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History

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Learn history — and make it too. Exploring the past helps you understand today’s world, preparing you for diverse career options worldwide.

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Undergraduate programs

History

Undergrad major Undergrad minor

The study of history is more than a window into the past. A good history education will help you understand the present and how you, as an individual and global citizen, can improve the future.

In UWL's history program, you'll discover how societies originated and explore cultural, political, social, and economic perspectives across time and space. You'll see how past experiences inform who you are and recognize your role in historical change.

Catalogfor History
Quick glancefor History

Broadfield Social Studies Education

Undergrad major Teacher license

The Broadfield Social Studies Education program provides skills-based training for teacher candidates seeking to teach social studies. The program prepares candidates to teach all social studies disciplines including economics, geography, history, political science, psychology and sociology.

 

Areas of study

History Concentration

The broadfield social studies education major: history concentration is intended for those who intend to seek licensure in the grades 4-12 developmental range. It provides a grounding in the core courses of the history major, as well as a foundation in four categories of history covering much of the world and its time periods.

Undergrad major Teacher license View a sample plan for History Catalogfor History

Political Science Concentration

Political science is the study of governments, policies, institutions, and the behavior of participants in the political world. Broadfield social studies education: political science concentration students are prepared to teach a range of civics, social studies, and government courses. This major prepares students to earn a Wisconsin teaching license for grades 4-12 in the six subjects of social studies: economics, geography, history, psychology, political science, and sociology.

Undergrad major Teacher license View a sample plan for Political Science Catalogfor Political Science

Sociology Concentration

Sociology is the study of human groups and how the group influences social behavior. Students in the broadfield social studies education major: sociology concentration can be licensed to teach through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. This major prepares students to earn a Wisconsin teaching license for grades 4-12 in the six subjects of social studies: economics, geography, history, psychology, political science, and sociology.

Undergrad major Teacher license View a sample plan for Sociology Catalogfor Sociology
Catalogfor Broadfield Social Studies Education
Quick glancefor Broadfield Social Studies Education

