Department of History

HY 101. Western Civilization I. 3 Hours.

This course examines the diverse cultures which are included in what is commonly referred to as the West. Students develop an understanding of the evolution of religious, political, social, military and economic structures and relationships in Europe and the Middle East up to 1600. Students develop an appreciation of how individuals have influenced and been influenced by time and place. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components to this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning.

HY 102. Western Civilization II. 3 Hours.

This course examines developments in the Western World since 1600. Since for most of this period, European culture dominated the world the course will also examine interactions between the West and non-European cultures. The course focuses on political, economic, social and cultural developments and stresses change and continuity over time as well as the various ideas and debates which have marked the modern West. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with a Flag in Civic Engagement.

HY 104. World History to 1600. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the development of major world civilizations from pre history to the early modern era (ca. 1600 CE). The principal characteristics of these civilizations such as political development, social structure, gender relations, religious beliefs and philosophies, will be examined. The ultimate goal is for students to see the world around them with an increased understanding and appreciation for the societies, traditions, and ideas that existed in the past and in many cases still exist and influence us today. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with a Flag in Global Multicultural Perspectives.

HY 105. World History 1600 to the Present. 3 Hours.

This course will examine many significant world historical developments from the beginning of the early modern era (approximately 1600 CE) to the present. These historical developments include: intellectual movements, political revolutions and nationalism, industrialization, cultural changes, and the relationship between Western and non-Western societies. The ultimate goal of this course is for students to perceive the world around them with an increased understanding and appreciation for the diverse societies, traditions, and ideas that existed in the past and in many cases still exist and influence us today. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with a Flag in Global Multicultural Perspectives.

HY 106. World History and Technology I. 3 Hours.

Survey of the role of technology in history from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Scientific Revolution. The first of a two-course sequence, it begins in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras and ends with the era of European global expansion. Students will consider not only about the great advances of humankind but also the scientific principles behind them, focusing on major themes such as power, water, transportation, and materials. The course uses tech as a lens through which to study humans' increasing control of the environment and interactions with the world around them. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with Flags in Sustainability and Global Multicultural Perspectives.

HY 107. World History and Technology II. 3 Hours.

Survey of the role of technology in history from the Enlightenment to the present day. It is the second of a two-course sequence. The course moves through the British Industrial Revolution in the 17th century and ends in the 21st century with examination of current issues and trends. Both the positive and negative impacts of technology development, including imperialism and Third World development, will be addressed. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with Flags in Sustainability and Global Multicultural Perspectives.

HY 120. The United States To 1877. 3 Hours.

This course provides an introduction to some of the main political, social, cultural, and economic developments in American history from the era of exploration and colonial settlement through the end of the Civil War. Central themes of the course will include the cross-cultural encounters (and clashes) in the Americas between various European and native peoples; the spectacular growth of European settlements in North America; the creation (always contested) of an American national identity; the emergence of a market economy and the question of American ideas of success and happiness. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with Flags in Justice and Civic Engagement.

HY 121. The United States Since 1877. 3 Hours.

This course assists students in gaining a sophisticated understanding of the development of modern America - its politics, economics and social fabric together with how these have helped shape its foreign involvement. In the process, this course helps students understand the big idea of "change over time" and how all people face the choice of using change to help themselves and others - or not do this with resultant consequences. Finally, this course offers "lessons" out of our past about civic engagement, cultural diversity, and emerging globalism - "values" for productive citizenship on the contemporary scene. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with Flags in Justice and Civic Engagement.

HY 200. City as Classroom. 3 Hours.

This class uses Birmingham and surrounding communities as a lens through which to examine life, culture, history, and religion in the American South. Each class will explore a specific topic including, but not limited to: the civil rights movement, labor history, gender, sexuality, medical disparities, the local music and art scene, innovation and technological advancement, the immigrant experience, and religious practice. This course meets Blazer Core Curriculum City as a Classroom with a flag in High Impact Practices with Service Learning and Community-based Learning.

HY 201. History and Society. 3 Hours.

This is a variable topics class that examines the intersection of history and human societies. Themes vary by section. Emphasis is placed on the use of theories and methods from the social and behavior sciences to understand how humans create and experience government, religion, culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and class. How and why societal change occurs is also a focus. This course meets Blazer Core Humans and Their Societies with a flag in post-freshman writing.

HY 202. Reacting to the Past. 3 Hours.

Reacting to the Past" is an award-winning pedagogy involving complex, collaborative role-playing games in which students seek to attain "victory objectives" while grappling with central tests in the history of ideas. The class will conduct several Reacting games that will allow students to explore key moments in intellectual and cultural history. This course meets Blazer Core History and Meaning with a Flag in Global Multicultural Perspectives.

HY 203. History of American Technology. 3 Hours.

History of civilization of new technology in the United States emphasizing role of inventors and engineers.

HY 206. Introduction to Film and History. 3 Hours.

This course will examine fiction and non-fiction films as socially significant documents. Students will receive an introduction to the techniques of film analysis in the class.

HY 207. The American Film. 3 Hours.

Creation and development of motion pictures in the United States, including how films are made, American film industry, and impact of Hollywood on American culture.

HY 208. Women in Film. 3 Hours.

This course will provide a history of women in film, focusing on both women working in the film industry and the representation of women on screen. The course will focus on American film history, 1930's Hollywood to the present.

HY 210. History of American Medicine. 3 Hours.

Survey of patterns and trends in American medicine.

HY 214. Roman Republic. 3 Hours.

Survey of Roman history, society, and culture from the founding of the city of Rome in 753 BCE to the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Course covers the conquest of Italy, the Punic wars, and the conquest of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Emphasis on the impact of military success on the lifestyle and culture of the Roman people.

HY 217. History of Ancient Greece. 3 Hours.

Ancient Greece from prehistory to Alexander and the Hellenistic age.

HY 218. History of the Roman Empire. 3 Hours.

Survey of Roman history, society, and culture from the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE to the reign of Constantine in the early fourth century CE, with an emphasis on how the Roman empire ruled.

HY 219. Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages. 3 Hours.

This course explores the transition from the Classical Greco-Roman Mediterranean world to the Middle Ages. It begins with the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. Then it explores the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the continuation of the Eastern Empire (known to historians as the Byzantine Empire). It places Mohammad and the rise of Islam in its historical context and explores the impact of the early Islamic conquests. The course will finish around the year 800 with the reign of Charlemagne in the West and Islamic Abbasid Dynasty ruling in Baghdad.

HY 223. African-American History to 1865. 3 Hours.

Ancient African civilizations and their demise, the slave trade and slavery in New World to the Civil War.

HY 224. African-American History Since 1865. 3 Hours.

Survey of late 19th century to present African American history.

HY 225. History of Alabama. 3 Hours.

Social, economic, and political survey of state from prehistory to present.

HY 226. History and Development of Birmingham. 3 Hours.

Social, economic, and political survey of the Birmingham area.

HY 227. Technology and Society. 3 Hours.

Relationship of machines and people in modern industrial society. Topics from recent American history and from contemporary problems.

HY 228. Southern Industrial History. 3 Hours.

