Courses

Courses numbered 600-699 are open to only graduate students but are run parallel to 500-level courses (which are open only to undergraduate students). Graduate and undergraduate students will sit in the same classroom but graduate students will be in a different course with a different syllabus requiring them to do work in addition to, or different from, the work required of undergraduates.

Courses numbered 700-799 are open to graduate students only. History 701, Historiography and Historical Method, is the introduction to graduate study in history. It is required of all graduate students in the department and should be taken during your first semester. Most 700-level history courses fall into three categories: proseminars, primary source proseminars, and seminars.

Proseminars are variable content courses of reading and discussion in the literature of a particular period or topic. You are exposed to a variety of interpretations and will be expected to develop a critical understanding of the nature of historical writing. The subject of each course will be announced in the schedule of classes for each semester.

Primary Source Proseminars are courses, in the catalog listed as in the Use and Understanding of Sources (currently HST 783, 784, 785, 786, and 787),  that study primary sources in a historical field. Students will study these sources discussing and analyzing their content, origins, and context in order to understand their application to the research, writing, and teaching of history. These courses have been offered online.  

Seminars are courses of intensive training in the techniques of historical research and writing. Under the direction of a graduate faculty member, you will do research in primary and secondary materials, and then write a scholarly paper. The essay is criticized by the professor and the other members of the seminar. The subject of each course will be announced in the schedule of classes for each semester.

Great care should go into the selection of a research topic to ensure that adequate primary materials are available and that the topic has not been overworked by other scholars. You will be expected to make an original contribution as a result of your work. You will also be expected to revise your work after the seminar to ensure that it meets the standards of the seminar director and members of the advisory committee who will read the paper and make suggestions for improvement.

HST 796 is an individually directed course of readings. It is generally offered to students who have taken a graduate-level lecture course and wish to read more extensively on the subject of the course. If you wish to take a readings course you must consult with the professor who specializes in the area. If the professor agrees to direct your reading, the professor will prepare a course of study for you and fill out the Independent Readings Permission Form. Prerequisites: Permission of the graduate advisor or chair of the student's advisory committee and the department head. This process must be completed before a student can register for HST 796.

The department recommends four to six books per credit hour for this course. The readings course proposal must contain a list of reading assignments (books or articles) and also indicate the other procedures, i.e., how often the student will meet with the readings director and the nature of the written work. Some combination of discussion and written work should be included such as short reviews or bibliographical essays.

A thesis (HST 799) is a sustained research effort of a semester in duration that provides an original contribution through its use of primary sources and/or new interpretations. A thesis is usually one-hundred pages or more in length. (See the Graduate College thesis guidelines.)