2018-2019 Catalog 
    
    Jul 01, 2025  
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2018-2019 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Courses of Instruction

Key to Abbreviations

ACCT Accounting HIST History
ACTV Activity HONS Honors Courses
AMRS Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies INT Interdisciplinary
ART Fine Arts ITAL Italian
ASTR Astronomy JAPN Japanese
BIOL Biology JOUR Journalism
BOMI Botany/Microbiology LAS Latin American Studies
BUS Business Administration LATI Latin
BWS
Black World Studies MATH Mathematics
CHEM Chemistry MES Middle Eastern Studies
CHIN Chinese MUS Music
CLAS Classics MUSP Music Performance
CMLT Comparative Literature NEUR Neuroscience
COMM Communications PG Politics and Government
CS Computer Science PHIL Philosophy
DANC Dance PHYS Physics
DATA Data Analytics PSYC Psychology
ECON Economics REL Religion
EDUC Education RUSS Russian
ENG English SOAN Sociology/Anthropology
ENVS Environment & Sustainability SPAN Spanish
FREN French SWAH Swahili
GEOG Geography THEA Theatre
GEOL Geology UC University Courses
GERM German URB Urban Studies
GREE Greek WGS Women’s/Gender Studies
HHK Health & Human Kinetics ZOOL Zoology

To aid students in long-range planning, the letters F for fall semester and S for spring semester have been placed after selected course descriptions. All courses carry one unit of academic credit unless otherwise indicated.

Course Selection

Freshmen and sophomores should enroll in courses numbered 100 through 249, but may be permitted to take courses numbered above 250 with the relevant department’s permission. Juniors and seniors should enroll in courses numbered above 250, but may be permitted to take courses numbered below 250 if (a) it is necessary for the major; (b) it is a second (third, etc.) foreign language; (c) it is an elective in the area of science or mathematics where the student does not have the prerequisites for advanced course work; or (d) there is sufficient space in the class after the registration of freshmen and sophomores.
 

History
  

  • HIST 110 - Introduction to Ancient History

    An introduction to the ancient world, including Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Mediterranean Civilizations (Phoenicia, Greece, Rome). Focuses on tracing broader development of civilizations and empires, with particular attention to society, religion, and economic development. Encounters and cultural influences between civilizations form the broad context for the course. Open enrollment, with no prerequisites required. This is a Foundation Course for AMRS, Ancient Studies Majors. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 111 - Introduction to Medieval History

    As an introduction to the Middle Ages, this class will examine the three major medieval cultures: Christian Europe, Byzantium, and Islamic civilization, tracking patterns of internal developments and external connections to the rest of Eurasia and the world. Medieval people across Europe and the Mediterranean created unique and lasting cultures that reflected a complex mixture of religion, politics, warfare, cross-cultural contact, spirituality, and unmatched literary and artistic achievements. The course will cover major turning points (such as the rise of both Christianity and Islam, the crusades, and the Black Death) along with the cultural, technological, and religious developments of the period (such as castles, cathedrals, and universities.) (Group I)
  

  • HIST 112 - Introduction to Modern European History

    Europe since 1648, with emphasis on the ideas, institutions, and problems of topics such as the rise of absolute monarchy, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the growth of industrialism and liberalism, the advent of democracy and socialism, the development of nationalism and imperialism, and the interaction of European democracies with totalitarian dictatorships in the 20th Century. Readings include contemporary source materials, biographies, and interpretive essays. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 113 - Introduction to Early American History to 1877

    The course surveys the major social, political, cultural, constitutional, and economic developments from the age of exploration through the Civil War and Reconstruction. It introduces students to some of the main issues and controversies of early America. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 114 - Introduction to Modern American History

    The course surveys the major political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic developments since 1877. It seeks to introduce students to some of the main themes, issues, and controversies of modern America. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 115 -  Introduction to Latin American History

    A general introduction to the civilizations, populations, economies, societies, and politics of Latin America. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 116 - Introduction to Pacific Asia

    An introduction to those non-Western nations/regions, once considered underdeveloped, which have recently produced economies competitive with our own. The course will focus on Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong and will trace their pre-war experiences with the West, post-war development, economic organization, and will address issues of political form and human rights. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 120 - AP World History

    This course number designates credit granted to students who scored a 4 or better on their AP World History exam. The credit counts as one elective course toward the major or minor. It does not fulfill any of the three departmental field requirements. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 126 - IB History

