History Major

The History major prepares students to use knowledge of the past, of human diversity and complexity, of contingency and of continuity, in order to consider the limits and possibilities of human choices in the modern world. Students develop skills of analysis, including the ability to understand context, to understand change and continuity over time, and to draw conclusions from diffuse, fragmentary and biased sources, including non-quantifiable evidence. The History major prepares students for the choices and responsibilities they will encounter as participants in a free polity and as agents in a global society, while also developing skills in reading, writing, research, and analysis useful in diverse professional fields. The History major is excellent preparation for graduate study and careers in law, public administration, business, library science and information management, non-governmental organizations, consulting, teaching, military service, non-fiction writing, foreign service, museum work and public history.

Each student takes the required core courses and introductory survey courses and chooses one of three concentrations: the “Standard Concentration,” the “American History and Law Concentration,” or the “Global History and Culture Concentration.”

Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses for a Major in History:

HIS 201	The Historian's Craft	4
	and
HIS 400	History Capstone Research Seminar	4
	or
HIS 451	Senior Thesis	4
Total Credit Hours:		8

Two of the Following Introductory Survey Courses:

HIS 102	World History to 1500	4
HIS 103	World History from 1500 to the Present	4
HIS 202	The United States to 1877	4
HIS 203	The United States Since 1877	4
Total Credit Hours:		8

Total Credit Hours: 16