History

Sharon A. Roger Hepburn, Chairperson

http://www.radford.edu/content/chbs/home/history.html

Undergraduate Program

The History Major is designed to give students both a broad background in American, European, and Global history and the ability to choose specialized courses from a wide-range of upper-division electives. The major also prepares students for careers in vocations with an historical orientation as well as the broader world of public and private employment with a menu of introductory and advanced Technical Skills and Work Experience courses that emphasize the field of digital history, working with digital archives, and public history. Students become acquainted with historical research and writing and with historical thought through the sophomore-level seminar, HIST 295 - The Historian’s Craft , and HIST 495 - Senior Seminar .

The History Major prepares students to think critically about change and continuity in a variety of societies and cultures in order to help them to understand our increasingly global, cosmopolitan, and diverse world. It offers courses organized along thematic, geographical, or temporal lines that provide students with historical perspectives and insights into the world and the forces and events that shaped it. Students receive the opportunity to read analytically, think critically, and write effectively. A major in history helps you hone the basic skills that employers want most in their workers—critical thinking and communication—and further provides high-demand technical skills training and work experience. The History Major is a 41-credit program. Students choose three 100-level courses from the “Foundations of Historical Study” menu of six courses and are required to take HIST 295 , HIST 296 (Careers in History), and HIST 495 as part of the “Career Development Curriculum.” Students complete the career development element of the program by choosing two courses from the Professional Skills menu of seven courses. The larger part of the program, “History in Depth,” involves the student in the selection of six topical history courses from the program designation groups: United States, Europe, and Global.

REAL Curriculum

This major fulfills the E and A areas of the REAL Curriculum. Students develop an understanding of the diverse ideas present in humanistic inquiry and the expression evident in historical sources. This occurs through the acquisition and application of knowledge, research and analytical skills, and critical reflection on primary and secondary source evidence. Students develop cultural and behavioral analysis competencies by examining the interaction of cultures, behaviors, and beliefs. This occurs through thinking critically and analytically about historical issues themes, personalities, and events. Students need additional majors and/or minors to fulfill the R and L areas to complete the REAL Curriculum requirements.

Honors Program

For a general description of the Honors Academy at Radford, click here .

The History Department offers a departmental honors program. History majors will be granted the award of Honors in History upon graduation if they meet the following criteria:

GPA of 3.5 or higher in all courses taken with a HIST prefix
Earn a B or higher in HIST 295 (not a B-)
Earn an A or A- in HIST 495

For further information concerning the Honors in History, contact the department chairperson.

Programs

Degree

*Programs may have different REAL designations based on the concentration(s) selected. Click on the major for more details.

Academic Minor

To graduate with a minor, a student must have a 2.0 or higher GPA in all courses required for the minor, and should be officially registered for the minor at least one semester prior to graduation. Courses used to fulfill major or minor requirements cannot be used to fulfill concentrations or option requirements within Interdisciplinary Studies.