Provides an overview of the major social, economic, and political developments behind the numerous attempts to industrialize the South from the post Civil War period to the present. Attention will be paid to Birmingham's Industrial District, the impact of World War I and World War II on Southern Industry, Labor Music, Women in Industry, Organized Labor and Unions, as well as the impact of the Space and Automobile Industry on the Modern South.

HY 230. Middle East 550 BCE to 1453 CE. 3 Hours.

Survey course on the history of the Middle East from the rise of the Persian Empire to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Course covers the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great's conquests, Rome in the Middle East, the early Islamic Conquests, and the impact of the Crusades. The development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are emphasized.

HY 232. US History Since 1970. 3 Hours.

This course explores the political, cultural, and social history of the United States since 1970. After World War II, the United States emerged as a global superpower that possessed both undisputed political and military authority on the world stage and unprecedented economic prosperity at home. Beginning in the 1970s, however, this “golden age” began to come under pressure. In this class, we will look at the national and global transformations over the last five decades that can help us to make sense of the multiple social, political, and economic crises of our own time. Topics to be addressed include: the end of the Cold War and the rise of the post-Cold War order, widening social and economic inequalities, racial crisis and mass incarceration, transformations in gender and sexuality, deindustrialization and the rise of service work, and the neoliberal revolution.

HY 234. The World Since 1945. 3 Hours.

Events and trends from the end of the Second World War to the present, emphasizing the orgins of the Cold War, decolonization, Europena integration, globalization, the rise of China, India and Japan, the revolutions in Easten Europe in 1989 and the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, the third wave of democratization, Islamic fundamentalism, 9/11, and the international financial crisis of 2008-2009.

HY 235. War in the Modern World. 3 Hours.

American military history from colonial times to present, including impact of Western ideas and technology on national defense policy.

HY 236. Europe Since 1945. 3 Hours.

After the Nazi catastrophe, what was to be the future of Europe? After sketching the context of unparalleled death and destruction, this course focuses on European reconstruction on both sides of the Iron Curtain. While contrasting Eastern and Western regimes, course will also seek to compare postwar recovery plans, cultural aesthetics, and shared legacies borne out of the experience of World War II. Strong emphasis is given to questions of memory and national identity, the history of European integration in the West, and socialist interdependence in the East. After 1989, course will focus on the expansion of the European Union, alongside transnational cultural phenomena such as European soccer, environmentalism, spaces of memory, and the loaded question of Europe’s “boundaries” in the east and southeast.

HY 239. The Holocaust in History and Literature. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to Nazi Germany’s systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews and other minorities during the Second World War. While its primary focus is the history of these genocides and the historical discussions and debates that have arisen since 1945, it also attempts to present the students with a literary perspective on the Holocaust. Topics to be covered include the history of anti-Semitism, the debate over the role of Hitler in the Holocaust, the mindset of the perpetrators, Jewish reactions to the Holocaust, Holocaust denial, the “uniqueness” of the Holocaust, and memory after Auschwitz. We will read documents from the time period, contemporary historical studies on the Holocaust, and survivor accounts of their experiences.

HY 245. Introduction to Latin American History. 3 Hours.

A sweeping survey of Latin American history from colonial times through the contemporary era focusing on forces and patterns that have shaped the region as a whole, making it broadly distinct from our own “Anglo” America.

HY 247. Indians, Spaniards & Creoles. 3 Hours.

A history of Latin American society and civilization in the formative era of Iberian (Spanish & Portuguese) colonialism, 1492 through c. 1810. The course looks at major precolumbian civilizations; the Spanish Conquest; and nature of Spanish-Indian relations. It stresses the impact of Iberian values, norms, and institutions, i.e. Church and State, on the emergence of unique new hybrid or Creole societies by the end of the period.

HY 248. Modern Latin America. 3 Hours.

A survey of Latin American history from c. 1810 to the present. Covers the vital era of political independence and, through “case studies” of major countries, examines key trends and developments that have shaped the region and its 21 nations since then. Major topics include 19th century nation-state formation and economic modernization; 20th century urbanization, nationalism, social revolution, military dictatorships, and democratization, including the rise of influential women's (and feminist) movements.

HY 251. Nineteenth-Century Europe. 3 Hours.

National consolidation, imperialist adventure, and European society and politics from 1815 to 1914.

HY 252. Twentieth Century Europe. 3 Hours.

Europe as transformed by total war, economic dislocation, rise of totalitarian movements, and post-1945 integration from 1914 to present.

HY 258. Britain and the Third World. 3 Hours.

This course examines the relations between Great Britain, the modern world¿s first superpower and non-European peoples all over the world. In addition to examining issues of Empire, the course stresses the cultural interactions that were critical in the development of the modern world and the problems and opportunities of multi-ethnic societies. The course emphasizes those areas in Africa, Asia and the Middle East where the encounters between the British and the native culture created situations which are still major issues for the twentieth century world. Parallels to American experiences are also discussed. Ethics and Civic Responsibility are significant components of this course.

HY 259. Social History of Crime. 3 Hours.

This course examines the various approaches historians have made to the social and cultural history of criminal violence. While the topic is one that applies to every human society, most of the material deals with Europe and the United States.

HY 260. History of Afro-Latin America. 3 Hours.

This course surveys the history of those countries of Latin America, e.g. Cuba, Brazil and Colombia, that comprise the heart of the New World's African diaspora, having received most of the roughly 10 million Africans brought to Latin American shores during the centuries-long transatlantic slave trade. It explores the dramatic experiences of Afro-Latin Americans including their roles in the destruction of slave systems, creation of nations based on democratic principles, and rise of vibrant multicultural societies.

HY 262. Introduction to Early Modern Spanish History. 3 Hours.

Survey of the history of Spain from the 15th to the 18th centuries with emphases on the social and cultural effects of European expansion, race and religion, the Inquisitions, and Spain's contribution to European art and literature.

HY 263. History of the Russian Empire. 3 Hours.

Russian history from prehistory to 1917, focusing on development of Russian state and its social and political character.

HY 264. Russian Revolution: 1917-1921. 3 Hours.

Russian Revolution with emphasis on political, social, and national conflicts in cities, in countryside, and in non-Russian areas.

HY 265. History of the Soviet Union 1917-1991. 3 Hours.

Bolshevik Revolution and role of Soviet Union as world power.

HY 270. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 271. Traditional East Asian History and Culture. 3 Hours.

An introduction to the histories and cultures of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia) from ancient times to 1800.

HY 272. Modern East Asia. 3 Hours.

A political and social history of East Asia and East Asia's relations with the West from 1800 to present.

HY 273. The Black Power Movement. 3 Hours.

The Black Power Movement remains one of the most compelling—and misunderstood—elements of African American History. Since the 1960s, critics have—at best—accused Black Power of distracting attention from more productive endeavors, betraying the promise of civil rights, and dividing an interracial coalition of sympathetic liberals. At worst, opponents have attacked Black Power as a foolish, racist, and violent threat to white America, the state, and the Black Freedom Struggle itself. Participants and scholars, however, tell a different story. Rather than divisive and destructive, the Black Power Movement was unifying and creative. Rather than betraying a winning civil rights coalition, Black Power exposed and challenged the limitations of white allies and liberal reform. Rather than a radical break with the past, Black Power represented a new articulation of old traditions of race pride and self-determination. Accordingly, this course favors a deep historical context.

