History, BA
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Program Description
The history curriculum offers courses that provide all University students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the development of the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. These courses also assist students in refining their reading, listening, critical thinking, writing, communication, and research skills. The history curriculum offers integrated perspectives on political, social, economic, cultural, and military factors, which have shaped the city, the state, the nation, the region, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
The history major is designed for students seeking a greater understanding of the past, teaching certification for grades 4-8 and secondary education, or preparation for careers in public history and graduate-level studies in the humanities and law. Drawing upon the holdings of the Special Collections and Archives Department as well as other library resources, the program also offers graduate courses for students enrolled in the Master of Arts in History program.
Students majoring in history choose one of two tracks, Historical Studies or Public History. With minor exceptions, both tracks share a common core but have different emphases in their upper-division electives. Both require a minimum of 33 semester hours of history coursework, at least 27 of which must be at the upper-division level. Six additional hours of lower-division United States history are required as part of the Core Curriculum Program. The College of Liberal Arts also requires students in history to take at least 6 hours of a second language. Students planning to pursue graduate study should elect additional courses which help achieve proficiency in foreign languages and/or statistics.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will:
- think critically, read analytically, and write clearly;
- conduct independent research, handle primary sources, and construct an original historical thesis;
- and understand the social, economic, cultural, and political dimensions of historical development.
General Requirements
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Curriculum Program | 42 |
| University Seminar (when applicable)1 | 0-2 |
| History Major Requirements | 33 |
| Electives | 39 |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 |
- 1
Full-time, first time in college students are required to take university seminar.
- USSE 1201 University Seminar (2 sch)
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, First-year Students | ||
| USSE 1201 | University Seminar | 2 |
| Core Curriculum Program | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 42 | |
| History Core Requirements | ||
| See the Core Curriculum Program for information on the requirements for American History. In addition to satisfying these requirements, students in all History B.A. tracks must take six semester credit of English in the core curriculum program, including ENGL 1302 and three hours of Core English Literature. | ||
| History Tracks | ||
| Select one of the following Tracks: | 33 | |
| Historical Studies Track | ||
| Public History Track | ||
| Note: | ||
| Students must take at least 3 hours of History ethnicity or gender classes. These classes can be used to satisfy the requirements of other clusters. They include: | ||
| Mexican American History | ||
| United States Women's History | ||
| European Women's History | ||
| The History of Sexuality in the West | ||
| Mexican American Women's History | ||
| Topics in History 1 | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select 39 hours of university electives. | 39 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | ||
| See the College of Liberal Arts for the college language requirement. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
- 1
When topic is approved for cluster–see S.A.I.L. or advisor for further information.
Historical Studies Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| HIST 3385 | The Art and Practice of History | 3 |
| HIST 4385 | Historical Research and Writing | 3 |
| Lower-division Surveys | ||
| HIST 2322 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 2321 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| Upper-division Surveys | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Colonial Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Asia 1 | ||
| Mexican American History 1 | ||
| U.S. History | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Texas History | ||
| Colonial North America | ||
| The American Revolution | ||
| Colonial and Revolutionary U.S. | ||
| The Early American Republic | ||
| Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| U.S. Gilded Age and Progressive Era | ||
| Emergence of Modern U.S. | ||
| U.S. Since 2nd World War | ||
| The U.S. Urban Experience | ||
| Environmental History and Environmental Justice | ||
| Introduction to Public History | ||
| Oral History and Podcasting | ||
| U.S. Cultural Experience | ||
| U.S. Modern Popular Culture | ||
| The Military and United States History | ||
| Mexican American History 1 | ||
| United States Women's History | ||
| Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific 1 | ||
| Narratives of World War II in the Pacific 1 | ||
| Mexican American Women's History | ||
| Topics in History 2 | ||
| European and World History | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| History of World Religions | ||
| Colonial Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Latin America 1 | ||
| The Ancient World | ||
| Europe 1750-1815 | ||
| Europe 1815-1914 | ||
| Europe 1914 to the Present | ||
| Modern Asia 1 | ||
| Dictators and Dirty Wars in Latin America | ||
| European Women's History | ||
| The Holocaust | ||
| European Thought and Culture, 1750-present | ||
| The History of Sexuality in the West | ||
| Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific 1 | ||
| Narratives of World War II in the Pacific 1 | ||
| Mexico: the National Period | ||
| Cold War Kids: Youth in Modern Latin America | ||
| Topics in History 2 | ||
| History Electives | ||
| Select 6 hours of upper division HIST courses not required for the major | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- 1
May not be used to satisfy requirements in more than one cluster.
- 2
When topic is approved for cluster–see S.A.I.L. or advisor for further information.
