Overview
"Understanding history is a vital part of embracing our future, and Trevecca understands that."
Historians, along with political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, believe that our perceptions of people different from us in time, space, and culture are built upon our understanding of our own social, historical, and political experience. That is why the History department is a part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences umbrella: one’s understanding of history shapes one’s perception of, interaction with, and reaction to the present.
History majors at Trevecca have access to a rich variety of courses on ancient to modern societies around the world. Most of the courses are set up as small, interdisciplinary, seminar-style classes, with an emphasis on primary source analysis. History majors will be taught how to think and write critically and effectively; they will be equipped with useful research skills and encouraged to participate in classroom discussions and debates. As a result, the skills of a historian are widely applicable to a number of fields.
Our program is dedicated to preparing our students for the workforce and/or graduate school and we believe that our students can excel in a variety of professions such as: teacher, lawyer, historic preservationist, archaeologist, museum administrator, librarian, archivist, journalist, think tank researcher, and all levels of government service.
The program also offers Pre-Law advising, which is often (but not necessarily) organized around a History major with a Public Policy minor or a Criminal Justice minor. Each student is counseled to choose a course of study tailored to meet his or her particular interests, which will maximize his or her chances of gaining admittance to law school and successfully completing graduate work in legal studies.
What our students say
"Understanding history is a vital part of embracing our future, and Trevecca understands that. Whether we are continuing the story of our nation or the story of our God, knowing our victories and failures will help us to overcome the trials that lie ahead. Trevecca teaches that. History is important and Trevecca has students and professors dedicated to uncovering and preserving our past."
Faculty
News
Core Classes
World Civilizations: Ancient & Medieval
HIS 1400
A course of study from ancient times to the 1500s dealing with persistent and recurring political, social, and economic issues in history that thinking people have examined and that have shaped our contemporary world. This course covers Western and non-Western cultures. Offered every semester.
Course Hours: 3
World Civilizations: Early Modern & Modern World
HIS 1450
A course of study from the 1500s to the present dealing with persistent and recurring political, social, and economic issues in history that thinking people have examined and that have shaped our contemporary world. This course covers Western and non-Western cultures. Offered every semester.
Course Hours: 3
United States History Survey I
HIS 2010
Survey of United States' social, political, economic, and military development to 1877. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
United States History Survey II
HIS 2020
Survey of United States' social, political, economic, and military development from 1877 to the present. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
The Historian’s Craft
HIS 2400
Students in this course will be introduced to critical, practical skills and tools used by historians in their work as scholars. Students will learn to craft strong thesis statements, will engage with a variety of methods of finding and critiquing historical sources, will learn the proper footnoting and bibliographic style used in the field of history, and will be exposed to new digital programs and tools developed for students of the humanities to aid them in research and writing. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 1
Historical Research
HIS 4200
Concentrates on the process of historical research with particular attention to research methodology and preparation of a research paper. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 3
Senior Seminar
HIS 4700
A culminating seminar for History, History/Political Science and Social Science majors. This course will involve research and writing in the major area and an exit examination with members of the major department faculty. Offered annually.
Course Hours: 2
Elective Courses
Colonial and Revolutionary America
HIS 3120
This course will survey the development of the colonies in British America, will explore the rising tension between the colonies and Great Britain prior to the Revolutionary era, and will examine the social, political, and economic causes and consequences of the American Revolution. Finally, the course assesses the conflict’s impact on the formation and development of the Early American Republic in political, social, and cultural terms. Offered alternate years.
Civil War and Reconstruction
HIS 3130
A study of Civil War's social, political, economic, and military aspects from the Ante-bellum era to Reconstruction. Offered alternate years.
Middle Tennessee History Seminar
HIS 3210
In-depth travel seminar involving the study of Middle Tennessee history. Offered annually.
Women’s Lives in American History
HIS 3300
Designed to enable students to examine women's experiences in America from the colonial era through the 20th century. Students will consider gender issues in American history in relation to work, family politics, religion, and society at large. Offered alternate years.
