Human Studies

Surveys political; social; economic; and intellectual movements shaping twentieth century states and peoples. Special attention is devoted to the decline of European hegemony; the rise of the United States; and the evolution of emerging nations in Asia; Africa; and the Americas.

This course follows the beautiful game from the nineteenth century to the present. We explore how soccer has changed; but also how soccer has impacted war and peace; colonialism and imperialism; authoritarianism and state terror; and questions of citizenship; race; gender; and inclusion.

A survey of developments in Europe and the Western Hemisphere since the 1492; with particular emphasis on exploring both how the West changed the World and how the World changed the West through colonialism; imperialism; war; ideologies; racial thinking; and religious change.

Survey of civilizations that helped shape modern-day Eurasia and North Africa - Mesopotamia; Egypt; Minoan Crete; Israel; Greece; Persia; and Rome. Emphasis on the interaction of these cultures around the Mediterranean Sea. Evaluation based on short papers; exams and quizzes; and participation.

Exploration of the three dominant cultures of the medieval period: Europe; the Byzantine Empire; and the Islamic world; with a special focus on their interactions.

This course begins with the Aztec and Incan Empires and ends with the wave of independence movements that transformed the Americas into a continent of nations free from colonial rule. We will explore the developments; structures; and ideologies of European colonialism in the Americas; as well as the ways in which indigenous peoples and free and enslaved Africans navigated colonial rule. (Spring)

Spectacular and fascinating have been used to describe the largest empire ever to exist. Covering ca. 1492·1975; this course traces Spain's rise and fall while examining developments in nationalism and imperialism in Europe and in the Americas; Topics include politics; culture; and Spain's legacy in the modern world.

This course explores major developments in nineteenth and twentieth century Latin American History. Topics include independence; slavery; political conflicts; revolutions; class movements; populism; state terrorism and dirty war; democratization; migration; and the influence of Latin America on the world.

This course covers the political; economic; and cultural developments in China; Japan; North and South Korea; Taiwan; and Mongolia from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Peripheral and international history relating to these countries will also be discussed.

A historical examination of issues in history. Topics will vary each time the course is offered. (Sufficient demand)

This course will give students a foothold in our rapidly shifting information landscape by introducing a framework for information literacy and exploring the role of information in society; covering topics like misinformation; artificial intelligence; paywalls; and personal data. Upon completing this course; students will be equipped with the knowledge; tools; and strategies necessary to exist as an informed and ethical person in the 21st century. (Bi Annually).

American history from Jamestown to the Civil War with particular attention to the political; social; and economic development of the new nation.

American life from the Civil War to the present with particular attention to the transformation from a rural to an urban society; movements for social reform; and the further extension of civil and political rights. Can be taken as a continuation of HIST 211 or may be taken independently.

This course explores German history from the earliest evidence of the Germanic tribes through developments in the most recent decade in Germany.

A survey of the origins of human civilization; African Kingdoms; and globalization of the continent up to 1800.

Placing Black lives at the center of US history; this course traces the innovations; contributions; art; literature; struggles; setbacks; and triumphs of African Americans in the past; from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Studies of different non-American historical themes; with topics varying each time the course is given.

With reference to both World Wars; Korea; Vietnam; and the Gulf War; the course addresses origins; strategy and leadership; political and social effects; and moral and legal issues including the army code of conduct; Hiroshima; the Nuremburg Trials; and Mylai. (Alternate years)

A study of the War Between the States; including analyses of the political; social; economic; and ideological differences between the sections; the war and its aftermath; the historiography of the war: and an evaluation of the traditional view of the war as the watershed of American history. (Alternate years)

In this methods course; students analyze the fundamentals of the historical profession. These include conducting archival research; understanding historiography (the history of history); and crafting original arguments. By specifically examining the historicization of the Second World War and the Holocaust; students will learn to consume full-length books quickly and effectively; work with archival sources; and craft captivating arguments.

How does historical knowledge get produced and shared in public? This project-based course explores forms of writing and educating beyond the halls of academia. Topics may include: podcasting; K-12 teaching; museums; monuments; digital mapping; digital archives; blogging; and social media. Open to all majors at all levels.

