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CONCENTRATIONS IN HISTORY (for students declaring a major after September 2007)
Option A: General Track in History Checkoff sheet for this track.
Minimum of ten courses required, of which no more than four may be below the 300 level.
Method and Historiography: All concentrators are required to take CAS HI 200, ideally in their sophomore year, but in no event later than one semester after declaring a history concentration.
Geographical/Chronological Distribution (four courses): At least one course is required in each of the following areas: American history, European history, world/regional history. One of the four courses must focus on premodern history; a list of courses satisfying this requirement is available in the department office and in the Course Areas section of the departmental Web site.
Colloquium Requirement: Concentrators must take at least two colloquia, which in the general history track may be in any area.
Option B: Specialty Tracks in History
Minimum of eleven courses required, of which no more than four may be below the 300 level.
Method and Historiography: All concentrators are required to take CAS HI 200, ideally in their sophomore year, but in no event later than one semester after declaring a history concentration.
Geographical/Chronological Distribution (four courses): At least one course is required in each of the following areas: American history, European history, world/regional history. One of the four courses must focus on premodern history; a list of courses satisfying this requirement is available in the department office and in the Course Areas section of the departmental Web site.
Colloquium Requirement: Concentrators must take at least two colloquia. Ordinarily students specializing in one area of history should take colloquia in their designated field (e.g., those pursuing the American history track should take American history colloquia). If, however, suitable colloquia are not available, students may request their advisor's permission to take other colloquia instead.
Additional requirements for the specialty tracks are given below. A list of courses approved for each track is available in the department office and in the "Course Areas" section of the departmental Web site.
Track 1: History of the United States and the North American Colonies: Checkoff sheet for this track. Minimum of six courses required in American history: CAS HI 151, 152, and four additional courses, two of which must be colloquia.
Track 2: European History: Checkoff sheet for this track. Minimum of six courses required in European history, two of which must be colloquia.
Track 3: World/Regional History: Checkoff sheet for this track. Minimum of eight courses required: CAS HI 175, 176, and six additional courses, two of which must be colloquia. Students develop a coherent program with their advisor. In addition to the history courses in this track, students may include designated courses from the Departments of Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography and Environment, Political Science, Religion, and Sociology.
Track 4: Intellectual and Cultural History: Checkoff sheet for this track. Minimum of six courses, two of which must be colloquia, required from the following:
CAS HI 306 Magic, Science, and Religion
CAS HI 314 The European Enlightenment
CAS HI 315 Intellectual History of Europe in the Nineteenth Century
CAS HI 316 Intellectual History of Europe in the Twentieth Century
CAS HI 339 Cities and Cultures
CAS HI 343 Darwin, Freud, and Einstein
CAS HI 354 Religious Thought in America
CAS HI 368 Science and American Culture
CAS HI 369 Science and Christianity in Europe and North America since 1500
CAS HI 373 Intellectual History of the United States, 1776-1900
CAS HI 374 Intellectual History of the United States, 1900 to the Present
CAS HI 379 Modern American Cultural History
CAS HI 424 European Socialism, 1914-1945
CAS HI 426 Music and Ideas from Mozart to the Jazz Age
CAS HI 428 Postwar European Culture
CAS HI 440 Refugee Intellectuals (1933-1950)
CAS HI 445 Introduction to Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Russian Intellectual History
CAS HI 448 Science and Modern Culture: Darwin, Freud, and Einstein
CAS HI 456 Religion and American Culture
CAS HI 481 Blacks in Modern Europe
CAS HI 493 History of Science
CAS HI 550 Jews in Modern Culture
CAS HI 568 The Modern Metropolis: Approaches to Urban History
CAS HI 579 Race and the South: Questions of Interpretation in History and Literature
CAS HI 580 The History of Racial Thought
CAS HI 583 Black Radical Thought
CAS HI 660 The South in History and Literature
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Option C: Interdisciplinary Tracks
Track 1: History and Religion Checkoff sheet for this track.
