The History Department curriculum explores human societies over time and across the globe. History courses provide training in the methods of historical research and allow students to hone skills in thinking critically, interpreting evidence, conducting independent research and writing effectively. The program offers a balance between humanistic approaches to the study of the human experience and approaches based on the methods of the social and behavioral sciences.
History Department courses are offered at four levels.
- Introductory Courses: Courses on the 100-level; introductory overviews of world history or the history of a particular area or region (e.g., Europe, United States, East Asia, the Middle East). Open to all students; history majors and minors taking 100-level courses do so before their junior year. May be taken in any sequence.
- Intermediate Courses: Courses on the 200-level; more specialized analyses of eras and themes, suitable for students at all levels.
- Advanced Courses: Courses on the 300-level; more advanced and specialized, with more difficult reading assignments. First-year students may not register for these courses.
- Research Seminars: Courses on the 400-level (with the exception of HIST 498 and 499) are small intensive seminars in which a research paper is required. The normal prerequisite is junior standing.
Students planning to major or minor in history should consult, as early as possible, with the departmental director of undergraduate studies or the departmental undergraduate advisor. History majors and minors should visit the director’s office whenever they need advice on their programs. The History Department does not require that majors or minors specialize or concentrate in any area, period or type of history. Some students, however, may wish to create an ad hoc concentration by taking several courses in one historical subfield, such as the history of the United States—or another global region (such as Europe, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America), by focusing on the history of a particular time period, such as ancient history or modern history, or by taking several courses that are thematically linked, such as courses in social and economic history or those that examine histories of race, gender, science, or medicine. Those who do should seek advice from the director of undergraduate studies. The department accepts up to two history courses taken at other colleges in fulfillment of the requirements for the minor and up to four history courses taken at another college in fulfillment of the requirements for the major. The department does not accept advanced placement credit, CLEP credit or course credit by examination in fulfillment of the requirements for the major or the minor.
Harpur College Requirements
Harpur College students must complete the following requirements in addition to those listed for the major:
- 126 credits
- 94 liberal arts and sciences credits
- Minimum of 46 upper-level credits
- Completion of the Harpur College writing requirement (four to five courses as described in the All-College Writing section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin. Maximum of one C/J course and two W courses may be transferred).
- Minimum of 44 credits in residence in Harpur College
- 2.0 or higher GPA
Harpur College requirements are described in detail in the Requirements for Graduation section of the Harpur College Undergraduate Information section of the Bulletin.
History Major
The Department of History requires for the major a minimum of 40 credits distributed as follows. Students must take at least six of the following 10 courses (24 credits) at the 300-level or above:
- One course in world history or inter-regionally comparative history (four credits)
- Note: Students pursuing the SUNY Transfer Path in History should take HIST 130 or 131 to satisfy this requirement
- Courses in the history of at least three distinct global regions (12 credits), chosen
from this list:
- United States
- Latin America
- Europe
- Middle East
- Africa
- South and East Asia
- Note: Students pursuing the SUNY Transfer Path in History should take HIST 101 or 102 and HIST 103 or 104
- HIST 257 History Methods & Practices (four credits)
- Four additional history courses, which may include HIST 395 Internship (16 credits)
- One 400-level History Seminar (seminar may not be taken under the Pass/Fail option and must be taken in residence) (four credits)
100-level history courses do not count toward the major when taken by students in their junior and senior years. Furthermore, no more than four 100-level courses (including no more than two numbered 101, 102, 103 or 104) may be counted toward the major.
No more than four credit hours of HIST 397 (Independent Study) may be used to satisfy the total requirements for the major. Only one course taken under the Pass/Fail option is credited to the major. Four credit hours of HIST 395 will count toward the major.
The History Department views the grade of D as passing but unsatisfactory. Courses passed with a grade of D do not fulfill requirements for the major.
Honors Program
The director of undergraduate studies administers the honors program offered by the Department of History. Students seeking an additional challenge may pursue honors in history. Candidates for honors must consult with the director of undergraduate studies or the departmental undergraduate advisor.
To be eligible to earn honors, a history major must:
- Have a GPA of 3.60 in history, not counting courses taken Pass/Fail
- Have taken at least one 400-level seminar, earning an A- or better
These conditions must be met by a student’s penultimate semester. The student must also arrange with a faculty member in the History Department to supervise the research and writing of a thesis, and with a second member of the department to read the thesis. Students writing an honors thesis may (but are not required to) register for HIST 498 and 499. These courses may not be used to satisfy the history major requirement but may fulfill upper-level degree requirements. In order to earn honors, the thesis must be judged worthy by the faculty supervisor and one other member of the department.
For more information, the student should refer to the Rules Governing the Preparation of Undergraduate Honors Theses, available from the undergraduate director.
As an assessment, the thesis will be judged worthy (of honors, high honors or highest honors) by the faculty supervisor and one other member of the department (or a faculty member outside the department approved by the undergraduate director). In case of disagreement between the two readers, a third is designated by the undergraduate director. This work may be completed during the student's last semester.
History Minor Programs
The Department of History offers two minors: one traditional history minor, which offers general training in history, and a minor in the history of science, technology and medicine.
Traditional History Minor
The purpose of the history minor is to encourage students to supplement their major in another discipline with a coherent program in history. Each student develops a program to satisfy the minor requirements in consultation with the department’s advisors. The general requirements are:
- A minimum of six history courses (24 credit hours). No more than two courses numbered HIST 101, 102, 103 or 104, and no more than one four-hour course of HIST 397 (Independent Study), may be counted. 100-level courses taken during the junior or senior year do not count toward the minor. Only one course taken under the Pass/Fail option is credited toward the minor
- At least two 300- or 400-level courses, one of which must be a seminar (HIST 400 through HIST 487 A-Z). The seminar may not be taken under the Pass/Fail option. HIST 395 does not count toward the minor
- HIST 257 History Methods & Practices
At least three of the courses in the history minor program must be in addition to history courses counted toward fulfillment of the student’s major. At least four of the six courses counting toward the minor must be taken at °®¶¹´«Ã½.
The History Department views the grade of D as passing but unsatisfactory. Courses passed with a grade of D do not fulfill requirements for the minor.
Minor in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine
The minor in the history of science, technology and medicine introduces students to the history of science, technology and medicine in a variety of time periods, geographic regions and religious and cultural systems. It grounds developments within science, technology and medicine in a specific historic context, and it encourages students to consider these developments in relation to broader political, social, cultural and intellectual trends.
In order to complete the minor (24 credits), students must take a minimum of four courses exploring the theory and method of the history of science, technology and medicine. Students may also include up to two courses that examine specialized contexts and applications — that is, courses exploring topics such as race or sexuality, which are of profound relevance for the history of science, technology and medicine. Students will find a list of these courses on the departmental website and are encouraged to consult with the director of undergraduate studies as they develop their program of study.
Requirements
- A minimum of 24 credits of history of science, technology and medicine coursework
- A minimum of four courses grappling with the theory and method of the historical study of science, technology and medicine
- At least two courses must be taken at the 300- or 400-level. Of these two, at least one must be a 400-level course, which may not be taken under the Pass/Fail option and must be taken in residence
- At least four courses for the minor must be taken in residence at °®¶¹´«Ã½
- No more than one independent study (HIST 397) can be counted toward the minor
- The history internship (HIST 395) cannot be counted toward the minor
- Only one course taken under the Pass/Fail option will receive credit toward the minor
- Only two courses may be counted toward both the minor and a student’s major
- Students must receive a grade of C– or better in order for a course to count toward the minor