Course Offerings Spring 2025

**HIST 1001.1: Western Civilization to 1500

History 1001 covers the history of Western Civilization (basically West European and related Mediterranean cultures) up to the Modern period, roughly 1500 C.E. The main emphasis is on Classical Greece and Rome; Christianity and its roots in Jewish religion/society; the Mediterranean after the Roman Empire; emergence of Western European states in the Middle Ages. Along with lecture presentations there are assigned readings in the textbook and a few ancient documents available on the course website. Grading is based on attendance, two in-class exams and a final, as well as map quizzes, multiple-choice online quizzes and enrichment activities linked to the textbook. Each exam has an essay component and also a multiple-choice section. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

**HIST 1001.2: Western Civilization to 1500

9:30 - 10:20

M W F

**HIST 1001.3: Western Civilization to 1500

Ideas, trends and institutions in western civilization from earliest times to the Reformation. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:50

T Th 

**HIST 1001.5: Western Civilization to 1500

(See above, course description for HIST 1001.1)

3:00 - 4:20

T Th

**HIST 1002.1: Western Civilization to 1500, Honors

Ideas, trends and institutions in western civilization from earliest times to the Reformation, with special honors emphasis for qualified students. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

**HIST 1003.1: Western Civilization since 1500
Development of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:50

T Th

**HIST 1003.2: Western Civilization since 1500

Development of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:20

M W F

**HIST 1003.3: Western Civilization since 1500

Development of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

9:00 - 10:20

T Th

**HIST 1003.4: Western Civilization since 1500

Development of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

11:30 - 12:20

M W F

**HIST 1004.1: Western Civilization to 1500, Honors 

Development of Western Civilization from the Reformation to the present, with special honors emphasis for qualified students. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:50

T Th and T 3:00-3:50

**HIST 1007.1: World History since 1500

Interactions among Asian, Middle Eastern, African, European and American cultures in the modern era. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

1:30 - 2:20

M W F

**HIST 2020.1: Medieval Europe

Social, cultural, religious and political history of medieval Europe from the reign of Constantine in the fourth century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

11:30 - 12:20

M W F

**HIST 2023.1: The World since 1960

This course covers major events since 1960 in the United States, Soviet Union, parts of Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and East Asia. There will be an emphasis on social, political, cultural, and national security issues. Other topics will include sex, drugs, student protests, spies, and rock & roll.

12:30 - 1:20

M W F

**HIST 2025.1: Early Modern Europe

This course examines one of the pivotal eras in European history, between 1400-1800. Topics include the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, European Global Exploration and the Englightenment. Assignments include two exams, class discussions and two papers.

1:30 - 2:20

M W F

**HIST 2049.1: Violence in the American West 

Classic Hollywood films portray violence in the “Old West” as world-shattering, people-scattering, and blood-splattering. This course will examine episodes of conflict in the regions that America acquired after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the Mexican-American War of 1848. We will disentangle the legends from the facts, the myths from the history, through lectures and discussions of primary sources written by Native Americans, frontier cowboys, immigrants from Mexico and Asia, and even Hollywood actors. This course has two exams, weekly assignments, and Conflict Analysis Projects. Successful students will demonstrate an understanding of how to apply the principles of inquiry and analysis to original historical documents.

12:00 - 1:20

T Th

**HIST 2055.1: US History to 1865 

History of the United States from the Colonial period to the Civil War era. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

**HIST 2055.2: US History to 1865 

History of the United States from the Colonial period to the Civil War era. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

12:00 - 1:20

T Th

**HIST 2056.1: US History to 1865, Honors

History of the United States from the Colonial period to the Civil War era, with special honors emphasis for qualified students. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

12:00 - 1:20

T Th and

Th 1:30 - 2:20

**HIST 2057.1: US History 1865 to Present 

History of the United States from the Civil War era to the present day. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:50

T Th

**HIST 2057.2: US History 1865 to Present

History of the United States from the Civil War era to the present day. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

9:00 - 1:20

T Th

**HIST 2057.3: US History 1865 to Present 

History of the United States from the Civil War era to the present day. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

1:30 - 2:20

M W F

**HIST 2058.1: US History 1865 to Present, Honors

History of the United States from the Civil War era to the present day, with special honors emphasis for qualified students. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

