ACADEMIC ADVISING IN HISTORY
Professor Lex Renda
Director of Undergraduate Studies
renlex@uwm.edu
Phone: 414-351-0511
OVERVIEW OF ADVISING
Welcome to the advising web page of the Department of History!
As the Director of
Undergraduate Studies, I strive to provide majors and minors with accurate
and helpful advice,
and in an efficient manner, so as to enable each student to plan intelligently
his or her curriculum
in History.
Please read this section in its entirety before proceeding.
I process declarations of majors and minors in History, and I answer
questions regarding
the extent to which students have satisfied History major and minor
requirements, via email
(in most cases, it is unnecessary for us to meet in person).
If you wish to declare a major or minor
in History, please follow the instructions listed below. If you
wish to receive academic advice regarding
the History program, send me an email message. I have online
access to your academic records and can
determine easily the answers to most of your questions. You can
also call me at the phone number
listed above if you have general questions about the History major
or minor. If you require my signature on a
form concerning the transfer of History credits attained at another
institution, please follow the instructions listed
below. Please note that my advising is limited to answering
questions that pertain to the
History curriculum and the requirements of the History major and minor.
For advice on other college
or university requirements, you must consult with your college or school
advisor. Note also that if
you are making a declaration in History as well as in another subject,
I can only process your
declaration in History. To have your declaration of a major or
minor in a subject other than History
processed, you must consult with my counterpart in that discipline.
Finally, please do not ask me to
waive the particular requirements of the major or minor in History,
for out of fairness to all, no waivers shall be
granted.
"WHAT CAN I DO WITH A DEGREE IN HISTORY?"
Here is a link to a career guide published by the American Historical
Association that provides answers to this
frequently-asked question: http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/careers/Index.htm
DECLARATIONS OF MAJORS AND MINORS IN HISTORY
If you wish to declare a major or minor, send me an email message --
using, preferably, your UWM
email address. Please be sure to provide me with the following
information:
1) your full name, complete mailing address, home phone number,
student ID number, and (if you are declaring a minor) your school or
college;
2) one of the following statements:
* I hereby declare a major in History*
* I hereby declare a minor in History*
* I am majoring in [subject], but I hereby change my major to History*
* I am majoring in [subject], and I hereby declare History as a second
major*,
and (if you are declaring a major in History and are not already in the College of Letters and Science)
3) one of the following statements:
* I hereby switch from [school or college] to the College of Letters
and Science*
* I will remain in [school or college], as History will not be my primary
major*
Note that students may double major in History and Broad Field Social
Studies
Education-History, provided that the School of Education is
their primary school.
If you are switching from a History minor to a History major (or vice-versa),
please
indicate as much in your email message.
I will submit a declaration form on your behalf to L&S Student Academic
Services, and
within a month (and usually much sooner than that) your records on
PAWS will reflect your declaration.
TRANSFER CREDIT EVALUATION
If you have earned credits in history courses studying abroad (or plan
on doing so) and have been
informed that I need to determine the UWM course equivalents of the
courses taken (or to be taken), please
send me an email message. Please include the following information:
1) your full name, complete mailing address, home phone number,
student ID number, and school or college.
2) name and location of the institution where the course or courses
were
taken (or will be taken);
3) the semester and year in which the course or courses were
taken (or will be taken);
4) and the title and number of the course or courses taken (or to be taken).
If you have an electronic copy of the syllabus for the course or courses
in question, please
attach it. Although a syllabus may not be necessary, it is helpful.
If I need more information about
the course, I will contact you in any case.
I will adjudicate the matter, complete the relevant portion of a study
abroad form (I already have copies
in my possession), and mail the same back to you (in case you are wondering,
you are permitted to
submit more than one form, should you have courses in multiple disciplines
that require departmental
recommendations).
REQUIREMENTS FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE HISTORY MAJOR
History majors are required to take a minimum of 36 credits in history
courses, distributed
as follows:
1) At least 6 credits in European history
2) At least 6 credits in U.S. history
3) At least 9 credits in Non-western or Global history
4) At least 3 credits in a course dealing preponderantly with the period before 1500.