Featured courses

  • Survey of Ancient and Medieval Worlds
    HIS 230 | 3 credits
    An historical survey of the civilizations of West Asia, North Africa, and Europe from the advent of urbanization in 4000 BC to the beginning of the Renaissance (ca. 1300 AD). Topics discussed will be the nature and status of women, ethnic and religious minorities, the importance of geography and technology. Special emphasis will be placed on studying historical themes that have survived to the present day. Offered Spring.
  • Survey of Asia
    HIS 250 | 3 credits
    This course will introduce students to various aspects of Asian history with special focus on the Modern period (post-1800). In particular, it will compare the political, social and economic structures as well as the religious/philosophical underpinnings of Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India and Indonesia. Offered Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
  • Schools and Learning in Social Studies and Field Experience I
    HIS 304 | 2 credits
    This course will be integrated with a field experience for secondary social studies teachers and provide a forum for students to consider both the theories and practices of teaching. A significant portion of this course will be dedicated to collaborative reflection and discussion of teacher candidates' experiences in their field placements. Teacher candidates will design, enact, and assess activities to enhance student learning. Teacher candidates will work together to create a collegial and supportive community of educators. Assignments are designed to support reflective practice and to critically analyze teacher candidates' development as educators. A multi-day, consistent schedule in the middle school field experience classroom will be established by the course instructor in consultation with the teacher candidate and cooperating teacher. Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Consent of department. Offered Fall, Spring.
  • U.S. Reform Movements
    HIS 308 | 3 credits
    An exploration of moral and political reform and the reform impulse in the United States. Reform topics will include women's rights, antislavery, civil rights, temperance, populism, social and economic justice, and progressivism. Offered Occasionally.
  • Introduction to Public and Policy History
    HIS 320 | 3 credits
    An introduction to public and policy history. Class time will be devoted to the background, methods and application of public and policy history. The class will cover topics in cultural resource management, public policy, or museum exhibits. Offered Fall.
  • La Crosse Wisconsin in World History
    HIS 337 | 3 credits
    This course explores the connections between La Crosse, WI and the wider world (1840s-present). At a regional scale, we will investigate how the story of La Crosse's origins and expansion fits into the broader history of the state of Wisconsin, the Mississippi River Valley, and the Midwest. At a global scale, we will connect La Crosse and Wisconsin's story to long-distance and long-time frame processes including: long-distance migration, industrialization, warfare (WWI, WWII, Cold War), and demands for social and economic reform (the Progressive Era, the Civil Rights movement, and the student protest movement). Offered Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
  • Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
    HIS 361 | 3 credits
    This course examines the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing on its origins, the actors involved, and key social and political factors that have shaped it. Offered Occasionally.
  • Knowing the Oceans: A History of Human Understanding of the Ocean Environment
    HIS 371 | 3 credits
    This course explores historical attempts to access and understand the two thirds of our planet often ignored by land-focused histories. The course follows a roughly chronological path, delving into a variety of different - and changing - ways of knowing, including religious, experiential, and scientific, and it examines the various people and groups whose interests led them to and beneath the sea, as well as the various individuals and organizations whose patronage provided the means to access it. Along the way, the course considers these investigators' complicated relationships with technology, which allowed, controlled, and shaped access to and understanding of the oceans. The goal is a more complex understanding of the place of the three-dimensional, global ocean in global scientific, technological, cultural, and environmental history. Credits generated in this course apply as electives in the major or minor. Offered Occasionally.
  • The American West
    HIS 378 | 3 credits
    This course focuses on the history of the Trans-Mississippi West from European contact to the late 20th century, with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics covered include the federal West, settlement, immigration, extractive industries, agriculture, aridity, the environment, and Native Americans. Offered Fall - Every Third Year.
  • History Through Film
    HIS 392 | 3 credits
    This course uses film, television or similar media as a primary or secondary source in the study of history of a region, nation, or historical theme. The premise is that we may study the history of peoples, nations and cultures through film, rather than studying the history of film itself. This course will examine the perils and promise of using film as a source, briefly discuss film criticism and terminology, and include historical context for the films in the course. Students should expect to read and write about film criticism, history and historiography. Lect. 2, Lab 2. Offered Occasionally.
  • Secondary Content Methods for Teaching English Language Learners
    HIS 402 | 3 credits
    This course will explore the importance of teaching content to English Language Learners (ELs) at the secondary (grades 4-12) level. Students enrolled in the course will examine the various methods and teaching strategies that can be utilized to best teach students with limited English proficiency (LEP) while at the same time working to develop English language literacy. The primary method to be taught is called Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE). Prerequisite: EDS 203, EDS 206; admission to teacher education. Offered Spring.
  • Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment in Social Studies Education
    HIS 403 | 3 credits
    This course will introduce pre-service education majors to the foundational concepts, theories, and strategies associated with social studies and history education. Topics to be introduced include lesson planning and learning segment design, variations of assessing student work, content literacy, teaching for social justice, theoretical approaches to social studies and history education, and instructional methods. Prerequisite: HIS 110; EDS 203, EDS 206. Offered Fall.
  • British Empire
    HIS 410 | 3 credits
    This course is an introduction to the expansion, consolidation, and eventual disintegration of the modern British Empire. It surveys British imperial history from the sixteenth century until the late twentieth century in order to understand the causes of imperial expansion and decline, ideologies of empire, the nature of imperial power, the roles of gender and culture, and the legacies of British colonialism. Offered Occasionally.
  • Ireland and the World: 1500-present
    HIS 414 | 3 credits
    The history of Ireland has long held the imagination of people throughout the English-speaking world. The written record of the so-called "Land of Scholars and Saints" is indicative of the Irish people's literacy and is reflective of the great deal of interest paid to its history. Ireland's history is one filled with tragedy, complexity, redemption, revolution and rebellion, nationalism, intellectualism, and imperialism. Weaving through this historical narrative is the constant struggle regarding sectarianism, matters of gender and sexuality, economy, emigration, violence, and ethnicity. The relative smallness of Ireland allows the historian - and history student - to examine a wide variety of themes without sacrificing any of the nation's narrative. It is the overarching goal of this course to explore all these themes while analyzing the narrative of modern Ireland. Offered Alternate Years.
View all courses
Portrait of Sara Krueger

Hear from an alum

Sara Krueger

The small size of UWL's program and the extremely involved and caring professors opened up opportunities for me that I never would have had at other universities. The program prepared me extremely well for my career teaching high school history/social studies.

Portrait of Kenzie Molledahl

Hear from an alum

Kenzie Molledahl

The amount of experiences I was given has provided me with multiple opportunities to grow as an educator! UWL was super supportive of all their education students. They did everything they could to help us succeed!

Portrait of Laura Godden

Hear from an alum

Laura Godden

History Professor Víctor Macías‑González taught me how to grow my communication and intellectual reading skills. Through memorable lessons, he demonstrated what it is to be a scholar, and how to analyze and add academic contributions. He also gave unparalleled educational advice and inspired me to go on to graduate school in history.