The History major at Pine Manor College enables students to study, in a self-designed type of structure, the ideas, events, people, and artifacts that shape and define contemporary and historical cultures. Students take a small number of required courses, including a senior internship and a senior thesis project. The five remaining courses are carefully selected in consultation with the advisor and are based on the student’s interests and career goals, and may include an occasional directed study with a Pine Manor College faculty member or a cross-registered course at nearby Boston College.
The major prepares students with vital skills in critical thinking, historical knowledge, and oral and written communication that are important in interpreting issues and events in contemporary culture and society. The skills and cultural sensitivity that are developed through this major are appropriate for careers in historical museums, public history organizations, education, journalism, and law.
Learning Outcomes of the History Major
•Critical understanding of the contemporary world (focusing on history, race, ethnicity, and art of the Americas) and its relationship to the historical past
•Effective written and oral communication skills in the analysis of the contemporary world and its historical past
•Practical application of the critical understanding skills and written/oral communication skills developed in the classroom
Major Requirements
HI 115 World History I
or
HI 116 World History II
HI 111 United States History I
or
HI 112 United States History II
AH 101 Introduction to Art History
HI 490 Senior Seminar
HI 495 Senior Internship
Two 200-level HI courses (one of which needs to be HI 209 The Immigrant Experience or HI 218 History of Race and Ethnicity in the Americas)
Exploratory Internship
One 300-level HI course
IDS 389 Empire and Resistance or IDS 390 Boston Through Its Writers
Minor Requirements
HI 115 World History I
or
HI 116 World History II
HI 111 United States History I
or
HI 112 United States History II
Three additional courses in History at or above the 200 level.