History
Department Office: 309 Gregory Hall, 810 South Wright, Urbana, (217) 333-1155
Administered by the Department of History, students in the history concentration should acquire a broad background from the study of the human experience in different cultures and time periods. A wide distribution of courses is therefore advisable. This is especially true for those who wish to enter government service, or professional schools for law, social work, museum and library science, business administration, or labor and industrial relations. The Social Science: History Teaching Concentration prepares students to teach social studies in Secondary School.
Major in Sciences and Letters Curriculum
Students must select one concentration.
History Concentration
E-mail: history@illinois.edu
Degree title: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minimum required major and supporting course work normally equates to 54 hours including a minimum of 36 hours of History courses.
General education: Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements.
Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours
Departmental distinction:
To be eligible for distinction, a student must be admitted to the Honors Program in History and complete its required coursework. Those admitted (ideally before the beginning of the junior year) must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA in History and a 3.25 GPA overall. They will then pursue a sequence consisting of HIST 495 (Honors Research and Writing Seminar), HIST 492 (Historiography and Methodology) and successful completion of either
1) the Honors Senior Thesis (HIST 493 and HIST 499) in two consecutive semesters (in which case, the level of distinction awarded to student will be decided by the examining committee) OR
2) the completion of two approved independent research projects under the supervision of two different advisors (HIST 490). (in which case, students will be eligible for an award of distinction only (not high or highest distinction)).
| Hours | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Minimum of 36 hours of History courses including: | |
| 6 | Two of the following three courses: |
HIST 100 Global History |
|
HIST 141 Western Civ to 1660 (or HIST 140) |
|
HIST 142 Western Civ Since 1660 (or HIST 143) |
|
| 6 | US History1 courses at the 200-level or above. 3 hours must be in US Minority History1 |
| 6 | European History1 courses at the 200-level or above |
| 6 | Nonwestern History1 courses at the 200-level or above |
| 12 | Hours of history electives (at the 200-level or above). NOTE: HIST 200 Intro Hist Interpretation and HIST 498 Research and Writing Seminar (or HIST 495 Honors Research and Writing Seminar) are required. HIST 200, HIST 495, and HIST 498 may count toward any of the area requirements or the 12 hours of History electives. For those students in the Honors Program, HIST 492 and HIST 490 or HIST 493 and HIST 499 must be taken as part of the 12 hours of required History electives. |
| Of the 36 hours of History courses, 9 required hours may be fulfilled in one or more of the above required areas or history electives: | |
| 6 hours in a pre-modern period, one defined as before 1600 and one defined as before 18001 (HIST 100 and 142 may not be used to fulfill this requirement) | |
| 3 hours in US minority history1 at the 200-level or above | |
| 18 | Hours outside the Deaprtment of History (Supporting coursework)2: All supporting coursework should be related by time, area, and/or topic to the major and is subject to the approval of the History Department Advisor. |
| 12 hours at the 200-level or above, 6 hours at any level. Traditional areas for such supporting coursework are ancient and modern languages (excluding first-year elementary courses and courses used to fulfill the non-primary language requirement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences); Asian American Studies; African American Studies; African Studies; Anthropology; Architecture; Art History; Asian Studies; Classical Civilization; Comparative and World Literature; East Asian Language and Culture; Economics; Education; English; Geography, Gender and Women’s Studies; Library and Information Science; Latina/Latino Studies; Medieval Studies; Music; Philosophy; Political Science; Psychology; Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies; Religious Studies; South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; and Sociology. | |
| 54 | Total hours |
1. Chosen from the list maintained in the Department of History
2. An approved minor may substitute for the supporting coursework requirement, but must include at least 6 hours of advanced-level course work (300- and 400-level). Eighteen hours of 300- and 400-level History courses must be taken on this campus.
Students must pass HIST 200 with a grade of 2.0 or better in order to remain in good standing in the major. Students transferring to the major after freshman year must have passed two 100-level history courses and have passed HIST 200 on this campus with a grade of 2.0 or better. Transfer students must enroll in HIST 200 during their first semester on campus.
All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
A Major Plan of Study Form must be completed and submitted to the LAS Student Affairs Office before the end of the fifth semester (60-75 hours). Please see your advisor.
Social Science: History Teaching Concentration
This concentration prepares its graduates for teaching social studies in grades six through twelve. In order to remain in good standing in this program and be recommended for certification, candidates are required to maintain UIUC, cumulative, content area, and professional education, grade-point averages of 2.5 (A= 4.0). Candidates should consult their advisor or the Council on Teacher Education for the list of courses used to compute these grade-point averages.
