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Fields of Concentration in History

2008-2009

AALA    European    Gender and History

Intellectual History  Religion and History   United States

Each History major chooses a field of concentration, and within the concentration chooses a faculty adviser. The following brief descriptions of the History Department's six fields of concentration also indicate which professors might serve as advisers for each.

AFRICA, ASIA AND LATIN AMERICA

Within this concentration students may focus on any one of the three regions as well as on their sub-regions, and they may study both the pre-modern and modern histories of the regions. Faculty in the concentration offer a wide range of courses on Africa, South and East Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, as well as on more general issues regarding imperialism and world history.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is Lorelle Semley.   Other historians who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Elphick, Johnston, Masters, Schwarcz, Semley and Wightman.

EUROPEAN

The European History concentration embraces the long history of the European peoples from Classical Greece and Rome, through the Early and High Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation, into Early Modern and Modern times. In the interests of cohesion and depth, students concentrating in European History are strongly urged to focus a number of their courses in the same epoch or the same region. European concentrators must take either HIST 201 and 202, or HIST 202 and 203.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is Philip Pomper.  Other professors who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Brown, Erickson, Greene, Grimmer-Solem, Holmes, Kleinberg, Miller, Nussdorfer, Pomper, Greene, Shaw, Teter, and Tucker.

GENDER AND HISTORY

The depth of Wesleyan's curricular offerings in this field reflects the crucial role that gender has come to play as a category of analysis for cross-cultural, comparative history. Prospective concentrators are expected to take a sophomore seminar on Gender and History or an adviser-approved substitute. A concentrator's program should be designed to include a History survey course, a History seminar, and a theory/methods course. Concentrators are expected to do their required research project within the concentration with the approval of the student's adviser.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is To Be Announced.  Other historians who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Hill, Potter, Semley, Shaw, Tucker and Wightman.

INTELLECTUAL HISTORY

The Intellectual History concentration seeks to train students in many of the significant texts of the past, to examine the role of the intellectual in society, to pose questions regarding the philosophy of history, and to present alternative theories of reading texts. Concentrators in Intellectual History must take both courses in European sequence (HIST 215 and 216) and one non-European Intellectual History class.  In addition, three seminars in Intellectual History are required.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is Ethan Kleinberg.  Other historians who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Erickson, Hill, Holmes, Kleinberg, Miller, Pomper, Schwarcz and Tucker.

RELIGION AND HISTORY

The Religion and History concentration focuses on the historical and historiographical study of religion. The concentration cuts across traditional geographic regions, and includes select courses in medieval and modern Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East. Each major in the concentration is required to have curricular exposure to the texts and history of at least two major world religions, and at least one course in the concentration must be in the pre-modern era. All concentrators must take the seminar HIST 323, Religion and History.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is William (Vijay) Pinch.  Other historians who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Elphick, Hill, Masters, Nussdorfer, Pinch, Schatz, Schwarcz, Shaw and Teter.

UNITED STATES

The United States history concentration considers the global past of this country, from the early encounters between European colonists and indigenous North American peoples to its role today as the world's sole "superpower" and as a society constituted of people from every corner of the earth.  Concentrators in this field are required to take two courses from the three-semester sequence of foundation courses:  I.  Early America (HIST 237), II.  The Long Nineteenth Century (HIST 239), and III.  Modern U.S. History (HIST 240).*  The remaining four courses in the concentration may be chosen from the array of sophomore seminars, specialized lecture courses, and advanced seminars in U.S. history.  At least one of the courses offered for the concentration must be a History seminar.  Ordinarily no more than one "related" (non-history) course may be counted toward the concentration.  Concentrators are expected to do their required research project within the concentration.

*This requirement takes effect for the Class of 2005.  However, students who took HIST 235 prior to the academic year 2003-2004 may substitute it for HIST 237; students who took HIST 236 prior to the academic year 2003-2004 may substitute it for either HIST 239 or HIST 240.

The field adviser for 2008-2009 is Demetrius Eudell.   Other historians who teach in this concentration are Professors:  Eudell, Hill, Potter, Schatz and Swinehart.