MSU Billings Catalog

The Department of History

History: American

HSTA 101 American History I. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Surveys American history from the establishment of the colonies to the end of the Reconstruction period after the Civil War. Includes such topics as the English political and cultural heritage, independence, creation of the Constitution, early national period, increasing democracy, economic problems, manifest destiny, slavery, sectionalism, disunion, war, and reunion.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 102 American History II. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Surveys the political, economic, and social development of the U.S. since Reconstruction. Deals with industrialization and the agrarian reaction, Progressive Era, U.S. reaction to World War I, 1920s, Depression and New Deal, background to involvement in World War II, Cold War leadership (inc. Korea and Vietnam), and domestic changes since WWII.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 200 Historian as Detective. 3 Credits

Examines the basic research methods of History. Includes basic research writing and information gathering skills appropriate to History. Students will be instructed in the use of the Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style system of documentation. The course also prepares students to delve more deeply into the discipline of History, by equipping them with the tools they need to succeed in more advanced study through upper division courses in the History program.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 298 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-9 Credits

Provides university credit for a sophomore work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: History

HSTA 309 The Atlantic World 1492-1763. 3 Credits

Explores the nature of the encounters between people and cultures from the Americas, Europe, and Africa from Columbus to the end of the French and Indian War. Emphasis will be on how global trade patterns and technological developments gave rise to different kinds of relationships; the formation of new economic, demographic, political, and cultural configurations; and how the identities of people fundamentally changed during the time period, particularly in a colonial context. The class will study the Atlantic world’s various geographic segments (i.e. Europe, Africa, North America, Latin America) in a comparative and/or integrated way.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 313 Am Col & Rev History to 1789. 3 Credits

Recommended background: HSTA 101. (every third semester) Examines the origins and evolution of colonial America, the development of a distinct American identity, the birth of the United States, the struggle for independence from Great Britain, and the problems and challenges of a new nation.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 315 Early Am Republic, 1787-1848. 3 Credits

(every third semester) Examines the early Constitutional era, the political, social, and diplomatic issues of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian America, the emergence of the two party political system, the evolution of social reform movements, and the growing complexities of territorial conquest and expansion.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 316 American Civil War Era. 3 Credits

(every third semester) Considers the social, political, and economic background of events culminating in the sectional and constitutional crises of the 1850s, the American Civil War of the 1860s, and the subsequent reconstruction of the United States in the 1870s.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 320 Birth of Modern US. 3 Credits

(every third semester) Covers the period 1877-1929 with special emphasis on those events which were crucial to America’s emergence as a great power. Particular attention will be given to the rise of industrialism and the city, the decline of American agriculture, the rise of the United States’ worldwide empire, the Progressive Era, United States involvement in the First World War, and the 1920’s.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 321 America in Crisis. 3 Credits

(every third semester) Covers the period 1929-1960 in an effort to focus on America’s response to world turmoil characteristic of that era. The Depression of the 1930’s, the Second World War, the beginning of the Cold War, and increasing economic disparity represent the principle upheavals in which the United States found itself involved.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 325 US Since 1960. 3 Credits

(every third semester) Considers the problems of the United States since the beginning of the Kennedy administration including such topics as the Cold War, Vietnam, domestic politics, the radical left and the radical right, and the end of the Cold War. The social, cultural, and economic problems created by such forces in American life as Far- and Middle Eastern affairs, presidential politics, and the global electronic economy will be examined in detail.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 408 Gender in America. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Explores the history of women in American history from colonial times through the present day. The main focus will be on understanding of gender as a historically specific social construct and how ideas regarding gender related to broader themes in the political, social, and cultural history of the United States.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 428 Hist Arch in the Americas. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (even years)

Explores how archaeological research contributes to the understanding of American history. The class examines the development of historical cultures and sub-cultures in the New World from 1500 to the recent past. Focus will be on the importance of material culture; the intimate relationship between archaeology and primary documents; and a review of current models, theories, and paradigms used in archaeological interpretation. A secondary focus will be the use of technology in the process of archaeological analysis.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 460 Montana and the West. 3 Credits

