ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

The history department faculty seeks, in its research and with its students, to better understand what humanity is by investigating what humanity has done. The department conceives the human community:

1) in time, attempting not merely to chronicle events but to explain events in their various connections;

2) in space, juxtaposing events and their explanations in one part of the world with events and explanations in other parts of the world;

3) in a system of analytic categories, exploiting every explanatory category of the humanistic disciplines and of the social and natural sciences that promises insight into humanity’s past.

The history department offers a disciplinary major and minor. All history majors must select an area of concentration by their junior year (see below). The area of concentration may be geographic (African and Middle Eastern, American [including Latin American], Asian, or European [including Russian]), thematic (industrialism, for example, or revolutions), or chronological (the 12th century, for example). To count toward the major or minor, all courses must be passed with a grade of C- or better.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR (B.A.)

For course concentrations, see the courses page.
For course descriptions, see the descriptions page.

disciplinary, 10 courses

At least two 100-level introductory courses (EUST 102 and ASN 101 may substitute for one or more introductory history courses); four 200-level or higher history courses in one area of concentration (geographic, thematic, or chronological); four additional history courses, only one of which may be at the 100 level. Of the 10 courses in the major, at least three courses must cover different geographical areas. At least two of the 10 courses for the major must be at the 300 level or above. At least one of the 300 level or higher courses must be a research seminar, history independent study, or history honors project.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR

disciplinary, 5 courses

At least one 100-level introductory course (EUST 102 and ASN 101 may substitute for one or more introductory history courses); at least one 300- or 400-level history course; three additional history courses, not more than one of which may be at the 100 level. At least two of the courses must be in two different geographic areas.