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Lyon G. Tyler Department of History Undergraduate Program

A Major or Minor in History

Students can major or minor in history; the requirements for both are listed in Sections IV and VI below. The pursuit of history can be enriched through experience in different cultures and societies, and many history majors study abroad. Faculty advisors can help students integrate foreign study into their academic and career plans. Phi Alpha Theta, the international history honor society, has an active chapter at the College. Furthermore, the History Department, either alone or in conjunction with such institutions and programs as the Omohundro Institute for Early American History and Culture, American Studies, Women's Studies, the Reves Center, Medieval-Renaissance Studies, and Black Studies, sponsors numerous lectures which undergraduates are encouraged to attend. These events are publicized in the William and Mary News, The Flat Hat, and on posters in James Blair Hall.

History Advising and Declaring a Major

Information about the Department and the undergraduate curriculum can be obtained from the Director of Undergraduate Studies or any regular faculty member. Students must choose a faculty advisor at the time they declare the major, a process that ideally occurs in the spring of their sophomore year during pre-registration for fall classes. The major advisor can be any full-time faculty member (see list on pp. 22-23) with whom the student feels comfortable discussing a plan of study. Typically, students have taken a class or two with the professor who becomes their major advisor.

All full-time faculty in the Department are available to advise declared or prospective history majors. During the pre-registration period in both fall and spring, faculty post sign-up sheets on their office doors specifically for major advising. Students should make an appointment and arrive with the Declaration/Change of Major Form in hand and filled out to the best of their ability; they also must bring a copy of their current transcript or CAPP (degree audit) report. After completing and signing the Declaration Form, the student should take it to the department office, James Blair 330, for the departmental staff to copy and use as the basis of a new history major file. The student should deliver the original Declaration Form to the Registrar's Office.

Transfer students who wish to major in History must meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies who will serve as their initial advisor. Transfer students should schedule an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and bring to that meeting a copy of their transfer credit report from the Office of Academic Advising. In all other respects, transfer students follow the procedure outlined above for declaring a history major. In subsequent registration periods, transfer students may meet with an advisor of their choosing.

History students are strongly encouraged to meet once a semester with a faculty advisor, even after their major has been declared. Advisors can help history majors with course selection and the pursuit of a particular topical or geographical focus, as well as offer advice on honors work and career planning.

Declaring a Minor

Students wishing to minor in history must declare their intention to the Department before the final semester of their senior year. A minor in history requires 18 semester credits in history, with at least six hours at the 300-400 level. At least nine of the 18 semester credits must be completed in residence at William & Mary. Declaration of Minor forms are available outside the department office, James Blair 330. The form must be endorsed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies or the Chair before being submitted to the Registrar's Office.

Types of Courses Offered

The Department's undergraduate curriculum offers a diverse set of courses in the histories of North and South America, Europe, Russia, Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.

There are two levels of courses, lower level (100-299) and upper level (300-499). Lower-level courses assume little or no previous coursework in the subject. Upper-level courses assume prior coursework in the subject or deal with particular countries or topics in depth (as opposed to introductory survey courses).

There are two types of classes, lecture classes and seminars or colloquia, and both can be found at the lower and upper levels.

1. Lecture classes generally enroll no more than thirty-five students. Introductory surveys are included in this category. These classes are primarily lecture format and cover a broad chronological or geographical sweep. Examples include Hist 111-112, History of Europe, or Hist 121-122, American History. Advanced lecture courses comprise most of the 300-400 level offerings in the Department; they generally involve a deeper investigation of a more narrowly-defined topic or chronology, such as Hist 332, Modern Korean History, or Hist 400, Colonial and Revolutionary Virginia.
2. Seminars and colloquia are designed to elicit discussion among students and their instructor, and hence their enrollments generally are restricted to fifteen students. Seminars and colloquia are most frequently topical in focus, and entail a wide variety of subjects, such as civil rights in the U.S., nationalism and Islam in South Asia, or the French Revolution. Seminars are offered at the lower and upper levels and include 150Ws, some Hist 211-212 topics courses, and Hist 490-491 advanced topics courses. Colloquia are usually offered on various topics as 490C-491C, but they can also be offered as regular, thematic courses such as Hist 480C, Slavery in the American South. (One way to ascertain whether a course is a colloquium or seminar is to verify that the maximum enrollment is set at 15 students.)

Seminar or colloquia topics are usually not repeated in successive years, so students may enroll more than once in topics classes—Hist 211-212 and 490C-491C—if there is no duplication of subject matter. Seminars in any given academic year are listed in detail in the College catalogue and/or on the Department website, and students should plan ahead if they are especially interested in a particular historical field. For more on courses designated with a "C", which signifies a colloquium or seminar, see Requirements for the Major.

Requirements for the Major

The History Major requires 33 semester credits, out of which the student must take the following courses:

• Either Hist 111 (History of Europe to 1715) or Hist 112 (History of Europe since 1715)
• Hist 121 (American History to 1877)
• Hist 122 (American History from 1877 to the Present)
• One semester of non-Western history, to be selected from Hist 131, 132, 141, 142, 161, 171, 172, 181, or 182
• A colloquium, which is a 400-level seminar designated by a "C" after the number (e.g. 471C, Contemporary Russia). The colloquium entails intensive reading and writing on a carefully defined historical problem, topic, or period. History majors should register for a colloquium in their junior or senior year, and must earn a C or better in the course to simultaneously fulfill the colloquium requirement and the Undergraduate Writing Requirement for history. Because colloquia frequently change from year to year, it is essential to check the catalogue for up-to-date listings of the Department's offerings.

In addition, students majoring in history must complete the Major Computing Requirement (MCR) for history. The MCR may be fulfilled by (1) attaining a C or better in a History course designated by the Department (for a list of courses that fulfill the Major Computing Requirement for history, check the History Department website under "A Major or Minor in History" or contact the Department of History office); or (2) attaining a C or better in Computer Science 131 (Concepts in Computer Science), 141 (Introduction to Computer Science), or a more advanced course in Computer Science.

[Note: In addition to Computer Science 131, 141 or higher numbered courses, the following history courses offered in Fall Semester 2007 will fulfill the Major Computing Requirement (MCR) in history: History 161-01 (History of South Asia; Prof. Zutshi); History 181-01 History of Africa to 1800 (Prof. La Fleur); History 216-01 (American History and Historic Sites; Prof. Whittenburg); History 329-01 (Modern Chinese History; Prof. Canning); History 369-01 (History of Britain, 1453-1783; Prof. Levitan); and History 418-01 (US Gilded Age; Prof. Nelson).]

The Department strongly recommends that history majors fulfill their survey requirements—Hist 121 and 122, Hist 111 or 112, and a non-Western survey—during their first two years at the College. Students who wish to pursue honors should take the colloquium in their junior year to gain valuable writing and research experience.