5) At least 18 credits in courses numbered 300 and above (at least 15 of which must be taken at UWM)
6) At least one of the following courses: History 288, 291, 293, 294, 594, 595, or 596.
7) History 600 (course prerequisite is one of the following:
History 288, 291, 293, 294, 594, 595, or 596).
Other prerequisites include senior standing, satisfaction of the GER
English composition and mathematical
skills competency requirements, and the declaration of your major in
either History or Broad Field Social
Studies Education-History.
History majors must maintain a 2.500 GPA in all History credits attempted
at UWM and a 2.500 GPA
in all History credits attempted at all institutions attended, collectively.
No more than 6 of the 36 credits
applied to the major may be earned in independent study courses (Hist
199 or Hist 699). Note that in
all courses taken in the major on a credit/no credit basis (whether
applied to the requirements of the major
or not), regular letter grades are recorded on your transcript and
are used in the calculation of your GPA.
Note: Specific courses may count toward the fulfillment of
more than one requirement. For example,
Hist 101 (Western Civilization to 1500) counts toward the fulfillment
of both requirement #1 and
requirement #4.
Students should pay particular attention to requirements #6 and #7.
They will not be permitted to
enroll in History 600 (the senior seminar) until after they have
taken and passed one of the courses
in historical methods listed under #6. This sequence may not
be reversed, and students may not
satisfy both requirements in the same semester. Prospective
majors should fulfill the "methods"
requirement at an early stage of their progress in the curriculum,
and in no case later than the
next to last semester before they plan to graduate.
REQUIREMENTS FOR AN UNDERGRADUATE HISTORY MINOR
History minors are required to take a minimum of 18 credits in history
courses, distributed
as follows:
1) At least 3 credits in EACH of the following 3 areas:
a) European history
b) U.S. history
c) Non-western or Global history.
2) At least 9 credits in courses numbered 300 or above, taken at UWM.
History minors must maintain a 2.500 GPA in all History credits attempted
at UWM and
a 2.500 GPA in all History credits attempted at all institutions attended,
collectively.
No more than 3 of the 18 credits applied to the minor may be earned
in independent study
courses (Hist 199 or Hist 699). Note that in all courses taken
in the minor on a credit/no credit
basis (whether applied to the requirements of the minor or not), regular
letter grades are recorded
on your transcript and are used in the calculation of your GPA.
Note: Specific courses may count toward the fulfillment of
more than one requirement. For
example, Hist 307 (The Roman Republic) counts toward the fulfillment
of both requirement #1a
and requirement #2.
CATEGORIZATION OF COURSES BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA
Following indicates the geographic areas towards which courses count
in the fulfillment of the major and
minor requirements (note that for variable-topic courses the geographic
area is determined by
the specific topic, and that some courses do not satisfy any of the
geographic area distribution
requirements):
European History:
Hist 101, 102, 201 through 206, 220, 226 through 228, 235, 236, 238,
239, 241, 242, 248 through 250,
301 through 369, 371, 374, 375.
U.S. History:
Hist 150, 151, 152, 229, 243 through 245, 251, 262 through 272, 403
through 474, 654.
Non-Western or Global History:
Hist 131, 132, 141, 175, 176, 180, 210, 215, 246*, 274, 275, 280 through
283, 285 through
287, 290, 295, 372, 376 through 397, 400 through 402, 596.
Geographic Area Determined by Specific Topic:
Hist 190, 192, 193, 199, 200, 296, 297, 299, 370, 373, 398, 399, 497,
499, 594, 599, 600, 681,
682, 699. The geographic area of concentration in sections of
Hist 600, where the same is not
obvious in the title, is by default designated in accordance with the
primary teaching and research
interests of the instructor. In such cases, and with the instructor’s
approval, Hist 600 can count
toward different areas for different students, as determined by the
predominant focus of their individual
work in the course. Note that a variable topics course can not
be considered “Non-Western or
Global” unless at least a susbstantial part of the course’s focus includes
the study of either Asian, African,
Middle Eastern, or Latin American History.
(Please note: Unless indicated otherwise in the schedule of
classes, enrollment in a variable-topic course is
considered a "repeat" of an earlier enrollment in that course only
if the specific topic is exactly the same
in each semester.)
