CATALOG • 2009-2010
History – Major/Minor
For information, contact Dr. James Ward, Dr. Barton
Shaw or Dr. Kim Spiezio.
The history program at Cedar Crest emphasizes the
acquisition of knowledge and skills applicable across a broad spectrum of
careers and professions and an engagement with values, ethics, and
choices that will prepare students for responsible democratic citizenship
and fulfilling lives. Many of the skills acquired in history courses
are shared with other disciplines, among them critical thinking, problem
solving, effective communication, and mastery of an ever-widening range of
sources of information. Particular to history, however, are other
skills essential for engaged citizenship and for participation in a global
society. History teaches the importance of understanding change over
time and of knowing how to place events, individuals, and experiences in
the context of time and place. These objectives are highlighted in
the 2008 report of the National History Center Working Group entitled
“The History Major and Undergraduate Liberal Education.”
To quote from the report, “History as a discipline contributes
to civic engagement by focusing on citizenship and how shared civic ideals
have developed over time. History provides important knowledge of the
development of public policy, the institutions of civic society, and how
individuals constitute societies and relate to one another.”
A student’s progress in studying history is
measured by the grades she earns in individual history courses, her grade
point average in the major, and her grade in the senior research seminar.
As the final measure of how well a student has mastered advanced
levels of knowledge and skill, the research seminar is designed to
demonstrate the ability to conduct research, to interpret primary and
secondary sources, to draw conclusions, and to produce an original,
independent , and literate piece of scholarship. Each student is also
required to present a portfolio of evidence that documents her progress
through the major. Students should begin assembling their portfolio
as soon as they have declared their history major and in no case later than
the beginning of the junior year. Portfolio components can include
tests and exams, reports and papers, and any other materials the student
believes demonstrate her increasing proficiency in the study of history.
The portfolio will not be graded and will have no impact on a
student’s grade point average. However, it will provide the
student with tangible evidence of her learning progress and will give her a
substantive record of her mastery of the discipline of history.
Requirements for the History Major—All
Majors (15 credits)
HIS107 European Civilization I 3 credits
HIS 108 European Civilization II 3 credits
HIS 121 Survey of US History I 3 credits
HIS 122 Survey of US History II 3 credits
HIS 350 Research Seminar (Capstone) 3 credits
Requirements for the History
Major—
Concentration in American History (21 credits)
Choose four from the following courses:
HIS 221 The Revolution and the Early Republic 3
credits
HIS 223 The Civil War and Reconstruction 3
credits
HIS 224 America as a World Power 3
credits
HIS 230 The American South since the Civil War
3 credits
HIS 231 American Cultural Traditions 3
credits
HIS 232 The African-American Liberation
Struggle 3 credits
Plus the following two courses:
HIS 210 Liberal Democracy and Capitalism 3
credits
HIS 211 20th-Century Dictatorships 3
credits
Plus one other history course 3 credits
Requirements for the History
Major—
Concentration in European and World History (21 credits)
Choose four from the following courses:
HIS 210 Liberal Democracy and Capitalism 3
credits
HIS 211 20th-Century Dictatorships 3
credits
HIS 218 The City as History 3 credits
HIS 250 Germany and the Path to European Union
3 credits
HIS 251 Soviet and Post-Soviet Russia 3
credits
HIS 278 Terror: The History of an Idea 3
credits
Plus the following two courses:
HIS 224 America as a World Power 3
credits
HIS 270 China and Japan in the Modern Age 3
credits
Plus one other history course 3 credits
While it is anticipated that most majors will choose
to concentrate in American or European and world history, it is possible
for a student to design an individual concentration that combines elements
of the two, based on her future academic or career aspirations. To do
so, she must present a persuasive rationale together with a coherent
sequence of courses to accomplish her educational purposes. In every
case, she is expected to work closely with her faculty advisor and she must
obtain approval by the department. The base requirements (100-level
courses and 350) and the total number of credits required for the major
(36) remain the same.
Cognate Courses
All majors are encouraged to take one or more of the
following cognate courses, which would complement her study in history.
Taking any of these courses is optional on the student’s part
and is not required to complete the major.
ECO 222 Economic Geography 3 credits
PSC 202 Law and Justice 3 credits
PSC 207 Law and Women’s Rights 3 credits
PSC 211 Globalization and Governance 3
credits
PSC 251 Modern Political Thought 3
credits
Requirements for the History Minor (18
credits)
Two history courses at the 100-level and at least four
courses at the 200-level. In selecting the courses that will
constitute her minor, the student should develop a well-thought-out
combination that reflects her intellectual interest in the discipline of
history, the skills she wants to master, and how the history minor will add
strength to her overall undergraduate education.
The evening history major, offered through LVAIC, is
especially designed to meet the scheduling needs of adult students.
