Undergraduate Course Catalog 2015-2016
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
» http://www.manchester.unh.edu
History (HIST)
» http://manchester.unh.edu/academics/degree-programs/history
» Click to view course offerings
Professor: John J. Cerullo, John P. Resch
Associate Professor: Robert L. Macieski
Lecturer: Phillip Deen
History (B.A.)
The study of history is an essential element of a liberal arts education. The history major develops both an awareness of the past and the tools to express one’s knowledge. Study of the past gives meaning to the present, increasing understanding of the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that influence contemporary life.
The study of history may encompass all of human culture and society, and UNH Manchester’s history program allows great latitude in the subjects that students may select as their focus. In fact, the study of those subjects is often best pursued through an interdisciplinary approach, something we much encourage.
The student who majors in history will not only have the opportunity to study the breadth of human experience, but will also acquire the most important and broadly applicable skills conferred by a liberal-arts education: critical thinking, independent research, and effective writing skills. Students of history learn to analyze conflicting evidence; to find cause and effect; to express themselves clearly; to ask relevant questions; and to seek out their own answers. In explaining human events, they come to value careful observation and balanced, informed evaluations of the information at hand. Those are the skills that characterize effective, productive individuals in any and all walks of life.
Students majoring in history must complete a minimum of 128 credits, satisfy the University’s Discovery Program and foreign language requirements, and take ten 4-credit history courses or their equivalent. Students must receive at least a C in HIST 500 and HIST 797, and at least a C- in the other eight courses with an overall average in these courses of 2.0 or better.
History majors are urged to complete HIST 500 in the semester following the major declaration, and HIST 797 during the senior year. Between those gateway and capstone courses, History majors take eight additional history courses. A minimum of three of those must be 600-level or above. A student’s area of concentration is composed of either four or five of those eight courses; all courses within that concentration must be either 500 or 600 level. No more than two 695/696 courses (Independent Studies) may be put toward the ten-course requirement; and only one 695/696 (Independent Study) course may be put toward the (three-course) 600-level requirement. No more than two 400-level courses may be counted toward the major. The program must be planned in consultation with an adviser.
The distribution of required courses for the major is as follows:
HIST 500, Introduction to Historical Thinking
HIST 797, Colloquium in History (fulfills the Discovery Program capstone requirement for history majors and is taken during the senior year)
An approved area of specialization: either four or five courses numbered 500 and above centered around a nation, region, time period, interdisciplinary theme, or other subject approved by a faculty adviser. Two of these courses may be in another program, if the student’s adviser approves.
Complementary history courses: at least three history courses from outside the area of specialization.
A particular feature of the history program at UNH Manchester is the opportunity to do internships for academic credit. These internships, which enable students to work in museums, historical societies, government agencies, archives, and in other institutional settings, are arranged with the help of the faculty.
A typical first-year program consists of at least two history courses (e.g., Introduction to Historical Thinking, Western Civilization, Historical Survey of American Civilization, etc.); First-Year English; three to five Discovery Program requirements; and/or electives.
For more information about the history program, contact John Cerullo, program coordinator, at (603) 641-4109 or John.Cerullo@unh.edu. Or, contact the UNH Manchester Office of Admissions at (603) 641-4150 or unhm.admissions@unh.edu.
