History (HIST)

HIST 8010  RESEARCH DIRECTED READINGS PROJECT (1-3 credits)

Special research problems and or directed readings arranged individually with students on topics not explored in other graduate offerings. If students do not complete all the readings during the semester in which they enroll in the course, they must complete all the readings within one academic year of their enrollment.

Prerequisite(s): Minimum of nine graduate hours in history completed. Permission of history Graduate Program Chair. Open only to students enrolled in the History MA program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8016  RELIGION IN EARLY AMERICA (3 credits)

This course examines the history and nature of religion in North America to c. 1770 with an emphasis on the British colonies. (Cross-listed with HIST 4010, RELI 4050).

Prerequisite(s): Must be a graduate student enrolled in History MA program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8020  GRADUATE INTERNSHIP (1-3 credits)

The graduate student is supervised by a member of the faculty in a project involving part-time employment or service with a museum, historic site, historical society or other institution. Work hours, activities, reporting requirements, and responsibilities must be specified in written agreement between employer, student, Graduate Program Chair, and/or supervising faculty member. Normally taken for 3 hours. If a hosting institution cannot commit to a supervised workload which the departmental advisor and/or Graduate Program Chair believe to be equivalent to 3 hours, course may be taken for fewer hours. In such circumstances, student may repeat course up to a total of 3 hours.

Prerequisite(s): Must be in the History/History & Government MA program, have completed at least 6 hours of graduate credit, and have History Graduate Program Chair (GPC) and/or supervising faculty approval before enrolling. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8030  GRADUATE HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY (3 credits)

This course will examine various historical methodologies which have been employed by historians to provide structural interpretations of the past. Although exact content may vary, examples of methodologies include the Whig Interpretation, Marxism, Structuralism, Postmodernism, and the New Social History.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student in History/History & Government program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8040  FINAL PROJECT (3 credits)

The final project is an exit requirement for students completing the non-thesis option for the Master of Arts in History. Students will produce original research under the supervision of a graduate faculty advisor. A grade of B or better is required.

Prerequisite(s): Permission of History Graduate Program Chair. Open only to students enrolled in the History MA program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8046  HOMESCAPES: THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF EVERYDAY LIFE IN AMERICA, 1600-1860 (3 credits)

This course examines the culture and technologies of house forms and work landscapes in North America, 1600-1860. (Cross-listed with HIST 4040).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student in history, or permission of the graduate chair.

HIST 8056  HISTORY OF WOMEN IN AMERICA TO 1875 (3 credits)

This course examines the history of women in what is now the United States from the seventeenth century to 1875. Topics include law, work, sexuality and reproduction, slavery, cross-cultural encounters, religion, political activism, and the transformation of gender by the market and industrial revolutions. (Cross-listed with HIST 4050).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8066  HISTORY OF WOMEN IN AMERICA FROM 1875 - 1992 (3 credits)

This course examines the history of women in the United States from 1875 to 1992. Topics include law, work, sexuality and reproduction, immigration, civil rights, political participation and party politics, and changes to the American gender system, including family structure and employment. (Cross-listed with HIST 4060, WGST 4060, WGST 8066).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8076  SLAVERY AND RACE RELATIONS IN THE AMERICAS (3 credits)

Slavery and Race Relations in the Americas examines the historical relationship between the trans-Atlantic slave trade and American race relations, connecting the enslavement of Africans in the Americas to race relations in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States. (Cross-listed with HIST 4070, BLST 4650, BLST 8656, LLS 4650, LLS 8656).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8086  THE BLACK ATLANTIC (3 credits)

This course examines the cultural and ethnic history of Black people who comprised "The Black Atlantic." The course is organized historically and begins with a brief overview of the European slave trade on the West African Coast in the 15th century. From there, we look critically at the arrival of Africans to the New World, examine varieties of slavery and freedom in the Americas, and conclude with slave revolts and emancipation activism in the 18th and 19th century. We will use the Haitian Revolution (in which Haiti became the first country to be founded by formerly enslaved people) as a special case study, a conduit for our exploration of this socio-cultural, economic, and Diasporic space. (Cross-listed with BLST 8356, BLST 4350, HIST 4080).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8146  COLONIAL AMERICAN HISTORY (3 credits)

This course provides a study of the settlement and development of North America to c. 1763 with an emphasis on the British colonies. (Cross-listed with HIST 4140).

