UA Department of History
Fall 2024 Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Note: There are no prerequisites for any courses in History. 300-level courses cap at 40 students and are lecture based. 400-level courses cap at 30 students, are discussion based, and usually have the “W” designation (double check below). 300 and 400-level courses have roughly the same workload.
1OO-LEVEL COURSE OFFERINGS – Multiple; see myBama for details.
HY 101 Western Civilization to 1648. A history of Western civilization from its origins in Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the age of discovery and expansion during the emergence of modern Europe.
HY 102 Western Civilization since 1648. Covers the development if the Western world from the Thirty Years’ War to the post-World War II era; the age of absolutism, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, industrialization and the wars of the 20th century.
HY 103 American Civilization to 1865. A survey of American history from its beginning to the end of the Civil War, giving special emphasis to the events, people, and ideas that have made America a distinctive civilization. Prerequisite (s): None.
HY 104 American Civilization since 1865. A survey of American history from the Civil War to the present, giving special emphasis to the events, people, and ideas that have made America a distinctive civilization. Prerequisite(s): None
HY 105 Honors Western Civilization to 1648. A history of Western civilization from its origins in Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the age of discovery and expansion during the emergence of modern Europe.
HY 106 Honors Western Civilization since 1648. Covers the development of the Western world from the Thirty Years’ War to the post–World War II era: the age of absolutism, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, industrialization, and the wars of the 20th century.
HY 107 Honors American Civilization to 1865. An honors-level approach to the American experience; parallel to HY 203
Prerequisite(s): Invitation of the department or membership in the University Honors Program.
HY 108 Honors American Civilization since 1865. An honors-level approach to the American experience. Prerequisite(s): Invitation of the department or membership in the University Honors Program.
HY 111-001 Colonial Latin America. Professor Juanjo Ponce Vazquez. TR 9 – 10:45. Formation of the largely Spanish speaking New World, from the shock of conquest to the trials of freedom that spawned the modern nations of Latin America.
HY 113-001 Asian Civilization to 1400. Professor Sean Han. TR 11 – 12:15. This course explores the diverse and interrelated histories of the East Asia, currently composed of China, Korea, and Japan, over the past two thousand years. We begin by studying systems of thought that came to be shared across East Asia, including written languages, philosophies of rule, and religions. Next, we examine periods of major upheaval and change, such as the rise of warrior governments, and the Mongol conquests. The course concludes by tracing the rise of early modern nation-states in the nascent global economy. Throughout the semester, students will improve skills in critical reading, writing, use of primary and secondary sources, and oral communication. No foreign language skills required.
HY 115-001 History of Science and Medicine to 1800. Professor Erik Peterson. MW 9 – 9:50. Recitations: R 8, R 9, F 10, F 11. Science and technology are ever-present in today’s world, defining not only how we live our daily lives but also shaping our conceptions and evaluations of modernity, civilization, and progress. How did science and technology become so important and pervasive to the modem world? This course is intended as an introduction to the history of modem science and technology from the enlightenment to the present. Our focus will be on the development of science and technology in the Western World (Europe and North America). However, we will also make comparisons across cultures to explore how science and technology shaped notions of what counts as “Western” and “modem.” In addition to learning about key developments in the history of science and technology, from Ford’s Model-T to Einstein’s theory of relativity, we will address larger themes, including the relationship between science and religion and the role of technology in war and empire.
HY 117-001 World History to 1500. Professor Patrick Hurley. MW 12 – 12:50. Recitations: R 9, R 11, F 11, F 1. This course provides a historical survey of the major areas of the world from 1500 down to modern times. Areas of the world under study will include those of Europe, Asia, Africa, as well as the Americas. Political, economic, social, and religious historical developments will be examined, with special attention being given to cross cultural interactions and how they helped shape the modern world.
HY 201-001 Legal History Field Experience. Professor Lawrence Cappello. TBA. A required component of the larger Legal History concentration. Registered students will meet with the professor individually three times during the term, will be required to attend three pre-approved legal-themed events, and will complete brief reflection essays about their experiences at these events. Requires instructor approval to register.
