2009-10 University Catalog
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History
Degrees ..BA, MA, PhD
The undergraduate degree in history emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:
- the main topics in the political, social, cultural, and economic history of the United States, from its origins to the present;
- the main topics in the political, social, cultural, and economic history of western civilization, from its origins in antiquity to the present;
- the main topics in the political, social, cultural, and economic history of one or more geographic areas outside Europe and America; and
- methodology in historical studies.
In addition, students completing the degree in history are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
- research and conduct an investigation, consulting appropriate works for developing a bibliography;
- distinguish between primary and secondary sources, analyze arguments and interpretations, and recognize interpretative conflicts;
- interpret evidence found in primary sources and develop an historical argument based on and sustained by the evidence available; and
- produce historical essays that are coherent, cogent, and grammatically correct.
Bachelor's Degree Program +
Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below.
(Note: These requirements took effect at the beginning of the 2009 summer term. Students who became history majors prior to that term may fall under previous major requirements and should consult one of the department's undergraduate advisors to determine which requirements to follow. Students should take no more than 45 hours in history without consulting a history advisor to determine the applicability toward the BA degree. Students completing an Honors Thesis may take up to 51 hours in history.)
| Total Hours: Students must complete 36 hours in history courses with grades of C- or better. Of those 36 hours, 21 must be at the upper division. | |
| Lower-division Requirements | Semester Hours |
| Complete one of the following 1000-level world areas history courses: | 3 |
| HIST 1038 Introduction to Latin American History, HIST 1108 Introduction to Jewish History, HIST 1208 Sub-Saharan Africa to 1800, HIST 1308 Introduction to Middle Eastern History, HIST 1408 Introduction to South Asian History, HIST 1608 Introduction to Chinese History, or HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History | |
| Complete one of the following 1000-level European history courses | 3 |
| HIST 1010 Western Civilization 1 or HIST 1020 Western Civilization 2 | |
| Complete one of the following 1000-level United States history courses | 3 |
| HIST 1015 History of the United States to 1865 or HIST 1025 History of the United States since 1865 | |
| Upper-division Requirements | Semester Hours |
| Complete one 4000-level world areas history course | 3 |
| Complete one 4000-level Europe history course | 3 |
| Complete one 4000-level United States history course | 3 |
| Complete either two 4000-level history electives and HIST 4020 (Option 1), or complete a second 4000-level course from each of the three geographic areas (Option 2) | 9 |
| Complete one 3000-level critical thinking senior seminar | 3 |
| Any additional 3000-level seminars can be used to fulfill requirements that normally are fulfilled by 4000-level courses. | |
| Lower- or upper-division electives | Semester Hours |
| Complete any two other history courses | 6 |
| These two courses can be taken at any level, but only one can be a 2000-level course. | |
| Historical Period | |
| Included in the 36 hours earned to complete the major requirements must be 6 hours in courses whose focus falls primarily before 1800 and 6 hours in courses whose focus falls primarily after 1800. Courses used to fulfill this requirement must also fulfill one of the previously listed requirements. (The department maintains a list of courses broken down by geographic areas and historical periods.) | |
Ancillary Written Communication Requirement +
In addition to the history requirements listed above and a minimum of 36 credits in history, students must complete two writing courses with a C- or better, one each from the two lists of courses under the following Written Communication core requirements.
