The course focuses on significant developments in history from its Greek origins through the Renaissance. It is designed to introduce the student to the discipline of history and can be used to fulfill the ancient part of the Cultural Heritage requirement.

History 131-01 Introduction to Modern European History (Professor Fred Johnson) TR 9:30-10:50 a.m. in DePree Art 132(4 credits)

The course focuses on significant developments in modern European history from the Renaissance to our own time. It is designed to introduce the student to the discipline of history and can be used to fulfill the modern part of the Cultural Heritage requirement

The main goal of this class is to introduce students to the methods historians use when they do research. In this class we will explore how do historians come up with research questions, how they find and use historical sources, and how they document those sources. To do this, we will examine debates about immigration and American identity between 1820-1920, what historians sometimes call the “Century of Immigration.” During this time, as immigrants arrived by the millions from Europe, Asia and the Americas, people in the U.S. debated a myriad of issues, such as: who should be allowed to migrate to the U.S.? Who should be allowed to become a citizen? What does it mean to be an American? Students will read a variety of primary and secondary sources, complete short writing and bibliography assignments, and write a research paper using the skills they learned in this class. Required for history majors, minors and open to other interested students.

This course surveys U.S. history from Reconstruction to the present. It examines the major social, cultural, political, and economic events that shaped the U.S. after the Civil War, focusing especially on industrialization, Progressivism, WW I, the Great Depression, the New Deal, WW II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Sixties and Reagan Republicanism.

History 175-01 Michigan History (Professor C. Baars Bultman) T 9:00 - 10:50 a.m. in Van Zoeren 297. (2 credits).

This course will focus on the history of Michigan, including its original Native American inhabitants, arrival of fur traders and voyaguers, rise of colonial powers, impact of European immigrants, industrial and political development, and recent history. Special emphasis will be placed on the use of primary archival materials with a case study of the migration of the Dutch to Michigan. Students will also be exposed to the many ways the story of Michigan is told through story-telling, oral history, and published sources and material preserved in archives, museums, and historical sites.

History 200-01A Travels with Herodotus (Professor Albert Bell) TR 1:30-2:50 p.m. in LH 122 (2 credits) This course meets the first half of the semester.

The Greek historian Herodotus, the "father of history," was also a sociologist/anthropologist. His work contains fascinating descriptions of the cultures of people in the Balkans, Egypt, even India. We'll examine what he says and what his sources of information were.

History 200-01B Pliny: Man and Myth (Professor Albert Bell) TR 1:30-2:50 p.m. in LH 122 (2 credits) meets second half of semester.

Pliny the Younger witnessed the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and came face-to-face with Christians in what is now Turkey. His letters provide insight into people and events of the late first century AD. His scientific mind led him to investigate natural phenomena and criminal cases. We'll read some of the letters and some fiction written about him.

History 200-02B World War II and the Making of Modern America (Professor Jeanne Petit) MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m. in LH 222. (2 credits) meets second half of semester.

This class explores the many ways World War II fundamentally transformed the United States. We will learn how the U.S. went from a nation that embraced isolationism to a nation that emerged as “Leader of the Free World,” from a nation mired in depression to a nation that became an economic powerhouse, and from a nation that could not pass an anti-lynching bill to a nation that was on the verge of the Civil Rights Movement. Some of the major issues we will analyze include strategies in the Pacific and European theaters, the leadership of FDR and his generals, the internment of Japanese Americans, “Rosie the Riveters” in wartime industry, the struggle of African Americans for a “double victory,” the decision to drop the atomic bomb, and more. Overall, we will analyze how the war reshaped American political, social, economic, military and cultural institutions.

IDS 171 Cultural Heritage I: (4 credits)

Liberally educated people should be able to explore deeply what is involved in living a fully human life and being responsible persons, and engage vigorously and honestly with themselves, with their world, and with what is other than themselves-culturally, temporally, religiously and ontologically. The Cultural Heritage portion of the Hope's humanities General Education requirements pursues these overarching objectives of liberal arts education by having students reflect on the riches and challenges of their literary, philosophical and historical legacies. Students will learn to use the fundamental tools common to the humanities (reading, writing, asking good questions, constructing arguments) both to enrich their lives and to achieve more practical goals. They will also read primary historical, literary, and philosophical texts critically, imaginatively, and reflectively, in order to understand themselves, others, and the world better and understand the Western cultural inheritance, its chronological development, its strengths and weaknesses, and (in some cases) its relation to non-Western cultures and their development and strengths and weaknesses. CH I covers periods up to the early Renaissance.

This course fulfills the modern half of the Cultural Heritage requirement.

IDS 172 Cultural Heritage II: (4 credits).

This course covers the modern period after 1500 A.D.

