Office & Contact Information

The History major develops critical intelligence and fosters an understanding of ourselves and our world through the study of the past—both the "deep past" and the more recent past.

The Program

A student electing a major in History will receive a broad education in histories of several geographic areas. Students preferring more active engagement in research and writing are encouraged to complete history seminars and/or the honors program.

Career Alternatives

A degree in history is excellent preparation for a professional career such as teaching, law, journalism, public administration, or business management. Professional schools in these and related fields (including the health professions) are looking for students who can weigh conflicting evidence, evaluate alternative courses of action or divergent points of view, and express conclusions logically in everyday language. These analytical skills are stressed in history classes, and their mastery gives the history student a solid preparation for subsequent training in a specialized career.

History of Science, Medicine, & Technology

Students can create a concentration in the History of Science, Medicine, & Technology upon consultation with a faculty advisor. They may draw upon the relevant History courses (History HIS 002, HIS 016, HIS 085, HIS 107, HIS 135A, HIS 135B, HIS 136, HIS 139A, HIS 139B, HIS 185A, and HIS 185B) as well as History & Philosophy of Science offerings.

History & Philosophy of Science

Courses from the History & Philosophy of Science minor may count toward the History major. STS 130A, STS 130B, STS 150, and STS 180 fulfill upper division requirements in either the U.S. or Europe concentration.

For a more detailed description of course offerings, see History & Philosophy of Science.

Honors & Honors Program

A student becomes eligible for graduation with honors by meeting the minimum GPA (usually 3.500) and course requirements established by the College of Letters and Science. To qualify for high or highest honors, students must also complete the History Department honors program with a GPA of  3.500 or above and write a thesis that meets the criteria for high honors or highest honors. Students apply to participate in the department honors program during the latter part of their junior year. Admission to the program is based on GPA, a thesis proposal, examples of previous writing, and the recommendation of a faculty member who is willing to sponsor the student's project, interviews, and faculty recommendations. Students admitted into the program must complete the HIS 104A, HIS 104B, HIS 104C sequence of honors courses, which requires the completion of a senior honors thesis. Students who anticipate seeking admission to the honors program are urged to complete at least one HIS 102 course (undergraduate seminar) before the end of their junior year. Interested students are urged to consult with faculty in their field early in their junior year. Students may substitute HIS 104B and HIS 104C for any courses in their program other than HIS 102 Discontinued.

Students who anticipate pursuing graduate work in history or a teaching credential, and who do not wish to opt for the research emphasis embodied in the honors program, are encouraged to select Plan II of the major.

Study Abroad & the History Major

The department strongly encourages interested students to pursue their studies abroad. While there are no specific required courses or prerequisites, students are urged to take at least one history course that touches upon the geographic area where they plan to study abroad before departing. To receive a history degree from UC Davis, students must complete at least 18 upper division units in the history major at UC Davis (which can also include HIS 101, HIS 102 Discontinued, HIS 103). The remaining major requirements can be fulfilled abroad provided that (a) the course should be evaluated as at least four UC Davis units, (b) the course should be considered upper division by the standards set forth by the UC Davis Study Abroad Program, and (c) the course should be in the field of History. Students may present copies of the course work, syllabus, and writing assignments to the department's liaison person with the Global Learning Hub office for approval.

Teaching Credential Subject Representative

See the Teaching Credential/M.A. Program.

Preparing for Careers in Teaching History majors can pursue rewarding careers in teaching. To ensure your undergraduate coursework prepares you for a subject matter competency test, please contact the History Project.

Major Advisors

History Undergraduate Advisor or see History for updated information.

American History & Institutions

This University requirement can be satisfied by passing any one of the following HIS courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 017A	History of the United States	4
HIS 017B	History of the United States	4
HIS 072A	Women & Gender in America, to 1865	4
HIS 072B	Women & Gender in America, 1865-Present	4
HIS 170A	Colonial America	4
HIS 170B	The American Revolution	4
HIS 170C	The Early National Period, 1789-1815	4
HIS 171A	Slavery, Society & Expansion in the Early U.S.	4
HIS 171B	Civil War Era	4
HIS 172	American Environmental History	4
HIS 173	Becoming an American: Immigration & American Culture	4
HIS 174A	The Gilded Age & Progressive Era: United States, 1876-1917	4
HIS 174B	War, Prosperity, & Depression: United States, 1917-1945	4
HIS 174C	The United States Since World War II, 1945 to the Present	4
HIS 174D	Selected Themes in 20th-Century American History	4
HIS 175	American Intellectual History	4
HIS 176A	Cultural & Social History of United States	4
HIS 176B	Cultural & Social History of United States	4
HIS 177A	History of Black People & American Race Relations: 1450-1860	4
HIS 177B	History of Black People & American Race Relations: 1860-Present	4
HIS 181	Religion in American History to 1890	4
HIS 183A	The Frontier Experience: Trans-Mississippi West	4
HIS 183B	The Frontier Experience: Trans-Mississippi West	4
HIS 184	History of Sexuality in America	4
HIS 189	California History	4

See University Requirements.

