ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

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Undergraduate: History

  • Program Overview

    History (HIS)

    History is the systematic study of peoples, states, and societies from antiquity to our current times. Using both written records and material artifacts, historians attempt to reconstruct and interpret change over time in every facet of human experience, from political and economic systems to family life and gender roles, to name a few. The study of history is not only intrinsically interesting, but also contributes useful insights into the contemporary world and its problems.

    History majors develop an in-depth knowledge of a specific region of the world, including its history, geography, and culture. In the process, they also learn how to conduct historical research, and to develop convincing arguments based on the evidence they uncover. Effective oral and written communication skills are strongly emphasized in all history courses.

    Many History majors choose careers in law, teaching, archival or library science, or museum work. Because it emphasizes research and writing, history is also excellent preparation for many fields, including journalism, diplomacy, and international business. Combined with a concentration in science, the History major is also a good background for medicine or other health science professions.

    The Department's offerings range over many eras, regions, and topics, concentrating on the United States, Europe, Latin America, East Asia, the history of science, and women's history. Surveys of these fields are offered at the 100 level for the United States and Europe and the 200 level for other areas. Students interested in the study of history should take these survey courses first,  as prerequisites for more advanced coursework. American and European courses at the 200 level customarily examine a specific period, while 300-level courses typically examine specific topics (such as social or political history) or countries (such as Germany, Brazil, or China). History colloquia at the 400 level are small classes offering intensive reading and discussion on closely focused themes. The study of history emphasizes the mastery of large amounts of information and the ability to demonstrate that mastery through skillful writing.

    Each semester the Department issues a booklet with detailed descriptions of its offerings. Students interested in history, whether as a major, a minor, a social science course related to their major, or for general liberal arts purposes, are invited to read this booklet and to seek advice from the Department's director of undergraduate studies and other faculty members.

  • Degrees and Requirements

    Requirements for the Major and Minor in History (HIS)

    Requirements for the Major

    The major in History leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses taken to meet Requirements A must be taken for a letter grade. No grade lower than C may be applied toward the major. At least 12 credits in Requirement A must be taken within the Department of History at Stony Brook.

    Completion of the major requires 39 credits.

    A. Study within the Area of the Major

           Thirty-nine credits distributed as follows:

    1. Three courses at the 100-level
    2. Thematic cluster of 4 courses at 200-level or above (minimum 2 courses at 300-level; 12 credits total). Selected from the following thematic clusters: Arts, Ideas & Culture; Empires, Violence & Global Connections; Health, Science & Environmental Change; Law, Politics & Social Justice; Race, Religion, Gender & Sexualities (See Note 3 for Thematic cluster course lists)
    3. HIS 301 Reading and Writing History (must be taken prior to HIS 401) 
    4. HIS 401  Senior Colloquium
    5. Four additional HIS courses above the 100-level, with at least two at the 300-level (12 credits)

    B. Upper-Division Writing Requirement

    The upper-division writing requirement is met through satisfactory completion of HIS 401, the required Senior Colloquium course, which satisfies the SBC categories EXP+, SPK, and WRTD.  

    Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with  university graduation requirements for General Education.  Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate.  The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

    Notes:

    1. No transferred course with a grade lower than C may be applied toward Requirement A.

    2. HIS 447, HIS 487, HIS 488, HIS 495, HIS 496 may not be used to satisfy major or minor requirements unless with permission of the undergraduate director.

