30 courses with the subject HIS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
HIS 107European History toeach term
This inquiry-based approach to European history invites students to explore some of the most important questions historians ask about the European past, exploring the origins of the region and its subsequent development. Focusing on the period from the ancient Near East to 1660, this survey course teaches students the fundamental skills of historical inquiry through a process that can be applied to help you confront complex questions about the past and the present, including how to find sources and how to ask and answer your own questions.
This inquiry-based approach to European history invites students to explore some of the most important questions historians ask about the European past, exploring the foundations and contemporary application of western ideological, cultural, and political history. Focusing on the period from approximately 1660 to the present, this survey course teaches students the fundamental skills of historical inquiry through a process that can be applied to help you confront complex questions about the past and the present, including how to find sources and how to ask and answer your own questions.
HIS 117Introduction to Hispanic American History and Culture
An introduction to Hispanic nations of the Americas through a historical and cultural study of the civilizations and indigenous nations in the New World, the European conquest and colonization of these nations, and their eventual independence. Students will consider elements of modern political and social movements and governmental transitions, as well as Hispanic contributions to art and literature. This course is taught in English. Cross-listed as SPA 217.
HIS 121History of the United States from Contact to Reconstruction –3
This class considers broad themes in the history of the United States from European encounters with the people of the Americas beginning around 1500, to the end of Federal Reconstruction in 1877. When and how did an “American” society develop? What challenges did the people of the British colonies and the later United States face? What rewards – in the form of rights and opportunities – did they share? Who was left out, and why? This course places the institution of slavery at the heart of the American colonial project and the evolving experiment in republican government. We will practice the approaches historians take to formulate questions about the past, and how they puzzle through, research, and communicate their analysis of the Ame
HIS 122History of the United States from Reconstruction to the Present3
This class considers broad themes in the history of the United States from the end of Federal Reconstruction in 1877 to the present, paying particular attention to forms of inequality and the struggle to redefine freedom in American life. This course incorporates techniques designed to teach you how to think historically, a method of asking questions about and analyzing the past. We will engage with differing accounts of events in history with the goal of explaining – through written and oral arguments – what we have discovered, honing our ability to communicate with authority.
This course combines theory with the practical skills required of museum & archival professionals, with an introduction to museum studies theory, museum management, and professional standards. Students will also examine the critical issues & philosophical debates surrounding nonprofit museum collections, exhibitions, programs and education, conservation, governance, and ethics. The course explores the types, definitions & missions of museums, namely their civic role in society. Through case studies and exhibitions in a variety of museums, including historic and ethnographic collections, the course provides an overview of the characteristics and potential of museums as research, education, and public service institutions responsible for
While classical Western cultures such as those of Rome, Greece, and Egypt will be highlighted, attention and study will also center on the civilizations of East Asia, specifically China and India, as well as the Middle East, Africa, and pre-Columbian America. This course will focus on the early foundations of civilization that led to future European colonialism and imperialism. Tel-Education Course Number HUM 1103
History of Women in the United States surveys women’s history from the colonial period until the present in an intersectional framework. Through an exploration of both primary and secondary sources, students in this course will examine historical changes in women’s work, the history of the American family, the history of gender, sexuality, and reproduction, the history of women in politics, activism, and the law, the women’s rights movement, and the lives of women in the United States. The course includes practice in the core methodologies of history.
A study of the causes, character, and consequences of dictatorial rule in the twentieth century, this course uses Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and Communist China as the major examples. Both the similarities that link these dictatorships and the differences that separate them are studied in detail. Particular attention is paid to the ideas on which dictatorial rule has been based, including those of Marx Nietzsche, Sorel and Lenin. The course examines the popular appeal of revolutionary and counterrevolutionary ideologies as alternatives to parliamentary democracy and the social and economic programs these regimes put into practice. Propaganda, coercion, and forms of resistance are also considered.
