History

Overview

Historians have always used various forms of media to communicate information about the past and they have always taken advantage of advances in media and technology to teach the public about its history. Currently, new media technology is revolutionizing how history is taught and how the stories of the past are conveyed to the public. The Master of Arts in History Program will offer students opportunities to explore media as they have changed over time, beginning with the earliest oral and visual forms of historical communication through the rise of modern electronic media and computer technology. Students pursuing the Master of Arts in History will be required to take courses that develop their skills in critically analyzing media as they relate to history and acquire skills in Digital History to convey historical information to the public.

The History program offered by the California State University San Marcos is designed to provide students with a practical degree that prepares them for a variety of post-graduate careers including: community college and post-credential teaching (enhanced by training in history and the new media classroom); public history (including museumship, historical societies, and electronic archives); media and journalism; doctoral education; urban planning; local, state, and city governmental jobs; public service; and a number of other possibilities both in the public and private sectors. The degree is designed to offer students the opportunity to practice their skills in the workplace. Some students may elect to pursue the option of an internship in a public or private agency where their training in historical content and media/technology can be practically applied. Additionally, the program, in an effort to serve students who are interested in educational careers in history at the college level, offers a curriculum that will allow them to explore pedagogical issues associated with history teaching and to gain actual experience teaching history in college classrooms.

During their course of study, students will be required to master historiography, the philosophy of history, and specific historical topics, and acquire technical skills. All Master of Arts degree candidates will take one course in the critical study of the history of media and one course in applied media and history in which they will produce a Digital History project.

The Department of History at California State University San Marcos is ideally situated to offer an advanced degree in History. Located in Southern California with access to the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, the Department of History can draw on the region’s resources in the film and television industries as well as the well-established computer and software industries connected with multimedia production. The faculty of the Department of History offer a wide coverage of world areas and periods including Africa, the Ancient World, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the United States, and Comparative/World History. Additionally, the department houses faculty who have expertise in critical historical media studies and in applying new media technology to preserving history and delivering historical content. Building on these strengths, the Department of History is able to offer this unique degree that blends the benefits of the traditional history Master’s program with an applied dimension in new technologies that are revolutionizing the communication of information and the public’s understanding of the past.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students who graduate with a Master of Arts in History will:

• Produce historical analyses that reflect a sophisticated understanding of major schools of historical theory and methodology.

• Produce scholarship that shows an in-depth knowledge of at least one portion of the human historical experience.

• Perform critical analyses of the history of media/mass culture/new media technology.

• Acquire knowledge of some form of digital media technology, and apply that knowledge to the study of history.

• Develop advanced research skills and historical writing skills.

• Produce research that makes an original and significant contribution to historical scholarship, in conversation with existing historiography.