Department of History and Geography
Undergraduate Degree(s):
Minor(s):
Graduate Degree(s):
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in History (Non-thesis Option)
- Master of Arts (M.A.) in History (Thesis Option)
The Department of History, Geography, Economics, and General Studies is responsible for the instruction of courses in History (HIST), Geography (GEOG), and Economics (ECON).
Department faculty are housed on the third floor of the Public Affairs Building, with the Department Office located in Room 305B. For detailed information on the Master of Arts in History, students should consult the Graduate School Bulletin of Texas Southern University. The Department houses three distinct academic disciplines, History, Geography, and Economics, and the degree program in General Studies. It also offers core curriculum courses in History, Geography, and Economics.
Mission
The mission of the History, Geography and General Studies Department is to develop engaged citizens who have the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to make informed decisions in diverse social, economic, political, and cultural contexts.
The mission of the History BA program is to provide students with historical knowledge and marketable skills that will prepare them for a career in academia and other professions. Primarily the department trains undergraduates to research, analyze, synthesize and communicate conclusions about change over time by using historical methods. The department aims to teach cultural literacy and provide the knowledge necessary for informed decision making. The department is dedicated to expanding students’ knowledge of World History and American History while analyzing the role of African Americans and other underrepresented groups.
The mission of the General Studies BA program is to provide students with a curriculum that integrates various disciplines, which match a wide variety of educational and professional goals. The program aims to train students to think critically, communicate effectively, and solve problems. Students with General Studies degrees are prepared to enter the workforce, pursue an advanced degree, and become engaged global citizens.
The mission of the Geography program is to prepare students for life in an ever-changing world, and engage, inspire, and challenge them to become informed and responsible global citizens and leaders. The program provides students with spatial and critical thinking skills, analytical skills for qualitative and quantitative data, geographic information technology skills, and international and global perspectives on environmental, social, cultural, economic and political issues.
The core curriculum in Economics is designed to equip students with a knowledge of the realism and relevance of basic economic forces and institutions that impact their lives in the various capacities they might occupy as members of society.
B.A. Degrees and Minors
In pursuing the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History, students (as first-time degree seekers) are required to declare a minor in a second academic discipline. Details of the curriculum are found on the following pages. The Academic Standards and Academic Requirements state that students majoring in history must earn a grade of “C” or better (grades of “C-” are not acceptable) in all courses specified as major courses, as well as all courses for their minor unless otherwise stated below. All history majors must complete HIST 420 during their senior year. In addition, students seeking the B.A. degree in History must officially declare their minor area and they are required to obtain detailed advisement from an advisor in their minor area. Courses used to fulfil minor requirements cannot be simultaneously used to fulfil a major requirement. In no case will students qualify for graduation at the undergraduate level with fewer than 120 semester credit hours.
Those pursuing a B.A. in General Studies are strongly encouraged to consult with an advisor to formulate a coherent and professionally practical program for this major. The General Studies curriculum is divided into four areas: 1) The core curriculum, which requires 42 credit hours; 2) The major, which is composed of 30 credit hours of required courses; 3) The elective area, which requires 24 credit hours, 3 of which must be 300 or 400 level courses; 4) The concentration within the General Studies major, which is agreed upon by the student and advisor, requiring 24 credit hours (which may be taken in more than one department), 18 of which must be at the 300 and 400 level. Students majoring in General Studies must obtain a grade of “C” or better (grades of “C-“ are not acceptable) in all major and concentration courses. All General Studies majors must complete HIST 419 during their final year.
Students wishing to pursue one of the two undergraduate degrees or one of the minors offered through the Department must do the following: 1) first gain admission to the University; 2) satisfy Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements or equivalent with the University's TSI Testing Coordinator; and 3) petition the Department for admission when TSI requirements are completed. Once admitted, students are assigned an official academic advisor who must be consulted each semester prior to registration. Students are also expected to keep the Department Office apprised of changes in addresses and telephone numbers.
Individuals interested in seeking certification for teaching in the public schools of Texas in academic disciplines offered through this unit should contact the Teacher Certification Officer in the College of Education at Texas Southern University for application instructions.
Transfer students may substitute FS 102 Freshman Seminar/ first Year Experience with any college level course to complete the total credit hours required for graduation by their degree plan.
