HIST - History Major

Majors are required to complete ten approved history courses with grades of C- or better. Those who select a pathway to honors (see below) must complete twelve approved history courses with grades of C- or better, and a cumulative average of A- or better. At least eight of the courses counting toward the history major, including the honors thesis and HIST 300, must be completed at Trinity or in academic programs taught, sponsored, or approved by Trinity faculty. In the interest of shaping a trajectory from lower-division to higher-division courses, students may apply toward the major a maximum of two courses at the 100- and 200- levels taken during the academic year in which they plan to graduate.

Electives (5 credits)

Electives may be selected from the history department course offerings at any level.

300-level seminars (4 credits)

Students are required to take a minimum of four 300-level seminars. All 300-level courses approved for the major are designated seminars and consist of intensive reading, discussion, and writing, either in the scholarly literature or the primary sources of a certain field, or in some combination of both. All 300-level courses fulfill the Writing Part II requirement.

HIST 300. History Workshop (1 credit)

This course constitutes the central pedagogical experience for all history majors and requires a major research project. It is recommended that students complete this course by the spring semester prior to the academic year in which they plan to graduate. Students pursuing the portfolio pathway to honors (see below) may take a second section in their senior year. History Workshop fulfills the Writing Part II requirement.

Thematic Concentration

All majors must design a thematic concentration identifying a theme or idea that connects five courses from the ten-credit major as outlined above. Of these five courses, at least two must be at the 300-level. A concentration must demonstrate geographical diversity as follows: by having at least three courses that cover three different world regions or by having at least three courses that are global in scope. Students have the option to count one course outside of the History department toward their concentration, but it will not be counted toward the ten-credit major.

In consultation with a history department faculty member, normally the major advisor, students must generate a 500-word thematic concentration reflection statement including a discussion of what theme or idea they have chosen, how they have explored it in work for courses already taken for the concentration, a plan for future courses, if applicable, and a statement of how the concentration demonstrates geographic diversity. Descriptions should be submitted to the history department Moodle site no later than the Friday before advising week in the first semester of a student's senior year. Those declaring the history major after this date must submit the concentration description when they declare.

Honors in history: all history majors who wish to pursue honors must complete twelve approved history courses with a cumulative GPA of A- or above. There are two pathways to honors:

1. Thesis pathway: The ten-credit major plus a two-credit senior thesis (HIST 498, HIST 499), culminating in a public presentation in the spring of their senior year.

2. Portfolio pathway: The ten-credit major plus two additional credits, one of which must be a second section of HIST 300 and the other must be a 300-level seminar in the history department. To earn honors, a student following this pathway must submit a portfolio of three papers written for courses in the major, including at least one primary-source-based research paper or one public-facing project, by the spring semester prize deadline in their senior year. The portfolio must be accompanied by a statement that describes the way it relates to the department's learning goals and the concentration that the student designed. Instead of thesis presentations, this pathway culminates in a “portfolio interview” with a group of faculty members, normally those who taught the courses for which the papers were written.