Undergraduate Programs

Undergraduate

Programs of Study

The range and diversity of courses offered by the Department of History are designed to meet the needs and interests of Majors, non-Majors, and of full-time and part-time students. Students who do not intend to concentrate in history will find that history courses complement in almost any of the fields and disciplines which comprise the Faculty of Arts and Science. History courses are considered Non-Specialist Electives for students registered in the Faculty of Arts and Science and who are concentrating in an area other than the Humanities.

Students who elect to concentrate their studies in history will select from three offered by the Department:

Note:  New requirements took effect for students who enrolled in a History Subject POSt beginning in the 2012-13 Academic Session. Students are responsible for fulfilling the requirements of the Specialist or Major program from the Calendar of the year in which they enrolled in the program.

NB: ‘Course’ means 1 full credit (Y) or 2 half credits (H).
See also Divisions and Pre-modern Courses.

History Specialist (Arts Program)

This is a limited enrolment POSt that can only accommodate a limited number of students.  Eligibility will be based on a student’s marks in the required courses.  The precise mark thresholds outlined below are an estimate of what will be required in the coming POSt admission cycle.   Achieving those marks does not necessarily guarantee admission to the POSt in any given year.

Required courses: 2.0 HIS FCE, one of which must be at the 100-level. A final mark of at least 73% in 2.0 HIS FCE is required.

(10 full courses or their equivalent)

  • First Year: 1.0 HIS FCE at the 100-level; in addition, students may take 1.0 HIS FCE at the 200-level.
  • Higher Years: Additional HIS courses to a total of 10 FCEs overall, meeting the following requirements:
    1. At least 5 FCEs at the 300-level or above, including 1.5 FCEs at the 400-level
    2. 1 FCE from each of the following Divisions*:
    I.  Asia/Africa/Middle East
    II. Canada/United States/Latin America/Caribbean
    III. Europe
    3. 1 FCE in pre-modern (before 1800) history*.

*Courses that satisfy the Pre-modern and Divisional requirements are listed on the History website.  Specialists may draw up to 2 FCEs from the list of Related Courses offered in other departments to fulfill items 1 through 3 of the Specialist program.  A 100-level related course may be applied toward the Divisional or Pre-modern requirements but does not take the place of  the required 100-series HIS course.

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History Major (Arts Program)

This is a limited enrolment POSt that can only accommodate a limited number of students.  Eligibility will be based on a student’s mark(s) in the required course(s).  The precise mark thresholds outlined below are an estimate of what will be required in the coming POSt admission cycle.   Achieving those mark(s) does not necessarily guarantee admission to the POSt in any given year.

Required courses: 1.0 HIS FCE at the 100-level; students must achieve a final mark of at least 65% in this or another 1.0 HIS FCE.

(7 full courses or their equivalent)

  • First Year: 1.0 HIS FCE at the 100-level; in addition, students may take 1.0 HIS FCE at the 200-level.
  • Higher Years: Additional HIS courses to a total of seven*, meeting the following requirements:
    1. At least 2.0 FCEs at the 300-level or above, including 0.5 FCE at the 400-level
    2. 1 FCE from each of the following divisions*:
    I.  Asia/Africa/Middle East
    II. Canada/United States/Latin America/Caribbean
    III. Europe.
    3. 1 FCE in pre-modern (pre-1800) history*.

* Courses that satisfy the Pre-modern and Divisional requirements are listed on the History website.  Majors may draw up to 1 FCE from the list of Related Courses offered in other departments to fulfill items 1 through 3 of the Major program.  A 100-level related course may be applied toward the Divisional or Pre-modern requirements but does not take the place of the requirement for a 100-series HIS course.

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History Minor (Arts Program)

Enrolment in this program requires the completion of 4.0 courses.

(4 full courses or their equivalent)

  • First Year: 1.0 HIS FCE at the 100-level is required. It is recommended that students complete this requirement prior to enrolling in the minor program.
  • Higher Years: Additional HIS courses to a total of 4.0 FCE*, including at least 1.0 FCE at the 300- or 400-level.

* Minor may draw up to 1.0 FCE from the list of Related courses offered in other departments. A 100-level Related course does not take the place of the requirement for a 100-series HIS course.

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Divisions and Thematic Streams

Divisions

History courses are grouped into three geographic divisions as outlined below. Specialist and Majors are required to choose courses from each of the three divisions to fulfill geographic breadth requirements. In order to help students with planning their , courses have been listed according to their divisions.

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Thematic Streams

Although thematic streams are not an official program requirement, you may find it enriching to follow a particular theme across different time periods or geographical divisions.

The following thematic streams indicate a few well-defined areas, but other thematic possibilities exist exist as well, such as ‘Race’ and Ethnic Relations, or Popular and Material Culture. For further information, consult the Associate Chair, Undergraduate.

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