    3.The course lists for the thematic clusters are listed below:

    History Courses by Thematic cluster

    Arts, Ideas & Culture  
    HIS 201: The Ancient Near East
    HIS 202: Ancient Greece
    HIS 203: Ancient Rome
    HIS 204: Egypt of the Pharaohs
    HIS 206: Europe in the Age of Discovery, 1348-1789
    HIS 210: Soviet Russia
    HIS 212: Ancient History of Mesoamerica
    HIS 213: Colonial Latin America
    HIS 214: Modern Latin America
    HIS 218: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern South Asia
    HIS 219: Introduction to Chinese History and Civilization
    HIS 220: Premodern Japan
    HIS 223: Regional History of Africa
    HIS 225: The Formation of the Judaic Heritage
    HIS 226: The Shaping of Modern Judaism
    HIS 227: Islamic Civilization and Muslim Societies
    HIS 229: Victorian Britain
    HIS 235: The Early Middle Ages
    HIS 236: The Late Middle Ages
    HIS 247: Modern Korea through Visual Culture
    HIS 256: Latin American Popular Culture
    HIS 261: Change and Reform in the United States, 1877-1919
    HIS 262: American Colonial Society
    HIS 263: Age of the American Revolution
    HIS 264: The Early Republic
    HIS 270: US in the World, 19th Century
    HIS 271: The United States in the World: the 20th Century
    HIS 285: History of Popular Culture in 19th Century America
    HIS 303: The Crusades and Medieval Society
    HIS 304: Religion, Magic and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 308: Britain and France in the Age of Revolution
    HIS 309: Victorian Britain and Monsters: A Particular History of Empire
    HIS 310: Britain Since 1945: Postcolonial Disruptions
    HIS 312: From Empire to Third Reich: Germany, 1890-1945
    HIS 315: Nazi Empire
    HIS 318: Modern European Intellectual History
    HIS 319: Assyrians, Babylonians, and Hittites
    HIS 320: Latino New York
    HIS 322: Origins of American Religious Liberty
    HIS 324: Lost Languages, Ancient Civilizations, and Decipherments
    HIS 327: The Arts as History
    HIS 332: Postcolonial South Asia
    HIS 334: Women and Gender in Pre-Modern European History
    HIS 335: Social History of American Advertising
    HIS 336: Women and Gender in Modern European History
    HIS 337: History of Korea
    HIS 340: Topics in Asian History
    HIS 341: 20th-Century China
    HIS 344: Modern Japan
    HIS 351: Revolutionary China: Politics, Culture, and Power
    HIS 353: Postwar Japan
    HIS 363: Topics in American History
    HIS 379: Rebels and Revolutionaries: 1960s Latin America
    HIS 383: The World of Jane Austen; Jane Austen in the World
    HIS 385: Aztec Civilization
    HIS 386: The Maya
    HIS 387: History of Cuba
    HIS 390: Topics in Ancient History
    HIS 391: Topics in Ancient and Medieval Europe
    HIS 392: Topics in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 393: Topics in Modern European History
     
