Schools

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy

History, Political Science, and Philosophy Courses Undergraduate
History
  • HIST-A 307 United States Cultural History (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended Course considers cultural transformations in modern United States history, including such topics as gender, race, ethnicity, social reform, and popular culture. 
  • HIST-A 307 United States Cultural History (3 cr.) R: HIST-H 106 or completion of 56 credit hours. Course considers cultural transformations in modern United States history, including such topics as gender, ethnicity, social reform, and popular culture. 
  • HIST-A 315 United States Since World War Two (3 cr.) R: HIST-H 106 or completion of 56 credit hours. Alternate years. Political, demographic, economic, and intellectual transformations. 1945-present: the cold war, problems of contemporary America.
  • HIST-A 333 History of Indiana I (3 cr.) I: The course deals with the development of a midwestern state, with emphasis on the French and British periods; the West in the American Revolution; the transition from territory to state; political, economic, and cultural patterns; and the sectional crisis.
  • HIST-A 334 History of Indiana II (3 cr.) The period since 1865, tracing the development of a modern industrial commonwealth—agriculture, industry, politics, society, education, and the arts.
  • HIST-A 346 The Crusades and Religious Violence in Medieval European History (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended

    This course will explore the history of the European crusading movement from the eleventh through the fifteenth centuries, examining the familiar expeditions to Palestine and also lesser known campaigns in Spain and northeastern Europe. This course examines how the Medieval Catholic Church battled heretics and political opponents, as well as the experiences of non-Crusaders including Jews, Muslims, and invaders from the Far East. 

  • HIST-A 375 Crime and Punishment in American History (3 cr.) R: HIST-H 106 or completion of 56 credit hours. Alternate years. This course focuses on the history of crime and punishment in the 20th-century United States.
  • HIST-A 382 The Sixties (3 cr.) R: HIST-H 106 or completion of 56 credit hours. Alternate years. This course focuses on the history of the United States during the 1960s and the political change and dissent; rights movements; United States foreign policy and the conflict in Vietnam; gender, exploitation, and legal change that occurred. It addresses a variety of topics, including; and the increasing diversity of expression in social values and cultural practices.
  • HIST-B 351 Barbarian Europe, ca. 200-1100 (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended

    This course will examine the collapse of Roman authority in the West, the rise of the Germanic monarchies; the growth of the Western Catholic Church, and the development of Germany, Greek (Byzantine) and Moslem empires. It will also examine the Viking invasions, the development of feudalism and manorialism. 

  • HIST-B 352 Western Europe in the High and Later Middle Ages (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended

    This course will examine the expansion of European culture and institutions during the High and Later Middle Ages (roughly 1000-1500). Topics covered include: chivalry and elite culture, the Crusades and religious violence, rise of towns and diversification of the European economy, the founding of universities and the changing nature of education, the development of architectural styles, social change and unrest, the revival of Roman Law and the development of common law, and the centralization of governments in a variety of forms. 

  • HIST-B 353 The Renaissance (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended

    This course examines the Italian Renaissance as a political and cultural phase in the history of Western Civilization. It examines its roots in antiquity and the Middle Ages; its characteristic expression in literature, art, learning, social transformation, manners, and customs. Finally, it explores the expansion of the Renaissance into France, Germany, and England.

  • HIST-B 361 Europe in the Twentieth Century I (3 cr.) Economic, social, political, and military-diplomatic developments, 1900 to present. I: 1900-1930: origins, impact, and consequences of World War I; peacemaking; postwar problems; international communism and fascism; the Great Depression.
  • HIST-B 362 Europe in the Twentieth Century II (3 cr.) 1930-present: Depression politics; crisis of democracy; German national socialism; World War II; Cold War; postwar reconstruction and recovery.
  • HIST-C 388 Roman History (3 cr.) P: advanced writing skills recommended

    This course examines the history of the Roman Empire from its earliest days as a kingdom to the glory days of the Republic and early Empire, and the eventual fall of the Roman West. Finally, we will consider the Eastern continuation of the Roman state in the form of the Byzantine Empire.

