History and Non-Western Cultures

Martha May, Co-Chair
maym@wcsu.edu
Warner Hall 220, Midtown campus
(203) 837-8481
(203) 837-3960 (fax)

Joshua Rosenthal, Co- Chair
rosenthalj@wcsu.edu
Warner Hall 216, Midtown campus
(203) 837- 8449

Patricia Lerner, Department Secretary
lernerp@wcsu.edu
Warner Hall 224, Midtown campus
(203) 837-8484
(203) 837-3960 (fax)

Faculty

K. Allocco	J. Duffy	W. Gadkar-Wilcox
K. Gutzman	L. Lindenauer	M. May, Co-Chair
M. Nolan	J. Rosenthal, Co-Chair	A. Saad

Adjunct Faculty

A. Campanaro	G. Coleman	S. Flanagan
L. Friedman	M. Rossi	S. Walens

Overview

In order to understand today’s issues and problems — in the West and throughout the world — it is important to have a firm grasp on the foundations of our global society, to know the history and culture of America, of Europe and of the world.

Mission

In keeping with the mission statement of Western Connecticut State University, the Department of History and Non-Western Cultures contributes to providing a comprehensive liberal arts education that prepares students for the job market, citizenship, and meaningful lives.

Goals

Our goals are:

To provide an interdisciplinary forum in which students can deal with political, social, cultural, religious, economic, and geographic aspects of history.
To introduce students to non-Western cultures and help them understand global political and cultural relations.
To help students develop their abilities to think critically, discuss, and explain clearly historical issues and problems.
To cultivate writing, research, and analytical skills that will help students lead successful professional and personal lives.
To provide a history/education curriculum that imparts a broad base of knowledge about historical events, principles, and theories, so that students have the foundational knowledge they need to educate others.
To enrich our students’ understanding of their national and community heritage.

Degree Programs in History

Bachelor of Arts

History

Bachelor of Science

Secondary Education: History
(Social Studies Endorsement)

Minor Programs

History
American History
European History
Middle Eastern Studies
Asian Studies
Latin American Studies
Urban Studies

Bachelor of Arts in History (B.A.)

Requirements:

Completion of all general education requirements, the courses and credits listed below and additional free electives to total a minimum of 120 semester hours, including foreign language and exercise science.

HIS 100 Introduction to History
Four (4) courses at the 300 or 400 level, which must include:
a. One (1) course in European History
b. One (1) course in United States History
c. One (1) course in a field outside of European or United States history
d. One (1) elective course

Plus six (6) additional courses in History
HIS 490 Senior Seminar
One (1) Non-Western Cultures course

Distinction in History

To be awarded Distinction in History, a History major must complete all the major requirements, gain admission to HIS 494, Research Seminar, and complete HIS 494 with at least a grade of “B.” HIS 494 meets the Departmental requirement for History 490.

Course Restrictions

For a complete list of prerequisites, corequisites and other restrictions for all courses, please consult the Course Description section of this catalog.

Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education – History (B.S.)

Requirements:

See the Department of Education and Educational Psychology within the School of Professional Studies.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of their degrees in History, students will be able to:

Demonstrate critical and analytical skills appropriate for probing complex historical topics.
Seek out diverse historical sources successfully; mine them for information; and cite them in the appropriate format while completing research papers.
Present their verbal and written evaluations of the past in a nuanced and clear manner.
Collaborate effectively with others on historical analysis and in critiquing each other’s work.

Minor in History

Two courses at the 100 level
Four courses at the 200 level

Minor in American History

HIS 148, HIS 149
Four advanced courses in American history

Minor in European History

HIS 186, HIS 187
Four advanced courses in European history

Minor in Middle Eastern Studies:

Requirements:
Students interested in this minor are expected to have completed all course prerequisites. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better to remain enrolled in this minor.

A minor provides an option for the student who wants an academic focus in addition to a major. A student may not declare a minor that is the same as his/her major (e.g., a student majoring in History may not also declare a History minor).

Students must complete nine credits at WCSU to meet the residency requirement in the minor.

REQUIRED COURSES (18 S.H.)
NWC 107 Middle Eastern Cultures
And 3 courses (9 S.H) from approved electives listed below
Semester one of Middle Eastern language
Semester two of Middle Eastern language

Approved Electives:
HIS 281 Modern Middle East
HIS/PS 382 Contemporary Middle East
HIS 383 Islam: A Religion and Civilization
ANT/SOC 216 Anthropology of the Middle East
ANT/SOC/WS 251 Women of the Middle East
ENG 376 Non-Western Literatures
MKT 422 Global Marketing
PHI 340 Non-Western Philosophy

You must submit formal notification to the Registrar’s Office by completing the Declaration of Minor form in order for your official university transcript to include the minor.
Depending upon your major requirements, you may need to take credit hours over the degree credit minimum required for graduation if you choose to add this minor. Please see your adviser to review all program requirements.
If the student spends at least one semester abroad on a university-approved study abroad program to a Middle Eastern country, the student can opt to waive the requirement of any of the two electives.

