History
Overview
The History Department seeks to cultivate in its students a critical understanding of the past in order to prepare them to participate as thoughtful and engaged citizens of the contemporary world. The program promotes historical understanding that enables the assessment of social and cultural continuity and change in a variety of temporal, geographic and thematic contexts. Through its broad curriculum in the pre-modern, national, world, and comparative histories of Europe, the Americas and the Atlantic World, the Pacific Rim, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Islamic World, as well as program strengths in the subjects of colonialism and postcolonialism, environmental history, food studies, immigration history, race and ethnic studies, political cultures, the history of religion, revolutions and social movements, the history of science and medicine, war and genocide, and women’s history, students develop interpretive skills, research competence, and writing fluency to engage in academic debates and produce historical knowledge. The department supports student research with both funding and awards, encourages study abroad, and offers distinctive internship opportunities. Our academic program plays an integrative role in the quest for liberal learning and contributes to interdisciplinary and area studies programs as well as the mission of the College grounded in excellence and equity, community and service. Our majors are well prepared for a broad range of graduate programs and careers including business, education, archival and museum work, historic preservation, entertainment and media, journalism, law, and public service.
Major Requirements
The History major consists of a minimum of forty units, or ten four-unit courses. Of the ten required courses, at least eight must be taken in the History department, and no more than two will be accepted from other departments or institutions.
COURSEWORK
Required Courses
Survey Courses
Choose three courses from different geographic areas (Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, and United States). Survey courses (the 100 series and some of the 200 series) cover a broad chronological time frame. Courses satisfying a survey requirement are labeled in the course description.
Additional Electives
Students must complete five additional electives. Three of the remaining five classes should be additional upper division courses (in the 300 series excluding HIST 300). At least one course must deal with the premodern period. Courses satisfying the premodern requirement are listed below:
| HIST 101 | United States Culture and Society I | 4 units |
| HIST 121 | Antiquity to 1700: Europe and the Middle East | 4 units |
| HIST 141 | East Asian Survey | 4 units |
| HIST 150/LLAS 150 | Colonial Latin America | 4 units |
| HIST 220 | Ancient Athens and Renaissance Florence | 4 units |
| HIST 226 | Renaissance to Revolution! | 4 units |
| HIST 242 | Imperial China | 4 units |
| HIST 245 | China and the World | 4 units |
| HIST 251 | Nahuatl Language, Writing, and Culture | 4 units |
| HIST 252/LLAS 252 | Religion in Mexico, Pre-Columbian Times to Present | 4 units |
| HIST 274 | Medicine and Disease in Western Society | 4 units |
| HIST 355/LLAS 355 | Indians of Mexico | 4 units |
| HIST 304 | The American Revolution, 1760-1815 | 4 units |
| HIST 311 | American Frontiers: From Contact to Empire | 4 units |
| HIST 312/BLST 312 | Race, Rights, and Revolution in the Atlantic World | 4 units |
If premodern course is also being used to satisfy a historical survey requirement, you must take an additional elective.
Acceptable Courses from Other Departments
Courses that may be counted toward the major without petition are:
No more than two courses from other departments or transfer courses from other institutions (including study abroad courses) will be counted towards the History major.
Second-Stage Writing Requirement
Students majoring in History satisfy the final component of Occidental's college-wide writing requirement by successfully completing HIST 300. Students must have a grade of B- or better on the 15-page paper in HIST 300. Students should familiarize themselves with the departmental requirement at the time of declaring the major. See the Writing Program and consult the department chair for additional information.
Comprehensive Requirement
Students meet their comprehensive requirement by taking HIST 490 in the fall semester of their senior year and writing for that course a 25-page paper that involves research and analysis of primary and secondary sources. They are required to turn in a 5-page prospectus of their project and attend several meetings in the spring of their junior year to prepare for HIST 490. Papers may concentrate on a geographical area or take a topical approach, such as History of Science and Medicine; Women's History; or Revolutions.
Students are eligible for distinction if they receive an A or A- on their paper for HIST 490. HIST 490 instructors, in consultation with thesis advisers, make the final determination on awarding marks of distinction.
College Honors
Students who meet all three of the following requirements may be invited to expand their senior comprehensive requirement project for College Honors:
1. Earn an A or A- on their fall semester thesis.
2. Have demonstrated excellence in their departmental courses.
3. Meet the GPA requirements of at least 3.25 overall and at least 3.65 in the major.
Students working towards College Honors will continue in spring semester to work independently with their Comps advisor, enrolling in a required 2-unit Independent Study, to complete their Honors thesis in advance of the Registrar’s spring deadline for the submission of senior comps marks. The Honors Thesis will be evaluated by the advisor and a second History faculty reader. For further information, contact the department chair.
Awards
The Hardy Prize is awarded annually to a senior for the most outstanding senior thesis.
Minor Requirements
Five courses (20 units) in History from at least two geographic areas, including HIST 300.
Transfer Credit Policies
The History Department policy on transfer credit conforms to College policy. The department accepts at most two courses in transfer to count toward the major and at most one course in transfer to count toward the minor from other departments or institutions (including study abroad courses). Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
Courses
History Courses
Faculty
Regular Faculty
Alexandra Puerto, chair
Associate Professor
B.B.A., New School for Social Research; M.A., San Francisco State University; Ph.D., University of California, Davis
Alexander F. Day
Associate Professor
B.A., Colby College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Sharla Fett
Robert Class Cleland Professor of American History
B.A., Carleton College; M.A., Stanford University; Ph.D., Rutgers University
Michael Gasper
Associate Professor
B.A., Temple University; M.A., Ph.D., New York University
Nina Gelbart
Professor
Anita Johnson Wand Professor of Women's Studies
A.B., Harvard University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Chicago
Jane Hong
Associate Professor
B.A., Yale University; A.M., Brown University; A.M., Ph.D., Harvard University
Maryanne Horowitz
Professor
A.B., Pembroke College, Brown University; M.A.T., Harvard University; M.A., Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Lisa Sousa
Professor
B.A., M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles
Marla Stone
Professor
B.A., Pomona College; M.A., Ph.D., Princeton University
Jonathan Veitch
Professor, History
B.A., Stanford University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University
On Special Appointment
Jeremiah Axelrod
Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor
Director of the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles
B.A., Williams College; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine
Affiliated Faculty
Xiao-huang Yin
Professor, American Studies
B.A., Nanjing University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University