History

Basic Structure of the Department

The History department offers a major, a minor, and a modified major.
Most courses fall into one of four geographical areas: 1) US and Canada, 2) Europe, 3) AALAC (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean) or 4) Interregional.
The numbering system for History courses does not represent sequencing, but rather designates sub-fields (e.g., all 40s and 50s-level courses cover European History, all 60s and 70s-level courses cover Latin American, African, and Asian History). Introductory-level courses that presume no prior work in the field are numbered 1-5. HIST 6 is the department’s number for experimental courses, and is not necessarily introductory.
A student is advised to begin studying in History with a course he or she finds interesting. The introductory surveys (HIST 1-5, as above) are encouraged as good entry points. Higher numbered topics courses may demand greater amounts of reading and research, as well as more advanced writing proficiency and intellectual sophistication.
The History department sponsors a Foreign Study Program to London in the fall. The center of the FSP is an independent research project on a topic of British, European, American or world history that makes use of London’s unparalleled research opportunities. Students submit a proposal for such a project as part of their applications for admission. Prerequisites for the FSP include completion of two European History courses. Participants are usually juniors.

HIST 1: The United States, 1763-1877
HIST 2: History of the United States since 1877
HIST 3: Europe in Medieval and Early Modern Times
HIST 5.1: Pre-Colonial African History
HIST 5.2: The Eye of the Beholder: Introduction to the Islamic World
HIST 5.5: The Emergence of Modern Japan
HIST 5.8: Africa and the World
HIST 14: American Indian History: Pre-Contact to 1830
HIST 18: US Political History in the 19th Century
HIST 33: Asian America in the 20th Century
HIST 57: Scientific Revolutions and Modern Society
HIST 64: Modern Europe: The Enlightenment Through the First World War
HIST 82: Popular Struggle, Political Change and Foreign Intervention in Central America

A History major or minor requires a student to form a thematic or geographic concentration. Students take the initiative to craft their own centers of concentration in consultation with their respective faculty advisors within the department. A concentration may be thematic (“Imperialism and De-Colonization”), geographical (“African History”), or chronological (“Medieval and Renaissance History”). Participants in the department’s honors program then crown their field of concentration with a thesis written in the senior year.
Because planning is essential, it is critical that a student establish a relationship with a faculty member who can act as an advisor. Any member of the department can serve as a major advisor, and it is best to pursue this relationship as early as possible. Students who are uncertain about whom to approach for advice should contact the department chair (Margaret Darrow), or vice chair (Douglas Haynes).

In-coming first-year students will not receive AP or IB credit towards the History major or minor (i.e., high achievement on those exams does not reduce the number of courses needed to fulfill a History major or minor). However, exceptional performance on an AP or IB exam may suggest that a student could forego the corresponding introductory survey (HIST 1-5) and begin with a higher-level topics course.
Address questions to the chair (Margaret Darrow), or vice chair (Douglas Haynes).