(F, some Su) Traces the political, social, economic, and cultural development of Montana from pre-contact period through the present. Special emphasis on Montanan’s changing historical relationship with natural environment, the contest of cultures, and twentieth century issues. Course includes occasional field trips to historic sites.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 470 American Environmental History. 3 Credits

(every third semester/summer) Focuses on human interaction with and within the variety of North American environments. Compares Native American, European, and American philosophies and mythologies surrounding nature. Special emphasis on technology and nature, the American West, and the historical roots of recent ecological movements and controversies in Montana, the region, and the nation.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTA 492 Independent Study. 1-5 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and chairperson of the department.

Provides outstanding students an individual opportunity to explore material not covered by regular History courses. The student’s proposal for independent study must be approved before registering and the student’s GPA in previous History courses must be at least 3.00.

Department: History

HSTA 494 Seminar/Workshop. 1-8 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides an opportunity for experimental study in an area of History.

Department: History

HSTA 498 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-9 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides university credit for a work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: History

HSTA 499 Senior Capstone. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Analyzes how historians ask methodological and interpretive questions and how they answer those questioned intellectually and technically. Aids the student in developing an understanding of the historical profession and the tasks of the historian through research and writing exercises, the investigation and evaluation of primary and secondary materials, and study of various methodologies employed by historians.

Department: History

History: World

HSTR 159 World History to 1500 CE. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

3cr. Examines the development of world civilizations from origins through 1500 CE. Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, religious, and cultural issues which shape the world today.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 160 Modern World History. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

3cr. Examines the development of world civilizations from 1500 CE to the present. Particular attention is paid to the social, economic, political, religious, and cultural issues which shape the world today.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 298 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-9 Credits

Provides university credit for a sophomore work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: History

HSTR 302 Ancient Greece. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall (odd years)

Examines the civilization of Ancient Greece from the Minoan Crete period (c. 2600-1400 B.C.) to the fall of the Corinth in 146 B.C. with emphasis on the contributions of politics, art, literature, and philosophy to the western tradition.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 304 Ancient Rome. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (even years)

Covers the history of ancient Rome from its earliest point through the years of the Republic and Empire.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 305 Middle Ages. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall (even years)

Considers the collapse of ancient civilization and the emergence of a new distinctive European civilization in the millennium between 300 and 1300 A.D. Emphasis is placed on the decline and fall of Rome; the integration of Greco-Roman, Christian, and German elements in a new culture; and the creation of European political, economic, social, and intellectual institutions.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 317 Renaissance & Reformation. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Explores the events and ideas from the waning of the Middle Ages through conclusion of the Thirty Years War. Examines the impact of the Hundred Years War, the bubonic plague, the roots of the modern nation state, civic and northern humanism as well as the social, political, cultural, and religious issues from the beginning of Luther’s protest to the end of the religious wars in Europe.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 318 Enlight & Revol, 1648-1815. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall (odd years)

Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual issues in Europe from the end of the religious wars to Napoleon’s downfall. Central themes are the nature of baroque culture and its use by absolute monarchies in continental Europe and the character of the Enlightenment and its role as a precursor to the French Revolution. The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon will be examined in detail. Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century European history.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 322 19th Century Europe. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall (odd years)

Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual developments from Napoleon’s downfall to the end of the Great War. Central themes are the phenomenon of the industrial revolution and the frustration and fulfillment of modern nationalistic and liberal agendas in Europe, all culminating in World War I. Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of the history of the “long nineteenth century.”.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 324 20th Century Europe. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Explores social, political, cultural, and intellectual developments since World War I. Central themes are the Great Depression and the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, World War II, the postwar recovery of Europe, the Cold War, and European unification. Moreover, this course examines many diverse aspects of the history of the “short twentieth century.” .

