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– Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato

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Page address: https://web.mnsu.edu/supersite/academics/catalogs/graduate/current/history.html

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences
Department of History

110B Armstrong Hall
507-389-1618

The Graduate Program in History at Minnesota State University, Mankato provides a foundation for advanced study and professional development that prepares individuals for careers in teaching, law, journalism, public service, museums, and business. Students develop essential career skills, such as the ability to analyze conflicting information and viewpoints, write clearly and communicate ideas, find reliable evidence for judgments about human actions and motives, and place particular events in a broader context.

The graduate history program prepares students for future careers, for responsibilities in a democratic society, and for the challenging ambiguities that they will encounter in life no matter what they do or where they go in the world. The courses encourage a comparative, analytical approach to diverse cultures, historical eras, social conflicts, influential ideas, and the human experience.

Students in the graduate program pursue original research and regularly present their work at professional meetings. Graduate program alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in a variety of fields, including advance historical study at Ph.D.-granting institutions, as well as non-academic careers such as banking and journalism.

The Department of History’s graduate faculty of eleven professors offers courses in European, United States, Latin American, African, and Asian history. The Memorial Library provides access to 27,000 full-text periodicals and more than 200 electronic databases. The library has been a depository for federal documents since 1962 and of Minnesota state documents since 1958. The M.J. Lass Center for Minnesota Studies and the Southern Minnesota Historical Center are located in the library. Interlibrary loan service obtains books and journal articles from other libraries for MSU student and faculty research.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general admission requirements of the College of Graduate Studies all applicants to the Department of History Graduate Program must have: (1) a minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate work or a 3.0 for the last 60 undergraduate semester hours; (2) completed at least 16 undergraduate semester credits in history, of which at least 6 must be in United States history and 6 in European history.

Students applying to a Graduate Program in History also must submit the following material directly to:

Graduate Coordinator
Department of History
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Armstrong Hall 110
Mankato, MN 56001
 

  1. A personal essay of 1-2 pages stating why you are interested in pursuing graduate study in History at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
  2. Two letters of recommendations in support of your application.

Advising

The department graduate coordinator is the initial advisor of all students. Entering students are required to consult with the coordinator before registering for any graduate courses. The permanent advisor is selected when the student submits a plan of study. Regular student-advisor consultation is strongly recommended.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of assistantships are available in History. In addition, Equal Opportunity & Title IX graduate assistantships are available for American ethnic minority students. Memorial Library also awards a limited number of graduate assistantships for those with library experience and some are available through various units of Student Affairs. Some students also may qualify for federally financed work-study programs and Guaranteed Student Loans.

History MA

(Thesis Plan - 30 credits)

Common Core:

Reading Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits) 

  • HIST 600  Reading Seminar in European History (3)
  • HIST 602  Reading Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 604  Reading Seminar in United States History (3)

Research Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits)

  • HIST 608  Research Seminar in European History (3)
  • HIST 609  Research Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 610  Research Seminar in United States History (3)

Minimum Department of History electives* (not counting Thesis): 15 credits

(*May substitute 6 non-History credits if approved by advisor and department graduate coordinator)

Thesis requirement:

  • HIST 699 1-6 credits

Minimum number of credits required: 30 credits

Also Required for MA:
Knowledge of a foreign language acceptable to the Department of History Graduate Committee must be demonstrated by completion of a college level sequence of one academic year with an average grade of at least B. 

History MS

(Thesis Plan - 30 credits)

Common Core:

Reading Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits)

  • HIST 600  Reading Seminar in European History (3)
  • HIST 602  Reading Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 604  Reading Seminar in United States History (3)

Research Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits)

  • HIST 608  Research Seminar in European History (3) 
  • HIST 609  Research Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 610  Research Seminar in United States History (3)

Minimum Department of History electives* (not counting Thesis): 15 credits

(*May substitute 6 non-History credits if approved by advisor and department graduate coordinator)

Thesis requirement:

  • HIST 699 1-6 credits

Minimum number of credits required: 30 credits

History MS

(Alternate Paper Plan - 34 credits)

Common Core: 

Reading Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits)

  • HIST 600  Reading Seminar in European History (3)
  • HIST 602  Reading Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 604  Reading Seminar in United States History (3)

Research Seminars (Choose 6-15 credits)

  • HIST 608  Research Seminar in European History (3)
  • HIST 609  Research Seminar in Third World History (3)
  • HIST 610  Research Seminar in United States History (3)

Minimum Department of History electives* (not counting Thesis): 21 credits

(*May substitute 6 non-History credits if approved by advisor and department graduate coordinator)

Alternate Plan Paper requirement:

  • HIST 694 1-2 credits

Minimum number of credits required: 34 credits 

Requirements for All Programs

  1. The College of Graduate Studies requires that at least one-half of each student’s program be in courses open only to graduate students. At Minnesota State University, Mankato these are 600-level courses.
  2. The College of Graduate Studies requires that students using university resources such as the library, e-mail, or technology services, must register for at least one graduate credit. The College also requires graduate students to register for at least one credit during the semester that they graduate.
  3. The Department of History requires that prior to writing the Thesis or Alternate Plan Paper a student must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination covering a sub-field of historical study. An oral defense is required for both the Thesis and Alternate Plan Paper.   

