Why Study History at TWU?

Faculty Spotlight

Robynn Healey

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Potential Careers

A history degree can lead students towards careers in

• Government service
• Law
• Secondary and elementary teaching
• Non-profit sector service
• Church ministry
• Librarianship

Students taking a History Honours degree can also continue with graduate studies at TWU in the Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities (MAIH), following the history stream.

The History program within the Department of Geography, History, and Political and International Studies offers:

1. An honours major in History, leading to a B.A. (Honours) degree;

2. A major in History, leading to a B.A. degree;

3. A concentration in History;

4. A minor in History. 

History students will become aware of the processes of change and the development of peoples, institutions, environments, and ideas over time. They will investigate how peoples and societies unfolded in response to beliefs, ideas, passions, and material and social conditions. With change continuing today, the study of history prepares students to make sense of this unfolding process. 

Awareness of history is a prerequisite for informed citizenship and for understanding how to live as a person of faith in the world. Furthermore, government and business employers are becoming more concerned about understanding political issues, social problems, and public attitudes. Knowledgeable and thoughtful historians can be effective leaders in gaining and sharing an understanding of culture and thus making informed decisions. 

TWU’s Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa gives students an opportunity to study Canada’s history while also completing an internship that enables them to apply their historical skills in a government or industry setting.

Courses

• HIST 107, 108 World History

  An overview of the world's major civilizations including Europe, Asia, Africa, India, and Latin America. The spreading European influence on the world with a sampling of the historical experience of various cultural areas of the globe. HIST 107 examines world civilizations to 1750; HIST 108 covers world civilizations from 1750 to 1945.

• HIST 109 World History Since 1945

  An overview of the world's major civilizations since the last year of World War II, a period of profound global transformation marked by the Cold War , the escalation of intra-state conflicts in the wake of the end of the Cold War, and evolving ideas of human security.

• HIST 111, 112 History of Western Civilization

  A survey of Western civilization beginning with ancient Greece and ending with its modern expression in the Western world. The development and decline of democracies; relationships between the poor and the wealthy, between men and women; changes in the nature of the family; the resolution of social tensions and conflict. HIST 111 considers the ancient to early modern period; HIST 112 explores early modern to contemporary western society.

• HIST 135, 136 History of Canada

  The political, economic, and social aspects of Canada's development from the geologic time to the 20th century. HIST 135 examines the First Nations, French, and British eras up to the time of Confederation. HIST 136 traces the development of Canada since 1867.

• HIST 231 History of Nursing

  This course examines the development of Canadian nursing over the past four centuries, with an emphasis on the 20th century. Based on an understanding of nursing as rooted in a Christian ethos of caring for strangers, this course critically explores the ways in which religion, politics, gender, race, economics, technology, culture, war, and epidemics have influenced the development of nursing both nationally and globally.

• HIST 251, 252 History of the United States of America

  An introduction to the social, cultural, political, and economic development of the United States from the colonial period to the present day. HIST 251 examines that history until the Civil War; HIST 252 traces developments since the Civil War.

• HIST 263, 264 History of Christianity

  A survey of Christianity from its New Testament origins to the 20th century, including how faith and doctrine developed in the context of social, cultural, and political trends in Europe, how Christianity influenced European civilization, and how Christianity in turn was influenced by it.

• HIST 302 Greece and Rome: Leadership in the Ancient World RP

  A study of the most influential leadership in ancient Greece and Rome. Plutarch's biographical studies are the main focus. Various accounts of Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristotle, Xenophon, Livy, Sallust, Tacitus, and Suetonius are used as supplementary material.

• HIST 303 Early Medieval Europe

  An inquiry into European civilization at its beginnings. Features from the ancient world that survived the fall of Roman culture. The nature of the native Germanic and Slavic traditions and how Christianity was received and altered. The beginning of political and economic institutions. The struggle between spiritual ideals and traditional attitudes and material realities. Gender relations in Medieval Europe.

• HIST 304 Late Medieval Europe

  An inquiry into a period of Europe's past in which beliefs, attitudes, and institutions, molded in the previous centuries, were consolidated into shapes that mark modern European (and North American) culture. The outlines of the modern state and of the modern family. An examination of late medieval civilization for indications of decline and rebirth. Signs of struggle between forces of tradition and of innovation, idealism and material or corporeal realities, and gender relations.

• HIST 306 History of Economic Thought

  The development of the main concepts of economic theory. The role of the economic, political, social, and religious environments in the development of economic analysis. Contemporary problems in relation to the various alternative economic systems.

• HIST 307 Renaissance Europe

  A survey of developments in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. Changes in the economy, social relationships, political theories, and practices. Considerable focus is on humanism and religious reform movements.