300- & 400-Level Course Designations
- US: Counts Toward US Field Requirement
- EURO: Counts Toward European Field Requirement
- LA/A/ME/A: Counts Toward Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or Transnational History Field Requirement
- HH: Counts Toward Hidden History Field Requirement
- LGHY: Counts Toward Legal History Concentration
- PUHY: Counts Toward Public History Concentration
- US, EURO, LA/A/ME/A, and Hidden Histories are field requirements. Classes cannot double-count for field requirements. A single class that is labeled as both a US and Hidden History, for instance, will count for only one of those fields (which field it will count for depends on students’ past/future class choices.)
- LGHY, PUHY, and W are attributes. They can double-count with field requirements. A single class that is both a EURO and a W, for instance, will count as both the European field requirement and a Writing course.
- 497s are all Ws. However, they do not count for a field requirement. They may, upon permission from concentration directors, count towards Public History or Legal History.
HY 302 History Mentoring. Professor Patrick Hurley. W 12 – 4. Students learn the mechanics of teaching History writing, editing, and instruction. Under the supervision of a faculty member, they learn the pedagogy of writing and then practice their craft by working with other students. Requires a recommendation from a professor to participate.
HY 309 Great Cases in US Legal History. Professor Lawrence Cappello. TR 2 – 3:15. An exploration of the most impactful cases of American legal history from the colonial period to the internet age. Major themes include free speech cases, law in the workplace, slavery, “Indian Removal Act”, federalism, the right to privacy, sexual discrimination law, civil rights law, crime prevention, gun control, the rights of the accused, and the relationship between church and state. LGHY; US
HY 311 Antebellum America. Professor Sharony Green. R 2 – 3:15. This course will explore the antebellum period as an era of great change in the United State. Between 1820 and 1860, we witness an expanding frontier in the Cotton South, but also the rise of the “city,” among other things. While the South will always be on our radar, we will also be interested in finding meaning in other regions by paying close attention to the people who move through or live in them and the landscape itself. US; HH
HY 313 American South Since 1865. Professor Kari Frederickson. MWF 12 – 12:50. History of the South since 1865, covering Reconstruction, the Bourbon Democracy, the New South Creed, populist revolt, World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, and Southern politics. US.
HY 314 Reforming America, 1815-1861. Professor Joshua Rothman. TR 9:30 – 10:45. This course will provide an overview of the wide-ranging efforts Americans made to reform themselves and their nation in the decades before the Civil War, understanding those efforts largely as reactions to and engagements with the sweeping economic changes of the era that many historians have come to call the “market revolution.” Topics will include the evolution of family and religious life in the first half of the nineteenth century, new religious movements such as Adventism and Mormonism, the founding of experimental utopian communities, transcendentalism, health and diet reforms, prison and school reforms, efforts to “improve” American cities, workingman’s movements, abolitionism, temperance, and feminism. By the end of the semester, students are expected to be able to think and write critically about antebellum reform movements, their leaders, their goals, and their outcomes. US
HY 315 The Civil War. Professor Harold Selesky. MW 2 – 3:15. This course takes a chronological and thematic approach to explore the American Civil War’s complex meaning to past and present Americans. We will discuss traditional military and political aspects of the conflict, as well as racial, social, gender and cultural dimensions. Reading and writing are central components of this course, but we will also watch and critically assess popular movies, historical documentaries, and YouTube videos. US.
HY 323 US Constitutional History to 1877. Professor Lawrence Capello. TR 12:30 – 1:45. Deals with the evolution of constitutional law and the nature and process of judicial review, including 18th-century constitutional theory and Supreme Court decisions. LGHY; US.
HY 325 US –World Power to 1898. Professor Sarah Steinbock-Pratt. MWF 1 – 1:50. This course will examine the history of the United States in a global context. From its colonial origins to its emergence as an imperial power at the end of the nineteenth century, the US has always been part of international networks of empire, migration, trade, and warfare. Through assigned readings, lectures, and class discussions, students will explore the transnational movement of people, ideas, and goods, territorial conquest and nation building, ways that ideas about gender, race, and national identity influenced foreign and domestic policies, and the rise and refashioning of the nation’s role in the world. US.
HY 356 Holocaust: History, Memory. Professor Janek Wasserman. TR 11 – 12:15. This course explores how and why the murder of millions of Jews, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals and others was carried out by the National Socialists and their allies. It looks at the emergence of racial theory and anti-Semitism, the role of WWI and the Great Depression, and the conditions during WWII as key themes. The second half of the class looks at how the Holocaust has been remembered (and forgotten) in different national contexts. EURO; HH; PUHY.
