Currently Offered Courses - Spring 2025
This course list is pulled from Course Explorer. Please refer to Course Explorer for full details and information on special topics.
Broad introduction to global history, by exploring the global structures and transnational forces that have shaped human history, from the emergence of agriculture and urban centers to our contemporary global village.
Survey of Latin American history from the discovery of America to 1824.
Surveys the three major East Asian civilizations from ancient and classical times, through the period of Western influence, political revolution, and modernization, to the contemporary age and the emergence of East Asian superpowers. Same as EALC 120. Credit is not given for both HIST 120 and EALC 135.
Introduction to fourteen centuries of Middle East history from the rise of Islam to modern times. Examines the development of Islamic thought, and of religious, social, and political institutions; as well as the transformations of the 19th and 20th centuries in the area consisting of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, Arabia, Turkey, and Iran.
Fundamental developments - social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political - in the history of mankind and Western society since 1660; includes the rise of modern science, the French and Industrial revolutions, the Romantic movement, the growth of nationalism and socialism, imperialism, urbanization, the Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany, the world wars, and the West and the developing world. Credit is not given for both HIST 142 and HIST 143.
Course is identical to HIST 171 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 170 and HIST 171. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
U.S. history survey beginning with the diverse peoples who have populated North America since before the age of contact with Europeans and extending forward through the advent of European colonialism, the movement for independence, the foundation of the republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, ending in 1877. The course provides an introduction to historical interpretation, with particular attention to racialized and other forms of social, political, and economic inequality and struggles for freedom and democracy. Credit is not given for both HIST 171 and HIST 170.
Survey of U.S. history from the end of the Civil War to the present, focusing on struggles to achieve a multiracial democracy, the evolution of an industrial, urbanized, and pluralistic society, the intersections between domestic and global affairs, and the practice of historical interpretation. Epoch-making events and elites are considered in light of their relation to the activities and lives of ordinary people, including people of color, immigrants, women, and the working and middle classes. Credit is not given for both HIST 172 and HIST 173.
Course is identical to HIST 172 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 173 and HIST 172. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
Through the careful examination of a specific topic or theme, this course provides a thorough introduction to historical interpretation. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
An introduction to history through participation in role-playing games set in the past. Topics will vary each time the course is taught. Students will take on the roles of historical figures (famous or obscure) engaged in difficult and complicated situations, and will be obliged to adhere to the beliefs and circumstances of those figures while attempting to pursue a course of action that will help them win the game -- and possibly alter the course of history.
Traces the political, military, social, and economic history of the Second World War. Key themes include the collapse of the Versailles system, the Interwar crisis of democracy, the rise of totalitarian regimes, the civilian experience of war, the intersection of ideology and violence, and the onset of the Nuclear Age. By the end of this course, students will have improved their ability to analyze primary sources and develop source-based historical arguments.
Historical background to the modern age, tracing the Chinese state and empire from the earliest times until 1644 A.D. Basic political, social, and economic patterns; cultural, intellectual, and technological achievements; and China's impact on Asia and the world. Same as EALC 220.
Survey of the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of Rome from 753 BCE until 480 CE.
History of warfare and its relationship to changing technologies, tactics, and political structures, with an emphasis on the ways that military institutions are integrated with society as a whole. Same as GLBL 251.
Survey of the major authors, ideas, events, and styles in the cultural and intellectual history of Europe from the seventeenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, focusing on the intellectual traditions of France, Germany, and Great Britain.
Medicine and public health in the United States from the colonial period through the twentieth century. Topics include medical theories, therapeutic practices, and institutions as determined by science, culture, politics, law, and social structures. Additional attention will be paid to illness and epidemics; health care providers, patients, and public policy. Throughout, the course will highlight race, sex, (dis)ability, and other social categories that have affected medical care and been defined in medical terms. Same as GWS 263.
History of Chicago and Illinois from prehistoric times to the present, illustrating the jarring conflicts and great achievements of peoples from all over the world. Politics, economics, popular and high culture, education, mass media, racial problems, and ethnic diversity are especially featured. There is an emphasis on the relation of city, state, and region to one another.
