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• Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Claude Hargrove
• Program Descriptions (2002-2004 Catalog)

  	Master of Arts (M.A.): History
  	Master of Education (M.Ed): History.  See School of Education for Master of Education degree programs.

• Course Descriptions

Master of Arts in History. At present time....Graduate courses in History support the M.A.T and M. Ed programs (2009)

The Master of Arts degree in History requires 36 semester hours of credit. Two options are available: thesis and non-thesis. Thesis candidates must complete 30 semester hours of course credits plus six hours of thesis; non-thesis candidates must earn a total of 36 semester hours of course credits. Each candidate for an M.A. in history will choose a major in either United States History or Latin American and Caribbean History. Students must demonstrate proficiency in an appropriate foreign language or in computer techniques. A written comprehensive examination and an oral defense of the thesis are required.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the M. A. in History program must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with an undergraduate major in history or another appropriate field. Applicants must have earned either an overall minimum 2.6 average on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work, or a minimum of 2.8 average in the last 60 hours of study, which may include no more than 12 hours of graduate study. Applicants must provide a score on the general section of the Graduate Record Examinations taken within the last five years and submit two letters of recommendation from persons qualified to evaluate their ability to pursue graduate work in history. Please refer to application procedures under Graduate Studies for additional requirements.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS, 36 Credits

Required Course, 3 Credits

HIST 500 Historiography

Major Courses, 18 Credits

Students must earn a major in either United States history or Latin American and Caribbean history by completing a minimum of 18 credits in the major field. Choose one of the following options in consultation with an advisor:
A. Latin American and Caribbean History
HIST 551 Caribbean History from Columbus to 
1838
HIST 552 Caribbean History from the Post-Slavery
Period Through the 20th Century
HIST 555 The ABC Countries
HIST 556 The Andean Republics
HIST 650 *Directed Readings in Mexican History
HIST 651 *Directed Readings in Caribbean History
HIST 652 *Directed Readings in Latin American
History
B. United States History
HIST 506 Revolution and American Identity
HIST 507 Social Strata in the Antebellum South
HIST 508 Antebellum Reform Movements
HIST 510 Studies in Twentieth Century U.S.
History
HIST 512 Interpretations of Nineteenth
Century United States History
HIST 520 Studies in United States Foreign
Relations
HIST 557 The Harlem Renaissance
HIST 558 African-Americans and World War II
HIST 560 Black Biography
HIST 601 *Directed Readings in 19th Century
American History
HIST 602 *Directed Readings in 20th Century
American History
HIST 603 *Directed Readings in African-American
History

C. Other Requirements
HIST 526 The French Revolution
HIST 527 Europe in the Industrial Age
HIST 528 Rise of Fascism in Europe
HIST 537 History of Imperial Russia
HIST 538 History of Twentieth Century
Russia
HIST 570 Major Topics in African History
HIST 572 African Liberation Movements
HIST 575 History of Women in Africa
HIST 576 Africa and the Americas
HIST 590 Special Topics in History
HIST 591 Special Topics in History

*Courses in Directed Reading may be taken only after a student has earned 15 or more credit hours in other graduate history courses.

Other Requirements, 15 Credits

A student must complete a minimum of fifteen (15) credits in other graduate history courses. Six (6) of these credits may be earned by taking the thesis option.

