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 Designations
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 112-001 Modern Latin America since 1808. Professor Steve Bunker. TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM. Survey of political, economic, and social life in the 19th and 20th centuries with emphasis on the larger countries (Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina).
HY 114-001 Modern Asia since 1400. Professor Sean Han. MWF 11:00 – 11:50 AM. An introductory and comparative survey of modern Asian history that focuses on China, Korea, and Japan. We will examine major political, social, economic, and military issues that have shaped Asia from 1400 to the present. One goal of this course is to understand the evolution of sociopolitical structure in each country; a second goal is the study of the long-lasting interactions among these countries as well as their contact with the West.
HY 116-001 History of Science 1800. Professor Erik Peterson. MW 10:00 – 10:50 AM. Recitations: R 9, R 10, F 9, F 10. 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 modern world? This course is intended as an introduction to the history of modern 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 “modern.” 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 118-001 World History since 1500. Professor Patrick Hurley. MW 1:00 – 1:50 PM. Recitations: R 11, R 12, F 9, 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.
300- & 400-Level Course Designations
- 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 305 Special Topics in European History:
HY 305-001 History of Fascism. Professor Janek Wasserman. MW 2:00 – 3:15 PM. This course explores the ideological origins and historical development of one of the twentieth century’s most controversial movements. It investigates fascism’s popularity, complexity and lasting significance. More than an Italian and/or German phenomenon, fascism affected states and peoples across Europe and the globe, from the interwar era until the present. EURO
HY 305-002 British Popular Culture & Music. Professor John Beeler. TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM. This course will survey the development of British pop music from the dawn of the rock ‘n’ roll era in the mid-1950s to the contemporary music scene, within the larger context of the country’s post-World War Two socio-cultural history. It will not, in other words, focus solely on artists and music, but will situate them within their broader economic, social, cultural, and political contexts. EURO
HY 306 Special Topics in American History:
HY 306-001 Sexual Revolutions in America. Professor Lisa Lindquist-Dorr. MWF 12:00 – 12:50 PM. The term “sexual revolution” may bring to mind particular images of the 1960s and 1970s, but this class asks whether there were other moments during the history of the United States when ideas and practices surrounding sexuality changed in profound, even revolutionary ways. Beginning with the period of settlement and continuing to the present, this class examines significant changes in understandings of human sexuality, what brought about those changes, how they reflected and challenged larger culture, as well as the ways in which ideas of race and gender shaped the sexual possibilities for different groups of Americans. In the process, we consider whether this is a story of progress toward greater sexual liberation and happiness or something else entirely. Topics covered include dating, marriage, birth control, abortion, same-sex relationships, and pornography. US, HH, LGHY
HY 306-002 US Constitution at War. Professor Zac Smith. TR 2:00 – 5:30 PM. The U.S. Constitution grants the federal government significant yet vague wartime powers. This course will examine the federal government and the courts’ changing interpretations of these powers, the impact of American social and cultural trends on those interpretations, and the repercussions of the government’s exercising of its constitutional war powers. The periodization of the course runs from the late colonial period to the 21st century War on Terrorism. US, LGHY
HY 307 Topics in Latin America, Asian, Middle Eastern, or African History:
HY 307-001 Age of the Samurai. Professor Patrick Hurley. MWF 9:00 – 9:50 AM. This course covers the history of Japan from earliest times, through to the medieval and Early Modern period down to the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868. Students will examine how the Japanese, who shared a sense of national unity in their regard for the person of the emperor of Japan, were in practice divided largely by Japan’s feudal system which was dominated by the daimyo and their armed retainers, the samurai. As well as the political and military history of Japan receiving coverage during this period, students will also look at the social, religious, and economic environment in which the samurai lived, and how their code of bushido held them to higher standards than everyone else. LA/A/ME/A
HY 307-002 Korean Pop Culture. Professor Sean Han. MWF 10:00 – 10:50 AM. This course introduces the contemporary popular culture of Korea in its historical context from the early twentieth century to the present. Students will watch a couple of Korean films, documentaries, listen to K-pop songs, and more. That is to say, this course will be amusing. However, this course does not stop there. Students are expected to actively engage in class activities—reading scholarly texts, attending the lecture regularly, and participate in class discussions while enjoying the entertainment. The course will begin with reading selected historical and theoretical texts in popular culture and modern Korean studies. Then, students will examine core issues in modern Korean society—colonization, the Korean War, economic development, gender dynamics, social movements, religion through the prism of its cultural products. The goal of this course is to learn “culture” as an essential category of critical analysis of the political dynamics of contemporary culture. Students will work on projects connecting with local and global K-pop communities, exploring the rich cultural and social resources. LA/A/ME/A
HY 309-399 Topics in US, Legal, Euro, and Hidden History
HY 309 The Great Cases in US Legal History. Professor Lawrence Cappello. TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM. 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, the “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. US, LGHY
