Professors - Neil McHugh and Duane A. Smith;
Associate Professor - Michael F. Fry;
Assistant Professor - Katherine A. Clark.
The Department of
History offers a wide variety of courses that enhance students’ understanding
and appreciation of the human past. The
study of history promotes tolerance between peoples and helps make the world
and our lives more intelligible. We are
the wiser for knowing that our belief systems, institutions, and conflicts have
their roots in the past. Courses in the
history of
Students of
history learn to collect and interpret data, develop logical and convincing
arguments, and to write with clarity and economy. A degree in history provides a solid
foundation for students seeking careers in teaching, archival management,
library science, law, politics, international affairs and governments, as well
as the training needed for success in graduate school.
Courses numbered
100 are broad topical courses. Two hundred (200) level courses are “survey”
courses providing overviews of the history of regions and periods. These are the foundation courses for history
majors. Courses designated 300-level
explore more specialized topics and assume background in lower-division history
courses. 400-level courses are conducted
as seminars and provide the advanced instruction required for the Senior
Research Seminar.
The courses
described are those offered on a regular basis.
From time to time the department offers new courses. Students should check the full list of
courses published by the department at the time of registration.
History majors are
required to take 14 history courses totaling 44-48 credits. Majors must concentrate in one of the areas
listed below. Under special
circumstances, a student may propose a student-constructed concentration. This special option requires the approval of
the department chair.
Students majoring
in history may be certified to teach social studies at the secondary
level. To obtain requirements for
teacher certification, please contact the Department of Teacher Education.
Goals and
Objectives:
1.
Familiarize
students with the history of human experience in at least three regions of the
world.
2.
Provide
students with particular competence in their area of concentration including a
factual base of information, familiarity with the important historiographical
and interpretive concerns of historians of that area, and an ability to
synthesize their understanding around recurrent historical themes.
3.
Encourage
an understanding of how different societies in different times and places have
constructed class, race, and gender.
4.
Develop
critical thinking—rigorous, fair-minded, nuanced.
5.
Foster
the research and writing skills that enable students to define a suitable
topic, conduct thorough and resourceful searches for relevant information, and
write up their findings in a clear, persuasive, and interesting fashion.
6.
Cultivate
in students an understanding of the complex epistemological challenges involved
in doing history.
7.
Help
students appreciate that a historical understanding of the human experience can
contribute in vital ways to a responsible and reflective life.
Choose from among:
**Hist 140R Survey of
African History I
**Hist 141R Survey of
African History II
Hist 305 Mesopotamian Myth/Religion
Hist 342
Hist 343 Ancient
Hist 346
Hist 348 Africans in the
Hist 349 Islam in History
Hist 440 Advanced Studies in African History
Hist 446 Ancient
Choose from among:
**Hist 171R Survey of East Asian Civilization II
Hist 352 Modern
Hist 354 Women Family & Gender in Chinese History
Hist 355 East Asian Popular Religion
Hist 356 History of
Hist 450 Advanced Studies in East Asian History
Choose from among:
**Hist 160R Survey of
Western Civilization I
**Hist 261S Western
Civilization II, 1350 to Present
**Hist 262S Tolerance &
Persecution in the Middle Ages
**Hist 263R Medieval Life in
Modern Film and Literature
Hist 302 Ancient
Hist 306 Ancient Women’s Religions
Hist 308 Rise of Christianity
Hist 359 Medieval
Hist 360 Renaissance
Hist 362
Hist 363 Collapse of the
Hist 364
Hist 365
Hist 366 Hitler and the Holocaust
Hist 368 Medieval Women
Hist 382 Reformation
Hist 465 Advanced Studies in European History
Choose from among:
Hist 175 Introduction to Latin American History
**Hist 270R Colonial
**Hist 271S
Hist 371 History of
Hist 372 U.S.-Latin American Relations
Hist 373 History of
Hist 475 Advanced Studies in Latin American History
Choose from among:
**Hist 181N U.S./S.W.
Environmental History
Hist 280 Survey of
**Hist 281R Survey of
Hist 311 Colonial and Revolutionary
Hist 314 Inventing
Hist 315 Irish, Catholic, American
Hist 316 Civil War
Hist 318 Emergence of Modern
Hist 322 Western American Mining
Hist 324
Hist 326 Baseball and the American Dream
Hist 332 Women in American History
Hist 333
Hist 334 United States and
Hist 337 Cultural and Intellectual History in the 20th
Century
Hist 485 Advanced Studies in
REQUIREMENTS
FOR A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE WITH A MAJOR IN HISTORY:
General Education 35-46
** Courses marked with double asterisks may also
be counted toward TS1 or Q requirements.
Lower-Division History Requirements:
Survey sequence in the area of concentration 6
Three additional survey courses 9
Non-U.S. history majors must take at least one
survey course.
survey courses.
Upper-Division History Requirements:
Four courses at the 300- or 400-level in
the area of concentration, at least one of which must be at the 400-level,
other than Hist 496.
Three additional 300- or 400-level courses
taken outside the concentration in a least two areas.
Hist 396W, Philosophy
and Methods (4 credits). This course
should be taken in the last term of the sophomore year or during the junior
year.
Hist 496 Research Senior Seminar
Subtotal Specific Departmental Requirements 44-48
Auxiliary Requirements:
Two courses in one modern language 6-8
Four courses selected among three of the
following
disciplines:
Anthropology (except Anth
350, 496, and 499)
Art 162R**, 262R**, 263R**, 265, and 365
Economics (except Econ 201Q**)
English 174R**, 175R**, 176R**, 177R**, 221R**,
230R**,
240R**, 280R**, 320, 341, 345, 346, 380, 430, 432,
461
Geography 271R**
Philosophy (except Phil 496 and 499)
Political Science (except PS 350, 450, 496,
and 499)
Psychology 157, 387, and 425
Sociology (except Soc 353, 496, and 499)
Southwest Studies 340, 341
Subtotal Auxiliary Requirements 18-24
TOTAL REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION 120
Note to transfer and former students: If you have taken any of your major
requirements and received a different number of credits than listed above, you
may need to complete additional major credit requirements.
A total of 6 courses is required from at least two different instructors. Three courses (9 credits) should be lower-division and three courses (10-12 credits) should be upper-division. See the department chair for further information.
TOTAL REQUIRED FOR HISTORY MINOR 19-21