African-American History
HIS 3310
In this course, students will understand and assess the varied experiences of African-Americans in this country from the colonial period to present day. Students will consider issues relating to the African-American experience in U.S. history broadly through the lenses of work, family, politics, religion, and society and culture. Major topics will include the institution of slavery, abolition efforts, Reconstruction/Jim Crow eras, Civil Rights, and modern issues such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Offered alternate years.
Classical Foundations of the West: Ancient Greece & Rome
HIS 3145
Traces the history of the ancient Mediterranean and the early developments of the Western world with a focus on the civilizations of Greece and Rome from Homer and the development of the Greek city-state to Saint Augustine and the fall of the Roman Empire. This is an interdisciplinary “great books and art” course that teaches about these influential cultures by exposing students to the masterpieces they created and exploring their context and impact. Offered alternate years.
Rise of Christendom: Late Antique and Medieval Europe and Byzantium
HIS 3150
Investigates the history of Europe and the Near East from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance. This course will study the political, economic, social, religious, artistic and cultural development of the three successor civilizations to Greece and Rome: Byzantium, Islam and Medieval Europe, with particular emphasis on the latter and the development of the era of Christendom and the power of the medieval church and papacy. Offered alternate years.
Renaissances, Reformations and Revolutions
HIS 3500
Explores an important and dynamic era in the development of Western civilization by focusing on the major events of European history from ca. 1300-1650. This course is designed to trace the development of early modern Europe by starting with the waning of medieval Christendom and following a connected series of conflicts and movements including the Italian and Northern Renaissances, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations, and a variety of religious, political, scientific and social wars and revolutions that changed the shape of the Western world. Offered alternate years.
Enlightenment to Modernity in Europe
HIS 3160
Studies the social, political, intellectual, religious, ethical and economic revolutions and movements of the Enlightenment and Modernity eras of European history. This course will contextualize and analyze how frequently contradictory concepts of reason, rationality, science, religion, romanticism, tolerance, intolerance, ethics, morality, and power were articulated and realized in the long eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Offered alternate years.
Twentieth Century Culture and Conflicts
HIS 3200
Focuses on the political, diplomatic, social, artistic, and cultural trends from World War I to the collapse of the Soviet Union in Europe and America, but will also expand to other areas of the world directly impacted by Western culture and conflict. This course will explore the attributes of the Post-Modern era and the ways that war altered previously held definitions of society, nation, community, gender, race, science and ethics. Offered alternate years.
Latin American History
HIS 3170
A survey of the development of the Central and South American nations, from settlement to the present day. Offered alternate years.
History of Asia
HIS 3260
Examines the political, social and economic development of Russia and the Far Eastern nations. Offered alternate years.
Special Topics in History
HIS 3900
Explores a variety of particular topics in history as designated by the professor.
Overview
"Understanding history is a vital part of embracing our future, and Trevecca understands that."
Historians, along with political scientists, sociologists, and anthropologists, believe that our perceptions of people different from us in time, space, and culture are built upon our understanding of our own social, historical, and political experience. That is why the History department is a part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences umbrella: one’s understanding of history shapes one’s perception of, interaction with, and reaction to the present.
History majors at Trevecca have access to a rich variety of courses on ancient to modern societies around the world. Most of the courses are set up as small, interdisciplinary, seminar-style classes, with an emphasis on primary source analysis. History majors will be taught how to think and write critically and effectively; they will be equipped with useful research skills and encouraged to participate in classroom discussions and debates. As a result, the skills of a historian are widely applicable to a number of fields.
Our program is dedicated to preparing our students for the workforce and/or graduate school and we believe that our students can excel in a variety of professions such as: teacher, lawyer, historic preservationist, archaeologist, museum administrator, librarian, archivist, journalist, think tank researcher, and all levels of government service.
The program also offers Pre-Law advising, which is often (but not necessarily) organized around a History major with a Public Policy minor or a Criminal Justice minor. Each student is counseled to choose a course of study tailored to meet his or her particular interests, which will maximize his or her chances of gaining admittance to law school and successfully completing graduate work in legal studies.
What our students say
"Understanding history is a vital part of embracing our future, and Trevecca understands that. Whether we are continuing the story of our nation or the story of our God, knowing our victories and failures will help us to overcome the trials that lie ahead. Trevecca teaches that. History is important and Trevecca has students and professors dedicated to uncovering and preserving our past."
