Upper-Division & Specialty Courses
Every semester, the Department of History offers unique and exciting courses to both history and non-history majors.
Upper-division courses (those numbered 3000 and higher) cover a wide range of historical periods and places.
You can learn about the ancient Near East and Mediterranean world in an Ancient History course or survey the political, economic, social and cultural developments of Latin American nations in one of our Modern Latin America courses.
Find the topics that fit your interests, and expand your knowledge in the record of human events.
Note: You must pass HIST 4985 to take HIST 4990.
Internships in Historical Studies
HIST 3010 - History of Indigenous America
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
An introduction to Native American history, stressing the integrity and viability of Native American societies; dynamic and self-directed culture changes and the clash of cultures that occurred with Native American and Non-Native contact.
HIST 3030 - African-American History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
African-American history from African origins to the late twentieth century. This course examines the historical experiences and enduring influence of African-Americans on U.S. history.
HIST 3050 - History of U.S. Latinos
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
Traces the historical development of the Latin Americans in the U.S. from their Indian, Spanish and African heritage to the present with special emphasis on the Mexican-American, Chicano contributions to American life.
HIST 3070 - Women in American History: 1600 to Present
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem., full sem. online], odd years
Examines gender as an organizing principle in United States history from the beginnings of European settlement to the present. Also explores the ways in which race, ethnicity, class, and region shaped different female experiences.
HIST 3090 - American Social History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], every other year
Explores American society through analyses of the public and private lives of ordinary individuals from colonial times to the twentieth century.
HIST 3110 - American Ideas and Culture
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
This course will look at key transformations in American cultural and intellectual history. Subjects will include the history of religion, the changing nature of political ideology, and transformations in who creates and controls entertainment, leisure and literature in American society. The course will use novels, sermons, essays, movies, museums, paintings, and music as tools for understanding American cultural life.
HIST 3120 - American Society through Film
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
This course explores the development of society and culture of twentieth-century America as they are represented and created through the medium of film. The motion picture has had a major impact on American society and culture, and this course analyzes how movies reflected and created American social and cultural structures in history.
HIST 3130 - U.S. Urban History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
Examines themes in social, economic and cultural development of American cities from the colonial era to the present. Key topics will include the process of urbanization and the ways in which various social groups and classes adapt to urban life and society. The course will also examine the transformation of urban neighborhoods and ghettos, social reform movements in the city, and the history of urban planning.
HIST 3210 - U.S. Constitutional History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
-
Fall [full sem.]
The ideas and issues which resulted in the 1787 Constitution. It considers two centuries of America Constitutionalism, focusing on powers and rights, and the role of the Constitution in American culture.
HIST 3220 - History of the Bill of Rights
Credits (3)
Typically Taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
This course will explore the historical origians of the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights. We will explore the original intent of the Framers of trhe Constitution and the Bill of Rights, as well as the context in which they were drafted and ratified. The historical significance of the Bill of Rights will be compared with their current understanding by Americans in the present.
HIST 3230 - American Foreign Relations
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
Diplomatic relations and foreign policy of the United States, with particular emphasis in the “American Century” beginning with the imperialist thrust of 1898.
HIST 3250 - Religion in American History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
A history of religion in America from the colonial period (including Native American spirituality) through the early twentieth century. This course will examine religious figures, events, and movements in U.S. history. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the influence of religion in the United States on culture, politics, education, and reform.
HIST 3270 - American Environmental History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
The new scholarship in American environmental history, considering the intellectual and material interaction people have had with the environment of North America, from pre-contact to the present.
HIST 3280 - American Military History from 1500 to 1890
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
Significance of military affairs in the context of American political, economic, and social history from the formation of the earliest colonial militias to the pre-World War I preparedness movement. Discusses major wars of this period but also emphasizes such themes as the professionalization of the officer corps, the relationship between war and technology, and civil-military relations.
HIST 3290 - American Military History from 1890 to the Present
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
Significance of military affairs in the context of American political, economic, and social history from America’s entry into World War I to the present. Discusses major wars of this period but also emphasizes such themes as the professionalization to the officer corps, the relationship between war and technology, and civil-military relations.
HIST 3350 - History and Philosophy of Science
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
The evolution and practice of Western science from origins to contemporary ideas.