History Courses
World History to 1500 (3) General survey of civilization from prehistoric times to the present with emphasis on the development of the ideas, events, and institutions that make up the modem world. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as HIST 2311 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
World History since 1500 (3) Continuation of HIST 131. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as HIST 2312 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Introduction to Women’s Studies (3) Interdisciplinary is scope, this course introduces the study and contributions of women and gender as social categories that transform our understanding of culture, history, and society.Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
African American History to 1865 (3) Survey of the history of African Americans in the United States from the colonization of North America through the Civil War. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
African American History since 1865 (3) Continuation of HIST 321. Survey of the history of African Americans in the United States from the Civil War to the present. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Modern Europe from 1450 to 1815 (3) Examination of the political, social, and cultural history of Europe from the Renaissance through the French Revolution. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 131, HIST 132, HIST 231, and HIST 232.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Modern Europe since 1815 (3) Examination of the political, social, and cultural history of Europe from the Congress of Vienna to the end of the cold war. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 131, HIST 132, HIST 231, and HIST 232.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Latin American History since 1500 (3) Examines the history of Latin America from the conquest in the sixteenth century to the present. Emphasizes the formation of society and the economy in the colonial era, the changes set in motion by independence in the nineteenth century, and the implications of industrialization in the twentieth century.Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
History of Mexico (3) Explores the history of Mexico from the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century to the present. Emphasizes the development of Mexico since independence. Particular attention is devoted to the evolving relationship between Mexico and the United States. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
History of Brazil (3) Explores the history of Brazil from the onset of Portuguese colonization in the sixteenth century to the present. Emphasizes the significance of slavery in Brazil’s development through the end of the nineteenth century, and the transformation of Brazil into a multiracial industrialized democracy in the twentieth century. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Constitutional History of the United States (3) An examination of legal constitutional problems and issues in American history. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Women and Empire (3) Examination of the history of gender, sexuality, and racial and national identity. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Women's History (3) Survey of the history of women in the United States from the colonial period to the present. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Introduction to the history of China from the earliest historical records (about 1200 BCE) up to the present, using film, primary sources, and secondary historical research. Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Cultural history of China of the earliest historical records (about 1200 BCE) up through the end of the Imperial period (1911CE). Three credit hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Cultural history of China from the end of the Imperial period (1911) up to the present. Three hours of lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Texas History (3) History of Texas from prehistoric times to the present. Special attention focused on the role of Texas as a crossroad between Anglo and Latin America. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
African Civilizations to 1800 (3) Introduction to the rise of African civilizations from the first African civilization in Egypt through the period of the Atlantic slave trade. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
African Civilizations since 1800 (3) Continuation of HIST 381. Examines the integration of African societies into the world economy and the responses of Africans to that integration. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Archival Methods and Records Management (3) Examination of the evolution of record collection and preservation in modern times. Students work directly with historical records. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
A senior level seminar where students work with the instructor to produce a project that integrates various disciplines. Open to Senior General studies majors only. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Capstone Seminar (3) Directed reading course that may be repeated for up to six hours credit. Open to senior History majors and minors and required of majors. Students must undertake an independent research project leading to the production of an article-length senior thesis. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 131, HIST 132, HIST 231, and HIST 232.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Topics in African Diaspora (3) Directed readings course that may be repeated for up to six hours credit. Topics examine the history of the peoples of the African Diaspora. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Topics in U.S. History (3) Intensive study with reading and discussion of special topics in United States, African American, and world history. Special attention will be focused on selected national and international topics. Three hours of lecture per week. May be repeated for up to 9 credits as topics vary. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Topics in World History (3) Directed readings course that may be repeated for up to six hours credit. Topics examine themes in the history of societies and cultures throughout the world. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Topics in Latin American History (3) General study of the origins of the peoples, cultures, and politics of Latin America with special emphasis on the problems of colonialism, imperialism, and hemispheric solidarity. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232. May be repeated for up to six credits as topics vary.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
History of the South (3) Examination of the South, including Houston during and after slavery with particular emphasis on race relations as well as cultural and economic development. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
The United States since 1945 (3) Examination of the rapid social and political changes experienced by the United States since World War II with particular attention given to America's involvement in foreign affairs. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Modern African American History (3) Examination of the background and events of the struggle for legal, political, and economic equality by African Americans up to the present day. Three hours of lecture per week. May be repeated as topics vary. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Mexican American History (3) Examination of the Mexican-American people with special emphasis on Texas and the Southwest. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
This is an upper division course in Chinese History. Three credit hours lecture per week.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
This is an upper level division course in Chinese History. Three credit hour course per week.
Prerequisite(s): HIST 231 and HIST 232
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
The American Revolution (3) Examination of the explosive political, social, and cultural developments between 1763 and 1789 which culminated in a war for independence and the adoption of the U. S. Constitution. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Slavery (3) Examination of the political, social, economic, and cultural impact of slavery on the Western world. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Urban History of the United States (3) Examination of the process of urbanization in American history with special emphasis on the role of ethnic minorities, Blacks, and Browns, in an urban nation. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Topics in African History (3) Series of specialized topics in African history. Topics include ancient African kingdoms, history of South Africa, and the Atlantic slave trade. May be repeated up to 6 credits as topics vary. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: HIST 231 and HIST 232.
