Program Description

The goal of the history major at Purchase College is to provide students with the intellectual foundation of a liberal arts education that is suitable for a wide variety of professions, including law, teaching, government, business, and publishing. The history curriculum seeks to foster the development of a historical perspective on the forces and processes that have shaped and continue to shape our communities, our country, and the world at large. In keeping with the special profile of Purchase College, the History Program has generally, though not exclusively, emphasized the social, intellectual, and cultural dimensions of the discipline.

Students may define their field of concentration in terms of broadly conceived areas—the Americas, Europe, and Asia—or in terms of major chronological eras that allow them to include more than one area. Specific concentrations in Asian studies and Jewish history are also available. Coursework in the History Program frequently includes intensive writing and an emphasis on primary source material. Students may also pursue topics of special interest through tutorials and directed independent studies, which may be arranged with individual instructors.

Program Faculty

Requirements for the Major

• Five history courses in a field of concentration, including three at the upper level
• Two history courses outside the field of concentration, including one at the upper level
• Junior History Seminar
• Senior History Colloquium
• Senior Project in History

Representative Courses

Development of the U.S. I & II
Understanding America
The Ancient Middle East
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Renaissance and Reformation Europe
Princes, Priests, and Peasants
Women in America
Colonial and Revolutionary America
The 18th-Century Revolutions
Traditional China
Modern East Asia
Contemporary Europe
Jewish Culture and Civilization
The Land of Israel: Ancient to Modern
Vietnam and Modern America
Cross-Cultural Interactions: U.S. and East Asia
History of Popular Culture in the U.S.
Race, Ethnicity, and Identity in the U.S.
Slavery and Social Status in the Atlantic World
Alternative Americas: Radicalism and Reform in the U.S.

Representative Alumni

• Kathy Chapman ’85, director of operations, MGP Group
• Felicia Halpert ’80, new media director, Pearson Longman Publishers
• Theresa Hanson ’00, paralegal, The Baker Companies
• Michael Nagy ’98, bond trader, Deutsche Bank
• Michael Powell ’78, journalist; currently reporting for The New York Times; former New York bureau chief, The Washington Post
• Constantin Sokoloff ’81, independent counsel for the United Nations and European Union institutions

For more information, visit the History site in Academic Programs.

Updated May 27, 2008