Advisement

All history department majors should consult with the department student advisor. Students should seek an appointment early in each semester so that an advisement file may be established for each student. The file will be kept current.

Department Major Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts

Nine courses in history are required, no more than three of which may be lower division. A student must take HIST 300 Approaches to History and 498 Senior Seminar. (Students in the department's Honors Program may substitute HIST 491 Honors Seminar and 492 Honors Thesis for 300 and 498.) At least one of the nine courses must be taken from approved course work in each of the three following areas: United States; Europe; Latin America, Asia or Africa. At least one of the nine courses must be taken in premodern history and one in modern history. Students must consult with a departmental advisor in order to determine which courses meet these requirements.

Bachelor of Arts, Social Sciences, with an Emphasis in History Requirements

Eight social sciences courses, of which five and no more than seven courses must be history courses, are required. Not more than two may be lower division history courses and not more than one may be a lower division course in another social science. History and social sciences courses must include at least one each from: United States; Europe; and Latin America, Asia or Africa.

Bachelor of Arts, Social Science Education

Social Science Building 253
(213) 740-1659

This interdisciplinary major is designed to meet the state of California's requirement for subject matter preparation for prospective secondary teachers of history, geography, government, economics and allied social sciences. A course of study such as this one is normally completed before entry into a state-approved professional teacher training program in a school of education. To become a fully credentialed teacher in California, neither this subject matter program alone nor professional education course work alone is enough: both subject competency and professional training are needed.

Students contemplating this major should be aware that professional teacher training programs usually require a year of full-time study (or its equivalent) at the post-baccalaureate level. The School of Education at USC offers, however, a special coordinate program which allows students to begin professional training to become teachers at the undergraduate level. Successfully completing this undergraduate program in education allows students to obtain positions as teachers immediately after the completion of the bachelor's degree. Program details are available in the School of Education's Teaching Credentials section of this catalogue.

Prospective majors should be aware that successfully completing this major does not guarantee entry into any professional course of study in education. Acceptance into the USC School of Education's special undergraduate entry option requires, among other things, an overall GPA of 2.75 with 10 of the 12 courses needed for this major completed prior to student teaching. Entry requirements of other schools of education throughout the state may vary from this. Further details are available from the program advisor for social science education or from the credentials advisor in the School of Education.

Degree Requirements

Twelve courses (45 unit minimum), one from each of the following categories:
(1) Early modern world history: HIST 440
(2) Modern world history: HIST 441
(3) United States history: HIST 200
(4) United States government: POSC 100, 300; GEOG 222
(5) California studies: GEOG 324, 326, 431; HIST 458
(6) Human geography: GEOG 205
(7) Fundamental economics: ECON 203, 205, 330, 336, 348, 395; GEOG 305
(8) Behavioral science: ANTH 201; PSYC 100; SOCI 200
(9) Advanced United States history: GEOG 425; HIST 360, 361
(10) Advanced course work in comparative or international studies, selected from: ANTH 314, 315, 320, 322, 323, 324, 325, 327, 328, 330, 335,345, 370, 373, 375, 380, 407, 425, 480; ECON 340, 342, 343, 346; GEOG 320,335, 410, 437; HIST 324, 328, 332, 336, 337, 339, 340, 371, 372, 423, 426,450; any upper division international relations (IR) course; POSC 350, 351, 352, 355, 356, 358, 377, 430, 431, 453, 456, 469; or SOCI 470
(11) Advanced course work in human diversity, selected from: ANTH 328,331, 371, 380; GEOG 340, 350; HIST 345, 354, 378, 455, 472; POSC 333, 381,421, 427, 441, 442, 456; PSYC 300, 348; SOCI 342, 355, 356, 360, 366, 375, 376, 435, 436; SWMS 301, 305, 364, or 455
(12) An integrated studies course: HIST 496

No course may be counted in more than one category.

Department Minor Requirements

The minor requires the completion of four upper division courses (16 units of course work) chosen from 300- and 400-level courses.

Honors Program

The department offers an honors program, involving a year of study. Qualified students take the sequence of HIST 491 and 492 in consecutive fall and spring semesters. During the later term, the honors student completes a thesis project of his or her choosing. Contact the department undergraduate advisor for further information. To graduate with honors, department majors must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in their major course work.

Teaching Credential Requirements

Credential requirements in California and elsewhere are complex and changeable. Students interested in preparing for public school teaching should contact the Credentials Office, School of Education, and the undergraduate advisor, Department of History, for up-to-date information.

Interdisciplinary Russian Area Studies Minor

See Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Interdisciplinary Law and Society Minor

See Department of Political Science.

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