HY 274. LGBT History. 3 Hours.

This course examines the social, cultural, political, and sexual history of LGBT Americans from the colonial period to the present. The course explores how historians have recovered the LGBT past to show how queer people have profoundly shaped American history. Key themes include the boundaries of same-sex friendship, desire, and community; the emergence and evolving meanings of heterosexuality and homosexuality as categories of identity, as well as other categories of sexuality and personhood; the medicalization of sexuality; modern queer cultures before and after the emergence of the post-World War II liberation movements; LBGT rights and politics; and other topics.

HY 275. Perspectives on Science & Mathematics. 3 Hours.

This course explores the intellectual, social, and cultural history of science and mathematics from the Renaissance to the present. It is designed for students in UABTeach and for general education students in order to put this broader history and context to work in science and mathematics education and to improve your writing, research, and information analysis skills.

HY 278. Untold Stories: Oral History. 3 Hours.

This course teaches the techniques and theories of oral history as a primary way to uncover untold or "hidden" histories of ordinary people. Students will conduct interviews of persons who participated in an aspect of history or who witnessed an important era.

HY 279. Women Rogues, Radicals and Reformers. 3 Hours.

This course looks at women as agents of their own history in the United States and of American society as a whole. It concentrates on how women have defined and used sexual politics, political radicalism, and reform agendas from the 1600s to the 1960s.

HY 280. Historic Preservation and Public Policy. 3 Hours.

Ways to research, assess, and use historic buildings and architecture as a way to study history and inform public policy.

HY 281. The Long Civil Rights Movement. 3 Hours.

The civil rights movement survives in historical memory as a product of the 1950s and 1960s, when Black southerners rose up against Jim Crow and agitated for citizenship rights and basic dignity. Much of this simple narrative reflects the lived experience of historical actors. Yet this class follows recent trends in academic scholarship by challenging the temporal, geographic, and ideological parameters of the classic civil rights movement. Over the course of ten weeks we will move chronologically through a longer narrative, one that begins sometime before Rosa Parks refused her seat on a Montgomery city bus in 1955 and ends sometime after passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Along the way we will examine alternative political visions of Black resistance and explore sites of contestation beyond the American South.

HY 285. Mapping Our World. 3 Hours.

This course will focus on the historical applications of mapping and map-making. It will provide a background to geometric mapping and Geography using aerial photography, satellite remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and historical maps and related datasets. Students will be taught the importance of maps to a wide range of fields from a number of academic specialists. This will include the physical sciences (NASA atmospheric applications), biological sciences (environmental mapping), social sciences (crime mapping and archaeological mapping), health sciences (disease mapping), and humanities (religious mapping). Students will work in UAB labs and in broader Birmingham on learning ArcGIS and mapmaking skills, and will submit an e-Portfolio by the end of the semester. Quantitative Literacy is a significant component of this course.

HY 289. Topics in African American History. 3 Hours.

Special studies in African American historical topics.

HY 290. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 291. Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 292. Topics in History/SL. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated. Service Learning.

HY 296. Introduction to the History of Modern Medicine. 3 Hours.

This course will introduce students to themes in the history of medicine from 1600 to present, using a global frame and following changes in medical practice in many therapeutic systems. Case studies in different locations will illuminate major themes in the history of health and medicine including how different societies conceptualized health, classified symptoms and diseases, assured treatment using a range of therapeutics, and regulated healing practices and practitioners. We will critically analyze the causes and effects of changes in the practice of medicine over time, including the development of new modes of knowing the body and illness, from anatomy and germ theory, to DNA technology; shifts in the understanding of disease transmission and categories of disease and movement of these ideas between societies; and methods for responding to disease at communal or individual scales. This will include attention to changes in non-biomedical therapeutic systems, which were not stable over time. In the later part of the course, we will consider recent history, including the professionalization of health workers, the medicalization of childbirth and mental health. Over the course, we will reflect on repeating themes, including how states, polities, and communities sought to control epidemics, and the possibility of coercion in medicine. The class will reveal the consistency of global exchange in the development of medical and therapeutic practices, and the importance of knowledge from the Global South in producing scientific and biomedical information. Our class will include an explicit focus to the relationship between health, medicine and disease and colonialism, and highlight the ways in which medicine reflected and produced ideas of sexuality, sex, gender, and race, and ways in which health was often potent excuse for racism and xenophobia. Our class will emphasize the skills of historical analysis (especially consulting historical materials, a.k.a. primary source.

HY 300. The Historian's Craft. 3 Hours.

This course examines the values, methodology, and materials of historical analysis. During the semester students will develop their writing skills, study the quantitative aspects of historical scholarship and examine the ethical and civic responsibilities historians bear towards the profession and the larger community.

HY 303. Women in American History. 3 Hours.

Changing economic, political, and social roles of women from colonial period to present.

HY 304. U.S. Civil Rights Movement. 3 Hours.

History of civil rights from late 19th century to present; significance of movement to those involved and to rest of American society.

HY 305. Popular Culture in American History. 3 Hours.

Mass culture of U.S. through films and recorded sound, from creation of entertainment industry in 19th century to television and counterculture of 1960s.

HY 307. The American Film. 3 Hours.

Creation and development of motion pictures in the United States, including how films are made, American film industry, and the impact of Hollywood on American culture.

HY 308. History of Popular Music in the United States. 3 Hours.

Creation of musical entertainment, the changing audience, and diffusion of recordings from earliest recordings of music hall songs to rap and hip hop.

HY 309. American Independent Film. 3 Hours.

Focuses on the rise of the independent film in the 1980s and the struggle with mainstream Hollywood studios for dominance of cinema in the 1990s. Covers independent film makers, finance, scripts and what it takes to make a personal film.

HY 310. Film in the 1960s. 3 Hours.

The sixties were a revolutionary time for films and the film industry, and this course surveys film from Europe and Asia but with special emphasis on American film and the way it reflected the counter culture.

HY 311. History of the Documentary Film. 3 Hours.

Studies the development of the film documentary and the issues of representing reality on film. Deals with film aesthetic and the techniques of making films. Looks at American and European documentaries.

HY 312. Rock n Roll and Race Relations. 3 Hours.

Looks at popular music as a part of American Culture. Concentrates on the rise of R and B and rock n roll as the signifiers of a new youth culture in the United States with special emphasis on music in Birmingham.

HY 313. Indie Rock from Punk to Post Modern. 3 Hours.

Covers the rise of indie rock from the punks of the 1970s to the Seattle Sound of the 1990s, and its impact on popular culture. Also examines the influence of sampling, electronica and dance music on the alternative culture of the 1980s.

HY 314. Roman Republic. 3 Hours.

Survey of Roman history, society, and culture from the founding of the city of Rome in 753 BCE to the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE. Course covers the conquest of Italy, the Punic wars, and the conquest of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Emphasis on the impact of military success on the lifestyle and culture of the Roman people.

HY 317. History of Ancient Greece. 3 Hours.

