History
Taylor 122
541-552-6645
Gary Miller, Chair
The mission of the History Department is twofold: to support SOU’s University Studies program and to teach advanced courses for students desiring to make history the major focus of their baccalaureate program.
To this end, the History Department offers courses that help fulfill SOU University Studies requirements, elective requirements for many other programs, and requirements for a major or minor in history.
The goals of the history baccalaureate degree are to:
- increase students’ understanding of themselves and their society by introducing them to scholarship on the historical foundations of world societies;
- prepare students for public life by familiarizing them with the current professional views of history;
- augment the intellectual capacities of students by encouraging critical thinking and analysis from multiple perspectives, preparing them for whatever path they may choose;
- improve students’ abilities to search for, locate, and appropriately use valid sources of information and knowledge as historical evidence through both printed and electronic media;
- build student familiarity with the appropriate use of computers and computer networks in the fields of history, social science, and humanities;
- enhance the writing skills of students by offering them opportunities to write and receive professional feedback on what they have written; and
- acquaint students with the realities, standards, and expectations of the professional world.
Studying history is excellent preparation for teaching and advanced study in the humanities and social sciences, law and library schools, and seminaries. The history major also provides a solid foundation for government service, business administration, public history and museum work, and various other areas of communication, journalism, and writing. History courses are an integral part of many other degree programs at Southern Oregon University.
In addition, the department offers minors in designated fields of historical study.
Degrees
BA or BS in History
Minors
African and Middle Eastern History
European History
Latin American History
United States History
Phi Alpha Theta
Membership in the local chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the international honor society in history, is open to qualified students. The purposes of the society are to encourage, stimulate, and help maintain excellence in the historical scholarship of students and faculty. Phi Alpha Theta also has a number of programs, scholarship awards, and publications available to member students. For more information, see Dr. Karen Sundwick, the chapter’s faculty advisor.
Teacher Licensing
Students who want to teach history at the middle school and high school level in Oregon public schools must complete a bachelor’s degree in history before applying for admission to a postgraduate licensure program such as the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program at SOU. Interested students should consult the School of Education regarding admission requirements.
Foreign Language
The History Department strongly recommends that majors complete at least two years of college-level foreign language. Students who complete their second year of foreign language will likely qualify for a bachelor of arts degree at SOU (see BA/BS Requirements). Graduate and professional schools, scholarship-granting agencies and foundations, and private-sector employers consider the bachelor of arts degree as most appropriate within the history field. Additionally, taking courses at the 300- or 400-level in a foreign language will aid students in their post-graduation careers.
Requirements for the Major
The Department of History urges students completing a history major to fulfill all University Studies requirements and prerequisites for upper division courses by the end of their sophomore year.
For a bachelor’s degree in history, students must complete a program planned in cooperation with and approved by a History Department faculty advisor. The department requires the following:
- Fulfill the baccalaureate degree requirements as stated beginning on page 21.
- Submit application materials, including evidence of mastery of basic historical knowledge in world and United States history. This mastery may be documented in one or more of the following ways:
- Pass any two of HST 110, 111, or 112 (World Civilizations) and HST 250, 251 (American History and Life) or equivalents with a grade of C or better.
- Score 3 or higher on the high school Advanced Placement (AP) exams in European history and United States history, or pass the appropriate CLEP exam.
- Pass standardized exams administered by the History Department in world and United States history with scores of 70 percent or better.
- Complete eleven upper division courses as follows:
- Two pre-1800 courses (HST 304, 305, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 350, 361, 431, 455, 456, 464, or 485)
- Three courses from one of the following areas: Latin America (HST 350, 351, 352, 399, 464, 465, 485) or Africa/Middle East (HST 361, 362, 363, 399, 431, 432, 433)
- Two topics courses (HST 399, 421, 484, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 490)
- Three history electives drawn from the 300 or 400 level.
Note: Courses may be used to satisfy more than one requirement (e.g., HST 350 fulfills requirements b and c). However, students must still complete a total of 44 upper division history credits.
- History Capstone (HST 415)
- Achieve a 2.5 GPA in all history courses taken at SOU.
