We believe that all graduates must possess the ability to undertake self-directed intensive research, to be familiar with a wide range of past societies and to be aware of the interpretive and methodological options for analyzing them. Our programs are constructed to allow students to acquire a deep historical knowledge and to develop both historical and general, transferable skills.

The Right Degree for You

B.A. Programs – History and Global Studies Honours, Major, Minors

Honours History

For students interested in graduate work or who wish to continue their historical studies beyond the major, we also offer an Honours in History. Students must complete an additional 12 credits in history courses or cognates in which they must maintain an overall average of 70%. The last 30 credits of the program must be completed at Bishop’s.

Major

Students enrolled in the Major in History must successfully complete 48 credits in history courses or cognates, of which a minimum of 24 credits must be completed at Bishop’s. The 48 credits required for the Major must include:

  • Introductory courses provide broad surveys and exposure to historical methods and skills.
  • 200 level courses which expose students to national histories or world-wide events as well as historical theories and trends.
  • 200 level globally-focused courses.
  • 200 level professional courses on applied historical work in archives, museums, and heritage organizations.
  • 300 level courses, which are senior seminar courses devoted to in depth analysis of particular subjects.

Minor

Students enrolled in the minor must complete 24 credits in History courses or cognates including:

  • 6 credits in 100 level courses.
  • A minimum of 12 credits in 200 level courses including 3 credits in each of the four geographic areas offered by the Department.

Interdisciplinary Double Majors and Minors

At Bishop’s, students may wish to supplement their studies in History with another major, such as International Politics or Drama. This is easily done. Two double major programs especially complementary to History Majors are: Double Major in History and Global Studies and Arts Administration and Double Major in Social Studies and Secondary Education.

Double Major in History and Arts Administration

For students interested in careers in Heritage, such as working in archives, museums, or historic sites they should consider the Arts Administration program which consists of business and administration/management courses, in combination with a concentration of a student’s particular interest. For history, 30 credits of the History Major could count towards the history component of the Arts Administration program. See the Academic Calendar for further information on the Arts Administration program.

Minor in Indigenous Studies

Housed in the department of History, this interdisciplinary minor allows students to explore the world from the perspective of the indigenous peoples of various countries and continents and from within various disciplines. Courses that make up the minor come from history, sociology, environmental studies and geography, religious studies and political studies. The focus of the minor is to allow students to learn about indigenous cultures before, during and after contact with the imperializing forces of Europe. The minor includes courses on North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This minor may be complementary to a degree in International Studies.

Students must either take HIS 108, SOC 107 or ENG 123 as an introductory course, and must complete their minor with HIS 300, SOC 396 or ENG 358. In addition to those courses, students need to take an additional 18 credits from the approved list.

Minor in Pre-Law

For students interested in Law, this minor introduces students to the competencies required for the LSAT: analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, reading comprehension and writing ability. For further information see the Pre-Law program, under the Division of Humanities, in the Academic Calendar.

Minor in Global Change

How did the world get to where we are today? The Department of History and Global Studies now offers the Minor in Global Change that stresses a historical understanding of the globe, considered as a single unit.

This new minor is aimed not only at History majors, but at others interested in a historical approach to topics such as colonialism, historical migration patterns, intellectual and literary exchange across borders and a Third World-centric approach. This allows students who are not History majors to explore the Global World through a largely but not exclusively historical lens.

North American Studies Minor

This minor will build on our border-crossing approach by investigating North American Studies (NAS) as a unit. It combines US and Canadian courses and encourages comparison between the two countries. We also integrate content on Mexico through existing Hispanic and Latin America contents, allowing the program to examine the three North American countries – “amigos” or rivals with increasingly integrated economies and connected societies. The NAS minor integrates current issues, with dedicated courses on key thematic topics including Race and gender. It combines political and social history, looking at both peoples and states. Our minor will also integrate content on the French- and Spanish-speaking peoples of the continent and collaborate with the Indigenous Studies minor, also housed in History.

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Questions?

Want to know more about studying History and Global Studies? Contact the department chair.