A concentration in history includes History 104, "The Western Heritage to 1600," History 105, "The American Heritage,"and 27 additional hours of coursework. The student electing to major in history must complete not fewer than nine hours in Western Civilization categories, "Ancient & Medieval History," and "Early Modern & Modern Europe." The third Western Civilization course may be History 206. The student must complete not fewer than six hours in American History, of which at least three hours must be taken from the two American History categories, "Early American History," and "Modern American History." The remaining 12 required hours may be elected from any history department offerings.

Exceptionally competent students may seek to graduate with departmental honors in history by completing History 575, an independent three-hour research project under the supervision of a faculty committee. Admission to this course is at the discretion of the history faculty. The three credits required for History 575 may not be included in the 27 hours required for the field of concentration. Senior history majors must also complete a comprehensive history examination covering coursework completed while at Hillsdale and achieve an acceptable score as determined by the History Faculty.

I. Western Civilization

A. Ancient & Medieval History

HST 310 The Ancient Worlds
HST 311 Early Middle Ages
HST 312 High and Late Middle Ages
HST 400 Ancient Near East
HST 401 Ancient Greece
HST 402 Ancient Rome
HST 406 Medieval England

B. Early Modern & Modern Europe

HST 314 Europe, 1618-1798
HST 315 Nineteenth-Century Europe
HST 316 Europe in the Twentieth Century
HST 407 The Renaissance
HST 416 History of England After 1485
HST 452 The Reformation

II. American History

A. Early American History

HST 300 Colonial America to 1763
HST 301 The Founding of the American Republic
HST 302 Jacksonian America
HST 483 Constitutional History of the United States to 1865

B. Early Modern & Modern Europe

HST 303 Sectionalism and the American Civil War
HST 307 Reconstruction to WWII
HST 308 U.S. and the World Since WWII
HST 484 Constitutional History of the United States Since 1865

III. Departmental Honors

HST 575 Thesis for Departmental Honors

From time to time, selected 400-level or 500-level elective courses are offered with an “S” (Seminar) designation. Enrollment is strictly limited in size and requires permission of the instructor. Seminars are designed to be reading- research- and writing-intensive courses for highly motivated students working closely with the professor. Although seminars are electives and not required for the major, students seeking to graduate with departmental honors, wishing to develop their research and writing skills, and those planning to pursue graduate work in history are encouraged to enroll.