History
Program Description
History is the study of the human past as it is constructed and interpreted with human artifacts, written evidence, and oral traditions. It requires empathy for historical actors, respect for interpretive debate, and the skillful use of an evolving set of practices and tools. As an inquiry into human experience, history demands that we consider the diversity of human experience across time and place. As a public pursuit, history requires effective communication to make the past accessible; it informs and preserves collective memory; it is essential to active citizenship. As a discipline, history requires a deliberative stance towards the past; the sophisticated use of information, evidence, and argumentation; and the ability to identify and explain continuity and change over time. Its professional ethics and standards demand peer review, citation, and acceptance of the provisional nature of knowledge.
The History Program at AWC is designed to prepare students to transfer to a university. Students will complete a variety of courses that provide a foundation in global, national, and local histories, including world history, and the histories of Europe, the United States, Mexico, and Arizona. Through the study of the past, students develop critical thinking skills and the ability to conduct historical research, evaluate primary and secondary sources, craft historical arguments, and write effectively. The program articulates with all three Arizona state universities, fulfilling all lower-division requirements for the major.
Graduates of these programs will successfully complete the following learning outcomes:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the historical period and subject understudy
- Develop critical thinking and writing skills through evaluation of major historical events
- Improve research methods, analysis, oral communication, and writing skills through the completion of a research paper
- Identify and recall key information from a historical text and/or documentary film
- Define and discuss the historical significance of key historical terms and concepts
- Identify the underlying causes, explain the historical significance, and analyze the lasting impact of an event and/or how it changed the course of history
- Evaluate a primary or secondary source
- Summarize findings in an oral presentation
- Research an assigned topic and synthesize information in a research paper, citing all sources using appropriate style and format.
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Schedule NowDegree(s) / Certificates(s)
| Title | Local Bachelor's |
|---|---|
| History - A.A. Transfer Degree | - |
Career Outlook
Successful completion of this program can open doors to various employment opportunities, many of which require further higher education at the university level. Below are examples of related occupations and their annual mean wages in Arizona, based on career and wage data from Pipeline AZ, which utilizes government sources for its reports and forecasts.
Description
Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
Duties/Tasks
- Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
- Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
- Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
- Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
- Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
- Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
- Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
- Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
- Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
- Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
Typical Education Level
Masters Degree
Description
Teach courses in human history and historiography. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Duties/Tasks
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as ancient history, postwar civilizations, and the history of third-world countries.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
Salary Information (AZ)
$76,900
$38,580
$77,630
$123,630
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Typical Education Level
Doctoral Degree
Contact Information
Department Contact(s)
Faculty/Staff Contact(s)
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Gibson | Dean of Business, Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences | (928) 317-6417 | Stuart.Gibson@azwestern.edu |
| Monica Ketchum-Cardenas | Professor of History | (928) 344-7646 | Monica.Ketchum@azwestern.edu |
| Kenneth Dale II | Professor of History/Head Men's Soccer Coach | (928) 317-7600 | kenneth.dale@azwestern.edu |