuality and Race in African Societies 4 Credits
This course explores the various ways in which womanhood, gender, sexuality and race are defined, constructed and articulated in African societies. The interdisciplinary course draws from historical writings, novels, biography, anthropology, political science, health and other fields to examine diverse activities and contributions of African women from the pre-colonial period to the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 134 (AAS 134) History and Cultures of Ghana 4 Credits
Overview of Ghana's history and cultures from the fifteenth century, examining diversity among various ethnic groups and covering such themes as religion, literature, art, music/dance, gender, family and anti-colonial movements. The course will also explore how slave castles/forts contributed to the transatlantic slave trade, Pan-Africanism and global tourism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 135 Era of Jefferson and Jackson 4 Credits
Colonial beginnings; the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution; the creation of a new nation; the development of American political parties; the antebellum American state.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 136 Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction 4 Credits
American abolitionism and the origins of the Civil War; the Second American Revolution; Reconstruction and its sequel.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 137 Coming to America: U.S. Immigration History 4 Credits
This course addresses the historical roots of current-day debates in the United States over immigration, deportation, borders, refugee admissions, and the boundaries of inclusion and exclusion in the nation. It considers how immigration patterns and policies have reflected evolving ideas about race, gender, labor, sexuality, health, and political ideology. Using historical scholarship, government documents, film, and literature we will discuss citizenship, nativism, assimilation, the development of ethnic communities, and immigrant rights activism from the colonial period through the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 149 (LAS 149) Narcos: The Global Drug Wars 4 Credits
Tobacco, sugar, coffee, opium, marijuana, cocaine. From Columbus’s encounter with the New World to the rise and demise of Pablo Escobar and “El Chapo” Guzmán, drugs have been coveted global commodities. Through readings, discussions, and films, this course examines the history of drug production, drug trafficking, and the so-called “war on drugs” in Latin America.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 150 Medieval Civilization 4 Credits
Formation and development of western culture to about 1400. Rise of universities and towns, legal development and origins of representative government, origins of nationstates, scholasticism and decline of the medieval church.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 154 (JST 154, REL 154) The Holocaust: History and Meaning 4 Credits
The Nazi Holocaust in its historical, political and religious setting. Emphasis upon the moral, cultural and theological issues raised by the Holocaust.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 175 (GS 175, JST 175, REL 175) History of Racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia 4 Credits
From the history of slavery in the ancient world to Charlottesville 2017. We will read texts and watch movies that discuss the history of slavery, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia. The historical meeting of worlds goes from "social slavery" in the ancient world to the ''blood laws" in medieval Spain; colonialism in the New World, the rise of biological racism in the nineteenth century, and of cultural racism in the twentieth century.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 176 (AAS 176, GS 176, HMS 176) Keeping Africa and Africans Healthy: A History of Illness and Wellness 4 Credits
What are the myths about diseases in Africa and how does the world respond to health crises there? What are the African healing traditions? What is the history of global health in Africa and its implications for illness and wellness? This course explores health interventions and initiatives by Africans and non-Africans including missionaries, colonial officials, and NGOs. Students’ final papers will perform a “post-mortem” on Africa, critically tracing how efforts to control, manage and eradicate diseases have succeeded or failed.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 178 (AAS 178, GS 178) Globalization and Health in Ghana 3 Credits
This 4-week field-based course fosters global engagement by introducing students to the historical, social, cultural, and political factors at the forefront of globalization and health processes in Ghana.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 179 (AAS 179) Black Political Thought in America 4 Credits
Black leadership, organizations, and philosophy in America from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Era; ideas and programs of Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
HIST 180 (REL 180) Religion and the American Experience 4 Credits
The historical development of major religious groups in this country from colonial times to the present.Their place in social and political life, and the impact of the national experience upon them.Emphasis on religious freedom and pluralism, and the churchstate relationship.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
HIST 183 (ART 183, GS 183) France from Medieval to Modern:Soc., Pol. & Art 3 Credits
France's artistic, cultural, social, artistic and political development from early kingship and dominance of the Church in the Middle Ages to the grandeur of Versailles in the Age of Absolutism; radical transformations of culture and society during the French Revolution and advent of the Modern Nation-State; to twentieth century developments including the two World Wars, imperialism and impact of post-war globalization. Offered in summer only through Lehigh Study Abroad Office as part of Lehigh in Paris program.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 184 (ARCH 184, GS 184) Paris: The Global City 3 Credits