Minor in Asian Studies

Requirements:
Students interested in this minor are expected to have completed all course prerequisites. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better to remain enrolled in this minor. Choose courses from menu, below. A minor provides an option for the student who wants an academic focus in addition to a major. A student may not declare a minor that is the same as his/her major (e.g., a student majoring in History may not also declare a History minor).

Students must complete nine credits at WCSU to meet the residency requirement in the minor.

REQUIRED COURSES (18 S.H.)

Two courses (6 S.H.) from Approved Elective List I
Two courses (6 S.H.) from Approved Elective List II
First semester of Asian language
Second semester of Asian language

If the student spends at least one semester abroad on a university-approved study abroad program to an Asian country, the student can opt to waive the requirement of any of the two electives.
You must submit formal notification to the Registrar’s Office in order for your official university transcript to include the minor.
Depending upon your major requirements, you may need to take credit hours over the degree credit minimum required for graduation if you choose to add this minor. Please see your adviser to review all program requirements.

Approved Electives:

List I: two courses from the following:
NWC 103 Chinese Culture
NWC 104 Japanese Culture
NWC 105 Cultures of India
NWC 110 Vietnamese Culture
NWC 112 Korean Culture

List II: two courses from the following:
HIS 266 Vietnam War
HIS 277 Modern China
HIS 287 Chinese Religions
HIS 366 Vietnam in Literature and Film
HIS 388 Modern Vietnam
ANT/SOC 241 Social/Cultural Survey of Indian Religions
ANT/SOC 242 Buddhism
PS 306 Comparative Communist Systems
ENG 376 Non-Western Literatures
MKT 422 Global Marketing
PHI 340 Non-Western Philosophy

Minor in Latin American Studies

Requirements:
Students interested in this minor are expected to have completed all course prerequisites.

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better to remain enrolled in this minor.

Students must complete nine credits at WCSU to meet the residency requirement in the minor.

REQUIRED COURSES (18 S.H.)

HIS/NWC 115 Latin American and Caribbean Civilization
And 3 courses (9 S.H.) from the approved list below
First semester of Latin American Language (SPA 162 or POR 162)
Second semester of Latin American Language (SPA 164 or POR 164)

If you spend at least one semester abroad on a university-approved study abroad program to a Latin American country, you can opt to waive the requirement of any of the two electives.
You must submit formal notification to the Registrar’s Office in order for your official university transcript to include the minor.
Depending upon your major requirements, you may need to take credit hours over the degree credit minimum required for graduation. Please see your adviser to review all program requirements.

Approved Electives:
GEO 252 Latin America: A Regional Study
HIS 216 Latino/as in US History
HIS 250 Conquest and Survival in Latin America
HIS 370 Commodities in LA History
SPA 222 Cultures of Spanish America
SPA 224 Trans-Atlantic Hispanic Cultures
SPA 320 The Poetry of Spain and Latin America
SPA 336 Theater in Spain and Latin America
SPA 360 Readings on the Arts in Spain and Latin America
SPA 361 Gender and Sexuality in Spanish America
SPA 365 Revolution, Testimony and Memory in Spanish America
SPA 367 Colonial Spanish America
SPA 370 Latina/Latino Literature
SPA 371 Spanish-Caribbean Identities
PS 306 Comparative Communist Systems
ENG 376 Non-Western Literatures
MKT 422 Global Marketing
PHI 340 Non-Western Philosophy

Minor in Urban Studies

Requirements:

An average GPA of 2.0 in all minor courses must be maintained in order to fulfill the requirements of the minor.

Students must complete nine credits at WCSU to meet the residency requirement in the minor.

REQUIRED COURSES (18 S.H.)

Select 6 courses (18 S.H.) from the approved list below.

To obtain a minor, you must notify the History or Social Sciences Department Chairperson of your interest.
You must submit formal notification to the Registrar’s Office in order for your official university transcript to include the minor.
Depending upon your major requirements, you may need to take credit hours over the degree credit minimum required for graduation. Please see your adviser to review all program requirements.

Approved Electives:
(Courses selected with the approval of a History or Social Sciences adviser)

Students may select no more than 9 semester hours from 100-level courses and no more than six semester hours should be selected from any one discipline or form the student’s major. Students are strongly encouraged to apply 3-6 semester hours earned in an approved cooperative education internship to this program.

ANT 350 Modern & Postmodern Societies (ANT 100 or SOC 100)
ART 101 History and Appreciation of Western Art: Renaissance to the Present
ECO 211 Principles of Macroeconomics or ECO 207 Contemporary Domestic Economic Issues (sophomore standing)
ECO 209 Urban Environments (sophomore standing)
GEO/ENV 150 Urban Environments as a Human Ecological Problem
HIS 201 Immigrant NYC
HIS 208 Rise of Industrialism in America
HIS 363 The American City
HIS 368 New York City: History and Culture
HIS X99 Independent Study
PS 218 American State & Local Government (PS 100 or PS 102 or permission of the instructor)
SS/CED 297 Coop Internship
SOC 101 Social Problems
SOC 210 Urban Sociology (SOC 100)