HIST 3400 - Principles of Public History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
This course will consider the theoretical background of public history and its disciplines: historic preservation, museum studies, archives and records administration, and documentary editing. Students will survey, research, and analyze the ways in which history is conveyed to a broad public through museums, monuments, sites, films, and other media outside the classroom or scholarly writings. (Replaces HIST 2500.)
HIST 3500 - Historic Preservation
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
A study of the historic preservation movement in the United States including the history and evolution of the movement, theoretical origins, current conditions and laws, organizational framework and design philosophies.
HIST 3530 INT - History Editing
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer [full sem.]
Advanced principles in copyediting, scholarly publication, and preparation of material for mulitple publishing venues, including journals and monographs, public displays, and online collections.
Suggested Requisites: HIST 2000 and HIST 3400
HIST 3550 - Archives: Principles, Practices & Preservation
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
This course provides an introduction to archival management, in which the students learn how archival institutions obtain, process and manage a variety of archival formats, and how this information is made available to the public generally and to historians in particular.
HIST 4010 - Colonial America
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
The colonial origins of the United States to 1763.
HIST 4015 - History of the Atlantic World, 1400-1815
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
Atlantic World history refers to relationships and interactions between the peoples of the Americas, Africa and Europe, from the fifteenth through the nineteenth century. Its study focuses on themes such as migration and colonialism; the African slave trade, New World slavery and its abolition; trans-oceanic commerce and the development of history’s first worldwide cash economy; violence, mixing and transculturation among Europeans, Africans and indigenous Americans; negotiation of knowledge about medicine, geography and the natural world; and the evolution of imperial systems and the wars of Independence.
HIST 4020 - Era of the American Revolution: 1763-1800
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
Causes of American Revolution, including the military, diplomatic and social aspects; the formation of the Union under the Articles of Confederation; the Constitution; and the Federalist era.
HIST 4030 - New Nation: 1800-1840
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
Emphasizes Jefferson’s Administration, War of 1812, the Era of Good Feelings, and the Age of Jackson, including the growth of political parties, territorial expansion, sectionalism, and social reform.
HIST 4040 - Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction: 1840-1877
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
Slavery and the causes of the Civil War with attention to the political, economic, social, and military aspects of the conflict, including the period of Reconstruction to 1877.
HIST 4050 - U.S. in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: 1877-1919
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
The transformation of the United States following the Civil War and Reconstruction into a modern urban-industrial superpower by the end of the First World War.
HIST 4060 - United States, 1919-1945
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
Developments, historical patterns and conflicts which shaped the modern United States in the Twenties, the Great Depression and the Second World War.
HIST 4065 - The United States in the Second World War
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
History of the United States during the Second World War. The course examines the war’s origins, conduct, and consequences in distant battlefields and on the American homefront.
HIST 4070 - United States since 1945
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem. online]
- Summer [full sem. online]
The United States from 1945 to the present, including investigations of the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the affluent society, modern politics, the Vietnam and Watergate crises and contemporary issues.
HIST 4110 - History of the American West to 1900
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
Explores the history of the Trans-Mississippi West region of the United States from 1500 to the 1890s. The course considers the varied experiences of its peoples and the myth of the West in American culture.
HIST 4120 - The American West since 1900
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
Explores the history of the Trans-Mississippi West Region during the twentieth century, to include analysis of such issues as water use and allocation, population growth, land use, exploitation of resources, conservation, the federal presence, tourism, and threats to the environment.
HIST 4130 - History of Utah
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer [full sem.]
(Taught online when not offered face-to-face)
A study of Utah history from its Native American beginnings through the 20th Century-emphasizing political, economic and social developments.
HIST 4210 - Ancient History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
The ancient Near East and Mediterranean world, including the civilizations of Greece and Rome, from approximately 3500 B.C.E. to 475 C.E. This course examines the origins of civilization and traces the development of culture, emphasizing the religious, political, and intellectual legacy of the ancient world.
HIST 4220 - History of the Middle Ages 300-1300
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
A survey of Europe during the Middle Ages emphasizing the religious, political, and cultural institutions shaping this period.
