Baruch Collge

Undergraduate Bulletin - Academic Programs and Courses

Department of History


The Faculty

Chair:  Cynthia Hyla Whittaker
    Professors:
  • Ervand Abrahamian (CUNY Distinguished Professor)
  • Carol R. Berkin
  • Stanley Buder
  • Myrna Chase
  • Bert Hansen
  • Veena T. Oldenburg
  • Alfonso Quiroz
  • Murray Rubinstein
  • Pamela Sheingorn
  • Clarence Taylor
  • Randolph Trumbach
  • Cynthia Hyla Whittaker
    Associate Professors:
  • Thomas Heinrich
  • Tansen Sen
    Assistant Professors:
  • Julie Des Jardins
  • Thomas J. Desch-Obi
  • Vincent DiGirolamo
  • Katherine Pence

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Field Description

New research, new data, new interpretations of past events make history a dynamic discipline and historians lively and combative scholars and teachers. Courses in history offer opportunities for students to explore, imagine, interpret, understand, and discuss the contexts and meanings of human experience in such wide-ranging areas as business, medicine, economics, politics, religion, culture, gender, race, art, theatre, ethnicity, and urban affairs. The department is particularly dedicated to teaching how societies change over time: in daily lives, through commerce, in response to crisis, and in interaction with other cultures.

In history courses, students cultivate their research, analytical, and communication skills. They also develop their abilities to understand and appreciate cultural variety and societal change. The faculty take seriously their responsibility to teach critical thinking and communications skills at the same time as imparting knowledge. The rich menu of topics offered by the department spans 5,000 years of history across the many regions of the globe.

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The Major

History majors are required to take at least eight history courses (24 credits) numbered 2000 and above from the listed offerings. Some of the listed courses will be given as honors sections, with enrollment limited to 20 students each with a minimum 3.3 GPA. History majors, especially those interested in world history, are encouraged to take at least one course about each of the five regions of the world. Students may choose to take as many as 6 of their credits toward their major in other departments, if the courses are related to their program of study. Consultation with a history department advisor is recommended.

All the courses in the lists below are 3 credits, except 5000–5004 and 6001–6003, which are variable.

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The Minor

The minor in history (completing three courses at the 3000 level or above) is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the discipline for students who are majoring in other academic areas. Students can choose courses from different regions, such as the United States, Latin America, Europe, Africa, and West, South, and East Asia. These courses may focus on urban, intellectual, economic, or political issues. History combines perfectly with studies in international business, economics, business ethics, or finance, as well as many other fields.

Students completing the Tier III disciplinary concentration in history also qualify as a history minor. To fulfill the collegewide requirement for Tier III with a disciplinary concentration in history, students take three upper-level courses (9 credits). Two of these courses must be at the 3000 level, followed by a history capstone course at the 4000 level. Interested students should consult with the history department.

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Electives and Tier III Courses

American History
HIS 3005 Social Welfare Policy 3 credits
HIS 3008 Religion and Politics in the United States 3 credits
HIS 3041 Colonial America: From Settlement to Independence 3 credits
HIS 3044 The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850 – 1880 3 credits
HIS 3060 Afro-American History 3 credits
HIS 3102 American Conservatism: Origins, Development, and Contemporary Controversies 3 credits
HIS 3410 History of American Business Enterprise 3 credits
HIS 3420 American Foreign Relations in the Twentieth Century 3 credits
HIS 3450 Health Care in America: 1800–Present 3 credits
HIS 3455 Science and Technology in American Life 3 credits
HIS 3456 American Intellectual History 3 credits
HIS 3460 Topics in American History 3 credits
HIS 3472 American Urban History 3 credits
HIS 3550 The Immigrant in American History 3 credits
HIS 3551 History of the People of the City of New York 3 credits
HIS 3552 The Great Depression, 1929–1940 3 credits
HIS 3560 History of the Jewish People in America 3 credits
HIS 3650 Women in America 3 credits
Latin American History
HIS 3070 History of Civilizations in Latin America 3 credits
HIS 3075 History of Caribbean Civilizations 3 credits
European History
HIS 2012 The Ancient World: Rome 3 credits
HIS 2013 Medieval Europe 3 credits
HIS 2016 Europe in the Age of the Renaissance 3 credits
HIS 2021 Early Modern Europe 1517–1715 3 credits
HIS 2022 Europe in the Eighteenth Century 3 credits
HIS 2023 Europe in an Era of Revolution 3 credits
HIS 2026 The Origins of Western Capitalism, 1400–1800 3 credits
HIS 2031 Nineteenth-Century Europe 3 credits
HIS 2032 Europe in the Early Twentieth Century 3 credits
HIS 2033 Europe and the World Since 1945 3 credits
HIS 2538 The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry 3 credits
HIS 3011 Ancient Greece 3 credits
HIS 3016 Europe in the Age of the Renaissance 3 credits
HIS 3100 Jesus—A Historical and Critical Approach 3 credits
HIS 3221 European Thought in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries 3 credits
HIS 3222 European Intellectual History in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 3 credits
HIS 3230 Modern Imperialism 3 credits
HIS 3250 The Third Republic in France 3 credits
HIS 3340 Women in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Present 3 credits
HIS 3351 Russia Under the Tsars 3 credits
HIS 3352 The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Regime 3 credits
HIS 3360 Topics in European History 3 credits
HIS 3367 Comparative Revolutions 3 credits
African History
HIS 3061 Survey of African History 3 credits
HIS 3062 Women in African History 3 credits
HIS 3063 History of the African Diaspora 3 credits
Asian History
HIS 1512 Introduction to the Religions of Asia 3 credits
HIS 3080 A Survey of Asian History 3 credits
HIS 3085 The Islamic Middle East and North Africa: 622–1789 3 credits
HIS 3086 The Modern Middle East and North Africa: 1789 to the Present 3 credits
HIS 3380 Contemporary Islamic World 3 credits
HIS 3820 History of Chinese Religion 3 credits
HIS 3841 Ancient India 3 credits
HIS 3842 Modern India 3 credits
HIS 3851 East Asian Civilization in Its Traditional Phase 3 credits
HIS 3852 Modernization and Westernization in Asia 3 credits
HIS 3860 Topics in African, Asian, or Latin American History 3 credits


General Department Courses

HIS 3500 Colloquium in History 3 credits
HIS 4900 Capstone Course: In Search of History 3 credits
HIS 5000 Independent Research and Reading in History variable
HIS 5100 History Internship 3 credits
HIS 6001 Honors Thesis variable

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Special Program

Honors Program in History

History majors and other interested students will be admitted to the program in their junior or senior year. All students will be required to have had at least 12 hours of history courses with B+ average in history and a general average of B. Students falling short of these requirements may be admitted to the program upon the recommendation of two history faculty members.

The honors program may consist of two tutorials taken consecutively and devoted to reading and researching an area of the student’s choice. For College requirements for honors, see the Honors Programs section in Part 2 of this bulletin.

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