History
Department of History
College of Arts and Sciences
546 Park Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4130
Phone: 716.645.2181
Fax: 716.645.5954
Email: ubhistor@acsu.buffalo.edu
Web: www.cas.buffalo.edu/depts/history
Tamara Plakins Thornton
Chair
Erik R. Seeman
Director of Undergraduate Studies
About the Program
History explores how people have lived, thought, and tried to make sense of their worlds. It is cross-cultural and multidimensional, addressing the breadth of human experience and uncovering patterns that are essential in situating ourselves in the present and in preparing ourselves for the future. History deals with both continuity and change, examining, for example, what is novel and what is recurrent in human efforts to deal with such enduring matters as religion, ethnicity, class, and gender. The History department offers a wide array of courses, and stresses the development of research and communication skills, which are vital for many different careers. History graduates work in such fields as business, law, government, and journalism, as well as in librarianship, archival and museum management, and teaching at all levels. They are trained to serve wherever careful reading, critical thinking, and clear writing are recognized assets.
Advisement
For more information, including current course descriptions, please drop by the office of the director of undergraduate studies at 540 Park Hall, visit us on the Web at http://www.cas.buffalo.edu/depts/history, call us at (716) 645-2181, ext. 540, or e-mail us at ubhistor@acsu.buffalo.edu. This office handles all advising of undergraduate students.
Transfer Policy
Transfer students majoring in history may receive credit for up to five history courses (15 credit hours) but must take five upper-level history courses, including the two 400-level seminars, at UB. Whenever possible, transfer courses are articulated with existing UB history courses. Acceptance criteria and all other requirements are the same as for regular majors.
Honors, Awards, and Scholarships
Honors Program. Majors who complete at least four history courses with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of B+ (3.33) are eligible to apply for admission to the History department honors program. To complete this program, students fulfill the standard requirements for the major, plus four more courses. Eight of these courses must be at the upper-division level (300/400). This includes a two-semester sequence of research seminars: HIS 497 and HIS 498, in which students work under the direction of a faculty mentor to prepare a thesis of approximately thirty to forty pages in length. Upon admission to the program, honors students are responsible for arranging with a faculty member to guide their thesis research and writing, normally completed in the senior year. Honors students may, at the discretion of their mentors and upon the approval of the directors of undergraduate and graduate studies, participate in a relevant graduate seminar or seminars. Honors students who complete the thesis and attain a minimum GPA of 3.33 in the major will graduate with honors in history. In addition to being intellectually challenging and personally rewarding, successful completion of the honors program, indicated on the transcript and in letters of recommendation, is excellent preparation for employment or graduate study.
Scholarship Opportunities. Thanks to a generous bequest from the late Professor Milton Plesur, the department offers an array of scholarships and awards. It provides scholarships ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 to majors with outstanding records in history and serious interest in pursuing the discipline and a career in history. It awards scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000 to majors who enroll in a recognized summer, semester, or year-long program of study abroad.
Awards. Each spring the History department awards the John Horton Prize, named after a late faculty member, for the best essay written by an undergraduate in a history course during the previous calendar year.
History - B.A.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum grade of C in two history courses.
Advising Notes
Minimum grade of C- required in any course to count toward graduation requirements.
A minimum GPA of 2.15 in history courses is required to graduate.
Prerequisite Courses
Any two history courses (with a minimum grade of C in both).
Required Courses
Twelve history courses (36 credit hours) distributed in accordance with the level and breadth requirements described below are required.
A minimum of five of those must be upper-division courses (300-400 level), including a minimum of two 400-level seminars.
Level and Breadth
To ensure a broad knowledge of history, all history majors must take at least one course, at any level, in each of the following areas:
a) Early or early modern history of any civilization to 1800
b) Asian, African, or Latin American history of any period
c) Modern European history since 1800
d) U.S. history of any period
1. World Civilization courses cannot be used to satisfy a breadth requirement, but one may be used as part of the 36 required credit hours.
2. A course that seems to fall into two breadth areas may be used to satisfy the requirement of one. (For example, HIS 275 Vietnam and the Vietnam War may be counted under b or d above, but not both.).
3. Advanced Placement (with a score of 3 or better) and International Baccalaureate credit can fulfill breadth requirements, but will not count toward the 36 credit hours required for the major.
