Upper Division Courses

Summer 2026 - Online Course Descriptions

Online courses are fully online and completely asynchronous.

 

HIST 3035 M50 (CRN 54517)
Technology and Culture in American History
Dr. Caroline Peyton
WEB – Online

This course examines the intersections between the history of technology and American culture. From the war of currents, the history of gaming consoles, to even domestic technologies like the stand mixer, we will explore the history of technology from many different angles. At its core, this class examines two key themes: what factors have influenced the development of specific technologies, and how have those technologies shaped American culture? - Back.

 

HIST 3302 M50 (CRN 54515)
Modern Europe 1800 - Present
Dr. Daniel Unowsky
WEB – Online

This course will acquaint you with the major political, social, economic, and cultural forces which have shaped Modern Europe. We will pursue a chronological perspective and highlight the French, Agricultural, and Industrial Revolutions, imperialism, the Russian Revolution, communism and fascism, the two world wars, the Holocaust, and the rise and fall of the Cold War. We will also turn our attention to the nineteenth century development of the notions of nation, class, gender, and race, and to the often tragic fate of these modern inventions in the 20^th century. - Back.

 

HIST 3881 M50/51 (CRN 527872, 55446)
African American History
WEB – Online

This course examines African American history from the 17th century through the beginning of the 21st century. We will focus on the complex nature of race relations, on the development of African American culture, and on themes, issues, events, and personalities that have contributed to shaping the experiences of African Americans. We are living through some of the most confusing, turbulent times in African American History. I hope you'll be able to use what you learn from our textbook, the primary source documents, the videos, and some additional resources in the modules/units to better understand these events. - Back.

 

HIST 4299/6299 M50 (CRN 57662)
Topics in Global History: Global Human Rights
Dr. Selina Makana
WEB – Online

The 1945 United Nations Charter and the 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) were fundamental intellectual achievements, which set in motion the idea of universal, inalienable rights and freedoms for everyone, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The UDHR, in particular, has not only shaped the dominant moral language of our time, but it has also become a source of inspiration to oppressed individuals and groups across the globe. This course traces the development of human rights discourse from the Enlightenment period to the present-day human rights revolution. We will explore human rights not only as theories embodied in texts, but as practices rooted in specific historical contexts. - Back.

 

Fall 2026 - On Campus Course Descriptions

* = Honors section offered

 

HIST ST3000
History of American Music
Dr. Cookie Woolner
TR 2:40-4:05 pm     MI 203

Popular American music offers historians a new archive of primary sources to examine in order to understand the past. This course will introduce students to the historical narrative of popular American music and its industries, highlighting emerging musical genres chronologically over the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will analyze the social and cultural aspects of popular music to understand how American society and its music has changed over time. Music itself became an industry in modern America: how did the economic side affect the art and artists? Can music and other cultural forms create societal change? How have issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, region, and technology affected performers, popular music, and its industry? And what role has music played in Memphis history, especially when it comes to issues of race? These are some of the questions students will learn to answer in this class through readings, lectures, quizzes, videos, in-class discussion and writing, and writing assignments and exams. - Back.

 

HIST 3011 001 (CRN 98194)
Teaching Historical Thinking
Dr. Susan O’Donovan
TR 1:00-2:25 pm      MI 209

Peppermint Patty deserves better than this. So do our 6-12 students. Join me this spring as we explore new ways of teaching history and historical thinking at the secondary level. Have you dreamed of teaching history and its key corollary, historical thinking?  Then this is the class for you.  Starting at the beginning with how people learn, we will explore what it means to think historically and how best to develop those skills in our middle and high school students.  In the process, you will learn how to integrate curriculum standards, teaching styles and strategies, primary and secondary sources, assessment and evaluation standards, and content knowledge into lesson plans and activities.  You will build this knowledge and these skills through regular readings, written assignments, class discussions, group work, and class presentations.  The goal is to leave my class prepared to create courses that emphasize thinking and knowledge creation over rote memorization of the kind that stumps Patty in the cartoon above. - Back.

