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.
Program Requirements 4 year plan to graduation
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.
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.
'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."
'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."
'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
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Accreditation
Toggle More InfoGetting 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.
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Admissions Information
Toggle More InfoAdmissions Information for the 2024-2025 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.
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Program Requirements
Toggle More InfoProgram Requirements for the 2024-2025 Catalog Year
The General Education Program Website is located at https://www.fgcu.edu/academics/undergraduatestudies/generaleducation/
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.
- Satisfy the Civic Literacy requirement.
- Satisfy the residency requirement: 30 of the last 60 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.
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: AFHX000-X999 or AMHX000-X999 or ASHX000-X999 or EUHX000-X999 or HISX000-X999 or LAHX000-X999 or WOHX000-X999 - Required Courses in the Major (9 credits)
A minimum grade of C is required in each course
Select 3 credits from any lower division (1000-2999 level) course with the prefix AFH, ASH, EUH, LAH or WOH*
HIS 3064 Theories and Methods History (3)
HIS 4936 Pro-Seminar in History (3) - Restricted Electives in the Major (33 credits)
A minimum grade of C is required in each course
Select 6 credits from any upper division (3000-4999 level) course with the prefix AMH, 3 credits of which must be selected 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 Hist since 1865 (3)
AMH 3580 American Indian History (3)
Select 6 credits from any upper division (3000-4999 level) course with the prefix EUH.
Select 6 credits from any upper division (3000-4999 level) course with the prefix AFH, ASH, LAH.
Select 3 credits from the following:
HIS 3065 Introduction to Public History (3)
HIS 3070 Oral History (3)
HIS 3080 Archiving History (3)
HIS 3151 Material Culture (3)
HIS 3164 Intro to Digital Humanities (3)
HIS 3938 Issues Interdisciplinary Hist (3)
HIS 4092 Curating Digital Collections (3)
Select 12 credits from upper division (3000-4999 level) course(s)** with any of the following prefixes: AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, HIS, LAH, WOH.
*3 credits in a lower division (1000-2999 level) course with the prefix AFH, ASH, EUH, LAH or WOH will apply toward the common prerequisite area and required courses area.
**Courses used to satisfy one elective category cannot be used to satisfy another elective category. - University Requirements (3 credits)
Select one of the following:
IDS 3920 University Colloquium (3)
Or at least 3 credits in sustainability coursework (SCGR Attribute) - Additional Electives - as needed to reach total credits required for the degree
Total Credits Required: 120
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Degree Map
Toggle More InfoDegree 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.2024-2025 History BA Degree 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.
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Course Description
Toggle More InfoOfficial 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)
- Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
- Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
- Press Search
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 2020
AMH
3442
North American Frontiers
M
W
F
1030
1120
Steineker, Rowan
WOH
4225
The Atlantic World to 1810
M
W
F
1230
1320
Cole, Michael
AMH
3561
Women in America to 1870
M
W
F
1330
1420
Bouldin, Elizabeth
HIS
3064
Theories and Methods History
M
1630
1915
Eichbauer,
Melodie
HIS
4936
Pro-Seminar in History
M
1630
1915
Bouldin, Elizabeth
HIS
4931
ST: Migration in African History
F
1330
1615
Straussberger, John
AMH
3312
History of Sexuality in America
T
R
1030
1145
Davey, Frances
AMH
4270
U.S. in the Cold War
T
R
1200
1315
Epple, Michael
AMH
3254
U.S. and World War II, 1937–45
T
R
1330
1445
Carlson, Erik
WOH
3231
Genocide in World History
T
R
1500
1615
Bartrop, Paul
WOH
3044
20th Century World History
T
1630
1915
Strahorn, Eric
AMH 3442 North American Frontiers
Rowan Steineker
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:30am–11:20am
The American frontier has played an iconic role in American culture from the earliest days of settlement to the twenty-first century. This course examines both the "place" and the "process" of the history of the American frontier, a shifting region of Native North America that was the object first of European and then American imperialism, and finally as a distinct region with an exceptional place in American cultural memory. While stereotypical images of white cowboys and spiriting pioneers thrive in popular culture, they rarely reflect the realities or the lived experiences of the American frontier. Instead, the region served as a shared and contested area for people of different and sometimes overlapping genders, races, classes, religions, and cultural orientations. Through discussion, books, film, and research, students will explore the diversity and dynamism of the American frontier. The class will also include an exciting Reacting to the Past game on Expansion and the Civil War in Indian Territory. If you are open to dismantling the myths of the Wild West and discovering an infinitely more interesting, complex world, this class is for you.WOH 4225 The Atlantic World to 1810
Michael Cole
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 12:30pm–1:20pm
In the fourteenth century the four inhabited continents that touch the Atlantic Ocean became part of an Atlantic world system in which the processes of exploration, conquest, and settlement created increasing numbers of economic, political, and cultural ties among these continents. Beginning in the eighteenth century some of the political ties were partially or completely severed as New World societies matured, and imperial-geopolitical rivalries contributed to independence movements and revolutions. Despite these changes the greater Atlantic continued and continues to function as a world system. In this course we will examine the ties that developed throughout the Atlantic world, and the ways those ties were reflected in various Atlantic-world societies.AMH 3561 Women in America to 1870
Elizabeth Bouldin
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 1:30pm–2:20pm
2020 marks the centennial of the 19th Amendment's granting women the right to vote, but the history of women in America dates back centuries before this watershed moment. This course examines the early period of women in American history, from the first encounters of Europeans and Native Americans through the era of Reconstruction. It gives special attention to constructions of gender and how these shaped the political, social, economic, and religious lives of women and girls. The course will focus on primary and secondary source analysis, including a Reacting to the Past game on Anne Hutchinson, as it explores the history of both famous and ordinary women.