Course Descriptions

• HIST 500 (3-3-0) Historiography. An exploration of theories of historical interpretation, with applications to the histories of the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
• HIST 501-D1(3-3-0)This is a web-enhanced course that introduces students to fundamental questions about the nature of history and to the varieties of history that different answers to these questions have inspired. Students will investigate the kinds of questions historians ask about the past, the relationship between theory and evidence in historical writing, and the varieties of evidence historians use to reconstruct the past.
• HIST 506 (3-3-0) Revolution and American Identity. This course is an introduction to the major writings and interpretations of the era of the Revolution from the early eighteenth century to the ratification of the Constitution in 1787. The emphasis will be on eighteenth-century American Society and culture, the connections between England and the evolution of American protest and political thought that shaped American ideological concepts that were the basis of the independence movement and the effects of the revolution on class status, slavery and race, as well as the attempts to create new forms of government in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.
• HIST 507 (3-3-0) Social Strata in the Antebellum South. An exploration of social delineations in the Old South, with attention to the rationale for and the distinguishing features of these groupings.
• HIST 508 (3-3-0) Antebellum Reform Movements. A developmental study of the origins and progress of American reform efforts from their inception in the Great Revivalism of the 1820s to the culmination of the controversial reform movement, Abolitionism, in the 1860s, with particular attention to the polemical and cognitive aspects of antebellum reformism.
• HIST 510 (3-3-0) Studies in Twentieth Century United States History. An exploration of social, cultural, political, economic, and military issues in U.S. history from the beginning of World War I to the present, including such topics as the development of a mass society, changing role of women, and other relevant issues.
• HIST 512 (3-3-0) Interpretations of Nineteenth Century United States History. The course focus is on the literature and interpretations of major issues in nineteenth century United States history. The required readings will place the issues and periods in a cogent context with the latest interpretations. The student will also be introduced though the required reading to the historiographical controversies in major fields of political and social history with special emphasis on the Civil War and Reconstruction.
• HIST 519 (3-3-0) History of Medicine and Public Health in the United States. An examination of the major health problems confronting Americans from colonial times through the twentieth century, as well as the policies and measures adopted by state and federal authorities to deal with these problems.
• HIST 520 (3-3-0) Studies in United States Foreign Relations from 1771 to the Present. A study of domestic factors that contributed to the shaping of U.S. foreign policy from the revolutionary period through post-war conflicts with England and France, including such aspects as expansionism, the Spanish-American War, relations with Latin America, World War I and Wilsonian ideals, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, NATO and the Cold War, and the current issues of nuclear proliferation and U.S. and Soviet relations in the post-Vietnam era.
• HIST 526 (3-3-0) The French Revolution. A study of the development of the ideas of the Enlightenment, particularly in France, and their contribution to the revolutionary ferment, and the sequence of events by which the Revolution emerged, the changing attitudes within French society, and the economic, social, and political changes brought by the Revolution to France and all of Europe.
• HIST 527 (3-3-0) Europe in the Industrial Age. A course focusing on the social, economic, and technological factors which led to the spread of industrialization in Europe in the nineteenth century, and on the social, political, demographic, and intellectual reactions to the industrial revolution from its early days through World War I.
• HIST 528 (3-3-0) The Rise of Fascism in Europe. An investigation of the political, social, intellectual, and economic factors making possible the rise of fascism in Europe in the period between the world wars, with attention to the influence and operations of major fascist parties through the beginning of World War II.
• HIST 537 (3-3-0) History of Imperial Russia. This course will explore, in depth, the social, cultural, and political history of Russia during the imperial period (roughly 1700-1917). The class will include analyses of the important social, economic, and political strata and organizations as they occurred in imperial Russia.
• HIST 538 (3-3-0) History in Twentieth Century Russia. This course will introduce, in some depth, the forces of stability and change interacting during the years 1900-1995 in Russia. It will focus on the Bolshevik experiment, the rise of Stalinist dictatorship, World Wars, the Cold War, and the demise of the Soviet system.
• HIST 551 (3-3-0) Caribbean History from Columbus to 1838. A survey of Caribbean history to 1838, with emphasis on the impact of European conquests and the Catholic influence, plantation slavery, African socio-economic development, nation-state rivalries in the Caribbean, local governments, and the impact of the abolitionist movement.
• HIST 552 (3-3-0) Caribbean History from the Post-Slavery Period Through the. 20th Century. A continuation of the history of the Caribbean, with study of such topics as black peasantry, the influence of missionaries, value formation, Asian contract workers, labor unions, the plantation economy, the independence movement, and relations with the metropolitan countries and the United States.
• HIST 555 (3-3-0) The ABC Countries. A study of the cultural, economic, and political development of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
• HIST 556 (3-3-0) The Andean Republics. A study of the social, economic, and political development of the continent of South America north of the Southern Cone.
• HIST 557 (3-3-0) The Harlem Renaissance. A comprehensive study of the Harlem Renaissance/the Age of the "New Negro," primarily from 1920 to 1930. The course will examine African-American culture and politics from the perspective of the African-Americans who participated in this cultural and political explosion through the prism of post-1920 historians.
