History has long been the most popular major at most famous universities, where students consider it the best preparation for careers in law, business, education, and public service. They do so because historians tackle tough problems, like the causes of wars and recessions, and because historians engage the world in all its complexity. Historians are interested in everything that can help them understand the human experience and how the world came to be as it is today: art, literature, statistics, economics, gender, race, warfare, politics, culture, social structure, the environment, technology, diplomacy. It is a discipline without boundaries. Every subject, every time period, every geographical region is open to historians.
History is the most popular major at elite universities for another important reason. Historians learn what it takes to become skilled writers, researchers, and critical thinkers: invaluable skills for lawyers, educators, entrepreneurs, and public servants. Historians learn to weigh the merits of conflicting interpretations, gather the relevant facts, reflect on their own biases (and the merits of the views of those with whom they disagree), and develop their own, original interpretations of events, past and present. And they learn through discussion and writing to present their views effectively, economically, and persuasively.
History also allows its majors to shape their own curriculum. You may concentrate your courses in a particular field, such as military/diplomatic history, constitutional history, African American history, Christianity, the Islamic World, women's history, science and technology, or environmental history; in the history of a particular region, such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Europe; or in a particular time period, such as medieval or modern. The Department's courses cover the history of the entire world from ancient times to the present, so you will have a wide range of options. The only requirements for selecting your courses is that you take advanced as well as introductory courses and that you study a range of places and time periods, so you can appreciate the sweep of history and the diversity of the human experience.
The three required courses for the History major—all taught in sections of twenty students or less by full time faculty—emphasize writing, critical reading, and research. They include:
- History 2800: Introduction to the Discipline of History
- A 4000-level course on readings in a particular field of history
- A 4000-level course on research and writing in a particular field of history
These courses are taught by a wide range of faculty on a wide range of topics, geographical areas, and time periods, so you will be able to choose sections that are of special interest to you.
The purpose of the three required courses is as follows:
History 2800 is the "gateway" course for History majors. It emphasizes critical reading and writing, and introduces students to the methods and approaches of historians. It teaches students how to analyze and interpret primary sources (letters, diaries, autobiographies, photographs, artifacts, works of art, etc.) and secondary sources (works by historians), and how to write in the various formats historians use (synopses, book reviews, bibliographical essays, critical essays, etc.).
The 4000-level reading seminar, normally taken in the junior year, focuses on secondary works by historians, rather than primary sources. It teaches students how to read carefully and critically, and helps them understand on an intermediate level the methods, approaches, and debates of historians. The goal is to teach students how to evaluate conflicting historical interpretations, weigh the merits of the evidence and arguments in these interpretations, and arrive at their own interpretations of past events.
The 4000-level research seminar, normally taken in the senior year, emphasizes research and writing skills. Each student will identify a research topic, review previous histories on the subject, formulate research questions, conduct research in the relevant primary sources, and write an original research paper on their findings.
These courses will help you improve your writing, read critically, weigh the merits of conflicting arguments, sort out truth from fiction, and conduct research.
View the requirements for the History major.
Students in the Integrated Social Studies Program in Education should consider majoring in history.