History Major
The history major requires all students to take a minimum of 30 credits or ten courses (excluding one-credit courses). The major aims to assure that all students take courses covering different areas of the world (United States, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Africa). It also aims to assure some exposure by all students to history prior to 1800, as well as requiring at least one course from the modern era after 1800.
Apart from these distribution requirements, students are free to pursue their interests in one or more areas of history in as much depth as they choose.
All history majors are required to take two advanced seminars at the 6000-level. The aim of these seminars is to train students how to understand the contingency of historical interpretation, to frame historical questions, to learn to use primary sources to find the evidence necessary to develop historical analysis, and to write papers in clear and coherent prose. At least one of these Advanced Seminars must be taken during a student’s Junior or Senior year. All 6000-level seminars have, as one of their central requirements, a major research paper that incorporates analytical research and writing skills. The department suggests, but does not require, that students take a 3000-level seminar before taking a 6000-level seminar.
Students pursuing this bachelor’s degree must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in the Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum, 120 credit hours in their degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000. More information on degree and core curriculum requirements can be found here.
See Sample Plan of Study below.
Curriculum Requirements
The History major consists of ten courses totaling at least 30 credits, excluding one-credit courses.
- All majors must take at least three seminars, including two Advanced Seminars at the 6000 level. The third seminar may be at the 3000 or 6000 level. Seminars must be taken at Tulane.
- At least one 6000-level seminar must be taken during a student’s junior or senior year.
- Students must take at least one pre-1800 course and at least one post-1800 course.
- Students must take at least one course in four of the following seven areas: Africa (HISB), Asia (HISC), Europe (HISA and HISE), Latin America (HISL), Middle East (HISM), United States (HISU) and Global/Thematic/Comparative (HIST).
- No more than three (3) 1000 level courses may count toward the major.
- Courses that do not have a letter grade cannot count toward the major.
- A maximum of two courses from other departments can count towards the major.
Advanced Seminars
Advanced seminars - numbered 6000 to 6999 - are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, and also to graduate students. Sophomores may require permission from the course instructor to enroll in a 6000-level seminar.
Pre-1800 Course Options
Ancient and Medieval History (HISA)
- All HISA courses are included under Ancient and Medieval History with the exception of HISA 3230 Great Capts Alexander-Patton (3 or 4 c.h.)
- The following courses in Classical Studies can be counted toward the history major, as European history courses prior to 1800:
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CLAS 1010 | The Rise of Rome | 3 |
| CLAS 2320 | Ancient Greek Religion | 3 |
| CLAS 3090 | Law & Society In Ancient Rome | 3 |
| CLAS 4080 | Sem Anc Society & Econ | 3 |
African History (HISB)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISB 1300 | African Hist To 1800 | 3 |
| HISB 4250 | Topics in the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade | 3 |
Ancient History (HISA)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISA 1020 | After Rome: The Early Medieval World | 3 |
| HISA 1030 | Medieval Europe 1100-1450 | 3 |
| HISA 1500 | Special Topics | 3 |
| HISA 1910 | Special Topics | 3 |
| HISA 2000 | Cities Empires and Gods | 3 |
| HISA 2001 | Warring States of Greece | 3 |
| HISA 2002 | Rome the Imperial Republic | 3 |
| HISA 2020 | The High Roman Empire | 3 |
| HISA 2030 | Byz & Early Med Civilization | 3 |
| HISA 2310 | Medieval England | 3 |
| HISA 2350 | Medieval Italy | 3 |
| HISA 2360 | History of Christianity, From the Jesus Movement to the Reformation | 3 |
| HISA 2910 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| HISA 3000 | Historical Methods: | 1 |
| HISA 3020 | Anatolian Civilization | 3 |
| HISA 3070 | Topics Medieval & Renais Hist | 3 |
| HISA 3100 | Special Topics in Greek History | 3 |
