History
Student learning outcomes describe what students know, understand and are able to do as a result of completing a degree program. The learning outcomes for History are:
- Historical Analysis
Analyze critically, interpret, and explain past societies, cultures, individuals, and events in terms of historical change over time (Evidence: Senior Research). - Historiography
Analyze critically and explain the methodology of historical inquiry, including different interpretations of a particular historical problem or event (Evidence: Senior Research). - Awareness of Diversity
Analyze and interpret the histories of pre-modern, diverse, and non-western cultures and societies (Evidence: Non-Western/Diversity). - Use of Sources
Demonstrate competence in accessing and appropriately citing a diverse array of primary and secondary sources (Evidence: Senior Research). - Argumentation
Make a clear and persuasive argument, which is accessible to an audience of laypersons and peers (Evidence: Senior Research). - Research
Propose, produce, and defend an independently researched paper that demonstrates an original interpretation of an historical problem through the use of primary sources (Evidence: Senior Research).
Minor in History - 4 Units
Code | Title | Units |
---|---|---|
Lower-Division Minor Requirements | ||
Select one unit from the following: | 1 | |
Western Civilization to 1000 CE | ||
Western Civilization from the Medieval World to the Age of Exploration | ||
Modern Western Civilization | ||
Early World Civilizations | ||
Modern World Civilizations | ||
Other | ||
Three elective history units, one of which may be taken at the 100- or 200-level | 3 | |
Total Units | 4 |
Advising Course Plans
History Major - Public History Concentration
Plans for Transfer Students and Students Changing Their Major
History Major
History Major - Public History Concentration
History Honors Track
To obtain Latin Honors (Cum, Magna, or Summa) in History, the student must have at least a 3.5 Grade Point Average (GPA) in the History Major and no lower than a 3.3 GPA overall by the end of the junior year (with a minimum of four classes in the History Major taken at Stetson, of which at least two must be at the 300 level). The History Department reserves the right not to consider for Honors any student whose GPA drops below either threshold over the course of the student’s final two semesters. A record of academic integrity must also be maintained over the student’s entire stay at Stetson, to be determined in conversation with History Department faculty based on our knowledge of the student’s record.
Honors Proposal
Students applying for the History Honors Track must commit to enrolling in HIST 499 for the fall semester of their senior year, and must submit a 1-2 page Honors in the History Major proposal by the spring semester of the junior year to the History Department Chair and History Department Honors Track Coordinator. This proposal will include a general topic area for the senior thesis along with a statement identifying two courses in an outside field (see below) and explaining how those courses will help shape the proposed project. Explaining how previous coursework, future coursework, and additional co-curricular experiences (e.g., study abroad, foreign language study) will factor into the research project is strongly encouraged. The proposal will be evaluated by the Honors Track Coordinator, the Department Chair, and the proposed faculty advisor for the project, who is normally a full-time tenure-track member of the History Department. The Department reserves the right to reject applications from students who meet the minimum GPA requirements but do not articulate a compelling proposal for Honors in the History Major.
Outside Field Courses
Qualifying students will designate two additional courses in a single outside discipline, an interdisciplinary program, or the University Honors Program (e.g., two self-fashioned tutorials) whose theory and methodology the students will employ in conceiving, researching, and writing the year-long Honors Thesis. Both courses must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the students’ senior year. While two courses in an existing minor or other (non-History) major may be designated, the students must explain the specific relevance of these courses to the Honors Thesis in their proposals. For example, a student double majoring in History and Political Science, writing on burial traditions in medieval France, cannot simply designate two unrelated Political Science courses as the outside field but must explain how the two outside courses (e.g., French or Anthropology) inform the research methodology.
The Extended Senior Project
Students majoring in History who seek Honors must complete and present a typical 30-35 page (8,000 word) version of their projects during the fall semester, as part of the regular Fall Senior Research Seminar (HIST 499), to be graded as a regular senior research project. This means an Incomplete grade for HIST 499 will disqualify students from continuing with the Honors Track. Students seeking Honors must simultaneously submit a brief (3-5 page) statement explaining how they will expand upon their first drafts during the spring semester of their senior year. During that semester, they will each work with the faculty advisor associated with the approved proposal in an independent study course (1 unit) to expand the thesis (to 50-75 pages). The Honors Thesis will be due by April 15. Two History Department faculty members (normally the Senior Research instructor and the designated faculty advisor), as well as one faculty member in the outside discipline (see above), will serve as each student’s Honors Committee and will read the thesis and participate in the Honors Defense. Following the Honors Defense, each student’s Honors Committee will determine whether the student should receive Honors and, if so, what level of distinction, based on a combination of the rigor of the student’s courses and course GPA within and outside the History Major, the quality of the year-long Honors Thesis, and the quality of the Honors Defense. Shortly thereafter, the student will be informed whether the History Department has recommended graduation with Honors (Cum Laude), generally equivalent to at least a B+ on the Honors Thesis, a good Honors Defense, and a 3.5 GPA in the History Major; High Honors (Magna Cum Laude), generally equivalent to an A- on the Honors Thesis, an excellent Honors Defense, and a 3.7 GPA in the History Major; and Highest Honors (Summa Cum Laude), generally equivalent to an A on the Honors Thesis, an exceptional Honors Defense, and a 3.9 GPA in the History Major. The History Department reserves the right to determine these Honors holistically, including factors such as the rigor of courses taken both inside and outside the History Major, academic honors and accolades, scholarly presentations, and other factors. For the Honors independent study, if a student’s grade is Pass/Fail or lower than a B+, then this is equivalent to withdrawal from the Honors Track, though the independent study would still count as a regular 1 unit course towards the credits required for graduation should the student pass the course.
