2025-2026 Academic Catalog

History

Courses

HST 100. CAP Humanities Commons-History: U.S. History Transfer Credit by Exam Only. 3 Hours

This is an equivalency for U.S. History transfer credit via credit by exam ONLY: Advanced Placement (AP) or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) according to University of Dayton policy. Functionally, HST 100 will fulfill the Humanities Commons-History requirement of the Common Academic Program (CAP) and also serve as a prerequisite for any course with HST 103 as a prerequisite.

HST 150. Introduction to the Historian's Craft. 3 Hours

Introduction for history majors and minors, as well as other students interested in the discipline, to the fundamental aspects of professional history. Basic elements of this reading- and writing-intensive course include terminology, historiography, and methods of critique, analysis, and interpretation of primary and secondary historical sources.

HST 198. History Scholars' Seminar. 3 Hours

Study and seminar discussion of selected historical documents dealing with major events and trends in Western civilization since 1715. Open by permission only to first-year students in the Berry Scholars Program.

HST 210. Making of Modern South Asia. 3 Hours

Historical survey and an anthropological exploration of the major political, economic, social, ecological, and cultural developments that have contributed to the making of region we now know as ‘South Asia:’ India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan.

HST 220. Survey of Ancient History. 3 Hours

Survey of ancient Mediterranean, African, and Asian civilizations (c. 3,000 BCE to 500 CE) with an emphasis on social structures, intellectual cultures, cross-cultural interaction, and the overall character and impact of antiquity.

HST 222. Mare Nostrum: The Mediterranean and its People, 500-1600. 3 Hours

History of the Mediterranean world from the sixth through the sixteenth centuries, focusing on the competition among the Latin, Greek, and Arabic cultural spheres, and the Abrahamic religious and ancient cultural legacies which bound them together.

HST 251. American History to 1865. 3 Hours

Survey of the development of the American nation from colonial times to 1865; political trends, economic and social foundations of American institutions.

HST 252. American History Since 1865. 3 Hours

Survey of the development of the nation after the Civil War, stressing social, economic, and political problems.

HST 260. History of Pre-Modern East Asia. 3 Hours

Historical survey of the cultures and states of East Asia, from the origins of agricultural civilization to the eighteenth century.

HST 280. Making of the Modern Middle East. 3 Hours

Examination of the forces that have shaped the making of the modern Middle East from the nineteenth century to the present: reformist movements; imperialism and colonialism; nationalism; the rise and formation of modern nation states; regional and global interactions and conflicts; religion and the rise of Islamism; and social, cultural, and economic transformations in the region.

HST 299. Historical Background to Contemporary Issues. 3 Hours

Examination of the historical background of contemporary issues. The topics change from semester to semester according to our society’s prevailing “headline” issues at the time of the course’s offering. Focus on the methodology of history as a discipline and on the utility of historical analysis for understanding contemporary political, social and economic issues.

HST 300. Career Development in History. 1 Hour

Exploration of career opportunities open to History majors, with special emphasis on strategic planning for a career, creating a job portfolio, and mastering the practical mechanics of job searching. HST major.

HST 301. Historiography. 3 Hours

Introduces majors to Historiography, i.e. the study of historical writing and the methods of historical scholarship. Required of all History Majors. Prerequisite(s): HST 150.

HST 302. Identity in Ancient Greece. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of ancient Greece from the 8th century BCE to the 5th century CE and traces the formation of a common identity among Greeks.

HST 303. Roman Imperial Rule. 3 Hours

History of the Roman Empire from its establishment until its transformation in late antiquity. This course provides a long-term historical survey but also analyzes the nature, effects, and ideology of imperial rule, exploring the perspectives of both its beneficiaries and its subjects.

HST 304. Ancient History & Modern Ideology. 3 Hours

This course examines the ways in which classical antiquity continues to affect the modern world with a particular emphasis on its use to envision, create, sustain and evaluate national identities and other ideologies.

HST 305. Early Medieval Europe. 3 Hours

Study of the social, cultural, political, economic, and religious history of Europe from 400-1100.

HST 306. High and Late Medieval Europe. 3 Hours

Study of the social, economic, political, cultural, and religious history of Europe from 1000 to 1500.

