Program: History, B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences - San Diego State University

Apr 10, 2025

2019/2020 University Catalog

Also Offered at SDSU Imperial Valley

All candidates for a degree in liberal arts and sciences must complete the graduation requirements listed in the section of this catalog on “Graduation Requirements .” No more than 48 units in history courses can apply to the degree.

A minor is not required with this major.

Preparation for the Major

(12 units)

These prerequisite courses may not be taken Cr/NC and must be completed with a minimum GPA of 2.20 and a grade of C (2.0) or better in each class.

HIST 100 - World History Units: 3
HIST 101 - World History Units: 3

Six Units Selected from

HIST 105 - Western Civilization to the Seventeenth Century Units: 3
HIST 106 - Western Civilization Since the Sixteenth Century Units: 3
HIST 109 - American History to Reconstruction Units: 3
HIST 110 - American History Since the Civil War Units: 3

Language Requirement

Students will be required to successfully complete the third college semester or fifth college quarter or four years of high school in one foreign language to fulfill the graduation requirement. Refer to section of this catalog on “Graduation Requirements .”

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

See “Graduation Requirements ” section for a complete listing of requirements.

Passing the Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 10
or
HIST 390W - Writing in History Units: 3 But not both.
or
Another approved upper division writing course (W) But not both with a grade of C (2.0) or better

Major

A minimum of 30 upper division units in history to include

HIST 400 - Junior Seminar in Methods and Historiography Units: 3

Three Units from

HIST 450 - Senior Seminar in Historical Research Units: 3
HIST 451 - Historians and the Public Units: 3
HIST 452 - Advanced Internship in Applied History Units: 3

24 Upper Division Units

24 upper division units in history must be completed from the following fields:

Field (A) - Thematic, Comparative, and Interdisciplinary History:

Six units selected from

HIST 402 - History of Childhood (A) Units: 3
HIST 406 - History of Sexuality (A) Units: 3
HIST 422 - Asian American Experiences (A) Units: 3 also listed as
ASIAN 422 - Asian American Experiences Units: 3
HIST 435 - History Through Film (A) Units: 3
HIST 436 - Modern Jewish History in Feature Films (A) Units: 3
HIST 440 - The Holocaust and Western Civilization (A) Units: 3
HIST 441 - Unnatural Disasters: History of Current Environmental Problems (A) Units: 3
HIST 442 - People From Our Past (A) Units: 3
HIST 486 - World War II (A) Units: 3
HIST 488 - Modern Jewish History (A) Units: 3
HIST 495 - Internship in Applied History (A) Units: 3
HIST 496A - Issues in History (A): Thematic, Comparative, and Interdisciplinary History Units: 1-4
HIST 496B - Issues in History (B): The Ancient Through Early Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 496C - Issues in History (C): The Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 499 - Special Study (A) (B) (C) Units: 1-3
HIST 500 - Topics in Ancient History (A) Units: 3
HIST 514 - History of Science: From Revolution to Evolution (A) Units: 3
HIST 516 - Imperialism and the Colonial Experience (A) Units: 3
HIST 527 - The Holocaust in Feature Films (A) Units: 3
HIST 548 - Race and Ethnicity in United States History (A) Units: 3 also listed as
CCS 548 - Race and Ethnicity in United States History Units: 3
HIST 580 - Topics in the History of War and Violence (A) Units: 3
HIST 581 - Topics in Urban History (A) Units: 3
HIST 582 - Topics in Social and Cultural History (A) Units: 3
HIST 583 - Topics in History of Gender and Sexuality (A) Units: 3
HIST 584 - Topics in Environmental History (A) Units: 3
HIST 586 - Topics in World History (A) Units: 3
HIST 596 - Selected Studies in History (A) (B) (C) Units: 1-4

Field (B) - The Ancient Through Early Modern World:

Six units selected from

HIST 407 - Early Modern Europe (B) Units: 3
HIST 411 - World History for Teachers (B) Units: 3
HIST 415 - Pre-Contact and Colonial Latin America (B) Units: 3 also listed as
LATAM 415 - Pre-Contact and Colonial Latin America Units: 3
HIST 420 - Asian History to 1600 (B) Units: 3
HIST 473 - Middle Eastern History from the Advent of Islam to 1500 (B) Units: 3
HIST 496A - Issues in History (A): Thematic, Comparative, and Interdisciplinary History Units: 1-4
HIST 496B - Issues in History (B): The Ancient Through Early Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 496C - Issues in History (C): The Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 499 - Special Study (A) (B) (C) Units: 1-3
HIST 501 - History of Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations (B) Units: 3
HIST 502 - Ancient Greece (B) Units: 3
HIST 503 - Ancient Rome (B) Units: 3
HIST 504 - The Dark Ages (B) Units: 3 also listed as
HUM 504 - The Dark Ages Units: 3
HIST 505 - The Later Middle Ages (B) Units: 3
HIST 506 - The Renaissance (B) Units: 3 also listed as
HUM 506 - The Renaissance Units: 3
HIST 507 - The Reformation (B) Units: 3 also listed as
REL S 507 - The Reformation (A) (B) (C) (D) Units: 3
HIST 508 - The Fall of the Roman Empire (B) Units: 3
HIST 528 - Social History of Early Modern Europe (B) Units: 3
HIST 532 - Topics in Early American History (B) Units: 3
HIST 550 - Colonial Mexico (B) Units: 3
HIST 566 - Ancient and Imperial China (B) Units: 3