• HIST 308 Reformation Europe

  An examination of European life during the 16th century reformations. Discussions of sin and wholeness, of religion and secular power, of toleration and social order, and of efforts to reform the church and society. An examination of the place of ritual in social life, life in the family, and attitudes to gender.

• HIST 309 Early Modern Europe

  An examination of developments and events from 1600 to 1789, including growth of absolution and political rights, enlightened despots, movements within the church, and the culture of the enlightenment. Wealth and poverty, social hierarchies, popular customs and culture, marriage, the family, and child rearing.

• HIST 310 History In Practice

  An exploration of the practice of history in the public sphere including the ways in which communities, regions, nations, and other polities collect, manage, create, present and understand their histories and stories. Analyzes how forms of historical consciousness show themselves in archives, museums, films, monuments, anniversaries, government policies, genealogy, etc. Practical application of historical skills and tools through communication with public historians, visits to local historic sites, and relevant assignments and experiential learning. Students gain valuable experiences and knowledge related to a variety of areas where public history is practiced and are exposed to career opportunities in history.

• HIST 312 Science and Technology in Global Perspective

  This course provides a survey of the history of science and technology from the ancient world to the present with particular emphasis on the early modern and modern eras. While much of the focus is on developments in the western world, this course also examines select issues and events in a comparative world perspective.

• HIST 315, 316 History Practicum

  A supervised field experience designed to give students an opportunity to apply the skills and methodology of the discipline of History in a variety of settings so as to expose them to the broad range of contemporary applications for their formal education. Placements may take place in a variety of public settings including but not limited to areas such as businesses and industry, government and public service, non-governmental organizations and international agencies, information management and preservation, resource management and land-use, and education and training.

• HIST 321 Tudor-Stuart England

  An exploration of the history of England from the coming of the Tudors in the 15th century to the so called "Glorious Revolution" at the end of the 17th century. This was an eventful age, featuring the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the creativity of William Shakespeare, a bitterly fought civil war, and the development of a limited monarchy. Particular attention will be paid to two developments that transformed English life: the religious reformations of the 16th century, and the civil war and political revolutions of the 17th century.

• HIST 324 19th Century Europe

  This course examines the long 19th century from the French Revolution to the onset of the Great War. Explores key movements and themes in political, intellectual, and socio-economic history through lectures, discussion groups, and close readings of primary and secondary sources.

• HIST 325 20th Century Europe

  This course involves an investigation of significant themes in the historical development of European society since 1914. Primary focus is on the issue of changing European perceptions of the nature of social organizations and of Europe's broader role in the international system. Topics discussed include the origin, nature, and effects of world war; the Russian Revolution and the rise of the Soviet state; the rise of Fascism and the emergence of "totalitarian" style movements; the construction of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe and the emergence and ultimate resolution of the cold war; decolonization; and the rise of the welfare state and emergence of European federalism.

• HIST 328 Politics and Society in Britain: 1815-1964

  The major political and social events, issues, developments, controversies, and interest groups in Britain in the period from Waterloo to the close of Macmillan's ministry. Selected themes such as the slave trade and abolitionism, British philanthropy, the decline of religion, imperialism, and the welfare state.

• HIST 332 Issues in the History of British Columbia

  The history of British Columbia from its earliest beginnings to the late 1980s. The province's move from regionalism, to provincialism, to internationalism by examining many of the social, cultural, political, and economic forces of change which shaped the "West Beyond the West" in Canada. Specific aspects of B.C.'s history that particularly enlighten us about the character of the region, its unique place in Canadian history, and how these events have shaped the province today.

• HIST 334 Issues in Canadian Government and Politics

  Provides the student with a detailed examination of the political issues that divide and unite Canadians. Course topics include discussion of alternative theoretical approaches to Canadian politics; regionalism, citizenship, and political participation; the French-English Cleavage; provincialism versus federalism; aboriginal politics; gender and class issues; the uneasy relationship between the United States and Canada; multiculturalism and bilingualism as key indicators of Canadian political culture; the Executive in Parliament dispute; legislative politics and judicial interpretation; law and constitution.

• HIST 335 Development of the Canadian Constitution

  A survey of the historical development of the Canadian Constitution from 1867 to the present. The search for an amending formula and the patriation of the Constitution. The evolving nature of the federation; the Meech Lake Accord; the Charlottetown Accord; the October 26 Referendum; western demands for major changes to the Senate and other national institutions of the federation, and the unfinished constitutional agenda. The profound effect on law and public policy development resulting from the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

• HIST 340 Issues in Canadian-First Nations Relations

  The history of First Nations in Canada from pre-contact to the present time. Broad economic, social, and political themes that intersect with the history of Canada's original peoples, including early encounters, fur trade economy, governmental policy, missionization, education, reservations, and co-sovereignty. It surveys the major eras, specifically highlighting the observations and experiences of First Nations in Canada.

