Social Sciences

GHSN 104 History of Science (also offered as GSS 104) (4 Credits)

This course examines the role of science in the development of Western Civilization from its beginning as an area of astrological inquiry and speculation to its extraordinary impact on twentieth-century life.

GHSN 105 History of the United States from Settlements to 1877 (4 Credits)

The interplay of political and social forces in America from the first settlements in America to 1877, with the emphasis on the development of an independent nation, early nationalism, sectionalism, reform movements, early industrialism, the transportation revolution, the settlement of the West, Manifest Destiny, slavery and the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

GHSN 106 History of the United States from 1877 to the Present (4 Credits)

This course completes the survey of American history. It includes the major forces that shaped America from 1877 to the present, including western settlement, industrialism and the rise of cities, immigration, industrial labor, American expansion and imperialism, political protest movements, the social and cultural revolution of the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the New Deal, the World War II experience, the Cold War and the fall of Communism, suburbia, the Civil Rights Movement, recent economic developments, the women's movement, pluralism, and changes in the Presidency.

GHSN 202 Civilizations of the Ancient World (3 Credits)

The history and philosophy of the ancient world from the beginning of recorded time through the rise of Christianity. The civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome are investigated.

GHSN 203 The Immigrant Experience in America (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: This course examines the unique immigrant experience of various ethnic groups. Students learn about conditions in foreign countries that gave impetus to emigration, difficulties in adjustment and acculturation, specific areas of achievement, attempts to preserve ethnic identity within the American mainstream, and contemporary issues and problems.

GHSN 204 Medieval and Renaissance Civilization (3 Credits)

This course covers the period from the medieval age of faith and the founding of Islam through the Renaissance and the new Western beginnings in science, art and culture. Topics such as the process of secularization and the rise of individualism are studied.

GHSN 205 Emergence of the Modern World (3 Credits)

The interplay of political and social forces in Europe and the world from period of the French Revolution Period to the present, with emphasis on the rise of political nationalism, socialism, communism and Fascism, imperialism and the rise of global empires, the two World Wars, the post-colonial world and the emergence of newly-independent nations in Africa and Asia, and the Cold War and its aftermath.

GHSN 210 African-American Experience (3 Credits)

This course examines the history of African-Americans by placing it within the context of world and U.S. History. Coverage includes the African background, the effects of the transatlantic slave trade, the role of chattel slavery in the evolution of an African-American ethnicity, the era of Reconstruction, the imposition of a legally-based system of racial segregation, the growth and development of the Civil Rights movement, and current trends in the development of the African-American people. Special emphasis is placed on the many African-American men and women who contributed to the development of this ethnicity.

GHSN 215 Hispanic American Experience (3 Credits)

Survey of the history of Hispanic Americans from pre-colonial America to the present. Special emphasis is placed on the Spanish heritage, Caribbean and Mexican influences, new cultural adaptations, contributions to American culture, and current problems and issues.

GHSN 219 Asian-American Experience in the United States (3 Credits)

Survey of the history of Asian-Americans from the beginning of their immigration to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the Asian heritages, new cultural adaptations, contributions to American culture, and current problems and issues.

GHSN 240 Ethnic Groups in the United States (3 Credits)

Students examine the historical backgrounds of the various ethnic groups in the United States, both abroad and in this country, including the religious and social lives of the people, as well as the political and economic aspects of their lives in the United States. Also studied are the tensions among the various ethnic groups vis-à-vis each other and the larger "American society" which gave rise to racism and other social problems. The groups. difficulties in adjustment and acculturation and specific areas of their achievement are investigated, as well as their attempts to preserve traditional identities within the American mainstream and solve their problems in America.

GHSN 262 The Holocaust in History (also offered as GJS 262) (3 Credits)

A history of the events and the catastrophe that befell European Jewry in the 1930.s and 1940.s. The Holocaust is placed within the context of European history. Anti-Semitism, xenophobia, the rise of Nazism and various Fascist movements are discussed. Jewish life and culture in Eastern and Western Europe is described in detail. German policies in both Germany and the occupied countries; ghetto, concentration, and extermination camp existence; Jewish resistence movements and the role of righteous Gentiles are analyzed. World reaction during and after the Holocaust is studied.

GHSN 271 American Jewish History (also offered as GJS 271) (3 Credits)

Study of the Sephardic legacy; German Jewish migration and influence; the development of religious communities, the impact of the Civil War, migrations from Eastern Europe, acculturation and assimilation, responses to the Holocaust and Zionism. The social, economic and religious structures of the modern Jewish community will be analyzed as well.

GHSN 308 Problems and Methods in American History (3 Credits)

A focused survey of the crises that shaped America from the first settlements to the present. The course examines such problems as the nature of Atlantic slavery, the nature of the American Revolution, the coming of the Civil War, the legacy of Reconstruction, the settlement of the West, finance capitalism and its effects, imperialism and its consequences, the unusual progressivism philosophy, the nature of the Great Depression and the New Deal, the ingredients of the Cold War, the character of the Civil Rights movement, the aims of the women's movement and the growth of the new conservatism. Throughout, students learn to see history as the result of a clash of forces, as the product of events and deliberations. How the debates over America's past problems inform our current discussions is an important theme of the course.

Prerequisite: GHS 105 and GHS 106 or the permission of the department.

GHSN 325 Civil Rights Movement in the United States (3 Credits)

Conditions in the United States which contributed to the post-World War II Civil Rights movement; historical development of the impact of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision; black activism between 1955-1970; recent legal and judicial milestones; current needs, status, and problems facing the Civil Rights movement.

GHSN 330 Black-Jewish Relations (3 Credits)

A historical study of the relationship between the Jewish and African-American communities in the United States, with special focus on the developments and issues that have united and divided the two groups since 1945. This course examines the present challenges and responses affecting the future interrelationship of both populations.

GHSN 340 American Social and Economic History in the Twentieth Century (3 Credits)

The evolution of the American economy and society from 1900 to the present is studied. Topics emphasized include the interaction of economic and social forces such as business institutions, labor, immigration, consumption, technology, government policy and voluntary groups. The major focus is on the impact of modern industrialism, capitalism and technology on American society and social institutions.

Prerequisite: GHS 106 and a course in history at the 200 level or above.

GHSN 343 American Labor History (3 Credits)

This course presents an in-depth examination of the history of Labor in the United States. Topics include: Labor in the Colonial Period, industrialization and the rise of the factory system, the Civil War and early workers. movements, the growth of national unions, large scale industrialism and Labor; Labor during the Progressive Period and World War I; the Depression and the rise of industrial relations, Labor and World War II, unions and the Cold War, Civil Rights and the Labor movement; feminism; Labor legislation, the Labor movement today; collaborative models in the workplace. Students investigate the status and conditions of working people, the rise of the welfare-state concept, and the politics of the working class.

GHSN 362 American Women's History (3 Credits)

The study of the conditions and experiences of American women, with emphasis on the period after the Civil War; historical development of the Women's movement after 1900, with major focus on post-World War II developments. The current status, needs, and problems of the movement will also be considered.

GHSN 450 American Cultural History (4 Credits)

The evolution and development of American culture, including popular aspects from its flowering after the Civil War to the present. The emphasis will be on the period after 1900. Areas include literature, theater, film, the arts, music, and other media. Students examine ethnic and other influences on American culture. The interplay between cultural developments and the American civilization producing them is investigated.

Prerequisite: GHS 106 or departmental approval.

GHSN 481 | 482 Independent Study (By arrangement Credits)

Prerequisite: Departmental and Deans permission.