A study of the three great religions/civilizations of the Mediterranean region in the middle ages-Islam, Byzantine Christianity, and western Christianity-from about 400-1500, focusing on their basic beliefs and religious practices, and their economic, social, political, and cultural characteristics. It also studies the points of contact and conflict among the civilizations, including the crusades, the Reconquista, and the Islamic intellectual influence on Western Europe through Sicily and Spain. The role and experience of the Jews through the centuries are also explored. HA

Courses on topics of interest to history students offered on the basis of need, interest, or timeliness. Restricted to students with junior standing or higher. May be repeated for credit. For specific section description, click to the Section Details in VitNet.

Advanced non-classroom experiences in the field of history. Placements are off-campus, and may be full- or part-time, and with or without pay. Credit for experiences must be sought prior to occurance, and learning contracts must be submitted before the end of the first week of the semester. See the experiential learning: internship section of this catalog for more details. Restricted to students with junior standing or higher. Graded CR/NC.

Independent reading and/or research under the guidance of a history faculty member. Refer to the academic policy section for independent study policy. Independent study contract is required. May be repeated for credit.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the practice of responsible ethical reflection and judgment. Students will learn about the practice of moral analysis, examine many influential moral theories, such as, Virtue ethics, Deontological ethics, and Utilitarianism, and look at many contemporary moral debates in applied ethics, such as the issue of capital punishment, euthanasia, animal rights, and abortion. Restricted to students with freshman and sophomore standing. PMI Offered every semester.

This course considers the origin, nature and value of philosophy as a discipline unique in its method of exposing the underlying values in the human experience. With specific regard to the history of the Western philosophical tradition, this course aims at the development of a broad and coherent world-view. Restricted to students with freshman and sophomore standing. PMI Offered spring even years.

An analysis of the American West as both place and processes. Topics include western myths and realities, Native American-Euroamerican relations, environmental, economic, and political transformations, and western social relations. HA

This course explores the ways in which women in American have experienced and given meaning to their history from 1500-1900. This thematic analysis of the cultural roles and the social realities of American women examines such topics as family and private life, work and the economy, and community and public life. HA

This course explores recent U.S. history through the eyes of women. It analyzes how gender roles have changed over time by race, class, and culture. It examines womens experience in the family, religious, political, and social organizations. Topics of interest include the suffrage movement, settlement houses, prohibition, the labor movement, women in war and peace, and modern feminism. HA

An analysis of the ways in which Americans have interacted with their natural environment over time: population pressures on the land, the impact of the market economy, technology, social structures and social relations involved in the use, exploitation, and conservation of a particular natural resource, and human attitudes toward the environment. HA