DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY

Graduate study in History at Sam Houston State University concentrates on the following objectives: to prepare public school and junior college teachers; to train individuals for careers as academic librarians; to upgrade the research and writing skill of such practicing professionals as librarians, clergymen, teachers, and military officers; to provide a background for careers in law ,journalism, and strategic intelligence; to prepare students for future graduate study; and to train individuals for careers in the civil service and public history (museum and historical society administration, archival and records management, and historical research and writing for private corporations and government agencies).

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students seeking admission to the graduate program in History must meet the following requirements:

1. Submit a Graduate Studies Application for Admission with the application fee to Graduate Studies.
2. Submit official transcripts of all college-level work, including the transcript that shows the date the undergraduate degree was conferred.
3. Submit GRE scores.
4. Submit two letters of recommendation that discuss the applicant’s suitability for graduate study.
5. Submit a writing sample of scholarly work.

A holistic review of each student’s application file will be completed on a competitive basis.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Master of Arts, Plan I. This program calls for 30 semester hours in history, including 6 semester hours of credit for the thesis (HIS 698 and 699). Openings for Plan I students are limited, and Chair approval is required. Plan I students may choose from one of the following curriculum patterns:

The student’s understanding of the three fields is tested by oral and written comprehensive examinations. Students must be enrolled in the University the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered.

Master of Arts, Plan II. This degree plan is intended for graduate students who prefer all of their course work to be in History and who prefer not to write a thesis. The degree calls for 36 semester hours in History. All students on this plan must take HIS 694. These 3 hours are included in the 36 total hours. Plan II students may choose from one of the following curriculum patterns:

The student’s understanding of the three fields is tested by oral and written comprehensive examinations. Students must be enrolled in the University the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered.

Master of Arts, Plan III. This degree plan is intended for students seeking preparation in History as the major field and in a logically-related minor field. The degree calls for 24 semester hours in History and 12 semester hours in the minor field. Of the 24 hours in History, 15 must be in a primary history field and 9 in a secondary history field (Early U.S. History, Later U.S. History, Modern European History, World History and Military History) with 3 hours required for HIS 694. These three hours can be counted toward the primary or secondary field hours. The student’s understanding of the primary and secondary fields is tested by oral and written comprehensive examinations, while understanding of the minor field is determined by the particular department in which the minor is taken. Students must be enrolled in the University the semester or summer session in which the comprehensive exam is administered.

Master of Education. This degree plan is intended for teachers of History at the secondary level and is initiated in the College of Education. Interested students should consult the College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

History Curriculum. The History curriculum consists of courses in various fields of Early U.S. History, Later U.S. History, European History, Military History, and World History. For the most part, the courses offered are intended to strengthen a student’s mastery of factual content and historical relationships through lectures, intensive reading, class discussion, and reports on selected topics. History 694 is a research seminar required of all Master of Arts Plan II and Master of Arts Plan III students. History 698 and 699 are required of all Master of Arts Plan I students. Certain 400-level courses may be taken for graduate credit.

HISTORY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

HIS 537 TOPICS IN PRE-MODERN HISTORY. The course will study major historical development prior to the 16th century. It will deal with selected topics in the history of ancient and medieval Europe, as well as topics in the histories of traditional civilizations and cultures of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Readings will include important secondary works as well as primary sources. Credit 3.

HIS 561 AMERICAN CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS HISTORY. A study of selected topics in the cultural and religious history of the peoples of North America; the course focuses on the patterns of beliefs and values held by American men and women which have shaped each major period from colonial times to the present. Credit 3.

HIS 563 SEMINAR IN MILITARY HISTORY. Selected topics in Military History. Credit 3.

HIS 571 COLONIAL AND REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA. This is essentially a readingsoriented course. Broad themes from the colonial-revolutionary period will be singled out. Readings will be assigned to familiarize students with the general themes. More specific readings will be assigned and individual reports will be discussed at length in class. Credit 3.

HIS 572 EARLY NATIONAL AMERICA. Studies tracing the development of the United States from 1783 to 1840; the failure of the Confederation; organization of government under the Constitution; the Federalist Period; Jeffersonian democracy; the War of 1812; national growth in the post-war period; political and economic change; the party structure; the rise of Jackson; and social reform. Credit 3.