Note: There are no prerequisites for progression through the history major, but history students are encouraged to take lower introductory courses (e.g. HIS 182 Asian Civilizations) prior to taking upper-level courses (e.g. HIS 391 China and the World). Students in doubt about what courses to take are invited to consult with the director of the undergraduate program and/or with relevant faculty.
Summary
Total required credit hours for the major: 36
See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements for general education and remaining university requirements.
Recommended Sequence of Program Requirements
FIRST YEAR
Fall—UGC 111*, HIS 161*
Spring—UGC 112*, HIS 162*
SECOND YEAR
Fall—One 100/200-level HIS course
Spring—One 200-level HIS course
THIRD YEAR
Fall—Two 300-level HIS courses
Spring—One 300-level HIS course, one 400-level HIS course
FOURTH YEAR
Fall—One 400-level HIS course
Spring—One 300-level HIS course
*Up to seven history courses at the 100/200 level (including World Civilizations) may be counted toward the major requirements. Recommended courses include HIS 111, HIS 142, HIS 151, HIS 152, HIS 161, HIS 162, and HIS 182. It is recommended that these courses be taken in either the first or second year.
Concentrations
In selecting courses, majors may wish to focus on a particular age, area, or theme of particular interest to them.
History - Minor
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Advising Notes
A minimum grade of C- is required in any course intended to count toward graduation requirements.
Only one World Civilization course (UGC 111 or UGC 112) may be used as part of the six required courses
Courses with grades of Satisfactory under the S/U option (designated by the student) or Pass under P/F option (designated by the student) are not acceptable in fulfillment of the course requirements for history majors.
Required Courses
18 credit hours (normally six, 3-credit courses) must be completed with a minimum grade of C- required in each course intended to count toward graduation requirements.
A minimum of 3 of these must be upper-division courses. (300-400 level)
Note: There are no prerequisites for progression through the history minor, but history students are encouraged to take lower introductory courses (e.g. HIS 182 Asian Civilizations) prior to taking upper-level courses (e.g. HIS 391 China and the World). Students in doubt about what courses to take are invited to consult with the director of the undergraduate program and/or with relevant faculty.
Up to three history courses at the 100/200 level (including World Civilizations) may be counted toward the minor requirements. Recommended courses include HIS 111, HIS 142, HIS 151, HIS 152, HIS 161, HIS 162, and HIS 182. It is recommended that these courses be taken in either the first or second year.
Summary
Total required credit hours for the minor: 18
Course Descriptions
HIS 111 Latin America: Culture and HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 142 British HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 151 Western Civilization ICredits: 3 | HIS 152 Western Civilization IICredits: 3 | |
HIS 161 United States History ICredits: 3 | HIS 162 United States History IICredits: 3 | |
HIS 182 Asian Civilization IICredits: 3 | HIS 200 Movies and Modern American SocietyCredits: 3 | |
HIS 209 The American Civil WarCredits: 3 | HIS 215 Death in AmericaCredits: 3 | |
HIS 216 Crime and Punishment in AmericaCredits: 3 | HIS 221 Eastern Europe, 1880-1991Credits: 3 | |
HIS 227 Twentieth-Century Europe and the WorldCredits: 3 | HIS 228 ColonialismCredits: 3 | |
HIS 238 Mass Media and Foreign PolicyCredits: 3 | HIS 240 United States since 1945Credits: 3 | |
HIS 242 Latin Colonial HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 249 Social History of Sport and RecreationCredits: 3 | |
HIS 250 History of IrelandCredits: 3 | HIS 255 Nationalism and DemocracyCredits: 3 | |
HIS 289 Pearl Harbor: Japan Goes to WarCredits: 3 | HIS 299 The Holocaust and HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 300 The Age of ExplorationCredits: 3 | HIS 303 U.S. Constitution: Its Origins and Early DevelopmentCredits: 3 | |
HIS 305 Modern Spain, Italy, and PortugalCredits: 3 | HIS 307 History of ParisCredits: 3 | |
HIS 309 Great Decisions ICredits: 3 | HIS 311 The Age of JeffersonCredits: 3 | |
