Overview
What is the value of studying history
today? The study of the past challenges the intellect,
builds the imagination, and encourages critical thinking. To
study history is to comprehend the human condition and to
acquire the tools to live a more worthwhile life.
The programs and courses in history at The University of
Tulsa are an essential part of the humanities-based Tulsa
Curriculum. Courses in history are taught in the General
Curriculum under the rubric of Historical and Social
Interpretation. Members of the history faculty regularly
offer First Seminars and Senior Seminars. History is a major
component within the certificate programs offered in African
American Studies, Classics, International Studies, Legal
Studies, Museum Studies, Judaic Studies , Political
Philosophy, and Women’s Studies. The Department of History
is one of five departments in the College of Arts and
Sciences that offers graduate study as well as an
undergraduate major.
Curriculum and Unique Features
The history major exposes students to a range of historical issues and problems, provides an opportunity to develop authoritative knowledge in a particular field of history, and develops the fundamental skills necessary to the practice of the historian's craft. The major encourages a comparative approach to human problems
by directing students toward courses in ancient, modern, and
non-Western history. It also allows a level of specialization
that promotes an appreciation of the complexity of human affairs
and the difficulties involved in their interpretation.
A significant share of courses are
imaginative explorations of topics that break down traditional
boundaries of time and space: the origins of war, film and
literature in history, gender , empire and imperialism,
frontiers, and cross-cultural influences.
Classes in the department are characteristically small (15 to 25 students), and the faculty takes particular pride in its record of teaching excellence and its availability to students.
Each year, the William A. Settle award and the
Bessie McAlpine Sullins award are given to outstanding history majors
and the Kimberly S. Hanger prize is given for outstanding
compositions. A chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, a national history honorary organization, is established on campus.
Outstanding historians who have visited campus recently for
special lectures include Eugene Genovese (Emory University),
John Hope Franklin (Duke University), Howard Lamar (Yale University), Peter Onuf (University of Virginia), Joyce Appleby (UCLA), Donald Kagan
(Yale University), Frederick Wakeman (University of California, Berkeley),
Christopher Browning (University of North Carolina),
Alan Kors (University of Pennsylvania), William Rosenberg
(University of Michigan), and Gordon Wood (Brown University).
Professional Opportunities
The history major provides a valuable background for students considering careers in law; journalism; library and museum work; education; local, state, national, and international public service; and business. Students of history are essential wherever a knowledge of domestic and foreign affairs is required; some devote their lives to teaching and historical research.
Majors Available
- Bachelor of Arts in History