Courses & Certificates

World Civilizations to the 16th Century

Examines the development of world civilizations and their interrelationships through analysis of their basic ideas, institutions, personalities, and artistic achievements from the earliest beginnings to the sixteenth century.

World Civilizations since the 16th Century

Broad historical study of world civilizations and their interrelationships from the 16th century to the present. Includes ideas, institutions, personalities, and artistic achievements which have contributed to present day society.

United States History to 1877

A historical survey of the United States, from Indigenous North America to the end of Reconstruction. The course also introduces students to historical reasoning skills.

US History since 1865

A historical survey of the United States from the end of the Civil War to the present. The course also introduces students to historical reasoning skills.

Social and Cultural History of the United States

Examines social and cultural traditions during major historical periods. Focuses on American attitudes and responses to economic and technological changes, aesthetics, politics, music, art, language, architecture, folklore, high and popular culture.

History of California

An examination of the major social, political, and economic developments that have shaped California history from the indigenous period to the present. Special attention given to regional issues, ethnic or cultural groups, constitutional matters, cultural change, and California's connection with the Pacific Basin.

African American History

Surveys African-American history from the 1500s to the present day: African societies on the eve of the Atlantic slave trade, the Atlantic slave trade, the emergence of racism and the notion of race in colonial America, slavery in the colonies and the U.S., abolitionist movements, African Americans in the Civil War, Reconstruction and its end, the era of Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, and the persistence of systems of inequality into the present day. Explores the history of systemic racism while paying particular attention to the actions of African Americans to arrest and overcome it, emphasizing African American impact on the social, economic, political, and cultural development of the United States.

Mexican American History in the United States

Survey of Mexican history from the Pre-Columbian period to the present, and history of Mexican-Americans since 1848. Emphasis on Mexican-American contributions to the political, social, economic, and cultural development of the U.S. Examines the relationship of Mexican-Americans to other cultural groups.

Native American History

A historical and contemporary survey of Native Americans in the United States, examining the diverse and complex cultural, religious, and political systems which governed Indigenous societies before and after European contact and colonization, including the development of tribes and nations, and the cultural practices of Native Americans today.

Women in U.S. History

Introduces students to the history of women's work, family, and political lives in America and the United States since 1620. Secondary and primary source readings emphasize the experiences of women across racial, ethnic, social, and economic identities within the contexts of historical change in the U.S. Women's history is presented as an integral part of American history while also as a unique subject of historical investigation.

LGBTQ+ History in the U.S.

Explores LGBTQ+ history in the United States from the colonial era to the recent past. Historical development of institutions, ideas, social transformations, cultural movements, liberation politics, and sexual and gender diversity in the U.S. will be studied. Students will work with scholarly texts and a variety of primary documents, honing historical analysis, critical thinking, and writing skills.

Asian American & Pacific Islander History

Introduction to the history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, focusing on Asian American experiences from the eighteenth century to the present. Includes issues of migration, community formation, racism and resistance, the lives of workers, the experiences of women, imperialism, the influence of the historical narrative, global politics and economics, and struggles for equality and justice. Considers identity and positionality as they relate to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic class and labor, national origin, mixed heritages, religion/spirituality, generation, and ability. Explores Asian American and Pacific Islander experiences via theoretical frameworks and historical, social, cultural, political, legal, and environmental contexts, including colonialism and decolonization, immigration, and activism and resistance, utilizing primary sources and oral history.

Modern African History

Surveys sub-Saharan African history from 1850 to the present, addressing such topics as the end of the slave trade; African resistance to conquest; experiences of colonialism; settler colonialism in southern Africa; the rise of national liberation movements and achievement of independence; and the challenges of post-colonial nation building. Examines contemporary Africa through a review of economic, political, social, cultural, and intellectual history.

Islamic History

The history of Islam and basic themes in Muslim societies in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Examination of Islam as a religion, and its ritual, legal, mystical, and philosophical traditions. Assesses the historical impact of Islam and Islamic societies with a focus on the period from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (ca. 7th century CE) to the present, contextualizing historical and contemporary topics relating to Islam and Muslims including global political and military movements, regional influences, social and economic impact, gender, culture, and belief systems within the historical lens.

3.0

History of the Modern Middle East

Introduction to narratives and debates in the history of the Middle East (Near East) from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Local, regional, and global events and processes; political, social, cultural, and intellectual realities. Focuses on the major social and intellectual trends of the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, and Israel and their relation to major events and movements of the twentieth century, including the influence of colonial, postcolonial, and neo-colonial thought and the causes and implications of current affairs.

Latin American History

A survey of Latin American history from the Indian and European origins to the 21st century with a focus on the historical background of the countries studied. Emphasis placed upon the interplay of Iberian, African and Indian influences upon social and cultural evolution. Also stressed are Latin American relations with the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Jewish History

A wide-ranging exploration of the history of Jewish people across global regions from ancient times to the recent past, providing students a foundation in understanding the key events, transformations, and traditions that have shaped Jewish communities around the world over time. Jewish experiences in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas are examined, with attention to the diversity of Jewish cultures and to changing temporal contexts. Political, intellectual, cultural, and social history are at the center of the sources and narratives which students interpret as they consider questions on themes that include identity, agency, community, religion, and diaspora.

Honors World Civilizations to the 16th Century

An enriched approach designed for honors students that includes individual research as well as small group analysis of historical problems. Examines the development of world civilizations and their interrelationships through analysis of their basic ideas, institutions, personalities, and artistic achievements from the earliest beginnings to the sixteenth century.

Honors World Civilizations Since the 16th Century

An enriched approach designed for honors students with emphasis on individual research as well as small group analysis of historical problems. Broad historical study of world civilizations and their interrelationships from the 16th century to the present. Ideas, institutions, personalities, and artistic achievements which have contributed to present day society.

United States History since 1865 - Honors

A historical survey of the United States from the end of the Civil War to the present. The course also introduces students to historical reasoning skills. This is an honors course.