Department of History

RONALD D. SCHULTZ, B.A. California State University—Long Beach 1971; M.A. University of California—Los Angeles 1976; Ph.D. 1985; Professor of History 1996, 1985.

ADRIAN A. BANTJES, B.A. University of Leiden, The Netherlands 1980; M.A. 1983; Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin 1991; Associate Professor of History 1997, 1991.
MICHAEL C. BROSE, B.S. Seattle Pacific University 1978; M.Sc. University of British Columbia 1985; M.A. University of Washington 1991; Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2000; Associate Professor of History 2006, 2000.
MARIANNE R. KAMP, B.A. Dartmouth College 1985; Ph.D. University of Chicago 1998; Associate Professor of History 2005, 2000.
MARK D. POTTER, B.A. University of California - Berkeley 1989; M.A. University of California - Los Angeles 1992; Ph.D. 1997; Associate Professor of History 2004, 1998.
PHILIP J. ROBERTS, B.A. University of Wyoming 1973; J.D. 1977; Ph.D. University of Washington 1990; Associate Professor of History 2000, 1990.
KRISTINE T. UTTERBACK, B.M. Bowling Green State University 1972; M.M. University of Wisconsin 1977; M.A. 1977; M.A. University of Toronto 1980; Ph.D. Center for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto 1984; Associate Professor of History 1992, 1986.

CHERYL A. WELLS, B.A. Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada 1995; M.A. University of South Carolina 1998; Ph.D. 2002; Associate Professor of History 2007,  2002.

DAVID MESSENGER, B.A. McGill University 1993; M.A. University of Toronto 1994; Ph.D. 2000; Assistant Professor of History 2006.

Campbell, Elliot, Flesher, Hosmer, Simpson

Cook, Dieterich, Gruenfelder, Hardy, Kohler, Williams

The study of History at the University of Wyoming provides students with the tools to comprehend the present in order to prepare for the future. Challenging courses are designed to facilitate critical thinking and the development of analytical skills. Each of our courses features the discussion of complex issues, the development of writing and reading skills, and is generally oriented toward promoting individual enrichment. Our liberal arts undergraduate program of study encourages students to work toward a variety of career choices such as public history, archives and museum work, law, education, management, writing, government service, and graduate studies. The ability to develop perspective, render informed judgments, and function as productive citizens of the global community stand as hallmarks of our program.

PRE-LAW advising is available. The American Bar Association encourages a broad base curriculum with an emphasis on critical thinking, communication, and writing skills. The department has advisers available to assist with designing a curriculum to meet pre-law students’ needs.

To complete the Bachelor of Arts degree in history, the student must present at least 33 semester credit hours in history courses or approved substitutions. The courses must be taken for letter grades and a grade of C or better must be earned. Three semesters of credit in the same foreign language is required in the history major. College and university requirements must be satisfied as well, including Wyoming/U.S. Constitutional requirement that can be satisfied by completing either HIST 1211 or HIST 1221 or HIST 1251. The total hours required is 120 with 1 hour of Physical Education Credit (121 hours).

The history major has considerable leeway in course selection. Most courses taken as a freshman and sophomore are devoted to satisfying general university and the Arts & Sciences college requirements. During the first four semesters students are encouraged to take the 1000-2000 level 2003 University Studies Requirements (USP) as well as the required 12 hours of 1000-2000 level History courses. In junior and senior years, students take HIST 3020, 4030, and 15 hours of 3000-4000 History courses as well as the College of Arts & Sciences Core requirements. Three additional credit hours of history electives are required to total the 36 hours needed for the major. See below for general course suggestions; for more detail contact the department.

Because of the flexibility of the History program, history majors are encouraged to choose a minor in consultation with their academic adviser. The minor often can be embedded in the USP requirements and the A&S requirements, and usually does not require additional hours to complete. Additional History courses may not exceed 50 total hours to complete degree requirements. Students are encouraged to work closely with their assigned department adviser in preparing their schedules.

Note: USP requirements of L and D will be embedded in course choices.

Transfer Students: Please contact the Department concerning requirements.

Public history designates the areas and careers that involve historical materials used for the general audience. Archives and museum management, historical preservation, historical publishing, planning and consulting on historical topics in public policy or film-making are among the fields covered by public history.

Along with its degree program, the Department of History offers a concentration in public history to students who complete the concentration requirements (18 semester hours). For further information, contact the history department. Completion of a concentration allows listing of the course of study on the student’s transcript. Students should declare their intention to pursue the concentration prior to registering for the courses.

PBH REQ1:

1. Complete HIST 2050, 4050

PBH INTERN:

2. Complete 3 hours of HIST 4400

PBH HIST PRES:

3. Complete 9 hours in the following areas:

Historical Preservation

Archives

Historical Publishing and Programming

Museums and Sites Management

Please see the department web site for a complete list of classes in PBH.