In addition to facilitating one's understanding of past developments and cultures, the study of history should expand a person's interests and challenge his/her preconceptions. The process of interaction of human communities with the environment, continuity and change in societies through time, the complex connections between the individual and society and the possibilities for individual action and creativity are among the themes that the History Department emphasizes in its courses. The History major at ISU thus offers a multi-dimensional study of the human experience across time and space.
The History department encourages students both to examine questions of human values and to develop skills in the analysis of complex issues. This training helps prepare one to teach at the secondary level, to enter public affairs, journalism, law or business, or to pursue graduate work in History or a related discipline.
To declare a major in history, a student must have sophomore standing and a grade point average of 2.0 or better.
Bachelor of Arts in History
Graduation Requirements
All history majors are required to take the following courses in
addition to the General Education Requirements for the
B.A. degree:
HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 cr
HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 cr
HIST 111 U.S. History I (to 1865) 3 cr
HIST 112 U.S. History II (to present) 3 cr
HIST 291 The Historian's Craft 3 cr
HIST g491 Seminar 3 cr
One of these Third World Classes:
HIST 251 Latin American Civilization 3 cr
HIST 252 East Asian History 3 cr
HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 cr
HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 cr
Two of these upper division classes with a comparative or world history emphasis:
HIST g311 American Cultures before 1800 3 cr
HIST g320 Renaissance Creativity 3 cr
HIST g322 Religious Reformation and Conflict 3 cr
HIST g325 Industrialization and Social Change 3 cr
HIST g356 Imperialism and Progressivism 3 cr
HIST g360 The Spanish Empire 3 cr
HIST g427 American West 3 cr
HIST g429 Foreign Relations since 1900 3 cr
HIST g435 Colonial Frontiers in America
and Africa 3 cr
HIST g437 Families in Former Times 3 cr
HIST g439 Women in History 3 cr
HIST g446 Social and Economic History of Greece
and Rome 3 cr
HIST g448 Medieval Social and Economic History 3 cr
HIST g451 Constituting Modern Spain 3 cr
IN ADDITION:
Any three additional 300-400 level
history classes: 9 cr
Any two additional 200-400 level
history classes: 6 cr
Total: 42 cr
Using more than one independent study class (461, 462, or 463)
to fulfill the requirements necessitates the permission of the
History Chair.
Minor in History
All history minors are required to take the following:
HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 cr
HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 cr
HIST 111 U.S. History I (to 1865) 3 cr
HIST 112 U.S. History II (to present) 3 cr
One of these Third World Classes:
HIST 251 Latin American Civilization 3 cr
HIST 252 East Asian History 3 cr
HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 cr
HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 cr
Two additional 200-400 level
classes in history: 6 cr
Total: 21 cr
Teaching Majors and Minors
All students exercising this option must have an advisor in the
History Department as well as in the College of Education.
Pre-Law Majors
Tom Hale is the pre-law advisor for the History
Department. Students interested in a post-graduate legal
education should consult regularly with him.
Foreign Language Recommendation
All students, particularly those planning graduate work, are
strongly urged to develop a foreign language program in addition
to the courses required for the BA degree. Students should
consult with their advisors.
