2026-2027 Undergraduate Bulletin > Courses > HST - History
The people, empires, and ideas that forged the history of Europe and the Western world, from the first cities to the Scientific Revolution. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
The modern world was made in Europe between 1700 and 1950. Find out how and why in this survey of events, personalities, and ideas. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
A broad and interpretative study of the United States since the Civil War. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group III- B: Studies in Social Structures)
Explore the lives of “dangerous” women in world history who would make poor cartoon princesses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
Examines the development of modern tabletop and video games (e.g., Catan, Dungeons & Dragons, Pokémon, Minecraft) with a focus on design and cultural impact. Identical to ENG 160. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-B: The Arts)
Latin American history and cultures from the Inca and Aztec empires to the Columbian and Mexican Drug Wars. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
A survey of the history of Africa from prehistory to Post-Colonial Africa. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
Explores the events and cultural developments of the Middle Ages, the period in European history satirized so brilliantly in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
A survey of selected political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, and cultural elements in the history of the world from ancient times to 1500 CE.
A survey of selected political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, and cultural elements in the history of the world since 1400 CE.
Examines changing notions of happiness in historical perspective, focusing on lived experiences and the relationship between theory and practice in social and cultural context. Recommended: Some prior exposure to humanities disciplines. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
Explores how people living in Michigan shared with others in North America the changes introduced by the colonization, expansion, and development of the United States. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group III-B: Studies in Social Structures)
An examination of the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War from multiple perspectives. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-C: Studies in Racism and Cultural Diversity in the United States)
This course considers the West as a shifting and contested region from the perspective of multiple peoples, empires, and nations.
Learn how childrearing, family life, education, and the transition to adulthood have changed from colonial times to the present. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group III-B: Studies in Social Structures)
This course uses case studies involving Cherokee Indian Removal and the abolition of slavery as a way to explore American ideas about race, citizenship and individual rights in the years before the Civil War. Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-C: Studies in Racism and Cultural Diversity in the United States)
Study of the position of women in American society as documented in historical, literary, and biographical sources. Identical to WGS 226. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
Origins, development, and florescence of the earliest civilizations of the Ancient Near East, from the Neolithic to the death of Alexander the Great. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
An examination of the history and cultures of the Middle East from the origins and expansion of Islam until modern times. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
Political, social, intellectual, and cultural developments in the history of ancient Greece and Rome to AD 565. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
Explores the political, social, economic, and cultural history of British imperialism and empire through tabletop and digital games. Identical to GAM 250. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses.
This survey emphasizes the contributions of women to European history including religious beliefs, family structures, diversity, and the control of knowledge and sexuality. Identical to WGS 254. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-A: Studies in Discrimination)
This course investigates major themes in US women’s history including slavery and servitude, industrialization, women in the professions, and inequality in the modern workforce. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-A: Studies in Discrimination)
Games and play are a part of what it means to be human. In this course we look at their role in the midst of cultural conflict in Spain and Latin America. (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas)
An examination of the events and ideas in Germany and elsewhere that produced the Nazi state and the Holocaust.
Introduces foundational skills for identifying potential internships and careers, conducting internship or job searches, and successfully functioning in a professional setting. Identical to ANT 295, REL 295. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses.
Each offering studies a selected historical topic using readings, discussion, lecture, and research as appropriate. May be repeated when the content is not a duplication of a previous special topics offering.
Study of history as a discipline, emphasizing historical theory, concepts, methodology, history of historiography, and communication of historical ideas in writing and other forms. Prerequisites: Six hours of history courses and a signed major or minor in history, history education, or social studies education.
Explores the role of American armed forces in peace and war and how the military has reflected contemporary political, social, and economic developments. Recommended: 3 hours in U.S. History.
Examines the modern conflicts in Vietnam, the American experience in Indochina from 1945 to 1975, and the war's implications for the United States.
Explores the major postwar political, economic, and social developments, including the Cold War, civil rights, Vietnam, the counterculture, political scandals, liberalism, conservatism, and global conflict.
Examines the experiences of different class, age, gender and ethnic groups in America; stresses the historical roots of current social problems. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group III-B: Studies in Social Structures)
An introduction to Indigenous history that focuses on contestations over land, resources, and political status in the region that is currently the United States. Recommended: Sophomore Standing. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-C: Studies in Racism and Cultural Diversity in the United States)
Explores African American social, cultural, and political life from the origins of the transatlantic slave trade to the late nineteenth century. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-C: Studies in Racism and Cultural Diversity in the United States)
Explores African American social, cultural, and political life from the late nineteenth century to the present, including the modern civil rights movement. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-C; Studies in Racism and Cultural Diversity in the United States)
Examines the role of technology in the economic, social and cultural history of the United States from the colonial era to the early 21st century. Recommended: At least 12 hours of humanities or social science courses.
This course explores the power dynamics of ethnic, religious, colonial, gender and class discrimination through two case studies: American suffrage/labor activism (1913), Indian independence (1947). Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-A: Studies in Discrimination)
A study of the development of Michigan from earliest settlement by Native Americans to the present, focusing on economic, social, and political history.
The historical origins and evolution of rock music, from 'Rock Around the Clock' to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' History like you’ve never heard it before. (University Program Group I-B: The Arts)
War, politics, society, religion, economy, and culture in the Mediterranean world of the later Roman empire (c. AD 250–650). Recommended: at least one course in premodern history or sophomore status.
Social, cultural, economic, and political history of the Renaissance and Reformation movements in Europe from circa 1350 to 1650. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisite: One of: HST 101, HST 102, HST 200, HST 201, HST 202; or any 300-level HST course (University Program Group I-A: Human Events and Ideas).
This course addresses key moments in the history of France's capital from an interdisciplinary perspective. Recommended: Any European history and/or French literature/culture courses.
