The study of history imparts skills that are applicable to all employment endeavors, as it fosters the intellectual rigor and curiosity that results in strong civic engagement.
Studying history makes us better citizens, stronger writers, better critical thinkers and more attuned to the lived experiences of those around us.
Whether you need to craft a strong cover letter, marketing copy, a legal brief, or make a coherent argument for why you deserve a raise, the critical thinking and communication skills you hone as a history major during your time at San Francisco State University will serve your well.
Bachelor of Arts, History (39 units)
Lower Division Requirements (12 Units):
- History majors must take twelve lower division units in History. Classes numbered 100-299, with the exception of History 107, can be counted towards this requirement.
Upper Division Requirements (27 units):
Required Courses (6 units)
- History 300 GWAR with a grade of “C” or better (3 units)
- History 696 Seminar
NOTE: Successful completion of History 300 GWAR is required before you can take History 600.
Upper Division Electives (21 units)
The elective course of study must include:
- 3 Upper Division units of “US History”
- 6 Upper Division units of “Area Studies”
- No more than 3 of which may be European History
- 3 Upper Division units of “Chronological Breadth”
A single course may be used to fulfill more than one of these requirements.
For example: HIST 604 Islamic World I: 500-1500 would count as an “Area Study” as well as fulfill the “Chronological Breadth” requirement. A full course listing including attributes is available on the department bulletin.
History majors may not choose CR/NC grading in more than two history courses for their major, nor elect CR/NC grading in HIST 300 GW or their proseminar. With the approval of their advisor, students may use up to three units from other departments to count toward their history major.
General Education Requirement: Complementary Studies (12 units)
History majors may fulfil the SFState Complementary Study requirement in several different ways:
- Any completed minor
- Any combination of language and/or upper division courses which are complementary to the study of history (examples include: Humanities, International Relations, Political Science, Philosophy, Cinema, English, Jewish Studies, Art, and many others). These units DO NOT need to be from a single discipline.
Each major must include in their course of study:
- 12 lower division units
- History courses numbered 100-299, with the exception of History 107, may be used to fulfill this requirement
- History 300GW GWAR: Historical Methods
- History 696 Seminar in Historical Methods
- 3 upper division units of US History
- 6 upper division units of Area Studies
- No more than 3 of which may be European History
- 3 upper division units of Chronological Breadth
- A single course may be used to meet up to two of the aforementioned requirements
- Remaining units maybe a combination of the above and "Elective Only" units to meet the 27 unit Upper Division Requirement for the major.
| Number | Title | Attributes Fullfilled | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300GW | GWAR: Historical Methods | Required Course | |
| 302 | Doing Local History | US History | |
| 303 | Intro to Oral and Public History | US History | |
| 304 | Teaching History with Comics | Elective Only | |
| 305 | Digital History Methods and Practice | Elective Only | |
| 305 | Digital History Methods and Practice | Elective Only | |
| 307 | Monsters & Monstrocity | Chronological Breadth | Elective Only |
| 310 | Ancient Near East | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 311 | Ancient Mediterranean World in Transition | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 313 | Love and Sexuality | Elective Only | |
| 315 | Science from the Scientific Revol. | Elective Only | |
| 317 | Holocaust and Genocide | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 318 | The Holocaust and Law | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 319 | Magic in the Ancient Mediterranean | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 320 | Archaic and Classical Greece | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 321 | Hellenistic Greece | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 322 | The Roman Republic | Chronological breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 323 | Imperial Rome | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 324 | Greek and Roman Coins | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 325 | Late Antiquity | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 326 | Byzantine Empire | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 327 | Medieval Mediterranean | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 328 | Pagans and Christians | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 329 | Early Christian Church | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 330 | Early Middle Ages | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 331 | High Middle Ages | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 332 | Jewish History I: Beginnings to 1650 | Chronological Breadth | Elective Only |
| 334 | Renaissance | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 335 | Jewish History 2: 1650 to Present | Elective Only | |
| 336 | Reformation | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 337 | Knowing and Unknowing | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 338 | Europe and Wider World 1348-1768 | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 339 | Pirates and Piracy | Elective Only | |
| 340 | Saints, Demons and Popular Beliefs in Medieval Europe | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies (Europe) |
| 342 | French Revolution and Napoleon | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 343 | Soviet Russia, West and Cold War | Elective Only | |
