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Through the study of history at Pacific Lutheran University students gain an understanding and appreciation of the historical perspective. Opportunities for developing analytical and interpretative skills are provided through research and writing projects, internships, class presentations, and study tours. The practice of the historical method leads students off campus to their hometowns, to Europe or China or the American West, and to community institutions, both private and public. The department emphasizes individual advising in relation to both self-directed studies and regular courses. The university library holdings include significant collections in American, European, and non-Western history. Career outlets for majors and minors are either direct or supportive in business law, teaching, public service, news media, and other occupations.
Faculty: Carp, Chair; Benson, Ericksen, Hames, Kraig, Manning, Nordquist.
Bachelor of Arts Major: Minimum of 32 semester hours, including 4 hours-American field, 4 hours-European field, and 4 hours-non-Western field. Students are expected to work closely with the department's faculty advisors to insure the most personalized programs and instruction possible. Majors are urged to meet the foreign language requirement of the College of Arts and Sciences under either Option I or Option II. Those majors who are preparing for public school teaching can meet the state history requirement by enrolling in History 460. All majors are required to take 4 hours of historical methods and research and 4 hours of seminar credit. Completion of the seminar course satisfies the core requirement for a senior seminar/project. For the major at least 16 semester hours must be completed at PLU, including History 301 and 494 or 496 or 497.
Minor: 20 semester hours with a minimum of 12 hours from courses numbered above 300. The minor in history emphasizes a program focus and a program plan, which is arranged by the student in consultation with a departmental advisor. For the minor at least 12 semester hours must be completed at PLU, including 8 hours of upper-division courses.
Bachelor of Arts in Education: See School of Education.
Courses in the Department of History are offered in the following fields:
American Field
251, 252, 253, 294, 305, 352, 355, 356, 357, 359, 381, 451, 460, 461, 471, 494
European Field
107, 108, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 328, 329, 332, 334, 360, 497
Non-Western Field
109, 205, 210, 215, 220, 231, 310, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 344, 380, 496
All Fields
301, 401, 491, 495
107 History of Western Civilization - S1
Analysis of institutions and ideas of selected civilizations.
Meso-potamia, Egypt, the Hebrews, Greece, Rome, the rise of
Christianity, and Medieval Europe. I II (4)
108 History of Western Civilization - S1
Analysis of institutions and ideas of selected civilizations. Europe from the Renaissance to the present. I II (4)
109 East Asian Societies - C, S1
A historical overview of the traditional cultures, traditions, and
lives of the people of China and Japan. Discussion of the lives of
peasants, emperors, merchants, and warriors in each society. (4)
205 Islamic Middle East to 1945 - C, S1
An introductory survey course on the history of the Middle East from
the time of Muhammed in the 7th century through World War II. (4)
210 Global Perspectives: The World in Change - C, S1
A survey of global issues: modernization and development; economic
change and international trade; diminishing resources; war and
revolution; peace and justice; and cultural diversity. (Although
crosslisted with ANTH 210 and POLS 210, students may receive history
credit only when this course is registered as a history class.) (4)
215 Modern World History - C, S1
Surveys major features of the principal existing civilizations of the
world since 1450: East Asia, India and southern Asia, the Middle East,
Eastern Europe, Western civilization, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin
America. (4)
220 Modern Latin American History - C, S1
Introduction to modern Latin American history, from 1810 to the present. (4)
231 World War Two in China and Japan, 1931-1945 - C, S1
An introduction to the experience of World War II on the home front in
East Asia. What happened in China and Japan during the war years? How
were the Chinese and Japanese people mobilized for war, how did they
survive the atrocities, and how did the widespread use of martial
violence affect the development of East Asian societies, cultures, and
politics? These are some of the questions that will be considered as we
reconstruct the history of World War II in China and Japan through a
variety of media including memoirs, films, scholarly works and
contemporary literature. (4)
232 Tibet in Fact and Fiction
The history of Tibet, emphasizing Tibet's relationship with China and
the West. How have outsiders imagined Tibet, and how have stereotypes
affected international relationships? Students will explore the present
crisis stemming from China's occupation of Tibet, and also confront the
powers of myth, the emergence of China as a world power, and the
agonies of globalization. (4)
251 Colonial American History - S1
The history of what became the United States, from the settlement of
America to the election of Thomas Jefferson as the third President of
the United States in 1800. It will pay particular attention to three
periods - the years of settlement, the era of adjustment to an imperial
system around the turn of the 17th century, and the revolt against that
system in the second half of the 18th century which culminated in the
creation of the American union. Emphasizes certain themes: the origins
of racism and slavery, the course of the religious impluse in an
increasingly secularized society, and finally, the ideological and
constitutional transition from royal government and the rights of
Englishmen to republicanism, and popualr sovereignty. (4)
252 19th-Century American History - S1
