History, BA or BS

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Requirements for the Major

The history program urges students completing a history major to fulfill all University Studies requirements and prerequisites for upper division courses by the end of their sophomore year.

For a bachelor’s degree in history, students must complete a program planned in cooperation with and approved by a History Program faculty advisor. The department requires the following:

1.

Fulfill the baccalaureate degree requirements.

2.

Required Courses (6 courses, 24 credits):

HST 110 - World Civilizations 4 credits
HST 111 - World Civilizations 4 credits
HST 250 - American History and Life 4 credits
HST 251 - American History and Life 4 credits
HST 300 - Research and Writing 4 credits
HST 415 - History Capstone 4 credits
Students who score 3 or higher on the high school Advanced Placement (AP) exams in World History or European history, and United States history, will be awarded credit for the relevant lower-division courses (HST 110, 111, 250, 251).

3.

Competence in U.S. History (3 courses, 12 credits)

PS 310 - Media and American Politics 4 credits
PS 317 - American Collective Action 4 credits
HST 320 - Religion in America 4 credits
HST 331 - Money and Power in the United States through 1929 4 credits
HST 332 / PS 332 - Money and Power in the United States since 1929 4 credits
HST 336 - Modern U.S. Society and Culture 4 credits
HST 356 - Civil War and Reconstruction 4 credits
HST 382 / PS 382 - Vietnam War and Film 4 credits
HST 388 / PS 341 - The Constitution and the Supreme Court 4 credits
HST 389 / PS 343 - The U.S. Presidency 4 credits
HST 452 / PS 452 - United States Foreign Relations through 1945 4 credits
HST 454 / PS 454 - U.S.-Latin American Relations 4 credits
HST 461 / PS 461 - U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1991 4 credits
HST 466 - Indigenous Elites of the Americas, 15th-19th Century 4 credits
HST 476 - American West 4 credits
Or appropriate topical courses from the following list:
HST 370 - World Biography and Autobiography 4 credits
HST 399 - Special Studies 1 to 8 credits
HST 401 - Research 1 to 6 credits
HST 403 - Thesis 1 to 9 credits
HST 405 - Reading and Conference 1 to 8 credits
HST 407 - Seminar 1 to 4 credits
HST 408 - Colloquium 1 to 4 credits
HST 409 - Practicum 1 to 16 credits
HST 484 - Topics in American History 4 credits

4.

Competence in World History (5 courses, 20 credits)

HST 315 - Ancient Greece 4 credits
HST 316 - Ancient Rome 4 credits
HST 317 - European Middle Ages 4 credits
HST 338 - Travelers and Voyages 4 credits
HST 339 - World Renaissance and Reformation 4 credits
HST 340 - The Age of Reason and the Enlightenment 1600-1800 4 credits
HST 341 - Modern Europe 4 credits
HST 342 - Modern Europe 4 credits
HST 343 - Modern Europe 4 credits
HST 344 - The Nazi Party and the Third Reich 4 credits
HST 345 - Atlantic World I: Spain, Portugal, Africa and the Caribbean, 700-1500 4 credits
HST 346 - Atlantic World II: Colonial Latin America 1500-1750 4 credits
HST 347 - Atlantic World III: Republicanism, Independence and Abolition, 1750-1900 4 credits
HST 348 - Marx and Jesus in Latin America 4 credits
HST 352 - Modern Latin America 4 credits
HST 361 - History of Africa 4 credits
HST 362 - History of Africa 4 credits
HST 363 - History of Africa 4 credits
HST 372 / PS 372 - Twentieth-Century Revolutions 4 credits
HST 381 - Nazi Germany and Film 4 credits
HST 393 / PS 393 - Oil, Politics, and the Environment 4 credits
HST 421 - Environmental History 4 credits
HST 453 / PS 453 - Cold War and Decolonization 4 credits
HST 454 / PS 454 - U.S.-Latin American Relations 4 credits
HST 460 / PS 460 - Grand Strategy 4 credits
HST 464 - Colonial Mexico 4 credits
HST 466 - Indigenous Elites of the Americas, 15th-19th Century 4 credits
Or appropriate topical courses from the following list:
HST 370 - World Biography and Autobiography 4 credits
HST 399 - Special Studies 1 to 8 credits
HST 401 - Research 1 to 6 credits
HST 403 - Thesis 1 to 9 credits
HST 405 - Reading and Conference 1 to 8 credits
HST 407 - Seminar 1 to 4 credits
HST 408 - Colloquium 1 to 4 credits
HST 409 - Practicum 1 to 16 credits
HST 490 - Topics in World History 4 credits

5.

Electives: Two additional upper-division History courses (2 courses, 8 credits).

6.

Achieve a 2.5 GPA in all history taken for the major at SOU. All courses credited toward the major must be passed with a grade of C- or better. Majors must complete at least 48 upper-division credits in History.

Capstone

History majors who are within 12 credits of completing the history requirements for their bachelor’s degree may register for the capstone experience. Students should enroll in HST 300 the term immediately preceding their capstone. Majors will produce a lengthy and properly documented paper to demonstrate their command of the research process.

History and Political Science Honors Program

1. Requirements for Admission and Continuation in the History and Political Science Honors Program:

a. Newly admitted students must satisfy one of the following conditions:

A minimum high school GPA of 3.6
A minimum combined total of 1200 from the critical reading and mathematics SAT sections with a minimum score of 500 in each section
A minimum combined ACT score of 27 with a minimum score of 22 in both math and English
A minimum transfer GPA of 3.6 (based on at least 36 quarter credits)

b. Continuing students must satisfy each of the following conditions:

A minimum GPA of 3.3 in all classes taken at SOU
A minimum GPA in the major of 3.5
A member of the permanent faculty must agree to serve as advisor

c. To continue in the departmental honors program and graduate with departmental honors, students must maintain the levels of achievement outlined in requirement 1b.

2. Requirements to Complete the History and Political Science Honors Program:

a. Students pursuing honors in the History or Political Science major

Students pursuing honors in the History or Political Science major are required to produce an honors thesis based on original research. The honors thesis will constitute the student’s capstone project. Specific guidelines will be provided by the faculty advisor.

It is expected that the focused student research with faculty direction over the course of 3 to 6 terms will generate a superior final product which demonstrates independence of mind and judgment; capacity to design and execute a complex project; advanced research skills; and skills of analysis, synthesis, and clear written and oral communication.

b. To achieve departmental honors, students will:

Ask a permanent faculty member in History or Political Science to serve as their mentor. Once a permanent faculty member accepts, the student and faculty mentor will work together to develop a research and writing plan.
Complete additional work in an appropriate upper-division course taught by the faculty mentor designed to advance the research project. Examples of possible assignments include, but are not limited to, completion of an annotated bibliography; completion of a bibliographic or historiographic essay; and/or completion of an oral presentation.
Complete HST401H or PS 403 (Thesis) where most of the research will be completed for the Honors Thesis. The work completed in this course will be the basis for a thesis to be completed in either HST 415H or PS 498H.
Write the Honors thesis while enrolled in HST 415H (Capstone) or PS 498H (Senior Seminar), under the direction of the faculty advisor.

c. Presentation of honors thesis

Honors students are expected to present their honors theses at the annual Southern Oregon Arts and Research (SOAR) program in the spring and in a departmental venue (such as the capstone or senior seminar).