Requirements for Graduation with a Major in History

1000-Level History Courses                                           4 credits
Students must take one 1000-level History course.  This course will expose students to the fundamentals of the historical discipline, including different approaches to primary and secondary sources.  These courses also apply to the Common Curriculum's Ways of Knowing: Analytical Inquiry/Society & Culture (AI2) requirement.  Students may satisfy this requirement with AP or IB credit.

2000-Level History Courses                                            8 credits
Students must take two 2000-level History courses.  These courses are capped at 30 students and are open to non-majors as well as majors.  They emphasize training in how to work with primary sources.

3000-Level History Courses                                            8 credits
Students must take two 3000-level History courses.  These are small seminars designed for advanced History majors, with demanding reading and writing requirements.  These courses emphasize the use of secondary sources and introduce students to the concept of historiography.

Electives                                                                            8 credits
Elective credits may come from any History Department course, as well as approved study abroad courses.  Students may be given elective credit for high school Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate examination scores, at the discretion of the Chair of the Department.  Ordinarily, no more than 4 credits of AP or IB work may go toward the History major.

Distribution Requirement                       
Of the above courses, students must take at least one course in three of the following categories:  Asian History; European History; American History; Pre-Modern History.  See the Department website for course listings by category.  Students should consult with their faculty advisor or the Chair to make sure that they have correctly fulfilled this requirement.

Issues in Comparative History (HIST 2998)                 4 credits
This course is designed ensure that all students engage in comparative history.  Students will also be exposed to different approaches to the study of history, as embodied in the work of the individual faculty members in this team-taught course.

What is History? (HIST 2990)                                         4 credits
This course is designed specifically to train students in historical methodologies and to think historiographically, i.e., to see historical issues the way historians see them.  It is intended to prepare students for Senior Seminar, in which they will explore the historiography of their specific research topic.

Senior Seminars (HIST 3989; HIST 3990)                      8 credits
In the fall quarter of their senior year, students must take Senior Seminar I, a course taught in conjunction with individual faculty mentors.  This course focuses on honing students' historiographical and bibliographical skills in preparation for their senior research projects.  Students will produce a research proposal at the end of the course.
Students must then take Senior Seminar II in the winter quarter of their senior year.  This course concentrates on research in original historical sources and on the oral and written presentation of research findings.  Evaluation of students' performances in both quarters of Senior Seminar will be based on input from individual mentors as well as the primary instructor.

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED FOR A MAJOR IN HISTORY       44 credits

Requirements for a Minor in History
20 credits in History, of which at least 8 must be at  the 2000- or 3000-level.