2019-2020 BSC Catalog

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
175
HI 214 Roman History (1)
An examination of Rome’s development from a small city ruled by kings into a regional
and international power. Expansion through Italy, the end of the Republic and Augustus’
rise to power, and the management of the Empire under the Julio-Claudian, Flavian, and
Antonine dynasties will be considered. Topics include the city, its monuments, art,
literature, bureaucracy and territorial expansion, the role of women, various social and
minority groups, and the rise of Christianity. (Also listed as GRS 214.)
HI 221 Contemporary Black History (1)
An introductory lecture and discussion course on the history of African Americans in the
United States. Beginning with Emancipation, the course traces the evolution of black
culture and identity and the continuing struggle for freedom and equality. Topics will
include the tragedies and triumphs of Reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, black political
and institutional responses to racism and violence, the Harlem Renaissance, jazz, blues,
and the civil rights and black power movements.
HI 222 Why We Should Care About the Puritans (1)
A reconsideration of the founding and development of Puritan New England with close
attention to its first century, from 1630 to 1730. The course explores particularly the
dilemmas of Puritan theology, social ethics, the construction of gender, the Salem
witchcraft trials, the contested and often violent relationship between the Puritans and
Native Peoples, and the endurance of elements of the Puritan ethic in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
HI 226 Constitutional History of the United States (1)
A study of the development of the Constitution of the United States since Reconstruction.
Topics examined include the regulation of interstate commerce, the Constitution and the
two World Wars, the New Deal, civil rights, the Warren court, the Watergate affair, and
the recent transition to conservative constitutionalism.
HI 230 Plural America I (1)
An introduction to the plurality of the American culture from within the liberal arts
traditions of history and literature. The intent is to recognize the aspects of our cultures
appropriated into the Western tradition but often either unacknowledged or glossed over.
The end should be an appreciation of the achievements and limitations of our Western
heritage, and a heightened sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the world-at-large. Plural
America I focuses on Native-American and Chicano history and literature and on the
European context of American society. (Also listed as EH 230 and HON 230.)
Prerequisite: EH 102.
HI 231 Plural America II (1)
An introduction to the plurality of the American culture from within the liberal arts
traditions of history and literature. The intent is to recognize the aspects of our cultures
appropriated into the Western tradition but often either unacknowledged or glossed over.
The end should be an appreciation of the achievements and limitations of our Western
heritage, and a heightened sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the world-at-large. Plural
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2019-2020