History, Department of

Department Chair

Jochen Burgtorf

Department Office/Website

Humanities 815F
657-278-3474
hss.fullerton.edu/history

Faculty

Gordon Bakken, Gayle Brunelle, Jochen Burgtorf, Kate Burlingham, Benjamin Cawthra, Kristine Dennehy, Nancy Fitch, Natalie Fousekis, Cora Granata, William W. Haddad, Volker Janssen, Steven Jobbitt, Jonathan Markley, Robert McLain, Maged S.A. Mikhail, Stephen Neufeld, Mougo Nyaggah, Stephen O’Connor, Raymond Rast, Jasamin Rostam-Kolayi, Lynn Sargeant, Jessica R. Stern, Laichen Sun, Lisa Tran, Allison Varzally, Philippe Zacaïr

Introduction

Historians engage in systematic study of the human past in order to discover meaning for people in the present. The student of history may draw upon the subject matter and methods of many academic disciplines. Thus, social history employs the methods of the social sciences, including quantitative analysis, in examining social movements and issues in the past; psycho-history utilizes the approaches of psychology in the study of the behavior of historically significant individuals and groups; and the development of the various areas of human intellectual and cultural activity, for instance, the arts and sciences, are studied to inform us of how and why people have thought as they did.

Lower-division survey courses are designed to convey the broad sweep of past human events and introduce the student to the study of causation and historical source materials. Aspects of the philosophy and methodology of history and the mechanics of writing historical essays are addressed in HIST 300A and 300B. The study, in greater depth, of specialized historical topics comprises the bulk of the upper-division offerings of the department. History majors are required to take HIST 490T, a senior seminar on a special topic in which they are expected to write an original historical essay based chiefly upon the analysis of historical materials that date from the time of the events studied.

The history major is useful for students who: (1) seek a broad liberal arts education with the option to choose more specialized study by geographical region, epoch and focus of inquiry (cultural, social, etc.); (2) plan a career in government service, including positions in United States Government agencies and international organizations overseas; (3) in business where writing, research and people skills are important; (4) pursue a career in private, nonprofit organizations that may involve research and service organizations, i.e., archives, museums and libraries; (5) desire to study law; (6) intend to prepare for primary or secondary school teaching; or (7) intend to work for advanced degrees in history in preparation for college teaching. The department is committed to the university’s missions and goals where learning is preeminent.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

Bachelor of Arts in History

The following goals and student learning outcomes apply to students pursuing the B.A. in History:

Knowledge

• Demonstrate knowledge of historical facts, themes and ideas
• Summarize accurately and concisely other historians’ arguments

Effective Written and Oral Communication

• Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate historical knowledge and reasoning both orally and in writing
• Demonstrate the ability to comprehend, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including written sources, images, film and oral histories

Analysis, Evaluation, and Synthesis

• Differentiate between and properly identify the topic, purpose and thesis in a work of historical writing
• Differentiate between evidence and interpretation in a work of historical writing
• Differentiate within the context of a piece of historical writing between primary and secondary sources
• Critically analyze how those sources are used by historians to support their arguments
• Describe and evaluate the methodological approach employed in a piece of historical writing as well as its theoretical underpinnings
• Evaluate the overall effectiveness of a piece of historical writing

Master of Arts in History

The following goals and student learning outcomes apply to students pursuing the M.A. in History:

Knowledge

• Demonstrate knowledge of historical facts, themes and ideas
• Summarize accurately and concisely other historians’ arguments
• Understand the particular methodological and theoretical approaches of historical, as well as interdisciplinary scholarship

Effective Written and Oral Communication

• Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate historical knowledge and reasoning both orally and in writing
• Demonstrate the ability to comprehend, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information from a variety of primary and secondary sources, including written sources, images, film and oral histories
• Demonstrate the ability to articulate respective critical observations
• Demonstrate the ability to adhere to professional conventions of historical writing, including rigorous documentation

Analysis, Evaluation, and Synthesis

• Differentiate between and properly identify the topic, purpose and thesis in a work of historical writing
• Differentiate between evidence and interpretation in a work of historical writing
• Differentiate within the context of a piece of historical writing between primary and secondary sources
• Critically analyze how those sources are used by historians to support their arguments
• Describe and evaluate the methodological approach employed in a piece of historical writing, as well as its theoretical underpinnings
• Evaluate the overall effectiveness of a piece of historical writing
• Contextualize historical writing both diachronically and synchronically

Pre-Professional Information

Students intending careers in government service or business should seek counsel from an adviser. Those planning to pursue graduate study in history should consult a faculty member of their choice. Those who expect to attend law school should plan their course of study with Professor Bakken.

Programs and Courses Offered

Programs

• History, B.A.

• History, M.A.

• History Minor

Courses

Courses are designated as HIST in the class schedule.

