Bachelor [History] From DePauw University

?As a core discipline of the liberal arts, history encourages students to think critically, to argue logically and to examine the values of their society and those of other societies. By developing research, analytical, writing, oral communication and problem solving skills, the undergraduate major in History is valuable preparation for a broad range of occupations, for graduate and professional schools and for the responsibilities of informed citizenship. Recent history majors have pursued careers in education, law, government service, journalism, public history, social agencies, business and finance.?

The History department brings historians and history makers to campus, encourages off-campus study and travel, shows films and documentaries, sponsors field trips to historical sites and assists students in finding history-related internships.?

The History department offers introductory and advanced work in the following geographic fields: Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Students wishing to count courses taken off-campus toward a major or minor in history should note that approval is not automatic and that they must obtain prior approval from their academic advisors and the department chair.

The History major fosters a community of writers working together to produce cogent analysis of the past. We embrace writing as a mode of thinking and develop each writer's personal sense of historical voice as she learns to frame historical questions enticing to the reader. Among the core competencies that writing in the major promotes are: the advancement of substantive, nuanced arguments; the ability to position oneself within the existing scholarly literature, the adaptation of relevant theoretical frameworks; and the construction of powerful narratives based on primary documents. The senior seminar paper demonstrates mastery of these elements of the craft and thus is the capstone of the major's development as a writer. In order to produce successful and gratifying outcomes, the department takes a developmental approach as majors learn three types of writing:?

1) historiographical analysis;

?2) discussion and assessment of theoretical frameworks;

?3) analytical narrative based on primary sources.