The History programs prepare students who are imaginatively comfortable in a historic past and actively engaged with the present. Based on the conviction that all of God’s creation – including all human beings, who bear the image of God—is worthy of study, curriculum is constructed broadly; students encounter the histories of peoples from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions. The resulting broad knowledge of human history is deepened by the integration of Christian faith and learning, the recurrence of marginalization, empathy, and interconnectedness as historical themes, and the development of passionate curiosity about the past.
In addition to historical knowledge, students will cultivate wisdom, learning to live skillfully in the present day, so that they can serve others and glorify God wherever they are called. In particular, history coursework develops skills essential to lifelong learning (research, reading, critical thinking, analysis, synthesis) and communication (listening, writing, speaking, use of multiple media) that prepare graduates for continuing study, good citizenship, service to church and community, and employment in a wide variety of fields—including business, education, law, government, pastoral ministry, journalism, and libraries and museums.
HIS 200L • History of the United States 4 Credits
Exploration of United States history from early Native American communities to the present. Particular attention paid to primary sources that allow for an examination of the interaction of social, cultural, economic, political, and religious movements.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Fall.
HIS 205U • History of China, Japan, and Korea 4 Credits
History and cultures of East Asia. Religion; economic development and trade; and family, social, and political organization. Primary focus on China, Korea, and Japan.
Prerequisites: GES 130 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Fall, Spring.
HIS 212U • History of Islam 4 Credits
Islam from its inception and development to Islam as it is practiced today. Students interact with members of the Islamic community in Minnesota in an attempt to understand Islam from the personal experiences of Muslims. Contemporary issues and controversies are examined through the lens of the Muslim experience throughout history.
Prerequisites: GES 130 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in religious studies.
HIS 216L • American Constitutional History 4 Credits
Examination of the origins and development of American constitutional ideas and institutions from the colonial period to the present. Particular attention paid to the historical connections between major constitutional cases and broader social, political, economic, and cultural trends.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 223L • History of the American West 4 Credits
Examines the history of the American West from 1492 to the present. Particular attention to the interaction and competition of different cultures; the construction of political, economic, and religious institutions; and the physical environment, its representations, and its symbolic importance in the broader context of American history.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: January, odd # years.
HIS 230L • World War I 4 Credits
An in-depth look at the shock that engulfed the Western world with World War I from the turn of the 20th century, through the initial welcome of "cleansing" annihilation in 1914, to bleak 20th century disillusionment. World War I songs, literature, and artwork are carefully examined as hands-on artifacts of this period.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Summer. 202611
HIS 231L • World War II 4 Credits
The causes, course, conclusion, and legacy of World War II, particularly as experienced by the people of China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, Russia, and the United States. Key topics include collaboration and resistance, genocide, the war in film, remembrance and forgetting, and the social and economic impacts of the war.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: January, even # years. 202611
HIS 236UZ • Medieval Worlds: Cultures and Beliefs in North Africa and Europe 4 Credits
On-site investigation of the artistic and historical legacy of medieval North Africa and Europe. How southern Spain's multifaceted Christians, Muslims, and Jews influenced, sometimes conflicted, and collaborated with each other. Studies the artistic, archaeological, and historical legacy of these interactions through readings, research, presentations, and creative expression.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 149. Offered: January, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit with art.
HIS 241L • Revolution and Political Development 4 Credits
Theory and process of modernization, with special emphasis on the Anglo-American historical experience; examination of U.S. efforts to promote democracy internationally in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East since World War II.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Occasionally January. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 252L • History and Politics of Sports 4 Credits
The history of sports in the modern era, with particular attention paid to sports' connections to international politics and public policy and to sports as a mirror for the history of race, gender, education, business, labor, and religion in the United States.
Prerequisites: GES 130 and GES 160 (may be taken concurrently) or GES 149 (may be taken concurrently). Offered: Spring, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 290 • Introduction to History 2 Credits
An introduction to the methodology and philosophy of history, with particular emphases on preparing students for historical research and writing, on the public uses of history, and on the discipline as a Christian vocation.
Offered: Spring.
HIS 302 • History of Sexuality in the United States 4 Credits
An examination of the history of sexuality from the colonial period to the present. Particular attention to the impact of religion, culture, government, science, and economics on the formation of sexual mores and identities, and the relationship between sexuality and gender, race, ethnicity, age, and class.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Offered: Spring, even # years.
HIS 305G • The Cold War 4 Credits
The Cold War as an event in international history, studied from the perspective of the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Europe, and the Third World. Introduction to ongoing historical debates and to the sources historians use in those debates.
Prerequisites: [GES 130; GES 160 or GES 149]; Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or World Cultures (U) course. Offered: Fall, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 310 • History of Ancient Greece 4 Credits
Study of Greece from Homer and the Bronze Age through the development of citizenship in the Classical period to the empire of Alexander and the Hellenistic world. Focus on democratic Athens, conflicts with Persia and Sparta, and cultural achievements in art, literature, philosophy, and theater.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 145; Sophomore standing. Offered: Fall, even # years.