HIST 8156  THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY ERA, 1763-89 (3 credits)

This course examines the period of the American Revolution beginning with the changed circumstances in the British North American colonies following the end of the French and Indian War and concluding with the ratification of the United States Constitution. The course analyses social, political, and military themes from this period. (Cross-listed with HIST 4150).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8166  THE EARLY AMERICAN REPUBLIC: FROM THE CONSTITUTION TO THE SECOND PARTY SYSTEM (3 credits)

This course covers an important period of American history beginning with the first federal government and ending with an analysis of the consolidation of the Second American Party system. Topics to be covered include the earliest debates over the nature of the federal government, foreign relations, the emergence of political parties, and the rise of the Jacksonian democracy. (Cross-listed with HIST 4160).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8176  HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST (3 credits)

An examination of the unique aspects of the region of the United States known as "the west." Students will learn about the multiple peoples, cultures, and environments which combined to form this region. Content will also include an examination of how the myths of the west were created. (Cross-listed with HIST 4170).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8186  THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR PERIOD: FROM THE TEXAS REVOLUTION THROUGH RECONSTRUCTION (3 credits)

This course focuses on the period of the American Civil War. It will begin with the background to, and events of the Texas Revolution. It will then consider the growing national tensions over slavery, particularly as a consequence of the Mexican-American War before examining the immediate causes of the civil war. The course will then examine the war itself before concluding with analysis of Reconstruction. (Cross-listed with HIST 4180).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8196  THE NATURE OF THE PAST: AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY, PRE-HISTORY TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)

This course will introduce students to the field of American Environmental History. Students will engage with literature produced by scholars who, broadly speaking, research and write about the many ways in which humans have shaped nature and, conversely, how nature has shaped humans over time. We will focus on the myriad peoples and cultures that have thrived in what is presently the United States and how these peoples have interacted with their physical environments in a multitude of contexts, from the transformation of ecosystems for economic purposes, to the cultural and scientific ideas that have shaped human notions of the natural world, to the ways in which people have mobilized governments to transform the environment. (Cross-listed with ENVN 4390, HIST 4390, SUST 4390).

HIST 8246  EMERGENCE OF MODERN AMERICA (3 credits)

This course examines American history from the end of Reconstruction to the end of World War II. Among the topics covered are western expansion, industrialization, immigration, and the expanding international footprint of the United States. (Cross-listed with HIST 4240).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8336  U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY TO 1860 (3 credits)

This course will examine the history of the United States constitution from its promulgation in 1787 through the end of the Civil War. This will include consideration of both English and colonial precedents. The course will analyze the process of writing and ratifying the document in the late 1780s and will then look at some of the key legal decisions between 1790 and 1860. (Cross-listed with HIST 4330).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8346  U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY SINCE 1860 (3 credits)

This course examine the increasingly important role played by competing interpretations of the United States constitution since the outbreak of he Civil War. This will include the emergence of the idea of a "living constitution," the extension of constitutional guarantees to the states, and examination of critical Supreme Court cases. (Cross-listed with HIST 4340).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8366  THE U.S. IN THE COLD WAR (3 credits)

This course will examine the impact of the Cold War in modern American history on two levels. First it will seek to understand how the Cold War influenced American foreign policy decisions since the end of World War II and examine the long term consequences of those policies for both the U.S. and the world. Secondly, this course will examine how the Cold War impacted or shaped American culture, domestic politics, and social movements in the postwar period. (Cross-listed with HIST 4360).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student in history, or permission of the graduate chair.

HIST 8406  HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (3 credits)

This survey of North American Indigenous peoples provides a historical overview of the peoples and their interactions with settlers, wars, policies, and other events that have shaped modern Tribal and U.S. relations. (Cross-listed with HIST 4400, NAMS 4400).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8416  HISTORY OF NEBRASKA (3 credits)

An examination of the history of Nebraska from Native American occupation to the present, with emphasis on environmental factors that have shaped the region and its people. (Cross-listed with HIST 4410).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8426  THE SIOUX TRIBE (3 credits)

A cultural and historical study of the Sioux tribes emphasizing the earliest historic period to the present. (Cross-listed with HIST 4420).

HIST 8456  NATIVE AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM (3 credits)

This course studies North American tribal subsistence and natural resource use practices from the early historic period to the present, Native Americans as environmentalists, and modern tribal environmentalism. (Cross-listed with HIST 4450).

HIST 8466  AMERICAN IMMIGRATION HISTORY (3 credits)

A study of American immigration from the colonial era to the present. Topics covered include Old World origins of migration, the old immigrants from western Europe, the new immigrants from southern and eastern Europe, non-European immigrants, native-born American responses to immigrants, the periods of immigrant adjustment in the new physical environment, and the contemporary revival of ethnicity. (Cross-listed with HIST 4460).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student standing or permission of the graduate chair

HIST 8486  THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1960S (3 credits)

This course is a review of the economic, social, cultural, and political changes that marked the United States in the 1960s. (Cross-listed with HIST 4480).

HIST 8536  EUROPE: RENAISSANCE & REFORMATION (3 credits)

This course will examine European history from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. Among the topics which will be covered are the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Reformation, Wars of Religion, the beginning of European overseas expansion, and the Scientific Revolution. In addition to examining the religious ideas and revolutions of the period, there will also be analysis of economic, social, and political change. (Cross-listed with HIST 4530).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8546  MEDIEVAL EUROPE (3 credits)

A dive into the history of medieval Europe through the stories of men and women, their beliefs, struggles, contradictions and achievements. (Cross-listed with HIST 4540).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8616  TUDOR AND STUART ENGLAND (3 credits)

English history from the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485 to the death of Queen Anne in 1714. The course will examine the efforts of the Tudors and Stuarts to establish dynasties, the religious upheavals in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, changes in the role of Parliament, the Civil Wars, and the beginning of English overseas expansion. (Cross-listed with HIST 4610).

