Majors and Minors

The Major in History

Students complete eleven courses for the major in history.

All majors take these five courses:

• HIS-115:  Western Civilization to 1500
• HIS-125:  Western Civilization since 1500
• HIS-145:  The United States to 1865
• HIS-155:  The United States since 1865
• HIS-205:  The Historian’s Craft

Majors take one of the following courses on Asia:

• HIS-135:  East Asian Civilization
• HIS-245:  History of Modern China
• HIS-255:  History of Modern Japan

Majors take two advanced seminars, as follows:

• One seminar in United States History
• One seminar in either European History or Asian History

Majors complete their course of study with three other elective courses in history, allowing students to focus their major on a particular era or region based on their interests.

The Collateral Major in Historical Studies

Students with a major other than history may choose a second (or "collateral") major in historical studies. This course of study may only be taken in conjunction with another major at Coe.

Students complete eleven courses for the major in historical studies.

All collateral majors take these five courses:

• HIS-115:  Western Civilization to 1500
• HIS-125:  Western Civilization since 1500
• HIS-145:  The United States to 1865
• HIS-155:  The United States since 1865
• HIS-205:  The Historian’s Craft

Collateral majors take one of the following courses on Asia:

• HIS-135:  East Asian Civilization
• HIS-245:  History of Modern China
• HIS-255:  History of Modern Japan

Collateral majors take two advanced seminars, as follows:

• One seminar in United States History
• One seminar in either European History or Asian History

Collateral majors complete their course of study with three additional elective courses, one of which must be an elective in the History Department. The other two electives can be department courses, but they can also be two history-related courses in a non-history discipline (for example, Art History, Political Science, and other fields), which must be approved by the History Department Chair.

The Minor in History

Students complete six courses for the minor in history, in one of the following two combinations. In the first, students complete the following six courses:

• HIS-115:  Western Civilization to 1500
• HIS-125:  Western Civilization since 1500
• One course in United States History
• One course in Asian History
• Two elective courses approved by the History Department

In the second, students complete the following six courses:

• HIS-145:  United States to 1865
• HIS-155:  United States since 1865
• One course in European History
• One course in Asian History
• Two elective courses approved by the History Department