Blackwell, Martin
Visiting Professor of History, 2019
BA, Kenyon College
PhD, Indiana University
Fowler, Mayhill
Associate Professor of History, 2013
BA, Yale University
MFA, National Theater Conservatory
MA, PhD, Princeton University
Kurlander, Eric
William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History, 2001
BA, Bowdoin College
MA, PhD, Harvard University
Mieras, Emily
Associate Professor of History and American Studies, 1998
AB, Harvard College
MA, PhD, College of William and Mary
Reiter, Kimberly
Associate Professor of History, 1990
BA, Muskingum College
MA, Kent State University
PhD, University of Virginia
Seah, Leander
Associate Professor and Chair of History, 2011
BA, MA, National University of Singapore
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Venzke, Margaret
Associate Professor of History, 1992
BA, University of Wisconsin-Western Maryland College
MA, MPhil, PhD, Columbia University
Waterhouse, Amanda
Assistant Professor of History, 2024
BA, Vassar College
MA, PhD, Indiana University
HIST 101H. Western Civilization to 1000 CE. 1 Unit.
A study of the development of the West from ancient Near Eastern beginnings, to Greek and Roman civilization, and to the early formative period of European civilization.
HIST 102H. Western Civilization from the Medieval World to the Age of Exploration. 1 Unit.
The development of European society and ideas from the Medieval World to the Early Modern, including such topics as the Crusades, Black Death, Oceanic Exploration and confrontation with new worlds, the Renaissance, and Religious Revolt.
HIST 103H. Modern Western Civilization. 1 Unit.
The development of European society and its impact upon the rest of the world from the seventeenth century to the present. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 104H. Early World Civilizations. 1 Unit.
Survey of world history through a comparative study of the cultures and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, from earliest times until the sixteenth century. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 105H. Modern World Civilizations. 1 Unit.
Survey of world history since the fifteenth century, examining the distinctive developments of the cultures of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and the increasing intercultural developments between them. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 151H. American History I. 1 Unit.
An examination of the main patterns and themes in American history from the age of European discovery through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
HIST 152H. American History II. 1 Unit.
A study of the main themes in the development of the United States from the Industrial Age to the present.
HIST 180. History Elective. 1 Unit.
HIST 181. History Elective. 1 Unit.
HIST 190. Special Topics in History. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Focused study of a specific historical topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 200. Approaches to History. 1 Unit.
This is a methodology course designed to introduce History majors to the evolution of historical interpretations and assumptions and to different approaches to studying the past. Provides foundations in information literacy, research skills, and persuasive writing. Open to History majors and by permission of instructor. To be taken in fall semester of sophomore year. Offered in fall semesters only.
HIST 205H. Africa in the Age of Imperialism. 1 Unit.
This course surveys the history of modern Sub-Saharan Africa from pre-colonial times. Special emphasis is placed on African culture, politics, economics and society, with a focus on southern Africa; the role of imperialism and racism (apartheid); and the decolonization movement in the second half of the twentieth century.
HIST 207H. Latin American History: Ancient and Colonial Empires. 1 Unit.
This course examines the history and culture of Latin America from pre-Columbian times through the emergence of independent nation-states.
HIST 208H. Latin American History: The Challenges of Modern Nationhood. 1 Unit.
This course examines the contemporary history of Latin America with emphasis on the major economic, social, and cultural forces and how these forces have affected the lives of Latin Americans.
HIST 210H. The Ancient Near East. 1 Unit.
A study of the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt and Persia from prehistory until the Greeks, with special focus on society, religion, art, cross-cultural interaction and international politics. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 211H. History of Ancient Greece. 1 Unit.
A study of classical culture from earliest times in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, with attention to the transition from the Bronze Age, the rise of Sparta and Athens, the conflict of democracy and imperialism, the consequences of Athenian expansion, and the rise of the Hellenistic world. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 212H. History of Ancient Rome. 1 Unit.
A study of Roman culture from Etruscan times, with attention to the creation of a Latin culture, the formation and expansion of the Roman Republic, the creation, culture and society of the Roman Empire, and its transformation into European and Byzantine civilization. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 216H. Pirates and Piracy. 1 Unit.
A survey of the interaction between the institution of piracy and the rise of various maritime civilizations from the Bronze Age into the twenty-first century. The course examines the reasons for the rise of piracy, the circumstances under which it flourishes, and the strategies used by various societies to utilize, control or eradicate piracy for political, economic and religious interests.
HIST 218B. The Reformation. 1 Unit.