HIS 311 • History of Ancient Rome 4 Credits
Roman history from their origins through their achievement of a world empire to their fall and medieval transition. Topics studied include politics, government, art, philosophy, gender, and religion as well as the emergence and growth of the Christian church.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 145; Sophomore standing. Offered: Spring.
HIS 312 • Medieval Europe 4 Credits
Historical developments in Western Europe from the reign of Constantine to the era of Petrarch (A.D. 325-1350). Broad cultural, economic, political, social, and religious patterns, with emphasis on the development of the church in its social context.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 145; Sophomore standing. Offered: Occasionally.
HIS 320K • History and the Human Environment 4 Credits
Environmental and geographical background of human history. Agriculture, climate, energy resources, transportation, and diseases, especially as they have influenced the historical development of Western Europe and North America. Implications for current and future environmental concerns.
Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course and Mathematics (M) course. Offered: Spring. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in geography.
HIS 324G • Human Rights in International History 4 Credits
International and comparative exploration of how human rights have been defined, violated, and protected. Historical topics (e.g., abolition of the slave trade, social reform and Christian missions, genocides of the 20th century) as well as contemporary issues.
Prerequisites: [GES 130; GES 160 or GES 149]; Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or World Cultures (U) course. Offered: Occasionally. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 328G • Muslim Women in History 4 Credits
Global survey of the lives of Muslim women from the 7th century to the present. Examination of how Muslim women’s lives have historically been shaped by their social context, with particular attention to religious interpretation and expression, culture, ethnicity, and geographic location.
Prerequisites: [GES 130; GES 160 or GES 149]; Contemporary Western Life and Thought (L) course or World Cultures (U) course. Offered: Occasionally. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in religious studies.
HIS 329 • African Politics 4 Credits
Consideration of political development in Africa from the pre-colonial era through the present, focusing on changes in political regimes through time, the nature of economic struggles, and sources of violent conflict.
Offered: Spring, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 333 • Crime and Punishment in the United States 4 Credits
An examination of the historical study of crime in the United States. Particular attention to historical patterns of violence, the role and organization of the police, and the evolution of punishment in theory and practice as well as the differences in crime and punishment by race, gender, and age.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Offered: Spring, odd # years.
HIS 345 • Modern Political Thought 4 Credits
In-depth examination of selected poilitical thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Nietzsche, Kuyper, Rawls, and Taylor. Concentrates on primary sources.
Prerequisites: One course in political science, philosophy, or history and Sophomore standing. Offered: Fall, even # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science and philosophy.
HIS 354 • Modern Europe 4 Credits
The social, political, diplomatic, intellectual, and religious history of Europe since 1750. Key themes include political reforms and revolutions, gender roles, industrialization, migration, nationalism, imperialism, total war, totalitarianism, genocide, decolonization, and secularization.
Prerequisites: GES 130 or GES 149; Sophomore standing. Offered: Fall, odd # years.
HIS 356 • Modern Middle East 4 Credits
Political, social, religious, economic, and cultural history of the Middle East since 1800. Particular attention is paid to colonialism, globalization, war, gender roles, revolution, and reform. Discussion of controversies such as the Arab/Israeli conflict, the Islamic Revolution in Iran, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, and the U.S. war on terror.
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. Offered: Fall. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in political science.
HIS 360 • Classical Political Thought 4 Credits
In-depth examination of selected political thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli, and Hobbes. Concentrates on primary sources.
Prerequisites: One course in political science, philosophy, or history and Sophomore standing. Offered: Fall, odd # years. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit in philosophy and political science.
HIS 400 • Research in History 4 Credits
An opportunity to work with a member of the history faculty on a major research project.
Prerequisites: Major in history; Coursework appropriate to the area of research; Invitation of supervising faculty member; Consent of department. Offered: Occasionally. Special Notes: No student may take more than eight credits in HIS 400 and/or directed study.
HIS 481 • Internship in History 1-4 Credits
A practical experience in applying academic skills in an off-campus setting under the dual supervision of a history faculty member and a practicing historian or related professional. Designed by student in consultation with history department faculty.
Prerequisites: Major in history. Offered: Occasionally.
HIS 491 • Applied Humanities Seminar 4 Credits
An interdisciplinary, experiential capstone course in which students draw on their studies in history, philosophy, political science, or the digital humanities in order to study a major challenge in contemporary society, analyzing causes, effects, and exisiting responses; and then work to propose new responses to it.
Prerequisites: Senior standing and Major in one of the following programs: business and political science, history, international relations, applied philosophy, political science, or social studies education 5-12. Offered: Fall, Spring. Special Notes: This course carries cross-credit with philosophy and political science.