Program Description

History has been called the memory of human group experience, the collective record of all that has happened in the past, and the emotions, ideals, and values that have given human experience its sense of continuity, causation, and meaning. As an academic discipline, history is perhaps the broadest of the liberal arts, certainly the least restricted by subject and scope. It requires the development of analytical skills, the use of deductive and inductive reasoning, the mastery of knowledge from different cultures and epochs, and the ability to express ideas in clear, readable prose. The study of history has practical rewards as well. It provides students with a broad cultural background and inculcates skills of analysis and composition that are considered essential to the study of education, literature, law, government, communications, journalism, public service, and business.

Program Curriculum

The undergraduate curriculum in History is designed to prepare students to function effectively in an increasingly globalized world. It emphasizes the examination of historical events and developments through broad historical themes and cross-disciplinary histories. Required courses include lower-division courses in United States and world history designed to provide a broad foundation in national and global history, a lower-division course in historical methodology, an upper-division course in historical writing and advanced historical methods; and a capstone experience (Senior Seminar). Students will explore the wealth of human historical experience across time and place. They will take five courses in the history of the world’s regions, including the Americas, the Asian world, the Transatlantic world, the Mediterranean world, Europe, and Africa and the Middle East. They will also take three courses from at least two of the following themes: Empires; War and Freedom; Changing and Challenging Identities; and Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine. Finally, students will have an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have developed in an internship, supervised collaborative research, a public history course, or another project or setting.

American History and Institutions Requirements

Satisfaction of the American Institutions requirements shall be met by no less than one course in United States History and one other course in United States Government, or respective examinations administered by the History and Political Science Departments. Courses that satisfy the US history requirement are HIST 1218 Survey of US History to 1877 and HIST 1228 Survey of US History Since 1865, or their equivalents. For information about the United States History competency examination, see below.

Examination Procedure Statement

The Department of History accepts scores of 3 or better on Advanced Placement examinations in United States History, European History, and World History as satisfying the most nearly equivalent lower-division courses in the major.

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

The Department of History accepts scores of 3 or better on Advanced Placement examinations in United States History, European History, and World History as satisfying the most nearly equivalent lower-division courses in the major.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in History