From Jefferson to Theodore Roosevelt; interpretation of era from social, political, economic, and biographical viewpoints. (4)
253 20th-Century American History - S1
Trends and events in domestic and foreign affairs since 1900; affluence, urban growth, and social contrasts. (4)
294 The United States Since 1945 - S1
Selected topics in recent U.S. history such as the Cold War, the Civil
Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, the Women's Movement, Watergate, and
the Iran-Contra Affair. Enrollment restricted to first-year students
and sophomores. (4)
301 Introduction to Historical Methods and Research - S1
Focus on historical methodology, research techniques, and the writing
of history from a wide range of historical primary sources. Required
for all history majors before taking the senior seminar. (4)
305 Slavery in the Americas - A, S1
The comparative history of slavery in Africa, the Caribbean, and the
Americas with special attention to the United States. Comparative
perspectives on Atlantic slave trade, the origins of slavery and
racism, slave treatment, the rise of antislavery thought, the
maturation of plantation society, slave revolts, selection conflict and
war, and the reconstruction of society after emancipation. (4)
310 Contemporary Japan - S1
Major domestic, political, economic, and socio-cultural developments
since 1945. Special attention given to U.S.-Japan interactions. (4)
321 Greek Civilization - S1
The political, social, and cultural history of Ancient Greece from the
Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period. Special attention to the
literature, art, and intellectual history of the Greeks. (Crosslisted
with CLAS 321) (4)
322 Roman Civilization - S1
The history of Rome from the foundation of the city to CE 337, the
death of Constantine. Emphasis on Rome's expansion over the
Mediterranean and on its constitutional history. Attention to the rise
of Christianity within a Greco-Roman context. (Crosslisted with CLAS
322) (4)
323 The Middle Ages - S1
Europe from the disintegration of the Roman Empire to 1300; reading and research in medieval materials. (4)
324 Renaissance - S1
Europe in an age of transition - 1300 to 1500. (4)
325 Reformation - S1
Political and religious crises in the 16th century: Lutheran-ism,
Zwinglianism, Anglicanism, Anabaptism, Calvinism, Roman Catholic
reform; Weber thesis, the beginnings of Baroque arts. (4)
327 The Vikings - S1
The world of the Vikings; territorial expansion; interaction of the
Vikings with the rest of Europe. (Crosslisted with SCAN 327.) (4)
328 19th-Century Europe - S1
The expansion of European civilization from 1800 to 1914. (4)
329 Europe and the World Wars: 1914-1945 - S1
World War I; revolution and return to “normalcy;” depression and the rise of fascism; World War II. (4)
332 England: Tudors and Stuarts - S1
Political, social, economic, legal, and cultural developments. (4)
334 Modern Germany, 1848-1945 - S1
The Revolutions of 1848 and unification of Germany; Bismarckian and
Wilhemian empires; Weimar Republic and the rise of National Socialism;
the Third Reich. (4)
335 Latin American History: Central America and the Caribbean - C, S1
Survey of the major aspects of Central American and Caribbean history
from colonial to modern times. Use of selected case studies to
illustrate the region's history. Study in inter-American relations. (4)
336 Southern Africa - C, S1
Examination of the history of pre-colonial African kingdoms, Western
imperialism, settler colonialism, and the African struggle for
independence. Emphasis on the period since 1800. (4)
337 The History of Mexico - C, S1
The political, economic, social, and cultural changes that have taken place in Mexico from 1350 to the present. (4)
338 Modern China - C, S1
The beginning of China's modern history, with special emphasis on the
genesis of the Chinese revolution and China's position in an
increasingly integrated world. (4)
339 Revolutionary China - C, S1
Beginning in 1911, an examination of the course of the Chinese revolution, China's liberation, and the changes since 1949. (4)
340 Modern Japan - C, S1
Study of how Japan became the modern “miracle” in East Asia. Primary
focus on traditions that enabled Japan to change rapidly, the role of
the challenge of the West in that change, the industrialization of
Japan, the reasons for war with the U.S., and the impact of the war on
contemporary Japan and its social and economic institutions. (4)
344 The Andes in Latin American History - C, S1
The history of the Andean countries (Peru, Bolivia, Equador) from the 15th through the 20th centuries. (4)
352 The American Revolution - S1
Study of the era of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven
Year's War in 1763 through Thomas Jefferson's defeat of John Adams in
1800. Focuses on both American and British political, social, economic,
and ideological conflicts tht brought on the Revolution; the military
strategy and tactics that won the war for the Americans and lost it for
the British; the making of the Constitution and the opposition to it;
and the challenges that faced the American people living in the new
Republic. (4)
355 American Popular Culture - C, S1
Study of motion pictures, popular music, radio and television programs,
comic strips and paperback fiction. Insights into the values and ideas
of American culture from watching it at play. (4)
356 American Diplomatic History - S1
The practice, function, and structure of American foreign policy with particular emphasis on the twentieth century. (4)
357 African American History - A, S1
Experiences, struggles, ideas, and contributions of African-Americans
as they developed within and strongly shaped the course of U.S. (and
global) history. It focuses simultaneously on major social and legal
issues like slavery or Jim Crow segregation and African-Americans'
actions and identities framed in the context of systemic white
supremacism. It also examines and evaluates aspects of daily life and
personal experiences and expressions of individual African-Americans
between the 17th century and contemporary times.
