History Major
Sarah S. Malino, Professor, Chair
Adrienne Israel, Professor
Timothy Kircher, Professor
Damon Akins, Instructor
Joy Coates , Assistant Professor
Alvis Dunn, Assistant Professor
Philip Slaby, Assistant Professor
Zhihong Chen, Instructor
History is the study of the complex forces in the past that precipitate change in the human environment. These forces include ideas, political and economic developments, and social and cultural conditions. Historical investigation demands logical thinking and critical analysis as well as imagination and intuition. Students of history learn to recognize the significance of the sequential nature of events and to bring order to apparently random facts. Historical knowledge fosters an appreciation of human diversity, a global perspective, and a rich comprehension of the contemporary world and one's own experience.
The History major challenges students to understand the present by knowing its short- and long-term causes that have brought it into existence. All events, students learn, are the result of a complex interaction of forces. Students learn to differentiate between major and minor causes of events. This major is an excellent foundation for careers in teaching, research of all varieties, law, community service and business, among others.
Degrees Offered
The Bachelor of Arts degree is offered in history.
Major Requirements
- The major consists of 8 courses (32 credit hours). Four of these courses must be above the 100-level and two at the 300 level, including HIST 300. An Historical Perspectives course taught by the History Department faculty counts toward the major requirements.
- Students may choose an area of historical specialization but must take at least one course in each of the following three geographical areas: United States, Europe, and non-Western (e.g., Asia, Africa, or Latin America). In addition they must take one course focusing on history before 1800 and one course focusing on history after 1800, in order to ensure a breadth of chronological knowledge.
- The capstone course for the major is HIST 300: Research Seminar, normally taken in the junior year. It is required of all students majoring in history and is taught only in the spring semester. As preparation for this research, students must take at least two courses at the 200 level prior to taking the seminar.
- To develop their understanding of how historical knowledge relates to other academic disciplines, students may take one course taught by a faculty member outside the History Department, provided that the course has been approved for the major by the Department in advance (e.g., ECON 302: Economic History of the U.S.).
1-2. Any two 100-level history courses (score of 4 or 5 on an AP history exam will count as one 100-level history course) |
8 credits |
3. One history course before 1800 from: |
4 credits |
HIST 101 The Medieval Web |
|
HIST 233 Medieval Civilization:Crusades and Chivalry |
|
HIST 241 Africa before 1800 |
|
HIST 271 Colonial Latin America |
|
HIST 336 The Elizabethan Age |
|
HIST 383 Imperial China |
|
HIST 385 Medieval Japan |
|
4. One US history course from: |
4 credits |
HIST 103 U.S. Origins: From Pre-Colonial Times to 1877 |
|
HIST 104 Modern Times: The U.S. from 1877 to the Present |
|
| HIST 205 United States Imperialism and Progressivism | |
HIST 221 Changing Face of the South |
|
HIST 222 North Carolina History |
|
HIST 223 Gender and Power in US History |
|
HIST 225 African American History |
|
HIST 302 Economic History of the United States |
|
HIST 303 US Social History and Social Memory |
|
HIST 308 The Underground Railroad |
|
HIST 311 The US since 1945 |
|
| HIST 312 Indians in American History since 1800 | |
| HIST 313 War, Reconstruction and the State in the 19th C US | |
HIST 315 The Civil Rights Movement |
|
5. One Europe course from: |
4 credits |
| HIST 101 The Medievel Web | |
| HIST 102 The Web of Europe since 1400 | |
HIST 233 Medieval Civilization: Crusades and Chivalry |
|
HIST 237 Europe in Revolution |
|
HIST 238 War and Peace |
|
HIST 255 The Second World War |
|
HIST 335 Ancient Greece from Homer to Socrates |
|
HIST 336 The Elizabethan Age |
|
6. One non-Western history course from: |
4 credits |
HIST 241 African before 1800 |
|
HIST 242 African since 1800 |
|
HIST 264 The Asian Pacific in Modern Times |
|
HIST 266 Contemporary Chinese Society in Film |
|
HIST 268 History of Chinese Women |
|
HIST 271 Colonial Latin America |
|
HIST 272 Modern Latin America |
|
HIST 343 Women in Modern Africa |
|
HIST 383 Imperial China |
|
HIST 384 China in Revolution |
|
HIST 385 Medieval Japan |
|
HIST 386 Japan: The Road to War |
|
7. Any HIST 300 level course |
4 credits |
8. HIST 300 Seminar in History |
4 credits |
Total credits required for A.B. degree in history |
32 credits |