HistoryHistoryProfessors—Bonds, Boxer, Cherny, Combs, D'Agostino, Felstiner, Hoffman, Hymans, Illick, Issel, Kidner, Longmore, Rischin, Scully, Seely, Tygiel
Associate Professors—Loomis, Oñate, Peard
Assistant Professors—Hsu, Jackson
Lecturers—Dreyfus, Germany
B.A. in History
B.A. in History: Honors Concentration
Minor in History
M.A. in History
History is the study of change in human societies over time. Undergraduates majoring in history may select advanced courses focusing upon the entire range of life within a nation or region during a given time period, or courses dealing with some specialized aspect of life (social history, economic history, etc.), or courses which explore the concepts and methodology of historical research and analysis.
The Master of Arts in History is offered with specialties in the United States, Europe and the Mediterranean before A.D. 1500, Europe after A.D. 1500, Latin America, East Asia, and gender in history. The M.A. program is designed to accommodate students' interests and needs as they pursue a course of study under the direction of a committee of faculty members. Together with their committee, students plan a program to give both depth and breadth to their understanding of the past. The faculty are familiar with and sensitive to the needs of students who must work, part-time or full-time, while pursuing their graduate program. San Francisco and the Bay Area contain many libraries, archival repositories, and historical agencies where students can do research or obtain on-site experience through an internship.
The history program provides training for those interested in a teaching credential, for those preparing to do graduate work in several fields, and for those who might go on to law school or seek employment in areas such as government service, archival work, and the business sector.
Students will be assigned an adviser at the department office, SCI 276.
Online course descriptions are available.
| Program | Units | |
| HIST 110/111 | History of Western Civilization I-II (3 each) or | 6 |
| HIST 114/115 | World History I-II (3 each) (HIST 114-115 may be substituted for HIST 110/111 on advisement) |
|
| HIST 120 | History of the United States to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of the United States since 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 300 | Seminar in Historical Analysis | 3 |
| Fields of Emphasis: Students should complete twelve units in one field of emphasis and six units in each of the other two fields of emphasis. | 24 | |
| American history | ||
| Choose one field from among Europe before 1500, Europe since 1500, or Eastern Europe | ||
| Choose one field from among Africa, Asia, or Latin America | ||
| Total | 39 | |
All history majors must include at least one proseminar (HIST 640, 642, or 644). This seminar should be taken after HIST 300 and may be in either field of emphasis or may be outside the fields of emphasis. Twenty-seven of the 39 units required for the major must be upper division. History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300 or their proseminar.
In order for a student to be eligible for admission to the Honors Program, the following requirements must be met.
| Program | Units | |
| HIST 110/111 | History of Western Civilization I-II (3 each) or | 6 |
| HIST 114/115 | World History I-II (3 each) [HIST 114/115 may be substituted for HIST 110/111 on advisement] |
|
| HIST 120 | History of the United States to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of the United States since 1865 | 3 |
| Total for prerequisites | 12 | |
| Required Courses | ||
| HIST 300 | Seminar in Historical Analysis | 3 |
| Fields of Emphasis: Students should complete twelve units in one field of emphasis and six units in each of the other two fields of emphasis. | 24 | |
| American history | ||
| Choose one field from among Europe before 1500, Europe since 1500, or Eastern Europe | ||
| Choose one field from among Africa, Asia, or Latin America | ||
| HIST 640, 642, or 644 | Proseminar | 3 |
| HIST 697 | Honors Thesis | 3 |
| The proseminar will be taken after HIST 300, normally in the major field. The honors thesis will be taken after the proseminar and will normally represent an extension of the work in that proseminar, to be supervised by the proseminar instructor. For exceptions, consult the honors adviser. | ||
| Total for required courses | 33 | |
| Total for honors concentration | 45 | |
Thirty-three of the 45 required units must be upper division. History majors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, and cannot elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300 or their proseminar. With the consent of the honors adviser, students may offer up to six units from other departments to count toward honors concentration requirements.
To graduate in the history honors program, a student must demonstrate either proficiency in statistics/data processing or proficiency in a foreign language at a level comparable to that of students who have successfully completed one year of college courses. This level of proficiency is to be demonstrated as follows:
Students are expected to maintain a minimum grade of B in each course to meet the honors major requirements, and a grade point average of 3.25 in all courses taken to complete the honors program. Students failing to do so will be dropped from the program. Additionally, students will be required to have an overall grade point average of 3.25 in all university-level courses taken to fulfill the university requirements for the honors degree.
Students who are considering teaching in the secondary schools should see a departmental credential program adviser before planning their program. Specific courses and an assessment of competencies are required for admission to the Secondary Education credential program. Students should also contact the Student Services Office in BH 130, (415) 338-7038, regarding teaching credential information.
