History Minor

This course is designed to provide the student with knowledge about the history of historical writing and research by analyzing the work of important past historians and various philosophies, theories, and perspectives on the nature of history itself. Emphasis will also be given to understanding history from a Christian perspective. (3 units; Fall)

The course explores critically the ways in which at least two of the five areas of the Humanities (Philosophy; Literature; Art; Music; General Culture [History]) are related to the experience of the museum, with specific attention given to the importance of the museum as an educational institution. The particular cultural emphases and museum(s) to visit are left to the discretion of the course instructor. (3 units; Fall)

The course explores critically the ways in which at least two of the five areas of the Humanities (Philosophy; Literature; Art; Music; General Culture [History]) are impacted and interact with the experience of the Holocaust. The focus of this course will be on the Philosophy, Literature, and Art. (3 units; Spring)

This course traces the development of western philosophy from the Pre-Socratic thinkers through Immanuel Kant. Emphasis is placed on both interacting with primary source material and on understanding the broad trajectory, and paradigmatic shifts, that have shaped Western thought and culture. (3 units; Fall)

This class considers the formative philosophical movements and thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasis is placed on both interacting with primary source material and on understanding the paradigmatic and cultural shifts brought about by the rejection of, and responses to, Classical and Modern philosophy. (3 units; Spring)

This course examines the origin of Western political, social, and legal thought in order to understand the present through the great political works of the past. It begins in ancient Greece in early democratic Athens and moves through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. From there, the course explores classical Rome, focusing on Polybius and Cicero. Since the advent of Christianity shapes the development of medieval political thought, the political thought of St. Augustine, John of Salisbury, St. Thomas Aquinas, Marsilio of Padua, Dante, and Thomas More are discussed. (3 units; Fall, odd years)

This course entails a comparative study of modern social, legal, and political philosophy, from the Renaissance toward the present by focusing on the great works of the Western traditions, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesqueie, Kant, Hegel, Bentham, Marx, Mill. The course examines the relationship between these various political philosophers and the modern political world. (3 units; Spring, even years)

This course provides an exploration of the founding of the American Republic. It begins with the colonial period, noting the relationship between religion, liberty, and politics, and then moves to ideas that shaped the American Revolution. From there it analyzes the discussions on the Constitution by both the Federalists and the Antifederalists. The course also examines the discussions surrounding the new Republic and the growth of the nation, including the struggles regarding individualism, liberty, equality, race, gender, wealth, economic regulation, and community responsibility. (3 units; Fall, even years)

This course examines 20th century responses to modernity and its political and social theories. It focuses on continental philosophers and relates their ideas to contemporary society and politics. It begins with the Frankfurt School of critical theory and its criticisms of modern culture, and then moves from Nietzschean and Heideggerian thought to the hermeneutic theory of Gadamer and Ricoeur. After this, the course assesses the political relevance of the poststructuralism of Foucault, Derrida, and Lyotard. It concludes with Habermas' discourse ethics and deliberative democracy. (3 units; Spring, odd years)

This course is a history of the diplomatic relations of the United States and the development of the leading principles of foreign policy set within the context of an analysis of various geo-political models. (3 units; Spring, odd years, & OPS)