Major and Minor in History
The History Department requires its majors to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) or better in the courses that fulfill their major requirements. There is one exception: students may elect to take one required course for the major for a “Pass” grade; that course will not be counted toward the required grade point average. There are no limits for minors.
Requirements for the Major:
At least 9 credits
- History 110: Global Change:The Power of History – preferably in the first year
- One of the following two-course sequences:
- United States
- History 200: Empire, Slavery, Freedom: Early United States
- History 201: Inequity, Rights, Reaction: Modern United States
- East Asia
- History 212: Origins of East Asia
- History 213: Modern East Asia
- Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Europe (any two of the following)
- History 204: Roman History
- History 205: Medieval History
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- History 206: Renaissance and Reformation
- History 210: Greek History
- Modern Europe
- History 208: Europe 1715-1890
- History 209: Europe in the Twentieth Century
- African American History
- History 202: African American History 1619-1865
- History 203: African American History 1865-2016
- United States
- History 300: The Historian’s Workshop – taken as a junior
- Four additional courses, at least two of which must be at the 300-level or above
- Completion of the Senior Studies Requirement in one of the following ways:
- History 420: Senior Seminar
- Senior Thesis
Requirements for the Minor:
The Minor in History consists of six courses, one of which must be at the 300-level or above. History 300 is encouraged but not required for the minor.
A note on internships
The History Department recognizes that internships are a valuable way for students to connect their classroom learning to future careers. Some History majors and minors have completed internships at institutions directly related to History (Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society, Newberry Library, etc.). Our students have also completed internships at other types of companies and institutions that allowed them to utilize the skills of a History major/minor (political campaigns, non-profits, etc.). We encourage our students to seek out these opportunities. Internships do not, however, fulfill any of the nine credits required of History majors or six credits required of History minors (see above). Rather, they will appear as “extra” History credits on the student’s transcript (a tenth course for a major, or a seventh course for a minor, for example). For more information, see our “Internships and Careers” page.
A note on repeated courses
Lake Forest College policy states that students who receive a C- or lower in a course may repeat that course once with replacement of the earlier grade. Normally, students must repeat a course with the same course number. However, in the spring of 2014 the History Department instituted a comprehensive course re-numbering. This could cause confusion among students wishing to repeat a course but finding that it now has a different number. Students in this situation should consult with the chair of History to be sure that they are repeating the same course, regardless of the different number.