History BA

The Bachelor of Arts in History promotes an understanding of the past to prepare our students for whatever the future may hold, and fosters transferable analytical and communication skills through course work and internships that are vital to both private and public sector employment.

Supplemental Course Descriptions

For a more robust description of upcoming upper-level electives being offered, please see the official Course Description in the drop-down tabs at the bottom of this page.

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History BA Alumni

Our students gain a well-rounded education and the confidence of knowing they can research and critically assess any topic presented to them. We focus on interdisciplinarity—economic policy, religiosity, sexuality, constitutional theory, legal frameworks, and governmental structures—from an historical perspective in both a national and international context. A degree in history can open countless doors and our students go on to successful careers in law, politics and public policy, publishing, journalism and broadcasting, public history (e.g. museums), and education, among other professions.

Jessica Evers

'14, History BA/'16, History MA

"Luckily, I get the opportunity to do this everyday. However, I would not be in here if it were not for the faculty and opportunities of the BA and MA Programs in History here at FGCU."

Matthew Johnson

'01, History BA

"I cannot imagine I would be where I am today without my time at FGCU and look forward to continuing my educational path there."

Megan Dalabes

'18, History BA

"I can honestly say that the History Program and faculty have shaped me into the person, academic, and professional that I am today."

The phrases "History repeats itself" and "We must learn from the past to change the future" are often put forth as justifications for the study of history. These statements are indeed true and, one could argue, more necessary than even before. The world is changing at a faster pace and we continue to face newer challenges. Yet these are not the only reasons to study history. The study of history does not prepare us for a future that mirrors the past; it opens us up to and prepare us for anything and everything that lay ahead. We learn that all things are historical and, therefore, have the potential of becoming something different overnight. By studying history, we learn about how diverse humans and societies can be, and we become open to change as we are prepared to see issues and challenges from different angels and perspectives.

The study of history requires us to constantly familiarize ourselves with new subjects and to use the study and criticism of sources to become experts in topics of which we had no prior knowledge. They are taught not to believe every statement they read, but rather to confront them with other statements. We encourage them to come up with their own questions and to acquaint themselves with these topics. We train our students to question all types of sources—narratives and chronicles, economic, diplomatic, political, cultural, material, and legal sources—to determine the historical accuracy and to mine those sources for what light they shed on the past. We critique the sources. Students are able to present, argue, and articulate ideas in both oral and written form. History students learn intellectual independence and are no longer easily swayed by "objective" data or strong opinions.

Department Contacts

Melodie Eichbauer, PhD

Program Coordinator/Assoc Prof

Office: Merwin Hall MH - 188

Phone: 239-590-1245

E-mail: meichbauer@fgcu.edu

Program Requirements
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Program Requirements for the 2020-2021 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at http://www.fgcu.edu/general_education
Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements
- Attend an orientation session.
- Sign an Advising Agreement document.
In addition to the program requirements, students must:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credits.
- Complete a minimum of 48 of the 120 credits at the upper division (3000 - 4999) level.
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- Satisfy the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfy the Service Learning requirement. (See https://www.fgcu.edu/studentlife/servicelearning/).
- Satisfy the residency requirement: thirty of the last sixty credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Complete the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an Application for Graduation by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
- Satisfy Civic Literacy requirement.
Program Requirements
- FGCU General Education Program (https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/)
  
  To prevent or minimize excess hours, select general education courses that satisfy common prerequisite requirements for your intended major.
- Common Prerequisites
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course
  
  FGCU Course: Choose 6 credits with a prefix of AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, LAH, or WOH
  Acceptable Substitute: (AFHXXXX or AMHXXXX or EUHXXXX or WOHXXXX or LAHXXXX or ASHXXXX or HISXXXX ) and (AFHXXXX or AMHXXXX or EUHXXXX or WOHXXXX or LAHXXXX or ASHXXXX or HISXXXX)
- Required Courses in the Major (9 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course.
  
  HIS 3064 Theories and Methods in History (3)
  HIS 4936 Pro-Seminar in History (3)
  IDS 3300 Foundations of Civic Engagement (3)
- Restricted Electives in the Major (33 credits)
  A minimum grade of C is required in each course.
  
  Select 3 credits from the following:
  AMH 3561 Women in America to 1870 (3)
  AMH 3562 Women in America since 1870 (3)
  AMH 3571 African-Amer History to 1865 (3)
  AMH 3572 African-Amer History since 1865 (3)
  AMH 3580 American Indian History (3)
  
  Select 3 credits from - any 3000 to 4999 level course with the prefix AFH, ASH, EUH, LAH or WOH
  
  Select 27 credits from 3000-4999 course(s)* with any of the following prefixes: AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, LAH, WOH.
  