    Empires, Violence & Global Connections
    HIS 201: The Ancient Near East
    HIS 202: Ancient Greece
    HIS 203: Ancient Rome
    HIS 204: Egypt of the Pharaohs
    HIS 206: Europe in the Age of Discovery, 1348-1789
    HIS 209: Imperial Russia
    HIS 210: Soviet Russia
    HIS 211: Early African History
    HIS 212: Ancient History of Mesoamerica
    HIS 213: Colonial Latin America
    HIS 214: Modern Latin America
    HIS 215: Long Island History
    HIS 216: History of U.S.-Latin American Relations
    HIS 218: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern South Asia
    HIS 219: Introduction to Chinese History and Civilization
    HIS 221: Introduction to Modern African History
    HIS 227: Islamic Civilization & Muslim Societies
    HIS 229: Victorian Britain
    HIS 230: Britain Since 1945: Postcolonial Disruptions
    HIS 235: The Early Middle Ages
    HIS 236: The Late Middle Ages
    HIS 241: Nazi Genocide and the Holocaust
    HIS 247: Modern Korea through Visual Culture
    HIS 248: Modern Europe, 1815-1914
    HIS 249: Modern Europe, 1914-1945
    HIS 250: The Second World War, 1939-1945
    HIS 250: The Second World War, 1939-1945
    HIS 251: Europe Since 1945
    HIS 256: Latin American Popular Culture
    HIS 263: Age of the American Revolution
    HIS 264: The Early Republic
    HIS 265: Civil War and Reconstruction
    HIS 266: History of the United States West
    HIS 270: US in the World, 19th Century
    HIS 271: The United States in the World: the 20th Century
    HIS 273: U.S. History, 1900-1945
    HIS 274: U.S. History, 1945-2000
    HIS 281: Global History and Geography
    HIS 282: African American History Since 1877
    HIS 283: The History of Latinos in the United States
    HIS 286: Global History of Human Health
    HIS 287: Crime and Criminal Justice in the U.S.
    HIS 288: Wealth and Inequality in Early America
    HIS 289: Wealth and Inequality in America's Corporate Age
    HIS 293: Disease in American History
    HIS 300: Topics in Global History
    HIS 302: Environmental History in Global Perspective
    HIS 303: The Crusades and Medieval Society
    HIS 308: Britain and France in the Age of Revolution
    HIS 309: Victorian Britain and Monsters: A Particular History of Empire
    HIS 310: Britain Since 1945: Postcolonial Disruptions
    HIS 312: From Empire to Third Reich: Germany, 1890-1945
    HIS 314: Indigenous-Settler Relations in the United States
    HIS 315: Nazi Empire
    HIS 319: Assyrians, Babylonians, and Hittites
    HIS 320: Latino New York
    HIS 322: Origins of American Religious Liberty
    HIS 323: Women of Color in the U.S.
    HIS 324: Lost Languages, Ancient Civilizations, and Decipherments
    HIS 325: Civil Rights and Black Power
    HIS 337: History of Korea
    HIS 338: Asian and Pacific Islanders in American History
    HIS 338: Asian and Pacific Islanders in American History
    HIS 340: Topics in Asian History
    HIS 341: 20th-Century China
    HIS 344: Modern Japan
    HIS 346: Political and Social History of Africa
    HIS 348: Colonial South Asia
    HIS 350: Topics in African History
    HIS 351: Revolutionary China: Politics, Culture, and Power
    HIS 352: Environmental History of China
    HIS 353: Postwar Japan
    HIS 356: Zionism and the State of Israel
    HIS 361: Slavery and Freedom in the Making of the Atlantic
    HIS 362: Unsettled Decade: The Sixties
    HIS 363: Topics in American History
    HIS 364: Oceans Past: World History from a Maritime Perspective
    HIS 365: Environmental History of North America
    HIS 366: New Jim Crow: Race, Punishment, Police and Prisons since the Civil War
    HIS 374: Surveillance State
    HIS 375: American Politics and Diplomacy to 1898
    HIS 376: American Politics and Diplomacy, 1898-1945
    HIS 377: American Politics and Diplomacy Since 1945
    HIS 378: War and the Military
    HIS 379: Rebels and Revolutionaries: 1960s Latin America
    HIS 381: Empire of Goods: Latin America and the World, 1500-2000
    HIS 383: The World of Jane Austen; Jane Austen in the World
    HIS 385: Aztec Civilization
    HIS 386: The Maya
    HIS 387: History of Cuba
    HIS 388: Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean
    HIS 389: Modern Mexico
    HIS 390: Topics in Ancient History
    HIS 391: Topics in Ancient and Medieval Europe
    HIS 392: Topics in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 393: Topics in Modern European History
    HIS 397: Topics in History of US Immigration and Ethnicity
    HIS 398: Topics in History of Science, Medicine and Technology
     