This course is a historical survey of domestic events since World War II with particular attention to the fate of the New Deal; McCarthyism; the Kennedy legacy; the impact of Vietnam; and the civil rights and women's movements.

An inquiry into Americans' attitudes toward and relationships to environments they encounter and create; ca. 1600 - present. Topics include Nature; industrialization; fine arts and architecture; government and citizen actions; and the impact of the U. S. on global resources.

A historical survey of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the nineteenth-century beginnings of Zionism to the Second Intifada; with special attention to the role played by the USA.

The origins; growth and development of the Greek world from Mycenean through Hellenistic times (12th-1st centuries; B.C.E.); with topics such as the Homeric myths; Sparta; Athens; democracy; the polis; the Hellenistic world. (Alternate years)

Rome from a river village to an empire (5th century B.C. - 3rd century A.D.); including its traditional origins; Etruscan control; republicanism; social conflict; imperialism; Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra; Augustus and Nero; imperial life and livelihood.(Alternate years)

This course covers European history from the end of the Roman Empire to the beginning of feudal society. Through reading; lectures and discussions; students discover that the Dark Ages were actually filled with activity and innovation. *(Alternate years)

This course is a study of the history of fascism. We examine the origins of fascist ideas and organizations; the varieties of fascist organizations and beliefs in Europe and European colonies; and the impact of fascism on politics and society before; during and after the Second World War.

A biographical approach to the Great Depression and World War II period.

What is queer history? Why write it? Who should be included? This course addresses the possible content and theoretical issues in the study of lesbian; gay; bisexual; and trans people in America since the seventeenth century. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of instructor.

An in-depth study of major texts by Hegel; Marx; and Nietzsche; with a thematic focus on the nature of historical change; the interpretation of history; and the relationship between material life and culture; including religion; philosophy; politics; and morality.

This course examines the last two hundred years of Southern African history; politics; and culture. From Angola; east to Zimbabwe and Mozambique; south to South Africa; attention will be devoted to perennial African kingdoms; European colonization; African nationalism and Pan-Africanism; resistance to apartheid regimes; and liberation and independence movements.

This course examines Ukraine’s tumultuous history; from its Kievan Rus’ origins a millennium ago; through its first founding as a nation state in 1917; to the present. Ukraine’s ethnic; religious; and linguistic diversity has been its strength and weakness. Pulled between East and West; democracy and authoritarianism; Ukraine has struggled to find its place between European and the world powers.

This course offers an exploration of the ways in which two sets of transnational forces have together shaped the politics of the Middle East over the past four decades: A) the resurgence of “political Islam” within the wider Muslim world and B) the increasingly complex and direct intervention of the United States and other external powers in the region. Focal points include legacies of regional empires (Islamic; Ottoman; Safavid; etc.) and of European colonialism; the evolution of the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian conflict; the Iranian Revolution; Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions/rivalries (centered around a Saudi-Iranian fulcrum since 1979); Iraq’s recurrent slides toward war; the anti-authoritarian struggles of the Arab Spring (particularly in Tunisia and Egypt); Syria’s violent fragmentation (including the rise of ISIS as well as a wide array of outside interventions by self-serving nation-states) and 21st-century Turkey under Erdogan’s “moderate” version of political Islam. Along the way we will endeavor to identify and to appreciate both key overarching patterns that are widely shared throughout the Middle East and important differences that mark the region’s distinct national and sub-national communities.

This course examines Chinese history of the past 200 years in a global context. It covers the end of the last imperial dynasty; Nationalist China under Chiang Kai-shek; the Japanese invasion of China during the Second World War; Mao Zedong’s establishment of the communist People's Republic of China; and the evolving place of China as a world power. Issues of current international importance involving China will also be discussed.

Studies of different American historical themes; with topics varying each time the course is given.

This course explores the history of the Germanic tribes; from their migration with other Indo-Europeans into Europe until the Norman Conquest of AD 1066. Their tribal lands once spread from the coast of Labrador to Russia and the Mediterranean. Central themes will be the interactions of these tribes with the Roman Empire and the changes Christianity brought to these tribes.