An overview of the development of the city of Paris from its origins as an outpost on the far reaches of the Roman Empire to its rise as capital of medieval Christendom, from seat of Absolute Monarchy to birthplace of modern revolutions, resistance and occupation in the era of world wars, and model of modern urban planning in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Focus is on the way global contexts shaped social and political life at the local level.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 191 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, Q, SS, SW, W
HIST 256 (ASIA 256, MLL 256, WGSS 256) Women in Pre-Industrial China 4 Credits
This seminar focuses on the role of women as defined by medical, philosophical, legal, historical, religious, literary and other Chinese texts from ancient through early modern times. Attention is how women contributed to the evolution of traditional Chinese civilization and culture. The course materials are in English.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
HIST 257 (ASIA 257, HMS 257, MLL 257) Traditional Chinese Medicine: Historical Perspectives 4 Credits
This seminar focuses on conceptions of the human body and health that evolved from the ancient through early modern times. Special attention is paid to healing strategies, the roles of healers and patients, and the evolution of a medical canon. The course materials are in English.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
HIST 300 Apprentice Teaching 3 Credits
Attribute/Distribution: ND
HIST 302 The Capstone Experience 4 Credits
Culmination of the major. Working collectively on a broadly-defined theme, students master the tools of historical inquiry by developing and completing individual research projects that engage primary and secondary sources. Theme varies with instructor. Departmental permission required.
Prerequisites: HIST 001
Can be taken Concurrently: HIST 001
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, Q, SS, W
HIST 305 Public History 3-4 Credits
An examination of the public role of history in modern society, with focus on issues facing historians in museums, historical societies, archives, historic preservation, the federal government, and other organizations in the public sphere.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
HIST 306 Internship in Public History 2-4 Credits
Professionally supervised work in a museum, historical society, archive, or other historical agency. Written journal or report evaluating the experience is required. Permission of department chair required. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits. May not be counted toward the major requirement of 12 hours of courses numbered 303 or higher.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE
HIST 315 (EVST 315) American Environmental History 4 Credits
Relationship between Americans and their natural environment from the colonial period to the present: impact of European settlement, attitudes toward wilderness, role of technological development, rise of preservation and conservation movements, establishment of national parks, recent environmental protection legislation.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS
HIST 319 Colonial America 3,4 Credits
Founding and growth of colonies in North America through 1763. Emphasis on motives for settlement, Native American-European relations, and the economic, social, and political development of the British West Indies, and mainland provinces.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 320 History of North American Indians 3,4 Credits
The history of American Indians from before European contact to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of native peoples of eastern North America and how patterns of interaction between native Americans and Euro-Americans have changed over time. Discussion format, research paper.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 322 (AAS 322, WGSS 322) African Women, Voices and Lives 3-4 Credits
This course traces the changing history and status of African women. It positions their voices and biographies at the center of broader narratives that often perceive them as powerless, emerging from a lineage of poverty and oppression, and without agency. What happens when African women speak for themselves? We will explore the intersections of gender, class, race, and power to emphasize how women have been instrumental in shaping African history from the pre-colonial period to the present.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 325 (SOC 325, WGSS 325) History of Sexuality and the Family in the U.S. 3-4 Credits
Changing conceptions of sexuality and the role of women, men, and children in the family and society from the colonial to the postWorld War II era.Emphasis on the significance of socioeconomic class and cultural background. Topics include family structure, birth control, legal constraints, marriage, divorce, and prostitution.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SS, SW, W
HIST 330 (AAS 330) Africans and the Atlantic World 3-4 Credits
This course chronicles the history of Africans and the Atlantic world from the fifteenth century. It explores cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and Europeans and covers major themes including trade, religion, slavery, abolition, identity, colonialism, gender, the "Back-to-Africa" movements and impact of Africans on Atlantic world history.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 331 (AAS 331) United States and Africa 3,4 Credits
Reciprocal relationships between North America and the African continent from the slave trade in the 17th century to the 20th century-Afrocentric movement; impact of Americans on the shaping of modern Africa, Pan-African relations; influence of African Americans on US policies toward Africa.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 332 (AAS 332) Slavery and the American South 3-4 Credits
The emergence and demise of the “peculiar institution” of African American slavery in British North America and the Old South. African background; colonial beginnings; 19th century-slave community; the ruling race and proslavery ideology; the death of slavery and its aftermath; slavery and freedom in a comparative context.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, SS
HIST 336 Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley 3-4 Credits
