Exploring How Literature Intersects With Psychology 

Many of us enjoy a good book, and while we can usually identify what we like about it—interesting characters, an intriguing plot, the setting, etc.—we don’t always think more deeply about how those specific qualities connect with us. We certainly do feel them, however, and those evoked emotions are just one area in which psychology and literature meet. Here we’ll discuss that intersection further with a couple of examples from the writer’s perspective and a couple from the reader’s perspective. 

The Writer’s Perspective 

Creating a Character That’s Like a Real Person 

As a writer creates a character, they consider that character’s motivations, emotions, past experiences, and other psychological factors that will drive their actions throughout the narrative. This aids in making a character believable and relatable to the reader. By giving them a distinctive personality, habits, and quirks, the writer also makes them a multidimensional character—more like an actual human being. Though one-dimensional characters can serve a purpose in a story, a multidimensional character is much more interesting to the reader. 

Eliciting a Psychological Response That Inspires Action 

Through their stories and characters, writers often endeavor to elicit thoughts and emotions from their readers that inspire action or inspire a change in mindset that leads to action, such as: 

• Questioning their own biases through an examination of the characters’ inner lives  
• Answering a call to activism 
• Developing empathy for a particular social group or condition 
• Considering alternative viewpoints to widely accepted notions 

The Reader’s Perspective 

Identifying With the Bad Guy 

Psychology and literature intersect in a very dramatic way in first-person stories. These give readers perhaps the most comprehensive view of the inner workings of the protagonist’s mind, though since we only know what they tell us, we must consider that they may be unreliable narrators. The first-person voice facilitates readers’ empathy and identification with characters, even unlikable ones: 

Richard III, the eponymous character of the William Shakespeare play, is one example. He is physically deformed from birth, and this garners some sympathy from the reader, but his true flaw is a murderous lust for power that leads him to order the death of his two young nephews and others who might stand in his way.  

Alex, the sociopathic main character of the Anthony Burgess novel “A Clockwork Orange,” leads us through his gang activities—beatings, rapes, and robberies—his eventual imprisonment, his ostensible rehabilitation through aversion therapy, and the aftermath. Yet he possesses a certain charm and sophistication that almost makes him a sympathetic character. 

Bolstering Mental Health Through Reading 

Reading can help sharpen the mind, stave off dementia, reduce stress, and increase our ability to think critically and empathetically—all while sparking the imagination and providing a temporary escape from everyday concerns. As stated in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet, “attentive immersion in great literature can help relieve, restore, and reinvigorate the troubled mind—and can play a part in relieving stress and anxiety, as well as other troubled states of mind.”  

This is supported to the extent that a practice called “creative bibliotherapy,” or the reading of literature in a guided or group setting, is being used to promote prosocial behavior and minimize aggression, depression, and anxiety among participants.  

Get Motivated to Earn Your Degree! 

The University of Texas Permian Basin offers two enriching online degree programs that will give the literature lover in you a deeper appreciation of the art form. 

Online Bachelor of Arts in English 

If you’re just getting started on your college journey—whether you’re looking at some degrees or have already earned a few credits but haven’t declared a major—this program provides a clear path forward. Our BA in English equips you with valuable skills that will benefit you throughout all your personal and professional endeavors. As you complete your degree, you’ll: 

• Develop the soft and durable skills today’s employers are seeking in job candidates. 
• Broaden your knowledge through a diverse selection of general education courses. 
• Expand your awareness of global perspectives. 
• Lay the foundation for graduate English studies. 
• Prepare for law school with a curriculum that aligns with the LSAT. 

If you want to learn more about how psychology and literature connect, or even psychology as a stand-alone subject, these BA in English courses may interest you: 

• PSYC 1301 Introduction to Psychology 
• ENGL 4371 Rhetoric and Composition 

Online Master of Arts in English 

If you already have a bachelor’s degree or are in the process of completing one, this program will enable you to further cultivate your appreciation for the English language and culture. You’ll enjoy unique opportunities, including the ability to: 

• Earn a degree that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states can lead to 16% higher earnings than a bachelor’s degree. 
• Continue your studies from our BA in English program. 
• Complete your choice of four capstone courses—a flexible option you won’t find elsewhere. 
• Graduate in as little as a year and a half. 

If you want to learn more about psychology in a literary context and beyond, these MA in English courses may interest you: 

• ENGL 6330 Literature and Mythology 
• ENGL 6389 Literary Fairy Tales 

Get more program details and apply today! 

Sources: 

https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/benefits-of-reading-rcna61735  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6370723/   
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8993009/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-29712-006
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-exactly-creative-bibliotherapy-anne-vize
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)00337-8/fulltext

This November, American families will gather around the dinner table to feast on stuffed turkey before celebrating a timeless Thanksgiving tradition: Thursday Night Football.  

Thanksgiving as we know it bears little resemblance to historical events. Once upon a time, Native Americans shared stores of food with English settlers—strangers from across the Atlantic—who would have starved were it not for their generosity.  

That’s the story of Thanksgiving—at least, the story told to school children. The idea that Native Americans capitulated to colonialism by welcoming English settlers to their ancestral land is a myth: one perpetuated to cover up a tragic and bloody history.  

Let’s travel back to a time when fortune and freedom were promised to anyone who could lay claim to the Americas and discover what led to Native Americans and English settlers sharing the first harvest feast.  

Here’s the real history of Thanksgiving.  

The Promise of … Religious Theocracy  

The Mayflower embarked from Plymouth, England, in September 1620 bound for the “New World.” The ancestors of Native Americans living in the Americas as far back as 30,000 years ago may have taken issue with that term, however. 

The Pilgrims traveled to the Americas in search of religious freedom, or so the story goes. In truth, they were separatists who wanted to own land, make their fortune, and set up a religious theocracy, which is kind of the opposite of freedom. Sidenote: They never referred to themselves as Pilgrims. The term “Pilgrim” wouldn’t pop up until the 1880s.  