HY 357 World War I. Professor Charles Clark. MW 10:00 – 10:50. Recitations R 9, R 10, F 8, F 10. World War I deals with the social, cultural, and economic aspects of the war, the role that technology played in the outcome, and the impact of the war on the world today. Students write two six-to-eight-page comparative papers, identify important images from the war, and write in-class essays to assess understanding. EURO.
HY 361 Russia to 1894. Professor Margaret Peacock. MW 2 – 3:15. In Imperial Russian history, fact is always stranger than fiction. Come study incendiary homing pigeons, king pretenders, tsars who love dentistry, and the original emo kids. In this course, we examine the Viking roots of ancient Rus, the brutal centuries of Mongol domination, the consolidation of power under the early Russian princes, the rise of the Romanov dynasty, and the many people who fought against autocratic rule in the years building up to the Russian Revolution. The course examines autocracy as a political and legal system. It explores Russian national identity at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the constant struggle between individual and collective rights that marked Russian intellectual thought, and the factors that make people resort to revolution amidst oppression. LGHY; EURO.
HY 378 Drugs, Booze & Mexican Society. Professor Steven Bunker. TR 12:30 – 1:45. This course is a hybrid survey of Mexican history since conquest, the history of the US-Mexican border, and a view of that history through the lens of drug production, consumption, and influence on Mexican society and US-Mexican relations. In short, the goal of this course is to impart an understanding of drugs as embedded in Mexican social, political, economic, and cultural contexts, providing students with a view from the Mexican side of the border. Alcohol and marijuana will be the focus of the course, but other substances will enter into certain readings throughout the semester. An important theme in this course is to answer the question “What are the origins of today’s War on Drugs?” In addition, the course will endeavor to provide a broader, international context for the development and use of intoxicants and the drug trade, both legal and illegal. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 384 Ancient Egypt Near East. Professor Patrick Hurley. MWF 10 – 10:50. This course focuses on the history of Egypt and the Nile Valley from the earliest times through to the fall of the New Kingdom at the beginning of the first millennium BC, continuing through to the conquest of that land by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. While this course will focus mainly on the history of the Egyptian part of the Nile Valley, the history of Egypt’s relations with foreign nations will also be examined. It will also look at the socio-economic as well as religious history of the region, with emphasis given on how Egyptian society and culture persisted through despite times of upheaval and change. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 386 History of Rome. Professor Patrick Hurley. MWF 1:00 – 1:50. This course explores the history of Rome from the founding of the city to the rise of the Empire and beyond. Special attention will be paid to the individuals, institutions, and customs that contributed to the development of a distinctive Roman identity. EURO.
HY 393 British Empire & Commonwealth. Professor Matthew Lockwood. TR 12 – 1:45. By the 1920s, the British Empire stretched over nearly a quarter of the Earth’s surface and governed nearly a quarter of its entire population. This course will examine the formation and dissolution of the British Empire from its earliest expansions into Ireland to the complicated process of decolonization that continues to this day. Topics covered will include world exploration, settlement formation, imperial warfare, consumption practices and luxury goods, imperial culture, slavery, migration and immigration, and the effect of empire on today’s world. From Ireland to Barbados, Virginia to India, Iraq to Canada, Australia to South Africa, we will explore the ways in which the British empire shaped and was shaped by world history. EURO.
