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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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Interested in one of our majors, minors or certificates? Fill out the declaration form to declare a major or minor.

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

International & Global Studies

Undergrad minor

International and global studies is an interdisciplinary study of the political, economic, social and cultural issues throughout the world, as well as the increasingly interconnected nature, complexity and diversity of the world community. Students often compare subjects across regions of the world, and develop skills and abilities for meaningful cross-cultural and transnational interactions.

Catalogfor International & Global Studies
Quick glancefor International & Global Studies

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.
  • Sugar, Coffee, Rubber, Bananas: Commodities in World History
    HIS 338 | 3 credits
    This course examines the history of everyday commodities that we consume or use, often without considering where they came from (sugar, coffee, rubber, bananas). It centers on the development of plantation-style agriculture in the Americas, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Africa from the 1600s-1930s CE. Power relationships between laborers, landowners, colonial governments, and consumers are examined in order to connect trade goods to the historical societies in which they were produced. A particular emphasis is placed on links between European imperialism, labor migration, and inequality. Offered Every Third Semester.
  • 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.
  • International Development and Culture Change
    ANT 307 | 3 credits
    In an increasingly global world, what does it mean for cultures to change? What does it mean for cultures to stay the same? This course examines what "development" means to people in different cultures, and how the concept of development is itself a product of colonialism, the Cold War, and the current focus on what has been called the neoliberal global economy. The goals of the course are 1) to provide students with a comprehensive study of what economic, social, cultural, and political development has meant over time, and 2) to illustrate the benefits, limitations, and consequences of "progress" and "development" in the lives of people all over the globe. Course examples will come from topics such as conservation, sustainability, and the environment; the preservation of indigenous peoples' ways of life; tourism and its effects in a global world; gender and development; disaster response and reconstruction; and the roles of social movements, development aid, and non-governmental organizations in international development. Offered Occasionally.
  • World Literature
    ENG 357 | 3 credits
    A course designed to provide diversity education by studying world literatures from different regions and historical periods, ranging from ancient to modern Middle East, Africa, Asia, South Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Focus and content will vary with instructor. However, each instructor will cover at least two distinct world traditions. Prerequisites: three credits in 200 level English courses. Offered Annually.
  • Power, Space, and Global Change
    GEO 307 | 3 credits
    As individuals and groups interact, they create and modify political and economic structures. Conflicts and inequalities, as well as improvements to the human condition, are examined at multiple scales. Territorialities, population dynamics, states, borders, and elections are explored with the tools of human geography. Offered Fall.
  • Global Impact of Infectious Disease
    MIC 130 | 3 credits
    A multifaceted examination of issues related to infectious disease throughout the world. The course will begin with historical examples of how infectious disease has impacted society, from plagues of centuries past to recent emerging diseases. After defining the types of pathogens and methods for their control, the interplay between infectious disease and global economics, health and politics will be evaluated. Additionally, the impact of public perceptions and misconceptions on the spread of infectious disease will be analyzed. Finally, the role of current human activities in shaping disease patterns of the future will be explored. Offered Fall, Spring, Summer.
  • International Law
    POL 345 | 3 credits
    An examination of international law that explores both its evolution and function in contemporary global politics. The course draws on both theoretical and historical debates about the nature of international law to assess its current and future potential for addressing global challenges. Prerequisite: POL 244 or junior standing. Offered Spring - Odd Numbered Years.
  • Gender and Human Rights
    RGS 373 | 3 credits
    This course provides an overview of transnational women's human rights movements in a variety of locations around the world; locations vary with the instructor. Included in this overview is the study of women's political participation as a human rights issue; women's bodily integrity as a human right; violence against women and reproductive sexual health and rights; human rights as a framework for social and economic and gender justice; and human rights as (quasi) legal accountability; UN agreements, treaties and venues of redress. Prerequisite: RGS 100 or RGS 150 or EDS 206. Offered Fall - Odd Numbered Years.
  • Global Inequality
    SOC 404 | 3 credits
    This course explores explanations for inequality between countries. Macro-sociological theories and comparative methods are used to analyze cross-cultural and cross-national differences and similarities in basic institutions, including family, education, and political economy. The main course objective is that students develop an understanding of the consequences of living in a world of global inequality. Prerequisite: SOC 110 or SOC 120 or SOC 202 or ANT 101 or ANT 202. Offered Every Third Semester.
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 Laura Godden

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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.

Portrait of Kenzie Molledahl

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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 José Rubio-Zepeda

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José Rubio-Zepeda

In the International and Global Studies minor, I had the opportunity to engage in an array of courses, which allowed me to envision myself working in Latin America and to specialize in the region. I took the knowledge gained and continued to develop my research interests into graduate school.

Portrait of Ashley Schwartz

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Ashley Schwartz

What I loved about UWL's International and Global Studies minor was the flexibility to take classes in a variety of disciplines. The capstone also provides a great opportunity to pursue personal interests. As part of my capstone, I was able to work on a research article that was eventually published!

Portrait of Amanda Kind

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Amanda Kind

Through my experience in the International and Global Studies program, I have been able to see how national policies have a global impact and the importance of global collaboration. Learning how to think beyond borders is important when addressing global challenges, which I plan to do as a State Department employee someday.