Graduate Study

The Department of History offers programs of study and research leading to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history. Detailed information may be obtained by contacting the Graduate Advisor.

Graduate Advisor

See the department’s website for updated information.

The major requirements below are in addition to meeting University Degree Requirements & College Degree Requirements; unless otherwise noted. The minimum number of units required for the History Bachelor of Arts is 60.

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Preparatory Subject Matter
Choose five lower division courses from the following seven concentrations, including at least one course in three different concentrations. Additional units to reach 20.		20
(a) Africa
HIS 015A	Africa to 1900
HIS 015B	Africa Today
(b) Asia
HIS 008	History of Indian Civilization
HIS 009A	History of East Asian Civilization
HIS 009B	History of East Asian Civilization
HIS 009C/EAS 088	Korean Culture & Society: From Ancient Three Kingdoms to the Global K-Pop
(c) Europe
HIS 004A	History of Western Civilization
HIS 004B	History of Western Civilization
HIS 004C	History of Western Civilization
(d) Latin America
HIS 007A	History of Latin America to 1700
HIS 007B	History of Latin America, 1700-1900
HIS 007C	History of Latin America 1900-present
(e) Middle East
HIS 006	Introduction to the Middle East
(f) United States
HIS 017A	History of the United States
HIS 017B	History of the United States
HIS 018A	Race in America to 1865
HIS 018B	Race in the United States Since 1865
HIS 072A	Women & Gender in America, to 1865
HIS 072B	Women & Gender in America, 1865-Present
HIS 080	The History of the United States in the Middle East
HIS 080W	The History of the United States in the Middle East
HIS 085	Nature, Man, & the Machine in America
(g) World
HIS 001	Introduction to History
HIS/STS 002	Introduction to the History of Science & Technology
or HIS/STS 002Y	Introduction to the History of Science & Technology
HIS 003	Cities: A Survey of World Cultures
HIS 005	Modernist Culture
HIS 010A	World History to 1350
HIS 010B	World History, c. 1350-1850
HIS 010C	World History III
HIS 011	History of the Jewish People in the Modern World
HIS 012	Food & History
HIS 013	Global Sexualities
HIS 014	History of Global Capitalism
HIS/STS 016	Sex, Science, & Society
HIS 019	Migration & Borders in Global History
HIS 020	The Vietnam War
HIS 090	Research in History
Preparatory Subject Matter Subtotal		20
Depth Subject Matter
History Seminar
Choose 4-5 units:		4-5
HIS 101	Introduction to Historical Thought & Writing
HIS 102A	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Ancient
HIS 102B	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Medieval
HIS 102D	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Modern Europe to 1815
HIS 102E	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Europe Since 1815
HIS 102F	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Russia
HIS 102G	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: China to 1800
HIS 102H	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: China Since 1800
HIS 102I	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Britain
HIS 102J	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Latin America Since 1810
HIS 102K	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: American History to 1787
HIS 102L	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: United States, 1787-1896
HIS 102M	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: United States Since 1896
HIS 102N	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Japan
HIS 102O	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Africa
HIS 102P	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Christianity & Culture in Europe, 50-1850
HIS 102Q	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: India
HIS 102R	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Muslim Societies
HIS 102S	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Education Abroad Program
HIS 102X	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Comparative History
HIS 103	Topics in Historical Research
Choose at least three courses in a single Concentration listed below.		12
Choose at least two courses in a second Concentration listed below.		8
Choose at least one course in a third Concentration listed below.		4
Additional units to reach 40.		12
Depth Subject Matter Subtotal		40-41
Total Units		60-61