Local history focusing on Native American communities, Moravian settlement, natural resources, industrial firms, immigration and ethnic communities, organized labor, housing patterns and urban sprawl, high-tech industry, and tourism. Includes an analysis of techniques used in presenting these topics to the public.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS
HIST 341 (AAS 341, GS 341) Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies 3,4 Credits
This course traces the origins of Aid to Africa, explores various volunteer activities, and investigates the role of NGOs, missionaries, philanthropists, medical practitioners, and global education. It examines the ways that cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and foreigners shaped African societies both positively and negatively.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 347 (GS 347) The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History 3,4 Credits
Global origins; breakdown of Absolute Monarchy; rise of Enlightenment culture and decadence of the court; storming of the Bastille and creation of republican government; invention of modern nationalism and Napoleonic military culture; women in political life; uses of mass propaganda, public festivals and transformation of the arts; political violence in the “Terror”; abolition of slavery and origins of Haitian Revolution; Napoleon's imperial system and warfare with Europe; impact on global imperial rivalries and revolutionary movements abroad.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 348 (GS 348) The British Empire and the Modern World 3-4 Credits
Examines the empire and its central role in the process of globalization between the 16th and 20th centuries. Topics include exploration, state-building, war, multinational corporations, industry, international finance, missionaries, racism, and independence movements.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, SW, W
HIST 350 19th Century Paris and the Invention of Modernity 3,4 Credits
This course considers the dramatic destruction and rebuilding of the city of Paris in the decades after 1850 and how changes in the built environment shaped social relations, political authority and cultural expression. Topics include the politics of city planning and architectural design; the history of the engineering profession, technology and the building trades; reactions to crime, disease and prostitution in the modern city; the 1848 Revolution, Paris Commune and political theory; the origins of photography, Impressionist painting and cinema;.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
HIST 352 History of Total War 3-4 Credits
This seminar examines the gradual rise of the idea of total war from the religious and civil wars of the 17th century, through the French Revolution, the Napoleonic War, the American Civil War, the two World Wars, the Cold War, and The War on Terror. We will examine the difference between war as political means and modern warfare as the very ends of politics, religion, and culture.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 354 History of Global Fascism 3-4 Credits
This course examines the historical and philosophical roots of European right-wing extremism, such as Italian and French Fascism, German Nazism, Austro-Hungarian Conservative Revolution, and other forms of radical nationalism.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 356 European Cultural History 3,4 Credits
Transformation of European culture from the 18th century to the present. The Enlightenment, cultural impact of the French and industrial revolutions, romanticism and ideologies of the 19th century, contemporary European thought.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 360 American Legal History 3,4 Credits
The interrelationship between law and social development with emphasis on modern period.Founding of constitutional government and balance of power within the federal system, the problem of slavery, legal support and regulation of business, and the use of law in various reform and civil rights movements.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
HIST 367 Rise and Fall of the Old South 3,4 Credits
Explores the American South as a region from the era before European contact to the end of the Civil War. Emphasis will be placed on exploration and settlement, Native American-European relations, the pre-Revolutionarry contest for empire, and the rise and development of the plantation complex and slavery.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, SS, W
HIST 368 Seminar in Latin American History 3,4 Credits
Readings and individual investigation of selected topics.
Attribute/Distribution: SS, SW
HIST 369 (LAS 369) Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest 4 Credits
In this seminar students master the history of the Conquest era (roughly, 1490s-1570s) in Spanish America and learn about the origins of colonialism. The course offers an opportunity to read critically some traditional European-centered narratives of the Conquest. It also incorporates the views and voices of Indigenous peoples and Africans. After reading classic primary and secondary sources, students judge for themselves the complex and rather tragic legacy of the encounter between Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
HIST 391 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, Q, SS, SW, W
HIST 392 Independent Study 1-4 Credits
Directed readings in a topic or area of history not covered by current course offerings. For students of demonstrated ability and adequate preparation. Consent of department chair required.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, Q, SW, W
HIST 393 Honors Thesis in History 4 Credits
Opportunity for undergraduate majors in history to pursue an extended project for senior honors. By department permission only.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, Q, W
HIST 394 Honors Thesis in History 4 Credits
Continuation of History 393. By department permission only.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Prerequisites: HIST 393
Attribute/Distribution: CC, Q, W
HIST 401 Historical Research 3 Credits
Techniques of research in history: training in the critical handling of documentary materials, in measuring the value of evidence, and in formal presentation of the results of research. Students will write an original research paper using primary materials. Required of all graduate students in history.
