Listed here are all regular courses offered by the department, excluding special topics. Courses could be taught in Fall or Spring of any given school year. The ‘F’ or ‘S’ in the list below denotes which semesters the course could be taught in. You must check my.BoiseState for the actual schedule for the current semester.
Important: These descriptions are unofficial and are provided for convenience of reference. For the official description (including prerequisites, semester taught, etc.) consult the current course catalog.
The courses taught by individual faculty members for the current semester can be found on the faculty classes and hours list.
Distance/Online: Get more information on Distance and Online courses.
| HIST# | Course Title | Course Info | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | THEMES IN WORLD HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S)(Area II) (DLL) |
Uses a major theme in history to introduce methods of historical interpretation and to explore issues, developments, and trends across time and place. Theme varies by instructor. |
| 101 | HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION | (3-0-3) (Area II) (DLL) |
Introduces methods of historical interpretation and presents a political, economic, and cultural survey of western civilization from the earliest settled communities of the ancient Near East in the fourth millennium B.C. up through the cultural renaissance and religious reformation of western Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries of the Christian era. |
| 102 | HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION | (3-0-3) (Area II) (DLS) |
Introduces methods of historical interpretation and presents a political, economic, and cultural survey of western civilization from the end of the religious wars of the seventeenth century up through the worldwide expansion of western culture in the twentieth century of the modern era. |
| 111 | UNITED STATES HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Area II) |
Surveys American society from pre-Columbian days times through the Civil War era, with emphasis on the formative issues and conflicts that shape politics and culture |
| 112 | UNITED STATES HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Area II) |
Surveys the issues and conflicts influencing American development from the Civil War to the present, including economic, military, political, international, and socio-cultural factors. |
| 121 | EASTERN CIVILIZATIONS | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Area II) (Diversity) (DLS) |
Introduces methods of historical interpretation and presents a topical and chronoligical historical survey of China and Japan, exploring philosophies, religions, cultures, and social patterns. Western instrusion into Asia and the Asians’ reactions to the West are included. Other areas of Asia, including India, Korea, and Southeast Asia will also be integrated. |
| 131 | SURVEY OF LATIN AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Introductory overview of the main historical trends that explain current cultural, social, ethnic, political, and economic characteristics of Latin America. |
| 141 | HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Surveys the history of Africa from antiquity to present with emphasis on sub-Saharan regions. Potential topics include: Africa in the Ancient World; the rise of Islam; the advent and development of European colonialism; the trans-Atlantic mercantile system; the genesis of modern Africa; decolonization; selected topics on independent Africa. |
| 151 | ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION | (3-0-3)(F/S) | Surveys the history of Islamic civilization from early times to present, covering pre-Islamic influences, the age of the Prophet Muhammad and the Caliphate, the spread and variation of Islam as a vital world religion, relations between Islam and Christendom, the development of Islamic empires, and the contemporary situation. |
| 201 | PROBLEMS IN WESTERN CIVILZATION | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Selected historiographical problems the research encounters when interpreting the history of western civilization from ancient Near Eastern to early modern European times. Not open to students with credit in HIST 101. PREREQ: Admission to Honors College or PERM/INST. |
| 202 | PROBLEMS IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Area II) |
Selected historiographical problems the researcher encounters when interpreting the history of western civilization from early modern European times to the present. Not open to students with credit in HIST 102. PREREQ: Admission to the Honors College or PERM/INST. |
| 211 | PROBLEMS IN US HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F) (Area II) |
Selected problems from colonial times through reconstruction following the Civil War. Not open to students who have complete HIST 111. PREREQ: Admission to the Honors College or PERM/INST. |
| 212 | PROBLEMS IN U.S. HISTORY | (3-0-3) (S) (Area II) |
Selected problems from the rise of industrialism after the Civil War to the present. Not open to students who have completed HIST 112. PREREQ: Admission to the Honors College or PERM/INST. |
| 220 | INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Area II) (CID) |
Using a major historical theme as a foundation, students will examine the philosophy of history, historiography, and methods of historical research. One component of the course will be writing a historical research paper. The historical content of the course will vary. Required of all history majors, prior to taking any upper-division history courses. |
| 222 | INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY AND TEACHING OF HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) (CID) |
Designed for History, Secondary Education and History, Social Studies Secondary Education majors, this course focuses on the skills developed in the study of history and diverse methods for designing and teaching unit lesson plans across the curriculum. PREREQ: History, Secondary Education or History, Social Studies, Secondary Education major. (Note: If this course is not offered when you should take it in your program, HIST 220 will satisfy the requirement). |
