Department Head: Dr. Paul Beezley, pbeezley@jsu.edu
MA Program Coordinator: Dr. Wesley Bishop, wrbishop@jsu.edu
The Department of History and Foreign Languages offers courses leading to the Master of Arts (MA) degree with a major in History and supporting courses for the Master of Arts (MA) degree with a major in Integrated Studies. For students majoring in Secondary Education with a teaching field in History or General Social Studies, supporting courses are offered for the Master of Science in Education (MSE) degree.
HY 5001 Ancient Greece (3)
This course focuses on the history of ancient Greece, beginning with the prehistoric Mycenaean civilization, and ending with the death of Alexander the Great. Special attention will be given to the Classical Period, dominated by the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta.
HY 5002 Ancient Rome (3)
This course surveys the history of Rome from its founding to its fall, beginning with the first settlements in what would later be the city center of Rome ca. 1000 BCE, and ending with the collapse of the Empire in the West in 476 CE.
HY 5003 Warfare in the Ancient World (3)
This course examines warfare and the military history of the ancient world, including but not limited to Greece, Macedonia, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire.
HY 5004 Byzantine Empire (3)
This course will trace the main events of Byzantine history (330 –1453) chronologically and will discuss a number of specific topics such as the political organization of Byzantium, international relations, society, economy, and culture.
HY 5011 Europe in the High Middle Ages: Renaissance and Reformation, 1300-1648 (3)
European society as seen through its philosophy, religion, literature, and politics.
HY 5015 The British Empire and Commonwealth (3)
Growth and development of the British Empire, with emphasis on the factors leading to the Commonwealth of Nations.
HY 5016 Constitutional History of England (3)
Growth of common law, the court system, and the cabinet form of government from the earliest times to the present.
HY 5019 War and Peace in Modern Europe (3)
A survey of the military and diplomatic history of Europe from the Peace of Westphalia to the end of the Second World War.
HY 5023 The South Before 1865 (3)
Pre-colonial civilization through the Civil War. The colonization and the economic, political, social, and cultural development of the Old South and its part in building the nation.
HY 5024 The South Since 1860 (3)
The issues which led to secession; the War Between the States; the economic, political, and social results; recent tendencies and developments.
HY 5025 History of the American West (3)
Significance of the frontier in American History; colonization of successive geographic areas; the West in indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, public lands; and crisis resulting from expansion.
HY 5042 History of American Women (3)
A survey of the history of women from the colonial period to the present with emphasis upon social, economic, political, and educational developments.
HY 5043 Black America (3)
Blacks in the U.S. from colonial times to the present; events of the twentieth-century and the integral social relations between blacks and whites will be emphasized.
HY 5044 American Indian History to 1840 (3)
This course is a survey of Native American history in what becomes the United States from the pre-colonial period through 1840. Particular attention will be paid to regional cultures, the impact of European contact, Native-US government relations, and the consequences of removal.
HY 5045 American Indian History 1840-Present (3)
This course is a survey of Native American history in what becomes the United States from 1840 through the present day. Particular attention will be paid to Native-US government relations, the impact of the reservation and assimilation programs, and modern rights issues.
HY 5051 History of Early America to 1783 (3)
European background to exploration; exploration and settlement; the Inter-Colonial Wars; the political, social, economic, and cultural developments within the colonies.
HY 5053 The Age of Jefferson and Jackson, 1783 to 1850 (3)
The development of the American Republic from the end of the American Revolution until the Compromise of 1850, with special emphasis on the influence that Jefferson and Jackson had on the evolution of democratic attitudes and institutions.
HY 5055 The Beginning of Modern America, 1877-1914 (3)
Description and evaluation of the shift of the United States from an agrarian to an industrial nation; the heritage of Civil War and Reconstruction; the rise of the Great Moguls; mass production and technological change; the rise of labor union movements and organized farm protests; the Spanish-American War; and American involvement in World War I.
HY 5057 The 1920's and the Great Depression (3)
A detailed study of American political, diplomatic, and cultural history from President Woodrow Wilson through Franklin D. Roosevelt.
HY 5058 Contemporary America, 1945-Present (3)
A detailed study of American political, diplomatic, and cultural history since the end of the World War II. Part of this course will be devoted to the study of current events.
HY 5061 Asian American History (3)
This course explores the experiences of Asian Americans from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. It examines the rich diversity of the Asian American community and considers how events within the U.S. and outside of it have shaped the lives of their community.
HY 5066 Modern Japan (3)
This course will explore modern Japanese history from Commodore Perry's arrival in 1853 to the 2011 crisis of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, from both a political and social perspective.