Capstone
History majors who are within 12 credits of completing the history requirements for their bachelor’s degree may register for the capstone experience. Students will produce a lengthy and properly documented paper to demonstrate their command of the research process.
Requirements for the Minor
For a minor in history, students must complete one of the programs described below. Questions about a specific minor should be directed to the faculty member whose specialization corresponds to the minor.
African and Middle Eastern History
(24 credits)
| World Civilizations (HST 110, 111) | 8 |
| Electives chosen from: HST 314, 361, 362, 363, 431, 432, 433, 488, or 489, and approved work listed under HST 399, 405, 407, and 408 | 16 |
European History
(24 credits)
| World Civilizations (HST 110, 111) | 8 |
| Electives chosen from: HST 304, 305, 306, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 341, 342, 343, 417, or 487, and approved work listed under HST 399, 405, 407, and 408 | 16 |
Latin American History
(24 credits)
| History of Latin America (HST 350, 351, 352) | 12 |
| History electives chosen from: HST 464, 465, 485, and approved work listed under HST 399, 405, 407, and 408 | 8 |
| Another elective chosen from: GEOG 330 and SPAN 322, 421, 422, and 460 | 4 |
United States History
(24 credits)
| American History and Life (HST 250, 251) | 8 |
| Electives chosen from: HST 451, 452, 453, 455, 456, 457, 458, and 484, and approved work listed under HST 399, 405, 407, and 408 | 16 |
History Courses
See Course Prerequisites PolicyLower Division Courses
| HST 110, 111, 112 World Civilizations |
| 4 credits each |
| Examines the development of world civilizations. Emphasizes political, economic, social, religious, and cultural factors. Relates earlier patterns of world civilization to present conditions and problems. HST 110 covers the development of ancient civilizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Near East. HST 111 focuses on the development of world civilization during the period leading up to the rise of industrialization in the eighteenth century. HST 112 examines the past two centuries. Includes lecture, discussion of readings, video documentaries, feature film analysis, and small group activities. Students must take HST 110, 111 or HST 111, 112 to meet the University Studies requirement. Courses may be taken out of sequence. Approved for University Studies (Explorations). |
| HST 250, 251 American History and Life |
| 4 credits each |
| Explores United States history and culture from indigenous times to the present. HST 250 begins with indigenous life and culture before European contact and ends with the American Civil War. HST 251 examines industrialization, imperialism, militarism, and consumerism as artifacts of American culture since 1870. Course methods include lecture, discussion of readings, video documentaries, feature film analysis, and small group activities. Approved for University Studies (Explorations). |
Upper Division Courses
| HST 304, 305, 306 English History |
| 4 credits each |
| Provides a general survey of English history from prehistoric times to the present. Emphasizes major political, economic, constitutional, legal, social, intellectual, and religious developments. HST 304 covers prehistory to the War of the Roses in 1485. HST 305 explores Tudor-Stuart England to 1689. HST 306 examines Britain from 1690 to the present, with attention to Empire and Commonwealth. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 315 Ancient Greece |
| 4 credits |
| Explores Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations, archaic Greece, the emergence of the poleis, the Persian Wars, the rise of Athens, the Peloponnesian War, Alexander the Great, and the Hellenistic period to circa 146 b.c.e. Studies the major aspects of intellectual, cultural, and social development. Prerequisite: HST 110. |
| HST 316 Ancient Rome |
| 4 credits |
| Surveys the political, military, economic, social, cultural, and religious institutions of Ancient Rome from the beginning of the Republic (fifth century b.c.e.) to the fall of the Empire (fifth century c.e.). Prerequisite: HST 110. |
| HST 317 Europe in the Middle Ages, A.D. 500–1300 |
| 4 credits |
| Investigates Europe from the decline of the Roman Empire to the rise of the Renaissance in Italy. The ancient Roman Empire fragmented into three successor civilizations: the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic World, and medieval Christendom. Exploring how this momentous transformation occurred, students examine such topics as monasticism and saints cults, Byzantine civilization, the rise of Islam, feudalism, economy and trade, the Vikings, the Crusades, the growth of cities and revival of trade, religious reformers and heretics, the persecution of Jews and other minorities, and the Black Death. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 318 European Renaissance and Reformation, 1300–1600 |
| 4 credits |