• HIST 558 (3-3-0) African-Americans and World War II. A comprehensive study of African-Americans, the mind-set of the U.S. military, and World War II. The course will focus on the nature and the problems surrounding the integration and usage of African-Americans in the armed forces of the United States, primarily from 1937 to 1950
• HIST 560 (3-3-0) Black Biography. An in-depth study of major African American personalities who have directly and indirectly impacted the black and white communities in the course of United States history. This course will present African Americans as the major players in studying and interpreting the major historical questions and problems, which have directly and indirectly impacted the course of United States history.
• HIST 570, (3-3-0) African History. This course examines the significant developments on the African continent from pre-history to the modern era. The focus is on isolating those people, places, and events that have shaped the "African character." Topics include Africa as the biological and cultural place of origins for humankind, the great kingdoms of African antiquity, the impact on African societies of the various slave trades on the continent, the impact on African societies of European colonialism, and the recovery of African societies via. independence movements.
• HIST 572 (3-3-0) African Liberation Movements. This course is designed to familiarize students with the efforts to achieve independence by various African peoples. Regionally, the course will span liberation movements from Egypt to South Africa. Chronologically, it will include efforts of Africans to free themselves from the shackles of European Colonialism in the twentieth century. The focus of the course will be to provide tangible evidence that freedom or democratic movements are not just confined to the Western World but reflect the universal yearnings of all people.
• HIST 575 (3-3-0) History of Women in Africa. The study of women's roles and contributions in history has become a major discipline. This course is designed to look at one segment of women in history - women in sub- Saharan Africa. Using scholars who articulate the insights of the most recent scholarship, the course intends to present an overview of women's past and present contributions to African development as well as the many obstacles to their further economic and social progress. The course will explore women's history in the region as it has changed over time under pre-colonial, colonial, and independence governments. It will address the wide range of variations in women's social position in Africa as well as the effect of cultural influences imposed by outsiders. Divided into three parts, it will address many current women's issues under the following topics: Women in the Economy, Women in Society and Culture, and Women in Politics and Policy Making. Specifically addressed are the current issues of women as heads of households, female circumcision (female genital mutilation), multiple wives, child care, control over women's labor and the proceeds from that labor, the feminist movement, women in the military, women's role in politics and the effect of local and international governmental policy on women.
• HIST 576 (3-3-0) Africa and the Americas. This course has a double purpose: to introduce students to African history and to explore the continuing relationship tying Americans of African descent to the continent of Africa. The first part of the course will focus on the history of West Africa before the beginning of the sea-borne exchange with Europe and the Americas. Students will be introduced to the early West African empires, to local patterns of society and culture, and to the role-played by Muslim scholars, clerics, traders, and kings. In the second part of the course we examine the history of Africans and the changes they undergo on the continent of Africa and in the Diaspora. This includes the European colonization of Africa and the Africans who were drawn into the Atlantic exchange: the history of the New World plantation complex and the role of African culture and social organization in shaping life in the Americas. In the last part of the course, we explore the connections between Africans and the African-Americans: Back to Africa movements in the US (1820's and 1920's), the African foundations of early modern African-American thought, and the contributions made by African Americans to the African continent.
• HIST 590 (3-3-0) Special Topics in History. This course provides for study of special topics in history not covered in the regular graduate history courses.
• HIST 591 (3-3-0) Special Topics in History. This course provides for study of special topics in history not covered in the regular graduate history courses.
• HIST 601 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in 19th Century. American History . A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 602 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in 20th Century. American History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 603 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in African-American History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 626 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in 18th Century European History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 627 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in 19th Century European History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 628 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in 20th Century European History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 650 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in Mexican History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 651 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in Caribbean History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 652 (3-3-0) Directed Readings in Latin American History. A directed reading course for those history students who are making their final preparations for the comprehensive examinations.
• HIST 691 (6-6-0) Master's Thesis. The writing of a thesis based on original scholarly research about a topic related to the major field and approved by the thesis advisor, and the completion of an oral defense of the thesis before an examining committee. (May be completed in increments of three credit hours per semester.)
• HIST 899 (0-0-0) Thesis Non-Credit. This course is required for students that have completed their course work and the number of thesis hours for credit required in their graduate degree program. Students who will continue to use University resources in completing their thesis must enroll in this course.