History Major

The history major requires all students to take a minimum of 30 credits or ten courses (excluding one-credit courses). The major aims to assure that all students have taken at least one course in a broad range of areas of the world, including at least two outside the history of Europe and the United States. It also aims to assure some exposure by all students to history prior to 1800, when there is much less evidence for making historical judgments than in the modern era, as well as requiring at least one course from the modern era. Apart from these distribution requirements, students are free to pursue their interests in one or more areas of history in as much depth as they choose.

The history major has two methodological requirements. The aim of these requirements is to train students how to understand the contingency of historical interpretation and the kinds of debates that result, to frame historical questions, to learn to use primary sources to find the evidence necessary to develop historical analysis and prove historical arguments, and to write papers that develop those arguments in clear and coherent prose. First, all history majors are required to take a 3000-level seminar that has a one-credit Historical Methods laboratory co-requisite (with the number 3000). It is not sufficient to take the 3000-level seminar without the co-requisite laboratory in order to satisfy this requirement. Second, all history majors must take one of the department's 6000-level capstone seminars. For majors, the History Methods laboratory is a prerequisite for taking the capstone seminar. All 6000-level seminars have, as one of their central requirements, a major research paper of at least 20 pages that incorporates the analytical, research and writing skills that define the capstone experience in history.

Requirements of the History Major:

The History major consists of ten courses totaling at least 30 credits, excluding one-credit courses.
All majors must take at least three seminars:

One of those must be a 3000-level Historical Methods Seminar.
One of those must be a 6000-level Capstone Seminar.
Both of these courses must be taken at Tulane.

No more than one 1000-level course may count toward the major.
Courses that do not have a letter grade cannot count toward the major.
History majors must satisfy the following distribution requirements:

Students must take at least one pre-1800 course and at least one post-1800 course.
Students must take at least one course in four of the following six areas: Africa (HISB), Asia (HISC), Europe (HISA and HISE), Latin America (HISL), Middle East (HISM), and United States (HISU).

Advanced Seminars:

Advanced seminars - numbered 6000 to 6999 - are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors, and also to graduate students. Sophomores may require permission from the course instructor to enroll in a 6000-level seminar.

Capstone in History:

All 6000-level seminars satisfy the Capstone requirement in history. In these courses, students will develop specialized historical and theoretical knowledge through the integration of approaches, cases, skills, and ideas from across the breadth of their major that they have learned in earlier courses. The skills integrated will include the understanding of what it means to go into a subject in-depth, the development of a defensible thesis, the use of primary sources (when available) critically to support historical argument, a sophisticated understanding of historical context and change over time, and differences in historical interpretation and methodology. Students will be expected to demonstrate their understanding in written work (including a major independent research paper), oral presentation, and/or classroom discussions. Students may not complete the Capstone until their junior/senior year. History majors should take one 3000-level Methods Seminar before registering for a Capstone seminar.

Pre-1800 Courses

Ancient and Medieval History (HISA)

All HISA courses are included under Ancient and Medieval History with the exception of HISA 3230 - Great Captains from Alexander the Great to Patton
The following courses in Classical Studies can be counted toward the history major, as European history courses prior to 1800:
CLAS 1010 - The Rise of Rome
CLAS 2320 - Greek Temples and Festivals
CLAS 3020 - The High Roman Empire
CLAS 3050 - Ancient Historiography
CLAS 3090 - Law and Society in Ancient Rome
CLAS 3120 - Etruscans and Early Rome
CLAS 1010 - The Rise of Rome
CLAS 2320 - Greek Temples and Festivals
CLAS 3020 - The High Roman Empire
CLAS 3050 - Ancient Historiography
CLAS 3090 - Law and Society in Ancient Rome
CLAS 3120 - Etruscans and Early Rome
CLAS 3160 - The Aegean Bronze Age
CLAS 3190 - Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town
CLAS 3200 - Greek Religion
CLAS 3310 - Tyrants and Democrats in Ancient Greece
CLAS 3610 - Sex and Gender in Antiquity
CLAS 4080 - Seminar in Ancient Society and Economy
CLAS 4130 - Egypt Under the Pharaohs
CLAS 4180 - Seminar in Ancient Religion
CLAS 4320 - War and Power in Ancient Greece
CLAS 6080 - Seminar in Ancient Society and Economy
CLAS 3160 - The Aegean Bronze Age
CLAS 3190 - Pompeii: Life in a Roman Town
CLAS 3200 - Greek Religion
CLAS 3310 - Tyrants and Democrats in Ancient Greece
CLAS 3610 - Sex and Gender in Antiquity
CLAS 4080 - Seminar in Ancient Society and Economy
CLAS 4130 - Egypt Under the Pharaohs
CLAS 4180 - Seminar in Ancient Religion
CLAS 4320 - War and Power in Ancient Greece
CLAS 6080 - Seminar in Ancient Society and Economy

African History (HISB)

HISB 1300 - Africa to 1800

Asian History (HISC)

HISC 2010 - History of China, Prehistory to 1800

Modern Europe (HISE)

HISE 1210 - Europe and a Wider World: From the Renaissance to 1789
HISE 2160 - Europe in the 18th Century
HISE 2240 - Russian History from the 9th to the Mid-19th Centuries
HISE 2320 - Early Modern England
HISE 2410 - Spain, 1369-1716
HISE 2420 - The Age of Reformation
HISE 3300 - Death, Disease, Destitution and Despair in Early Modern Europe
HISE 6050 - The Italian Renaissance
HISE 6100 - Renaissance and Reformation, 1450-1660
HISE 6330 - Imperial Spain, 1469-1716
HISE 6350 - Crime and Punishment in Hanoverian England
HISE 6360 - English Civil War
HISE 6370 - Seminar in Early Modern England

Latin America (HISL)

HISL 2760 - Colonial Mexico
HISL 2810 - Colonial Brazil
HISL 3710 - Seminar: The Colonial Heritage of Latin America

Middle East (HISM)

HISM 2200 - History of Islam to 1400
HISM 6140 - Islam and the Western Mediterranean World, 1000-1900

United States (HISU)

HISU 1410 - The United States from Colonization to 1865
HISU 2400 - Women and Gender in U.S. History to 1830
HISU 2510 - Atlantic World 1450-1800
HISU 2520 - Early America to 1800
HISU 6420 - American Revolutions

Post-1800 Courses