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Go to: Program Requirements
Students should meet with their preceptors at least once each quarter to
discuss the courses they are taking or plan to take and to inform the
department of their general progress. Preceptors help students choose a junior
colloquium and a prospective director for the B.A. essay. Whenever students
have questions, they should feel free to contact the undergraduate history
adviser or their preceptors either directly or through the administrative
assistant.
Courses. Twelve quarter courses in history are required for a concentration
in history. "Courses in history" means all courses offered by members of the
Department of History and any other courses that are clearly related to the
student's area of interest and have significant historical content or focus. In
case of uncertainty, the preceptor and undergraduate adviser provide
guidance.
Students are required to take five courses in or directly related to their
chosen main field. One additional course is reserved for the junior
colloquium (History 197) and two are reserved for the B.A. essay senior seminar
(History 199). The four remaining concentration courses can be selected from
any area of history of interest to the student, but at least two of these
courses should be chosen to introduce very significant civilizational or
chronological breadth to the student's program. Students should construct the
main field and choose their other courses in close consultation with their
preceptors, subject to final approval by the undergraduate adviser.
Courses in the Main Field. The Department of History offers the following
standard main fields:
Africa Jewish History
Ancient Mediterranean Latin America
East Asia Near East (Ancient or Islamic)
Europe: Medieval Russia
Europe: Modern South Asia
Great Britain United States
History of Science
Students may also develop topically defined major fields that cut across the
geographical and chronological definitions of the standard major fields. In
those cases, the preceptor and adviser work particularly closely with a student
to ensure appropriate focus and breadth in both the main and secondary courses.
In choosing courses, all students should aim at two goals: broad knowledge of
the main field and more detailed knowledge of one or several of its major
aspects. Students with no preparation in history other than one of the
civilization course sequences should place more emphasis on breadth than on
depth. As early as possible, and no later than their junior year, they should
take courses of broad thematic appeal and considerable chronological scope to
familiarize themselves with their field of specialization as a whole. Students
who already have that familiarity are encouraged to place greater emphasis on
special topics.
Secondary Courses. The four secondary courses should be chosen to
complement the major field, extend the range of the student's historical
awareness, and explore varying approaches to historical analysis and
interpretation. At least two should be chosen from a civilizational or
chronological field significantly different from that of the main field. In
some cases, provided that they obtain the undergraduate adviser's permission,
students may include among their secondary courses a second civilizational
sequence in addition to the one they have taken to fulfill Common Core
requirements.
Junior Colloquium. During their third year, history concentrators take one
of the junior colloquia (History 197). The purpose of the colloquia is to
introduce students to the issues and methods of historical research; this is
accomplished through the reading and discussion of historical texts and the
writing of papers. Students need not seek a colloquium in which the reading
content matches their main field since the colloquia are intended to be
department-wide in appeal. Because junior colloquia have strict size
limitations, it is important to register early to ensure enrollment in the
colloquium of choice.
Junior Statement. By May 15 of the junior year, each student submits a
statement to the history adviser which includes (1) a course plan form, signed
by the student's preceptor, listing the courses that he or she has taken
and plans to take to complete the history concentration, and (2) a B.A. essay
proposal form, giving the proposed topic of the B.A. essay and the name and
signature of the faculty member who has agreed to direct it. Both forms are
available from the preceptors and in the Office of History Undergraduate
Studies (SS 225). Students should consult with their preceptors, the
undergraduate adviser, the instructors of their colloquia, and other
appropriate members of the department to define a suitable topic area in the
main field and to find a faculty director (first reader) for the B.A. essay.
Students are required to submit the junior statement before enrolling in the
senior seminar. Students should begin meeting with their faculty directors
during the spring quarter of their third year and develop a plan for reading
and research during the summer between the third and fourth years.
Senior Seminar. Because individual research projects vary so much, no
precise requirements for the B.A. essay have been set beyond the
assumption that the essay should develop a significant and original scholarly
interpretation of an important historical issue. Essays tend to range
between thirty and forty pages in length, but there is neither a minimum nor a
maximum required length. In addition to working closely with their faculty
director, who is the first reader of their essay, students are also required to
join a two-quarter undergraduate senior seminar (History 199) during the autumn
and winter quarters of their last full year in the College. The convenor
of the seminar is normally the preceptor with whom the student has been
working, who also serves as the second reader of the essay. The B.A.
essay seminar assists students in developing their bibliographic, research, and
writing skills and provides a forum for group discussion and critiques.
In all cases, the final deadline for submission of the B.A. essay is May 1 or,
if that falls on a weekend, the following Monday. The May 1 deadline represents
a final, formal submission, and students should expect to submit and defend
substantial drafts much earlier. Students who wish to complete their papers in
a quarter other than spring quarter must petition the department through the
undergraduate adviser. Students graduating in a quarter other than spring must
turn in their essay by the Friday of the seventh week of the final quarter.
