HIS 101 The United States to 1865
3 credits
A historical survey of the main forces in American life from the colonial period through the Civil War. Reference will be made to Pennsylvania history. Fall
HIS 102 The United States Since 1865
3 credits
A historical survey of the main forces in American life since the Civil War. Reference will be made to Pennsylvania history. HIS 101 and HIS 102 are especially designed and recommended for first-year students. Spring
HIS 111 Western Civilization to 1450
3 credits
HIS 111 will combine lecture and primary source study to introduce the history of Western Civilization. The course will begin with a general description of premodern societies, and then introduce Israel, Archaic and Classical Greece, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and Medieval Europe. The course will emphasize the significant contributions of the Judeo-Christian tradition to the development of Western Civilization. Fall
HIS 112 Western Civilization Since 1450
3 credits
HIS 112 is a continuation of the study of the political, economic, and social history of Western Europe. We will begin with the Renaissance and Reformation, and end with the aftermath of World War II. HIS 112 will place a particular emphasis on some of the most important ideas of the Early Modern and Modern eras; through primary source study, students will be introduced to the ideas of important thinkers such as Luther, Calvin, Locke, Smith, Voltaire, Burke, and Marx. Spring
HIS 115 U.S. Constitution – Values and Principles (Cross-listed as POL 115)
3 credits
The United States is a creedal nation defined by the Constitution. This course examines the basic values and principles of the Constitution that determine our form of government, outline our rights and responsibilities as citizens, and shape the parameters of our civic discourse and life. Fall
HIS 206 Twentieth-Century World History and Culture
3 credits
An examination of world developments in the years from 1900 to 2000. Themes of intra- and inter-national conflict; global interdependency; growth and ethics of technology; population sustainability; comparative cultures, religions, governments, and evolving structures of power will be addressed.
HIS 209 The Crusades
3 credits
An exploration of the crusades from both the European and Arab perspectives, this class will examine the multiple reasons for the Crusades; the social, political, and economic impact on both European and Middle Eastern communities; and the Crusades’ legacy in the modern world. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 215 Introduction to Public History
3 credits
A hands-on introduction to historical research methods, this project-based course engages local history through a variety of written, visual, oral, and material artifacts. The course also provides an introduction to careers in the field of public history. (Spring of odd numbered years)
HIS 216 Medieval British Isles
3 credits
HIS 216 will center on Medieval England, but incorporate Medieval Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. The course will begin with the Anglo Saxon invasion and consider the Norse Invasions, Norman Conquest, the “Angevin Empire”, Magna Carta, the Development of Parliament, and England in the Late Middle Ages. The course will also consider the role of the Church, the Rise of Towns, the role or women, and other themes. Students will read excerpts from Saints’ lives, Norse Sagas, Chronicles, Arthurian Romances, and other significant primary sources. (Spring of odd numbered years, beginning 2019)
HIS 217 History and Political Thought Premodern East Asia (Cross-listed as POL 217)
3 credits
HIS 217 will survey the basic narrative of East Asian History (especially that of China and Japan) from the time of the Zhou Dynasty until the seventeenth century A.D. The course will stress extensive primary source readings in translation, particularly from the Confucian, Taoist, Legalist, and Buddhist traditions. (Fall of even numbered years)
HIS 218 Economic and Business History of the United States
3 credits
HIS 218 is a historical survey of the main currents in U.S. Business and Economic History. (Spring of even numbered years)
HIS 219 Introduction to the Civil War Era
3 credits
HIS 219 will analyze the Civil War era from the Compromise of 1850 through the disputed election of 1876. Particular attention will be given to the military aspects of the Civil War. (Fall of odd numbered years)
HIS 225 Environmental History
3 credits
This course will examine the influence and impact of technology, the history of the ideas of nature, the environment, and the relationship between humans and the environment, and the interactions between cultures that view these ideas in different ways. (Spring of odd numbered years)
HIS 226 Topics in American Wars
3 credits
