Academic Bulletin 2024-2025 
    
    Nov 21, 2024  
Academic Bulletin 2024-2025

History Major


Faculty: Haywood (Chair), Herrman, Keysor, B. Miller, Pinnow, Ribeiro, Wu

The History major is a program in the Values and Societies Area of Study.

History Major Learning Outcomes

A student who successfully completes a major in History will be able to:

  • Acquire knowledge of particular historical contexts;
  • Analyze historical sources;
  • Understand how historians interpret the past;
  • Develop an historian’s skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and critical inquiry;
  • Be able to execute guided and independent research projects, up to and including the Senior Comprehensive Project in History.

The History Major

The History major, consisting of 46 credits, leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. At graduation, History majors must have a GPA of at least 2.0 in the major. The calculation is based on all courses included in the Degree Audit. Only the most recent grade is considered for courses that have been repeated. All courses presented for the major are normally taken on a letter-grade basis except for courses transferred in by incoming students and courses completed in study away programs. For purposes of graduation, if a student completes more than the minimum number of courses required, the higher grade(s) will be counted in the calculation of the major grade point average, provided that the departmental distribution requirements are met.

A maximum of two transferred courses (eight credit hours) taken at institutions of higher learning or at secondary institutions through the Advanced Placement or Internatiuonal Baccalaureate programs may normally be counted toward the major. Exceptions must be approved by the Program Coordinator. As the History Department strongly encourages its students to participate in study abroad and other study away programs, it will apply a maximum degree of flexibility to insure that students receive necessary credits for their participation in such programs.

 

Communication in a Discipline: History


Note:


The FSHIS 201  course does not satisfy the European History, American History, or non-Western History requirement listed above.

Senior Project (6 Credit Hours):


Which consists of:

A minimum of at least four courses numbered 300 or above:


  • A minimum of at least four courses (16 credit hours) that, excluding Junior Seminars and Senior Projects, are numbered 300 or above.

Note:


Unclassified electives (not counting toward the requirement in European, American or non-Western history) include: HIST 506 .

With the approval of the department, HIST 590 (Independent Study) may be counted toward the European, American or non-Western requirement, depending on the subject studied. HIST 590 may also be counted as one of the courses meeting the 300 or above requirement, depending on the level of difficulty and the approach taken.

Students must enroll in HIST 600  and HIST 610  in consecutive terms. Students may enroll in HIST 600  during the spring semester of their junior year and HIST 610  in the fall semester of their senior year, or they may enroll in HIST 600  during the fall semester and HIST 610  during the spring semester of their senior year. Students must pass HIST 600  before enrolling in HIST 610 .

The History Department strongly encourages proficiency in a foreign language and enrollment in courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages. Language study is particularly valuable for students who are considering graduate studies in History.