This course seeks to explore the evolution of and trends in historical American politics. Each offering will focus on a specific topic in American political history, such as presidential and Congressional campaigns; America’s domestic, foreign economic and military policies; constitutional law; gender, race and class politics; grassroots social movements and the complex trajectories of liberal and conservative political ideologies, among others. We will analyze the historical evolution of the American political system alongside the major theoretical debates that have informed both historical and contemporary American politics. The course will also introduce students to the methods and techniques that political historians use to make sen HIS/ART 215 Selected Movements in Art and Architecture 1750-1900 – 3 credits A study of the major artistic styles of the late 18th and 19th centuries, a period characterized by revolution and the birth of the modern era. Topics include neoclassicism, romanticism, realism, impressionism, the academic style and symbolism. These movements are studied against a background of dramatic political and social change and in the context of a continually evolving market for artistic production. Careful analysis of individual works, together with readings from primary source material, structure this investigation.
An examination of several European capitals as built environments and as public stages for the enactment of a variety of social and cultural roles. The design of urban space through art, architecture and engineering is studied, as is the reflection of changes in urban life that can be found in literature, criticism and film. Historical events, as they were witnessed and experienced in these cities, provide continuity and context for explorations in art and culture. Cities studied include Rome, Paris, London, Vienna, Budapest, and Berlin.
HIS 220Film and History: Visions and Revisions of the Past –3
From “Schindler’s List” to “Valkyrie,” historically based films have been attracting big box office receipts. This course introduces students to the historical fiction film as a work of creative art and to the techniques filmmakers use to construct their “vision” of past events. Through critical analysis of several dramatic films that take historical events as their subjects, students learn that what they see on screen is not necessarily what happened, but rather what might have happened. Films studied include “The Leopard,” “Burnt by the Sun,” “Rosenstrasse,” “1900,”and “Sunshine.”
HIS 221The American Revolution and the Early Republic –3
An examination of the American struggle for independence, the ratification of the Constitution, and the early years of the Republic. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of American cultural, economic, and political institutions during this period. The rising power of the Supreme Court is treated in detail.
An examination of the events that led to the American Civil War. Particular attention is devoted to slavery. In addition, the political, economic, military, and cultural implications of the Civil War, as well as its aftermath during Reconstruction, are treated in detail.
An examination of the rise of the United States as a world power in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the growth of American interest in East Asia and the Caribbean region, the American participation in World War I and World War II, and the U. S. role as a super power in the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. The course also explores how certain domestic events – the Red Scare, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement – influenced or were influenced by America’s role in international affairs.
History of the American South considers how one region’s economic, cultural, political, and literary output came to define- and re-define - the nation at large. Considering the period from the development of the South from the origins of English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, to the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the destruction of slavery, this course will examine the region’s people and institutions primarily through the lenses of labor, legal, cultural, and gender history. Tensions between freedom and bondage, control and resistance, dependence and independence, tradition and innovation, and ritual and memory will help students understand this evolving and influential region that, more than any other, h
History of the American South since 1865considers how one region’s economic, cultural, political, and literary output came to define- and re-define - the nation at large. Considering the period from the end of the Civil War through the present, this course will examine the region’s people and institutions primarily through the lenses of labor, legal, cultural, and African American and gender history. Themes include the tensions between freedom and bondage, control and resistance, dependence and independence, and tradition and innovation. Students will practice analyzing primary and secondary sources and hone their ability to read and write historical arguments. This course will help students understand this evolving and influential regi
This course examines the lives of ordinary Americans—that is, members of the middle and working classes—and their cultures, with a special focus on the lives of average Americans in the twentieth century. More specifically, this course will explore how five major themes have evolved in American popular culture, namely those of Gender, Sexuality, Race, Class and Labor, respectively, within the context of radio and television, the arts, film, sports, entertainment, nightlife, the American city and in print/social media. This course, then, will take a critical look at contemporary American popular culture, and will analyze the ways in which that culture has both upheld, and diverged from, previous cultural traditions.
An examination of the history of the African American struggle for freedom, equality, identity, and economic success. Particular attention is paid to the Jim Crow and post-World War II eras. The work of such leaders as Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, and Malcolm X is studied in detail. In addition, the course explores the activities the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the Black Panthers, and the Nation of Islam. The Harlem Renaissance and the development of blues and jazz are also studied. Finally, the course looks at the African-American freedom struggle in an international context,
This course seeks to explore a diversity of special topics in American history. Each offering will focus on a specific field in American history, such as Native American history; Asian-American history; labor history; immigration history; the history of American cities; and grassroots American social movements, among others. We will analyze the historical and ideological evolution of the American national identity in both historical and contemporary America. The course will also introduce students to the methods and techniques that historians use to make sense of the past, and to interpret American history in a scholarly context.