Focus is upon the chronology, vocabulary, personalities, military strategies, technologies, and the causes/settlements of the significant wars in American history. The topics are organized in this manner: French and Indian War through the War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Native American Wars through the Spanish American War, World Wars One and Two, and Korean War through the Iraq War. This course may be repeated up to three times for credit. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 227 History of Christianity in America (Cross-listed with BMS 227)
3 credits
This course explores the history of Christianity in the United States, from its introduction by the Anglicans of Jamestown and the Pilgrims and Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the twenty-first century. The course will explore important theological developments that have shaped Christianity in America, including revivalism, millennialism, the Holiness movement, Pentecostalism, Fundamentalism, the Social Gospel movement, and the Christian Right; as well as the role of Christian commitments in important political movements such as Abolition, Temperance, and Civil Rights. (Spring of odd numbered years)
HIS 228 Western European Church History to the Reformation (Cross-listed with BMS 228)
3 credits
This course will explore the persecution of the early church, the legalization of Christianity in 313 AD, the seven ecumenical Councils, monasticism, the missionary efforts of the early medieval church, the Great Schism, the cultural achievements of the Later Medieval church, and the efforts of Zwingli, Luther, and Calvin during the Protestant Reformation. (Fall of even numbered years)
HIS 275 Sports in American History
3 credits
Sports hold up a mirror to American culture, and sports can even drive social change. This class will focus on five aspects of the American experience as refracted through the lens of sports: gender, race, class, violence, and globalization. (Fall of even numbered years)
HIS 308 Premodern Japan
3 credits
HIS 308 is an advanced survey of the political, social, religious, and economic history of Japan from Nara Period to the dawn of the Tokugawa Period (roughly 710 AD - 1600 AD). Major themes will include the evolution of the emperor and imperial family, the emergence of Japan’s warrior class and the creation of the bakufu government, the evolution of Shinto, the introduction into Japan of Buddhism, the evolution of Japanese Buddhism, and the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The course will combine lecture, primary and secondary source readings, and student presentations. (Spring of even numbered years)
HIS 309 Renaissance and Reformation
3 credits
Through lecture and the study of both written primary sources and visual art, HIS 309 will examine the history of the Italian Renaissance, the Northern Renaissance, and the Protestant Reformation. We will attempt to place the Renaissance and Reformation in historical context by investigating the period stretching from the fourteenth century through the European Wars of Religion. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 317 Historiography: Theory and Methods
3 credits
An introduction to the theory and practice of history. Examines a variety of historical methodologies and their underlying theories, from Thucydides and Herodotus to Bede, from Marx and von Ranke, to the Annales School, and including contemporary feminist, sociological, economic and environmental approaches. Students will also be introduced to basic approaches to sources as well as research tools and methods. (Fall of odd numbered years)
HIS 318 American Colonial History
3 credits
American history from the age of exploration and colonization through the American Revolution and the early Republic. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 325 Topics in the Civil War Era
3 credits
HIS 325 focuses on the lesser known and understudied aspects of the Civil War era including medicine, the home front, death and dying, religion, and gender and race. The overarching theme of the course is the manner in which the American Civil War has been discussed, explained, remembered, and re-fought over the last 150 years. The course will study the era of the Civil War and Reconstruction from a topical perspective. It is designed for those with a sufficient general background in Civil War history. HIS 219: Introduction to the Civil War Era is a highly encouraged prerequisite. (Fall of odd numbered years)
HIS 328 Women’s History
3 credits
A presentation and discussion of the basic facts and problems in the history of women from ancient times to the present-day liberation movement. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 329 Ancient Military History
3 credits
HIS 329 will examine the military history of Classical Greece, the Hellenistic Near East, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. The course will combine lecture with the close study of primary sources, including the works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Arrian, Livy, Polybius, and Caesar. Students will learn about the intimate relationship between polis Greece and the hoplite phalanx, and between the Roman Republic and the Roman legions. Students will learn about why armies marched to war, and what the average soldier achieved and endured. Students will also study the technological, tactical, and strategic developments in the military arts over the course of this period. A research project will be required. (Fall of odd numbered years)
