History
Department of History
B.A., History
The History Department prepares students to critically analyze and interpret cultural heritage, the great problems that have faced humans throughout history and how we have sought to solve them.
If you enjoy studying and researching major cultural, social, economic and political events of the past, then a B.A. in history may be for you. Through our program, you will develop skills in oral and written presentation, research and critical thinking, and gain a greater awareness of the human condition. Our students also acquire an appreciation of the complexity of the discipline, an understanding that historical narratives are constructed, contested and always changing, and the recognition that there are varied perspectives on the past.
As liberal arts majors, history prepares students for a multitude of careers in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. History graduates may find work as educators, researchers and analysts, public relations representatives, advocates, and business professionals.
Minimum Requirements for History Bachelor's Degree: 120 credits
Learn more about the bachelor’s degree in history, including an overview of the program, career opportunities and more.
Courses
History (HIST)
HIST F100X Modern World History (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall, Spring and Summer
Significant aspects of modern world history. The chronological approach will examine major global developments in the twentieth century, while the issues approach will deal with such aspects of the modern world as revolutionary change, the interaction of peoples, ideology and the historical background of significant contemporary events.
Prerequisites: Placement in WRTG F111X.
Special Notes: Either a chronological or an issues approach to be announced when scheduled.
Attributes: UAF GER Social Sciences Req
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F101 Western Civilization Before 1500 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Origins and major political, economic, social and intellectual developments of western civilization to 1500.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F102X Western Civilization Since 1500 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
This course examines the origins and development of key social, political, economic and cultural trends in Western civilization from 1500 to the present. Students will learn to read and interpret historical documents, how the interplay of historical factors conditions subsequent events and different approaches and perspectives for understanding the past.
Special Notes: Topics to be examined include the Reformation, the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, the French and Industrial revolutions, nationalism, imperialism, communism, fascism, World Wars I and II, and the Cold War.
Attributes: UAF GER Social Sciences Req
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F105 Introduction to the History and Culture of the Seward Peninsula
1 Credit
Offered As Demand Warrants
Cultural history of the Seward Peninsula peoples for the last 10,000 years using physical anthropology, ethnography, ethnohistory, linguistics, archaeology, social anthropology, ecology and climatology. Eskimo and Euro-American cultures which have existed in western Alaska.
Cross-listed with ANTH F105.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 1 + 0 + 0
HIST F110X History of Alaska Natives from Contact to the Present (an, s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Surveys Alaska Native history from contact to the present. Provides awareness of how Europeans constructed narratives of the Native past and their continuing influence; a broad overview of complex historical experiences; an understanding of the cultural diversity; overviews of ethnohistorical methods and post-colonial theory; and opportunities to cultivate critical thinking.
Attributes: UAF GER Social Sciences Req
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F115 Alaska, Land and Its People (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
A survey of Alaska from earliest days to present, its peoples, problems and prospects.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F121 East Asian Civilization (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Origin and development of the civilizations of China, Japan and Korea from the beginning to 1800, with emphasis on traditional social, political and cultural institutions.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F122X East Asian Civilization (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
This survey course on East Asian civilization history from 1800-present focuses on political, economic and intellectual history. Students will identify broad trends in this history based on analysis of primary sources from governmental officials, political leaders and intellectuals. Current relations among East Asian countries will be examined.
Attributes: UAF GER Social Sciences Req
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F131 History of the U.S. (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall and Summer
The discovery of America to 1865. Colonial period, revolution, formation of the constitution, western expansion, Civil War.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F132X History of the U.S. II (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring and Summer
Surveys U.S. history from post-Civil War reconstruction to the present. Focus on cultural, social, political, and economic changes that shaped American life in the twentieth century and beyond. Develops critical thinking and writing skills, introduces methods, theories, and approaches; and considers primary sources.
Attributes: UAF GER Social Sciences Req
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F202 History of Women in America (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
A chronological approach to the history of women in America. Introduction to major issues of concern to historians of women, as well as different approaches used in analysis of women's past. Consideration of multiracial backgrounds of American women.
Cross-listed with WGS F202.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F244 Movies: Mirror of the World (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
World history using the medium of film to highlight cultural, economic and political conditions of each country. Films will be from the USA, Mexico, Central America, South America, England, France, Russia, Turkey, India, China, Japan, Australia, Africa and the Arctic.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F275 Perspectives on History
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An introduction to the variety of historical approaches and to the "uses" of history. (Course is required for history majors and should be taken soon after declaring a History major as possible; non-majors are strongly discouraged from taking this course.)
