Core Curriculum

What is the graduate history core curriculum?

If you are earning your M.A. in history, you will need to complete the program’s 12-credit-hour graduate history core curriculum.

This core curriculum is designed to ensure that all students can demonstrate competence in four key areas:

The philosophical, theoretical and methodological approaches that have shaped the discipline of history.
The methods and approaches used by historians to critically analyze historical evidence.
The ways different historians have understood and interpreted the past.
The ability to conduct historical research that synthesizes both primary and secondary sources.

To demonstrate competence in these areas, you will need to have a grade of B or above in the theory and methods seminar (HST 701 Historiography and Historical Methods) and, at least one each, of the following three types of graduate seminars offered by the Department of History:

Primary source seminars.
Readings seminars.
Research seminars.

Under no circumstances may a grade of B- or below count towards the requirements of the graduate history core curriculum.

HST 701 Historiography and Historical Methods

HST 701 Historiography and Historical Methods is the graduate program’s foundational course.

We recommend that you complete it in either your first or second semester.

This course will introduce you to the various philosophies of history and theories concerning the method, purpose and meaning of history.

Instead of emphasizing a specific region or historical era, the study of historiography focuses on the history and theory of historical writing and how historians interpret past events.

What is a graduate seminar?

The Department of History offers graduate courses at both the 600 and 700 level.

600-level courses bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate studies. They tend to be content-area-focused and will often be structured similarly to courses you may have taken at the undergraduate level.

700-level courses are graduate seminars, advanced-level courses structured around a particular methodological and/or theoretical theme.

Primary sources, readings and research seminars

The specific primary source, reading and research seminars you take will vary depending on your track of study.

Although the historical era or geographical region covered in specific seminars may vary, each type of seminar will hone a particular skill that will be essential for your professional study of history.

Primary sources are original, first-hand documents or artifacts created at or around the time and place of study.

They provide raw, uninterpreted information and serve as the foundational materials for historical research and analysis.

Primary sources might include:
- Archival documents.
- Letters.
- Diaries.
- Photographs.
- Music and sounds.
- Material objects.
- Interviews.
- Oral histories.
- Laws and regulations.
Primary source seminars focus on the analysis and interpretation of primary sources, including understanding the context in which a source was created, identifying the author’s or creator’s perspectives and biases, and assessing the source’s reliability and relevance.

By learning to critically evaluate primary sources, you'll develop the skills needed both to understand the past and to conduct advanced historical research.
Readings seminars are central to graduate education in history.

They will provide you with a deep understanding of historiography, methodological approaches and key debates within a specific historical field.

You will read a substantial number of books, including classic works as well as recent scholarship, to gain an understanding of the various debates, theoretical frameworks and methodologies that have shaped our understanding of a particular area of historical enquiry interpretations.

These might include questions such as:
- Why have historians differed regarding their interpretation of the causes of the American Civil War?
- How have the different theoretical approaches taken by historiographical traditions and schools of thought shaped our understanding of medieval society?
- In what ways have the different types of primary sources used by historians led to divergent understandings of the impact of European imperialism on societies in Asia and Africa?
You'll have opportunities to develop your critical writing skills and your ability to synthesize and evaluate historical arguments.

Readings seminars are offered as either stand-alone courses or as part of a part of a two-semester readings and research seminar sequence.
Research seminars will help you develop and refine your research skills.

They are a key component of the graduate history core curriculum and require you to complete a significant piece of original research.

You'll have structured guidance and support as you undertake your research projects.

What is the graduate history core curriculum?

HST 701 Historiography and Historical Methods

What is a graduate seminar?

Primary sources, readings and research seminars

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