HY 402 The Two Koreas. Profesor Sean Han. TR 12:30 – 1:45. Today, North Korea’s nuclear program and ballistic missile feed our news media, and Samsung Smartphones from South Korea gained a presence in people’s daily lives. Despite Korea’s importance, its past and present remain poorly understood, even among highly educated people in the Western world. This course will examine Two Korea’s recent past colonization, the Korean War, economic takeoff and stagnation, cultures of the Cold War, globalization and isolation, and the most recent phenomena of the so-called Korean Wave. By reading, watching, and discussing various materials, including scholarly works, primary sources, films, and TV dramas, this course allows students to trace salient features of cross-cultural and transnational aspects in Korean society. No Korean language skill is required. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 403 Law & Society in Chinese History. Professor Di Luo. TR 9:30 – 10:45. This course explores the place of law in Chinese society and culture. We will cover various topics, including the Chinese legal tradition, its modern transformations, judicial practices, government, popular legal knowledge, and the social effects of legal system. Students will read and discuss both primary and secondary sources to study conceptions of law and justice, as well as the operations of judicial system in Chinese history. Students will also develop a broader understanding of the historical development of Chinese society, culture, and government. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 404 Modern China since 1600. Professor Di Luo. TR 2 – 3:15. This course provides a general but analytic survey of the history of China from the 17th to the 20th century. After a brief introduction to China’s geography, languages, and cultural background, we will discuss key historical phenomena that have distinguished China’s evolution in the modern period. The course is organized around the paired themes of non-Chinese attempts to challenge or undermine China’s sovereignty and Chinese responses to those efforts, partly and especially since 1895 to achieve wealth and power for their nation. For this reason, emphasis is placed on political, military, and social developments, although some attention is also given to economic and intellectual ones. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 405-001 (W) Early Modern Black Britain. Professor Jenny Shaw. T 2 – 4:30. What did it mean to be Black in early modern Britain? This course introduces students to Black Britain revealing how people from the African continent were living in England and Scotland (sometimes free, sometimes as bound servants, sometimes enslaved), long before the Windrush Generation of the twentieth century. We will examine how anti-Black racism developed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, look at the ways that the transatlantic slave trade and enslavement itself shaped Black experiences in Britain, and explore the contributions of Britain’s Black subjects to early modern empire. The course centers the experiences of Black individuals – the boys in runaway slave advertisements, resourceful Susannah Mingo, skilled musicians at Court like John Blanke, polymath extraordinaire Ignatius Sancho, “Son of Africa” abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, and the elusive Dido Belle. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. EURO; HH.
HY 406-002 (W) Alabama Memories. Professor John Giggie. W 2 – 4:30. This course, sponsored by the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, is organized around researching the history of lynching and its public remembrance in Alabama. Building on work by Equal Justice Initiative, we will, for spring 2023, focus on Black women who were lynched and efforts to remember them. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. US; HH, PUHY, LGHY.
HY 439 (W) Foundations in Public History. Professor Julia Brock. TR 2 – 3:15. In this course, you will absorb readings, participate in discussions, and undertake hands-on work that will begin your engagement with the field of public history. By the end of the course, you will be familiar with major debates that engage public historians; the professional workplaces of public historians; new directions in the field; and the ways in which we accomplish our goal of working in partnership with stakeholders to make the past accessible to public audiences. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. PUHY; US; HH.
HY 476 (W) Caribbean Pirates in History & Popular Culture. Professor Juanjo Ponce Vazquez. R 3 – 5:30. Their imagery of Caribbean pirates has become commercialized and ever-present in western culture to the point that everyone has heard about them. In this course, we will first learn who the real pirates of the Caribbean were, their impact in defining international trade, as well as the imperial aspirations of early modern European states in the New World. We will look into the Golden Age of Piracy, how pirates lived and died, their meteoric rise in the New World and the reasons for their final decline. While doing this, we will also explore the ways in which Caribbean piracy has been portrayed in multiple media formats, mostly film, board games, and video games. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. LA/A/ME/A.
HY 481 (W) War/Dipl. in Med & Modern Europe. Professor Daniel Riches. TR 9:30 – 10:45. This course examines developments in European warfare and diplomatic practice in the late medieval and early modern periods. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. EURO.
HY 494 (W) Britain in the Victoria Age. Professor John Beeler. TR 11:00 – 12:15.Great Britain racked up an impressive number of “firsts” during the course of the nineteenth century: it was the first industrialized country in the world, the first urban society, one of the first countries to establish a mass electoral representative government, and the first to suffer industrial decline (a phenomenon familiar to present-day Americans), to mention only the most dramatic transformations which took place between 1815 and 1914. This course will survey the history of Britain during the years of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901) as well as the two decades prior to her accession and the dozen years following her death. The focus will be wide-ranging, touching on such issues as the standard of living of the upper and lower classes, the status (legal and societal) of women, British foreign policy, imperialism and the Empire, and, certainly not least of all, Ireland. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course. EURO.
