Brown University

Source: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/hist/ Parent: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/

History is the study of how societies and cultures across the world change over time. History concentrators learn to write and think critically, and to understand issues from a variety of perspectives. The department offers a wide variety of courses concerned with changes in human experience through time, ranging from classical Greek and Roman civilizations to the histories of Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia. While some courses explore special topics, others concentrate on the history of a particular country (e.g. China or Brazil) or period of time (e.g. Antiquity or the 20th century). By taking advantage of our diverse course offerings, students can engage in and develop broad perspectives on the past and the present.

Prospective concentrators should visit the History site and visit the office hours of their prospective concentrator advisor (assigned according to student surname).

Concentration Requirements

Basic requirement: A minimum of 10 courses, at least 8 of which must be courses taught by a Brown University History Department faculty member (including their cross-listed courses) and/or courses offered by the Brown History Department (such as those taught by Visiting or Adjunct Professors). Transfer students or study-abroad students who have spent a year or more at another institution must have at least 7 of 10 history courses taught by Brown History faculty or otherwise offered through the Brown History Department.

Note: Courses can fulfill more than one of these requirements at a time. For instance, HIST1963Q “Sex, Power, God: A Medieval Perspective” would count as “Premodern,” a "Europe" class, and a capstone seminar. It could also count towards a field of focus in premodern Europe or the history of sexuality or the history of religion, etc.

Courses below 1000: Students may count no more than four courses numbered below 1000 toward the concentration requirements.  Students considering a concentration in History are encouraged to take First Year and Sophomore seminars, as well as courses in the HIST 0150 and 0200 series, for an introduction to historical reasoning, discussion, and writing.

Field of focus: In History, concentrators choose or create their own “track,” rather than having to select an existing track. The field of focus must include a minimum of four courses, and it may be: geographical (such as Latin America); geographical and chronological (such as Modern North America); or transnational (such as ancient world); or thematic (such as urban history).  All students should consult a concentration advisor early in the process about their potential field of focus.  All fields are subject to approval by the concentration advisor.

Thematic fields of focus include but are not restricted to:

• Comparative Colonialism
• Gender and Sexuality
• Law and Society
• Race and Ethnicity
• Science, Technology, Environment and Medicine (STEAM)
• Urban History

Examples of transnational foci include:

• The Ancient World
• The Early Modern Atlantic World
• Africa and the Diaspora
• The Mediterranean World from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
• The Pacific World

Geographic Distribution:Concentrators must take a at least four courses defined by geography as follows:

• One course in Africa or Middle East-South Asia
• One course in East Asia or Latin America
• One course in Europe or North America
• One course in Global

Maximum of five courses in a single geography

“Global” courses are defined as those that deal with at least three different regions of the world.

For details on which courses count toward which geographical distribution requirement click here.

Chronological Distribution: All concentrators must complete at least two courses designated as “P” (for pre-modern).

For a listing of which courses count as "P" courses click here

Capstone Seminar: All concentrators must complete at least one capstone seminar (HIST 1960s and HIST 1970s series and select HIST 1980s courses).  They provide students with an opportunity to delve deeply into a historical problem and to write a major research and/or analytical paper which serves as a capstone experience.  Students considering writing a senior honors thesis are advised to take an advanced seminar in their junior year. First-Year students are not advised to take these courses.

Transferring Courses: The History Department encourages students to take history courses at other institutions, either in the United States or abroad, as well as history-oriented courses in other departments and programs at Brown. Students may apply two courses taken in other departments/programs at Brown to the ten-course minimum for the History concentration. Students who spend one semester at another institution may apply to their concentration a maximum of two courses from other departments or institutions, and those who spend more than one semester at another institution may apply to their concentration a third course transferred from another institution.

Students wishing to apply such courses must present to their concentration advisor justification that those courses complement some aspect of their concentration. Courses from other Brown departments may not be applied toward the chronological distribution requirement. History courses taught by trained historians from other institutions (e.g., from study abroad or a previous institution) maybe applied toward the chronological distribution requirement so long as at least 2/3 of the course content examine the "premodern" or "early modern" periods.

It is normally expected that students will have declared their intention to concentrate in History and have their concentration programs approved before undertaking study elsewhere. Students taking courses in Brown-run programs abroad automatically receive University transfer credit, but concentration credit is granted only with the approval of a concentration advisor. Students taking courses in other foreign-study programs or at other universities in the United States must apply to the Transfer Credit Advisor and then get approval from a concentration advisor.

Regular Consultation: Students are strongly urged to consult regularly with their concentration advisor or a department advisor about their program. During the seventh semester, all students must meet with their concentration advisor for review and approval of their program.

Honors (OPTIONAL):

History concentrators in the 5th or 6th semester may apply for honors. To be admitted, students must have achieved two-thirds “quality grades” in History department courses.  A “quality grade” is defined as a grade of “A” or a grade of “S” accompanied by a course performance report indicating a performance at the “A” standard.

Students who wish to enroll in honors are recommended to takeHIST 1992, “History Honors Workshop for Prospective Students.”  HIST 1992 can count as one of the 10 courses required for graduation in history.  HIST 1992 students who prepare a prospectus that receives a grade of A- or above will be admitted to the honors program.  Students in their 7th semester who have not taken HIST 1992 (including but not limited to those who are away from Brown during that semester) may apply to the program by submitting a prospectus no later than the first day of that semester.  All honors students must complete one semester of HIST 1993 “History Honors Workshop for Thesis Writers, Part I” and one semester of HIST 1994 “History Workshop for Thesis Writers, Part II.”  HIST 1993 and HIST 1994 do not count towards the 10 courses required for graduation in history; they are an additional two courses to the minimum of 10 required history courses. Students who contemplate enrolling in the honors program in History should consult the honors section of the department website. They are also encouraged to meet with the Director of the Honors Program (DHP), who serves as the honors advisor.