An examination of the cultural, political and philosophical influences that shaped the transformation of European Christianity after the fourteenth century and defined the transition into the Modern Period. The course will examine the routes and theology of religious protest as well as the immediate and long term repercussions on European society and Christian belief, both Catholic and Protestant. Current controversies within the realm of reformation will also be discussed and explored in a historic and theological context. Can be used as an H course.
HIST 220H. Early English History. 1 Unit.
A survey of prehistoric, Celtic and Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Plantagenet and Tudor periods, with emphasis on the social transformations seen through the various waves of conquest up to 1066, and the stabilization of the realm of England from 1066 through the reign of Elizabeth I. A Maymester variation takes this course on site to various locations in England. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 222H. Modern Britain. 1 Unit.
An examination of the development of modern Britain, with special attention to social and cultural trends.
HIST 227H. Modern France. 1 Unit.
Modern France is a lecture and discussion-based course surveying the major themes in French social, political, and cultural history from the French Revolution and Napoleon (1789-1815) through the Romantic Era and Napoleon III's Second Empire (1815-1870), the Paris Commune, Third Republic, and two World Wars (1870-1945), and Fourth and Fifth Republics, inclusive of the Cold War (1945-present).
HIST 230H. The History of Modern Germany, 1770-Present. 1 Unit.
A survey of Modern German History from the Old Regime (mid-18th century) into the present day, with emphasis on reunification, European revolution, the World Wars, Third Reich, and Cold War. The course is also organized around a number of historical tensions that continue to define the history and historiography of Modern Germany: modernization and reaction; nationalism and cosmopolitanism; imperialism and post-colonialism; and democracy and authoritarianism. In addition to these larger themes, the course will pay particular attention to questions of class, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality.
HIST 240H. The Russian Empire. 1 Unit.
This course studies how a conglomeration of minor city-states became a great player on the European and world stage by the twentieth century. We will cover the Russian Empire's early foundations in Muscovy, culminating in the Russian Revolution. Central themes include the nature of autocracy, strategies of governing a multi-ethnic empire, and the peculiar relationship with the West.
HIST 241H. The Soviet Century. 1 Unit.
This course explores the rise and fall of the Soviet Union, a political, social, economic, and cultural experiment that covered one-sixth of the globe and transformed the twentieth century. Topics include Bolshevik victory in revolution, Stalinist dictatorship, victory in World War II and Soviet expansion into Eastern Europe, attempts at reform, and the unexpected Soviet collapse. Readings will focus on both scholars' (often conflicting) analysis of these events, as well as how ordinary people experienced the Soviet century.
HIST 242H. The Soviet Collapse. 1 Unit.
This course (with its optional Maymester abroad component) first analyzes late socialism in the Soviet Union to explain why the country collapsed amid Gorbachev's reforms of the 1980s. The course also investigates why the new Russian Federation’s experiment with democratization and market economics during Yeltsin's 1990s made the emergence of an authoritarian leader like Putin possible in the 2000s. The varied fates of the other newly-independent former Soviet republics over the past thirty years will provide essential points of comparison and contrast. Primary sources provide context for lectures and discussions about ordinary people's lived experience of revolutionary change.
HIST 243H. Eastern Europe, 1700s-2000s. 1 Unit.
This course covers the politics and culture of the region known as East Central Europe, located between Germany and Russia, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. This region was a crossroads of languages, religions, and the violent projects of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Readings will illuminate the lives of Jews, Poles, Ukrainians, and Russians, from the world of the early modern Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to the overlapping historical legacies shaping the borderlands today.
HIST 248H. U.S.-Latin American Relations. 1 Unit.
An examination of the political, economic and cultural relations between the peoples and governments of Latin America and the United States.
HIST 250V. Immigration, Race and Ethnicity in American History: 1600 to Present. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Human Diversity Value. This course takes a multicultural approach to American history, studying the experiences of the diverse peoples who helped build the nation. Topics include changing concepts of race, the role of the law in shaping immigration policy, the formation of ethnic communities, and the centrality of labor to the immigrant experience in the United States. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 251H. African American History. 1 Unit.
This course studies the experiences of Africans and people of African descent in the American colonies and the United States. Topics include the formation of African American communities and families, the history of slavery, civil rights activism, and the ways Africans and African Americans have shaped American history. Can be used as a D course.
HIST 252H. Gender in American History, 1800 to Present. 1 Unit.
An examination of how Americans have defined, experienced, and expressed masculinity and femininity from the nineteenth century to the present. Key themes include the roles of race, social and economic class, sexual identity, work, and national identity in shaping concepts of gender roles. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 253H. Native Americans and the Frontier. 1 Unit.
An examination of the economic, social and political developments affecting Native Americans and the effect of the frontier on American society. Exploration of the American West, marginalization, acculturation and integration of Native American groups and the impact of frontier interaction on the West's political evolution will also be covered.
HIST 254H. Baseball: A Social and Cultural History. 1 Unit.
This course employs America's pastime as a touchstone for examining the development of modern American culture and society, from baseball's inception to the contemporary era. Central themes include race, class, gender, modernization and industrialization. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 255H. American Consumer Culture. 1 Unit.