HIS 250Germany and the Path to the European Union –3
Provides students with a critical understanding of German history from the middle of the 19th century to the present and of Germany’s impact on the European Continent. A central focus is whether or not Germany’s historical development followed a divergent path from that of England, France and America and, if so, for what reasons and with what consequences. Since the Cold War and with reunification, Germany’s efforts to fashion a new leadership role in Europe and in other international political and economic contexts are examined. Substantial attention is directed to problems of history, memory and responsibility that continue to occupy Germans today.
An exploration of the historical development of Russia and the Soviet Union from the eve of the 1917 Revolution to the present. Students are encouraged to study the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union as global powers, well before the more familiar role the USSR played as America’s principal adversary during the Cold War. With post-Soviet Russia seeking to define its place in world affairs, students will learn how this task is complicated by the enormous historical deficits accumulated through the years of Communist rule. Students have opportunities to research subjects of special interest, including the use of comparative perspectives on politics, economics, social relations, and culture.
Topics in World History adopts a distinctly comparative approach that centers regions and historical actors outside of the United States. Students will work to build historical knowledge, develop historical methods, and apply these skills to decode the incomplete, complex, and contradictory historical record. Topics may include but are not limited to: Irish and Italians on the Move; Rituals of Migration; Empire in the Long Nineteenth Century; the Italian Diaspora; The Global South; World War I in Global Perspective; Progressivism in the Anglophone World; Drawing the Global Color Line in Migration Policy.
This course seeks to provide a historical, sociological, and cultural context to the phenomenon of terrorism as it is understood in today’s world. The course will explore the different meanings, over the last two or three centuries, that the words “terror,” “terrorism,” and “terrorist” have carried. Students will explore the historical origins of terror as an idea or ideology, the different forms of terrorism has taken, and the presentations of terrorists in literature, social thought, art, and film. This course does not provide a comprehensive history of terrorism. It does provide a historical and cultural context that may help us to understand what terrorism is, who terrorists are, and why the idea of terror dominates contemporary pol
HIS 280Historical Methods: Telling Cedar Crest’s History
Cedar Crest College has been educating women since 1867. Over the last century and a half, women’s place in American society has changed dramatically. How did Cedar Crest students experience a changing world, and how did they contribute to these changes? How did campus leaders, faculty, and the Allentown community shape the collegiate experience, and vice versa? How did the mission and impact of single-sex undergraduate education change over time? These are some of the questions we will engage in HIS 280, where the history of women’s higher education in America will be the broader context for our explorations of the lived experiences of Cedar Crest College alumnae and their wider world. This hands-on course will introduce students to the fundamental methods that historians employ to uncover, interpret, and share their findings about the past. The skills of oral history, research methods, archival research and preservation, and exhibit curation will be emphasized. This course offers strong professional development for humanities careers. The course will focus especially on the history of women in higher education in the US. It is designed to co-list with HIS 350: Capstone. HIS 280 will enroll non-majors interested in the topic of Cedar Crest history, those interested in museum or library careers, community organizers and those interested in preserving their community, family, or institutional/organizational histories. This course has an active professional development component. Students will be guided through the process of conceptualizing, executing, and presenting an oral history and/or archivally based research project. In the process they will consider the ethical and practical issues in the presentation of oral histories and historical archives to the public.
This course introduces students to the major themes that have defined the United States as a nation and culture while showing students how these times remain relevant in their everyday lives. Tel-Education Course Number HIST 2103
This course introduces students to the major themes that have defined the United States as a nation and culture while showing students how these times remain relevant in their everyday lives. Tel-Education Course Number HIST 2203
Advanced study of the important research techniques used by historians. In addition, it requires students to employ such techniques to develop, pursue and complete a lengthy research paper (based, in part, on the substantial use of primary sources) appropriate to their program and interests. Particular attention is paid to the use of indicates, databases, and on-line services; the pursuit and critical evaluation of writing. With its emphasis on logical thinking, quantitative analysis, clear writing, and other college-wide goals, this class serves as the history major’s capstone experience.
