History

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Professors: Aldridge, Barnes, Berkey (Chair) (Davidson in India fall 2014), Dietz (on leave fall 2014), Krentz, McMillen, Wertheimer (Interim Chair fall 2014)
Associate Professors: Guasco, Mangan, Pegelow Kaplan, Tilburg (on leave 2014-2015)
Assistant Professors: Park, Waheed, Wiemers
Visiting Assistant Professor: Fiss

Cultural Diversity Requirement

HIS 162, 163, 168, 169, 171, 175, 176, 183, 184, 218, 264, 267, 273, 283, 302, 303, 335, 350, 357, 359, 363, 364, 365, 366, 368, 369, 375, 380, 382, 383, 386, 388, 451, 464, 465, 466, 469,472, 473, 474, and 475 are options for fulfilling the cultural diversity requirement.

Advanced Placement Credit

Students normally receive credit for HIS 122 and/or 141 or 142 when they have earned a score of 5 on the College Board’s Advanced Placement Examination in European and/or American History. Students normally receive credit for a 100-level course, as appropriate, when they have earned a score of 6 or 7 on the Higher Level Examination in History of the International Baccalaureate Program. No more than two such courses may count toward the major.

Major Requirements

Eleven courses in history above 101, including:

At least three, but no more than four, 100-level courses above 101, normally to be completed by the end of the second year, divided among at least three of the following areas:
1. Pre-Modern Europe (CLA 111, HIS 112, 119, 380, Humanities I)
2. Modern Europe (120, 121, 122, 125, Humanities II)
3. United States (141, 142)
4. Latin America, Africa, South Asia, Middle East, East Asia (162, 163, 168, 169, 171, 175, 176, 183, 184)
  Note: Students who have completed the Humanities Program receive credit for one 100-level course in either a or b, but not both.
One or two courses numbered between 200 and 298, to be taken at Davidson College. 200-level courses should normally be taken by the end of the second year, and must be taken by the end of the third year.
Three to six courses between 299 and 479, at least one of which must be a topical seminar at the 400-level.
HIS 480 (Senior Research Seminar), or HIS 488/489 (Kelley Honors Seminar).
Notes:(1) One regular course applied to the major must deal substantially with the pre-modern period (CLA 111, HIS 112-119, 162, 168, 175, 183, 215, 218, 275, 317, 321, 322, 366, CLA 377, HIS 383, 385, 388, 421, 422, 465, 478, HUM I, or suitable transfer course).
(2) One regular course applied to the major must cover a topic outside Europe and the United States (162, 163, 168, 169, 171, 175, 176, 183, 184, 218, 264, 267, 273, 275, 282, 363, 364, 365, 366, 375, 380, 381, 382, 383, 385, 386, 387, 388, HIS 472, 473, 474 or an approved course taken elsewhere).
Normally, at least seven of the courses used to satisfy the major are to be taken at Davidson.
(3) Students who study at another institution may, with the approval of the chair, receive up to two credits for a semester away from Davidson and up to three credits for a year. Under special circumstances, such as a rigorous year-long study-abroad program, the chair may approve a greater number of transfer credits..
(4) Davidson’s Cambridge Summer Program counts as one history credit at the 300-level.

Honors Requirements

Candidates for admission to the honors program in history must have an overall grade point average of 3.2 after the fall semester of the junior year. Honors candidates must write an honors thesis and defend it orally in HIS 488/489 (the Kelley Seminar) during the senior year. To qualify for honors at graduation, candidates must have earned an average of 3.5 or above in the major, an “A” or “A-” or “B+” on the thesis (HIS 489), and an overall average of 3.2 or above.

The Kendrick K. Kelley Program in Historical Studies represents a living memorial to Ken Kelley, Class of ‘63, an honors history graduate who was killed in 1968 while serving in Vietnam. The Kelley Program seeks to enrich the academic experience of students majoring in history and to encourage them to emulate Ken Kelley’s virtues and achievements.

The program has three components. First, junior history majors who have grade point averages of at least 3.2 are invited to apply to the Kelley Program. Those admitted enroll in a year-long Kelley Seminar (HIS 488/489) for seniors, which culminates in the writing of a thesis and an oral defense of the same. Travel funds enable Kelley Scholars to pursue research in distant libraries and archives. Second, the Kelley Lecture Series brings distinguished historians to the Davidson campus. Finally, the Kelley Award annually recognizes the senior history major who best exemplifies Ken Kelley’s personal qualities: superior academic performance, self-effacing leadership, and personal integrity.

History Courses

100-level courses cover a broad sweep of history and cover a particular region, such as Modern Europe, American History to 1877, and Latin America to 1825. Most are open to all students except seniors; a few do admit seniors.

200-level courses teach skills in historical research and writing. They are limited to twenty students, and each one covers a fairly specific topic, such as Piracy in the Americas. 200-level courses are open to first-, second-, and third-year students. One is required of all history majors before the senior year.

300-level courses focus on particular topics, include more reading and writing than survey courses, and often require research papers. Typical courses are Pre-Modern Japan and The European Renaissance. They are open to all but first-year students.

400-level courses are seminars that are limited to twelve students. They are discussion-based courses that require a major research paper. Examples include The French Revolution and African American Cultural History. They are open to juniors and seniors.

480 and the Kelley program, 488/489 are only open to senior History majors.

No history course has a prerequisite.

The department expects that all history courses below the 400 level will eventually satisfy the Historical Thought distribution requirement.