MA Handbook NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
http://history.fas.nyu.edu
Handbook for Graduate Students
2008-2009
MA PROGRAM
Department Administration
Chair, Professor Joanna Waley-Cohen
Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Thomas Bender
Director of Pubic History and Archival Management, Professor Peter Wosh
Director of the History of Women and Gender, Professor Linda Gordon
Director of World History, Professor Andrew Sartori
Department Administrator, Karin Burrell
Graduate Program Administrator, Eileen Bowman
Assistant to the Chair, Patricia Mouzakitis
Administrative Assistant for the Undergraduate Program, Sadie Paschke
Graduate Program and Special Events Assistant, Jessica Corey
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Kathleen T. Talvacchia, Ph.D. (GSAS)
Advisor:
Students will be assigned an advisor before registration, which is usually the director of the MA program the student has been admitted to. This is a preliminary assignment. Over the course of the first year in the program, it is expected that the student will make her or his own determination of advisor, based upon areas of scholarly interest and personal compatibility. It may of course be the same faculty member, but it may also be someone else in the department. The choice of permanent advisor is driven by the specific role that person will play in the student's education. The student should discuss her or his interests with the prospective advisor, and ask whether the faculty member in question is willing to serve as advisor. If the answer is yes, the student should formally register that advisor with the Graduate Program Administrator.
Director of Graduate Studies (DGS):
The Director of Graduate Studies is responsible for the overall management of the Graduate Program. Students with general questions about the program should bring them to the DGS. The DGS is the final arbiter of the regulations of the program, which are outlined in the bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/Programs/Bulletin/). The DGS has the authority to make exceptions to departmental regulations. The DGS does not, however, have the authority to make exceptions to GSAS rules. The DGS can petition on behalf of the student, but such exceptions, including extensions of time to degree, late completion of incompletes, or missing any other deadline of the Graduate School, are in the prerogative of the Dean of the Graduate School and the sub-deans.
Graduate Program Administrator:
The day-to-day administration of the program is the responsibility of the Graduate Program Administrator. Questions a student may have about rules, deadlines, grant opportunities, or minor bureaucratic problems should be directed to the Program Administrator. If the issue or problem requires faculty advice or approval, the Program Administrator will advise the student to talk either with her or his advisor or the DGS. The Program Administrator is also the communications center for the department. Make sure that the Program Administrator has your current mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses.
The Program Administrator can also direct students to funding opportunities, job notices, and the like.
Department Assistant:
The Department Assistant is responsible for the practical aspects of registration: providing registration materials and the access codes by which students officially register. The Department Assistant also directs students to graduate course scheduling information and files of course syllabi.
Associate Dean of the Graduate School for Academic and Student Life:
The Graduate School has an office that seeks to provide general services to graduate students. One of the most important services they provide is funding for graduate student travel to present papers at conferences and summer funding for research travel. But the office has information on NYU and external funding and can, in general, be helpful to students with questions about issues larger than the history department. The Associate Dean is Kathleen T. Talvacchia, and her office is at 1/2 Fifth Avenue.
Overview of the Master’s Program:
The program for the Masters in History offers students the opportunity to complete graduate-level work which serves a variety of needs and purposes. It can be an end in itself for students whose personal and/or professional goal is an M.A. It can be combined with a certificate in the Archival Management Program and the Public History Program. It also can be used to earn a specialized degree in World History. Last, the M.A. can be a preparatory graduate degree en route to a doctorate.
Thus, many NYU students enroll in the M.A. program because they need background for their interest and careers: for example, as secondary school teachers, writers, film makers, or in public service. A significant proportion of these students begin Masters work after being out of the academy for some time, and many elect to study part-time while maintaining a full work schedule. The department particularly encourages non-traditional students who are studying part-time to attend graduate student events when possible, to get to know their cohort, to take time to work with their advisors and other faculty, and to recognize their valuable and respected presence in the department.
The Masters of Arts degree requires the completion of 32 points, of which at least 24 must be within this department. No more than 8 points may be transferred from other graduates schools. Students must take the M.A. Proseminar in their first semester and achieve a grade of B or better. M.A. students are allowed to take History graduate courses, except for “literature of the field” courses (see below). M.A. students may also enroll in advanced, (1000- level) undergraduate courses, which are designed for exceptional history majors. M.A. students who are interested should consult with their advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies to arrange the necessary approval. Students who expect to apply for admission to the Ph.D. program should consult with their advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies during their M.A. studies.
