History Courses Offered
HI 201. Ancient History and Culture. (3)
Using culture as the central category of historical analysis, this course is a global history of human experience from ca. 3500 BCE to 1450 CE. In each major unit of the course, students will contextualize materials from the past to convey both the particularity of past lives and the scale of human experience through analysis of the effects of the breadth of time and place, the depth of detail, the multiplicity of perspectives, and the complex ways humans shape and/or are shaped by their past. In this manner, students will excavate the significance of culture as a reflection of and reaction to the development of power relations (i.e., political, economic, social, or gender hierarchies) and the impact of transnational forces (i.e., global networks of trade, war, ideas, or human migration) in diverse cultures and societies over time in world history. Meets the lower-division requirement for World history in the major. 2020 Gold CORE: Liberal Arts, History; Global Studies.
HI 202. Modern History and Culture. (3)
Using culture as the central category of historical analysis, this course is a global history of human experience from ca. 1450 CE. to the present. In each major unit of the course, students will contextualize materials from the past to convey both the particularity of past lives and the scale of human experience through analysis of the effects of the breadth of time and place, the depth of detail, the multiplicity of perspectives, and the complex ways humans shape and/or are shaped by their past. In this manner, students will excavate the significance of culture as a reflection of and reaction to the development of power relations (i.e., political, economic, social, or gender hierarchies) and the impact of transnational forces (i.e., global networks of trade, war, ideas, or human migration) in diverse cultures and societies over time in world history. Meets the lower-division requirement for World history in the major. 2020 Gold CORE: Liberal Arts, History; Global Studies.
HI 203. American Experience I. (3)
This course is a survey of American social, political, cultural, and economic developments from the first European settlements to 1865, with emphasis on the experiences of Native Americans, colonization, independence, nation-building, reform, and slavery. Meets the lower-division requirement for American history in the history major. 2020 Gold CORE: Liberal Arts, History.
HI 204. American Experience II. (3)
This course is a survey of major political, social, cultural, and economic changes in United States history from 1865 to the present, with emphasis on the development of industrial society, consumerism, the expanding role of the United States in world affairs, as well as civil rights and other social movements. Meets the lower-division requirement for American history in the history major. PRE-2015 CORE-II. History. 2015 CORE: Social Justice and Civic Life, Acquire. 2020 Gold CORE: Liberal Arts, History.
HI/WS 270. Fairy Tales and History. (3)
Using gender as a central category of historical analysis, this course is an exploration of fairy tales as a means to promote and/or subvert power relations in European society from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. Students will read and interpret primary sources (i.e., the fairy tales of both male and female collectors/writers) and understand and critically appraise secondary works (scholars’ interpretations of the fairy tales from a variety of historical and other disciplinary perspectives), which are essential in understanding history as a discipline. Meets the lower-division requirement for World history in the history major. 2020 (Gold) CORE: Liberal Arts, History. Prerequisite: EN 111 or EN 112.
HI/WS 271. The Witch. (3)
Using gender as a central category of historical analysis, this course is an exploration of the images and realities of women and gender in Early Modern Europe in general and the witch hunts of the sixteenth through the eighteen centuries in particular. The focus of the course will first focus on a general survey of women and gender in Early Modern Europe from ca. 1450 to 1750 focusing on 1) power relations and gender in European society and 2) transnational influences of colonialism on both “European” and “colonial” women. The latter portion of the course will focus on case studies of the witch hunts using the theoretical foundation of power relations and gender established earlier in the semester. Students will read and interpret primary sources (i.e., ancient, medieval, and early modern accounts of beliefs, trials, and criticism of witch hunts) and understand and critically appraise secondary works (scholars’ interpretations of the witch hunts from a variety of historical and other disciplinary perspectives), which are essential in understanding history as a discipline. Meets the lower-division requirement for World history in the history major. 2020 (Gold) CORE: Liberal Arts, History. Prerequisite: EN 111 or EN 112.
HI 280. Topics in History. (1-3)
This course is a survey of specific historical problems, debates, or periods in American or World history using current methodologies.
HI 304. History Study Tour. (1-3)
This course involves directed study of a particular historical period, event, theme, or topic conducted on-site in the United States or abroad in a foreign country. Restricted to history majors and minors. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
HI/WS 311. American Women. (3)
This course explores changing cultural images of women, examines the role of gender in structuring American society, and compares the experiences of American women from a variety of racial and ethnic groups as well as class positions. Additionally, this course includes a discussion of important theoretical and methodological concerns related to women’s and gender history. Meets the upper-division requirement for American history in the history major.