Public History Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| HIST 4385 | Historical Research and Writing | 3 |
| HIST 3385 | The Art and Practice of History | 3 |
| Lower-division Surveys | ||
| HIST 2321 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 2322 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| Upper-division Surveys | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Colonial Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Asia 1 | ||
| Mexican American History 1 | ||
| U.S. History | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Texas History | ||
| Colonial North America | ||
| The American Revolution | ||
| Colonial and Revolutionary U.S. | ||
| The Early American Republic | ||
| Civil War and Reconstruction | ||
| U.S. Gilded Age and Progressive Era | ||
| Emergence of Modern U.S. | ||
| U.S. Since 2nd World War 1 | ||
| The U.S. Urban Experience | ||
| Environmental History and Environmental Justice 1 | ||
| Introduction to Public History 1 | ||
| Oral History and Podcasting 1 | ||
| U.S. Cultural Experience | ||
| U.S. Modern Popular Culture | ||
| The Military and United States History | ||
| Mexican American History 1 | ||
| United States Women's History 1 | ||
| Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific 1 | ||
| Narratives of World War II in the Pacific 1 | ||
| Mexican American Women's History | ||
| Topics in History 2 | ||
| European and World History | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| History of World Religions | ||
| Colonial Latin America 1 | ||
| Modern Latin America 1 | ||
| The Ancient World | ||
| Europe 1750-1815 | ||
| Europe 1815-1914 | ||
| Europe 1914 to the Present | ||
| Modern Asia 1 | ||
| Dictators and Dirty Wars in Latin America | ||
| European Women's History | ||
| The Holocaust | ||
| European Thought and Culture, 1750-present | ||
| The History of Sexuality in the West | ||
| Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific 1 | ||
| Narratives of World War II in the Pacific 1 | ||
| Mexico: the National Period | ||
| Cold War Kids: Youth in Modern Latin America | ||
| Topics in History 2 | ||
| Public History Requirements | ||
| HIST 3370 | Introduction to Public History 1 | 3 |
| HIST 4399 | Internship 1 | 3 |
| Public History Electives | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| U.S. Since 2nd World War 1 | ||
| Environmental History and Environmental Justice 1 | ||
| Introduction to Museum Studies 1 | ||
| Oral History and Podcasting 1 | ||
| United States Women's History 1 | ||
| Topics in History 2 | ||
| Internship 1 | ||
| Grants and Proposals | ||
| Total Hours | 33 | |
- 1
May not be used to satisfy requirements in more than one cluster.
- 2
When topic is approved for cluster–see S.A.I.L. or advisor for further information.
Course Sequencing
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| HIST 1301 | U.S. History to 1865 | 3 |
| USSE 1201 | University Seminar | 2 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| Lower-Division History Survey (HIST 2321 or 2322) | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Language Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIST 1302 | U.S. History Since 1865 | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 or COMM 1311 | Writing and Rhetoric II or Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| Lower-Division History Survey (HIST 2321 or 2322) | 3 | |
| Language Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Lower-Division Elective | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Lower-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| HIST 3385 | The Art and Practice of History | 3 |
| European & World History Course | 3 | |
| U.S. History Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| U.S. History Course | 3 | |
| Upper-Division History Survey Course | 3 | |
| Upper-Division History Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Upper-Division History Elective | 3 | |
| European & World History Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HIST 4385 | Historical Research and Writing | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Courses
HIST 1301 U.S. History to 1865
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from 1492 to 1865.
TCCNS: HIST 1301
HIST 1302 U.S. History Since 1865
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from 1865 to the present.
TCCNS: HIST 1302
HIST 2301 Texas History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Spanish colonial period, Mexican statehood, independence, the development of the Republic, annexation and growth as a state.
TCCNS: HIST 2301
HIST 2311 Western Civilization I
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Survey of the cultures and civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean world and the political, social, economic, military, cultural, and intellectual influences shaping the emergence and development of Europe to 1500.
TCCNS: HIST 2311
HIST 2312 Western Civilization II
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A survey of the political, social, economic, military, cultural, and intellectual development of Europe from 1500 to the present.
TCCNS: HIST 2312
HIST 2321 World History to 1500
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course offers a survey of the history of the world from the emergence of human cultures through the 15th century. The course examines major cultural regions of the world with a focus on their development and their cross-regional interactions.
HIST 2322 World History Since 1500
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
examines major global issues over the past 500 years. Topics may include European expansion and colonialism, the integration of the Americans into world economic systems, changes in science and technology, decolonization, and modern environmental problems. This course will help students understand historical events within a global framework.
HIST 3301 History of World Religions
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Surveys the key beliefs, practices, rituals, figures, and historical developments of the world's major religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and New Age religions. Gives particular attention to their encounter with modernity and their complicated place in today's global, diverse, post-modern world.
