Skip to main content
Northwestern University

FD-HS: Historical Studies

NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area IV: Historical Studies page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.

Historical studies examine change over time in a wide variety of spheres, including beliefs, cultures, economics, intellectual thought, politics, and society. The scale and scope of offerings in this area range from the local or regional to the global and from the origins of human society to the present day. Students learn to assess, analyze, and interpret primary and secondary sources (for example, documents, testimonies, texts, artifacts, images) and use them to develop arguments in oral and written form. Courses in historical studies teach critical methods including: evaluation of evidence, understanding conditions under which historical actors operated, comprehension of cause and consequence, tracing patterns (continuities and ruptures), comparative analysis of sources, and modes of historical argumentation.

learning objectives

Courses in Historical Studies are designed to achieve a combination of the following learning outcomes:

Choosing courses

You may opt to gain a deeper understanding of a single region or era--the Middle East, the twentieth century--by taking two courses in a theme, or opt to choose courses that address more divergent topics.

 

Approved Courses

Foundational Discipline - Historical Studies
Subject Number Title
ANTHRO 318-0 Material Worlds of the Middle Ages 
ANTHRO 319-0 Material Life & Culture in Europe, 1500-1800 
ANTHRO 327-0 Historical Archaeology
ANTHRO 329-0 Archaeology and Nationalism (with HUM 329-0)2
ANTHRO 370-0 Anthropology in Historical Perspective
ART 270-0 Contemporary Art Survey (or FD-LA)
ART_HIST 220-0 Introduction to African Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 222-0 Introduction to Art of the African Diaspora (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 224-0 Introduction to Ancient Art (or FD-LA)
ART_HIST 225-0 Introduction to Medieval Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ART_HIST 232-0 Introduction to the History of Architecture: 1400 to Present (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 235-0 Introduction to Latin American Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 240-0 Introduction to Asian Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 250-0 Introduction to Early Modern European Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ART_HIST 255-0 Introduction to Modernism (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 260-0 Introduction to Contemporary Art (or FD-LA)
ART_HIST 320-1 Medieval Art Byzantine (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ART_HIST 320-3 Medieval Art: Late Medieval (or FD-LA)
ART_HIST 330-1 Early Modern European Art 1400-1500 (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ART_HIST 340-1 Baroque Art: Italy & Spain 1600-1800 (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 342-0 Eighteenth-Century European Art (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 350-1 19th Century Art 1: 1789-1848 (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 350-2 19th Century Art 2: 1848-1914 (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 360-1 20th Century Art 1 (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
ART_HIST 386-0 Art of Africa (or may be applied to FD-LA)2
BLK_ST 212-1 Introduction to African-American History: Key Concepts from 1700-1861 (with HISTORY 212-1)1
BLK_ST 212-2 Introduction to African American History: Emancipation to Civil Rights Movement (with HISTORY 212-2)1
BLK_ST 213-0 History of the Black World2
BLK_ST 220-0 Civil Rights and Black Liberation1
BLK_ST 262-0 Introduction to Black Religions (with RELIGION 262-0)1
BLK_ST 315-0 Religion in the Black Atlantic (or may be applied to FD-LA)
CLASSICS 211-0 Greek History and Culture (or may be applied to FD-LA)
CLASSICS 212-0 Rome: Culture and Empire
CLASSICS 260-0 Classical Mythology (or may be applied to FD-LA)
CLASSICS 310-0 Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean (or may be applied to FD-LA)
CLASSICS 311-SA On-Site Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean (or FD-LA)
CLASSICS 314-0 Topics in Ancient Science and Technology
CLASSICS 320-0 Greek and Roman History
CLASSICS 321-SA On-Site Greek and Roman History
CLASSICS 330-0 Ancient Economy
CLASSICS 380-0 Classical Reception Studies (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ENGLISH 302-0 History of the English Language (or may be applied to FD-LA)
ENVR_POL 309-0 American Environmental History (with HISTORY 309-0)1
ENVR_POL 340-0 Global Environments and World History (with HISTORY 376-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)2
GBL_HLTH 309-0 Biomedicine and World History (with HISTORY 379-0) (or FD-SBS)2
GBL_HLTH 325-0 History of Reproductive Health2
GERMAN 230-0 Berlin and the Culture of Democracy (or FD-LA)
GERMAN 337-0 Science and Culture in Germany2
GERMAN 344-2 Germany Since 1945 (with HISTORY 344-2)
GERMAN 349-0 History of the Holocaust (with HISTORY 349-0)2
GNDR_ST 230-0 Traditions in Feminist Thought1
GNDR_ST 321-0 Gender, Sexuality, and History
GNDR_ST 324-0 U.S. Gay and Lesbian History (with HISTORY 324-0)1
