History

This course traces the development of Western civilization from ancient times to the religious wars of the 17th century. It focuses on the rise of civilizations in the Middle East, the influence of classical Greece and Rome, the rise and spread of Christianity and Islam, European society in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the causes and effects of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations.

This course traces the development of Western Civilization from the birth of the European state system in the mid-17th century to the present. It will focus on the development of constitutionalism and absolutism; the impacts of the Atlantic economy and the Enlightenment; the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period; new political ideologies such as liberalism, nationalism, and socialism; the Industrial Revolution; the global causes and effects of European imperialism, World Wars, and the Cold War; the rise of totalitarian dictatorships; and the post-Cold War world. AAS: Humanities elective.

This course covers the history of the Middle East after the birth of Islam, with greater emphasis on developments after about 1800. It will focus especially on the beginnings and spread of Islam, civilization during the Islamic caliphates and empires, responses to increasing European involvement in the region, the effects of World War I, the possibilities and problems for newly independent Middle Eastern states after the World Wars up to the present, the founding of Israel, subsequent Arab-Israeli conflicts, and the roots and importance of Islamic terrorism.

This course explores big questions about the global connections and conflicts that have shaped the world from 1500 to the present. How did European exploration and colonization of the Americas change societies in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe? How did different political systems and political ideas develop over time, and what allowed revolutionary movements to set up new regimes in countries like the United States, France, Russia, China, and Iran? How has the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of ordinary people as well as the global economy and balance of power? What were the causes and effects of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War in the twentieth century? By learning about these historical events, students can understand the connections and conflicts of the 21st century in a deeper way.

This course examines the role African Americans have played in the political, economic, cultural, and social movements within the United States from their arrival in America to the present. AAS: Social and behavioral science elective.

This course is a survey of the history of Illinois from its early Native American history to the present. Emphasis will be on the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that have shaped the state's past.

A survey of the history of the United States from the cultures present when Europeans arrived in the late 15th century through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Emphasis is placed on political as well as economic, cultural, and social forces which have shaped the American past. This course satisfies the U.S. Constitution requirement for graduation.

A survey of the history of the United States from the late 1870s to the present. Emphasis is placed on political as well as economic, cultural, and social forces which have shaped the American past.

This course will survey the growth and development of Central and South American countries from the early 19th century to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationship between these Latin American countries and the United States of America. A formal paper is required in this course. This course satisfies the non-Western studies requirement for education majors.