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ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2017-2018
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the establishment of the “first” British Empire, and the responses to the American and
French Revolutions. Lectures are supplemented by audio-visuals to add further context.
HI 242 Industry, Imperialism, and World War: History of England from George III
to the Present (1)
A survey of the political, social, economic, and constitutional history of England and the
British Empire from 1789 to the present. Among the many subjects examined are the
Industrial Revolution, imperialism, the Irish independence movement, the First and
Second World Wars, the Socialist and Thatcher revolutions, and the end of empire.
Lectures are supplemented by audio-visuals to add further context.
HI 243 RMS Titanic: Icon of an Age (1)
An examination of the
RMS Titanic
as an icon of Edwardian Britain and Gilded Age
America. The goal of the course is to examine the ship and its tragic sinking in April
1912 to gain insight into issues of race, gender, and class during this period. Key topics
investigated include the ship’s construction, its passengers and crew, life on board, its
sinking, rescue of its passengers, and probable culpability for the accident. In addition,
study is made of how the ship's sinking has left an indelible legacy on cultural history.
HI 244 The History of Terrorism (1)
An examination of the history of terrorism with the twin goals of explaining its
contemporary prevalence and its historical significance. Emphasis is placed on the
political, social, and cultural contexts of terrorism and political violence; critical, literary,
and popular responses to terrorism; changing definitions of terrorism; and the
interrelationship between terrorism and modernity. Topics include tyrannicide and terror
in the ancient and medieval world; revolutionary terrorism and state terror in Europe and
Russia since the eighteenth century; anarchist terrorism in Europe and the United States;
white supremacist terrorism in the United States; ethno-nationalist terrorism in Europe,
the Middle East, and North Africa in the twentieth century; anti-imperialist and
international terrorism in the 1960s and 1970s; and the recent upsurge in religiously
inspired terrorism. Students who have credit for HI 120 or HON 120 cannot take this
course. A Leadership Studies designated course.
HI 245 Russian Civilization (1)
An introduction to the history of Russia and its distinctive political, social, and cultural
institutions and expressions, from the formation of Rus in the first millennium of the
common era through the breakup of the Soviet Union. A Leadership Studies designated
course.
HI 248 Modern Germany (1)
An examination of the history of Germany from the era of Bismarck through
reunification at the end of the Cold War. Topics include the creation of the German
nation-state, participation in the World Wars, Weimar, Nazism, East and West Germany,
and post-reunification. The course emphasizes the use of Germany as a case study for
studying the problems and paradoxes of European development in the modern era.