Picture Yourself as a Graduate History Student
Our Master of Arts in History program offers:
- Faculty members who are active scholars and devoted teachers who offer students individual attention and close supervision
- Colloquia and seminars where students engage with historical theory and practice, research and methodology, by reading and critiquing the work of contemporary historians
- The development and refinement of writing skills, honed first in course papers and later in the major research paper
- Preparation for continuing with the academic study of history at the doctoral level and for a variety of careers where the knowledge and skills of an historian are valued
The Master of Arts degree in History
The Master of Arts degree in history combines an intensive project of research with an orientation to contemporary modes of historical interpretation. A program attentive to developing the craft of historical research, writing and analysis, the graduate program prepares students equally for continuing with academic studies in history at the doctoral level and for a variety of other careers where the knowledge and skills of the historian are valued.
The graduate program has been designed to make all the courses offered relevant to all students. Courses are geared to the knowledge level and analytical ability of students emerging from Canadian undergraduate programs in history (or equivalent) with a strong academic record.
Geographical specializations of faculty include:
- Canada
- United States
- Britain
- Europe
- Latin America
- Northwest Africa
- Middle East
Thematic specializations include:
- Social history
- Cultural history
- Intellectual history
- History of the state and society
- History of women, gender, and sexuality
- Black history
- History of the book
- History of medicine
- Postcolonial history
- Labour history
- Aboriginal peoples
Each thematic course allows students to come to terms with a number of modes of interpretation of a single historical problematic, and then apply historiographical analysis to their chosen nation-state situation and chronological period.
The program takes as its starting point the assumption that most students enter graduate work in history with an orientation to the history of a particular nation in a specific time period. The program's objective is to enable students to expand upon those initial interests and incorporate in their understanding a sophisticated critique of contemporary modes of historical interpretation.
To that end, the five courses are thematic in focus; within the framework of each one, students have the opportunity to explore historiographical debates ranging outside the usual boundaries of time and place. When it comes to the Major Paper, the factors of specialization based on geography and chronology will converge with an appropriate interpretive mode and a suitable body of sources to generate the topic for a sophisticated research paper.
Full-time candidates for the Master of Arts degree are required to take:
- Two required graduate courses (HIST 8030 and HIST 8040); and
- Four other graduate courses (offered from the range HIST 8060; HIST 8070; HIST 8080; HIST 8090; HIST 8100; HIST 8110; HIST 8130; HIST 8970; HIST 8980).
- In addition, each student will develop a research plan in conjunction with the required seminars HIST 8030/HIST 8040, and embark on a Major Paper under the supervision of two members of the history faculty.
- A student may, with the consent of the Graduate Advisor or AAU Head, take one course in another University of Windsor graduate program or in History at Wayne State University.
Graduation Requirements
Students must successfully complete 6 courses and a Major Paper; each course is a two-hour seminar held over a 13-week semester, evaluated with a grade based on a combination of written work and oral participation. The Major Paper is evaluated by the student's Advisor and a second Reader.
For more information contact:
Graduate Coordinator
Dr. Guy Lazure, Associate Professor
glazure@uwindsor.ca
(519) 253-3000 ext. 2375
Program Secretary
Nancy Barkley
barkley@uwindsor.ca
(519) 253-3000 ext. 2318