History Courses

HH205 Western Civilization: Culture, Ethics and Society to 1776 (3-0-3). Analyzes the historical evolution of ethical thought and its impact upon European politics and culture from the Classical Age to the Enlightenment. Given that a society's culture expresses the ethical concerns, ideals and aspirations of its members, this course approaches the development of Western civilization to 1776 through a study of its ideas and institutions. By studying the critical moral and practical choices made by societies and individuals through the ages, this course examines the ethical legacy of the past in order to illuminate and deepen the student's understanding of the values and institutions of contemporary Western society. [fall, spring, summer]

HH206 Civilization and the Atlantic Community: Culture, Ethics and Society Since 1776 (3-0-3). Pursues the study of Western values and ideas from the American Revolution to the present. In this course, the intellectual and ethical legacy of Europe is examined as a major influence upon the development of American culture. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of Enlightenment ideas on the American and French revolutions (including an examination of the U.S. Constitution),the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the values and ideas of Westernsociety and on the integration of the West with the world in the 20th century. Prereq: HH205. [fall, spring, summer]

HH262 Perspectives on History (3-0-3). A methodology course in which majors acquire the basic technical skills required for research and writing in subsequent courses in history and other humanities and social sciences disciplines. Prereq: 3/C HHS major. [fall, spring]

HH311 Athens: Military Democracy (3-0-3). Examines the origins of Western democracy in 5th-century B.C. Athens. Focus is on the problems of democratic constitutions in settling foreign policy, surviving extended wars, administering foreign territories and dealing with questions of inequality at home. [fall]

HH312 Imperial Rome (3-0-3). Study of the most successful of Western states with emphasis on models for bureaucratization, military defense and the incorporation of various ethnic groups. [spring]

HH315 The Age of Chivalry and Faith (3-0-3). Surveys the history and culture of Western Europe beween about A.D. 1050 and about A.D. 1300, the period generally known as the High Middle Ages. The course traces the emergence of two self-defined medieval aristocracies: those who fight (the knighthood) and those who pray (the Christian clergy). Special attention is paid to developments in the socio-political systems of the age, kingship and lordship; to the culture of the medieval aristocracy, chivalry; to movemements of religious enthusiasm; and to the evolution of the Catholic Church into a papal monarchy. [spring]

HH316 Age of Religious Wars (3-0-3). Focuses on the emergence of modern civilization (1500-1763) from the discoveries and rediscoveries of the Renaissance, the sweeping changes brought by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and the excitement of both scientific and political revolution. [fall]

HH318 War and Society in Modern Europe (3-0-3). A study of the origins and consequences of war on European society. The societal response to both total and cold war is assessed. War is examined as a force promoting change, including responses ranging from fascism through European economic unity. [fall]

HH321 Revolutionary Russia -- Peter the Great to Lenin (3-0-3). A study of Russian history from the founding of Moscow to 1917, examining the domestic and external forces responsible for shaping the structure of Russian society and culture. [fall]

HH322 The Rise and Fall of Soviet Communism (3-0-3) . An examination of the Revolution of 1917 and the development of the Soviet Union, emphasizing the institutions and policies adopted to meet domestic and foreign problems. [spring]

HH327 Germany and the Nazi Experience (3-0-3). Focuses on the antecedents of national socialism, including the Second Reich and WorldWar I eras, the Nazi experience itself, and the legacy it bequeathed totoday's German state. [fall]

HH329 Modern France: Napoleon to DeGaulle (3-0-3). This course examines France from the revolutionary upheaval of the late 18th century through its role in the Western world since World War II. Roughly the first half of the course will deal with the revolutions of 1789 and 1792 and their impact upon 19th-century France. The second half of the course will consider the experience of France in the 20th century and the changes forced upon the nation by two world wars fought on French soil. [spring]

HH330 Imperial Encounters (3-0-3). Great Britain from 1750 to the present. Begins with an analysis of Britain's political and social institutions. It then examines the changes brought about by industrialization at home, revolutions abroad and expansion of the empire. At its end, thecourse highlights the simultaneous eclipse of Britain as a world power and the increasing prosperity of the masses of the British people. [fall]

