Apr 15, 2026

Summer/Fall 2026 Semester Course & Registration Information: Fall 2026 History Department UNIFI & Elective Courses w/out Prerequisites

Fall 2026: History Department UNIFI & Elective Courses w/out Prerequisites  (see attached pdf informational document) 
  • The Department of History is excited to announce a new Western Civilization sequence - HIST 2310 Premodern West and 2320 Modern West
    • These courses will be offered regularly starting in the Fall 2026 and will satisfy the UNIFI Human Condition: Global learning area.
  • UNIFI Human Expression
    • HIST 2011 Engaging Sources
      • Sections 01 & 02 Topic: Pirates and Piracy | Sec 01, MWF 8-8:50; Sec 02, MWF 9-9:50
        • This interactive course focuses on historical and artistic sources documenting the stories of historical pirates and their activities. It examines these sources as artistic and historical materials and shows students how to identify common elements in the visual and literary sources that record the lives, deeds, and deaths of pirates as well as how to distinguish their unique features. The course concludes with students drawing on their knowledge of pirates in history to create their own source, using a media format of their own selection.
      • Section 03 Topic: Death & Memory in the Cemetery (Honors only) | T TH 9:30-10:45
        • Students will explore how death and memory are represented on the cemetery landscape. How do you read a cemetery? How do its architecture, art, symbolism, and epitaphs reflect the identities and beliefs of those who are remembered there? We’ll examine burial practices across cultures and faiths through images and field trips. Students will identify, research, and present on a related topic of their choice.
  • UNIFI Human Condition: Global
    • HIST 2210 Problems and Perspectives in Global History
      • Section 01 Topic: 1000 Years of Samurai | Sec 01, ONLINE, ASYNC
        • This course will survey the history of Japanese warriors starting with the influence exerted by mainland East Asia (i.e. what is now Korea and China) on the military technology of those living on the Japanese islands. 945 CE – 1945 CE
    • HIST 2310 From Mesopotamia to the Middle Ages: The Premodern West
      • Section 01 | MWF 11– 11:50
        • The evolution of Western civilization from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the eve of the Renaissance, encompassing government, economics, art, social relationships, intellectual life, and religious beliefs and practices.
  • UNIFI Responsibility
    • HIST 2020 Health in History
      • Section 01 Topic: All Fall Down: Plague and People (Honors & FYO reserved for entering new from HS students) | T TH 9:30 – 10:45
        • During the fourteenth century a catastrophic pandemic known to modern audiences by the ominous title the Black Death killed approximately one-half of the population of Europe and caused devastation in a number of non-Western civilizations as well. This course will provide students with an understanding of the fourteenth-century pandemic in the lands of the three Abrahamic faiths and consider contemporary understandings of health and wellness, the plague’s impact on theories of living and dying well in religious and secular philosophies, and the formulation and implementation of policies to control the plague and mitigate its devastating effects. Includes a role-playing game of late medieval Europe.
      • Section 90 Topic: Disease: Disease, Culture and Environment in America | ONLINE ASYNC 2nd 8 weeks
        • An exploration of health in history, specifically focusing on the ways society, politics, culture and environment have shaped understandings of and responses to diseases in American history in different time periods.
    • HIST 3110 Conflict and Justice in History
      • Section 02 Topic: Colonialism and Imperialism | MWF 11-11:50
        • A survey of the history of imperialism and colonialism since 1800 CE that includes consideration of issues of morality and ethics.
      • Sections 03 Topic: Climate Change Sections | MWF 12-12:50
        • This course examines how climate shapes history, how changing climates have driven conflict, and societal understandings of justice in relation to climatic change. It examines the ethical questions raised by responses to climatic change across place and time. The course will also survey how humans’ understanding of climatic shifts has changed over time.
      • Section 04 Topic: 20th Century Latin American Revolutions and their Legacies | T TH 11-12:15
        • This course examines the origins of 20th-century revolutions and guerrilla organizations in Latin America. Students will also become acquainted with “failed” insurrections and their influence on future armed revolutionary endeavors.
      • Section 05 Topic: Conflict and Justice in History: Mao’s Memory—The Cultural Revolution and Its Legacies for Contemporary China | T TH 11-12:15
        • An examination of revolutionary violence in 1960s China, including how it was perceived as ethically justified by participants at the time, what happened to its victims, and its continuing legacies today. The course includes explanatory background and context but will focus especially on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution unleashed by Chairman Mao Zedong from 1966-1976, and how it is remembered today.
      • Section 06 Topic: Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide in Eastern Europe | T TH 12:30-1:45
        • An examination of the making of Eastern Europe through the study of war, massacres, ethnic cleansing, and genocide.
  • Electives - No Prerequisites
    • HIST 2059: Iowa High School Model United Nations | Section 01 |  T 6-6:50 PM |  Professor Heather Schaffner (instructor consent required: email heather.schaffner@uni.edu)
      • IHSMUN works with high schoolers participating in Model United Nations. This course enhances oral and written communication skills, as well as knowledge about global affairs and concerns. In Spring semesters, participants will help coordinate the Model United Nations conference at UNI.
         
  • Please contact Jen McNabb, Head of History, with any questions:
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    • Major, minor, and certificate options | Reasons for changing majors (e.g., lack of interest, career goals, academic challenges) | Self-assessments like FOCUS 2 or Strong Inventory | Goal-setting and decision-making strategies
  • Encourage students to schedule an appointment or complete the Academic Discuss Your Major Options Request Form.
  • As a faculty or staff member, you can complete this referral form to start the outreach to a student considering changing their major.
Institutional Academic Advising Vision & Mission Statement (revised Spring 2016) [See Academic Advising Mission, Vision, Goals & Outcomes webpage]
  • Vision Statement: UNI aspires to create the best possible advising experience for each student.
  • Mission Statement: Academic Advising is a critical component of the teaching and learning environment at UNI. Advising is a personalized educational experience, empowering students to explore, articulate and achieve their academic, career and life goals.