 

HIST 3281 001* (CRN 80190)
Africa to 1500
Dr. Dennis Laumann
MW 12:40-2:05 pm    MI 209

This course covers African history from the origins of humanity to the beginnings of the Atlantic Age. We will study major topics and themes in early African history, including: agriculture and technology; African civilizations, languages, and religions; ancient Nile kingdoms; Bantu migrations; the spread of Christianity and Islam; the Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade networks; and Sudanic empires. Class meetings will consist of lectures, discussions, guest presentations, and occasional film viewings. - Back.

 

HIST 3291 001
Modern Asia
Dr. Catherine Phipps
TR 9:40-11:05 am    MI 203

East Asia is a dynamic center of economic and political power in today's world. It is also a place of great tension and uncertainty. This survey course will focus on the three key countries of China, Japan, and Korea and explore their dramatic transitions across two centuries, their deep connections, and the important ways they differ and clash. Join me as we learn about imperialism, warfare and friendship, surveillance and persecution, cultural exchange, natural resources and disasters, and the convoluted nexus of democracy, communism, and capitalism. Using historical documents, fiction, scholarly writings, and contemporary news sources, we'll work to understand their complex, integrated histories and how the past shapes their current prominence on the global stage. - Back.

 

HIST 3863 001* (CRN 86963)
American Ideas and Culture
Dr. Christine Eisel
(Hybrid) MWF  10:20-11:15 am MI 203

Ideas have a history, too! In this course, we will investigate the ways Americans have thought about essential features of social, economic, and political order. We will pay particular attention to the development of and debate over central ideas of equality, freedom, and individualism that have defined the order of common life, and how they contributed to the notion of an "American" identity. - Back.

 

HIST 3881 001-005
African American History
001 (CRN 80194) Dr. Beverly Bond – TR  11:20-12:45 MI 203
002 (CRN 86942) Dr. Elton Weaver III – MWF 9:10-10:05 MI 305
003 (CRN 96321) Dr. Elton Weaver III – MWF 10:20-11:15 am MI 305
004 (CRN 96936) Dr. Elton Weaver III – MWF 11:30-12:25 MI 305
005 (CRN 97539) Dr. Elton Weaver III – TR 20:40-4:05 MI 305

This course examines African American history from the 17th century through the beginning of the 21st century. We will focus on the complex nature of race relations, on the development of African American culture, and on themes, issues, events, and personalities that have contributed to shaping the experiences of African Americans. We are living through some of the most confusing, turbulent times in African American History. I hope you'll be able to use what you learn from our textbook, the primary source documents, the videos, and some additional resources in the modules/units to better understand these events. - Back.

 

HIST 3884 001 (CRN 95234)
Civil Rights Movement
Dr. Brian Kwoba
MW 2:20-3:45  MI 203

This course explores the history of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. We will focus on the complex nature of racial oppression and inter-racial relations. We will also engage with various events, organizations, and personalities that contributed to shaping the Black awakening of the 1960s in the United States. The course aims to model and foster critical thinking about African American history and encourages students to challenge the dominant or “mainstream” narratives and perspectives on the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. - Back.

 

HIST 4022 501
Oral History: Collecting and Preserving Lambuth University History
Dr. Michele Coffey
MW 4:00-5:25            Varnell Jones: TBD

This applied history course is a great upper-level elective option for anyone wanting to sharpen their practical history skills while learning more about the history of the Lambuth campus.  Over the course of the semester, we will examine oral history methods, standards, and practices and their application within digital humanities and public history projects.
Students will contribute to Dr. Coffey’s on-going Lambuth University public history project, interviewing former Lambuth University faculty, staff, and students about their experiences leading up to the closure of the school in 2011.  All of the oral histories collected will be added to the University of Memphis Library’s digital archives as part of the Lambuth Oral History Collection...and the individual interview that you conduct will make a unique addition to your academic resume. - Back.     

