History Courses

Course Descriptions

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	004	CRSE SPCFC STDY SK-HIS 104	1 (1-0)

HIS 004 is a course specific study skills course designed for those students who require support in HIS 104, (History of the United States II) taught by the instructor of HIS 104, which is taken concurrently. HIS 004 will include work with notetaking, effective reading of texts and supplementary materials, term paper research and organization, map skills and examination preparation, including essay writing and other specific strategies necessary to the successful study of history at the college level. NOTE: HIS 004 is a credit equivalent course. Equivalent credits do not satisfy degree requirements and are not calculated in a student¿s grade point average, but they do incur tuition charges and they do count towards full-time/part-time status.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	101	WEST CIV:ANCNT NEAR EAST-1700	3 (3-0)

A survey of the major ideas and events which have shaped the values and institutions of the West from the classical period to approximately 1700. Topics include the Ancient near East, Classical Greece and Rome, Judaism and Early Christianity, the Byzantine, Islamic and Latin Christian Empires of the Early Middle Ages, Feudalism and the Latin Christian Church of the High Middle Ages, the Rise of National States, the Italian and Northern Renaissance, and the Reformation. HIS101 and HIS102 may be taken separately. Pre-requisites: None

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	102	WESTERN CIV: 1700 TO PRESENT	3 (3-0)

A survey of the major ideas and events which have shaped the values and institutions of the West from 1700 to the present. Topics include the Old Regime, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Rise of Industrialism, Capitalism, Socialism, Imperialism, Nationalism, the Russian Revolution, the Growth of Communism and Fascism, World Wars I and II and the Cold War. HIS 101 and 102 may be taken separately.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	103	HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES I	3 (3-0)

HIS 103 is the study of American political, social, economic, and cultural history from the Colonial Era through the Civil War. The course will also emphasize how indigenous peoples, African Americans, women, and ordinary working Americans contributed to the making of the early American republic. Particular attention will be given to the colonies of Virginia and Massachusetts, the American Revolution, the Constitution, the Age of Jackson, slavery and the Civil War. HIS 103 and 104 may be taken separately.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	104	HISTORY OF UNITED STATES II	3 (3-0)

The study of American political, social and intellectual development from 1865 to the present. Students will explore the roles of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and religion in shaping U.S. History and the experiences of Americans since 1865. Topics covered include Reconstruction; the industrial and transportation revolutions; the crisis in agriculture; the labor and Populist movements; the segregated South; immigration; American expansionism and its effects on indigenous peoples; the Progressive Movement; the Twenties; the Great War; the Twenties; the Great Depression and New Deal; the Second World War; the Cold War; Post-war affluence and its racial and gender disparities; the Civil Rights Movement and other social movements of the 1960s and 1970s; the Vietnam War; the Conservative Resurgence of the 1970s and 1980s; Globalization and the Information Revolution; and the early 21st Century. HIS 103 and 104 may be taken separately.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	107	HISTORY OF WLD CVL BEFORE 1700	3 (3-0)

HIS 107 is a survey of the major political, social, economic, intellectual and cultural developments of the Latin American, Asian, African, European and Middle Eastern civilizations by placing historical events, customs and cultures in a global context. The course surveys the major ideas, religions and events that shaped the values of the different world cultures and their institutions from the classical age to 1700.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	108	HISTORY OF WRLD CIV SINCE 1700	3 (3-0)

A survey of the major political, social and cultural developments of the Latin American, Asian, African, European and Middle Eastern civilizations. The course attempts to place historical events, customs and cultures in a global context. Part II surveys the major ideas and events that shaped the values of the different world cultures and their institutions from 1700 to the present.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	181	OVERSEAS STUDY: AMER MIRROR I	3 (3-0)

A study of a selected country in order to understand the major political, social and cultural developments of that country. The course attempts to place historical events, customs and cultures in a context whereby the student will be able to appreciate in depth the first-hand observations they will be able to make in the selected country during an intersession visit.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	182	OVERSEAS STUDY:AMER MIRROR II	3 (3-0)

Students will visit a selected Latin American, Asian, African, European or Middle Eastern country in order to survey the major political, social and cultural developments of the host country. The course attempts to place historical events, customs and cultures in a context whereby the student discovers, through first-hand observation, the ethnic, religious and national composition of the selected country.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	203	THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST	3 (3-0)

This course will examine the historical, intellectual, and political development of the Middle East and North Africa, with a particular focus on the period from 1790 to the present. While the course will focus mostly on internal developments within the Middle East and North Africa, particular attention will be paid to interactions with Europe and surrounding regions, and the United States. This course is cross-listed and may be taken as either HIS 203 or GOV 203.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	206	LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY	3 (3-0)

A study of the major social, economic, political, intellectual and cultural developments in Latin American history. Students will explore topics relating to the Maya, Aztec, and Inca cultures, the European colonial experience, the functioning of labor systems in Latin America and the Caribbean, struggles for independence, relations with the United States, the influences of religious cultures and institutions, and contemporary movements for political change and social justice.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	207	HSTRY RUSSIA/SOVIET UNION	3 (3-0)

A study of the historical events, social and economic changes, and political developments from the rise of Muscovy to the present day. This course examines Russia under the Czars, the origins and upheaval of the revolutions of 1917 and the evolution of the Soviet Union throughout the twentieth century and after its collapse.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	209	AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY	3 (3-0)

