History

The mission of the Department of History is to develop in our students a thorough appreciation of the historical events, personalities, and patterns that have coalesced through the centuries to create the world we live in today. In addition to the all-important sense of perspective and context that an understanding of the past provides, students of history also gain important tangible skills that equip them to succeed in a wide array of careers. Specifically, our majors learn to find and critically analyze source materials, to interpret evidence in subtle and nuanced ways, and to communicate their findings effectively, both orally and in writing. Study after study reveals that these are the skills that employers in countless fields value most in their workforce.

Other Information

All coursework taken for a History major or minor must be completed with a grade of “C-” or better.

Student Groups

Eligible students are encouraged to join the National History Honorary Society, Phi Alpha Theta. Our local chapter sponsors a variety of enrichment activities throughout the year.

Option for Degree Completion--Fast Track Program

The Department of History has developed a Fast Track program for highly qualified and motivated students providing the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in an accelerated time frame.  With Fast Track, students may count up to 9 graduate hours toward the completion of their undergraduate program as well as the graduate degree program.

Program Specifics:

  • This program is available for undergraduate students pursuing BA/BS in History desiring to pursue a MA in History.
  • Students must have completed no less than 95 undergraduate hours.
  • Students must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
  • Students must complete the Fast Track Approval form and obtain all signatures and submit to the Office of Graduate Studies prior to first enrollment in a graduate course.
  • Students will work with their undergraduate advisor to register for the graduate courses.
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduate coursework to remain in good academic standing.
  • Students remain undergraduates until they meet all the requirements for the undergraduate degree and are eligible for all rights and privileges granted undergraduate status including financial aid.
  • Near the end of the undergraduate program, formal application to the graduate program is required. The application fee will be waived, the applicant will need to contact the Office of Graduate Studies for a fee waiver code.
    • Admission to Fast Track does NOT guarantee admission to the graduate program. 
      • If students obtain a minimum GPA of 3.8 in the graduate courses taken within the Fast Track Program, this will be considered a plus factor for admission to the master’s degree program.
      • The admit term must be after the completion term of the undergraduate degree.

Contact

287 Arts and Sciences Hall
402.554.2593

Website
 

Degrees Offered

Writing in the Discipline

All students are required to take a writing in the discipline course within their major. For the history major, this is HIST 2980.

Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in History

For the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science in history, a minimum of 36 hours in history are required. Specific requirements are below.

B.A. degree seeking students must take foreign language through the intermediate level. 

B.S. degree seeking students, in lieu of foreign language, must complete a 15 hour “cognate field.” The cognate should consist of 12 hours at the 3000/4000 level in one or more related disciplines selected to complement the student’s interests in history. Additionally, one 3-hour course in logic or statistics or one 3-hour writing course from another department must also be taken. The specific composition of a student’s cognate field will be determined in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor.

Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies

Students who wish to complete a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies degree with a concentration in history should consult with an advisor in the Division of Continuing Studies. This degree requires 30 credit hours in history, of which nine hours must be at the 3000/4000 level. HIST 2980 and HIST 4990 are recommended for every student who plans to pursue a graduate degree in history. Students interested in this degree program must meet with an adviser in the Division of Continuing Studies. The major consists of a minimum of 30 credit hours in history, details of which are here.

Minors Offered

If you seek to understand how and why the world came to be the way that it is today, then the study of History is your starting point, and the Department of History should become your academic home.

At the most fundamental level, History majors ask “How did we get to this point?” And in seeking the answers to that question, they gain deep and rich insights into both the great diversity and the binding commonalities of the human experience. Ultimately, then, the study of History helps us to define and understand the most essential elements of our own identity – who we are, where we come from, and how we are connected. Who could ask for a more important, dramatic, or rewarding academic endeavor?

  • Attorney
  • Analyst in a wide variety of industries such as insurance and banking
  • Paralegal
  • Federal, state, and local governments
  • Politics
  • Teaching
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • Archivists
  • Museum work

HIST 1000  WORLD HISTORY TO 1500 (3 credits)

An examination of selected traditional and pre-industrial civilizations in the context of their regional, cultural and historical roots.

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 1010  WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500 (3 credits)

An examination of selected societies since the beginning of the modern era.

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course and Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course

HIST 1050  CLASSICAL AFRICAN CIVILIZATIONS (3 credits)

Classical African Civilization is an introductory survey of the civilizations of Africa and African people prior to 1500 C.E., with emphasis on the evolution of the peoples and nations, their civilizations, and the rise and fall of indigenous states. In particular, this course will cover the classical civilizations of Kemet (Ancient Egypt), Nubia, Axum, Carthage, Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. (Cross-listed with BLST 1050).

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 1110  AMERICAN HISTORY TO 1865 (3 credits)

A survey of North American history from the Indigenous and pre-contact era to the end of the Civil War.

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and U.S. Diversity General Education course

HIST 1120  AMERICAN HISTORY SINCE 1865 (3 credits)

A general survey of American history since the Civil War, emphasizing social and political change and the emergence of the United States as a global power.