No Geographic Category
Hist 288, 289, 291, 293, 294, 489, 595, 651.
*Note that if taken prior to the Spring, 2006 semester, History 246
counts as a European History
course.
ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL HISTORY (Pre-1500) REQUIREMENT
The following courses satisfy the pre-1500 requirement of the History
major: Hist 101, 131, 175,
201 through 204, 235, 274, 280, 301, 303, 304, 307, 308, 318 through
320, 325, 376, 383, 384.
The following variable-topic courses satisfy the pre-1500 requirement
of the History major if the
specific topic deals preponderantly with the era prior to 1500:
Hist 192, 193, 199, 200, 250, 270,
290, 296, 297, 299, 370 through 373, 398 through 402, 497, 499, 594,
599, 600, 681, 682, 699.
Because individual student topics may vary in Hist 600, that course
can, with the instructor’s approval,
count toward the pre-1500 requirement for certain students, as determined
by the predominant focus of
their individual work in the course. Note: If taken
prior to the Spring, 2007 semester, Hist 385
also counts as a pre-1500 course.
CROSS-LISTED COURSE
Portuguese 360, with the sub-title or topic “History of Brazil,” may
be used to fulfill the requirements
of the undergraduate major or minor in history. It counts as
a non-western/global history course.
JOINTLY-OFFERED COURSES
Following are courses offered by other departments with identical course
numbers in History, and
they may be taken to fullfill the requirements of the undergraduate
major or minor in History:
Health Care Administration 228
Hebrew Studies 274
Hebrew Studies 275
Jewish Studies 358
Jewish Studies 379
Philosophy 275
SENIOR THESIS OPTION
Students choosing this two-semester sequence (Hist 681-682) write a
substantial research paper on a
topic of their choice in consultation with a faculty thesis advisor.
The prerequisite for Hist 681 is at
least one of the following courses: Hist 288, 291, 293, 294, 594, 595,
or 596. Students must also receive
approval from the faculty thesis advisor and department chair prior
to enrolling. History majors with
a GPA of 3.333 or higher in all history credits attempted may, with
the consent of the faculty thesis
advisor and the department chair, take the sequence in lieu of Hist
600 to satisfy (in part) major
requirements and the L&S capstone or research course requirement.
To access and print out the senior
thesis proposal form, point to: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/senior_thesis.doc
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Independent study is not a substitute for courses regularly available
in the curriculum. Students who
wish to enroll in independent study (Hist 199 for freshmen and sophomores;
Hist 699 for juniors
and seniors) must have a minimum GPA of 2.500 in all credits attempted
at UWM. It is strongly
recommended that students work only with faculty from whom they have
previously taken regular
classes. Students may not enroll in Hist 199 or Hist 699 for
work already completed. When
enrolling in Hist 199 or Hist 699, students shall select the section
number of the faculty member
with whom they will be working.
Students must, after consultting with the professor with whom they wish
to work, complete in typewritten
form and print out the following: http://www.uwm.edu/letsci/forms/independentstudy.doc.
This form contains the details of the independent study proposal and
it should be completed during the first two
weeks of the semester. The supervising faculty member must approve
the proposal and return the
signed form to the department office for endorsement by the department
chair as well by the Dean.
A student should not take more than three credits of independent
study in one semester from the
same faculty member. History majors may take no more than
six of the thirty-six required
credits in History in independent study. History minors may
take
no more than three of
the eighteen required credits in History in independent study.
INTERNSHIPS
Students who wish to do an internship for credit (Hist 289 for freshmen
and sophomores; Hist 489
for juniors and seniors) should consult with one of the Coordinators
of the Public History
Program -- either Professor Michael Gordon (Holton 346, 414-229-4314,
mgordon@uwm.edu)
or Professor Jasmine Alinder (Holton 385, 414-229-3675, jalinder@uwm.edu)
-- who will
provide such students with internship advice. Students must print
out and have completed a Student
Internship Application (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/internship_app.doc)
as well as a Faculty and
Student Internship Contract (http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/History/pdf/internship_contract.doc)
prior to enrolling in
either Hist 289 or Hist 489.