Department of History and Philosophy

Dr. Mario Azevedo, Chair and Professor
P.O. Box 17700
Telephone: (601) 979-2191
Fax: (601) 979-2192
E-mail: mario.j.azevedo@jsums.edu

Faculty

Dr. Mario Azevedo, Professor and Chair
Dr. K. Barima, Assistant Professor
Dr. M. Bernhardt, Professor 
Dr. J. Brockley, Associate Professor
Dr. A. Dorsey, Assistant Professor
Dr. R. Luckett, Professor
Dr. L. Roopnarine, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator
Dr. C. Turnipseed, Assistant Professor

Our program offers courses in a wide range of fields.  Along with the department’s strengths in African American History, Public History, and the African Diaspora, the department’s faculty also teach classes on Women’s History, Film, Latin America, Caribbean, Africa, Sexuality, Disability, the American South, Black Identity, Migration, among other topics.

The department offers both a traditional program and a fully online program. Both include three tracks for students seeking a Master of Arts degree (36 total credit hours) and are designed to be completed in two years.   There is also a non-degree option for teacher certification. The traditional project option is specifically for students seeking to improve their credentials.  Students complete coursework and spend one semester writing a secondary-source-based research paper or producing a creative work, such as a museum exhibit or documentary. The thesis and Public History project options are recommended for students who wish to continue their graduate education. Students complete coursework and a master’s thesis or Public History project (such as a documentary, oral history collection, museum exhibit, historical marker, etc.). These options require a more intensive research focus under the guidance of an advisor with the goal of producing a master’s thesis or Public History project. The non-degree seeking program allows those desiring certification to teach History to complete up to 12 hours of coursework.

Mission Statement

The Department of History and Philosophy offers students the opportunity to pursue a course of study that prepares them to enter a range of professional paths and careers. These potential careers include teaching from elementary to high school to junior college to the four- year university. Additional professional forays are possible in research and scholarship enterprises, public and leadership service and a welter of other pursuits, all requiring a demonstrated knowledge, appreciation and application of the human historical experience in response to an ever-changing multi-cultural world.

The graduate History program’s areas of concentration include Global, Social and Cultural, U.S., Public, and African Diaspora history.  The department has an especially impressive curriculum as well as an assembled coterie of talented teaching research faculty.

Program Objectives

1. To use classroom instruction and relevant professional experiences, thereby preparing majors to conduct historical research while honing the requisite knowledge, competencies and mastery essential for history graduate matriculation.
2. To prepare students to continue graduate study beyond the Master of Arts degree and/or engage in history related professional careers.
3. To prepare students to teach history in middle and secondary schools as well as at the junior college level.
4. To serve the academic needs of teachers, principals, and supervisors by providing opportunities to enhance and hone their skill set for performing current teaching and/or leadership responsibilities.
5. To promote the scholarly study and investigation of the human historical experience and the dissemination of such research via both presentations at professional conferences and publication in the discipline.

Department Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must satisfy all admission requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies.
2. Applicants should have at least a GPA of 3.0 for admittance to the History Department.  Applicants with a GPA of less than 3.0 will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
3. Applicants must submit three (3) letters of recommendation with one from a professor. 
4. Applicants must submit a 2-page Statement of Purpose with their application describing why they are seeking a graduate degree in history, their research and writing experience, and what they desire to study.  

Transfer of Credits

Up to nine semester hours of credits in significantly related courses from other colleges and universities may be accepted toward the M.A. degree in History. The earned credits must be from a graduate history program at an accredited institution of higher learning.

M.A. Degree Requirements

The M.A. degree in History is a 36-hour program with a thesis or project option. Students who desire to pursue additional education beyond the M.A. degree are strongly encouraged to choose the thesis option.

1. Required Courses: HIST 545 HIST CRITIC & HIST-GRAPH and either HIST 546 HISTL RESEARCH FOR THE THESIS or HIST 547 HISTORICAL RESEARCH PROJECT.
2. The thesis option requires 30 hours of course work, 6 hours of HIST 590 THESIS, and the completion of the thesis for graduation. The project option requires 33 hours of course work, 3 hours of HIST 591 PROJECT WRITING, and the completion of a research project for graduation. 15 course hours must be taken in the department’s five areas of study (3 course hours in each area of study). The areas of study are: Global History, African Diaspora, U.S. History, Social and Cultural History, and Public History. Up to 6 course hours may be taken in other disciplines. All outside courses taken must be relevant to the student’s historical studies or research. The department chair and the department’s graduate program coordinator must approve the outside courses and should be consulted before any such courses are taken.
3. A student who has demonstrated some academic deficiencies and is provisionally admitted to the graduate program may be asked to take an undergraduate course(s) or to enroll in a structured remedial program. In this way, the Department increases the likelihood of the student successfully completing the program and receiving the Master of Arts degree. These course hours are not included in the 36 hours required for the program.
4. The Graduate English Competency Exam (GECE) must be taken in the first semester of the program. If the student does not pass the exam, he or she must complete English 500 the following semester.
5. A written Graduate Area Comprehensive Examination (GACE) is required for completion of the M.A. degree in History. Students are eligible to take the exam after completing 18 hours of course work.
6. Thesis-option degree candidates must complete at least 6 hours of HIST 590 THESIS. After completing 18 hours of coursework (which must include HIST 545 HIST CRITIC & HIST-GRAPH and HIST 546 HISTL RESEARCH FOR THE THESIS) and submitting the Committee Approval form, thesis-option degree candidates may register for 3 hours of HIST 590 THESIS. After completing 27 total hours, thesis-option degree candidates may register for an additional 3 hours of HIST 590 THESIS. If the thesis is not completed after the initial six hours, the student must register for at least 1 hour of HIST 590 THESIS each semester until all degree requirements have been satisfied.
7. Project-option degree candidates must complete at least 3 hours of HIST 591 PROJECT WRITING. After completing 27 hours of coursework (which must include HIST 545 HIST CRITIC & HIST-GRAPH and HIST 547 HISTORICAL RESEARCH PROJECT) and submitting the Committee Approval form, project-option degree candidates will enroll in 3 hours of HIST 591 PROJECT WRITING. If the research project is not completed after taking 36 total hours in the program, a student will need to register for at least 1 hour of HIST 591 PROJECT WRITING each semester until all degree requirements have been satisfied.

Thesis Option Course Plan

Project Option Course Plan