Courses: colloquia, seminars, “literature of the field” courses, specially arranged courses:
Courses are of several kinds:
1) Colloquia, dealing with specific periods or problems, based on common reading and discussion (in some supplemented by occasional lectures), and in which students will normally write interpretive papers, book critiques and review essays, and/or bibliographical surveys.
2) Seminars, in which, after an initial period of common readings, students will work primarily on a research project. (In certain cases students may also write research papers in courses that are technically “colloquia.”)
3) “Literature of the Field” courses, designed to provide entry to a broad area of history, through reading and discussion of a number of major issues, problems, and controversies that represent traditional and contemporary approaches to the area as a whole. Although these courses are designed specifically for the needs of doctoral students, MA students may be admitted to them with the instructor’s permission.
4) Readings in History and Research in History courses are independent study courses, which are specially arranged between students and instructors. These courses allow students to pursue their individual areas of interest and research.
Planning a Program:
Masters students work toward a specialization, namely Women’s History, Archives, Public History and World History. Archives and Public History offer certificates for those students who earn 44 credits in accordance with program requirements. Students must consult with the DGS, advisors, and if choosing a specialized program, the appropriate director in order to ensure that they meet departmental and programmatic requirements. Finally, M.A. students may, with the approval of their advisors, enroll in up to two courses in other departments.
Special Fields:
A. History of Women and Gender: The History of Women and Gender program explores the changing role of women in history and the social construction of gender both historically and theoretically. It enables students not only to reconceptualize women's places in history but also to challenge traditional approaches, which ignore women as historical actors. The program welcomes both those with a professional interest in history and those who, whatever their career plans, wish to deepen their knowledge of women, past and present. For the M.A. in the history of Women and Gender, students are required to take the historical research methods seminar required of all M.A. students, and at least three courses that focus on the history of women and gender in the fields of their choice. Three more topics courses should be chosen to strengthen the student's general historical competence. Students are also required to enroll in a graduate research seminar that suits their main area of geographic and chronological interest. Final completion of the M.A requires enrollment in an independent study course in which the student will complete a master’s thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor.
B. Archival Management and Historical Editing: The archives program offers students the opportunity to combine a Master of Arts degree in history with a certificate in Archival Management, Historical Society Administration, and Historical Editing. Since 1977, the program has trained history students for careers as archivists, historical editors, administrators, and manuscript curators. The program provides students with a solid foundation in theory, methodology, and practice of archives. It also emphasizes the broad humanistic training in history necessary for archivists to develop a vision for their work. Course work in complementary disciplines and new technologies is stressed, ensuring the program graduates remain current with professional trends and developments. New York City offers a unique setting and laboratory for students exploring history and archives, and the program takes full advantage of the city’s repositories in providing internships and practicum experiences for its student.
Three ways exist to matriculate in the program.
M.A. in History and Advanced Certificate in Archival Management
Students complete a 44-credit (11-course) program of study, which results in both a Master of Arts degree in History and an Advanced Certificate in Archival Management. Twenty-four (24) credits (6 courses) may be selected from the department's general History offerings. History classes include one required course, an M.A. Proseminar that provides an introductory overview of historical theory and methodology, and five electives that are selected in conjunction with an academic advisor. Twenty (20) credits (5 courses) are selected specifically from the Archival Management offerings. Three courses consist of core offerings: a two-semester introductory overview of the archival profession that includes a substantial practicum component; and one introductory course in Historical Editing. It generally takes two years of full-time study (6 courses per year) to complete the program.
Advanced Certificate in Archival Management
Students who already hold an M.A. or Ph.D degree in a social science or humanities discipline may enter the program on a non-degree, certificate-only basis. Students selecting this option need to complete 20 credits in archival coursework, including the two-semester introductory overview of the archival profession, in order to earn the certificate.
Dual-Degree M.A./M.L.I.S. Program
New York University has entered into a formal agreement with the Palmer School of Library and Information Science at Long Island University to allow students to work toward a dual M.A./M.L.I.S. degree. Students can obtain two degrees by completing the 55-credit program. Students can take advantage of the strong archival specializations available at both institutions. For additional information, visit the dual-degree Web site, at: http://www.cwpost.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/cics/dual_masters.html.