After 66 days at sea, the Mayflower made landfall near the tip of Cape Cod and, one month later, crossed Massachusetts Bay. There, the Pilgrims established Plymouth Colony, having found a village, spring, and fertile fields ready for the taking. A prime example of manifest destiny, right? Well, the only reason the land was unoccupied was because the Native Americans living there had been wiped out by disease.  

The First Winter and A Surprise Visitor 

The first winter was unforgiving. Of the 102 passengers aboard the Mayflower, half wouldn’t live to see spring. That’s when they received a surprise visit from a member of the Abenaki tribe. He spoke English and later returned with Tisquantum, known as Squanto.  

A member of Pawtuxet, a band of the Wampanoag tribe, Squanto had been captured and sold into slavery in 1614. He learned English in England. Later, he escaped in London and returned to his home across the Atlantic.  

First Contact 

Wampanoags had experienced a century of contact with English settlers, and they didn’t always exchange pleasantries. At least two Wampanoags had been victims of the slave trade and had already been to and returned from Europe.    

Squanto became a translator and teacher, showing the Pilgrims how to fish, grow corn, avoid poisonous plants, and extract sap from maple trees. However, for all his kindness, Squanto may have only been laying the groundwork for a meeting with Wampanoag sachem (chief) Ousamequin. 

A Feast to Celebrate the Harvest  

The Pilgrim’s first corn harvest was successful. Governor William Bradford organized a feast to celebrate and invited the colony’s Native American allies, including Wampanoag chief Ousamequin. America’s “first Thanksgiving” lasted three days. Alas, there was no pumpkin pie, candied yams, or potato casserole on the menu. Without an oven, the Pilgrims made due with dishes prepared using traditional Native American cooking methods, including roasted wild fowl and deer.  

Senior Plymouth leader (and later chronicler of the Pilgrims) Edward Winslow wrote:  

“… many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit (Ousamequin), with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted … And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” 

Ousamequin would form a shaky alliance with the Pilgrims in the hopes that they would fend off their rivals: the Narragansetts. The alliance lasted 50 years (hey, there’s a silver lining!), but would end in war. King Philip’s War, also known as the Great Narragansett War, was a bloody conflict that resulted in the ruin of the Wampanoag tribe.  

The First Thanksgiving?   

Was this the first-ever Thanksgiving? Doubtful. Harvest festivals date back millennia and were celebrated across cultures. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Before landing in the Americas, European settlers had a long history of feasting during times of plenty. Native Americans had similar feasts to commemorate the fall harvest.  

A National Holiday to Heal the Nation 

In 1827, abolitionist and “Mary Had a Little Lamb” author Sarah Joseph Hale launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. She spent 36 years writing to politicians and presidents and became known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving.”  

At the height of the Civil War in 1863, Abraham Lincoln called for an annual Thanksgiving celebration to be held on the last Thursday of November. The move was likely strategic, with Lincoln encouraging Americans to ask God to “heal the wounds of the nation.” 

Thanksgiving Today 

Thanksgiving is taxing for many Native Americans, particularly those of the Wampanoag tribe, whose lives were forever changed after the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. Wampanoag adults recall learning about the history of Thanksgiving in grade school, feeling invisible while teachers dispensed a Disneyfied version of events. Society, in their eyes, is making light of tragic events that weigh heavily on Native Americans. The Wampanoags of today commemorate Thanksgiving not as a day of thanks but as a day of mourning.  

Pursue Your Passion for History 

If you’re interested in Native American history, consider enrolling in our online course Native North America: Contact to Removal. This course surveys American Indigenous history from the period before European contact through forced removal policies and is offered as part of our 100% online Master of Arts in History program.  

Earn an MA in History From UT Permian Basin 

The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online MA in history program is ideal for aspiring educators, historians, and legislators, among others. Throughout this 30-credit online program, students explore the diverse people and unbelievable events that shaped the world we live in.  

We’ve already mentioned Native North America: Contact to Removal, but other core courses include: 

• Industrial Revolutions 
• American Revolution 
• Civil War 
• The 1920s 
• World War I 

We’ve designed our program to be as accessible as possible. We offer a non-thesis option, in which all credit hours are devoted to coursework. Courses are entirely online and asynchronous, allowing you to pursue your graduate degree on your schedule. As a student, you’ll also have the option to enroll in graduate-level live remote courses offered by the history department.  

If you’re an aspiring professional or a history buff looking to turn your passion into a career, our program may be right for you. Apply now to our online Master of Arts in History program before history repeats itself—and you have to wait another semester.  

Sources: 
https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/thanksgiving-myth-and-what-we-should-be-teaching-kids-180973655/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/21/us/thanksgiving-myths-fact-check.html

“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure …” 

— Gandalf in “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien  

Adventure calls and a hero answers. Along the way, they encounter unlikely allies, formidable foes, and trials that will test their resolve. Against all odds, they prevail, and the world will never be the same.  

Sound familiar?  

This is the hero’s journey: a story structure followed by virtually every bestselling novel, blockbuster movie, and hit TV show. Spoiler alert! We’re here to talk about how the hero’s journey has shaped the craft of storytelling. Join us as we spoil every plot point and twist ending you’ll ever encounter!  

Joseph Campbell and the Monomyth 

The hero’s journey comes from author Joseph Campbell and his seminal work “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” which was published to widespread acclaim in 1949. In it, Campbell presents the concept of the monomyth: a narrative pattern shared by all heroic tales, transcending historical, cultural, and regional differences. (Shoutout to James Joyce for coining the term.) 

Myths reveal universal truths about human nature, with themes “appearing everywhere in new combinations while remaining, like the elements of a kaleidoscope, only a few and always the same.” Myths, Campbell believed, inspire us to live a blissful life in harmony with our inner selves. 

The Stages of the Hero’s Journey 

We’re all searching for the meaning of life. So are our mythical heroes, “who must travel to an unknown world and do battle with the powers of darkness in order to return with the gift of knowledge.” The hero’s journey breaks down the monomyth into stages, outlining the transformative quest a hero undertakes to overcome whatever challenge they’re presented with.  