Ancient Greece from prehistory to Alexander and the Hellenistic age.

HY 318. History of the Roman Empire. 3 Hours.

Survey of Roman history, society, and culture from the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE to the reign of Constantine in the early fourth century CE, with an emphasis on how the Roman Empire ruled.

HY 319. Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages. 3 Hours.

This course explores the transition from the Classical Greco-Roman Mediterranean world to the Middle Ages. It begins with the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. Then it explores the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the continuation of the Eastern Empire (known to historians as the Byzantine Empire). It places Mohammad and the rise of Islam in its historical context and explores the impact of the early Islamic conquests. The course will finish around the year 800 with the reign of Charlemagne in the West and Islamic Abbasid Dynasty ruling in Baghdad.

HY 320. Political History From Roosevelt to Roosevelt. 3 Hours.

History of the period between 1900 and 1945, with emphasis on national politics.

HY 321. Political History Since FDR. 3 Hours.

A History of United States since 1945, with a special emphasis on national politics; includes Cold War domestic and foreign policy, the rights revolutions, changing political ideologies and identities, globalization and its effects.

HY 322. The Great Depression in Film. 3 Hours.

Examines the causes and effects of the Great Depression using both fictional and documentary films and required readings; students will analyze how Hollywood interpreted the lives of Americans during that period.

HY 325. Southern Politics in the 20th Century. 3 Hours.

The social and economic bases of Southern politics.

HY 326. Mansions, Mines, and Jim Crow. 3 Hours.

This course will study the history of Birmingham (1871-1950) by examining the few men who owned the mines and mills, the masses of men who worked for them, and the way that Jim Crow segregation kept the system from working.

HY 329. US Women's Labor History. 3 Hours.

Role and influence of working women on American history as social and political force in creating work identity and culture.

HY 330. Middle East 550 BCE to 1453 CE. 3 Hours.

Survey course on the history of the Middle East from the rise of the Persian Empire to the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Course covers the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great's conquests, Roman in the Middle East, the early Islamic Conquests, and the impact of the Crusades. The development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are emphasized.

HY 332. US History Since 1970. 3 Hours.

This course explores the political, cultural, and social history of the United States since 1970. After World War II, the United States emerged as a global superpower that possessed both undisputed political and military authority on the world stage and unprecedented economic prosperity at home. Beginning in the 1970s, however, this “golden age” began to come under pressure. In this class, we will look at the national and global transformations over the last five decades that can help us to make sense of the multiple social, political, and economic crises of our own time. Topics to be addressed include: the end of the Cold War and the rise of the post-Cold War order, widening social and economic inequalities, racial crisis and mass incarceration, transformations in gender and sexuality, deindustrialization and the rise of service work, and the neoliberal revolution.

HY 333. Resistance and Revolution in British America. 3 Hours.

This course examines popular resistance in seventeenth and eighteenth-century British America—including wars for indigenous sovereignty, slave uprisings, piracy, and mass protests for political rights. The course ends with the American war for independence, focusing on how the conflict impacted the diverse peoples who called America home.

HY 334. The World Since 1945. 3 Hours.

Events and trends from the end of the Second World War to the present, emphasizing the origins of the Cold War, decolonization, European integration, globalization, the rise of China, Inida, and Japan, the revolutions in Eastern Euope in 1989 and the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union, the third wave of democratization, Islamic fundamentalism, 9/11, and the international financial crisis of 2008-2009.

HY 336. Europe Since 1945. 3 Hours.

After the Nazi catastrophe, what was to be the future of Europe? After sketching the context of unparalleled death and destruction, this course focuses on European reconstruction on both sides of the Iron Curtain. While contrasting Eastern and Western regimes, course will also seek to compare postwar recovery plans, cultural aesthetics, and shared legacies borne out of the experience of World War II. Strong emphasis is given to questions of memory and national identity, the history of European integration in the West, and socialist interdependence in the East. After 1989, course will focus on the expansion of the European Union, alongside transnational cultural phenomena such as European soccer, environmentalism, spaces of memory, and the loaded question of Europe’s “boundaries” in the east and southeast.

HY 339. The Holocaust in History and Literature. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to Nazi Germany’s systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews and other minorities during the Second World War. While its primary focus is the history of these genocides and the historical discussions and debates that have arisen since 1945, it also attempts to present the students with a literary perspective on the Holocaust. Topics to be covered include the history of anti-Semitism, the debate over the role of Hitler in the Holocaust, the mindset of the perpetrators, Jewish reactions to the Holocaust, Holocaust denial, the “uniqueness” of the Holocaust, and memory after Auschwitz. We will read documents from the time period, contemporary historical studies on the Holocaust, and survivor accounts of their experiences.

HY 340. Popular Culture in the 1960s. 3 Hours.

Covers the music, film, sport, and fashion of the Swinging Sixties. Concentrates on teen culture--sex, drugs and rock’n’roll—and the challenges of growing up in a racially and politically divided country. We examine the sixties’ distinct style and attitude against the violent background of Vietnam, civil rights and technological change.

HY 341. The U.S. and Latin America. 3 Hours.

A history of the multi-faceted, often troubled, relations between the U.S. and its nearest southern neighbors since the early nineteenth century. While touching on various aspects of those relations, it stresses the geopolitical aspect, focusing on conflicts that have arisen as a result of different interests and perceptions as well as basic power assymetries.

HY 342. Sex & Latin American Society. 3 Hours.

A social history of Latin America that traces the evolution of relations between the sexes since the colonial period and focuses on the role of gender (socially-constructed rather than biological differences between men and women), along with race, class, and other factors, in shaping the experiences of women in particular.

HY 343. Modern Latin America. 3 Hours.

A survey of Latin American history from c. 1810 to the present. Covers the vital era of political independence and, through “case studies” of major countries, examines key trends and developments that have shaped the region and its 21 nations since then. Major topics include 19th century nation-state formation and economic modernization; 20th century urbanization, nationalism, social revolution, military dictatorships, and democratization, including the rise of influential women’s (and feminist) movements.

HY 344. Nazi Germany. 3 Hours.

This course examines explores the society, culture, and politics of Nazi Germany. Seventy-five years after the collapse of the Third Reich, National Socialism still poses numerous questions for historians: Why did Germans turn to a dictator to solve their social and economic problems? To what extent did the “average citizen” support Adolf Hitler’s brutal and racist policies? Over the semester, we will keep in mind not only the key historical debates about the Third Reich, but also the moral issues that Nazism raises.

HY 345. History of Madness. 3 Hours.

This course traces the social, cultural, and political history of mental illness in the West from the mid nineteenth century to the present. In this class, we will pay particular attention to how cultural and social perceptions of “madness” changed as the contemporary prison replaced the lunatic asylum as the primary location for housing our society’s mentally ill. How have both the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness changed over the course of the twentieth century? How have these diagnoses and treatments been divided along axes of race, class, gender, and sexuality? How has “madness” been represented in popular culture? And finally, how have the mentally disabled themselves sought to intervene in discourses surrounding mental health and illness? These are among the questions we will be asking this semester.

HY 351. Continental Enlightenment 1680-1790. 3 Hours.