History Courses
HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 credits. Western civilization from its roots in the Near East to the 17th century. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. F, S
HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 credits. Western civilization from the 17th century to the present. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. F, S
HIST 111 U.S. History I (to 1865) 3 credits. Colonial origins and achievement of independence, constitutional government, national boundaries, and the preservation of the union. Cross-listed as AMST 121. Satisfies Goal 9 of the General Education Requirements. F, S
HIST 112 U.S. History II (to present) 3 credits. The domestic and international development of a plural, industrial society. Cross-listed as AMST 122. Satisfies Goal 9 of the General Education Requirements. F, S
HIST 205 Problems in History 3 credits. An investigation of specific historical problems with relevance to the present day. Designed primarily for the non-history major. Problem, theme, or period varies with each course. D
HIST 221 Greece and Rome 3 credits. Social, political, economic and cultural developments of the Mediterranean world during Greek and Roman times. D
HIST 223 Medieval Europe 3 credits. The decline of the Roman Empire; the early development of the states of western Europe; the Medieval Church and the Papacy; and the industry, philosophy, science, and arts of the Middle Ages. D
HIST 225 United States Military History 3 credits. Survey of the origins and development of the U.S. military with appropriate attention to developments outside the U.S. Cross-listed as AMST 225. D
HIST 251 Latin American Civilization 3 credits. The fusion of Indian, European and African traditions with particular attention to Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Special emphasis will be given to the impact on intellectuals of nationalism, Indianist movements and Marxism. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. D
HIST 252 East Asian History 3 credits. The origins and growth of the distinctive cultures of China and Japan; their encounters with the West and different responses to Westernization, and their roles in the modern world. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. D
HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 credits. Middle Eastern Civilization from the emergence of Islam to the present. Emphasis on fundamentals of Islamic culture and modern political and social developments. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. D
HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 credits. An introductory survey of Africa covering traditional political systems and culture, the impact of Christianity and Islam, the economic and political intrusion of Europe, and the development of economic and political crises in contemporary Africa. Satisfies Goal 10A of the General Education Requirements. D
HIST 258 Native American History 3 credits. Assesses diversity of North American natives, their life and thought; European impact; federal policy; and natives' response to continual cultural and physical assault. Cross-listed as AMST 258. D
HIST 291 The Historian's Craft 3 credits. Takes an interdisciplinary approach to historical research. Trains students in diverse methods of inquiry and analysis. Cross-listed as AMST 291. D
HIST g311 American Cultures before 1800 3 credits. A study of American cultures prior to the arrival of Europeans, of the variety of transplanted cultures in America, and their changes over time. D
HIST g313 The Age of Jefferson 3 credits. The emergence of the American nation focusing on Thomas Jefferson and his contributions. Special emphasis on the American Revolution, nation-building, and the early years under the Constitution. PREREQ: HIST 111. D
HIST g315 Civil War and Reconstruction 3 credits. U.S. 1840-1877. The origins of the war between the states and the legacy of the war and Reconstruction for North and South. D
HIST g317 Industrialization and Reform in America 3 credits. U.S. 1877-1914. The emergence of a modern, industrialized society and its many problems; agricultural and labor protest and the challenge of new ideas in the social, economic and intellectual realms. D
HIST g319 Twentieth Century America 3 credits. U.S. 1917 to present. The major political, social, and economic developments; the Twenties; the Great Depression; the New Deal; and post World War II America. D
HIST g320 Renaissance Creativity 3 credits. The social history of the imagination, 1300-1650. Examines comparatively the conditions promoting individual creativity in an age of significant cultural change. PREREQ: HIST 101. D
HIST g322 Religious Reformation and Conflict 3 credits. A comparative study of the development of new faith communities and the religious violence which shattered the unity of Western Christianity, 1300-1650. PREREQ: HIST 101. D
HIST g323 Old Regime and French Revolution 3 credits. A study of traditional European institutions, society, and culture from 1650 to 1789 and their transformation in the age of the French Revolution and Napoleon, 1789-1815. D
HIST g325 Industrialization and Social Change 3 credits. Impact of European and American Industrial Revolutions on diverse social groups and their ways of life, on social habits and customs, and on politics and culture. PREREQ: HIST 102 AND 122. D
HIST g326 Twentieth Century Europe 3 credits. Europe in crisis: the origins and consequences of World War I; the breakdown of the Versailles settlement; the Great Depression and the rise of the fascist states; World War II and the tensions of the Cold War. D
HIST g336 Idaho and the Northwest 3 credits. Background for the settlement of Idaho; territorial developments and statehood; Idaho in the twentieth century and its relation to the other states in the Pacific Northwest. D