| 344 | Nineteenth Century Europe | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 345 | Era of Globalization | Elective Only | |
| 346 | Recent European History | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 347 | Women in Modern Europe | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 348 | Thought and Culture in Modern Europe | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 349 | Topics in European History | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 350 | Greece and the Balkans | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 351 | Venetians and Ottomans in Eastern Med | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 352 | From Glory to Debt: Greece 19th-21st | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 353 | History of Mexico | Area Studies | |
| 354 | History of Brazil | Area Studies | |
| 355 | History of Women in Latin America | Area Studies | |
| 356 | Social Change in Modern Latin America | Area Studies | |
| 357 | Colonial Latin America | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 358 | Latin America: National Period | Area Studies | |
| 359 | Central America & Caribbean | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 361 | Imperial China | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 362 | History of Modern China | Area Studies | |
| 363 | Taiwan: History, Memory, Imagination | Area Studies | |
| 364 | Women in China and Japan | Area Studies | |
| 365 | History of Japan | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 366 | Approaches to the African Past | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 367 | History of Africa | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 368 | Modern Africa | Area Studies | |
| 369 | Gender in African History | Area Studies | |
| 370 | Tales from Ancient India | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 371 | Islam in South Asia: 1000 to Present | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 372 | India and the British Empire | Area Studies | |
| 373 | India Since Gandhi | Area Studies | |
| 374 | Bollywood and Beyond | Area Studies | |
| 376 | History of Southeast Asia | Area Studies | |
| 379 | Topics in Asian History | Area Studies | |
| 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | Chronological Breadth | Area Studies |
| 381 | Islamic Wolrd II: 1500-Present | Area Studies | |
| 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan | Area Studies | |
| 383 | Imperial. and Nation. In Recent Near East | Area Studies | |
| 385 | Russian Revolution | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 390 | Era of the World Wars 1918-1945 | Elective Only | |
| 391 | Engaging Democracy: Historical Debates | Elective Only | |
| 395 | International History 1814-1918 | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 398 | Modern European Imperialism | Area Studies (Europe) | |
| 399 | Topics in World History | Area Studies | |
| 405 | Maritime History | Elective Only | |
| 416 | The Jewish Sixties | US History | |
| 418 | Society and Politics in American History | US History | |
| 420 | American Colonial History | Chronological Breadth | US History |
| 421 | Food Fights: American Jewish Consump | US History | |
| 422 | American Revolution | US History | |
| 424 | US: Civil War and Reconstruction | US History | |
| 426 | US: 1877-1916 | US History | |
| 427 | US: 1916-1945 | US History | |
| 428 | US Since 1945 | US History | |
| 441 | American Jews & Popular Culture | US History | |
| 448 | The American West | US History | |
| 449 | American Jewish History | US History | |
| 450 | History of California | US History | |
| 451 | Bay Area History and Society | US History | |
| 455 | Philippines and US | Elective Only | |
| 460 | US and World Before 1913 | US History | |
| 461 | US and world After 1913 | US History | |
| 462 | Making Whites: Race-Making in US | US History | |
| 464 | American Ethnic and Racial to 1890 | US History | |
| 465 | American Ethnic and Racial 1890-Present | US History | |
| 466 | History of People of Color in the US | US History | |
| 467 | Women in the US to 1890 | US History | |
| 468 | Women in the US 1890-Present | US History | |
| 469 | American Childhoods | US History | |
| 470 | US Constitution to 1896 | US History | |
| 471 | US Constitution since 1896 | US History | |
| 472 | Courts, Politics, and Social Change | US History | |
| 473 | Unfree Labor in Early America | US History | |
| 474 | History of Labor in the US | US History | |
| 475 | History of Sexuality in US before 1900 | US History | |
| 476 | American Environmental History | US History | |
| 478 | American Popular Culture History | US History | |
| 479 | History of Baseball | US History | |
| 480 | Thought and Culture America to 1880 | US History | |
| 481 | Thought and Culture America 1880-Present | US History | |
| 482 | Religion in America | US History | |
| 484 | Disability and Culture in theUS | US History | |
| 485 | History of Sexuality in US since 1900 | US History | |
| 489 | Dynamics of the American City | Elective Only | |
| 490 | Topics in American history | US History | |
| 680 | Archives or Historical Agency Intership | Elective Only (up to 3 units) | |
| 681 | Community Service Learning in Schools | Elective Only (up to 3 units) | |
| 690 | Editing and Publishing History Journal | Elective Only (up to 3 units) | |
| 696 | Seminar in Historical Methods (Variable Topic) | Required Course | |
| 697 | Honors Thesis (for Honors Certificate only) | Certificate ONLY Required Course | |
| 698 | Directed Reading in History | Elective Only | |
| 699 | Independent Study | Elective Only (up to 6 units) |
To Apply to the Bachelor of Arts Program:
- Complete the undergraduate Application available through Cal State Apply
- For information on the program download a B.A. Program Booklet
- Find the History Major Planning Form
- Find the History Major Honors Concentration Planning Form