The Bachelor of Arts in History
Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.
General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units
See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .
Literacy Requirement:
See Mathematics and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog. Writing proficiency in the major is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a course in your major which has been designated as the Writing Proficiency (WP) course for the semester in which you take the course. Students who earn below a C- are required to repeat the course and earn a C- or higher to receive WP credit. See the Class Schedule for the designated WP courses for each semester. You must pass ENGL 130I or JOUR 130I (or equivalent) with a C- or higher before you may register for a WP course.
Course Requirements for the Major: 42-64 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.
Major Core Program: 15 units
5 courses required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 101 | Ancient Civilizations | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
HIST 102 | Medieval and Early Modern Civilizations | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
HIST 103 | The Modern World | 3.0 | FS | GE | |
HIST 290 | Historians and Historical Methodology | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 and at least two 100-level history courses with a grade of C- or higher. | |||||
HIST 490 | Seminar: Historical Research and Writing | 3.0 | FS | GW | |
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 or JOUR 130 (or equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, HIST 290, and senior status. |
Major Option Course Requirements: 27-49 units
The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required dependent upon the option chosen. Students must select one of the following options for completion of the major course requirements.
The General History Option: 27 units
Classical and Near-Eastern History
1 course selected from:
Ancient World
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 300 | Ancient Mysteries: The Historian as Detective | 3.0 | FS | ||
HIST 400 | Ancient Greece | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 401 | Classical Greece | 3.0 | F2 | ||
HIST 402 | The Age of Alexander | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 403 | The Legacy of Alexander | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 404 | Rise of Rome | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 405 | The Age of Caesar and Augustus | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 406 | Roman Empire | 3.0 | S1 | ||
HIST 408 | Byzantine Civilization | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Near and Middle East
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 261 | Islam and the World | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
This course is also offered as
MEST 261,
RELS 202. | |||||
HIST 362 | History of the Middle East | 3.0 | FS | GC | |
This course is also offered as
MEST 362. | |||||
HIST 460 | The Ancient Near East | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 461 | Early Egypt | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 463 | Islamic Civilization | 3.0 | FA | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 463. | |||||
HIST 464 | The Modern Middle East | 3.0 | SP | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 464. | |||||
HIST 466 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3.0 | SP | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 466. |
European History
2 courses selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 305 | Catastrophes and the Shape of Human History | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
HIST 310 | Technology to 1750 | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 311 | Technology Since 1700 | 3.0 | S2 | ||
HIST 321 | The History of the Second World War | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 325 | Modern European Thought and Culture | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 326 | Gender and Sexuality in Modern European History | 3.0 | FA | GE | |
This course is also offered as
WMST 326. | |||||
HIST 410 | Medieval Civilization: 750-1400 | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 411 | Renaissance Civilization: 1300-1550 | 3.0 | S2 | ||
HIST 412 | The Reformation and Early Modern Europe: 1400-1660 | 3.0 | F2 | ||
HIST 413 | Culture, Society, and Politics from Machiavelli to Rousseau: 1500-1800 | 3.0 | S1 | ||
HIST 414 | Absolutism, Enlightenment, Revolution, 1660-1815 | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 415 | The European Century: 1815-1914 | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 416 | Contemporary Europe, 1914-Present | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 420 | Modern Russian History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 421 | Russian and Soviet History | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 422 | Balkan History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 423 | Tudor-Stuart Britain: 1485-1715 | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 424 | Modern Britain Since 1715 | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 425 | The British Empire | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 426 | Modern France | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 428 | Modern Germany: From Unification to Reunification | 3.0 | SP | ||
Non-Western History
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 370 | African History | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 371 | African History | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 373 | East Asia Before 1800 | 3.0 | FA | GE GC | |
HIST 374I | East Asia After 1800 | 3.0 | SP | GE GC C | |
HIST 378 | Chinese Women and Social History | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 380 | Colonial Latin America | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 381 | Modern Latin America | 3.0 | SP | GE GC | |
HIST 382 | Modern Mexico | 3.0 | FA | GE GC | |
This course is also offered as
LAST 350. | |||||
HIST 425 | The British Empire | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 470 | History of East and Central Africa | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 471 | History of West Africa | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 475 | Modern China | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 476 | Modern Japan | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 480 | Social Revolution in Latin America | 3.0 | INQ | ||
United States History
2 courses selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 430 | Colonial America | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 431 | The American Revolution | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 432 | The Early American Republic | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 433 | The Civil War and Reconstruction | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 435 | The US in the Age of the World Wars | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 436 | Hiroshima to Watergate | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 437 | From Watergate to the Present | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 440 | American Thought and Character | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 441 | American Social History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 442 | The Westward Movement | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 445 | History of California | 3.0 | FS | ||
HIST 446 | History of the American South | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: HIST 130. | |||||
HIST 450 | U.S. Foreign Relations to 1914 | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 451 | U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1914 | 3.0 | SP | ||
History Electives: 9 units
9 units selected from:
Any 200, 300, or 400 level History (HIST) courses, of which at least 6 units must be upper division.
