History (MA Program)
Jonathan Swainger, Professor, and Program Chair
Theodore Binnema, Professor
Charles Jago, Professor
Gordon Martel, Professor
William Morrison, Professor
Jacqueline Holler, Associate Professor
Stephanie Cousineau, Assistant Professor
Aileen Espíritu, Assistant Professor
Emily Spencer, Assistant Professor
Neil Lettinga, Adjunct Professor
Website: http://www.unbc.ca/history
History is society's memory. Like an individual with amnesia, a society
without history lacks direction. By understanding the past and where we
have come from, we will think more clearly about the present and
perhaps even better determine the future. This general truism is
nowhere more valid than in northern British Columbia. So far, the
history of this province has been written as if the north did not exist,
and a graduate program in History at UNBC will begin to make up that
deficiency. At the same time, no region should or can be seen in
isolation. Parochialism and narrowness must be avoided, for we can
understand the past of our own area only by reference to the history of
other places. So graduate students in history will begin by taking
broad, thematic courses. They will then apply the ideas and
generalizations learned in these courses to the writing of an MA thesis
on a particular topic. Many, though not necessarily all, student theses
will be on the history of northern British Columbia.
The graduate program in history will not cover all things, but will
focus on areas of strength. Thus, it will concentrate on northern, First
Nations, gender, and environmental history, along with some aspects of
the history of international relations.
The History program offers the opportunity for graduate study leading
to the MA degree. The major areas of study are Canada, the United
States, Europe, and the Pacific, with an emphasis on Native, northern,
gender, and environmental history, as well as the history of
international relations. Students will be accepted only in the areas of
specialization in the History program subject to the availability of an
appropriate supervisor.
Upon admission to the MA program, each student will be assigned a
supervisor who will be responsible for the student's program and
progress. There are two components to the MA program: course work and
thesis/project; students will normally be expected to complete their
course work in two semesters, and the total program in four.
Admission
In addition to the admission application requirements outlined in
Section 1.0 of the Graduate Academic Calendar,
applicants must also supply a sample of written work (thesis or paper)
as part of their application.
Application deadlines are found in this calendar under
"Semester Dates" or online at www.unbc.ca/calendar/graduate,
and also under "Semester Dates." The History MA Program accepts students
for the September and January Semesters.
For additional information about graduate admissions or to download application
materials, go to the Graduate Programs website at www.unbc.ca/graduateprograms.
Requirements
Candidates for the MA degree must satisfy the following requirements.
Course Work
Students will be expected to take four graduate courses for 12 hours of
credit. Courses will be thematic in approach, and students will, in
consultation with their supervisor, select from the following list, with
the exception of the Seminar in Historical Methodology and Research ( HIST 700-3) which is compulsory. Students may take one of their courses in another related program.
Thesis/Project
Each student will be required to write a thesis or project. Students
will be expected to decide on their thesis topic, sources, and approach
as part of HIST 700-3 (Seminarin Historical Methodology and Research), which will normally be taken
in their second semester. The thesis must be based on original research,
and demonstrate an understanding of historical writing and practice, as
well as independent, critical thought.
The project will be an equivalent alternative to a thesis. Candidates
will defend the project before a committee of academic and community
examiners. The criteria for examination stipulate that the project must
be substantial (the equivalent in terms of research and preparation of
a 100-page thesis), must have practical application, and must include
actual implementation or an implementation plan.
Required Course
| HIST 700-3 | | Seminar in Historical Methodology and Research |
Elective Courses
| HIST 701-3 | | Themes in the History of Gender | | HIST 702-3 | | Themes in Native History | | HIST 704-3 | | Themes in Environmental History | | HIST 705-3 | | Themes in the History of International Relations | | HIST 706-3 | | Themes in Intellectual History | |
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Themes in Cultural History | |
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Themes in Social History | | HIST 799-3 | | Independent Study |
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