History of Afro-Americans in the age of white supremacy; the rise of modern protest organizations; the era of integration; and the black power movement. Same as AFRO 276.
A survey of the Native American experience in North America from the time of first contact to the present. The course will examine the dynamics and consequences of Native dispossession as well as the continuities in American Indian life and culture. Course materials will include writing and testimony by Native people as well as historical narratives, court decisions and government documents. Same as AIS 278.
Interdisciplinary examination of the historical, cultural, and social dimensions of race and ethnicity in the United States. Explores the complex and intricate pursuit of multiracial and multicultural democracy. Same as AAS 281, AFRO 281, and LLS 281.
Exploration of the migrations of peoples from the Asian continent into the United States, their attempts to build family and community, and their subsequent impact on American history. Same as AAS 283.
Examines films as a significant medium of commentary on society and history. Explores the motives and careers of moviemakers, the ways in which films are influenced by their audiences, and how audiences' perception of historical processes are affected by films. Topics will vary. Same as MACS 300. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Students may register in more than one section per term. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
History of immigration and immigrant groups in the United States from 1830 to 1980. Covers major waves of immigration and focuses on the diverse cultural heritage, social structure, and political activism of immigrants from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Examines the early history of U.S. expansion of territory and influence, from the birth of the nation to the end of Reconstruction. These decades saw the formal additions of continental territory, coupled with the annexation of islands in the Pacific and Caribbean. Private and official attempts were also made to invade Central America and the Caribbean to extend slavery. Attention is paid to the intersections of U.S. expansion with race, gender, and sexuality.
Political-economic, social and ideological developments in Egypt, Arabia, and Fertile Crescent (including Israel), Iran and Turkey since 1918 to the present, including U.S. involvement.
Colonial encounters between Europe and today's Third World viewed in comparative historical perspective. Equal emphasis placed on (colonizing) Europe and colonial experience of Asia, Africa, and South America.
Cultural history of Europe in an age of global warfare and political, social, and economic upheaval.
Examines the reciprocal relationship between thought and society in western Europe from the French Revolution to the present.
Examines the history of urban centers, paying special attention to the relationship between the city and its surrounding territory, the impact of migration and immigration, the delineation of space and the transformation of the built environment, and the role of a city's inhabitants in creating social networks, political structures, and cultural institutions. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary.
An examination of major genres historians have employed to present history in the public arena, including documentary films, public memorials, legal testimony and museum exhibits. Students will explore both the social dynamics of public commemoration and the techniques historians employ when communicating complex ideas and events to a general audience.
Examination of recent United States history with an emphasis on the presidential elections, public policy, popular culture, activism, and economic and social trends that helped define American life after 1964. The political contributions of lesser known figures will be highlighted to explore the development of American politics elicited by the civil rights movement and subsequent struggles to influence a newly transformed body politic. The course is designed as a topics course that may revolve around other "hidden figures" in political history. May be repeated once if topics vary.
With a faculty sponsor, a qualified students will develop a program of study or research related to an internship or other relevant employment opportunity. Consult departmental undergraduate advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of faculty sponsor and Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
Readings in selected fields in consultation with the instructor resulting in a 20-30 page paper. May be repeated with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing pursuing a History major; written consent of instructor and History undergraduate advisor required.
Problems of a neocolonial society; themes include family structure, slavery, imperialism, modernization, and the crisis of traditional institutions. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
The period of Manchu domination in China (1644-1912); emphasis on Chinese reactions to Western influences during the nineteenth century. Same as EALC 420. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
Examination of the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of the early Byzantine Empire from the reign of Diocletian (AD 284-305) through the Heraclian Dynasty (AD 610-717). Same as MDVL 443. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Culture, society, and politics in Imperial Russia, focusing on power and resistance, the lives and culture of ordinary Russians, and competing ideas about the state, the individual, community, nation, religion, and morality. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours. For higher credit, graduate students will be required to do more reading and to write an additional paper.
