« Sub-Fields | Main | History Research »

westernoregonuniversity.info

 

Fields of Study

category: History Department, 

 

There are four geographic fields of study offered at WOU: Europe, Asia, Latin America, and North America. As one would expect, with its central role in the history of the world, Europe features prominently in the curriculum offered at WOU. Sequences are offered during alternating years in English, German, Reformation, French, Eastern European, Russian, Roman, Medieval, and Ancient Mediterranean history. If you decide to pursue a European History Degree, you will most likely take classes from several of these options. Although you are free to pick and mix courses as needed to fill your schedule, it is worthwhile to take courses in sequence to gain a better understanding of the overall theme in a particular area, as the course sequences are typically divided chronologically (Early Modern Germany would be followed by Modern Germany, for example.)

For most students, the problem is not finding courses that interest them; more often students find it difficult to limit the number of courses they want to take in order to fulfill graduation requirements. This is where consulting your advisor and planning out which courses to take becomes so important. With sequences alternating years, it can be very frustrating, while Studying European History at WOU, to fit the courses you are most interested in taking into your schedule. When in doubt, ask your advisor which professor offers a particular class listed in the catalog that interests you and go ask the professor how often the course is offered. In most cases for European history, the sequences are every other year, though some courses only get offered every three or four years, so you can see how important planning for these courses can be.

My European History Studies at WOU and my 499 Senior Thesis Project focused on Medieval Europe, so I can testify to the importance of studying several geographic areas relevant to the time period you are considering for your final project. Taking a variety of University European History courses will reveal the interdependency of events and give you a broader understanding of your topic. Thus, it is important to develop possible topics of interest for your Senior Thesis as early as possible in your studies at WOU.

If you want to focus on European History Studies at Western, you will want to decide if you are more interested in a particular era or a geographic area. For example, if your primary interest is in studying Ancient History, you will want to take Roman and Ancient Mediterranean courses with the Middle Ages and some Early Modern courses to understand how Europe developed out of your focus field. If you were more interested in a particular geographic area, you might study English History, with the Reformation, Early Modern Germany, and Late Medieval courses for context. These are the kinds of decisions that your advisor will be able to help you make, if you are uncertain which courses will most benefit your studies.

The fields of Latin American and Asian history are paired at the graduate level at WOU, but are independent of each other for undergraduates. As with the European field discussed above, the courses in these fields are divided by geographic area and the era of study for the course; sequences in these fields are also typically offered in alternating years, so you will need to plan accordingly. In Asian Studies, there are sequences looking at the history of China and Japan. The Popular Culture in Japan and China courses examine the lifestyle differences between America and Asia to give students a better understanding of the region. The Latin American Studies courses look at topics such as the history of Mexico and the Caribbean since independence, or Pre-Columbian Latin America. There is also a course looking at Chicano/a history and the impact that Latin America has had on North America and the United States.
An American History Degree focuses on events within and involving the United States. The U.S. History courses at WOU are generally focused on very specific periods of time and topics, such as the Challenges of Progressive Era America course that examines the early twentieth century and social problems facing America. There are two Sub-Fields within the Western Oregon University American History Department, Gender Studies and Environmental History, that are used by the faculty to target specific issues in American history.


Comments

Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)

Recent Entries

 

 

 

Syndicate this site (XML)