The Department of History offers a variety of courses, defined geographically, chronologically, and thematically, through which students acquire both broad and specialized knowledge of the past. History courses are intended to transmit knowledge about various areas and periods, to address general historical problems, and to make students more capable of reading and analyzing both primary sources and secondary literature. Students learn how to collect information independently, to present material, and to construct arguments in a literate and cogent manner. The courses also are intended to make students more understanding of the complexity of human existence and the reality of human diversity, as well as more prepared to make informed and responsible decisions about issues in the world in which they live. These courses provide excellent training for professional careers in education, government, business, law, and social work, as well as advanced work in academics.
All students majoring in history earn the Bachelor of Arts degree.
Majors are expected to maintain a 2.5 GPA in history courses and to discuss their program of study with the director of undergraduate studies. Students may combine a major in history with many of the certificate programs or with another departmental major. Nearly all history courses, except those that satisfy the method requirement of the major and those designated as public history courses, count toward one of the geographic area requirements of the major and minor. The following list designates the courses that count for each category. For variable topic courses, the geographic area is determined by the specific topic.