About Undergraduate Programs
What is history? Interest in the past is almost as old as society. The past may be close at hand. We can find it in old photographs of our family and our town. The past may also be so remote that reaching it at all is a challenge. We can study cultures that ceased to exist many centuries ago and have left scant traces. But does the past matter? It matters when we are curious about ourselves and believe that our existence is rooted, not only in genes, but also in a cultural heritage.
History seeks to discover the past through the methodical study of written and oral sources, increasingly in conjunction with artifacts. History is not a science. Our collective past cannot be analyzed in terms of constant laws and processes that invariably produce the same results. Attention to history rarely prevents old mistakes from being made all over again. But history brings us face to face with real people and the things they did and suffered. Studying them from a distance, we can often understand them better than was possible at the time and better than we can understand developments in our own time.
The outcomes to which history programs and courses are above all directed include:
- The ability to read and think critically; ability to write effectively and originally; ability to express ideas and advance arguments orally.
- Appreciation of the variety and diversity of the past.
- Finding meaning in past events which resonate with the present.
- Acquisition of a "common store" of culturally important knowledge.
- An appreciation of history as an evolving discipline which constantly generates new insights.
- Understanding how Canada and the world became as they are today.
Students concentrating in history are advised to study a second language and to choose 200-level courses from more than one area. The areas are: Canada, Europe, Asia, The Americas and Great Britain. Students interested in a career in high school teaching or government service are advised to take at least 6 credit units in Canadian history.
Newsflash! Students thinking about majoring in history may wish to consider that "Historian" was ranked among the top ten best jobs by US-Based CareerCast.com's ranking of 200 jobs. Read more...
HISTORY PROGRAM - UNDER THE NEW PROGRAM
(for all students taking their first History course in September 2006, or for any student already in History who would like to take one of these programs).
HISTORY PROGRAM - UNDER THE OLD PROGRAM
(for all students who have taken their first History course before September 2006).
