Undergraduate Course Catalog 2006-2007
College of Liberal Arts
» http://www.unh.edu/liberal-arts/
History (HIST)
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Chairperson: Janet L. Polasky
Professor: Jeffry M. Diefendorf, Ellen Fitzpatrick, David Frankfurter, Cathy A. Frierson, Jan V. Golinski, J. William Harris, Francis D. McCann Jr., Janet L. Polasky, Harvard Sitkoff
Affiliate Professor: Stephen H. Hardy, Laurel Ulrich, William R. Woodward
Associate Professor: Funso Afolayan, W. Jeffrey Bolster, Kurk Dorsey, Eliga H. Gould, Nicoletta F. Gullace, Yan Lu, Gregory McMahon, Lucy E. Salyer, Jennifer D. Selwyn, Cynthia J. Van Zandt, Ethel Sara Wolper
Assistant Professor: David Bachrach, Molly Girard-Dorsey, Julia E. Rodriguez, Amanda Wunder
Research Assistant Professor: Judith N. Moyer
The study of history is an essential element of the liberal education.
The history major provides both an awareness of the past and the tools
to evaluate and express one’s knowledge. The student who majors in
history will have the opportunity to study the breadth of the human
past and will acquire the skills in critical reading and writing which
form the foundation of the educated life. The study of history may
include all of human culture and society and provides tremendous
latitude in the subjects which may be studied. The interdisciplinary
nature of the field makes it a natural focus for study which may
encompass a variety of other fields.
To complete a major in history, students must take ten 4-credit history
courses or their equivalent. Students who enter the University as
history majors should plan to take the first required course, HIST 500
(Introduction to Historical Thinking) as soon as possible. To declare a
major in history, students must have taken HIST 500 or have registered
for it and have completed two other history courses with a C- or
better. The second required course, HIST 797 (Colloquium in History),
is usually taken during the senior year. Students should consult the
list of topics for HIST 797 and may choose to complete HIST 797 in
their junior year. Besides HIST 500 and HIST 797, a major must take at
least eight courses, of which a minimum of three must be at the 600
level or above. Only one HIST 695 (Independent Study) may be used to
fulfill the 600-level requirement, and no more than two independent
study courses may count toward the ten-course requirement. No more than
two 400-level courses may be counted toward the major requirements.
Students must receive at least a C in HIST 500 and HIST 797, and at
least a C- in the other eight courses. They must maintain a 2.00 or
better in all history courses. General education courses offered by the
department may be counted for major credit or for general education
credit, but not for both.
A student’s program of study must include two parts:
1. An area of specialization. A student must select
at least four courses to serve as an area of specialization within the
major. Up to two courses (each 4 credits or their equivalent) in the
area of specialization may be taken in other departments; such courses
must be 500 level or above and have the approval of the student’s
adviser. The area of specialization may be in a nation, region, a time
period, or an interdisciplinary field.
2. Complementary courses. A student must select, in
consultation with his or her adviser, at least three history courses in
fields outside the area of specialization, chosen to broaden his or her
understanding of the range of history. Normally, each major should take
at least one course from each of Groups I, II, and III, unless
explicitly excused by the student’s adviser.
The program must be planned in consultation with an adviser. A copy of
the program, signed by one’s adviser, must be placed in one’s file no
later than the second semester of one’s junior year. Courses at the
700-level will be judged by the adviser as to their applicability for
area of specialization or complementation. The program may be modified
with the adviser’s approval.
For transfer students, a minimum of five of the semester courses used
to fulfill the major requirements must be taken at the University. One
upper-level course may be transferred to satisfy the requirement that a
major must take at least three courses numbered 600 or above. Transfer
students must complete both HIST 500 or its equivalent and HIST 797.
A minor in history consists of 20 semester credits with C- or better
and at least a 2.00 grade-point average in courses that the Department
of History approves. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis may not be used
for the minor. No more than 12 credits in 400-level courses may be used
for this minor. For transfer students, a minimum of two of the semester
courses, or 8 credits, must be taken at the University of New Hampshire
with a grade of C- or better.
Students intending further work in history beyond the bachelor’s degree are urged to take HIST 775, Historical Methods.
Students intending to major in history should consult with the
department secretary in Horton 405. Suggested programs for students
with special interests or professional plans are available in the
department office.
Undergraduate Awards for Majors
The Philip M. Marston Scholarship,
an award of $500, is available to students who are interested in
colonial or New England history and have demonstrated financial need.
There are course requirements for this scholarship. More details are
available from the history office.
Each spring, the members of the departmental undergraduate committee
choose history majors to receive the following prizes in history:
The William Greenleaf Prize is
given for the best senior colloquium paper. Award candidates must have
a minimum grade-point average of 3.20 in history courses. Individuals
may nominate themselves or may be nominated by faculty members.
The Allen Linden Prize for the best senior history thesis is funded by the Signal Fund.
The Charles Clark Prize is for the best essay or research paper submitted by a history major and is funded by the Signal Fund.
Phi Alpha Theta, the history
honor society, is an international scholastic organization dedicated to
promoting historical study on the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Admission to the UNH Psi Pi chapter is open to undergraduates with an
overall grade-point average of 3.20 and a grade-point average of 3.20
or better in history courses.
