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History Major and Honors

Majoring in History

Students due to graduate in 2024 and 2025 must take eleven semester courses in history (of at least three credits each). Of those eleven courses, students must take the following:

  • HI276 Patterns and Processes in World History;
  • Two 300-level courses, both of which must be taken at Colby;
  • A senior research seminar at 400 level, which should also be taken at Colby;
  • At least one course in each of three areas:
    • Category I: Africa, Asia, and world history
    • Category II: Europe, Russia, and the USSR
    • Category III: Colonial and Native America/United States
  • At least two courses must be in premodern history.

Other important information and departmental policies:

  • Students should take no more than three courses at 100-level.
  • The 300- and 400-level courses may also count towards following an area requirement.
  • Students doing an honors thesis are required to complete a 400-level seminar.
  • Up to three semester courses in history may be taken from historians at other colleges and universities in the United States and abroad (please consult with the department chair if you have questions about non-departmental courses that are approved for the major).
  • No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. 
  • No course will count for the history major if the grade is lower than C-. 
  • Seniors with a GPA of 3.75 or higher in history courses will graduate with “Distinction in the Major.”

Students due to graduate in 2026 and beyond must take eleven semester courses in history (of at least three credits each). Of those eleven courses, students must take the following:

  • HI276 (Patterns and Processes in World History), preferably in their first or sophomore year;
  • HI376 (What is Past? The Historian’s Craft), preferably before or during their junior year;
  • Two 300-level courses (HI376 does not count toward this requirement), both of which must be taken at Colby;
  • A senior research seminar at 400 level, which should also be taken at Colby;
  • At least one course each in four of the following fields: 
    • African history 
    • Atlantic World history
    • East Asian history
    • European history
    • US/American history
    • Middle Eastern history
    • Russian/USSR history
    • Southeast Asian history 
  • At least two courses must be in premodern history.
  • Declare a concentration: 
    • Students are required, in consultation with their advisor, to articulate a concentration in the fall of their sophomore year or upon declaring as a history major (e.g., comparative history of religion, reproduction and gender, power and racial inequality, nations and nationalism, etc.)
    • This concentration should be explored in at least four courses
    • The presumption is that the two 300-level courses will likely be, but are not required to be, in this concentration. 
  • All majors are required to participate in a one-credit colloquium series in their senior year. 

Other important information and departmental policies:

  • Of the 11 courses for the major, no more than three may be at the 100-level. 
  • The two 300-level courses and the 400-level seminar may also count toward fulfilling an area requirement. 
  • Students doing an honors thesis are required to complete a 400-level seminar.
  • Up to three semester courses in history may be taken from historians at other colleges and universities in the United States and abroad (please consult with the department chair if you have questions about non-departmental courses that are approved for the major).
  • No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. 
  • No course will count for the history major if the grade is lower than C-.

Honors in History

The history honors project offers students the opportunity to engage with an original topic, conducting research with primary sources, and contributing new insights and approaches to scholarly debates. Any student interested in pursuing honors in history needs the following:

  • A 3.5 grade point average in the history major; 
  • Approval by the department.

The structure of the program:

  • Students interested in undertaking an honors project should begin planning in the spring of their junior year:
    • They should approach a prospective advisor in the department;
    • And they should begin to formulate a potential research question.
  • The honors program runs for the duration of students’ senior year: 
    • Students submit a project proposal in the first weeks of the fall semester;
    • During the fall semester, an honors colloquium convened by faculty provides students with the relevant training for the project, before students conduct archival or other research (this is done typically during the January term);
    • The spring semester is devoted to writing up the project;
    • Students will present their projects at the annual Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.

Other important information and departmental policies:

  • A total of up to eight credits may be given for the year, including January Program credit;
  • The honors thesis must receive at least an A- grade for the student to graduate with “Honors in History.” 

For more detailed information, get in touch with Prof Arnout van der Meer.