History BA, (Pre-Law Specialization)

History Major

Faculty

Allan W. Austin, Professor of History and Government, BA, MA Bowling Green State University; PhD University of Cincinnati

Jennifer M. Black, Associate 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

Christopher A. Stevens, Associate Professor of History and Government, BA University of Massachusetts-Amherst; MA University of Delaware; PhD Brandeis University

David C. Wright, Jr., Professor Emeritus of History and Government, BA Kenyon College; MA, PhD University of Wisconsin-Madison

Mission

The mission of the History Department is to reflect and reinforce the disciplinary standards set by the American Historical Association by providing History majors opportunities to develop historical knowledge and the skills necessary to evaluate, interpret, and argue historical and diverse perspectives in order to inform active citizenship.

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 and Student Learning Outcomes

1. Develop historical knowledge.
   1. Recognize and explain historical processes, continuity, and change.
   2. Develop a body of historical knowledge with breadth of time and place—as well as depth of detail—in order to discern context.
   3. Examine global communities and cultures, and their interaction in history.
2. Evaluate and employ historical methods.
   1. Recognize history as an interpretive account of the human past—one that historians create in the present from surviving evidence.
   2. Collect, question, organize, synthesize, and interpret a variety of historical sources.
   3. Practice ethical historical inquiry through proper acknowledgement of sources.
3. Recognize the provisional nature of historical knowledge
   1. Describe past events from multiple perspectives.
   2. Identify, summarize, appraise, and synthesize other scholars’ historical arguments.
   3. Evaluate historical arguments, explaining how they were constructed and might be improved.
4. Create historical arguments and narratives.
   1. Generate substantive, open-ended questions about the past and employ research strategies to answer them.
   2. Craft well-supported historical narratives, arguments, and reports of research findings.
   3. Synthesize research with existing narratives, making an original argument.
5. Use historical perspective to inform active citizenship
   1. Historicize contemporary issues by correlating them to the past.
   2. Practice civil discourse and respect for diverse perspectives.

Major Requirements

All history majors are required to complete the following courses:

• HIS 101 History of Western Civilization I  
• HIS 102 History of Western Civilization II  
• HIS 103 United States History to 1865  
• HIS 104 United States History since 1865  
• HIS 300 Introduction to Historiography and Methods  
• HIS 490 History Seminar  
• HIS 491 Research Seminar  
• Advanced level U.S. history elective (see below)
• Advanced level European history elective (see below)
• Advanced level Non-Western history elective (see below)
• Nine additional credits (3 courses) of 300-400 level courses (3 courses), of which 3 credits (one course) may be in political science
• Six credits (two courses) of 300-400 level English courses

Advanced U.S. History Electives

• HIS 309 The American West  
• HIS 320 Selected Studies in History  (if topic focuses on U.S. history)
• HIS 329 Women and Gender in US History  
• HIS 330 Immigration and American Ethnic History  
• HIS 354 Culture and National Security  
• HIS 425 The Civil War Era  
• HIS 426 The Gilded Age and Progressive Era  
• HIS 430 Post-1945 United States History  
• HIS 431 American Capitalism and the Global Economy  
• HIS 432 Race and Graphic Narrative in the Post-War United States  
• HIS 461 Film and History  
• HIS 462 American Visual Culture  
• HIS 464 History of Rock and Roll  

Advanced European History Electives

• HIS 301 History of 19th Century Revolutions  
• HIS 307 History of Russia  
• HIS 308 History of the Soviet Union  
• HIS 310 History of England  
• HIS 311 History of Britain  
• HIS 313 Modern French History  
• HIS 320 Selected Studies in History  (if topic focuses on European history)
• HIS 342 History of Medicine and Health  
• HIS 407 European Cultural Movements  
• HIS 408 Europe Since 1945  
• HIS 421 Nazi Germany  
• HIS 463 History of Cinema  

Advanced Non-Western History Electives

• GEO 202 Cultural World Geography  
• HIS 314 Survey of Latin America: Modern  
• HIS 320 Selected Studies in History  (if topic focuses on non-Western history)
• HIS 360 Global Environmental History  
• HIS 410 Seminar on Global Issues  
• POL 325 War in World Politics  

 

History in the Professions: Pre-Law Specialization

For information contact Brian F. Carso, JD, PhD

The pre-law specialization was developed in accordance with the Association of American Law Schools, which recommends that prospective law students have a broad liberal arts background. The program provides sound preparation for the Law School Admission Test and the graduate study of law.

Additional courses required for pre-law specialization:

• POL 100 American National Government  
• POL 103 Global Politics  
• POL 210 Introduction to the American Legal System  
• POL 211 The Trial in American Life  
• POL 410 American Constitutional Law  
• POL 411 Constitutional Encounters  
• POL 450 Internship  
• BUS 352 Business Law  

The courses listed above would take the place of free electives listed in the sample study plan for the history major, found in the History BA  section of the catalog. Students should consult their academic advisor for the timing of these and/or a more detailed plan of study for this specialization.