History courses offered by Dr. Pickett

The following courses in History are offered at Rose-Hulman by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. In addition, an Area Minor is also available for those students wishing to concentrate their study of History.

• SL-121 US to 1865 covers the colonial through the Civil War period. Emphasizes the development of national identity, constitutional democracy, industrial capitalism, and constantly expanding national boundaries.
• SL-122 US Since 1865 covers Reconstruction after the Civil War to the Vietnam conflict. Stresses the origin of such issues as poverty, racial conflict, pollution, nuclear confrontation, and unprecedented prosperity.
• VA-321 US Since 1945 covers administrations from Harry S. Truman to the present. Analyzes such issues as the Cold War, the city, the Presidency, civil rights, prosperity and poverty.
• GL-323 Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union covers the Soviet dictatorship from 1917 to 1991 seen as an outgrowth of Marxism, the Russian populist tradition, and the necessities of survival in an inhospitable world. Explores reasons for the collapse of Communism and the Soviet empire.
• GL-324 The History of Modern Japan analyzes U.S.-Japan relations from the opening of Japan to the post-World War II era; examines the causes of conflict and cooperation, including the effects of the Meiji restoration, industrial growth, competition for armament and empire, racism, ethnocentrism, global war, and limited war in Korea and Vietnam.
• VA-328 Nuclear Weapons and the Modern World studies the scientific discoveries leading to the nuclear age, the decisions to build and use the atomic bomb in World War II, and the implications for Japan and the postwar world.
• VA-329 The Information Age studies the origin and development of the World Wide Web and Commercial Web in the period from 1991 through 2005.
• VA-399 The History of Computing describes and analyzes the development of computers and computer software in America from 1945 to 2001.
• GL-422 American Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century investigates modern American foreign policy for motives ranging from the defense of human dignity and individual liberty to expansionist and commercial imperialism from 1898 to 1998. Stresses the acquisition of empire, participation in global conflicts, retreat from foreign involvement, and acceptance of continuing international responsibility in the age of nuclear weapons and increasing economic interdependence, and the end of the Cold War.
• GL-423 American Arms and Strategy in the Twentieth Century analyzes the American military experience in the twentieth century with emphasis on the nature of war and the changes in strategy that evolved from the lessons of combat. Includes topics on the commander-in-chief, the role of the armed forces in a democracy, and the origin of the nuclear arms race.
• ??-329 Special Topics in History studies a selected topic in history in depth.
• ??-429 Directed Study in History allows the advanced student to participate in a seminar, applying the skills of the historian to a topic of the student's choice. Requires the consent of the instructor.