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Nov 23, 2024
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2023-2024 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
History Major
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Major Requirements
The major in history requires a minimum of 9 courses. Students interested in the history major select either a multi-regional track or a thematic track in consultation with either a history faculty advisor or the history department chair.
A. Multi-Regional Track
The multi-regional history track requires a minimum of 9 courses, distributed as follows:
2. Europe (1 course)
One course focusing on Europe .
4. Research Seminar (1 course)
One CMC course numbered at or above 170 .
We encourage students to complete the research seminar in the sophomore or junior year in order to develop skills for the senior thesis in history. The research seminar paper is not a chapter of the senior thesis, which can address a different topic, place, or time period.
B. Thematic Track
Each thematic history track requires a minimum of 9 courses, distributed as follows:
1. Concentration Field (5 courses)
Five courses in the student’s thematic track, including at least one course focusing on each of these regions:
Students may select one of these thematic concentrations in consultation with the history department chair. See below for thematic track descriptions and courses.
- Environment, Culture, and Economies
- Society, Diversity, and Inequality
- Law, Politics, and Society
- Art, Culture, and Community
- War, Revolution, and Human Rights
2. Research Seminar (1 course)
One CMC course numbered at or above 170 .
We encourage students to complete the research seminar in the sophomore or junior year in order to develop skills for the senior thesis in history. The research seminar paper is not a chapter of the senior thesis, which can address a different topic, place, or time period.
Thematic Track Descriptions and Courses
Environment, Culture, and Economies
How has the material world shaped our identities over time, and how have we shaped the environments in which we have lived? How do environmental historians draw on natural sciences, humanities and social sciences to study interactions between the social and material worlds? Courses in this track examine how humans have extracted and used natural resources, and how they have shaped, created and sometimes destroyed the spaces they inhabit. Themes include food and agriculture, urban planning, environmental social movements, public health, and social constructions of nature.
For more information on this track, including which courses may fulfill it, contact Professor Albert Park.
Society, Diversity, and Inequality
What are the origins of inequality in human societies past, present, and future? Has freedom for certain groups always entailed the subordination, even the enslavement, of others? How can we account for religious, racial and ethnic conflicts, gender discrimination and class antagonism in different regions of the globe? Courses in this track examine how ideas about social differences have changed over time, and how certain groups at different moments have determined who is privileged and who marginalized; who is free and who enslaved; who may rule and who will be ruled. These courses also treat the history of discriminatory practices, and of resistance to them, and questions of voluntary and forced migration. They further analyze different kinds of social diversity - whether based on race and ethnicity, caste, religion, slavery, gender and sexuality, and social class - and their historical interactions.
For more information on this track, including which courses may fulfill it, contact Professor Tamara Venit-Shelton.
- HIST052 CM - South Asian History: An Introduction
- HIST053 CM - Everyday Life in South Asia, 1700 to the Present
- HIST054 CM - Bread and Circuses: The Politics of Roman Private Life
- HIST055 CM - The Middle East: From Muhammad to the Mongols
- HIST061 CM - The New Asia: China, Japan and Korea in the Modern Era
- HIST073 CM - The Rise of Modern Europe, 1750 to the Present
- HIST090 CM - Early American Capitalism: From the Market Revolution to the Gilded Age
- HIST096 CM - The Amazon: From Cannibals to Rainforest Crunch
- HIST097 CM - Human Rights in Latin America: Testimonies
- HIST098 CM - The Americas: Cultural History of Transnational Relations
- HIST103A CM - From Village to Empire: The History of the Roman Republic, 750-44BCE
- HIST103B CM - Governing Rome: The History of the Roman Empire: 44 BCE - 337 CE
- HIST104 CM - Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: 284 - 888 CE
- HIST114 CM - Race and Racism in The Colonial Americas
- HIST116 CM - Slavery: A World History
- HIST117 CM - Race and Ethnicity in Brazil
- HIST119 CM - Women and Politics in America
- HIST120 CM - Native American History
- HIST120E CM - American Suburbia and Its Consequences
- HIST121 CM - United States History Since 1945
- HIST122 CM - American Schools: Race, Citizenship, and Inequality
- HIST123 CM - History of the American West
- HIST125 CM - Asian American History, 1850 to the Present
- HIST127 CM - Civil War America
- HIST128 CM - LGBTQ History of the U.S.