Campbell described anywhere from 17 to 31 stages in the hero’s journey. Inspired by “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” Hollywood story consultant Christopher Vogler developed a condensed, simplified version of the hero’s journey that can be applied to almost any story, particularly screenplays. 

The 12 stages of the hero’s journey, as described by Vogler, are: 

1. The Ordinary World: We see the hero in the Ordinary World before they’re thrust into a Special World.  

2. The Call to Adventure: The hero is presented with a challenge that can only be overcome by abandoning the comfort of the Ordinary World. 

3. Refusal of the Call: No journey worth taking is without risk, and the hero is reluctant to take on such a life-altering challenge.  

4. Mentor (the Wise Old Man or Woman): A Merlin-like character appears to guide the hero on their journey, representing the bond we share with our role models (e.g., parents and teachers).  

5. Crossing the First Threshold: The hero accepts the Call to Adventure and enters the Special World. Now the story really begins.  

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies: The hero encounters new challenges, learning the rules of the Special World the hard way.  

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: The hero pauses before entering the most dangerous place in the Special World: the Inmost Cave, where the villain and the object of the journey reside.  

8. The Supreme Ordeal: It’s life or death! The hero confronts their greatest fear in battle and dies (literally or metaphorically), so they can be reborn.  

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword): The hero prevails to claim the reward: a “sword” — a weapon, elixir, or bit of knowledge that can “heal the wounded land.” 

10. The Road Back: Vengeful forces chase the hero for Seizing the Sword, leaving no choice but for them to return to the Ordinary World.  

11. Resurrection: The villain makes one last desperate attempt to thwart the hero: a final test to prove whether the hero’s learned the lesson of the Supreme Ordeal.  

12. Return With Elixir: The hero returns to the Ordinary World and delivers the Elixir, a treasure (e.g., love, freedom, wisdom, or knowledge), to their community. 

Coming to a Theater Near You 

Scriptwriters and storytellers have for decades used the hero’s (and heroine’s) journey as a blueprint to craft stories that resonate with all audiences. Famously, George Lucas took inspiration from “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” when making “Star Wars: A New Hope.” A more contemporary example can be found in “The Hunger Games” and its heroine, Katniss Everdeen. (Luke is trained by the wizened Ben Kenobi, while Katniss is mentored by the jaded Haymitch Abernathy. Can you spot any other parallels?) 

The hero’s journey has influenced countless books, films, and TV shows. If, however, you’re worried it leaves little room for originality, don’t be. Think of the hero’s journey as a tool, highlighting the common elements of modern storytelling. And like any other tool in a writer’s repertoire, its effectiveness depends on how it’s used.  

Answer the Call to Adventure 

Whether you’re an aspiring writer or avid reader, there’s so much more to learn about literature, visual arts, and the cultural, historical, and psychological elements that influence these works. If you have an insatiable appetite for storytelling, we recommend studying English online at The University of Texas Permian Basin. 

We offer two English degrees: A Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in English, both of which are offered entirely online. Gain a deep understanding of the English language by looking at modern and classic literary works. Study your favorite movies in one of our film courses, or enroll in a literature course to examine the works of British and American authors. (Check out Literature and Mythology for more on the mythological allusions found in pop culture.)  

Stuck in the Ordinary World? Visit the above program pages to learn more about online learning at UT Permian Basin. If, however, you’re ready to answer the Call to Adventure, apply to one of our online English programs. 

Sources: 
https://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:qGPBdNK8njwJ:scholar.google.com/&hl=en&as_sdt=0,10
https://bornagaintechnologies.org/ohs/moodledata/8/Summary_of_Hero_s_Journey.pdf

The Boston Tea Party is one of those historical events that most Americans know about, though for many the details are somewhat sketchy. (Spoiler alert: It wasn’t a party, and no tea was consumed, though it was the focus of the event.) The Boston Tea Party was actually a revolutionary statement to Parliament and the then-reigning monarch of Great Britain, King George III, about trade restrictions placed on the popular beverage and other related issues. Let’s look at this historical episode and its larger context: a story that involves nefarious dealings with international smugglers, a false flag operation, and another highly popular beverage. 

Tea Time Troubles Brew 

When British subjects crossed the Atlantic Ocean and settled as colonists in the Americas, they brought their noted fondness for tea with them and weren’t about to let geography deprive them of their homeland habit. At that time, most tea was imported to the Colonies; even today, tea is still not widely grown in the United States. 

In the 1770s, the British East India Company (EIC)—which transported tea but was also closely associated with the trafficking of African slaves to the Colonies—was experiencing financial problems. To bolster the struggling company, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which made the EIC the exclusive importer of tea to the American Colonies, among other stipulations.  

There had already been a tea tax in place in the Colonies since 1767, though some tea merchants had sidestepped this by purchasing tea from Dutch smugglers. This latest exertion of control by the government back home did not sit well with the independent tea sellers that were edged out by EIC’s monopoly and low-price advantage. The Wal-Mart Effect, some 233 years before the term was coined.  

America’s First False Flag Operation? 

While tea merchants in other port cities refused to do business under the new terms, Boston’s royal governor, Thomas Hutchinson, was steadfast in cooperating. However, some locals had another idea. 

What happened at the Boston Tea Party? Dozens of men dressed as Native Americans stormed Boston Harbor one crisp December night in 1773, boarded EIC ships, and dumped about £18,000 worth of tea overboard. (Some accounts have participants breaking open the heavy chests before pouring the tea directly into the water, while others have them heaving the chests into the water.) The incident was famously immortalized in a 1970s educational cartoon. 

Samuel Adams—influential writer, politician, signatory to the Declaration of Independence, and inspiration for the beer brand that’s sold today—was a Colonial rights supporter who opposed the Tea Act and “taxation without representation.” The night of the Boston Tea Party, Adams spoke at a large meeting of likeminded individuals at Boston’s Old South Meeting House. Some attendees later took part in dumping tea into Boston Harbor, though Adams’s role in planning that act of protest and whereabouts during the act itself remain unclear. 