HST 307. Renaissance & Reformation. 3 Hours

Study of the development of European history from the fourteenth to the middle of the seventeenth century, with particular emphasis on the cultural, political, religious, scientific, and social aspects of the Renaissance, Protestant Revolution, and Catholic Reformation.

HST 308. Shakespeare's Worlds. 3 Hours

A concentrated analysis of the various worlds created in Shakespeare's plays and their interconnection with and depiction of the major elements of the historical world of early modern England. In the process of this integrated analysis, the Historical Study and Arts Study domains will be respected and taught as separate disciplines. This course is cross-listed with ENG 363.

HST 309. Dangerous Work and Disaster Capitalism. 3 Hours

Historical exploration of the dangers people have faced as workers (waged and unwaged) with primary focus on companies based in North America that rely on a global labor force. The course's approach is through the lens of people's history and traces the development and practices of occupational health and safety as part of larger social justice struggles and collective human rights efforts.

HST 310. History of Spain. 3 Hours

Study of the political, social, and cultural history of the Iberian Peninsula from the ancient to the modern period.

HST 312. Age of Democratic Revolutions. 3 Hours

Historical analysis of the ideological, political, social and economic changes of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, emphasizing the interaction of revolutions and human rights norms in Europe and the Americas.

HST 314. Modern Europe in Decline 1900-1945. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of Europe from the eve of the First World War in 1900 until the end of the Second World War in 1945.

HST 315. Postwar Europe 1945-1990. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of Europe from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the end of the Cold War in 1990.

HST 317. Silk Roads: Global History of the Medieval World. 3 Hours

A global study of the period from roughly 500-1500, examining the parallel developments and divergences of the civilizations of Afro-Eurasia and the role historiographical categories play in our perception of similarity and difference.

HST 318. History of Early Islamic Civilizations: From the Prophet to the Pashas. 3 Hours

Study of the political, social, and cultural history of the Islamic civilizations during its first millennia (sixth to sixteenth centuries).

HST 319. The British Empire. 3 Hours

An examination of the origin, development, decline and continuing legacies of the British Empire in the 19th and 20th century.

HST 320. European Military History. 3 Hours

Survey of warfare on the European continent from classical Greece through World War II emphasizing military institutions, organization, weapons, and campaigns and the role of the military in society.

HST 321. History of France. 3 Hours

Study of the political, social, and cultural history of France from the medieval to the modern period.

HST 322. England and Its "Worlds". 3 Hours

Analysis of major forces and trends in England’s development from the early Middle Ages to the present by scrutinizing the English history's various "worlds". Particular focus on England's outsized influence on constitutional, economic, religious, and intellectual history to investigate how England became a dominant global player.

HST 323. Cities and Energy. 3 Hours

Historical examination of the influence of energy on the urban environment especially since the Industrial Revolution, and how this relationship has affected every aspect of city life. Emphasis on the relationship between the development and design of cities and their impact on various forms of difference (e.g., race, class, and gender, among others).

HST 328. Tolstoy's Russia. 3 Hours

Intensive examination of reform, reaction and the end of empire over Russia's long 19th century (c. 1796-1917),using the lens of Tolstoy's and other's literary works to pay particular attention to how modernity disrupts agrarian, multiethnic and multiconfessional polities.

HST 329. Americans and the Middle East. 3 Hours

Study of American involvement in the Middle East from the late 18th century until the present day. Topics include political, diplomatic and military events, as well as cultural, social, and religious debates that have defined the mutual interaction between Americans and Middle Easterners.

HST 331. India: Traditions and Encounters. 3 Hours

This course will examine how religion and politics have shaped, informed, and created identities, societies and the historical past in the Indian subcontinent.

HST 332. History of Modern East Asia. 3 Hours

This course examines the processes that shaped the formation of modern East Asia. In particular, the course follows the consolidation of early modern states, the encounter with European imperialism, the subsequent transformation of East Asian states and economies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the impact of war and revolution in the twentieth century on the shaping of contemporary national identities.

HST 334. History of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. 3 Hours

Examination of the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from its beginnings in the 19th century and into the early 21st century.

HST 336. History of Africa I: Pre-history to the 19th Century. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of Africa from pre-history through the nineteenth century. It emphasizes major events and forces which shaped Africa's historical experience including Bantu migration, agricultural revolution; and the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Kush, and Aksum, and Great Zimbabwe; Islam, Christianity; slavery; and colonialism.

