History Major BA
The study of history helps students to develop skills, such as reading comprehension, analysis, cross-cultural comparison and written argumentation that are useful in a range of careers and avocations. The practice of law, political activity, policy studies, library science and museum work are careers that commonly follow from a collegiate study of history. However, the usefulness of historical study is far greater than that of training individuals for a small number of occupations. All citizens -- of this country and of the world -- have good reason to learn history and to learn about the nature of history. In all classes, students come to see that, as both the powerful and the powerless have learned over and over, history is not a perfectly objective chronicle of the past, but rather an interpretation of that past. It is always partial. It can be no other way. Still, these interpretations sometimes appear merely to tell the simple truth -- just the facts. Perhaps this illusion of objectivity is the source of history's power; perhaps this is why so many have concluded that so much is at stake in the question of who gets to write history and how. We are all a part of history, and in that sense, we understand ourselves only to the extent that the tellers of history allow us to do so. At the same time, historical education broadens students' knowledge and perspective, as they learn about people and places far removed from their own experiences. Thus, a goal in history classes is to empower students to develop a discerning eye on the stories about the past that are presented as the simple truth.
Requirements (38 total credits)
Each course can meet only one major requirement.
Introductory Level Requirements (10 credits)
- HIST 301 Historical Interpretation (4 credits)
- Introductory Level Electives (2 courses, 6 credits)
- 100- or 200-level courses or Metropolitan State courses HIST 302-309 fulfill this requirement
Upper-division Level (24 credits)
- Courses numbered HIST 302 and above are considered upper-division courses.
- Outside U.S. History (2 courses, 8 credits) Subject matters in this category include international or comparative history. (See list below.)
- Women's History (1 course, 4 credits) (See list below.)
- Electives (3 courses, 12 credits) Upper-division level courses in any geographical area or field are appropriate.
Capstone Level (4 credits)
Transfer Credits: Students can transfer up to 16 credits to meet major requirements with courses designated as history only. Students cannot transfer courses from other disciplines, including multidisciplinary programs, to meet major requirements.
Partial Listing of Lower-division Courses
- HIST 101 The American Past: To 1865
- HIST 102 The American Past: From 1865
- HIST 103 World History I: Patterns of Civilization to 1500
- HIST 104 World History II: The Modern World, 1500 to the Present
Partial Listing of Courses between 302-309
Although these courses are numbered above 302, they can be used to fulfil the introductory level elective requirement if you so choose.
- HIST 303 U.S. Economic Life: Business
- HIST 304 U.S. Economic Life: Working People
- HIST 305 U.S. Economic Life: Technology
- HIST 309 Women and Public Activism
Partial Listing of Upper-division Topics Courses
U.S. History
- HIST 310 American Indian History
- HIST 311 African American History
- HIST 312 Beginnings of American Society: Colonial and Revolutionary History
- HIST 313 The American Presidents
- HIST 315 The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s
- HIST 320 History of Asian Americans
- HIST 327 American History at the Movies
- HIST 328 Women in Modern U.S. History
- HIST 329 Legacies: History of Women and the Family
- HIST 331 Religion and Politics in America
- HIST 332 Upheaval: Reform and Radicalism in Twentieth-century America
- HIST 333 The Greening of America: Environmental History Since 1900
- HIST 334 The Great Depression of the 1930s
- HIST 336 The American Half-century: U.S. History Since World War II
- HIST 337 U.S. Foreign Relations, World War I to the Present
- HIST 338 U.S.-Russian Relations: Revolution, Cold War and the Present
- HIST 339 History of Sexuality: Modern Perspectives
- HIST 341 The Vietnam War
- HIST 342 The Sixties Experience
- HIST 344 Controversies in Contemporary America: The 1980s and 1990s as History
- HIST 346 Minnesota History
Outside U.S., International an Comparative History
- HIST 350 Europe: Creation and Conflict, 1500-1789
- HIST 351 Europe: The Global Power, 1789-Present
- HIST 354 History of the Holocaust
- HIST 355 Problems in Contemporary Europe in Historical Perspective
- HIST 357 Women in Early Modern Europe
- HIST 361 Africa: From Ancient Times to 1800
- HIST 362 Africa: From Colonialism to Independence
- HIST 363 World Environmental History
- HIST 370 Behind the Great Wall: The Real China
- HIST 371 Understanding Modern Japan
- HIST 372 History of Japanese Popular Culture
- HIST 382 Latin American History I: To 1910
- HIST 383 Latin American History II: 1910 to Present
- HIST 395 The Rise and Fall of Communism
- HIST 398 World War II: A Global History
Women's History
- HIST 309 Women and Public Activism
- HIST 328 Women in Modern U.S. History
- HIST 329 Legacies: History of Women and the Family
- HIST 357 Women in Early Modern Europe
- HIST 394 Comparative Women's History
Faculty-designed Independent Studies
Any upper-division course may be scheduled as a faculty-designed independent study.
Internships
The History Department encourages serious and disciplined history majors to participate in internships which are well-designed and academically beneficial. The department will sponsor one internship per student. An internship will be counted as a 3 credit-hour history course (HIST 350I).
For further inquiries, contact the Department Chair, Doug Rossinow at doug.rossinow@metrostate.edu or call him at (651)793-1468. The department address is: History Department, Metropolitan State University, 700 East Seventh Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 55106-5000. The fax number is (651)793-1446. To contact the College of Arts and Sciences, please call (651)793-1440.