Course Descriptions

HIST 501 (4) Classical World of Greece & Rome

The history of Greece and Rome stressing political, social, and economic institutions and cultural and intellectual achievements.

HIST 502 (4) Foundations of Judaism, Christianity, & Islam

A history of western monotheistic religions and their interactions with the secular world and each other from the beginnings of Judaism to the Crusades.

HIST 503 (4) Middle Ages

A history of the Middle Ages stressing political, social, and economic interactions and cultural achievements.

HIST 506 (4) Social History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe

European history from the later Middle Ages to the end of the Thirty Years' War (c. 1300-1648). Students will examine the intellectual, religious, and cultural developments in Western Europe, with special attention given to social life and popular culture.

HIST 507 (4) Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment

The history of Europe from the Treaty of Westphalia to the eve of the French Revolution (1648-1789). Course emphasizes absolutism and constitutionalism, the construction of European empires, the scientific revolution and Enlightenment, and social and economic changes.

HIST 508 (4) History of Women in Pre-industrial Europe

A history of European women's experiences from Classical Greece and Rome to the French Revolution of 1789. An analysis of changing concepts of gender relations balanced with a study of women's expressions as individuals and as members of socio-economic, ethnic, kin, and religious groups.

HIST 509 (4) Social History of Pre-industrial Europe

European culture and social life between 1400 and 1789. Topics include marriage and the family, sexuality, economic change, witchcraft, popular religion and Christianization, and the social history of political absolutism.  

HIST 512 (4) Modern Germany since 1500

Review of German history from the Reformation and Thirty Years War to the present, including such topics as Rise of Prussia, Revolution of 1848, Bismarck and the formation of a German Empire, World War I, Weimar Republic and the rise of Hitler, World War II, and Germany since 1945.

HIST 514 (4) Early England to 1603

England from ancient times to the death of Elizabeth I.

HIST 515 (4) England since 1603

Political, social, and economic development of England and Great Britain since the death of Elizabeth I.

HIST 519 (4) France since the Revolution in 1789

Review of French history from the Revolution of 1789 to the present, including such topics as origins and course of the Revolution, Napoleon, Louis XVIII to Third Republic, World War I, World War II and France since 1945.

HIST 521 (4) Modern Russia

A history of Russia and surrounding areas from the fall of Tsarism in 1917 to the modern era.

HIST 524 (4) Scandinavian History

Political, economic, social, cultural, and emigration-immigration history of the Scandinavian countries, including major themes in the mass migration and history of Scandinavians in America. Emphasis on the period, 1500-present.

HIST 527 (4) Eastern Europe

A history of Eastern Europe from the middle ages to the present.

HIST 530 (1-4) United States: Selected Topics

HIST 531 (1-4) European History: Selected Topics

HIST 532 (1-4) World History: Selected Topics

HIST 534 (4) East Asian History: 1800 - 1945

A comparative history of the Chinese and Japanese nations from the 19th century to 1945.

HIST 535 (4) East Asian History: 1945 - the Present

A comparative history of the rise of the Chinese and Japanese nations from 1945 to the present.

HIST 536 (4) History of East Asian Relations with the United States

History of relations of major East-Asian countries with the United States from the late 18th century to the present.

HIST 537 (4) African History to 1800

Investigation of historical developments across the African continent from pre-history through the eighteenth century. Topics will include ancient empires of West Africa, the Swahili coast, the spread of Islam, the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the formation of South Africa's multi-racial society.

HIST 538 (4) Modern Africa

Investigation of historical developments in Sub-Saharan Africa during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics will include trade with Europe and America, European colonization and African resistance, life in colonial Africa, independence movements, South Africa's apartheid state and the Rwanda genocide.

HIST 542 (4) History of Latin America

Review of Latin American history from Ancient American Civilizations to the present.

HIST 550 (4) Minnesota History

This course will examine Minnesota's social, political, and economic development from the earliest human habitation to the present.