  *Courses used to satisfy one elective category cannot be used to satisfy another elective category.
- University Requirements (3 credits)
  IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
Total Credits Required: 120
Curriculum Map
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Curriculum Maps are to be used as a general guideline for students. Some students scheduling needs may vary based upon completed courses and transfer credits. Please see your advisor for assistance and verification.
2019-2020 History BA Curriculum Map

Additional Graduation Requirements include:
- A minimum of 120 credit hours.
- A minimum of 48 of the 120 hours must be at the upper division (3000 - 4999) level.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework attempted at FGCU.
- A minimum grade of C for each course used to satisfy the following categories: common prerequisites, required courses in the major, and courses in the concentration.
- Satisfaction of the College-Level Skills and foreign language entrance requirements.
- Satisfaction of the Service Learning requirement (See www.fgcu.edu/connect).
- Satisfaction of the residency requirement: thirty of the last sixty credits must be completed at FGCU.
- Completion of the summer course enrollment requirement.
- Submit an online Application for Graduation via Gulfline by the deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
Transfer Notes and Acceptable Substitutes

For All Majors: Students are strongly recommended to select required lower division electives that will enhance their General Education coursework and that will support their intended baccalaureate degree program. Students should consult with an academic advisor in their major degree area.
Learning Outcomes
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Academic Learning Compact

Consistent with its mission and guiding principles, Florida Gulf Coast University is committed to academic excellence and continuous quality improvement, as supported by a sound teaching-learning process. Within this process, students and instructors share responsibility for learning that is a movement from the simple to the complex, the concrete to the abstract, and the dependent to the independent. The Academic Learning Compact (ALC) initiative supports the teaching-learning process by clearly identifying expected core student learning outcomes in the areas of content/discipline knowledge and skills, communication skills, and critical thinking skills; aligning curricula with expectations; and using assessment to guide continuous improvement.

Discipline Content Knowledge and Skills:

Graduates will be able to:
1. Distinguish between primary and secondary materials and decide when to use each.
2. Choose among multiple tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and interpret materials from the past.
3. Recognize the value of conflicting narratives and evidence.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills are assessed through papers, exams, and projects completed in 3000/4000 level courses (AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, and LAH prefixes), and in the required courses HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.

Critical Thinking Skills:

Graduates will be able to:
1. Seek a variety of sources that provide evidence to support an argument about the past.
2. Develop a methodological practice of gathering, sifting, analyzing, ordering, synthesizing, and interpreting evidence.
3. Identify and summarize other scholars' historical arguments.
Critical Thinking Skills are assessed through papers, exams, and projects completed 3000/4000 level courses (AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, and LAH prefixes), and in the required courses HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.

Communication Skills:

Graduates will be able to:
1. Generate a historical argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence selected, arranged, and analyzed.
2. Write effective narrative that describes and analyzes the past for its use in the present.
Communication Skills are assessed through papers, exams, and projects completed in 3000/4000 level courses (AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, and LAH prefixes), and in the required courses HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.
Accreditation
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Getting Started

If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website

If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.

Program Admission Requirements

Admission Deadlines

Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.
Admissions Information
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Admissions Information for the 2020-2021 Catalog Year
If you are not yet an FGCU student, visit the Admissions Office Website
If you are a newly-admitted FGCU student please be sure to sign up for an Eagle View Orientation session. As part of this session you will be meeting with an academic advisor who will assist you in registering for classes for your major.
Admission Deadlines
Visit the Admissions Office Web site for information on admission deadlines of the university.

Course Description

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Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:

Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
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Supplemental Course Descriptions

The following course descriptions only provide information about the focus that an individual professor chooses to take for their course. These descriptions are not a replacement for the official course description. Use the Course Description Search page to find the official course description.

FGCU History B.A. Upper-Level Course Offerings: Spring 2019

LAH	3130	Colonial Latin America	M		W		F	1230	1320	Cole, Michael
HIS	3930	ST: History through Film	M					1330	1615	Fortney, Jeff
AMH	3530	U.S. Immigration History			W			1330	1615	Rohrer, Scott
HIS	3064	Theories and Methods History	M					1630	1915	Rohrer, Scott
HIS	4936	Pro-Seminar in History	M					1630	1915	Bouldin, Elizabeth

HIS	3930	ST: Gender and Sexuality in Africa		T		R		1030	1145	Straussberger, John
AMH	3254	U.S. and World War II, 1937-45		T		R		1330	1445	Carlson, Erik
AMH	4550	Constitutional History of the US		T		R		1500	1615	Epple, Mike
ASH	3323	Modern South Asia		T				1730	2015	Strahorn, Eric
HIS	4920	Colloquium in History: German History 1873-present				R		1730	2015	Bartrop, Paul

LAH 3130 Colonial Latin America
Michael Cole
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:30pm–1:20pm
This course examines the formation of the early modern Iberian states of Spain and Portugal and Iberian imperial expansion in the Americas. Several key themes will include: the character of Iberian society beginning in the 15th century, the consequences of the joining of the Old and New worlds, the cultural history of Indian and African populations in the Americas, the interaction of these groups with Spaniards and Portuguese, and the nature and structures of colonial society in the Iberian empire. For the mature colonial society we will examine the Bourbon reforms; the social, economic, and political tensions in the 18th century; and the wars of independence leading to the dissolution of the Spanish empire in the 19th century.

