History & Political Science Courses

HIST 101 World History I
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring)

This course interprets the development of cultures from around the world from prehistoric times to A.D. 1500. Students will analyze the characteristics of human societies and explore how human cultures have interacted with each other over time. The evolution of global exchange and the ideas, concepts, and phenomena that have connected and divided people across region and time will be investigated. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

HIST 102 World History II
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course engages students in the study of world history since 1500 to achieve a critical and integrated understanding of global societies and cultures during the past five hundred years. Students will explore developments in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Pacific Islands. It will consider the effects of imperialism; investigate the origins and outcomes of world war, revolution, and genocide in the 20th century; and consider the global challenges of the 21st century. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing OR the CWI Global Perspectives requirement. [It will not fulfill both requirements.]). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

HIST 103 Western Civilization I
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course analyzes important social, political, economic, philosophical, and cultural developments that contributed to the formation and evolution of the West, including the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and Early Modern Europe. The course covers the formative period of Western Civilization, as it developed its own ethos and worldview in the Mediterranean world and Medieval Europe, building on the foundations of Greek philosophy and Christianity. It also covers the beginnings of the expansion of Western Civilization through exploration and colonization in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, and the contacts and interactions between Western Civilization and non-Western Civilizations before 1648. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 5 - Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

HIST 104 Western Civilization II
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course examines crucial developments in the West between 1648 and the present, including the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the rise of nationalism and the nation-state, and the consequences of World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Western civilization expanded rapidly in this time period. From its initial point on the European continent, Western Civilization directly influenced political, economic, religious, and cultural development in the Americas and Australia. Western Civilization also exerted strong influence in Asia and Africa through colonization and 19th century imperialism. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 5 - Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

HIST 111 United States History I
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course examines the history of the United States from its pre-colonial and colonial beginnings to the Civil War. Emphasis is placed on tracing the development of the American political system, economic institutions, social structure and culture from the Colonial period, through the Revolution, early National period, and the Jacksonian era, to the Civil War. During this 250-year period, dynamic changes to American constitutionalism, democracy, nationalism, and society led to conflicts in American politics and society over such issues as slavery, federalism, expansionism, and early industrialization. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

HIST 112 United States History II
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course examines the evolution of the United States between 1865 and the present. Emphasis is placed on tracing the development of the American political system, economic institutions, social structure, and culture during the Gilded Age, the Progressive era, the Great Depression, the World Wars, and the Cold War. During the modern era, the U.S. had to confront issues of national integration, upheaval in race/class/gender relations, economic change, corporatization, and America's role as a world power. The course ends with a discussion of politics, society, the economy, and information technology in our era. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

POLS 101 American National Government
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course introduces students to the American political system. The course examines the structure and operation of the institutions of the U.S. federal government; introduces students to the approach and terminology associated with the field of political science; deepens students' awareness of the role of citizens, interest groups, political parties, and politicians within the American political system; builds an understanding of the role of politics and strategy in the operation of government; and understand how they impact the processes that occur within the system. Further, the course explores and instills a sense of civic duty and citizen participation. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)

POLS 102 Introduction to Political Science
(3 Credits, Fall/Spring/Summer)

This course is a basic introduction to political science, discussing the origins and evolution of government, and how and why people combine their productive efforts under the authority of a government or power structure. The course emphasizes the logic of government, the different political institutions regularly found around the world, and the common public policy problems government addresses. POLS 102 also evaluates and applies the core concepts and theories of the field of Political Science. (This CWI course meets Idaho State Board of Education GEM competency requirements for GEM 6 - Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.). (3 lecture hours, 0 lab hours, 3 credits)