Fields of Teaching and Reseach
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Graduate students at UNC-CH are asked to develop both depth and breadth of historical knowledge. Every student works primarily within one of the "major fields" listed below, and students who advance to the doctoral level develop a "second field" from an even broader range of possibilities. The Department offers graduate degrees in the following major fields:
These "major fields" of the Department are particularly important for shaping (a) a student's curriculum (most major fields have a few required courses) and (b) the structure of his/her comprehensive examinations (each major field has its own guidelines for these examinations). When applying for admission, each student indicates the major field of history in which he/she wishes to concentrate. These major fields offer students choices about how best to pursue their work. Students working in Eastern European history may do so in the Modern European or the Russian fields. Students working in Women's History might select either a geographical field of concentration (for example, U.S. or Latin American History) or the field of History of Women. Students interested in military history may similarly opt for either a geographical field or Military History. Each choice offers a slightly different set of curricular requirements and comprehensive exams, but in most cases, either choice is a good one. Moreover, if a student later decides that he/she opted for the wrong field, a shift is usually easily accomplished (the only requirement is that the proposed move must be approved by the faculty in the new field). These major fields do not at all exhaust the interests of the History faculty, and we offer many graduate-level courses in other areas of history. Students enroll in these courses not only out of intellectual interest but also because such courses can fulfill the doctoral requirement of expertise in a "second field" of historical knowledge. This second field must add breadth to a student's program, and many students undertake work in second fields such as: Each major field has a faculty convener whom students can consult on matters of field policy and procedure. Although students pursue their degrees within only one major field, faculty often work within several, with the result that, for example, one faculty member might be part of the U.S. field and the Women's History field. |