HY 315 The Civil War. Professor Lesley Gordon. TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM. 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 322 Age of Franklin Roosevelt. Professor Chuck Clark. MWF 11:00 – 11:50 AM. The Great Depression and the Second World War were crucial in shaping the American political, social, economic and cultural landscape for decades, and continue to impact our lives today. Much of the era coincided with the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, who was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president, and actually served in that office for thirteen years. The Age of Roosevelt class will explore the problems that faced the United States in the thirties and forties, the solutions that generation tried in order to solve their problems, and the impact of policy on the inhabitants of the United States. The class will aid you in building critical thinking skills, give you a basic introduction to a set of historical literature, and expose you to primary sources from the Depression and the Second World War. US, LGHY
HY 330 Civil Rights Movement. Professor Kari Frederickson. MWF 10:00 – 10:50 AM. This course will examine the major issues, tactics, and personalities involved in the twentieth century’s most important social and political movement. The course will cover roughly from World War II to the 1970s. US, HH, LGHY
HY 351 The First Amendment. Professor Lawrence Cappello. TR 3:30 – 4:45 PM. This course explores the evolution of the First Amendment throughout American legal history from its creation in the 18th century to the digital age. Major themes will include free speech law, slander and libel law, the “establishment” and “free exercise” clauses, the legal boundaries of public protest, and how these things have changed over time. US, LGHY
HY 358 World War II. Professor Chuck Clark. TR 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM. 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
HY 362 Russia-Soviet Union since 1894. Professor Margaret Peacock. TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM. Crisis in Russian society and the coming of the Revolution; the emergence of Stalinism; and political developments since World War II, including the disintegration of the Soviet system. EURO
HY 385 History of Greece. Professor Patrick Hurley. MWF 10:00 – 10:50 AM. This course examines the History of Greece from its Minoan and Mycenaean origins in the 3rd millennium BC through to the end of the Classical Age which ended with the death of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). By examining literary and archaeological source materials, students will especially focus on the periods of the Archaic and Classical Ages. In doing so, they will get a better understanding of Ancient Greece’s political, religious, economic, social, and philosophical history. While special attention will be given to Athens, the birthplace of democracy, as well as the militaristic society of Sparta, attention will be given as well to those areas of the Mediterranean colonized by the Greeks such as the Ionian Coast as well as Sicily. EURO
HY 406 Topics in American History.
HY 406 (W) Museums and Historic Sites. Professor Julia Brock. TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM. This course explores history museums and historic sites: their history, how they function, and the controversies as to their purpose in contemporary society. In addition to engaging with the theory and principles of museum practice, we’ll survey work in museums, including in collections, education and interpretation, exhibit design, and administration. We’ll make site visits as a class and host guests from the museum field. The course counts as an elective for the Public History Concentration. US, HH, PUHY
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 406 (W) Alabama Memories. Professor John Giggie. R 2:00 – 4:30 PM. 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. US, HH, PUHY
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 407 (W) Law and Society in Modern China Professor Di Luo. TR 11:00 – 12:15 PM. This course explores the place of law in Chinese society and culture during the late imperial period and the 20th century. 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, LGHY
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 409 (W) American Revolution/New Nation. Professor Harold Selesky. TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM. The development of revolutionary sentiment in the North American colonies, the resulting revolution, and the subsequent efforts to establish the new nation. US
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 440 (W) Public History Internship. Professor Julia Brock. M 12:00 – 12:50 PM. This course provides a practical introduction to public history work via an internship. Public History internships offer an opportunity for students to apply knowledge gained through their academic training in history and public history to a meaningful, practical work experience under the mentorship of experienced and knowledgeable public history professionals. US, PUHY
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 448 Women in Europe since 1750. Dr. Holly Grout. R 2:00 – 4:30 PM. This course surveys European women’s experiences from the mid-eighteenth century to the present to examine how gender informs identity construction and to discern how it mediates relationships of power. The first part of the course focuses on the creation of the domestic model, which dictated that a woman’s “natural” role was domestic and maternal. We then consider the variety of ways that women challenged this model in the realms of politics, economics, education, consumer society, and culture. In the twentieth century, we focus on women’s relationship to war, feminism, and the sexual revolution. EURO, HH