HH331 Art and Ideas in Modern Europe (3-0-3). Explores the transformation of culture in the modern world. Examines how artists and intellectuals reacted to the long-range impacts of the democratic and industrial revolutions. Emphasis is placed on development of the fine arts in relation to pivotal ideas from 1750 to present. Prereq: HH206. [fall]

HH345 Colonial America (3-0-3). Examines the ways in which three diverse cultures--Indian, European, and African--converged on the North American land mass before the American Revolution; topics include French, Spanish, and English exploration and settlement patterns, European-Indian encounters, gender, witchcraft, religion, slavery and race, the family, political ideas and institutions, and war and warmaking. [fall]

HH346 Revolutionary America and the Early Republic (3-0-3). Covers the remarkable transformation in American society from 1760 to 1820 as thirteen separate and distinct colonies struggled ideologically, militarily,and politically to establish a governmental and social system that would suit the needs of a large, diverse, and rapidly expanding population. The background to the Revolution, the actual conduct of the war, and the construction of state and national governments are treated in detail. [spring]

HH347 Civil War, Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1845-1896 (3-0-3) . An examination of the political, economic and social developments from the origins of the Civil War to 1896, including the wounding of the nation in a civil war and the subsequent reunification. [fall]

HH349 Emergence of Modern America 1896-1945 (3-0-3). Examination of political, social, intellectual, diplomatic and economic aspects of American history from the Spanish-American War to the end of World WarII. Special emphasis is placed on Progressivism, the emergence of the U.S. as a great power in World War I, the Depression and the New Deal, and WorldWar II. [fall]

HH350 United States Since World War II (3-0-3). A detailed examination of American history since 1945, including the onset of the Cold War in the 1950s, the domestic and foreign policy issues of the 1960s, Vietnam, Watergate and the Reagan era. [spring]

HH352 Film and American Society (3-0-3). This course explores the relations between motion pictures and the political/cultural life of a selected period. Films are studied as documents of an era and the extent to which they offer insights for historical understanding are considered. [spring]

HH353 American Social History (3-0-3). An examination of the evolution of American society from the perspective of private life and an evaluation of the influence of group identifications--class, race, gender, and ethnicity. Other topics include consumerism, sports, religion, and wars as factors that modify and enrich the social and cultural spectrum. [fall]

HH354 America in World Affairs (3-0-3). Surveys U.S. foreign relations from the colonial era to recent times, focusing on America's transformation from a colony to a preeminent world power. Examines the causes and international consequences of this dramatic shift, with particular emphasis on the twentieth century--the era of America's greatest influence on world affairs. [fall]

HH355 Art and Ideas in American Society (3-0-3). Examines the growth and development of intellectual concepts and artistic creativity in America from colonial times to the present. Emphasizes both the peculiarities of American creative and intellectual accomplishments and the place of those achievements in the broader Western tradition. [spring]

HH359 U.S. Sectional History: The West (3-0-3). Deals with the opening of the trans-Mississippi frontier. Topics emphasized include land policy, railroads, Indian wars and water policy. [fall]

HH360 U.S. Sectional History: The South (3-0-3). Surveys the growth and development of the American South with specific attention to the plantation economy and slavery, the Confederate experience, the riseof segregation and the Second Reconstruction. [spring]

HH361 History of East Asia (3-0-3). An analysis of contemporary Asian problems which considers their cultural and institutional origins, their 19th-century development under the impact of Western influence and their culmination in contemporary Asian nationalism. [fall]

HH362 History of the Middle East (3-0-3). A long-range historical approach to the Middle East's role in world affairs and the development of its cultural, political and military institutions. Emphasis is placed on strategic and diplomatic considerations. [spring]

HH363 Modern Latin America (3-0-3). The evolution of Latin American societies from independence to the present will be studied. Analyses ofsocial and political issues like slavery, race, immigration, popular religion, militarism, dictatorship, and revolution will be the focus of the course. Particular emphasis will be placed on Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Peru,Chile, and Cuba. [spring]

HH364 History of Africa (3-0-3). A survey of social, cultural and political developments on the African continent from the era before European colonization to the present. [fall]

HH365 Pre-Columbian and Iberian Empires (3-0-3). Pre-Columbian empires like the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca are studied through examinations of their cosmologies, styles of warfare, expansion, imperial consolidation, and collapse. Spanish and Portugese conquests in America will also be studied by focusing on military campaigns, imperial policies, race, ethnicity, slavery, and church-state relations through the Independence Era. [fall]