HISTORY 200-0 New Introductory Courses in History
HISTORY 201-1 Europe in the Medieval and Early Modern World2
HISTORY 201-2 Europe in the Modern World2
HISTORY 203-1 Jewish History 750-14922
HISTORY 210-1 North America and the United States to 18651
HISTORY 210-2 History of the United States, Reconstruction to the Present1
HISTORY 211-0 American Wars1
HISTORY 212-1 Introduction to African-American History: Key Concepts from 1700-1861 (with BLK_ST 212-1)1
HISTORY 212-2 Introduction to African American History: Emancipation to Civil Rights Movement (with BLK_ST 212-2)1
HISTORY 215-0 History of the American Family (or FD-SBS)1
HISTORY 219-0 History of the Present1
HISTORY 220-0 History of the Future2
HISTORY 221-0 Famous American Trials (with LEGAL_ST 221-0)1
HISTORY 249-0 The End of Citizenship (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 250-1 Global History: Early Modern to Modern Transition2
HISTORY 250-2 Global History: The Modern World2
HISTORY 251-0 The Politics of Disaster: A Global Environmental History (or may be applied to FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 253-0 A Global History of Prison and Camps (or FD-EET)2
HISTORY 254-0 Global Entrepreneurs (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 260-2 History of Modern Latin America (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 275-1 History of Early Modern Science and Medicine2
HISTORY 275-2 History of Modern Science and Medicine2
HISTORY 281-0 Chinese Civilization
HISTORY 286-0 World War II in Asia2
HISTORY 292-0 Introduction to Topics in History
HISTORY 300-0 New Lectures in History
HISTORY 305-0 American Immigration (with LEGAL_ST 305-0)1
HISTORY 309-0 American Environmental History (with ENVR_POL 309-0)1
HISTORY 310-1 Early American History: Conquest and Colonization1
HISTORY 318-1 Legal and Constitutional History of the United States: Colonial Period to 1850 (with LEGAL_ST 318-1)1
HISTORY 318-2 Legal and Constitutional History of the United States: 1850 to Present (with LEGAL_ST 318-2)1
HISTORY 319-0 US Foreign Relations1
HISTORY 324-0 U.S. Gay and Lesbian History (with GNDR_ST 324-0)1
HISTORY 327-0 Histories of Violence in the United States1
HISTORY 330-0 Medieval Sex
HISTORY 333-0 The European Renaissance
HISTORY 340-0 Gender, War, and Revolution in the 20th Century2
HISTORY 342-1 The French Revolution and Napoleon
HISTORY 343-0 Modern Italy
HISTORY 344-2 Germany Since 1945 (with GERMAN 344-2)
HISTORY 345-1 History of Russia: 800-1700
HISTORY 349-0 History of the Holocaust (with GERMAN 349-0)2
HISTORY 350-0 Soviet History Through Film (or FD-LA)
HISTORY 351-0 Europe in the Age of Total War (or FD-EET)2
HISTORY 352-0 Global History of Death and Dying (or may be applied to FD-EET)2
HISTORY 353-0 History of Capitalism (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 354-0 History of Socialism (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 366-0 Latin America in the Independence Era: American Indians and Nations2
HISTORY 367-0 History of Mexico (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 370-0 Music and Nation in Latin America (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 374-0 The Arabian Peninsula Since the 18th Century 
HISTORY 376-0 Global Environments and World History (with ENVR_POL 340-0) (or may be applied to FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 379-0 Biomedicine and World History (with GBL_HLTH 309-0) (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 381-1 Modern China: The Transition to Modern Times, 1600-19122
HISTORY 381-2 Modern China: The Twentieth Century2
HISTORY 381-3 Modern China: Post-Mao Reforms, 1978-20162
HISTORY 382-0 The Modern Japanese City2
HISTORY 385-1 History of Modern South Asia, ca 1500-18002
HISTORY 385-2 History of Modern South Asia, ca 1750-present2
HISTORY 386-2 Southeast Asia in the Age of Empire2
HISTORY 386-3 Southeast Asia: Decolonization & Independence (or FD-SBS)2
HISTORY 393-0 Approaches to History
HISTORY 395-0 Research Seminar
HUM 211-0 Humanities in the World II
HUM 325-4 Humanities in the Digital Age
HUM 329-0 Archaeology and Nationalism (with ANTHRO 329-0)2
HUM 370-4 Special Topics in the Humanities
JWSH_ST 280-4 Topics in Israel Studies
LEGAL_ST 221-0 Famous American Trials (with HISTORY 221-0)1
LEGAL_ST 305-0 American Immigration (with HISTORY 305-0)1
LEGAL_ST 318-1 Legal and Constitutional History of the United States: Colonial Period to 1850 (with HISTORY 318-1)1
LEGAL_ST 318-2 Legal and Constitutional History of the United States: 1850 to Present (with HISTORY 318-2)1
LEGAL_ST 347-0 Comparative Race & Ethnicity1
MENA 290-4 Introductory Topics in Middle East and North African Studies
MENA 390-4

Advanced Topics in Middle East and North African Studies

RELIGION 262-0 Introduction to Black Religions (with BLK_ST 262-0)1
RELIGION 264-0 American Religious History from 1865 to the Great Depression 
RELIGION 265-0 American Religious History from World War II to the Present 
RELIGION 351-0 Islamic Law (or FD-EET)2
RELIGION 360-0 African American Religions (or may be applied to FD-EET)2
SLAVIC 390-0 History and Culture in Central and Eastern Europe

1 Also Overlay 1: U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

2 Also Overlay 2: Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Back to top