Program Structure
We believe that all our graduates, whether Majors, Public History majors or Honours, 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 this knowledge and develop these skills in a coherent, step by step fashion, gradually building confidence in their intellectual, research and communication skills. Faculty members constantly monitor the progress of students and are ready to address the weaknesses and develop the particular strengths of each individual in the program. read more
Major in History
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 that provide broad surveys of North America, Europe and the Developing World, and exposure to historical methods and skills
200 level courses that expose students to national histories or world-wide events such as Canada, the Middle East and the Formation of Modern Europe, and to historical theory and trends
300 level courses that concentrate on themes or comparative area studies such as the Cold War, Gender and Sexuality, and Indigenous Peoplesà
400 level courses which are senior seminar courses devoted to in depth analysis of particular subjects such as the War in Vietnam, French Canadian nationalism and the Social History of Disease in the West
Public History Major
Like the Major in History, students opting for this program of study must complete 48 credits in history courses or cognates, of which a minimum of 24 credits must be completed at Bishop's. Many of the courses students take for the Public History Major are the same ones as their history major counterparts; however, there are specific courses designed for the Public History program in order to expose students to the practice of history outside of academia and to give them practical experience in the fields of client-based research, museums and archives. The 48 credits required for the Public History Major must include:
Introductory courses that provide broad surveys of North America, Europe and the Developing World, and exposure to historical methods and skills
200 level courses that expose students to national histories or world-wide events such as Canada, the Middle East and the Formation of Modern Europe and to historical theory and trends
300 level courses that concentrate on themes or comparative area studies such as War and Society, Communications and Technology and Indigenous Peoples
400 level courses which are senior seminar courses devoted to in depth analysis of particular subjects such as the environmental history of North America, the English Family and the Social History of Disease
Within this program structure, public history majors must also take HIS 240 Introduction to Public History, HIS 390 or HIS 392 which are research or other internship practica and HIS 450 the senior seminar on Public History. Students also have the option of substituting two of their history courses for select courses in Business, Fine Arts and Political Studies.
Honours in 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 which means 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.
Minor in History
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 or 300 level courses including 3 credits in each of the three geographic areas offered by the Department.
Indigenous Studies Minor
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 imperialising forces of Europe and includes courses on North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Students majoring in International Studies may find this minor a valuable complement to that program.
Students must either take HIS 108, SOC 107 or ENG 123 as an introductory course, and complete their minor with either HIS 404, SOC 396 or ENG 358. In addition to those courses, students need to take an additional 18 credits from the approved list.
For complete details, view the History section of the academic calendar.