| 301 | ANCIENT GREECE | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A study of the ancient Greek world from the Minoan sea empire of the second millennium to the empire of Alexander the Great in the late fourth century B.C. Political, economic, and cultural history are emphasized with special attention given to the outstanding achievements of the Greeks in political and philosophical thought, epic and dramatic poetry, historical writing, and visual arts. PREREQ: HIST 101 and upper-division standing. |
| 302 | ANCIENT ROME | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A survey of Rome from its earliest beginnings under Etruscan tutelage through its late imperial phase in the fifth century of the Christian era. Emphasis on political and military developments, social and religious changes, outstanding personalities and literary, legal and artistic achievements. PREREQ: HIST 101 and upper-division standing. |
| 303 | EARLY CHRISTIANITY | (3-0-3) (F,S) |
A study of the rise and development of Christianity from its Jewish and Greek origins in the first century through its establishment and elaboration as the state religion of the late Roman empire in the fifth century. Doctrinal, ethical, organizational, liturgical, and aesthetic developments within the Christian movement, and the political, social, and cultural roles of the Church within the late empire are analyzed through the media of early Christian and contemporary pagan writings and artistic remains. PREREQ: upper-divisoin standing. |
| 304 | THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A survey of the history and culture of the Byzantine Empire from the foundation of Constantinople by the Christian emperor Constantine in A.D. 330 to the final conquest of the empire by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Provides a detailed study of the eastern Greek Orthodox imperial successor civilization to the ancient Roman empire, and its role in converting and civilizing the peoples of eastern Europe and Anatolia in the middle ages. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 305 | MEDIEVAL EUROPE | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A survey of the political, religious, economic, and cultural development of Western Europe from the fourth to the fourteenth century. Special emphasis given to the Constantinian revolution, the rise and elaboration of monasticism, the Carolingian empire, feudalism and chivalry, the Gregorian papacy, and the outstanding cultural achievements of the twelfth century renaissance. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 306 | POPULAR RELIGION AND CULTURE IN EUROPE, 800-1600 | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Study of how ordinary people in turbulent areas of European history bound themselves together for protection, community, and salvation through religious and social customs rich in ritual, symbolism, and tradition. PREREQ: HIST 101 and upper-division standing. |
| 308 | THE AGE OF RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
The connections between and the consequences of the Renaissance, the development of reformed religions, and the ideological clashes among Protestants and Catholics in European history between 1350-1650 are examined. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 309 | THE OLD REGIME AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Cultural, economic, and social history of Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, focusing upon continuity and change in the daily life of peasants, causes of discontent, and French Revolution as a defining moment in European history. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 312 | HISTORY OF THE BRITISH ISLES TO THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Survey of political, economic, cultural and religious history of the British Isles with emphasis on England from Roman antiquity to the English Civil War. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 313 | HISTORY OF ENGLAND IN MODERN TIMES | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Survey of the political, economic, cultural and religious history of England and the United Kingdom from the late seventeenth to the early twenty-first century. |
| 318 | THE HISTORY OF THE BALKANS SINCE 1453 | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
History of the southeast European region since 1453 and will evaluate Ottoman rule in the Balkan peninsula, the collapse of Ottoman authority, and the rise of the independent nation-states of Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania, Greece, and Romania. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 319 | EASTERN EUROPE SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
History of Eastern Europe since the Second World War. The war itself, the communist takeover in Eastern Europe, and the overthrow of communist regimes will be the focus of the course. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 322 | SAINTS AND SINNERS: WOMEN IN CHRISTIANITY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Exploration of female participation in the Christian faith as lay persons, nuns, scholars, saints, missionairies and social activists, and Church attitudes toward women from antiquity to the present. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 323 | THE HISTORY OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY IN EUROPE | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Institution of the family in Europe from medieval to modern times, including sexuality and contraception, marriage and family structures, childbirth, and the raising of children. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 324 | THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN EARLY MODERN AND MODERN EUROPE | (3-0-3) (F/S)(Alternate years) |