A Large Bill Comes Due 

Parliament responded to the Boston Tea Party with wide-ranging sanctions against Massachusetts in particular. While this may have been predictable, it served as yet another point of contention in an escalating feud between the Colonies and their mother country. About 16 months later, the American Revolutionary War broke out. That conflict lasted more than eight years and, in combination with a small outbreak that ran concurrently, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. But it also gave birth to an independent nation that showed Britain its control over its growing global footprint could be successfully challenged.  

Revisit History and Enrich Your Future 

One of the most fascinating aspects of studying history is gaining a more nuanced perspective on some eras and events and a more accurate understanding of those that may be commonly misunderstood. Delivered in a 100% online, asynchronous format, The University of Texas Permian Basin’s Master of Arts in History program features in-depth 16-week courses that illuminate the American Revolution and other pivotal epochs of American and world history. View all program courses here. 

How can an MA in history degree prepare you for a more rewarding future? Consider these facts: 

• UT Permian Basin’s MA in history program helps you become a stronger communicator and critical and analytical thinker. These qualities are highly prized by today’s employers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Forbes. 
• The broadly applicable soft or durable skills you develop will help set you up for success in a variety of professional fields.  
• Master’s degree holders’ median annual earnings are $86,372—about 16% higher than those of individuals who have a bachelor’s degree alone. 

Ready to go back in time so that you can move forward? Start your journey today! 

Sources: 
https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Tea-Party
https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/king-george-iii-biography
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Samuel-Adams
https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/11/7-myths-boston-tea-party/

You stuck around through the movie credits in the hope of seeing an extra scene at the end. Just before that scene, “MMXXIII” appears on the screen. Why? Depending upon when you went to school, you may have never learned that those letters represent “2023,” but there was a time when countless schoolkids had to.  

From our earliest schooldays, we’re taught skills that can help us navigate careers, interpersonal relations, and, ideally, whatever the future may throw at us. New technology, societal changes, and other factors often render some skills obsolete. Let’s review a few of them before diving into lasting, broadly applicable skills and where you can acquire them. 

Reading and Using Roman Numerals  

The seven-digit Roman numeral system was devised by the Romans in the pre-B.C. era. It wasn’t until 1931, however, when American educators advocated Roman numerals be taught during elementary school. Today, many schools no longer formally teach Roman numerals, but teachers may still reference them in some classes. Even if you don’t know your Roman numerals, you might recognize them from every modern Super Bowl—e.g., “LVII,” which took place in early 2023— and may spot them on some clocks and government buildings. It’s good to know Roman numerals, but you may not need them in your XXI century (21st century) career.  

Reading an Analog Clock 

What has no hands but many digits? A digital clock or watch. 

Whether found at city hall, a bank, or elsewhere, a towering analog (traditional) clock seems to lend gravitas to a building. Clocks like these are likely to stay around as long as their respective buildings stand. But what about the skill of reading an analog clock or watch? The modern ubiquity of mobile phones, computers, and other devices that by default display the time in digits have rendered “telling time” a dead skill.  

Some schools are still teaching students to read analog clocks around the age of six, a practice that’s widely supported by parents. Further, a 2021 CBS News poll showed that nearly three-quarters of Americans believe this skill should be taught in schools. But time may not be on the side of analog clocks; as years advance, parents of schoolchildren will no longer have grown up with analog clocks and may have different views. 

Writing in Cursive 

With the prevalence of texting and email in everyday communication and the use of computers to create work documents, cursive writing has languished as a foundational skill. Fewer than half of U.S. states—21, to be exact—require the teaching of cursive in public schools. Cursive handwriting, as unique to the individual as a fingerprint or DNA, helps children develop key motor skills and greater mental acuity, among other benefits. Still, a 2022 NEA Today Facebook poll showed educators divided on whether cursive is critical to young learners. Those who downplayed the importance of cursive generally felt efforts spent teaching an obsolete skill would be better placed elsewhere.  

Using a Library Card Catalog and the Dewey Decimal System 

The bulky wooden card catalog cabinet, a fixture in libraries since at least the late 1800s, stored the basic details and location of books within the library. Each card in the cabinet identified a book’s location using the Dewey Decimal System. Developed in 1876, this numeric system was divided into broad classes including religion, social sciences, language, pure science, and literature, with each class having multiple subcategories. Using the Dewey Decimal System required some interpretation, and hence, for some schoolchildren, was akin to learning a new language. 

The card catalog was declared dead by Smithsonian Magazine in 2015 when the Online Computer Library Center ceased printing the cards. The Library of Congress still houses a card catalog, however. Collectors can sometimes find the cabinets in antique stores, and the cards have been recycled or otherwise repurposed. To look up a library book now, we enter a search term into a library webpage, either from inside the library or any location with internet access.  

Using the Metric System 

Based around units of 10, the metric system is the global standard in scientific fields and was once taught in the U.S. as early as elementary school. But we remain one of very few countries that never adopted the metric system. (England—officially a metric country—still incorporates the “English system” that we use in the U.S.) U.S. momentum for the switch to metric ground to a halt during the 1980s, though there have been recent renewed efforts. With our country now firmly a part of a global economy, there may be a business case to make for going metric, though none of us should hold our breath. 

It may be hard to believe—or even funny to some—that these were once considered important skills. But they were. Are there enduring skills that will help you in practically any career? Absolutely! 

Soft But Durable Skills 

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, soft skills provide today’s jobseekers with a “competitive edge,” as they are among the skills most sought after by employers. Forbes concurs. Durable skills, a more specific term gaining ground with experts and employers, are also in high demand. A sort of “Soft Skills 2.0,” durable skills by definition have a half-life of over 7.5 years and include: 

• Problem-solving 
• Teamwork 
• Critical thinking  

In a study of 82 million job postings, about 70% included durable skills. These listings represented positions unlikely to be eliminated by future automation and many were leadership roles, demonstrating that durable skills can continue to benefit professionals for years. Despite this, durable skills are in short supply among today’s job seekers, as reported by Forbes in 2022. The skills aren’t widely taught in schools, and many individuals finish high school or even college underprepared to enter the workforce. 