HIST 402 Public History 3 Credits
An examination of the public role of history in modern society, with focus on issues facing historians in museums, historical societies, archives, historic preservation, the federal government, and other organizations in the public sphere.
HIST 403 Readings in Transnational History 3 Credits
Required readings seminar for MA and PhD students exploring methods and examples of Transnational scholarship; specific theme, period, and geographic area varies according to the semester and faculty member teaching the course.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 404 Readings in the History of the Atlantic World, 1500-1900 3 Credits
Core readings offering a comparative and integrative approach to studying the development of nations, economic systems and trade, colonization, and cultural encounters among the people of Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
HIST 405 Readings in the History of Industrial America 3 Credits
Core readings in the history of technology and the larger framework of intellectual, social, economic, and political history. Includes comparative studies in the history of industrializing Europe and Japan.
HIST 412 Readings in the American Revolutionary Era 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on the historiography of the era of the American Revolution.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 415 American Environmental History 3 Credits
Relationship between Americans and their natural environment from the colonial period to the present: impact of European settlement, attitudes toward wilderness, role of technological development, rise of preservation an conservation movements, establishment of national parks, recent environmental protection legislation.
HIST 419 Colonial America 3 Credits
Founding and growth of colonies in North America through 1763. Emphasis on motives for settlement, Native American-European relations, and the economic, social, and political development of the British West Indies, and mainland provinces.
HIST 420 History of North American Indians 3 Credits
The history of American Indians from before European contact to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of native peoples of eastern North America and how patterns of interaction between native Americans and Euro-Americans have changed over time. Discussion format, research paper.
HIST 421 Readings in Topics in the Atlantic World 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on a particular topic in the history of the Atlantic World.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 422 (AAS 422, WGSS 422) African Women, Voices and Lives 3 Credits
This course traces the changing history and status of African women. It positions their voices and biographies at the center of broader narratives that often perceive them as powerless, emerging from a lineage of poverty and oppression, and without agency. What happens when African women speak for themselves? We will explore the intersections of gender, class, race, and power to emphasize how women have been instrumental in shaping African history from the pre-colonial period to the present.
HIST 425 History of Sexuality and Family in the United States 3 Credits
Changing conceptions of sexuality and the role of women, men, and children in the family and society from the colonial to the post World War II era. Emphasis on the significance of socioeconomic class and cultural background. Topics include family structure, birth control, legal constraints, marriage, divorce, and prostitution.
HIST 426 Readings in Topics in American History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on a particular topic in U.S. history across several centuries.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 430 Africans and the Atlantic World 3 Credits
This course chronicles the history of Africans and the Atlantic world from the fifteenth century. It explores cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and Europeans and covers major themes including trade, religion, slavery, abolition, identity, colonialism, gender, the "Back-to-Africa" movements and impact of Africans on Atlantic world history.
HIST 431 United States and Africa 3 Credits
Reciprocal relationships between North America and the African continent from the slave trade in the 17th century to the 20th century-Afrocentric movement; impact of Americans on the shaping of modern Africa, Pan-African relations; influence of African Americans on US policies toward Africa.
HIST 432 Global Africa: Aid, Volunteerism, NGO's and International Studies 3 Credits
This course traces the origins of Aid to Africa, explores various volunteer activities, and investigates the role of NGOs, missionaries, philanthropists, medical practitioners, and global education. It examines the ways that cross-cultural interactions and exchanges between Africans and foreigners shaped African societies both positively and negatively.
HIST 433 History of Total War 3 Credits
This seminar examines the gradual rise of the idea of total war from the religious and civil wars of the 17th century, through the French Revolution, the Napoleonic War, the American Civil War, the two World Wars, the Cold War, and The War on Terror. We will examine the difference between war as political means and modern warfare as the very ends of politics, religion, and culture.
HIST 434 History of Fascism 3 Credits
This course examines the historical and philosophical roots of European right-wing extremism, such as Italian and French Fascism, German Nazism, Austro-Hungarian Conservative Revolution, and other forms of radical nationalism.
HIST 436 Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley 3 Credits
Local history focusing on Native American communities, Moravian settlement, natural resources, industrial firms, immigration and ethnic communities, organized labor, housing patterns and urban sprawl, high-tech industry, and tourism. Includes an analysis of techniques used in presenting these topics to the public.
