Mar 28, 2024  
2016-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2016-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History, B.A.


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History reconstructs the past and attempts to discover what people thought and did. The study of history enables students to understand the past and the present, and to prepare for the future. It provides insight into the experiences of the diverse peoples of the world as well as an understanding of the process of recording, narrating, and interpreting these events by historians. In addition to advancing historical knowledge, the department teaches students to read with understanding, to analyze and interpret ideas, and to write clear and meaningful essays.

The history major provides excellent preparation for a variety of careers. The skills and knowledge gained through historical research are good preparations for careers in law; teaching, both at the pre-collegiate and collegiate levels; theology; library science; archival management and museum work; politics and government; banking; business and industry; and administration.

The Department offers the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree in History (with tracks in General History, African/African-American History, International History and Diplomacy, and Pre-Law) and minors in General History, African/African American History, Museum Studies, and Geography. Within the History major or minor, students may follow a program of cross-cultural or twentieth-century studies, or a program which emphasizes urban and regional studies. The department requires its majors to study six hours of a foreign language, three hours of intensive practice in writing and problem solving techniques in history, three hours of historiography or the study of the way history has been and is written, and three hours of senior thesis, a capstone course for the program.

The department sponsors a History Club and a chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society.

College-wide Requirements:

In addition to meeting the requirements in General Education and in the major, students must also complete six (6) credits in the Liberal Arts Core required of all majors in the College of Liberal Arts. Options for satisfying this requirement are outlined under the section on the College of Liberal Arts. In order to qualify for graduation, students must pass the Senior Research Seminar; must have taken two-thirds of their junior- and senior-level requirements in the major at Morgan (unless granted prior written permission by the Dean to take courses elsewhere); and must have earned a cumulative average of 2.0 or better and a major average of 2.0 or better, with no outstanding grades below “C” in the major (which includes all courses required for the major and required supporting courses).

Teacher Certification

Students interested in being certified to teach history in secondary schools should complete requirements in one of the concentrations outlined above and consult the School of Education and Urban Studies for courses needed to attain certification.

Department Requirements:


All history majors are required to distribute courses among skill levels and geographical areas. Within these distribution requirements, it is possible to take a wide variety of courses or to emphasize: urban or regional studies; the history of African-Americans, Africa, and the African Diaspora; multi-national cross-cultural studies; or modern civilizations. More specifically, students must take HIST 299  before or at the same time as their first 300-level History course. Upon completion of HIST 299  and two 300-level History courses, students are eligible to take their two 400-level research courses. In the senior year, the student must take HIST 495 - Historiography  before taking HIST 497 - Senior Research Seminar .

Division 1:


The Americas includes the following courses:

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