History Courses (New Jersey Institute of Technology)
HIST 213The 20th-Century World (3-0-3)Uses case studies to provide an interdisciplinary view of the 20th-century world. Selected literary, philosophical, and artistic movements are discussed in the context of the major historical developments of the century.Prerequisite: HUM 101. This course satisfies 3 credits of the NJIT general university requirements in cultural history.
HIST 214Tech & Culture In American History (3-0-3)This course examines the relationship between technology and society throughout the history of the United States. We analyze the roles and impacts of major technological innovations within their cultural and historical contexts, seeking to understand how these contexts shaped and were shaped by these technologies. Prerequisites: ENGL 101 with a grade of C or better, ENGL 102 pre- or co-requisite with a grade of C or better. This course satisfies the three credit 200 GER in History and Humanities.
HIST 310Co-op in Law, Technology, Culture, and History I (3-0-3)Students gain work experience related to their major in law, technology, and culture. Work assignments are facilitated and
approved by the co-op office. Requires mandatory participation in
seminars and completion of a report.History majors only. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 311Co-op in Law, Technology, Culture, and History II (3-0-3)Students gain work experience related to their major in law, technology, and culture. Work assignments are facilitated and approved by the co-op office. Requires mandatory participation in seminars and completion of a report.Prerequisites: HUM 101, HUM 102, and one from among HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents; R510:200 through 299 or R512:200 through 299 or their equivalents with a grade of C or better.
HIST 320Law and Evidence (3-0-3)This course considers the philosophical and technical question of what constitutes evidence in the US legal system.Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade C or higher and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 334Environmental History of North America (3-0-3)The history of interactions between humans and their natural environment on the North American continent. Considers perceptions of, use of, and alteration of the environment. Traces the cultural, intellectual, economic, political, and technological transformations from early colonial times to the late 20th century. Addresses the diverse environmentalisms that have emerged the last several decades.Prerequisites: HUM 101, HUM 102, and one from among HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents; R510:200 through 299 or R512:200 through 299 or their equivalents with a grade of C or better.
HIST 338Environmental Justice and Climate Change in America (3-0-3)The history of interactions between humans and their natural environment on the North American Continent. Considers perceptions of, use of, and alteration of the environment. Traces the cultural, intellectual, economic, political and technological transformations from early colonial times to the late 20th century. Addresses the diverse environmentalisms that have emerged the last several decades. Examines the history of environmental inequality within the United States, especially in poor and minority communities, as well as the rise of the environmental justice movement during the post-World War II period. Considers the numerous historical causes of environmental discrimination along with the strategies undertaken by local communities to alleviate such inequality. Topics include analysis of grassroots organizing, legal strategies, and policy implementation focused on fostering a more environmentally just society. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade C or higher and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 341The American Experience (3-0-3)American history from the colonies to the 20th century, with concentration on several selected themes basic to an understanding of the changing cultural patterns and social values of American civilization.Prerequisites: HUM 101, HUM 102, and one from among HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents; R510:200 through 299 or R512:200 through 299 or their equivalents with a grade of C or better.
HIST 342Civil Rights Revolution and Law (3-0-3)This course will examine what historians have been identifying as the civil rights revolution; the moment in the twentieth century when a host of interest groups began pursuing rights through the court system. We will begin by examining African Americans' campaign to gain civil rights through the courts and how political action supported and sometimes even exceeded this process. We will then examine how African Americans' success inspired or shored up the claims of other groups including women, Chicanos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ people, disabled people, and others, to pursue their rights in courts as well. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 345Communication through the Ages (3-0-3) Modes of communication, ancient and modern, in their social and cultural contexts--from cave painting to computers. Topics include literacy and economic development in the West; the technological revolution in media beginning with Daguerre, Morse, and Bell; the institutional development of mass media and popular culture; and contemporary trends in world communication and interaction. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 351Ancient Greece and the Persian Empire (3-0-3) The political, institutional, and cultural developments of ancient
Greece and the Persian Empire from the Mycenean period to the King's
Peace (386 BC).Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 352The Hellenistic States and the Roman Republic (3-0-3) The political and cultural developments of the Hellenistic states and their influence on the Republic of Rome to 30 BC. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 361The Founding of the American Nation (3-0-3) North America in the colonial and revolutionary periods, with emphasis on patterns of cultural and institutional development from early settlement through the ratification of the Constitution. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 362Sex, Gender, and the Law in American History (3-0-3)Examines how the U.S. legal system has dealt with the problems of sex and gender. Surveys laws that dictated different roles for men and women as well as seemingly gender-neutral laws that affected men and women differently. Tracks the designation of sexual acts as legal or illegal and the ways that race, class, and nationality complicated these relationships. Prerequisites: HUM 101, HUM 102, and one from among HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents; R510:200 through 299 or R512:200 through 299 or their equivalents with a grade of C or better.