HY 5067 Modern China (3)
This course will explore historical themes in modern China from the last decades of the Qing Dynasty through the present, including a study of the challenging political and social atmospheres.
HY 5068 Historical Bollywood (3)
This class will explore the ways in which significant historical events are commemorated in Indian cinema. Several key points in nation's history will be studied by conventional methods and subsequently re-studied through watching Bollywood productions.
HY 5071 American Social and Cultural History to 1865 (3)
American society through its literature, religion, philosophy, and arts. Emphasis upon immigration strains, European cultural transfer, and environmental adaptations which have formed the American character. Wide opportunities for reading offered in religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts.
HY 5072 American Social and Cultural History Since 1865 (3)
This course will evaluate shifting immigration origins. Concentrated study will be given to the changing thought patterns which have resulted from Darwinism, the rise of Big Business, theories of the public interest, Pragmatism, and the emergence of the United States as a world power.
HY 5073 Introduction to Southern Culture (3)
The study of the historic roots of regional culture that will integrate topics such as the "Cult of the Lost Cause," religion, folk life, music, literature, and the transition from a rural/agricultural society to an urban/commercial/industrial one.
HY 5074 The American Civil War in Film (3)
This course will explore how the Civil War has been remembered by Hollywood, how it can differ from the historical record, and how films often reflect the social and political sensibilities of their respective time period.
HY 5075 War and Memory (3)
An exploration of war, human conflict, and organized violence, and how nations, communities, and individuals remember and memorialize them with an emphasis on the public history aspects.
HY 5076 Race, Community, and Memory (3)
Students will explore how race has been used as a concept to both remember and erase history in a broader historical context.
HY 5079 History of Religions (3)
An introduction to the theory of Religious History and the study of the history and practices of the five dominant world religions using resources from within those traditions.
HY 5081 Public History (3)
This course examines the work of public history, including but not limited to, archival management, museum exhibition production, historic preservation, cultural resources management, historical interpretation, and the role of the public intellectual.
HY 5082 Oral History (3)
This course will introduce students to the methods and theory of oral history. The course includes the preparation of oral history projects and evaluation of oral narratives.
HY 5092 History of Mexico (3)
A study of Mexico's past including pre-Columbian civilizations, the Spanish Conquest and Colonial period, the independence movement and the early republic, the struggle for nationhood, the modernization of Mexico with a special emphasis on the Mexican Revolution and the forces that shaped present day Mexico.
HY 5093 History of Brazil (3)
A survey of Brazil's history from 1500 until the present with an emphasis on the Empire of Brazil 1822-1889 and modern Brazil, 1889 to present.
HY 5095 United States-Latin American Relations (3)
A survey of the diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations between the United States and the Latin American Republics from 1810 to the present.
HY 5096 Modern Latin America (3)
An examination of the political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the diverse Latin American nations since 1821, against a backdrop of tradition, reform, and revolution.
HY 5101 Historiography and Historical Methods (3)
Techniques of historical research, nature of history, theories of historical interpretation, and intensive study of controversies in history.
HY 5102 Teaching College History (3)
This course will cover the practical and pedagogical knowledge necessary to successfully design, manage and teach a college-level history course.
HY 5110 Historiography of the Third Reich (3)
A survey of the historical literature concerning the nature and course of National Socialism in Germany in the mid-Twentieth Century and its impact on European History.
HY 5201 The French Revolution and Napoleon (3)
Economic, social, political, military, and diplomatic aspects of years 1789-1815, with emphasis on France as the moving force of the period.
HY 5202 Napoleon and Europe (3)
This seminar examines the life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte as a shaping force in European history. It will focus on his abilities as a French Revolutionary and as inheritor of France's war machine. The course will examine his rise and ultimate defeat, and his affect on the course of European history.
HY 5211 Tudor England (3)
England's emergence as a modern state, 1485-1603; constitutional, economic, social, and intellectual developments during the Renaissance and Reformation.
HY 5212 Stuart England, 1603-1714 (3)
Study of major political, social, economic, and religious developments in seventeenth century England.
HY 5213 Hanoverian England, 1714-1815 (3)
Study of major political, social, economic, and diplomatic developments in eighteenth century England.
HY 5215 Europe since 1939 (3)
Political analysis of development of individual states within framework of East-West conflict and economic competition and cooperation.
HY 5219 Modern Britain (3)
Detailed study of Britain's political, social, diplomatic, and industrial development since 1865; Britain's experiment with socialism and decline as a great world power.
HY 5231 Diplomatic History of Europe, 1815-1914 (3)
International relations of European states in 19th century, with emphasis on the Congress System, Eastern Question, Bismarckian System, and pre-War balance of power.
