This page explains the new undergraduate program in History at Idaho State University.

Undergraduate History Program, Idaho State University


Department of History

Idaho State University

Pocatello, Idaho 83209, USA

Telephone: (208) 282-2379

General Education

A new course will be used to satisfy Goal 9 of the General Education requirements. Courses used to satisfy this goal cannot be applied to the undergraduate History major. The new course is:

HIST 118: U. S. History and Culture
Description: An introduction to U.S. history and culture, including cultural change over time. F, S, Su. Fulfills General Education Goal 9.

Note: HIST 111 and HIST 112 will be phased out from the department's offerings, but because they will be taught at the high school level for college credit, they will still satisfy Goal 9.

History Major (for Arts & Sciences and Education)

For admission to status as a major and to be accepted as a major by the history department, a student must have completed General Education Goals 1,2,3,9, and 10A for the Bachelor of Arts degree and have an overall grade point average of 2.5 or higher.

We base the design of the History major curriculum presented here on the following definition of a curriculum [based on a statement of Clark Kerr in Frederick Rudolph, Curriculum (Carnegie Foundation, 1977)]: "The knowledge and experience the faculty deems to be useful, appropriate and relevant to educated people."

In order to provide relevant content to this definition, the department adopted in its meeting of 31 October 2003 the following Historical Thinking Objectives as a guide to the design of the undergraduate curriculum. We used this list to review the department's course offerings to make sure that the students have adequate opportunities to develop towards these goals.

Historical Thinking Objectives

  1. Understand historical events [and developments (added 17 Sept. 2004)] in their global context
  2. Understand how places are connected (for example, by economic, political, and cultural links) and analyze how these interconnections have changed over particular periods
  3. Understand regions as historical entities, including change in their spatial dimensions and characteristics over time
  4. Understand cartographic representations of spatial features and relationships and of historical developments
  5. Understand how local developments are linked to regional or global themes
  6. Understand explanations of individual and collective action
  7. Understand ideas and values and how they are interpreted and transformed in historical contexts
  8. Understand how historians use evidence and develop differing interpretations
  9. Understand bias and points of view in primary and secondary sources, including in images, documentary films, and cartographic representations

    Each course in the department's curriculum will be linked to one or more of these criteria, and we will ensure that we have courses that address each of the criteria.

    The proposed undergraduate curriculum will require students to take a minimum of 36 credits and will be organized within the following six categories:

    Category I, World Regions (nine credits, at least three of which must be HIST 101 or HIST 102)

    Students must take at least three of the following World Regions courses:

    HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 credits

    HIST 251 Latin America 3 credits
    New description: Historical development in its global context of Latin America as a world region, defined by the religion, political institutions, and languages brought by Iberian conquerors and characterized by the contributions of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans.

    HIST 252 East Asian History 3 credits
    HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 credits

    HIST 256 Modern Southeast Asian History 3 credits
    Description: An exploration of modern Southeast Asian history. Topics include the rise and decline of colonialism; emergence of nationalism, anti-colonialism and independent states; the impact of regional and global wars; processes of regional integration, and regional cultural, economic and social forces shaping the region.

    Note: Students may use one of these courses to satisfy Goal 10A of the General Education requirements.

    Category II, Research Skills (six credits)

    HIST 291 The Historian's Craft 3 credits
    Note: To be taken as early as possible after a student has declared a major in History. F, S. The course is to be a firm prerequisite for HIST 491.

    HIST g491 Seminar 3 credits
    New description: Reading, discussion, and preparation for research papers on selected topics. (For seniors majoring in history). PREREQ: Senior standing in History major; HIST 291.
    Note: History majors must have taken HIST 291 in order to take this course. F, S.

    Category III, Courses for Teachers

    Note: These will be courses organized around state-established education standards, with assignments designed to encourage students to think about how to teach to these standards. EDUC 309 is "Instructional Planning, Delivery, and Assessment," and EDUC 311 is "Instructional Technology." Admission to the Teacher Education Program is a prerequisite for EDUC 311.

    HIST g418, U.S. History Survey for Secondary Education Majors 3 credits
    Description: U.S. history from indigenous cultures through modern America. Based on the Idaho Department of Education Standards for High School Students. PREREQ: ADMISSION TO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM, EDUC 309, EDUC 311. F, S, Su.

    Students must take a minimum of six credits selected from the courses in Category IV and six credits selected from those in Category V.