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F305 Europe: 1789--1850 (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
The French Revolution, Napoleon, the Industrial Revolution, the Revolutions of 1848, their impact on political, economic, social and intellectual history.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F306 Europe: 1850--1900 (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
The European Imperium: industrialization, nationalism, imperialism and their impact on political, economic, social and intellectual history.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F315 Europe: 1900--1945 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Europe through two world wars, the Russian Revolutions the depression, the development of fascism, the evolution of Russian communism.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F316 Europe Since 1945 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Germany and problems of the peace, the Soviet Union and the satellites, the Cold War, economic problems and recovery, European integration and the common market, Europe and the world.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F325 The History of Sexuality (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
The history of sexuality from a worldwide comparative perspective. Theories and debates about the history of sexuality in selected times and places, with an emphasis on the modern period.
Prerequisites: HIST F100X; WRTG F211X, WRTG F212X, WRTG F213X or WRTG F214X.
Cross-listed with WGS F325.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F330 Modern China (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
From 1800 to the present: resistance to change, rebellion, reform, revolution and the rise of the People's Republic.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F331 Modern Japan (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
From 1600 to the present: change within tradition, rise to world power and the position of Japan in the modern world.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F333 Foundations of Japanese History (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
The history of Japan from earliest times to 1600: the aristocratic culture of classical Japan, the rise of the samurai in medieval Japan, the "warring states" period and national unification. Myths, religion and philosophy, and culture, arts and literature will also be covered from a historical point of view.
Prerequisites: HIST F100X.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F361 Early American History (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
An advanced survey that examines economic, political and social developments related to the establishment of European colonies, diplomacy and conflict, slavery, American Revolution, constitutional debate and the Early Republic through the War of 1812.
Recommended: HIST F131; sophomore standing.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F362 History of the United States 1815-1877 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
An advanced survey that examines economic, political and social developments related to Jacksonian America, western expansion, slavery and sectionalism, the Civil War and reconstruction to 1877.
Recommended: HIST F131; sophomore standing.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F363 History of the United States 1877-1945 (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
An advanced survey that examines economic, political, and social developments related to Gilded Age America, progressive reform efforts, colonialism and the United States during two world wars.
Recommended: HIST F132X; sophomore standing.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F364 History of the United States 1945 to Present (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
An advanced survey course that examines economic, political and social developments related to the Cold War, Civil Rights movement, rise of a counter-culture, Vietnam war and its legacy, and America after the fall of Soviet Union.
Recommended: HIST F132X; sophomore standing.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F368 Topics in American Film History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
American film and how it shapes and warps popular perceptions of America's past. A historical contrast according to Hollywood with the views and interpretations of historians. Content will vary depending on the specific genre or period of focus, such as World War II, the Vietnam War or the Great Depression.
Prerequisites: FLPA F217X or FLPA F308; HIST F131 or HIST F132X.
Cross-listed with FLPA F368.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F401 Renaissance and Reformation Europe (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Political, economic and intellectual developments during the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F402 Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-century Europe (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Political, social, economic, and cultural developments during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F404 Modern Scandinavia (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
Examines geographical, political, economic, cultural and social forces, as well as the impact of individuals, on the transformation of Scandinavian states from autocratic monarchies to some of the most democratic and egalitarian states in the world.
Stacked with HIST/ACNS F604.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F405 Modern Germany (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
The history of Germany from 1848 to the present. Topics include German unification under Prussian leadership; the nature and problems of the Bismarckian Reich; the outbreak of World War I and the war's impact on Germany; the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich; World War II and Germany's defeat; and the postwar division, reconstruction, and reunification of Germany. Special attention given to social developments in Germany.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F411 Environmental History (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Discussion of significant works of environmental history. Cultural history of the landscape in world civilization with emphasis on Western Europe and North America. Discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to the history of environment and cooperative work across disciplines.
Stacked with ACNS F611.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F414 Women and Gender in East Asian History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An in-depth seminar on the history of East Asia, with a special emphasis on the experiences of women and on the issue of gender. This seminar will focus on the modern period, and on China and Japan especially, though other regions of East Asia may also be considered.
Prerequisites: WRTG F211X, WRTG F212X, WRTG F213X or WRTG F214X; HIST F100X.
Recommended: HIST F122X, HIST F275.
Cross-listed with WGS F414.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F424 Topics in Women's History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An in-depth seminar on a specific topic of current interest. Topics may change and may cover the history of European or American women from the 18th century to the present.
Prerequisites: Junior standing.