HI 312. African-American History. (3)
A survey of the African-American experience in North America, the course examines the evolution of slavery and racism, the methods and movements of resistance, and the creation of African-American communities and cultures from the colonial period to the present. The course stresses African-American agency in shaping their own lives and the history of the United States. Meets the upper-division requirement for American history in the history major.
HI 321. Revolutionary Era America. (3)
From the emergence of English colonial communities to riots, rebellions, and the War for Independence, the course examines the causes and consequences of revolution and the perils of nation-building. Meets the upper-division requirement for American History in the history major.
HI 329. American Slavery & the Slave Trade. (3)
This course begins with the historical roots of U.S. slavery in the ancient world and West Africa. It covers the Indian slave trade, the Atlantic slave trade, as well as the domestic slave trade. This course will address the diverse policies and practices of slavery and anti-slavery in the U.S. during the colonial, revolutionary, early Republic, antebellum, and Civil War eras. Comparisons with other regions in the western hemisphere will also be offered. Finally, this course will investigate the legacy of slavery in the modern-day United States. Meets the upper-division requirement for American history in the history major.
HI 330. American Empires. (3)
This course focuses on imperialism and colonialism in the Americas. Beginning with the establishment of European empires to U.S. expansion in the 19th century, as well as current debates about expansion and globalization, this class foregrounds the contributions of multiple racial/ethnic groups in forming American culture. Meets the upper-division requirement for American history in the history major.
HI-WS 365. The German Fatherland. (3)
This course explores the transformation of the German-speaking lands from an ambiguous cultural patchwork of feudal lands to a unified, industrial, and culturally diverse empire in the period from 1780 to 1914. Using gender as a central category of historical analysis, special attention is given to the dynamic relationship between German national identity (“the German Fatherland”) and supposed outsiders in German society, such as workers, women, and Jews. Meets the upper-division requirement for World history in the history major.
HI 366. The Spectre of Nazism. (3)
This course explores the history of Germany from 1914 to the present, a troubled odyssey of war, revolution, genocide, and reunification. Using culture as a central category of historical analysis, special attention is given to the cultural responses to the changing political landscapes of the German Empire during World War I (1914-1918), the Weimar Republic (1919-1933), Nazi Germany (1933-1945), occupied Germany (1945-1949), the Cold War German states (1949-1990), and reunified Germany since 1990. Meets the upper-division requirement for World history in the history major.
HI 368. Red Utopia. (3)
Using culture (especially popular culture) as the central category of historical analysis, this course explores the transformation of Russian society during the Soviet Union (1917-1991) in its effort to create a “New Soviet Human Being” and, thus, a revolutionary, communist utopia. Meets the upper-division requirement for World history in the history major.
HI 372. The Great War. (3)
Using visits to the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City as a central focus, this course is a survey of the origins, experiences, historiographical controversies, and legacies of the First World War (1914-1918) in a global context. Meets the upper-division requirement for World history in the history major.
HI 380. Topics in History. (3)
This course involves the study of specific historical problems, debates, or periods in American or World history using current methodologies.
HI 399. Seminar in History. (3)
This seminar is a methodologies course that will prepare students for more advanced work in the discipline of history. The course will focus on what historians do and how they do it. To that end, the course will help students to develop critical thinking and research skills, plan for careers after graduation, and enhance students’ understanding of the discipline of history and its practices, both in and out of the academy. Furthermore, students will also learn about integrating technology into the practice of history and the place of technology in the future of historical work. 2020 CORE: Students must complete this course at Avila University in order to fulfill the University Functional Computer Literacy/Technology requirement in the major.
HI 490. Directed Study in History. (1-3)
This course involves the directed study of a particular historical period, event, theme, or topic. Restricted to history majors and minors. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
HI 496. Internship in History. (3)
The course involves participation in the activities of a historical agency or in a public history research project, under the supervision of a faculty member or supervisor designated by the faculty. Restricted to history majors and minors. Prerequisite: Instructor approval. 2020 Gold CORE: Civic Engagement.
HI 499. Senior Thesis. (3)
Building on the foundation of “knowledge” and “theory” gained from upper-level history courses, this capstone seminar in the history major challenges advanced students to pose a historical question based on primary sources, provide a historical context for this research using current secondary literature, and then produce a well-written work and verbal presentation of historical scholarship. Lastly, students enrolled in this course will create an electronic portfolio that serves as the departmental comprehensive examination in the major of history. Meets the capstone course requirement in the major and must be completed at Avila University. Prerequisite: HI 399 Seminar in History.