    This course number designates credit granted to students who scored 5 or better on an IB examination in a course that does not adequately resemble one of our existing 100-level courses. The credit counts as a 100-level elective toward the major or minor. It does not fulfill any of the three departmental field requirements. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 160 - America in the Sixties

    The course examines the major political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic developments of the period, with special emphasis on the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and other social movements (women and youth in particular). (Group I)
  

  • HIST 250 - Historical Inquiry

    The seminar provides an introduction to various historiographical traditions, genres, and schools. It also emphasizes methodological techniques such as source identification, evaluation, and location as well as research organization and presentation. Students prepare a research paper based on primary and secondary sources. Open to declared history majors or with permission of the instructor. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 260 - The Reformation Era

    The religious upheaval of the 16th Century, including the medieval sources of the Reformation, the rise of the Protestant Churches, the Counter Reformation, and the emergence of early modern European political, economic, and social conditions. Also listed as REL 332 . (Group I)
  

  • HIST 261 - Economic History

    A historical description and analysis of economic development in the Western world from A.D. 950 to the mid-20th century. Topics include manorialism, early urban market economies, the Age of Ambition, mercantilism, Agricultural Revolution, industrialization, classical economics, free trade and varieties of colonialism, socialism, neo-imperialism, rise of welfare state, governmental growth, and dependency theory. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 262 - The Making of Britain

    A survey of the history of Great Britain and Ireland from earliest times through the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and its settlement. Scotland, Ireland, England & Wales, and British continental and colonial holdings receive attention. Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Medieval, and Tudor-Stuart society and institutions are considered. Political structures, economic life, intellectual developments, cultural values, as well as war and diplomacy are treated. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 271 - Mexico: From Conquest to Revolution

    A survey of the history of Mexico with emphasis on the variety of forces contributing to the formation of modern Mexico. Special emphasis on the clash between Mexico’s European and indigenous populations and the major social, political, and economic upheavals of the Mexican Revolution. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 275 - Modern China

    This course covers China’s history from 1644 to present. It focuses on such issues as the development and decline of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), the coming of the West, and China’s various reforms and revolutions in the 19th and 20th centuries. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 320 - Middle East

    This course explores major themes and issues of modern Middle Eastern history from the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire until the present, including the establishment of nation-states and the legacy of European imperialism. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 322 - Asian Civilizations to the 17th Century

    The rise, development, and expansion of the peoples of India, China, and Japan in their formative years. Consideration of economic, social, cultural, and political aspects with a lecture emphasis. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 324 - Topics in Asian History

    This upper-division seminar is open to all students.
  

  • HIST 324 A - China and the West

    This seminar examines the relations between China and the West. While certain attention is given to Sino-Western contact before modern times, the course focuses on China’s response to the West since the Opium War (1839-1842). Issues covered include the coming of the West, Western imperialism, Western impact, China’s nationalism, and the various roles that the West has played in China’s modernization. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 324 B - China’s Communist Revolution

    This seminar examines the Communist revolution in modern China. It discusses the origin and development of China’s Communist movement in the historical context of the country’s interaction with the West and Japan in the modern era. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 324 C - Intellectual History of Modern China

    This seminar examines various intellectual trends in modern China, with a focus on the intellectual changes from the Reform Movement to the May Fourth era (1895-1925). The theme of this class is the interaction between Chinese tradition and modern Western ideas. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 325 - Modern Japan

    A brief introduction to the traditional Samurai culture of Tokugawa Japan, followed by examination of the nation’s rapid initial modernization and the positive and negative consequences of that modernization, the latter including social dislocation, fascism, and war. The study of post-war Japan includes an introduction to the workings of modern Japanese party politics and foreign policy, and an examination of various aspects of contemporary Japanese society through Japanese eyes, including farm life, urban factory life, and the political and social controversies that have arisen over nuclear weapons and pollution control. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 332 - Argentina, Brazil, and Chile Since Independence

    An introduction to socioeconomic and political trends in the largest nations of the Southern Cone. Topics investigated will include slavery, state formation, immigration, modernization, industrialization, economic development, populism, socialism, military dictatorship, and democratization in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 333 - Modern Latin America: 1800 to the Present

    A topical approach to twentieth-century Latin American history with emphasis on the Latin American nations’ struggles to sustain economic development, the causes and consequences of social revolutions, and the successes and failures of distinct political formations. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 334 - Indians, Spaniards & the Struggle for Colonial Latin America

