History

HISTORY

Chair: Kendall Brown
Graduate Coordinator: Malcolm R. Thorp
309 KMB
Provo, UT 84602-4446
(801) 378-3234

THE PROGRAM OF STUDIES

The History Department has a small but high-quality graduate program. It aims to strengthen the credentials of those teaching history and to produce professional historians.

The strengths of the program are U.S. (especially western American) and European history. This reflects the research interests of departmental faculty and the holdings of the university's Harold B. Lee Library.

Two degrees are offered through the History Department: History—MA and History—PhD.

The department admits ten students to the graduate programs each year. The average length of the MA program is two years; the average length of the PhD program is five years.

History—MA

The MA degree is offered for those students who desire to do further historical study and research beyond the bachelor's degree. The advantages of this degree include: opportunities in public history, access to careers in business, greater promotional and employment opportunities for secondary teachers, qualification for teaching positions in many junior colleges, and useful preparation for doctoral work in history, law, government, international affairs, and other relevant fields.

Areas of emphasis within the MA: American History or European History.

Students desiring a master's degree in Latin American, Asian, or Middle Eastern history should apply to the relevant program in the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.

Admission and Entry.

• Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international).
• Application requirements: submit at least three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with applicant's academic qualifications, preferably professors, and a sample of applicant's work. Send directly to the department a research paper such as a senior seminar paper. Students whose native language is not English must pass the TOEFL examination at the 85th percentile or higher (a score of 580). Minimum required GPA is 3.2 for last 60 hours. Consult the History Department for further details before applying for admission.
• Entrance examination: GRE general test.
• Prerequisite: undergraduate degree in history or equivalent.

Requirements for Degree.

• Course requirements:

American History Emphasis (30 hours): minimum 24 course work hours including Hist 587, 690R; two courses selected from Hist 561, 562, 563; plus 6 thesis hours (699R).

European History Emphasis (30 hours): minimum 24 course work hours including Hist 587, 690R; two or more courses selected from Hist 661, 662, 663; plus 6 thesis hours (699R).

• Minor: optional as approved by graduate committee.
• Thesis.
• Examinations: (A) written comprehensive; (B) oral defense of thesis.

History—PhD

The PhD is designed to train students to be effective teachers, productive scholars, and useful professionals in the field of history. Professional opportunities for the doctoral graduate include: careers in university, college, junior college, and high school teaching; library and archival work; the Church Educational System; government research agencies; and professional writing.

Areas of emphasis within the PhD: American History or European History. Fields of concentration in American History are Western America, History of Religion in America, and American Social History.

Admission and Entry.

• Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, February 1 (U.S. and international).
• Application requirements: send at least three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with applicant's academic qualifications, preferably professors, and a copy of applicant's master's thesis directly to the department. Students whose native language is not English are required to pass the TOEFL examination at the 85th percentile or higher (a score of 580). The minimum required GPA is 3.4 for last 60 hours. Consult the History Department for further details before applying for admission.
• Entrance examination: GRE general test.
• Prerequisite: master's degree in history or equivalent.

Requirements for Degree.

• Credit hours (54 beyond baccalaureate): minimum 36 course work hours beyond the baccalaureate plus 18 dissertation hours (Hist 799R).
• Course requirements: first year in residence—see current class schedule; consult with advisor.
• Core courses for European history emphasis: Hist 661, 662, 663.
• Core courses for American history emphasis: Hist 561, 562, 563 (other courses to be determined by graduate committee).
• Progress review: after 18 hours of course work, there will be an oral progress review in which the student's graduate committee will determine whether the student has proved competent to remain in the program. Students should finish all course work and tool requirements and pass the written comprehensive examinations within three years after beginning the program.
• Skill requirement: consult department.
• Dissertation prospectus: presented upon successful completion of the oral comprehensive examination.
• Dissertation.
• Examinations: (A) comprehensive written examination in a general field (major area), a field of emphasis within that general field, and a secondary field in history; also a minor field outside history, chosen in consultation with the committee chair; (B) oral comprehensive examination, given after student successfully passes the written comprehensive examination.
• Oral defense of dissertation.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

A small tuition grant can be provided to graduate students in the History Department. In addition, a teaching assistantship of 10 to 15 hours may be available to qualified graduate students.

RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Center for Studies of the Family. This interdisciplinary research center focusing on studies related to all aspects of the family encourages and supports research on family-related topics ranging from prenatal development to problems of aging.

Women's Research Institute. Initially established in 1978, the Women's Research Institute became a part of the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences in September 1983. Since then the institute has awarded research fellowships to upper-division and graduate students for conducting research on women and women's issues in amounts up to $500 annually for selected projects. Faculty grants became available through the institute in 1984.

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History. The institute's purpose is to study the Latter-day Saint past. Its personnel are historians whose primary work is writing and publishing for professional and general Church audiences. The institute also seeks to facilitate the research of other Church history scholars by providing limited support for research and publication.

