The Ohio University Contemporary History Institute, created in 1987, offers a unique course of interdisciplinary graduate-level study in the application of post-1945 history to current policy issues. The institute is centered in the Department of History, but it also draws faculty and students from the Departments of Economics and Political Science, the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, and the Honors Tutorial College.
The institute does not grant degrees but offers a certificate in contemporary history that serves as an adjunct to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in history, the M.A. degrees in economics and political science, the M.S. degree in journalism, and the Ph.D. degree in mass communication (journalism sequence). The institute's certificate also can be earned in connection with a four-year Honors Tutorial College bachelor's degree in one of the participating departments. Students receive the institute's certificate after satisfactorily completing a sequence of interdisciplinary seminars and tutorials focusing on the content, methodology, and potential applications of contemporary history, and writing a thesis or dissertation on some aspect of that subject that meets the requirements of the student's degree-granting department.
Apply for admission in history, economics, journalism, or political science using the standard application form but indicating "Contemporary History" as the specific area within the graduate major in which you wish to work. If you are an Honors Tutorial College student, apply through your departmental director of tutorial studies.
The Contemporary History Institute admissions committee will evaluate applications only after admission has been granted in one of the participating departments. All applicants to the institute will be considered automatically for fellowships. You may be asked to provide additional supporting material.
Admission to the Contemporary History Institute is granted only for classes beginning in the fall quarter of each academic year. Applications for fall must be received by February 1.
Requirements for the certificate in contemporary history are:
601 Introduction to Contemporary History (5)
Investigates the nature of contemporary history: major philosophical and conceptual problems; substantive content; interpretive trends; opportunities for interdisciplinary analysis.
Staff; A.
602 Issues and Sources in Contemporary History (5)
Focuses in detail on several specific substantive issues in contemporary history in relation to the sources available for researching them; training in the use of government documents, newspapers, periodicals, microform materials, and databases; problems of access, including use of the Freedom of Information Act; problems of evaluating and interpreting such material.
Staff; A.
603 Applications of Contemporary History (5)
Examines potential application of contemporary historical analysis in professional fields such as government, journalism, telecommunications, education, and business; case studies on the uses and misuses of history in these fields; discussion of how the results of historical research can most effectively be communicated in other fields.
Staff; A.
604 Tutorial in Contemporary History (5)
Individual consultation with one or more participating faculty with a view to providing an appropriate intellectual and methodological context for writing the thesis or dissertation on a contemporary history topic in one of the participating departments. Emphasis on interdisciplinary analysis.
Staff; A.
Return to 1995-1997 Graduate Catalog Table of Contents
University Publications and the Computer Services Center revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/~gcat/95-97/areas/conthist.html) April 13, 1998.
Please e-mail comments or suggestions to "gcat@www.cats.ohiou.edu."