Professors James L. Huffman, Joseph E. O’Connor and
Thomas T. Taylor
Associate Professors Amy Livingstone, Chair, Tammy M. Proctor, Scott Rosenberg,
and Molly Wood
Assistant Professor Darlene Brooks Hedstrom
Visiting Assistant Professor Samuel Thomas
Requirements for Major
Forty semester hours in History: 105, 106, 202, 203, an additional
100/200-level survey, 390, 411, and three courses at the 300-400 level.
Twelve semester hours in advanced, related courses are also required:
one intermediate course in Languages, one upper-level humanities
course, and one upper-level social sciences course, all taken at the 300-
level (except for the 200-level exceptions below).
Foreign Language Cognate
Students must reach the intermediate level in their foreign
language study. Those courses are as follows:
Note that students studying Latin, Greek, or languages not offered at Wittenberg may take an English-language culture or literature course in the Languages department to fulfill the requirement.
Social Sciences Cognate
Students must take one advanced four-semester-hour course in a
related social sciences field. Courses may be drawn from the list below
or from selected topics or honors courses, by permission of the
instructor and History adviser.
Humanities Cognate
Students must take one advanced four-semester-hour course in a
related humanities field. Courses may be drawn from the list below or
from selected topics or honors courses, by permission of the instructor
and History adviser.
Major Requirements for Students Seeking
Secondary Social Studies Licensure
Thirty-six semester hours, distributed as follows: 106, 202, 203, 221, 222; three courses at the 300-level, including at least one 390; and 411. One of these nine courses must examine the pre-modern era. These nine courses must also examine at least three continents (waived for students who complete 105 and 106). Note that this major is available for only students completing secondary social studies licensure.
In addition to this major, a student seeking secondary social studies licensure must complete nine courses in Education (103 or 104, 112, 120, 307, 308, 312, 342, 349 and 495); four courses in Political Science (101, 102, and two courses at the 200-level or above from any two of the following areas: International Politics, American Politics, or Political Behaviour); and three courses from related social sciences (Economics 190, Geography 101 or 120, or Sociology 101, 110, or 290). These requirements are subject to change, so consultation with the history and education departments is essential.
Requirements for Minor
Twenty semester hours, chosen with the approval of a
departmental adviser, at least eight of which are taken at the 100/200-
level, and at least eight of which are taken at the 300/400-level.
Special Programs in History
Museum or Public History
The department recommends taking at least one course in public history, one
internship and one course in art history.
101. Topics. 2 to 4 semester hours.
Surveys that study some region or civilization of the past. Some sections are writing intensive. May be repeated for credit.
105C/H. The Pre-Modern World. 4 semester hours.
Investigation of significant ideas, people, events and problems in World History from prehistory to 1400. Some sections are writing intensive. Every year.
106C/H. The Modern World. 4 semester hours.
Investigation of significant ideas, people, events and problems in World History from 1400 to the present. Writing intensive. Every year.
111H. Medieval Civilization. 4 semester hours.
Survey of important historical events, developments and people of Western Europe from the end of the ancient world to the 14th century. Writing intensive. Every year.
112H. Modern Western Civilization. 4 semester hours.
Survey of significant ideas, people, events and problems in European civilization from the Renaissance to the present. Writing intensive. Every year.
135H. Latin American Civilizations. 4 semester hours.
Survey of the history, culture and civilization of Latin America from the 15th century to the present. Writing intensive. Every year.
161C. Pre-Modern East Asia. 4 semester hours.
Survey of the history of East Asia’s three major countries – China, Japan and Korea – from earliest times until the beginning of the 17th century. The focus is on culture and thought, as well as major political developments. Every year.
162C. Modern East Asia. 4 semester hours.
Survey of the history of East Asia’s three major countries – China, Japan, and Korea – from the 17th century to the present. The focus is on the response of these countries to the challenges of an increasingly global world. Every year.
170C. Topics in African History. 4 semester hours.
Exploration of various dimensions of African history. Some sections are writing intensive. Every year.
171C. African Societies to 1500. 4 semester hours.
The goal of this course is to enable you to learn the major themes and issues of African history before the arrival of Europeans and the Atlantic slave trade. Topics covered will range from the African roots of human society, placing Egypt within African history, to its influence on the kingdoms of Nubia and Ethiopia. We will also examine the role of Islam in the rise of Imperial West Africa and the city-states of the Swahili Coast. The course will conclude with the impact that the arrival of Europeans had upon these societies. You should expect to learn the main historical themes of Africa prior to 1500. In particular, this class will explore the role of oral traditions and “myth” in African societies and will attempt to ascertain their usefulness as historical documents.
