History Courses

NOTE: History 101, 102 and 103 may be taken in any order.

HIST 101 - US History: Colonial America through the Revolutionary Era

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Colonial America through the Revolutionary Era surveys the political, social, economic, cultural and ideological characteristics of the 17th and 18th centuries, beginning with the earliest settlements through the establishment of the early American republic. Students are introduced to the techniques and strategies of historians through the use of historical texts, both primary and secondary, as well as the procedures of historical writing. Attention is given to multiple American cultures and their prevalent values and institutions; the explanations for change in such values and institutions; and relationships within the American colonies and the early United States both among the cultural groups comprising the national population as well as with those of Europe and Africa.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 102 - US History: The Civil War and the 19th Century

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

US History: The Civil War and the 19th Century surveys the political, social, economic, cultural and ideological characteristics of the United States from the early Republic, through the Civil War, to the Spanish American War. Students are introduced to the techniques and strategies of historians through the use of historical texts, both primary and secondary, as well as the procedures of historical writing. Attention is given to the prevalent values and institutions of America; the explanations for change in such values and institutions; and the interaction of the United States with the cultural groups comprising the national population as well as with specific nations of the world.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 103 - US History: The 20th Century and Beyond

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

US History: The 20th Century and Beyond surveys the political, social, economic, cultural and ideological characteristics of modern America beginning c. 1900. Students are introduced to the techniques and strategies of historians through the use of historical texts, both primary and secondary, as well as the procedures of historical writing. Attention is given to prevalent American values and institutions; the explanations for change in such values and institutions; and the relationship between the United States and other cultures.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 103H - United States and Pennsylvania History: The 20th Century (Honors)

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Modern United States History from the end of the 19th century to the present with special attention to its relationship to other humanities and social sciences, and with an emphasis on historical theory and interpretation. 

Offered Online: Yes

HIST 121 - World History: The Distant Past

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

In this course students examine the remote past to understand the roots of contemporary social institutions. The development of complex societies in Africa, Eurasia, the Americas and the Pacific will be explored, along with the growth of empires, long-distance trade networks, and religious traditions. Students identify and interpret archival materials and primary sources, with a focus on themes, patterns, processes, and events prior to the sixteenth century.

NOTE: History 121 and 122 may be taken in any order.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 122 - World History: The Recent Past

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

In this course, students examine the recent past to understand the roots of contemporary phenomena such as the nation-state, international law, social movements, and global networks of trade and technology. Students identify and interpret archival materials and primary sources, with a focus on themes, patterns, processes, and events from the sixteenth century onward.

NOTE: History 121 and 122 may be taken in any order.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 142 - Food History

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

In this course, students will study the historical relationship between human beings and the food they consume, as well as the social institutions that have evolved around the production and consumption of food across cultures and time periods. 

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 146 - Latino American History

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Analyzing the Latino story in terms of race, gender and class, this course weaves the too little known story of Latino Americans into the history of the United States. Some of the time periods and movements analyzed include the 16th century conquest, colonization, 19th century expansion, the Great Depression, World War II, Post war society, the Civil Rights movement, and late 20th and early 21st century immigration. For this course, the term, "Latinos" includes people from the Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and Belize.

HIST 150 - History of American Health Care

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

A historical, conceptual survey of the origins and development of American health care from colonial America to the contemporary health care issues of the United States. 

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 151 - History of Capitalism

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Capitalism is the dominant system of economic organization in the world today. Students will examine its origins, its development, its critics and its alternatives. In doing so, they will draw upon the fields of business history, labor history, political economy, and the history of economic thought, while applying lessons from these fields to contemporary economic problems.

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 160 - History of American Diversity

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

This course places the themes of race, ethnicity, gender, class and religion in a historical context from pre-Columbian America through colonial and revolutionary North America and into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It strives to be culturally inclusive and intellectually encompassing, emphasizing the actual experiences of ordinary citizens as well as those of extraordinary individuals.

HIST 170/RS 170 - Religion in American History

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

This course examines the origins, beliefs, practices and cultural significance of  religious traditions and movements in American history, including but not limited to Native American religious traditions, Protestant denominations, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, African American religions, and religious movements founded in the United States such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Seventh-Day Adventists. Close reading and interpretive analysis of primary texts constitute the major course activities. 

General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 176/ADC 176 - Philadelphia History: Architecture and Planning

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Students in this course will study Philadelphia's physical and social development from William Penn's initial founding through the 21st Century. The course will focus on interpretation of the city's physical design as an expression of social, demographic and political contexts, technological advances and new materials, and evolving construction techniques of each significant historical period. Students participate in field trips and other onsite experiences that take place in various sections of the city. 

General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 180 - Women and History

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

The role of women in a multi-cultural context studied historically. Special emphasis on women's cultural and social roles in diverse societies in different periods. 

HIST 220 - African American History to 1877

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Making use of primary texts, this course surveys the social, cultural and political history of African Americans from enslavement through the Civil War and the post-war period, Reconstruction. Beginning in West Africa, the course examines three centuries of North American slavery, as well as the initial experiences of African Americans with emancipation and the promises of Reconstruction. 

General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 221 - African American History After 1865

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

This course surveys the cultural, social and political history of African Americans after the Civil War. Especially through close reading of primary texts, the course examines the experiences of African Americans during emancipation, urbanization, and the modern Civil Rights and Black Power eras. 

Offered Online: Yes
General Education Fulfillment: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation

HIST 297H - Intellectual History: Ancient and Medieval (Honors)

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Ancient and medieval intellectual history with special attention to its relationship to other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and with an emphasis on historical theory and interpretation. 

Prerequisite:

ENGL 101 or ENGL 101H

HIST 298H - Intell Hist: Modern Honors

3-0-3
Credit Hours: 3

Modern History from the Reformation to the 21st century with special attention to its relationship to other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and with an emphasis on historical theory and interpretation.

Prerequisite:

ENGL 101 or ENGL 101H