47 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 101The Foundation of the West3
Fall/Spring This course explores the concepts, practices, and methods of the discipline of history using the history of the western world, or what is called Western Civilization, from the earliest civilizations in the contemporary Middle East, through the aftermath of the religious and political ruptures associated with the Reformation. This course will allow students to develop critical thinking skills associated with analyzing the historical sources used to reconstruct and interpret the past. The following topics will be discussed: early civilizations; the ancient world, including Greece and Rome; the rise of Christianity; Europe after the decline of the Roman Empire; the Middle Ages; Western interaction with the non-West; the Renaissance; the Reformation. Political, economic, cultural and social developments will be explored. 3 credit hours
Fall/Spring This course investigates the major trends in Western civilization in the context of global developments from the sixteenth century to the present. Students will examine the political, economic, social, and cultural developments that characterize the history of the West in that period, and also consider the historical roots of present global or international issues as they develop through interactions between the West and other world regions. 3 credit hours
HIS 111American History from Colonization to Civil War3
Fall/Spring This course provides a survey of American history from the period of European contact with Native America through the end of the American Civil War. Among the topics examined are Europeans empires’ colonization of North America and interaction with indigenous communities, the growth and development of colonial British North America, the American Revolution, the creation of the American constitutional framework, early nineteenth-century growth and westward expansion, the emergence and entrenchment of race-based chattel slavery, the political conflicts over slavery that divided the nation, and the American Civil War and emancipation. These topics will be presented with an emphasis on the complex evolution of America’s diverse multiethnic, multiracial population. 3 credit hours
HIS 112American History from Civil War to Global Power3
Fall/Spring This course provides a survey of American Civilization from Reconstruction after the American Civil War to the present. Among the topics to be examined will be: post Civil War Reconstruction of the nation and the long struggle to define the nature of freedom for the formerly enslaved and their descendants, westward expansion and industrialization in the late nineteenth century, American imperialism and mass immigration, Progressive reform, the first and second World Wars and their impact at home, the evolving efforts of women, immigrants, and people of color to secure political, economic, and social equality, the Great Depression and the New Deal policy response, the Cold War, the policy outputs of the Great Society and the social conflicts of America in the 1960s and 1970s, America’s emergence as the globe’s dominant economic and military power over the final decades of the twentieth century, and the late twentieth and early twenty-first century’s economic and social development and political conflicts. These topics will be presented with an emphasis on the complex evolution of America’s diverse multiethnic, multiracial population. 3 credit hours
HIS 101 , HIS 102 , HIS 111 , or HIS 112 . 3 credit hours
HIS 303Museum Studies3
HIS 303 Museum Studies will give students theoretical, practical, and professional understandings of the field of museum work, with particular attention to history museums. Students will study methodological approaches to public historical work in museums, with a particular focus on audience, accessibility, best practices, and changing museum technologies. Topics included will be: philosophy of museums; social, economic, and political trends that affect museums; exhibition design and development; multiple functions of museums, including care of objects, exhibition design, interpretation, education, research, and public relations. Additionally, Museum Studies is a high-impact course with a focus in project-based learning. Students will engage in practical, professional development; perform primary and secondary research; and design, implement, and construct a public-facing exhibit during the course of the semester. 3 credit hours
Spring Public Historians are now living and working in a digital age, and as such, must confront and engage in the theory and practices of digital public history. In the field of public history, historical learning is disseminated to a broader public through a wide variety of means. This course will expose students to a number of different kinds of digital public history work such as online museums and exhibits, archives, historical interpretation, and digital software and tools for historical research and interpretation. This course studies the theoretical, practical, and professional work of digital public history. Additionally, Digital Public History is grounded in project-based learning and is designated as a high-impact course. Students will perform original primary and secondary research and plan, design, and build a publicly accessible, born-digital archive and inhibit during the course of the semester. 3 credit hours
HIS 306History of Race and Gender in American Sports3
This course explores the history of sports in the United States through three distinct and often overlapping lenses: racial identity, gender norms, and American ideals. The course will interrogate the definitions of racial identity and gender norms in American culture and will examine how people used sports to contest racial and gender boundaries. It will also probe how sports served to challenge, or uphold, stereotypes regarding race and gender. Examining American sports history from the early 19th century to the present day will enable students to critically interrogate the world of sports and their changing meanings over time. 3 credit hours
Fall/Spring In recent years, podcasting has become an incredibly popular form of media, with hundreds of thousands of podcasts being produced on a range of subject. Public historians—those who bring historical study to the public—are always in search of new ways to reach their audiences, and many have turned to podcasts as a form of outreach and access. This course will engage the podcast form as a medium of public history. Students will learn the methodology and theory behind podcasting—especially creating history for an audio medium, as well as the tools of podcast production. By semester’s end, students will produce a history podcast series for public consumption. 3 credit hours