    A topical approach to the years 1492 to 1821 during which distinctively Latin American nations were forged from the clash of American, European, and African societies. Most of the course investigates the Spanish conquest of the great American civilizations of the Inca and the Aztecs. Special attention to the pre-conquest societies and the adaptations made by those societies to resist the Spanish colonial state and to maintain political, social, and economic autonomy. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 335 - Topics in Latin American History

    An advanced course that examines selected topics and themes of Latin American history. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
  

  • HIST 335 A - Latin America in Revolution

    This seminar examines the origins and outcomes of revolutionary upheaval in twentieth century Latin America focusing on Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia, Cuba, Chile, and Nicaragua. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 335 B - The Spanish Conquest of America

    This seminar explores the Spanish conquest of Native American societies. Readings focus on the military, ideological, religious, economic, and biological consequences of the Spanish conquest. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 335 C - Economic History of Latin America

    This seminar examines the evolution of economies of Latin America from the arrival of Europeans to the present day. Course materials focus on the origins and causes of the region’s underdevelopment as well as the social consequences of underdevelopment from poverty to political instability. (Group I) (Diversity)
  

  • HIST 341 - Roman History

    The goal of this course is to explore the meaning and methods of Roman history. In this class, students will analyze the works of ancient historians in order to understand what value Romans placed on their own history and heritage. This class also will address the ways that modern historians use and interpret ancient sources, whether textual, archaeological, or artistic. It will cover the history of Rome from its origins through the reign of Constantine and include discussions of political, social, religious and cultural history. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 342 - Constantine to Charlemagne

    Examines the development of the medieval world from roughly CE 300 to 800. This period witnessed the transformation of one of world history’s great empires, the rise of two new monotheistic religions, and the emergence of new empires, polities, and cultures. In this class we will study the religious, political, and cultural histories of the Western Christian (Germanic) states, the Byzantine Empire, and the early Islamic empires. We will study both the larger social, cultural, and religious forces that shaped these diverging groups and the roles of individual leaders. The class will explore the construction of historical memory, the nature of biographies, and how modern historians understand these civilizations. This is a Core Course for AMRS, Medieval Studies majors and an Elective Course for AMRS, Ancient and Renaissance Studies majors. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 343 - The Central Middle Ages

    This course is a topical examination of the Central Middle Ages in Europe (approximately 900-1300), focusing on major patterns of social, economic, religious, and intellectual life. The course will explore patterns of power, patronage, and poverty, and the interactions between different groups in medieval society. Topics to be covered include the role of religion, the interactions between Europe and the Middle East, the growth of cities, universities and cathedrals, and changes to peasant lifestyles and livelihoods. The class will also explore several large historical debates, including the “Year 1000 Question” and the nature of the relationship between secular and spiritual powers. This is a Core Course for AMRS, Medieval Studies majors and an Elective Course for AMRS, Ancient and Renaissance Studies majors. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 346 - Renaissance Europe

    This class will explore European history and culture from roughly 1300-1550. Stemming from a series of dynamic changes across Europe, the “Renaissance” was not a single thing, but instead was a series of attempts to explain, reframe, and re-imagine the world. We will explore intellectual, artistic, and material spheres to develop a broader understanding of the many different cultures of late medieval/Renaissance Europe. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 348 - Castles and Cathedrals

    Castles and cathedrals are the most recognizable features of medieval civilization. They were symbols of power, feats of engineering, and expressions of fear and hope. This course will emphasize how complex these buildings were, and how many different meanings were (and still are) read into them by their builders, their users, and the people who study them. The time period covered will be roughly from Late Rome through the 1500s, but we will also include discussion of castles and cathedrals built after the medieval era, to see how the meaning and memory of these medieval monuments changes over time. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 350 A - Kingdoms of Medieval Spain

    1.00

    Examines special topics in pre-modern European history. (Group I)

  

  • HIST 350 C - Topics: Black Death

    From 1347-1350, a great plague swept across Europe, killing an estimated 1/3 of the entire human population. This had both immediate and long-term effects, changing daily life, social networks, and economic decision making. Understanding the degree to which the medieval world was altered by (and survived) this disaster offers glimpses of medieval psychology, scientific knowledge, spirituality, and aesthetics. However, this disastrous disease was but one moment in a long history of human/disease interaction. We will set the medieval epidemic in its broader context, looking at the earlier outbreak of plague in Europe at the end of the Roman Empire as well as other pandemics, epidemics, and disasters. This class will use the medieval epidemic as a way to understand how diseases affect human history, and how “natural” disasters are experienced, created, and perceived. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 350 D - Topics: Saints and Society