9:00 - 10:20

T Th and 

Th 12:00-12:50 

**HIST 2061.1: African-American History  

This course examines the social, political, and economic impact of African American communities in the United States. Beginning with the mass importation of Africans as a labor force in the late fifteenth century, the survey serves as an introduction to the history of achievement and exploitation in one of the most culturally influential populations in world history. The course covers that history into the late twentieth century looking at African American impact on American society and politics into the postmodern era. The class is aimed at familiarizing students with the general problems, needs, and goals of African American populations in hopes of demonstrating the ways in which those material realities and cultural norms are contingent on a dynamic and continuous exchange with the rest of the United States that makes African Americans both consumers and creators of the broader American culture. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

12:00 - 1:20 

T Th

**HIST 2065.1: U.S. Popular Culture

Covers the history of American popular culture from the mid-19th century through the 20th century.  By looking at the history of music, radio, film, TV, and other forms of popular culture, we will explore the role of popular culture in American history. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

4:30 - 5:50

M W

**HIST 2096.1: East Asian Civilization since 1800

This course examines the intertwined histories of China, Japan, and Korea from the early nineteenth century to today. While these countries presented their own distinctive identities and historical experiences, they shared cultural and religious trends (such as Confucianism and Buddhism) and faced similar challenges that contributed to their transformation into modern nations. In this context, this course explores each country’s response to Western imperialism and the development of powerful nationalist trends that overturned traditional regimes in China and Japan. It will then focus on the rise of the Japanese empire, the difficult years of WWII, and the turbulent postwar period which witnessed the establishment of Communist China and the impact of the Cold War. It is in these historical developments that we can find the roots of today’s East Asia characterized by economic development and increasing prominence on the global stage. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

3:00 - 4:20

T Th 

**HIST 2184.1: Introduction to African Civilizations

This course is a survey of historical developments in African societies from the pre-historic period to the eve of European imperial/colonial domination in the late 19th century. Beginning with the origins and evolution of human beings, the course deals with the social, cultural, economic and political history of the peoples of the African continent through the millennia up until the late-19th century. In terms of method, we will employ a multi-disciplinary approach and, therefore, look at the pivotal role of such diverse disciplines as archaeology, linguistics, chemistry, botany, oral traditions etc. in the reconstruction of early African history. Among the themes to be covered will be the interaction of peoples with their environments, how they organized their societies, and how they changed and developed in the face of shifting historical circumstances. The course will examine the rise of early urban life and commerce as well as the varied ways in which Africans built up new institutions of large-scale political and social organization. For the period 300-1000 C.E., the lectures and discussions will focus on the rise of empires in West Africa, the growth of new kinds of states and social relations in northeastern Africa and the transformation of economic relations in central, southern and eastern Africa. The course will also include, inter alia, an investigation of the impact of Islam and Christianity on state politics and culture in parts of Africa, as well as the trans- Atlantic trade system and its resultant impact on African societies. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

12:30 - 1:20

M W F

**Hist 2186.1       Post Colonial Africa

The post-World War II period witnessed widespread anti-colonial agitations and calls for the end of European colonial rule in African societies. After a century of European imperial dominance, the decolonization of Africa became one of the turning points in the history of the post-war world. The struggle for political liberty by the peoples of Africa also inspired the civil rights movement in the United States. By the 1950s, young African leaders, such as Kwame Nkrumah, Nnamdi Azikiwe in West Africa, Nelson Mandela and others in various parts of the continent stood in solidarity with other advocates for civil and political rights, including Dr. Martin Luther King in the United States and Jawaharlal Nehru in India. Students in HIST 2186 will be exposed to developments in this momentous episode in world history, when the peoples of East, West, North and Southern Africa embarked on the quest for freedom and, following that, in the establishment of modern nation-states. Students will critically assess the triumphs and challenges of emergent African nation-states in the post-colonial period. We shall pay close attention to the cultural, economic, social, and political developments in the respective regions of the continent with the aid of primary and secondary sources, videos, PowerPoint presentations, etc. The course will give students an opportunity to better obtain a more comprehensive knowledge of African societies. Since the course will be reading-intensive, students enrolled in the class are required to adhere to the reading schedule and be prepared to actively participate in class discussions.

2:30 - 3:20

M W F 

 **HIST 2190.1: Modern South Asia

This course examines transformation and changes in the society, economy and politics beginning from 1750 to the present in South Asia. The course begins with the emergence of East India Company in the early and mid-eighteenth century before illustrating the main features of British colonialism in India and its aftermath. The aim of the course is to help students understand thematically the shifts and variations occurring in the colonial as well as postcolonial periods around different issues of law, gender, nationalism, language, religion, community and caste in South Asia. This is an Integrative Learning Core (ILC) course that awards general education credit.