HH366 Comparative World Cultures (3-0-3). A team-taught course introducing students to the comparative study of Non-Western societiesand cultures before and during their initial contact with the West. [spring]

HH367 Topics in Regional History (3-0-3). A variety of specialized themes or eras in Non-Western history which are too unique or unusual to be integrated into the regular curriculum are selected for detailed analysis. Subjects vary from semester to semester and midshipmen are permitted to take only one "Regional Topics" course for academic credit. [fall, spring]

HH377 Topics in Thematic History (3-0-3). A variety of historical themes dealing with long term developmental processes will be submitted to detailed analyses. Subjects vary from semester to semester and are often team-taught. Examples of the kinds of themes to be studied are the process of modernization, the development of national identitities, capitalism, and the sense of self. Midshipmen are permitted to take only one "Thematic Topics" course for academic credit. [fall, spring]

HH380 History of Science and Technology (3-0-3). A survey of the history of scientific discoveries and their practical applications, from the early natural philosophers to the present, with emphasis on the scientific revolution of the 17th century, the Industrial Revolution and the information explosion of the 20th century. [spring]

HH381 Warfare in the Middle Ages, 500-1500 (3-0-3). Examines the development of tactics, strategy and military organizations from the Greek hoplite armies through the advent of gunpowder in the West. Placesthese developments in their social and economic context. [fall]

HH382 Warfare from the Renaissance to Napoleon (3-0-3). Examines the theory, practice, and nature of warfare on land and sea, both in Europe and European colonies, from about 1500 through the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon. Tactical, logistical, technological, and professional developments of Western armies and navies are studied in their political, economic, and social contexts. [fall]

HH383 The Age of Total War, 1815-1945 (3-0-3). Surveys the dimensions of warfare and civil-military relations from the end of the Napoleonic era through World War II. [fall]

HH384 Recent Military and Naval History (3-0-3). Surveys the dimensions of warfare and civil-military relations from the end of theWorld War II to the present. [spring]

HH385 The U.S. Marine Corps (3-0-3). The historical development of the U.S. Marine Corps is examined by tracing the evolution of its roles and missions, organization, capabilities, and institutional culture. Emphasis is placed on how the Marine Corps has perceived its role in American Society, and how it has been perceived by American society. [spring]

HH386 Topics in Naval/Military History (3-0-3). A variety of specialized themes or eras in naval/military history which are too unique or unusual to be integrated into the regular curriculum are selected for detailed analyis. Subjects vary from semester to semester, and midshipmen are permitted to take only one "Naval/Military Topics" course for academic credit. [spring]

HH462 Seminar in Advanced Studies (3-0-3). Offers midshipmen with a solid base in historical studies an opportunity to pursue the discipline at a level of greater sophistication. Taught in small, intensive seminars; individual sections will engage in a detailed examination of a selected historical topic. Each section will focus on a particular event or problem in history and on the interpretative debates surrounding it. Prereq: 1/C HHS major, or permission of department chairman. [fall, spring]

HH507 Honors Historiography (3-2-4). Focusing on the interpretive debates surrounding a particular event or problem in history, student swill learn to critically evaluate secondary texts, to discriminate between conflicting interpretations, and to make judgments regarding the meritsof different analyses. Prereq: Admission to the honors program in history.[fall]

HH508 Honors Colloquium (3-2-4). Students will propose, conceptualize, and refine their 1/C independent research projects. In the process, they will test different historical interpretations, and evaluate different philosophies of history. They will submit a series of short essays culminating in a precis specifiying both the topic of their Honors research projectsand the arguments these projects will advance. Prereq: HH507. [spring]

HH509 Honor Senior Thesis (3-2-4). With the guidance of a faculty adviser, students prepare analytical research papers interpreting an historical topic of their choice. Each student makes an oral presentation of the finished paper before the faculty-student Honors Committee and external readers. Prereq: HH507, HH508. [fall]

HH512 Honors Thesis Readings (2-0-2). After selecting a research topic and advisor, history honors students will engage in intensive reading of primary and secondary works related to the topic. Prereq: HHSH major.[spring]

Office of the Academic Dean & Provost Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Frederic I. Davis Comments to: fid@nadn.navy.mil

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