History, BA
Graduates with a BA in history have several options including entry-level positions in history- related fields, graduate study in history, and solid liberal arts preparation for a variety of public service, business, writing, and education careers. The study of history has traditionally provided a strong background for graduates who go on to law school. Yet history degrees are versatile, viable, and valuable. Among the top skills that today’s employers want are written and oral communication, solving problems, analyzing data, and obtaining and processing information. History majors develop those desirable skills.
History majors at Clayton State have an experience unique in the nation because no other institution of higher learning has a state archives and a regional national archives located immediately adjacent to campus. Clayton State students will have the opportunity to conduct research in these facilities, and internships in either facility are possible.
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Discuss historical findings in clear and coherent presentations.
- Perform historical research using primary and secondary sources in libraries, archive, and other repositories of historical events.
- Identify and evaluate conflicting historical interpretations of events and personalities
- Write in a clear, analytical and organized manner, demonstrating appropriate professional documentation methods.
- Identify and critically evaluate primary and secondary historical sources.
- Identify and describe basic chronologies of US and world history.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Curriculum (Areas A-E) | 42 | |
| All Core Curriculum requirements for the History degree are shown under Core Curriculum in the Graduation Requirements section of the Undergraduate Catalog. | ||
| Lower Division Major Requirements (Area F) | 18 | |
| World Language Option | ||
| Students contemplating advanced study in the field of history or international travel are strongly encouraged to study a language other than English. | 0-6 | |
| Lower Division Major Requirements | ||
| Choose 12 hours from the following: 1 | 12 | |
| Survey-PreModern World History | ||
or HIST 1112 | Survey of Modern World History | |
| Survey of US History to 1877 | ||
or HIST 2112 | US HIST Since Reconstruction | |
| Historical Methods | ||
| Critical Trends and Issues | ||
| Lower Division Major Electives | ||
| Choose from the following: | 0-6 | |
| Introduction to African American Studies | ||
| Principles of Macroeconomics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Ethics, History, and Contemporary Perpsectives | ||
| Introduction to Aesthetics | ||
| Intro to Political Science | ||
| Intro to Global Issues | ||
| Intro to Human Development | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| Modern Families | ||
| Upper Division Major Requirements | 9 | |
| HIST 3001 | Historiography | 3 |
| HIST 3110 | Georgia History and Government | 3 |
| HIST 4850 | Senior Thesis in History | 3 |
| Required Upper Division United States History Core | 12 | |
| Select 4 courses from the following: | ||
| Intro to Public History | ||
| Establishment-US 1607-1800 | ||
| The Age of Jefferson & Jackson | ||
| The Civil War Era | ||
| The Reconstruction Era | ||
| US-Gilded Age & Prog. Era | ||
| Themes-Twentieth Cen. US Hist. | ||
| U.S. History, 1914-1945 | ||
| Modern America, 1945-present | ||
| History through Film | ||
| Business & Economic History | ||
| Family History & Genealogical Resources | ||
| U.S. Military History | ||
| U.S. Historical Geography | ||
| Women's History | ||
| Environmental History | ||
| History of the Old South | ||
| History of the New South | ||
| African American Hist. to 1877 | ||
| African Am. Hist. since 1877 | ||
| Introduction to Museums | ||
| Intro- Historical Preservation | ||
| Selected Topics in History | ||
| Independent Study-History | ||
| History Internship | ||
| Archival Internship II | ||
| History Practicum | ||
| Required Upper Division World History Core | 12 | |
| Choose 4 courses from the following: | ||
| Twentieth Century World | ||
| Colonial Latin America | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Caribbean History | ||
| History of Mexico | ||
| History of Sub Sahara Africa | ||
| Spec. Topics in Hist-Mid. East | ||
| History through Film (relevant topics) | ||
| Pre-Modern East Asian History | ||
| Modern East Asian History | ||
| Pre-Modern South Asia History | ||
| Modern South Asian History | ||
| Pre-Modern Russian History | ||
| Modern Russian History | ||
| History of Middle East to 1800 | ||
| History of Middle East-1800 | ||
| World Historical Geography | ||
| Ancient Greece and Rome | ||
| History of the Middle Ages | ||
| Early Modern Europe | ||
| Europe Since 1815 | ||
| History of World Religions | ||
| Selected Topics in History | ||
| Independent Study-History | ||
| History Internship | ||
| Archival Internship II | ||
| General History Concentration or Minor | 15-21 | |
| History majors must select the General History Concentration or choose an approved minor in another discipline. | ||
| Choose 5-7 additional Upper Division (3000-4000 level) HIST courses. | ||
| Upper-Division Free Electives | 3-12 | |
| Choose 3-12 hours of 3000-level or above courses from any course prefix | ||
| Free Elective | 0-3 | |
| Choose any course numbered 1000 or higher (except PHED, WLAB, or courses identified in the catalog as career or institutional credit courses). | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Grades of C or better are required for all lower division HIST courses.