The Social Science Credential Option: 49 units
History: 28 units
3 courses required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 392 | History and Social Science in the Secondary Schools | 3.0 | FA | ||
Prerequisites: 9 units of history and concurrent enrollment in another history class. | |||||
HIST 445 | History of California | 3.0 | FS | ||
HIST 495 | Portfolio Evaluation | 1.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: Senior standing. |
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 307 | Comparative Religious Histories | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 103, and 3 units of upper-division history. | |||||
RELS 358 | Religion in American Public Schools | 3.0 | FS | ||
Ancient/Classical History
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 400 | Ancient Greece | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 401 | Classical Greece | 3.0 | F2 | ||
HIST 402 | The Age of Alexander | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 403 | The Legacy of Alexander | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 404 | Rise of Rome | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 405 | The Age of Caesar and Augustus | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 406 | Roman Empire | 3.0 | S1 | ||
HIST 408 | Byzantine Civilization | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 461 | Early Egypt | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 462 | Ancient Egypt | 3.0 | INQ | ||
European History
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 305 | Catastrophes and the Shape of Human History | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
HIST 310 | Technology to 1750 | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 410 | Medieval Civilization: 750-1400 | 3.0 | F1 | ||
HIST 411 | Renaissance Civilization: 1300-1550 | 3.0 | S2 | ||
HIST 412 | The Reformation and Early Modern Europe: 1400-1660 | 3.0 | F2 | ||
HIST 413 | Culture, Society, and Politics from Machiavelli to Rousseau: 1500-1800 | 3.0 | S1 | ||
HIST 423 | Tudor-Stuart Britain: 1485-1715 | 3.0 | FA | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 311 | Technology Since 1700 | 3.0 | S2 | ||
HIST 321 | The History of the Second World War | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 325 | Modern European Thought and Culture | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 326 | Gender and Sexuality in Modern European History | 3.0 | FA | GE | |
This course is also offered as
WMST 326. | |||||
HIST 414 | Absolutism, Enlightenment, Revolution, 1660-1815 | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 415 | The European Century: 1815-1914 | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 416 | Contemporary Europe, 1914-Present | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 420 | Modern Russian History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 421 | Russian and Soviet History | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 422 | Balkan History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 424 | Modern Britain Since 1715 | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 426 | Modern France | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 428 | Modern Germany: From Unification to Reunification | 3.0 | SP | ||
Non-Western History
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 261 | Islam and the World | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
This course is also offered as
MEST 261,
RELS 202. | |||||
HIST 362 | History of the Middle East | 3.0 | FS | GC | |
This course is also offered as
MEST 362. | |||||
HIST 370 | African History | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 371 | African History | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 373 | East Asia Before 1800 | 3.0 | FA | GE GC | |
HIST 374I | East Asia After 1800 | 3.0 | SP | GE GC C | |
HIST 378 | Chinese Women and Social History | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 380 | Colonial Latin America | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 381 | Modern Latin America | 3.0 | SP | GE GC | |
HIST 382 | Modern Mexico | 3.0 | FA | GE GC | |
This course is also offered as
LAST 350. | |||||
HIST 425 | The British Empire | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 463 | Islamic Civilization | 3.0 | FA | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 463. | |||||
HIST 464 | The Modern Middle East | 3.0 | SP | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 464. | |||||
HIST 466 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3.0 | SP | ||
This course is also offered as
MEST 466. | |||||
HIST 470 | History of East and Central Africa | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 471 | History of West Africa | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 475 | Modern China | 3.0 | FA | GC | |
HIST 476 | Modern Japan | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
