| In the first semester, all students will
take the course "Information Technology and the Historical Profession,"
which will provide them with the tools necessary to research and teach
history in today’s computer-oriented environment. The course
combines the latest developments in computer technology with traditional
research methods and a strong writing component. In their first or
second semester, students will participate in one of the Department’s
Global History seminars. These courses view historical developments
and processes from a global perspective and rotate among the faculty.
The seminars progress from consideration of a general theme to analysis
of specific historical situations that exemplify the chosen theme.
Each one has a core of common readings, which the participating faculty
designed collectively, and specialized readings selected by the instructor.
The global seminars represent a transitional course to graduate-level
studies and are designed to familiarize students with aspects of comparative
history and historiographical discussion. They introduce students
to methods of analysis that they will need for all subsequent graduate
work. There are four such seminars: Empires in World History; the
Twentieth Century World; Intellectual and Cultural History; and War
and Revolution.
From the two required introductory courses,
students advance to electives. Here, they can structure a sequence
of courses to fit their individual needs. For example, those who
plan to teach in the New Jersey high school system can enroll in
U.S. History and take specialized courses in New Jersey history.
Others, who have a special interest in European or world history,
can pursue courses in those areas. Finally, all students will write
a master’s thesis, an extended historiographical essay which,
depending on a student’s subject area and foreign language
skills, should incorporate original research. The thesis will be
researched and written over the course of two semesters, in the
setting of a special thesis seminar under close faculty guidance.
The experience of writing a master’s thesis will allow students
to integrate the tools and knowledge they have mastered throughout
the program: to demonstrate familiarity with research techniques,
both traditional and electronic; to apply the analytical skills
developed in their other course work; to write an extended thesis;
and to discuss the results of their research with other students
and faculty in a colloquium setting, where they will demonstrate
the use of multimedia techniques in their final presentation.
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