HIS 3064 Theories and Methods in History
Melodie Eichbauer
Monday 4:30pm–7:15pm
Theories and Methods introduces students to the methodological and theoretical approaches used by historians, while also allowing students to develop their own research and writing abilities. The class is divided into three parts. First, we explore historians' methodologies across time with a close eye on differing biases, sources, presentations, and interpretive frameworks. Second, students hone their own research and writing skills through hands-on research and writing workshops, database exploration, and archival visits. Finally, students present their own research in written, oral, and digital mediums. Once completed, students leave Theories and Methods with an awareness of historiographical trends and an increased proficiency at research, writing, and oral communication.HIS 4936 Proseminar in History
Elizabeth Bouldin
Monday 4:30pm–7:15pm
Building on the skills formulated in Theories and Methods, students focus on their development as professional historians. The course has three main components. First, the course explores how historians practice history in the twenty-first century by analyzing the strengths and challenges of different methodologies, approaches, and careers. Second, students prepare for their own professional careers through the development of portfolios, which facilitate self-assessment and help prepare applicants for the job market or graduate school. Third, students take the analytical, research, and writing skills they have learned through the major to write an original research paper that meets the standards of the discipline.HIS 4931 ST: Migration in African History
John Straussberger
Friday 1:30pm–4:15pm
Humans have been on the move as long as they have existed. This course examines the long history of African migration both within the continent and abroad. In particular, the course considers the creation of the African diaspora through the trans-Atlantic slave trade; African soldiers serving in European armies during the World Wars; labor migration in Apartheid South Africa; and the recent boom in African migration in the past 30 years to Europe, the United States, and China. Students will participate in a variety of activities, including visiting local immigrant aid organizations, an in-class panel with immigration attorneys, meeting with Southwest Florida migrant associations, building a digital interactive map of immigration in Florida through GIS, skyping with a UN official helping address the Syrian refugee crisis, and conducting interviews with migrants.AMH 3312 History of Sexuality in America
Frances Davey
Tuesday/Thursday 10:30am–11:45am
This course explores the intersection of sexuality with the social structures of gender, race, and class. Within these constructed categories, we will trace the changing role of sexuality in major themes including self-identity, morality, and social norms. We play out these themes through topics that have resonated throughout the history of North America and continue to do so today, e.g. heterosexual and LGBTQI+ experiences, reproductive politics, and popular culture. Primary readings such as letters and journals, court documents, and newspaper articles provide a glimpse at how societies shaped sexuality within certain contexts. Secondary readings provide overviews and analyses of trends in sexuality. These readings form the basis for lecture, discussion, and assignments.AMH 4270 U.S. in the Cold War
Michael Epple
Tuesday/Thursday 12:30pm–1:15pm
This course will explore how the Cold War affected the United States for 60 years including how American culture reacted to it.AMH 3254 U.S. and World War II, 1937–45
Erik Carlson
Tuesday/Thursday 1:30pm–2:45pm
This class covers the United States during the Second World War, 1937–1945. The course; however, will cover the origins of the war, America's reaction to the rise of fascism, and the Pre-Pearl Harbor 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 military history, but will cover the home front and creation of the American Century. The professor uses a combination of lecture, discussion, and audiovisual (films and artifacts) to develop and illustrate the major themes and interpretations of American history.WOH 3231 Genocide in World History
Paul Bartrop
Tuesday/Thursday 3:00pm–4:15pm
This course enables students to define and appreciate the legal dimensions of the concept of genocide, as articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 1948; identify a number of cases of genocide, and relate both their differences and similarities; appreciate the experiences of survivors, perpetrators, and witnesses of genocide, as reflected through their written accounts; and discuss a range of controversies relating to genocide in world history.WOH 3044 20th Century World History
Eric Strahorn
Tuesday 4:30pm–7:15pm
This course will look at the 20th century through the lens of propaganda in its many forms. -
Course Schedule
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Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.
Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:
- Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
- Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
- Press Search.
*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.)
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Learning Outcomes
Toggle More InfoAcademic 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:
- Distinguish between primary and secondary materials and decide when to use each.
- Choose among multiple tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and interpret materials from the past.
- Recognize the value of conflicting narratives and evidence.
Content/Discipline Knowledge and Skills are assessed through paper in the following classes: HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.
Critical Thinking Skills:
Graduates will be able to:
- Seek a variety of sources that provide evidence to support an argument about the past.
- Develop a methodological practice of gathering, sifting, analyzing, ordering, synthesizing, and interpreting evidence.
- Identify and summarize other scholars' historical arguments.
Critical Thinking Skills are assessed through paper in the following classes: HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.
Communication Skills:
Graduates will be able to:
- Generate a historical argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence selected, arranged, and analyzed.
- Write effective narrative that describes and analyzes the past for its use in the present.
Communication Skills are assessed through paper in the following classes: HIS 3064 and HIS 4936.
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Tuition, Fees, and Financial Assistance
Toggle More InfoTuition and Fees
Information on Tuition, Fees and estimated total Cost of Attendance is available on the Office of the Bursar web site.
Financial Aid Opportunities
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