BA in History

Tourists view the remains of ancient structures in Israel.

42 units

History is the study of the human record of the human past. As an academic discipline, history is comprehensive insofar as it records and explains the development, causes, and effects over time of all other disciplines. Thoughtful study of the past provides a necessary perspective for making judgments in the present. It instructs the student in human possibilities and limits. Course offerings include studies in American, European, and world history, as well as focused studies of various historical themes and different regions.   

Career Opportunities

The history major prepares students for careers calling for clear and logical reasoning, the ability to analyze complex relations between cause and effect, well-developed writing skills, and familiarity with other cultures and times. The most common vocational pursuits include teaching, law, government service, and careers as archivists, researchers, librarians, museum curators, and consultants. 

Requirements

The Department of History and Political Science maintains the following requirements for each of the majors it offers:

  1. Students must complete all prerequisites for any HIST or POLI course with a C- or better before taking the course (except as noted in the course description).
  2. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all political science and history courses required for the major.
  3. Students must complete each HIST or POLI course with a C- or higher for the course to meet a degree requirement in the Department of History and Political Science.
Core Courses
HIST 120World Civilizations to 1648 1,23
HIST 121World Civilizations Since 1648 13
HIST 151United States History to 1877 13
HIST 152United States History Since 1877 13
HIST 200The Varieties of History3
HIST 300Writing 3: Historical Research and Writing 33
HIST 496Senior Seminar in Faith and History 43
Subject Courses
Select courses totaling 6 units from each of the following subfields:
History of America 56
HIST 334
History of American Foreign Affairs
HIST 342
The American West
HIST 346
History of American Immigration 6
HIST 374
Colonial Era
HIST 376
The Revolution and the Republic
HIST 380
Civil War and Reconstruction
HIST 382
Emergence of Modern America
HIST 386
Modern America
HIST 389
Modern American Intellectual History
History of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East 56
HIST 320
Modern Africa
HIST 360
History of the Middle East I: Early and Medieval Islam
HIST 361
History of the Middle East II: Modern Middle East
HIST 365
History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
HIST 392
Colonial Latin America
HIST 393
Ritual and Re-enactment in Modern Latin America
History of Europe 56
HIST 311
Ancient Greece
HIST 312
Ancient Rome
HIST 325
Topics in French History
HIST 350
Medieval Europe
HIST 352
Renaissance and Reformation
HIST 357
Enlightenment Europe
HIST 358
Europe 1789-1914
HIST 359
Europe 1914-1992
Elective Courses 7
Select one 3-unit HIST elective from any of the above subfields or from the following:3
HIST 210
World Geography
HIST 238
History of California
or HIST 338
 History of California
HIST 368
A Year in Time
HIST 401
Humanities Seminar
HIST 420
Topics in Cinema and History
HIST 484
Historical Themes
HIST 497
Readings
HIST 498
Directed Research
HIST 499
Thesis/Project
Total Units42
1

Meets the General Education Humanities: History requirement.

2

Completion of the honors humanities major or minor satisfies the HIST 120 requirement.

3

Meets the General Education Writing 3 requirement.

4

Meets the General Education Integrative and Applied Learning requirement.

5

Depending on the variable topic, the following courses may also count for this area: HIST 368, HIST 401, HIST 420, HIST 484.

6

Meets the General Education Intercultural Competence requirement.

7

Completion of the honors humanities major or minor satisfies the elective course requirement.