History
Professors: Bakhash (Robinson Professor), J. R. Censer (Chair), Diner, L. Levine, Rosenzweig, Wade, Wilkins (Robinson Professor), Zagarri
Associate Professors: J. T. Censer, Copelman, Deshmukh, Harsh, Henriques, Holt, Jensen, Lytton, O'Malley, J. Stewart
Assistant Professors: Carton, Cheng, Cohen, Hamdani, Hawkes, Karush, Smith, Zhang
Lecturers: Dougherty, Errico, Herman, McCord, O'Neill, Orens, Sutton
This department offers all course work designated HIST in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog.
Undergraduate Program in History
In addition to the general requirements for a B.A. degree (see Bachelor of Arts, Degree Requirements section), candidates must complete 36 semester hours of history, with at least 21 hours of the total presented for the degree at the 300 and 400 level. Additional hours of history in excess of 36 may be presented as elective hours to be counted toward graduation. No more than six hours of D grades may be used for the major. Three hours of the history major requirement may be satisfied by approved upper-division courses outside the major field, with permission of department.
Requirements for a degree in history include the following:
- 6 semester hours of U.S. history
- 6 semester hours of European history. (To satisfy this requirement, Russian history may be used.)
- 6 semester hours of global, Latin American, African, Asian, or Middle Eastern history
- HIST 300 Introduction to Historical Method (3). A grade of C or better is required to graduate.
- HIST 499 Senior Seminar in History (3)
- 12 hours of history electives (at the 300 and/or 400 levels if necessary to complete the 21-hour, upper-division history requirement)
Total: 36 semester hours
Note: HIST 300 and 499 may not be used to satisfy requirements 1 through 3.
|
|
First Semester
HIST (100 or 200 level)
Foreign language
ENGL 101
Social science
(Group B)
Fine arts
Total Hours
|
3
3
3
3
3
15
|
Second Semester
HIST (100 or 200 level)
Foreign language
Literature
Social science
(Group B)
Mathematics or logic
Total Hours
|
3
3
3
3
3
15
|
Third Semester
HIST (100 or 200 level)
Foreign language
Natural science
Literature
Non-Western culture
Total Hours
|
3
3
4
3
3
16
|
Fourth Semester
HIST (100 or 200 level)
Foreign language
ENGL 302*
Natural science
Philosophy or
religious studies
Total Hours
|
3
3
3
4
3
16
|
Fifth Semester
HIST 300*
History elective*
Oral communication
Elective*
Elective
Total Hours
|
3
3
3
3
3
15
|
Sixth Semester
History elective*
History elective
Non-Western culture
Electives*
Total Hours
|
3
3
3
6
15
|
Seventh Semester
HIST 499
(or history elective)*
History elective*
Electives*
Elective
Total Hours
|
3
3
6
3
15
|
Eighth Semester
HIST 499
(or history elective)*
History elective*
Electives*
Elective
Total Hours
|
3
3
6
3
15
|
| *45-hour upper-division (300 or 400 level) course work graduation requirement. |
A minor in history requires 18 semester hours in history, including 12 semester hours at the 300 and 400 level, and a concentration of 9 hours in a region or topic related, if relevant, to the student's major. The concentration must be approved by the undergraduate coordinator prior to graduation. A GPA in history courses of at least 2.0 is required.
The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in history may fulfill this requirement by successfully completing HIST 300 and 499.
Students are encouraged to choose a faculty adviser from among the full-time history faculty. The undergraduate coordinator is also available to advise majors and minors. History majors are urged to discuss their programs and goals periodically with their adviser or with the undergraduate coordinator.
History majors who wish to become secondary school teachers in history or in history and social science should consult the secondary education adviser in the Department of History. The professional preparation component of the state-approved teacher education programs for elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers is offered in the Graduate School of Education. See the sections on licensure (certification) under that school's listing in the catalog.
A student graduates with distinction and with recognition of a distinguished senior project if, in addition to the student's meeting the criteria for graduation with distinction, a department committee determines that the student's research project in HIST 499 merits recognition.
Graduate Program in History
The Department of History provides graduate training in historical methods and analysis for students with widely varying goals. The five M.A. tracks outlined below are designed to meet those goals.
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the M.A. in History program must fulfill the admission requirements for graduate study and the Department of History. These include (1) satisfactory scores on the GRE, and (2) two letters of recommendation from professors of history with whom the applicant has studied or from others directly familiar with the applicant's professional competence and interests.