HIST 554 (4) Early America to 1763

This course will examine America's political, social, economic, and cultural development from the earliest settlement of the continent by indigenous peoples to 1763, when provincial Americans began to demand more than token equality in the British Empire.

HIST 555 (4) Revolutionary & Early National America 1763-1820

This course will examine the social, economic, ideological, political, diplomatic, and military experiences of the United States between 1763 and 1820, in order to understand the creation of the American political nation and the culture which developed within it.

HIST 558 (4) U.S. History 1820-1861

This course will discuss the social, economic, and political issues from the rise of Jackson through the beginning of the Civil War. Major issues to be covered include: Jacksonian Democracy, Industrialization, Reform, Westward Expansion, Slavery, and the 1850s.

HIST 559 (4) U.S. History 1861-1900

Examines issues of slavery and conflict between the North and the South leading up to, during, and after the Civil War, and the rise of a socially and culturally diverse manufacturing society by the 1880s.

HIST 562 (4) U.S. History 1900-1945

A history of foreign and domestic themes during the Progressive Era, the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the periods of the two world wars. Includes examinations of reform and radical movements on the left and right.

HIST 563 (4) U.S. History 1945-Present

Social, political, and foreign affairs since World War II.

HIST 565 (4) History of U.S. Foreign Relations, 1775-1900

Explores the economic, strategic, and ideological factors shaping American diplomacy from 1775 to 1900. Students will examine how U.S. policymakers defined their goals and how their assumptions led the United States to pursue territorial and commercial expansion.

HIST 566 (4) History of U.S. Foreign Relations in the Twentieth Century

An examination of the major factors influencing U.S. diplomacy since 1900. Students will examine how influential policymakers defined their diplomatic goals, and how both domestic and external factors have contributed to America's reaction to wars and revolutions around the world.

HIST 570 (4) American Frontier

Occupation of the area between the Mississippi and the Pacific from Spanish exploration to the late 19th century.

HIST 571 (4) 20th Century American West

This course looks at the social, political, and economic developments that transformed the 20th Century American West.

HIST 576 (4) Comparative Slavery and Emancipation

This course will discuss slavery and emancipation in the Atlantic World (Africa, Latin America, and the United States). Students will discover how slavery and emancipation differed in various regions and over time.

HIST 577 (3) Advanced African-American History

A course which deals with the main themes in African-American history and their interpretations.

HIST 578 (4) America in Vietnam

This course will examine the Vietnam War. Students will discover how and why the U.S. became involved in Vietnam, examine the specific problems faced by American diplomats and military officials, and how the war affected American society.

HIST 581 (4) U.S. Civil Rights Since 1945

This course will examine the Civil Rights Movement, broadly defined, from 1945 to the present, but focusing on the period from 1945 to 1970. It will also explore the way in which African Americans and their white supporters mobilized for equality in the face of massive white resistance and seeming federal indifference.

HIST 583 (4) American Social and Cultural History

A history of the intersection of culture and society in America.

HIST 584 (4) American Labor History

An examination of the history of labor and the emergence of social welfare within the context of the modernization of western society and the diversity of the United States.

HIST 585 (4) History of American Immigration and Ethnicity

A historical study of the immigration and ethnic experience in America. It includes an examination of political, social, economic and legal changes that resulted in population movements to the U.S. Attention is given to anti-immigrant movements.

HIST 586 (4) American Environmental History

This course will examine the interaction between humans and the American environment from pre-Columbus to the present.

HIST 587 (4) United States Women's History

This course is designed to provide a survey and analysis of the historical experiences of women in the United States from earliest settlement by indigenous peoples to the present in order to aid students in understanding the contemporary situation of women in American society.

HIST 590 (1-4) Workshop

Specific titles to be announced in departmental course descriptions.

P/N only.

HIST 600 (3) Reading Seminar in European History

Intensive reading on a specialized historical topic. May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 602 (3) Reading Seminar in Third World History

Intensive reading on a specialized historical topic. May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 604 (3) Reading Seminar in United States History

Intensive reading on a specialized historical topic. May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 608 (3) Research Seminar in European History

May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 609 (3) Research Seminar in Third World History

Introduces students to research methodologies and techniques in Third World history including Asia, Africa, and Latin America. May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 610 (3) Research Seminar in United States History

May be repeated once under a different instructor and sub-title.

HIST 677 (1-4) Individual Study

HIST 691 (1-4) In-Service

HIST 694 (1-2) Alternate Plan Paper

HIST 697 (1-12) Internship

Practical work experience in teaching or in an historical agency.

HIST 699 (1-6) Thesis