History Major
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree BA, History
Department Chair Christopher A. Stevens, PhD
Faculty
Allan W. Austin, Professor of History and Government, BA, MA Bowling Green State University; PhD University of Cincinnati
Jennifer M. Black, Assistant Professor of History and Government, BA, MA Western Michigan University; PhD University of Southern California
Brian F. Carso, Jr., Associate Professor of History and Government, BA, MA University of Rochester; JD State University of NY at Buffalo, School of Law; PhD Boston University
Donald O. Fries, Professor Emeritus of History and Government, BA, MA, University of Michigan; PhD Michigan State University
Thomas Hajkowski, Associate Professor of History and Government, BA Seton Hall University; MA Villanova University, PhD Northwestern University
Louis Maganzin, Professor Emeritus of History and Government, BA St. Bonaventure; MA, PhD Georgetown University
Rebecca Padot, Assistant Professor of History and Government, BA Eastern University; MGA, MPA Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania; MA , PhD University of Pennsylvania
Christopher A. Stevens, Associate Professor of History and Government, BA University of Massachusetts-Amherst; MA University of Delaware; PhD Brandeis University
Robert Lucas Williams, Assistant Professor of History and Government, BA University of Alabama at Birmingham; MA, PhD University of Houston
David C. Wright, Jr., Professor of History and Government, BA Kenyon College; MA, PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison
Yanqiu Zheng, Assistant Professor of History and Government, BA, MA Peking University; MA, MS Indiana University Bloomington; PhD Northwestern University
Program Description
The History major at Misericordia University is based on the disciplinary standards set by the American Historical Association, which states that:
“History is the study of the human past as it is constructed and interpreted with human artifacts, written evidence, and oral traditions. It requires empathy for historical actors, respect for interpretive debate, and the skillful use of an evolving set of practices and tools.
As an inquiry into human experience, history demands that we consider the diversity of human experience across time and place.
As a public pursuit, history requires effective communication to make the past accessible; it informs and preserves collective memory; it is essential to active citizenship.
As a discipline, history requires a deliberative stance towards the past; the sophisticated use of information, evidence, and argumentation; and the ability to identify and explain continuity and change over time. Its professional ethics and standards demand peer review, citation, and acceptance of the provisional nature of knowledge.”
General Requirements
Incoming first-year students seeking admission as history majors must meet the general and specific admissions requirements of the university as stated in this catalog. In cases where the student does not fully meet them, a personal interview is required.
Continuation as a history major requires that the student maintain a minimum of a 2.0 or “C” average in the major and a similar total grade point average. A student on academic probation for two consecutive semesters will be dismissed from the major.
Transfer students must complete all the history requirements as listed in the sequence of courses in this catalog.
Internship
Internships for history majors are encouraged. Majors who desire to pursue internships must receive prior approval of the department chair and the advisor.
Recommendation
To receive a recommendation for graduate study or law school, the student must maintain the minimum of a “B” in the major, specialization, and total grade point average.
Program Goals and Outcomes
- Develop historical knowledge.
- Recognize and explain historical processes, continuity, and change.
- Develop a body of historical knowledge with breadth of time and place—as well as depth of detail—in order to discern context.
- Examine global communities and cultures, and their interaction in history.
- Evaluate and employ historical methods.
- Recognize history as an interpretive account of the human past—one that historians create in the present from surviving evidence.
- Collect, question, organize, synthesize, and interpret a variety of historical sources.
- Practice ethical historical inquiry through proper acknowledgement of sources.
- Recognize the provisional nature of historical knowledge
- Describe past events from multiple perspectives.
- Identify, summarize, appraise, and synthesize other scholars’ historical arguments.
- Evaluate historical arguments, explaining how they were constructed and might be improved.
- Create historical arguments and narratives.
- Generate substantive, open-ended questions about the past and employ research strategies to answer them.
- Craft well-supported historical narratives, arguments, and reports of research findings.
- Synthesize research with existing narratives, making an original argument.
- Use historical perspective to inform active citizenship
- Historicize contemporary issues by correlating them to the past.
- Practice civil discourse and respect for diverse perspectives.
Major Requirements
All history majors are required to complete the following courses:
Advanced U.S. History Electives
Advanced European History Electives
Advanced Non-Western History Electives
4+1 History BA/MBA
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Business
For more information contact Allan Austin, PhD
The 4+1 History BA and MBA program offers students interested in history and business a useful foundation for a variety of professional paths. The program introduces students to the study of history and the practice of business, providing an interdisciplinary basis for successful citizenship and entrepreneurship over a five-year course of study. Students will complete all courses required for the major above, and the following additional coursework in place of free electives:
MBA Prerequisites
ACC 101 Principles of Accounting
BUS 206 Microeconomics
BUS 208 Principles of Management
BUS 269 Principles of Marketing
BUS 363 Management of Human Capital
BUS 371 Business Financial Management
MIS 110 Introduction to Information Systems
MTH 115 Basic Statistics
MBA Courses
To satisfy MBA core classes in their senior year, students may select from the following:
MBA 500 Organizational Behavior and Development
MBA 501 Law, Ethics, and the Business Environment
MBA 503 Marketing Management
MBA 504 Information Analysis and Interpretation
MBA 506 Human Resources Management for Leaders
MBA 507 Accounting and Finance for Business Leaders
MBA 508 Information Systems for Management
MBA 509 Managerial Economics
In completing the MBA, students will finish the core MBA classes and also select from one of the following specializations: Healthcare Management, Human Resources Management, Management, or Sport Management. (The Accounting specialization requires additional prerequisites and thus is not included in this 4+1 program.)
Admission Requirements
To qualify for the program, students must:
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have a minimum 3.0 GPA at the time of application, and must maintain that GPA throughout the remainder of their degree requirements
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have completed all MBA prerequisite courses by the end of junior year;
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complete an application to the program prior to the end of junior year;
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complete their MBA core classes with a minimum 3.0 GPA; and,
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complete their BA degree in History as scheduled.
Registration for MBA courses in the senior year will be overseen by Graduate Admissions. Students will not be registered for MBA courses in the senior year until all prerequisite courses have been completed with minimum GPA.