This course studies American consumer culture from the nineteenth century to the present, taking an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how consumerism has shaped American culture, society, and institutions past and present. Students will integrate a historical understanding of American consumer practices and ideology with analysis of contemporary consumer artifacts, spaces, and experiences. Cross-listed as AMST 255H.
HIST 256B. The 1950's and 1960's. 1 Unit.
This course studies American cultural history during this period of intense transformation, including political and social movements, representative leaders, and everyday life. The hotly debated issues of these years, especially the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and Women's roles in society, establishes precedents and camps if ideological commitment that still shape the politics and cultural of the twenty-first century. Cross-listed as AMST 256B.
HIST 260H. United States Since World War II. 1 Unit.
A study of contemporary American history. Special attention is given to the economy, culture, society, and domestic politics.
HIST 270H. The History of Modern China. 1 Unit.
Examines the history of modern China from 1644, the year in which the Qing (China's last imperial dynasty) began to rule China, to the present day, with a discussion of the challenges faced by the Communist regime in Beijing. Students will have the opportunity to examine both internal and external developments, such as the Taiping Rebellion, the 1911 Revolution, the Kuomintang's Nanjing Decade, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, Sino-Soviet and Sino-American relations, and the two Sino-Japanese Wars. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 271H. The History of Modern Japan. 1 Unit.
This course examines Japanese history through the Tokugawa and Meiji eras, the rise and fall of the Japanese empire, Japan's post-war emergence as a global economic powerhouse, and Japan's status today as a leading international power. Students will have the opportunity to examine both internal and external developments in order to attain a more holistic appreciation of Japanese history and culture. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 285. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Students identify topic and work independently with a faculty member to study that topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 290. Special Topics in History. 0.5 to 1 Units.
Focused study of a specific historical topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 292S. Introduction to Public History. 1 Unit.
An introduction to ways historians put history in action in public space. The course explorestopics including museum studies and history, collections and archives management, restoration and preservation, local and oral history, family history, community outreach and heritage management. Generally offered in the spring semester.
HIST 293S. Oral History. 1 Unit.
The goal of this class is to teach students sound oral history methodologies. Issues we will consider are practical concerns for collecting and preserving oral histories, best practices with human subjects, legal and ethical issues, memory and bias, and the many definitions of oral history.
HIST 294B. The Art of Public Explanation. 1 Unit.
This course will combine academic inquiry and workshop practice to increase student understanding of the history of the public sphere and its contemporary cultural challenges, while providing a platform for students to develop their own public voices for presenting and exploring key issues of our times. Writing Enhanced course.
HIST 300V. Environmental and Social Collapse. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Environmental Responsibility Value. This seminar will explore the dialogue between historic societies and the natural environment, including repercussions of technological and social change. Special emphasis will be given to Sumer, ancient Mediterranean civilizations, Polynesia, Central America, colonial North America, Industrial New England, modern China and the twentieth-century American West. Junior Seminar.
HIST 301V. The Age of Extremes: Class, Politics, and Ideology, 1914-1989. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. The Age of Extremes is a course focusing on how different historical, political, and cultural traditions have given rise to divergent, sometimes contradictory, ideologies regarding freedom, the state, the individual, and the community. Through close reading and discussion of primary and secondary sources, including textual and visual media, we will seek to better understand the dynamic, often violent, interplay between class, politics, and ideology in the “short twentieth century.” Junior Seminar.
HIST 303H. Islamic Civilization to the Crusades. 1 Unit.
Study of the rise of Islam and the history and culture of Islamic civilization from its beginnings to the European Crusades, including such topics as Islamic mysticism (Sufism), law, and the struggles between Sunni and Shi`i Islam.
HIST 304H. The Ottomans: From Marsh Warriors to Empire. 1 Unit.
Study of the Ottoman Empire and its civilization from its beginnings to its rise to a world empire and its fall as a result of World War One, with consideration of its effect on the formation of successor states in the Balkans and Middle East.
HIST 305H. Comparative Study of Islamic Empires: The Ottoman Empire, Safavid of Iran, and the Mughal of India. 1 Unit.
Comparative study of the three great Islamic empires of the early modern period--the Ottoman Empire, Safavid of Iran, and the Mughal of India - from the 16th century to the demise of the Mughal Empire in the 19th century, with special emphasis on their distinctive institutions, problems, and personalities.
HIST 306. The Modern Middle East. 1 Unit.
The course examines the forces and developments that have shaped the Middle East of today. Discussed are such topics as: Egypt taking an independent course and modernizing in the 19th century; Persia as the object of the "Great Game" between Great Britain and Russia to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, and its aftermath; World War One agreements and peacemaking ("the peace to end all peace") to the countries that emerged from it; the birth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1932, and its politics; the US invasion of Iraq, 2003, and emergence of ISIS, and the continuing war on terrorism; and the question of the Kurds and of Palestinian statehood.
HIST 307B. Contemporary Islamic Civilization. 1 Unit.
