History

The history major is intended for students who understand that shaping the future requires knowing the past. History majors explore the hundreds of centuries of human experimentation and ingenuity, triumph and tragedy, that have gone into making the modern world. They learn to be effective storytellers and to craft arguments that speak to broad audiences. They make extensive use of Yale’s vast library resources and create pioneering original research projects. History majors think about politics and government, sexuality, the economy, cultural and intellectual life, war and society, and other themes in broadly humanistic–rather than narrowly technocratic–ways.

Yale boasts one of the largest and most accomplished history departments in the world. Its faculty members have won hundreds of awards, from the Pulitzer Prize to the National Humanities Medal to the National Book Award. Among undergraduates, history is one Yale’s most popular and intellectually diverse majors, encompassing nearly every region and time period of the global past. The study of history is excellent preparation for careers in many fields, including law, journalism, business and finance, education, politics and public policy, social activism, and the arts.

History courses generally take one of three forms. The first is the lecture course—sometimes a large auditorium-style course, sometimes a more intimate lecture/discussion hybrid. These courses are open to all students regardless of year or major. They usually consist of two lectures per week, along with one hour of discussion section. In general, students may be admitted to the course by simply showing up and registering during shopping period.

The second format is the freshman seminar, indicated by a course number beginning with 0 (for instance, HIST 028). First-year students may enroll in History freshman seminars through the pre-registration lottery administered by the Yale College Dean’s Office.  Freshman seminars are generally capped at 18 students.

The final format is the History departmental seminar—indicated by a “J” after the course number (for instance, HIST 136J). These are intensive upper-level courses intended for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. While history majors receive pre-registration opportunities and preference for enrollment, these courses are open to students from any major, with final admission to be determined at the instructor’s discretion. Departmental seminars are generally capped at 15 students.

Twelve terms of history are required for the major. Included in these twelve terms must be: (a) two terms of United States or Canadian history (courses in the colonial period may fulfill this requirement); (b) two terms of European or British history (courses in Greek and Roman, Byzantine, and Russian history may fulfill this requirement); (c) two terms in the history of Latin America, Asia, or Africa (designated as “LAAA”; courses in Middle Eastern history may fulfill this requirement).

Two of these six terms must be courses in preindustrial history, generally covering a period before 1800. Preindustrial history courses are so marked at the end of their course descriptions. Students may use the same courses to count toward both geographical and preindustrial requirements. Only in rare cases will the director of undergraduate studies consider petitions from History majors seeking geographical or chronological credit outside of a History course’s primary designation.

Two departmental seminars are required and are normally taken during the sophomore or junior year, although students are encouraged to take more than two seminars. Sophomores contemplating a junior term abroad are urged to consider taking at least one seminar in the sophomore year. Residential college seminars that count toward the History major do not fulfill the departmental seminar requirement.

During senior year,
 each student will complete a two-semester senior departmental essay written under the guidance of a member of the faculty.