COURSE CURRICULUM

The History major is designed to develop strong analytical, writing, and research skills while exposing students to a wide range of historical periods, regions, and themes such as political change, culture, war, empire, religion, and social movements. Students begin with HIST 500, Introduction to Historical Thinking, which builds foundations in historical methods, critical reading, and academic writing, followed by HIST 797 Colloquium in the senior year, where they complete an in-depth research project that demonstrates their ability to interpret evidence and construct historical arguments. In addition to these core courses, students complete at least eight further history courses, with a balance between lower-division and upper-division work, ensuring both breadth and depth of study. The program requires students to develop a specialization area, such as international history, race and gender studies, or science and technology in history, while also taking complementary courses outside their focus to ensure a broader understanding of global history. A key feature of the program is its flexibility, allowing students to incorporate study abroad, double majors, or interdisciplinary coursework. The curriculum also emphasizes global language proficiency for research purposes, reflecting the importance of primary source analysis in historical study. Students must maintain strong academic performance across all courses and meet GPA standards to remain in the major. Overall, the program prepares graduates for a wide range of careers, including law, education, public service, journalism, business, and graduate study, by training them to think critically, communicate effectively, and understand complex social and political systems across time and place.