Study of contemporary Islamic culture and life, from more progressive societies to the tribal and traditional, and including the position of women in Islamic society and the place of Islam in European society.
HIST 311V. Defining the Natural State. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Environmental Responsibility Value. This course will examine historic controversies and cultural interpretations surrounding the evolving meaning of "natural state," paying special attention to the beginnings of the cosmos, life and humanity. Approaches from cosmology, molecular biology, environmental science, anthropology and religion will be considered, ending with a discussion of fundamentalism and sustainability as they pertain to defining "the natural state." Junior Seminar.
HIST 312V. Stonehenge. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Environmental Responsibility Value. A study of the complex and layered landscape surrounding Stonehenge, utilizing archaeological, environmental and written evidence to examine the monument's place in British society from its mid-seventh millennium origins to the present day. The course will also discuss the management of the landscape and monument, and explore the various meanings and explanations given to this prehistoric landscape.
HIST 313. The Fall of the Roman Empire. 1 Unit.
A study of the late Roman Empire from approximately the time of Constantine and the transformation from Mediterranean to European civilization between 300-700. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 314H. The Middle Ages. 1 Unit.
A study of the thousand years that fostered the beginnings of European civilization, from the disintegration of the Roman Empire and the Germanic invasions; the impact of feudalism; rise of trade and urban centers; medieval monarchies of England, France, and Germany; culture of the high Middle Ages; and transformation into modernity after 1400.
HIST 315H. Celtic Civilization. 1 Unit.
A study of prehistoric and Celtic Europe from the last Ice Age to the Roman conquest, with a consideration of Celtic cultural survival into the later Middle Ages. Special consideration will be given to Celtic archaeology, religion, and confrontation with the Classical world. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 317B. Crusades: Faith and Politics in the Middle East. 1 Unit.
A study of the Crusades that brought Europeans to the Middle East, to include also the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The Islamic dimension and non-military interplay of the "two sides" will be focused on, in addition to the political and military aspects.
HIST 318H. The Reformation. 1 Unit.
This course is an introduction to the history, culture, and civilization of the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counterreformation, beginning with the crisis of the late-Medieval Church and concluding with the Thirty Years War.
HIST 320. King Arthur. 1 Unit.
An analysis of the archaeological and historical evidence for the creation of the Arthurian cycle, from its Celtic and Roman roots through the Plantagenet dynasty. The course will also consider the medieval treatment and development of the Arthurian theme, and its resurgence in Tudor, Victorian, and twentieth century art, literature, politics, and social commentary. The format will encompass intensive reading and discussion, and an extended research paper. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 322H. English Historical Landscape. 1 Unit.
The course focuses on the interaction of pre-industrial human cultures and the natural landscape as reflected in surviving cultural and natural artifacts. Students, after time in the classroom, spend 16 days doing field studies, visiting sites in the United Kingdom to study the history, landscape, natural ecology, cultural heritage management and land use management from the Neolithic through the medieval periods. Students also have the opportunity to compare these past human-landscape relationships with the modern relationships that exist near the sites. The purpose of the course is to engage the student in seeing how landscape, environment, and resources are integral to understanding the events that shaped the course of British history through 1600.
HIST 323S. The French Revolution, 1770-1815: The Enlightenment, Terror, and Napoleon. 1 Unit.
The French Revolution is a course examining the major themes and debates concerning the origins, course, and consequences of the French Revolution, inclusive of the Napoleonic Era. Through a close reading of primary and secondary texts we will try to integrate French revolutionary history and historiography, emphasizing the importance of change over time, politics and culture, society and economy, and historical cause and effect. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 326H. Germany in War and Revolution: From the Second Empire to the Third Reich. 1 Unit.
This course is a research seminar addressing major themes in Modern German History from unification through the two World Wars. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of war and revolution in shaping German politics and society in the Imperial, Weimar, and Nazi periods, looking closely at both important individuals and structural factors like modernization, imperialism, capitalism, and industrialization.
HIST 328H. World War I. 1 Unit.
The origins, course, and repercussions of the most devastating war, to that point, in human history. Beginning with an analysis of Europe's domestic and foreign policies in the late-nineteenth century, the course will bring together social and economic, political and diplomatic, and cultural and intellectual history to try to understand why the European powers plunged their people into such a horrible conflict. After surveying the course of events on the battlefield, we will spend considerable time analyzing the by-products of total war. The course will conclude by examining the war's impact on the "short twentieth century" (1918-1989).
HIST 329H. Nazi Germany: History, Politics, and Culture. 1 Unit.
Germany's turbulent history from 1914 to 1945 will be explored and will include the following: World War I, the abortive Weimar Republic and Hitler's rise, the Nazi dictatorship, its collapse in World War II, and the Holocaust. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 330H. World War II: A Global History. 1 Unit.
Nearly seventy years after it ended, the Second World War remains the greatest military conflict in history, wreaking havoc across the globe and changing the world more profoundly than any single event in modern history. This course attempts to come to terms with this incredible event in its totality, surveying the major themes and events regarding the origins, course, and repercussions of the Second World War and its global socio- economic, political, cultural, and moral consequences. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 331S. The Holocaust. 1 Unit.
