Chair and Associate Professor: W. Lucas (PhD), 450-3158
Professor: K. Barnes (PhD), D. Welky (PhD)
Associate Professor: D. Jones (PhD), ), D. O’Hara (PhD), R. Pauly (PhD), M. Rosenow (PhD)
Assistant Professor: C. Craun (PhD), K. Epps (PhD), M. Kithinji (PhD), S. Matkin-Rawn (PhD), S. Toudji (PhD)
Senior Lecturer: P. Ramsey (EdD)
Lecturer I: B. Foster (PhD), K. Little (PhD), T. Rushing (MA)
[1] Purposes
History is at the center of a liberal arts education. It provides us not only with a memory of the past – a sense of how people, groups, states, and nations arrived at where they are now – but also perspectives on other cultures and civilizations, past and present, and an appreciation for the varieties and ambiguities of the human experience. By educating students about their own past and the past of others, using evidence from different times and places, the Department of History seeks to prepare students for responsible citizenship at home and in the world community.
The department stresses the development of critical reading and thinking skills, reasoning, oral and written communication, and the analysis and interpretation of conflicting evidence. Above all, the history program emphasizes the cultivation of sensitivity to human differences and values. Historical study prepares students for careers in teaching, law, journalism, public history, local, state, and national service, business, and graduate study in history or in other disciplines.
[2] The Undergraduate Scholars Program in History
In the junior or senior year, students who are history or social studies majors may be invited to participate in the undergraduate scholars program. Requirements for graduation with honors are as follows:
- A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and a 3.50 grade point average in the major
- Successful completion of HIST 4313 Department Honors Thesis Research and HIST 4314 Departmental Honors Thesis Writing
- Submission and approval of an Honors Thesis
[3] Baccalaureate Degrees
The Department of History offers three baccalaureate degree programs: the Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) in Social Studies, History Emphasis; the Bachelor of Arts (BA) history major; the Bachelor of Science (BS) history major, and the Bachelor of Arts (BA) major in African and African-American Studies. The BSE program prepares students for careers in secondary education, and successful completion brings teacher licensure from the Arkansas Department of education to teach social studies. The BA and BS history majors prepare students for careers in history, public service, and other fields and graduate study. Given that history as a discipline straddles the humanities and social sciences, students whose study inclines toward the social sciences, such as environmental history, history of science, etc., are better served by the BS degree. Students whose interest goes towards the humanities would find a better fit with the BA degree which includes the study of languages. Students who plan to pursue graduate study in history find the BA advantageous, as many MA programs and most Ph.D. programs in history require competency in at least one foreign language.
[3.1] Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
The degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, with a major in history, requires successful completion of 120 hours, including (1) the UCA Core: complete 38 hours to meet lower-division UCA Core requirements and complete upper-division UCA Core requirements using designated major, minor, or elective courses (see the UCA Core requirements); (2) degree requirements; (3) history courses as indicated below; and (4) a minor as worked out with the student’s minor advisor.
UD = Upper Division
D = Diversity
I = Critical Inquiry
Z = Capstone Experience
[3.1.1] Major in History (39 hours)
History Core courses are used to satisfy lower-division UCA Core requirements in Critical Inquiry and Diversity, and students can choose history courses to fulfill the upper-division UCA Core requirements in Diversity, Critical Inquiry, Responsible Living, and Communication. Students will take HIST 4300 Seminar as the required UCA Core capstone.
[3.1.1.1] Foundational Survey Courses (12 credit hours)
HIST 1320 World History II
HIST 2301 American Nation I
HIST 2302 American Nation II (Upper-division US history hours may be substituted with departmental approval.)
[3.1.1.2] Research Methods and Writing (6 credit hours)
HIST 4300 Seminar [ UCA Core: Z ]* HIST 2320 Introduction to Historical Research is a prerequisite/corequisite for any history major to enroll in any 4000-level course that counts toward a major.
[3.1.1.3] History Electives (21 credit hours)
Electives chosen must include at least 6 hours from United States history [ UD UCA Core: I ] and 6 hours from world history courses. HIST 4310 may not count toward the 21 hours of history electives. At least 3 hours from World History must be a course in African, Asian, Latin American, or Middle Eastern history [ UD UCA Core: D ]. At least 15 elective credit hours must be upper-division. These electives may satisfy the UCA Core requirement in Communication and Responsible Living (see designations in the electives lists below).
