Master of Arts in History
Program Director: David Ulbrich
Associate Program Director of Academics: John Broom
Mission
The Master of Arts in History program:
- provides students with a base of historical knowledge within the field of history,
- builds an awareness of differing historical interpretations and the ability to synthesize diverse types of historical knowledge,
- build sand refine student research, writing, analysis and presentation skills,
- provides students with an introduction to historical pedagogy,
- provides students with a foundation for developing a professional identity as a historian and,
- helps students “learn to think like a historian” and develop “historiographical sensibilities” and “historical habits of mind.”
The Master of Arts in History curriculum is guided by the goals for history M.A. degrees outlined by the American Historical Association. The curriculum provides students with a base of historical knowledge, graduate level historical research skills, an introduction to historical pedagogy, the foundation for an identity as a historian, and the “habits of mind” of a professional historian.
Curriculum Map/Plan of Study
U.S. History Concentration
| Term 1 | ||
| MH 510 | Introduction to Military History: Historiography and Method | 6 |
| Term 2 & 3, Select two of the three following seminars: | ||
| HI 520 | American Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National History | 6 |
| HI 530 | Nineteenth Century American History | 6 |
| HI 540 | Twentieth Century American History | 6 |
| Term 4: Select one external elective from the following: | ||
| MH 520 | Global Military History to 1800 | 6 |
| MH 530 | Military Thought and Theory | 6 |
| MH 540 | Non-Western Military History | 6 |
| MH 541 | Chinese Military History | 6 |
| MH 543 | Amphibious Warfare | 6 |
| MH 550 | U.S. Military History | 6 |
| MH 551 | Race and Gender in Military History | 6 |
| MH 552 | Total War | 6 |
| HI 523 | Archival Science and Management | 6 |
| HI 526 | Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian Eras | 6 |
| HI 528 | Western Legal Tradition, 1000 CE-1789 | 6 |
| HI 533 | Museum Science and Management | 6 |
| HI 536 | The Late Agrarian Era to 1800 | 6 |
| HI 538 | Race, Gender, and the U.S. Constitution | 6 |
| HI 546 | World History from 1800 to 1991 | 6 |
| Term 5 | ||
| HI 550 | Directed Readings in History | 6 |
| Term 6: Capstone, Thesis or Comp Exam | ||
| MH 562 | Capstone Paper | 6 |
| MH 569 | Comprehensive Exam 1 | 0 |
| MH 570 & MH 571 | M.A. Thesis and MA Thesis II 2 | 6 |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| MH 595 | Residency | 0 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
| 1 | Co-requisite: one six-credit elective |
| 2 | By permission only |
World History Concentration
| Term 1 | ||
| MH 510 | Introduction to Military History: Historiography and Method | 6 |
| Term 2 & 3 Select two of the three following seminars: | ||
| HI 526 | Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian Eras | 6 |
| HI 536 | The Late Agrarian Era to 1800 | 6 |
| HI 546 | World History from 1800 to 1991 | 6 |
| Term 4: Select one external elective from the following: | ||
| HI 520 | American Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National History | 6 |
| HI 523 | Archival Science and Management | 6 |
| HI 528 | Western Legal Tradition, 1000 CE-1789 | 6 |
| HI 530 | Nineteenth Century American History | 6 |
| HI 533 | Museum Science and Management | 6 |
| HI 538 | Race, Gender, and the U.S. Constitution | 6 |
| HI 540 | Twentieth Century American History | 6 |
| MH 520 | Global Military History to 1800 | 6 |
| MH 530 | Military Thought and Theory | 6 |
| MH 540 | Non-Western Military History | 6 |
| MH 541 | Chinese Military History | 6 |
| MH 543 | Amphibious Warfare | 6 |
| MH 550 | U.S. Military History | 6 |
| MH 551 | Race and Gender in Military History | 6 |
| MH 552 | Total War | 6 |
| Term 5 | ||
| HI 550 | Directed Readings in History | 6 |
| Term 6: Capstone Academic Exercise | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| MH 562 | Capstone Paper | 6 |
| MH 569 | Comprehensive Exam 1 | 0 |
| MH 570 & MH 571 | M.A. Thesis and MA Thesis II 2 | 6 |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| HI 595 | Residency | 0 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
| 1 | Co-requisite: one six-credit elective |
| 2 | By permission only |
Public History Track
| Term 1 | ||
| HI 513 | Introduction to Public History | 6 |
| Term 2 | ||
| HI 523 | Archival Science and Management | 6 |
| Term 3 | ||
| HI 533 | Museum Science and Management (Elective) | 6 |
| Term 4 Select one of the following: | ||
| American Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National History | 6 | |
| Nineteenth Century American History | 6 | |
| Twentieth Century American History | 6 | |
| Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian Eras | 6 | |
| The Late Agrarian Era to 1800 | 6 | |
| World History from 1800 to 1991 | 6 | |
| Global Military History to 1800 | 6 | |
| Military Thought and Theory | 6 | |
| Non-Western Military History | 6 | |
| Chinese Military History | 6 | |
| Amphibious Warfare | 6 | |
| U.S. Military History | 6 | |
| Race and Gender in Military History | 6 | |
| Total War | 6 | |
| Term 5 | ||
| HI 553 | Research and Planning Seminar | 6 |
| Term 6 | ||