Explores evolving roles of European women as seen in the writings of contemporary women authors and in the analyses of modern social historians, examining the roles women created for themselves and the roles forced upon them by social norms. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 325 | HISTORY OF SOCIALISM | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Survey of European egalitarian ideas and movements. Emphasis given to nineteenth and twentieth centuries. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 326 | HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST | (3-0-3) (F) (Alternate years) |
Surveys the twentieth century European genocide, its causes and its consequences. Primarily focuses on Nazi efforts to eliminate Jews, but also examines the murder of millions of others deemed undesirable and the role of memory in understanding these events. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 331 | EUROPEAN EXPLORATION OF NORTH AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
North American exploration from the pre-Columbian era through the late 19th century: imperial rivalries, economic interests, technological advances, the development of “modern” science, government-assisted expeditions, and the modern legacies of these processes are studied. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 332 | COLONIAL AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
The colonizing activities of Spain, France, and England in North America, and how the different political, social, economic, and cultural policies of each resulted in different legacies throughout modern America are studied. Special attention is given to the American Revolutionary War. PREREQ: HIST 111 and upper-division standing. |
| 334 | CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A study of the origins of the conflict between the states, the encounter, and the problems of reunification. PREREQ: HIST 111 upper-division standing. |
| 338 | DIPLOMATIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
History of United States foreign relations from independence to the present. Course will emphasize the role of ideology, the working of the international system, and American expansion into a global superpower. HIST 111, 112 recommended. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 339 | UNITED STATES MILITARY HISTORY 1775-PRESENT | (3-0-3) (S) |
Examines the development of the U.S. Armed Forces and their military effectiveness in war. Discusses U.S. strategic thought and national security as well as civil-military relations and the building of the professional officer corps. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 341 | THE INDIAN IN UNITED STATES HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
The history of Native Americans, and the development of U.S. Indian policy from colonial antecedents to modern times with selected tribal histories are covered. Special attention is given to a comparison of U.S. and Canadian policies. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 342 | WESTERN AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
The frontier as a region in transit from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific coast, but largely the settlement and development of the Trans-Mississippi West. HIST 111 recommended. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 344 | WOMEN IN AMERICAN FROM THE COLONIAL ERA TO THE PRESENT | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A survey of the changing roles, experiences and contributions of women to American history from the seventeenth century to the present. Emphasis on race, class, and ethnicity. Designed to introduce the student to some of the major issues in women’s history and to understand how changes in women’s lives are related to other changes in American history. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 346 | WOMEN IN AMERICA: THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE | (3-0-3) (F/S) (Diversity) |
Lives of women in the region west of the Mississippi from the early nineteenth to the early twenty-first century, dealing with how women of different classes and ethnic backgrounds interacted with one another and participated in the development of frontier culture and society. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 347 | AMERICAN IN THE 1960s | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Background, causes, character, and impact of the ‘Sixties Era’ on the United States and its citizens, focusing on the political, social and cultural movements of the era, the war in Vietnam, and debates over “freedom.” HIST 112 recommended. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 348 | AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Relationship between religion and American culture from the colonial period to the present time, examining effects of politics, war, economics, gender, sexuality, and modernization have affected it. Recommended: HIST 111 and HIST 112. |
| 349 | HISTORY OF MULTICULTURAL AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
An examination of America’s multicultural history, with emphasis on how race and ethnicity have shaped American experience and identity. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 350 | UNITED STATES ECONOMIC HISTORY | (3-0-3) (S) (Alternate years) |
Major factors in the economic growth and development of the United States from colonial times to the present. Particular emphasis is given to the interaction of economic factors and other aspects of American society. May be taken for either ECON or HIST credit, but not both. Admission to COBE or B.A. Economics, Social Studies, Secondary Eduction Emphasis major or B.A. Economics, Social Science, Secondary Education Minor, ECON 201 and ECON 202. |
| 351 | NORTH AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Examines historical issues concerning the relationships between humans and nature in North America. Explores the role of nature in North American colonization and industrialization and the development of philosophies, government and public policies, and popular culture relating to the natural environment. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 352 | AMERICA SEES RED | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Uses film, newspapers, and novels to explore the politcs of fear and vilification with a focus on big-budget Hollywood cinema, 1915-1962. Topics include McCarthyism, film noir, the Cold War Western, and America’s fear of the bomb. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 361 | COLONIAL LATIN AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A study of the development of distinctive Latin American societies through the fusion of late medieval Iberian with American and African cultures in Middle and South America, with emphasis upon the creation of colonial institutions in the context of Spain’s and Portugal’s imperial rise and decline and the early nineteenth century wars of independence. Recommended HIST 102. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 362 | MODERN LATIN AMERICA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
