History (B.A.)

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History majors are required to take 36-40 credits of historical offerings beyond the core requirement. Students may also choose a concentration in Early Christianity or Public History and Museum Studies. Select courses in the concentrations may also apply to major requirements.

Foundational Courses (16 credits):

Advanced Seminars:

4 credits from the following:

US History and European History

8 credits from:

Global History

8 credits from:

Cognate Course

Four credits from a cognate discipline outside the major, chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.

Capstone Options

One of the following:

HIS 425 - Internship (2 or 4)
CCI 425 - Career and Connection Institute Internship (0)
An additional 4 credits of advanced seminars
An approved study abroad semester
An approved international seminar
Honors thesis HIS 471 - Research I and HIS 472 - Research II 8 credits total
Students must be approved by the department.

Concentrations

The following concentrations are available to majors and are optional. Select courses will apply to both major and concentration requirements.

Early Christianity:

Introduces students to the world of the early church.

Public History and Museum Studies:

Designed for history majors interested in careers in museum education, museum administration, collections management, artifact conservation, archival and curatorial positions, as well as the growing field of history-related mass media and technology.

Honors in History

Highly qualified majors with junior standing are encouraged to consider pursuing history honors, which entails preparation of a research thesis under the guidance of a faculty director during two of the student’s last four terms at Gordon. Minimum requirement for application to the honors program is a GPA of 3.65 in the major and 3.00 overall by the first half of the student’s junior year, plus academic excellence and good writing skills as demonstrated in previous course work. Pending departmental approval of a student’s research proposal, the candidate will enroll in HIS 471 - Research I , HIS 472 - Research II , develop a substantial thesis paper, and defend the thesis orally to program faculty and fellow students. See advisor for further information.