HIST 4230 - Renaissance and Reformation - Europe: 1300-1660
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
Examines the cultural, religious, political and economic factors that affected Europe from the end of the Middle Ages to the mid-1600s. Special emphasis is given to the Renaissance and Reformation as vital forces at work during the period.
HIST 4240 - Absolutism, Enlightenment and Revolution - Europe: 1660-1815
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
Examines the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that affected Europe during the period. Special consideration is given to the Enlightenment as a cultural phenomenon and to European-wide revolution and counter-revolution in the late eighteenth century.
HIST 4250 - Nineteenth-Century Europe
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
A survey of European history from the fall of Napoleon to the beginning of the First World War. The course will focus on the lingering impact of the political and economic revolutions of the late eighteenth century on the politics, culture, and social development of the nineteenth. Major consideration will be given to liberalism, romanticism, socialism, nationalism, imperialism, industrialization, science, and the rise of mass society.
HIST 4260 - Europe in the Age of Total War
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
This overview of European history begins with the First World War and concludes with an assessment of the challenges and opportunities presented to Europe by the current world order. The course will examine the ways in which Europe has been shaped by the rise and fall of totalitarian movements, war, genocide, colonial and post-colonial politics, the Cold War, globalization and the shift to a post-industrial economy.
HIST 4280 - History of Christianity in Europe
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
A history of the development and impact of Christianity within Europe through the twentieth century. This course will examine how Christianity affected European society, culture, politics, and science; and how these affected the institutions within Christianity. Particular emphasis will be placed on the early growth of Christianity, medieval changes, the Reformation, and spirituality in the industrial age.
HIST 4310 - Tsarist Russia
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
Russia’s political, economic, social and cultural institutions from pre-history to 1917, emphasizing dynastic leaders, expansion, religion and other significant forces of change. Includes an analysis of both foreign and domestic policies that led to world war and revolution.
HIST 4320 - Stalin and the Soviet Experiment
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
Analyzes the political, economic, military, diplomatic, social, and ideological problems, crises, and programs from the Russian Revolutions of 1917 to the present.
HIST 4330 - History of England to 1485
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
A survey of English history to 1485 with special consideration given to England’s cultural, political, economic and social development during the Middle Ages.
HIST 4335 - Tudor and Stuart England
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
A survey of English history during the Tudor and Stuart periods (1485-1714). Emphasis will be placed on the social, cultural, political, religious and economic development of England during this period.
HIST 4340 - History of England since 1714
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
A survey of English history from 1714 to the present. Special emphasis will be given to England’s cultural, political, economic, and social development during the Industrial Revolution, the Victorian era, and the twentieth century.
HIST 4350 - Germany and the Third Reich
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
German social-political, economic and cultural developments from the eighteenth century to the present. Topics include the Prussians, Classicism, Revolution, the Age of Bismarck, industrialism and warfare, and the 20th Century.
HIST 4370 - History of Modern France 1789-present
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
Examines the political, social, and cultural history of France from the outbreak of the French Revolution to the present. Attention will focus on political ideologies, religious and philosophical movements, artistic and literary expression, and changes in the social environment. The course will also attend to the impact of France and French culture on the world and to recent challenges presented to French national identity by globalization.
HIST 4410 - History of Spain and Portugal
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
A survey of the political, economic, social and cultural development of Spain and Portugal from the beginning to the present.
HIST 4440 - East European Empires
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
Examines the political, economic, and social factors that have shaped the history of this region from the medieval era until 1815
HIST 4450 - Cold War Europe
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
Examines the political, economic, and social factors influencing Europe after 1945.
HIST 4490 - Historiography and Methods
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
This course will consider the methods of the professional historian necessary for integrating primary and secondary sources with a focus on historiography, and provide practice with those skills for classroom teachers.
HIST 4500 - Teaching Social Studies in Grades 5-12
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
Materials and methods of teaching for skill, concept and value development in middle, junior high and senior high school social studies. (Required of all majors in Social Science area).
HIST 4510 - Twentieth Century World
Credits: (3)
The political, economic, and social forces of the twentieth century since World War I. Emphasis is placed on global relationships, the rise of mass society, and conflict among cultures in an era of accelerating change.
HIST 4520 - History of Medicine
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
This course will examine the history of medicine from antiquity to the present in a comparative framework. It will discuss changing ideas about the body, the nature of disease, the role of physicians, and the practice of medicine in relationship to larger cultural transformations.
