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History > Courses

Courses

Department of History

From the 2012-2013 Millsaps Catalog. See a list of all current classes.

2100 History of the United States to 1877 (4 sem. hours). A survey of the cultures and history of the peoples that lived in the area that became the United States, from the pre-Columbian era through European colonization, the introduction of African slaves, the American Revolution, the early Republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

2200 History of the United States Since 1877 (4 sem. hours). A survey of the main developments in the United States and how they affected American men and women
from the end of Reconstruction through industrialization and urbanization, the emergence of the United States as a world power, the rise of a partial welfare state, the Cold War, and the present.

2310 Ancient European History (4 sem. hours). A survey of the Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age to 200 C. E., with a topical emphasis on Classical Greece, The late Roman Republic, and the Early Roman Empire, and with a methodological stress on reading, analyzing, and interpreting ancient sources in translation. (This course is the same as CLST 3600). Offered in alternate years.

2350 European Civilization Since 1789 (4 sem. hours). This course is a survey of the major social, political, economic, and intellectual developments in European history from the French Revolution of 1789 to the revolutions in Eastern Europe in 1989/1990. Lectures and discussions will be devoted to understanding the influence of ideology (liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism) on social and political life; the role of material factors (economic change, urbanization, the experience of warfare) in historical change; and the global expansion of Europe and the extension of European ideas and institutions to other peoples of the world.

2400 African History and Society (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary survey of major themes in African history from the earliest records of human activity on the continent to the struggles for South Africa. Literature, music, art, and popular culture will be studied as ways of understanding the complex contemporary issues faced by Africans. Offered in alternate years.

2410 Topics in African History (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of a particular topic, period, or region in African history. The topics, which include the shaping of South Africa, and listening to the African past, will change from year to year. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Offered occasionally.

2500 Middle Eastern History and Society (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary survey of major themes in Middle Eastern history from the advent of Islam to the war in Iraq. Literature, music, art, and popular culture will be studied as ways of understanding the contemporary issues faced by men and women of this region. Offered in alternate years.

2600 Colonial Latin America (4 sem. hours). This course will begin by surveying pre- Columbian societies and then follow Latin American history from 1492 to the independence era of 1791-1825. It will consider the central questions of how Soain and Portugal subjugated territories so vast without a large standing army, the colonial roots of the differences between British North America and Spanish and Portuguese America.

2610 Modern Latin America (4 sem. hours). This course will survey Latin American history from the independence era to the present. There will be a particular focus on Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. Themes considered include nation building, revolutions, populism, race and class, the mass media, democratization, and relations with Europe and the United States.

2750 Special Topics in History (4 sem. hours). This course addresses areas not covered inother courses. It may be repeated for credit with different topics. Offered occasionally.

3100 Topics in American Culture (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary exploration of a particular topic in American culture. Topics will change from year to year. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Offered occasionally.

3110 Colonial America (4 sem. hours). This course examines major economic and political events, such as the European settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, and the Salem Witch Trials. But this is not a survey of colonial American history; instead it is primarily a social and cultural exploration of four regions (the Chesapeake, New England, the Carolina, and Louisiana/Mississippi) where Europeans, Indian, and Africans together built what would become the United States of America. Thus,we will learn about colonial Native American family structure and the working lives of black slaves, in addition to studying more popular figures like Cotton Mather and John Smith.

3130 American Revolution and Beyond (4 sem. hours). An examination of the political, economic, social, and cultural events that led to the American Colonial revolt against Britain and the establishment of the Federal Union in the Constitution of 1787, and the early Republic from the administration of George Washington to Thomas Jefferson. Offered occasionally.

3130 Age of Jefferson and Jackson, 1800–1848 (4 sem. hours). A continuation of American Revolution and Beyond, this course will examine the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the United States from the administration of George Washington to the conclusion of the Mexican War. Offered occasionally.

3140 Civil War and Reconstruction (4 sem. hours). An examination of the political, economic, military, diplomatic, and social aspects of the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.

3150 History of Sexuality in the U. S. (4 sem. hours). This course examines the history of sexuality from the colonial period through the twentieth century, with particular attention to the relationship between power and sexuality. We will explore sexual practices among the Puritans, Native Americans, and slave populations and will also study the growth of prostitution in the 19th–century American city. Finally, we will study homosexuality among all populations, but especially in urban areas during the twentieth century.

3160 The History of Medicine and Health in the U. S. (4 sem. hours). This course examines the history of medicine and health from the colonial era to the present. It takes a cultural and social perspective. Emphasis will be paid to the ways in which politics, cultural beliefs, and religious values have been an integral part of the history of medicine and public health. Readings, lectures, and discussion will focus on the practice of medicine; they will examine healers, patients, therapies, and medical innovations. We will cover such topics as the emergence of the medical profession, the rise of the hospital, the roles of the laboratory and medical technology in modern medicine, and the range of choices faced by physicians and patients in their efforts to promote health. Students will produce a scholarly paper based on original research in medical history at the Mississippi State Archives.

3170 African-American Heritage (4 sem. hours). This course will explore the history and culture of African-Americans from the Colonial era to the Civil Rights decades of the mid-20th century. Careful attention will be paid to the Atlantic slave trade, slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, the “Great Migration” of 1915–40, and the civil rights movements of the 1950s and ’60s. Offered in alternate years.