    Category IV, upper-division U.S. history courses (six credits)

    HIST 307, Early North America 3 credits
    A study of North American cultures prior to the arrival of Europeans, of the variety of transplanted cultures in America and their changes over time. Special emphasis on the founding of the United States and the establishment of government under the Constitution. R2

    HIST 308, Industrialization and Reform in the U.S. 3 credits
    Description: U.S. 1820_1932. The emergence of industrialization in the early 19th century, the impact of the Civil War on industrialization, and industrialization?s attendant political, social, cultural, and economic reforms and changes. Special attention paid to abolitionism, postwar reconstruction, and the Great Migration of African Americans to the industrialized North. R2

    HIST 309, Modern United States 3 credits
    A historical examination of the United States from the 1930s to the present, focusing on the Great Depression, New Deal, World War II, the U.S. rise to global power, its maturation as a mass society, the rise and decline of liberalism and conservatism, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the changing nature of citizenship and culture, and the end of the Cold War. R2

    Note: These three 300-level courses will provide a broad background for those preparing to teach U.S. history at the secondary level.

    HIST g421, Federal Indian Relations 3 credits
    Description: This course provides a legal-historical examination of the relationship between North American tribal peoples and the U.S. federal government between 1750 and the present. Special emphasis will be placed on Indian removal, assimilation policy, treaty negotiation, the Dawes Severality Act, education policy, Indian reorganization policy, and termination. R2

    HIST g423, Idaho History 3 credits
    Description: A survey of the social, cultural, environmental, and political history of Idaho from pre-contact indigenous cultures to the present, emphasizing Idaho's relation to other states and regions in the West. F, S.

    HIST g425: Women in the North American West 3 credits
    Description: Comparative examination of the varied experiences of women in the North American West. Analyzes perceptions of women and women's views of themselves, women's activism, and women's cultural activities. Places special emphasis on the use of non-textual historical sources in uncovering the past lives of North American western women. R2

    HIST g427, North American West 3 credits
    New Description: History of the North American West, with emphasis on exploration, settlement, ethnic groups, borderlands, environment, and cultural depictions. R2

    HIST g428, U.S. & the World Since 1898 3 credits
    Description: An exploration of the United States' rise to global power. Topics will include the U.S. acquisition of empire, participation in two world wars, fight against communism, Vietnam, the role of economics, culture, race, gender, and ideology, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, among much else. R2

    Category V, upper-division courses emphasizing world, comparative, or non-U.S. history (six credits)

    HIST 318, History of Christianity 3 credits
    Description: This course will survey the history of Christianity from its origins to its various expressions in the modern world. Special attention will be given to the initial formation of Christian traditions, the encounter of Christianity with intellectual and social trends in western history, and the periodic movements of reform which sought to refashion Christian life and institutions. D

    HIST 322, Religious Reformation and Conflict 3 credits
    D

    HIST 323, Old Regime and French Revolution 3 credits
    D

    HIST 326, Twentieth Century Europe 3 credits
    D

    HIST 382, Russia 3 credits
    D

    HIST g429, International Relations since 1900 3 credits
    Description: An introduction to the history of international relations in the twentieth century. This course emphasizes the impact of wars on various peoples and cultures, anti-colonialism and the rise of the so-called "Third World," and the processes of political, cultural and economic "globalization." R2

    HIST g430, Global Environmental History 3 credits
    Description: Comparative examinations of historical interactions between humans and environmental factors in various time periods and regions throughout the world, and an assessment of their impacts on historical change. R2

    HIST g435, Colonial Frontiers 3 credits
    D

    HIST g437 Families in Former Times 3 credits
    Reconstructs marriage patterns, domestic lives and communal activities of people in pre-industrial Europe (AD 1000-1700). D

    HIST g438, Women in Pre-industrial Europe 3 credits
    Compares and contrasts the social, cultural and economic roles of women from 700-1700 AD, and analyzes the impacts of historical change on their lives. D CROSS-LISTS WITH WOMEN'S STUDIES.

    HIST g439, Women in History 3 credits
    Description: Comparative study of the history of women in different world regions. R2. CROSS-LISTS WITH WOMEN'S STUDIES.

    HIST g441, The Viking Age 3 credits
    Studies the cultures and societies of Scandinavia, England and continental Europe from 700 to 1100 AD. D

    HIST g443, English History 3 credits
    D

    HIST g444, Victorian England and After 3 credits
    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 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 Europeans (AD 200-1400). D

    HIST g450 Golden Age Castile 3 credits
    HIST g453, Renaissance Creativity 3 credits
    Description: Examination of the conditions promoting individual creativity among Europeans in the first global age, 1400-1700. Special emphasis on geospatial research on the history of printing. AS.