A research seminar that examines the historical literature, sources, and debates concerning the origins, course, and legacies of the Holocaust. Through the close reading and discussion of various texts, both primary and secondary, we will try to integrate Holocaust history and historiography, emphasizing the importance of change over time, politics and culture, ethics and religion, society and economy, and historical cause and effect. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 332H. Europe Since 1945. 1 Unit.
Study of the main themes in the development of European economy, society and politics from the end of World War II to the present with emphasis on the Cold War, decolonization, new patterns of leadership, economic transformation, and European integration.
HIST 339H. East European Literature and Politics. 1 Unit.
The course will approach the historical transformations shaping Eastern Europe in the second half of the 20th century into the 21st century through the lens of literature. We will be examining World War II, the Holocaust, postwar state socialist regimes in Eastern Europe, and the convulsions of the formerly socialist world. We will read essays, memoirs, novels, and poems by authors including Czesław Miłosz, Zuzanna Ginczanka, Tadeusz Borowski, Heda Kovaly, Milan Kundera, Danilo Kiš, Tomas Venclova, and Serhy Zhadan. We will discuss to what degree literature can engage in moral and political resistance, how literature can (and cannot) be used as a historical source, and the limits of the imagination in our work as historians.
HIST 340V. Crossroads of Empire. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Human Diversity Value. A century ago, the region from the Baltic to the Black Sea, between Germany and Russia, was home to many different religions, language groups, and ethnicities, but the social engineering projects of the 20th century, particularly the Holocaust, destroyed not only this diversity, but also the memory of it. Throughout the course we will strive to study the multi-ethnic past of the East European borderlands, and its contested narratives. Historical scholarship, material objects, cultural products and institutions, and language itself will focus our attention as we examine how museums, literature, tourist brochures, filmmakers and scholars (mis)represent diversity. Junior Seminar.
HIST 341B. Money and the Muse in Russia: Methodologies of Cultural History. 1 Unit.
An introduction to cultural history, the study of how people understand the world around them. Why do we ascribe value to certain objects, ideas, or practices? Discussions will center on the arts in Russia and the Soviet Union, where the arts are considered "important." Our seminar will explore the various political, social and economic structures supporting that belief.
HIST 342S. Stalinism. 1 Unit.
An in-depth exploration of Stalinism as a way of understanding Soviet political, social, and cultural structures, and as a way of understanding the shaping of the field of Soviet history. In other words, the course takes Stalin as not only one of the main agents of Soviet history, but also a structure: Stalin, Stalinism, and the Soviet are all inextricable.
HIST 344H. Sex, Sexuality, and Socialism in Eastern Europe. 1 Unit.
This course examines the ways that state socialist regimes shaped understandings of gender, sex, and sexuality. Beginning with the Industrial Revolution opening up new opportunities and challenges for women, we progress to the promise of liberation offered by socialist ideologies, the reality of life in the Soviet Union (shifting legislation on homosexuality, abortion, and divorce), the emergence of postwar state socialist regimes in Eastern Europe, dissident movements, the collapse of socialism in 1989-1991, and the dynamic landscape of sexuality and gender in Eastern Europe today. Through personal accounts, scholarly debates, and our own conversations, we will explore the ways socialism imagined, and real socialist regimes shaped, gender, sex, and sexuality.
HIST 345H. Gender, War, and Violence in 20th Century Eastern Europe. 1 Unit.
This research-intensive seminar investigates violence in 20th century Eastern Europe through the perspective of gender and sexuality, focusing on World War I and ensuing civil wars, World War II and the Holocaust, and the postwar rise and later collapse of state socialist regimes. Topics include the construction of the masculine and feminine during war and postwar reconstruction, the transformation of hierarchies of gender and sexuality during and after war, and the ways in which gendered violence became both a weapon and everyday experience of war and occupation.
HIST 347H. World War II in Asia: The Second Sino-Japanese War. 1 Unit.
This research seminar examines the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) that led to World War II. Numerous studies of World War II have focused on Europe, but fighting began in Asia between China and Japan. The course begins with the origins of the conflict in the nineteenth century and ends with post-war developments. It analyzes issues such as how and why a regional conflict resulted in a world war, military strategies, civilian casualties, the impact of the conflict on East Asia and Southeast Asia, and how the war continues to influence both Asia and the world today.
HIST 348V. Maritime China and Chinese Migration. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Human Diversity Value. This seminar will be useful for those who seek to understand how to relate China to the wider world and how to better understand the diversity inherent in patterns of human migration. The course will explore such topics through case studies related to maritime China and the migration of ethnic Chinese worldwide after 1800. Readings and discussions will cover concepts and themes such as transnationalism, Chinese identity and Chinese trading networks. No prior knowledge of Chinese languages, culture, or history is required. Junior Seminar.
HIST 349H. War and Diplomacy in Modern East Asia. 1 Unit.
This research seminar explores war and diplomacy in modern East Asian history. By analyzing primary and secondary sources, participants will gain insight into how wars and diplomatic arrangements from 1600 onwards have shaped present-day East Asia. Emphasis will be placed on China, Japan, and Korea, though case studies may vary at times. No prior knowledge of history is required.