This course examines the period in American History between the mid-eighteenth century and 1815. The course begins with an examination of the various tensions that culminated in American independence in 1776. The course also investigates the difficulties involved in securing independence, creating an American government and the struggles the new nation faced during the early national period. The course concludes with an assessment of the War of 1812 as the final phase of the American Revolution. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
This course will examine the conflicting currents in American history between 1846-1861 that led the nation into the Civil War. Particular attention will be given to the intricate relationships between slavery, racism, economics, and politics. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
This course will analyze the political, economic, and military ramifications of the Civil War. It will also examine the relationships between politics, economics, and race during the Reconstruction period in order to gain an understanding of both the limits and legacy of that era. 3 credit hours
HIS 366Twentieth Century American History, 1914-19453
This course will examine American history from 1914 to 1945, a topsy‐turvy period during which time Americans experienced a boom, a bust, and two world wars. Among the subjects that the class will examine closely are: the Red Scare, the Scopes Trial, Prohibition, the Great Crash, the New Deal, and the home front during World War II. 3 credit hours
This course provides an intensive examination of U.S. history from 1945 to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the Cold War, the civil rights, women’s and antiwar movements of the 1960s, and the economic changes of the 1970s and 1980s. 3 credit hours
HIS 370History of Alcohol and Drugs in American Life3
Fall/Spring This course analyzes how alcohol and drugs have shaped American cultural and political life from colonial times to the present. Considering a range of issues including the role of taverns in the American Revolution, the gender dynamics that promoted Prohibition, drugs in the 60s counterculture, and the recent urban crack-cocaine epidemic, this course treats the study of American substance use, abuse, and regulation as a vital window into the evolution of American society. Recognizing the diverse meanings attached to alcohol, and later, illicit drugs, by users, purveyors, and opponents, this course challenges students to better understand the history of American sociocultural development. 3 credit hours
HIS 372American Constitutionalism (II): Civil Rights and Liberties3
Spring This course will examine the foundations and development of civil rights and liberties within the American constitutional system. Particular attention will be given to the ratification debates concerning the Bill of Rights and the evolving constitutional status of speech, religion, racial and gender equality, privacy, death penalty, as well as a host of contemporary debates involving gay rights, gun control, affirmative action, and campaign financing. This course is crosslisted as PS 372 . 3 credit hours
This course offers a broad introduction to the historical geography of the United States through analysis of distinctive elements of regional landscapes. Archival and contemporary photographs, cartographic, representations, and many secondary sources are utilized to develop and extend themes presented in the course textbook. Upon completion of this course, students will have a deeper understanding of the issues involved in the analysis of place at a variety of spatial scales. They will also have a better sense of the historical layering of landscapes they encounter on a daily basis. This course is crosslisted as G 336 . 3 credit hours
Environmental history studies the changing relationship between human beings and the natural world through time. This course will examine a variety of influential issues and themes, from the pre-colonial period to the present, including the impact of settlement on the land and the rise of the modern environmental movement. The central premise throughout the course will be that much of the familiar terrain of American history looks very different when seen in its environmental context, and that one can learn a great deal about both history and the environment by studying the two together. 3 credit hours
HIS 388Race, Racism, and the Long Struggle for Equality in America3
This course explores the history of race and racism in the United States. The course examines the discrimination and oppression experienced at various points in American history by a number of racial minority groups including African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, and Native Americans. This course considers the political, legal, economic, cultural, and social roots and ramifications of race and racism in the American past, and this course also considers the diverse Americans who struggled against racism to secure a greater measure of equality for all Americans. Among topics potentially explored in depth in this course are the rise and fall of American slavery, “Indian removal” policies, life in the Jim Crow South and the resistance of the modern Civil Rights Movement, racial dimensions of historical American immigration policy, Japanese internment, and the role of race in mass incarceration. 3 credit hours
This course will examine the history of government collection of secret intelligence in the West from the early modern period to the present. It analyzes the historical evolution of intelligence gathering, focusing on the systems developed by the major powers, especially Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia. Students will also assess the nature of the contribution of intelligence services to ensuring domestic security and to the functioning of the international system in peace and war. 3 credit hours
Spring This course provides an introduction to U.S. foreign policy; it will explore the conduct of U.S. relations with other countries in the world. Topics will include the rise of America, U.S. foreign policy during and after the Cold War and the complex issues facing the U.S. in the post-Cold War era. Emphasis will be on American foreign policy toward different geopolitical regions. Fundamental American values in foreign policy will be examined, as well as a broad range of perspectives of leading scholars. This course is crosslisted with PS 303 . 3 credit hours
Courses offered under the Special Topics in Public History are designed to provide students with an in depth study of one of the branches of public history. The focus of these courses would be on professional skills development and their application in a site of public history. Examples of Special Topics in Public History include archiving; history education at public sites; historic preservation and the politics of the urban environment, monuments and memorials; preserving American material culture. 3 credit hours