    Health, Science & Environmental Change
    HIS 206: Europe in the Age of Discovery, 1348-1789
    HIS 211: Early African History
    HIS 212: Ancient History of Mesoamerica
    HIS 215: Long Island History
    HIS 221: Introduction to Modern African History
    HIS 237: Science, Technology, and Medicine in Western Civilization I
    HIS 238: Science, Technology, and Medicine in Western Civilization II
    HIS 264: The Early Republic
    HIS 266: History of the United States West
    HIS 281: Global History and Geography
    HIS 286: The Global History of Human Health
    HIS 293: Disease in American History
    HIS 295: History of North American Cities and Suburbs
    HIS 302: Environmental History in Global Perspective
    HIS 304: Religion, Magic and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 321: Humans and Animals in the Modern World
    HIS 329: History of Industrial Hazards
    HIS 333: Suburbanism in International Perspective
    HIS 335: Social History of American Advertising
    HIS 352: Environmental History of China
    HIS 364: Oceans Past: World History from a Maritime Perspective
    HIS 365: Environmental History of North America
    HIS 368: Health and Disease in African History
    HIS 381: Empire of Goods: Latin America and the World, 1500-2000
    HIS 385: Aztec Civilization
    HIS 386: The Maya
    HIS 396: Topics in US History
    HIS 398: Topics in History of Science, Medicine and Technology
     
    Law, Politics & Social Justice
    HIS 201: The Ancient Near East
    HIS 202: Ancient Greece
    HIS 203: Ancient Rome
    HIS 210: Soviet Russia
    HIS 214: Modern Latin America
    HIS 216: History of U.S.-Latin American Relations
    HIS 221: Introduction to Modern African History
    HIS 223: Regional History of Africa
    HIS 226: The Shaping of Modern Judaism
    HIS 230: Britain Since 1945: Postcolonial Disruptions
    HIS 241: Nazi Genocide and the Holocaust
    HIS 248: Modern Europe, 1815-1914
    HIS 249: Modern Europe, 1914-1945
    HIS 250: The Second World War, 1939-1945
    HIS 251: Europe Since 1945
    HIS 261: Change and Reform in the United States, 1877-1919
    HIS 263: Age of the American Revolution
    HIS 265: Civil War and Reconstruction
    HIS 271: The United States in the World: the 20th Century
    HIS 273: U.S. History, 1900-1945
    HIS 274: U.S. History, 1945-2000
    HIS 277: The Modern Color Line
    HIS 280: The History of the U.S. Working Class
    HIS 282: African American History Since 1877
    HIS 283: The History of Latinos in the United States
    HIS 286: The Global History of Human Health
    HIS 287: Crime and Criminal Justice in the U.S.
    HIS 288: Wealth and Inequality in Early America
    HIS 289: Wealth and Inequality in America's Corporate Age
    HIS 295: History of North American Cities and Suburbs
    HIS 300: Topics in Global History
    HIS 314: Indigenous-Settler Relations in the United States
    HIS 318: Modern European Intellectual History
    HIS 323: Women of Color in the U.S.
    HIS 325: Civil Rights and Black Power
    HIS 328: History of New York City
    HIS 329: History of Industrial Hazards
    HIS 331: Immigration in American History
    HIS 332: Postcolonial South Asia
    HIS 333: Suburbanism in International Perspective
    HIS 334: Women and Gender in Pre-Modern European History
    HIS 338: Asian and Pacific Islanders in American History
    HIS 339: Recent African American History
    HIS 340: Topics in Asian History
    HIS 345: Women and Gender in Chinese History
    HIS 346: Political and Social History of Africa
    HIS 348: Colonial South Asia
    HIS 350: Topics in African History
    HIS 352: Environmental History of China
    HIS 360: U.S. Social History to 1860
    HIS 361: Slavery and Freedom in the Making of the Atlantic
    HIS 362: Unsettled Decade: The Sixties
    HIS 366: New Jim Crow: Race, Punishment, Police and Prisons since the Civil War
    HIS 369: Religion and Politics in Africa
    HIS 370: US Social History from 1860 to 1940
    HIS 371: Law and Society in American History, 1620-1877
    HIS 372: U.S. Constitutional History and Civil Rights
    HIS 374: Surveillance State: A History of U.S. Domestic Spying
    HIS 375: American Politics and Diplomacy to 1898
    HIS 376: American Politics and Diplomacy, 1898-1945
    HIS 377: American Politics and Diplomacy Since 1945
    HIS 378: War and the Military
    HIS 379: Rebels & Revolutionaries: 1960s Latin America
    HIS 388: Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean
    HIS 389: Modern Mexico
    HIS 392: Topics in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 396: Topics in US History
    HIS 397: Topics in History of US Immigration and Ethnicity
    HIS 398: Topics in History of Science, Medicine and Technology
     
