View our courses offered for the current semester below.
To register and see section availability, please browse our catalog on Course Explorer. Course Explorer provides the schedule of classes by term and a browsable database of general education requirements in addition to other resources.
Broad introduction to global history, by exploring the global structures and transnational forces that have shaped human history, from the emergence of agriculture and urban centers to our contemporary global village.
What is black music, and how do we know what we think we know about it? Together, we will examine musical creations pioneered by Africans and individuals of African descent over several centuries and across hemispheres. Doing so will allow us to consider the unity of the African Diaspora and its music, and also examine internal differences and diversity. Special focus is given to Latin America and the U.S., but, depending on the semester, we will also read about, listen to, and talk about music and musicians in Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Survey of Africa's history from 1800 to the present day. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, agricultural exchange, growth of Christianity, origins and effects of nineteenth-century European expansion culminating in the "Scramble for Africa," the transformations wrought by European colonial rule during the twentieth century, anticolonial nationalism, decolonization, and postcolonial political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Same as AFST 112.
[IAI Code: H2903N] Surveys the three major East Asian civilizations from ancient and classical times, through the period of Western influence, political revolution, and modernization, to the contemporary age and the emergence of East Asian superpowers. Same as EALC 120. Credit is not given toward graduation for: Credit is not given for both HIST 120 and EALC 135.
[IAI Code: H2902] Fundamental developments - social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political - in the history of mankind and Western society since 1660; includes the rise of modern science, the French and Industrial revolutions, the Romantic movement, the growth of nationalism and socialism, imperialism, urbanization, the Russian Revolution, Nazi Germany, the world wars, and the West and the developing world. Credit is not given toward graduation for: Credit is not given for both HIST 142 and HIST 143.
Course is identical to HIST 142 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 143 and HIST 142. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
Course is identical to HIST 171 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 170 and HIST 171. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
[IAI Code: H2904] U.S. history survey beginning with the diverse peoples who have populated North America since before the age of contact with Europeans and extending forward through the advent of European colonialism, the movement for independence, the foundation of the republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, ending in 1877. The course provides an introduction to historical interpretation, with particular attention to racialized and other forms of social, political, and economic inequality and struggles for freedom and democracy. Credit is not given toward graduation for: Credit is not given for both HIST 171 and HIST 170.
[IAI Code: H2905] Survey of U.S. history from the end of the Civil War to the present, focusing on struggles to achieve a multiracial democracy, the evolution of an industrial, urbanized, and pluralistic society, the intersections between domestic and global affairs, and the practice of historical interpretation. Epoch-making events and elites are considered in light of their relation to the activities and lives of ordinary people, including people of color, immigrants, women, and the working and middle classes. Credit is not given toward graduation for: Credit is not given for both HIST 172 and HIST 173.
Course is identical to HIST 172 except for the additional writing component. Credit is not given for both HIST 173 and HIST 172. Prerequisite: Completion of campus Composition I General Education requirement.
Through the careful examination of a specific topic or theme, this course provides a thorough introduction to historical interpretation. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Examining the history through the primary texts written by Latin Americans, this course introduces students to theories, contents and methods of historical inquiry, as well as the nuances and the complexities of Latin American history. Reading primary texts written by all strata of society, students will look through the eyes of the diverse populations in Latin America. Students will analyze the traditional narrative of Latin America and gain insight into the lived experience of Latin Americans. Together we will advance our individual and collective understanding of Latin America's rich and complex past.
Traces the political, military, social, and economic history of the Second World War. Key themes include the collapse of the Versailles system, the Interwar crisis of democracy, the rise of totalitarian regimes, the civilian experience of war, the intersection of ideology and violence, and the onset of the Nuclear Age. By the end of this course, students will have improved their ability to analyze primary sources and develop source-based historical arguments.
Survey of major themes and events in Southern African history, with emphasis on the period after World War II: the inception and development of apartheid in South Africa, the growth of contests over African nationalism in the subcontinent, wars of liberation and the demise of white domination.
Focuses on the history and historiography of Muslim societies in Africa. Investigates the dynamics of the spread of Islam in Africa, and explores differences in Islam in Africa from other areas of the Islamic world, with attention to the image in Western scholarship of Islam in Africa. Provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to understand this central phenomenon in modern world history. Same as AFST 213 and REL 215.