Cross-listed with WGS F424.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F429 History of the Modern Middle East (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An advanced survey of the modern Middle East from the 19th century to the present. It will focus on the birth of the modern Middle Eastern states out of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Oajar Dynasty, and the impact of the Western colonial powers on Middle Eastern societies and culture. Special attention will be given to the birth of modern secular Turkey, Egypt under military governments for the past half-century and the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the partition of Palestine. The origins of the Jewish state and the impact of the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the political dynamics of the entire Islamic world will also be carefully examined. The contestation between secular nationalisms and the religious nationalisms as well as trans-national Islamic movements will also be given special attention. The impact of radical Islam on the other non-Western countries will be discussed.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F434 Topics in History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
An in-depth seminar on various topics in History. Approach will vary depending on the subject of the study, but will emphasize reading, critical analysis and writing on a major issue in history. Content will vary to take advantage of different directions in history, such as cultural, intellectual or economic history.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F442 History of the American Military (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
The military's place in American life and society from the Colonial era to the present. Role of the military institution in shaping the nature of American society while reflecting the character of the society it serves.
Prerequisites: HIST F275.
Cross-listed with MILS F442.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F445 History of the American West (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Seminar with emphasis on readings and analysis of primary and secondary sources dealing with the American West to present. Major themes include historiography, expansion, the Federal government, environment, ethnicity and economic development.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F446 American Indian History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Seminar with emphasis on readings and analysis of primary and secondary resources related to American Indians from the pre-contact era to present. Major themes include historiography, inter-cultural relations, subsistence and environment, federal policy and contemporary issues.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F453 Fire, Ice, and the Fate of Humanity: A History of Energy and Climate Change (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
This course examines how energy regimes and climatic changes have structured the history of the world, with a focus on North America. From the Little Ice Age to the Atomic Age and the Anthropocene, energy and climate have contoured the fate of humanity.
Crosslisted with ACNS F453; HONR F453.
Stacked with ACNS F653.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F455 Military History (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Warfare from classical times to the present: the interrelationships of warfare and society, the role of technology and the development of tactics and strategy.
Prerequisites: Junior standing.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F461 History of Alaska (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Alaska from prehistoric times to the present, including major themes such as Native Alaska, colonial and military Alaska, statehood, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the Alaska National Interest Lands Act of 1980.
Stacked with HIST F662; ACNS F661.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F463 Imperial Russia, 1700-1917 (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
This course covers Russian history from the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725) until the collapse of the Tsarist regime in February 1917. Topics will include Russia's complex relationship with Western Europe, the challenges posed by modernization, the Russian Empire as a multi-national state, and the emergence of revolutionary movement.
Stacked with HIST F663; ACNS F663.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F464 Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Russia from the 1917 Revolution to the present. This course examines the attempts to build a socialist utopia in the former Russian empire and its impact on the peoples of that region and the modern world. We will consider the political, economic, social and cultural nature of the Soviet state.
Stacked with HIST F664; ACNS F664.
Special Notes: Major themes include cultural transformation, industrialization, Stalinism, the Soviet Union as a multi-national empire, the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet state, and the new Russia of Yeltsin and Putin.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F466 The Russian Arctic
3 Credits
Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
Through readings, discussion and writing this course will explore topics such as: the Russian Empire’s and the Soviet Union’s exploration and colonization of the Arctic, Indigenous peoples, and the ways in which the Arctic was imagined in Imperial, Soviet and post-Soviet Russian culture.
Cross-listed with ACNS F466.
Stacked with ACNS F666.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F467 Political Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Exploration of major issues and concepts in development and governances of modern Latin America and the Caribbean region, including legacies of colonialism, revolution, military rule, economic challenges and the quest for democratic stability. Includes a historical overview of region and cases drawn from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.
Prerequisites: WRTG F111X; WRTG F211X, WRTG F212X, WRTG F213X or WRTG F214X; HIST F275.
Cross-listed with PS F467.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F475 Historiography Capstone (s)
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Seminar discussions and lectures introduce philosophical approaches to history. Examines various methodological approaches to historical inquiry. Includes the nature of historical evidence, questioning of the role of truth and objectivity in history, an examination of the role of the historian in interpreting historical evidence, and different interpretations of historical events and actions. Designed for history majors and minors, and graduate students seeking to conduct historical research.
Prerequisites: WRTG F111X; WRTG F211X, WRTG F212X, WRTG F213X or WRTG F214X; HIST F275; history major with senior standing.
Stacked with ACNS F675.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F476 Senior Thesis Capstone (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
Preparation and writing of a senior thesis using primary research materials on a topic of the student's choosing.
Prerequisites: COM F131X or COM F141X; HIST F475; WRTG F111X; WRTG F211X, WRTG F212X, WRTG F213X or WRTG F214X.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F481 Polar Exploration and Its Literature (s)
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
A survey of polar exploration efforts of all Western nations from A.D. 870 to the present and a consideration of the historical sources of this effort.