10:30 - 11:20

M W F

 HIST 2197.1: Crime and Punishment in American History

Today, the United States – a nation “conceived in liberty” – has the highest incarceration rate in the entire world. What explains this contradiction, and Americans’ distinctive relationship with deviance and discipline?  This course explores the historical development of American policing, punishment, and popular understandings of crime, from colonial times to the present. Primary topics include the origins of modern prisons and police forces; punishments under U.S. chattel slavery; Americans’ evolving ways of defining crime and its causes; the rise of mass-incarceration in the twentieth century; and how punishments and policing have both reflected and produced social inequalities.  Throughout we will examine a series of “big questions” regarding citizenship, race, power, violence, inequality, and justice in American history.

3:00 - 4:20

T Th

HIST 2198.1: Special Topics: Modern Latin America

This course offers an introduction to the history of Latin America from independence to the present. Students will become familiar with political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that have produced conflict, change, and continuity across Latin America over the last two hundred years. From the vantage point of ordinary men and women, diplomats, leaders, artists, business executives, and scholars, this course will empower students to understand the history that informs current events in this critical part of the world. Prominent topics include imperialism, nationalism, war, diplomacy, popular culture, consumerism, and industrialization.

9:00 - 10:20

T Th

Hist 3071.1: Louisiana

This course provides a general survey of Louisiana’s history from the earliest days of European colonization to the present. Although the primary focus will be on events that took place within the boundaries of the colony, territory, and state, we will also cover material intended to help students understand Louisiana’s history in terms of relevant regional, national, international events and contexts. Within those broad parameters, students will be required to: Demonstrate familiarity with objective facts from the lectures and assigned readings; Develop an accurate mental timeline of important people, events, eras, and developments in the state’s history drawn from lectures and assigned readings; Draw on the text of assigned readings to develop and write historically informed essays about the significance of the state’s history

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

HIST 3118.1 Seminar: Magic and Witchcraft in European History 

This course examines magical belief in Europe from the late Middle Ages until the present.  It begins with an analysis of the witch trials that became endemic in Europe in the 16th and 17th century:: why did Europeans devote themselves to seeking out and prosecuting supposed witches?  It then explores the waning of witch trials and the persistence of magic in Europe from the 18th-20th century: what functions has magic continued to perform in European culture? Students will conduct a research project on a magic-related topic of their choice.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

HIST 3118.2 Seminar: Revolution! The End of the Cold War, Fall of Communism, and the makings of a New Europe

Examination of the causes, course, and consequences of the largely peaceful Revolutions of 1989 in central Europe that brought down their communist regimes, helped trigger the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and ushered in a new European order. We begin with the narrative of six amazing months from June to December 1989 that saw "People Power' overthrow the communist governments of Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Romania. We then explore various explanations for these revolutions and evaluate their outcomes. Assignments involve readings and films, as well as Moodle forum posts; frequent quizzes, a "People, Places, and Events" test, and a final exam evaluate students' comprehension. All students complete an original research project.

3:30 - 4:50

M W

HIST 3119.1 Seminar: Slavery in Baton Rouge

On the eve of the U.S. Civil War, Baton Rouge was at the thriving epicenter of slavery, global commerce, and American opulence. Most millionaires in the United States lived within a hundred miles of Baton Rouge, along a chain of riverfront slave labor camps stretching from New Orleans to Natchez. And yet, slavery’s local history remains largely forgotten and unwritten, today: unexplored by modern historians, and overlooked by today’s residents. We seek to remedy that oversight. This class departs from traditional history courses in that the main goal of the semester will be for each student to produce and present original research findings regarding the lives of locally-enslaved people. We will spend the first third of the course studying the history of chattel slavery in the American South. The second third of the course will be devoted to discussing the complex politics of teaching, memorializing, and portraying American slavery. The final third of the course will be devoted towards researching and writing content for a website through which students will present their original research findings to the broader public. By engaging the historian’s processes firsthand, students hone critical research, analysis, argumentation, and writing skills.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th 

HIST 3119.2 Seminar: Film and History

TThis seminar will examine the relationship between film and history by looking at historical documentaries, theatrical films as historical documents, and theatrical films about historical subjects.  Students will write three research papers over the course of the semester.