Political, social, and economic development of the USSR since the 1917 revolutions that brought the Bolsheviks to power; social change and social engineering; political struggles among Stalin and his rivals; the "Stalin revolution" from above and economic modernization; the USSR's emergence through World War II and the Cold War as a world power; "developed socialist" society. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours. Graduate students will write an additional substantial paper and engage in special discussion sections.
Examines the diversity of political thought in the twentieth century by exploring the ways that Americans from diverse backgrounds have talked about, made sense of, and sought to influence change in modern American government. Throughout the course, students will examine the enduring debate about the proper role of the federal government, which has been central to some of the fiercest ideological divides in American history. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Independent reading, research, and writing under the supervision of an individual instructor. Seniors in the History Honors Program taking this course in place of the Honors Senior Thesis must complete a substantive research paper (25-30 pages). No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Each 3-hour class must be taken with a different instructor. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; or junior or senior of high standing with the consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
This is a seminar for all students in the History Honors Program and other advanced students interested in honors level study of historiography and methodology. Students intending to write a senior honors thesis should take it no later than the spring of the Junior year. Students will study the development of the historian's craft and will be exposed to new research methods and techniques. The course will culminate in the preparation of a research proposal, developed in consultation with an individual faculty advisor. The instructor of HIST 492 and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will assist students intending to write a thesis in the selection of an appropriate mentor. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program or consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Two-term independent research and writing project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students enrolled in this course must submit a completed Honors Senior Thesis at the end of the second term, for evaluation by the faculty advisor and a second reader. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Must be repeated for a total of 6 hours. Students will receive separate grades for each semester's work. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program and consent of supervising professor; HIST 492 and HIST 495; concurrent enrollment in HIST 499 is required.
Capstone course required of all majors. Students will make history by researching and writing a work of original scholarship. Several of these seminars are offered each term and each focuses on a special topic, thus allowing students with similar interests to work through the process of gathering, interpreting, and organizing historical evidence under the direction of an expert in the field. The topics on offer each semester will be listed in the Class Schedule and described in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
A required seminar for all seniors writing Honor Theses in history, this course will meet throughout the year and will supplement individual students' meetings with their primary advisors. Provides an intellectually supportive environment in which students work together on common methodological problems, share the results of their research, and critique developing projects. 1 to 2 undergraduate hours. 1 to 2 graduate hours. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 3 hours. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; HIST 492; and HIST 495. Concurrent enrollment in HIST 493 is required.
Intensive comparative examinations of particular issues in the histories of multiple countries, cultures or periods; emphasizes methodology, the discipline of comparative history, and the nature of historiography in a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary context. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours.
Research Seminar in Chinese history designed to provide training to graduate students in research skills with an emphasis on the use of source materials in Chinese language. Same as EALC 522. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 graduate hours in separate terms. Prerequisite: Proficiency in written Classical or Modern Chinese, EALC 500 for EALC graduate students, and HIST 520 for History graduate students, or the consent of instructor.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms as topics vary.
Seminar for first-year graduate students and is the second half of the introductory graduate sequence. Focuses on the process of writing an original piece of historical scholarship. Topics to be discussed include: developing an argument, exploring sources, arriving at a research strategy, planning and structuring an article, presenting complex data, and producing scholarship that is a coherent representation of an author's perspective on the past. Over the course of the semester, each seminar participant will develop and write an original, article length research paper. Students will work with the assistance of the instructors and an advisor from her or his own research field. Prerequisite: HIST 593.
Directed research in special fields; may be taken in lieu of seminars in fields in which seminars are seldom offered. Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Directed readings in special fields. Primarily, but not exclusively, for students with a master's degree or equivalent, who are preparing for the preliminary examination in history and who need instruction in areas not provided by current course offerings. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms as topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Candidate for Ph.D. degree in history.
Individual direction in research and guidance in writing theses for advanced degrees. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated.