History Courses with a Diversity Content Designation 

Each semester we offer a selection of courses with diversity content.  Please visit the Schedule of Courses to find which courses are currently on offer. 

The diversity content in a given course may vary across sections or over time, so please contact your professor to find out which aspects of diversity will be the focus for a particular course. 

HIST 100.  The Human Adventure: World Civilization Since 1500   (3). 
Introductory history of the human experience during the past five centuries, with attention to the major social, cultural, economic and political traditions of Asia, Africa and the Americas as well as Europe.

HIST 101.  World Civilization to 1500   (3). 
Introduces great world civilizations before 1500, both Western (Near East, Greece, Rome, Medieval and Renaissance Europe) and non-Western (China, Japan, India, sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas). Readings help define civilization, stress the individual contributions of each culture to world civilization, and examine the interactions and influences between cultures. 

HIST 150CB.  Humans and Epidemics   (0.5).
The recent SARS-Cov-2 pandemic is the latest incarnation of a centuries-old process of human life. This course provides an overview of where epidemic agents emerge; their impact on human society from ancient times until the present; and the protective approaches that have been developed to protect against them and a brief summary of the continuing challenges we will face for the foreseeable future. 

HIST 304.  Conversations with Kansans: The History, Diversity, Cultures and Voices of Kansas   (3).
Each week, students hear a variety of voices reflecting on what it means to be a 21st century Kansan. Kansas has been at the center of the nation reflected in news, politics and, of course, by its people and geography. From abolition to Populism, prohibition to socialism, Kansas grassroots movements often take on national implications. This course introduces these themes by bringing in people to reflect on their experiences and, in return, train students to conduct their own research.

HIST 307.  History of Genocide Past and Present   (3).
Examines the multifaceted causes of genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries. Among the topics covered are the historical roots and definitions of genocide and how groups defined as "others" or "outsiders" are targeted for extermination. Central concepts discussed are the development of exclusionary national identities, the role of political leadership and the means by which genocidal violence unfolds. 

HIST 309.  The African American Historical Experience   (3).
Provides a panoramic examination of the African American experience. Chronologically, it covers life in Africa before the trans-Atlantic slave trade to the present day. It focuses on the social, political and economic development of the transplanted Africans in the United States. 

HIST 317.  The Holocaust   (3).
Investigates the conditions within European society which led to and ultimately culminated in the murder of approximately six million Jews. 

HIST 327.  Ethnic Entrepreneurship   (3).
Nonwhite entrepreneurs are rarely spotlighted in broad-based surveys of American business enterprise. This course seeks to widen the lens to observe commercial activity both nationally and locally. A variety of interdisciplinary works provide foundational material for students to observe the nuances of African American, Asian American and Latino entrepreneurship in the United States. Also, a variety of local individuals, conversant with the experiences of ethnic/nonwhite entrepreneurs, are invited to class to share with students their perspectives and insights. 

HIST 333.  Ethnic American 20th Century   (3).
In-depth study of the ethnic experience in the 20th century. Major historical topics include identity formations, intergenerational conflict, class differentiation and social mobility, the politics of ethnicity, resistance and civil rights movements, the racialization of immigration laws, and transnationalism. 

HIST 335.  Latinos/as in the City   (3).
Despite being construed as recent arrivals, Latino Americans have long contributed to the social, cultural and spatial developments of U.S. cities. This course examines Latinx urban life since the 19th century, taking account of how Latinos/as have remade the places they call home. 

HIST 341.  Cold War   (3).
Covers the history of the Cold War from 1945 to 1991. Exploration of activity and impact in Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Consideration of impact of Cold War on social, economic and political spheres. 

HIST 342.  Nineteenth Century European Imperialism   (3).
Covers European Imperialism in the nineteenth century. Specifically, the course investigates European activities in Africa, Asia and the Pacific and their impact on cultures and economies. The role of women in Imperialism is also included. 

HIST 343.  The Evolution of Warfare: Pre-History to Present   (3).
Explores the origins and evolution of military conflict from the ancient world to the modern day. Students read and discuss a number of sources to analyze the strategic, operational and tactical evolution of warfare over time; through this analysis, students better understand the influence of warfare on the political, social, economic, technologic and cultural aspects of human history. Areas of study include conflicts and wars in the Stone Age world; the seminal eastern and western empires of the Bronze and early Iron Ages; the classical civilizations of the Iron Ages, including Greece and Rome; the European ‘Dark Ages’ and the rise of Islam; the kingdoms of the western and eastern Feudal period; the advent of gunpowder and the resulting Military Revolution; the Wars of Religion and National Expansion; the Wars of Revolution; the impact of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass armies and navies; and the Revolution in Military Affairs wrought by the introduction of nuclear weapons. Special attention is given to the evolution of missile and shock technologies over time and how they were used in offensive and defensive warfare, both on land and at sea, to achieve social, political and religious objectives. Class presentation includes lecture, discussion, primary readings and audio-visual material. 