| Provides a topical introduction to the major changes affecting European society during the era traditionally considered the watershed between the Middle Ages and modernity. Topics include demographic growth and economic change, the discovery and impact of new worlds overseas, the diffusion of Renaissance culture from Italy to Northern Europe, political consolidation and international rivalries, the transforming religious crisis of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, the wars of religion in France and the Netherlands, and war and revolution in England. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 319 European Old Regime and the Enlightenment, 1600–1800 |
| 4 credits |
| Provides a topical introduction to the major changes affecting European society immediately prior to industrialization. Among the topics considered are demographic growth and economic change, the discovery and impact of new worlds overseas, the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment, political consolidation and international rivalries, and the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 341, 342, 343 Modern Europe |
| 4 credits each |
| Presents major European political, social, economic, and cultural trends since the French Revolution. HST 341 examines Europe on the eve of revolution, the French Revolution, and the Napoleonic Era. HST 342 focuses on 1815 to 1914. HST 343 explores the years since the outbreak of World War I. Emphasizes the effect of the French Revolution and Napoleon on modern history. Studies the influence of ideologies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. May be taken out of sequence. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 350, 351, 352 History of Latin America |
| 4 credits each |
| Compares and surveys economic, social, and political developments in Latin America. HST 350 examines pre-Columbian cultures and the Iberian colonial period to 1810. HST 351 surveys the nineteenth century, and HST 352 the twentieth. HST 351 and 352 pay particular attention to relations with the United States. |
| HST 361, 362, 363 History of Africa |
| 4 credits each |
| Surveys the historical development of African societies. Includes topical analyses of Sudanic and forest states, comparative colonial experiences, and politics and societies in modern nation-states. Prerequisite for HST 361: HST 110. Prerequisites for HST 362, 363: HST 110, 111. |
| HST 383 Native American History |
| 4 credits |
| Interprets the historical experience of the diverse nations native to North America. Explores what historians and anthropologists understand about the Native American past before and after contact with Europeans, with special emphasis on the formation and operation of U.S. government policy regarding Native Americans in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. |
| HST 391 East Asian Thought |
| 4 credits |
| Studies Confucianism, Taosim, Legalism, and Buddhism in China and of Shinto, Confucianism, Buddhism, and bushido (the warrior ethic) in Japan. Examines folk tradition and communism in modern China and democracy in modern Japan. Prerequisite: Instructor consent for nonmajors. |
| HST 392 Modern East Asia |
| 4 credits |
| Examines political, social, and cultural developments in China and Japan from about 1800 to the present. Includes military, cultural, and diplomatic contacts with the West. Prerequisite: Instructor consent for nonmajors. |
| HST 399 Special Studies |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 401 Research |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 403 Thesis |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 405/505 Reading and Conference |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 407/507 Seminar |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 408 Colloquium |
| Credits to be arranged |
| HST 415 History Capstone |
| 4 credits |
| History majors who are within 12 credit hours of completing the history requirements for their bachelor’s degree may register for the capstone experience. Students will produce a lengthy and properly documented paper to demonstrate their command of the research process. |
| HST 421/521 World Environmental History |
| 4 credits |
| Examines the historical relationship between the earth and human societies in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas from earliest times to the present. Combines lecture and discussion. A History Department Topics course. |
| HST 431, 432, 433 Islamic Middle East |
| 4 credits each |
| HST 431 covers the rise of Islam and Arab expansion in the Middle East, North Africa, Persia, India, and Spain, 600 to 1517 c.e. HST 432 examines the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, as well as the advent of European imperialism in the region to 1914. HST 433 explores the Middle East since 1914, emphasizing such themes as independence and decolonization, state formation, Zionism, Islamic fundamentalism, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111. (HST 453 cross-listed with PS 450.) |
| HST 451, 452, 453 American Foreign Relations |
| 4 credits each |