When circumstances justify it, the department establishes individual deadlines
and procedures. Students who fail to meet the deadline may not be able to
graduate that quarter and almost certainly will become ineligible for honors
consideration.
Two copies of the B.A. essay must be turned in to the undergraduate assistant
in SS 225; copies are then delivered to the appropriate readers. This procedure
is for the student's protection--to make sure a grade is turned in. To guard
against loss, all students should keep copies of their essays.
The B.A. essay is normally read and graded by the faculty director of the essay
and the preceptor who convened the student's senior seminar. If they disagree
substantially about its quality, the essay goes to a third reader selected by
the undergraduate adviser.
Grading. Subject to College and division regulations and with the consent
of the instructor, all history concentrators may register for regular letter
grades or P/N grades in any course. (Exceptions: history concentrators
may not register for P/N grades in History of Western Civilization or in
History 197 or 199). A Pass grade is given only for work of C-
quality or higher.
NOTE: Some graduate schools do not accept a transcript with more than 10
percent Pass grades. On the average, that means five or more.
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Basic Courses. Students interested in a history concentration should
fulfill the College requirements most relevant to history during the first two
years. This applies especially to the civilizational studies requirement and to
language instruction, which is particularly important for those planning to
continue to the graduate level and can also be important for the successful
completion of the B.A. essay in many fields. It is also wise to take basic
history courses early and in any case no later than the third year. Students
will find the choice of advanced courses and B.A. essay topics easier if they
have a sound background in the concentration.
Advanced Courses. It is a good idea to spread the preparation of a field
over the final two years. Courses should be taken or audited when they are
offered, as not all are offered every year, and many are offered only once. The
preceptors have up-to-date information on the availability of relevant
courses.
Reading and Research Courses. For students with a legitimate interest in
pursuing a program of study that cannot be fulfilled by means of regular
courses, there is the option of devising a reading and research course, to be
taken individually and supervised by a member of the history faculty. Such a
course requires the approval of the history adviser and the prior
consent of the instructor with whom the student would like to study.
Languages. Students considering a major field concentration in any
non-United States or British field should make a serious effort to acquire a
degree of language proficiency in the language or languages necessary for work
in that field. Such proficiency may prove vital for the successful completion
of a B.A. essay in many fields.
LEORA AUSLANDER, Associate Professor, Department of History and the College
RALPH A. AUSTEN, Professor, Department of History and the College; Cochairman,
Committee on African & African-American Studies
JOHN W. BOYER, Professor, Department of History and the College; Chairman,
Council on Advanced Studies in the Humanities & Social Sciences; Dean of
the College
GEORGE CHAUNCEY, Assistant Professor, Department of History
BERNARD S. COHN, Professor, Departments of Anthropology and History
KATHLEEN N. CONZEN, Professor, Department of History and the College
EDWARD M. COOK, Associate Professor, Department of History and the College;
Dean of Students in the University
ALLEN G. DEBUS, Morris Fishbein Professor, Department of History, Division of
the Biological Sciences, and the College
PRASENJIT DUARA, Associate Professor, Department of History
T. BENTLEY DUNCAN, Associate Professor, Department of History
CONSTANTIN FASOLT, Associate Professor, Department of History and the College
SHEILA FITZPATRICK, Professor, Department of History and the College
RACHEL FULTON, Assistant Professor, Department of History
MICHAEL E. GEYER, Professor, Department of History and the College
JAN E. GOLDSTEIN, Professor, Department of History and the College
CHARLES M. GRAY, Professor, Department of History and the College; Lecturer,
the Law School
HANNA H. GRAY, Harry Pratt Judson Distinguished Service Professor, Department
of History and the College; President Emeritus of the University
HARRY HAROOTUNIAN, Max Palevsky Professor, Departments of East Asian Languages
& Civilizations and History and the College
NEIL HARRIS, Preston and Sterling Morton Professor, Department of History,
Committees on Geographical Studies and General Studies in the Humanities, and
the College
RICHARD HELLIE, Professor, Department of History and the College; Chairman,
Russian Civilization Program in the College
THOMAS HOLT, James Westfall Thompson Professor, Department of History and the
College
RONALD B. INDEN, Professor, Departments of History and South Asian Languages
& Civilizations and the College
WALTER E. KAEGI, Professor, Department of History, Division of the Humanities,
and the College
BARRY D. KARL, Norman and Edna Freehling Professor, Department of History and
the College
FRIEDRICH KATZ, Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor, Department of
History and the College
RASHID KHALIDI, Associate Professor, Departments of History and Near Eastern
Languages & Civilizations; Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies
JULIUS KIRSHNER, Professor, Department of History and the College
EMMET LARKIN, Professor, Department of History
CLAUDIO LOMNITZ, Professor, Department of History
