Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
History (BA)
The study of history aims to promote a broader, more critical understanding of the world and our place in it, to give students the ability to contextualize events in the present by distinguishing them from past times and places, and thus to provide the basis for making informed decisions in the public sphere. While the interpretive and communication skills students develop as History majors will be of value to them in their work lives, the History major aims at humanistic understanding rather than specific vocational ends. Because the term "history" refers to both the object of study (the human past) and to the discipline by which we claim to know that past, the History major at the University of Texas at Dallas aspires to both expansive knowledge of the past, achieved through breadth and distribution requirements, and critical assessment of the means by which historians reconstruct and interpret the past, emphasized in the required Historical Inquiry course, the disciplinary focus requirement, and the research project undertaken in the Senior year.
Students who complete the major in History may design distinctive degree programs by selecting among courses in a range of geographical areas, time periods, approaches to the study of history, and topical subject matters. Students are encouraged to focus their work in History on a particular time or place, significant theme, topic, or problem, and to balance breadth and range of historical study with depth in a particular subject. Students may also be certified to teach history and/or social studies.
At least one-half of the semester credit hours for a major must be taken at UT Dallas.
Most upper-division courses in History are open to all students in the University who have met lower-division core requirements.
Bachelor of Arts in History
Degree Requirements (120 semester credit hours)
View an Example of Degree Requirements by Semester
Faculty
Professors: David F. Channell, Pamela Gossin, David A. Patterson, Nils Roemer, Daniel B. Wickberg
Associate Professors: J. Michael Farmer, Kimberly Hill, Monica Rankin, Natalie J. Ring, Eric Schlereth, Whitney Stewart, Michael L. Wilson, Benjamin (Ben) Wright
Assistant Professors: Rosemary Admiral, Paula Cuellar Cuellar, Anne Gray Fischer, En Li
Professors Emeriti: Joan Chandler, R. David Edmunds, Stephen G. Rabe
Associate Professors Emeriti: Peter Park, Gerald L. Soliday
Clinical Associate Professor: Jeffrey Schulze
Clinical Assistant Professor: Pia Jakobsson
Research Assistant Professor: Debra Pfister
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 semester credit hours1
Communication: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Communication Core courses (see advisor)
Mathematics: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Mathematics Core courses
Life and Physical Sciences: 6 semester credit hours
Select 6 semester credit hours from Life and Physical Sciences Core courses
Language, Philosophy and Culture: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Language, Philosophy and Culture Core courses (see advisor)
Creative Arts: 3 semester credit hours
Select 3 semester credit hours from Creative Arts Core courses
American History: 6 semester credit hours
Select 6 semester credit hours from American History Core courses
Government/Political Science: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Government/Political Science Core courses (see advisor)
Social and Behavioral Sciences: 3 semester credit hours
Select any 3 semester credit hours from Social and Behavioral Sciences Core courses
Component Area Option: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 6 semester credit hours from Component Area Option Core courses (see advisor)
II. Major Requirements, Lower-Division: 0-3 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum2
One of the following World Regional History Surveys (0-3 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum):
HIST 2340 Middle East Civilizations3
HIST 2341 East Asian Civilizations3
HIST 2350 Latin American Civilizations3
HIST 2360 European Civilizations3
III. Major Requirements, Upper-Division: 30 semester credit hours
Major Core Courses: 6 semester credit hours
HIST 3301 Historical Inquiry
HIST 4390 History Capstone Project4
Major Distribution Courses: 18 semester credit hours
Select any 6 upper-division HIST courses from 3 of the following 5 geographical areas. One course must cover a topic in pre-1500 history.
- East Asian History
- European History
- Latin American History
- Middle Eastern History
- North American History
Major Elective Courses: 6 semester credit hours
Select any 2 upper-division HIST courses
Geographical and Temporal Focus:
All courses will be designated with the geographical and a temporal focus (pre-1500 or post-1500).
Research-Focused Course:
All 4000-level HIST courses have a focus on historical research. Select at least 3 semester credit hours of HIST courses at the 4000-level. Note that HIST 4390 History Capstone Project requires students to further develop a research project begun in a prerequisite 4000-level course taken in a prior semester. Make sure to choose 4000-level course(s) in the area you wish to focus on for your capstone project. Majors are recommended to take a variety of 4000-level HIST courses.
IV. Elective Requirements: 45-48 semester credit hours
Free Electives: 45-48 semester credit hours
Both upper-and lower-division courses may be used as electives.
The plan must include sufficient upper-division courses to total 45 upper-division semester credit hours.
Incoming freshmen must enroll and complete requirements of AHTC 1100.
Minors
Students must take a minimum of 18 semester credit hours for the minor. Students who take a minor will be expected to meet the normal prerequisites in courses making up the minor, and should maintain a minimum GPA of 2.000 on a 4.00 scale (C average). Semester credit hours may not be used to satisfy both the major and minor requirements; however, free elective semester credit hours or major preparatory classes may be used to satisfy the minor. Core courses offered by the school may count as lower-division semester credit hours toward the minor. Topics courses must be approved by the school. The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology will substitute courses as necessary. At least one-third of the semester credit hours for a minor must be taken at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies
18 semester credit hours
Choose any 18 semester credit hours from all AAADS-eligible courses included in the list below. Note: Some courses may require prerequisite or preparatory courses before you can register.
ARHM 3342 Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies in the Arts and Humanities5
CRIM 4315 Race, Ethnicity, and Justice
FILM 3342 Topics in Film
HIST 2381 African-American History
HIST 2384 U.S. Women from Settlement to Present
HIST 3306 History of Racism
HIST 3328 History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine6
HIST 3364 History of American Religion7
HIST 3366 Themes in the Social History of the United States7
HIST 3390 Twentieth Century African-American History
HIST 3342 Origins of the Jim Crow South
HIST 4357 Topics in African and African-American History
HIST 4360 Topics in American Women's History7
HIST 4378 Topics in American History7
HIST 4381 Topics in Comparative History7
HIST 4383 Topics in U.S. Southern History7
HIST 4384 Topics in the History of Religion7
HIST 4386 Topics in the History of Race or Ethnicity7
HIST 4387 Topics in Urban History7
HONS 3199 Collegium V Honors Readings7
LIT 2322 Survey of African-American and African Diaspora Literatures
LIT 3316 The Literature of Science Fiction7
LIT 3317 The Literature of Fantasy7
LIT 4348 Topics in Literature7
MUSI 3324 Jazz History: Roots to Swing
PHIL 3328 History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine6
PHIL 4332 Philosophy of Race
PSY 4324 The Psychology of Prejudice
SOC 2319 Race and Ethnicity
Minor in History
18 semester credit hours
Choose any 18 semester credit hours from HIST courses. Must meet the University minimum number of upper-division hours.
1. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from institutions of higher education. The courses listed are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.
2. 0 semester credit hours beyond Core Curriculum, if the student has not previously completed other courses to satisfy these core curriculum requirements.
3. A required Preparatory course that also fulfills a Core Curriculum requirement. Semester credit hours may be counted in Core Curriculum.
4. HIST 4390 requires students to complete a capstone project based on research completed in a previous 4000-level course. You need to complete at least 3 SCH of 4000-level HIST courses before you can sign up for HIST 4390, and it is recommended that you take a variety.
5. ARHM 3342 can be used for the African American and African Diaspora Studies Minor when topic is Slavery in American Popular Culture, The Harlem Renaissance, or another approved topic.
6. HIST 3328/PHIL 3328 can be used for the African American and African Diaspora Studies Minor when topic is Hidden Figures' Lives Matter or another approved topic.
7. As topic permits, approved on a semester-by-semester basis.