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and U.S. Diversity General Education course

HIST 2030  HISTORY OF MEDICINE: FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)

This course will cover the history of medicine and medical practices from the earliest civilizations to the present. In addition to this chronological scope, the course will also examine medical practices in cultures from across the world. (Cross-listed with MEDH 2030).

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

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course and Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course

HIST 2040  AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY I: 1619-1865 (3 credits)

The course examines the history of the earliest Africans in the Americas and briefly examines traditional African societies. It covers the transatlantic slave trade and its effects on Europe, Africa and the Americas, and analyzes the development of Afro-American culture and the struggle for freedom. (Cross-listed with BLST 2410)

Distribution: U.S. Diversity General Education course and Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course

HIST 2050  AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY II: 1865-1954 (3 credits)

A survey of Afro-American history from the Civil War to the present. Covers Reconstruction and its overthrow, including the new methods of control which replaced slavery. Discusses the development of black ideologies and institutions. Traces urban migration and its impact on black society and culture. Follows black progress through World War II, the 1954 Supreme Court Decision, and rising militancy. (Cross-listed with BLST 2420)

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and U.S. Diversity General Education course

HIST 2060  AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY III: 1954-PRESENT DAY (3 credits)

This course is divided into three main parts: the Civil Rights Phase (1954-1963), during which the dominant mood was optimism over the possibilities of integration; the Black Power Phase (1963-1974), and the Pragmatist Phase (1972-present), characterized by attempts to preserve and maintain gains already won. (Cross-listed with BLST 2430)

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and U.S. Diversity General Education course

HIST 2190  THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST (3 credits)

An interdisciplinary study of the social, religious, and historical dimensions of contemporary issues and events which make the Middle East cultural and geographic region a center of global tensions. After providing a background of how Islam spread in and unified the region, students will study factors which have shaped the Middle East from the late Ottoman period to the present, analyzing the principal sociocultural and political economic developments in the Middle East from the early 19th century to the early 21st century. (Cross-listed with RELI 2190, SOC 2190).

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2480  HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA: PRECONQUEST TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)

A history of the nations of Latin America from the pre-Columbian indigenous cultures to the present time. Among the topics included will be the nature of indigenous cultures, the various European incursions, regional revolutions against European empires, nation-building, and the place of Latin America in global history. (Cross-listed with LLS 2480).

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2510  ANCIENT GREECE: BRONZE AGE TO CLASSICAL ERAS (3 credits)

A study of cultures in the Aegean/Eastern Mediterranean, from the Bronze Age through Classical-era Greece, to better appreciate their influence on later cultures, especially those of Rome, Europe, and North America.

Distribution: Humanities and Fine Arts General Education course and Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2520  ANCIENT HISTORY - ROME (3 credits)

A survey of Roman history including Rome's wars of expansion, the rise and fall of the Republican government, the reorganization of the state under the emperors, and the nature of Rome's Empire and its peoples. The course will also examine aspects of Roman society, including living conditions, family organization, religion, and the diversity of Roman culture, including in the visual arts.

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

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2540  INTRODUCTION TO EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHS (3 credits)

Introduction to Egyptian Hieroglyphics will provide students with fundamental elements of Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) grammar, vocabulary, transliteration, and translation. Egyptian hieroglyphs, classically referred to as the "medu netcher," is the oldest written language on the African continent. Students will embark on an examination of primary texts which reveal important features of classical Egyptian culture and civilization. By studying this ancient African language, students will gain historical knowledge of the ancient cultures of Kemet and other classical Nile Valley civilizations. (Cross-listed with BLST 2540).

HIST 2620  MODERN BRITAIN (3 credits)

This course will provide an overview of some of the major events in modern British history, considering both national and global perspectives. Topics covered will include empire, war, industrialization, technology, welfare, decolonization, gender, and pop culture along with a myriad of other subjects.

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

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2710  A HISTORY OF RUSSIA FROM KIEVAN RUS' TO THE CRIMEAN WAR (3 credits)

This course will examine Russian history beginning with the medieval Kievan state. The course will examine the consolidation of the Russian state under Ivan IV, the geographical expansion of Russia, the great reforms under Peter the Great, and conclude with the crisis of the Russian state following the Crimean War.

HIST 2720  RUSSIA: FROM THE CRIMEAN WAR TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)

This course examines Russian history from the great reforms ushered in under Alexsandr II to the present day. Among the topics covered are the crisis of Imperial Russia, the Bolshevik Revolution, life in the USSR, the USSR in the Second World War, the USSR in the Cold War, the collapse of communism, and the changes in Russian society since 1991.