The program offers a New York State Board of Regents Certificate in Archives, Historical Society Administration, and Historical Editing. For more information, please consult with Professor Peter J. Wosh, Director of the Program in Archival Management and Historical Editing.
C. Public History: Since 1981, New York University has offered a certificate in public history. Students who enroll in our 44-credit program (eleven courses) combine an M.A. in History with an Advanced Certificate in Public History. A two-semester public history seminar provides an introduction to the theoretical and methodological issues that define the field. Supplementary courses address such topics as oral history, media studies, history museums, visual materials, new technologies, and archival management. We especially encourage carefully structured internships and engagement with the extraordinary array of public history venues throughout the New York metropolitan area. Our faculty contains distinguished historians and public scholars whose work has successfully engaged diverse audiences. Our graduates work in a broad range of organizations and agencies, ranging from the Tenement House Museum to the American Social History Project to the New-York Historical Society. New York University itself, with its world-class library facilities, premiere archival and manuscript collections, and numerous collaborative relationships, provides students with an ideal public history laboratory.
Two ways exist to enroll in the program.
M.A. in History and Advanced Certificate in Public History
Students may enroll in a 44-credit program of study that results in their earning an M.A. in History and an Advanced Certificate in Public History. 24 credits of coursework involve general history classes, where the student elects classes in some particular field of interest. 20 credits involve courses specifically oriented toward public history. A full-time student (12 credits per semester) would complete the coursework in approximately two years.
M.A. in History with a Specialization in Public History
Students my alternatively enroll in a 32-credit M.A. program, where they take most of their courses (20 credits) in public history. They receive a general M.A. in History, but effectively specialize in public history.
For additional information, please consult Professor Peter J. Wosh, Director, Program in Public History.
D. World History: The specialty in World History is offered by the Department of History in cooperation with the John W. Draper Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Humanities and Social Thought. The World History specialization is intended for high school and college teachers, people in the international occupations, writers and others involved in communication, media, and recent college graduates. Students will be introduced to the theoretical and methodological approaches used to study world history, and to some of the large themes that arise in it, such as migrations and diasporas, frontiers, colonialism, and decolonization, global cities, and biological and ecological exchanges. At the same time, those enrolled will do concentrated work in two of the following regions of the world: Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North America. At least one field must be outside Europe and North America. The faculty is drawn from the History department and from allied programs such as East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, American Studies, Middle East Studies, and Africana Studies. The Director and Faculty Advisor for the World History Program is Zvi Ben-Dor Benite.
Student Life:
One of the many benefits to students of graduate education at New York University is the world of opportunities outside the classroom. New York City’s claim to be the intellectual and cultural capital of the world is backed by the quality and quantity of its institutions. As the city serves as home to some of the nation’s most valued museums, libraries, and archives as well as some of its best theaters, clubs, and restaurants. Of course, one of its strongest advantages is its critical mass of outstanding universities which attract scholars from all over the country and world, and which makes studying history and international as well as an urban experience. For example, the New School’s Committee for Historical Studies, a few blocks north of Washington Square Park, offers a “Think then Drink” lecture series, providing students an opportunity to learn and to socialize.
But one need not venture outside the university to find a wealth of social, cultural, and intellectual activities. This department offers a lecture series titled “Culture, Politics, and Society” which is always followed by a lunch and social gathering. The Women’s History Program offers both a formal series of lectures and weekly breakfast meetings for students and faculty to discuss historical, theoretical, and political issues affecting women. The interdisciplinary Graduate Student History Workshop allows students to share conference papers, potential articles, and dissertation chapters with their peers. The Medieval and Renaissance Graduate Information Network (MARGIN) recently formed to promote an interdisciplinary conservation about topics in Medieval and Renaissance studies. Currently there are plans to form a graduate student workshop focusing on African-American History. There is at the graduate school level a Black Graduate Studies Association (BGSA), which is open to all students interested in matters related to Africa and its Diaspora. The association sponsors an annual conference and also has support, networking, and social functions.
The above represents only a modest sampling of student life, and all incoming students are encouraged to ask other students and faculty for more information. Of course, you are encouraged to attend lectures and seminars and perhaps join at least one student association.
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