Leadership, Excellence, and Virtue Courses
(Satisfy general education requirement for LEV hours;
do not count toward a history major, minor, or teaching field)

The history department at McMurry provided me with an excellent set of writing, analytical, and critical thinking skills that have assisted me tremendously in my professional career. The personal relationships I was able to develop with the department’s faculty and their emphasis on a hands-on approach to history have allowed me to maintain my love of history, even while working outside of that field. Jay Hardaway, Abilene Class of 2005

330: Virtue in World History
Prerequisites: none. Using comparative study techniques, this course will examine basic ideas of leadership and virtue as demonstrated in the lives and ideas of major figures in world history. The course will engage students to explore the question of how virtue informs effective leadership, using concrete historical case studies. (As needed)

2340: Virtue in American History
Prerequisites: none. Using comparative study techniques, this course will examine basic ideas of leadership and virtue as demonstrated by the lives and ideas of major figures in United States history. The course will build several frameworks about the nature of leadership and virtue in United States history and will allow students to explore the different ways in which these ideals were manifested through the lives of a variety of political, cultural, religious, and social leaders throughout history of the nation. (As needed)

Survey Courses

1310: World Civilization To 1500
Prerequisites: none. Survey of world civilization from its origins to the Renaissance and Reformation in Europe. Comparison of European civilization with the non-Western world: Far East, India, Africa, the Americas. (Fall, Spring)

1320: World Civilization Since 1500
Prerequisites: none. Survey of world history since the Renaissance and Reformation: absolutism, revolution, and industrialization in Europe; imperialism and the non-Western world; the two World Wars; the growth of non-Western nationalism; the contemporary world. (Fall, Spring)

2310: United States to 1877
Prerequisites: none. General survey of American history to 1877, concentrating on colonial foundation, national growth, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Problems of the nature of history. (Fall, Spring, Summer I)

2320: United States Since 1865
Prerequisites: none. General survey of American history since 1865, concentrating on economic, social, political, and intellectual developments. Problems of historical evidence and research. (Fall, Spring, Summer II)

Advanced Courses in United States History

Topical Courses

3310: Texas
Prerequisites: none. Cultural, social, economic, and political history of Spain in Texas, Mexican Texas, the Republic; 19th and 20th century developments; minorities in Texas; geography of Texas. (Spring)

4330: The American Frontier
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. An exploration of the unique pioneering spirit in American history with an examination of the European and American experiences in settling new lands from 1540 to 1890. Emphasis on social and cultural history with special treatment of American expansionism, Manifest Destiny, and the frontier experience of women and Native Americans. (Fall even years)

4345: Special Topics in American History
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Focus on a particular area of United States history, such as diplomatic, economic, local, or military history. Emphasis on appropriate research and specialized readings. May be repeated with topics are different. (As needed)

Texas Semester

3314: Spanish Texas
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. The course provides a survey of Spanish exploration, colonization, and hegemony in what is now the state of Texas from 1519 to 1821.  Topics will include explorers and conquistadors; the French challenge; international rivalry; mission, presidio, and villa expansion; Anglo-American settlement and the decline of the missions; the twilight of Spanish Texas; and the legacies of Spanish Texas. (Spring)

3315: Texas Revolution and Republic
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor.  The course provides a survey of Anglo-American immigration, settlement, and hegemony in Texas from 1821 to 1846.  Topics will include  Mexican Texas, the road to revolution, the Texas Revolution, and the Texas Republic. (Spring)

3316: Texas From Statehood to National Leadership
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor.  This course will provide a survey of Texas history, politics, and social life from 1846 to the transformational discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1901.  Topics will include early statehood, pioneer institutions, secession and war, reconstruction, reform, advance of the frontier, and lie in Texas at the turn of the century. (Spring)

3317: The Crafting of the Texas National Character
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor.  The course will provide an introduction to Texas life and culture.  Topics will include myth, mystique, music, food, and sports. (Spring)

3320: The Grand Tour of Texas
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor.  This three-week May-Term course will involve a bus tour of the state’s six geographic regions.  Stops during the journey will include natural wonders, archival repositories, historic sites, museums, and restaurants.  Some of the state’s most distinguished historians will meet students and conduct tours. (May-Term)

Period Courses

3350: Colonial and Revolutionary America 1607-1789
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. A study of the culture and institutions of the United States as developed through English colonization in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Political, economic, technological, cultural, and religious aspects of the British North American colonies, including their fight for independence and the quest for a national government. (Fall odd years)

The McMurry History Program prepared me for a career in education by showing me how to bring my passion for the adventures and intrigues found throughout history, out of the textbooks and into the classroom. April Stumpff, Anchorge Class of 2005

3351: The Early American Republic, 1787-1848
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. The United States from the adoption of the Constitution of 1787 through the Mexican War. Political institutions and practices, economic growth, reform movements, and westward expansion are emphasized. (Spring even years)

3352: Civil War and Reconstruction
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. A study of the social, economic, and political causes of the Civil War, the events leading to the outbreak of hostilities, and the war itself. The study also includes an analysis of the attempts to reunite the nation, to reconstruct the South, and to integrate the freedmen into society. (Fall odd years)

3354: Contemporary United States
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Recent developments in American society, investigating the unity and diversity of American life in its cultural, political, economic, and intellectual aspects in the second half of the 20th century. (Fall even years)

4354: The U.S. in the Era of World War
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Study of the United States during the era of the World Wars (1914-1950) including America's coming of age as a world power, politically, militarily, economically, and culturally. (Fall even years)

Advanced Courses in World History

Topical Courses

3331: Modern Britain
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. British history since 1485 after brief background on the developments of the medieval period. Topics include the English Reformation, the development of Parliament, the growth of the British Empire, industrialization, liberalism, and collectivism. (Fall even years)