3:00 - 5:50

T

HIST 4004.1: Rome of the Caesars

The history and evolution of Roman state and society, beginning from the fall of the Republic in the first century B.C.E. and continuing through the rise of the Christian Empire, the division into East and West, and the fifth-century “Fall” of Rome.  We will concentrate to a large degree on political and military events, but will also devote time to social and cultural issues and to the provinces, as well as the evolution of the City of Rome itself under the Emperors.

9:30 - 10:20

M W F

Hist 4008.1: The Later Middle Ages    

The course seeks to introduce the student to the history of the Later Middle Ages, 1000-1500, through a focus on primary source readings. The student will learn how to analyze these and other source material, and how to use them in the study of history. The geographic focus of the course is the Mediterranean basin and parts of Northern Europe. Texts include The Song of Roland, Historia Roderici, documents from the Investiture Controversy, Crusade accounts, Dante’s Inferno, documents on the Plague, and other material. Evaluation will be based on two paper, discussions, manuscript project at Hill Memorial library, a midterm exam and a final exam.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th 

Hist 4024.1: The Dutch Republic and Empire

This course examines one of the great powers of 17th-century Europe, the Dutch Republic. Special focus on cultural developments, including visual arts in the era of Rembrandt and Vermeer. Assignments include two exams, class discussions, one paper and oral presentations.

10:30 - 11:20

M W F

HIST 4044.1: Stuart England

This course will cover the history of the British Isles, focusing on England (but also including Scotland and Ireland) during the reign of the Stuart dynasty, from 1603-1714. A period of crisis, civil war and revolution, the Stuart period was also important for its great cultural and scientific history: Shakespeare, the King James Bible, the first professional women writers and the scientific revolution. Students will read several books on the period, as well as primary sources. Students will submit 5 Stuart-themed images during the semester and will receive points for class participation.  A research paper, midterm exam and final examination will be required.

12:30 - 1:20

M W F 

HIST 4051.1: Colonial America 1607-1763

This course explores American history from European contact to the Revolutionary era. Among other topics, we will examine the nature and evolution of colonial American identity, analyze the growth of the plantation complex and slavery, discover surprising roles for New England women, and navigate imperial rivalries driven more by Native nations than Europeans. We will understand 300 years of American history as more than a prelude to American independence. We will instead encounter a North America in which a multitude of futures seemed simultaneously possible and precarious. A place of Native power, of crusaders and zealots, cities of gold that transformed kingdoms into empires, model societies to inspire the faithful, and trials that struck terror into mortal souls. A multilingual, multicultural world where Africans became conquistadors, Europeans joined Native communities, and Native families secured noble titles. A continent of contradictions and contested meaning, where notions of freedom might lead societies to embrace slavery or repress individual rights, and love of liberty could foster faith in monarchy. A history of changing ecosystems, social turmoil, and colliding cultures. In short, the unpredictable creation of a New World.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

Hist 4064.1: US Diplomatic History 1914-Present

This course focuses on the history of U.S. foreign relations from the early twentieth century to the present day. While students will learn about the United States’ diplomatic involvement and military engagements in the world, they will also examine American economic, social, and cultural relations with other nations. At the same time, the course will explore how people and events outside the United States influenced American domestic history during these years. Finally, we will analyze key debates and controversies surrounding the United States’ proper role in global affairs.

1:30 - 2:50 

T Th

HIST 4066: Military History of the United States

Military policy and campaigns, war economy and organization of the armed forces.

9:00 - 10:20 

T Th

Hist 4092.1: Modern China, 1644-1949

This course is a survey of Chinese history from the ascent to power of the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), to the establishment of the People's Republic of China (1949) under the leadership of Mao Zedong. In the first part of this course, we will trace the consolidation of the Qing Dynasty and examine Chinese society, culture, and religion in the late imperial period. We will then study the collapse of the Qing in 1911, spurred by deep internal social and economic changes and by pressure from Western imperialism. The 1911 Republican Revolution, however, did not end China's search for stability and a new political identity. It, in fact, was soon involved in a bloody war with Japan (1937-1945) and a devastating civil war (1945-1949), emerging in 1949 in a new Communist mode. This course ends in 1949. The period of Communist rule in China is covered in the Contemporary China course (HIST 4099).

