History

Students majoring in History learn to interrogate the past as it is recorded in written texts, material artifacts, media, oral traditions, and other forms of evidence in order to render its complexity accessible to audiences in the present.  

The department offers classes in the history of the ancient world, medieval and modern Europe, the Middle East, China and East Asia, the United States, Latin America, and the British Empire. Our courses explore the transnational histories of the environment, religion, race and ethnicity, gender, empire, indigenous peoples, and collective memory. We also offer courses in public history and internships with a variety of local partners, ranging from historical sites to cultural entrepreneurs.

History majors will develop research and writing skills, but many of their classes will also utilize other ways of presenting and sharing historical work, such as podcasting, exhibitions, and media work.

The department will accept an Advanced Placement exam score of 4 or 5 in either American, European, or World history to be treated as equivalent to one course (4 credits) toward the major.