HIST 363The United States as a World Power (3-0-3) American domestic and foreign policy in the 20th century. Topics include imperialism, the Progressive Era, the Depression, the New Deal, World Wars I and II, the cold war, and America and the world today. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 364American Law in the World (3-0-3)Concerns the history of American law as a product and catalyst of
world politics by considering in global context the transformation of
central doctrines of regulation, property rights, and civil liberties
from the Declaration of the Independence through the war on terror.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 365Comparative Colonial History (3-0-3) A comparative analysis of the relationship between expanding Western nations and selected regions of Africa, Asia, and South America from 1500 to 1970. Case study approach illuminates key historical processes, with emphasis on economic development and cultural change in colonial settings. Topics include European perceptions of culturally different peoples, race relations in colonial societies, forms of rebellion and resistance to European rule, and nationalist movements. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 366Gender, Race, and Identity in American History (3-0-3) Surveys social construction of gender in American history from the 17th century to the present. Examines changing gender roles and relations that have characterized and structured the historical experiences of different racial and ethnic groups. In a multicultural framework, covers impact that colonization, industrialization, slavery, immigration and migration, urbanization, war, and social movements have had on the ways that women and men think of themselves in terms of gender, as well as their respective roles in families and larger social networks. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 367International Law and Diplomacy in History (3-0-3) Examines the origins, evolution, and application of diplomacy and international law from the 15th century to the present. Topics include the rise of modern diplomacy in Renaissance Italy; the emergence of international law and professionalization of diplomacy in early modern Europe; the development of international law and diplomatic theory in the 18th and 19th centuries; the codification of international law; and adaptation of international law to transnationalism and globalism in the 20th century.
Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 369Law and Society in History (3-0-3)Uses historical
case studies to illustrate and evaluate various approaches to the study
of law and society. Topics include criminality and the rise of
incarceration as a legal penalty in the 19th century; the comparative
law of slavery; and the evolution of American Indian law.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 370Legal Issues in the History of Media (3-0-3)Investigates the development and impact of media
law and policy in the United States. Examines how media law and policy
affect media content, industry behavior, and consumer rights. Analyzes the
values and ideas, as well as political and cultural contexts, that have
guided continuities and transformations in media law and policy. Topics
include indecency and obscenity, copyright and intellectual property,
legal protection for children, and media ownership regulation.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 372Contemporary Europe (3-0-3) European society in the 20th century, nationalism, imperialism, totalitarianism, movements toward European unity, and prominent cultural developments. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 373The Rise of Modern Science (3-0-3)Examines the development of modern science in the Western world from the origins of the scientific revolution to 1900.
Explores how science challenged the revealed universe of Christianity,
changed the curriculum in schools and universities, and altered the
worldview of philosophers. This course covers the achievements of
Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, and other leading
scientific innovators, but it also weaves the expansion of scientific
knowledge into the larger fabric of European intellectual history.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 374Modern Russian Civilization (3-0-3) Russia under the last tsars; the 1917 upheavals; rise of the Soviet state to world power under Lenin, Stalin, and others, until the collapse of the communist dictatorship. Prerequisites: HUM 101, and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 375Legal Issues in Environmental History (3-0-3)Examines the role of law in the formation of human relationships with the natural world. The course will focus on the management and regulation of the human use of natural resources in a variety of historical contexts, but particularly in the United States from colonial times to the present. Through readings and class discussion, students will explore a number of recurring themes, including the transformation from customary rules governing access to local resources to state enforced laws.Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 377Cities in History (3-0-3) Examines social, cultural, and economic changes in urban areas. Regions and themes vary and may include urbanization in Europe, the rise of cities in Latin America, and urban change in contemporary America. Prerequisites: HSS 101, 202, or their equivalents; two from HSS 211, 212, 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 378Medicine and Health Law in Modern America (3-0-3)Examines the legal and ethical aspects of medical
and public health practice in the United States from 1900 to the
present. Topics include the rights and responsibilities of physicians
and patients, the roles of government in promoting health, the rise of
health law and bioethics, the tensions between civil liberties and
public health, as well as evolving notions of harm, liability,
uncertainty, and proof as they relate to the history of medical and
public health practice.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 379History of Medicine (3-0-3)
Focuses on the evolving institutions, values, concepts, and techniques through which doctors attempted to control the impact of disease and preserve the health of Americans, beginning with the shaman and colonial physician through post-World War II changes in the system of medical care.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 380The History of Public Health (3) Attempts to protect the health of human population from the Black Death in Europe to the recent anthrax scare in the United States. Explores both shifting patterns of disease and the emergence and growth of public health as a domain of expert knowledge and policy. Students will learn to place key themes in public health in historical perspective. Themes include the "epidemiological transition"; tensions between civil liberties and the public's health; urbanization; epidemics; vaccination; hygiene and morality; the political economy of health and disease; the development of epidemiology and statistical modes of inquiry; and the relationship between medicine and public health. The main focus is on the United States and western Europe. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 381Germs, Genes, and Body: Science and Technology in Modern Medicine (3-0-3)Examines how science and technology came to play
critical roles in the rise of modern medicine. Readings, lectures, and
discussions focus on the specific innovations in ideas, practices, and