• HIST 110A - World Civilizations to the 16th Century (3)
• HIST 110B - World Civilizations Since the 16th Century (3)
• HIST 170A - United States to 1877 (3)
• HIST 170B - United States Since 1877 (3)
• HIST 180 - Survey of American History (3)
• HIST 190 - Survey of American History with Emphasis on Ethnic Minorities (3)
• HIST 201 - The History of Asian Pacific Americans (3)
• HIST 230 - The Ascent of Man (3)
• HIST 300A - Historical Thinking (3)
• HIST 300B - Historical Writing (3)
• HIST 310 - The California Experience (3)
• HIST 311 - World War II (3)
• HIST 315 - A European Tour (3)
• HIST 320 - Modern European History 1789 - Present (3)
• HIST 331 - History of Science: Copernicus to the Present (3)
• HIST 332 - Concepts and Approaches in Women’s History (3)
• HIST 350 - History of Latin American Civilization (3)
• HIST 355 - History of African Civilization (3)
• HIST 360 - Modern Asia: Nationalism and Revolutionary Change (3)
• HIST 377 - Women’s Image in American Film (3)
• HIST 382 - World War II Japanese American Evacuation (3)
• HIST 386A - American Social History 1750-1860 (3)
• HIST 386B - American Social History 1865-1930 (3)
• HIST 394 - The American Civil War (3)
• HIST 395 - A History of the First World War (3)
• HIST 400A - Concepts in World History, Ancient to Early Modern (3)
• HIST 410 - The Rise of the Atlantic World (3)
• HIST 411A - The Ethnic Empire from Imperial Russia to Post-Soviet Eurasia (3)
• HIST 411B - Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing (3)
• HIST 412A - History of the Christian Church to the Reformation(1517) (3)
• HIST 412B - History of the Christian Church from the Reformation to the Present (3)
• HIST 412C - History of the Jews (3)
• HIST 415A - Classical Greece (3)
• HIST 417A - Roman Republic (3)
• HIST 417B - Roman Empire (3)
• HIST 420 - The Byzantine Empire (3)
• HIST 423A - Medieval History, 300-1350 (3)
• HIST 423C - Ancient and Medieval Britain (3)
• HIST 424T - Gender and Sexuality in History (3)
• HIST 425A - The Renaissance (3)
• HIST 425B - The Reformation (3)
• HIST 425C - Society and Culture in Early Modern Europe (3)
• HIST 425D - Magic, Mysticism and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe (3)
• HIST 428A - The Rise and Decline of Liberal Europe in the 19th Century (3)
• HIST 429A - Europe 1890-1945 (3)
• HIST 429B - Europe Since 1945 (3)
• HIST 430A - Enlightenment and Revolution (3)
• HIST 430B - Zola’s Paris (3)
• HIST 432 - From Bismarck to Hitler: Modern Germany, 1870-1945 (3)
• HIST 433A - Tudor-Stuart England (3)
• HIST 433B - History of Modern England and Great Britain (3)
• HIST 434A - Russia to 1801 (3)
• HIST 434B - Modern Russia and the Soviet Regime (3)
• HIST 435A - The Holocaust (3)
• HIST 435B - Fascism, 1918-1945 (3)
• HIST 436A - Cities in European Civilization, 1000-1915 (3)
• HIST 437B - Gender and Sexuality in Modern European History (3)
• HIST 437C - Gender in Russia and USSR: Men, Women and the Family (3)
• HIST 449A - Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Latin America: A History (3)
• HIST 449B - Cuban History Through Film (3)
• HIST 451A - Colonial Period of Latin America (3)
• HIST 451B - 19th-Century Latin America: Era of Nation Building (3)
• HIST 451C - Latin America Since 1945 (3)
• HIST 452 - 20th-Century Brazil (3)
• HIST 453A - History of Mexico pre-Columbian (pre 1521) through 1821 (3)
• HIST 453B - History of Mexico from Independence (1821) to Modern Day (3)
• HIST 458A - West Africa and the African Diaspora (3)
• HIST 458B - Southern Africa in the 20th Century (3)
• HIST 458C - African History Since 1935 (3)
• HIST 460A - The Chinese Diaspora (3)
• HIST 460B - Law and Order in China (3)
• HIST 461 - History of China (3)
• HIST 462B - History of China (3)
• HIST 462C - China Since 1949 (3)
• HIST 463A - History of Japan (3)
• HIST 463B - History of Japan (3)
• HIST 463C - Themes in Korean History (3)
• HIST 464A - History of Southeast Asia to 1800 (3)
• HIST 464B - History of Southeast Asia, 1800-present (3)
• HIST 464C - Early Vietnam (3)
• HIST 464D - Modern Vietnam (3)
• HIST 465A - History of India (3)
• HIST 465B - History of India (3)
• HIST 466A - Islamic Civilization: Arab Era (3)
• HIST 466B - Islamic Civilization: Imperial Age (3)
• HIST 467A - The Middle East in the 19th Century (3)
• HIST 467B - Contemporary Middle East History (3)
• HIST 468A - Women and Gender in Middle East History (3)
• HIST 468B - Eastern Mediterranean 500-900 CE (3)
• HIST 471A - American Colonial Civilization (3)
• HIST 471B - The United States from Colony to Nation (3)
• HIST 473A - Jeffersonian Themes in American Society, 1800-1861 (3)
• HIST 473B - Democracy on Trial, 1845-1877 (3)
• HIST 473C - United States, 1876-1920 (3)
• HIST 475A - United States, 1920-1960 (3)
• HIST 475B - U.S. in the 1950s (3)
• HIST 475C - United States Since 1960 (3)
• HIST 477A - Race Mixing in U.S.A.History (3)
• HIST 477B - Native American History (3)
• HIST 479A - The Urbanization of American Life (3)
• HIST 479B - U.S. Economic History to 1900 (3)