History Major

A major in History requires a total of ten history courses. Five of these courses must be taken in residence at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. At least five of the ten courses must be at the upper-level (300-level or above) and none can be numbered below 200. Three- and four-credit courses count as one course with the exception of HISTORY 294 when taken for two credits. 

• Required course. Every History Major must take HISTORY 202: Doing History, during the first semester after they declare. If scheduling problems make it absolutely impossible to take the class immediately, it can be delayed with the approval of a department advisor. This course will introduce students to historical research and writing by engaging directly with a wide range of primary sources and considering the various ways they can be interpreted.

• The Survey Sequence. The foundation of the history major is a two-part survey sequence. The Department offers a range of pre-approved sequences in various geographical, chronological, and thematic areas, but students can also develop their own pairings in consultation with a faculty mentor and with the approval of the Department's Director of Undergraduate Studies. A frequently updated list of possible pairings will be available on the History Department website. For a sequence to be approved, the two classes must have a clear and well-conceptualized link, and they must fit within a broader theme.

• Regional Distribution
  
  
  • Students have to take at least one course in four of the following areas: North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East/Central Asia, Africa, Asia, and Transregional/Global. Courses taken to satisfy the survey sequence requirement can be used to satisfy the regional distribution requirement.
    
    
  • Courses will count in the Transregional/Global category if they cut across significant geographical boundaries (i.e., continents or oceans) as well as major political boundaries. Included are courses dealing with one oceanic basin, but excluded are courses dealing with multiple sites within one continent.

• Pre-1800 Distribution. Students must take at least one course that focuses on a period prior to the year 1800. To meet this requirement, at least 75% of the course material must deal with the pre-modern era. This course can also count as one of the regional courses. Courses taken to satisfy the survey sequence requirement cannot be used to satisfy the pre-1800 requirement.

• Junior-Senior Colloquium Requirement. Take one of the following three courses:  HISTORY 491, HISTORY 496 or HISTORY 497. Honors students fulfill this requirement by completing HISTORY 499.

  A list of pre-approved regional distribution courses and pre-1800 courses will be maintained on the History Department website.

  These requirements can overlap and fulfill more than one requirement. For example, a colloquium about ancient Greece satisfies the pre-1800, European, and colloquium requirements and also counts as one of the upper-level history courses.

  Beyond these basic requirements, each student works with an individual faculty mentor to customize his or her program. Prior to declaring a History major, students meet with a general department advisor to discuss the program requirements. Upon declaring, each student may select a faculty mentor who will serve as his or her personal advisor. Department advisors will help students select a mentor based on each individual's interests and needs. The mentor helps the student pick an appropriate survey sequence and select additional courses that will give coherence to the degree program. What form that coherence will take is up to the student (with the mentor's guidance). Some opt for a geographical focus (the United States, Africa, Europe, etc.), while others might prefer a more thematic approach (women's history, international or transnational history, cultural history, etc.). Still others might want to emphasize global or chronological breadth within a more diversified set of classes.