HST 337. History of Africa - 19th Century to the Present. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of Africa from the nineteenth century to the present. It emphasizes slavery, colonialism, nationalism, decolonization, racism, and the post-colonial state. It is interdisciplinary in its approach and focus.

HST 339. Gandhi, Non Violence and Resistance around the World. 3 Hours

An examination of the life and times of M.K. Gandhi, an iconic figure in South Asian History, and his legacies worldwide.

HST 342. Environmental History. 3 Hours

An historical exploration of the relationships between the natural environment and human society.

HST 343. History of Civil Engineering. 3 Hours

Historical study of the development of civil engineering from the origins in the ancient world to the present.

HST 344. The Automobile and American Life. 3 Hours

Historical study of the Automobile in American Society and Culture.

HST 345. The European Holocaust. 3 Hours

Study of the Holocaust as European event. Starting with antecedent forms of anti-Semitism, the course looks at the rise of racialism and subsequent genocidal policies both in Nazi Germany and in other European countries in interwar Europe.

HST 346. History of American Aviation. 3 Hours

Exploration of the technological, social, political, military and industrial history of American aviation.

HST 350. LGBTQ History: Comparative European and USA. 3 Hours

Upper level survey course which traces the history and trajectory of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trangender and Queer) experiences in Europe and the United States.

HST 351. American Gender & Women's History to 1870. 3 Hours

Survey in American gender and women's history to 1870, with a focus on the lives of men, women, nonbinary and intersex people. Study includes attention to different cultural legacies (indigenous first nations of North America, Europeans, and Africans), examination of systems of oppression (capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy) and political and social movements which had an impact on local and regional conditions.

HST 352. US Gender and Women's History 1870-the present. 3 Hours

Survey of US gender and women's history focused on 1870-the present. Content will include study of the lives of men, women, nonbinary and intersex people through the lens of gender as it intersected with race, class, sexual identity, ethnicity, and ability. Examination of systems of oppression (capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy) and political and social movements which had an impact on local, regional, and, national conditions in the United States. Readings include primary and secondary sources from a diversity of standpoints and an array of subjects.

HST 354. History of Women & Gender in the Middle East. 3 Hours

Study of the history of the evolving roles and status of women in Middle Eastern societies, from the early modern period to present.

HST 355. American Urban History. 3 Hours

An examination of the modern American city from the late 19th century to the present. The course addresses contemporary (as well as historic) social issues and problems; examines significant social issues or problems in a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary framework; and, most importantly, brings together different disciplinary perspectives to enhance students’ understanding of significant issues facing the modern American city.

HST 356. History of Transnational Feminism. 3 Hours

Study of the history of feminism in transnational context through ideas, practices, movements across time and space.

HST 357. Modern Latin America. 3 Hours

Survey of the history of Latin America since 1800 that broadly examines the region’s development while addressing national and sub-regional themes. Emphasis on reform, revolution, and reaction with particular attention to the role of international forces in shaping regional policies and the impact on everyday lives.

HST 358. Social & Cultural History of Latin America. 3 Hours

Survey of social and cultural history of Latin America and the Caribbean from the pre-Columbian era to the present. Emphasis on the interaction between European colonizers, the Amerindian peoples of the hemisphere, the African slave trade and American slave system.

HST 359. History of American City Planning. 3 Hours

Historical analysis of the efforts of both public and private sector actors in the United States to shape the urban environment, including a focus on the emergence of the profession of city planning, a detailed examination of the roles of race and class in shaping planning decisions and their consequence, as well as issues of energy and sustainability.

HST 363. The Wealth of Nations: A History of Economic Thought. 3 Hours

Survey of the history of economic thought from Adam Smith to the present based on a close reading of key primary texts and their connection to broader political, social and cultural events and trends that situates Catholic social teaching within this narrative.

HST 365. American Films as History. 3 Hours

Survey of the history of film within U.S. history more broadly. Emphasis is on the connection and interaction of the film-production and content to changes in American society since 1900. Study of the development of American values, myths, institutions, and perspectives through the use of films as a primary source.