Field (C) - The Modern World:

Six units selected from

HIST 408 - Modern Europe (C) Units: 3
HIST 410 - United States History for Teachers (C) Units: 3
HIST 412 - Modern World History for Teachers (C) Units: 3
HIST 416 - Modern Latin America (C) Units: 3
HIST 418 - History of Modern Britain (C) Units: 3
HIST 421 - Asian History Since 1600 (C) Units: 3 also listed as
ASIAN 421 - Asian History Since 1600 Units: 3
HIST 445 - California History (C) Units: 3
HIST 474 - The Middle East Since 1500 (C) Units: 3
HIST 496A - Issues in History (A): Thematic, Comparative, and Interdisciplinary History Units: 1-4
HIST 496B - Issues in History (B): The Ancient Through Early Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 496C - Issues in History (C): The Modern World Units: 1-4
HIST 499 - Special Study (A) (B) (C) Units: 1-3
HIST 509 - British Century: Waterloo to World War I (C) Units: 3
HIST 512A - The Great War: A Turning Point in European History (C) Units: 3
HIST 512B - The Age of Dictators and Contemporary Europe (C) Units: 3
HIST 533 - Antebellum America (C) Units: 3
HIST 534 - Civil War and Reconstruction (C) Units: 3
HIST 535 - The Age of Roosevelt (C) Units: 3
HIST 536 - The United States Since World War II (C) Units: 3
HIST 537 - Star Trek, Culture, and History (C) Units: 3
HIST 539 - Topics in the History of the American West (C) Units: 3
HIST 540 - Environmental History of the United States (C) Units: 3
HIST 544A - Early American Foreign Relations (C) Units: 3
HIST 544B - Modern American Foreign Relations (C) Units: 3
HIST 545 - Constitutional History of the United States (C) Units: 3
HIST 551 - Modern Mexico (C) Units: 3
HIST 556 - History of Brazil (C) Units: 3 also listed as
LATAM 556 - History of Brazil Units: 3
HIST 557 - Dictatorships and Human Rights in Latin America (C) Units: 3
HIST 558 - Latin America in World Affairs (C) Units: 3
HIST 567 - China in Revolution (C) Units: 3
HIST 570 - Modern Japan: From Samurai to Sony (C) Units: 3
HIST 574 - Arab-Israeli Relations, Past and Present (C) Units: 3
HIST 585 - History of the Sixties (C) Units: 3

At Least Three Upper Division Units Selected from

Courses completed to satisfy this requirement may also be counted towards Field (A), Field (B), or Field (C) requirements.

HIST 420 - Asian History to 1600 (B) Units: 3
HIST 421 - Asian History Since 1600 (C) Units: 3 also listed as
ASIAN 421 - Asian History Since 1600 Units: 3
HIST 473 - Middle Eastern History from the Advent of Islam to 1500 (B) Units: 3
HIST 474 - The Middle East Since 1500 (C) Units: 3
HIST 501 - History of Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations (B) Units: 3
HIST 566 - Ancient and Imperial China (B) Units: 3
HIST 567 - China in Revolution (C) Units: 3
HIST 570 - Modern Japan: From Samurai to Sony (C) Units: 3

Topics Courses

Students may also fulfill this requirement by taking the following topics courses with the approval of the undergraduate adviser:

HIST 500 - Topics in Ancient History (A) Units: 3
HIST 580 - Topics in the History of War and Violence (A) Units: 3
HIST 583 - Topics in History of Gender and Sexuality (A) Units: 3
HIST 586 - Topics in World History (A) Units: 3

Additional Requirements

An additional six units must be selected from any combination of courses in Field (A), Field (B), or Field (C).

At least 15 upper division units must be at the 500-level. Up to six units from other departments may be applied to the history major upon written approval of the undergraduate adviser. Up to six units of study abroad history courses may be applied to the history major upon prior written approval of the undergraduate adviser. It is the student’s obligation to determine which courses fulfill his/her field requirements.

History Honors Thesis

The department offers undergraduates of superior achievement the opportunity to write a history honors thesis leading to special recognition upon graduation. HIST 490 - Senior Honors Thesis , is open to students who rank in the top 20 percent of senior history majors and who have successfully completed HIST 400 . Interested students should consult the honors thesis adviser in the Department of History.