Course  details

History and political science

Lee Roy Berry, Assoc Prof of Political Sci.
Steve Nolt, Department Chair, Assoc Professor of History
John Roth, Professor of History
Jan Shetler, Assoc Professor of History

The history and political science department offers:

• major in history
• minor in history
• major in history and investigative skills
• minor in Anabaptist-Mennonite studies
• minor in social policy (New!)

Special resources for the study of history at Goshen College include the Mennonite Historical Library, the Archives of the Mennonite Church and The Mennonite Quarterly Review, a respected scholarly journal published by Goshen College.

Visit the history and political science department home page.

Career opportunities

Recent graduates with these majors teach social studies in high school or a specialty in college. Some are employed in libraries, archives and education administration. Others are in church vocations, law, business and administration.

Major in history

All history majors are encouraged to acquire proficiency in a foreign language equal to the intermediate (202) level.

Planning guide

First year
              General education
              World and/or European History
              American History I
Second year
              General education
              World Geography
              History of Global Poverty
              Upper-level history
              Related courses
              SST (fall or spring)
Third year
              General education
              History Seminar: Analysis
              Upper-level history
              Balance of related courses
Fourth year
              Balance of general education
              Balance of major
              History Seminar: Synthesis
              History Internship

Minor in history

A minimum of six history courses (18 hours) including at least one lower-level course and three upper-level courses in American and World History.

Major in history and investigative skills

A minimum of 24 hours of history, at least 15 upper-level and including Hist 410-411, Seminar.
Related courses:
Internship and Senior-Seminar work should utilize various research skills. The student’s faculty adviser will encourage taking additional elective courses in economics, sociology/anthropology and political science. This major is designed to provide the student with library, statistical and field-research skills useful in business, public administration, law and other practical pursuits. A variety of history courses provides a broad perspective rather than merely a technical orientation.

A secondary teacher-education program is available

A secondary teacher-education program is available. Teacher certification in social studies education requires 54 credits in social science, with at least 12 credits each in three areas chosen from economics, historical perspectives, geographical perspectives, government, psychology or sociology. Other requirements of a Goshen College major in history, sociology or psychology must be met as well. In addition, 27 credits are required in the education department, including a fall semester of student teaching. For more details see education department pages and the Goshen College Teacher Education Handbook.

History courses

HIST 100 Human Stories-Colloquium 4
A topic course designed for the first-year colloquium. Provides an introduction to historical modes of inquiry based on themes of particular interest to the instructor. Topics in the recent past have included: "Leadership in American History," "History of Childhood" and "Utopian Thought in the Western Tradition."

HIST 101 World History I 3
History of the world from the agricultural revolution to European expansion, concentrating on the establishment and interaction of classical traditions in the non-western world. Also introduces the study of history as an academic discipline and how the historian uses primary sources.

HIST 102 European History 3
Selected topics in European civilization from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Absolutism to the 18th-century Enlightenment and French Revolution.

HIST 105 American History I 3
History of the American colonies and the United States through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Also introduces the study of history as an academic discipline.

HIST 202 American History II 3
U.S. from the period of rapid industrialization and immigration to the present with an emphasis on social history. Also introduces the study of history as an academic discipline.

HIST 203 World History II 3
History of the world from European expansion to the present, with an emphasis on understanding the foundations of a global society. Also introduces the study of history as an academic discipline through the analysis of approaches to historical causation.

HIST 240 World Geography 3
Survey of the world's geographic regions with emphasis on the impacts humans have had on the physical environment and explanation for variation of the world's regions. Course includes regular discussion of current issues in world affairs.

HIST 255 History of Global Poverty 3
Examination of the phenomenon and roots of global poverty in the colonial expansion of Europe, the rise of nationalism in the colonies and post-colonial globalization and development. Emphasis will be placed on viewing this problem and its solution from the perspective of common people in the global south.