 

HIST 4105/6105 001 (CRN 91735/91736)
War in the Ancient World
Dr. Peter Brand
TR 9:40-11:05 am  MI 209

This class examines the origins, causes, and practice of war and organized violence and its impact on human societies from the beginning of human civilization down until the end of the Fourth Century CE in Egypt, the Ancient Near East and the larger Greek and Roman World.  We will survey key themes, periods, technologies, strategies, political, and social and economic factors that shaped warfare and the interaction between the military, economy, and society by examining specific case studies and key ancient sources and events including:

• The chariot based empires of the Late Bronze Age through events like the famous Battles of Megiddo and Kadesh
• The Trojan War and the transition from the Bronze Age to Iron Age in Greece and Aegean Sea region
• The rise of Classical Greece and the influence of Hoplite warfare and naval forces on political and social conditions in Sparta's totalitarian militaristic state and Athen's budding democracy
• The Peloponnesian War and its devastating impact on Greek civilization
• The Macadonian Greek military revolution of the Hellenistic Empires of Alexander the Great and his successors
• The rise of the Roman Republic and its unique system of citizen soldiers and military organization and adaptability
• The Punic Wars and Rome's ascent as an imperial power
• The role of Patron Generals and Client Armies in the Civil Wars and the Fall of the Republic & Rise of the Emperors
• The Ultimate Fighting Machine: Rome's Imperial Legions

The format of the course will be reading intensive with weekly reading assignments and in-class discussions in a seminar format. A major part of your grade will be based on active participation in these live, in-class discussions.  - Back.

 

HIST 4391 001 (CRN 96323)
Omnivore; s Past: A Global History of Food
Dr. Benjamin Graham
TR  11:20-12:45  MI 305

This course introduces students to the history of food by exploring relationships between humans and the things they eat. We shall adopt a long view on the subject by beginning our inquiry around the time of plant domestication and follow the thread up to the Food Network. The goals are to see how food has shaped history and how food has articulated elements of human identity. - Back.

 

HIST 4440/6440 001 (CRN 98196)
French Revolution
Dr. Andrew Daily
MW  12:40-2:05  MI 203

The French Revolution occupies a unique place in modern European and global history. Those that lived through and participated in it recognized that they were living through a pivotal moment in human history. The revolutionaries themselves recognized their achievement and their break with everything that they had known. And even as the Revolution was still unfolding, intellectuals and political leaders from Philadelphia to London to Berlin bitterly debated what it represented for their world and the world to come. The French Revolution has been - and remains today - a lively source of debate and disagreement among observers. This course approaches the events of the late 18th century not as a singular Revolution, but as a set of French Revolutions. By reading, thinking, and writing about the debates around the French Revolution, this course introduces students to both the events and the interpretations of the French Revolution(s). - Back.

 

Fall 2026 - Online Course Descriptions

Online courses are fully online and completely asynchronous.
* = Honors section offered

 

HIST 3212 M50 (CRN 90298)
Latin American History since 1808
Dr. Eron Ackerman
WEB – Online

This online survey course introduces the history of modern Latin America from the early nineteenth century to the present. Students will explore the social, political, and economic dynamics that have shaped the vast, diverse transcontinental region known as “Latin America.” Our coverage will move chronologically and thematically, examining how Latin America was shaped by national independence, cultural practices, revolutionary and counterrevolutionary struggle, populism, the Cold War, and relations with the United States. Assignments include discussions, courseware exercises, quizzes, and a midterm and final exam. - Back.

 

HIST 3840 M90
US Constitutional History
Dr. Michele Coffey
WEB – Online

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US by learning more about the history of the US Constitution.  In this class, we will explore major historical themes in Constitutional history including:

• The governmental structures emerging during and immediately after the American Revolution
• The political protests, historical precedents, ideals, and debates that inspired the drafting and ratification of the Constitution in 1788
• The impact of party politics, political activism, legislative action, and judicial review on the interpretation and amending of the Constitution from the Bill of Rights (ratified 1791) to the 27th Amendment (ratified 1992)

In addition to analyzing weekly readings assigned by the professor, each week, students will also engage their own intellectual curiosity and the library’s online databases: locating, reading, and discussing sources they find personally interesting. - Back.

