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History

Program Information

PROGRAMS OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of History offers the following programs: the major in History; the History Secondary Education major, for students planning to teach history at the secondary level; and the minor in History. Each of these programs encourages students to explore the study of history in depth. Such investigation leads to an appreciation of the structure and function of the discipline and prepares the student for teaching, for graduate work and for the study of law, theology, archival management, library science, historical preservation and museology. Skills, as well as historical knowledge acquired through the study of the discipline, may also lead to career opportunities in public history, federal, state and local government, and in business and industry.

Students may opt for more career flexibility by choosing double majors or by combining History with a minor: History and Art, History and English, History and Women’s Studies, History and Business, History and Communication, for example. History majors and minors are also expected to take correlative courses that broaden their academic backgrounds and offer valuable insights into their subjects. The department also strongly recommends the completion of the intermediate level of a foreign language. The department offers courses in the fields of American, European, Asian, African and Latin American history. The offerings are varied. Some courses are chronological, topical or national in scope. Others are in women’s, ethnic, business, social, cultural or political history.

All courses offered encourage an appreciation of the historical past through lecture/discussion, reading, analysis and writing. Because history explores all aspects of human endeavor, history courses touch upon the insights of all disciplines from the historical perspective.

An internship is a practical application of historical knowledge and skill. An internship may be taken at institutions such as the Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore City Archives, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Jewish Museum of Maryland, Inc. or Towson University Archives.

The department participates in interdisciplinary programs such as International Studies, Social Sciences, Women’s Studies, the minors in African and African American Studies, Jewish Studies, Classical Studies, and Lesbian and Gay Studies, and in Interdisciplinary Studies, tracks in American Studies, African-American Studies, Comparative Ethnic Studies, Latin American Studies, Asian Studies, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAJORS AND MINORS

Students must declare their majors and minors in the department. The major or minor should be declared during the second term of the freshman year or at the beginning of the sophomore year. Students will be given major/minor forms listing additional rules for a History major/minor. They will also be required to select an academic adviser who will help in preparing a program of courses. Students should consult their advisers regularly. Students also must update their records each term. A History minor who wishes to student teach must have completed 15 units of the required courses in history.

HONOR PROGRAMS

The department offers an honors program in history. Eligibility requirements and rules governing the departmental honors programs are described elsewhere in this catalog. Students interested in the history honors program should consult their adviser and their department chair no later than the first term of their junior year.

TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY

No more than 18 credits in history will be accepted toward a major or a minor from a regionally accredited four-year college. No more than 12 lower-division credits in history will be accepted toward a major or a minor from a regionally accredited two-year college. The 12 credits must be in lower-division courses which have Towson University equivalents at the 100-200 level.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING

The department awards units through the Advanced Placement Program of the university. The department also offers units for lower-division courses, and for upper-division courses upon appeal, through the Credit for Prior Learning Program. Students applying for credit under this program complete a departmental examination, an interview and a paper or book review in the field.

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