HY 473 (W) Indians, Nuns, & Rogues. Professor Juan Ponce-Vazquez. TR 9:30 – 10:45 AM. In less 50 years after the conquest of Latin America, the Spanish built hundreds of urban centers across the region. From these cities, the Spanish extended their influence over a vast territory. In this course we will learn about Latin American colonial cities, how they were erected, and the varied cast of characters that populated their streets and neighborhoods: Indians, impoverished and wealthy Spaniards, enslaved and free Africans, people of mixed ancestry, bureaucrats, notaries, clergymen and nuns, all living in close proximity in a deeply hierarchical society. Their lives and interactions defined the character of Latin America during the colonial period and set the stage for the modern era. LA/A/ME/A, HH
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 474 (W) Relations US Latin America. Professor Steven Bunker. TR 2:00 – 3:15 PM. A survey of US-Latin American relations spanning from the birth of the American Republics up to the present day. The Monroe Doctrine was the cornerstone of US policy in the region for over 150 years, and an analysis of its origin, interpretations, and evolution serves as the unifying theme for this course. LA/A/ME/A
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 483 (W) Thirty Years’ War. Professor Daniel Riches. TR 11:00 – 12:15 PM. This course explores the background, events, and consequences of the largest and most destructive war of the early modern period, the Thirty Years’ War that raged in the center of Europe from 1618 to 1648. We will examine not only the history of the war itself, but also the controversies that continue to divide scholars over the causes, nature, and significance of the conflict. Readings will include both primary and secondary sources. EURO
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 491 (W) England under Stuarts. Professor Lucy Kaufman. MW 2:00 – 3:15 PM. Divided by a civil war that pitted monarch against Parliament, seventeenth-century England saw the foundation of institutions and ideas that shape our world to this day. From the ideas of Hobbes and Locke to the scientific writings of Margaret Cavendish, from the execution of Charles I to the creation of the first Bill of Rights, from Shakespeare to Milton to Aphra Behn, from the settlement of North America to the long-lasting obsession with sugar, this course will explore a fascinating and transformative century. Topics covered will include the British Civil War; the development of constitutional law; legal and political theory; the foundation of the American and Caribbean colonies; the development of London into a metropolis; the rise and fall of Puritanism and religious radicalism; the growth of welfare and poor relief; the changing role of women; the creation of political parties; popular politics and public opinion; the Scientific Revolution; and English theatre and drama. EURO, LGHY
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
Capstone Research Seminars
HY 497-001 (W) The Modern South. Professor Julia Brock. M 2:00 – 4:30 PM. This seminar allows you to focus on a research topic within the history of the U.S. South and in a broad temporal range. The twentieth century saw dramatic transformation of the South in many ways–economically, socially, politically; in law and policy; in the environment and landscape; in music, literature, and visual art. In the course you will draw from and analyze primary sources found in physical and digital repositories; engage with relevant secondary historical literature; and hone your writing abilities to craft a piece of original scholarship on an aspect of the modern (or modernizing) South and as your “capstone” project for the History major.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-002 (W). Slavery at The University of Alabama. Professor Jenny Shaw. W 2:00 – 4:30 PM. Students in this class will write a research paper centering the life of an enslaved person who labored at The University of Alabama between 1831 and 1865. Enslaved people built and maintained the infrastructure of the University, they served students and professors in and out of the classroom, they cooked, cleaned, hauled water, and laundered clothing, they designed, fashioned, and repaired furnishings and equipment, using their skills and expertise to facilitate campus life. At the same time, they were subjected to discipline and violence (from both faculty and students), lived at a remove from their loved ones, and were confined by their bonded status and the racism that dictated their lives. Each student will examine the extensive sources on slavery at UA held in the Hoole Special Collections Library to identify a specific person who will become the subject of their paper. Additionally, students will complete readings on the practice of history and on the craft of historical writing; develop and implement a research plan; submit a variety of short assignments throughout the semester; and complete several peer reviews. The seminar meets weekly; however, several weeks will be devoted to individual meetings.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-003 (W) East Asia and The World. Professor Di Luo. T 2:00 – 4:30 PM. Students in this class will write a research paper on some aspect of the history of East Asia (China, Korea, and Japan) or its interaction with the rest of the world. The final project will include a 15-20 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 and implement a research plan; submit a variety of short assignments throughout the semester; and complete several peer reviews. The seminar meets weekly; however, several weeks will be devoted to individual meetings. Skills in East Asian languages are not required.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.
HY 497-004 (W) The Cold War at Home & Abroad. Professor Margaret Peacock. R 2:00 – 4:30 PM. Come do what historians do! This course offers students the opportunity to do original research in primary sources within the field of Cold War history (cultural, social, political, economic, and military history, as well as the history of public and diplomatic relations). In an encouraging environment that includes lots of one-on-one instruction and peer feedback, students learn how to do research, how to organize information, and how to write. The final product of this course will be a paper of approximately 15-20 pages and an accompanying oral presentation to the class. The seminar will meet weekly but several weeks will be devoted to individual meetings with Dr. Peacock. Do not be afraid of this course! At the end of it, students often say that this was their favorite.
Writing proficiency within this discipline is required for a passing grade in this course.