 

HIST 3881 M50-54 (CRN 88820, 90305, 94187, 84245, 95022)
African American History
WEB – Online

This course examines African American history from the 17th century through the beginning of the 21st century. We will focus on the complex nature of race relations, on the development of African American culture, and on themes, issues, events, and personalities that have contributed to shaping the experiences of African Americans. We are living through some of the most confusing, turbulent times in African American History. I hope you'll be able to use what you learn from our textbook, the primary source documents, the videos, and some additional resources in the modules/units to better understand these events. - Back.

 

HIST 4161/6161 M50 (CRN 98187)
Socialism: A History
Dr. Andrei Znamenski
WEB – Online

Historical overview of socialism as a modern political religion from its inception in the early 19thcentury to the present. Global history approach, focused on the diversity of socialist experiences: Marxism, Anarchism, British Fabians, German and Swedish Social Democracy, Soviet Communism, National Socialism in Germany, Maoism in China, the Israeli kibbutzim, Tanzanian ujamaa, and the Western New Left. - Back.

 

HIST 4299/6299 M50 (CRN 95823/95824)
Global topics: History of US and China
Dr. Yaowen Dong
WEB – Online

Will America and China go to war? Will China overtake America's global military, economic, and cultural leadership? How should we understand the current crisis between the two countries? To answer these questions, the course delves into the intricate web of connections spanning the Pacific Ocean, exploring the exchange of people, ideas, and materials between the United States and China from the 18th century to the present day. We will examine topics such as imperialism, war, migration, trade, ideology, cultural representations, etc. At the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and contextualize the current relationship between the US and China and make educated, historically rooted arguments about the two countries. - Back.

 

HIST 4330 M50* (CRN 95339)
Myth and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Dr. Chrystal Goudsouzian
WEB – Online

In ancient Egypt, magic was an integral part of religious thought and practice. Kings, priests, and commoners alike relied on magical objects and rituals to harness the power and favor of the gods. In this class, we will survey the myths that informed magical texts and rituals and explore how magical practices were used to help, harm, cure, and coerce from the Old Kingdom through the Greco-Roman period. - Back.

 

HIST 4640/6640 M50 (CRN 85226/85220)
New Nations: 1815-1850
Dr. Cristine Eisel
WEB – Online

This course covers 1815 through 1850 and introduces students to the political, economic, and social processes involved in state formation in North America. Students will examine the relationship between nation-states and citizenship, with an emphasis on often-competing American identities. This course will cover important historical themes that include revolutions in market, transportation, and technology; the growth of the institution of slavery; shifting political factions and popular dissent; and contests for power and resources. And yes, Andrew Jackson. - Back.

 

HIST 4680/6680 M50 (CRN 86874/86875)
The Age of Tesla: The Emergence of Modern America
Dr. Caroline Peyton
WEB-Online

This course examines the origins of modern America during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. In less than forty years, American society, culture, and its economy experienced changes that were nothing short of revolutionary. From Nikola Tesla to George Eastman, technological wizards, daring entrepreneurs, and even ordinary laborers, helped usher in the modern age, creating new possibilities and new problems-all of which continue to matter today. - Back.

 

HIST 4851 M50* (CRN 92640)
US Women's History
Dr. Cristine Eisel
WEB – Online

In this course, we consider women’s experiences throughout American history, from the colonial period to modern times, with an emphasis on changes in women’s working, family, personal, and political lives. We will re-imagine US history by centering women’s stories, not as merely contributors to big events, but as historical agents whose fears, concerns, and desires shaped the past and how we understand it as scholars. Using a variety of selected primary and secondary sources, including monographs, essays, literature, and film, you will explore the ways in which women’s public and private lives intersected with, and were often defined by, changing ideals of gender, race, and class. - Back.