    Race, Religion, Gender & Sexualities
    HIS 211: Early African History
    HIS 213: Colonial Latin America
    HIS 215: Long Island History
    HIS 218: Ancient, Medieval, & Early Modern South Asia
    HIS 221: Introduction to Modern African History
    HIS 223: Regional History of Africa
    HIS 225: The Formation of the Judaic Heritage
    HIS 226: The Shaping of Modern Judaism
    HIS 227: Islamic Civilization and Muslim Societies
    HIS 229: Victorian Britain
    HIS 235: The Early Middle Ages
    HIS 236: The Late Middle Ages
    HIS 241: Nazi Genocide and the Holocaust
    HIS 247: Modern Korea through Visual Culture
    HIS 248: Modern Europe, 1815-1914
    HIS 249: Modern Europe, 1914-1945
    HIS 261: Change and Reform in the United States, 1877-1919
    HIS 265: Civil War and Reconstruction
    HIS 266: History of US West
    HIS 273: U.S. History, 1900-1945
    HIS 274: US History, 1945-2000
    HIS 277: The Modern Color Line
    HIS 282: African American History Since 1877
    HIS 283: The History of Latinos in the United States
    HIS 285: History of Popular Culture in 19th Century America
    HIS 295: History of North American Cities and Suburbs
    HIS 300: Topics in Global History
    HIS 303: The Crusades and Medieval Society
    HIS 304: Religion, Magic and Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe
    HIS 309: Victorian Britain and Monsters: A Particular History of Empire
    HIS 310: Britain Since 1945: Postcolonial Disruptions
    HIS 314: Indigenous-Settler Relations in the United States
    HIS 318: Modern European Intellectual History
    HIS 320: Latino New York
    HIS 322: Origins of American Religious Liberty
    HIS 323: Women of Color in the U.S.
    HIS 325: Civil Rights and Black Power
    HIS 327: The Arts as History
    HIS 328: History of New York City
    HIS 331: Immigration in American History
    HIS 332: Postcolonial South Asia
    HIS 334: Women and Gender in Pre-Modern European History
    HIS 334: Women and Gender in Pre-Modern European History
    HIS 335: Social History of American Advertising
    HIS 336: Women and Gender in Modern European History
    HIS 338: Asian and Pacific Islanders in American History
    HIS 339: Recent African American History
    HIS 345: Women and Gender in Chinese History
    HIS 346: Political and Social History of Africa
    HIS 350: Topics in African History
    HIS 353: Postwar Japan
    HIS 356: Zionism and the State of Israel
    HIS 360: U.S. Social History to 1860
    HIS 361: Slavery and Freedom in the Making of the Atlantic
    HIS 362: Unsettled Decade: The Sixties
    HIS 363: Topics in American History
    HIS 366: New Jim Crow: Race, Punishment, Police and Prisons since the Civil War
    HIS 369: Religion and Politics in Africa
    HIS 370: US Social History from 1860 to 1940
    HIS 372: U.S. Constitutional History and Civil Rights
    HIS 374: Surveillance State: A History of U.S. Domestic Spying
    HIS 383: The World of Jane Austen; Jane Austen in the World
    HIS 385: Aztec Civilization
    HIS 386: The Maya
    HIS 388: Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean
    HIS 393: Topics in Modern European History
    HIS 396: Topics in US History
    HIS 397: Topics in History of US Immigration and Ethnicity


    The Honors Program in History 

    Departmental majors with a minimum  g.p.a. of 3.50 in history courses and related disciplines as specified in the major requirements are eligible to enroll in the History honors program at the beginning of their senior year.

