2008-2009 Academic Catalog - Queens University of Charlotte

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HIST 333 Classical Political Thought
This course introduces students to classical social and political philosophy through analysis
of Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics and Politics. It addresses enduring
questions about the community, the individual, happiness, and justice. Other themes to be
discussed include the ideal political order, the character of virtue or human excellence, the
relationship between politics and other aspects of human life (such as economics, the family
and friendship), and the political responsibility for education. This class is both a study in
intellectual history and a foundational course in political theory. Prerequisite: sophomore
standing. Students may also elect this course as POLS 333. 3 Hrs.
HIST 334 Modern Political Thought
This course examines and evaluates the challenge to classical social and political philosophy
posed by such writes as Hobbes in the Leviathan, Madison in selected Federalist Papers,
Tocqueville in Democracy in America, Mill in On Liberty, and Weber in selections from several
works. We consider the differing views of these authors on how best to construct healthy and
successful political societies; the proper relation between politics and religion, and between
the individual and the community; the nature of our rights; and the proper extent of human
liberty and equality. This class is both a study in intellectual history and a foundational course
in political theory. Prerequisite: sophomore standing. Students may elect this course as POLS
334 or PHIL 334. 3 Hrs.
HIST 335 The American Revolution
A history of the American Revolution, this course traces the roots of revolution into the 18th
century, and examines the consequences of the Revolution Into the early nineteenth century.
Spring, even years. 3 Hrs.
HIST 336 19th Century American West
In this seminar, students will explore the American West as both a place and a process. As a
specific place, “West” is a relative term, and, as a result, we will study three chronological and
geographic “Wests:” The Trans-Appalachian West, 1780-1840, The Trans-Mississippi West,
1840-1870, and The Continental Empire, 1870-1910. These somewhat arbitrarily assigned
boundaries, however, will be connected and woven together by our effort to understand the
emergence of a distinctive American West. As many historians have concluded, the West (or
Frontier, or Western Frontier) developed into a distinct region by the end of the nineteenth century
as a result of a process, a process shaped by the interaction of diverse peoples and forces.
Throughout the semester, then, students will study how migration, settlement, economic development
and conflict and accommodation among diverse populations shaped the emergence of
a distinctly American region. Prerequisite: HIST 203 or 204. 3 Hrs.
HIST 337 Invasion of the Americas
This course investigates the European discovery, conquest, and settlement of the Americas,
from the mid-fifteenth century through the later seventeenth century, from the voyages of
Columbus, through the Spanish “conquistadores,” to the English and French settlements of
North America. Prerequisite: HIST 203 or 204. Spring, even years. 3 Hrs.
HIST 340 African-American History
This course concentrates on the history of African Americans from the colonial period to the
present. It introduces students to the historical literature concerning the course of slavery in the
United States, its abolition and aftermath, as well as the experience of free blacks in the North
and South. It focuses on the institutionalization of segregation and African American efforts to
achieve equality in an unequal system, culminating in the civil rights movement of the recent
period. Cultural history art, literature and music are integral to the course, as is the experience
of African American women. Spring Term, odd years. 3 Hrs.
UNDERGRADUATE COURSE DESCRIPTIONS