A history of the Roman occupation of Britannia; beginning with the first contact with the Celts and ending with Rome's withdrawal from the island and the new period of domination by the Germanic Saxons; Angles and Jutes. This course includes a 15-day study abroad component in England and Wales.

How do the stories we see on screens shape society? Using popular and influential films as primary sources; this course explores the relationships between the business of Hollywood and ideas of labor; gender; war; justice; democracy; and the American dream.

American diplomacy in the age of mass production; world wars; fascism and communism including close scrutiny of the conflict between isolationism and internationalism. *(Alternate years)

A history of American slavery and race relations from the 17th century until emancipation. (Sufficient demand)

This course will cover a number of topics; including German anti-Semitism and the means by which Hitler engineered the Final Solution. Half the course will focus on the Nazis; the other half on their victims. It concludes with a discussion of Holocaust denial and the nature of evil.

Internship under supervision. Available irregularly.

This course explores the far-flung reaches of Europe; from the Balkans to the Baltic Sea; the Carpathians Mountains to the Caucasus. Beginning with the Revolutions of 1848; topics examined include the emergence of Czech and Ukrainian national identities; the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires during WWI; interwar right-wing authoritarianism in Poland and Hungary; partisan warfare in Yugoslavia during WWII; communist dictatorship in Romania; the fall of the Berlin Wall and Iron Curtain; and integration of post-communist states into Western institutions like NATO and the EU. (GP)

While studying in Munich; Stuttgart; and Heidenheim; learn about German history through the art; monuments; and architecture Nazi leader Adolf Hitler revered; despised; and looted. At the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart; view the paintings of German First World War soldier Otto Dix; branded “degenerate” and banned by the Nazis. Experience the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber; touted by Hitler as a Germanic exemplar. In Munich; walk through the Alte Pinakothek and other art museums that Hitler frequented in his early years; then trace the steps of those persecuted and interned by the Nazis at the Dachau Concentration Camp. Finally; learn about the liberation of prisoners from Hitler’s camps; stolen artworks; and their postwar fate in Heidenheim; where a Jewish Displaced Persons camp was established by the U.S. Army. (Offered: Allen/Winter)

Become a published history writer in the Kanakadea Review; AU's history journal. Organize and present at a campus conference. In this course students will learn to conduct original research; write accurately and reliably; and give confident presentations. Successful completion of this course will equip students with essential skills for any profession and bolster their CV/resume.

Academic inquiry into an area not covered in any established course; and carried on outside the usual instructor/classroom setting. Approved Plan of Study required.

This course provides students who have had little or no acquaintance with philosophy with a workable knowledge of philosophical language and familiarity with its method.

In this course we look at how various thinkers and philosophical schools have tried to answer questions about what makes life meaningful.

An attempt to understand the fundamental human alternatives in the wake of the moral skepticism of our age. Traditional answers to the question What is the good life? will be examined by reading selected philosophers from Plato to Sartre.

Standard propositional logic; quantifier logic; and informal fallacies. Logical concepts are compared with some concepts of the English language. Discusses the nature of formal systems and emphasizes the development of proof techniques. Recommended for pre-law students.

Conceptual analysis of the arts and what they reveal about human existence. Emphasis is placed on questions about creativity and meaning. Topics include representation and truth; expression; art and language; and the nature of cultural regularities. Special emphasis on the rise of modernism and formalism.

Varying topics from year to year are selected from either the history of philosophy or contemporary philosophic problems. . (Sufficient demand)

Equality is a core concept in contemporary philosophy and in discussions of social justice generally. In this course we discuss different kinds of equality: equality of opportunity; racial equality; sexual equality and political equality. Previous coursework in political science or philosophy is desirable but not required.

What constitutes a person’s identity and what is the self? Does being the same person over time mean having the same body or is psychological continuity required? If it is psychological; then is it acquired and can it be lost? Finally; is there a self? What we learn from medical science; psychology and philosophy are brought together in this discussion.