Ideas and politics during 18th century, focusing on Western Europe outside France; new ideas about society, religion, and government in Italian and German states.

HY 353. The Christians in History. 3 Hours.

Origins, development, and spread of Christianity from antiquity to the modern world.

HY 355. The Reformation. 3 Hours.

Issues and meanings of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations of the 16th and 17th centuries, with particular attention to intelluctual, social, and political dimensions.

HY 357. Religion in Early Modern European History. 3 Hours.

Examines the theological, soical and political upheavals that shaped religious life and how religion permeated early modernculture from the abstract philosophical debates to the most mundane daily activities.

HY 358. British Origins of American Democracy. 3 Hours.

This course examines the influence that British political ideas, traditions, and institutions had on the formation of American democratic politics. Students will learn about the origins of British political parties, theories of government, newspapers and political media, mass protests, and representative assemblies. They will also examine how Americans adopted—and adapted—these political ideas and organizations to create a new nation. The course covers the period 1603-1789.

HY 359. Social History of Crime. 3 Hours.

This course examines the various approaches historians have made to the social and cultural history of criminal violence. While the topic is one that applies to every human society, most of the material deals with Europe and the United States.

HY 360. Scottish and Irish History, 1600-present. 3 Hours.

Scotland and Ireland experienced sweeping, dramatic change from the seventeenth century to the twenty-first. Politically, Scots and Irish people were absorbed (often violently) into the British state but fought to maintain their own political traditions and sense of sovereignty in movements such as the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the United Irishmen Movement, and eventually, the Irish independence movement. Economically, both nations began the period as predominantly agricultural economies before transitioning to diversified commercial economies, a transition that could lead to real human tragedy, as illustrated most dramatically by the Great Hunger of the 1860s. Students will learn about these societal changes and how they affected the lives and identity of ordinary Scots and Irish people. The course will end by discussing Irish and Scottish identity today and how recent upheavals such as the Good Friday Agreement, Brexit, and the rise of the Scottish National Party may influence Scotland, Ireland, and Northern Ireland’s future historical path.

HY 361. Britain and the World. 3 Hours.

British foreign policy, emphasizing Empire and British relations with peoples outside Europe.

HY 370. End of the U.S.S.R.. 3 Hours.

An analysis of Gorbachev's impact on the Soviet Union and the social and political forces he unleashed.

HY 371. Traditional East Asian History and Culture. 3 Hours.

An introduction to the histories and cultures of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia) from ancient times to 1800.

HY 372. Modern East Asia. 3 Hours.

A political and social history of East Asia and East Asia's relations with the West from 1800 to present.

HY 373. The Black Power Movement. 3 Hours.

The Black Power Movement remains one of the most compelling—and misunderstood—elements of African American History. Since the 1960s, critics have—at best—accused Black Power of distracting attention from more productive endeavors, betraying the promise of civil rights, and dividing an interracial coalition of sympathetic liberals. At worst, opponents have attacked Black Power as a foolish, racist, and violent threat to white America, the state, and the Black Freedom Struggle itself. Participants and scholars, however, tell a different story. Rather than divisive and destructive, the Black Power Movement was unifying and creative. Each session will combine collective discussion of the readings and group analysis of primary sources with an abbreviated lecture.

HY 374. LGBT History. 3 Hours.

This course examines the social, cultural, political, and sexual history of LGBT Americans from the colonial period to the present. The course explores how historians have recovered the LGBT past to show how queer people have profoundly shaped American history. Key themes include the boundaries of same-sex friendship, desire, and community; the emergence and evolving meanings of heterosexuality and homosexuality as categories of identity, as well as other categories of sexuality and personhood; the medicalization of sexuality; modern queer cultures before and after the emergence of the post-World War II liberation movements; LGBT rights and politics; and other topics. Cross-listed with HY274.

HY 375. The Pacific War, 1931-1945. 3 Hours.

The military and political conflict between Japan, China, and the United States from the Manchurian Incident to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

HY 378. Untold Stories: Oral History. 3 Hours.

This course teaches the techniques and theories of oral history as a primary way to uncover untold or "hidden" histories of ordinary people. Students will conduct interviews of persons who participated in an aspect of history or who witnessed an important era.

HY 379. Women Rogues, Radicals and Reformers. 3 Hours.

This course looks at women as agents of their own history in the United States and of American society as a whole. It concentrates on how women have defined and used sexual politics, political radicalism, and reform agendas from the 1600s to the 1960s.

HY 381. The Long Civil Rights Movement. 3 Hours.

The civil rights movement survives in historical memory as a product of the 1950s and 1960s, when Black southerners rose up against Jim Crow and agitated for citizenship rights and basic dignity. Much of this simple narrative reflects the lived experience of historical actors. Yet this class follows recent trends in academic scholarship by challenging the temporal, geographic, and ideological parameters of the classic civil rights movement. Over the course of ten weeks we will move chronologically through a longer narrative, one that begins sometime before Rosa Parks refused her seat on a Montgomery city bus in 1955 and ends sometime after passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Along the way we will examine alternative political visions of Black resistance and explore sites of contestation beyond the American South.

HY 384. Health & Illness in Modern America. 3 Hours.

This course will explore the history of health and illness in modern U.S. history from the Progressive Era to the present. Since the early twentieth century, public debates about health and illness have encompassed questions about identity and selfhood, the shifting relationship between government and society, gender and race relations, evolving definitions of sexuality, and widening social and class inequalities. In this course, we will look at how conceptions of both health and illness have changed over time in ways that reflect transformations in the broader social, economic, cultural, and political landscape. Topics to be explored include the AIDS crisis, the war on drugs, fitness and diet culture, vaccination scares, breastfeeding, the obesity epidemic, and the opioid crisis.

HY 385. History of Haiti. 3 Hours.

The dominant narrative of Haiti paints the country and people as poor, politically unstable, corrupt, violent, “Voodoo” worshippers, and plagued with zombies and “boat people” fleeing to the shores of Miami. In this course, we will examine the history of Haiti from slavery through the twentieth century and seek to gain a broader understanding of the country and to develop the tools to critically challenge these dominant narratives. We will consider the impact of colonialism, slavery, the Haitian Revolution, the ostracism of the first black republic in the nineteenth century, meanings of freedom, the Dominican Republic, relationship with foreign powers, immigration, U.S. intervention, and the Haitian diaspora among other topics.

HY 386. Science, Technology, and Medicine in Africa. 3 Hours.

This undergraduate seminar will examine the social history of technology, science, and medicine in Africa from the 8th century to the present. Beginning in the pre-colonial period, our readings and discussions will highlight Africa as the site of centuries of innovation, for example, in hunting and ironworking. We will trace the movement of technologies, therapies, and ideas from Africa, focusing on African ways of knowing. Following on Clapperton Mavhunga, we will consider a wide range of tools and knowledge as technologies, tracing their production, movement, and use. Throughout the course, we will pay close attention to the relationship between technological development and gender, from masculinity in hunting, to contraceptives in The Gambia, to public transportation in Kenya. We will use specific examples discuss how Africa has been perceived to be without technology or the passive recipient of technology, as in the case of artisanal mining. In fact, the continent was the origin point for many products, like pharmaceuticals. We will debate the concept of Africa as a laboratory for the co-production of scientific knowledge and technologies between Africa, Europe, and the United States. And we will examine the technologies involved in global health research projects as charted in recent scholarship. Taking our lead from scholarship which moves between global and local frames, our discussions will move from the international to the local, and back again we will be attentive to how global economic and political networks structure the production and use of different technologies in Africa, including global capitalist networks. In all sessions, we will consider how technology reflects and produces social power, along the axes like gender, race, age, and occupational status group membership.