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 327 The History of Punk Rock. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Prerequisite(s): N/A. Corequisites

3cr. The course will begin with the post-WWII era, linger on the neo-conservatism of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and end with the global revitalization of Punk Rock in response to the USA’s neo-imperial reaction to the events of 11 September 2001. Punk was and continues to be a relevant cultural movement rooted in the evolving social, political, economic, and aesthetic contexts of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 332 Pre-Columbian & Col Lat Am. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall (odd years)

Covers the history of Latin America before the arrival of the Europeans, conquest and colonialism, paying particular attention to the interchange between native and European cultures, the place of the Church in the colonial period, and pre-independence political and economic development.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 336 Modern Latin America. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (even years)

Deals with selective topics such as the independence movement, the social/cultural/political/economic development of Latin American countries, with special emphasis on U.S.-Latin American relations in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 417 Early Mod Sci: Scientific Revl. 3 Credits

(Sp every 2 years) Examines the growth of “science” at the cusp of “modernity” and the role of social, political, religious, and commercial developments that both hindered and made possible such landmark theories as heliocentrism, elliptical paths of the planets, the circulation of the blood, and gravity. This course highlights interdisciplinary pursuits, as students of history, philosophy, biology, chemistry, physics, etc. all bring unique disciplinary knowledge to a subject that exists beyond those boundaries.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 420 Ancient & Medieval Archaeology. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Examines the material culture (i.e. art, architecture, and artifacts) of ancient and medieval worlds from the dawn of civilization through the sixteenth century CE. The course explores the following: an introduction to archaeology as a tool for understanding the past, dating systems, archaeological methods, the material culture of the ancient and medieval worlds, the formation and perpetuation of the western traditions in art and architecture, urban planning and construction techniques, architectural orders, artistic styles, and the process of archaeological reconstruction.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 440 Topics in Asian History. 3 Credits

Examines special topics in Asian history.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 447 Modern Asia. 3 Credits

Explores the development of modern Asia. Topics, which will vary by semester, include Japan, Korea, and China. Students will study these states from their early foundations to their emergence as modern states. Special emphasis is placed on cultural development, particularly religion, literature, and music. The course focuses on turning points in a given country’s (or region’s) history as well as various issues related to identity, social life, and government. This course shall be repeatable for up to 6 credits with instructor approval.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 450 Women in Euro Hist Since 1700. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Explores the relationship between women and politics, society, economics, the family, and culture in Europe from 1700 to the present. Emphasizes diverse experiences of women across Europe, their relationship to the state and society and gendered assumptions related to femininity and its relationship to other categories of difference. Particular attention is paid to women and the Enlightenment, French Revolution, the development of the Nation State, WWI, WWII, the Holocaust, the Cold War, and the Student and Women’s Movements.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 462 Holocaust in Nazi Occupied Eur. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring (odd years)

Examines the Holocaust in Nazi occupied Europe from 1933 to 1945. Covers the origins, causes, motivations, and effects of the discrimination, internment, and genocidal actions of the Nazi regime. The Holocaust is put into its larger historical perspective prior to and after the actual event.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 466 Islamic Civilization. 3 Credits

Develops the social, political, cultural, and economic history of the Middle East from the rise of Muhammed and the Caliphate to the Umayyad and Abbasid Empires and the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. Emphasizes Islamic religious thought and philosophy and the flowering of Medieval Islam.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 473 Gndr, War & Film:Eur 1648-1945. 3 Credits

Focuses on gender, culture, and social change related to warfare and the memory of war in film, beginning with the religious wars through the upheavals of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars to the First and Second World Wars. .

