Department of History
Paterson Hall 432
Telephone: 520-2834
Fax: 520-2819
The Department
Chair of the Department: G.F. Goodwin
Departmental Supervisor of Graduate Studies: D.L. McDowall
Associate Supervisor: P.J.King
The Department of History offers programs of study leading to
the degree of Master of Arts in Canadian, American, British, modern
French, modern Russian, international (diplomatic), medieval,
and European intellectual and social history. It also offers a
program of study and research leading to the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy in Canadian history and in women's history.
Master of Arts
Admission Requirements
The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program
is an honours bachelor's degree (or the equivalent) with at least
high honours standing.
The Department offers no qualifying-year program; applicants with
a general (pass) degree may be considered for admission into the
fourth year of Carleton's honours B.A. program.
Program Requirements
Candidates may follow either a thesis or a non-thesis program,
as follows:
- History 24.588 or 24.589: a seminar or tutorial in the historiography
of the appropriate country or area (1.0 credit)
- History 24.500: a practicum in the applied uses of history
(1.0 credit). Another graduate history seminar may be substituted
for this course by students who have had extensive work-related
experiences in some historical field
- A graduate history seminar in the student's major field of
concentration (1.0 credit)
- Either History 24.599: thesis (2.0 credits); or
- History 24.598: research essay (1.0 credit) plus one
additional seminar (1.0 credit), which may be chosen from those
offered at the graduate or 400 level by the Department of History,
by another department at Carleton University, or by the Department
of History at the University of Ottawa
- M.A. students are required to submit thesis or research essay
proposals to the graduate supervisor early in their second term
of full-time enrolment
Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree
Full-time students are expected to finish all requirements for
the degree except 24.598 or 24.599 during their first two terms
of study; part-time students should do so during their first twelve
terms of study. The research essay or thesis requirement is designed
to take both categories of students an additional two or three
terms, respectively.
Language Requirements
All candidates are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge
of a language other than English, the choice to depend upon the
field of the candidate's thesis or research. For seminars dealing
with sources not in English, a reading knowledge of the appropriate
language will be required before acceptance into the program.
Details may be obtained from the supervisor of graduate studies.
Doctor of Philosophy
Admission Requirements
Applicants with an M.A. degree will be expected to have at least
high honours standing. Applicants for the women's history program
will be expected to have at least one of their earlier degrees
in history.
An applicant with an honours bachelor's degree who has achieved
an outstanding academic record and, in addition, exhibits very
strong motivation and high promise for advanced research, may
be admitted to the Canadian Ph.D. program directly. Such candidates
will be required to complete at least 15.0 credits or the equivalent.
Residence Requirement
The normal residence requirement for the Ph.D. degree is a minimum
of three years of full-time study after the B.A. honours degree,
or two years after the M.A. degree.
Program Requirements
Candidates will be responsible for three fields: a major field
(Canadian or women's history) and two minor fields. In the case
of Canadian history majors, at least one of the minor fields must
concern American, British, French, Russian, or international history.
In the case of women's history majors, at least one of the minor
fields must concern American, British, Canadian, French, Russian,
or international history. Women's history majors must declare
their area of concentration from among these fields. The second
minor field for both majors may be a transnational topic or in
a related discipline. In each instance, the minor field should
cover approximately one century. Written examinations will be
taken in the two minor fields before the end of the student's
second term of study; an oral examination in the major field will
be arranged during the student's fourth term. Ph.D. candidates
are required to submit a thesis proposal to the graduate supervisor
within three months of completing their oral examination.
A reading knowledge of French will be required. The language examination
will be written early in the first post-M.A. year, and before
the candidate is permitted to take the doctoral field examinations.
Proven competence in an additional language may be required if
it is pertinent to the candidate's program.
Students entering the Canadian history program with an
honours B.A. will normally complete:
- History 24.588: Historiography of Canada
- History 24.591: Directed Studies in a Canadian Field
- History 24.592: Directed Studies in a Non-Canadian Field
- Two other graduate seminars in their first year
Students entering the second year (that is, the first post-M.A.
year) of the Canadian history program will normally be required
to follow:
- History 24.688: Historical Theory and Method
- History 24.690: Directed Studies in Canadian History. Preparation
for a Ph.D. oral examination in Canadian history (equivalent to
2.0 credits)
- Two of: History 24.610: Directed Studies in an Aspect
of Modern European History; History 24.640: Directed Studies in
United States History; History 24.650: Directed Studies in British
History; History 24.660: Directed Studies in a Transnational Topic;
History 24.693: Women's History Minor; an approved course of studies
in a related discipline. At least one of these must be a national
history other than Canadian (i.e. 24.610, 24.640, or 24.650)
Students declaring a major field in women's history
will normally be required to follow:
- History 24.688: Historical Theory and Method
- History 24.692: Directed Studies in Women's History. Preparation
for a Ph.D. oral examination in women's history (equivalent to
2.0 credits)
- Two of: History 24.610: Directed Studies in an Aspect
of Modern European History; History 24.640: Directed Studies in
United States History; History 24.650: Directed Studies in British
History; History 24.660: Directed Studies in a Transnational Topic;
History 24.691: Canadian History Minor; an approved course of
studies in a related discipline. At least one of these must be
a national history (i.e., 24.610, 24.640, 24.650, or 24.691)
With other requirements completed, doctoral students will be required
to write a thesis on a topic related to Canadian or women's history
(5.0 credits).