HST 366. History of Religion in Latin America. 3 Hours

Historical survey of religion in Latin America from the era of European conquest and colonization through the present day. Critically examines the history of the Catholic Church, the influence of traditional Native American and African beliefs and practices, and the recent growth of non-Catholic religions, particularly evangelical Protestantism.

HST 368. The Soviet Experiment: From Lenin to Putin. 3 Hours

Survey of the history of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation from roughly 1917 until the present offering an intensive examination of social, economic, political and cultural aspects of the Soviet project and the factors contributing to its end.

HST 370. Business History of the United States. 3 Hours

The course covers America's business history from the 1600s to the present emphasizing three main themes: entrepreneurship; the rise of managerial hierarchies; and the role of government intervention in the economy. It involves numerous case studies of businesses and entrepreneurs, as well as several historiographical debates over the nature of business and economic development, American Revolution, slavery in the United States, the "War" on the Bank of the United States, and the Great Depression, and government intervention in a capitalist economy.

HST 371. Labor and Working Class History. 3 Hours

Study of labor and working class history in the modern world (late 18th-21st centuries) from comparative, global, and chronological persepctives.

HST 372. History of Religion in the United States. 3 Hours

Historical survey of religion in the United States, from early modern Atlantic World contexts and the founding of the U.S. republic through the present day. Critically re-examines U.S. history through the lens of religion, focusing on its place in major social issues, problems, and developments.

HST 373. American Military History. 3 Hours

Survey of American military affairs, including military, naval, and air campaigns, from early settlement to the present.

HST 375. History of US Foreign Relations Since 1750. 3 Hours

A case-study approach to the philosophical, economic, political, and religious foundations of US foreign relations since 1750, the expansion of foreign relations during the continental expansion of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the extra-continental empire in 1898. Special emphasis on the emergence of multifaceted and interconnected global foreign relations after 1898. Course meets Advanced Historical Studies and Crossing Boundaries: Inquiry components.

HST 376. Social & Cultural History of the United States. 3 Hours

Examination of the social and cultural development in American history. It examines the daily life of people at work and play, while linking those experiences to the development of social structure, beliefs, and cultural rituals over time.

HST 377. Contemporary American History. 3 Hours

Critical exploration of the social, political, cultural and economic history of the United States since 1945 with special attention to issues of race, class, gender and ethnicity.

HST 378. Global Immigration History. 3 Hours

This course approaches immigration history from geographically and chronologically expansive perspectives which highlight transnationalism as a category of analysis and a lived historical reality. The course links the experience of immigrants from different sending and receiving countries and compares the ways that local, national, continental and global conditions shaped migration over time. Immigrants were pushed and pulled to find work, to escape religious persecution, to pursue political freedoms, to secure human rights, and to cope with forces of the industrial and post industrial eras that included slavery, capitalism, patriarchy, empire, and other structural forces of oppression.

HST 379. History of Food. 4 Hours

Study of the myriad ways that food has impacted history and the key role history plays in shaping food and food-related issues today. As part of this study, the course includes a lab component.

HST 382. History of Mexico. 3 Hours

Survey of Mexican history from pre-Columbian civilization to the present.

HST 383. History of the Caribbean. 3 Hours

Study of the cultural, social, economic, and political history of the islands and the northern shore of South America through modern times, stressing areas that have gained independence or autonomy.

HST 384. Economic History of Latin America. 3 Hours

Examination of the integration of Latin America into the world trading system and analysis of the twentieth century's successes and failures of export-led growth and industrialization.

HST 385. The Atlantic World, 1492-1800. 3 Hours

Comparative look at the people and cultures of Europe, Africa and the Americas who collaborated in the colonization of the Americas. Topics to be covered will include: slavery, missionary work, virgin soil epidemics, frontier wars, gender and the invention of racial categories.

HST 386. China in Revolution. 3 Hours

Study of the history of China's turbulent twentieth century, with a focus on the social, political and cultural impacts of the 1911 Revolution, the Communist Revolution in 1949, and the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s.

HST 389. The Italian Diaspora: History and Culture. 3 Hours

Examination of the history, culture, and society of the Italian diaspora. The course explores Italian identity in the context of migration which resulted from the structural changes caused by industrialization, colonialism, and climate change.