Prerequisite(s): graduate standing

HIST 8726  THE HOLOCAUST (3 credits)

An interdisciplinary approach in a seminar oriented format discussing various aspects of the most notorious genocide in modern times. The course will explore the history of anti-Semitism, the rise of Nazi Germany and the road to the 'final solution.' It will further explore psychological, sociological and intellectual aspects of the dark side of humanity. (Cross-listed with HIST 4720, RELI 4160, RELI 8166).

HIST 8736  ISRAEL AND PALESTINE (3 credits)

This course will outline the history of the conflict over Palestine/Israel, examine its present status, and explore its likely unfolding in the future. It seeks to provide a broad and concise understanding of the historical events which have shaped the relations between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as a keen awareness of the challenges and prospects related to their future. (Cross-listed with HIST 4730).

HIST 8746  COMPARATIVE GENOCIDE (3 credits)

This course explores genocide and its many forms throughout history. It begins by considering the varied elements and definitions of the term. Next it looks at what makes people kill before going on to examine many different genocides throughout history. Finally, the course addresses the prosecution and prevention of genocide. (Cross-listed with HIST 4740).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate student enrolled in History MA program. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 8806  U.S. AND THE MIDDLE EAST (3 credits)

This course focuses on the evolution of US relations with and Foreign Policy vis-a-vis the Middle East over the last six decades. It seeks to illuminate the constant features in contrast to the changes in direction, examining the agendas of varying administrations as well as the treatment by the media of this region. It follows a chronological framework with particular emphasis on key thematic topics. While emphasizing the political dimensions of international relations, the class will also explore cultural and social aspects of the ties between the US and the peoples of the Middle East. (Cross-listed with HIST 4800).

Prerequisite(s): Not open to non-degree graduate students

HIST 8826  MESOPOTAMIA AND PRE-ISLAMIC PERSIA (3 credits)

Examination of the Ancient Near East from the emergence of its earliest civilizations--Sumer, Akkad and Babylonia--through the Bronze and Iron Ages, concluding with Persia in the Common Era (CE) just before the rise of Islam. (Cross-listed with HIST 4820).

HIST 8836  ANCIENT GREEK MYTH, RELIGION & MAGIC (3 credits)

Students will examine the impact of ancient Greek myth and belief on actual religious practice: e.g., "lived" religion. Areas covered include formal civic sacrifice, wartime religion, family and personal devotions, mystery cults, oracles and seers, plus the popular pursuit of magic. (Cross-listed with HIST 4830, RELI 4830, RELI 8836).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing

HIST 8846  ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE MACEDONIAN ORIGIN (3 credits)

Examination of the conquests of Alexander the Great, as well as controversies in Alexander studies. Includes discussion of both the Macedonian culture that produced him and the career of his father, Philip II. (Cross-listed with HIST 4840).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8856  ROME AND THE EARLY CHURCH (3 credits)

Students will cover Roman-Christian-Jewish interactions from just before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth to c. 450 CE, with an emphasis on social and political history. We catalogue Christianity's transformation from its origins as a Jewish movement and an illegal "superstition" to the dominant religion of the Roman empire. (Cross-listed with HIST 4850, RELI 4850, RELI 8856).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

HIST 8916  TOPICS IN HISTORY (3 credits)

This course introduces students to specialized subject matter not available in existing History courses. Course may be repeated as long as the topic is substantially different each time. Course may be cross-listed with other programs e.g. Native American Studies (NAMS), Women's and Gender Studies (WGST) when topics are appropriate. (Cross-listed with HIST 4910).

Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing

HIST 8990  THESIS (1-6 credits)

Thesis research project written under supervision of an adviser.

Prerequisite(s): Completion of twenty-four hours of History or History & Government graduate work. Permission of History Graduate Program Chair. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 9100  SEMINAR IN HISTORY (3 credits)

This seminar guides advanced graduate students through critical readings and practices in historical research or historiography. Topics will vary and course can be repeated under different topics.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate students in History/History & Government who have completed HIST 2980 or equivalent, or approval of GPC. Non-History grad students may be admitted after consultation with History GPC and instructors. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 9200  COLLOQUIUM (3 credits)

The colloquium guides advanced graduate students through the historiography of a specific subject. Topics will vary and course can be repeated under different topics. Open only to students enrolled in MA program in history unless permission granted by History Department Graduate Program Chair.

Prerequisite(s): Graduate students in History/History & Government who have completed HIST 2980 or equivalent, or approval of GPC. Non-History grad students may be admitted after consultation with History GPC and instructors. Not open to non-degree graduate students.