12:00 - 1:20

T Th

Hist 4094.1: Modern Japan

From 1600 to the present; emphasis on historical and cultural roots of Japan’s modernization in the late 19th century and quest for empire in the 20th century; cultural and intellectual developments in modern Japan.

4:30 - 5:50

T Th

Hist 4130.1: World War II

This course seeks to explain the major global conflict that was the Second World War. The course starts with the First World War and its aftermath and explores the new ideologies that brought the world to war a second time. We will cover major battles, new technologies, and the Holocaust. We will also examine the roles of race and gender in the war. We will study how this total war affected the lives of soldiers and civilians across the world. The course will also question moral controversies raised by the war and the legacy of the greatest war ever fought.

1:30 - 2:50

T Th

HIST 4140.1: Vietnam War 

French colonial rule and Vietnamese nationalism; Ho Chi Minh and the war against the French (1946-1954); the National Liberation Front (Vietcong); process of American involvement and disengagement; counter-insurgency and the air war; anti-war movement in the United States; reasons for failure of American policy; Vietnam since 1975; lessons and legacies for the U.S. 

12:00 - 1:20

T Th

HIST 4196.1: 20th century War

This course deals with the 20th Century War, which began in August 1914 and ended in November 1989.  It begins with the causes of the "War to End All Wars," the Great War (1914-1921). Then comes the Entre Guerre (1920-1939), then World War II (1939-1945), and finally the Cold War (1945-1989). During these 75 years, war goes beyond kinetic conflict. It becomes multi-level, being fought in terms of diplomacy, economics, culture, and technology. Because war becomes multi-level, it becomes the permanent and normative matrix for international affairs. Multi-level war also eliminates much of the distinction between soldier and civilian. Finally, multi-level war continues after 1989. The 20th Century War ends but permanent conflict continues. Today, the world is divided into the Anglosphere and Sinosphere, which confront each other on a now standard 5 levels of conflict

12:00 - 1:20

T Th

HIST 4197.1: History of Conspiracy in the United States

Contemporary Americans are experiencing an historical moment in which conspiracy theories and accusations are particularly obvious and influential. Despite their current ubiquity and relevance, suspicions about or accusations of large, menacing conspiracies have been a part of the nation’s history – from before its founding to the present - in important and often-overlooked ways. In this course we will consider the roles that conspiracy and conspiracy theories have played in American history over time.

As we consider individual episodes of conspiracy – founded and unfounded - we will attempt to answer the following questions:

1.     What impact(s) have accusations and documented instances of conspiracy had on the nation’s history?

2.     Under what circumstances has widespread conspiratorial thinking developed?

3.     Are there consistent factors that contribute to the rise of conspiracy theories and accusations?

4.     How have conspiracy theories and accusations changed (or stayed the same) over time?

5.     What kinds of roles have these theories played in our politics, society, and culture?

6.     Can understanding the longer history of conspiracy thinking help us better understand our current historical moment?

10:30 - 11:50

T Th

HIST 4197.2: Legacies of the Civil War

What did the American Civil War accomplish?  Some people view the conflict as the pivotal event in US history, one that abolished slavery and created a unified nation.  Other people view the persistence of white supremacy and racism as evidence that emancipation changed little and see lasting regional distinctions as a result of the war.  We will assess the changes – political, economic, social, cultural – that the war produced.  We will also explore how participants in the conflict ascribed meaning to it.  What did it mean to them?  And how has that meaning changed over time in American life? 

12:30 - 1:20

T Th

Hist 4404.1: Seminar in History and Social Science

For Geaux Teach students only

4:30 - 7:20

Th 

Hist 4507.1: Topics in Christianity: Heresy

This course will explore the development of Christian beliefs through examining the process of debate and disagreement from the origins of the movement through the Reformation. We will consider the intertwined nature of heresy and orthodoxy, as well as the roles of religious and secular authority. We will be guided by the idea that you can learn a lot about how a group develops by what issues it considers important enough to argue about, how it attempts to resolve those arguments, and how it decides who is in and who is out.

9:30 – 10:20

M W F

HIST 4901 or 4902: Internships

Students can intern at a nearby historical site and earn three hours of credit. Course involves 90 work hours during the semester, confirmed by a mentor/supervisor, a few meetings with the course instructor and a 10-15 page paper at the end evaluating the experience and what was learned.

BEFORE ENROLLING STUDENTS MUST CONTACT DR. STATER, [email protected] OR THE DEPARTMENT: [email protected], AND OBTAIN A SECTION NUMBER.