Courses

History 501: Fundamentals of American History I
An intensive study of what became the United States to 1877. Learning with primary documents and historical scholarship is emphasized. The course is designed to develop knowledge needed for teaching excellence.

History 502: Fundamentals of American History II
An intensive study of the United States since 1877. Learning with primary documents and historical scholarship is emphasized. The course is designed to develop knowledge needed for teaching excellence.

History 503: Conquest, Resistance and Rebellion: Comparing Colonial American Frontiers
An examination of the interaction between native cultures and colonial powers such as France, Spain, Britain and Russia. Course examines pre-contact tribal societies in the Americas, pre-contact colonial powers and the motivations for expansion and reaction to it. Issues of sovereignty and dominance, religion and religious conversion, shifting social structures and economic development are stressed.

History 515: Civil War and Reconstruction
An examination of the causes, conduct and outcomes of the American Civil War. The course explores various topics related to the war including military operations, technology and foreign relations as well as political, social wand economic tensions within both the Union and Confederacy. The course also explores the political, social and constitutional consequences of Reconstruction.

History 518: The U.S. Between the World Wars
An examination of the United States in the crucial period from 1918-1941. Special attention is given to the upheavals associated with modern life, including social conflict, changing gender roles and the reformulation of the American political system in the face of the nation’s greatest economic catastrophe. Other topics include the advent of New Deal liberalism and the coming of World War II.

History 520: Recent American History, 1960-Present
Examination of the United States since 1960. Major topics include: the Cold War and its aftermath, the American war in Vietnam, the collapse of Great Society liberalism, the emergence of the new conservatism, the struggle for minority rights, second-wave feminism, the rise of identity politics, the Reagan presidency, the role of media in the so-called Information Age and the post-9/11 American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Special attention is paid to placing recent events and trends in a larger historical context.

History 521: History Strategies I
A hands-on workshop focusing on the historical content and methods teachers use to teach history and social studies effectively. Teachers learn effective methods for applying historical thinking in the classroom, assessing student learning and adjusting curricula to fit the needs of students.

History 522: History Strategies II
A workshop moving beyond the skills and ideas stressed in History 521 to incorporate advanced techniques in teaching history and social studies.

History 523: Topics in the History Classroom
A workshop examining the teaching of particular themes in American History, such as race and ethnicity, gender or religion. Themes alternate by year. Focuses on the major intellectual understandings of each particular topic as well as strategies for helping students think seriously about complex issues and their legacies.

History 550: Nebraska Institute for Study of American History
Introduces teachers to content, strategy and resources necessary for bringing Nebraska and regional history into the U.S. History curriculum. The course stresses the use of artifacts, documents and place as methods for engaging students in a hands-on approach to learning about the past. Scholars and teachers from the Nebraska State Historical Society and other museums and historic sites bring their expertise to the course.

History 561: U.S. Constitutional History
A study of the origins and development of key principles and practices of constitutional democracy in the United States. Teaching with core texts and primary documents is emphasized, especially United States Supreme Court decisions.  Course examines the origins of the U.S. Constitution, its development since 1787, its stature as “supreme law of the land,” the meaning of the separation of powers inherent in the U.S. federal system, how the Supreme Court became the “final arbiter” of constitutional meaning, the manner in which constitutional issues are presented to the courts for adjudication and the juridical techniques used by the courts to decide issues. 

History 562: American Creeds: The Idea of an American Nation
This course explores what one scholar has called “the story of American freedom,” examining the different ways that the concept of “freedom” has been defined and contested by different people or groups in the American past. This course emphasizes how political ideas and ideologies shape how Americans conceive of their national enterprise.     

History 564: Nebraska History
This course explores Nebraska from the time of its first inhabitants to the present. Topics include pre-contact native societies, geography, agriculture, politics, business and social history. Strong emphasis on using local and state examples to understand Nebraska within the context of regional, national and global events.

History 565: Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth Century America
The myth of the frontier, what one historian calls America’s oldest and most characteristic myth, links to recurring themes in American history such as “American exceptionalism,” heroic individualism, regeneration through violence, and inevitable American progress. Course uses textbooks, novels, and feature and documentary films to show the nature of the myth and the history of its use to explain, justify, and challenge American society.   

History 570: American Civil Rights Movement
An examination of the struggle for civil rights among minorities in the twentieth century United States, this course explores a variety of developments, issues and trends related to the subject.  Topics emphasized include: the role that issues of race have played in concepts of American nationhood and citizenship, the system of racial segregation, the various attempts to counter racism that culminated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the legacies of the movement. While the experiences and activities of other groups are examined at various times, the main focus is African American activism. 

History 585: AP U.S. History Institute
An intensive institute designed by the College Board and taught by qualified historians to prepare teachers to teach advanced level history courses.

History 589: Oral History: Theory and Methods
Examines the theory and practice of oral history and its relationship to the study of the past. Course provides teachers with training in how to use oral history sources in the classroom and how to implement oral history projects. Emphasis is on hands-on experience with equipment, interviewing techniques and the process and care of interview materials.

History 599: Applied Project
The culminating project for the Master of Arts in Historical Studies degree, this project may take the form of a thesis, curriculum development project or resource development project. The project is supervised by a three-member committee of program faculty and is designed to allow teachers the opportunity to apply knowledge from the program to the classroom in a meaningful manner.