HIST 3303 Colonial Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An overview of Latin American history from pre-Columbian times until Independence.
HIST 3304 Modern Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of the major political, economic and cultural processes that marked the development of modern Latin America.
HIST 3307 The Ancient World
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines the ancient history of the human race. It begins with the evolution of Homo sapiens in Africa and continues through approximately the 4th century CE. Topics examined include the formation of cultures, societies, states, and empires around the world including those in Egypt, Southwest Asia, India, China, and the Mediterranean.
HIST 3315 Europe 1750-1815
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the processes which contributes to the establishment of a new political, economic, and social order in Europe. The course includes an in-depth focus upon the causes and consequences of the French Revolution as well as an examination of the European response to Napoleon.
HIST 3316 Colonial North America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Covers early North American history from pre-contact through 1763, with a focus on the territory that would eventually become the United States. Examines the varieties of colonial worlds created by Europeans and native peoples, the nature and impact of European colonization, the development of slave societies, the emergence of regional economies and modern culture, the consolidation of European empires in the early and mid-18th century, and the imperial wars that finally set the stage for the coming of the American Revolution.
HIST 3317 Europe 1815-1914
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The evolution of European industrial society from the Congress of Vienna to the outbreak of World War I. Themes include changes in the nature of work and family life, urbanization, and the emergence and growth of liberalism, socialism, nationalism, and romanticism as competing ideologies.
HIST 3318 The American Revolution
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Covers the history of the American Revolution from the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763 to the ratification on the new federal constitution in 1789. Covers the political and social history of the independence movement, the Declaration of Independence, the military, social, and indigenous history of the Revolutionary War, and the making of the Constitution.
HIST 3319 Europe 1914 to the Present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Political, social, economic and cultural developments since 1914: includes the impact of World War I, the Russian Revolution, Fascism, the origins of the Cold War, the tension between European unification and growing ethnic tensions and the dissolution of the Soviet empire.
HIST 3320 Colonial and Revolutionary U.S.
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Traces regional economic, social, and political change in the Americas from 1607 to the end of the Revolution.
HIST 3321 The Early American Republic
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course examines American history from the end of the revolutionary war to 1850. Political, economic, and social issues including, but not limited to, the creation of the Constitution, the development of the first and second party systems, the market revolution, antebellum reform, the Old South, and westward expansion.
HIST 3323 Civil War and Reconstruction
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Background and causes of the Civil War; military, political, diplomatic, and economic developments during the War; Reconstruction and post?war adjustments.
HIST 3324 U.S. Gilded Age and Progressive Era
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An examination of the dramatic period when the United States definitively settled the remaining portions of the continent and decisively moved towards becoming an industrial, urban nation with world-wide economic and political influence.
HIST 3325 Emergence of Modern U.S.
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of American life from World War I through World War II. Topics include America's rise to a world power, the social, cultural, and political effects of corporate enterprise, urbanization, and immigration, women's suffrage, the Twenties, and the New Deal.
HIST 3326 U.S. Since 2nd World War
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A study of American life and development as a world power since World War II.
HIST 3335 The U.S. Urban Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A general survey of the social, cultural, and political history of the American city, with particular emphasis on Corpus Christi and the ways our city illustrates these larger trends.
HIST 3340 Modern Asia
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course will examine Asia from 1600 to the present. Topics include politics, the nation state, colonialism, empire, war, nationalism, the Cold War and revolution, all in a historical context.
HIST 3345 Environmental History and Environmental Justice
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores how the environment has shaped society and the ways in which humans, in turn, have shaped nature throughout American history. Also focuses on environmental justice and injustices along the Gulf Coast. Public history component.
HIST 3350 Dictators and Dirty Wars in Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the rise of dictatorships and military regimes in twentieth century Latin America. Focuses on human rights struggles and popular movements in Mexico, Central America and the Southern Cone.
HIST 3360 Introduction to Museum Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours (1.5 Lecture Hours)
In this cross-disciplinary class, students of history, sciences, the arts, and more will be introduced to the different departments of a museum and gain experience in programming, exhibits, research, public engagement, and other various aspects of museum management through their participation in a real working museum (Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History).
HIST 3370 Introduction to Public History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A Project-centered class that examines public history practices and debates, including the changing field over time, the relationship between history and memory, and the interpretive and sometimes controversial nature of historical sites and exhibits. Students will also learn methods and practices of museums, archives, oral history, digital history, and more. Includes community-engaged learning, workshops, local field trips.
HIST 3373 Oral History and Podcasting
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
A project-based course designed to teach students oral history, audio recording, and editing. Topics include oral history theory and methods, the role of testimony and memory in constructing historical narratives, interview techniques, archival practices, and the technical aspects of audio production, audio storytelling, and podcasting.