    HIST g460, The Global Hispanic Monarchy 3 credits
    Description: The African, American, Asian, European, and Oceanic domains of the Iberian Habsburg dynasty, especially those of Castile and Portugal, whose officials and subjects created and maintained many of the communications routes that defined the first global age. Students prepare geospatial datasets on these routes. AS.

    HIST g474, Islam and Nationalism in the Modern World 3 credits
    D

    HIST g478, Imperialism and Progressivism 3 credits
    D

    HIST g490, Cartography: History and Design 3 credits
    Description: History of how map-makers represent geographic, spatial data. Special attention to the elements of successful cartographic design. F.

    Category VI, electives (nine credits)

    A minimum of three additional courses selected from Categories III, IV, and V, and the following list of courses. For those courses offered by other departments, students must satisfy all prerequisites.

    HIST 221 Greece and Rome 3 credits
    D

    HIST 223 Medieval Europe 3 credits
    D

    HIST 337 Archaeology and History of Southern Idaho 2 credits
    Description: A multicultural, ethnographic perspective on the history of the Snake River Plain. Course content focuses on the 1811 to 1890s time period and is rich in details based on information gathered from the earliest accounts and historical archaeological fieldwork.

    HIST 364, Public History Internship 1-6 credits
    Faculty supervised placement in historical societies, museums, archives, government agencies, municipal departments, libraries or other institutions engaged in historical preservation, dissemination, and/or research. D

    HIST g405, Problems in History 3 credits
    D

    HIST g461, Independent Study: U.S. 1-3 credits
    PREREQ: PREVIOUS UPPER DIVISION COURSE WORK IN THE SUBJECT AREA, WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF A-; GPA OF 3.5 IN ALL HISTORY COURSES; PERMISSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR; AND APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR. D.

    HIST g462, Independent Study: Europe 1-3 credits
    PREREQ: PREVIOUS UPPER DIVISION COURSE WORK IN THE SUBJECT AREA, WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF A-; GPA OF 3.5 IN ALL HISTORY COURSES; PERMISSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR; AND APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR. D.

    HIST g463, Independent Study: World Regions 1-3 credits
    PREREQ: PREVIOUS UPPER DIVISION COURSE WORK IN THE SUBJECT AREA, WITH A MINIMUM GRADE OF A-; GPA OF 3.5 IN ALL HISTORY COURSES; PERMISSION OF THE INSTRUCTOR; AND APPROVAL BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR. D.

    Note: In addition to the information in the prerequisite statement, the following shall be necessary in order to obtain the required approval of the department chairperson:
    If a student has met the necessary course work and grade requirements and the relevant faculty member agrees to direct the student's independent study, they will draw up a course outline, with a reading list and work requirements, and this outline will be presented to the department chairperson. The department chairperson must also approve the proposed course in writing before the student may enroll for independent study. A copy of the outline and any other relevant documents will be maintained by the chairperson in a file of independent study material to insure that consistent standards are followed.

    ANTH 410, Introduction to Cultural Resources Management 3 credits

    ECON 323, Economic History 3 credits

    GEOL 403, Principles of Geographic Information Systems 3 credits

    POLS 313, Introduction to Political Philosophy 3 credits

    POLS 411, American Political Theory 3 credits

    Minor in History

    World Regions 9 credits (nine credits, at least three of which must be HIST 101 or HIST 102)

    Students must take at least three of the following World Regions courses:
    HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 251 Latin America 3 credits
    HIST 252 East Asian History 3 credits
    HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 credits
    HIST 256 Modern Southeast Asian History 3 credits
    Note: Students may use one of these courses to satisfy Goal 10A of the General Education requirements.

    ONE additional 200-400 level class in history: 3 credits

    TWO additional 300-400 level classes in history: 6 credits

    Total: 18 credits

    Associate of Arts in History

    Students seeking an Associate of Arts degree must complete the following:

    World Regions 9 credits (nine credits, at least three of which must be HIST 101 or HIST 102)

    Students must take at least three of the following World Regions courses:
    HIST 101 Foundation of Western Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 102 Development of Western Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 251 Latin America 3 credits
    HIST 252 East Asian History 3 credits
    HIST 254 Middle Eastern Civilization 3 credits
    HIST 255 African History and Culture 3 credits
    HIST 256 Modern Southeast Asian History 3 credits

    Note: Students may use one of these courses to satisfy Goal 10A of the General Education requirements.

    THREE additional 200-400 level classes in history: 9 credits

    Total: 18 credits 

    All contents copyright © 2005.
Department of History, Idaho State University
All rights reserved.

    
Revised: 24 March 2005

    
URL:  http://www.isu.edu/~owenjack/undergrad.html