This course provides a broad overview of the development of the mind sciences in modern Europe from the beginning of state-regulated asylums to the advent of pharmaceutical treatment and care in the community. Using a combination of primary sources and secondary texts, we will examine how the diagnosis and treatment of "madness" in its many forms has been shaped through the interaction of social, political, economic, and cultural factors from roughly 1750 to the 1990s. Same as PSYC 236.
The history of ancient Greece and neighboring civilizations from the Archaic Period to the conquests of Alexander.
Explores how life was lived by Jewish women and men through the past three centuries. Will also focus on wider place of the Jews in European society, and the achievements and tragedies of the modern Jewish-non-Jewish relationship. Same as JS 269 and REL 269.
History of Afro-Americans in the age of white supremacy; the rise of modern protest organizations; the era of integration; and the black power movement. Same as AFRO 276.
A survey of the Native American experience in North America from the time of first contact to the present. The course will examine the dynamics and consequences of Native dispossession as well as the continuities in American Indian life and culture. Course materials will include writing and testimony by Native people as well as historical narratives, court decisions and government documents. Same as AIS 278.
Exploration of the migrations of peoples from the Asian continent into the United States, their attempts to build family and community, and their subsequent impact on American history. Same as AAS 283.
This course surveys the history of gender formations in the United States to 1877. Although it pays some attention to manhood and masculinity, it focuses on the history of women from a variety of social groups and on gender ideas pertaining to women. Throughout, it considers the ways gender intersected with categories such as race and class as it placed women of different backgrounds in differential positions. Same as GWS 285.
Examines films as a significant medium of commentary on society and history. Explores the motives and careers of moviemakers, the ways in which films are influenced by their audiences, and how audiences' perception of historical processes are affected by films. Topics will vary. Same as MACS 300. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary. Students may register in more than one section per term. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
Conquistadors – Planters – Pirates – Indigenous Peoples – Enslaved Africans – Religious Reformers – Independence Leaders – Radical Revolutionaries - US Marines - canal builders. Together these people built a new world – a world forged at the intersection of imperial ambitions and international contact, where the peoples and cultures of the Americas, Africa, and Europe collided. This class examines how colonialism, plantation slavery, the age of abolition, and the emergence of national independence movements made the modern Caribbean. Same as LAST 308.
History of immigration and immigrant groups in the United States from 1830 to 1980. Covers major waves of immigration and focuses on the diverse cultural heritage, social structure, and political activism of immigrants from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
The architectural, artistic, philosophical, political, and religious components of medieval culture, thought, and patterns of behavior; includes monasticism and society and the individual. Same as MDVL 345 and REL 345.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Europeans transformed political relations within Europe and their economic relationships with the wider world. This course examines continuities and change from 1600 to 1789, following the themes of authority and power. Topics include the rise of "absolute monarchy" and its alternatives in countries like, England and the Netherlands, as well as European trade and consumption, popular culture, the family, food, clothing, sexuality, and labor.
The history of nationalism will be examined, both as a theoretical and a historical understanding of belonging. Starting with an analysis of the theories of nationalism, we will explore whether societies in the ancient and early modern periods had such conceptions of association. A large part of the course will be devoted to examining this phenomenon in the 19th and 20th centuries as nationalism fueled state formations, revolutions, and wars.
Cultural history of Europe in an age of global warfare and political, social, and economic upheaval.
Examines the momentous founding age of United States history. Explores the growing estrangement of the American colonies from Great Britain and the culmination of this process in the Declaration of Independence. It then examines the controversial process of creating a new nation, and the government of the United States. Intense focus on primary source materials from the period.
A study of political life in the U.S. during the century following the Revolution. The course covers the appearance and evolution of republican government, the Constitution, the expansion of voting rights, the rise and fall of political parties, and the relationship of all these things to the development of economic and social relationships.
The United States' civil war (1861-1865) and the years of postwar "reconstruction" (conventionally dated as 1865-1877). During this period as a whole, the nation underwent its second revolution -- a revolution more radical in its impact than the one that freed it from the British Empire. Much about U.S. history for the next century and more was decided during these critical years.
Examines the history of urban centers, paying special attention to the relationship between the city and its surrounding territory, the impact of migration and immigration, the delineation of space and the transformation of the built environment, and the role of a city's inhabitants in creating social networks, political structures, and cultural institutions. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary.
An examination of major genres historians have employed to present history in the public arena, including documentary films, public memorials, legal testimony and museum exhibits. Students will explore both the social dynamics of public commemoration and the techniques historians employ when communicating complex ideas and events to a general audience.
