Concentration in War and Society Studies
The Master of Arts degree in history with a concentration in War and Society Studies is designed to provide special knowledge and training to those who aim to study the causes, conduct, and costs of war from a historical perspective with a view to enabling critical public policymaking and informed citizenship. The concentration examines broad conceptual, historical, and policy issues relating to three main areas of exploration: how societies go to war, experience and are shaped by war, and cope with war’s consequences; how war has framed different societies’ national/human security and foreign policies; and how societies remember and consider war through history, myth, and memory.
Students enrolled in the War and Society Studies concentration will explore topics in the following thematic areas:
- The interrelationships between home fronts and fighting fronts
- The interactions between war and societal beliefs on class, gender, race, and other social distinctions
- The impact of war on civilians and noncombatants and on the behavior of armies and soldiers
- The relationship of armed force to grand strategy and foreign policy
- The nature of historical myth, memory, and memorialization
Core Courses (all)
- HIST 602 Seminar in Historical Approaches to War and Society in the Modern Era (Fundamentals in War and Society Studies)
- HIST 601 Seminar in Historical Methods; HIST 665 Seminar in History ; Thesis or Comprehensive Exam
Core Reading Areas (Students will choose 1 of 3 to be satisfied by existing graduate course offerings)
- Peace, War, and American Society
- War and Culture in Global History
- Readings in War, Myth, and Memory
Core Research Areas (Students will choose 1 of 3 to be satisfied by existing graduate course offerings)
- National Security and Grand Strategy in the Modern Era
- Soldiers and Civilians: The Experience of War
- Conflict, Collaboration, and Resistance
Potential Interdisciplinary Electives (1)
- Ethics of War
- Non-Violent Resistance Movements
- Peace, Conflict, and Human Rights
Master of Arts in History Degree
Concentration in Military History
In addition to meeting the requirements for classified graduate standing and the basic requirements for the master’s degree as described in Requirements for Master’s Degrees, concentration students must complete a graduate program of 30 units.
(1) Required Courses (Nine units)
- HIST 601 Seminar in Historical Methods
- HIST 602 Seminar in Historical Approaches to War and Society in the Modern Era
- HIST 665 Research Seminar in History
(2) Nine units selected from
- HIST 610 Seminar in Public History
- HIST 620 Dir. Readings in European History
- HIST 630 Dir. Readings in United States History
- HIST 640 Dir. Readings in Latin American History
- HIST 650 Dir. Readings in Asian History
- HIST 680 Dir. Readings in Selected Topics
(3) Six units selected from
Six units selected from 500-700 level history courses, of which three units must be outside the department with approval from USS Midway Chair or designee.
(4) Culminating Experience
Plan A (six units)
- HIST 665 Research Seminar in History (Taken twice-once in Required Courses and once in Plan A)
- HIST 799A Thesis
or
Plan B (six units)
- HIST 795 Area Studies in History
- and three units selected from
HIST 610 Seminar in Public History
HIST 620 Dir. Readings in European History
HIST 630 Dir. Readings in United States History
HIST 640 Dir. Readings in Latin American History
HIST 650 Dir. Readings in Asian History
HIST 680 Dir. Readings in Selected Topics
Current students in the M.A. program in History can fill out the Request to Change Program Form to enroll in the Concentration for War and Society Studies.
Learn how to apply to the M.A. program in History.
Top image credit: On the Shoulders of Giants, Ezra Tucker. Courtesy of the Air Force Art Collection.