Faculty

W. Vincent Arnold, chair
J. Elijah Bender
Melissah Pawlikowski
Sonja P. Wentling, Dean, School of Arts and Sciences

A Concordia history major opens doors to a variety of career paths, from education and journalism to business, library science, law, and nonprofit work.

In addition to majors and minors in history, the history department offers a number of courses that meet the Liberal Arts Core requirements. In a true liberal arts spirit, the department also collaborates with several other programs, offering courses that fulfill requirements for a variety of majors and/or minors in other departments. The history department provides learning experiences that prepare students to achieve the following core competencies:

  • Engaging in historical inquiry, research, and analysis
  • Practicing historical empathy
  • Understanding the complex nature of the historical record
  • Generating significant, open-ended questions about the past and devising research strategies to answer them
  • Crafting historical narrative and argument
  • Practicing historical thinking as central to engaged citizenship

The history department sponsors an honors program for exceptional students. For details, contact the department chair.

Programs Offered

Major

Minor

Courses

GEOG 201  -  World Geography,  4 credits.  

An introduction to the study of human geography in a global perspective. The course examines the interaction of demography, economic systems, the environment, and culture in creating distinctive geographies at the local, regional, national and global levels. This course can also count toward the global studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G  
HIST 111  -  United States in Perspective to 1865,  4 credits.  

An interpretive study of the economic, social, political, cultural and religious movements that have shaped the multicultural societies of the United States from early American Indian communities to the Civil War.

Frequency: Every Year - First Semester  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 112  -  United States in Perspective since 1865,  4 credits.  

An interpretive study of the economic, social, political, cultural and religious movements that have shaped the multicultural society of the United States from Reconstruction to the present.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 131  -  European History in Perspective to 1500,  4 credits.  

An introductory course that will examine the history of European civilization beginning with prehistory and ending with the European Renaissance. Attention will be focused on the ideas, values, institutions, great events, and personalities of the time in order to understand historically the major issues that have defined concepts of humanity and society in the Western World. This course can also count toward the global studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - First Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 132  -  European History in Perspective since 1500,  4 credits.  

An introductory course that will examine the history of European civilization from the Protestant Reformation to the present. Attention will be focused on the ideas, values, institutions, great events, and personalities of the time in order to understand historically the major issues that have defined concepts of humanity and society in the Western World. This course can also count toward the global studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 151  -  World in Perspective to 1500,  4 credits.  

This course will address issues of development from pre-history to 1500. Civilizations and empires of the pre-modern world will be analyzed in comparative perspective. Special attention will be given to cross-cultural encounters and long-term developments including trade, migration, and the spread of disease. Methods of historical analysis will be introduced through a variety of readings. This course can also count toward the global studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - First Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 152  -  World in Perspective since 1500,  4 credits.  

This course will address issues of historical development in the world from 1500 to the present. There will be an emphasis on the interaction between cultures and modernizing societies will be analyzed in comparative perspective. Methods of historical analysis will be introduced through a wide variety of readings. This course can also count toward the global studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 210  -  Intro to Historical Inquiry,  4 credits.  

Introduction to essential skills in investigating and interpreting the past through study of a specific historical theme, with attention to careers in the field and the public role of the discipline. Course stresses hands-on learning, writing, and intensive analysis of primary and secondary sources, and involves primary source research at libraries and/or archives. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above, or permission of instructor.

Frequency: Alternate Years-1st or 2nd Sem  
HIST 250  -  Pre-May Seminar,  2 credits.  
Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
HIST 300  -  May Seminar,  4 credits.  

This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: May Seminar  
HIST 301  -  Greece and the Ancient Near East,  4 credits.  

A study of the most ancient civilizations of the Near and Middle East (Mesopotamia, Greece and Egypt, in particular), emphasizing the continuity of culture. The growth of Greek civilization and its expansion until the death of Alexander are surveyed. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 1st Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 302  -  Rome: Republic and Empire,  4 credits.  

A study of the development of Rome from republic to empire. The course draws upon archaeological and literary evidence, as well as parallels from modern experience. The rise of the Byzantine East and the Medieval West are also considered. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 1st Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 310 / ENVR 310  -  Nature's Place in U.S. History,  4 credits.  

Nature's Place in U.S. History will investigate the relationship between human beings and the natural world and how this relationship has changed over time. The key premise is that nature is an active force shaping U.S. history. This course will integrate nature, place and environmental justice into the more familiar narratives of the American past. This course can also count toward the environmental and sustainability studies program. This course can also count towards the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 311  -  Religion & American Reform,  4 credits.  

A study of the philanthropic-voluntary tradition in United States history, beginning with its formation in the colonial period, and examining its multiple expressions in associational life, charitable organizations, social movements, reform and public policy. The course considers the impact of religious ideals, organizations, and movements in shaping values and programs in the nonprofit sector, as well as in influencing currents in American culture. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 313  -  Black American History,  4 credits.  