172C. African Societies Since 1500. 4 semester Hours.
The goal of this course is to examine how African political, cultural, religious, economic and social institutions have responded to the penetration of outsiders throughout the last 500 years. These outsiders include European slave traders, missionaries, and colonizers as well as Arab traders and Islamic scholars. The impact of the slave trade and later European colonization will be explored in depth. Africans were not passive victims in their own history, and we will focus on how Africans responded to these challenges and struggled for their independence, and how these movements helped shape the face of Post-Colonial Africa. The role of Islam in Africa, especially a series of 19th century Jihads, will also be studied. It is this dynamic interplay between Africans and outsiders that has shaped the formation of modern Africa. One of the goals of this class is to provide students with the knowledge to shatter the myths and stereotypes that surround Africa.
201. Topics in History 4 semester hours.
Topical approach to history. Some sections are writing intensive. May be repeated for credit.
202. Writing and Interpreting History. 4 semester hours.
Topics courses that introduce different modes of historical writing and problems in historical interpretation. May be repeated for credit. Writing intensive. Every semester. Recent topics include:
203. The Historian’s Craft. 4 semester hours.
Series of topical courses designed to equip students with the basic skills of research and analysis, in light of the nature and uses of history. Writing intensive. Every semester. Recent topics include:
210H. Topics in the History of the Ancient World. 4 semester hours.
Examination of topics of Ancient history, e.g., Greece in the Classical period, the Roman Empire. May be repeated for credit. Writing intensive. Every year.
215H. German History. 4 semester hours.
Historical study of Germany since 1871. Some sections are writing intensive.
221H. United States History I. 4 semester hours.
Study of the United States from colonial times through Reconstruction. Some sections are writing intensive.
222H. United States History II. 4 semester hours.
Study of the United States since Reconstruction. Writing intensive. Every year.
225H/R. Topics in Religious History. 4 semester hours.
Historical study of the interaction between religion and some other aspect of American Western culture, such as law, film or science. May be repeated for credit. Alternate years.
229A. American Film. 4 semester hours.
Survey of American film and the film industry since the 1890s. Topics include the silent film era; the rise of the studio system and the Motion Picture Production Code; the end of the Code and the studio era; and contemporary American film. Some sections are writing intensive. Alternate years.
230H. African American History. 4 semester hours.
Study of the experien
ce of African American people in the United States. Every year.241H. England from King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I. 4 semester hours.
Consideration of important developments in English society, economics, religion and politics to 1603. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
242H. Modern Britain. 4 semester hours.
Study of British society since the 18th century with particular focus on the rise and fall of Britain as an industrial and imperial power in Europe. Some sections are writing intensive. Alternate years.
251C. The History of Russia to 1917. 4 semester hours.
Survey of Russian history from the formation of the Kievan state to the collapse of the Tsarist autocracy. Writing intensive. Every year.
252C. The History of Russia Since 1917. 4 semester hours.
Study of the establishment of the Soviet Union, its social, economic, political and cultural development, and its dissolution. Writing intensive. Every year.
263C. Age of the Samurai. 4 semester hours.
This course examines the era (1160-1868) when the warrior class dominated Japanese life. It focuses on the period’s ever-changing cultural norms, value systems and political styles. No prerequisites. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
270. Topics in African History. 4 semester hours.
Exploration of various dimensions of African history. Alternate years.
272. Settlers and Liberators of South Africa. 4 semester hours.
This course will consider the conflict in Southern Africa from a historical perspective. It will consider the nature of African and white societies, their historical transformation, and their interaction over the past three and a half centuries. Southern Africa is a region of struggles and contests, not simply over politics and economics, but also, in important and powerful ways, over the past.
281. Modern Middle East. 4 semester hours.
This course is a survey of the history of the Modern Middle East through the reading of primary documents, secondary sources, short stories by Arab novelists, and the viewing of Arab, Farsi, and Hebrew films. Specific attention will be directed toward the topic of religious diversity in the region (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) and how the various groups have impacted the present configuration of the Middle East. Writing intensive.
301. Topics. 2-4 semester hours.
Topical approach, focusing on a specific theme. Prerequisites vary by section. Some sections are writing intensive. May be repeated for credit. Every year.
