History

Undergraduate Programs

The Department of History and Geography offers programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts as well as minors in history and in geography and an interdisciplinary minor in Pan African studies.

Curriculum for History Majors entering Clemson since Fall 2008

Requirements for the Major

  • Geography 101/103/106
  • 34 hours in History (no more than 6 hours at the 100 or 200 level, excluding History 299):
    • History 299 (Historian’s Craft)
    • At least one course each in these three fields:
      U.S. History: HIST 101, 102, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 308, 311, 312, 313, 314, 316, 318, 319, 323, 324,325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 390,   392, 400, 428, F&RR 392.
      European History: HIST 321, 322, 353, 354, 355, 361, 363, 365, 367, 370, 372, 373, 374, 375, 377, 378, 380, 381, 384, 385, 386, 387, 450, 451, 460,470, 471.
      Non-Western History: HIST 330, 333, 334, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 351, 352, 391, 394, 396, 397, 436, 438, 440.
    • Two courses at the 400 level, one of which must be History 490 (Senior Seminar).

Other Requirements for Graduation

  • English 103 (or for AP or transfer students, English 102).
  • History 172 and History 173 (these cannot count for the major).
  • Two Literature courses on general education list (in some cases, one can be combined with STS requirement).
  • A non-literature upper level Humanities course (but MUSIC 210, THEA 210, and AAH 210 count).
  • Three 300 or 400 level courses in Humanities (but MUSIC 210, THEA 210, and AAH 210 count).
  • Completion of the 202 course in a foreign language.
  • Natural Science with lab (4 hours): ASTR 101/103, 102/104, BIOL 103/104; 109/110, 111, 121/120, 122/120, 123/120; CH 101,102, 105,106; GEOL 101/103, 102, 112/114; PH SC 107/108; PHYS 122/124, 207/209, 208/210, 221/223, 222/224 (underlined courses those recommended for non-science majors).
  • Mathematics requirement: 3 hours taken from  MTHSC 101, 102, 106, 108, 203, 207, 301, 309 or from EX ST 222 (also counts for STS) or 301.
  • Math/Natural Science requirement: any general education mathematics course or any course on the natural science with Lab list (see above; lab may omitted if it is optional) PHYS 240 or AGRIC 315; BIOSC 200; EN SP 200; GEOL 300 (these last three count for STS).
  • Science and Technology in Society: In some cases, the STS requirement can be combined with the natural science, math/natural science or humanities requirement.) See complete list of courses that fulfill requirement at: STS Course Link.
  • A Minor, typically 15 hours (may involve more for prerequisites in minor courses).
  • Maximum of 17 elective hours.
  • 120 Total Semester Hours for graduation.


Minors in History, Geography, and Pan African Studies

Requirements for a Minor in History:

  • 15 Credits in History at the 300 and 400 level.
  • 3 Credits in History at the 400 level.

Requirements for a Minor in Geography:

  • 3 Credits in Geography at the 100 level.
  • 15 Credits in Geography at the 300 and 400 level.
  • At least one 400-level Geography course.
  • One of the following courses may be taken as part of the 15-credit, upper-level requirements but may not be substituted for the required 400-level geography course: R S (SOC) 471, BIOSC 442.

Requirements for a Minor in Pan African Studies:
The Pan African Studies Minor at Clemson University draws on the strengths of several departments across campus. A minor in Pan-African Studies requires 15 credits at the 300 and 400 levels, distributed as follows:

  • Group I -- Three credits from AAS 301, 498.
  • Group II -- Three credits from GEOG 330, HIST 338, 339, 438.
  • Group III -- Three credits from ENGL 482, 483, HIST 311, 312, PO SC 381, SOC 460, THEA 317.
  • Group IV -- Three credits in any approved course in social sciences.
  • Group V -- Three credits in any approved course in the humanities.

Learn more about the Minor in Pan African Studies.

**Courses are to be scheduled in consultation with appropriate advisors.

Public History Emphasis Area

To qualify for the emphasis area, students must take the following courses:

To qualify for the emphasis area, students must take the following four courses:

  • History 414: Introduction to the Study of History Museums
  • History 202: History Internship (3 Credits)
  • Geography 440: The Geography of Preservation
  • History 480: Museum Practicum

And ONE of the following courses:

  • History 415: Intro to Digital History
  • History 417: History and Uses of Tourism
  • History 418: Local/Oral History

Learn more about the Public History Emphasis Area.

Pre-law Information

Selected Resources for Law School Applicants

To register for the LSAT and the LSDAS: www.lsac.org

To learn more about the admissions process and the law school experience (available at Cooper Library):

Anna Ivey, The Ivey Guide to Law School Admissions
Susan Estrich, How to Get Into Law School  
Atticus Falcon, Esq., Planet Law School II: What You Need to Know (Before You Go)-but Didn't Know to Ask.. And No One Else Will Tell You
Deborah Schneider & Gary Belsky, Should You Really Be a Lawyer? : The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During & After Law School  

Notre Dame's prelaw information page: http://www.nd.edu/%7Eprelaw/

Rice University's timeline for students applying to law school (freshman through senior year):
http://studentjudicialprograms.rice.edu/prelaw/PrelawTimetable.html

To evaluate law schools:

Boston College Law School Locator (which takes your GPA/LSAT info and evaluates your choices):
http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/gradschool/law/lawlocator.html#the25

Brian Leiter's Law School Rankings: http://www.leiterrankings.com/

To ask professors for letters of recommendation:

  • Choose wisely. You goal is to obtain letters from professors who can speak well of your reading and writing skills. They need not be from your major; nor need they be from a law-related class. 
  • The following [http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~weaverca/lawrec.htm] links to advice for professors writing letters of recommendation for law school; from the student's perspective, it offers some useful guidance as to what law schools are looking for in such a letter.
  • The two required letters of recommendation should be written by those familiar with your academic work; if you'd like to include a letter from an employer or someone else who knows you outside of the academic context, send 3 letters.
  • Ask promptly. Your professors will need adequate time to draft a letter on your behalf; last minute requests will not impress them with your ability to manage your time.  If you know you'll be applying to law school in the fall, approach your selected professors early in the semester and ask them to write on your behalf.  You should leave at least four weeks between when you ask for the letter and when you hope to have it at LSDAS.
  • Ask politely. What you want to know is whether the professor is willing to write you a strong letter of recommendation - you also want to know if she won't.  Thus, feel free to ask your professor if she feels she knows you well enough to write on your behalf - this provides a way of asking the question and a graceful way out for a professor who may not feel she can write a particularly specific or helpful letter for you, whatever the reason.
  • Make sure to provide your professor with all of the information he or she could possibly need to write you a strong letter of recommendation. This should include:
  • the LSDAS recommendation form, with a stamped envelope
  • a list of the schools to which you're applying, with deadlines
  • your LSAT score, if available
  • a 1 page resume (keep it to 1 page!)
  • an up-to-date, unofficial transcript
  • a draft of your personal statement (if available)
  • copies of the work from the class(es) in question (exams and/or papers with the professor's comments are ideal)
  • a date by which you plan to have your parts of the applications submitted (which then serves as a deadline for the letter of recommendation). If you've given your professor plenty of time to draft the letter, a polite email reminder around this date is not inappropriate.
  • any other piece of information she may request.




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