An examination of Latin America in the aftermath of the wars of independence and the struggles for political and economic stability during the nineteenth century. Particular emphasis placed upon twentieth century socioeconomic change and the role of the United States in that process. Recommended: HIST 112 recommended. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 363 | HISTORY OF MEXICO | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Cultural, social, political, and economic factors affecting the historical development of Mexico from pre-conquest times to the present, with emphasis upon the conquest era, the revolution, and post-revolutionary periods. Recommended: PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 366 | HISTORY OF MODERN AFRICA: 1750-PRESENT | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
History of the African continent from 1750 to the present with emphasis on the sub-Saharan regions, including the slave trade, its abolition, the pre-colonial eras, independence movements, and the emergence of the modern African state. Mediterranean, black, and white African states will be included. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 368 | THE ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A history of the people, institutions, and culture of the Near and Middle East from Muhammad to the decline of the Ottoman and Safavid empires in the eighteenth century. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 369 | THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A history of the Near and Middle East during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the decline of the Ottoman empire, the breakdown of cosmopolitan Islam, and the rise of Turkish, Iranian, Arab, and Israeli nationalism. HIST 102 recommended. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 371 | HISTORY OF MODERN SOUTH ASIA: INDIA, PAKISTAN AND BURMA FROM 1750 TO THE PRESENT | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
The Mughal empire, its decline; the rise of British power, its social, political, and economic impact; South Asian reaction to British rule; the rise of nationalism and independence; and Indian and Pakistani history since 1947. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 372 | THE HISTORY OF MODERN SOUTHEAST ASIA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Examines Southeast Asian history from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present. The profound outside influences and the strength of the Southeast Asian indigenous world views are explored throughout the course. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 373 | THE HISTORY OF MODERN CHINA | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
China’s transition from the Quin Dynasty (1912) to the Nationalist period (1928-1949) will introduce modern China. The emphasis will be on post World War II China and China’s growth in the post-Mao Zedong era. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 374 | CRITICAL ISSUES IN MODERN ASIAN HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Examines how the historic rural/urban relations, gender issues, and interregional trade and conflict throughout Asia have changed since World War II. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 375 | LIVING RELIGIONS: A COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL STUDY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
A comparative analysis of the major active religious traditions of the world, treating their historical development, philosophical foundations, and social and political ramifications, especially in modern times, with emphasis on Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, Judaism, and Christianity. Recommended: HIST 121. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 376 | GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Examines the complex history of the relationships between humans and nature over time and space through such issues as fire, agriculture, industrialization, consumerism and colonialism on all seven continents. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 377 | WORLD WAR II | (3-0-3) (F/S) |
Examines the war from the standpoint of political goals and military strategy from its origins to the final cataclysm of violence in 1945. Discusses tactics, technology, the Holocaust, and the various home fronts. PREREQ: upper-division standing. |
| 380 | COLLOQUIUM IN EUROPEAN HISTORY | (3-0-3) | Intensive studies of a particular period, topic, or problem in European history. Reading and discussion format. Consult current class schedule for specific selections offered each term. May be repeated. PREREQ: Upper-division standing. |
| 381 | COLLOQUIUM IN U.S. HISTORY | (3-0-3) | Intensive studies of a particular period, topic, or problem in American history. Reading and discussion format. Consult current class schedule for specific selections offered each term. May be repeated. PREREQ: Upper-division standing. |
| 382 | COLLOQUIUM IN NON-WESTERN HISTORY | (3-0-3) | Intensive studies of a particular region, period, topic, or problem in the history of Africa, Asia, or the Middle East. Reading and discussion format. Consult current class schedule for specific selections offered each term. May be repeated. PREREQ: Upper-division standing. |
| 498 | SENIOR RESEARCH SEMINAR | (3-0-3) (F/S) (FF) |
Capstone course devoted to the preparation of a research paper under the guidance of history faculty. PREREQ: HIST 220 or HIST 220 and senior standing. |