WESTERN CIVILIZATION I – This unit will cover the rise of the Christian West, from its pagan origins to the eve of the Protestant Reformation. It is meant to work in conjunction with LITR 103 Classic Epics, and will help the students appreciate the roots and some of the glories of Catholic
culture.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION II – This class will go from the sixteenth century to the present, covering the Protestant, Scientific, Industrial, and French Revolutions, the Napoleonic and Romantic era, the age of nationalism, and the often-troubled twentieth century. It is intended to make the student aware of the breakdown of the medieval synthesis and reorientation of society along modern lines.

AMERICAN CIVILIZATION – This course will cover the major events and themes in the development of the American Republic, from its colonial origins to the present day. Special concentration will be paid to the development of the American political system, and this course will be crosslisted in the political science department. It is meant to provide special background for U.S. students interested in the history of their own nation, as well as Ave Maria’s foreign students who are interested in the history of their host country. This course is cross-listed at a political science course: POLT 203.

SURVEY OF AMERICAN HISTORY I – This course will cover the main events in American history from the founding of the American colonies, through the American Revolution, to the development of American society through the Civil War.

SURVEY OF AMERICAN HISTORY II – This course will cover the main events in American history from Reconstruction through the present.

SURVEY OF EUROPEAN HISTORY I – This course will cover the history of Western Europe from the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the Christianization of the Germanic invaders through the conflict with Islam to the Reconquista.

SURVEY OF EUROPEAN HISTORY II – This course will cover the the rise and fall of European hegemony from the expansion into the New World to the Age of World War and globalization.

AMERICA: THE COLONIAL ERA – This course will examine the American colonies from the founding to the end of the French and Indian War in 1763.

AMERICA: THE REVOLUTION THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR – This course will examine the origins of the American Revolution, the development of the American government, expansion, sectionalism and the sources of the American Civil War.

AMERICA: RECONSTRUCTION THROUGH VERSAILLES – This course will survey the failure of Reconstruction, the industrialization, and the rise of the United States to great power status.

AMERICA: 1920 - PRESENT – The course will examine the Jazz Age, the New Deal, the Second World War, the Civil Rights movement, the Cold War, and the globalization of America in the late 20th century.

HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST – This course will examine the ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel and Persia.

HISTORY OF ANCIENT GREECE – Beginning with the Minoan age, this course will survey the development of Greece to the Hellenistic era. Topics include the Mycenaean Invasions, the development of the polis, growth of Athens and Sparta, the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian Wars, and the conquests of Alexander the Great. Particular attention will be paid to Greek culture.

ROMAN HISTORY – A survey of the history of Rome beginning with the Etruscans and ending with the imperial era. Topics include royal Rome, early wars for conquest, the struggle of the orders, the Punic Wars, Roman imperialism, the development of Roman culture, and the crisis of the Republic.

MEDIEVAL EUROPE – This course will cover Western Europe from the collapse of the Western Roman Empire to the thirteenth centure.

THE RENAISSANCE AND REFORMATION – This course will survey the cultural flowering of Europe from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, and the split in Christianity led by Luther and Calvin.

ABSOLUTISM AND THE AGE OF REVOLUTION – This course will exmaine the Enlightenment, the rise of modern natural science the collapse of absolute monarchy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

NINETEENTH CENTURY EUROPE – This course will examine the industrial revolution, the democratization of politics and the scramble for empire in the “long” nineteenth century.

TWENTIETH CENTURY EUROPE – This course will examine the end of European global hegemony from the partition of Africa through the rise of fascism, the age of World War, and the project of European revival in the EU.

CHURCH HISTORY – This course will cover the global history of the Church from the time of the Apostles to the present.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA – This course will cover Catholicism in the United States from the early Spanish colonies to the present.

HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE 19TH CENTURY – This course will survey the conflict between the Church and varieties of modernism.

HISTORY OF MODERN IRELAND – This course will survey the history of Ireland from the Easter Rebellion to the present.

UNITED KINGDOM – This course will examine Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England from the Eighteenth century to the present.

AMERICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY – This course will examine the growth of the American economy from colonial agricultural origins to the most powerful force behind contemporary economic globalization.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY – This course will survey the political and cultural importance of the American Presidency from Washington to the present.

AMERICAN RELIGIOUS HISTORY – This course will survey the influence of religion on American life from colonial puritan origins to the religious pluralism of contemporary America.

AMERICAN POLITICAL HISTORY – This course will examine the history of American politics from the Constitutional convention to the present.

THE CRUSADES – This course will examine the wars fought between Christendom and Islam for control of the Holy Land.

THE HISTORY OF CHIVALRY – This course will examine the political and social aspects of medieval knighthood.

THE WANING OF THE MIDDLE AGES – This course will examine the erosion of the medieval synthesis, the rise of nominalism, the consolidation of the nation state and the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula.

THE HISTORYOF THE BRITISH EMPIRE – This course will survery the history of the British Empire from the conquest of Ireland to the collapse of colonialism in the twentieth century.

HISTORIOGRAPHY – Study in the philosophy of history and the methods of various sample historians. Methods and instruments of research will also be stressed. Successful completion of this course is required for graduation with a degree in history.

SPECIAL TOPICS: WORLD HISTORY I –

HISTORY SEMINAR – An advanced seminar focused on the creation of an original historical essay of between 10,000 and 20,000 words, on a topic chosen by the student. Guided by a member of the faculty, this essay will require original historical thinking and primary research. Successful completion of this course is required for graduation with a degree in history. Distinction in the senior thesis is required for an honors degree in history.