Please Note: This is a suggested course sequence and assumes a starting freshman with no prior college credit who intends to complete their degree in four years. Students should consult with their academic advisor and review the course prerequisites and minimum grade requirements as seen in the Academic Catalog.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 1101 | English Composition I Core Area A1 | 3 |
| MATH 1101 | Intro to Mathematical Modeling Core Area A2 | 3 |
| CRIT 1101 | Critical Thinking Core Area B1 | 3 |
| POLS 1101 | American Government Core Area E1 | 3 |
| HIST 1111 | Survey-PreModern World History Core Area E2 | 3 |
| CSU 1000 | First Year Seminar 1 | 0-1 |
| Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| ENGL 1102 | English Composition II Core Area A1 | 3 |
| HIST 1112 | Survey of Modern World History | 3 |
| Communication or Foreign Language Core Area B2 | 2 | |
| HIST 2111 | Survey of US History to 1877 Core Area E3 | 3 |
| AFAM 2010 |
Intro-African American Studies Core Area E4 or Survey of Economics or Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics or Intro to General Psychology or Introduction to Sociology or Intro to Women's Studies |
3 |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| HIST 2112 | US HIST Since Reconstruction | 3 |
| AFAM 2010 |
Intro-African American Studies or Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics or Elementary Statistics or Introduction to Philosophy or Ethics/History/Cntmpry Persp or Intro to Aesthetics or Intro to Political Science or Intro to Global Issues or Intro to Human Development or Introduction to Sociology or Modern Families |
3 |
| HIST 2750 | Critical Trends and Issues | 3 |
| Science Course with Lab Core Area D1 | 4 | |
| Math, Science, or Technology Course Core Area D2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| HIST 3110 | Georgia History and Government | 3 |
| Science Course without Lab Core Area D1 | 3 | |
| AFAM 2010 |
Intro-African American Studies or Principles of Macroeconomics or Principles of Microeconomics or Elementary Statistics or Introduction to Philosophy or Ethics/History/Cntmpry Persp or Intro to Aesthetics or Intro to Political Science or Intro to Global Issues or Intro to Human Development or Introduction to Sociology or Modern Families |
3 |
| Fine Arts or Intermediate Foreign Language Core Area C2 | 3 | |
| Literature, Philosophy, or Foreign Language Core Area C1 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| HIST 2500 | Historical Methods 2 | 3 |
| World History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| US History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| HIST 3001 | Historiography 2 | 3 |
| World History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| US History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| HIST 4850 | Senior Thesis in History 2 | 3 |
| World History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| US History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Minor or HIST Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| History Elective | 3 | |
| World History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| US History Elective (3000/4000 HIST Course) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Related Elective (3000/4000 Course) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-121 | |
- 1
First-time traditional students enrolling in 9 or more semester hours are required to enroll in CSU 1000 First Year Seminar
- 2
HIST 2500, HIST 3001, and HIST 4850 are designed to be taken in a three-semester sequence.
Grades of "C" or above are required in ALL history courses used in Areas A-F of the history major. No more than two grades of "D" in upper division courses are allowed in the history major. 1000 or 2000 level courses used in upper division are included in this restriction.