HIST 304 Renaissance & Reformation 3
Topical survey of European civilization in the period from about 1300 to 1550. Intellectual, cultural and religious changes will receive most attention.

HIST 315 War/Peace 20th Century Europe 3
Exploration of major European political, cultural, intellectual and economic developments since the 1890s. Major themes include: modernism, the onset of totalitarianism and totalitarian regimes in Europe and the Soviet Union, war as an agent of social change, the Cold War, the dissolution of Soviet-style communism in Eastern Europe and peace-making efforts throughout the century.

HIST 318 Anabaptist/Mennonite History 3
Introduction to Mennonite history and thought. About one-third of the course is devoted to Anabaptism. Special attention given to distinctive Anabaptist religious ideas, changes in Mennonite religious ideas and practice in Europe, migrations, contrasts in social-communal practices among Mennonites and related groups.

HIST 321 History of Mennonites in America 3
Emphasis on Mennonites as a people developing and interacting with the larger American society, using themes such as migration, community formation, beliefs, acculturation and pacifist citizenship in war and peace.

HIST 323 Colonial & Revolutionary America 3
Focus on cultural encounters and conflicts. Colonialism begs the question, how are cultures transported, replicated, and transformed? A look at contact between Europeans and Native Americans, between Europeans and Africans, between different European colonial projects, and finally between Anglo-American colonists and Britain. All involved sharp cultural conflict.

HIST 324 US 1790-1877:Nationalism & War 3
Having rejected the one thing they had in common - British rule - Americans created an identity and constructed the myths needed to sustain a new nationalism. Slavery was a central and contested part of this identity, leading to frightful Civil War. Through it all, American nationalism continued to claim the power to "reconstruct" society.

HIST 325 US 1877-1945:Identity & Diversity 3 (3-4)
The U.S. became the first highly diverse nation state, but only gradually came to understand the implications of that fact. Economic divisions, urban and Western population growth, debates over race and ethnicity, and international consciousness all shaped a society that faced Depression and global war, and began to link its plurality to notions of pluralism.

HIST 326 Recent American History 3
A look at events that shaped the most recent generations of Americans. From grand expectations of the Civil Rights movement, faith in science, and the possibilities of affluence and social reform, society confronted the realities of Vietnam, Watergate and environmental destruction - producing cynicism, culture wars and continued efforts to balance liberty and equality.

HIST 327 Am Immigration & Ethnic History 3
An examination of the development of ethnic and racial identities in the United States, from the colonial period(s) to the present. Immigration patterns, forced migration, assimilation, ethnicization, nativism, family and gender dynamics, immigration and naturalization law and multicultural debates were important factors in these processes.

HIST 328 African-American History 3
Historical study of the experience of African-Americans as a group, especially their political and economic situations, their community life, some of their outstanding organizations and leaders, their forms of adjustment and resistance and their participation and contributions in U.S. life. Prerequisite: any 100- or 200-level history course or consent of instructor.

HIST 330 International Women's History 3
A comparative studies in world history course. Women have been left out of the world's history, particularly women in the non-Western world who are stereotyped as oppressed and passive. Putting women back into the center of world history unsettles older historical paradigms and challenges our ethnocentric assumptions. Explores the diverse experiences of women as active agents in shaping their world through a comparative case-study approach.

HIST 335 History of Ethnic Conflict 3
A comparative studies in world history course. The world seems plagued with increasing conflict between ethnic groups. Explores the historical roots of this problem through a comparative case-study approach and takes an interdisciplinary approach both to analysis of the problem and its solution. Students will present an in-depth research paper on the historical roots of one conflict.

HIST 340 Christianity in Africa & Diaspora 3
A comparative studies in world history course. Examination of the development of Christianity in Africa and the Americas with an emphasis on the religious tradition Africans brought to the encounter with Christianity and how they shaped its practice both in mission and independent churches in Africa. The history of slavery in the New World, particularly Brazil and the Caribbean, will frame the exploration of Christianity in the Diaspora.