Course List

Code	Title	Units
General Education Requirements
First-Year Seminar (FYS)		2
Lower Division Area A: Foundational Skills		9
Lower Division Area B: Natural Sciences		9
Lower Division Area C: Arts and Humanities		3
Lower Division Area D: Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
Lower Division Area E: Student Enrichment and Lifelong Learning (SELF) 6		0-3
Lower Division Area F: Ethnic Studies		3
American Institutions: Government and History		3
Junior Year Diversity & Reflection (JYDR) 6		0-3
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)		0
Upper Division Thematic Area B and D 6		3-6
General Education Capstone 6		0
General Education Subtotal 7
Major Requirements
Lower Division
United States History survey:
HIST 1218	Survey of US History to 1877 1	3
HIST 1228	Survey of US History Since 1865 1	3
World Civilizations survey:
HIST 1418	World History, Pre-History to 1500 1	3
HIST 1428	World History, since 1500 CE 1	3
The Historian’s Craft:
HIST 2000	Historian's Craft 1	3
Upper Division 3
Historical Writing:
HIST 3008	Historical Writing 2	3
Regions: 3
Select five courses from at least three of the following Regions:		15
The Americas
HIST 3110	Colonial North America 1492-1776 3
HIST 3120	Revolutionary America 1750-1828
HIST 3130	The Civil War Era, 1828-1877
HIST 3140	The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era 1877-1917
HIST 3150	Twentieth-Century America
HIST 3210	The American South
HIST 3228	American Indian History
HIST 3230	The American West
HIST 3240	California History
HIST 3258	The American Environment
HIST 3260	History of the American Borderlands
HIST 3270	Sports History in the Americas
HIST 3310	Revolutions in Latin America
HIST 3320	Ancient and Colonial Mexico 3
HIST 3330	Modern Mexico
HIST 3438	Muslim Societies in American History, 1539-2008
HIST 4210	Citizenship and Civil Rights in the United States
HIST 4220	Mexican-American History
HIST 4230	African-American History
HIST 4250	Slavery in North America
The Asian World
HIST 3460	Pre-Modern Japan 3
HIST 3470	Modern Japan
HIST 3480	Pre-Modern China 3
HIST 3490	Modern China
HIST 4410	Gender in East Asia
HIST 4420	Japan's Empire, 1895-1945
HIST 4430	Nationalism in Modern Pacific Asia
HIST 4440	The Cold War in Asia
HIST 4450	Afro-Asianism: Anti-Racism in Global History
The Transatlantic World
HIST 3610	Mexican-European Connections, 1821-1982
HIST 3620	Revolutions in Atlantic World
HIST 3630	Women and Gender in the Transatlantic World
HIST 3650	Science, Medicine, and Empire in the Atlantic World 3
HIST 4530	Fascism and Populism in Europe and the Americas
The Mediterranean World
HIST 3640	The World of the Ancient Greeks 3
HIST 4638	Building an Empire: A History of Rome 3
HIST 4640	Pagans and Christians in the Roman World 3
Europe
HIST 3510	The Renaissance 3
HIST 3520	The Transformation of Europe: The Medieval West from 200 to 1300 CE 3
HIST 3530	The European Reformations 3
HIST 3540	Tudor-Stuart England 3
HIST 3550	Britain and Ireland Since 1750
HIST 3560	Europe, 1815-1914
HIST 3570	Europe Since 1914
HIST 3580	Twentieth-Century Spain
HIST 3590	Rise and Fall of Soviet Empire, 1917-91
HIST 3608	Black Europe: The History and Politics of Blackness in Modern Europe
HIST 4510	The History of European Empires 1500-2000
HIST 4528	Plagues and Public Health: Epidemiology and Society since 1800
Africa and the Middle East
HIST 3410	The Rise of Islamic Civilization, 570-1258 3
HIST 3420	Science, Technology, and Engineering in Islamic History, 758-1406 3
HIST 3440	African Decolonization, 1922-1994
HIST 3458	Health and Medicine in Colonial and Postcolonial Africa
HIST 4450	Afro-Asianism: Anti-Racism in Global History
HIST 4670	The Ottoman Empire, 1452-1923
HIST 4690	Muslim Societies in African History, 570-1918 3
Themes: 3
Select three courses from at least two of the following Themes:		9
Empires
HIST 3110	Colonial North America 1492-1776 3
HIST 3320	Ancient and Colonial Mexico 3
HIST 4420	Japan's Empire, 1895-1945
HIST 4510	The History of European Empires 1500-2000
HIST 4638	Building an Empire: A History of Rome 3
HIST 4670	The Ottoman Empire, 1452-1923
War and Freedom
HIST 3120	Revolutionary America 1750-1828
HIST 3130	The Civil War Era, 1828-1877
HIST 3310	Revolutions in Latin America
HIST 3440	African Decolonization, 1922-1994
HIST 3470	Modern Japan
HIST 3490	Modern China
HIST 3540	Tudor-Stuart England 3
HIST 3570	Europe Since 1914
HIST 3580	Twentieth-Century Spain
HIST 3620	Revolutions in Atlantic World
HIST 3640	The World of the Ancient Greeks
HIST 4210	Citizenship and Civil Rights in the United States
HIST 4430	Nationalism in Modern Pacific Asia
HIST 4440	The Cold War in Asia
HIST 4480	Propaganda and History
Changing and Challenging Identities
HIST 3210	The American South
HIST 3228	American Indian History
HIST 3230	The American West
HIST 3260	History of the American Borderlands
HIST 3270	Sports History in the Americas
HIST 3438	Muslim Societies in American History, 1539-2008
HIST 3460	Pre-Modern Japan 3
HIST 3480	Pre-Modern China 3
HIST 3520	The Transformation of Europe: The Medieval West from 200 to 1300 CE
HIST 3530	The European Reformations
HIST 3550	Britain and Ireland Since 1750
HIST 3560	Europe, 1815-1914
HIST 3610	Mexican-European Connections, 1821-1982
HIST 3630	Women and Gender in the Transatlantic World
HIST 4220	Mexican-American History
HIST 4230	African-American History
HIST 4248	Film and Identity in History
HIST 4250	Slavery in North America
HIST 4410	Gender in East Asia
HIST 4450	Afro-Asianism: Anti-Racism in Global History
HIST 4640	Pagans and Christians in the Roman World 3
HIST 4690	Muslim Societies in African History, 570-1918 3
Science, Technology, Environment, and Medicine
HIST 3258	The American Environment
HIST 3420	Science, Technology, and Engineering in Islamic History, 758-1406 3
HIST 3458	Health and Medicine in Colonial and Postcolonial Africa
HIST 3650	Science, Medicine, and Empire in the Atlantic World 3
HIST 4528	Plagues and Public Health: Epidemiology and Society since 1800
Applied History:
HIST 3860	History Practicum 4	3
or HIST 4020	Public History
or HIST 4030	Archives and Special Collection
or HIST 4040	Oral History
or HIST 4050	Historic Preservation
or EDTE 3000	Introduction to Education
Senior Seminar
HIST 4908	Senior Seminar 5	3
Major Subtotal		83-92
Additional Units Needed Towards Graduation		28-35
Total Units		111-127

¹

Or equivalents

²

With a minimum C-

³

Among the 8 Regions and Theme courses, at least 2 courses must focus on the period before 1700. These are the qualifying courses:HIST 3110 Colonial North America 1492-1776, HIST 3320 Ancient and Colonial Mexico, HIST 3410 The Rise of Islamic Civilization, 570-1258, HIST 3420 Science, Technology, and Engineering in Islamic History, 758-1406, HIST 3460 Pre-Modern Japan, HIST 3480 Pre-Modern China, HIST 3510 The Renaissance, HIST 3520 The Transformation of Europe: The Medieval West from 200 to 1300 CE, HIST 3530 The European Reformations, HIST 3540 Tudor-Stuart England, HIST 3640 The World of the Ancient Greeks, HIST 3650 Science, Medicine, and Empire in the Atlantic World, HIST 4640 Pagans and Christians in the Roman World,& HIST 4690 Muslim Societies in African History, 570-1918.

⁴

Three units in an internship, faculty-supervised collaborative research, oral history project or other approved applied history experience; or a course in public history (HIST 4020 Public History, HIST 4030 Archives and Special Collection, HIST 4040 Oral History, HIST 4050 Historic Preservation), or EDTE 3000 Introduction to Education)

⁵

Capstone course

⁶

The SELF requirement may double count with B, C, or D. JYDR may be satisfied in major, minor or other university requirement. Students are waived from UD area of their program. The GWAR must be satisfied through HIST 3008 Historical Writing (3), and the GE Capstone must be satisfied through HIST 4908 Senior Seminar (3).

⁷

Some General Education requirements are included in major.