Undergraduate Calendar 2009-2010

Programme Objectives and Structure

The Goals

The Department of History shares in the primary mission of the college's academic wing:

  • to provide university-level education to officer cadets as one of the essential elements of their professional development. To this end, the programme in history is designed to meet the specific needs of two types of students - those who major in history and those taking degrees in other departments and divisions who have an interest in the discipline.

The Department of History has three primary goals:

  1. to teach the essential elements of the craft of historical analysis, including the ability to think in historical terms, to research various issues and to present information and analysis in sound historiographical arguments both verbally and in writing;
  2. to impart the story of the past in both survey and specialist courses that cover national and regional histories (like Canada, France, the Far East, and modern Europe), thematic histories (social, economic, and intellectual) and topical histories (modern international relations, strategic thought, and the military); and
  3. to explain and utilise the different historiographic methodologies (economic determinism, realism, corporatism, gender, etc.).

Structure

The Department introduced a new degree in 2002 and has revised the requirements for degrees in History for students commencing studies in 2002/03. All students pursuing a degree in History are required to complete the Core Curriculum.

Note:

All HIE 400 level courses are designed as seminar courses and that if enrolment exceeds 18 priority will be given to those students who require them to fulfil mandatory degree requirements first. Authority to authorize exceeding this cap rests with the History Department Head.