HY 388. History of American Medicine. 3 Hours.

Survey of patterns and trends in American medicine.

HY 389. Topics in African American History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of African American historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 390. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 391. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 392. Topics in History/SL. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated. Service Learning.

HY 393. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 396. Introduction to the History of Modern Medicine. 3 Hours.

This course will introduce students to themes in the history of medicine from 1600 to present, using a global frame and following changes in medical practice in many therapeutic systems. Case studies in different locations will illuminate major themes in the history of health and medicine including how different societies conceptualized health, classified symptoms and diseases, assured treatment using a range of therapeutics, and regulated healing practices and practitioners. We will critically analyze the causes and effects of changes in the practice of medicine over time, including the development of new modes of knowing the body and illness, from anatomy and germ theory, to DNA technology; shifts in the understanding of disease transmission and categories of disease and movement of these ideas between societies; and methods for responding to disease at communal or individual scales. This will include attention to changes in non-biomedical therapeutic systems, which were not stable over time. In the later part of the course, we will consider recent history, including the professionalization of health workers, the medicalization of childbirth and mental health. Over the course, we will reflect on repeating themes, including how states, polities, and communities sought to control epidemics, and the possibility of coercion in medicine. The class will reveal the consistency of global exchange in the development of medical and therapeutic practices, and the importance of knowledge from the Global South in producing scientific and biomedical information. Our class will include an explicit focus to the relationship between health, medicine and disease and colonialism, and highlight the ways in which medicine reflected and produced ideas of sexuality, sex, gender, and race, and ways in which health was often potent excuse for racism and xenophobia.

HY 401. Honors Thesis. 3 Hours.

Independent research project for honors students in history, directed by faculty advisor.

HY 402. Reacting to the Past. 3 Hours.

Reacting to the Past" is an award winning pedagogy involving complex, collaborative role-playing games in which students seek to attain "victory objectives" while grappling with central tests in the history of ideas. This class will conduct several Reacting games that will allow students to expolre key moments in European intellectual and cultural history.

HY 403. Colonial American History to 1765. 3 Hours.

Examines colonial North America, especially Britain's colonies, their social and cultural development, and the emergence of distinctive British American and African American identities.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: D]

HY 404. American Revolution. 3 Hours.

This course provides an introduction to the history and historiography of the American Revolution and the emergence of the United States as a nation-state with emphasis on the origins of the Revolution, the progress of the War for Independence, the social consequences of the Revolution, the creation of the American Republic, and the contested memories and meanings of the Revolution and American identity.

HY 405. War and Society in Early America. 3 Hours.

Examination of the history of warfare in colonial North America and the impact of war on colonial and native societies. Topics will include the "military revolution" and colonial America, war and culture, and wars for empire.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 406. Age of Jackson and the Market Revolution. 3 Hours.

Examines the first 50 years of the 16th Century, commonly known as the Age of Jackson or the Market Revolution, as an era of profound economic, political and cultural revolutions that overwhelmed America as it became recognizably modern, industrial and democratic.

HY 408. Early Republic, 1789-1828. 3 Hours.

Intellectual, political, and social origins and aspects of decades and the search for a national culture and identity.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 409. U.S. Constitutional History to 1877. 3 Hours.

Landmark cases in interpretation of Constitution against background of American history.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 410. U. S. Constitutional History Since 1877. 3 Hours.

Landmark cases in interpretation of Constitution against background of American history.
Prerequisites: HY 121 [Min Grade: C]

HY 411. The Antebellum South. 3 Hours.

South from post-revolutionary era through 1860, emphasizing social and cultural developments and myths.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 412. The American Civil War. 3 Hours.

Origins of secession and political, social, military, and diplomatic developments during war.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 413. Reconstruction in America. 3 Hours.

Myths and realities of Reconstruction from 1865 to 1877.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 414. The New South, 1877 to 1945. 3 Hours.

Political, economic, and urban development of South from Reconstruction to end of World War II.

HY 415. The Modern South, 1945 to Present. 3 Hours.

Social, political, and cultural developments of post-World War II South, including urbanization, civil rights, political party transformations, ethnic diversification, and federal public policy.

HY 416. The Fifties in America. 3 Hours.

Examines the decade that was the 1950's using documentaries and movies to identify major events and trend which includes the Korea War, political change, civil rights, teen culture and changing sexual mores.

HY 417. The Making of Modern America 1877-1920. 3 Hours.

Changing forms of industrialism and social problems created; Populism, Progressivism, and other reform movements of era.

HY 418. America in the 1920s and 1930s. 3 Hours.

American popular culture, political development, and economic change in period between two World Wars.
Prerequisites: HY 121 [Min Grade: C]

HY 419. The Second World War. 3 Hours.

Diplomatic and military history, with emphasis on world-historical changes brought about by World War II.

HY 420. Recent America 1945 to the Present. 3 Hours.

Economic, social, and political trends; history of Cold War.

HY 421. The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1975. 3 Hours.

A social, political, and military history of the French and American wars in Vietnam during the Cold War era.

HY 422. Ethnic Cleansing & Genocide 1912-2012. 3 Hours.

With strong attention to definitions and critical approaches to comparative history, this course examines the varied forms of forced population movements in recent European history, moving from precedents during and after World War I through the era of upheaval during and after World War II. A significant portion of the course examines the legacy of these movements after 1945 and then broadens discussion to examine global forced population movements in the postwar period (India/Pakistan, Palestine/Israel, Rwanda, etc.) and contemporary cases. Alongside intensive readings, it incorporates a critical research paper devoted to an instance or aspect of forced population movement.

HY 423. Southern Women: Image and Reality. 3 Hours.

Southern women's lives from colonial period into 20th century. Contrasts myths, particularly myth of belle on pedestal, with realities of women's lives.
Prerequisites: HY 120 [Min Grade: C]

HY 424. Emergence of Modern American 1877-1945. 3 Hours.

Focused study of the final appearance of an industrial economy and the different approaches to the government it generated, including the various reform movements ( populism, socialism, progressivism, latent civil rights, women's movement, New Deal) that spun out of this experience.
Prerequisites: HY 121 [Min Grade: C]

HY 427. History of American Technology. 3 Hours.

Development and impact of new technology in U.S. from colonial period to present.

HY 428. Technology and American Life. 3 Hours.

Impact of technology on modern American life and culture; automobile, television, and computer.

HY 429. Workers in American Society. 3 Hours.

Seventeenth century artisans to contemporary factory and office workers, organized and unorganized; effect of industrial and technological revolution on American labor, society, and politics.

HY 430. U. S. Labor History. 3 Hours.