The GRE requirement is waived for students who received their undergraduate degrees 10 or more years ago or who hold another graduate degree.
Degree Requirements
Requirements for all tracks include the following:
- A minimum of 30 semester hours (36 hours in
Track IV) of graduate-level work with a GPA of not less than 3.0
- Three semester hours of HIST 610 (The Study and Writing of History), taken within the first nine hours
of course work
- Except in Track IV, a specialized readings course (HIST 790, 792), designed individually by the student and a professor, taken during the last semester of course work and used to round out the student's general historical knowledge and to prepare him or her for the comprehensive exam
- A written comprehensive exam
To remedy possible deficiencies in a student's undergraduate preparation, up to 21 additional hours of foundation courses (e.g., HIST 550, 601, 602, 605, 606, Themes in U.S. and Modern European History) may be required. This requirement applies particularly to students who did not major in history as undergraduates.
Track I. Predoctoral
This track is for students planning to continue into doctoral studies. In addition to HIST 610, it requires the following:
- Fifteen hours in a major field of concentration (U.S.
or Modern European History), including a research seminar and the specialized readings course. The specialized readings course for students in Track I will generally require additional reading beyond what is required in the other tracks.
- Six semester hours outside the major field, not including applied history courses (HIST 690, 691,
692, 693).
- Six semester hours in HIST 799 (Thesis) or three semester hours in HIST 798 (Directed Research and Writing in History). HIST 798 requires the completion of a major paper that is a substantial and original contribution to historical knowledge on the model of an article in a scholarly journal. If the major paper option is chosen, student must complete an additional three semester hours in the major field.
- Reading proficiency in a modern foreign language, as demonstrated by course work or an examination.
Track II. Applied History
This track is for students seeking expertise in such applied history fields as archival management, museum studies, historic preservation, and historical editing. It is also suitable for professionally employed historians who desire to further their careers. In addition to HIST 610, this track requires the following:
- Fifteen hours in a major field of concentration (U.S.
or Modern European History), including a research seminar and the specialized readings course
- Six hours of applied history courses (historic preservation, museum studies, archives, or historical editing)
- Three or six hours of internship (if the three-credit internship is selected, then the other three credits would be taken in applied history course work)
- Proficiency in a relevant research tool (computers, statistics, or a modern foreign language) as demonstrated by course work or an examination
Track III. Enrichment
This track is for students who want to study history for intellectual self-fulfillment or for vocational reasons. It allows more flexibility in the selection of courses and does not require a foreign language. In addition to HIST 610, this track requires the following:
- Fifteen hours in a major field of concentration (U.S.
or Modern European History), including a research seminar and the specialized readings course
- Twelve hours of electives
Six semester hours of thesis work is optional. If a thesis is elected, three hours in the major and three hours in electives are assigned to it.
Track IV. Teaching
This track is for students interested in elementary and secondary teaching or administration and includes course work in history and education. Unlike the other three tracks, it requires a minimum of 36 hours of course work and does not include the specialized readings course. Students intending to teach at the secondary level must also qualify for the Virginia Collegiate Professional Certificate (or its equivalent) in history/social studies or history through George Mason's state-approved program or for provisional licensure through employment by a school system. A separate application for teacher certification is required, and admission to that program is limited. Please contact the Office of Teacher Education in the Graduate School of Education. In addition to the general degree requirements, this track requires the following:
- Twenty-four hours in history, including the three credits in HIST 610 (The Study and Writing of History), and at least three hours each from U.S., European, and non-Western history course offerings, plus one research seminar
- Twelve credits in graduate education courses, including EDCI 567
Track V. Cultural History
This track is for students with a particular interest in cultural history as well as for students considering future work in the Cultural Studies doctoral program. Completion of this M.A. track does not guarantee admission to the doctoral program; those interested in enrolling in that program should contact the Cultural Studies program directly. In addition to HIST 610, this track requires the following:
- Fifteen hours in a major field of concentration (U.S.
or Modern European History), including a research seminar. The specialized readings course for students in this track generally requires additional reading similar to that in Track I.
- Cultural Studies 702/802 Ideas and Methods in Cultural Studies I
- An "approaches to cultural history" course
- Three semester hours in HIST 798 (Directed Research and Writing in History) as in Track I on a topic in cultural history
- One additional course from outside major field containing a significant cultural history component as defined by the instructor
- Reading proficiency in a modern foreign language, as demonstrated by course work or examination
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