    In the Middle Ages, religious practices and beliefs were deeply integrated into the social, political, and economic fabric of society. This class examines how medieval people interacted with saints (both living and dead) in order to discuss the character and nature of medieval society. It covers the earliest desert saints who shaped ideas of Christian holiness, crusading-era ideas about the power of saintly intervention in worldly conflict, gendered and social structures of medieval life, and ideas about miracles, monasticism, and the power of the “very special dead”. The class extends from the waning of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 351 - 19th Century Europe

    Comprehensive account of the transformation of Europe from the era of the French Revolution until the First World War. Topics include conservatism, liberalism, nationalism, socialism, industrialization, racialism, and imperialism. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 352 - 20th Century Europe

    Comprehensive investigation of the major political, social, cultural, and economic trends and changes in Europe from the eve of the First World War until the revolutions of 1989. Topics include the impact of the two world wars, totalitarianism, imperialism and decolonialization, the cold war, regeneration of Europe, and the revival of nationalism. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 353 - Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany

    A topical study that explores the origins, structure and ethos, and collapse of National Socialist Germany, and the impact of the Nazi era on Europe and the world. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 356 - British History Since 1688

    A survey of the history of the United Kingdom (England & Wales, Scotland, and Ireland) since the Glorious Revolution. Covers the Age of Aristocracy and the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and its social and political consequences, loss of the American colonies, the wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon, Regency and Victorian England, the rise of the Welfare State, the Age of Churchill, and contemporary Britain. Attention is given to political development and reform, empire, economic life, foreign relations, war, and changes in society and culture. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 357 - Topics: Tudor England

    A topical inquiry at the advanced level into British History. Conducted as a readings colloquium, the course allows examination of one (or more) topics or themes in the history of the United Kingdom and its Empire/Commonwealth. The class studies the selected topic in depth, becoming familiar with primary and secondary authorities, standard works, interpretations and revisions, methodologies, and the historiographical context of the issues pertaining to the topics - as problems approach. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 360 - Topics: Modern European History

    A readings colloquium at the advanced level focused on selected themes and topics of 19th- and 20th-century European history. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 362 - Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, 1801-1991

    A survey of the history of the Russian empire and the U.S.S.R. from the accession of Alexander I to the collapse of the Soviet Union, focusing on the salient political, ideological, social, economic, and cultural trends and developments. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 366 - Contemporary Spanish History (Salamanca program)

    The major themes and problems of twentieth century Spanish history will be presented in the context of Spanish traditions. Seven classes devoted to a survey of Spanish history with the remaining classes devoted to the Spanish Republic (1931-39), the Franco era (1939-75), and the post-Franco era (1975 to the present). This course, offered exclusively at OWU’s Salamanca, Spain Program, is accepted in the major and minor as a European history course. Students studying at Salamanca are encouraged to take HIST 111  or HIST 112  prior to their departure. Also listed as SPAN 378 . (Group I)
  

  • HIST 370 - Topics in Early American History

    A seminar that examines selected topics and themes of American History. The seminar is open to all students.
  

  • HIST 370 A - Famous American Trials

    This seminar examines famous and infamous trials to understand significant legal, social, and cultural issues in American History. We will consider also how legal institutions and legal values, such as notions of justice and rights, have evolved over the course of United States history. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 370 B - American Revolution

    This seminar examines the social, political, intellectual, military, and constitutional developments of the American Revolutionary era from 1750 throughout ratification of the Constitution. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 371 - Colonial America

    This course analyzes the origins and social, political, cultural and economic development of the British colonies in North America from the early 17th century to the Revolutionary War, with special emphasis on regional similarities and differences, how European contact with Native Americans shaped the cultures of both peoples, and how the southern colonies came to rely on a system based on slave labor. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 372 - Old South and Slavery Controversy

    This course examines the colonial and antebellum years of the southern region of the United States, which came to be known as the Old South. It explores the Old South’s economic, political, and cultural development. In particular, we will analyze the ways in which race, class, and gender affected antebellum southern politics, economics, and culture. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 373 - The Civil War and Reconstruction

    This course analyzes the political, constitutional, military, social, and cultural aspects of the Civil War from its origins in the early nineteenth century through the end of Reconstruction in 1877. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 374 - Moving West

    Selected phases of the American Westward Movement, the problems of the West, and the significance of the frontier in the nation’s development. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 375 - Women in American History

    This course examines the history of women in the United States from the colonial period to the present, paying attention to the experiences of women of different races, classes, and ethnic backgrounds with work, family, sexuality, and social and political activism. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 376 - The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1929