HIST 344 Latin American Hist:National Period 3
A study of the history of the Latin American republics since independence, with special attention given to Mexico, Cuba and the ABC countries (Argentina, Brazil and Chile).

HIST 345 Environmental History 3
A comparative studies in world history course. Exploration of human interaction with the environment over time particularly in the non-Western world. Examination of the material and ideological conditions which have lead to preservation or destruction of the environment through a comparative case-study approach.

HIST 350 African History 3
African history from ancient times to the present with an emphasis on topical studies of land and food, slavery and social reciprocity, and colonial transformations in political authority. Encourages historical analysis for the purpose of responding positively to pessimistic predictions of Africa's future and appreciating Africa's strengths.

HIST 375 Topics: 3
Study on a selected topic in American or world history. Examples: The United Nations, History of Childhood in America. Students may be invited to help shape the topic.

HIST 400 Advanced Study 1 (1-4)
Special topics for majors and minors.

HIST 409 Internship 3
Using research, writing and organizational skills in a setting outside the classroom; deliberate reflection on the process of historical or legal inquiry.

HIST 410 Seminar: Analysis 3
Philosophy and purposes of history; principles and methods of historical research; history and Christian faith; choice of a topic and bibliographical work and initial research on that topic. Course to be taken in the fall semester of the junior year. Required of all majors.

HIST 411 Seminar: Synthesis 2
Continued research on topic chosen and presentation in forms of oral report and written thesis paper. Course to be taken in the spring semester of the senior year. Required of all majors. Prerequisite: Hist 410.

Political science

Political science courses

POSC 200 Introduction to Political Science 3
General comparative survey of political institutions and behavior in various types of regimes, with special emphasis on the American political system. The most appropriate course for students required to take one course in political science. Collateral reading may be adjusted to individual needs and interests.

POSC 210 Introduction to Public Policy 3
Explores the nature of the policy-making process in the United States and, to a lesser extent, other pluralist polities. Topics will include constitutional and structural framework in which policies are shaped, interest articulation, policy formulation and the feedback process.

POSC 305 US Government 3
A basic introduction to the federal system of government in the Untied States. Focus on the constitutional arrangements established at the nation's founding, critical points in the constitution's evolution and the contemporary setting. Topics include the legislative process, the judiciary branch and the nature of the presidency. The regulatory process, interest groups, political parties, the press, campaigning and voter behavior, civil rights and federal-state relations will also be examined.

POSC 308 International Politics 3
Examination of the structure, development and operation of the present international political system and its possible alternatives.

POSC 318 Latin America Politics 3
Analyzes Latin America's contemporary political and socio-economic institutions and issues; relates them to the area's development and need for change; includes the meaning of revolution in Latin America.

POSC 320 Issues in Politics and Society 3
Contemporary (and often controversial) political issues in the U.S. and Latin America, e.g.: African-Americans and the U.S. judicial system; educating legal professionals; the church and Latin American politics. Analysis through class discussions, some lectures by the instructor, student papers and contribution from resource persons with involvement in the subject matter.

Minor in Anabaptist-Mennonite studies

Although this minor is intended to be interdisciplinary in nature, responsibility for administering the program will be lodged with the history/political science department.

Any topics class or independent study approved by the chair of the
     history/political science department*
Internship with the Mennonite Historical Library, Menno-Hof, Mennonite Mission
     Network, Mennonite Central Committee or any other Mennonite agency
     or institution
Class at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (e.g. HTE602 Rethinking
     Mennonite History)
Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP) internship with a Mennonite congregation
*NOTE: It is assumed that students who apply these courses to the minor will do a focused study (paper or project, e.g.) that makes an explicit connection with an Anabaptist-Mennonite topic.

Minor in Social Policy

The social policy minor at Goshen College is a collaborative cross-disciplinary program for students who want to work for social change within the public sector or nonprofit organizations. The minor is described in the sociology, social work and anthropology department pages.