Where to Build Skills That Last 

UT Permian Basin’s online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities is a multidisciplinary program that broadens your perspective of human history and cultures. Working with one of our faculty advisors, you can steer your studies to your specific interests by choosing two to four concentrations from areas encompassing foreign languages, history, communication, the arts, and other essential subjects. As you complete your degree, you’ll develop highly sought-after—and lasting—skills that will benefit you in a career and beyond, including communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, and teamwork. 

Our BA in humanities program is delivered in an asynchronous, 100% online format that empowers you to maintain your professional and personal commitments while earning your degree. You can access the virtual classroom online on your own schedule from practically anywhere in the world—just like today’s library catalogs. No campus attendance is required. 

Hone in-demand skills that will stay with you for life! See more details about our online BA in humanities program or apply now.  

Sources: 
https://www.britannica.com/story/is-it-still-important-to-learn-roman-numerals
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/librarian-congress-weighs-why-card-catalogs-matter-180963371/

We’re back with five more feminist writers who changed history. If you didn’t catch our first list, you can find it here.  

History is replete with authors and poets who turned pain into prose, giving voice to the women of their time. There are so many feminist writers worth mentioning (and reading); we couldn’t possibly get to all of them, but this list should tide you over until next time. If not, stick around to learn what to do with your insatiable appetite for literature.  

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) 

At her Paris salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, Gertrude Stein hosted the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and other now-famous American authors she dubbed “the lost generation.” Yet Stein is anything but a supporting character in history.  

Her work was fragmented and experimental, reflecting the avant-garde art of her time and the paintings of her friend Pablo Picasso. Lines like “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” from her 1913 poem “Sacred Emily” confounded audiences and critics alike. However, as evidenced by her bestselling book “The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas”—which took the form of an “autobiography” written by Stein’s life partner—Stein had mastered traditional writing; she was preoccupied with turning the literary world on its head.  

Gloria Steinem (1934-) 

At the start of her journalistic career, Gloria Steinem was relegated to writing lifestyle articles for “the women’s pages.” Whenever she pitched a political story, her editor would shoot her down, telling her, “I don’t think of you that way.”  

Steinem ultimately gained national attention with “A Bunny’s Tale,” a 1963 exposé detailing her grueling experience going undercover as a Playboy Bunny. She’s since devoted her life to political activism, using her platform to report on social issues, particularly women’s rights, around the world. Steinem has received numerous accolades throughout her storied career, perhaps none as prestigious as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  

History in the Making: Amanda Gorman 

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. (Click here to watch the electric reading of the then-22-year-old’s original work “The Hill We Climb.”) Gorman has gone on to author poetry collections and a children’s book, and we can’t wait to see what she what she does next.  

Toni Morrison (1931-2019) 

When the Swedish Academy awarded Toni Morrison the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 (Morrison was the first African-American woman to win the award), they noted that, through her novels, she is able to “give life to an essential aspect of American reality.”  

Works like “Beloved,” a staple of high-school English classes everywhere, use magical realism, poetic prose, and nonlinear storytelling to convey the lasting effects of past trauma. Morrison was not as prolific as some of the other writers on our list (she authored 11 novels), but her books were both a critical and commercial success: a rare feat for any author.  

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) 

“The Bell Jar,” published under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, is the only novel authored by Sylvia Plath, but that’s all it took for this feminist writer to make history. “The Bell Jar” parallels Plath’s personal life, chronicling a young woman’s struggle with depression and search for her place in the world.   

Plath took her life on February 11, 1963. Volumes of her poems were published posthumously. Her work, which consisted of playful prose depicting violent imagery, has inspired a new generation of female authors. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1982, becoming the first person to receive the award posthumously.  

Margaret Atwood (1939-) 

“The Handmaid’s Tale” was an award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood long before it was a hit TV series. Although this dystopian novel about life for women under a totalitarian theocracy is her claim to fame, Atwood has authored over 50 books, including works of fiction, nonfiction, selections of poetry, and graphic novels. Like some of the other feminist writers on our list, Atwood can’t be pigeonholed into a single genre or writing medium.  

The Handmaid’s Tale was supposed to be a work of fiction. But with reality starting to resemble the novel’s grim take on the future, Atwood’s prophetic work has become a call to defend women’s rights and illustrates the importance of feminist literature. 

Follow in the Footsteps of Feminist Writers Who Changed History 

What do all the women on our list have in common, other than their mastery of written language? They all received a formal education. In fact, Toni Morrison and Margaret Atwood both earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. We like to think their love of literature only grew in the classroom.  

The University of Texas Permian Basin offers a 100% online BA in English program that instills a deep understanding of American and British literature. As a student, you’ll strengthen your knowledge of the English language through the study of plays, poetry, novels, and mythology. 18th Century Women Poets is only one of the online courses you can look forward to in our bachelor’s degree program.  

Earn your BA in English and prepare for a career in copywriting, editing, teaching, or journalism. Visit our program page to learn more about our flexible online format, up-to-date course offerings, and affordable tuition options. Apply now if you’re ready to follow in the footsteps of your favorite feminist writers.   

Sources: 
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gertrude-stein
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gertrude-Stein
http://www.gloriasteinem.com/about  
https://www.theamandagorman.com/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/books/toni-morrison-dead.html
https://poets.org/poet/sylvia-plath
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Plath
http://margaretatwood.ca/biography/ 

Language is ever-evolving, as exemplified by the latest updates to the Oxford English Dictionary. Additions like “blousette,” “gatekeep,” and “pumpkin spice” may seem inappropriate to traditionalists but are quaint in comparison to the words and phrases of Old English, the earliest form of the English language.  

The history of the English language is punctuated by violent conquests, blending cultures, and intellectual enlightenment. It’s a fascinating story, one without a clear beginning or end. We do, however, have to start somewhere. Here’s how the English language evolved throughout history, starting with its first main period: Old English.   