HIST 350H. China and America: From the Opium Wars to General Tso's Chicken. 1 Unit.
This seminar will be useful for those who seek to understand the relationship between China and the United States from the nineteenth century to the present day. The course will focus on historical and cultural connections. Readings and discussions will cover topics such as the two Opium Wars, Chinese railroad workers in the US, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Flying Tigers and Sino-American relations during World War II, China and America during the Korean War, Nixon's 1972 visit to China, the Taiwan issue, Obama's "pivot to Asia," Trump's trade war, and Chinese cuisine in the US.
HIST 353H. The American Civil War. 1 Unit.
An examination of the issues, events, processes and individuals shaping American history during the era of the Civil War.
HIST 354B. Southern History and Culture in the United States, 1800-Present. 1 Unit.
This course examines the history and myriad cultures of the U. S. South from the nineteenth century to the present. In particular, the class focuses on how conceptions of Southern identity have developed and changed over time, on the role of historical memory in shaping understandings of Southern identity and the Southern past, and on the diverse peoples, ideals, and values that have shaped the Southern experience. Cross-listed as AMST 354B. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 355V. History of American Science and Religion: Darwinism and the Divine in American Culture. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Ethical or Spiritual Inquiry Value. Charles Darwin's theory of species development has been a flashpoint for controversy between religious and scientific outlooks on the world. Using Darwinism as the most significant aspect of science to appear regularly in social thought, and political debate, this course will examine a broad range of religious beliefs, scientific theories, and cultural values from the nineteenth century to the present. Cross-listed as AMST 355V. Junior Seminar.
HIST 356V. History of American Health Care. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Health and Wellness Value. Health care is at once an intimate part of private life and an issue of education, academic research, ideological values, civic culture, economics, and public policy. How have Americans managed the medical dimensions of their lives? This course will explore the role of scientific medicine, alternative healing, diverse cultural and ethnic traditions, gender roles, tensions between secular and religious outlooks, intellectual expertise, and marketplace dynamics since the nation's founding. Can be used as an H course. Writing enhanced course. Cross-listed with AMST 356V.
HIST 357V. American Environmental History: Nature and the American Marketplace. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Environmental Responsibility Value. This course is an examination of how Americans have created wealth from nature, generated environmental problems, and worked to solve them. A major theme of the class is the relationship between ideas of nature and the emergence of a market economy. Junior Seminar.
HIST 359H. The Birth of Modern America, 1890-1940. 1 Unit.
This seminar examines the history of the period between 1890 and 1940, particularly how modernization, urbanization, and industrialization affected American society and culture. Topics include Progressive movements for social change, anarchism, labor strife, the rise of a mass consumer society, immigration and nativist responses to it, and the cultural and social effects of the Great Depression. Writing enhanced course.
HIST 360V. War and Peace in American History. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. This course examines American culture through attention to the practices and policies of American military ventures and bids for peace from Native American warfare through the Civil War, American imperial outreach, the hot and cold wars of the twentieth century, and the contemporary War on Terror. There will be a special emphasis on the emergence of America's global reach and on ways in which the past informs the present. Junior Seminar.
HIST 362H. American Women's History. 1 Unit.
This course studies the history of American women. Focusing primarily on the period from the nineteenth century to the present, the course stresses the variety of women’s experiences, making race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality key topics. Other themes include home and work, the female body, and women's activism. Writing enhanced course. Cross-listed as AMST 320H.
HIST 363V. Political Campaigns and Cultural Ideologies in Recent U.S. History, 1960-Present. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's social Justice Value. The arena of political choices at election time is a major setting for American citizens to make choices about the distribution of power and about policies to achieve social justice. This seminar will examine political campaigning in the United States with particular attention to the history of American elections, political ideologies, recent values orientations, social concerns, cultural polarization, and media coverage of the candidates and the campaigns active during the semester the course is being taught. Cross-listed as AMST 363V. Junior Seminar.
HIST 364V. American Feminism(s). 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. This course offers a case study in American activism, tracing the many strands of the women's rights movement in the United States from the nineteenth century to the present and placing such activism in the context of its times. The course considers multiple and diverse expressions of women's rights activism, including connections to other movements for social change. Junior Seminar.
HIST 365H. The American Revolution. 1 Unit.
This research seminar examines the causes, key events, and consequences of the American Revolution, setting the conflict in the larger context of eighteenth-century colonial life, culture and politics, while considering how different groups of Americans (defined by gender, race, ethnicity, class, politics and region) shaped and experienced the Revolution, the new nation it created, and its legacies in American historical memory.
HIST 366B. American Cultural Traditions. 1 Unit.
What are the origins of contemporary American cultural values and debates? The course will use representative themes and stories from colonial contact to the present, on topics including politics, religion, gender and race relations, scientific and intellectual ideas, medicine, and popular culture, giving students an understanding of how the United States has arrived at present circumstances and what to expect of future trends. Course materials include primary and secondary sources in print and digital form; class time will include background lectures, discussions, group work, and experiential activities; and this work will support each student's final research paper. Writing enhanced course. Can be used as an H course. Cross-listed as AMST 301.