Fields of Concentration

(a) Africa

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 102O	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Africa	5
HIS 115A	History of West Africa	4
HIS 115B	History of East Africa & the Indian Ocean	4
HIS 115C	History of Southern Africa from Exploration to the Rainbow Nation	4
HIS 115D	Postcolonial Africa	4
HIS 115E	Slavery, Africa, & the Atlantic World	4
HIS 116	African History: Special Themes	4

(b) Asia

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 102G	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: China to 1800	5
HIS 102H	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: China Since 1800	5
HIS 102N	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Japan	5
HIS 102Q	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: India	5
HIS 111A	Ancient History	4
HIS 191A	Classical China	4
HIS 191B	High Imperial China	4
HIS 191C	Late Imperial China	4
HIS 191D	19th-Century China: The Empire Confronts the West	4
HIS 191E	The Chinese Revolution	4
HIS 191F	History of the People's Republic of China	4
HIS 191G	Special Topics in Chinese History to 1800	4
HIS 191H	Special Topics in Chinese History after 1800	4
HIS 191J	Sex & Society in Modern Chinese History	4
HIS 194A	Aristocratic & Feudal Japan	4
HIS 194B	Early Modern Japan	4
HIS 194C	Modern Japan	4
HIS 194D	Business & Labor in Modern Japan	4
HIS 194E	Education & Technology in Modern Japan	4
HIS 195B	History of Modern Korea	4
HIS 195C	A History of Vietnam	4
HIS 196A	Medieval India	4
HIS 196B	Modern India	4

(c) Europe

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 102A	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Ancient	5
HIS 102B	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Medieval	5
HIS 102D	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Modern Europe to 1815	5
HIS 102E	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Europe Since 1815	5
HIS 102F	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Russia	5
HIS 102I	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Britain	5
HIS 102P	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Christianity & Culture in Europe, 50-1850	5
HIS 111B	Ancient History	4
HIS 111C	Ancient History	4
HIS 121A	Medieval History	4
HIS 121B	Medieval History	4
HIS 121C	Medieval History	4
HIS 122	Selected Themes in Medieval History	4
HIS 125	Topics in Early Modern European History	4
HIS 126Y/HMR 162Y	The History of Human Rights in Europe	4
HIS 130A	Christianity & Culture in Europe: 50-1450	4
HIS 130B	Christianity & Culture in Europe: 1450-1600	4
HIS 130C	Christianity & Culture in Europe: 1600-1850	4
HIS 131A	Early Modern European History	4
HIS 131B	European History During the Renaissance & Reformation	4
HIS 131C	The Old Regime: Absolution, Enlightenment & Revolution in Europe	4
HIS 132	Crime & Punishment in Early Modern Europe	4
HIS 133	European Thought & Culture from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment	4
HIS 134A	The Age of Revolution	4
HIS 135A	History of Science to the 18th Century	4
HIS 135B	History of Science, 18th to 20th Centuries	4
HIS/STS 136	Scientific Revolution	4
HIS 138A	The Rise of the Russian Empire, 1304-1825	4
HIS 138B	Reform & Revolution in Tsarist Russia, 1825-1917	4
HIS 138C	Russian History: The Rise & Fall of the Soviet Union, 1917 to Present	4
HIS 139A	Medieval & Renaissance Medicine	4
HIS 139B	Medicine, Society, & Culture in Modern Europe	4
HIS 140	The Rise of Capitalism in Europe	4
HIS 141	France Since 1815	4
HIS 142A	History of the Holocaust	4
HIS 142B	The Memory of the Holocaust	4
HIS 143	History of Eastern Europe & the Balkans	4
HIS 144A	History of Germany, 1450 to 1789	4
HIS 144B	History of Germany since 1789	4
HIS 145	War & Revolution in Europe: 1789-1918	4
HIS 146A	Europe in the 20th Century	4
HIS 146B	Europe in the 20th Century	4
HIS 147A	European Intellectual History: 1800-1870	4
HIS 147B	European Intellectual History: 1870-1920	4
HIS 147C	European Intellectual History: 1920-1970	4
HIS 148A	Women & Society in Europe: 1500-1789	4
HIS 148B	Women & Society in Europe: 1789-1920	4
HIS 148C	Women in Society in Europe: 1914-Present	4
HIS 149	Comparative Cultural History of Modern Britain & France, 1880-1914	4
HIS 151A	England: The Middle Ages	4
HIS 151B	England: The Early Modern Centuries	4
HIS 151C	18th-Century England	4
HIS 151D	Industrial England	4
HIS 160	Spain & America in the 16th Century	4

