The history program teaches students that history is a systematic study of the human past. Students in the history program use their knowledge of the past to explain the complexity and diversity of human experiences, activities, affairs, ideas, and institutions over time. The program also stresses research, analysis, and communication. The WSSU history curriculum offers a wide spectrum of courses in African American, U.S., European and wider world history; in the pre-modern and modern eras; in cultural, economic, intellectual, political, religious and social history; and in the specialized areas of applied history, diplomatic history, military, oral history, urban history, and the history of science. The history program prepares graduates to pursue graduate studies in history, divinity, law, and education.
History Objectives
- To provide the means for an understanding of historical development so students may become aware of the certainty of change and be prepared to meet it.
- To provide a solid background for those students who pursue teaching professions in both lower and higher education.
- To provide a general foundation for students who plan careers in professional fields outside of history.
- To prepare students for graduate training in history.
History Learning Outcomes
The history program has the goal of developing numerous competencies in our students. Students who are history majors as well as students in other degree programs benefit from mastery of the learning outcomes addressed in history classes. The history learning outcomes are as follows:
- Command of historical content
- Conduct historical research
- Think critically and analyze documents and artifacts
- Recognize and evaluate primary and secondary sources
- Create historical arguments with sufficient and appropriate evidence
- Utilize multiple perspectives and methodologies
- Compare and contrast historical processes
- Identify connections between historical events
Major Requirements
Students majoring in history are expected to take a variety of history courses at the lower (1000, 2000) and upper (3000, 4000) levels. They should have made at least a “C” in one of the 1000 level courses before taking upper level courses. There are two options for students pursuing a general degree in history, either Option (1) 21 hours of 3000/4000 level history courses and a minor, or Option (2) 39 hours of upper division history with a concentration of study agreed upon by the student and a history advisor. History majors must earn at least a grade of “C” in all history courses to be counted towards the major requirements. Students are also expected to have taken a variety of courses in general education to support their development in the liberal arts. These include a course in philosophy, geography, sociology, and psychology. Students should also take POS 2311 and another political science course at the 3000 or 4000 level. Students who wish to go on to graduate programs in history are advised to attain a proficiency in a language in addition to English, but that is not required for the undergraduate degree.
General Education Curriculum History Courses
*One course below is a General Education requirement for the History Area of Knowledge
**Some upper-division History courses have a 1000 level History pre-requisite
HIS 1301 World Civilization to 1600
HIS 1302 World Civilization 1600 to the Present
HIS 1305 Africa’s Impact on World History
HIS 1320 Comparative World History: Gender
HIS 1325 The Atlantic World
HIS 2306 U.S. History to 1865
HIS 2307 U.S. History 1865 to the Present
BA in History – 30 hours
Core Courses (7 courses)
All students majoring in history must take the following core classes:
1 2300 U.S. History Survey (In addition to the General Education Area of Knowledge Course)
His 2311-Historical Thinking and Methodology
1 Upper-division African American History Course
1 European Upper-division History Course
1 Non-US/non-European Upper-division History Course
1 4000-level Historical Methods Course
HIS 4314-Senior Seminar in History
Option 1: History Major with a Minor Course of Study
Additional 9 hours (3 courses) of 3000/4000 level history elective courses and a minor in another discipline.
Option 2: History Major with a History Area Concentration
Additional 27 hours (9 courses) of 3000/4000 level history courses with an area concentration.
Option 3: Social Science Concentration (strongly suggested for those who wish to pursue graduate studies in the Social Sciences or lateral entry certification in Social Studies education)
Additional 9 hours (3 courses) of 3000/4000 level history elective courses
2 courses (6 credits) in economics
2 3000-4000 level courses (6 credits) in Political Science
2 3000-4000 level courses (6 credits) from African/African American Studies, Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Justice Studies, Economics, and/or History
Option 4: Humanities Concentration (strongly suggested for those who wish to pursue careers in museum studies and associated fields)
Additional 9 hours (3 courses) of 3000/4000 level history elective courses
2 courses (6 credits) in Art History
4 3000-4000 level courses (12 credits) from Art History, Literature, Music History, Philosophy, History, Religion, or AAS 3332 (Cultural Dimensions of the African Experience in the Caribbean) or SOC 3314 (Social Anthropology)
Core Course Categories
2300 U.S. History Survey (Choose one below)
HIS 2306 U.S. History to 1865
HIS 2307 U.S. History 1865 to the Present
Lower-division Historical Research Methods
His 2311 Historical Thinking and Methodology
Upper-division African American History (Choose one below)
HIS 3309 Black Revolutionary Movements *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 3341 Black American History to 1865
HIS 3342 Black American 1865 to the Present
HIS 3345 Black Urban History since 1945
HIS 4355 African Experience in America
HIS 4356 Seminar: Afro-American Seminar
European Upper-division History (Choose one below)
HIS 3301 The World at War, 1914-1945 *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 3323 History of England
HIS 3356 Modern Russian History
HIS 4306 The Classical World
HIS 4303 The Age of the Crusades *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 4307 The Early Middle Ages *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 4309 The Renaissance and Reformation
HIS 4310 Modern European Cultural History
HIS 4311 Modern European Intellectual History
HIS 4318 Rome and Christianity
HIS 4320 Roman Justice
HIS 4328 Victorian Justice
Non-US/non-European Upper-division History (Choose one below)
HIS 3301 The World at War, 1914-1945 *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 3303 Islamic Civilization I
HIS 3304 Islamic Civilization II
HIS 3307 Latin American Economic History
HIS 3309 Black Revolutionary Movements *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 3312 History of the Indian Subcontinent
HIS 3332 Cultural Dimensions of the African Experience in the Caribbean
HIS 3333 African History to 1808
HIS 3334 African History Since 1808
HIS 3352 African Presence in Mexico
HIS 3353 African Presence in the Americas (with a focus on the Caribbean Islands, Central America and Brazil)
HIS 3354 Modern Latin America
HIS 3372 Colonial Latin America
HIS 4301 Latin American Political Thought
HIS 4303 The Age of the Crusades *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 4307 The Early Middle Ages *May only be counted for one core area
HIS 4305 The Ancient World
HIS 4323 Special Topics/Latin America
HIS 4332 History/Politics East Asia
Upper-division Historical Methods (Choose one below)
HIS 4316 Historiography
HIS 4347 Materials and Methods of Research in Black History
Upper-division Senior Seminar (Capstone Course)
HIS 4314 Senior Seminar in History
3000/4000 level History Electives (After completing the core requirements, students may choose elective courses from both the list below as well as from the upper-division course categories above)
HIS 3310 American Military Experience
HIS 3313 U.S. Diplomatic History
HIS 3320 Oral History
HIS 3335 American Social and Intellectual History to 1865
HIS 3336 American Social and Intellectual History since 1865
HIS 3351 History of Science
HIS 3361 Urban History
HIS 3370 Applied History I
HIS 3371 Applied History II
HIS 3381 Public Archaeology
HIS 4041 Independent Study
HIS 4302 Special Topics in History
HIS 4308 History of North Carolina
HIS 4326 American Studies
HIS 4346 Economic History of the U.S.
HIS 4351 Recent History of the U.S.
HIS 4371 American South in Pop Culture
HIS 4373 Special Topics/History
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