Fall Courses Offered

HISTORY DEPARTMENT ADVANCED COURSES FALL 2008

The SFA History Department will offer the following advanced and graduate courses during the Fall 2008 semester. For more information about individual courses, see the instructor.

All 300 and 400 level courses have a prerequisite of 6 hours of history.

To help students meet degree requirements, each semester the department will designate certain courses as a Writing Enhanced Course.

HIS 302 U.S. DIPLOMATIC HISTORY, Dr. Taaffe, TR 9:30-10:45, F-475
This course emphasizes the causes and consequences of major events that changed America 's role in the world since 1900, such as World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. It does so by examining the ideological, political, economic, military, and social foundations behind 20th century American foreign policy.

Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.

HIS 310.090 19th CENTURY SOCIAL HISTORY, Dr. Bremer, MWF 12:00-12:50, F 477
This course is a broad survey of how average, unexceptional people lived between 1789 and 1914. We will survey the great transformation of American life over these 125 years, as the nation evolved from an agrarian and rural nation to an urban and industrial behemoth. The course will focus on social, economic and cultural change and how the transportation, market and industrial revolutions influenced the lives of the diverse peoples of the United States . We will look at the daily lives of farm families, slaves and freed people, European immigrants and Native peoples ranging from the Cherokee to the Sioux to the Nez Perce. The lives of Plains farmers, sharecroppers, miners, soldiers, farm women, and factory workers will also be detailed. As this is a writing enhanced class, students will complete a major research paper, as well as be responsible for ten weekly discussions and two exams.

Writing Enhanced Course

HIS 310 HISTORY OF GENDER, Dr. Cooper, TR 12:30-1:45, F-477
This course will be cross-listed as “History of Gender” for history students and “Introduction to Gender Studies” for gender studies students. However, the course is open to any student interested in analyzing, challenging, and discussing concepts of gender—the social construction of what is largely considered acceptable behavior for men versus women and what society deems as appropriately masculine and appropriately feminine. Various professors from a variety of disciplines across the university will act as guest speakers during the semester as the class deals with the topic of gender from a thematic approach. Students will challenge themselves and one another through readings, class discussions, written assignments, and exams about their own stereotypes and biases concerning the concept of gender.

Meets an elective requirement for the Gender Studies minor.

HIS 318 ANCIENT WORLD, Dr. Dahmus, MWF 8:00-8:50, F-475
This survey course of ancient history begins with prehistoric man and then considers the early Near Eastern civilizations of Mesopotamia , Egypt , the Hebrews, Assyria, and Persia . Then Greek history takes center stage—from the Mycenaeans, through Sparta and Athens , and ending in the Hellenistic period after the death of Alexander the Great. Finally the class considers the growth of Rome from a small city state in central Italy to the colossal empire that ruled much of the ancient world.

HIS 320 MODERN EAST ASIA, Dr. Catton, MW 1:00-2:15, F-474
The course surveys the history of East Asia, primarily of China and Japan , from the 1600s through to the present. The focus will be on the major social, economic, cultural, and political changes of this period; key topics include the impact of Western imperialism, the process of modernization, the rise of revolutionary movements and militarism, the Second World War in Asia, and Mao's China. Readings will include the writings of Asians as well as the works of historians

Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.

May count toward the International Business major – see MMIB Department.

HIS 321 NON-WESTERN WORLD, Dr. Taaffe, TR 2:00-3:15, F-477
This course defines and examines the Non-Western world, including its social, political, military, economic, and religious development. It also looks at the West's impact on Non-Western cultures, and places the resulting changes within the context of modern events.

Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.

Meets a requirement for those seeking teacher certification in History for grades 8-12.

HIS 328 CONTEMPORARY EUROPE, Dr. Davis, MWF 10:00-10:50, F-477
This course will trace the history of Europe since the end of the Second World War, with emphasis on the following topics: the impact of total war on the continent in the immediate postwar era; the division of Europe between communist East and non-communist West; the course of the ensuing Cold War; the impact of decolonization on European society and politics; the movement towards European integration; the collapse of European communism; and developments during the post-communist era.

Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.

May count towards the International Business major-see MMIB Department.

HIS 333 HISTORY OF MEXICO, Dr. Dormady, MW 2:30-3:45, F-477
Survey of Mexico from the rise of Aztec civilization to the Mexican Revolution of the 20th century and its aftermath.

Meets an elective requirement for the Latin American Studies minor.

Meets an elective requirement for the International Studies second major or minor.

May count toward the International Business major – see MMIB Department.

HIS 335 HISTORY OF TEXAS, Dr. Sosebee, MW 1:00-2:15, F-477
The course is designed as a comprehensive survey course in Texas history beginning with pre-Columbian contact and continuing until the contemporary era. Because the course consists of such an expansive timeframe, a number of topics will only be cursorily covered in class lectures, making it essential that students supplement their understanding of course content with readings in the textbooks. The primary focus of the course will be the various political, social, and cultural themes that have played key roles in the development of Texas and Texans and the emphasized themes will be the ones the instructor feels most essential in gaining an understanding of Texas in a historical perspective. Course themes will include the exploration of the differences between the “ Texas myth” and historical reality, the diverse cultural legacies of the state, the place of Texas in the American South, and the role of economic boom-and-bust cycles in shaping the state. Because this is an upper level history course, a key element of the course will be the growth of critical thinking among the students concerning the examination of historical themes and paradigms. Students will also be asked to read three historical monographs outside of class and be able to provide a critical analysis of each work within the constraints of an essay quiz.

