History Department

Requirements for History Major

  • A student must take a Sophomore Seminar in History in order to be admitted to the major. At her or his discretion an adviser may permit a student to take this seminar after joining the major if it was not taken in the Sophomore year.

  • A History major must choose a field of concentration and complete its requirements.  (See "Fields of Concentration in History")

  • A History major must take 11 semester-courses numbered 150 or higher and must have at least eight courses number 201 or higher. At the discretion of the student's adviser, suitable courses in other departments may be counted towards this 11-course requirement, but no fewer than eight must be History courses. One research tutorial (but only one) may be counted towards the eleven required courses. These 11 courses must include the following:

  • At least six courses in the field of concentration. A research tutorial may not count toward this six-course requirement.  NB: Concentrators in Intellectual History must take both courses in the European sequence (HIST 215 and 216) and one non-European Intellectual class.  Concentrators in European History must take either HIST 201 and 202, or HIST 202 and 203. Concentrators in Religion and History must take HIST 323.  Concentrators in United States History must take two courses from the three-semester sequence of  HIST 237, HIST 239 and HIST 240.

  • At least two History courses outside the field of concentration.

  • HIST 362, Issues in Contemporary Historiography, which is ordinarily taken during the fall semester of the junior year.

  • A third, upper-level History Department seminar, in addition to History 362 and the Sophomore Seminar. An additional seminar in intellectual history is required for the Intellectual History concentration. All History seminars must be taken at Wesleyan.

  • At least one History course chiefly concerned with the pre-industrial era.  (See "History Courses in the Pre-industrial Era")

  • A History major must complete a substantial research project under faculty supervision. This may take the form of an Honors thesis or a senior essay done through an individual tutorial (e.g. HIST 401, 409), or a seminar course paper in conjunction with a seminar, done by special arrangement with the instructor.  (See "The Research Requirement in History")

Only two History courses taken outside of Wesleyan may be counted toward the eight required History courses. At the adviser's discretion, additional History courses taken outside of Wesleyan may be applied to the 11 courses needed to meet the requirements.

Further information may be obtained from any History major adviser or from the Department Chair, Professor William Pinch at Ext. 2399 or e-mail wpinch@wesleyan.edu.