Old English  

The origins of the English language can be traced back to the fifth and sixth centuries, when the Jutes, Saxons, and Angles—known collectively as the Anglo-Saxons—migrated to England from what is now northwest Germany. Each tribe spoke a distinct dialect similar enough for members of different tribes to understand each other. The four dialects spoken by the Anglo-Saxons are: 

• Kentish 
• Mercian 
• Northumbrian 
• West Saxon 

English continued to evolve as other languages and cultures were introduced to the Anglo-Saxons. St. Augustine arrived at the end of the sixth century, leading to the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity and the influence of writing and Latin on their language. Vikings speaking Old Norse invaded in the eighth century, but Old English and Old Norse were similar enough for speakers to understand each other. Still, these languages would be unrecognizable to modern-day English speakers.  

Old vs. New: An Example of How the English Language Evolved 

How foreign can Old English really be? Take a look at the opening lines and translation of the epic poem “Beowulf,” which was composed by an unknown author sometime between the 7th and 11th centuries: 

Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum, 
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, 
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. 
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, 
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, 
egsode eorlas. 

The argument can be made that English got its start in the ninth century when England became a unified kingdom under King Alfred the Great. At the time, Viking raids were seen as a form of divine punishment for sins stemming from ignorance, so Alfred, along with a group of scholars, translated Latin books into West Saxon and distributed them to his people. West Saxon became standard Old English: the first standard language of England.  

Middle English 

William the Conqueror, leading an army of French-speaking Normans, invaded England in 1066 and defeated King Harold Godwinson to become king. As a result of the Norman Conquest, three languages gained dominance: Anglo-Norman French (spoken by the elite), English (spoken by the general populace), and Latin.   

Latin was the language of learning throughout Western Europe and became the standard language in England after the Conquest. When Latin wasn’t appropriate, French was spoken. This period is known as the Interregnum (“between reigns”) and lasted from about 1250 to 1400. English ceased to be a written language, and the establishment of a standard English was, for a time, abandoned.  

The Great Vowel Shift 

Taking place sometime between the 14th and 17th centuries, the Great Vowel Shift was a phenomenon that changed the pronunciation of English vowels, specifically “long” vowels. For example, the /a:/ became /e:/ so that the “a” in “name” was no longer pronounced like the “a” in “father.” If you come across a word that’s pronounced nothing like it’s spelled, thank the Great Vowel Shift.  

Modern English 

As French and Latin waned in popularity, there was a push in the 16th century to make English England’s national language. Writers and scholars set to work establishing a written standard, one founded not on West Saxon but on the varieties of English spoken throughout London.  

All attempts to codify English failed until Samuel Johnson published “A Dictionary of the English Language” in 1775. Other dictionaries came before, but none contained such elegant definitions or detailed quotations, and its principles would influence later dictionaries for the next century. Johnson saw fit to define only the general vocabulary of his time, a view his successors did not share.  

At the behest of the Philological Society of London, the Oxford University Press and James Murray began work on a “complete” dictionary in 1879. Murray and his editors may have bitten off more than they could chew, however; it took them five years to reach the word “ant.” Completed in 1928, the first copy of “A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles” spanned 12 volumes, defined 414,825 words, and contained 1,827,306 citations. A revised and second edition were published in 1933 and 1989, respectively. We now know this reference work as the Oxford English Dictionary.  

Share Your Love of English 

Countless plays, poems, and novels have been written in English since the time of “Beowulf.” With every new work published, the language evolves, no doubt to the delight of dictionary editors. This does, however, make mastering its principles a challenge, albeit one that’s rewarding for lovers of language and literature.  

The University of Texas Permian Basin offers two online English programs that provide students with a deep understanding of American and British literature in preparation for academic, legal, writing, and marketing careers. Affordable and online, our programs cater to professionals from around the country who are interested in turning their passion for English into a worthwhile career. 

Our online English programs are:  

• Bachelor of Arts in English: Study 18th-century poets, 19th-century novels, and film as literature while developing your composition skills.  

• Master of Arts in English: Master the structure and complexity of the English language through the exploration of poetry, mythology, and film and media.  

Visit our program pages to learn more about or online BA and MA in English, or if you’re ready to get started, apply now to your program of choice. You’ll find yourself in the company of readers, writers, and grammarians at UT Permian Basin.  

Sources: 
https://www.britannica.com/topic/English-language/Historical-background
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hyFIEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=history+of+the+english+language&ots=Ucq0fIUiFL&sig=Guf14Hiyx9-53WEoUcK6s2uP3AE#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43521/beowulf-old-english-version
https://www.britannica.com/topic/A-Dictionary-of-the-English-Language-by-Johnson

The American continent before European contact was home to around 60 million people, with up to 18 million living in North America and divided into more than 500 diverse nations and tribes. The westward expansion of incoming European settlers who coveted the rich resources and fertile land in North America resulted in a purge of most indigenous nations, driving them into either reservations or extinction.  

This dramatic shift in the lives of Native American people is chronicled in an online course from The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Master of Arts in History program entitled HIST 6341: Native North America: Contact to Removal. Read on for a preview of what you’ll learn in this rich online course and how to join your fellow historians in earning your graduate degree from UTPB. 

The Sprawling Cultures of Pre-Columbian America 

The Paleo-Indians migrated to the North American continent from Asia around 40,000 to 14,000 years ago and developed into diverse cultures. These communities were thousands of years old by the time Europeans arrived. While tribes like the Lakota of the Great Plains remained semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers, the indigenous nations of the Midwest were urbanized engineers and traders. The Iroquois League that formed as a confederacy in the Northeast is the oldest participatory democracy still in existence today. 

Cahokia, an ancient city that was located in modern-day Illinois, was the largest and most sophisticated urban center until the rise of large midwestern cities in the 18th century. At its height, this complex built by the Mississippian culture was a metropolis made of plazas, monuments, shops, ball fields, a solar calendar, and middle-class and elite neighborhoods.  