Examines the mulit-faceted lives of American workers from the colonial period to the late 20th Century with emphasis on their changing lives as economics changed.

HY 431. American Film and Violent Society. 3 Hours.

History of violent movies in the United States from earliest silent films to new gangster films of Quentin Tarantino. Meaning of these films and what they say about American society.

HY 432. Labor History in Film. 3 Hours.

Examines and contrasts the imagery of working class life with documentary and film.

HY 435. American Urban History. 3 Hours.

Major patterns of urbanization and urban life in American history.

HY 436. Money and Capitalism. 3 Hours.

The primary objective of this course is to acquaint students with the development of fundamental concepts in economic theory and major economic thinkers, their works and ideas from the late 18th century up to the recent past. There will be an emphasis on the evolution and synthesis of ideas basic to current economic theory. Written research, oral discussion, and critical analysis will make up a significant part of this course. Students will have ample opportunity to read, analyze, and discuss various issues and to consider, in a respectful but rigorous manner, the arguments, reasoning, and viewpoints of others. Significant weight will be given to participation in class discussions.

HY 437. Resistance and Revolution in British America. 3 Hours.

This course examines popular resistance in seventeenth and eighteenth-century British America—including wars for indigenous sovereignty, slave uprisings, piracy, and mass protests for political rights. The course ends with the American war for independence, focusing on how the conflict impacted the diverse peoples who called America home.

HY 439. American Environmental History. 3 Hours.

Changing perspectives on American environment and major issues in environmental history.

HY 440. The Holocaust on Film. 3 Hours.

We remember the Holocaust through film, and this class takes students on a journey that covers many films from many countries with many different viewpoints. Film not only tries to answer the How? And Why? questions but also seeks meaning and redemption in mankind’s greatest crime. This class is taught in conjunction with the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center film series, and also gives students the opportunity to participate in remembrance events.

HY 441. The Holocaust in History. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to Nazi Germany’s systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews and other minorities during the Second World War. While its primary focus is the history of these genocides and the historical discussions and debates that have arisen since 1945, it also attempts to present the students with a literary perspective on the Holocaust. Topics to be covered include the history of anti-Semitism, the debate over the role of Hitler in the Holocaust, the mindset of the perpetrators, Jewish reactions to the Holocaust, Holocaust denial, the “uniqueness” of the Holocaust, and memory after Auschwitz. We will read documents from the time period, contemporary historical studies on the Holocaust, and survivor accounts of their experiences.

HY 444. Nazi Germany. 3 Hours.

This course examines explores the society, culture, and politics of Nazi Germany. Seventy-five years after the collapse of the Third Reich, National Socialism still poses numerous questions for historians: Why did Germans turn to a dictator to solve their social and economic problems? To what extent did the “average citizen” support Adolf Hitler’s brutal and racist policies? Over the semester, we will keep in mind not only the key historical debates about the Third Reich, but also the moral issues that Nazism raises.

HY 445. History of Madness. 3 Hours.

This course traces the social, cultural, and political history of mental illness in the West from the mid nineteenth century to the present. In this class, we will pay particular attention to how cultural and social perceptions of “madness” changed as the contemporary prison replaced the lunatic asylum as the primary location for housing our society’s mentally ill. How have both the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness changed over the course of the twentieth century? How have these diagnoses and treatments been divided along axes of race, class, gender, and sexuality? How has “madness” been represented in popular culture? And finally, how have the mentally disabled themselves sought to intervene in discourses surrounding mental health and illness? These are among the questions we will be asking this semester.

HY 446. Nations of the Andes. 3 Hours.

A study of the vital Andean region of South America since the time of the Inca Empire, with special focus on the rise of the modern-day countries of Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Explores their struggles, starting in the 19th century, to transform their ethnically diverse, highly stratified societies into modern and more inclusive nations. Major topics include the impact of 19th century liberal nation-building and agro-export economies as well as 20th century nationalism, “indigenismo”, social conflict, populism, revolutionary movements and contemporary ethnic rights movements; also, the rise of illicit drug-production and trafficking.

HY 447. Modern Mexico. 3 Hours.

Examines the evolution of the Mexican nation and its relations with the rest of the world from c.1800 to the present. This includes the country’s dramatic 19th century struggles for political unity and survival; the U.S.-Mexican War and origins of Mexicans’ Yankeephobia; the epic Mexican Revolution of 1910 and its impact; and rise of modern Mexican nationalism as well as contemporary trends such as the restoration of electoral democracy since c. 2000.

HY 448. Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 449. Special Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 450. Topics in Ancient History. 3 Hours.

Special studies in ancient historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 451. History of Greece. 3 Hours.

Ancient Greece from prehistory to Alexander and Hellenistic Age.

HY 452. History of Rome. 3 Hours.

Ancient Rome from time of Etruscans through Republic and Empire until decline in the 4th century CE.

HY 453. Clash of Civilizations. 3 Hours.

This course critically analyzes the conception of a clash between "eastern" and "western" civilizations through historical based case studies. Possible topics include the Greco-Persian wars, the early Islamic conquests, the Crusades, the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, and the War on Terror.

HY 454. Topics in Middle Eastern History. 3 Hours.

Special studies in Middle Eastern historical topics.

HY 455. Renaissance and Reformation. 3 Hours.

From background of medieval society to birth of commercial, urban society; individualism; development of centralized territorial state; popular piety; humanism and art.
Prerequisites: HY 101 [Min Grade: D]

HY 456. Seventeenth-Century Europe: Absolutism, Revolution and Science. 3 Hours.

Evaluation of Seventeenth century through a study of the economy and society, statecraft and politics, warfare and the military revolution, the English civil war, the scientific revolution, and court life and absolutism.

HY 457. Nineteenth-Century Europe. 3 Hours.

National consolidation, imperialist adventure, and European society and politics, 1815-1914.

HY 458. Modern Europe. 3 Hours.

Europe as transformed by total war, economic dislocation, and rise of totalitarian movements; 1914 to present.

HY 459. Spain and the Spanish Inquisition. 3 Hours.

Examines early modern Spanish history covering the breakdown of the Spanish "convivencia," the rise of the Catholic kings and the absolutist state, the establishment of a Spanish colonial empire and its ultimate decline of power, as well as an examination of the Spanish Inquisition and its institutional development and function as a tool of the Spanish state.

HY 460. Ancient and Medieval Britain. 3 Hours.

Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and Viking influences and evolution of kingdom from Norman Conquest to reign of Edward III.

HY 461. English History: 1307-1660. 3 Hours.

Social and political history of England from peasant uprisings of the late 14th century through Wars of the Roses, Tudor years, and civil war of the 17th century.

HY 462. Early Modern Britain. 3 Hours.

History of the nations of the British Isles from the civil wars of the 16th century to the beginning of the Victorian Age.

HY 463. Victorian Britain. 3 Hours.

Social and political history of 19th century Britain.

HY 464. Modern Great Britain. 3 Hours.

History of the British Isles from 1689 to the present, with a focus on transformations in British power and identity. The course covers the imperial conflicts of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the industrial revolution and reform movements of the nineteenth century, and the problems Britain faced in the twentieth century, including world wars, the end of empire, and Britain’s relationship to Europe.