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 487 Monsters in Modern Euro Hist. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall

Introduces students to come of the major themes and developments related to the historical construction and significance of monsters in European history from the sixteenth century to the present. The main focus will be on understanding the specific nature of a particular monster, the historical context in which it was created and its relation to larger social, political, and cultural questions.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

HSTR 491 Special Topics. 3 Credits

Explores the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of a particular European country or region in the modern era. The course focuses on turning points in a given country’s (or region’s) history as well as various issues related to identity, social life, and government. The course seeks to provide a specialized knowledge of an individual European country’s (or region’s) history in more depth than the general European survey. Topics under this title may include France since 1789, Germany since 1517, England since 1688, or Eastern Europe since 1918. This course shall be repeatable for up to 6 credits with instructor approval.

Department: History

HSTR 492 Independent Study. 1-5 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and chairperson of the department.

Provides outstanding students an individual opportunity to explore material not covered by regular History courses. The student’s proposal for independent study must be approved before registering and the student’s GPA in previous History courses must be at least 3.00.

Department: History

HSTR 494 Seminar/Workshop. 1-8 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides an opportunity for experimental study in an area of History.

Department: History

HSTR 498 Internship/Cooperative Educ. 1-9 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides university credit for a work experience in the area of History supervised by faculty. Learning agreement must be completed prior to registration (restricted).

Department: History

HSTR 499 Senior Thesis/Capstone. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Fall, Spring

Analyzes how historians ask methodological and interpretive questions and how they answer those questioned intellectually and technically. Aids the student in developing an understanding of the historical profession and the tasks of the historian through research and writing exercises, the investigation and evaluation of primary and secondary materials, and study of various methodologies employed by historians.

Department: History

Military Science Leadership

MSL 101 Introduction to the Army. 3 Credits

Corequisite(s): MSL 106.

3cr. Establishes a framework for understanding officership, leadership, Army values and physical fitness, time management, communications theory and practice (written and oral), and interpersonal relationships. These initial lessons form the building blocks of progressive lessons in values, fitness, leadership, and officership. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 102 Intro to Tactical Leadership. 2 Credits

Corequisite(s): MSG 106.

Establishes a foundation of basic leadership fundamentals such as: problem solving, communications, military briefings, effective writing, goal setting, techniques for improving listening and speaking skills, in addition to an introduction to counseling. Provides students with a basic understanding of situational leadership as it applies to the military and how the basic concepts and practices relate to individuals and organizations. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Lecture Hours 2

Department: History

MSL 106 Army Physical Fitness. 1 Credit

Corequisite(s): All MSL courses.

R Develops confidence and discipline in mind and body through a regimented and challenging physical conditioning course. Designed to provide students a framework of fitness skills, planning, and testing for a lifetime of health. The course consists of three Physical Training (PT) sessions per week that include: running, swimming, upper body, core development, sports, and team building exercises. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Lab Hours 1

Department: History

MSL 201 Leadership and Ethics. 3 Credits

Corequisite(s): MSL 106.

3cr. Develops an understanding of how to build teams, influence, communicate, a process for effective decision making, teaches creative problem solving, and the fundamentals of planning. Students identify successful leadership characteristics through observation of others and self through experiential learning exercises. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 202 Found of Tactical Leadership. 3 Credits

Corequisite(s): MSG 106.

Provides an advanced look at leadership principles and the application and practice of those principles. Examines building successful teams, various methods for influencing action, effective communication, and achieving goals. Additionally, stresses the importance of timing the decision, creativity in the problem solving process, and obtaining team buy-in through immediate feedback. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 204 Basic Camp. 1-6 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides a forum for the development of military leadership fundamentals. Leadership Training Course (LTC) is four weeks of intense classroom and field training held in the summer at Fort Knox, Kentucky. This course is an accelerated version of the two years of leadership development training Cadets receive in the Basic Course of ROTC (freshman & sophomore years on campus). By transforming themselves through this rigorous training, students will qualify for enrollment in the Army ROTC Advanced Course on campus, provided they have two years of college remaining (undergraduate or graduate).