Museum of Peoples and Cultures. This museum offers unique research opportunities for students and faculty, several of whom have research offices in the museum. Located south and west of campus in Allen Hall, the museum holds a number of important archaeological and ethnographic collections that have not been systematically analyzed and reported. These collections, which represent Utah Valley, the American Southwest, and Mesoamerica, as well as other parts of the world, provide material for thesis topics, professional publications, and academic credit.

Charles Redd Center for Western Studies. Established in 1972 under an endowment from Charles Redd, a prominent Utah stockman and philanthropist, the center is charged with promoting the study of all aspects of the American West. The center publishes a monograph series, assists faculty and student research through grants and fellowships, and sponsors lectureships each year.

For a more detailed description of the graduate program requirements, send for a copy of the department's bulletin.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Class Schedule

500R. Special Studies in History. (1-3)

Directed by visiting or resident faculty. Check with department secretary for current topics and instructor.

561. Sources and Problems in Early America. (3)

Through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Required of American and European history graduate students.

562. Sources and Problems in Nineteenth-Century America. (3)

Through the nineteenth century. Required of American and European history graduate students.

563. Sources and Problems in Twentieth-Century America. (3)

Through the twentieth century. Required of American and European history graduate students.

587. Philosophies of History. (3)

Fundamental problems and types of historical analysis and interpretation, philosophies of history, and work of outstanding historians.

590R. Special Topics. (3)

Western American, religious, family, Asian, Latin American, and Near Eastern history.

598R. Special Readings in History. (1-2)

661. Sources and Problems in Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation History. (3)

Selected topics in medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation history.

662. Sources and Problems in Early Modern Europe, 1550-1789. (3)

Selected topics in early modern Europe, 1550-1789. Part of the core curriculum for graduate students.

663. Sources and Problems in Modern Europe, 1789-Present. (3)

Selected topics in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe, 1789-present.

690R. Graduate Seminar in History. (1-3)

695R. Coordinated Research. (3)

Student research directed by faculty member on topic of mutual interest. Prior approval of instructor required. Research assistants must do additional work for credit.

696R. Practicum in Public History and Family History. (1-5)

College credit for work in local archives, museums, and related areas. See department chair for openings available and to determine hours of credit.

698R. Master's Project. (1-6)

699R. Master's Thesis. (1-9)

798R. Special Readings in History. (1-2)

799R. Doctoral Dissertation. (1-18)

FACULTY 

ALEXANDER, THOMAS G., Professor. PhD, University of California, Berkeley, 1965. Western American; Environmental; Mormon History.

BOHAC, RODNEY D., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Illinois, 1982. Russia; Rural Europe.

BRITSCH, R. LANIER, Professor. PhD, Claremont Graduate School, 1967. Asian Religions; Missiology.

BROWN, KENDALL W., Professor. PhD, Duke University, 1979. Latin America; Colonial Economic; Spain.

BUTLER, LEE A., Assistant Professor. PhD, Princeton, 1990. Early- Modern and Modern Japan; Asia

CANNON, BRIAN Q., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Wisconsin, 1992. American Rural History.

DOXEY, GARY B., Assistant Professor. PhD, Cambridge University, 1992. Medieval Mediterranean.

FOX, FRANK W., Professor. PhD, Stanford University, 1973. Modern U.S.; U.S. Cultural History.

GARCIA, IGNACIO, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Arizona, 1995. American, Mexican-American History.

GOWANS, FREDERICK R., Professor. PhD, Brigham Young University, 1972. Western America; American Indian; Fur Trade.

GRANDSTAFF, MARK, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1992. American Military; Diplomatic.

GREEN, ARNOLD H., Professor. PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, 1973. Modern Near East.

HAMBLIN, WILLIAM, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Michigan, 1985. Middle East.

HARLINE, CRAIG H., Associate Professor. PhD, Rutgers University, 1986. Early Modern Europe.

HOLMES, BLAIR R., Associate Professor. PhD, University of Colorado, 1972. European Family; Social History.

MADSEN, CAROL CORNWALL, Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1985. Women's History; American History.

MONTGOMERY, DAVID C., Professor. PhD, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1971. Central Asia; Middle East; Central Asian and Middle Eastern Languages.

PEARCY, THOMAS L., Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Miami, 1993. Latin America; Nineteenth- and Twentieth- Century.

PIXTON, PAUL B., Professor. PhD, University of Iowa, 1972. Medieval Europe.

PRATT, DAVID H., Professor. PhD, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1975. British Family; Modern English.

RICHARDS, MARY STOVALL, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Chicago, 1983. Family; Nineteenth- Century America—South; Twentieth-Century Southern Novelists.

THORP, MALCOLM R., Professor. PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1972. Early Modern; Modern Britain.

TOBLER, DOUGLAS F., Professor. PhD, University of Kansas, 1967. Modern Germany; European Intellectual History.

WALKER, RONALD W., Professor. PhD, University of Utah, 1977. American Religious History; Utah History.

WESTOVER, V. ROBERT, Assistant Professor. PhD, Arizona State University, 1979. Family; American Indian.

WRIGHT, DAVID C., Assistant Professor. PhD, Princeton University, 1993. China; Asia.

YORK, NEIL LONGLEY, Professor. PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1978. Colonial History; Technology; American Revolution.

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