HY 497 (Formerly HY 430) Capstone Research Seminar. This course offers students extensive training in historical research methods and writing. It will normally culminate in a 15-page research paper based on primary source materials, as well as an oral presentation. Instructors may also choose to offer a range of equivalent alternatives at their discretion. In all events the course will offer students a rewarding opportunity to practice the craft of historical research. A grade of C or higher is required for credit in the major. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
HY 497-001 (W) Women in Twentieth Century Europe. Professor Holly Grout. M 2 – 4:30. In this course, students will conduct original research in the history of women in Europe during the twentieth century. Areas of student research might include histories of: everyday life; labor and consumption; art and literature; leisure and travel; war; memoir and life writing; celebrity; civil rights and suffrage; feminist movements; and politics. Each student will identify an area of particular interest and develop a research project using the methods of gender history. The final project will include a 15-18 page research essay based on primary source analysis and secondary source reading as well as a 20-minute in-class multimedia presentation. Additionally, students will complete readings on the practice of history and on the craft of historical writing; develop an original research topic (in conjunction with the instructor and/or university librarians); identify and analyze primary sources and secondary literature relevant to the selected topic; develop and implement a research plan; submit a variety of short assignments related to the project throughout the semester; complete a detailed outline for peer review; and complete a full essay draft for review by the instructor before the final draft is due. This seminar will meet weekly; however, some weeks might be devoted to individual meetings. Reading proficiency in a European language (other than English) would be helpful but is not required. Students must have 18 hours of history (with some of those preferably in European history) to enroll in the course. Students must earn a ‘C’ or higher to pass this class. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-002 (W) Late Medieval Christianity. Professor James Mixson. W 2 – 4:30. This undergraduate research seminar examines the nature of medieval religion and its relationship to European society c. 1200-1500, from the religious movements of the twelfth century to the eve of the Reformation. The course is explicitly focused on the history of medieval Christianity. But the readings and discussion will seek, where possible, to account for Christianity’s complex dialogic relationships with Judaism and Islam. The religious transformations of this era are now recognized as foundational for the longer history of Europe into the early modern period. They produced a rich corpus of source material and have been the subject of considerable scholarly debate for a generation and more. The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, in particular, now stand as both rich and strongly contested scholarly territory. This course invites you to engage the challenge of medieval religious history as a field. The ultimate aim of this course is to complete an original, primary-source based research project. Students will work in close consultation with both the instructor and with classmates to explore and engage a topic, to develop an extensive bibliography, to research and write. Students then conclude the course by presenting their findings in two ways: a formal written research paper of 18-20 pages, and an extended formal research presentation. There are no prerequisites for the course, although enrollment in HY 101 and/or HY 442/443 would be helpful. In keeping with departmental policy, students must receive a grade of ‘C’ or better to receive degree credit for the course. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-003 (W) Post-WWI Europe. Professor Janek Wasserman. T 2 – 4:30. Europe underwent major social and cultural transformations between World War I and the end of the Cold War. New mass movements, scientific theories and policies, and avant-garde artistic forms developed during this tumultuous period that continue to shape the world today. In this class, students will conduct original research in the social and cultural history of Europe between 1914 and 1989. Areas of student research might include histories of: social, cultural, or intellectual movements; scientific theories/policies; art and literature; leisure and travel; labor history; everyday life; and class, race, gender, and sexuality. Each student will identify an area of particular interest and develop a research project using the methods of social, cultural, or intellectual history. The final project will include a 15-25 page research essay based on primary source analysis and secondary source reading as well as a 20-minute in-class multimedia presentation. While reading proficiency in other languages would be helpful it is not necessary. Students must earn a ‘C’ or higher to pass this class. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-004 (W) Early American Legal History. Professor Heather Kopelson. T 2 – 4:30. In this course, students will develop an independent research topic that investigates how laws and legal systems affect the lives of everyday individuals in early America, broadly defined to mean 1500-1750 in all of the Americas, and how individuals maneuver within and challenge those laws and systems. Readings at the beginning of the semester will examine broad areas of legal development, including status, gender, race, labor, property, the state, and citizenship or subjecthood. This course may, upon permission from concentration director, count towards the Legal History Concentration. Students must earn a ‘C’ or higher to pass this class. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-005 (W) Capstone Research Seminar. Professor Steven Bunker. R 2 – 4:30. In this course, students will devise a research project of their choosing on the history of Latin America or US-Latin American Relations. In conjunction with the instructor, students will explore the nature and process of historical research, identify a topic for their semester’s work, conduct primary and secondary source research, and write up their findings in an original paper at least fifteen pages of text (with a maximum of 25, not including bibliography, cover page, etc.) with an accompanying 15-minute oral presentation to the class incorporating multimedia technologies such as PowerPoint. Students must earn a ‘C’ or higher to pass this class. Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.