HIST 440 Readings in Colonial American History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member of the literature of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 441 Readings in Nineteenth Century American History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member of the literature of the 19th century.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 442 Readings in Twentieth Century American History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member of the literature of the 20th century.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 443 Readings in English History 3 Credits
Study in small groups, under the guidance of a faculty member, of the literature of a particular period, problem, or area of English history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 444 Readings in Latin American History 3 Credits
Study in small groups, under the guidance of a faculty member, of the literature of a particular period, problem, or area of Latin American history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 445 Readings in the History of Science 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on the history of science.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 446 Readings in the History of Technology 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member of the history of technology.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 447 The French Revolution and Napoleon: A Global History 3 Credits
Global origins; breakdown of Absolute Monarchy; rise of Enlightenment culture and decadence of the court; storming of the Bastille and creation of republican government; invention of modern nationalism and Napoleonic military culture; women in political life; uses of mass propaganda, public festivals and transformation of the arts; political violence in the “Terror”; abolition of slavery and origins of Haitian Revolution; Napoleon's imperial system and warfare with Europe; impact on global imperial rivalries and revolutionary movements abroad.
HIST 448 (POLS 448) Land Use, Growth Management, and the Politics of Sprawl 3 Credits
Introduction to issues of Land Use Planning, Community, Growth Management, and Sprawl. Examination of history of urban development in America from earliest settlements to the auto suburbs; also such planning and development factors as comprehensive plans, zoning, and the influence of infrastructure on development. Concludes with an assessment of the revival of city centers, alternatives to sprawl, and comparisons to development patterns in other countries.
HIST 449 The British Empire and the Modern World 3 Credits
Examines the empire and its central role in the process of globalization between the 16th and 20th centuries. Topics include exploration, state-building, war, multinational corporations, industry, international finance, missionaries, racism, and independence movements.
HIST 450 19th Century Paris and the Invention of Modernity 3 Credits
This course considers the dramatic destruction and rebuilding of the city of Paris in the decades after 1850 and how changes in the built environment shaped social relations, political authority and cultural expression. Topics include the politics of city planning and architectural design; the history of the engineering profession, technology and the building trades; reactions to crime, disease and prostitution in the modern city; the 1848 Revolution, Paris Commune and political theory; the origins of photography, Impressionist painting and cinema.
HIST 451 Readings in Topics in Amercian History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on a particular topic in U.S. history across several centuries. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 452 Research in American History 3 Credits
An intensive research seminar on a phase of American history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 453 Research in English History 3 Credits
An intensive research seminar on a phase of English history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 454 History of Global Fascism 3 Credits
This course examines the historical and philosophical roots of European right-wing extremism, such as Italian and French Fascism,German Nazism, Austro-Hungarian Conservative Revolution, and other forms of radical nationalism.
HIST 455 Research in History of Science and Technology 3 Credits
An intensive research seminar on a phase or aspect of the history of science and technology.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 456 European Cultural History 3 Credits
Transformation of European culture from the 18th century to the present. The Enlightenment, cultural impact of the French and industrial revolutions, romanticism and ideologies of the 19th century, contemporary European thought.
HIST 457 Research in European History 3 Credits
An intensive research seminar on a phase of European history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 458 (WGSS 458) Readings in Gender History 3 Credits
Study in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member on the literature of an issue, period, country or culture within gender history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 467 Rise and Fall of the Old South 3 Credits
Explores the American South as a region from the era before European contact to the end of the Civil War. Emphasis will be placed on exploration and settlement, Native American-European relations, the pre-Revolutionarry contest for empire, and the rise and development of the plantation complex and slavery.
HIST 469 Columbus on Trial: A Critical Reading of the Spanish Conquest 3 Credits
In this seminar students master the history of the Conquest era (roughly, 1490s-1570s) in Spanish America and learn about the origins of colonialism. The course offers an opportunity to read critically some traditional European-centered narratives of the Conquest. It also incorporates the views and voices of Indigenous peoples and Africans. After reading classic primary and secondary sources, students judge for themselves the complex and rather tragic legacy of the encounter between Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.
HIST 490 Thesis 1-6 Credits
HIST 491 Special Topics 1-3 Credits
Intensive study of a topic of special interest not covered in other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 492 Independent Study 1-3 Credits
Individual study under the direction of a faculty member of a topic in history.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
HIST 499 Dissertation 1-15 Credits
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