HIS 573 HISTORY OF THE ANTEBELLUM SOUTH, THE CIVIL WAR, AND RECONSTRUCTION. Studies intended to cover selected topics in the political, military, economic, and social institutions of the United States during the Civil War Era. Credit 3. HIS 575 RECENT AMERICA, 1876-1933. Studies designed to cover social, economic, cultural, diplomatic and political developments of late-nineteenth and 20th century America. Credit 3.

HIS 576 CONTEMPORARY AMERICA, 1933-PRESENT. This course will offer a careful survey of United States history since 1933, including such topics as the Great Depression, the New Deal, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, the Watergate Crisis, the Iranian Hostage Crisis, the Reagan Era, the End of the Cold War, and the Roots of 9/11. Credit 3.

HIS 577 THE AMERICAN WEST. This course covers the American West as a region with a strong emphasis on the 19th century. It will explore the interpretive development of the field as it has progressed from a traditional focus on Anglo expansion to a more balanced view that embraces race, gender, and the workaday West.

HIS 582 TOPICS IN THE HISTORY OF WOMEN. A study of selected topics in the history of women; the course focuses on the experiences of women of diverse cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. The course examines women’s responses to social forces during critical periods in their history. Credit 3.

HIS 583 UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC HISTORY. This course is a study of selected topics tracing the development of United States foreign policy from 1775 to the present. Topics may include diplomacy of the Revolutionary Era; the Early Republic; Manifest Destiny; the Civil War Era; Imperialism and Expansion; the Great Crusade and after; World War II; and the Cold War. The emphasis is on the forces that have influenced diplomacy and on the changing interpretations of United States foreign policy. Credit 3.

HIS 584 TEXAS HISTORY. An in-depth examination of Texas history, including study of indigenous peoples, Spanish colonization, the Mexican era, Anglo- and African- American settlement, the Revolution and Republic period, statehood, Civil War and Reconstruction, the cattle kingdom, the oil industry, and political and economic modernization. The course may be conducted as either a research or reading seminar. Credit 3.

HIS 585 LATIN AMERICAN HISTORY. The topics for this course will vary from semester to semester among such subjects as the diplomatic, political, social, and intellectual history of specific geographical areas in Latin America; i.e., Mexico, the Caribbean, the Anglo-Spanish border lands, or South America. Credit 3.

HIS 589 GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE. The topics for this course will vary from semester to semester among various chronological periods and will deal specifically with British religious, political, social, cultural, economic and imperial history. Credit 3.

HIS 591 ASIAN HISTORY. The topics for this course will vary from semester to semester among such subjects as the diplomatic, political, social, economic and intellectual history of specific geographical areas in Asia, i.e. East Asia, the Subcontinent, and South East Asia. Credit 3.

HIS 593 EUROPEAN DIPLOMATIC HISTORY. Studies covering selected topics in the history of European international politics from the 18th through the 20th century. Alternate emphasis will be placed on Eastern and Western Europe as well as on different eras of diplomacy, at the discretion of the instructor. Credit 3.

HIS 594 EARLY MODERN EUROPE. The course covers the 15th-18th centuries and considers how the foundations for Modern Europe were established amid the dynamic if not wrenching transformation from a medieval way of life characterized by religious concerns, kingdoms, a predominately agrarian economy, and a rigid social order, to a modern one marked by science and secularism, sovereign states, a commercialized and industrializing capitalist economy, and a more socially diverse and mobile world. Credit 3.

HIS 595 LATER MODERN EUROPE. A study of selected topics in Later Modern European History. Credit 3.

HIS 597 INDEPENDENT STUDY. This is a course designed for studies of individually selected topics not specifically provided in any of the formal courses. Prerequisite: Consent of History Department Chair. Credit 3.

HIS 694 SEMINAR IN HISTORY. This course is a research seminar in which students will develop skills in locating, extracting, evaluating, and synthesizing historical information and writing an article-length paper based on primary sources. Students may also be expected to supplement their research with other readings under the direction of the professor.

HIS 698 HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. A concentrated approach to historical research emphasizing bibliographic techniques, critical evaluation of historical documents, historiographical interpretations, narrative analyses and organization, and writing skills. Required on all degree plans. Credit 3.

HIS 699 THESIS. Credit 3.