European Contact and Conflict 

When European settlers arrived as early as 1000 A.D., many indigenous people welcomed them with caution and hospitality. Every part of the country was bustling with autonomous nations when Christopher Columbus laid claim to the land in 1492.  

Although some tribes had strained relationships with colonists, others traded and helped struggling settlements. In 1621, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people shared a harvest feast that was later declared a U.S. holiday: Thanksgiving. The discovery of abundant resources and farmable land, however, started an ever-moving trek by the U.S. government to expand westward that quickly complicated and strained Native and European relations. Officials frequently broke treaties to gain access to the coveted land, and many spread propaganda that depicted the indigenous nations as backward and barbaric. 

Indigenous people were ordered to Americanize through “civilization programs” and adopt Western religion and culture. Many resisted, resulting in hundreds of years of war. Epidemics like smallpox, brought by infected settlers, may have caused a mortality rate of up to 95% among the indigenous population.  

Removal of Indigenous Culture 

Despite ongoing treaties and meetings between indigenous nations and the U.S. government, the expansion of the United States into Native land occurred much faster than expected, and the first reservation was established in 1786. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 displaced Natives out west, which many tribes resisted. Approximately 4,000 Cherokee died on a forced march now known as “The Trail of Tears.” 

1890’s infamous Battle of Wounded Knee was a result of U.S. officials banning a growing religion called the Ghost Dance. The resulting massacre killed 150 Sioux and marked an end to armed Native resistance against the United States. 

By 1900, only 237,000 indigenous people remained. Indigenous people living on reservations today are challenged by barren lands, poor living conditions, a struggle to retain their identities and way of life, and a lack of government assistance. Reservations often serve as radioactive dumping grounds, accounting for high cancer rates among the population. 

A Course That Examines Native American History 

Graduate students interested in this subject and pursuing a Master of Arts will want to consider enrolling in Native America: Contact to Removal (HIST 6341) as part of UTPB’s online MA in history program.  

HIST 6341 confronts the challenging history of American settler-colonialism. You’ll take a detailed look at North America before European contact, the period of indigenous removal and extermination, and how indigenous tribes adapted and persisted. Students will also learn how the inclusion of ethnohistory—the study of cultures and indigenous peoples’ customs—changes the master narrative of our history books. HIST 6341 is taught entirely online and asynchronously, meaning you can study anywhere and anytime you want.  

An Online Graduate Program Tailored to You 

Our online MA in history program prepares you to think critically and analyze how our past shapes who we are today, including how we can understand and prevent repeating tragedies like the Native American genocide. The skills you’ll learn are applicable across multiple career paths like management, politics, teaching, writing, and law enforcement. Our program is affordable, flexible, and there’s no GRE requirement for admission. Earn your master’s degree in as little as two years! 

Become a force for change and a leader in any profession. Join the Falcon Family! 

Sources: 
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1171896/pre-colonization-population-americas/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Native-American/Native-American-history
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/2649_665393/202203/t20220302_10647120.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnohistory
https://www.worldhistory.org/Pre-Colonial_North_America/
https://www.ncpedia.org/american-indians/european-contact

Harlem, New York, became an African American cultural mecca in the 1920s and the birth city of the most defining literary, art, and musical movement in African American history: the Harlem Renaissance. 

After World War I ended in 1918, racial tensions were at an all-time high. Soldiers returned to their homes weary of segregation, prejudice, and oppression led by white supremacists in the South. W.E.B. DuBois, a social reformer and writer, would become an important figure of the movement. In “Returning Soldiers” (1919) he called on African Americans to continue the fight for democracy at home:  

“We return from the slavery of uniform which the world’s madness demanded us to don to the freedom of civil garb. We stand again to look America squarely in the face and call a spade a spade. We sing: This country of ours, despite all its better souls have done and dreamed, is yet a shameful land.” 

Between 1916 and 1917, six million African Americans chose to make the North and Midwest their new home. They sought equality, better housing, and better work in what became known as the Great Migration. 

Harlem’s Influence on the Jazz Age 

By the 1920s, the economy was booming. American youth rebelled against pre-war cultural conventions and rigid traditions with the rise of speakeasies, short hairstyles, and of course, jazz—a new music style influenced by ragtime pieces and blues.  

Harlem, situated north of New York’s Central Park, was originally intended as an unassuming, upper-class white neighborhood. However, excess housing left many buildings empty, which appealed to black New Yorkers and those fleeing oppression in the South. Harlem quickly became a favorite destination for African American artists all over the country that sought freedom of expression. This infused a distinctively African style into Harlem’s culture, and by the mid-1920s the neighborhood became a symbol for African Americans’ struggle for equality and a center for black art and culture.   

Artists That Defined the Harlem Renaissance 

Although still segregated at the time, Harlem’s infamous Cotton Club was an epicenter for rising African American artists. It featured trendsetting black entertainers like Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, and Josephine Baker and helped cement them as American legends. Here the Harlem Renaissance was born.  

The flourishing new music, art, fashion, and theater scene quickly translated to the literary world. Alain Locke published his famous work “The New Negro” in Harlem in 1925, which featured a collection of stories by African Americans that detailed their lives and struggles after the Civil War. His work coined the term the “New Negro Movement,” which became synonymous with the Harlem Renaissance.  

In 1921, poet Langston Hughes arrived in Harlem and pioneered “jazz poetry”: an infusion of jazz beats into lyrical written works, seen in his poems “Dreams,” “The Weary Blues,” and “Words Like Freedom.” He would become one of the most defining poets of the movement. Hughes joined other Harlem Renaissance writers like Wallace Thurman and Zora Neale Hurston to create the controversial and influential journal Fire!! in 1926. Zora Neale Hurston would eventually publish the classic “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” which was greatly influenced by her time in New York. 