HIST 372V. Arts and Revolution: Theater. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. Can art change the world? This course traces how artists attempted to change society through visual arts over the threshold of the 1917 Russian Revolution, when political convulsions opened new possibilities for art and artists. We explore the possibilities of art as tool for social justice both in text and practice, focusing on Russia and Eastern Europe. Junior Seminar.
HIST 375S. Empire, Nation, and Identity. 1 Unit.
The origins, evolution, and gradual dissolution of the nation-state in a global context. While the first half of the course focuses on Europeans imagining of their own national identities, the second half examines how colonized, subjugated, and Indigenous peoples and minorities have reacted to or initiated resistance to efforts at "nationalizing" them. In this way the class attempts to come to terms with both modern and post-modern views of the nation-state, combining the primary-source-based approach of history with a range of social scientific methodologies and theoretical perspectives.
HIST 376S. Global Migration and Diasporas. 1 Unit.
A research seminar which explores global connections in terms of the movement of people around the world. By analyzing and discussing various primary and secondary sources, participants will be able to better understand the historical events, scholarship, and terminology associated with human migration, including such concepts as "global" and "diaspora." Case studies may occasionally vary, and no prior knowledge of history or migration studies is required.
HIST 379V. Spicing up the Past and Cooking up Arguments: Food History in the Americas, 1200s-Present. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Human Diversity Value. In this course, we will examine the conceptual dilemmas and historicities of disgust and desire; commodity chains and marketing; identities; and authenticity through the lens of Latin American foods over the region's history. Due to the course's focus on the diversity of cuisines, food practices and foodways found in the Americas, which encompass many ethnic and racial groups and conceptual categories, our focus will revolve around issues of human diversity. Students will be introduced to a range of methodologies from cultural studies to political science and economics. Junior Seminar.
HIST 380V. The Mexican and Cuban Revolutions. 1 Unit.
This course focuses on Stetson's Social Justice Value. In this course, we will examine the origins, features, and consequences of the Mexican and Cuban revolutions with a particular focus on questions of social justice. Due to the inherently interdisciplinary nature of Latin American history, students will be introduced to a range of methodologies from cultural studies to political science and economics. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required. Junior Seminar.
HIST 382H. Scandals and Sleaze: Histories of Crime in Latin America. 1 Unit.
This research seminar explores many types of crime and corruption in Latin America from its ancient period through the present day by analyzing a variety of secondary and primary sources. Topics include witchcraft, prostitution, political and economic corruption, criminalization of dissent, and much more. No prior knowledge of the Spanish or Portuguese languages, or of Latin American history, is required.
HIST 385. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Students identify topic and work independently with a faculty member to study that topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 386. Independent Study. 0.5 to 1 Units.
HIST 389H. Biography as History: People and Life Stories. 1 Unit.
Biography is a genre of writing associated with stories about people's lives written by other people. The roots of historical biography can be traced back to prehistory, with the "Epic of Gilgamesh" from ancient Mesopotamia arguably the oldest written biographical story. This course examines biography as a form of historical writing. Taught on a rotational basis, the course focuses on case studies aligned with the professor's area of expertise. As such, students analyze the lives and times of historical figures from a diverse range of places, including ancient Greece and Rome, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
HIST 390. Special Topics in History. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Focused study of a specific historical topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 390H. Special Topics. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Focused study of a specific historical topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 395. Teaching Apprenticeship. 0.5 Units.
Pass/Fail only. By permission of the instructor. May be repeated once.
HIST 396. Research Apprenticeship. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Pass/Fail only. By permission of the instructor. May be repeated once.
HIST 397. Internship in History. 0.5 or 1 Units.
A semester or summer in an institution that deals with the preservation and/or presentation of history, such as a museum, historical complex, excavation, or a work experience that relates to a topic or theme of a history course. Students will be responsible for applying to the institution and arranging the internship. Typically, full unit internships require approximately 140 hours for the semester. Specific requirements will be presented by way of a contract signed by the students. Basic expectations include a journal, research paper (or appropriate work product), and a letter of evaluation from the site supervisor. Prerequisites: Permission of Department Chair, a major or minor in History, and sophomore status or higher. May be repeated for credit, but a maximum of one unit may be applied to the major or minor. Enrollment in an internship course requires students to attend an orientation prior to beginning work at their internship site. For more information regarding internship orientations, please contact Career & Professional Development at career@stetson.edu or 386-822-7315.
HIST 485. Independent Study. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Students identify topic and work independently with a faculty member to study that topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 490. Special Topics in History. 0.5 or 1 Units.
Focused study of a specific historical topic. Can be repeated for credit with a different topic.
HIST 495. Seminar. 1 Unit.
HIST 496. Seminar. 1 Unit.
HIST 499. Senior Project. 1 Unit.
The student, in consultation with the instructor, conducts advanced research, writes a substantial paper and presents the results to the Department. Prerequisites: Two research-intensive courses. Offered in the fall semester.