History and Global Studies

Discovering who we were; shaping who we are.

At Bishop’s, we believe that historical knowledge serves an individual and society the way memory does. It gives us perspectives and insights into the world in which we live and presents us with the almost limitless range of ways humans have organized their lives. We also understand that the past is presented or re-presented in specific ways by historians and others, such as politicians and heritage advocates; as a result, we believe it is just as important to learn about and analyze historical interpretations as it is to learn about the past itself.

Why study History and Global Studies at Bishop’s?

Students in the old Library in McGreer
Hear what students have to say

Internships, Experiential Learning and Student Involvement

For students interested in receiving practical, hands-on experience during their studies, we offer a number of courses and archival or institutional internships designed to introduce students to the fields of archives, museums, and historic sites.

Scholarships, Awards, and Bursaries at Bishop's
Money Matters

Bursaries and Prizes

Find out which prizes are specific to History and Global Studies students and how to apply for a general scholarship at Bishop’s.

Resources and ethics
Where can this lead you?

Career Opportunities

Do you ever wonder what you can do with your history degree after university? This is a very common question for students of history. While we know there is great value in patiently dissecting the past, we sometimes worry about how the skills we have attained while studying history will translate into a job. Fortunately, historians today have more options than ever before.

Students get to explore history within traditional national and global contexts but also through unique and varied course offerings, such as:

  • History of Animals: Prey, Predator and Partner
  • The Transatlantic Slave Trade and the Atlantic World, 1500 to 1867
  • Human Rights and Humanitarian Organizations
  • The Social History of Disease in the West
  • Museums and Communities

Students get opportunities to publish their own research, either in the “History Review” or through internship possibilities

Students are encouraged to enhance their research skills by applying for undergraduate research grants and scholarships

Students get to combine academics with social and cultural events through the Bishop’s University History Association, the department’s student club

Why Study History at Bishop’s University?

A few of our students have prepared video testimonials.

Courses & Programs

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.

B.A. ProgramHonours, Major

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.
B.A. ProgramMinors

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.

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.

B.A. ProgramInterdisciplinary 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.

B.A. ProgramDouble 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.

Sample Courses

We’ve compiled a short list of some of our popular courses:

HIS 108 A Global History of Indigenous Peoples
HIS 241 Canada and the World in the 20th Century
HIS 206 The History of Night: An Exploration of the ‘Darker’ Side of Life
HIS 242 History of Animals: Prey, Predator and Partner
HIS 391 Archival or Institutional Internship
HIS 208 History of Torture
HIS 250 The American Civil War and Reconstruction
HIS 253 A History of Medieval Europe
HIS 256 Latin America 1800 to the Present
HIS 267 History of Sport in Canada
HIS 394 The Social History of Disease in the West

Historical photos and documents
How the History Program began at BU

About

Read about the fascinating people who shaped the History department.

Old books on shelves
Research guide and methodologies

Resources

Need help to properly stucture your essay or create a video presentation? Then this section is for you.

Historical Review 2022-2023
2022-2023

Historical Review

Presented by Bishop’s University History Association (BUHA).

Professor Gordon Barker
Engaged professors who are also active researchers

About your professors

We welcome you to join us as part of a vibrant research and learning community. Our program’s professors support personal and creative learning. We provide a broad historical knowledge and promote the development of a solid set of skills that will serve you well in any variety of careers. We work actively with the student-run Bishop’s University History Association and offer opportunities to explore history and heritage in global and national settings, through traditional assignments like writing essays and class presentations but also through alternative media like videos, posters, web pages and simulations.

Overview drone image of the Bishop's campus

We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the traditional and unceded territory of the Abenaki, a member of the Wabenaki confederacy.

Questions?

Want to know more about studying History and Global Studies?

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