History Major

1. The United States (1 course)

One course focusing on the United States .

2. Europe (1 course)

One course focusing on Europe .

3. Asia, Latin America, Africa, or the Middle East (1 course)

One course focusing on Asia, Latin America, Africa, or the Middle East .

4. Research Seminar (1 course)

One CMC course numbered at or above 170  .

We encourage students to complete the research seminar in the sophomore or junior year in order to develop skills for the senior thesis in history. The research seminar paper is not a chapter of the senior thesis, which can address a different topic, place, or time period.

5. Electives (5 courses)

6. Pre-Modern

One course must cover pre-modern  material, mostly before 1700.

Notes:

• Courses taken across the consortium can count towards the requirements for the major, as long as at least 5 of the 9 courses for the major are taken at CMC.
• Students may double-count a course towards up to two requirements for the major, as appropriate, as long as they still complete the minimum number of courses for the major.

Dual Major

Dual majors may waive two electives, for a minimum of 7 courses in the major, as long as they fulfill the distribution and research seminar requirements for the major. At least 4 of the 7 courses must be taken at CMC.

Honors in History

To be eligible for departmental honors in history, a student majoring in history must:

• Achieve a 10.5 average in all history courses,
• Receive at least an A- (11.00) in a 2-semester, 2-unit honors thesis in history under the supervision of a CMC history faculty member.

Study Abroad

The History department is a strong supporter of study abroad. We encourage history majors to study abroad and to take history courses relevant to the country of their study. With prior approval, the department may grant up to 2 course credits towards the major for history courses taken abroad.

Learning Goals

The basic goal of the curriculum of the History department is to increase the intellectual breadth and transferable abilities of our students, and impart an understanding of the past in ways that enhance their understanding of the human condition, facilitate a better understanding of contemporary issues, and explore who we are. We achieve these goals by the distribution requirements within the major and by offering a diverse set of geographic, temporal, methodological, and thematic courses. Our courses emphasize: the critical reading of texts, writing clearly on assigned topics, speaking persuasively, and understanding basic research methodology; we endeavor to have students master specific disciplinary tools and acquire historical thinking skills through challenging class assignments.

Student Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes for the history major are:

1. Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of our nation and the world, the ideologies, values, and political, economic, and environmental forces that have shaped the past and the present.
2. Students will demonstrate intellectual breadth through knowledge of the histories of a variety of societies in different time periods.
3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical time and sequence, cause and effect, and will be able to place events in an historical context.
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to read sources and identify basic themes, and understand the past as it was experienced by those who lived then.
5. Students can differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They can understand biases in primary sources, where and how the ideas originated, and how they evolve.
6. Students will demonstrate research capabilities in history that allow them to frame a proper research topic, locate and utilize primary and secondary sources, and construct a coherent argument or thesis.