History Department

Major- History usually ten courses including three US, three European, one non-European or US class, one elective, and history 479 and History 480.
Minor- History (five courses: two in US, two in European, and one elective)

For Course Offerings and Program Requirements see The Hiram College Catalog.

   1. Which courses are for first year students who wish to explore new areas of interest, but have no clear intent to major in this area?

      All history courses at the 100 level: 121, 130, 140, 141. Other history courses are also appropriate with faculty consultation.
   2. What is the desirable course work a prospective major/minor should complete by the end of their first year and the end of their second year?

      Majors:If you would like to major in history then we would suggest you take at least two history courses your first year-first year seminars taught by the history department would count as one of them. We would like majors to complete four courses by the end of their second year.

      A foreign language through 103 is required for all history majors. Those students who have not fulfilled this via their placement should complete this requirement in their first two years.
   3. What is the minimum a prospective major/minor must do by the end of their first and second year?

      Majors:It is possible to complete less than four courses during the first two years and still complete a history major depending on how many other graduation requirements the student has fulfilled.
   4. How important is it for a student with some interest in majoring in your area to make contact with a member of your department?

      We would like to meet all students interested in minoring or majoring in history by the end of their first year.
   5. What are the major pitfalls a student should avoid during their first year and how can an advisor help the student to avoid them?

      Taking an upper level history course during your first semester without receiving permission from the instructor. Ideally, students should have taken History 121, 122, or 140, 141 before taking an upper level course. In many cases though this sequence is impossible so we would advise talking to a member of the department before enrolling for a course that students are unsure about or for which they have little background.
   6. Aditional information

      For our department whether courses are designated with a 200 or 300 number makes no difference in how they are taught. In other words, 200 level courses have about the same workload as 300 level courses.

      History majors from Hiram are employed in a variety of activities. Many of our majors go on to professional schools in law, library science, history, business or Public Administration while others go on to teach in high schools. However, probably half of our majors seek employment in different fields such as government, sales, marketing, publishing, journalism and so on. We feel that a history major is excellent preparation for any career where communication skills, independent work, and analysis are demanded.