technologies that helped transform Western medicine in the 19th and 20th
centuries. The course also considers how medicine and the biomedical
sciences both inform and reflect attitudes about the human body in
Western society.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 382War and Society (3-0-3) The evolution of warfare and the impact of war on political, economic, cultural, and social institutions, including the two world wars and post-1945 conflicts. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 383The Making of Modern Thought (3-0-3) The formation of contemporary images of human nature since the mid-19th century. Emphasis on Marx, Darwin, and Freud and their legacy to 20th-century thought. Theories of the family, sexuality, and the changing role of women in society explored. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 384Invention and Regulation (3-0-3)This course examines how the law has affected technological development in the United States from its founding to today. We cover four broad technical categories: industrialization, transportation, communication, and information technology. We analyze the invention of technology within issues of patent and copyright, funding and regulation of technology through legislation, and legal challenges to technology. Our goal is to understand change in law and technology in historical and cultural context. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 385Technology and Society in European and World History (3-0-3) Introduction to the social history of European and global technology from the Middle Ages to the second Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century. Emphasis on such themes as the process of technological innovation, the nature of technological systems, the diffusion of technology, the interaction of Western and non-Western technology, the changing relations of science and technology, and the role of technology in broader historical movements. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 386Technology in American History (3-0-3) Survey of the history of American technology emphasizing the social and economic environments of technological change. Topics include transfer of technology in building canals and cities, rise of the factory system, emergence of the American system of manufacturing, and development of major technological systems such as the railroad, telegraph, electric light and power, and automobile production and use. Focus on the professionalization of engineering practice, the industrialization of invention, and the growing links between engineers and corporate capitalism in the 20th century. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 387Computers, Innovators and History (3-0-3)This course traces the development of computer technology from its theoretical origins in the 19th century, through the transformation from analog to digital computers and the emergence of personal computing in the 20th century, up to the present. Topics include the place of computer technology in society, how computers & people shape each other, who & what was involved in innovating computers, the cultural context of such innovation, as well as how the uses and users of computers have evolved. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 388Britain in the 20th Century (3-0-3) Survey of British history from the death of Queen Victoria to 1964,
with emphasis on the social and political transformation resulting from
Britain's declining economy and world position. Topics include the
causes and impact of the two world wars, the transition from liberal
democracy to welfare state, the turn from empire to Europe, social and
economic trends, as well as foreign relations.Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 390Historical Problems of the 20th Century through Film (3-0-3) Study of selected problems in the 20th century using film as a "window into history." Such topics as the rise of Nazi Germany, America in the '30s, World War II and American society, the development of cities, and the emergence of the "third world" will be considered. Only two topics will be selected for study in any one semester. The material for the course will include documentary films, newsreels, TV news films, and theatrical feature films, as well as selected readings. Prerequisites: HUM 101 and two from among HUM 102, HUM 211, HUM 212, and HIST 213, or their equivalents.
HIST 391Industrial Revolution in World (3-0-3)This course covers the Industrial Revolution from its emergence in Britain in the 18th century to its expansion to America, Western Europe, and Japan. Topics include the practical need for new forms of power, links between invention, empire, the impact of technical advance on the labor force, colonialism and slavery, and 19th century socio-cultural change. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 395Research Methods in Law and Society (3-0-3)Law threads through every aspect of society: it permits and prohibits human behaviors, it enables and invalidates official actions, and it protects and prosecutes citizens. This course explore the social complexity of law through original research. Students will learn how to trace the connections between law and society using interdisciplinary humanities and social science approaches. Readings span several theoretical, disciplinary, and interdisciplinary perspectives that include history, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, psychology, and cultural studies. The readings will guide the student's original research on what law is and how it operates in relation to society. The course facilitates student understanding of the relationships between social, cultural, political, and economic forces on the one hand, and legal rules, practices, and outcomes, on the other. Prerequisites: ENGL 102 with a grade of C or higher, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or higher.
HIST 401, 402Independent Studies in History (1-0-1, or 2-0-2, or 3-0-3)Pursuit of special interests in history not covered
in a regular elective course. A history faculty member provides guidance and assigns readings and papers.Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing; and before registering, permission from one of the following: NJIT history department chair, associate chair, or history minor adviser.
HIST 489Seminar--Readings (3-0-3)Intended to combine study of specific topics, which vary each year, with attention to the methods for researching and writing history, these small classes for history majors in their senior year prepare students for the following semester's research project and culminate in a brief paper describing a proposed topic and the historical documents and sources to be used.Prerequisites: Completion of the GUR in English (3 credits), Cultural History (6 credits), Basic Social Sciences (6 credits), an upper-level history course (3 credits), and senior standing.
HIST 490Seminar--Research (3-0-3)This one-semester-long seminar allows students to apply the skills they
learn in the history major to specific topics that vary semester by semester.
In these small classes, students conduct research with attention to historical
methods. With close guidance from instructors, students explore local archives,
design a paper topic of their individual interest in conjunction with the
professor, and write a research paper.Prerequisites: HUM 102 with a grade of C or better, and a course fulfilling the History and Humanities GER 200 level course with a grade of C or better, an upper-level history course, R510 315 or R510 316 Perspectives in History, and HSS 404 History Senior Seminar.