This course examines the social, political, economic and cultural history of people of African descent in the United States. Topics covered will include: the ordeal of slavery, Reconstruction, the rise of segregation, the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, the development of Black Nationalism and the Civil Rights Movement.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	210	THE HOLOCAUST IN HISTORY	3 (3-0)

This course examines the political, social, economic, intellectual and religious sources of the Holocaust, traces its course, and analyzes the way in which it has been interpreted by different nations and historians. Special attention is given to the history of European anti-semitism, the relationship among Nazi ideology, Hitler and the Holocaust, stages of the 'Final Solution', Jewish resistance, behavior of other nations and the meaning of the Holocaust for the present and future.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	212	THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY	3 (3-0)

This course charts the evolution of one of the world's most enduring and powerful institutions: the American presidency. In addition to studying the character traits and leadership styles of the presidents themselves, this course places presidential administrations within the social, political, and economic contexts that give the power and meaning. Students will explore the evolution of the presidency in relation to gender and racial inequality, revolutionary ideology, popular democracy, slavery, imperialism, industrial capitalism, global war, the Great Depression, mass culture, globalization, and political polarization.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	214	HISTORY OF WOMEN IN U.S.	3 (3-0)

An examination of the social, economic and political roles of women in the United States from colonial times to the present. Particular emphasis will be given to the impact that race, class and ethnicity have had on the experiences of women in this country.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	215	HISTORY OF NEW YORK CITY	3 (3-0)

This course will examine the social, economic, cultural and demographic development of New York City from colonial times to the present. Material will be presented through readings, lectures and films. Two day-long field trips will be taken to the city as part of the course.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	216	THE HISTORY OF DUTCHESS COUNTY	3 (3-0)

A general survey course of Dutchess County's political, social and economic development from the colonial period to the present day. Special emphasis is given to the Hudson Valley's leadership throughout the evolution from rural to modern life. The technological, industrial and organizational changes affecting Dutchess County are considered.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	217	HISTORY OF CHINA	3 (3-0)

The course presents a general survey of the major historical, social, and cultural developments of China. The course begins with ancient China and continues through the present day. Special emphasis is given to the rise of modern China after the 15th century and places Chinese development in a global context.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	218	CIVIL WAR AMERICA 1850-1877	3 (3-0)

An examination of the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War and Reconstruction, from the 1840s to 1877. The class will go beyond the Civil War and Reconstruction as a political crisis and a military conflict, and explore this time period as transformative in America, radically changing the trajectory of American history. In particular the course will cover several broad themes: the crisis of union and disunion; slavery, race, emancipation, and its consequences in both regional and national contexts; the experience and consequences of modern war; the political, social, and constitutional challenges of Reconstruction; and the construction of Civil War memory by different groups that shaped post-war politics and the popular culture of the late 19th century.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	220	THE WAR IN VIET NAM	3 (3-0)

A study of the origins, nature and effects of warfare by using the War in Viet Nam as a case study. This course will survey America's involvement in Viet Nam during World War II, the post World War II years through the Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations, and will evaluate the consequences of the conflict at home and abroad. The course will also analyze America's involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the "war on terrorism," and the future of American foreign policy and its military engagements. Various methodologies are used in the course in addition to the traditional lecture-discussion approach. This course is cross-listed and may be taken as either HIS 220 or GOV 220.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	221	MEDIEVAL EUROPE: 600-1500	3 (3-0)

An examination of the development of European social, cultural, political, economic and intellectual life from the aftermath of Rome’s fall to the Renaissance and the emergence of modern Europe. Topics include: Feudalism and Manorialism; the role of the Western Church; the Carolingian Renaissance; the Crusades; Medieval Kingship; the 12th Century Renaissance; Medieval Parliaments; the Hundred Years War; and Late Medieval Humanism.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	225	HISTORY AMER CULTURE & IDEAS	3 (3-0)

This course will focus on the cultural and intellectual history of the United States from 1859 to the present. More than a litany of thinkers and ideas, the course will explore the political and social debates that gave those ideas meaning. It will present material in discrete themes, such as the clash of religion and science; urbanization and its anxieties; dissident voices and reform; race, nationalism and imperialism; political theory and reform; alienation and the intellectuals; the response to fascism and war; gender roles and feminist thought; and the globalization of ideas.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	227	HISTORY WRKNG PEOPLE IN US	3 (3-0)

History of Working People in the United States is a survey course in the history of work, working people, and the labor movement in the United States. A central theme is the role of race, gender, and ethnicity in shaping labor systems and working-class movements. The course focuses primarily on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but also explores origins, foundations, and transformations of free and unfree labor during the colonial era, as well as recent developments in the labor history of the early twenty-first century.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	271	SPECIAL STUDY PROJECT I	1 (1-0)

A special learning experience designed by one or more students with the cooperation and approval of a faculty member. Proposed study plans require departmental approval. Projects may be based on reading, research, community service, work experience, or other activities that advance the student's knowledge and competence in the field of history or related areas. The student's time commitment to the project will be approximately 35-50 hours.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	272	SPECIAL STUDY PROJECT II	2 (2-0)

Similar to HIS 271, except that the student's time commitment to the project will be approximately 70-90 hours.

Prefix	Number	Title	Hours
HIS	273	SPECIAL STUDY PROJECT III	3 (3-0)

Similar to HIS 271, except that the student's time commitment to the project will be approximately 105-135 hours.