A study and evaluation of the black community in America today, concentrating on the African background, the development and significance of bondage, the role of African-Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction, the origins of segregation, the survival and rebirth of African-American cultural traditions, and the ideologies of various black protests and revolutionary movements in the 20th century. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - First Semester  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 314  -  American Foreign Relations since 1900,  4 credits.  

Analyzes geographical and economic resources, intellectual assumptions and political processes in the expression of strategy and diplomatic decision-making as the United States expands to become a global power. Includes treatment of the presidency, the relation between domestic and foreign policy initiatives, and diplomatic aspects of warfare and peacemaking. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count towards the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 315  -  Indigenous Peoples of North America,  4 credits.  

A study of some of the historical experiences of indigenous communities from their ancestral pasts to the present. This course emphasizes the cultural, geographic, and religious diversity of indigenous histories and pays particular attention to the legacies of colonization in our region. This course may count towards the Heritage and Museum Studies program and the Interfaith Studies minor.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 316  -  U.S. Women's History,  4 credits.  

An examination of women's historical experience and changing ideas about gender. Themes addressed include class, racial, ethnic and religious differences among women, as well as the impact of industrialization, immigration, urbanization and war on women's public roles, work patterns, familial obligations, and sexual practices. The course will ask students to consider ways in which using gender as a category of analysis transforms our interpretation of U.S. history. This course can also count toward the women's and genders studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 317  -  Scandinavian Immigration and Settlement in America,  4 credits.  

A study of the social and cultural conditions of the 19th century that encouraged the "peopling of America" by Scandinavian immigrants. Major Scandinavian settlements in the United States and Canada are investigated. The influence of the immigration experience on the individual and the family, the immigrants churches, education, social and cultural organizations, and the immigrant press are also considered. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 318  -  The Midwest: Local, State, and Regional Histories,  4 credits.  

This seminar examines themes in Midwest history with an emphasis on Minnesota and North Dakota. Topics may include: labor and work, religion, race and ethnicity, gender, politics, economics and the environment. Conflict and cooperation, identity and the links between local, state, and regional history and the nation may also be addressed. Readings, discussion, and a research project will emphasize developing students' abilities to think historically and conceptually while broadening their knowledge of the Midwest. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 319  -  Colonial America,  4 credits.  

This course on Colonial North America focuses on Spanish, French, English, and Dutch colonizers and their struggles for dominance in North America. In this Atlantic World perspective, the histories of indigenous Americans, African slaves and women are central. Students will consider how diverse communities adapted to new circumstance and formed new group identities within these American colonies. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: U.S. Cultural Diversity U, Humanities H  
HIST 320  -  Latin American History,  4 credits.  

An interpretive examination of the multicultural societies created in the Americas under the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires, emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries. Major themes include the colonial heritage; race; nation building; comparative case studies of socioeconomic development following independence; political changes associated with revolutions, military-authoritarian governments, and democratization; and U.S.-Latin American relations. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 325  -  Doing Digital History,  4 credits.  

This hands-on, project-based course examines how digital tools and sources are changing the way we think about, research, interpret, and communicate our understanding of the past. We will read a range of works on designing, interpreting and understanding digital media and gain practical experience through utilizing a range of applications and tools, and engaging in collaborative digital history projects. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Corequisites: PEAK 400  
Core designations: Humanities H  
This course is PEAK Required  
HIST 331  -  Imperial Russia,  4 credits.  

Examines the history of Imperial Russia from 1801 to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Special attention is given to the sociopolitical movements that characterized much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the interaction of the Russian state in world affairs. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 1st Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 332  -  Russia since 1917,  4 credits.  

This course examines the history of Russia from 1917 to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on the ideologies, issues, individuals and institutions that influenced the development of the Soviet Union following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 1st Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 337  -  Reel Norden: Scandinavian History and Film,  4 credits.  

A study of selected topics in the history of Norden - the Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland - in the 19th and 20th centuries and into the new millennium. This historical study includes analysis of documentary sources as well as viewing, discussing, and writing about Nordic histories and cultures as they have been rendered on film. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 338  -  Hitler's Germany,  4 credits.  

This course on the rise and fall of the Third Reich is designed to provide a clear, straightforward and complete history of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, both thematically and chronologically. Emphasis will be placed on the emergence of Hitler and the Third Reich within historical, social, economic and political contexts. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 339  -  Renaissance and Reformation History,  4 credits.  

This course will examine a period of European history known as the Renaissance and the Reformation. This age - from approximately 1350 to 1650 - was a period of great change and a dynamic period of discovery, exploration and expansion not only in geography but also in politics, economics, religion, arts and science. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on the thought, literature, art, faith and spirit of the people of Europe, along with the cultural, religious, political, intellectual and socioeconomic developments of the age. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: Humanities H  
HIST 341  -  Foundations of East Asian Civilization,  4 credits.  