TETSUO NAJITA, Robert S. Ingersoll Distinguished Service Professor, Departments
of History and East Asian Languages & Civilizations and the College
WILLIAM NOVAK, Assistant Professor, Department of History
PETER NOVICK, Professor, Department of History and the College
STEVEN PINCUS, Assistant Professor, Department of History
ROBERT J. RICHARDS, Professor, Departments of History, Philosophy, and
Psychology, Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science, and the
College; Chairman, Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science;
Director, Program in History, Philosophy, & Social Studies of Science &
Medicine (HiPSS)
RICHARD SALLER, Professor, Departments of History and Classical Languages &
Literatures and the College; Chairman, Department of History; Chairman,
Committee on the Ancient Mediterranean World
JULIE SAVILLE, Associate Professor, Department of History
AMY DRU STANLEY, Assistant Professor, Department of History
NOEL M. SWERDLOW, Professor, Departments of Astronomy & Astrophysics and
History, Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science, and the College KARL JOACHIM WEINTRAUB, Thomas E. Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor,
Department of History, Committee on Social Thought, and the College; Chairman,
Committee on the History of Culture and Tutorial Studies Program
JOHN E. WOODS, Professor, Departments of History and Near Eastern Languages
& Civilizations and the College; Director, Center for Middle Eastern Studies
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Go to: Summary of Requirements
Go to: Faculty
History
Chairman of Undergraduate Studies and Adviser: Kathleen Conzen, SS 225, 702-8381
Assistant to the Adviser: Drew Digby, SS 225, 702-2178
Program of Study
The study of history may be pursued as a complement to general education or as
preparation for graduate work in history or other disciplines. Students
interested in a history concentration should see the history undergraduate
adviser, preferably before the end of the second year, to discuss their areas
of interest in history and to be assigned to a preceptor, who acts as their
individual program adviser. History concentrators then construct their programs
of study in consultation with the preceptor, the undergraduate adviser,
and other appropriate faculty members. Students should try to think of the
concentration program as an integrated whole designed in conjunction with the
faculty. The central focus of a program is a topic or problem in history which
the student desires to investigate and around which the main field within the
history program is constructed. The student may pursue a topic with a national
or chronological focus, or within a subfield such as social, cultural, legal,
or military history, or with a thematic focus such as gender, migration,
minorities, slavery, modernism, colonialism, or revolution, to name some of the
possibilities. The national and chronological history fields offered by the
department are listed below. The B.A. essay that the student completes in the
fourth year is framed within this area of interest. The essay should involve
original primary research on a significant issue, develop an insightful
examination and critique of work already done on a topic, or, ideally, do
both.
Program Requirements
There are no special prerequisites for a concentration in history. However, to
prepare for a history concentration, students are strongly encouraged to take
the civilization sequence that is most appropriate to their major area of
interest, such as History of Western Civilization (History 131-132-133) for
those most interested in European history; America in Western Civilization
(History 135-136-137) for American history; or Science, Culture, and Society in
Western Civilization (History 173-174-175) for the history of science.
Concentrators are advised to fulfill the civilization requirement as early as
possible. 5 courses in a main field
Honors. Students who have done exceptionally well in their course work and
have written an outstanding B.A. essay are recommended for special honors in
history. Readers submit to the department B.A. essays that appear to be of
particular distinction. If the department concurs and the corresponding grade
point average is 3.0 overall and 3.5 in the concentration field, the department
awards the student honors in history.
4 secondary courses, of which at least two should
introduce very significant civilizational
or chronological breadth
1 Hist 197 (junior colloquium)
2 Hist 199 (senior seminar)
- B.A. essay
12 (total)
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Advice to History Concentrators
Counseling. Prospective history concentrators should meet with the
history adviser by the end of the second year or as soon as they decide to
concentrate in history. At that time, each student is assigned to a preceptor,
who acts as the primary adviser within the Department of History. The longer
one waits, the harder it is to put together a satisfactory program. History
concentrators should see their preceptors at least once each quarter. The
preceptors have more detailed and up-to-date information on courses and
requirements than the College catalog. The preceptor can also guide
students to courses relevant to the program of study that may not be obvious
from published descriptions. Students planning to complete some of their
concentration work at other institutions (e.g., through study abroad) must
consult their preceptor and the history adviser before departure to ensure that
their proposed course of study meets Department of History requirements.
Faculty
GUY S. ALITTO, Associate Professor, Departments of History and East Asian
Languages & Civilizations and the College