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Most people are curious about the past. They may be interested generally in the development of human history; they may wish to learn about the specific heritage of certain nations or groups; they may be concerned with certain events or ideas. For many people, a primary purpose of studying history is to satisfy their intellectual curiosity.
Historical knowledge is also necessary to understand the complexities of the modern world. All contemporary problems are rooted in the past and have a bearing on the future shape of events. In studying the past, we gain insight into the present and the future.
Theoretically, everything that has happened before yesterday falls within the historian's domain. History can be simply the record of people going about their business, earning a living, governing themselves or being governed, and planning for the future. It can also be a record of the evolution of the institutions and structures of a society, such as religious practices, codes of law, systems of the production and exchange of goods, and political forms. History can take on more metaphysical hues and become the record of changing ideals, the desire for norms and for meaning, the search for final answers to overpowering questions. Or yet again, it can be the history of how people in the past interpreted and understood humanity in the more distant past, how perceptions altered and sympathies changed according to circumstances and mood.
Another appealing aspect of the study of history is that it lacks finality. There is no end to the process and there are no final answers. Many students have suffered through high school courses where facts, dates, and lists were presented as the stuff of history. Although the facts are, of course, essential to history, they are merely the point of departure, like so many artifacts or ruins lying about in a field waiting for someone to collect them and reconstruct the whole. It is interpretation, analysis, and theory applied to facts that give form and meaning to evidence; and ultimately, it is the private imagination that restores life and color and movement to the dead. Since interpretations change and imaginations differ, there is no finality or end to what can be done with the facts of history.
When working on a specific course topic, professional historians first observe; they accumulate and organize data; they test the evidence; and then they synthesize and generalize. Although they do not create their subject matter as does a novelist, artful historians use imagination and employ an effective literary style to recreate the drama of the past. To the thrill of discovery, the historian can add the sense of satisfaction that comes to any scholar who makes a contribution to the world of knowledge.
Career Opportunities
History courses teach essential skills valued in most fields and professions, providing graduates with virtually unlimited career choices. History students must deal with large amounts of information, organize, analyze, and interpret data, and make persuasive written arguments. They gain an understanding of how people and societies operate and interact. From business to the arts, from public service to medicine, these skills are key to success in any field:
- critical reading
- analytic ability
- concise writing
- broad world perspective
- research/organization skills
- communication skills
The historical discipline provides a foundation for a variety of professions and vocations in addition to serving as a traditional background for law, teaching, public service, and academic careers. Graduates find their skills applicable in diverse fields not necessarily associated with history, including medicine and business. While a bachelor's degree is a suitable background for many entry-level jobs, graduates often continue their education in professional school or a graduate program.
Many students choose to teach history as a career. Those wishing to teach in secondary schools may begin with an A.B. degree and a teacher's certificate, although they usually go on later to take a master's degree. Those wishing to teach in junior or community colleges ordinarily earn the M.A. or Ph.D. degree, while those wishing to make a career of college history teaching must work toward the Ph.D. degree.
There are historians in important positions in all levels of government, in the diplomatic corps, in public policy and human services organizations. Communications, research, and writing skills lead history students to the staffs of major newspapers and magazines, television, radio, and movie studios, informational Internet sites, and publishing firms. Historical societies, libraries, museums and historical sites, and archives are likely places for employment with a background in history.
Recent department (B.A.) graduates report the following entry-level jobs:
- Americorps
- Commercial Real Estate
- Information Technology
- Internal Auditor
- Marketing Analyst -- American Express (Interactive Enterprise Division)
- Mission work around the world -- Campus Ministry
- National Security Analyst, Washington, D.C.
- Non-profit organization organizer
- Paralegal -- U.S. Dept. of Justice (Antitrust Division), NYC law firm, small law firm
- Political organizing -- political campaigning
- Teaching -- Teach for America
- Professional Schools:
Business School - Medical School - Law School (international, public interest, sports, non-profit, and corporation law) - Masters and Ph.D. Programs:
Biological Anthropology, Divinity, Education, Environmental Health, History, International Relations, Judaic Studies, Museum Studies, Opera & Voice, Public Policy, Political Science, Seminary, Teaching Certification.
For more discussion on careers for history majors, click here.
History Concentration Requirements
The history concentration is designed to draw on the strengths of our faculty, whose expertise, ranging across time and the globe, is reflected in an outstanding variety of course offerings. In addition to larger lecture courses, encompassing broad introductory surveys, we offer more specific and detailed examinations of countries, areas, and historical problems, and seminars.