3210 The Great Depression (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of American history and culture during the Great Depression (1929–41), utilizing literature, film, music, painting, and photography, as well as more traditional historical sources. Offered in alternate years.

3220 The Forties and Fifties (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of American history and culture from World War II through the 1950s, utilizing literature, film music, and painting, as well as more traditional historical sources. Offered in alternate years.

3230 The Sixties (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of American history and culture during the 1960s, utilizing literature, film, music, painting, and sculpture, as well as more traditional historical sources. Offered in alternate years.

3240 The Seventies and Eighties (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of American history and culture from the Nixon years through the 1980s, utilizing literature, film, music, and painting, as well as more traditional sources. Offered in alternate years.

3250 Our Times: America Since 1990 (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of American history and culture from 1990 to the present, utilizing literature, film, music, painting, and sculpture, as well as more traditional historical sources. Offered in alternate years.

3260 Women (and Men) in America (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of the history of women and the ways in which they have interacted with men and male-dominated institutions over the course of American history. The course will employ works of literature, art, film, and music among its means of exploring the changing lives of women and men in America. Offered in alternate years.

3300 Topics in European Culture and History (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of a particular topic, period, or region of European culture. Topics will change. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Offered occasionally.

3310 Britain and the World, Prehistory to 1688 (4 sem. hours). This course surveys the history of Britain and its relations with Europe from the Iron Age to the Glorious Revolution, with an emphasis on political, social, and environmental change. Offered in alternate years.

3320 Britain and the World, 1688 to the Present (4 sem. hours). This course surveys the history of modern Britain, with an emphasis on industrialization, imperialism, and decolonization. Offered in alternate years.

3340 The French Revolution and Napoleon (4 sem. hours). This course aims to give a thorough introduction to the French Revolution and to its effects on the course of world history. The scope of the course will cover politics, social conflict, cultural developments, warfare, economics, nationalism, and gender relations. Offered occasionally.

3350 History of Modern France (4 sem. hours). This course examines the history of modern France—the political, social, cultural, economic, scientific, artistic, ideological, and institutional history of France as a nation and the French as a people from the age of absolutism (roughly 1650) to the socialist era of the 1980s and 1990s. Particular attention will be paid to construction of the French nation, cultural and social self-definition, colonial interaction, and sociopolitical relationships between France and other nations. Offered occasionally.

3360 European Women (4 sem. hours). This course examines the experience of women and the meaning of gender in Europe from the 18th century to the present. Particular attention will be paid to the following: the impact of industrialization on the European family; the Victorian construction of separate spheres; the role of the state in defining gender roles and regulating sexuality; the impact of war on gender relations; and the struggle for political rights. Offered occasionally.

3370 Art and Power in Europe: Ritual, Myth, and Propaganda, from the Emperor Augustus to the House of Windsor (4 sem. hours). This course analyzes the role of rituals, myths, and propaganda in politics. Throughout Western history, cultural means have been used to create, express, or legitimate political power. This course investigates how paintings, films, poems, and ceremonies have been manipulated to bolster the political authority of rulers, including Louis XIV, Hitler, and Elizabeth II. Offered in alternate years.

3380 Introduction to Cultural History (4 sem. hours). This course explores the importance of culture in shaping modern European history. Students will examine various methodologies of cultural history and see how historians analyze key shifts in modern Europe by using diverse (and often bizarre) documents. In particular, the class will compare works on political culture, popular culture, and manufactured or commercial culture. Offered occasionally.

3500 Topics in Middle Eastern History (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of a particular topic, period, or region in Middle Eastern history. The topics, which include the twice-promised land and Islam in history, will change from year to year. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic. Offered in alternate years.

3610 Latin America on Film (4 sem. hours). This course will study the cinematic representation of Latin American history and society, from 1492 to the present. We will look at three kinds of cinema: (i) Latin American films depicting local histoy; (ii) U.S. and European films depicting Latin American history and society; and (iii) Latin American films that serve as historical documents.

3620 Revolutionary Mexico (4 sem. hours). An examination of the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920: its causes, its process, and its legacy from 1920 until the present. We will survey politics, industry, social change, and the arts, including songs, murals, and films.

3710 Environment, Technology, and Power (4 sem. hours). This course will address the mutual shaping of environmental, technological, and political changes by looking at case studies from around the world. Particular attention will be paid to agriculture, climate, and disease, as well as energy, forestry, and industry.

3720 Biography as History (4 sem. hours). A two-part course. In the first half of the semester we will study biographies of men and women, both famous and little known, from the USA, Europe, and Latin America. In the second half, students will research and write a short biography of a subject of their choice.

3750 Special Topics in History (4 sem. hours). This course addresses areas not covered in other courses. It may be repeated for credit with different topics. Offered occasionally.

3760 Special Topics in Comparative World History (4 sem. hours). An interdisciplinary examination of a topic in comparative world history. Offered occasionally.

4750 Special Topics in History (4 sem. hours). This course addresses areas not covered in other courses. It may be repeated for credit with different topics. Offered occasionally.

4800-4802 Directed Study (1, 2, 3, or 4 sem. hours).

4810-4813 Internship – Archives (1, 2, 3, or 4 sem. hours).

4820 Teaching Internship (4 sem. hours).

4850-53 History Internship (1, 2, 3, or 4 sem. hours).

4900 Senior Seminar (4 sem. hours). An examination of how history is written and interpreted and of particular problems in history. May be taken by students who have two courses in history and is required for all history majors.