History

History Courses

• •  

  • Code

  • Course

  • Credits

• • GOV 105

  • Introduction to Political Science

  • 3
  This course introduces the central concepts of political science and practical politics. It will demonstrate how real-world events are shaped by political ideas and realities of the political world. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 201

  • American Government

  • 3
  This course deals with the problem of democratic government in the United States including the background of political theory and constitutional development. It studies democracy at various levels in the United States and offers a comparison with other democratic governments. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 211

  • State & Local Government

  • 3
  American state politics, organization and functions, and emphasizing the role of the state in our federal system. A survey of governmental structure and function of American municipalities is presented. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 212

  • International Relations

  • 3
  Introduction to the basic factors in international relationships: the systems, international law and diplomacy, international organizations, the dynamics and prospects of the present world scene. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 213

  • The American Presidency

  • 3
  Because growth of presidential power has been one of the most striking political phenomena in the experience of the American people during the twentieth century, this course will identify those factors responsible for the growth of executive power. It examines the presidential philosophies of men who have held the presidency, measures the impact of presidential advisors on the actions taken by the president and examines the relationship between presidents, and the press. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 217

  • Comparative Government

  • 3
  This course is an introduction to the governmental systems of various nations around the world. Students will focus on comparing political systems, policy making, interest articulation, public policy and forms of government in a variety of countries, including England, France, Germany, Japan, China, Mexico Egypt, India, and Nigeria. In each case, comparison to those aspects of politics and government will be made between other countries and that of the United States. Placement at the ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • GOV 297

  • Political Science Internship

  • 3
  The student works in a supervised work placement in a related political science or government capacity for a minimum of 90 hours over the course of semester. A term paper is submitted at the end and the student’s work is assessed on a weekly basis. Prerequisite: 12 credits of GOV/HIS classes with a GPA of 3.1 or better. The student must also meet college wide prerequisites for internship.
• • LAW 207

  • United States Judicial Systems

  • 3
  This course studies the federal and state courts. Topics include the role of the judicial system in society, the structure of the court systems, and how judicial decisions are made. Prerequisite or corequisite: ENG 101.
• • LAW 210

  • American Constitutional Law

  • 3
  The Constitution and the Supreme Court are studied through history and politics of key constitutional cases. Special attention is given to the nature and source of judicial power. The organization, jurisdiction, procedures, and restraints upon courts, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court, are considered. The establishment of judicial review and its function through time, federalism, due process, equal protection, and the incorporation of the Bill of Rights and civil rights and liberties are studied. Prerequisite or corequisite: ENG 101.
• • HIS 101

  • United States History I

  • 3
  This survey course traces the history of American development from pre-Columbian exploration and the Colonial era through the Civil War. Emphasis is given to the main lines of American development from the coming of the pre-Columbian explorers to the end of the Civil War. Special emphasis is given to constitutional developments in this period including the evolution of the British colonial charters, state constitutions, and the federal constitution. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 102

  • United States History II

  • 3
  This course traces developments since the end of the Civil War with emphasis on reconstruction, the industrialization of America and her emergence as a world power, the two World Wars, and America’s role since World War II. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 107

  • Colonial America

  • 3
  Course follows the history of America from founding of the country through the American Revolution. It includes social, political, and economic history, and historical geography as it relates to the significance of the American colonies in the Western Hemisphere. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 111

  • From Mesopotamia to the Moon: History of Western Civilization I

  • 3
  This course will explore the origins of Western Civilization from the mudflats of Mesopotamia to the market place of the Greek polis. Students will march with Roman legions into the dark woods of Germany, then witness the construction of gothic cathedrals and the burning of heretics. The course will end with the experience of a renaissance in the arts, the devastation of wars of religion, and the discovery of new continents, all helping to set the stage for the creation of the modern world. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 112

  • From Mesopotamia to the Moon: the History of Western Civilization II

  • 3
  In this course students will witness how monarchies and rational thinking emerge from the ashes and anarchy of the troubled times of the 1600s. Students will study revolutions in science, industry, and politics, as well as experience Romanticism and Realism in the arts. Students will see the forces unleashed by new ideologies and economic dynamics that will redraw the map not only of Europe, but eventually the entire world. The course will then move to the extremes of the Twentieth Century, the carnage of world wars, and the emergence of a new age of prosperity and conflict in the Twenty-First Century. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
  
• • HIS 201

  • History of the Middle East

  • 3
  An exploration of the history of the Middle East from the 7th century AD to the present. Examination of the social and political histories of 19 states and three major religions of this area. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 220

  • American Health Care History

  • 3
  This course explores change, ideas and the multiple meanings of health, illness, and the life cycle within the context of health care development, organization, and delivery in the United States. It explores the process of how ideas, such as freedom of choice and individualism, develop and change; how they are culturally modified and highly dependent on time and place specific ideas related to racial, ethnic, class, gender, religious, and regional differences. A central focus of this course is to explore and explain change and choice related to how Americans thought about their bodies, health, illness and sick care as well as what drove the ideas for the creation of a system of health care. This course explores the historical link to how in America a country with the best health care facilities in the world cannot provide the best health care to all.
• • HIS 221

  • Late Imperial China

  • 3
  A survey of the history of modern China from the time of the Opium War (1839-1842), the result of which intensified the Western influence in China, through the Chinese revolution of 1911 which brought to an end the last of China’s imperial dynasties, the Ch’ing (Manchu). The emphasis in the course will be on tracing the Western influence in China during this time and to examine what the Chinese response to it was. Audio-visual materials will be utilized extensively. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 222

  • China in the 20th Century

  • 3
  A survey of the history of modern China from the time of the Chinese Revolution of 1911 which brought to an end the last of China’s imperial dynasties, the Ch’ing (Manchu) to present day. The emphasis in this course will be on tracing the Western influence in China during this time and to examine what the Chinese response to it was. Audio-visual materials will be utilized extensively. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 230

  • The French Revolution and Napoleon

  • 3
  This course will explore the series of dramatic events that make up one of the most important moments in the history of the modern world: the French Revolution. Students will study the aspects of the Old Regine which set the stage for the fall of the Bastille, and then follow events as a moderate revolution led to the creation of a radical republic. This story includes the death of a king, street violence and counter revolutionary activity, massacres and wars, and the unraveling of events that culminated in the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. After the French Empire comes to an end on the fields of Waterloo, students will discuss the impact of the Revolution on Europe, and its legacy to the world ever after. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 240

  • History of the Cold War

  • 3
  For much of the 20th Century, two super powers faced each other in a global struggle for world domination. This course will explore the politics, economics, and culture of the period from the 1940s to the early 1990s, as well as the military aspects of an ideological cold war that often became hot. Examples of topics in this study range from Hiroshima to Afghanistan, Korea to Woodstock, Vietnam to Guatemala, and from Fulton, Missouri to the Kremlin, with stops at Cuba, Prague, Egypt, the Kent State campus, and Berlin. Placement at ENG 101 level strongly advised.
• • HIS 290

  • Special Topics in History

  • 3
  This course offers students the opportunity to explore in-depth a particular topic in history. Topics vary from semester to semester, and can include important aspects of European and World History, as well as the History of The United States. Prerequisites vary with semester. ENG 101 strongly recommended.