We are proud to offer numerous First-Year Seminars and history colloquia, which are small discussion classes and research seminars, allowing students to develop historical reading, research, and writing skills under the guidance of a faculty member who is an expert in the topic. An ever-changing and diverse range of First-Year Seminar topics ranged from Let the Shadow Warrior Speak (pre-modern Japan) to Africa in the 20th Century. The history colloquium, taken in the junior or senior year, further refines a student's ability to deal with historical research, argument, and writing. As with First-Year Seminars, faculty members choose colloquium topics from their own research areas, resulting in a rich assortment of course topics. Some sections also fulfill the Upper-Level Writing Requirement of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
First-year students can satisfy their interest in history, experience college-level historical analysis, and at the same time fulfill the LS&A First-Year Writing Requirement by taking a unique writing course with a historical focus, History 195, ("The History of Writing.") Each fall term, several sections are offered, covering a variety of eras and topics; some recent offerings were Women and Fascism: Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Behind Bars: Prison Writing Across Time and Space, Global History of the California Gold Rush, The Ancient Greek Historians, Modern China's Histories.
The prerequisite to concentration, a two-course introductory survey sequence, allows students to develop a solid background in one broad geographic area. Six regional surveys are offered: the history of Africa, Ancient Greece and Rome, Medieval and Modern Europe, East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and the United States. In addition, history concentrators take at least eight more history courses (of three or four credits), one of which focuses on pre-1800 history and one of which is a colloquium. In selecting these courses, concentrators are required to choose at least one course each in U.S. and European history and two courses in the history of Africa, Asia, Latin American or the Middle East.
In addition to the ten history courses, students elect 6 credits of cognate courses (usually two courses) in another department to broaden their knowledge and enhance their concentration from the perspective of another discipline.
Within this structure of the concentration, students have great flexibility in selecting courses to match their interests. The history department at Michigan is especially well equipped to guide students in the exploration of man in his many modes. Specialists in Japan, China, Southeast Asia, India, Africa, the Islamic world, and Latin America, complement an expertise in the familiar territory of European and United States history. Course offerings range from times as remote as the beginnings of civilization itself to as recent as the last four decades.
A broad array of approaches -- diplomatic, military, political, economic, cultural, social, intellectual, and religious -- are represented on the departmental staff. Particular peoples, such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Latinos, and Native Americans, are the subject of particular faculty historical inquiry. A "global" approach to studying history, which illuminates the rapid social, political, cultural and economic change beyond traditional boundaries in today's world, is strongly supported in this department in the expanding number of comparative and transregional courses.
History Honors Program
Students who demonstrate unusual ability and interest in history and want to do advanced research on a topic of their choosing may apply for admission to the History Honors Program in the fall of their junior year.
Honors students work closely with faculty members to develop their skills in research and writing. They follow a two-year program, in which participants take a small group colloquium in the second term of the junior year. In this course, Honors students learn to analyze and evaluate historical problems and to explore some controversial issues in depth. In addition, they are taught the fundamentals for advanced research and criticism.
They apply their knowledge in the writing of an Honors thesis in their senior year, under the direction of a faculty member in their field. Participants in the program who successfully complete all Honors requirements may be graduated with honors, high honors, or highest honors degrees.
Academic Minor in History
Designed to complement students' particular interest in their major fields of concentration, students pursing a history academic minor outline a topical focus and cluster their history courses within that topical field. Possible options are numerous, including the history of a:
- country or region (i.e., Asia, United States, Middle East)
- time period (i.e., Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Modern)
- topic (i.e., Gender, African American, Religion).
To orient them in the broad outlines of the field, the history academic minor requires students to take a two-term survey of the topic or region that they have chosen to study, and then to follow that sequence with a cluster of four related courses. This focused approach allows students to gain a specific expertise in history and historical methodology.
High School Preparation
High school students are encouraged to take a challenging, broad curriculum, sampling courses in many disciplines, including arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, to broaden their understanding of the human condition in its many aspects. Particularly suitable are courses and activities that develop writing skills and require students to hone critical thinking processes.
Advanced Placement history courses provide a good preparation for college-level history classes, but the methodology and material covered does not match what is actually taught in the Department's introductory survey courses; the exams tend to cover factual knowledge while university courses tend to be more thematic and analytical in nature. For this reason, students who score a 4 or 5 on AP history tests receive 4 generic history credits (for each test) which count toward the overall total needed for graduation, but they do not replace the introductory survey courses in History Department programs.
Student Association
History concentrators who meet the eligibility requirements are encouraged to join the national history honor society Phi Alpha Theta, a group that fosters an exchange of ideas between students and faculty, and among students, about common historical interests. The local chapter meets monthly to hear invited faculty members informally discuss their current research. Two members are elected to sit on the department's curriculum committee and contribute their opinions in evaluating new course proposals and curricular change.
Volunteer history students serve as peer advisors during registration times, sharing their Department experiences and offering advice to first- and second-year students on how be successful in their history classes.
Students have the unique and exciting opportunity to work on the staff of the Michigan Journal of History, an undergraduate publication whose essays and papers come entirely from the University of Michigan student body. The Journal is completely staffed by students, who make all editorial and organizational decisions, with the backing and support of the Department. Calls for papers are made twice a year for publication in electronic and print versions.
Undergraduate Courses in History
Undergraduate Courses in Medieval and Early Modern Studies
History Department's Undergraduate Homepage
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