- HIST131C CM - Crusading Mentalities
- HIST133A CM - Late Imperial Russian History, 1861-1917
- HIST133B CM - Modern Russian History, 1917 to the Present
- HIST140 CM - Gender, Sex, and the Family in Europe, 1500-1900
- HIST144 CM - Reagan’s America: The Politics and Culture of the 1980s
- HIST149 CM - America in Depression and War
- HIST154 CM - Makers of Modern India & Pakistan
- HIST157 CM - Gender and Sexuality in Latin America
- HIST158 CM - Japanese Empire: Korea, China, Taiwan, and Manchuria
- HIST161 CM - Modern Korean History
- HIST163 CM - Modern Chinese History, 1750 to the Present
- HIST166 CM - Murder and Mayhem in Imperial China
- HIST167 CM - Gender and History in South Asia
- HIST167C CM - An Economic History of Modern South Asia
- HIST167E CM - Modernities: South Asia and Others
- HIST174 CM - Design Activism
- HIST178 CM - Nations, Nationalisms, and the Global Modern Middle East
- HIST182 CM - Human Health and Disease in American History
- HIST188 CM - Travel and Encounter in the Islamic World
- HIST190 CM - Race and American Cities
Law, Politics, and Society
What does it mean to be a “citizen”? Can we use the term “citizen” the same way for people living in the Roman Empire and in contemporary Istanbul? This track explores these questions by asking: how do courts, governmental agencies, and political alliances both emerge from and shape different social systems across time and around the globe?; how do we understand the relationship between people’s everyday lives and the institutional structures created to govern them?; and how do ideologies and social movements play a role in upholding or challenging these structures? Courses in this track explore what binds groups together or leads to conflict, the evolution of laws and political parties, the institutionalization of social differences, the criminalization of behavior or identities, and the movements that disrupt and reform traditions of power and interpretation.
For more information on this track, including which courses may fulfill it, contact Professor Shane Bjornlie.
- HIST052 CM - South Asian History: An Introduction
- HIST053 CM - Everyday Life in South Asia, 1700 to the Present
- HIST055 CM - The Middle East: From Muhammad to the Mongols
- HIST056 CM - The Middle East: From the Ottomans to the Present
- HIST059 CM - Civilizations of East Asia
- HIST061 CM - The New Asia: China, Japan and Korea in the Modern Era
- HIST095 CM - Introduction to Latin American Cultures
- HIST103A CM - From Village to Empire: The History of the Roman Republic, 750-44BCE
- HIST103B CM - Governing Rome: The History of the Roman Empire: 44 BCE - 337 CE
- HIST104 CM - Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: 284 - 888 CE
- HIST108 CM - The Age of Cicero: Politics, Philosophy, and Culture at the End of the Roman Republic
- HIST117 CM - Race and Ethnicity in Brazil
- HIST119 CM - Women and Politics in America
- HIST120E CM - American Suburbia and Its Consequences
- HIST121 CM - United States History Since 1945
- HIST125 CM - Asian American History, 1850 to the Present
- HIST127 CM - Civil War America
- HIST128 CM - LGBTQ History of the U.S.
- HIST133B CM - Modern Russian History, 1917 to the Present
- HIST144 CM - Reagan’s America: The Politics and Culture of the 1980s
- HIST149 CM - America in Depression and War
- HIST151E CM - The Making of Modern Britain
- HIST154 CM - Makers of Modern India & Pakistan
- HIST158 CM - Japanese Empire: Korea, China, Taiwan, and Manchuria
- HIST161 CM - Modern Korean History
- HIST163 CM - Modern Chinese History, 1750 to the Present
- HIST166 CM - Murder and Mayhem in Imperial China
- HIST178 CM - Nations, Nationalisms, and the Global Modern Middle East
- HIST183 CM - The Fall of Rome and the End of Empire
- HIST186B CM - Revolutionary London and Paris, 1688-1852
- HIST190 CM - Race and American Cities
Art, Culture, and Community
How do communities understand and represent themselves? What set of values animates people, generates distinctive cultures, and provides communities with intellectual energy? This track explores creativity and tradition in historical context, as represented in visual and literary art, media and popular culture, and in religious and secular belief systems. Courses range from art and art history and the histories of literature, religion, science, philosophy to courses on ideologies, the intellectual roots of social movements and conflicts, and histories of utopias and anti-utopias. This track further explores the method and writing of history in particular societies.
For more information on this track, including which courses may fulfill it, contact Professor Lisa Cody.
War, Revolution, and Human Rights
Is conflict amongst nations, empires and regional polities ever justified, and, if so, under what circumstances? What are the causes and consequences of war, revolution, and genocide within a given state? Do human rights take precedence over national and class interests, and, if so, how should international agencies enforce those rights? Courses in this track analyze the role of warfare, and revolutions in history, how episodes of violent conflict driven by radical ideologies and state sponsored systems have affected societies and individual victims, and the origins and impact of human rights in mitigating conflicts among nations and in the international arena.
For more information on this track, including which courses may fulfill it, contact Professor Wendy Lower.
