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
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