HIS 336 The United States Since 1945
3 credits
A close examination of American society in the years that followed World War II. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 338 History of American Minority Experience (Cross-listed with SOC 307)
3 credits
An examination of five distinct minority populations in United States history: African-, Asian-, Hispanic-, and Native-Americans, as well as white ethnic Americans, in particular Jews and Italians. Emphasis is on experiential case studies. (Spring of odd numbered years)
HIS 339 Pennsylvania History: Beginnings to Present
3 credits
This course provides the student with an introduction to historical narrative, its sources, how it is researched, and it is written. This course provides the student with an overview of the origins and development of Pennsylvania from Native American settlement to the present. The opportunity to reflect on historic issues relevant to contemporary problems will be provided in the course. Prerequisites: HIS 101 or 102. Fall
HIS 345 Introduction to Historical Museum Work
3 credits
HIS 345 explores the many ways historians research, preserve and present historical topics to public audiences in museums, archives, and historical societies. The course will expose students to both the theories and practice of providing history for public audiences, through a combination of in-class study and a hands-on service-learning experience at an area museum, archive, historical society, or other organization. (Fall of odd numbered years)
HIS 405 Medieval England
3 credits
HIS 405 will exam Medieval England during the High Middle Ages. We will focus on the eras of the Norman and Angevin Kings (1066 – 1216), but will also consider the reign of Edward I and the origins of Parliament. Thematically, the course will emphasize the Norman Conquest, imperialism in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland; the English Church, and the evolution of vital English institutions such as the Common Law and Parliament. HIS 405 requires a major research paper. Prerequisites: HIS 111, 216, 317 or permission of the department chair. (Spring of even numbered years)
HIS 406 American Reform Movements
3 credits
HIS 406 is the study of reform movements in the United States with reference to temperance, education, abolitionism, women’s rights, civil rights, and other reform agendas. In contextualizing these movements, the course will consider the connections between social reform and the rise of market capitalism, evangelical Christianity, and democratic politics. HIS 406 requires a major research paper. Prerequisites: HIS 101, 102, 317 or permission of the department chair. (Spring of odd numbered years)
HIS 465 History Internship
3-6 credits
Supervised experience in, or associated with a historical society, museum, library, or institutional archive. Internships are designed to serve two major purposes: first, to provide an opportunity for study and experience outside the traditional classroom setting, yet within the framework of disciplined inquiry; and second, to provide a special opportunity for participants to refine their emerging professional interests. Students may earn three or six credits in one or two semesters, but no more than a total of six credits. May not be used to satisfy the major requirements of 33 hours. Prerequisite: permission of the department chair. Graded credit.
HIS 475 Advanced Faith and Learning Integration
3 credits
In the spirit of the mission of Waynesburg University, this course intends to provide junior and senior level students with an unparalleled opportunity to integrate the Bible materials and its history of interpretation to the academic disciplines. Students who wish to engage in this level of theological reflection on vocation should consult with both their academic advisors and with the Chair of the Biblical and Ministry Studies Major Program. See BMS 475 for further information. This course will not substitute for senior capstone/research courses required in the majors. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing; three credits in BMS courses; 3.00 minimum grade point average. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 487 Honors Course
3-3 credits
A course covering a special topic in some field of history that will include training in historical methods. Open to junior or senior history majors with a B average in history. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 195, 295, 395, 495 Special Topics
3 credits
Subject matter to be arranged between the students and the professor. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.)
HIS 499 Portfolio Review
1 credit
The senior student will create a carefully selected collection that reflects the student’s learning at Waynesburg University. The portfolio may include but is not limited to exams, documentary analysis, historic site reviews, periodical literature reviews and journal entries. Spring