Meets a requirement for those seeking teacher certification in social studies for grades 4-8.

HIS 341 HISTORY OF ENGLAND I, Dr. Malpass, TR 11:00-12:15, F-475
Traces the development of England from the Roman invasions through the Anglo-Saxon and Viking eras to the Norman Conquest and the High Middle Ages. Utilizes an audio-visual approach.

Meets an elective requirement for the Gender Studies minor.

May count toward the International Business major – see MMIB Department.

HIS 343 COLONIAL AMERICA, Dr. Lannen, TR 3:30-4:45, F-477
A study of the social, cultural, political, religious, and military development of the British North American colonies from the era of exploration and settlement to the end of the Seven Years War in 1763.

HIS 412 GERMAN MEMORY, Dr. Tebbe, MW 4:00-5:15, F-477
As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past.” Events from the past constantly intrude on the present and force us to reconcile them. Modern Germany 's tumultuous history sparked diverse attempts to both remember and forget its many upheavals. In this course we will examine the history of memory in Germany , focusing especially on the attempts to legitimize the newly unified German nation, the responses to the traumatic slaughter of World War I, and evolving attitudes towards the Holocaust.

Writing Enhanced Course

HIS 457 EUROPE & WORLD WAR I, Dr. Jackson, W 4:00-6:30, F-475
The First World War is the watershed event of the 20th century, not World War II. It shaped the modern world by making possible the rise of soviet communism in Russia , Nazism in Germany , and the end to American isolationism. The breakup of the Ottoman Empire during the war brought the Middle East into the center stage it holds today by fanning Jewish and Arab nationalism. The course will discuss the origins, tactics, technology, politics, and diplomacy of the war. It will also study the debates and controversies in Great War history by viewing and discussing the ways three generations of historians, literary scholars, film directors, artists and writers have interpreted the massive conflict.

The class will view the war through vast amount of documentary films, printed images, posters, and propaganda generated by the war. The course will use the BBC and CBS film series done in 1964, the PBS series on the Shaping of the 20th Century, and French and German film presentations from the war period itself. The class will not only discuss traditional images of the war (such gas attacks, the Red Baron, No-Man's Land, the Christmas truce, the recruiting posters), but it will also look at the role of the everyday soldier who bore the burdens, the non-European offensives such as Gallipoli, the naval war, the race on all sides to create new weapons and tactics, and the collapse of the multi-national empires of Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Turkish Empires. The course will end with an analysis of the Armistice and the Treaty of Versailles.

GRADUATE COURSES

HIS 530 HISTORIOGRAPHY, Dr. Carney, T 6:00-8:30, F-477
This seminar aims to introduce graduate students to the central historical questions of American history as well as the various interpretive models that historians have used to evaluate the past. Regular reading and writing assignments will be used to focus on a series of topics such as defining history, the origins of historical professionalization, methods of evaluating the past, and the recent trends in writing history. In addition, this seminar will examine the importance of race, gender, class, and culture in creating an interpretation of the past.

HIS 543 FRENCH REVOLUTION & NAPOLEON, Dr. Allen, W 6:00-8:30, F-477
This course examines one of the most important political and social revolutions in European history. Students will evaluate the debate among historians of the Revolution on several key issues, including the causes of the Old Regime's collapse, the achievements of the Constituent Assembly, and the nature of the Terror. Recent scholarship on the Napoleonic era will also be considered, especially as it bears on the classic issue of whether Napoleon should be considered the Revolution's heir or its betrayer.

HIS 567 LATIN AMERICAN HISTORIOGRAPHY, Dr. Dormady, R 6:00-8:30, F-474
Advanced reading seminar in Latin American historiography. The course provides an advanced overview of Latin America from the pre-conquest to the turn of the twenty-first century. Topics include conquest, colonial consolidation and culture, race, gender, religion, modernization, revolution and resistance to modernization.

HIS 581 SEMINAR IN PUBLIC HISTORY, Dr. Beisel, M 6:00-8:30, F-477
Graduate students in this Historic Preservation seminar will be able to place the preservation movement within the broader context of American history, especially public spaces, suburbanization, and urban renewal. Each student will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the significance and relevance of fundamental national, state, and local preservation laws, best practices, organizations, and agencies. The students will demonstrate an understanding of the major architectural and vernacular styles and influential architects and designers in American history and how, if applicable, those styles are represented in East Texas . In addition to conducting independent research, using primary sources, and producing a well-written report, the students will have the opportunity to give in class presentations and lead reading discussions. If the schedule permits, the class will visit notable architectural examples, meet with preservation specialists, and prepare a historic structure report.

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Fall Courses Offered