Stacked with HIST F681; ACNS F681.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F483 20th-century Circumpolar History (s)
3 Credits
Offered Spring
A comparative history of the circumpolar North, including Alaska, Siberia, Scandinavia, Greenland and Canada. Focus on social, economic, political and environmental issues of the 20th century, such as exploration, aboriginal land claims, subsistence, military strategy, transportation, oil development, Arctic haze and scientific research in the Arctic.
Stacked with HIST F683; ACNS F683.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F490 Researching and Writing Northern History
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
Exploration of the craft and methodology of historical research in the North. Course may be repeated for credit when content varies.
Stacked with ACNS F690.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 1 + 3 + 0
HIST F600 Perspectives on the North
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Explores topics of interest and concern throughout the circumpolar north, including social, historical, environmental, ethnocultural, economic, political and geographic issues in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia. Readings represent a variety of perspectives on the topics, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous, as well as insider and outsider, geographic/national and gender.
Cross-listed with ACNS F600.
Stacked with ACNS F484.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F604 Modern Scandinavia
3 Credits
Offered Spring Even-numbered Years
Examines geographical, political, economic, cultural and social forces, as well as the impact of individuals, on the transformation of Scandinavian states from autocratic monarchies to some of the most democratic and egalitarian states in the world.
Cross-listed with ACNS F604.
Stacked with HIST F404.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F611 Environmental History
3 Credits
Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Discussion of significant works of environmental history. Cultural history of the landscape in world civilization with emphasis on Western Europe and North America. Discussion of interdisciplinary approaches to the history of environment and cooperative work across disciplines.
Cross-listed with ACNS F611.
Stacked with HIST F411.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F662 History of Alaska
3 Credits
Offered Fall
Alaska from prehistoric times to the present, including major themes such as Native Alaska, colonial and military Alaska, statehood, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the Alaska National Interest Lands Act of 1980.
Cross-listed with ACNS F661.
Stacked with HIST F461.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F663 Imperial Russia, 1700-1917
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
This course covers Russian history from the reign of Peter the Great (1682-1725) until the collapse of the Tsarist regime in February 1917. Topics will include Russia's complex relationship with Western Europe, the challenges posed by modernization, the Russian Empire as a multi-national state, and the emergence of revolutionary movement.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
Cross-listed with ACNS F663.
Stacked with HIST F463.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F664 Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia
3 Credits
Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Russia from the 1917 Revolution to the present. This course examines the attempts to build a socialist utopia in the former Russian empire and its impact on the peoples of that region and the modern world. We will consider the political, economic, social and cultural nature of the Soviet state.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
Cross-listed with ACNS F664.
Stacked with HIST F464.
Special Notes: Major themes include cultural transformation, industrialization, Stalinism, the Soviet Union as a multi-national empire, the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet state, and the new Russia of Yeltsin and Putin.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F681 Polar Exploration and Its Literature
3 Credits
Offered As Demand Warrants
A survey of polar exploration efforts of all Western nations from A.D. 870 to the present and a consideration of the historical sources of this effort.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
Cross-listed with ACNS F681.
Stacked with HIST F481.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F683 20th-century Circumpolar History
3 Credits
Offered Spring
A comparative history of the circumpolar North, including Alaska, Siberia, Scandinavia, Greenland and Canada. Focus on social, economic, political and environmental issues of the 20th century, such as exploration, aboriginal land claims, subsistence, military strategy, transportation, oil development, Arctic haze and scientific research in the Arctic.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing.
Cross-listed with ACNS F683.
Stacked with HIST F483.
Lecture + Lab + Other: 3 + 0 + 0
HIST F699 Thesis
1-12 Credits
Lecture + Lab + Other: 0 + 0 + 0
Faculty
John W. Heaton, Ph.D.
Professor
Arthur T. Fathauer Chair of Historyjwheaton2@alaska.edu
907-474-6508
GRUE 604 C
Troth Yeddha' Campus
Tyler Kirk, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
tckirk@alaska.edu
907-474-5874
GRUE 606-B
Troth Yeddha' Campus
Susan Larrabee, M.A.
Instructor, History
sklarrabee@alaska.edu
GRUE 605-C
Troth Yeddha' Campus
Walter Skya, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
waskya@alaska.edu
907-474-2718
GRUE 605-B
Troth Yeddha' Campus
Philip Wight, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
pawight@alaska.edu
907-474-5203
GRUE 604-B
Troth Yeddha' Campus