DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
Since the
mid-fifteenth century, the Atlantic has provided the corridor for
fundamental exchanges of peoples and technologies. It has also served
as a platform for the transfer of ideas defining and challenging
communities across wide spans of time and space. The principle behind
the Atlantic Civilization focus of the doctoral program in History at
Florida International University is to explore the many dimensions of
these exchanges. Capitalizing on the Department's notably strong
resources and faculty, the program is designed around a curriculum that
emphasizes the comparative framework of the Atlantic experience, while
reflecting the vitality of a cross-disciplinary approach.
The History offerings
are complemented by other graduate programs in cognate fields within
the College of Arts and Sciences. In particular, the strength of Latin
America within the Department meshes well with the University-wide
emphasis on Latin American and
Caribbean Studies.
For application
information and deadlines see our application
information page.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Number of Credits
and Nature of Required Courses
A minimum of 60 semester-hours of credit are required beyond the Master
of Arts degree of which 9 will be taken as a common core consisting of:
historical methods, an introductory reading seminar in Atlantic
Civilization, and a research seminar in Atlantic Civilization. A
further 18 credits are required in the student's core culture area to
be chosen from the United States, Latin America, Europe, or Africa. An
additional 12 credits are required in geographical/topical areas
outside the culture area of concentration in either History or a
cognate discipline. A maximum of 24 hours of credit is required for the
dissertation.
Language
Requirements
Thorough knowledge of one foreign language and reading knowledge of
another are required of all students. Alternatively, students may
demonstrate knowledge of one language and competency in social science
quantitative skills. Language requirements vary, according to the major
fields. In cases where the dissertation will be in the history of US or
English-speaking countries, one language plus the quantitative skill is
sufficient. In Latin American history, Spanish and Portuguese are
expected. Students should check with the Department's Director of Graduate Studies to
determine which languages are appropriate for their program of
studies.
Compostion of
Course Work
A minimum of 60 semester-hours of work after completion of the Master's
degree in History are required, of which a maximum of 24 hours are
permitted for the doctoral dissertation. The courses form part of the
student's development in the field, factual and interpretive, in
preparation for the comprehensive written and oral examinations to
qualify for doctoral candidacy. A minimum of 27 hours of residency
(e.g., three semesters for full-time students) is expected prior to
filing for the qualifying examinations. The student may, in
consultation with the faculty, decide that more work is necessary
before the exams are attempted. The standard course load of nine hours
per semester means that the qualifying examinations will usually be
administered near the end of the second year of residency, or at the
beginning of the third year.
Course Requirements beyond the Master's
degree:
Common
Core: 9 credits
Culture Area Concentration: 18 credits
minimum
Out-of-Area Distribution: 12 credits
minimum
Dissertation: 24 credits maximum (more may be
taken but will not count for degree)
Total: (63 credits)
Common Core
Courses:
Historical Methods (may not be transferred
from another program)
Readings in Atlantic Civilization
Research in Atlantic Civilization
Culture
Area Courses (a sampler):
Readings in History: Comparative Slavery and Eman.
in the Atlantic World
Readings in History: Atlantic History in the Age of
Revolution, 1760-1825
Advanced Readings in American History: Crime in Early
America,
1600-1860
Advanced Readings in American History: The Historiography
of Slavery
Advanced Readings in European History: Religious Culture,
Saints and Demons
Readings in European History: Popular Cultures /
Traditional Cultures
Readings in European History: Religion and Politics,
Conquest and
Conversion
Readings in European History: Comparative
Liberalisms
Readings in European History: Gender & the Public
Sphere in Europe.
1688-Present
Readings in Latin American History: The Age of Exploration
and Discovery
Readings in Latin American History: Family and
Patriarchy
Advanced Readings in Latin American History: Andean
Ethnohistory
Research in Latin American History: Authority and
Citizenry
Advanced Readings in Latin American History: Law and
Society
Topics in African History: African Slave Trades
Readings in African History: What History for Which
Africa?
Research in African History: History of Religion in
Africa