3375: Mexico
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. The history of Mexico from prehistoric times to the present: political, economic, social, and intellectual development; United States-Mexican relations. (Also cross listed as Bilingual Education 3375). (Fall odd years)

432(a-d): Great Books and History
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor.  History as presented in the Great Books of the Western Canon.  Close readings of primary texts to illuminate problems related to the development of Western society and culture, and to stimulate critical thinking. The student may repeat the course for credit when the topic differs. This course is designed for history majors and minors and as an upper division elective for interested students. (Fall)
432a: History and the Great Books of the Ancient World
432b: The Ancient Historians
432c: Myth and History
432d: History and the Great Epics

4360: Russia and the Soviet Union
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Background to 19th century. Tsarist Russia: autocracy, rise of revolutionary intelligentsia. Economic, social developments. The Russian Revolution. Lenin, Stalin, the 5-Year plans. World War II, Cold War, desalinization and the demise of the Soviet system. (Fall even years)

4365: Modern Germany
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Survey of the main elements of German history in the 19th and the 20th centuries, from disunity to Reich to partition to reunification. Emphasis on the question of continuity between key periods and figures, and their responsibility for the two World Wars. (Spring odd years)

4375: Special Topics in World History
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Focus on a particular area of world history, such as diplomacy, economic history, imperialism, history of science. Emphasis on appropriate research and specialized readings. May be repeated for credit when topics are different. (As needed)

Period Courses

3358: Greece and Rome: An Introduction to the Classical World
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. A study of the origins, development, and decline of ancient Greece and Rome, including Hellenism, Christianity, and the German migrations.  Incorporates the development of the Western cultural traditions with an emphasis on classical literature, philosophy, art, and architecture. (Fall odd years)

3359: The Middle Ages: Crucible of the Western Civilization
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Europe from the time of Constantine until the Renaissance. The Middle Ages were a dynamic era when modern Europe was formed by the fusion of Greco-Roman culture, German tribal life, and the universal Christian church, tempered by the storm of Islam. The importance of the Medieval period to Western civilization will be emphasized by surveying the history, arts, literature, and culture of the period. (Spring even years)

3360: Renaissance and Reformation
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Origins of Renaissance humanism, commercial and scientific revolutions, national states. Protestant and Catholic Reformations; wars of religion. European overseas exploration and conquest. (Spring odd years)

3363: Studies in Nineteenth Century Europe
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Study of European civilization from the French Revolution to the opening of the 20th century. Impact of the Industrial Revolution on European life, the growth of liberalism and socialism, and the emergence of modern mass society and consciousness. (Fall odd years)

3364: Studies in Twentieth Century Europe
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. Study of Europe from the outbreak of World War I to the present, emphasizing the aftermath of World War I, the crises of the Depression years, World War II, the Cold War, and the post-Cold War era. (Spring even years)

Other Advanced History

3377: Historiography and Methods
This course is an introduction to the discipline of history and a survey of research methodology as employed by historians. Unlike other undergraduate courses in history, it is not a study of the past; instead, it is a study of the philosophy of history, investigative techniques, and the mechanics of historical research. The course will also provide an introduction to American historiography, namely the systematic study of major historians and their work. Also, this course will provide a research practicum during which students will be able to employ the material they are surveying as part of a project, the topic of which will be of their choice within the limits of the course. (Spring)

4380: Senior Research Seminar
Prerequisite: History 3377, or permission of the instructor. This capstone course involves research on a specialized historical topic culminating in a seminar paper. Students will demonstrate breadth of knowledge and skills mastered since their introduction in other history courses. Subject of seminar paper to be determined by the student, in consultation with the instructor. (Fall)

4X95: Independent Studies
Prerequisites: Six hours of lower-level history or permission of the instructor. A study program arranged between an advanced student and an instructor to provide intensive study in a particular area of interest. The course includes a definition of goals appropriate for the advanced student, ways of attaining those goals, a schedule for frequent consultation, and means of measuring progress. (By arrangement)

4X96:* Honors Tutorial
Prerequisites: 15 hours in history and admission to departmental honors program, and approval of research project by department and Honors Committee. Designed for the honors student in history; includes reading in a particular topic, historical and historiographical analysis, and research. Prerequisites: 15 hours in history and admission to departmental honors program. (By arrangement)

4X97:* Senior Thesis
Prerequisites: 18 hours in history, admission to departmental honors program, and approval of research project by department and Honors Committee. Designed for the candidate for departmental honors and as a capstone course for the student majoring in history. An independent research project on a topic approved by the history faculty; findings reported in writing and orally to the faculty of the department. Successful completion required for graduation with honors in history. (By arrangement)

Heritage and Cultural Tourism Courses
(Required for Heritage and Cultural Tourism concentration
of B.A. degree in Business Administration with a minor in history;
do not count toward a history major, minor, or teaching field)

TOUR 3340: Heritage Tourism
The course will focus on the broad theories and practices of the heritage tourism profession. Topics will include, but are not limited to : destination management; destination development; historic attraction management; site interpretation and development; event management; sustainable tourism; regional tourism and destination marketing; and partner marketing and sponsorships. Requirement for business concentration in heritage tourism. May not be used to fulfill history major, minor, or social studies teaching field requirements. (Fall even years)

Tour 4388: Heritage Tourism Internship
The course will focus on the broad theories and practices of the heritage tourism profession. Topics will include, but are not limited to: Destination management; Destination development; Historic attraction management; Site Interpretation and development; Event management; Sustainable tourism; Regional tourism and destination marketing; and Partner marketing and sponsorships. (By arrangement)

* Honors courses