Upper Level Courses
These courses may be used to fill the distribution requirements for the
history major and history minor. There are no prerequisites for the courses, though you may find it helpful to have taken an introductory history course.

History 208-01 AND 02 World Civilization II: 1500-present (Professor Tamba M'bayo) TR 9:30-10:50 a.m. OR 12:00-1:20 p.m. in LH 122 (4 credits)

This introductory world history course surveys developments in human civilization in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe since 1500. It employs comparative methods to investigate cultures and societies that developed in different parts of the world, and it examines the ways in which world societies have interacted in the past and interact in the present. It fulfills the Cultural Heritage II requirement and is flagged for cultural diversity.

History 242-01 Twentieth Century Europe (Professor Janis Gibbs) MWF 12:00 -12:50 p.m. in Chapel B10. (4 credits)

This course examines the changing political, economic, social and intellectual climate from the turn of the century through the 1980s. Special emphasis is placed on the interrelationships between the world of the intellect (literature and philosophy) and the world of politics. The changing social structure of Europe is also considered.

History 256-01 Recent America: The Challenge of Power (Professor Jeanne Petit) MWF 9:30-10:20 a.m. in LH 222. (4 credits).

This course will focus on how the United States emerged from World War II as a major world power, how the government of the United States adapted to that new status and how the men and women of various classes, races, regions and religions dealt with the social and cultural changes of the last half of the twentieth century. Major topics include the Cold War and the economic boom of the 1950s, Vietman and the rise of protest in the 1960s, the economic and foreign policy challenges of the 1970s, the rise of conservatism in the 1980s, and the challenges of diversity and globalization in the 1990s.

History 295-01 Model Arab League (Habeeb Awad) M 7:00-8:50 p.m. in MM 249. (1 credit)

This course presents students with the opportunity to participate in the intercollegiate Michigan Model Arab League. Students will take roles as representatives of member states of the Model Arab League. They will study economic, political, social and security affairs, and will also9 concentrate on the challenges presented by the development of a new Palestinian state. Students will study Egypt and Syria in depth, and will study the other states of the Arab League in order to work effectively with other delegates. This course emphasizes analytical skills, teamwork, and negotiation skills. It will meet the 1st ½ of the semester and culminates in the Michigan Model Arab League meetings in February at GVSU. There are no prereqs for this class. Please se Staff before registration to obtain permission.

History 321-01 Making of Modern Africa (Professor Tamba M'bayo) MWF 11:00-11:50 a.m. in AWF B04. (4 credits)

This course will focus on state formation and cultural developments in Africa during the 19th and 20th centuries. It will use the overarching framework of continuity and change to trace significant political and cultural trends that have had a deep impact on contemporary African nation-states. Although the course will focus mainly on Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa will not be completely ignored. Special emphasis will be placed on the active role of Africans, both men and women, in shaping the political and cultural developments of their continent despite the obvious impact of European colonialism. The course is flagged for cultural diversity.

History 351-01 Slavery and Race in America, 1619-present (Professor Fred Johnson) MW 3:00 -4:50 p.m. in MM 239. (4 credits)

This course examines the roles that slavery and race have played in shaping the course of American history. Starting from an overall assessment of slavery's origins in western culture, the course considers the practice of slavery and its social, political, and economic influences in North America. Special emphasis is placed upon analyzing how institutional slavery and the concept of race shaped the lives of master, slaves, and their respective descendants down to the present day.

History 395-01 Gender in Latin America (Professor Jonathan Hagood) MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m. in Sci Center 3130 (4 credits)

Historically, gender joined race and class to structure differences that themselves structured inequality throughout Latin America. This course explores the relationship between gender and the power necessary to maintain these structures of difference. We will examine how people and institutions constructed, assumed, and contested representations of both femininity and masculinity in a variety of sites. The course is organized into case study units. The first two concern colonial Latin America from the fifteenth through the early nineteenth centuries. To begin, we will attempt to recover the voices of colonial women through the life of Sor Juan Inés de la Cruz. In the following unit, we will explore how the marriage choices available to both men and women changed over the more than three centuries of colonial Spanish rule. Our three modern case studies examine the construction of masculinities in Argentina, the role played by the Chilean state in creating and maintaining gender representations, and the development and meaning of “machismo” in late-twentieth-century Mexico. In each of these case studies, we will examine in detail how people and institutions invoked and inscribed popular understandings of gender (as well as race and class).

History 495 History Seminar (Professor Fred Johnson) T 5-7:50 p.m. in LH MM 237. (4 credits)

This course is required of all history majors and is also open to non-majors with a serious interest in learning how to do scholarly research. The course is designed to help students develop advanced skills in historical research and writing. Major emphasis is given to the development of sound research methods and to the use of primary source materials. Each student will be expected to produce a lengthy research paper of scholarly merit and literary quality.