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Student Learning Outcomes for the MA in History

Student Learning Outcomes for the MA in History. Students will:

Students will demonstrate ability to present and support extended oral arguments about
important ideas and concepts of history. This implies the ability to:
  • Discuss diverse time periods, peoples, situations, and societies;
  • Perceive past events and issues in an appropriate historical context;
  • Comprehend the interplay of change and continuity;
  • Grasp the complexities of historical causation.
  • Effectively communicate historical arguments to non-specialists.
Students will develop skills in both the mechanics and structure of writing to effectively
and skillfully present historical research and argumentation. This implies the ability to:
  • Write clearly and effectively about complex ideas;
  • Effectively use narrative to tell important stories;
  • Follow proper rules of grammar and syntax;
  • Use proper Turabian (Chicago Style) forms of citation.
Students will construct original historical arguments based upon competent research in
primary materials and present these arguments effectively in a final Thesis or Non-
Thesis Project. This implies the ability to:
  • Work successfully in archives and other repositories of primary materials;
  • Construct convincing interpretations based upon secondary and primary sources and place those interpretations within the historiography of the subject;
  • Present historical interpretations and arguments in a well-organized, readable, and logical manner;
  • Complete a thesis or other project that reflects the best practices of historians.
Students will demonstrate orally an understanding of the historiography and theory
relevant to a thesis or non-thesis project research, and an ability to place work within
those historiographical and theoretical frameworks as shown by a Thesis or Non-Thesis
Project. This implies the ability to:
  • Explain clearly the process or framework used to reach conclusions;
  • Place conclusions within a larger historical and historiographical context;
  • Defend conclusions reasonably when challenged;
  • Consider openly new points of view.

Last updated: 3/30/2022