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2810  HISTORY OF CHINA: FROM THE MANCHU CONQUEST TO THE PRESENT (3 credits)

This course examines Chinese history from the seventeenth-century Manchu conquests to the present. Topics covered will include the nature of the Manchu-Qing Dynasty, the destabilization which began in the nineteenth century, growing pressure exerted by other powers, and the rise and rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

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

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2820  JAPAN: FROM WARRING STATES TO THE MODERN DAY (3 credits)

This course will examine the course of Japanese history beginning with the Warring States (Sengoku) era of fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It will then continue by assessing unified Japan under the Tokugawa bakufu, the initial stability of this period, then the growing tensions which led to the collapse of the bakufu state in the 1860s. From there, the course will analyze the emergence of modern Japan during the Meiji Restoration, its evolution to a military state, and then conclude with an assessment of Japan's transformation in the post-World War II era.

Distribution: Global Diversity General Education course

HIST 2920  HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA (3 credits)

This course covers the era of the beginning, development and decline of European colonialism in Africa. The movement for decolonization, the emergence of independent sovereign nations and the strategic role that Africa plays in the forum of industrialized and developed nations is investigated. It examines the impact of European cultures and forced labor on traditional Africa, and the struggle for a resolution of the conflict between the three major traditions on the continent - Western and Indigenous. Religious indigenous practices are also considered, along with Christian and Islamic cultures. (Cross-listed with BLST 2120).

HIST 2980  HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY (3 credits)

The critical method in collecting, organizing, and presenting historical material. Required for history majors. Students are encouraged to enroll in this course as soon as possible after declaring their major.

Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1160 and permission of department chair or chair's designee. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

Distribution: Writing in the Discipline Single Course

HIST 2990  PEOPLE AND ISSUES IN HISTORY (3 credits)

An in-depth investigation of a topic as announced in the course subtitle. Students may enroll for different sections as long as no specific subject is duplicated.

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

HIST 3520  HISTORY OF ROMAN EMPIRE (3 credits)

This course examines the Roman Empire (30 BC to AD 476), also known as the Principate, with the class's main focus on its first three centuries. The course covers the rise of the Imperial government, its development, and the challenges it faced in the reigns of different emperors. Included will be discussion of Rome's relationship with neighboring kingdoms, with the peoples in its own provinces, and with religious minority groups such as the Jews and Christians.

Prerequisite(s): Junior status or permission of instructor. Students must have written permission from the course instructor to apply the course to the requirements of the Ancient Mediterranean Studies Minor.

HIST 4010  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 8016, RELI 4050).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 4040  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 8046).

Prerequisite(s): 60 hours. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 4050  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 8056).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 4060  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 WGST 4060, WGST 8066, and HIST 8066).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor; Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 4070  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 BLST 4650, BLST 8656, HIST 8076, LLS 4650, LLS 8656).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or senior standing

Distribution: U.S. Diversity General Education course

HIST 4080  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 8086).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor

HIST 4140  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 8146).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor

HIST 4150  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 8156).

Prerequisite(s): junior standing or permission of instructor.

HIST 4160  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 8166).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4170  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 8176).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4180  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 8186).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4240  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 8246).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4330  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 8336).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4340  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 8346).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4360  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 8366).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor

HIST 4400  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 8406, NAMS 4400).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4410  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 8416).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4420  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 8426).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor.

HIST 4450  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 8456).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of instructor.

HIST 4460  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 8466).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4480  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 8486).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

HIST 4530  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 8536).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4540  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 8546).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4610  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 8616).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4720  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 RELI 4160, RELI 8166, HIST 8726).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or instructor permission.

HIST 4730  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 8736).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or permission of the instructor.

HIST 4740  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 8746)

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

HIST 4800  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 8806).

Prerequisite(s): Junior or permission of instructor.

HIST 4820  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 8826).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

HIST 4830  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 8836, RELI 4830, RELI 8836).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing

HIST 4840  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 8846).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing

HIST 4850  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 8856, RELI 4850, RELI 8856).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.

HIST 4900  INDEPENDENT STUDIES (1-3 credits)

Project arranged individually with undergraduate students. May be repeated as long as the subject differs, to a maximum of six hours.

Prerequisite(s): Written permission of instructor.

HIST 4910  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 8916).

Prerequisite(s): Junior standing

HIST 4920  INTERNSHIP IN HISTORICAL STUDIES (1-3 credits)

The undergraduate 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, and/or History Intern Program Coordinator. This course is normally taken for 3 hours. If a hosting institution cannot commit to a supervised workload which the departmental advisor believes to be equivalent to 3 hours, course may be taken for fewer hours. In such circumstances, students may repeat the course up to a total of 3 hours.

Prerequisite(s): Student must have completed or enrolled in at least 6 hours of upper-division history courses (3000-4000). Student must have approval of History Intern Program Coordinator before enrolling. Not open to non-degree graduate students.

HIST 4990  SENIOR SEMINAR (3 credits)

Capstone research course for history majors. Students will be required to produce an original research paper. Each section of this course will be offered with a specific subject or theme.

Prerequisite(s): HIST 2980 and permission of department chair or chair's designee. Not open to non-degree graduate students.