United States History
HIST 2302 American Nation II
HIST 3340 Introduction to American Indian History: 1500-PRESENT [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 3353 African-American History Before 1868 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 3354 African-American History, 1868 TO PRESENT [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 3381 American Military History [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4301 American Environmental History [ UD UCA Core: C, R ]
HIST 4302 History of Witchcraft [ UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4305 The United States and the Middle East, 1776 TO THE PRESENT [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4308 Gender in American History [ UD UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4311 American Colonial and Revolutionary History [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4322 Early National History, 1783-1848 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4327 The American West [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4330 The Civil War and Reconstruction, 1848-1877 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4333 United States Immigration and Ethnic History from Colonial Times to Present [ UD UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4335 Diplomatic History of the United States [ UD UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4336 Work, Wealth, and Power in United States History [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4338 American History Through Film [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4340 The Emergence of Modern America, 1877-1920 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4345 The South to 1865 [ UD UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4346 The South Since 1865 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4350 America in Depression and War, 1920-1960 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4355 The Role of Arkansas in the Nation [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4358 Recent American History [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4359 Civil Rights Movement History [ UD UCA Core: I, C ]
HIST 4V91 Independent Study in History
HIST 4392 Internship in Public History
World History
HIST 1320 World History II
HIST 3303 Asian Civilization I [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 3304 Asian Civilization II [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 3312 Comparative History of Developing Countries
HIST 3320 History of Christianity I [ UD UCA Core: R ]
HIST 3321 History of Christianity II [ UD UCA Core: R ]
HIST 3351 Ancient Civilization
HIST 3360 Pre-Colonial African History [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 3365 Modern African History [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4306 Atlantic Slave Trade [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4328 Modern Latin America [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4343 History of Mexico [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4347 Ideas and Society in Modern Europe
HIST 4360 The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, 300-900 AD
HIST 4361 The Mediterranean World in the Medieval Period, 900-1400 AD
HIST 4362 Tudor And Stuart England, 1485-1690
HIST 4365 The History of Imperialism: A Review of World Colonial Systems [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4369 Victorian Britain
HIST 4370 Europe, 1815-1914
HIST 4374 The European Renaissance and Reformation
HIST 4376 Europe, 1914-1939
HIST 4377 Europe in a Global Era
HIST 4381 Modern China [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4383 Modern Japan [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4385 French Revolution and Napoleon
HIST 4386 The War in the Pacific, 1931-1945 [ UD UCA Core: D ]
HIST 4390 Roman Civilization
HIST 4V91 Independent Study in History
HIST 4392 Internship in Public History
HIST 4394 Germany Since 1918
HIST 4397 History of Ireland, 1500-PRESENT
[3.1.2] Minor in History (24 hours)
HIST 1320 World History II
HIST 2301 American Nation I
HIST 2302 American Nation II (Upper-division US history hours may be substituted with departmental approval.)
And 12 hours of history electives, excluding HIST 4310. At least 6 hours must be upper-division.
[3.2] Bachelor of Science in Education in Social Studies, History Emphasis
Persons wishing to pursue a BSE in social studies (history emphasis) must apply to the Office of Candidate Services and meet established criteria for admission to the teacher education program. The degree requires completion of (1) the UCA Core, (2) the 18-hour minor in Teaching and Learning, (3) 54 hours of History/Social Studies, and (4) 18 hours in Teacher Internship and Social Studies Methods. Licensure requirements are established by the Arkansas Department of Education and must be met before a teaching license is issued.
Upper-division UCA Core requirements will be met through the following required program components:
MSIT 3310 [ UD UCA Core: D and R ]
MSIT 4320 [ UD UCA Core: I ]
HIST 4300 [ UD UCA Core: Z ]
Students should refer to the College of Education bulletin to determine specific requirements for admission to the professional education program. Contact the Chair of the Department of History (450-3158), the Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning (450-5466), or the Office of Candidate Services (450-3131).
[4] African and African-American Studies
See major/minor requirements in the interdisciplinary African and African American program page program link.
[5] Master’s Degree
See Graduate Bulletin.
[6] Courses in History (HIST)
Follow this link for HIST course descriptions: course link.