HY 5232 Modern European History (3)
Major themes of European history from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries including survey of relevant literature and interpretations.
HY 5324 Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877 (3)
Causes of the Civil War and political, social, economic, and military aspects of its conduct; examination of various interpretations of the Reconstruction period, regional and national.
HY 5325 The South in the Nineteenth Century (3)
Study of major economic, political, sociological, racial, cultural, and intellectual developments during the century.
HY 5326 Early Twentieth-Century History, 1900-1932 (3)
Closing aspects of Spanish-American War, emergence of an imperial power; Theodore Roosevelt's Square Deal, 1901-1909; Imperialism and Dollar Diplomacy, 1901-1913; Taft and the Progressives; Woodrow Wilson and the New Freedom, 1913-1917; World War I and its aftermath, 1917-1929; restoration of the G.O.P.; hope for a new economic era; Hoover and the Depression, 1929-1932; election of 1932.
HY 5327 The South in the Twentieth Century (3)
Study of major economic, political, sociological, racial, cultural, and intellectual developments since the turn of the century.
HY 5341 Contemporary American Women (3)
This course will trace the evolution of women's societal, economic and political roles in the United States from the "Age of Association" in the mid-nineteenth century through the modern period. By the end of the course, we will have answered the question of whether "we've come a long way, Baby!" or not.
HY 5342 Contemporary Black America (3)
The African-American experience from the Civil War to the present, focusing on the creation of segregation, resistance to discrimination and the Civil Rights movement. The influence of African-American culture on the larger American society will receive special attention.
HY 5343 Topics in Native American History (3)
A seminar which explores a number of issues within the field of Native American history, including, but not limited to, land rights, violence and genocide, education, mascots, and culture regions.
HY 5351 American Foreign Policy to 1921 (3)
Foundations of American foreign policy.
HY 5359 History of Alabama (3)
HY 5372 American Social and Intellectual History to 1865 (3)
Seminar in the intellectual and cultural sources that went into the making of the American tradition, particularly the influences on the Founders' generation.
HY 5373 American Social and Intellectual History from 1865 (3)
Effect of the Industrial Revolution and urbanization of America on society and thought patterns in the U.S. as seen in the end of "American innocence" and the search for security in a changed America and a constantly changing world.
HY 5375 History of American Advertising (3)
From the birth of the advertising industry at the end of the nineteenth century to the guerilla marketing and online pop-up ads of today, commercial messages are an integral part of American life and culture. In this course, students will examine the history of advertising and the important role it played in the development of mass culture in the United States.
HY 5376 Hollywood's America: The Construction of American History and Culture in Hollywood Films (3)
This course explores the ways in which popular Hollywood films construct the historical past, the ensuing battles among historians and the public over Hollywood's version of American history, and the ways that such films can be utilized as historical documents themselves.
HY 5461 Modern Far East History (3)
Survey of Modern Far Eastern history with emphasis on China and Japan.
HY 5481 Comparative Frontiers (3)
The frontier experience had a defining influence on the development of the nations, their people, and culture. This graduate-level seminar course will compare frontiers and their effect around the world including the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, southern Africa, Asia, and Europe.
HY 5696 Contemporary Latin America (3)
A study of the political, economic, social, and cultural trends of the nations of Latin America from the end of World War II to the present.
HY 5755 Seminar in American Capitalism (3)
This course will be a broad-based study in the history of American capitalism from the early evolution of a market economy, the rise of industrialism, and through the ascendance of American consumerism. Although the narrative of American enterprise forms the basic course structure, we will also examine the social, cultural, and political impact of capitalism.
HY 5765 Seminar in the European Reformation (3)
A historical and historiographical overview of the Reformation period, encompassing pre-Reformation, Luther, Calvin, and the Counter Reformation.
HY 5890 Special Topics (1-3)
(1-3). Special readings and assignments approved by department head and instructor after consideration of the students' historiographical and/or research needs. May be duplicated for credit for a total of 9 semester hours as long as each instance is on a different topic.
HY 5891 Special Problems (3)
Directed readings or research project agreed to among student, instructor and head of the History Department.
HY 5900 Study Away (3)
Topics, excursions, and requirements determined by department. May be duplicated for credit for a maximum of 6 hours. Infrequently scheduled and subject to minimum and maximum hours. Advance deposit required. Grades: Pass/Fail.
HY 5990 Thesis (3)
Prerequisite(s): Dean's Approval and Approval of Application for Thesis Option.
See "Thesis Option and Procedures." May be duplicated for credit for a total of 6 semester hours. Grades: Pass/Fail.