- HIST052 CM - South Asian History: An Introduction
- HIST055 CM - The Middle East: From Muhammad to the Mongols
- HIST056 CM - The Middle East: From the Ottomans to the Present
- HIST068 CM - Disasters in the Ancient Mediterranean
- HIST073 CM - The Rise of Modern Europe, 1750 to the Present
- HIST078 CM - Museums and Leadership: Past, Present, Future
- HIST097 CM - Human Rights in Latin America: Testimonies
- HIST103A CM - From Village to Empire: The History of the Roman Republic, 750-44BCE
- HIST103B CM - Governing Rome: The History of the Roman Empire: 44 BCE - 337 CE
- HIST104 CM - Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: 284 - 888 CE
- HIST116 CM - Slavery: A World History
- HIST120 CM - Native American History
- HIST121 CM - United States History Since 1945
- HIST127 CM - Civil War America
- HIST131C CM - Crusading Mentalities
- HIST133A CM - Late Imperial Russian History, 1861-1917
- HIST133B CM - Modern Russian History, 1917 to the Present
- HIST139E CM - Culture and Society in Weimar and Nazi Germany
- HIST142 CM - The Culture of Fascism in 20th Century Europe
- HIST142E CM - Culture and Politics in Turn of the Century Europe, 1880-1918
- HIST146 CM - History of Germany, 1740 to the Present
- HIST149 CM - America in Depression and War
- HIST154 CM - Makers of Modern India & Pakistan
- HIST158 CM - Japanese Empire: Korea, China, Taiwan, and Manchuria
- HIST163 CM - Modern Chinese History, 1750 to the Present
- HIST177 CM - Winston Churchill as Statesman and Historian
- HIST178 CM - Nations, Nationalisms, and the Global Modern Middle East
- HIST179 CM - Researching the Holocaust
- HIST183 CM - The Fall of Rome and the End of Empire
Notes:
- Courses taken across the consortium can count towards the requirements for the major, as long as at least 5 of the 9 courses for the major are taken at CMC.
- Students may double-count a course towards up to two requirements for the major, as appropriate, as long as they still complete the minimum number of courses for the major.
Senior Thesis in History
The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception. We encourage students to seek out a thesis reader before the end of the junior year. All theses should reflect the learning goals of the history major. They can take the form of a traditional academic paper or a creative project.
Students interested in receiving honors in history are required to complete a 2-semester, 2-unit project. Candidates for honors must register for a thesis research course in history in the 1st semester and for the senior thesis in the 2nd semester. The senior thesis may not count as a course in the major. For further information on honors, see Honors in History below.
Special Options for Majors
Dual Major
Dual majors may waive two electives from the full major, for a minimum of 7 course requirements, as long as they fulfill the distribution and research seminar requirements for the major. At least 4 of the 7 courses must be taken at CMC.
Honors in History
To be eligible for departmental honors in history, a student majoring in history must:
- Achieve a 3.5 average in all history courses,
- Receive at least an A- (3.67) in a 2-semester, 2-unit honors thesis in history under the supervision of a CMC history faculty member.
Study Abroad
The History department is a strong supporter of study abroad. We encourage history majors to study abroad and to take history courses relevant to the country of their study. With prior approval, the department may grant up to 2 course credits towards the major for history courses taken abroad.
General Education Requirements for Social Science Majors
For the general education requirement in the social sciences and the humanities, CMC students majoring in a field in the social sciences must take designated courses in all 4 fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology), and in 2 of the 4 fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language). Majors with a dual or double major in the humanities will be required to take courses in 3 of the 4 fields of the humanities.
Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the History Program
Learning Goals
The basic goal of the curriculum of the History department is to increase the intellectual breadth and transferable abilities of our students, and impart an understanding of the past in ways that enhance their understanding of the human condition, facilitate a better understanding of contemporary issues, and explore who we are. We achieve these goals by the distribution requirements within the major and by offering a diverse set of geographic, temporal, methodological, and thematic courses. Our courses emphasize: the critical reading of texts, writing clearly on assigned topics, speaking persuasively, and understanding basic research methodology; we endeavor to have students master specific disciplinary tools and acquire historical thinking skills through challenging class assignments. Student Learning Outcomes
The student learning outcomes for the history major are:
- Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of our nation and the world, the ideologies, values, and political, economic, and environmental forces that have shaped the past and the present.
- Students will demonstrate intellectual breadth through knowledge of the histories of a variety of societies in different time periods.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical time and sequence, cause and effect, and will be able to place events in an historical context.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to read sources and identify basic themes, and understand the past as it was experienced by those who lived then.
- Students can differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They can understand biases in primary sources, where and how the ideas originated, and how they evolve.
- Students will demonstrate research capabilities in history that allow them to frame a proper research topic, locate and utilize primary and secondary sources, and construct a coherent argument or thesis.
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