HIST 480 | Social Revolution in Latin America | 3.0 | INQ | ||
United States History
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 230 | The American Indian | 3.0 | FS | GE USD | |
This course is also offered as
AIST 230. | |||||
HIST 234 | Mexican Heritage in the United States Before 1848 | 3.0 | FA | USD | |
This course is also offered as
CHST 234. | |||||
HIST 332 | American Ethnic Origins | 3.0 | FS | USD | |
This course is also offered as
MCGS 332. | |||||
HIST 431 | The American Revolution | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 432 | The Early American Republic | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 433 | The Civil War and Reconstruction | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 442 | The Westward Movement | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 446 | History of the American South | 3.0 | INQ | ||
Prerequisites: HIST 130. | |||||
HIST 450 | U.S. Foreign Relations to 1914 | 3.0 | FA | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HIST 231 | African American History | 3.0 | FS | USD | |
This course is also offered as
AFAM 231. | |||||
HIST 335 | Women and Gender in American History | 3.0 | INQ | ||
This course is also offered as
WMST 335. | |||||
HIST 341 | American Environment | 3.0 | FS | GE USD | |
HIST 343 | Technology and Science in America | 3.0 | F2 | ||
HIST 350 | America's Vietnam Experience | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 351 | Volatile Decade: America in the 1960s | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 435 | The US in the Age of the World Wars | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 436 | Hiroshima to Watergate | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 437 | From Watergate to the Present | 3.0 | SP | ||
HIST 440 | American Thought and Character | 3.0 | INQ | ||
HIST 441 | American Social History | 3.0 | FA | ||
HIST 451 | U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1914 | 3.0 | SP | ||
Economics: 6 units
2 courses required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ECON 102 | Principles of Macroeconomic Analysis | 3.0 | FS | GE | |
ECON 103 | Principles of Microeconomic Analysis | 3.0 | FS | GE | |
Geography: 6 units
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GEOG 352 | The United States | 3.0 | FS | GE USD | |
GEOG 435 | Historical Geography of North America | 3.0 | FS | ||
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. |
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GEOG 301 | Global Economic Geography | 3.0 | SP | GC | |
GEOG 303 | Geography and World Affairs | 3.0 | FS | GE GC | |
Political Science: 6 units
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
POLS 402 | State and Local Government | 3.0 | FS | ||
POLS 404 | Interest Groups and Lobbying | 3.0 | FA | ||
Prerequisites: POLS 402 and POLS 473 are recommended. | |||||
POLS 423 | Political Parties: Who Gets What, When, How | 3.0 | INQ | ||
1 course selected from:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
POLS 431 | American Political Thought | 3.0 | FA | ||
POLS 432 | Recent American Political Thought | 3.0 | SP | ||
POLS 451A | Constitutional Law: Powers and Restraints | 3.0 | INQ | ||
POLS 451B | Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties | 3.0 | FS | ||
This course is also offered as
MCGS 451B. |
Behavioral and Social Sciences: 3 units
1 course required:
SUBJ NUM | Title | Sustainable | Units | Semester Offered | Course Flags |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SOSC 301 | Spatial Concepts: Geographical Patterns and Processes | 3.0 | FS | ||
Electives Requirement:
To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.
Grading Requirement:
All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.
Advising Requirement:
Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.
Honors in the Major:
Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.
The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.
Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:
- You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
- You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
- Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
- Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
- Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
- Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.
While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.
History and Economics Double Major
Students may elect a History and Economics double major. Up to 6 units of appropriate upper-division Economics (ECON) courses may be applied to the History major. Prior approval by a department advisor and the chair is required.
History and Geography Double Major
Students may elect a History and Geography double major. Up to 6 units of appropriate upper-division Geography (GEOG) courses may be applied to the History major. Prior approval by a department advisor and the chair is required.