Bachelor of Arts in History

The goals of the History Department are:

1. to provide students in all colleges and programs opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary world through a critical knowledge of the past;
2. to provide all students with opportunities to cultivate skills of analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and interpreting historical evidence.

Thus, the program is designed to play an integral role in the general liberal arts education of UDM students and to serve the needs of history majors on a variety of career paths.

History Major 36 cr.

The major consists of a minimum of 36 hours of approved course work, with an overall C average in the course work.

The 36 hours must include:

• HIS 150 Introduction to History or HIS 264 Comparative Civilizations 3 cr.
• HIS 250 U.S. to 1877 3 cr.
• HIS 251 U.S. since 1877 3 cr.
• HIS 291 Historical Methods 3 cr.

Two of the following: 6 cr.

• HIS 200 Ancient Mediterranean World
• HIS 210 Medieval Europe
• HIS 220 Early Modern Europe
• HIS 230 Europe in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Two of the following: 6 cr.

• HIS 240 Modern Middle East
• HIS 270 Modern China and Japan
• HIS 280 Modern Latin America
• HIS 290 Modern Africa
• HIS 334 British Empire

Electives—300/400-level: 12 cr.

• ( 3 cr. of which must be the Senior Seminar—HIS 499— or another designated research seminar at the 400 level)

Concentrations

History majors may plan their degree programs to concentrate in any one of four tracks:

Public History

Public history may be broadly defined as using the past to serve the present. It is appropriate for history majors who are considering career options other than teaching or law. Such options include: archivist, museum curator or administrator, manager of historic properties, editing and publishing, policy analysis, government service, urban and regional planning, etc.

Teaching (Secondary)

For the Bachelor of Arts with Secondary Teacher Education in either History or Social Studies, see requirements in Secondary Teacher Education.

Pre-law

See Pre-Law Program.

Graduate Study

For students interested in pursuing graduate studies in History, the emphasis in their undergraduate studies will depend on their specific interests—e.g. modern Europe, recent America. Students should use electives to build a strong cognate in a complementary area: e.g. languages, English, philosophy, economics, religious studies, political science.

Those considering an advanced degree in History should consult their adviser for help selecting coursework and applying to graduate schools.