History (Minor)

Surveys the different regions of the world with a focus on the dynamic relationships among them. Considers physical, demographic, ethnic and economic differences. A requirement for elementary education/liberal studies students. [ 3 credits ]

Concentrates on the cultural and institutional development of European self-consciousness as separate from its Greco-Roman origins. Emphasizes the development of European city-states and a divided Christianity. Fulfills the general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

This is an introduction to peace and justice studies. The course focuses on negative peace (i.e., eliminating direct violence, including war) as well as positive peace building (fostering an equitable economic system and ecological balance). The course analyzes the roots of violence and inequity as well antidotes to these problems. Fulfills general education requirement in cross-cultural studies and history. [3 credits]

Examines the nature, causes and consequences of genocide in order to understand the possibilities and challenges of preventing genocidal violence in the future. The course introduced students to the controversies surrounding the definition and analysis of genocide. It begins with the contested question of what constitutes genocide, and how genocide stands apart from other forms of mass violence such as ethnic cleansing and massacres. The course then considers several approaches to theorizing the causes of genocide. In addition, we analyze the challenges of identifying potentially genocidal situations before the killing begins and of intervening to prevent and stop genocides. The course also studies processes of reconciliation in societies that have experienced, or teetered on, the brink of genocide. Using scholarly texts, works of fiction and films, we explore issues of causation, intervention and healing in cases including the colonial genocides of indigenous populations, the Holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kosovo, the Iraqi Kurds and Darfur. Ultimately, the course asks students to decide whether genocide is an inevitable scourge of the human condition or a tragic aberration that humanly has the power to transcord. [3 credits] Fulfills General Education Requirement: History

Surveys the development of the United States from the ratification of the 1789 Constitution to the transforming election of 1896. Explores the maturation of American political, economic, social, cultural and legal life in the period. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Analyzes the American social fabric by examining the experiences of several ethnic groups, including, but not limited to, Native Americans, Asian and European immigrants, Hispanic Americans and African Americans. Fulfills general education requirement in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the transformation of the United States into an industrial-urban state and the impact of reform movements on American politics and life. Considers the rise of the United States as a world power. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Focuses on major stages in the development of Chinese civilization from earliest times to about 1850. Also discusses the history of peoples who received their higher culture from China, such as the Japanese, and of nomadic groups that interacted with the Chinese over many centuries, such as the Mongols. Fulfills general education requirement in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Surveys the historical significance of women's changing roles in American society from the colonial period to the present. Emphasizes differences on the basis of race, class and region. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the United States since World War II with a focus on the origins and longevity of the Cold War, the war in Vietnam, and the social and political upheaval of the 1960s and 1970s. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Examines presidential power, presidential elections, foreign and domestic policy, presidential decision-making, and relations with Congress with historic and contemporary examples. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Examines European history from the Renaissance to the French Revolution (ca. 1350-1800) in an investigation of the following question: Why and how did the modern world originate in previously backward Europe? Stresses use of primary sources. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the political and intellectual zenith of Europe in the 19th century and its decline during the two World Wars. We emphasize the changing intellectual outlook: imperialism, right- and left-wing totalitarianism, socialism, the formation of the European Union, the fall of communist governments in the east and current immigration problems. Fulfills general education requirement for history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Introduces students to the history of the modern world. Students will examine political, economic, and social changes of the last five centuries, focusing on the relations between societies and cultures and how they have shaped the modern world. Emphasis will be placed on the rise of industry and technology, the changing role and nature of conflict, the worldwide evolution of political and religious ideologies, global and culture-specific shifts in gender roles, the development of international interdependence, and the impact of social movements on world history. Fulfills general education requirements for history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the political, social and economic history of Maryland from the colonial period to the 20th century. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Examines Europe's changing world role from 1800 to the present. The course will focus on the major 19th century events as well as World War I, World War II, the Cold War and the post-Cold War periods. Fulfills general education requirements for history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the evolution of communist beliefs and institutions across the breadth of the 20th century. Studies the weakening and ultimate disintegration of those beliefs and institutions in the Soviet Union and its satellites151one of the most significant clusters of world events of the late 20th century. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Analyzes the history or Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present, navigating through colonialism, independence, the formation of nations, military and personal dictatorships, to current imperfect democracies. The course reviews the economic swings between protectionism and neo-liberalism, and studies how different countries deal with income inequality, race, environmental issues, the changing role of women, cultural differences, and the role of religion. Case studies will focus on Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, and Cuba. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Uses primary and secondary sources to examine the struggle for women's suffrage from the colonial period to the 20th century. Focuses on suffrage leaders and the strategies they implemented to secure the right to vote for American women, with attention paid to racial and class differences. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the historical development and current realities of women's political, cultural, and economic roles in Islamic societies. The course explores the diversity of women's roles in Muslim countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, africa, and Asia. It examines how women have influenced, and been affected by, international trends such as the spread of democracy, the rise of religious fundamentalism, and the process of globalization. Students learn how Muslim women have defined themselves, and been defined, in the realms of political/social activism, work, the arts and culture, and the family. In addition, students critically analyze Western perceptions and stereotypes of Muslim women and their lives. Fulfills general education requirement in history, cross-cultural and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the contributions of women to the making of the ancient world through a study of their lives and writings. Looks briefly at women in Mesopotamia and Egypt; then focuses primarily on women in ancient Greece and Rome. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines changes in the delivery of aid to poor Americans from a system of charity by private institutions to one of public welfare provided by the state. Explores the "feminization of poverty" and the ways in which race, ethnicity, class, region and age affected the provision of services. Fulfills general education requirement in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the experiences of African Americans in the United States from the 17th century to the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the historical experiences of Africans in the African Diaspora with a focus on the international dimensions and commonalities. Concentrates attention on the creation and definition of the African Diaspora, the chronology of significant events in Diaspora history, and the struggle by Africans to obtain social, political and economic equality in their respective global locations. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the historical experiences of African American women from the colonial period to the present. Focuses on the impact of race, culture and ethnicity; the chronology of significant events in African American women's history; significant contributions by African American women; and the struggle for social, political and economic equality. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Traces the causes, patterns and outcomes of 20th century Revolutions, and analyzes the similarities and differences between revolutionary movements and guerrilla and terrorist groups. The course looks at the ideological, ethnic and religious terrorist groups with a special emphasis on religious terrorism and its worldwide impact. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

