Mar 29, 2024  
2020-2021 University Catalog 
    
2020-2021 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

History, BA


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About the Program

Purdue’s approach to the study of history is equally varied among politics, society, culture, gender, race, war, diplomacy, science, and technology. The Department of History is deeply involved in educating students to think critically, with courses that teach not only what happened in the past but also how the past informs the present. History majors acquire skills in critical thinking and communication.

The department is dedicated to excellence in undergraduate and graduate teaching as well as historical research. The department’s faculty members take pride in fostering close working relationships with students. The faculty members have national and international reputations for research, and the department has earned campus-wide recognition for excellent teaching. Departmental faculty consistently win major research awards and grants, hold offices in professional organizations, and serve on editorial boards at home and abroad as well as publish articles in major journals and critically acclaimed books.

Each year, the department coordinates study abroad trips around the world, most recently to Germany, Egypt, England, Greece, China, and Turkey.

3 Year Degrees

The College of Liberal Arts offers the opportunity for students to complete their degree in three years. Degree in 3 majors allow students to enter the work force or graduate school a year earlier than traditional plans of study while also providing a cost-effective way to complete an undergraduate degree.

Students can complete the three-year option with or without AP credit by adding summer sessions to traditional coursework in Fall and Spring semesters. Degree in 3 offers a great combination of cost-savings and the opportunity to accelerate your future and achieve your goals.

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Liberal Arts Curriculum


Each liberal arts major is designed as a four-year plan of study and includes three types of courses: Major, Core, and Elective. Most students take five courses per semester, with some of each type.

Professional academic advisors meet individually with each of our students on a regular basis to help with course selection, academic planning, and career development, as well as to help students find additional resources on campus.

Departmental/Program Major Course Requirements (33 credits)


Area A - U.S. History (6 credits)


Choose courses from Area A .

Area B - European History (6 credits)


Choose courses from Area B. 

Area C - Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, or African History (6 credits)


Choose courses from Area C. 

Area D - Period Prior To A.D. 1500 (3 credits)


Choose course from Area D.  

 

Note: Students must take at least 3 credits of HIST 39500  ♦ to fulfill either Area A, B, C or D.

Area E (12 credits)


Other Departmental - Liberal Arts Core (31-55 credits)


The College of Liberal Arts Other Departmental area is designed to be experiential, informative, and relevant to life in a rapidly changing universe. It combines courses that fulfill University Core foundational outcomes, discipline diversity, social diversity, and other languages to produce a well-rounded background for students. Coursework is integrative and collaborative and fosters insight, understanding, independence, initiative, and the desire to reach across divides and redefine our relationship to the peoples and the worlds that surround us.

Core I: Disciplinary Diversity (6-18 credits)


Choose 1 course in 6 different disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts.

Note: Disciplines are differentiated by course prefix. Undistributed credit does not count to satisfy this requirement.

Core II: Social Diversity (1-3 credits)


Culture, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity all play a role in how others perceive us and how we experience the world, and as such, are meaningful categories for analyzing social change and social problems past and present. The purpose of this category is to acquaint students with the pluralistic nature of the world and foster an appreciation and awareness of the diverse range of lived human experience. Courses in this list will expose students to important aspects of human diversity and foster understanding about different world views.

Choose one course from this list: Social Diversity Selective List .

Core III: Linguistic Diversity (3-4 credits)


Proficiency through Level IV in one world language. Courses may be required to reach Level IV proficiency; these courses will be counted toward electives.

Foundational Requirements (21-30 credits)


Students must complete approved coursework that meet the following foundational outcomes. Many of these can also be used to fulfill Core I, Core II, or Core III.

  • Humanities - all approved courses accepted.
  • Behavioral/Social Science - all approved courses accepted.
  • Information Literacy - all approved courses accepted.
  • Science #1 - all approved courses accepted.
  • Science #2 - all approved courses accepted.
  • Science, Technology, and Society - all approved courses accepted.
  • Written Communication - all approved courses accepted.
  • Oral Communication - all approved courses accepted.
  • Quantitative Reasoning - all approved courses accepted.

Notes


  • Double counting of courses is allowed across the various categories.
  • All accredited programs whose accreditation is threatened by CLA Core requirement, both professional BAs and BFAs, are exempt from Liberal Arts Core I & II in order to meet accreditation standards and requirements. Liberal Arts Core III: Linguistic Diversity is still required for such programs.
  • “Degree +” students (students with a second major outside of Liberal Arts) are exempt from the CLA Core.

Electives (32-56 credits)


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the Provost’s Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC)

Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


 

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


  • Oral Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00 (CLA Core I: 1 of 6)
  • History Area A U.S. History Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • World Language Level I - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Quantitative Reasoning - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 1st Year


  • Written Communication - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
  • History Area A U.S. History (CLA Core I: 2 of 6) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • World Language Level II - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Behavioral/Social Sciences - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


  • History Area B European History - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • History Area D History Prior to AD 1500 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • World Language Level III - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • CLA Core II: Social Diversity - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


  • History Area B European History - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • World Language Level IV (CLA Core I: 3 of 6 and CLA Core III: Linguistic Diversity) - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science, Technology & Society - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • CLA Core I: 4 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • History Area C: Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, or African History - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • CLA Core I: 5 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • History Area C: Latin American, Asian, Middle Eastern, or African History - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • CLA Core I: 6 of 6 - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • History Area E: History 40000 or 50000 level - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • History Area E: History 40000 or 50000 level - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Notes


  • Students must earn a “C-” or better in each History course.  The P/NP option is not available.
  • 2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.
  • 32 credit hours of Purdue coursework at the 30000 level or higher required for graduation.
  • Liberal Arts offers a streamlined plan of study for students pursuing a second degree outside CLA. Contact the CLA Advising Office for more information.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.

ASL-American Sign Language

ARAB-Arabic CHNS-Chinese FR-French
GER-German GREK-Greek (ancient) HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) HEBR-Hebrew (modern)
ITAL-Italian JPNS-Japanese KOR-Korean LATN-Latin
PTGS-Portuguese RUSS-Russian SPAN-Spanish  

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

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