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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Ssci 100 CITIZENSHIP AND SOCIAL CHANGE In the course students will explore citizenship and social movements through the lens of three related disciplines: history, political science, and sociology. Theories of democracy and civic engagement as well as histories of social mobilization and leadership strategies and tactics will be examined. Equipped with this knowledge base, students will be encouraged to engage in personal reflection about their rights, responsibilities, and possibilities as active citizens. 4 credits Hist 101. U.S HISTORY I: TO 1865 A survey of the major issues and problems of the American past from the origins of the American Revolution through the Civil War, including the awakening of nationalism, sectionalism, slavery, and American expansionism. 3 credits. Hist 102. U.S HISTORY II: 1865-1945 A survey of some of the major problems of American life, including Reconstruction, America’s emergence as a world power, Progressivism, and the New Deal. 3 credits. Hist 103. U.S HISTORY III: SINCE 1945 A study of major developments in America from 1945 through the 1980s. Attention is given to the Cold War, the Eisenhower Era, the turbulent 60’s, and the Nixon Era. 3 credits. Hist 105. EUROPEAN HISTORY TO THE RENAISSANCE This course surveys the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and the feudal kingdoms that developed after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Particular attention is given to political, cultural, and religious institutions and the origins of the great powers of 20th century Europe. 3 credits. Hist 106. EUROPEAN HISTORY SINCE THE RENAISSANCE This course traces the transformation of Western societies from traditional, rural, agrarian societies into modern, urban, industrial states. Emphasis is placed on the political, intellectual, economic, and social forces that have shaped the modern Western world. 3 credits. Hist 107. WORLD HISTORY I: ANCIENT TIMES An overview of ancient cultures, with special emphasis on Asia, Europe and the Near East. Early cultures in Africa and the Americas will be considered as well. The course compares the development of trade, cities, writing systems, political values, agriculture, religion, kinship, and empire building. 3 credits. Hist 108. WORLD HISTORY II: TRADE, MIGRATIONS, EMPIRES An examination of the interaction of world cultures from the age of exploration and discovery of the
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late 1400s to the age of New Imperialism of the late nineteenth century. The course examines major political developments, points of cultural conflict and borrowing, and the migration of peoples resulting from political change. Of specific interest are issues of trade, indigenous political organization, colonization, religious movements and immigration. 3 credits.
century. Focus is then turned to the trans-Mississippi West, including the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the epic conflict between Native Americans and white settlers, and the development, exploitation, and preservation of western lands. The course concludes with a brief look at the West in the late-twentieth century. 3 credits.
Hist 109. WORLD HISTORY III: TWENTIETH CENTURY WORLD An examination of the major political, social, and economic movements of the twentieth century. Special attention will be paid to the organization of political states in the wake of World War I and the regional variations of political ideologies such as Communism, Fascism, and Democracy. The interaction of economies, technologies, and industries will be evaluated as well. 3 credits.
Hist 229. ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF U.S. This course surveys the evolution of American attitudes and values regarding Nature, landscape, and the environment. In addition, a close look is taken at the history of environmental change in particular regions and at the politics of the environment in the twentieth century, particularly in the post-World War II era. 3 credits.
Hist 205. HISTORICAL METHODS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY A reading and writing-intensive course, this class examines the development of the discipline of history, investigates different schools of historical thought and both reviews and introduces the student to the process of historical research and writing in various forms. Emphasis is placed on the development of skills in analysis of original sources and scholarly opinion, organization of research, critical thinking, effective writing and verbal communication of ideas in a seminar setting. 3 credits.
Hist 231. INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HISTORY AND MUSEUM STUDIES This course surveys the evolution of public history in America: the changing nature of museums, the emergence of “living history,” and the growth of public history organizations. We focus also on how public historians do their work: developing museum exhibits, conducting oral history interviews, and preserving historic buildings and sites. The course features at least one field trip. 3 credits.
Hist 210. AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY An examination of political, social, and economic aspects of 17th and 18th century America. Imperial policy, religious dissent, and the transplanting of English culture to America are stressed. 3 credits. Hist 215. AMERICAN REVOLUTION A study of the origins and development of America’s struggle toward nationhood from the close of the Great War for the Empire, emphasizing the clash of interests between the colonists and Great Britain and among Americans themselves. 3 credits. Hist 220. HISTORY OF U.S. INTELLIGENCE This course examines the scope, elements, and history of Intelligence work, especially the American experience. Particular attention is paid to the role of Intelligence in a democratic society. Prerequisites: Hist 101, 102 and 103. 3 credits. Hist 225. CIVIL WAR A detailed study of the crisis of the Union from the failure of the territorial compromise to the collapse of the South. Special attention will be given to the causes and events of the war itself. 3 credits. Hist 228. HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN WEST Students explore the mythic landscape of the American West. Looking first at the importance of westward expansion to Jeffersonian democracy in the early 19th
Hist 232/Poli 232. THE VIETNAM WAR This look at the Vietnam War begins by examining the history of Vietnam but focuses on the American experience. Three central questions are addressed: How and why did the U.S. get involved? What was the nature of that involvement and what went wrong? And what were/are the lessons/results of the war? 3 credits. Hist 234. DIPLOMATIC HISTORY A survey of the development of the European and international state system from 1648 to the end of the Cold War. Emphasis will be placed on the major figures and events that helped shape and change the course and conduct of diplomatic relations among the world’s major powers over the last three centuries. 3 credits. Hist 235. THE GREEKS A survey of ancient Greek civilization from MinoanMycenean times to the death of Alexander the Great. Emphasis will be placed on economic, political, social, religious, and cultural factors in Greek life. 3 credits. Hist 238. THE ANCIENT HISTORIANS This course focuses on the classical historians in an attempt to retrace the origins of historical writing in the Western world. Particular attention is drawn to the Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides, and to Livy and Suetonius from Rome. 3 credits. Hist 239. FAMOUS GREEKS AND ROMANS This course highlights notable figures from antiquity such as Socrates and Julius Caesar in an attempt to understand fame and virtue as the Ancient Greeks and Romans understood it. 3 credits.
2011-2012 Mercyhurst College Course Catalog • www.mercyhurst.edu