  • HIST-D 410 Russian Revolutions and Soviet Regime (3 cr.) Alternate years. Causes and development of Russian revolutions and civil war; Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin; purges, terror, economic development, society, and arts under Stalin; struggle against Hitler; scope and limits of de-Stalinization under Khrushchev; minorities; dissent, and life in the former Soviet Union today.
  • HIST-H 105 American History I (3 cr.) Every semester. I: colonial period, revolution, confederation and constitution, national period to 1865.
  • HIST-H 106 American History II (3 cr.) Every semester. 1865 to present. Evolution of American society: political, economic, social structure; racial and ethnic groups; sex roles; Indian, inter- American, and world diplomacy of United States; evolution of ideology, war, territorial expansion, industrialization, urbanization, international events and their impact on American history.
  • HIST-H 113 History of Western Civilization I (3 cr.) Every semester. I: Rise and fall of ancient civilizations; barbarian invasions; rise, flowering, and disruption of medieval church; feudalism; and national monarchies.
  • HIST-H 114 History of Western Civilization II (3 cr.) Every semester. Rise of middle class; parliamentary institutions, liberalism, political democracy; industrial revolution, capitalism, and socialist movements; nationalism, imperialism, international rivalries, and world wars.
  • HIST-H 405 Global History of Modern Sport (3 cr.) Alternate Years. Origins and development of sport in the modern world. From British public schools and ideals of fair play, through the Olympic movement, international soccer, holliganism and fandom, sport's role in identity creation and nationalism, and mass culture.
  • HIST-H 421 Topics: Asia, Africa, Latin America (3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected historical issues and/or problems in African, Asian, or Latin American history. Topics will vary from semester to semester.
  • HIST-H 425 Topics in History (1-3 cr.) Intensive study and analysis of selected historical issues and problems of limited scope. Topics will vary; but will ordinarily cut across fields, regions, and periods. May be repeated once for credit.
  • HIST-H 495 Individual Readings in History (arr. cr.) Every semester (undergraduate). P: consent of instructor.
  • HIST-H 496 Internship in History (arr. cr.) Every semester (undergraduate). P: consent of instructor.
  • HIST-J 495 Senior Seminar for History Majors (3 cr.) Alternate years, Spring Semester. Senior Seminar for History/Political Science majors. P: consent of instructor.
Philosophy
  • PHIL-P 100 Introduction to Philosophy (3 cr.) Perennial problems of philosophy, including problems in ethics in epistemology and metaphysics, and in philosophy of religion. Major emphases for each section appear in the online Schedule of Classes. 
  • PHIL-P 105 Critical Thinking (3 cr.) Development of critical tools for the evaluations of arguments through informal logic, with special attention to logical fallacies and the distinction between inductive and deductive arguments.
  • PHIL-P 140 Elementary Ethics (3 cr.) Philosophers' answers to ethical problems (e.g., the nature of good and evil, the relation of duty to self-interest, the objectivity of moral judgments), and the applications of ethical theory to contemporary problems.
  • PHIL-P 150 Elementary Logic (3 cr.) Development of critical tools for the evaluation of arguments through formal logic. A focus on translation from and from English into sentence and predicate logic, and derivations.
  • PHIL-P 201 Ancient Greek Philosophy (3 cr.) Selective survey of ancient Greek philosophy (pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle). 
  • PHIL-P 211 Modern Philosophy: Descartes through Kant (3 cr.) Selective survey of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy, including some or all of the following: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant.
  • PHIL-P 310 Topics in Metaphysics (3 cr.) Topics such as existence, individuation, contingency, universals and particulars, causality, determinism, space, time, events and change, relation of mental and physical.
  • PHIL-P 312 Topics in the Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.) Topics such as various theories of perceptual realism, sense-datum theories, theories of appearing, phenomenalism, the nature of knowledge, the relation between knowledge and belief, relation between knowledge and evidence, and the problem of skepticism.
  • PHIL-P 342 Problems in Ethics (3 cr.) May concentrate on a single large problem (e.g., whether utilitarianism is an adequate ethical theory), or several more or less independent problems (e.g., the nature of goodness, the relation of good to ought, the objectivity of moral judgments).
  • PHIL-P 345 Problems in Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.) Problems of contemporary relevance: civil disobedience, participatory democracy, conscience and authority, law and morality.
  • PHIL-P 346 Classics in Philosophy of Art (3 cr.) P: 3 cr. of Philosophy. Readings from Plato and Aristotle to Nietzsche and Dewey. Topics include the definition of art, the nature of beauty, and art and society.
  • PHIL-P 347 Contemporary Controversies in Philosophy of Art (3 cr.) Topics include the intersection of art, art criticism, philosophy, modernism and post-modernism, and the relation of aesthetic and cognitive judgment.
  • PHIL-P 360 Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (3 cr.) Selected topics from among the following: the nature of mental phenomena (e.g., thinking, volition, perception, emotion); the mind-body problem (e.g., dualism, behaviorism, functionalism); connections to cognitive science issues in psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence; computational theories of mind.