E-mail: history@illinois.edu
Web address for department: www.history.illinois.edu
Degree title: Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minimum required course work normally equates to 126 hours including a minimum of 36 hours of History courses
General education: Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements. A semester survey course in American history, a course in Speech Performance, and American Government are required by the Illinois State Board of Education for certification and can be counted towards the General Education requirements. The Advanced Composition requirement should be satisfied by HIST 140, HIST 143, HIST 170, HIST 173, HIST 498 (or by HIST 492 or HIST 495 for students in the Honors Program).
Minimum hours required for graduation: 126 hours
Departmental distinction: To be eligible for distinction, a student must be admitted to the Honors Program in History and complete its required coursework. Those admitted (ideally before the beginning of the junior year) must have earned at least a 3.5 GPA in History and a 3.25 GPA overall. They will then pursue a sequence consisting of HIST 495 (Honors Research and Writing Seminar), HIST 492 (Historiography and Methodology) and successful completion of either
1) the Honors Senior Thesis (HIST 493 and HIST 499) in two consecutive semesters (in which case, the level of distinction awarded to student will be decided by the examining committee) OR
2) the completion of two approved independent research projects under the supervision of two different advisors (HIST 490) (in which case, students will be eligible for an award of distinction only (not high or highest distinction)).
Prerequisites to transfer to the Teaching Concentration: EPSY 201, EPS 201, PS 101, and four courses in History. At least three of the four courses must include HIST 140/141, HIST 142/143, and one from the following cluster of courses: HIST 170/171, 172/173. These four courses will count toward the 36 hours required in history courses overall to complete the concentration but only one of the 4-hour Advanced Composition History courses (140,143, 170,173) may be used. In addition to the requirements for the concentration listed below, students must complete the Teacher Education Minor in Secondary School Teaching (37-38 hours). See the College of Education for requirements of the minor. Conferral of the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences prior to completion of the minor requires approval by petition to the LAS Student Affairs Office. Ordinarily, all students will require 10 semesters to complete this program.
NOTE: Only one Advanced Composition course may count toward the required minimum 36 hours of History courses.
| Hours | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 6-7 | HIST 141 - Western Civ to 1660 (or HIST 140), and HIST 142 - Western Civ Since 1660 (or HIST 143) |
| 15 | United States History: |
HIST 171 - US Hist to 1877 (or HIST 170), and |
|
HIST 172 - US Hist Since 1877 (or HIST 173) |
|
HIST 273 - Illinois History or HIST 288- American Indians of Illinois |
|
One 200-400 level course in 18th-19th century |
|
One 200-400 level course in 20th century |
|
| 6 | Nonwestern and Global History: |
HIST 100 - Global History |
|
One 200-400 level course in global or nonwestern history |
|
| 6 | European History: |
One 200-400 level course to 1700 |
|
One 200-400 level course since 1700 |
|
| 3 | HIST 200 - Intro Hist Interpretation |
| Students must take HIST 498 - Research and Writing Seminar or HIST 495 - Honors Research & Writing Sem (for those students in the Honors Program). Students may count the 3 hours towards any of the history areas noted above: US, Nonwestern/Global, or European. | |
| 41 | Social Science Requirement (many of these will also satisfy general education requirements): |
| Political Science 100, 101, 240/241 | |
| Sociology 100, 380 | |
| Anthropology 143, 230 | |
| Psychology 100 | |
| Economics 102, 103 | |
| Geography 103, 104 |
Twelve hours of 300- and 400-level History courses must be taken on this campus.
All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
Students must maintain a University and cumulative 2.5 grade point to remain in good standing.
Minor in History
A history minor is designed for students who desire to understand the historical background of their major field and to provide an evolutionary or developmental perspective on the study and practice of their major field. Selection of courses will depend on the major and on the interests of the student.
E-mail: history@illinois.edu
Web address for department: www.history.illinois.edu
Students must have at least 9 hours in one of the following fields: US, European, or Nonwestern and 6 hours in a second of those fields.
| Hours | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 6 | Six hours of coursework in History at any level1 |
| 9 | A minimum of 9 hours of 300- or 400-level History courses taken on the Champaign-Urbana campus, with permission, 3 hours may be study abroad hours |
| 6 | A minimum of 6 hours of history courses above the 100 level |
| 21 | Total |
1. A maximum of 6 hours at the 100 level may be used in the minor.