The End of the Harlem Renaissance 

In 1935, a race riot forced the closure of the bustling Cotton Club. That event, in addition to the looming Great Depression, marked the end of the Harlem Renaissance. However, its influence on American culture was indelible. African American life was brought to the forefront and acted as a challenge to the Jim Crow-era laws of the age, prompting a rising spirit, pride, and commitment to change and, eventually giving rise to the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The literature and the arts born in the Harlem Renaissance inspired many other contemporaneous writers across the world, especially in France and the Caribbean, and served as a vessel to change the face of American culture.  

“The best of humanity’s recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance.” 

–Aberjhani, historian, columnist, novelist, poet 

Explore Historic Literary Movements with our BA in English 

If you’re interested to learn more about literary movements like the Harlem Renaissance, consider exploring our course “American Literature Since 1865” (ENGL 2328), part of our online BA in English program. As part of the General Requirements for the BA in English, students will also learn about the Jazz Age with our course “Jazz, Pop & Rock” (MUSI 1301).  

A BA in English can help you develop the key skills needed to become a better writer and researcher—and hone your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well. Our BA in English is affordable, convenient, flexible and completely online, so you can study from anywhere in the world. BA in English graduates may go on to pursue professional and academic journeys in fields including:  

• Communication 
• Law 
• Teaching 
• Writing 
• Graduate and post-graduate studies 

Ready to delve into history’s defining movements through the eyes of influential writers while developing your own writing skills? Join our online BA in English program today! 

Sources: 
https://www.aaihs.org/w-e-b-du-bois-world-war-i-and-the-question-of-failure/
https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/harlem-history-the-cotton-club/
https://www.ipl.org/essay/Impact-On-The-Harlem-Renaissance-PKBEYCNNPC48R
https://www.britannica.com/event/Harlem-Renaissance-American-literature-and-art
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/collections/145704/an-introduction-to-the-harlem-renaissance
https://www.learningforjustice.org/podcasts/teaching-hard-history/jim-crow-era/the-harlem-renaissance-restructuring-rebirth-and-reckoning

More than 21 million dead, most of them civilians. The map of Europe redrawn. World War I—a conflict associated with the introduction of tanks, bombers, advanced artillery, chemical weapons, and trench warfare—left an indelible mark on civilization and the collective human psyche. History might’ve played out very differently, however, had a driver not made a wrong turn while chauffeuring a dignitary through the streets of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina in the summer of 1914. Let’s look at the incident that reverberated worldwide. 

A Grave Mistake and the End of a Dynasty 

The visit of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, to Sarajevo in 1914 is still considered one of the most consequential occurrences in modern history. Ferdinand was a member of the Hapsburg (Habsburg) family, a dynasty that dated back to the Holy Roman Empire. His open-topped car journey through the capital of a country that his own country had annexed just a few years prior was ill-advised to say the least. A terrorist-affiliated group of Serbians—an ethnic group whom Ferdinand referred to as “scoundrels” and worse—attempted to assassinate Ferdinand by lobbing a grenade at his car. The explosive detonated, damaging another car, but all three occupants of Ferdinand’s car were unharmed. 

This was not the end of the story, however. Following that assassination attempt, Ferdinand continued with his plans to visit a local government office. He then directed his motorcade to visit a hospital where people injured in the earlier blast were being treated. Along the way, Ferdinand’s driver unintentionally turned onto the wrong street where an armed Serbian teenager, by coincidence, was walking. As the driver realized his mistake and tried to back out of the street, the teen shot Ferdinand and his wife Sophie at close range. Both died within several minutes. Ferdinand’s successor, his great-nephew Karl, was forced out of power a few years later, marking the end of the Hapsburg monarchy. 

The Start of a Cataclysm 

One wrong turn caused the world to take an immense turn for the worse. Ferdinand’s assassination is widely considered to be the catalyst for World War I, aka the “Great War,” with Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia soon after the incident. Existing regional conflicts, increasing nationalism, militarism, imperialist expansion, an arms race, and other factors also played a role. Let’s briefly review how the Sarajevo incident catalyzed a conflict that would engulf other parts of the globe until a true world war was raging. 

A European Incident Becomes a World War 

Just as the annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina stoked the assassination of Ferdinand, European colonies in Africa—where world powers including the United Kingdom, France, and Belgium had claimed large portions of land during the prior decades—were drawn into the conflict as they chose to fight for independence from their colonizers rather than fight for them in the larger war. Honoring a 1902 agreement with Great Britain, Japan fought on the side of the Allies in World War I, going after German ships in its own waters and attacking a German naval base in China. Russia entered the war as an ally of Serbia, and its disastrous involvement—led by Tsar Nicholas II—was an inciting factor for the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.  

A Comprehensive Look at the War and Other Historical Turning Points 

More than a century later, World War I remains a gripping subject. The University of Texas Permian Basin’s online Master of Arts in History program can help you unpack the Great War in a 16-week course devoted to the topic. HIST6348 World War I will enlighten you with detailed background and context for the war and its lasting effects. The 16-week online format of our courses facilitates an in-depth examination of important historical events from the United States and around the world. And there are many other program benefits: 

• Complete coursework on your own schedule from practically anywhere in the world. 
• Maintain your professional and personal commitments while you earn your degree. 
• Complete your master’s degree in as little as two years. 
• Select a thesis or non-thesis track. 

Look Forward to Greater Professional Potential 

If you already hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, consider expanding your knowledge and professional potential with a graduate degree. Our MA in history helps you develop critical thinking, communication, analytical, and other transferrable “soft” skills that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and Forbes, today’s professionals must possess. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that master’s degree holders earn about 18% more than bachelor’s degree holders and are more likely to be employed. Our MA in history prepares you for doctoral-level studies, law school, advancement within your current career, or a transition into professional areas such as: 

• Government 
• Law enforcement 
• Management 
• Education 

Gain a broader understanding of the past as you strengthen your future with our online MA in history program. Apply now! 

Sources: 
https://www.biography.com/political-figure/franz-ferdinand
https://www.history.com/news/the-assassination-of-archduke-franz-ferdinand
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/obituaries/archives/archduke-franz-ferdinand-world-war