HY 465. French Enlightenment. 3 Hours.

French Enlightenment as intellectual and social phenomenon.

HY 466. The French Revolution. 3 Hours.

Revolution as social, political, and cultural event and its place in modern European history and historiography.

HY 467. Modern France 1815 - Present. 3 Hours.

Economic, social and political history of France and the contentious issues of equality, democracy, and liberty between the Napolenic era and the present.

HY 468. Modern German History. 3 Hours.

This course considers the important historical and moral questions posed by modern German history. Since the late 1800s, Germans have experienced two democracies, two dictatorships, the rise and fall of an empire, and two world wars. We will ask how Germans understood and adapted to rapid political, social, and cultural changes during this period. The course begins with the unification of Germany and explores such themes as World War I, the Weimar Republic, Nazism, the Holocaust, World War II, communism in East Germany, reunification, and the place of immigrants and minorities in the Modern Germany.

HY 469. Stalin and Stalinism. 3 Hours.

The life and times of Joseph Stalin (1878-1953) and his impact on the development of the Soviet Union after Lenin's death in 1924.
Prerequisites: HY 102 [Min Grade: C] or HY 105 [Min Grade: C] or HY 121 [Min Grade: C]

HY 470. The Soviet Union Since 1953. 3 Hours.

Soviet economic, political, and social trends since Stalins death in 1953.
Prerequisites: HY 102 [Min Grade: C] or HY 105 [Min Grade: C] or HY 121 [Min Grade: C]

HY 471. Russian Intellectual History. 3 Hours.

The emergence of modern Russian intellectual thought from Peter the Great (1682-1725) to the outbreak of the First World War with special emphasis on philosophy, literature, history and the issue of the Russian identity, as formulated by those who claim that Russia is part of the West and those who claim that it is a completely exceptional political and culture entity.

HY 472. Terror and Terrorism from French Revolution to Present. 3 Hours.

History of terrorism from its advent during the French Revolution of 1789 to the global war of present time reviewing three main instances of terrorism in history; French Revolution from 1793 through 1794, Russia in the 1870s and 1880s and their civil war between 1918 and 1921, and the present-day conflicts involving the United States and the Middle East.

HY 473. The Cold War. 3 Hours.

A survey and assessment of the dynamic relationship between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China from the Second World War to 1991 and the collapse of the USSR. This course emphasizes the domestic as well as the international sources of this conflict, starting with the Second World War and communist ideology. It will cover the rise and fall of the international communist order, highlighting the differences between Soviet and Chinese efforts to reform their post-Stalinist and post-Mao systems in the 1980s, and the US role in this process.

HY 474. Postwar France & New Wave Film. 3 Hours.

The 1950s and 1960s represented one of the greatest periods in the history of France. In the universities, scholars such as Claude Lévi-Strauss, Fernand Braudel, Jacques Marie Émile Lacan, Roland Gérard Barthes, Jacques Derrida, Pierre Bourdieu, and Paul-Michel Foucault set the standard for the rest of the world in the disciplines of anthropology, history, psychology, literary criticism, linguistics, sociology, and philosophy. It was in the art of making films—the new artistic medium overtaking the influence of the novel—that France had its greatest influence. Every single year after 1958, French filmmakers directed masterpieces in an unparalleled phase of creativity. This course examines the history of postwar France through an exploration of its film culture.

HY 475. Modern China. 3 Hours.

China's political, social and cultural history from the final decades of the Qing dynasty in the 19th century to its re-emergence as a major world power in the late 20th century.

HY 476. Japan to the 19th Century. 3 Hours.

Japan's political and cultural history from its legendary beginnings to the final decades of the Tokugawa shogunate.

HY 477. Modern Japan. 3 Hours.

Japan's political and cultural history from the Meiji Restoration to the present.

HY 478. Topics in European History. 3 Hours.

Special Studies in European History. May be repeated.

HY 480. Historic Preservation and Public Policy. 3 Hours.

Ways to research, assess, and use historic buildings and architecture as a way to study history and inform public policy.

HY 481. Public History. 3 Hours.

Various approaches to interest and inform general public of local and state history. Visits to public history sites around Birmingham area.

HY 482. Internship in Public History. 1-3 Hour.

Individually designed program that allows students to work in local historic museums, archives, or other sites to gain professional experience in public history.

HY 483. Internship in Environmental Studies. 1-3 Hour.

Individually designed program that places students in local environmental organizations, divisions of local businesses or government, or special projects to gain professional experience in preparation for an environmental career.

HY 484. Health & Illness in Modern America. 3 Hours.

This course will explore the history of health and illness in modern U.S. history from the Progressive Era to the present. Since the early twentieth century, public debates about health and illness have encompassed questions about identity and selfhood, the shifting relationship between government and society, gender and race relations, evolving definitions of sexuality, and widening social and class inequalities. In this course, we will look at how conceptions of both health and illness have changed over time in ways that reflect transformations in the broader social, economic, cultural, and political landscape. Topics to be explored include the AIDS crisis, the war on drugs, fitness and diet culture, vaccination scares, breastfeeding, the obesity epidemic, and the opioid crisis.

HY 486. Science, Technology, and Medicine in Africa. 3 Hours.

This undergraduate seminar will examine the social history of technology, science, and medicine in Africa from the 8th century to the present. Beginning in the pre-colonial period, our readings and discussions will highlight Africa as the site of centuries of innovation, for example, in hunting and ironworking. We will trace the movement of technologies, therapies, and ideas from Africa, focusing on African ways of knowing. Following on Clapperton Mavhunga, we will consider a wide range of tools and knowledge as technologies, tracing their production, movement, and use. Throughout the course, we will pay close attention to the relationship between technological development and gender, from masculinity in hunting, to contraceptives in The Gambia, to public transportation in Kenya. We will use specific examples discuss how Africa has been perceived to be without technology or the passive recipient of technology, as in the case of artisanal mining. In fact, the continent was the origin point for many products, like pharmaceuticals. We will debate the concept of Africa as a laboratory for the co-production of scientific knowledge and technologies between Africa, Europe, and the United States. And we will examine the technologies involved in global health research projects as charted in recent scholarship. Taking our lead from scholarship which moves between global and local frames, our discussions will move from the international to the local, and back again we will be attentive to how global economic and political networks structure the production and use of different technologies in Africa, including global capitalist networks. In all sessions, we will consider how technology reflects and produces social power, along the axes like gender, race, age, and occupational status group membership.

HY 489. Topics in African American History. 3 Hours.

Special studies in African American historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 490. Undergraduate Seminar in History. 3-6 Hours.

Topic varies depending on professor.

HY 491. Directed Readings in History. 3 Hours.

Individually designed course of reading in various fields.

HY 492. Directed Readings in History. 1-3 Hour.

Individually designed course of reading in various fields.

HY 497. History Capstone. 3 Hours.

The History Capstone teaches students the skills and methodologies commonly used in the historical profession. This includes learning how to access and use archives and other primary sources. Students will be required to complete a research project based on primary sources.

HY 498. Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies of historical topics. May be repeated.

HY 499. Topics in History. 3 Hours.

Special studies in historical topics. May be repeated.