This course is an examination of the nature of consciousness through discussion of the issues raised by the cognition and consciousness of non-human animals. Prerequisite: completion of at least one philosophy course or permission of instructor.

This course covers the history of Greek philosophy from the Presocratic through the Hellenistic period. Special emphasis is given to Plato and to Aristotle.

The intellectual foundations of our modern world were laid down in the 17th and 18th centuries by thinkers like Descartes; Locke; Hume; and Kant. In this course we will look at some of the great debate of the period having to do with science; religion; free will; the self; the nature of truth; the limits of knowledge; and the possibility of happiness.

An in-depth study of major texts by Hegel; Marx; and Nietzsche; with a thematic focus on the nature of historical change; the interpretation of history; and the relationship between material life and culture; including religion; philosophy; politics; and morality.

This course is a survey of the major political theorists from the Renaissance through the twentieth century; with primary emphasis on western thinkers. Particular attention is given to theory as an historical and cultural phenomenon.

Continued study of the question of meaning in art emphasizing the problem of interpretation. Models for criticism and contemporary debates about postmodern culture are examined. Topics include the relativity of interpretations; the role of styles and traditions; and the relationship of different artistic media to each other. (Sufficient demand)

Metaphysical topics concern very basic questions about reality such as: How can things change and be the same? What constitutes personal identity? What is time? If the world is deterministic; can people be free? and; Does any kind of God exist? (Sufficient Demand)

This course treats topics in social and political philosophy such as Equality; Freedom and Responsibility; Freedom. Prerequisite: completion of at least one philosophy course or permission of instructor.

Varying topics from year to year are selected from either the history of philosophy or contemporary philosophic problems. (Sufficient demand)

Academic inquiry into an area not covered in any established course; and carried on outside the usual instructor/classroom setting. Approved Plan of Study required.

Equality is a core concept in contemporary philosophy and in discussions of social justice generally. In this course we discuss different kinds of equality: equality of opportunity; racial equality; sexual equality and political equality. Previous coursework in political science or philosophy is desirable but not required.

An introduction to the study of religion through an examination of selected religious traditions (e.g.; Christian; Jewish; Islamic; Hindu; Buddhist; Daoist; Yoruba). Attention is given to the experience; expression; and practice of religion in different historical and cultural contexts as well as to different theoretical approaches to the study of religion.

An introduction to selected Asian religious traditions (e.g.; Hindu; Buddhist; Sikh; Shinto; Confucian; Daoist); with attention to their historical and contemporary contexts.

An examination of issues in religious studies. Topics vary each time the course is offered. (Sufficient demand)

An examination of the impact of religion in shaping American culture. Major thinkers such as Edwards; James; Emerson and Niebuhr; historical movements such as revivalism and social gospel; and distinctive themes such as religious pluralism; civil religion and ethnic awareness. (Sufficient demand)

Introductory comparative course highlighting similarities and differences of the two religious traditions. Topics include sources and meanings of revelation; legal theories and ritual structures that uphold community; religious experience through worship and mysticism; and philosophical interpretations. (B) (GP) *(Sufficient demand)

An exploration of the early Christians' religious experience both by studying their writings (e.g.; letters; gospels; apocalyptic discourses; theological treatises; liturgical manuals - some in the New Testament) and by examining the Jewish; Greek and Roman cultures from which Christianity emerged. (On demand)

The third largest religion in the world; Hinduism includes a diversity of religious practices; communities; traditions; and beliefs. This course examines aspects of Hinduism from the Vedic period to the present day while introducing different approaches to the academic study of religion.

An examination of issues in religious studies. Topics vary each time the course is offered. (Sufficient demand)

Academic inquiry into an area not covered in any established course; and carried on outside the usual instructor/classroom setting. Approved Plan of Study required.

Equality is a core concept in contemporary philosophy and in discussions of social justice generally. In this course we discuss different kinds of equality: equality of opportunity; racial equality; sexual equality and political equality. Previous coursework in political science or philosophy is desirable but not required.

This course is a historical survey of domestic events since World War II with particular attention to the fate of the New Deal; McCarthyism; the Kennedy legacy; the impact of Vietnam; and the civil rights and women's movements.