| HI 563 | Internship & Capstone Project (Term 6) | 6 |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| HI 595 | Residency | 0 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
Legal and Constitutional History
| Term 1 | ||
| MH 510 | Introduction to Military History: Historiography and Method | 6 |
| Term 2 | ||
| HI 528 | Western Legal Tradition, 1000 CE-1789 | 6 |
| Term 3 | ||
| HI 538 | Race, Gender, and the U.S. Constitution | 6 |
| Term 4 select one of the following: | ||
| American Colonial, Revolutionary and Early National History | 6 | |
| Nineteenth Century American History | 6 | |
| Twentieth Century American History | 6 | |
| Hunter-Gatherer and Agrarian Eras | 6 | |
| The Late Agrarian Era to 1800 | 6 | |
| World History from 1800 to 1991 | 6 | |
| Global Military History to 1800 | 6 | |
| Military Thought and Theory | 6 | |
| Non-Western Military History | 6 | |
| Chinese Military History | 6 | |
| Amphibious Warfare | 6 | |
| U.S. Military History | 6 | |
| Race and Gender in Military History | 6 | |
| Total War | 6 | |
| Term 5: | ||
| HI 550 | Directed Readings in History | 6 |
| Term 6: Capstone | ||
| Capstone Paper | 6 | |
or | ||
| Capstone Curriculum Project | 6 | |
| Culminating Academic Requirement | ||
| HI 595 | Residency | 0 |
| Total Cr. | 36 | |
M.A. Examination
The master’s examination exercise consists of one or more written examinations covering the subject matter studied in previous seminars. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor in seminar 4 who will assist the student in preparing for the written examination. A committee of three consisting of the student’s advisor, the capstone director and one Norwich M.A. in History faculty member will evaluate and grade the written examinations. The M.A. examination is intended to test the student’s knowledge of their specific field of study and is a final validation of performance for the Norwich M.A. in History.
Capstone Paper
In this final seminar students will, under the direction of single Norwich faculty member assigned by the program’s capstone director, research and write a capstone paper of approximately fifty pages in length. The paper must utilize scholarly secondary sources as well as primary source documents and demonstrate the student’s mastery of the historiography of his or her topic. The paper must contain a well developed historical question and a compelling interpretation/argument answering the question posed.
One-Week Residency
All degree candidates of the Master of Arts in History are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.
Master’s Thesis
This option is recommended for those interested in continuing their studies in history at the doctoral level. Interested students must petition the program director, provide two letters of recommendation of support from Norwich M.A. in History faculty, and a complete M.A. thesis prospectus outlining the proposed M.A. research question, the historiography of the topic, and the primary and/or archival sources they will use for their M.A. thesis. Petitions to exercise the M.A. thesis project will be reviewed by a committee composed of the program director, associate program director for academics, and capstone director. If the student petition is approved a committee consisting of two professors and the capstone director will advise the student throughout the thesis seminars. The paper must contain a well developed historical question and a compelling interpretation/argument answering the question posed.
The thesis option requires enrollment in two 3-credit seminars offered sequentially. The thesis may be completed in a minimum of six months, but in all cases must be completed in nine months with accompanying sustaining and thesis fees.
| Faculty Member | Institution at which highest degree was earned |
|---|---|
| David Ulbrich, PhD (Program Director) | Temple University |
| John Broom, PhD (Associate Program Director) | The Union Institute and University |
| Alan Anderson, PhD | King's College London |
| Michael Beauchamp, PhD | Texas A&M University |
| Rae Bielakowski, PhD | Loyola University of Chicago |
| Robert Clemm, PhD | Ohio State University |
| Ginger Davis, PhD | Temple University |
| Sviatoslav Dmitriev, PhD | Harvard University |
| Michael Dolski, PhD | Ohio State University |
| Sarah Douglas, PhD | Ohio State University |
| Elouise Epstein, PhD | Bowling Green State University |
| Paul Gardner, PhD | Kansas State University |
| Connie Harris, PhD | University of Nebraska |
| Paul Hatley, PhD | Kansas State University |
| Andrew Holt, PhD | University of Florida |
| Sean Kalic, PhD | Kansas State University |
| Susan Karr, PhD | University of Chicago |
| Matthew Keagle, PhD | Cornell University |
| Edward Kohn, PhD | McGill University |
| Martin Loicano, PhD | Cornell University |
| Bruce Malone, MA | Norwich University |
| Sanders Marble, PhD | King's College London |
| Scott McLaughlin, PhD | Binghamton University |
| Kathryn Merriam | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
| Lisa Mundey, PhD | Kansas State University |
| Uta Raina, PhD | Temple University |
| John Roche, PhD | University of North Carolina |
| Charles Sanders, PhD | Kansas State University |
| Kenneth Swope, PhD | University of Michigan |
| Robert Stern, PhD | University of Chicago |
| Clayton Trutor, PhD | Boston College |
| Johnny Trutor, PhD | University of Minnesota |
| Bobby Wintermute, PhD | Temple University |
| Mitchel Yockelson | Cranfield University |