Historical Context

Hindsight is 20/20. You can easily see the mistakes individuals in the past made. However, an understanding of the political, social, cultural, and intellectual milieu of the time will help you to move from judging to understanding. Without digging deep into the back story, facts and figures have little meaning and can be misused and misrepresented.

When you look at the ideas, values, traditions, belief systems, and convictions about race, gender, and class, you can develop a more sophisticated appreciation of past actions. You can interpret texts, including letters, speeches, books, films, articles, and advertisements, to better understand their origin and significance. The ability to analyze context is a skill that transfers over to a variety of disciplines and careers.

Upon completion of this requirement students will be able to:

  • develop a framework of historical knowledge with breadth of time and place and depth of detail.
  • describe past events from multiple perspectives. 
  • master chronology in order to assess how the study of the past helps one to make sense of the present.

Students complete 4 credits from the courses listed below.

Courses that Fulfill the Historical Context Core Requirement Credits
ANTH 240 Topics in Comparative Religion 4
ARTHI/GSS 280 Women in Art 4
ARTHI 260 History of Design 2-4
ARTHI 270 Global Art History I: Prehistoric - 14th Century 4
ARTHI 271 Global Art History II: 15th Century - Present 4
ARTHI 276 Art & Architecture of Asia: India, China, and Japan 4
ARTHI 342 Islamic Art and Architecture 4
ARTHI 365 Modern Art: 19th and Early Twentieth Century 4
DANC 261 Dance History and Appreciation I 4
DANC 271 Dance History And Appreciation II 4
ECON 201/301 History of Financial Crises 4
ENGL 223 Native American Literature 4
ENGL 227 World Literature: Magical Realism 4
ENGL 232 British Literature 4
ENGL 337 Making of Medieval English Literature 4
ENGL 338 English Renaissance Literature 4
GER 305 Music, Modernism, and Megalomania 4
GER 306 From Ruins to Reunification 4
GSS/HIST 247 Gender and Sexuality In Victorian America 4
HIST 101 Western Civilization I 4
HIST 103 Western Civilization II 4
HIST 104 Western Civilization III 4
HIST 115 East Asian Civilization 4
HIST 141 American History I 4
HIST 142 American History II 4
HIST 155 Special Topics 2-4
HIST 200 The Geography and Politics of Africa 2
HIST 205 History of the Crusades 4
HIST 208 England from Rome to Revolution 4
HIST 211 Japan Past and Present with Film 4
HIST 216 History of Modern Japan 4
HIST 217 Making of Modern China 4
HIST 232 The Holocaust 4
HIST 233 WWII: Global and Social Issues 4
HIST 235 Europe Since World War II 4
HIST 245 African American History Since 1865 4
HIST 246 American West: History, Memory, Pop Culture 2
HIST/GSS 247 Gender and Sexuality in Victorian America 4
HIST/PH 248 Public Health, Private Bodies 4
HIST 255 Special Topics 2-4
HIST 260 Sports In America 4
HIST/BA 256 Leaders and Leadership 4
HIST 301 The Medieval World: 400-1500 4
HIST 305 The History of Magic and Witchcraft 4
HIST 306 The Roman Empire 4
HIST 313 World War II in History and Memory 4
HIST/IS 318 The Business of Capitalism in East Asia 4
HIST 319 The Rise and Fall of the Japanese Empire 4
HIST 326 Public History: Theory and Practice 4
HIST 333 History of the British Empire 4
HIST 335 The Era of the First World War 4
HIST 338 Era of the French Revolution 4
HIST 341 American Revolution and Constitution 4
HIST 342 Civil War and Reconstruction 4
HIST 355 Special Topics 2-4
HIST 361 The Reagan Era 4
HIST 365 Civil Rights Movements 4
HIST 369 Get Rich! Wealth in American History 4
HIST 370 Crime, Corruption, and Scandal 4
HUM 351 Traditional Theater of East Asia 4
MUS 101 Introduction to Classical Music 4
MUS 102 History of Jazz and Rock 4
MUS 220 Music Survey I 4
MUS 221 Music Survey II 4
PHIL 205 Ancient Philosophy 4
PHIL 206 Medieval Philosophy 4
PHIL 207 Early Modern Philosophy 1500-1750 4
PHIL 208 Late Modern Philosophy 1750-1900 4
PHIL 306 Islamic Philosophy 4
PHIL 403 Twentieth Century Philosophy 4
POLS 221 Politics in Literature and Film 2
POLS/HIST 239 Latin America I: Conquest-Independence 4
POLS 255 Modern China 4
POLS 241 Latin America II: Independence-Present 4
POLS 352 Politics and Sports 4
POLS 386 Race and American Political Thought 4
REL 240 Topics in Comparative Religion 4
SOC 305 Racism and Ethnicity in Hawaii 4
SPAN 316/416 La Historia, Literatura Y Cultura Mexicanas 4
THEA/HUM 351 Traditional Theater of East Asia 4