College	Arts and Sciences
Academic Award	Bachelor of Arts
Credits Required	125 semester credits
Faculty Lead	Joshua Meeks
CIP Code	54.0101

The major in History is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of and familiarity with the cultural, social, intellectual, political, economic and religious development of world civilizations. This foundation will enhance the student’s ability to understand and evaluate the historical origins of contemporary society and culture. The History major will provide a well-informed foundation for the pre-professional and future graduate student alike. The elective component in conjunction with personal advising allows students to target their specific future and intellectual goals.

Overview of the Major

The ability to work with information, construct narratives, analyze documents, and contextualize events are the fundamental tools of the historian, and of a reflective and productive servant of God. The major in History at Northwest provides students with those skills through a rigorous sequence of courses designed not only to ensure students are familiar with the narrative of the past, but also are able to construct their own narratives and engage with their world.

To that end, our students first take General History courses, emphasizing US History, Western Civilization, and World Regions. From this foundation, students take in-depth courses where they are exposed to deeper perspectives from the past, and are tasked with demonstrating their ability to interact with that past in a productive fashion. Towards the end of their undergraduate careers, the focus shifts further towards using the knowledge and tools gained beyond the classroom, with both an internship and a senior thesis required. This internship can be tailored to each individual student to best suit their goals after graduation.

The major is also intentionally designed with enough room for students to pursue a minor and students are encouraged to do so. This as well should be chosen in consultation with an advisor.

Course Sequence

Courses to be taken in the freshman and sophomore years are the same as the Core Curriculum requirements for all majors at Northwest University.

The course sequence for the junior and senior years will largely depend upon the student’s interests. The exceptions to this include History Theory and Methods, which should be taken in the Fall of a student’s junior year, and the Senior Thesis Seminar, which should be taken in a student’s senior year. It is required that students pursue an internship in their senior year as well. Beyond these required courses, a student and his/her advisor will work together to design a sequence of study that fulfills the requirements of the major. 

Outcomes

Graduates with a degree in History will be able to:

1. Relate past events to present topics
2. Integrate faith into the study of history
3. Analyze dominant schools of historical thought through engagement with secondary sources
4. Conduct primary source-driven research
5. Create effective written presentations
6. Issustrate the role of women, minorities, and non-western people in the narrative of history

The attainment of these objectives will be measured by written exams as well as by oral and written assignments.