359 History of Women in the United States - A, S1
A focused, thematic examination of issues and evidence related to
women's experiences from the colonial period to the present. (4)
360 Holocaust: Destruction of the European Jews - A, S1
Investigation of the development of modern anti-semitism, its
relationship to fascism, the rise of Hitler, the structure of the
German dictatorship, the evolution of Nazi Jewish policy, the mechanics
of the Final Solution, the nature of the perpetrators, the experience
and response of the victims, the reaction of the outside world, and the
post-war attempt to deal with an unparalleled crime through traditional
judicial procedures. (4)
370 Environmental History of the United States - S1
An investigation of the complex interrelationship between people and their environment. (4)
380 Asain American History and Culture - C, S1
Surveys the experiances, struggles, ideas, and contributions of Asian
American and Pacific Islander (API) people within the context of U.S.
history. It strongly focuses on API history in the three coastal states
of the U.S. West (including Washington State), but includes attention
to API people in other regions. Central themes include economic
exploitation and contributions of API people, cultural and social
connections to Asia and the Pacific that API people shaped, rasism and
discrimination against API people, legal studies of API peopel, and
recent social and political issues central to API people in the U.S. (4)
381 The Vietnam War and American Society - S1
Through the lectures, assigned readings, films and discussions, the
course will explore the Vietnam War from the perspectives of the North
and South Vietnamese, American elected officials in Washington, D.C.,
John Q. Public watching the war every night on TV, and the average GI
fighting in the highlands and jungle. The lectures are designed to
provide an explanation of the origins and development of American
involvement in Vietnam from President Eisenhower's decision to support
the French to President Nixon's Vietnamization policy and the peace
negotiations. They will also examine the consequences and legacy of
America's involvement in Vietnam. (4)
401 Workshops - S1
Workshops in special fields for varying periods of time. (1-4)
451 American Legal History - S1
Dimensions of American law as is relates to changing historical periods. (4)
460 West and Northwest - A, S1
The American West in the 19th and 20th centuries. Frontier and regional
perspectives. Interpretive, illustrative history, and opportunities for
off-campus research. (4)
461 History of the West and Northwest - S1
A direct, individualized study in one's hometown in the West or Northwest.
471 History of American Thought and Culture- S1
The history of American thought and culture from 1607 to the present by
carefully reading a number of texts and emphasizing trends in
religious, political, intellectual, and social thought. It will focus
on Protestantism and Calvinism, the Enlightenment and republicanism,
revivalism and reform, democracy and slavery, Social Darwinism,
pragmatism, Black social and political thought, Progressivism, the New
Deal, and women's liberation. It will investigate such topics as man's
relationship to God, the Protestant ethic and the success myth, human
nature, anti-intellectualism, America's place in the world, power,
slavery, and democracy. (4)
491 Independent Studies (1-4)
494 Seminar: American History - S1, SR Prerequisite: HIST 301. (4)
495 Internship
A research and writing project in connection with a student's approved
off-campus work or travel activity, or a dimension of it. Prerequisite:
sophomore standing plus one course in history, and consent of the
department. (1-6)
496 Seminar: The Third World - C, S1, SR
This research seminar alternates its focus from East Asia one year to
the Caribbean/Latin America the next. Prerequisite: 301. (4)
497 Seminar: European History - S1, SR
Prerequisite: 301. (4)