Guidelines for Completion of Doctoral Degree
It is expected that full-time students will complete the thesis
requirement within two years, and part-time students within four
years.
University of Ottawa
A Carleton University student may take one seminar in the Department
of History at the University of Ottawa, with permission of the
two departments.
Graduate Courses*
Most, but not all of the graduate seminars (History 24.500 through
24.588) are offered each year, but none is available during the
summer. The directed studies and thesis courses (History 24.589
through 24.693) are always offered during the academic year, and
are frequently available during the spring and summer terms as
well.
Admission to graduate seminars in the Department of History is
normally restricted to graduate students in the Department and
to others who have successfully completed two full upper-level
undergraduate History courses, or the equivalent, in the general
area of the seminar, or who have received permission of the Department.
- History 24.500T2
Practicum in Applied History
Study of the practical uses of history in such fields as teaching
and methodology, archival management, museum research, oral history,
journal editing, quantitative investigations, and contract research.
D.L. McDowall, B.C. Bickerton
- History 24.502T2
Beginnings of Early Medieval Europe and Near East
Transformation of the later Roman world into the polities of early
medieval Europe and Near East. Also offered at the undergraduate
level, with different requirements, as 24.402 or 13.402, for which
additional credit is precluded.
R.C. Blockley.
- History 24.505T2
Law and Society in Medieval England
J.G. Bellamy.
- History 24.506T2
Medieval Intellectual History
An examination of selected aspects of medieval intellectual history.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.406, for which additional credit is precluded.
W.R. Laird.
- History 24.507T2
Galileo and His Age
An intensive examination of the scientific and polemical works
of the Italian physicist and astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).
His life and thought are explored in the context of his medieval
predecessors and of sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century science
and philosophy in general. Special attention is given to the role
of patronage, the Jesuits, biblical interpretation, and the circumstances
that led to his trial and condemnation.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.407, for which additional credit is precluded.
W.R. Laird.
- History 24.516T2
The French Revolution, 1520-1804
A sound reading knowledge of French is required for admission.
Roderick Phillips.
- History 24.525T2
Society and Culture in Canada, 1850-1939
Changes to the structure and values of Canadian societies and
their culture in the period of urban-industrial transition.
Members of the Department.
- History 24.526T2
Perspectives on State Formation in Canada
An exploration of selected problems of political history: the
construction of official statistics, the language of governments,
the invention of nationalisms, the making of political cultures,
the autonomy of the state, the practices of bureaucrats, the political
role of women, the encounter of the welfare state and families,
the political economy of the state, communities and the state.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.426, for which additional credit is precluded.
Dominique Marshall.
- History 24.529T2
History of Northern Canada
A seminar on the regional history of the Canadian north, including
both the provincial and the territorial norths. Topics include
native peoples, culture contact, the fur trade economy, and resource
frontier development. Canadian attitudes toward the north and
the concept of Canada as a "northern nation" are also
examined.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.434, for which additional credit is precluded.
K.M. Abel.
- History 24.530T2
Canadian Immigration and Ethnic History
An examination of immigration and ethnic history in a selected
period between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.424, for which additional credit is precluded.
M.J. Barber or B.S. Elliott.
- History 24.531T2
French Canada Since Confederation
A study of topics relating to the political and social history
of French Canada and to problems of cultural duality.
Dominique Marshall.
- History 24.532T2
Ontario in the Nineteenth Century
J.K. Johnson.
- History 24.533T2
Intellectual History of Canada
An intensive examination of selected aspects of Canadian thought
from the early nineteenth century to the present.
A.B. McKillop.
- History 24.534T2
Problems of Growth and War in Canada, 1896-1921
D.L. McDowall.
- History 24.535T2
The Canadian Diplomatic Tradition
An examination of the origins, evolution, context, and intellectual
content of Canadian diplomatic practices and policies.
G.N. Hillmer.
- History 24.536T2
Science and Technology in the Canadian Experience
An examination of the role and relationship of science and technology,
including their social and engineering applications, in the Canadian
historical experience.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.421, for which additional credit is precluded.
J.H. Taylor.
- History 24.537T2
The Maritimes in Transition, 1870s to 1920s
A seminar on social and economic themes.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.422, for which additional credit is precluded.
D.A. Muise or B.C. Bickerton.
- History 24.539T2
Acadian and Quebec Society before 1763
An examination of the main political and social developments in
both communities with attention being paid to the history of France
during the same period.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.432, for which additional credit is precluded.
N.E.S. Griffiths.
- History 24.540T2
The Age of the American Revolution
P.J. King.
- History 24.550T2
Selected Problems in the Political Economy of Canadian Labour
A study of selected aspects in the history of Canadian labour
with emphasis on the dynamics of social, economic, political,
and cultural change in twentieth-century Canada.
Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements,
as 24.425, for which additional credit is precluded.
F.J.K. Griezic.
- History 24.556T2
Historical Perspectives on Power
An inquiry into historical analyses of politics in light of the
current social philosophical conceptions of power and consciousness,
with reference to early modern England, and/or Canada in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries, and/or Latin America in the late colonial
period, with particular emphasis on Mexico, depending on the instructor(s).
R.B. Goheen, Dominique Marshall or Sonya Lipsett-Rivera.
- History 24.557T2
Community in Early Modern England, 1450-1600
R.B. Goheen.
- History 24.558T2
Culture and Society in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth- Century Britain:
Selected Topics
Deborah Gorham or Mark Phillips.
- History 24.559T2
Women in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century North America and Britain
An examination of the role and image of women in the context of
social and economic development and of the family in North America
and Britain.
M.J. Barber and Deborah Gorham.
- History 24.560T2
Revolutionary Russia, 1898-1921
An examination of various primary sources available for research
on revolutionary Russia. A sound reading knowledge of Russian
is required for admission.
R.C. Elwood.
- History 24.580T2
Problems in International History
J.L. Black or R.A. Jones.
- History 24.588T2
Historiography of Canada
A seminar, primarily for graduate students in Canadian history,
which examines the trends and methods of Canadian historical writing
and the influences upon it.
A.B. McKillop.
- History 24.589F2, W2, S2
Historiography
A course of directed studies, leading to an oral comprehensive
examination, in one of the following fields:
Modern France
The intensive study of selected problems in the writing of
modern French political and social history.
Roderick Phillips.
Britain
The intensive study of a range of selected problems in the
writing of sixteenth-century or nineteenth-century English
history.
R.B. Goheen, Deborah Gorham, N.E.S. Griffiths.
Modern Russia
Concentrated reading in Russian history and historiography
with emphasis on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
R.C. Elwood.
United States
A course in which the trends and methods of historical writing
on the United States will be examined.
P.J. King.
International History
A course in which the trends and methods of historical writing
on international history will be examined.
J.L. Black and R.A. Jones.
Medieval History
Historical method and historiography of an aspect of the Middle
Ages.
J.G. Bellamy or W.R. Laird.
European Intellectual and Social History
Intensive study of a selected topic in the writing of European
intellectual or social history during the seventeenth, eighteenth
or nineteenth centuries.
Roderick Phillips, Mark Phillips or F.A.J. Szabo.
- History 24.591T2, S2
Directed Studies in a Canadian Field
A program of supervised reading and preparation of written work
in an area not covered by an existing graduate seminar.
- History 24.592T2, S2
Directed Studies in a Non-Canadian Field
(same description as 24.591)
- History 24.593F1, W1, S1
Directed Studies in a Canadian Field
(same description as 24.591)
- History 24.594F1, W1, S1
Directed Studies in a Non-Canadian Field
(same description as 24.591)
- History 24.595F1,W1
Selected Topics in a Canadian Field
A seminar in an area not covered by an existing graduate course.
- History 24.596F1,W1
Selected Topics in a Non-Canadian Field
(same description as 24.595)
- History 24.598F2, W2, S2
M.A. Research Essay
An examination of an approved topic in Canadian, American, British,
modern French, modern Russian, international, or medieval history.
- History 24.599F4, W4, S4
M.A. Thesis
A substantial historical investigation. The subject will be determined
in consultation with the Department, and a supervisor will be
assigned. The candidate will be examined orally after presenting
his/her thesis.
- History 24.610T2, S2
Directed studies in one of the following aspects of modern European
history: modern France (Roderick Phillips), modern Russia (R.C.
Elwood ), and international history (J.L. Black and R.A. Jones).
- History 24.640T2, S2
Directed Studies in United States History
P.J. King and G.F. Goodwin.
- History 24.650T2, S2
Directed Studies in British History
Deborah Gorham, N.E.S. Griffiths or R.B. Goheen.
- History 24.660T2, S2
Directed Studies in a Transnational Topic
Preparation for a minor field examination in an area not covered
in another doctoral course.
- History 24.688T2
Historical Theory and Method
A course primarily for doctoral candidates in history, offered
in alternate years, in which current trends in historical theory
and methodology will be examined.
- History 24.690F4, W4, S4
Directed Studies in Canadian History
A program of supervised reading with several instructors in preparation
for the Ph.D. oral examination.
- History 24.691T2
Canadian History Minor
A program of supervised reading in Canadian history leading to
a written comprehensive examination for doctoral students whose
major field is women's history. Students will attend History 24.690
(Directed Studies in Canadian History) in the fall and winter
terms.
- History 24.692F4, W4, S4
Directed Studies in Women's History
A program of supervised reading with several instructors in preparation
for the Ph.D. oral examination in women's history.
- History 24.693T2
Women's History Minor
A program of supervised reading in women's history leading to
a written comprehensive examination for doctoral students whose
major field is Canadian history. Students will attend History
24.692 (Directed Studies in Women's History) in the fall and winter
terms.
- History 24.699F, W, S
Ph.D. Thesis