HIST g352 Islam and Nationalism in the Modern World 3 credits. A study of the interaction of Islam and national and ethnic identities in the Middle East including North Africa from 1800 up to the recent past. D
HIST g356 Imperialism and Progressivism 3 credits. A study of the world 1880-1920. Movements of change within the West, Third World responses to the Western challenge, and global crisis. PREREQ: HIST 252, HIST 254, OR HIST 255. D
HIST g360 The Spanish Empire 3 credits. The geographic, cultural, economic, administrative and military dimensions of the encounters and conflicts among the peoples of a major global empire from its medieval beginnings to its final collapse in the Napoleonic era. D
HIST g371 Historical Geography of Idaho 4 credits. Influences of geography and geology on Idaho's economic, political and cultural history. May be team taught. Labs, field trips, discussion sections. Cross-listed as GEOL g371 and POLS g371. AS
HIST g375 Early France and the Age of Chivalry 3 credits. Tests the assumption that French culture from AD 400 to l400 epitomized the culture of the middle ages-imperialistic, romantic, religious, feudal and chivalric. D
HIST g381-g382 Russian History 3 credits. Russia from its origins through the Great Reforms and the rise of revolutionary ideas in Czarist Russia to the revolutions of 1917 and the development of Soviet Russia. D
HIST 397 Workshop 1-2 credits. Workshops aimed at the development and improvement of skills. Does not satisfy requirements for a major or a minor. May be repeated. Graded S/U. D
HIST g405 Problems in History 3 credits. A thorough consideration of historical problems, particularly from a comparative perspective. Designed to give deeper insight into problems, issues, and topics which are treated more generally in other courses. D
HIST g427 American West 3 credits. Comparison of various American Wests in reality and imagination; emphasis on exploration, settlement, ethnic groups, economic development, resource utilization, and cultural depiction. PREREQ: HIST 111 AND HIST 112. D
HIST g429 Foreign Relations since 1900 3 credits. A study of foreign relations in the twentieth century from an international perspective. Special emphasis on the impact of wars on various peoples and cultures. D
HIST g430 Environmental History 3 credits. Historical examination of the social, intellectual, cultural, ecological, and political aspects of human interaction with the North American environment from Asian migration to the present. D
HIST g435 Colonial Frontiers in America and Africa 3 credits. A comparative examination of exploration, conquest, and resistance, and the interaction of cultures in frontier settings. Examines both the realities of the frontier and their impact on Western thought and imagination. D
HIST g437 Families in Former Times 3 credits. Reconstructs the marriage patterns and domestic lives of people in pre-industrial Europe (1000-1700 AD).
HIST g439 Women in History 3 credits. Shifting images and perceptions of women and women's roles, as contrasted with the realities of women's lives, with emphasis on 19th century Europe and America and the development of the movement for women's emancipation. D
HIST g443 English History 3 credits. Survey of the more important British political, constitutional, economic, and cultural developments from Anglo-Saxon times to the Victorian period. D
HIST g444 Victorian England and After 3 credits. England, 1837 to the present. An examination of the cultural, social, political, and economic history of the most prosperous and productive period of English history including British national and imperial decline in the twentieth century. D
HIST g446 Social and Economic History of Greece and Rome 3 credits. Investigates ways in which geography, demography and politics affected the mentalities and behaviors of social groups-women, patrons, clients and slaves-and the functioning of households, villages and cities. D
HIST g448 Medieval Social and Economic History 3 credits. Analyzes the impact of political instability, migration and environment upon European women and men from roughly AD 400 to l400 and their economic responses. D
HIST g451 Constituting Modern Spain 3 credits. Comparative study of Spaniards' attempts to create a constitutional regime that would provide a stable political framework in the face of serious religious, national, and class divisions, 1808 to the present. PREREQ: HIST 102. D
HIST g461-g462-463 Independent Study 1-3 credits. Selected readings in areas and periods not covered by the regular curriculum offerings. PREREQ: PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D
HIST g491 Seminar 3 credits. Reading, discussion, and preparation of research papers on selected topics. (For seniors majoring in history.) PREREQ: HIST 291 OR PERMISSION OF INSTRUCTOR. D
Humanities Courses
HUM 101 Survey of Humanities 3 credits. An interdisciplinary course examining the relationship between the arts from the Classical Age through the Enlightenment. Humanities 101 and 102 together satisfy Goals 6 and 7 of the General Education Requirements. D
HUM 102 Survey of Humanities II 3 credits. An interdisciplinary course examining the relationship between the arts from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Humanities 101 and 102 together satisfy Goals 6 and 7 of the General Education Requirements. D
HUM 301 Issues in the Humanities 1-4 credits. Designed to demonstrate the interdisciplinary approach to our culture through the study of at least two related disciplines in the arts and humanities. Issue, theme, or historical period studied varies with each course offering. Maximum 8 credits. D
HUM 402 Seminar in Humanities 2-4 credits. A seminar using interdisciplinary methodology to explore particular, designated issues in the humanities. Maximum 8 credits. D
IDAHO
STATE
UNIVERSITY