Major Requirements
In addition to adhering to General Education and School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Requirements, the History major requires 48 units. Courses in the major must be taken for a letter grade and may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis unless the course is only offered on a pass/no pass basis. Students must complete all major course prerequisites with a C-or better.
Undergraduate students who wish to major or minor in HIST courses, take HIST courses or who have any other questions about HIST courses or the program may contact School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts student advisor Lauren Brackett.
Lower Division Major Requirements [16 units]
Non-United States History Requirement [4 units]
Example Non-United States History Requirement courses include:
CRES 070: Music of the Caribbean World Units: 4 or GASP 070C
HIST 005: History of Cartography Units: 4
HIST 008: Topics in World History Units: 4
HIST 010: Introduction to World History to 1500 Units: 4
HIST 011: Introduction to World History Since 1500 Units: 4
HIST 030B: Early Modern Europe Units: 4
HIST 040: History of Technology in Society I Units: 4
HIST 041: History of Technology in Society II Units: 4
HIST 042: The Body in Health and Disease - An Introduction to the History of Medicine Units: 4
HIST 051: The History of Things: A History of the Contemporary World Units: 4 or CRES 051
HIST 060: The Silk Road Units: 4
HIST 070: History of the Middle East to 1500 Units: 4
HIST 071: History of the Middle East since 1500 Units: 4
Additional History Courses Requirement [12 units]
Complete three additional lower division HIST courses.
Upper Division Major Requirements [32 Units]
Upper Division Major Core Courses [12 units]
The Historian’s Craft Requirement [4 units]
Compete the following course before the end of your junior year:
HIST 100: The Historian’s Craft Units: 4
Research Intensive Requirement [4 units]
Complete one course with an R designation, which must be taken before taking HIST 191. Example Research Intensive Requirement courses include:
HIST 117R: Topics in Regional or State History: Research Units: 4
HIST 118R: Topics in Environmental History: Research Units: 4
HIST 120R: Essence of Decision: Case Studies in History Units: 4
HIST 124BR: African American History 1877 to Present: Research Units: 4
HIST 158R: Topics in Middle Eastern History: Research Units: 4
HIST 170R: Law and Society in Early Modern England: Research Units: 4
HIST 187R: White Supremacy and White Violence in the US: Research Units: 4
Senior Capstone Requirement [4 units]
Complete the following course:
HIST 191: History Capstone Seminar Units: 4
Additional Upper Division Courses in History [20 Units]
Before 1800 Requirement [4 units]
Complete at least one course with substantial emphasis on the period before 1800. Example Before 1800 Requirement courses include:
HIST 111: The Legacy of Genghis Khan Units: 4
HIST 113: History of the Gunpowder Empires Units: 4
HIST 124A: African American History to 1877 Units: 4
HIST 141: The African Diaspora in Latin America Units: 4 or CRES 141
HIST 144: Ancient Africa: Crossroads of the World Units: 4 or CRES 144
HIST 145: Black Consciousness and African Freedom Units: 4 or CRES 145
HIST 165A: China in the Ancient World Units: 4
HIST 165B: From Tang to Song: China in the Medieval World Units: 4
HIST 165C: Late Imperial China Units: 4
HIST 171: Modern European Intellectual History Units: 4
HIST 172: Europe and the Early Modern Atlantic World Units: 4
HIST 180: The Silk Road Units: 4
Upper Division Non-United States History Requirement [8 units]
At least two courses dealing primarily with subject matter outside the United States. Example Upper Division Non-United States History Requirement courses include:
HIST 108: Topics in World History Units: 4
HIST 111: The Legacy of Genghis Khan Units: 4
HIST 115: Topics in African History Units: 4
HIST 141: The African Diaspora in Latin America Units: 4 or CRES 141
HIST 142: Topics in Latin American History Units: 4
HIST 143: West Africa and the Making of the Atlantic World Units: 4
HIST 144: Ancient Africa: Crossroads of the World Units: 4 or CRES 144
HIST 145: Black Consciousness and African Freedom Units: 4 or CRES 145
HIST 146: Christian Africa Units: 4 or CRES 146
HIST 152: Twentieth Century Latin American Revolutions Units: 4 or CRES 152
HIST 156B: South Asia After Europe: Visual Cultures of Colonialism & Post-colonialism Units: 4 or GASP 156B
HIST 158: Topics in Middle Eastern History Units: 4
HIST 159: History of Iran Units: 4 or CRES 159
HIST 160: History of Women and Gender in the Middle East Units: 4 or CRES 160
HIST 165A: China in the Ancient World Units: 4
HIST 165B: From Tang to Song: China in the Medieval World Units: 4
HIST 165C: Late Imperial China Units: 4
HIST 169: History and Heritage of Tibet Units: 4
HIST 171: Modern European Intellectual History Units: 4
HIST 172: Europe and the Early Modern Atlantic World Units: 4
HIST 180: The Silk Road Units: 4
Additional History Courses Requirement [8 units]
Complete two additional upper division HIST courses. With approval of Chair, students may substitute up to 8 units of advanced world language study for their Additional History Courses Requirement.
Spring 2025 Course Offerings
HIST 051: The History of Things: A History of the Contemporary World
HIST 052: Power in Film
HIST 108: Colonial Africa
HIST 115: Humanitarianism in Africa
HIST 123: Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the United States
HIST 124A: African American History to 1877
HIST 138: Asian Cinema
HIST 163: Drunken Masters: Philosophy in East Asia
HIST 165D: China in the Modern World
HIST 187R: White Supremacy and White Violence in the U.S.: Research
HIST 191: History Capstone Seminar