Department: History

MSL 205 American Military History. 3 Credits

Term Typically Offered: Spring

Presents the study of the evolution of the American Military, with concentration on the evolution of the American military within the context of national historical development, specifically with regard to industrialization, national security, and the United States' evolving international role and policies. Includes study of significant battles throughout our history of warfare, which includes a field trip to a historical battleground.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 292 Independent Study. 1-6 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and department chairperson.

Provides an opportunity for freshman and sophomore students to explore material not covered by regular Military Science Student courses. Restricted to contracted Military Science students.

Department: History

MSL 301 Training Mgmt & Warfighting Fn. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): MSL 101, MSL 102, MSL 201, and MSL 202 or MSL 298.

Corequisite(s): MSL 106.

3cr. Provides for the study, evaluation, and practice of the adaptive leadership model in order to acquire the same. The Leadership Development Program (LDP) is used to develop self-awareness, behavior modification, and critical thinking. Battle drills serve to assist in preparing the student/leader for Warrior Forge. Students conduct self-assessment of leadership style, develop personal fitness regimen, and learn to plan and conduct individual/small unit tactical training while testing reasoning and problem-solving techniques. Students receive direct feedback on leadership abilities. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall semester. Restricted to contracted Military Science students.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 302 Applied Team Leadership. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): MSG 301.

Corequisite(s): MSG 106.

Provides a forum in order to execute and evaluate the leadership skills and abilities developed in practical exercises, tactical scenarios, and mentorship. Evaluates the tactical, technical, and administrative skills and duties common to all branches of the Army. Develops leadership behaviors and the ability to function effectively in small unit operations. Examines the role communications, values, and ethics play in the leadership role. Topics include: ethical decision-making, considerations of others, spirituality in the military, and case studies of effective leaders. Explores the leader’s role in planning, directing, and coordinating the efforts of individuals and small groups in tactical missions. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Spring semester.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 305 Leadership Dev Assess Course. 1-6 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides an environment in which to evaluate and enhance students’ leadership abilities in a controlled and challenging environment. This serves as U.S. Army Cadet Command’s flagship training and assessment exercise held at Fort Lewis, Washington each summer. Every Army ROTC Cadet hoping to pin-on the gold bar of an Army lieutenant must successfully complete Warrior Forge. After graduation, most attendees will go back to their colleges or universities to finish their degrees and then be commissioned as an Officer of the U.S. Army. Offered during Summer session.

Department: History

MSL 401 The Army Officer. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Corequisite(s): MSL 106.

3cr. Develops proficiency in planning and executing complex operations, functioning as a member of a staff, and mentoring subordinates. Students explore training management, methods of effective team collaboration, and developmental counseling techniques, as well as the application of leadership principles and techniques involved in leading young men and women in today’s Army. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall semester.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 402 Leadership in a Complex World. 3 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Corequisite(s): MSG 106.

Focuses on case study analysis of military law and practical exercises in establishing an ethical command climate. Future leaders must complete a semester-long Senior Leadership Project that requires them to plan, organize, collaborate, analyze, and demonstrate their leadership skills. The course includes understanding of the ethical components of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and civil rights legislation, study of the military justice system and Army law administrations, exploration of the dynamics of leading in complex situations, and preparation for transition from college student to commissioned Officer in the Army. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Spring semester.

Lecture Hours 3

Department: History

MSL 491 Leadership Special Topics. 1-6 Credits

Provides a course of study not required in any curriculum for which there is a particular one-time need. Serves the needs of the instructor and/or student otherwise not covered in any other class or curriculum. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions.

Department: History

MSL 492 Independent Study. 1-6 Credits

Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor.

Provides a study in military tactics, leadership, and organizational behavior. Students are closely supervised by military Officers in order to provide one-on-one developmental counseling and mentorship. Restricted to contracted Military Science students. This course includes a required field training component which includes physical fitness, orienteering, and other outdoor skills. Offered Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions.

Department: History