| Surveys the international affairs of the U.S., analyzing political, economic, strategic, and ideological factors. HST 451 covers the diplomacy of independence, free trade, civil war, and continental expansion; HST 452 explores imperialism, isolation, and world war; and HST 453 studies the Cold War and global commitments. Prerequisites: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 455 Colonial America |
| 4 credits |
| Explores British and French settlement and colonial development in North America to 1763. Prerequisites: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 456 American Revolution, 1763–1800 |
| 4 credits |
| Investigates the British imperial crisis and the American movement toward war and independence, the background and controversy regarding the Constitution, critical issues during the 1790s, and the emergence of political parties. Prerequisites: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 457 From Jefferson to the Jacksonians |
| 4 credits |
| Covers the United States from 1800 to 1850, including political, economic, social, and diplomatic experiences of the new nation, ranging from the election of President Thomas Jefferson to the aftermath of the war with Mexico. Prerequisites: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 458 Civil War and Reconstruction |
| 4 credits |
| Analyzes the causes, nature, and effects of the American Civil War. Prerequisites: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 464 Colonial Mexico |
| 4 credits |
| Explores colonial Mexico through independence from Spain in 1821. Prerequisites: Upper division standing. Instructor consent required for nonmajors. |
| HST 465 Modern Mexico |
| 4 credits |
| Covers independence to the present, with emphasis on the complicated and continuous movement of people into the northern borderlands and beyond. Prerequisites: HST 111, 112 or HST 351, 352 and upper division standing. Instructor consent required for nonmajors. |
| HST 484/584 Topics in American History |
| 4 credits |
| Analyzes a major historical issue or topic in American history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: The Rise of Industrialization, The American West, The Sixties, and The Vietnam War and Film. Prerequisites for undergraduates: HST 250, 251. |
| HST 485 Topics in Latin American History |
| 4 credits |
| Analyzes a major issue in Latin American history. Topic changes each time the course is offered. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Prerequisite: Upper division standing. |
| HST 486 Topics in Ancient Mediterranean History |
| 4 credits |
| Examines a major historical issue or topic in Ancient Mediterranean history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: Alexander the Great, the Julio-Claudian Emperors, Julius Caesar, and Historical Films of the Ancient Mediterranean. Prerequisite: HST 110. |
| HST 487 Topics in European History |
| 4 credits |
| Analyzes a major historical issue or topic in European history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: European Expansion and Interaction, World War I, and Hitler and the Third Reich. Prerequisites: HST 111, 112. |
| HST 488 Topics in Middle Eastern History |
| 4 credits |
| Covers a major historical issue or topic in Middle-Eastern history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: Egypt under the British, Israel and Palestine, and the Legacy of Colonialism. Prerequisites: HST 111, 112. |
| HST 489 Topics in African History |
| 4 credits |
| Analyzes a major historical issue or topic in African history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: Dictatorship in the Postcolonial Period, Comparative Imperial Systems, and the Legacy of Colonialism. Prerequisites: HST 111, 112. |
| HST 490 Topics in World History |
| 4 credits |
| Explores a major historical issue or topic in world history. The focus of the course changes each time. May be repeated for credit with varying topics. Topics include: Empires, Colonialism, Atlantic World, Industrialization, Revolutions, and Environmental History. Prerequisites: HST 110, 111, 112. |
| HST 494 China: Prehistory Through 1279 |
| 4 credits |
| Examines political, economic, social, cultural, and religious developments in Chinese civilization from prehistory through 1279. Prerequisites: For nonmajors, USEM 103 required and HST 391 recommended. |
| HST 495 China: 1279–1900 |
| 4 credits |
| Studies political, social, cultural, and religious developments in twentieth-century Chinese civilization. Prerequisites: For nonmajors, USEM 103 required and HST 391 recommended. |
| HST 496 China: Twentieth Century |
| 4 credits |
| Covers political, economic, social, cultural, and religious developments in twentieth-century Chinese civilization. Prerequisites: For nonmajors, USEM 103 required and HST 391 recommended. |
| HST 497, 498 Japan |
| 4 credits each |
| Analyzes the history of Japan from ancient times to the present. HST 497: Early Japan to about 1800; HST 498: Japan from 1800 to the present. Emphasizes political, economic, social, religious, and cultural institutions. May be taken out of sequence. Prerequisites: For nonmajors, USEM 103 required and HST 391 recommended. |