Minimum of twelve courses required as follows:
One of the following: CAS HI 101, 102
One of the following: CAS HI 151, 152
CAS HI 200
One additional course in history (not limited to area or chronological period)
Three of the following:
CAS HI 204 Europe Between Renaissance and Revolution
CAS HI 223 Jews in the Modern World
CAS HI 306 Magic, Science, and Religion
CAS HI 308 History of the Crusades
CAS HI 309 Millenarian Expectations in Western History
CAS HI 310 Heresy and Persecution in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries
CAS HI 312 The Reformation Era: Sixteenth-Century Europe
CAS HI 354 Religious Thought in America
CAS HI 369 Science and Christianity in Europe and North America Since 1500
CAS HI 407 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture (also offered as CAS RN 470)
Three additional courses as follows:
One of the following:
CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern
CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western
CAS RN 210 Buddhism
CAS RN 211 Chinese Religion
CAS RN 212 Christianity
CAS RN 213 Hinduism
CAS RN 214 Islam
CAS RN 215 Japanese Religion
CAS RN 216 Judaism
Two of the following:
CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible
CAS RN 202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
CAS RN 219 Mysticism and Philosophy: Medieval Jewish Perspectives
CAS RN 220 The Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
CAS RN 242 Magic, Science, and Religion from Plato to Voltaire
CAS RN 301 Varieties of Early Christianity
CAS RN 307 Medieval Christian Spirituality
CAS RN 313 Hinduism in America
CAS RN 328 Judaism in the Modern Period
CAS RN 334 Dead Sea Scrolls
CAS RN 335 Judaism in the First Century
CAS RN 384 The Holocaust
CAS RN 413 Gender in Medieval Christian Mysticism
CAS RN 427 Topics in American Religion
CAS RN 470 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
CAS RN 498 Topics in Ancient Christianity
Two colloquia in history, one of which must be from the following list:
CAS HI 406 Monks, Friars, and Saints
CAS HI 407 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
CAS HI 443 Jews in Modern German History
CAS HI 456 Religion and American Culture
CAS HI 552 Topics in Jewish History
Track 2: History and Art History Checkoff sheet for this track.
Minimum of twelve courses required as follows:
History (eight courses):
At least one course in each of the following areas: American history, European history, world/regional history
CAS HI 200
Three electives at the 300 or 400 level, preferably in intellectual/cultural history
One colloquium
Art History (four courses):
One of the following:
CAS AH 111 Introduction to Art History I: Antiquity to the Middle Ages
CAS AH 112 Introduction to Art History II: Renaissance to Today
CAS AH 215 Arts of Africa
CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
Two courses in any two fields, at least one at the 300 level
One 400- or 500-level seminar
Track 3: History and International Relations Checkoff sheet for this track.
Minimum of twelve courses required as follows:
History (eight courses):
At least one course in each of the following areas: American history, European history, world/regional history
CAS HI 200
Three courses numbered 300 or above
One colloquium
International Relations (four courses):
CAS IR 230 or IR 271
Three of the following:
CAS IR 303 Universal History
CAS IR 320 The Military Experience
CAS IR 325 Great Powers and the Eastern Mediterranean
CAS IR 330 Diplomatic Practice
CAS IR 341 Central Europe
CAS IR 349 History of International Relations, 1900-45
CAS IR 350 History of International Relations since 1945
CAS IR 363 Soviet Politics, 1917-1991
CAS IR 367 Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
CAS IR 369 Southeast Asia in World Politics
CAS IR 370 China: From Revolution to Reform
CAS IR 382 Understanding the Middle East
CAS IR 465 The United States and the Cold War
CAS IR 509 Islam in Middle East Politics
CAS IR 524 War and Statecraft
CAS IR 545 Central/East European Diplomatic History, 1814-1918
CAS IR 552 Nordic Europe
CAS IR 567 Latin American Politics
CAS IR 579 Japan in International Politics
CAS IR 581 The Evolution of Strategic Intelligence
CAS IR 589 North Atlantic/European Security Issues
Early Registration Period: The early registration period is held in
fall and spring. This is a period during which the department offers extra times
for faculty advising appointments. Once a student has registration materials
(available in the department office), he or she must make
an advising appointment--either stop by the department office or call 617-353-2551. The advisor will have the student's file for this meeting, at which the
two will plan the student's overall studies and, in particular, the classes for
the next semester. The concentrator should make sure the advisor has signed the
registration form.
Checkoff Sheets for Registration (Revised Major Only):
Checkoff sheets for requirements for the new History concentrations (effective September 2007) are available online. Students may download them to prepare for an advising appointment.
Courses with Restricted Enrollment: To enroll in a
colloquium (a 400- or 500-level course), a student will need to contact the instructor for
written or e-mailed permission. Then the concentrator goes to the department office, where registration is handled by computer. For HI 200 (The Historian's Craft), History concentrators (as well as School of Education social studies majors and CGS students who intend to major in History) must contact the department office.
Adding and Dropping Courses: A student may add and drop courses by WebReg through the second week of classes. If a class has reached its enrollment limit,
only a course adjustment form signed by the instructor can enable the student to
register for the class. |
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For students declaring a major before September 2007: At least five courses must be taken at the 300 level or
above at Boston University. HI 301 (Critical Reading in History) or HI 200 (The Historian's Craft) and two
colloquia are required.
For students declaring a major after September 2007: Of the courses required for the concentration, at least five must be taken at Boston University: CAS HI 200, two colloquia, and two additional courses at the 300 level or above.
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Advanced Placement
Students who received a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced
Placement examinations in history receive credit as follows: CAS HI 101 and HI
102 for the European history examination and CAS HI 151 and HI 152 for the
American. No credit is given for the Advanced Placement world history exam. Note that students who declare a major after September 2007 may receive credit toward the major for only three AP courses; a fourth AP course may count as an elective.