  • PHIL-P 371 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.) Topics include the nature of religion, religious experience, the status of claims of religious knowledge, the nature and existence of God.
  • PHIL-P 375 Philosophy of Law (3 cr.) Selective survey of philosophical problems concerning law and the legal system. Topics include nature and validity of law, morality and law, legal obligation, judicial decision, rights, justice, responsibility, and punishment.
  • PHIL-P 383 Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.) A variable topic course focusing on a specific area or figure of philosophy. 
  • PHIL-P 393 Biomedical Ethics (3 cr.) A philosophical consideration of ethical problems that arise in current biomedical practice, e.g., with regard to abortion, euthanasia, determination of death, consent to treatment, and professional responsibilities in connection with research, experimentation, and health care delivery.
Political Science
  • POLS-Y 103 Introduction to American Politics (3 cr.) Every semester. Introduction to the nature of government and the dynamics of American politics. Origin and nature of the American federal system and its political party base.
  • POLS-Y 215 Introduction to Political Theory (3 cr.) Every three semesters. An introduction to major ideas and theories in Western political thought, including theories of democracy and the analysis of conflict and cooperation. The course also addresses the attempts made by prominent political philosophers – from Aristotle and Plato to Locke, Marx, and Rawls – to understand and describe the nature of politics.
  • POLS-Y 217 Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 cr.) Every three semesters. A course that introduces students to the major political systems of the world. Students will study systems within Western and non-Western countries. Comparisons will include executive and legislative structures, elections, political parties, interest groups and key areas of public policy. Not open to students who have completed POLS-Y 107.
  • POLS-Y 219 Introduction to International Relations (3 cr.) An introduction to the global political system, and issues that shape relations among countries. The course looks at problems of conflict resolution, the role of international law and organizations, the challenges of poverty and development, and the other major policy issues over which nations cooperate, argue, or go to war. Not open to students who have completed POLS-Y 109.
  • POLS-Y 301 Political Parties and Interest Groups (3 cr.) Theories of American party activity; behavior of political parties, interest groups, and social movements; membership in groups; organization and structure; evaluation and relationship to the process of representation.
  • POLS-Y 304 Constitutional Law (3 cr.) Nature and function of law and judicial process; selected Supreme Court decisions interpreting the American constitutional system.
  • POLS-Y 311 Democracy and National Security (3 cr.) Exploration of a basic dilemma in a democratic polity: How can demands for national security be reconciled with democratic practices and values? Concepts of civil-military relations, national security structure, professional and political commitments of the military, human resource utilization, popular control of policy, and the nature of individual liberty.
  • POLS-Y 338 African Politics (3 cr.) Politics in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. Topics include processes of nation building, dependency and underdevelopment; role of political parties, leadership, ideology, and military rule; continuing relevance of colonial heritage and traditional culture; network of international relations; and special situation of South Africa.
  • POLS-Y 360 United States Foreign Policy (3 cr.) Analysis of institutions and processes involved in the formation and implementation of United States foreign policy. Emphasis is on post-World War II policies.
  • POLS-Y 480 Undergraduate Readings in Political Science (arr cr.) Every semester. Individual readings and research. May be taken only with consent of the instructor.
  • POLS-Y 481 Field Experience in Political Science (arr cr.) P: junior or senior standing and approval of instructor. Faculty-directed study of aspects of the political process through internship experience in local, state, or national government.
  • POLS-Y 490 Senior Seminar in Political Science (3 cr.) Alternate years, Spring Semester. Senior Seminar for History/Political Science majors. P: consent of instructor.
Religion
  • REL-R 152 Introduction to Religions of the West (3 cr.) Origins, development, institutions, beliefs, and current status.
  • REL-R 153 Introduction to Religions of the East (3 cr.) Human ideas and value systems in the religions of India, China, and Japan.
  • REL-R 212 Comparative Religions (3 cr.) Approaches to the comparison of recurrent themes, religious attitudes, and practices found in selected Eastern and Western traditions.
  • REL-R 233 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (3 cr.) A critical examination of the literary, political, cultural, and religious history of Israel from the period of the Patriarchs to the Restoration, with emphasis on the growth and formation of the major traditions contained in the Hebrew Bible.
  • REL-R 243 Introduction to the New Testament (3 cr.) An examination of the history, culture, and literature of the New Testament period, with special emphasis on the emergence of early Christian beliefs.

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