Minor Field in World History

The program has the double goal of introducing students to world-history methodologies and helping them prepare for teaching world history courses in their future academic careers.

Recent trends in the field of history have critiqued narrowly conceived studies of “national” history and urged scholars to frame local historical developments within a larger worldwide context. This critique does not undervalue the importance of local studies—which play a crucial role in the field—but recognizes that many aspects of local history cannot be examined in isolation and can be better understood by exploring their wider connections.

This minor will also enhance our students’ ability to effectively design and teach world history surveys, a main stable of educational curricula in most colleges and universities. 

Requirements

The minor requires both a set amount of coursework and an examination.

Courses

History 7970, Reading Seminar in Comparative History, when offered in the field of World History and approved by the minor’s coordinator.

Students must take two 4000- or 7000 level courses—for a total of 6 hours—in two of the following areas, outside their major field: Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and South Asia. A thematic course that cuts across regions or courses in European or US history with a decisive transnational or global theme may be substituted for one of these if approved by the coordinator of the minor.

Exam

Students need to take a general examination. For further information see World History Minor Qualifying Exam Guidelines. You can obtain a copy from the chair of your committee or from faculty advisor

Students planning to take this minor should meet with the faculty advisor (currently Asiya Alam, 231B Himes, aalam@lsu.edu) to work out a plan of study.

List of Current World History Faculty: Asiya Alam, Gibril Cole, Julia Irwin, Andre Pagliarini, Jason Wolfe, and Margherita Zanasi.

Qualifying Exam Guidelines

Students are responsible for obtaining detailed information on the exam from either the chair of their committee or from the coordinator of the minor.  

The Syllabus Option

Create a World History Syllabus

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for a minor in World History at LSU, the student will create a syllabus for a course in World History. According to the student’s primary research interests, the syllabus should cover either World History to 1500 OR World History 1500 to the Present, but not both. Students are encouraged to go beyond a treatment found in any one textbook or sourcebook, and to devise an approach that makes sense to them personally. The syllabus should include

  • specific primary and secondary source readings (titles and page numbers)
  • detailed assignments
  • detailed lecture topics

 

Introductory Essay

In addition, the student will write an introductory essay (3-5 pp.) explaining the main rationale and criteria that have informed the construction of the syllabus. Every student seeking a minor in World History at LSU will have taken HIST 7970 (Seminar in World History). The student should discuss at least two works that were either assigned when HIST 7970 was taken, or works from the reading list below in consultation with the committee members. An exemplary introductory essay will provide critical reflection on how the theory and methodology of World History has guided the creation of the student’s syllabus.

Examples of topics that should be discussed in the essay:

  • Why have you decided to organize your syllabus chronologically, geographically, or thematically?
  • What is the main intellectual framework for your syllabus?
  • What criteria did you use in selecting issues to include or not to include in your syllabus? (A World History class cannot realistically cover every single event given the constraints on time during the semester.) 

Evaluation Criteria:

The examination committee will evaluate the syllabus according to the following criteria:

  • Coherence of the syllabus. This includes evidence of a main theme(s) that gives the syllabus a coherent intellectual framework.
  • Use of reading material, including: relevance for the topic of the specific class for which they have been assigned, accessibility for the level of the class, and variety (or unity) of formats and how they are introduced to the class. Students can freely choose primary source collections, novels, literature, or films that exemplify the themes of the course.
  • Ability to judge how much material you can realistically cover in one class.

 

The Oral Examination

The student will select a committee composed of three World History faculty members with whom s/he has taken course work and arrange a date for the exam at the mutual convenience of the student and faculty. The syllabus and introductory essay should be submitted to the committee members at least two weeks in advance of the date. The examination will consist of a defense of the syllabus, an explanation of the rationale and criteria articulated in the introductory essay, and evidence that the student has a firm grasp on the theory and methodology of World History.

Potential Outcomes of the Oral Examination

After the oral examination has been completed, the committee will ask the student to briefly leave the room, during which time the following outcomes will be discussed:

  • The student passes and no changes to the syllabus are required.
  • The student passes, but the committee requests minor changes to the syllabus. (A second oral examination is not needed, but a member of the committee will be appointed to review the changes in consultation with the student.)
  • The student needs to produce major revisions to the syllabus, and a second oral examination is convened.
  • The student does not pass the oral examination.

 

Appendix: Reading List:

Dunn, Ross E., ed. The New World History. A Teacher’s Companion. Bedford St. Martin’s, 1999.

Lewis, Martin and Wigen, Karen, The Myth of Continents: A Critique of Metageography. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.

Manning, Patrick. Navigating World History: Historians Create a Global Past. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003.

McNeill, Robert and McNeill, William, The Human Web: A Bird’s-Eye View of World History. New York: W. W, Norton & Co., 2003.

 

Journal of World History:

“Ethical and Moral Dimensions of World History,” in the March 2005 (vol. 16, no. 1) issue, with articles by Jerry Bentley and Charles Hedrick Jr.

“Social History, Women’s History, and World History,” in the March 2007 (vol. 18, no. 1) issue, with articles by Peter Stearns, Merry Wiesner-Hanks, and Kenneth Pomeranz

  

The Essays Option

The student will select a committee composed of three World History faculty members with whom s/he has taken course work and arrange a date for the written portion of the exam and one for the oral portion at the mutual convenience of the student and faculty.

The student is responsible for agreeing on a reading list with the chair of the exam committee.
On the day of the written exam, the student will be given four topics. S/he will choose two and will have three hours for each essay to complete the exam.

The oral portion of the exam will consist of a defense of the essays, an explanation of the rationale and criteria articulated in them, and evidence that the student has a firm grasp on the theory and methodology of World History.

 

Potential Outcomes of the Oral Examination

After the oral examination has been completed, the committee will ask the student to briefly leave the room, during which time the following outcomes will be discussed:

  • The student passes and no re-writing of the essays is required.
  • The student passes, but the committee requests minor re-writings. (A second oral examination is not needed, but a member of the committee will be appointed to review the changes in consultation with the student.)
  • The student needs to produce major revisions of the essay, and a second oral examination is convened.
  • The student does not pass the oral examination.

 

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