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History

The history program at UC Santa Cruz is designed to bring about an understanding of the ideas, experiences, and events that have shaped this country and the world at large. The program's main emphases are in social and cultural history, with additional strengths in intellectual and political history.

A degree in history opens up a wide range of career possibilities. Some careers fall within the historical profession, including teaching at the university, college, and high school levels and working in various areas of public and applied history, such as historic preservation, archives, libraries, and museums. For careers in fields as diverse as law, business, government, foreign service, publishing, journalism, and communications, a degree in history lays the foundation in research, analytic, and writing skills upon which later professional training can be built.

For more information about a history major or minor, visit the degree requirements page, here.

Classical Studies

"Classics" is a traditional designation for the study of the literature, history, and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. Classical studies at UCSC combines features of traditional programs, such as solid grounding in the ancient languages, with innovative, interdisciplinary approaches (literary theory, gender studies, performance, and film).

Classical studies is an interdisciplinary field. While the core of the major is focused on courses in the ancient Greek and Latin languages, the major also includes courses in history, history of art and visual culture, linguistics, literature, philosophy, politics, religious studies, and theater arts. Students are encouraged to study the literary and material artifacts of Greece and Rome within the larger context of ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern cultures.

The classical studies major offers an opportunity to work in small classes with a dedicated teaching faculty and excellent fellow students. Over the years, classical studies has averaged six to ten majors per year. Classical studies is an excellent preparation for further study in a wide variety of graduate and professional programs including comparative literature, English, philosophy, law, and publishing.

The basic requirements for the classical studies major allow a variety of emphases and concentrations. For example, students with an interest in contemporary philosophy and political theory might want to concentrate in Greek, taking upper-division courses in Greek, history, philosophy, and politics. Students with an interest in European literature might want to concentrate in Latin, taking upper-division courses in Latin, history, and literature in translation. Students planning on pursuing a classics degree at the Ph. D. level should concentrate most of their course work in the Greek and Latin languages themselves.

For more information about a classical studies major or minor, visit the degree requirements page, here.

East Asian Studies

Students of East Asian studies at UC Santa Cruz may select from among the following programs:
* A minor in Chinese or Japanese studies, with a major in any discipline in any division. The student is expected to acquire a speaking and reading ability in Chinese or Japanese sufficient to pursue advanced studies in China or Japan and use Chinese or Japanese source material for research. A student who wishes to complete the East Asian studies program should enroll in beginning Japanese or Chinese no later than the sophomore year. Requirements for the minor are outlined below. Students seeking further information about the minor should contact the History Department office, located at Humanities 1, 201. Requirements for the minor are outlined below.
* A major or minor in the Chinese or Japanese concentration of language studies. Requirements for this major are found at the Linguistics Department web site, http://ling.ucsc.edu.
* An individual major in East Asian studies is another option. Currently, this option is only available in Chinese studies. Students may pursue intensive study in Chinese language and accompanying courses, including study abroad, to gain a broad social, political and cultural understanding of China. Students interested should contact their college advising office.

For more information about an east asian studies minor, visit the minor requirements page, here.

German Studies

German studies is a transnational and transdisciplinary major that deals with the various German-speaking regions of central Europe. Whether one thinks of philosophy, music, art, education, religion, or political and social history, German culture has exercised a profound and often decisive influence on Europe. Some of the most important ideological debates in Western culture have arisen in the German-speaking area, and changes in German culture and society have sometimes had devastating effects on world history. Events and political developments of recent years such as the unification of East and West Germany and the emergence of the German-speaking region of Europe as a major player in world affairs have had important impacts.

A German studies major provides students with an intellectually diverse program covering history, history of art and visual culture, literature, and philosophy in which students and faculty come together in exciting, and demanding pursuits.

For more information about a german studies major, visit the degree requirements page, here.

Jewish Studies

The Minor in Jewish Studies introduces students to the study of modern, medieval, and ancient Jewish cultures and to the range of disciplines that bear upon the field, while both enhancing and supporting students' work in their own majors. This introduction to Jewish Studies is helpful for students who plan to do graduate work in Jewish Studies, whether through traditional disciplines or in Jewish Studies programs, and also for students who plan to attend rabbinical schools or to find work with Jewish communities. For others with an interest in Jewish topics, but without such plans, a Minor in Jewish Studies offers intellectual enrichment and a focus within the student's chosen field.

The Minor in Jewish Studies is designed to complement existing majors in the Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Jewish Studies at UCSC was conceived as an interdisciplinary program; students are urged to plan their Minor with a faculty advisor. There are also significant library resources at UCSC, including the Baumann Endowment for Classic Jewish Texts, the Neufeld-Levin Holocaust Materials Archive, and the Brose Fund for Visual Arts and Jewish Culture.

This Minor offers students the chance to gain knowledge and skills in a variety of contexts focusing on various aspects of Jewish culture, with special reference, though not limited to, modern issues. The Minor will help them prepare to move successfully into graduate or professional programs in a variety of disciplines, especially in the Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. The Minor will provide students with a grounding in materials fundamental to western culture and liberal education, of value to majors in all divisions. In both emphasizing and interrogating modern aspects, this Minor connects with a range of disciplines and programs on the UC Santa Cruz campus that explore both the meanings and the perils of modernity. At the same time, this Minor will help students to further develop analytical tools, strategic versatility, and both critical and cultural literacy.

For more information about a jewish studies minor, visit the minor requirements page, here.