Prerequisite(s): (HIST 231 and HIST 232)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
This class is designed to allow students to work independently to research selected topics in history. Course can be taken more than once for credit as topics vary.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Social and Political History of the United States to 1877 (3) Survey of the history of the United States with particular emphasis on the institutions and events which transformed America from an English colony to a world power. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as HIST 1301 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
Prerequisite(s): ( or or or or TSI Exemption TAKS with a score of 2200 or or TSI READ Assessment with a score of 351 or C-Better Reading Resident Stu with a score of 2.00 or C-Better Reading Transfer Stu with a score of 2.00) or ( and READ 101 (may be taken concurrently) or ENG 101 (may be taken concurrently) or ENG 130) or (TSI READ Assessment with a score of 945 and TSI ESSAY Assessment with a score of 5) or (TSI READ Assessment with a score of 910 and TSI ESSAY Assessment with a score of 5 and Adult Basic Education READING with a score of 5)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Social and Political History of the United States since 1877 (3) Continuation of HIST 231. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as HIST 1302 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
A survey of the economic, social, political, intellectual, and cultural history of Mexican Americans/Chicanx. Periods include early indigenous societies, conflict and conquest, early European colonization and empires, New Spain, early revolutionary period, Mexican independence and nation building, United States expansion to the United States-Mexico War Era. Themes to be addressed are mestizaje and racial formation in the early empire, rise and fall of native and African slavery, relationship to early global economies, development of New Spain’s/Mexico’s northern frontier, gender and power, missions, resistance and rebellion, emergence of Mexican identities, California mission secularization, Texas independence, United States’ wars with Mexico, and the making of borders and borderlands. (May be applied to U.S. History requirement.)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
A survey of the economic, social, political, intellectual, and cultural history of Mexican Americans/Chicanx. Periods include the United States-Mexico War Era, incorporation of Northern Mexico into the United States, Porfirian Mexico, and the nineteenth century American West, 1910 Mexican Revolution and Progressive Era, the Great Depression and New Deal, World War II and the Cold War, Civil Rights Era, Conservative Ascendancy, the age of NAFTA and turn of the 21st Century developments. Themes to be addressed are the making of borders and borderlands, impact of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, gender and power, migration and national identities, citizenship and expulsion, nineteenth century activism and displacement, industrialization and the making of a transnational Mexican working class, urbanization and community formation, emergence of a Mexican American Generation, war and citizenship, organized advocacy and activism, Chicano Movement, changing identifications and identities, trade and terrorism. (May be applied to U.S. History requirement.)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Introduction to African American History (3) Historical, economic, and cultural development of African Americans from slavery through the Civil Rights and post-Civil Rights era. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as History 2381 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
This course is a survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of people of African descent in the United States from the Civil War/Reconstruction period to the present. African American History II examines segregation, disenfranchisement, civil rights, migrations, industrialization, world wars, the Harlem Renaissance and the conditions of African Americans in the Great Depression, Cold War and post-Cold War eras. This course will enable students to understand African American history as an integral part of U.S. history. (May be applied to the U.S. History requirement.)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
African Studies Course
Introduction to African Studies (3) This course is a multi-disciplinary course designed to give students a broad overview of African history, culture, economics, and art. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Economics Courses
Geography Courses
Geography of North America (3) Geographical analysis of the nations of North American. Relationships among natural resources, social structure, and economic structure and development discussed. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Population Geography (3) Designed to demonstrate how spatial variations in the distribution, composition, migration, and growth of populations are related to spatial variations in the nature of places. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Cities of the World (3) This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the city in the context of contemporary globalization. Analysis of urban patterns and processes through the theoretical perspectives of various disciplines and methodologies. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Introduction to Cartography (3) Introduction to the fundamentals of cartography, including basic computer mapping techniques. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Geography of Texas (3) Designed to acquaint students with the principal geographic factors influencing the development of the state of Texas. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Economic Geography (3) Consideration of oceans, rivers, and highways as carriers of trade and of factors of location, minerals, and population as determinants in the commercial development of our civilization. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Urban Geography (3) This course examines city systems and theories of urban location, internal spatial structure of the city, commercial and industrial location, social areas, neighborhood use and land use change, urban trends, and public policy. Three hours of lecture per week
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Geography of Asia (3) Survey of the geography of Asia with emphasis on the Middle East, Far East, and Indochina. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Geographic Information Systems (4) Survey of computerized spatial data handling systems for visual display or analytic modeling purposes. Three hours of lecture and one hour of laboratory per week. Prerequisite: CS 116 or the equivalent.
Prerequisite(s): (CS 116)
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
The People and Culture of Africa (3) Integrated overview of the African cultural history, social organizations, economic and political geography. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Geography of Health and Disease (3) Study of the spatial distribution of diseases and their relationship to the environment and the geographical aspects of health-related activities. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
Geography and Transportation (3) Consideration of the nature of spatial interactions, the various kinds of transport media, and the relationship between transportation and economic and social patterns. Three hours of lecture per week.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography
World Regional Geography (3) Survey of the regions and nations of the planet and the geographical foundations of their physical and cultural characteristics. Three hours of lecture per week. Listed as GEO 1303 in the Texas Common Course Numbering System.
College/School: Liberal Arts & Behavioral Scie
Department: Dept of History & Geography