(d) Latin America

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 102J	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Latin America Since 1810	5
HIS 156	Latin American Migration History	4
HIS 157	Business, Biomes & Knowledge: Latin American Environmental History	4
HIS 158	Special Topics in Latin American History	4
HIS 160	Spain & America in the 16th Century	4
HIS/HMR 161	Human Rights in Latin America	4
HIS 162	History of the Andean Region	4
HIS 163A	History of Brazil	4
HIS 163B	History of Brazil	4
HIS 164	History of Chile	4
HIS 165	Latin American Social Revolutions	4
HIS 166A	History of Mexico to 1848	4
HIS 166B	History of Mexico since 1848	4
HIS 167	Modern Latin American Cultural & Intellectual History	4
HIS 168	History of Inter-American Relations	4
HIS 169A	Mexican-American History	4
HIS 169B	Mexican-American History	4

(e) Middle East

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 190A	Middle Eastern History I: The Rise of Islam, 600-1000	4
HIS 190B	Middle Eastern History II: The Age of the Crusades, 1001-1400	4
HIS 190C	Middle Eastern History III: The Ottomans, 1401-1730	4
HIS 190D	Middle Eastern History IV: Safavids Iran, 1300-1720	4
HIS 193A	History of the Modern Middle East, 1750-1914	4
HIS 193B	History of the Modern Middle East, From 1914	4
HIS 193C	The Middle East Environment: Historical Change & Current Challenges	4
HIS 193D	History of Modern Iran, From 1850 to Present	4

(f) United States

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 102K	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: American History to 1787	5
HIS 102L	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: United States, 1787-1896	5
HIS 102M	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: United States Since 1896	5
HIS 169A	Mexican-American History	4
HIS 169B	Mexican-American History	4
HIS 170A	Colonial America	4
HIS 170B	The American Revolution	4
HIS 170C	The Early National Period, 1789-1815	4
HIS 171A	Slavery, Society & Expansion in the Early U.S.	4
HIS 171B	Civil War Era	4
HIS 171C	Reconstruction, America’s Second Founding	4
HIS 171D	Selected Themes in 19th-Century American History	4
HIS 172	American Environmental History	4
HIS 173	Becoming an American: Immigration & American Culture	4
HIS 174A	The Gilded Age & Progressive Era: United States, 1876-1917	4
HIS 174B	War, Prosperity, & Depression: United States, 1917-1945	4
HIS 174C	The United States Since World War II, 1945 to the Present	4
HIS 174D	Selected Themes in 20th-Century American History	4
HIS 175	American Intellectual History	4
HIS 176A	Cultural & Social History of United States	4
HIS 176B	Cultural & Social History of United States	4
HIS 177A	History of Black People & American Race Relations: 1450-1860	4
HIS 177B	History of Black People & American Race Relations: 1860-Present	4
HIS 178	Water in the West: Environment & Politics in America's Arid Lands	4
HIS 179	Asian American History, 1850-Present	4
HIS 180AN	American Political History, 1789-1896	4
HIS 180BN	American Political History, 1896-present	4
HIS 180C	The Fight for the Right to Vote	4
HIS 181	Religion in American History to 1890	4
HIS 182	Gender & Justice in American History	4
HIS 183A	The Frontier Experience: Trans-Mississippi West	4
HIS 183B	The Frontier Experience: Trans-Mississippi West	4
HIS 184	History of Sexuality in America	4
HIS 185A	History of Science in America	4
HIS 185B	History of Technology in America	4
HIS 187	History of US Foreign Relations in the 20th Century	4
HIS 188	America in the 1960s	4
HIS 189	California History	4

(g) World

Course List

Code	Title	Units
HIS 100	Selected Topics in History	4
HIS 102R	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Muslim Societies	5
HIS 102X	Undergraduate Proseminar in History: Comparative History	5
HIS 107	Medicine's Histories: Human & Veterinary Medicine from the Ancient World to One Health	4
HIS 108	Global Environmental History	4
HIS/SAS 109	Environmental Change, Disease & Public Health	4
HIS 110	Themes in World History	4
HIS 110A	Colonialism & the Making of the Modern World	4
HIS 112A	Topics in Pre-Modern Jewish History	4
HIS 112B	Topics in Modern Jewish History	4
HIS 112C	History of Jews in the Muslim World	4
HIS 113	History of Modern Palestine/Israel	4
HIS 114	Histories of 20th Century Partition	4
HIS 119	World War I	4
HIS 120	World War II	4