Concentration in History

Students must earn a "C" or better in each course taken to fulfill a concentration requirement.

History

History is a story about the human past. By studying it, we make other people's experiences our own, touching other times and places and adding the knowledge and wisdom gained by others to our own personal experiences. Studying history is not an exercise in memorization; it is, rather, a process of assembling information from the past and giving meaning to it. It is a way of thinking about the present that attempts to make sense of the complexity of contemporary events by examining what lies beneath them.

Understanding the past is its own reward, but studying history pays off in other ways as well. It trains the mind, enlarges compassion, and provides a much-needed perspective on some of the world's pressing problems.

Studying history fosters critical thinking, sharpens reading and writing skills, and prepares one for a wide variety of occupations. Most careers, including those based on technical training, require precisely the skills historical inquiry teaches: how to think critically, analyze data, write clearly, and communicate persuasively.  Such skills prepare students for excellence in graduate and professional training and pave the way toward careers in advertising, business, politics, journalism, intelligence, law, management, public relations, education, and many others. 

Advisory Board:

Dr. Chris Ely  | Dr. Christopher Strain | Dr. Douglas McGetchin

Available Options: Concentration in History; Minor Concentration. In addition, a combined "4+1" B.A./M.A. in History is available in coordination with the Department of History in the College of Arts and Letters.

Concentrators will be expected to fulfill any of the three introductory course requirements as well as the introduction to historical study.

Students must spend two semesters of their senior year in consultation with their concentration advisor researching and writing an honors thesis. The honors thesis is a document of forty to sixty pages in length based on the student's original research in her/his area of specialization.

 

CONCENTRATION IN HISTORY

Course # Course Name Credits
  Honors Introductory History Courses 9

HIS 3152 or HIS 4054 or

HIS 3150 or ISS 4932

Honors Historiography: Methods and Theory (3 cr) or HIS 4622 Honors Research and Writing in History (1 cr) 1-3
  Honors Courses in Area of Specialization 15
  Honors Courses in Related Disciplines 9
IDS 4970 Honors Thesis (2 semesters) 6
  Total Credits 40-42

Introductory Courses: Concentrators should take three introductory history courses from the list below.

 

INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Course # Course Name Credits
WOH 2012 Honors History of Civilization I 3
WOH 2022 Honors History of Civilization II 3
WOH 2420 Honors History of Food & Eating 3
AMH 2010 Honors U.S. History to 1877 3
AMH 2020 Honors U.S. History since 1877 3
HIS 1933 Honors Seminar in History 3
EUH 2341 Honors 20th Century Europe 3

Courses in Area of Specialization: Concentrators should choose an area of specialization (U.S. History, European History, East Asian History or Comparative World History) by approximately the beginning of the junior year. They should take 5 history courses in their Area of Specialization, selected from the list below.

COURSES IN AREA OF SPECIALIZATION

Course # Course Name Credits
Students should select 15 credits (5 courses) of upper-level courses with a prefix of AFH, AMH, AMS, ASH, EUH, LAH, or WOH.

 

Courses in Related Disciplines: The area of specialization must include three relevant course offerings in other disciplines such as literature, art history, economics, philosophy, interdisciplinary studies, or politics. For example, a student who has chosen to specialize in U.S. history may take extra-disciplinary courses such as "American Novel to 1900" and "Government of the United States." Other FAU courses may be used only with the approval of the concentration advisor. Students are reminded that they need 45 upper-level (3000 or 4000-level) credits to graduate.

 

COURSES IN RELATED DISCIPLINES

Course # Course Name Credits
AML 2010 Honors American Literature to 1865 3
AML 2022 Honors American Literature 1865 - 1945 3
AML 2053 Honors American Literature 1945 - Present 3
AML 3111 Honors American Novel to 1900 3
AML 3121 Honors American Novel Since 1900 3
AML 4603 Honors African-American Literature 3
AML 4640 Honors Native American Literature 3
AML 4930 Honors Special Topics in American Liturature 3
ARH 4930 Honors Special Topics in Art History 3
AMS 4332 Honors Violence in the United States 3
CLA 4436 Honors Ancient Greece 3
ENL 2012 Honors British Literature to 1798 3
ENL 2022 Honors British Literature since 1798 3
SPT 2530 Honors Hispanic Cultures and Civilizations 3
AMS 3003 Honors Colloquium in American Studies 3
WST 3015 Honors Introduction to Women's Studies 3
ECO 3303 Honors History of Economic Thought 3
ECS 3013 Honors International Economic Development 3
CPO 3003 Honors Comparative Politics 3
INR 2002 Honors Introduction to World Politics 3
CPO 4303 Honors Latin American Politics 3
CPO 4305 Honors Religion and Politics in Latin America 3
INR 3102 Honors American Foreign Policy 3
INR 3248 Honors Exporting Democracy: US Policy Toward Latin America in the 20th Century 3
LIT 3133 Honors Medieval Cultures 3
LIT 3432 Honors Science, Alchemy & Magic in Early Modern England 3
LIT 4243 Honors Milton and the Revolution 3
POS 2041 Honors Government of the United States 3
POS 3691 Honors Law and American Society 3
POS 4603 Honors Constitutional Law I 3
POS 4604 Honors Constitutional Law II 3
PHH 3100 Honors Ancient Greek Philosophy 3
PHH 3400 Honors Modern Philosophy I 3
PHH 3442 Honors Modern Philosophy II 3
PHI 330 Honors Theory of Knowledge 3
PHI 2361 Honors Ways of Knowing 3
POS 4414 Honors The U.S. Presidency 3
POS 4685 Honors American Legal Development 3
ANT 2240  Honors Magic, Witchcraft and Religion 3
ANT 3212 Honors Peoples Around the World 3
ANT 3404 Honors How Cultures Remember 3
ANT 4244 Honors Rituals and Symbols 3
ASN 3006 Honors Intro to Asian Studies 3
PHP 3502 Honors Hegel's Political Philosophy 3
PSY 4604 Honors History & Systems of Psychology 3
POT 3021 Honors History of Political Theory 3
WST 3015 Honors Intro to Women's Studies 3

 

 

Minor concentration in History (15 credit hours):

At least 9 hours of coursework in history must be at the 3000 or 4000 level; 6 hours may be at a lower level, for a total of 15 credit hours. Students must have at least a 2.0 grade point average in courses taken for the minor concentration.

At least 50% of upper level credits must be from Honors College courses.

Requirements: 
At least two history courses at the 1000-2000 level 
At least three history courses at the 3000-4000 level