Major Profile: History
by Laura Meador, History Peer Advisor
I became a history major when I realized that I was enjoying my history classes far more than I was my business classes. Once I decided on History, I began to take more specific history courses beyond the Western Civilization classes that are required for the history major.
History (HIST) tells the story of the past and defines patterns through the centuries. It provides context for the human relationship with the world, an opportunity that no other major offers. Through the process of learning history you learn how to research and relate an argument to specific evidence from a specific time period. You also learn how to write advanced research papers on fascinating topics. The most interesting part of the major is the ability to dig into a period of history and learn so much about it that sometimes you never want to stop the research.
Being a history major and going on EAP makes that experience so much more fascinating not only because you know the stories behind what you see but there is also a connection to the area in which you study. Studying history gives one so much choice in where to go for EAP, because everywhere one could possibly go inevitably has a history behind it, whether or not the classes are related, it is the setting that is the most important. Having gone to England for a summer, my experience was so much richer than it would have been had I not been a history major.
The classes that are required for the history major are also classes that are frequently required for the GE. The HIST 2, 4, and 17 series gives you an excellent background for all subsequent classes you may take, no matter the discipline. The HIST 2 series is the history of World Civilization and looks at the major civilizations of the world and their relationships with each other while the HIST 4 series focuses on the west and the evolution of societies there. These classes can sometimes be hard as they all cover such a broad period of history, but it is not nearly as hard as it would seem, as each society and civilization is generally studied apart from the others. The HIST 17 series is the lower-division American History. Upper-division classes offer more choices and more specific periods of time. Offered are classes in American History, Public policy, Labor history, Latin American history, history of science, Medieval History, Ancient Greek and Roman history and Asian history. There is also a Senior Honors Thesis available for those who qualify and it is a rewarding experience that you should not pass up.