| Lower-division Written Communication: | 3-4 |
| ARSC 1080 College Writing and Research, ARSC 1150 Writing in Arts and Sciences, ENGL 1001 Freshman Writing Seminar, WRTG 1100 Extended First-Year Writing and Rhetoric, WRTG 1150 First-Year Writing and Rhetoric, WRTG 1250 Advanced First-Year Writing and Rhetoric, or any course that fulfills the upper-division Written Communication core requirement. | |
| Upper-division Written Communication: | 3 |
| WRTG/NRLN 3020 Topics in Writing or one of the following acceptable alternative upper-division writing classes: ARSC 3100 Multicultural Perspectives and Academic Discourse, ENVS 3020 Advanced Writing in Environmental Studies, HONR 3220 Advanced Honors Writing Workshop, PHIL 3480 Critical Thinking and Writing in Philosophy, RLST 3020 Advanced Writing in Religious Studies, WMST 3800 Advanced Writing in Feminist Studies, or WRTG 3007 Writing in the Visual Arts. | |
| NOTE: Under normal circumstances, no more than 45 credit hours in history may be used toward a student's total University of Colorado graduation requirements. Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.00 in the major in order to graduate. Students may receive credit for HIST 1020 and/or HIST 1025 by obtaining a score of four or better on the high school Advanced Placement history test(s). Some types of International Baccalaureate credit are acceptable; consult one of the major advisors to determine individual applicability. The CLEP test is not accepted for credit. | |
| All students majoring in history must complete at least 12 credit hours of upper-division history in courses taught by the University of Colorado at Boulder faculty. In addition, the 3000-level critical thinking seminar and HIST 4020 (if taken) must be successfully completed on the CU-Boulder campus with a C- or better. | |
Graduation in Four Years +
Students should consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for further information on eligibility for the four-year guarantee. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in history, students must consult a history advisor each semester, but the following plan provides a rough outline of acceptable progress:
| Declare the major no later than the second semester of the freshman year. | |
| Recommended sequence of courses: | |
| Required Courses | Semester Hours |
| Freshman year | total 9 |
| Any two of the three required 1000-level HIST courses | 6 |
| The ancillary lower-division Written Communication course | 3 |
| Sophomore year | total 9 |
| The remaining required 1000-level HIST course | 3 |
| Two 1000-level elective HIST courses or one 1000-level elective HIST course and one 4000-level HIST course | 6 |
| Junior year | total 12 |
| Three 4000-level HIST courses | 9 |
| The ancillary upper-division Written Communication course | 3 |
| Senior year | total 12 |
| Three 4000-level HIST courses, one of which may be HIST 4020 Capstone: Comparative History | 9 |
| One 3000-level Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Grand total all terms | 42 |
Graduate Degree Programs +
Students wishing to pursue graduate work in history leading to candidacy for an advanced degree should read carefully requirements for advanced degrees in the Graduate School section. The following are special departmental requirements. Additional information should be obtained from the Department of History.
Admission Requirements. For purposes of admission to the graduate program, the general Graduate Record Examination is required and a score in the 85th percentile or above on the verbal component is generally expected.
Master's Degree +
Prerequisites. As general preparation for graduate work in history, a broad liberal arts education, as well as a major in history, are desirable, though not specifically required. Candidates for graduate degrees may be required to pursue such fundamental courses in history as the department deems necessary to provide a suitable historical background.
Residence. While it is possible to obtain the MA degree in two full semesters of residence, more time is generally necessary.
Degree Requirements. A total of 24 credit hours of course work plus 6 hours of MA thesis, or 30 credit hours of course work without a thesis, is required for the degree. A comprehensive examination must be passed in the field of study before the degree is granted.
Doctoral Degree +
Prerequisites. Students who wish to work toward the PhD degree in history must indicate knowledge of certain fields of history, acquaintance with the fundamental tools of historical scholarship, and the ability to do original work. The PhD program does not require the completion of a master's degree, but directly admits those qualified applicants who hold an undergraduate history degree or who have completed appropriate undergraduate history preparation and who have been recommended by the graduate admissions committee.
Residence. At least three years of graduate study, two of which must be spent in residence, are required for the PhD degree.
Degree Requirements. A total of 45 postbaccalaureate credit hours, at least 30 of which must be taken at this university, and a dissertation are required for the degree. A minimum of one foreign language is required; however, students must be able to use those languages essential to research and advanced study in their respective fields.
A comprehensive written and oral examination, a dissertation which is an original contribution to knowledge, and an oral examination on the dissertation must be successfully completed.