The economic, political, social, cultural, and diplomatic developments in Europe from the close of the Napoleonic era to the end of World War I.
This study-abroad course takes students to Paris to examine chronologically the city's political, intellectual, and cultural significance in the American collective imagination. Recommended: 3 to 6 hours of course work in history, literature, political science, anthropology, museum studies or related fields.
Examines how Louis XIV of France employed 'the politics of splendor,' that is using the arts as a means to acquire and legitimize political power. Recommended: 9-12 hours of course work in the humanities. (University Program Group I-B: The Arts)
Origin and development of the French Revolution and the role of Napoleon in European history, 1787-1815.
Explores over two thousand years of English history from prehistoric times to the revolutions of the 1600s, including the reigns of the Tudor and Stuart monarchs. Prerequisites: One of: HST 101, HST 102, HST 200, HST 201, HST 202; or any 300-level HST course.
The German experience since the formation of the Empire, including the processes, problems, and aftereffects of wars, revolutions, constitutions, totalitarianism, and peace.
A study of political, social, economic and cultural change in Europe from the end of the Second World War to the present.
This study-abroad course takes students to Scotland to explore the social, cultural, and economic changes that affected the Allied home front during WWII. Recommended: Thirty (30) hours or more of college-level coursework.
Examines the interaction of European, African, and Native American religions and the 'heresies' that developed as a result of their interaction during the colonial period. Identical to REL 361. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
Twentieth-Century Latin American Revolutions. Writing Intensive. Recommended: HST 163.
A study of the political, social, and cultural history of China from earliest times to the nineteenth century.
The political and social history of China from the Opium War to the present.
This course covers contemporary Africa from independence through military dictatorship, globalization, and democratization. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
The course explores the apartheid system and the challenges it faced from liberalism, Black Nationalism, and Marxism. It also examines post- apartheid South Africa. Identical to HUM 340. Credit may not be earned in more than one of these courses. May be offered as Writing Intensive. (University Program Group IV-B: Studies in Cultures Outside of the Anglo-American Tradition)
Each offering studies a selected historical topic using readings, discussion, lecture, and research as appropriate.
Research and writing on a topic selected in consultation with an instructor. HST 491 may not be used as a substitute for HST 496. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing with B average in 12 hours of history; permission of instructor and the department chairperson.
Historical research and writing. This course or an arranged substitute required on all majors. Writing Intensive. Prerequisite: HST 301.
Examination of a historical issue, problem, or question in collective and individual contexts, developing and reinforcing skills in advanced historical research and writing. Writing Intensive. Prerequisite: HST 301.
The political, religious, socio-economic and cultural life of England under the Tudors, focusing on the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: One of HST 101, HST 102, HST 350, HST 351; or graduate status.
Explores the social, cultural and political development of British America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisite: One of the following: HST 111, 323, 324, 326, 351; or graduate status.
An investigation of nation-building, the formation of new institutions, ideologies, decision-making, and personalities during the precarious decades following the American Revolution. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: One of HST 110, 111, 301; or graduate status.
This course examines the causes and process of secession, wartime experiences, and the reconstruction of the South to 1877. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: At least 6 hours of history coursework or graduate status. Recommended: While this course does not require or expect detailed knowledge of the Civil War, it is helpful to have some background knowledge of nineteenth-century U.S. history.
An investigation of scholars’ interpretations and approaches to Great Lakes Indigenous history from origin stories through the present. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: At least 6 hours of history coursework or graduate status. Recommended: HST 110, HST 111, HST 112 or HST 323 (some background in U.S. history/Indigenous history).
This course examines US history in a global context, analyzing interactions between the United States and other nations from the Spanish-American War to the present. Prerequisites: Junior standing or admission to graduate program.
Using cultural texts such as films, novels, monographs and lectures, this course examines American politics and political culture from 1865 to the present. Recommended: HST 112 or PSC 105 and 9 additional hours of history or political science; or graduate standing.
Individual and group studies in regional and local Michigan history.
An overview of political, social, military, economic, and cultural history during the late Roman republic (c. 133-27 BC), emphasizing modern historiography and ancient sources in English translation. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: Six hours of HST coursework or graduate status. Recommended: Detailed knowledge of Roman history is not required, but students will benefit from familiarity with basic periods and developments in the ancient Mediterranean world.
An overview of social, political, cultural and intellectual developments in Europe from the late seventeenth century to the early nineteenth century. Recommended: Six hours of course work in European or world history before 1815.
This course will examine the period dominated by Napoleon Bonaparte (1795-1815) and its political, social, and cultural impact on European and transnational history. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Recommended: 9 hours of history coursework or graduate standing.
Political, social, and economic change in Europe from the First World War through the Second; emphasis on fascism and the failure of democracy. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisite: HST 102 or 106 or graduate status.
Students propose, design, and develop role-playing and other face-to-face games for use in the world history classroom. This course may be offered in an online format. Prerequisite: 300- level writing intensive course and 56 credit hours or graduate standing.
Africa on the eve of European colonization, the colonization of Africa, the struggle for independence, the post-independence period, neo- colonialism, the Cold War and globalization. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: HST 176, 201 or 202, or graduate standing.
Historic preservation can play a central role in building more just, equitable, and sustainable communities. This course explores historic preservation theory, methods, and ethics. Recommended: At least 6 credit hours of History or Museum Studies coursework.
A practical introduction to archives theory, management, and issues; hands-on learning experience with primary source materials. Prerequisites: HST 301 and MST 310; or graduate standing.
An introduction to the methodology and use of Oral History in historical research, interpretation, and documentation. May be offered as Writing Intensive. Prerequisites: HST 301 and MST 310; or graduate status.
Study of a selected historical topic at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates or graduate students. Recommended: 12 hours of HST.