312. From Constantine to the Vikings: Europe in the Early Middle Ages. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the history of Western Europe from the late Roman period through the Viking Raids of the 10th century. Prerequisite: History 111 or 105 or permission of instructor. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
313. From the Vikings to the Black Death: Europe from 1000 to 1400. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the history of Western Europe from the end of the Carolingian world through the ravages of the Black Death. Prerequisite: History 111 or 105 or permission of instructor. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
314. Renaissance and Reformation. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the political, social and intellectual changes in European society from the 14th to the 17th centuries. Prerequisite: one course in History or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
315C. The Cross and the Crescent: The History of Islam and the West, 500 to 1500. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the history of Islam and its interactions with Western Europe from Muhammad to the Ottoman Empire. Prerequisite: one course in history or permission of instructor. Writing intensive. Alternate ysears.
317. Europe in the Twentieth Century. 4 semester hours.
Study of selected topics drawn from the main currents of 20th century European history particularly as they affect developments within and among the European states. Prerequisite: one course in History or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
319. European Women’s History. 4 semester hours.
Survey of major themes in the history and study of European women . Prerequisite: one course in history, WMST 100, or permission of instructor. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
320. American Women’s History. 4 semester hours.
Study and exploration of roles of women in American society from the 17th century to the present. Prerequisite: HIST 221, 222, WMST 100 or permission of instructor. Writing intensive.
323. Urban History. 4 semester hours.
History of the city and a study of the process of urbanization. Prerequisite: instructor’s permission.
324. American Foreign Relations. 4 semester hours.
Consideration of U.S. foreign policy from emergence as a world power to the present. Prerequisite: History 222 or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive.
331. American Constitutional History I. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the constitutional issues and the leading figures who helped shape American constitutional development from colonial beginnings to the end of Reconstruction. Prerequisite: History 221 or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
332. American Constitutional History II. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the constitutional issues and the leading figures who helped shape American constitutional development from Reconstruction to the present. Prerequisite: History 222, Political Science 101 or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
335. Modern Latin America. 4 semester hours.
Introduction to 19th and 20th century Latin America, with a focus on major issues, trends, and themes in the history and development of Latin America since independence. Prerequisite: HIST 135, another course on Latin America, or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive.
341. The Victorians. 4 semester hours.
Study of the major social, economic, political and intellectual developments of the period. Prerequisite: One course in history. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
342. Age of the French Revolution. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the major themes that both inspired revolutionary activity and resulted from the age of revolution in France. Prerequisite: one course in history. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
361C. East Asia and the West. 4 semester hours.
Examination of the relationship of China, Japan, and the Philippines with countries of the western hemisphere before and after the onset of imperialism. Interpretations focus on concepts such as orientalism, modernity and colonialism. Prerequisite: an East Asian history course or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
362C. Japan since 1945. 4 semester hours.
Survey of Japan’s post-World War II experience, from defeat and occupation through a return to world power status. Prerequisite: An East Asian history course or instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
370. Topics in African History. 4 semester hours.
Exploration of various themes and debates in African history. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
371. Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Gender in 20th Century Africa. 4 semester hours.
The objective of this course is to provide students with an analytical and historical framework for understanding events on the African continent during the 20th century. Students will be provided the necessary historical background, however, the main thrust of this class will be to investigate the changing notions of nationalism, ethnicity, and gender in modern Africa.
372. Race in the United States and South Africa. 4 semester hours.
This class will focus on the political, economic, and cultural reasons behind the construction of racially discriminatory sytems in the United States and in South Africa. White settlers in both the United States and South Africa turned to the use of slaves; why did they do this and how did they justify it? After the abolition of slavery, each society developed new economic structures along with new forms of institutionalized segregation. By comparing the institutionalization of racism in both countries, students will gain a better understanding of why these systems emerge and how they function.
380. Topics in Public History. 4 semester hours.
Topics in various aspects of public or applied history, such as archival management, historic preservation and museum studies. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
390. Reading Colloquium. 4 semester hours.
Current topics include:
Prerequisites vary by section. Writing intensive. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
411. Senior Seminar: the Study of History. 4 semester hours.
Philosophical approach with a consideration of methods of historical research and writing. Prerequisite: History 202, 203, history major and instructor’s permission. Writing intensive. Every year.
490. Independent Study. 1-4 semester hours.
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
491. Internship. 1-4 semester hours.
Prerequisite: Instructor’s permission. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
499. Honors Thesis/Project. Variable credit.
Prerequisite: 3.50 GPA and permission of the Department Chair.