• HIST 347 Religion in the U.S.A.

  Religious developments in the U.S.A. from the beginning of European settlement to today. The relationship between such developments and the political, economic, and social life of the country. The Great Awakenings and the Modernist/Fundamentalist controversy.

• HIST 348 Religion in Canada

  Religious developments in Canada from the beginning of European settlement to today. The relationship between such developments and the political, economic, and social life of the country.

• HIST 352 Government and Politics of the United States

  An introduction to American politics, including the major branches of government: the presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court. The dynamics of American political institutions and their interaction. The prime emphasis is on national politics, especially the interaction of the executive and legislative, including presidential decision-making.

• HIST 355 American Foreign Policy

  A study of principle themes in United States foreign policy with in-depth review of post-Second World War Presidential periods. Students analyze the causes and results of American policy choices in the context of evolving world order. The course explores philosophy and leadership styles.

• HIST 366 History of the Family to 1600

  This course examines the historical development of the family beginning with the ancient world up to 1600. A central inquiry is the formation of families and households, as well as the impact of religion on gender and family roles. The course also explores the use of power and coercion in the organization of family. It includes an inquiry into contemporary gender theory but concentrates on the lives and ideas of actual persons insofar as the historical record reveals them.

• HIST 367 History of the Family after 1600

  This course examines the historical development of the family beginning from 1600 to the 20th century. A central inquiry is the formation of families and households, as well as the impact of religion on gender and family roles. The course also explores the use of power and coercion in the organization of family. It includes an inquiry into contemporary gender theory but concentrates on the lives and ideas of actual persons insofar as the historical record reveals them.

• HIST 371, 372 Africa Since 1500

  A survey of African history with in-depth analyses of specific topics. The course focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, examining a variety of regions at various stages of their development, while exploring the roles of colonial powers, emerging nationalism, and the politics of under-development.

• HIST 377 20th Century China and East Asia

  A cultural and political history of China and Japan since 1900 with an emphasis on late 20th century issues. Course includes discussion of Hong Kong and Taiwan as Chinese territories and Korea as a primary neighbour of China and Japan. Of special interest is the relations of Japan and China with the United States.

• HIST 381 The Arab Middle East in the 20th Century: The Politics of Identity

  An examination of some major theses in the history of the Arab Middle East since the break up of the Ottoman Empire following World War I. The course examines the role played by issues of identity in the development of national structures in the Arab East (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States). Themes include the nature of the Islamic community, the structure and legacy of the Ottoman rule, post-Ottoman settlement and the impact of colonial rule, the emergence of nationalist politics and the growth of contemporary Arab state system, oil and the politics of family rule in the Gulf States, and the relationship between religion and politics

• HIST 382 Palestine and the History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

  A survey of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The historical roots of the conflict, issues of land ownership and immigration, the development of national consciousness, and the process of state formation within both communities, impacts on the larger international community, and problems of peacemaking.

• HIST 390 Special Topics in History

  An examination of special topics or issues in History that are not considered in depth in other courses.

• HIST 391 Canadian Governmental Leadership

  This course focuses on the nature and styles of leadership in the political and governmental sectors. It examines how the current political leadership has evolved historically and how current and past leaders provided leadership to both internal and external constituencies. Particular emphasis is placed on both appropriate and inappropriate leadership styles and how Christian leaders should lead in similar situations. Students observe how leaders lead in the Ottawa setting of their disciplinary choice and may interview those who are, or are connected to, senior governmental leaders. How these leaders work or worked in their respective contexts is the focus of such interviews and observations.

• HIST 392 Sugar, Slaves, Silver: The Atlantic World, 1500 – 1850

  This course examines the Atlantic world during an era of immense global change. Since the navigations of the 15th century, the Atlantic has been a corridor for fundamental exchanges of peoples, crops, technology and ideas. Topics include early maritime explorations, the destruction and reconfiguration of indigenous societies, the labour migrations of Europeans, Native Americans, and Africans, slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the establishment of an Atlantic economy, the maturation of Euro-American colonial societies and their struggles for autonomy and national independence.

• HIST 398 Radical Religion in the 16th to 18th Centuries

  Radical Christian movements from the Reformation period to the early Enlightenment: 16th century Anabaptism, German Spiritualism, radical German Pietism and American Pietism, early English Separatism, radical Puritanism, the Levellers, early Baptists, the Philadelphian movement, and the Methodist movement. Class time is divided between lectures and seminar discussion of primary source readings.