HST 390. History of Human Rights. 3 Hours

Study of the history of human rights as idea and practice.

HST 394. Animal History: A Global History of Human-Animal Relations. 3 Hours

Study of human-animal relations across global history, using multiple theoretical frames derived from environmental history, human-animal studies, historical-ecology, ecocriticism, and posthumanism. Examines how animals have appeared as important and central figures in human history. Pushes through a human-centered (anthropocentric) historical tradition to uncover a livelier past fashioned and experienced by all of the planet’s animals—human and otherwise.

HST 395. Climate History: A Global History of the Human-Climate Interface. 3 Hours

Examines how global climate impacts human histories. And examines how human histories impact global climate. Using multiple theoretical frames derived from environmental history, shows how a species shaped by climate-ecological contexts became a force that could fundamentally alter the earth's atmosphere.

HST 396. History of South Africa: From Prehistory to Present. 3 Hours

This course examines the history of South Africa from pre-history to the present. It emphasizes the culture of the region's indigenous ethnic groups, arrival of Europeans and invasion, nationalism, impact of the global economy on the region, Apartheid, and the country's contemporary challenges.

HST 397. Black Women in America. 3 Hours

Survey of the lived experiences of African American women and the interlocking themes of race, class, gender, sexuality, and religiosity that impacted their lives. This course examines their contributions in reform, activism, education, business, culture, religion, law, literature, and politics.

HST 398. African American History before 1877. 3 Hours

This course examines the history and culture of African Americans from the great empires in Africa to the end of the United States Reconstruction era in 1877.

HST 399. African American History Since 1877. 3 Hours

This course examines the social, political, economic, and cultural history of African Americans from the United States Reconstruction era in 1877 to the present day.

HST 477. Honors Thesis Project. 3 Hours

First of two courses leading to the selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent, original Honors Thesis project under the guidance of a faculty research advisor. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the program director and department chairperson. Students pursuing an interdisciplinary thesis topic may register for three semester hours each in two separate disciplines in consultation with the department chairpersons. Prerequisite(s): Approval of University Honors Program.

HST 478. Honors Thesis Project. 3 Hours

Second of two courses leading to the selection, design, investigation, and completion of an independent, original Honors Thesis project under the guidance of a faculty research advisor. Restricted to students in the University Honors Program with permission of the program director and department chairperson. Students pursuing an interdisciplinary thesis topic may register for three semester hours each in two separate disciplines in consultation with the department chairpersons. Prerequisite(s): Approved 477; approval of University Honors Program.

HST 485. Seminar in History 1. 3 Hours

Seminar in History based on intensive research, reading, writing skills that use extensive primary and secondary sources. The goal of this seminar is to develop a historiographically informed research paper or a digital humanities project. Prerequisites: HST 150 and Junior/Senior Standing.

HST 490. Seminar in Histography. 3 Hours

Reading seminar concentrating on the various techniques and philosophies of history by which historians have done historical research. May be repeated as topics change. Prerequisites: HST 150.

HST 495. Internship. 3 Hours

Practical and professional experience through work with approved organizations such as historical societies, architectural preservation boards, and business firms.

HST 496. Independent Study. 1-6 Hours

The study of a special topic to be mutually selected by the student and a history professor.

HST 497. Honors Tutorial. 1-6 Hours

The study of a special topic to be selected by the instructor. Applicants will be admitted on the basis of academic record. May be repeated once. Prerequisite(s): HST 103 or ASI 110 or equivalent.

HST 498. History Research Seminar 2. 3 Hours

History Capstone Seminar 2 (Sem2) completes the UD History Major by building on the previous completed coursework, including HST150, Electives, and Research Seminar 1 (Sem1). Sem2 requires the production of a professionally appropriate scholarly work which uses primary and secondary research to contribute to historiographical discussion and highlights original findings and/or interpretations. The final project may take different forms, such as a traditional article length paper (approximately 4,000 -7,000 words), a digital history project (such as an exhibit or an archive of an oral history the student has curated). Sem2 requires a public presentation of the project and findings. Prerequisites: HST 150 with a C- or better and junior/senior standing.

HST 499. Topics in History. 1-6 Hours

Specific subtitles and descriptions to be announced in the composite and posted in the History department office.