Undergraduate > The Bachelor of Arts in History
Five pathways lead to the A.B. in History at Stanford: the “General Major” and four “Majors with Interdisciplinary Emphasis” (a.k.a. “History Interdisciplinary Programs”).
The General Major emphasizes breadth of study among historical fields as well as depth of concentration in one selected area. To satisfy breadth, the department has designated four fields, three defined geographically and one chronologically, as follows: Field I (Africa, Asia, and Middle East); Field II (the Americas); and Field III (Europe, including Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia) and Field IV (before 1700). To satisfy depth, the department has designated the following areas of concentration: Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia, Comparative Empires and Cultures, Europe before 1700, Europe since 1700, International History, Jewish history, Latin America, Science and Technology, the United States, and the Middle East. Alternatively, with departmental approval, a student can define a thematic concentration, such as war and revolution, work, or family history.
The two Majors with Interdisciplinary Emphasis (a.k.a. History Interdisciplinary Programs) combine the study of history with methods and approaches of other disciplines and require courses outside of History.
All three pathways may be completed in conjunction with the Honors Program in History.
All pathways to the History A.B. require that students complete a minimum of 12 courses in History with a minimum 58 unit total. (The Appendix to this booklet includes Degree Progress.) These courses must be taken for 3 or more units and for a letter grade, and students must maintain a GPA of “C” or higher in History courses. The 12 courses must include the following:
- at least 6 taught by regular members of the History faculty.
- 2 200-level undergraduate colloquia in History.
- 1 Sources and Methods Seminar in History.
- At least 1 additional small-group course, to be chosen from History colloquia, History seminars, or Freshman/Sophomore Seminars taught by History faculty
- History’s Writing-in-the-Major requirement (WIM) may be satisfied through any one of the following:
- a WIM-designated course in History;
- an honors thesis in History;
- a Major Paper under History faculty direction.
One Directed Reading (299R) or Directed Research (299S) taken for 3-5 units and for a letter grade may be applied toward the 12 courses and be granted appropriate credit towards field requirements.
The Junior Honors Colloquium may be counted toward the 12-course requirement in History.
Senior Research units (299 A, B, and C), which students take in connection with the Honors project, apply only to the Honors program and do not count toward the 12-course requirement.
Certain Area One courses (“Rise and Fall of Europe,” “Ancient Empires, and “Worlds of Islam”) are applicable toward the General Major. “The Rise and Fall of Europe” counts as one course toward the Field IV pre-1700 requirement, one course in the Europe Before 1700 concentration, and one course in the Europe Since 1700 concentration. “Ancient Empires” counts as 2 courses in Fields III and IV (pre-1700). The “Worlds of Islam” IHUM course will count as two courses in Field I and one quarter of the two-quarter course can be counted as one course in Field IV. These Area One courses can be applied toward a History Interdisciplinary Program only insofar as their content is specifically appropriate to the student’s geographic cluster.
Since Stanford Introductory Dialogues, Sophomore College, and residence-based courses are 1- and 2-unit courses, they may not be used toward the major.
Advanced Placement units do not count toward any major requirements.
Transfer courses from other universities may apply to the History major upon petition. Once a history course completed elsewhere has been granted “units towards graduation” by the Transfer Credit Evaluation Office at Old Union, a History major may petition to have it count towards his/her History degree. Up to 5 such courses can count for the major. Outside Coursework Petitions (available in the History Office) are reviewed regularly by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Petitions to transfer coursework need to be accompanied by syllabi from the courses under review and copies of any papers written.How to Complete History's Writing-in-the-Major Requirement
The WIM Paper, which must be at least fifteen pages in length, may be either a piece of research involving primary sources or an extended historiographical or critical essay based on secondary sources.
History majors have 3 ways to satisfy Stanford’s Writing-in-the-Major (WIM) requirement:
- by completing a WIM paper in a WIM-designated History course. Please see the list in the History Office for the current WIM course offerings.
- by completing an honors thesis in History (History 299 A, B, C). Registration in the Honors Program and satisfaction of all requirements are necessary in order to complete WIM through writing a History honors thesis.
- by completing a Major Paper under History faculty direction, in which students register for 1 to 2 units of Undergraduate Directed Research (History 299S). This entails expanding and revising a paper written in any History course except Area One courses. The student who wishes to pursue a Major Paper must make a special arrangement to do so with the appropriate faculty member. Since revision is a focal point of the requirement, students should plan on submitting at least two drafts of the expanded paper. Students must enroll in History 299S (for 1 -2 units) under the section number of the faculty reader during the quarter in which they submit the final draft.
Students are responsible for verifying their completion of the WIM requirement. The form for this purpose can be picked up in the History department office.
Under University rules, only Academic Council faculty may supervise the WIM requirement. Therefore, Sources and Methods seminars taught by History graduate students may not be used to meet the WIM requirement. Courses taught by Lecturers and visiting professors also cannot count towards fulfilment of the WIM requirement.