| HISA 3110 | Spec Topics Roman Hist | 3 |
| HISA 3170 | Medieval Spain | 3 |
| HISA 3230 | Great Capts Alexander-Patton | 3 |
| HISA 3250 | Jews, Christians, Muslims | 3 |
| HISA 3910 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| HISA 3970 | Spec offr: Ancient Med | 3 |
| HISA 4140 | The Crusades 1095-1291 | 3 |
| HISA 4150 | The Age of the Vikings | 3,4 |
| HISA 4200 | Dante's Worlds: The Divine Comedy and History | 4 |
| HISA 4910 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
| HISA 6000 | Select Topics Greek History | 3,4 |
| HISA 6010 | Sem Sel Topic Roman Hist | 3,4 |
| HISA 6050 | The Italian Renaissance | 3 |
| HISA 6060 | Later Medieval Spain | 3,4 |
| HISA 6090 | Sem Sel Topics Byzan Hist | 3,4 |
| HISA 6190 | Special Topics: Mediev+Ancient | 3 |
| HISA 6230 | Medieval Cities | 3 |
| HISA 6250 | Medieval Religious Culture | 3 to 4 |
| HISA 6270 | Women&Gender Middle Ages | 3 |
| HISA 6910 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
Asian History (HISC)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISC 2010 | History of China to 1800 | 3 |
Modern Europe (HISE)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISE 1210 | Eur & Wider World To 1789 | 3 |
| HISE 2160 | Europe in the 18th Century | 3 |
| HISE 2240 | Rus Rulers & Tyrants, 900-1825 | 3 |
| HISE 2320 | Early Modern England | 3 |
| HISE 2410 | Spain, 1369-1716 | 3 |
| HISE 2420 | The Age of Reformation | 3 |
| HISE 3230 | The French Revolution | 3 |
| HISE 3300 | Death Disease Destitution | 3 |
| HISE 4140 | Household Gender Sexuality | 3 |
| HISE 6050 | The Italian Renaissance | 3 |
| HISE 6100 | Ren & Ref 1450 to1660 | 3 |
| HISE 6330 | Imperial Spain 1469-1659 | 3 |
| HISE 6350 | Crime and Punishment in Hanover England | 3 |
| HISE 6370 | Seminar Early Mod Englnd | 3 |
| HISE 6660 | Private Violence, Public Consequences | 3-4 |
Latin America (HISL)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISL 2100 | Independence Movements in the Americas in the Age of Revolution | 3 |
| HISL 2760 | Colonial Mexico | 3 |
| HISL 2810 | Colonial Brazil | 3 |
| HISL 3710 | Colonial Latin America | 3 |
| HISL 2929 | Piracy in the Americas, 1500-1750 | 3 |
| HISL 4630 | Sex/Gender Colonial Latin Amer | 3 |
| HISL 4840 | Piracy in the Americas to 1750 | 3 |
Middle East (HISM)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISM 2200 | Pre-Modern Islamic World | 3 |
| HISM 6140 | Islam & W Med World, 1000-1900 | 3 |
United States (HISU)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISU 1410 | US Hist - Colonization to 1865 | 3 |
| HISU 1800 | Early New Orleans | 3 |
| HISU 2400 | Women & Gender US Hist to 1865 | 3 |
| HISU 2510 | Atlantic World | 3 |
| HISU 2520 | Early America to 1800 | 3 |
| HISU 6420 | American Revolutions | 3 |
Post-1800 Course Options
African History (HISB)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISB 1310 | Africa Since 1800 | 3 |
| HISB 2130 | History of Southern Africa | 3 |
| HISB 2140 | History of Eastern Africa | 3 |
| HISB 3240 | Human Rights/Genocide-Africa | 3 |
| HISB 3250 | Archiving Africa | 3 |
| HISB 4210 | Hist of Development in Africa | 3 |
| HISB 4250 | Topics in the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade | 3 |
| HISB 6070 | Gender in African History | 4 |
| HISB 6110 | Slavery/Emancipation in Africa | 4 |
Asian History (HISC)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISC 2020 | History of China since 1800 | 3 |
| HISC 6210 | The PRC: China under Communism | 3 |
| HISC 6310 | China Revolution 1900-1949 | 3 |
| HISC 6410 | Empire and Rebellion in China | 3 |
| HISC 6610 | Seminar on Modern Japan | 3 |
Modern Europe (HISE)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISE 1220 | Emerg Cont World 1789- | 3 |
| HISE 1510 | Napoleon in Russia 1812 | 3 |
| HISE 2170 | Europe in the 19th Century | 3 |
| HISE 2210 | Modern Germany | 3 |
| HISE 2220 | France in the Tropics | 3 |
| HISE 2230 | France since 1789 | 3 |
| HISE 2250 | Russia Since 1825- Present | 3 |
| HISE 2260 | Paris Since Antiquity | 3 |
| HISE 2430 | Modern Spain since 1700 | 3 |
| HISE 3270 | Lit/Soc In Russ To 1917 | 3 |
| HISE 3250 | Russia at War, 1939-1945 | 3-4 |
| HISE 6601 | Jewish Life & Culture Ctr Euro | 3 |
| HISE 6600 | Photography & Historical Imagi | 3-4 |
| HISE 6520 | Immigr & Identity in France | 3,4 |
| HISE 2500 | Memories of Violence 20th Cent | 3 |
| HISE 3260 | Putin's Russia | 3-4 |
| HISE 3280 | Lit/Soc In Russ To 1991 | 3 |
| HISE 3190 | The Spanish Civil War | 3 |
| HISE 3220 | WWII In French Film | 3-4 |