HIST 3385 The Art and Practice of History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Introduces students to the most significant historiographical problems that face historians, focusing on recent and current controversies that have shaken the profession and been the subject of public and political debate. Provides examples of how historians think about and do history.
HIST 4320 U.S. Cultural Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores ways that the myriad groups who have made up American society from the colonial period to the "information age" understood and expressed themselves and related to each other. (The chronological scope of this course may vary.)
HIST 4327 U.S. Modern Popular Culture
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The historical development of modern popular culture—including television, movies, fiction, newspapers, music and consumption—and its effect on the structure and experience of U.S. society and work from the nineteenth century to the present.
HIST 4335 The Military and United States History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The development of U.S. military strategy and policy from the Colonial Wars through Vietnam.
HIST 4336 Mexican American History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Spanish and Mesoamerican backgrounds, conquest and mestizaje, settlement of Aztlán, interaction with Anglo-Americans, 20th century immigration, urbanization, identity, the Chicano Movement, and Mexican American organizational/political development.
HIST 4337 United States Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Themes include transformations in the notion of womanhood and of sexual differences, changes in the structure, function, and concept of "family" and "household," and historical factors that have shaped women's role in the work force and public life.
HIST 4340 European Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of the experiences of European women from the 18th to the 20th centuries. Also addresses the role that gender has played in the development of modern European societies. Some topics covered are women and the French Revolution, gender and class in industrial Europe, feminism and suffrage, and women and fashion.
HIST 4342 The Holocaust
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines the Holocaust by exploring the role of racism and anti-Semitism, the rise of Nazi policies, Jewish responses and resistance to them, deportation and genocide, the role of war, and the aftermath and memory of an event "beyond human imagination."
HIST 4345 European Thought and Culture, 1750-present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Survey of the major European intellectual and cultural movements from the Enlightenment to the present. Broader than a traditional course in intellectual history, special attention will be given to the emergence and development of the concepts of "modernity" and the challenges of "postmodernism."
HIST 4346 The Search for Modern China: From 1600 to the Present
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
This course surveys modern Chinese history from the late Ming dynasty to the present, with an emphasis on the late 19th and 20th centuries. Topics include empire, colonialism, nationalism, the nation state, modernization, revolution and the Cold War, all in a historical context.
HIST 4347 The History of Sexuality in the West
3 Semester Credit Hours
This course will examine how ideas about sexuality as well as sexual practices and identities have evolved over time and in different places; how the categories of homosexuality and heterosexuality were created and how they have been perceived. The course will focus on the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and the United States, and address the themes of gender, body, race, class, image, representation, and the law.
HIST 4349 Transnational Histories of Asia and the Pacific
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Explores the transnational relations of Asia and the Pacific with the West from the 19th century to the present day. Themes include colonialism and imperialism, diaspora and migration, labor and economy, war and displacement. Topics include the Opium Wars, Immigration and Exclusion, Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima, Military War Brides, Third World Radicalism, Transnational Adoption Complex, and Environmentalism and Globalization.
HIST 4350 Narratives of World War II in the Pacific
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines how the relations between history, memory, and contemporary politics in post-WWII U.S. and Asia-Pacific have shaped the meaning of various contentious issues related to the Pacific War-such as war origins and responsibility, atrocities, racism, reparations, and nationalism-in textbooks, monuments, literature, art, films, political debates, exhibits, commemorative events, and scholarly works in different social and temporal contexts.
HIST 4352 Mexican American Women's History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Examines the broad political, economic, social, and cultural trends in the lives of Mexican American women since 1848.
HIST 4374 Mexico: the National Period
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Traces economic, social, and political change in Mexico from independence to the present.
HIST 4375 Cold War Kids: Youth in Modern Latin America
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
An examination of the experiences of Latin American youth in modern Latin America. Special emphasis on the role of young people in the revolutions and rebellions that marked the Cold War period.
HIST 4385 Historical Research and Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
The study and writing of history, with emphasis on historical analysis, research, and writing. Designed as the capstone course for history majors and prospective social science teachers. This course will feature a senior research paper, and should be taken during the student's final year of undergraduate study.
HIST 4390 Topics in History
3 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lecture Hours)
Study of significant periods, countries, regions, or themes in history. May be repeated when topics vary.
HIST 4396 Directed Individual Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description.
HIST 4398 Applied Experience
3 Semester Credit Hours
See College description.
HIST 4399 Internship
3 Semester Credit Hours
Best practices and methods in digital archives, museums, and /or public history through field work at a local organization or museum. Offered on application. Repeatable up to 6 hours.