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.
Interim Term: May 6 – May 24
HY 307-002 Mexican History Through Film. Professor Steven Bunker. MTWRF 9:30-12:30 – Interactive Audio/Video Course. This course will examine Mexican history from the late-colonial period to present day through the lens of film produced in Mexico and the US. We will watch a movie a day and have readings that correspond to the film and/or the period/theme in question. We will examine the film’s historical subject and its presentation, but we will also analyze each film as a primary source and an expression of the time period in which it was produced.
HY 348-001 History of Games. Professor Chuck Clark. MTWRF 9 – Noon. The goal of this course is to use the games of various societies as a primary source, a “window” into portions of the human experience at differing times and places, and to incorporate experiential learning by adding gameplay and rule discussion to scholarly readings and class discussion. Thus, we will study a series of specific games, and the societies which produced them, focusing on games which involve mastery of rules and chance rather than on contests of physical skill or endurance.
HY 406-001 (W) Retirement History & Your Future. Professor Steven Bunker. MTWRF 10-11:45. This is a course for those who are wondering about their future financial security in retirement and how our retirement system came to be. It’s not your typical history class. Ever wondered what the difference is between an IRA and a 401k or a defined contribution plan and a defined benefit plan? And what a Roth, an index fund, or an expense ratio is? In this course you will learn both the origins and evolution of our retirement system (such as Social Security, Medicare, and the 401k) as well as an understanding and explanation of how to plan for and navigate your future.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 406-002 (W) Outraged Europe. Professor Holly Grout. MTWRF 10-1. What do Oscar Wilde, Jack the Ripper, and Alfred Dreyfus all have in common? All three dominated the European press and tabloid headlines between 1880 and 1914. Indeed, this period in history, referred to as the “fin de siècle,” or the “end of the century” was riddled with anxiety and characterized by malaise. Why were Europeans so anxious? What were they so concerned about? What role did the media play in creating and generating these fears? To answer these questions, this class examines European anxiety at the turn of the twentieth century through the lens of some of the century’s most salacious and divisive public scandals. In the first week “Bad Girls,” we explore how the unraveling of the middle-class family threatened to tear apart the social fabric. In the second week, “Bad Boys,” we investigate how scandals of sex and sexuality fueled fears of depopulation, degeneracy, and national decline. In week three, “Bad Press,” we turn our attention to two political scandals that divided the French nation in the years just before the WWI. Students will complete three 60-minute exams over readings and lecture material, and a short tabloid project in which they use modern media technology to reimagine and to reinterpret one of the scandals that we study.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
Summer II July 3 – 31
HY 358 World War II. Professor Chuck Clark. MTWRF 10-11:45 The global conflict, or series of conflicts, from Manchukuo in 1931 to Tokyo Bay in 1945, with emphasis on battles on land and sea and in the air, life on the home fronts and in enemy-occupied areas, and the legacy of the war to future generations. EURO
Full Summer Term May 28 – July 31 – Multiple offerings; 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