History Department
Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Programs
For Undergraduates:
For our undergraduate majors, the department supervises two curricular tracks.
Track 1 provides a general introduction to the discipline of History. It allows students to choose courses that best fit their interests and future ambitions. At the end of their academic career, graduates will have learned how to design, research, produce, and present a historical research project that meets the standards of practicing historians.
Track 2 provides the same training as track 1. In addition, it provides content training in specific topics mandated by the State of California's Framework for Social Science and History. Track II graduates are content-ready for the pursuit of a single-subject credential in History/Social Science.
For a listing of the specific courses and a "roadmap" that provides students with a guide of what courses they should complete at what stage of their academic career, follow the appropriate links to the left.
The department's Master's program helps primary and secondary school teachers deepen their knowledge of history and historical research methods. For information, follow the appropriate link to the left.
Learning Outcomes for History Majors
Those enrolled in our program complete a curriculum that exposes and trains students in a full range of essential skills and abilities. Upon graduation, they will have the opportunity to master the following objectives:
Objective 1 : Gain familiarity with a range of historical subjects that span distinct eras.
Objective 2 : Recognize how different individuals, groups, organizations, societies, cultures, countries, and nations have interacted in the past and how those interactions have affected history.
Objective 3 : Gain familiarity with the aims and achievements of different schools of historical thought, practice, and analysis.
Objective 4 : Develop an appreciation of themselves and of others through the study the past in local, regional, national, and global contexts.
Objective 5 : Learn to evaluate and draw information from the narratives of past events that participants and observers produced.
Objective 6 : Recognize differences in the methods and techniques of historians and learn how to compare and critique them.
Objective 7 : Argue historically and critically in discussions, presentations, and assignments.
Objective 8 : Practice the methods of historical research, including the development of research topics, the gathering and evaluation of evidence, and the presentation of research findings to a wider audience.
Objective 9 : Develop content knowledge in the areas identified by the Board of Education of the State of California as essential for secondary school teachers.
Objective 10 : Gain exposure to distinct, varied, and effective teaching methods.
Objective 11 : Apply their knowledge of historical subjects to the practical task of creating lessons for other students.
Objective 12 : Observe history teachers and develop an appreciation of effective teaching methods in secondary school classroom settings.
Students who follow our program guidelines and fulfill all of our requirements will graduate with a set of skills and abilities that will prepare them well for a variety of careers in the private and public sector. The success of our graduates in credential programs, law schools, local businesses, and organizations demonstrate our faculty's commitment to a learning-centered experience for all our charges.