HIS 3930 ST: History through Film
Jeffrey Fortney
Monday 1:30pm–4:15pm
Ever since Thomas Edison patented America's first motion picture camera in 1891, people have used film as a means of telling history. This course examines historically-oriented motion pictures pertaining to American history as both primary and secondary sources of information about the past. Alongside traditional primary and secondary sources, the course explores the relative successes or failures that major films have had in portraying the past. In the process, we also analyze how contemporary events, biases, and debates shape the presentation of history through non-traditional sources, such as films.

AMH 3530 U.S. Immigration History
Scott Rohrer
Wednesday 1:30pm–4:15pm
This course will introduce students to the inter-connected subjects and debates regarding immigration, race, and nativism in American history. The focus will be on the origins and significance of each of these related ideas or phenomena, with particular emphasis on how each has changed over time, and how each has influenced the others. It will span the era from colonial times to the present, but stress the period between the late nineteenth century and the early twenty-first century. Students will also explore both the words of the people we are studying, and the thoughts of historians analyzing them from a range of perspectives.

HIS 3930 ST: Gender/Sexuality in Africa
John Straussberger
Tuesday/Thursday 10:30am–11:45am
"Female husbands." Krakye. "Sitting on a Man." Hungochani. All of these terms may be unfamiliar or strange, but they point to concepts and ideas that are integral to African history, and indeed the experience and construction of gender and sexuality throughout modern global history. This course examines changes and continuities to ideas and practices tied to gender and sexuality in Africa from c. 1900 CE to the present. In doing so, we will explore the multiple sources African men and women drew upon to construct and contest identities during a period of rapid change, when African states and societies transitioned from independence, to colonial rule, and finally to post-colonial self-determination. The course also uses primary and secondary sources to investigate the different analytical and methodological models Africanist historians have developed in order to study the history of gender and sexuality in Africa. Topics covered include: gender fluidity in pre-colonial Igbo societies; race and sex in European empires; colonial and post-colonial states' control of reproduction and abortion; masculinities in colonial West Africa; women's political mobilization during decolonization; and the history of homosexuality and LBGTQ+ rights in Southern and Central Africa.

AMH 3254 U.S. and World War II, 1937–45
Erik Carlson
Tuesday/Thursday 1:30pm–2:45pm
This course examines the United States during the Second World War. The class covers the origins of the war, America's reaction to the rise of fascism, and the pre-1941 consequences of war in Europe and Asia. Most of the course will take place on the great battlefields of World War II. The class; however, is not just a military history, but it explores all aspects of the home front and creation of the American century.

AMH 4550 Constitutional History of the US
Michael Epple
Tuesday/Thursday 3:00pm–4:15pm
Would you like to know how the current electoral system (Electoral College) came about? Why do we have a House of Representatives and a Senate? Why does each state have two Senators? What are the Constitutional conditions for a person to be elected president of the United States? What does the Constitution state about the role of the Supreme Court? To learn the answers to these and many more questions enroll in AMH 4550 Constitutional History of the US.

ASH 3323 Modern South Asia
Eric Strahorn
Tuesday 5:30pm–8:15pm
This course is an intermediate level class and requires a great deal of reading and writing. This course traces the establishment and collapse of British power in South Asia from the 18th century to India's Independence and Partition in 1947. Upon successful completion of this course, students will 1) acquire an intermediate level subject knowledge or technical expertise in the history of South Asia, (2) strengthen and improve writing skills, and (3) strengthen and improve analytical and critical thinking skills. There is no formal prerequisite for this course, but it is strongly encouraged that you take this course only if you have already completed ENC 1102 Composition II.

HIS 4920: Colloquium in History: Germany, 1870–Present
Paul Bartrop
Thursday 5:30pm–8:15pm
Germany did not exist as a unified state until 1871. This course considers the course of Germany history from the time of its unification, through its period as an Imperial monarchy, World War I, the introduction of democracy and its collapse at the hands of the Nazis, the disaster of World War II and division into two antagonistic German states, its reunification and reemergence as the most powerful state in Europe during the 21st century. We will examine some of the factors that led to these developments, and what their ramifications have been for the countries surrounding Germany.

Course Schedule
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Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

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*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)
Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
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Tuition and Fees

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