    The course examines the major political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic developments of the period, with special emphasis on the impact of urbanization, immigration, and industrialization, the emergence of the Populist and Progressive movements, the legacies of World War I, and the clash of cultures in the 1920s. Advanced knowledge of U.S. history is not required or expected. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 377 - The Transformation of Modern America, 1929-1960

    The course examines the major political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic developments of the period, with special emphasis on the Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II, the Cold War, and the cultural divisions of the 1950s. Advanced knowledge of U.S. history is not required or expected. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 378 - The Ascendence of Modern America, 1960-2008

    The course examines the major political, social, cultural, diplomatic, and economic developments of the period, with special emphasis on the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the social movements (minorities, women, and youth), and the political shifts (such as the conservative revival). Advanced knowledge of U.S. history is not required or expected. (Group I)
  

  • HIST 385 - Topics in Modern American History

    The seminar explores selected topics and periods. It emphasizes reading and discussion at an advanced level. The seminar is open to all students and assumes no substantial prior knowledge of modern American history. (Group I) R
  

  • HIST 385 A - Crime and Punishment in Modern America

    From the exploits of Al Capone and John Dillinger to the trial of O.J. Simpson and to the politics of mass incarceration, the clash between police, criminals, and the law has never ceased to fascinate and horrify. This seminar will examine that fixation by investigating some notorious individuals and infamous events of the past century. The objective is to use both the myth and reality of crime as a lens through which to view racial, class, and gender issues in American political, social, and cultural history. The seminar is open to all students and assumes no substantial prior knowledge of modern American history, but emphasizes reading and discussion at an advanced level. (Group I) R
  

  • HIST 385 B - Women and Gender in Modern America

    From the fight for suffrage to the struggle for equality, the history of women in modern America has featured change and continuity, conflict and consensus. Great expectations and extraordinary courage have led to substantial progress-but also to bitter disappointment and unintended consequences. This seminar will examine how, for more than a century, American women have sought personal fulfillment and professional advancement despite political, economic, racial, social, cultural, and individual obstacles. The seminar is open to all students and assumes no substantial prior knowledge of modern American history, but emphasizes reading and discussion at an advanced level. (Group I) R
  

  • HIST 385 C - Historical Fiction in Modern America

    Historical fiction is a popular window into the American past. But does it illuminate or distort our understanding of modern history? Does the quality of a novel reflect how closely the author conforms to the historical record or how greatly he or she transcends it? Do certain genres of historical fiction, such as war novels, capture the essence of events in ways that nonfiction accounts cannot? These are among the issues that this seminar will explore. It is open to all students and assumes no substantial prior knowledge of modern American history, but emphasizes reading and discussion at an advanced level. (Group I) R
  

  • HIST 490 - Independent Study

    Guided research project for students with specific research interests. Consent of instructor.
  

  • HIST 491 - Directed Readings

    Guided readings and/or tutorial project. Consent of instructor.
  

  • HIST 493 - Historical Research Seminar

    The seminar is required of history majors in their junior or senior year and emphasizes historical methodology through the preparation of a substantial research paper, which is taken through multiple drafts within the limits of the semester. Students with specialized research interests should consider the alternative to HIST 493 detailed in the Catalog’s description of HIST 494 . Students considering graduate school may request an oral defense with a second reader. The defense must occur within the limits of the semester. Prerequisite: HIST 250 .
  

  • HIST 494 - Senior Thesis

    Students with specialized research interests may petition the Department to complete an independent senior thesis in lieu of HIST 493 . In the first semester (HIST 491  ) of this two-semester project the student will engage in intensive background readings under the direction of a faculty member. In the second semester (HIST 494) the student will work with the same supervising professor in the writing of a substantial research paper. Students interested in pursuing HIST 494 must submit their research proposals to the Department no later than week twelve of the spring semester of the junior year and have the endorsement of the full-time member of the Department of History who will supervise the independent project. Prerequisite: HIST 250  and departmental approval.
  

  • HIST 495 - Apprenticeships

    The Historian (Phi Alpha Theta journal) offers apprenticeship opportunities in the journal’s Book Review Section; contact Dr. Spall. The Newberry Library (Chicago), the Cloisters (New York City), and the Delaware (Ohio) Historical Society, as well as the Beeghly Library and Archives, have provided stimulating experience for history students in library, archival, and editing activities. Other possibilities may be suggested. Students apply in department office. Fall, Spring, Summer.
 

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