Few natural disasters throughout history have garnered as much interest and examination as the 14th century epidemic known as the Black Death. Responsible for the deaths of as much as half of the European population in as little as three years, the Black Death also set the stage for major economic, cultural, and spiritual upheaval that ultimately led to the transition from medieval to early modern Europe. This course will investigate the status of Europe just prior to the arrival of the Black Death, the course of the pestilence itself, the effects of the Black Death and its recurring waves over the next 150 years, and current scholarly debates that surround these issues. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
HIS 412Sexuality and Reproductive Rights in American History3
Fall/Spring The June 2022 Dobbs decision overturned nearly 50 years of precedent, proclaiming that “the right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation’s history and tradition.” This course will investigate this claim, examining the long history of reproductive rights and sexuality in the United States, from the colonial period to the present day. We will explore topics including sexual education, contraception, abortion, pregnancy, and childbirth. We will investigate the evolution of Americans’ ideas about intimacy, sexual behavior, sexual identity, and gender time. This course will provide an interdisciplinary examination of how gender is understood in different historical contexts. We will consider the impact of race, class, and gender on reproductive rights and sexuality. Ultimately, this course will enable students to understand the current and contentious status of sexuality and reproductive rights through engaging in historical discussion and inquiry. 3 credit hours
This course provides students with an in-depth examination of the First World War (1914-1918) as a watershed in world history. As arguably the first total war, the Great War involved a new war experience on the battle and home fronts. The destructive capacity of new industrialized military technologies necessitated massive mobilization of men and women. Students will examine various interpretations regarding the war’s causes, the impact of the war on soldiers and civilians, the geo-political consequences of the war and its peace, and consider the cultural, social, and political legacy of the war for the world in which we live today. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
This course provides students with the opportunity to examine one of the most troubling episodes in history and to deal with the difficult issues relating to the Third Reich, the Holocaust, and historical interpretations of the period 1933-1945 in Germany. In this course, students will study the background to the Nazi era through an examination of anti-democratic structures in pre-World War I Germany, Germany’s defeat in World War I, and the weakness and collapse of the Weimar Republic. Students will then examine the success of Hitler and the Nazi Party; the structure of the Nazi state, including politics, society, and economics; Nazi racism and anti-Semitism; Germany and World War II; and the Holocaust. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
This course will examine one of the most significant developments in American history, the civil rights movement. Not only did this movement have a tremendous impact on the United States, its leaders, ideals, and actions, it inspired others to fight for their own freedom in the U.S. and abroad. During the course, students will examine the civil rights movement as a broad‐based movement that involved millions of individuals, black and white, young and old, male and female. Students will read primary and secondary sources, watch films, and conduct research projects. This course is one of the Proseminar courses that can be taken as a prerequisite for History Seminar. 3 credit hours
Fall/Spring This course focuses on using history to inform policy decisions in the York, Pennsylvania community. Students will learn about York and South Central Pennsylvania history generally but will dedicate most of their energies to applying this local history to inform local policymakers about the historical context in which they are operating. As a class, students will select an important local policy area to explore (such as education, public health, drug policy, housing, law enforcement, or environmental policy, for example), and then students will conduct the historical research necessary to assemble a professional policy briefing that will be presented to community stakeholders, such as elected officials, civil servants, businesspeople, philanthropists, and/or NGO directors. Students will have a unique opportunity to become experts on an aspect of local history and to share that history in ways that can inform community leaders confronting difficult choices about the future of their community. This course is crosslisted as PS 463 . 3 credit hours
Fall This course will provide an analysis of the past from a gender perspective, facilitate an understanding of how gender and sexuality shape the historical experience, and provide an interdisciplinary examination of how gender is understood in different historical contexts. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include women and war, the European witch craze, society in the ancient world, and gender in American politics. 3 credit hours
Spring This course will provide an analysis of the past from a gender perspective, facilitate an understanding of how gender and sexuality shape the historical experience, and provide an interdisciplinary examination of how gender is understood in different historical contexts. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include women and war, the European witch craze, society in the ancient world, and gender in American politics. 3 credit hours
HIS 474British, Irish, and Atlantic World History3
Fall This course will provide an examination of topics related to British, Irish, and Atlantic World History, with a particular focus on political systems that facilitated empire building. Globalization and its implications will also be considered. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include the history of Britain and Ireland, the British Empire, and global economic, political, and cultural exchanges in historical context. 3 credit hours
HIS 475British, Irish, and Atlantic World History3