HIST 365.  Mongol Empire: Genghis Khan and His Empire   (3).
Follows the creation and lifespan of the Mongol Empire from the thirteenth to fourteenth century. From the efforts of its founder, Genghis Khan, to its destruction, the course looks at the various parts of the empire in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The course considers the impact of the Mongol Empire in the Black Death, the Crusades and creation of a new larger China. The role of Mongol women in the empire is also explored. 

HIST 393.  Yeltsin, Putin and Beyond: Russia Since the End of the Soviet Union   (3).
Examines contemporary life in the former USSR: historical background, ideology, industrial and agricultural economies, roles played by women, national minorities and dissidents in Russian society, the press, literature and art, health care, and prospects for the country's future. Special emphasis on the impact of Yeltsin and Putin on Russian history.  

Courses numbered 500 to 799 are undergraduate/graduate courses. (Individual courses may be limited to undergraduate students only.) 

HIST 510.  20th Century African American History   (3).
Cross-listed as ETHS 381E. The 20th century witnessed a dramatic transformation of the African-American community. As the century began, the vast majority of African-Americans lived in the rural South. At century's end, the vast majority of African-Americans lived in urban areas across the U.S. Besides the demographic relocation of black America, the 20th century also witnessed the Black Freedom Movement (comprised of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements), which dramatically changed the social, economic and political status of blacks. Course examines these and other aspects of the African-American experience during the pivotal 20th century. 

HIST 511.  Women in Early America, 1600-1830   (3).
Cross-listed as WOMS 511. Focuses on women and gender in U.S. history between 1600 and 1830 by examining the lives, experiences, and interactions with social, political and economic systems of women. Students read articles, books and primary documents that examine women’s experiences from the first colonial contact with Native Americans to the dawn of the first women’s movement in the 19th century. Focuses specifically on colonization, regionalism, the roles of race and ethnicity in the construction of gender, women in religious life, the impact of the American Revolution, Republican Motherhood, and women’s contributions to the public sphere and market economy. In the end, students should walk away with an understanding of women in early U.S. history and of the major historical debates concerning women’s and gender history. 

HIST 512.  Women and Reform in America, 1830-Present   (3).
Focuses on women, gender and reform in U.S. history from 1830 to 2000 by examining the lives, experiences, and interactions with social, political and economic systems of women. Students read articles, books and primary documents that examine women’s experiences from the emergence of a domestic economy in the 1830s to 21st century popular culture with specific focus on topics such as the Cult of True Womanhood, slavery, Civil War and Reconstruction, Progressivism, suffrage, WWII, postwar feminism, and popular culture. In the end, students should walk away with an understanding of women in early U.S. history and of the major historical debates concerning women’s and gender history.

HIST 513.  History of United States and the Modern Middle East   (3).
Introduces U.S. relations with the Middle East from the early 20th century to the present. Discusses the fraught redrawing of the map of the Middle East after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and considers the role of the U.S. in the region, especially focusing on American missionary and business interests in the region before World War II, including the founding of ARAMCO. Examines events in the latter half of the 20th century, including U.S. competition with the Soviets for regional clients and U.S. engagement with regional revolutionary nationalist movements such as those in Israel-Palestine, Iran, Iraq and Libya. Students discuss oil politics, peace processes, approaches to refugees and human rights issues, the rise of Al-Qaeda, attacks of September 11th, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that have become the longest wars in U.S. history.

HIST 514.  History of the Modern Middle East   (3).
Examines the emergence of the Modern Middle East from the Ottoman Era to the present. Begins by examining 19th century institutions and considering Middle Eastern political innovations during the late 19th century, especially those rooted in the emergence of nationalism and transforming expectations for the relationship between governments and the people. Focuses upon these two transformations, tracing them through the 20th century, and examines the impact of colonization, World War I, Palestinian and Israeli nationalism, secular ideologies like Arab nationalism and socialism, Nasserism, Islamism and political revolutions in the region. Course features a wide array of source material beyond the texts including articles, literature, film, music and digital archives.

HIST 522.  United States Foreign Relations Since 1898   (3).
Examines U.S. foreign relations from the wars of 1898 through the Forever Wars of the early 21st century. Examines topics including war in the Philippines, colonialism, World Wars, technology and warfare, the Cold War, humanitarian intervention, U.S. involvement in civil conflicts, oil politics, and drone warfare. Students consider how ideas about race, religion and modernization influenced the rise and exercise of U.S. power abroad. Throughout, the course contextualizes U.S. foreign relations within and their global context.