HIS 312 The United States in the Age of Jackson, 1815-1837Credits: 3 | HIS 313 20th Century EuropeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 315 German Culture and Society, 1789-1989Credits: 3 | HIS 316 Early Modern EuropeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 317 Tudor EnglandCredits: 3 | HIS 318 Stuart EnglandCredits: 3 | |
HIS 319 Europe Between the World Wars, 1919-39Credits: 3 | HIS 320 British History, 1668-1848Credits: 3 | |
HIS 321 Victorian History, 1832-1901Credits: 3 | HIS 322 Latin America: Culture and HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 325 Twentieth-Century Britain, 1901-1974Credits: 3 | HIS 326 Ancien RegimeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 334 Islam/Muslim in Modern Southeast AsiaCredits: 3 | HIS 337 Intellectual History of EuropeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 340 Topics in German HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 342 History of Modern South AsiaCredits: 3 | |
HIS 346 19th Century EuropeCredits: 3 | HIS 349 American DissentersCredits: 3 | |
HIS 352 The American RevolutionCredits: 3 | HIS 354 American Transition, 1877-1901Credits: 3 | |
HIS 355 U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914-PresentCredits: 3 | HIS 356 Social History of Women in the U.S., 1875-PresentCredits: 3 | |
HIS 357 History of MedicineCredits: 3 | HIS 358 RenaissanceCredits: 3 | |
HIS 359 ReformationCredits: 3 | HIS 361 American Intellectual History ICredits: 3 | |
HIS 362 American Intellectual History IICredits: 3 | HIS 366 History of Sexual Subcultures in AmericaCredits: 3 | |
HIS 368 Modern Japan Since 1600Credits: 3 | HIS 371 Social History of EuropeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 375 U.S. and the Far East, 1898 to the PresentCredits: 3 | HIS 376 African-American History to 1877Credits: 3 | |
HIS 377 Weimar Germany, 1918-1933Credits: 3 | HIS 378 Nazi Germany, 1933-1945Credits: 3 | |
HIS 379 African-American History, 1877 to PresentCredits: 3 | HIS 380 England in the Late Middle AgesCredits: 3 | |
HIS 382 American Religious HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 384 War and Peace since 1800Credits: 3 | |
HIS 386 New Deal AmericaCredits: 3 | HIS 388 European Women's HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 390 The Pattern of Chinese HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 391 China and The WorldCredits: 3 | |
HIS 393 Medieval Civilization ICredits: 3 | HIS 394 Medieval Civilization IICredits: 3 | |
HIS 397 20th Century American Popular Culture to 1945Credits: 3 | HIS 398 American Popular Culture since 1945Credits: 3 | |
HIS 400 Comparative FacismCredits: 3 | HIS 405 What is History?Credits: 3 | |
HIS 407 Church and State RelationsCredits: 3 | HIS 411 Tudor-Stuart BiographyCredits: 3 | |
HIS 412 Topics in Women's HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 413 Topics in American Political HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 414 Cuban RevolutionCredits: 3 | HIS 415 Topics in Renaissance HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 416 European Immigrant LivesCredits: 3 | HIS 421 Topics in British HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 422 Topics in American Intellectual/Cultural HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 423 Problems in Modern European HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 424 Topics in American Social HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 434 Topics in Early Modern EuropeCredits: 3 | |
HIS 446 Topics in Diplomatic HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 449 American Cold War HistoryCredits: 3 | |
HIS 450 Problems in 20th Century U.S. HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 451 Topics in the American RevolutionCredits: 3 | |
HIS 452 Topics in Colonial AmericaCredits: 3 | HIS 455 Sex and EmpireCredits: 3 | |
HIS 456 European Underground MovementsCredits: 3 | HIS 458 JFK's Assassination and U.S. Foreign PolicyCredits: 3 | |
HIS 465 Childhood Through the AgesCredits: 3 | HIS 475 The Great War and European SocietyCredits: 3 | |
HIS 480 Topics in Early American Legal and Constitutional HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 481 A Chinese Dynasty: the Qing, 1644-1911Credits: 3 | |
HIS 485 Twentieth-Century China PoliticsCredits: 3 | HIS 488 Topics in Slave FolkloreCredits: 3 | |
HIS 489 HistoriographyCredits: 3 | HIS 491 The U.S. in the 1920s and 1930sCredits: 3 | |
HIS 493 Topics in African-American HistoryCredits: 3 | HIS 497 Senior Research ICredits: 3 | |
HIS 498 Senior ResearchCredits: 3 | HIS 499 Independent StudyCredits: 1 - 15 | |
Updated: Nov 16, 2005 10:49:01 AM