    The student, after asking a faculty member to be a sponsor, must submit a proposal to the Department indicating the merit of the planned research. The supervising faculty member must also submit a statement supporting the student's proposal. This must be done in the semester prior to the beginning of the project.

    The honors paper resulting from a student's research is read by two historians and a member of another department, as arranged by the director of undergraduate studies. If the paper is judged to be of unusual merit and the student's record warrants such a determination, the De­partment recommends honors.

    Requirements for the Minor

    The minor is organized around one particular thematic cluster selected from the following: Arts, Ideas & Culture; Empires, Violence & Global Connections; Health, Science & Environmental Change; Law, Politics & Social Justice; Race, Religion, Gender & Sexualities. Courses offered for the minor must be taken for a letter grade. All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

    Completion of the minor requires 21 credits. At least nine of the 21 credits must be taken at Stony Brook, with three of the courses at the upper-division level. The specific distribution of the credits should be determined in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. An example of an acceptable distribution would be the following:

    1. Two 100-level HIS courses 
    2. Two 200-level courses in selected thematic cluster
    3. Three upper-division courses in selected thematic cluster

    History Courses Listed by Thematic cluster

    Note: HIS 447, HIS 487, HIS 488, HIS 495, HIS 496 may not be used to satisfy major or minor requirements unless with permission of the undergraduate director.

     

     

  • Sequence

    Sample Course Sequence for the Major in History

    A course planning guide for this major may be found here. The major course planning guides are not part of the official Undergraduate Bulletin, and are only updated periodically for use as an advising tool. The Undergraduate Bulletin supersedes any errors or omissions in the major course planning guides.  

    FRESHMAN

    FALL Credits
    First Year Seminar 101 1
    WRT 101 3
    HIS 101 or HIS 103 3
    SBC 3
    SBC 3
    SBC
    		 3
     Total 16
     
    SPRING Credits
    First Year Seminar 102 1
    WRT 102 3
    HIS 102 or HIS 104 3
    SBC 3
    SBC 3
    SBC
    		 3
     Total 16
     
    SOPHOMORE

    FALL Credits
    Primary Field Course #1 (200 level) 3
    SBC
    		3
    SBC 3
    SBC 3
    SBC  3
     Total 15
     
    SPRING Credits
    HIS 200-level outside primary field 3
    Primary Field Course #2 (200 level) 3
    Elective  3
    SBC  3
    SBC  3
    Upper-division elective 3
     Total 18
     
    JUNIOR

    FALL Credits
    Primary Field Course #3 (300 level) 3
    HIS 300-level outside primary field 3
    Upper-division elective 3
    HIS 301  3
    Elective  3
     Total 15
     
    SPRING Credits
    Primary Field course #4 (300 level) 3
    HIS 301 writing seminar 3
    Related discipline 300-level course 3
    Upper-division SBC 3
    Upper-division elective 3
     Total 15
     
    SENIOR

    FALL Credits
    Primary Field course #5 (400-level special topics seminar)  3
    HIS 300-level outside primary field   3
    SBC  3
    Elective  3
    Elective  3
     Total 15
     
    SPRING Credits
    Related discipline course (300 or 400-level) 3
    Upper-division SBC  3
    Upper-division SBC   3 
    Elective  3
    Elective  3
     Total 15

     

  • Contact

    History (HIS)

    Major and Minor in History

    Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences

    Chair: Paul Gootenberg

    Director of Undergraduate Studies: Eric Zolov

    Assistant to the Chair: Susan Grumet

    Office: S-301 Social and Behavioral Sciences

    Phone: (631) 632-7500

    Email: Susan.Grumet@stonybrook.edu

    Website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/history

    Minors of particular interest to students majoring in History: Africana Studies (AFS), International Studies (INT), Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LAC), Political Science (POL), Women's and Gender Studies (WST), Foreign Languages

     

     

  • Courses
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