HIST 527.  African-American Business History   (3).
Cross-listed as ETHS 527. Surveys the history of African-Americans as entrepreneurs and business people. Drawing from a commercial tradition dating back to pre-trans-Atlantic Africa, business minded blacks overcame a variety of obstacles (such as slavery and Jim Crow segregation) to establish a commercial presence in America. Besides chronicling these efforts, the course also examines why African-American business history has traditionally received minimal attention in both the realms of American business history and African-American history.

HIST 530.  The American Woman in History   (3).
Cross-listed as WOMS 530. Examines the history, status and changing role of women in American society. 

HIST 531.  American Environmental History   (3).
Examines the historical, physical, economic, scientific, technological and industrial interactions of the peoples of America with their environment. Emphasizes the period 1800-present. 

HIST 536.  Survey of American Indian History   (3).
Surveys the history of Native American nations from prehistoric times to the present. Includes the process of European colonization and indigenous responses, the strategies of accommodation, assimilation and resistance, and the resurgence of tribalism in the 20th century.

HIST 542.  Religion in America   (3).
Cross-listed as REL 542. Surveys various religious traditions in American history from Colonial times to the present. Discusses how religions, groups, beliefs and issues have changed over time and how they interact with each other. Includes the different branches of Christianity and Judaism, the study of awakenings and revivals, the stories of prominent religious thinkers and leaders, immigrant religious traditions, the tensions between liberal and traditional religious forms, the prophetic and apocalyptic traditions in American, and the impact of Native American, Asian and African beliefs and practices on the religious landscape.

HIST 543.  Law and American Society   (3).
Examines the role that law plays in American society from the early Colonial settlements through the 20th century. Examines the connection between law and society in four parts: crime and punishment in early America; property, economy and American identity; the 15th Amendment and questions of female citizenship; and the origins of the Civil Rights movement. By looking at laws and court cases in the larger context of American social history, students gain a fuller understanding of the impact and influence that law has on the development of American society.

HIST 544.  American Law and Film   (3).
Cross-listed as HNRS 305S. American popular culture has demonstrated an enduring fascination with lawyers, the law and the legal system. Course focuses on the portrayal of attorneys and the legal system in films. Uses films as a lens through which to examine the American criminal and civil justice systems, lawyers and legal education, and social and civil rights, while considering how film helps shape public perception of lawyers, creates viewer expectations regarding law and justice, and may influence the conduct of practicing attorneys and judges.

HIST 546.  An LGBTQ+ History of the United States   (3).
General education humanities course. Explores the historical development of institutions, ideals, social and cultural transformations, and economic and political processes in the U.S. since European colonization with a focus on the how of the evolution of sexual and gender diversity. The approach is intersectional, always considering gender and sexual diversity as they intersect with race, class and other forms of social difference and power. Students come to appreciate continuities and changes in the meanings and implications of sexual and gender diversity over time and across social contexts of indigeneity, settler colonialism, urbanization and industrialization, social and scientific modernization, the development of municipal and state power, the elaboration of the U.S. nation-state, immigration, the proliferation of mass culture, developments in family formation, and social movements for justice, rights and liberation. Moreover, students make connections between historical and contemporary social practices, discourses, cultural expressions and institutional formations related to sexual and gender diversity. Key areas of focus are the emergence and elaboration of the modern formations of homosexuality, heterosexuality, bisexuality and transness as well as contemporary identity and political categories of straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer.

HIST 553.  History of Mexico   (3).
Considers the history of Mexico, beginning in the pre-colonial past and moving through the Spanish period, the War of Independence and the Mexican Revolution, and into the early 21st century. Emphasis is placed on the nation’s political, economic and social development, and cultural production(s) are introduced that help students grapple with questions of national identity. This course also focuses on developing students’ critical reading, thinking and writing skills. 

HIST 555.  U.S. and Mexico Borderlands   (3).
The United States and Mexico share a 2,000 mile long border, a region rich with history and rife with complexity. This course puts that border in historical perspective beginning with the Spanish Colonial period and moving into the modern era, analyzing how the region has long been a zone of conquest, accommodation, difference and exchange. 

HIST 582.  Europe 1871-1945   (3).
A focused survey of European history between the years 1871-1945. Among the subjects covered are the phenomena of nation building and the imperial project, the rise and growth of European socialism, the emergence of a "mass society," the role of women and minorities, the origins and impact of World War I, inter-war politics and diplomacy, the Nazi Era, and World War II.