Spring This course will provide an examination of topics related to British, Irish, and Atlantic World History, with a particular focus on political systems that facilitated empire building. Globalization and its implications will also be considered. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include the history of Britain and Ireland, the British Empire, and global economic, political, and cultural exchanges in historical context. 3 credit hours
Fall This course will examine how the past is depicted through film representations, including documentary and dramatized film. The moving image is a powerful conveyor of historical information, but how can we read film, including its visual, verbal, and non-verbal elements, to understand how a film is conveying an interpretation of the past, as well as reflecting the time of its own creation? Students will acquire skills in reading historically-based film. Film topics will vary with instructor, and may include The Middle Ages in Film, the Holocaust in Film, war in film. 3 credit hours
Spring This course will examine how the past is depicted through film representations, including documentary and dramatized film. The moving image is a powerful conveyor of historical information, but how can we read film, including its visual, verbal, and non-verbal elements, to understand how a film is conveying an interpretation of the past, as well as reflecting the time of its own creation? Students will acquire skills in reading historically-based film. Film topics will vary with instructor, and may include The Middle Ages in Film, the Holocaust in Film, war in film. 3 credit hours
HIS 478Society, Politics, and Technology in History3
Fall This course examines the connections between historical technological development and its impact on society and politics in various contexts and eras. While topics will vary, this interdisciplinary course will provide students with the basis for analyzing the interdependence of how technology and society have shaped each other over time. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include the historical consequences of military and other technology in contexts such as the Vikings, Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and contemporary military and political conflict. 3 credit hours
HIS 479Society, Politics, and Technology in History3
Spring This course examines the connections between historical technological development and its impact on society and politics in various contexts and eras. While topics will vary, this interdisciplinary course will provide students with the basis for analyzing the interdependence of how technology and society have shaped each other over time. Topics will vary with instructor, and may include the historical consequences of military and other technology in contexts such as the Vikings, Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and contemporary military and political conflict. 3 credit hours
Fall/Spring This course provides specialized historical experience and career readiness learning opportunities with various local historical agencies at a level that goes beyond the typical 3-credit internship. This community-based experiential learning course is designed to introduce the student to the broad range of public history activities. These include archival management, curatorial, museum educator, and research activities. Students are required to spend a minimum of 40 hours a semester per credit hour received (240 hours for 6 credits and 360 hours for 9 credits) working on site. Departmental approval is required in advance. Grading will be Pass/Fail.
Students should have completed 60 credits and should have a GPA of at least 2.5. All students will require departmental approval to register for this course. 6-9 credit hours
HIS 485Capstone Research Seminar3
Spring This capstone research seminar provides advanced History, Secondary Education - Social Science, and Professional Writing students the opportunity to continue developing their research and writing skills by engaging in a significant undergraduate research project. Students will refine a research proposal and plan (building on work begun in their research methods course and other undergraduate courses), undertake their research project using primary and secondary sources, and present their research findings in a final research paper and presentation. This course is crosslisted as WRT 485
The history internship provides specialized historical experience with various local historical agencies. The internship is designed to introduce the student to the broad range of public history activities. These include archival management, curatorial, museum educator and research activities. Departmental approval is required in advance. Grading will be Pass/Fail.
Students are required to spend a minimum of 120 hours work on site. Students must have earned 60 or more credits and a minimum of 2.5 cumulative grade point average at the time of application. 3 credit hours
HIS 496History Internship3
The history internship provides specialized historical experience with various local historical agencies. The internship is designed to introduce the student to the broad range of public history activities. These include archival management, curatorial, museum educator and research activities. Departmental approval is required in advance. Grading will be Pass/Fail.
Students are required to spend a minimum of 120 hours work on site. Students must have earned 60 or more credits and a minimum of 2.5 cumulative grade point average at the time of application. 3 credit hours
HIS 497Independent Study
Fall/Spring The Independent Study Program affords an opportunity for students who wish to undertake a well-defined research project. While these students conduct their work under the guidance of a faculty member of their own choosing, the project is carried out in an independent manner without regular class meetings. Effective independent study is characterized by a reduction in formal instruction and an increase in the individual student’s responsibility and initiative in the learning process.
Students must have earned 60 or more credits and a minimum of 2.5 cumulative grade point average at the time of application. 1-3 credit hours each semester
HIS 498Independent Study
Fall/Spring The Independent Study Program affords an opportunity for students who wish to undertake a well-defined research project. While these students conduct their work under the guidance of a faculty member of their own choosing, the project is carried out in an independent manner without regular class meetings. Effective independent study is characterized by a reduction in formal instruction and an increase in the individual student’s responsibility and initiative in the learning process.
Students must have earned 60 or more credits and a minimum of 2.5 cumulative grade point average at the time of application. 1-3 credit hours each semester