HIST 4530 - Far Eastern History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
A survey of the political, economic, social and cultural development of China, Japan, and Korea from the pre-modern era to the present, with particular emphasis given to the 19th and 20th centuries.
HIST 4550 - Southeast Asian History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
A survey of the political, economic, social and cultural development of Southeast Asia from the pre-modern era to the present, with particular emphasis given to the 19th and 20th centuries.
HIST 4570 - Islamic Civilization
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
This course will examine the history of Islam from the 7th century to the present. It will discuss key theological developments, the spread of the religion and its diverse forms, and its effects on culture, art, and science.
HIST 4590 - Middle Eastern History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
A survey of the political, economic, social and cultural development of the Middle East from the rise of Islam to the present with particular emphasis on the 19th and 20th centuries.
HIST 4610 - History of Africa
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], odd years
Africa from earliest times to the twentieth century, with emphasis on the Sub-Sahara from its ancient kingdoms through the travails of the slave trade, European colonialism, and the independence movement.
HIST 4630 - Latin American History: Pre-Columbian to Independence
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], even years
History of ancient Native Latin America through the Spanish and Portuguese takeover and colonization.
HIST 4650 - Latin American History Since Independence
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.], even years
A survey of the political, economic, social and cultural developments of the Latin American nations to the present.
HIST 4670 - History of Mexico
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
A survey from ancient Native American times, the colonial experience, and the nation including the U.S. Southwest until 1848.
HIST 4700 - The U.S. and East Asia: War, Revolution, and Modernization
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Spring [full sem.]
This course will survey major developments involving the U.S. in East Asia in the 20th century. Wars, revolution, and modernization resulted from direct encounters with the Philippines, China, Japan, and Vietnam, making these among the consequential episodes in world history.
HIST 4710 - Special Issues and Topics in American History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.],
- Spring [full sem.]
When offered will focus on a specific and detailed subject in American History. Students may repeat this course for credit when the topic offered is substantially different than the previous class. May be repeated 3 times with a maximum of 9 credit hours.
HIST 4720 - Special Issues and Topics in European History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
When offered will focus on a specific and detailed subject in European History. Students may repeat this course for credit when the topic offered is substantially different than the previous class. May be repeated 3 times with a maximum of 9 credit hours.
HIST 4730 - Special Issues and Topics in Global and Comparative History
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.], odd years
When offered will focus on a specific and detailed subject in global or comparative history. Students may repeat this course for credit when the topic offered is substantially different than the previous class. May be repeated 3 times with a maximum of 9 credit hours.
HIST 4810 - Experimental Courses
Credits: (3)
HIST 4830 - Directed Readings
Credits: (1-3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer [full sem.]
Independent reading under the supervision of a department member on special topics in History. For each hour of credit approximately 1500 pages of material will be read. A written assignment on this material will also be completed. No more than three hours will count towards a major or minor. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.
HIST 4860 INT - Internships in Historical Studies
Credits: (1-6)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer [full sem.]
Open to all students. Faculty supervised off-campus internships in public history institutions. Each internship is individually established and provides students with practical experience and the opportunity to apply and learn new professional skills. Six hours of internship are required for the Public History Emphasis. No more than six hours will count towards a major or minor. Prerequisite: Junior-class standing and permission of instructor and field supervisor. May be repeated 3 times with a maximum of 9 credit hours. Learn more about History internships.
HIST 4920 - Short Courses, Workshops, and Special Programs
Credits: (1-6)
Consult the semester class schedule for the current offering under this number. The specific title and credit authorized will appear on the student transcript. No more than six hours will count towards a major or minor.
HIST 4985 - Historical Research and Methods
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer[full sem.]
This course teaches research and writing skills and is designed to prepare History students for History 4990. Students will learn how to find a research topic, develop a thesis, identify primary sources, cite those sources, and prepare a research proposal. The course will expose students to models of good historical writing and argumentation which will serve as models for their own writing.
HIST 4990 - Senior Seminar
Credits: (3)
Typically taught:
- Fall [full sem.]
- Spring [full sem.]
- Summer [full sem.]
A seminar for History majors requiring the completion of an extensive thesis project. Prerequisite: HIST 4985.