In various societies, organized sport has operated as site of nation-building, the struggle for inclusion, and indicator of societal advancement. Examines the history of the roles that sport has played in society through a series of topical foci, as selected by the professor each semester. Course readings revisit popular and scholarly debates about sport and discuss the different actors and social forces that shaped those discussions. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours if topics vary.
With a faculty sponsor, a qualified students will develop a program of study or research related to an internship or other relevant employment opportunity. Consult departmental undergraduate advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 6 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of faculty sponsor and Director of Undergraduate Studies required.
Readings in selected fields in consultation with the instructor resulting in a 20-30 page paper. May be repeated with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing pursuing a History major; written consent of instructor and History undergraduate advisor required.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours in the same or subsequent terms if topics vary.
Problems of a neocolonial society; themes include family structure, slavery, imperialism, modernization, and the crisis of traditional institutions. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
The period of Manchu domination in China (1644-1912); emphasis on Chinese reactions to Western influences during the nineteenth century. Same as EALC 420. 3 undergraduate hours. 2 or 4 graduate hours.
Examination of the political, social, economic, military, institutional, religious and cultural development of Rome from 753 BCE until 14 CE. Same as CLCV 440. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Political upheavals of twentieth-century Germany; topics include the First World War's impact on German society, the war's revolutionary aftermath, the political struggles and cultural achievements of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler, the Third Reich, the Holocaust, the Second World War, and the divided postwar Germanies; novels and films complement readings. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Independent reading, research, and writing under the supervision of an individual instructor. Seniors in the History Honors Program taking this course in place of the Honors Senior Thesis must complete a substantive research paper (25-30 pages). No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours. Each 3-hour class must be taken with a different instructor. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; or junior or senior of high standing with the consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
This is a seminar for all students in the History Honors Program and other advanced students interested in honors level study of historiography and methodology. Students intending to write a senior honors thesis should take it no later than the spring of the Junior year. Students will study the development of the historian's craft and will be exposed to new research methods and techniques. The course will culminate in the preparation of a research proposal, developed in consultation with an individual faculty advisor. The instructor of HIST 492 and the Director of Undergraduate Studies will assist students intending to write a thesis in the selection of an appropriate mentor. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program or consent of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Two-term independent research and writing project under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Students enrolled in this course must submit a completed Honors Senior Thesis at the end of the second term, for evaluation by the faculty advisor and a second reader. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Must be repeated for a total of 6 hours. Students will receive separate grades for each semester's work. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program and consent of supervising professor; HIST 492 and HIST 495; concurrent enrollment in HIST 499 is required.
Capstone course required of all majors. Students will make history by researching and writing a work of original scholarship. Several of these seminars are offered each term and each focuses on a special topic, thus allowing students with similar interests to work through the process of gathering, interpreting, and organizing historical evidence under the direction of an expert in the field. The topics on offer each semester will be listed in the Class Schedule and described in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours.
A required seminar for all seniors writing Honor Theses in history, this course will meet throughout the year and will supplement individual students' meetings with their primary advisors. Provides an intellectually supportive environment in which students work together on common methodological problems, share the results of their research, and critique developing projects. 1 to 2 undergraduate hours. 1 to 2 graduate hours. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 3 hours. Prerequisite: Admission to the History Honors Program; HIST 492; and HIST 495. Concurrent enrollment in HIST 493 is required.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at https://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Covers in depth, major problems in the African American experience and in the historiography of that experience, including historical periods, themes and paradigms. Same as AFRO 501. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours.
Introduces recent historical work drawing upon theories and concepts from the social sciences; considers fields of inquiry which include family history, demographic history, labor history, prosopographical and entrepreneurial studies, local and regional studies, and others.
Seminar for first-year graduate students and is the second half of the introductory graduate sequence. Focuses on the process of writing an original piece of historical scholarship. Topics to be discussed include: developing an argument, exploring sources, arriving at a research strategy, planning and structuring an article, presenting complex data, and producing scholarship that is a coherent representation of an author's perspective on the past. Over the course of the semester, each seminar participant will develop and write an original, article length research paper. Students will work with the assistance of the instructors and an advisor from her or his own research field. Prerequisite: HIST 593.
Directed research in special fields; may be taken in lieu of seminars in fields in which seminars are seldom offered. Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
Directed readings in special fields. Primarily, but not exclusively, for students with a master's degree or equivalent, who are preparing for the preliminary examination in history and who need instruction in areas not provided by current course offerings. Approved for letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms as topics vary. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Candidate for Ph.D. degree in history.