This course will address the historical development of China and Japan before the 19th century. There will be special emphasis on the influence of Confucianism on political, economic and social organization. A variety of historical sources, including literary classics and material culture, will be examined and there will be a research assignment. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 342  -  Modern East Asian History,  4 credits.  

This course will address the development of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam in the 19th and 20th centuries. Issues of modernization, industrialization, imperialism, war and revolution will be addressed. A variety of historical sources will be examined and there will be a research assignment. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 343  -  History of the Japanese Islands,  4 credits.  

This course examines the history of the Japanese islands from earliest human inhabitation to the present day. There is an emphasis on social and economic history, and the role of environment in shaping that history. A variety of sources will be examined and there will be a research project. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 2nd Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 344  -  Women and Development: The Asian Experience,  4 credits.  

This course compares the experience of women in multiple cultures during the 19th and 20th centuries. Various ideologies, as well as different forms of political, economic and social organization, will be analyzed to discern their effect on women. A variety of historical sources will be examined and there will be a research assignment. This course can also count toward the global studies program and the women's and gender studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 352  -  The Rise of Modern Africa,  4 credits.  

An historical analysis of colonial and independent Africa beginning in 1850. Special attention is given to the growth of African nationalism and the struggle for independence, nation building, and the post-colonial era in modern Africa. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 360  -  Food in Global History,  4 credits.  

This course examines major themes regarding the significance of food in history from earliest times to present, with an emphasis on the modern period. The cultural, ideological, and political uses of food in human society are examined, considering such issues as the development of food production systems, the role of food, technology, and cultural exchange, the diversity of food cultures, the relationship between food and identity, the politics of food shortages, and the emergence of a global cuisine. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 365  -  Global Issues,  4 credits.  

This course examines four general categories of global issues - ethnic diversity, war and peace, economic development, and ecological sustainability - and the various interpretive perspectives that offer understandings of each. Integrating the contributions of several disciplines, we examine the historical origins and future trends of these problems, their causes and consequences, and their potential solutions. In addition, students will learn a variety of transferable skills, including the ability to construct policies and negotiate differences among competing interests. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
HIST 370  -  Islam and the West: Historical Encounters,  4 credits.  

This course will examine the historical encounters between Islam and the West by stressing points of convergence and divergence. It will address how religious, political, geographic, social, economic and cultural factors have shaped the relationships between these two civilizations for centuries. There will be special emphasis on the multifarious perceptions of Islamic and Western worlds vis-à-vis one another. This course can also count toward the global studies program. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program and the interfaith minor.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 373  -  Arab-Israeli Conflict,  4 credits.  

This course will examine the origins, anatomy, significance and legacy of the Arab-Israeli Conflict; it will forcus on political, religious, economic, military, social, ideological, psychological and cultural factors that have shaped the conflict and address the resulting discourse about nationalism, conflict and peace, and identity. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program, the global studies program, and the interfaith minor.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 375  -  Global Antisemitism,  4 credits.  

Eli Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, Nobel peace laureate, and lifelong advocate for human rights, famously declared that "hatred might begin with the Jews, but it never ends with Jews." This course aims to build a rigorous conception of antisemitism as a set of strangely persistent ideas across time and space and equip students with the tools to expose and confront the longest hatred in its contemporary manifestations.

Frequency: Every Year - Second Semester  
Core designations: International-Global Prspct G, Humanities H  
HIST 380  -  Special Topics,  0-4 credits.  

Courses covering various topics of interest in this particular discipline are offered regularly. Contact department or program chair for more information. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Repeatable: Yes  
HIST 390  -  Academic Internship,  1-8 credits.  

This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Repeatable: Yes  
HIST 410  -  Research Seminar,  4 credits.  

Seminar format is used to study selected historical topics in order to teach historical methodology. A student will do original research, write a major paper, and present it to the seminar for criticism and discussion. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years-1st or 2nd Sem  
HIST 480  -  Independent Study,  1-4 credits.  

This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct in-depth study of a particular topic under the supervision of a faculty member. Contact the department or program chair for more information. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Repeatable: Yes  
HIST 483 / ENVR 483  -  Sustainability in History,  4 credits.  

This course examines sustainable practices from a variety of historical contexts to discover how they developed, their evolution, and in some cases what factors led to movement away from these practices. The purpose of this historical investigation will be to craft evidence-based analysis of the implications that different kinds of sustainable practices in history have upon contemporary society. This course features a research project that will draw upon historical analysis, and demonstrate how it can be utilized towards goals of increasing sustainability in contemporary contexts. This course can also count toward the environmental and sustainability studies program.

Frequency: Alternate Years - 2nd Semester  
HIST 487  -  Directed Research,  1-4 credits.  

This course provides an opportunity for individual students to conduct research in a specific area of study, completed under the direction of a faculty mentor. Specific expectations of the research experience to be determined by the faculty. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. This course can also count toward the heritage and museum studies program.

Frequency: Not offered on a Regular Basis  
Repeatable: Yes