College of General Studies
History concentrators who were enrolled in the Boston
University College of General Studies program and completed CGS SS 102
and SS 201 with a grade of C or higher will receive credit for CAS HI 102 and
HI 176 respectively.
Core Curriculum
Concentrators who complete the humanities sequence
of the College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum receive credit for two
courses: CAS HI 101 and HI 102.
Transfer Course Approval
To obtain approval for courses completed
at other institutions, a student gets an approval form in the Student Records
Office (CAS B3, 725 Commonwealth Avenue) and takes this form, together with
class descriptions from the institution's course bulletin, to the History
Department office. The departmental Director of Undergraduate Studies will
examine the request and, if approval is given, sign the form, which may be
picked up by the student a day or two later.
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Directed Studies
A student who wishes to work on a project with a faculty member may ask that
instructor to supervise a Directed Study (HI 491 in Semester 1, HI 492 in
Semester 2). A detailed plan of study, which may be obtained in the CAS Academic
Advising Office (CAS 105, 725 Commonwealth Avenue), is required. Ordinarily
faculty members do not supervise Directed Studies on topics covered in
regularly scheduled classes.
Honors Program
Students who have been admitted to the CAS Honors Program may
take special honors courses in history; there are one or two such courses each
semester. See the Honors Program office for course descriptions and more
information on enrolling.
Independent Work for Distinction
During the senior year the student enrolled in distinction work must prepare an
honors thesis, which will be credited as one course each semester, and defend it
in an oral examination. Students interested in undertaking work for
distinction must have a CAS grade point average of 3.0 in all courses, 3.5 in
history courses; they should begin the application process in their junior
year.
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GRADUATION
Students may graduate in September, January, or May; commencement ceremonies
are held only in May, but students who graduated earlier in an academic year may
participate. Graduation applications are due one calendar year before the date
of graduation; timely applications are important because they allow a student
at least a semester to correct any deficiencies. The department holds its own
convocation at the May commencement; it is at this ceremony that diplomas are
awarded. A letter is sent to all prospective graduates at least a month before
commencement detailing the ceremonies.
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A minor concentration in the Department of History consists of six courses,
four of which must be at the 300 level or above and one of which must be a
colloquium. Students must earn a minimum grade of C or higher in courses taken
toward the minor concentration. The purpose of this program is to offer
students a chance to develop their own particular interests in history. A
planned program must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
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History concentrators initiated into Phi Alpha Theta, shown with Prof. Thomas Glick, advisor to the group. | |
The Undergraduate History Association is an organization for history
concentrators and other students interested in the study of history.
Activities include discussions, lectures, and museum trips. Members also
assist at events designed for prospective history majors.
Delta Mu Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, was
established at Boston University in 1952. Membership is open to undergraduates
and graduates concentrating in history. Eligibility for undergraduates is
based primarily on high scholastic achievement in all subjects and especially
in the field of concentration.
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Historical thinking occurs in almost all fields of human endeavor where reconstructing the past plays a key role in understanding the situation (i.e., from our individual understanding of each other, medical problems and crimes, to the evolution of both the species and the galaxy). What professional historians study, however, gives them a particularly sharp sense of the ways in which phenomena similar to those we now encounter on a social and political scale have played out in the past (e.g., drive for human rights, legislative and religious reforms, imperial ambitions, state-formation, international and class relations, economic and technological growth, patterns of marriage, gender and the family). The experience of plunging into archival detail from past lives and eras and reconstructing processes that led to the our situation brings at once an acute and encompassing perspective to present matters. This informed, larger view offers all kinds of insights crucial for the formulation of current goals and strategies, whether through journalistic presentation, policy analysis, or managerial decision-making. Without these, we risk making decisions uninformed by all but the most immediate concerns which, in our age of information glut, can easily overwhelm our attention span.
The standard critique of democracies points to the plethora of politicians they produce and the dearth of statesmen and women. It would greatly increase the incidence of politicians rising to the demands of statecraft if we were to increase awareness of history and an ability to think historically on the part of all players in our public sector, from government officials, NGOs, and journalists, to the general public whose voting patterns play so important a role in the decision-making of politicians.
No subject does not have a history, and therefore no subject does not have a place in the historian’s craft. As a result, when considering an undergraduate entering a world of ever-changing jobs and job descriptions, in a world demanding ever new and more farsighted solutions, few fields better prepare one to navigate the demands and manage the needs of our society--and our world--than history. |
- Teaching
- Journalism and Media
- Management
- Politics and Activism
- Government
- Statesmanship
- Diplomacy
- Policy Analysis
- Law and Legislation
- Medicine and Research
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- Psychotherapy
- Publishing
- Documentary Work
- Creative Writing (novels, scripts)
- Museum/Archive
- Landmark Preservation
- Library and Information Management
- Translation
- Consulting (e.g., movies, TV, museums)
- Tourism
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