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[1945-1946] [1954-1955] [1962-1963]
[1969-1970]
[1990-1991] [1999-2000]
Trinity College History Department: 1999-2000
At the turn of a new century passes, the History Department here
at Trinity is more diverse than ever. In what used to be a US/Western oriented department,
today, one will only find about a third of the history faculty focusing in that area. When
one enters Seabury Hall, they will now be able to find professors that are knowledgeable
in Woman’s studies, Caribbean and Latin American Studies, and Asian Studies. History
professors chair the American Studies, International Studies and Women’s Studies
programs, at Trinity. The department is becoming involved within areas of study that are
not traditionally areas where Historians have studied. The department, like historical
research itself, is, in a sense, becoming more diversified.
We ended class this year with an editorial from Annels, the
great French historical journal. The article was a commentary on how historical research
has become interdisciplinary with many other social and natural sciences. The History
Department, here at Trinity, may just be evidence of this. Professor Borden Painter, who
attended Trinity College as an undergraduate and has been teaching here full-time, since
1964, notes this change. (see interview) When asked about changes he has seen, within the
Department, he suggest that they are somewhat natural. "History, as a discipline,
encourages and thrives on a certain amount of diversity and outlook, rather than a very
narrow and orthodox way of training and doing everything, like other disciplines.
There is always change going on overtime [within Historical research and
methodology]" He noted that, college professors are mainly hired right after
their Ph D is finished, so, in a sense, they are representative of new research processes,
new ways of "doing" history, and may use new methods of historiographic trends.
What was the department like?
Out of a total of 205 faculty members at Trinity, the
History Department has a total of 22, during the academic year of 1999-2000, making it one
of the largest departments at Trinity. There were 481 total graduates this year; 51 of
them were from the History Department, that is 10.6% of the class. The make up of the
faculty was the following: professors: 7; associate professors: 7; assistant professors:
2; lecturers: 1; visiting assistant professors: 1; visiting lecturers:
3.
To enhance the overall movement towards a more global
view of history, Trinity has decided to add a new faculty member next year. Professor
Heather Sharkey will join the History Department next fall. She specializes in the Middle
East, Islamic Civilization, and Colonial Africa. (more info) By next fall, the Trinity
History Department will have specialist in US history, Western and Eastern European
history, Classical history, Latin American and Caribbean history, African history, Middle
Eastern and South Asian history, Russian history and Asian history. The History Department
in the 21st Century will be one where students have the ability to learn about more areas
of the world, during different time periods, than ever before.
Major Requirements:
1. Five survey courses at the 100- or 200-level (or 300-level with permission of the
chairman), distributed as follows:
A. Ancient, Medieval, or Early Modern Europe (before 1700) (one course)
B. Europe since 1700 (one course)
C. United States (one course)
D. Asia, Africa, Middle East, or Latin America (two courses)
2. History 300 (This course is a prerequisite for all 400-level courses)
3. One history seminar selected from courses bearing 401 or 402 numbers.
4. Either one senior thesis, for which students must enroll in History 498, or one senior
research seminar (bearing a number in the 480s).
5. Four elective courses in history, three of which must be at the 300-level or above.
Categories of courses:
The History Department now offers 14 non-Western/traditional courses.
They range from Latin American History, to African and African-American History, to
Women's History. There were two seminars given that dealt with Latin America, as
well.
Summary:
History majors must pass courses in many different areas of historical study. The
department’s requirement that a student must pass five courses in four different
areas of study allows students to get a broader education of history. Today’s faculty
is able to present many different areas of study to students.
What is the History Department like at:
Wesleyan
Yale
UCONN
Quotes:
Sarah Merin describes the breadth of the History Department, here. Sarah
Merin describes the range of experiences that individual professors bring to their
teaching, here.
Sarah Merin, class of 2000.
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