This course examines the African-American experience in Maryland from the colonial period until the Civil War. The daily life of slaves and free blacks is examined as well as the struggle for freedom. The relationship and attitudes of white Marylanders toward their African-American neighbors is explored in terms of the state's policies regarding slaves and free blacks. The course also examines how Maryland's position as a border state with northern and southern characteristics and sentiments affected these policies. Fulfills General Education requirements for history and Cross-cultural Studies. 3 credits.

Focuses on helping students understand the socioeconomic, political and cultural development of Africa in the post-colonial era. Students examine the struggle for and acquisition of independence from European powers, the experiences of early post-colonial regimes, and the threat of post-colonialism. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Illuminates today?s China by examining central themes in the modern revolution there, from 1850 to the present time. Focuses also on fundamental social and political change as human experience in Chinese literature and autobiographical writing. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Studies the modern transformation of Japan from the mid-19th century to the present day. Focuses especially on distinctive patterns of Japanese society and their influence on modernization, characteristics of Japanese cultural identity vis-?-vis the West, key factors in Japan's economic life and problems in Japanese-American relations. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines major problems of interpretation in the history of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union. Focuses especially on the fall of the Soviet Union and its aftermath in Russia and the independent states. Addresses cultural as well as political and economic issues. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Uses original and secondary sources, including memoirs, survivor and perpetrator testimonies, films, and scholarly texts, to examine the history of the Holocaust.  Examines the nature, causes, and consequences of the Holocaust, and introduces students to the controversies surrounding its analysis, meaning, and legacies.  Fulfills the General Education Requirement for History.  [ 3 credits ]

Engages in a comprehensive analytical examination of Middle East politics with a special focus on four problem relationships: The Israelis and the Palestinians; the Arabs and the Persians; the Turks and the Kurds; and the Indians and the Palestinians. The role of the United States in each of these conflicts--as well as the continuing unrest in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq151will be discussed. The Palestinian situation will be a topic of intense concentration. Fulfills the general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the changing relationship of European women to the family, the workplace and the state during the 19th and 20th centuries. Places particular emphasis on French and English women. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Examines women's education from the colonial period through the mid-20th century. Pays particular attention to the contributions of key educators and on the ways race, class, ethnicity and gender shaped decisions about who was to be educated, by whom, and for what purpose. Assesses contemporary issues in women's education. Prerequisite: Morrissy scholar or permission. Fulfills the general education requirements in history and gender studies. [3 credits]

Examines the historical origins of the current status of women in the American work force with a focus on the effects of technological and economic change, on social attitudes toward working women, and on women's efforts at unionization. Pays attention to differences among women on the basis of race and class. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ]

Considers the reality that, before 1800, most people everywhere lived in rural villages or small towns, in a world of long-familiar faces. More recently, many have lived in cities of more than one million in population in what one sociologist calls a "world of strangers." What difference does it make? How does society control individuals in a big city? How do individuals experience urban life? Social scientists have long debated these questions, and the course examines the major answers that they have proposed. It also considers the implications of those answers for the solution of today's city problems. Prerequisite: Morrissy scholar or permission. Fulfills general education requirements in history and cross-cultural studies. [3 credits]

Focuses on U.S. state and national environmental policies regarding air and water pollution, use of public lands, climate change, and alternative energy sources. The course will also focus on risk assessment and environmental justice issues. Students will analyze the historical development of policies as well as current and evolving political processes. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Examines the wartime experiences of women. Addresses question of how perceptions of women and "female nature" inform attitudes about women's wartime roles. Uses historical monographs, literature, art and film to examine and evaluate the relationship between war and gender. Also assesses women's role in the international peace movement. Fulfills general education requirements in history and gender studies. [ 3 credits ].

Examines United States foreign relations from 1900 to the post-Cold War Era. Focuses on the Cold War, its aftermath and the fallout from September 11. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Explores the history of law in the United States from the colonial period to the present. Considers the symbiotic relationship of law and social/political developments. Fulfills general education requirement in history. [ 3 credits ]

Combines study with travel to various parts of the world. Organized by faculty members of the department. Offered periodically in summer and Winterim. [ 3 credits ]

Applies ideas, methods, and approaches from history, political science, and international studies to the exploration of selected topics. Students situate their discipline within the context of related fields, while also advancing the skills necessary for professional work in their own areas. In this team-taught course, history majors address the selected topic through focusing on the history of history, the politics of history, and the art of writing history based on original sources. All students will, in consultation with their professors, select, design and write an original research paper to be presented to the class at the end of the semester. Serves as the capstone course for history, political science, and international studies majors and minors eliminate prerequisites.  [3 credits]

Provides opportunities for individual study of a specific topic of special interest in history, usually involving research under the guidance of faculty of the department. [ 2-6 credits ]

Provides an opportunity for individualized study, under the guidance of a department member, with regular discussions of written works. Permits a student to do an intensive examination of an area or topic of special interest. [ 3-4 credits ]