| HISE 3290 | Origins WWII 1919-1939 | 3 |
| HISE 3513 | Hist of Jews in Russ 1772-2000 | 3 |
| HISE 4140 | Household Gender Sexuality | 3 |
| HISE 6140 | Rev-Napol Eur 1789-1815 | 3 |
| HISE 6380 | Sem Mod British History | 4 |
| HISE 6420 | Readings In Holocaust | 3 |
| HISE 6510 | The Russian Revolution:1900-24 | 3,4 |
| HISE 6511 | Stalin's Russia, 1924-1953 | 3,4 |
| HISE 6512 | Stalins Shadow: Soviet 1953-91 | 3 |
| HISE 6660 | Private Violence, Public Consequences | 3-4 |
Latin America (HISL)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISL 2770 | Modern Mexico | 3 |
| HISL 2790 | Central America | 3 |
| HISL 2820 | Modern Brazil | 3 |
| HISL 2840 | History of Argentina | 3 |
| HISL 3200 | History of Voodoo | 3 |
| HISL 3720 | Mod Lat Amer. & Carib. | 3 |
| HISL 3800 | Caribbean Revolutions | 3 |
| HISL 4740 | Caribbean Cultural History | 3 |
| HISL 4780 | Women in Latin Am History | 3 |
| HISL 6600 | Peasants, Rebellion & the State | 3 |
| HISL 6610 | Latin American Modernity | 3 |
| HISL 6850 | U.S.- Latin American Relations | 3 |
Middle East (HISM)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISM 2210 | History of Modern Middle East since 18th Century | 3 |
| HISM 3220 | Arab/Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| HISM 6060 | Sem:Modern Middle E & N Africa | 3 |
United States (HISU)
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HISU 1420 | US Hist 1865 To The Present | 3 |
| HISU 2100 | History of Medicine in the US | 3 |
| HISU 2200 | History of Digital Revolution | 3 |
| HISU 2410 | Women & Gender Since 1861 | 3 |
| HISU 2480 | Louisiana History | 3 |
| HISU 2500 | Legal Hist US Gender Sex | 3 |
| HISU 2605 | Twentieth Century America | 3 |
| HISU 2620 | The New South, 1865-Present | 3 |
| HISU 2630 | US Foreign Relations Pre-WWII | 3 |
| HISU 2640 | US Foreign Rltns Since WWII | 3 |
| HISU 2650 | US Immigration: Law & Politics | 3 |
| HISU 2670 | American Environmental History | 3 |
| HISU 2680 | Working in America | 3 |
| HISU 2700 | Modern African-American | 3 |
| HISU 2900 | The Digital Revolution, From Ada to Zuckerberg | 3 |
| HISU 3220 | Autobio & Southern Identity | 3 |
| HISU 3260 | America on Trial | 3 |
| HISU 3300 | Katrina and Popular Memory | 3 |
| HISU 3541 | Reproductive Health in the US | 3 |
| HISU 3642 | US War in Vietnam | 3 |
| HISU 4500 | Civil War & Reconstruction | 3 |
| HISU 4694 | Creation of Jazz in NOLA | 3 |
| HISU 3830 | The Fifties | 3 |
| HISU 6260 | New Directions in Womens Hist | 3-4 |
| HISU 6270 | American Disasters | 3,4 |
| HISU 6350 | History of Gender Based Violence in the United States | 3,4 |
| HISU 6510 | Recent US 1945 To Presnt | 3 |
| HISU 6540 | African-American Culture | 3 |
| HISU 6630 | U S Labor and Migration | 3 |
| HISU 6840 | United States Empire | 3 |
| HISU 6850 | U.S. Latin American Relations | 3 |
Sample Plan of Study
This example plan of study for the BA in History represents a fall semester start and encompasses all program requirements. Students are responsible for reviewing university, school, and program requirements, along with prerequisites and the sequencing of courses in coordination with their academic and major advisors.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Select one major elective | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 13 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| NTC Core and General Electives | 15 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select two major electives | 6 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Seminar at 3000- or 6000- level | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select two major electives | 6 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Advanced Seminar at 6000-level | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 13 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one major elective | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one Advanced Seminar at 6000-level | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 10 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Students must take at least one pre-1800 course and at least one post-1800 course. Students must take at least one course in four of the following seven areas: Africa (HISB), Asia (HISC), Europe (HISA and HISE), Latin America (HISL), Middle East (HISM), History (HIST) and United States (HISU). No more than three (3) 1000 level courses may count toward the major.
Program String and Field of Study: LABA_UG, HIST
For more information, contact the School of Liberal Arts.