History minors cannot choose CR/NC grading in more than one course in their minor, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300.
| Program | Units | |
| HIST 110/111 | History of Western Civilization I-II (3 each) or | 6 |
| HIST 114/115 | World History I-II (3 each) [HIST 114/115 may be substituted for HIST 110/111 on advisement] |
|
| HIST 120 | History of the United States to 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 121 | History of the United States since 1865 | 3 |
| HIST 300 | Seminar in Historical Analysis | 3 |
| Upper division electives in history on advisement | 9 | |
| Total | 24 | |
Graduate Advisers—Bonds, Hoffman, Issel, Kidner, Loomis, Peard
A prospective student must fulfill the general university requirements as stated in the section on Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Admissions of this Bulletin . To be considered for unconditional admission to the M.A. program in History, a student must have completed an undergraduate major in history with a minimum grade point average of 3.5. Applicants whose GPA in history falls between 3.25 and 3.5 can be considered for admission on a conditional basis. Students whose undergraduate major was not history should consult the graduate coordinator about making up course deficiencies in history. The usual pattern is for the student to complete the equivalent of a B.A. in History before being accepted as a classified student in the graduate program of the department.
If the student's undergraduate record meets the basic requirements and gives promise of a successful pursuit of graduate work, the department will recommend that the student be admitted either to classified graduate standing (which means that the student may immediately proceed to take graduate courses and seminars) or conditional standing, specifying the conditions and time limit within which they must be met.
Level One: satisfactorily meeting the writing requirements in HIST 700. Level Two: satisfactorily completing any graduate level seminar.
Besides meeting all general requirements for advancement to candidacy, applicants must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in all history courses taken for the Master of Arts, and may not list on the Graduate Approved Program any course in which the grade received is below B-.
Online course descriptions are available.
| Program | Units | |
| HIST 700 | History of Knowledge | 3 |
| Major Field One of the following areas of emphasis must be selected and courses completed upon advisement with a total of fifteen units. The six units of graduate course work specified are required. A minimum of six of the nine units of electives must be chosen from the appropriate upper division and graduate courses in the History Department; three units from outside the department may be presented on advisement. |
15 | |
| The United States | ||
| HIST 780 | Seminar in American History to 1877 | |
| HIST 790 | Seminar in American History Since 1877 | |
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| Europe and the Mediterranean before 1500 | ||
| HIST 710 | Seminar in Ancient and Medieval History (must be repeated with a different topic for a total of six units) | |
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| Europe since 1500 | ||
| HIST 730 | Seminar in Early Modern European History | |
| HIST 740 | Seminar in European History Since 1815 | |
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| East Asia | ||
| HIST 840 | Seminar in Asian History [must be repeated with a different topic for a total of six units] |
|
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| Latin America | ||
| HIST 830 | Seminar in Latin American History [must be repeated with a different topic for a total of six units] |
|
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| Gender in History | ||
| HIST 805 | Seminar in Women's History [must be repeated with a different topic for a total of six units] |
|
| Courses on advisement (nine units) | ||
| Minor Field A minor field of nine units of upper division and graduate courses must be completed on advisement, three units of which must be a graduate seminar in History. While three of the remaining six units must be in History, on advisement three units may be selected from a related discipline. The minor field may be in one of the major fields above, or upon advisement, in a special historical field; e.g., urban history, public history, labor history, women's history, etc. |
9 | |
| Select upon advisement one of the following culminating requirements | 3 | |
| HIST 896 | Directed Reading in History and | |
| Master's Written Comprehensive Examination in student's major field or | ||
| HIST 898 | Master's Thesis and | |
| Oral Defense of Thesis | ||
| Minimum total | 30 | |
Auxiliary Skills: Candidates for the master's degree are expected to present an auxiliary skill to aid them in their historical study. In most cases, this would be a reading knowledge of one foreign language. With approval, candidates offering the United States as their major field may substitute a knowledge of statistics. Information about specific requirements may be obtained from the graduate coordinator.
Research: The student must complete three (3) graduate level units of directed research in the major or minor fields. If the student takes a research seminar, or completes the master's thesis (HIST 898), the research requirements will have been met. If the student takes three reading seminars, a directed research course must be taken, preferably in the form of HIST 899, in conjunction with (and directed by the instructor of) one of the student's graduate seminars. This research must involve the use of primary sources and should ordinarily involve the utilization of the student's auxiliary skill (see requirement above).
Thesis Option: While the usual culminating requirement consists of History 896 and the written comprehensive examination, under certain conditions a student may be given permission to do a thesis (HIST 898, Master's Thesis) and an oral defense of the thesis in his/her major field. Students considering the thesis option should contact the department chair or graduate coordinator for further details.