• HIST 400 Directed Studies in History

  Independent but guided reading and research in a specialized area of History of interest to students.

• HIST 403 Engendered History

  This seminar examines specific topics in the history of gender throughout the period known loosely as the modern world. The course is designed to clarify the process through which ideas of gender evolved and the ways in which masculinity and femininity have been constructed and experienced in a global context. The seminar also examines group interactions across lines of race, class, ethnicity, region, and religion and the influence of groups striving to assert their own identities on ideas of gender.

• HIST 406 War, Peace, and Society

  A survey of the changing nature of and approaches to war and its effect on society from the Middle Ages to the present. Various visions and proposals for peace. The nature of nuclear war.

• HIST 409 Nature, Society, and History in Global Perspective

  Human interaction with the environment is the most fundamental of all relationships. This course examines the different ways in which societies have defined, understood, and used their non-human surroundings and the processes through which the environment influences culture and adapts to human communities. Students explore the historical context of the human-nature interaction in global perspective and compare the ways in which the concepts of politics, nationalism, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, etc. inform and guide the relationship.

• HIST 411 History, Culture, and Interpreting the Past

  The study of history relies on the written and oral record of human experience. The use to which words have been put has varied over time ranging from the ancient world's innocent acceptance of recorded inventories and boastful heroic conquests, to the post-modern era where the text is not a bearer of truth but an instrument of power. This course traces the place of the text in the human effort to know and remember the past. Although the written text has been foundational for the study of the past, people have left other signs of their presence and we interact with other realities than the text. This course brings in additional disciplines including philosophy, literary criticism, biology, psychology, physics, and biblical studies.

• HIST 412 Senior Thesis

  A program of independent readings and research on a specific topic leading to a written paper for the student choosing the European area. A research project involving the use of primary sources, archives, etc. for those choosing the North American area.

• HIST 415 Science and Religion from Copernicus to Creation Science

  In 1896 Andrew Dickson White published his famous History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, a work that helped establish the belief that science and religion were irreconcilable domains. This course examines the validity of that claim from the Copernican revolution in the 16th century to the rise of the modern Creation Science movement, and aims to place the relationship between science and faith in a mature, historical, scientific, and theological context.

• HIST 423 History of the First World War

  A seminar course involving an examination of the origins and course of the First World War. Primary focus on various campaigns and fronts of the war, and on specific issues such as the nature and impact of trench warfare, the domestic policies of the belligerent powers, and the social, economic, and political impact of the conflict.

• HIST 424 The History of the Second World War

  A seminar course involving an examination of the origins and course of the Second World War. Primary focus on main campaigns of the war in Europe and Asia, the domestic policies of the belligerent powers, and the social, economic, and political impact of the conflict.

• HIST 435 Social History of Canada

  An examination of major developments in the society and culture of Canada with a particular spotlight on the diverse experience of the people who made Canada. The course highlights aspects of Canadian identity as seen through the lenses of gender, race, class, ethnicity, religion, and region. The focus is on the interaction between migrant groups and the host society, rural and urban societies, education and social reforms, labour and capital, and changing gender roles.

• HIST 436 Canadian and U.S. Relations

  A survey of relations between the two countries from their origins, ranging from military and diplomatic contacts to intellectual and cultural. Comparative developments in the two nations.

• HIST 440 The Evolution of Canadian Foreign Policy

  An overview of the formulation and trends of Canadian foreign policy in the period since Confederation. The domestic and external determinants of Canadian foreign policy, the nature of the foreign policy-making process, and the evolution of key themes in Canadian foreign policy.

• HIST 471 Missions and Imperialism in the Global Context

  This seminar based course examines some of the major themes in the history of the West's colonial encounter with non-Western communities and the role played by Christian missions and missionaries in that process. Primary attention is given, not only to the origins of, and complex inter-relationship between, the colonial encounter and the evangelical enterprise, but to the redefinition and reconstruction of Western and non-Western identities which emerged as a result of such interactions.

• HIST 482 Historical Perspectives on Reformation and Post-Reformation Thought

  A re-evaluation of the issues involved in the origin of the 16th century Protestant Reformation and the subsequent development of Calvinist thought: justification by faith, covenant theology, and election. An analysis of why Calvinists and Arminians were unable to overcome their differences, and how Reformed scholasticism went beyond John Calvin's insights in some significant respects.

• HIST 490 Special Topics in History

  An examination of special topics or issues in History that are not considered in depth in other courses.

• HIST 497, 498 Honours Thesis

  A 12–15,000 word thesis based on a review of the secondary literature and research in primary sources in archival, published, microform, microfiche, or electronic form, on an approved topic. An oral defense and a library-acceptable copy are required. Taken in fourth year by all Honours students in History.

Minors & Concentrations