By Jeff Kang
After declaring themselves as history majors, students – especially freshmen and sophomores – often run into trouble choosing courses. In the students’ perspective, official major requirements may appear to be confusing, complex, and difficult to fulfill. Because most high schools often lack the resources to offer many history classes, most students usually have no experience in taking history courses that cover specific geopolitical areas such as the Middle East, East Asia, Africa, and South America. Moreover, although the history major offers much more than just classes, no particular system exists to reach out to the department’s student body and notify them of available opportunities.
For all these reasons, I have decided to write four useful tips for the history major regarding classes and the major itself. Of course, I am still a meager ‘historian’ who has long ways to go. Nevertheless, I have tried my best, as a student with only two semesters of school left, to give some practical insight on various issues.
1. Check for class frequency and availability.
While people may scoff at this advice for being too predictable, class frequency and availability often causes students numerous problems. For example, this semester, I had to choose between an African history class and a Japanese history course. I did not have a specific course in mind, but simply wished to take a course covering one these two geopolitical areas. Yet, after talking to various professors, I learned that no Japanese history classes were going to be offered next year. If I wanted to take a history course on Japan before graduating, I had no choice but to drop the class taught by Dr. Parsons. Make sure not to overestimate course availability, as certain classes may not reappear on Course Listings. Factors such as professors’ research leaves can also affect course availability.
2. Take multiple classes from various geopolitical areas and leave your options open.
While the number of faculty specializing in histories of Europe and United States exceed the number of professors studying areas such as East Asia and Africa, the history department still offers classes covering many different geopolitical regions: Africa, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. Students should take this opportunity to gain broad historical knowledge. Taking a wide range of classes can help students determine the historical area and time period that they wish to study during college and possibly in the future.
In addition, try not to choose classes based on high school experience. Unlike high school teachers, history professors at Wash U (and other universities) rarely require students to rigorously memorize dates and terms. Also, students will be reading primary sources and analytical secondary sources rather than textbooks. For instance, those who disliked high school United States History for its banal reading assignments and arduous memorization may find United States history delightful after reading and discussing primary texts such as the Gettysburg Address, Potsdam Declaration, and Matthew Perry’s Diary.
3. Talk to professors and make use of the undergraduate internship opportunities.
Office hours exist for a reason. During my Historical Methods class, Dr. Pegg once told the class, “no one, at least at Wash U, gets punished for doing extra work.” If professors are willing to read drafts (almost all of them are), ask them for advice and corrections. Their perspectives and guidance will further improve and refine your writing style. Only at school will you have the chance to ask so many questions to famous scholars at no additional cost. Also, I strongly recommend students to do an undergraduate internship under a professor who they have continuously interacted with or whose research strongly attracts them. Through the internship, a student can do extensive research, gain experience in writing and publishing, or work in a semi-professional environment under the professor’s approval.
4. Select your Capstone Experience after considering your future plans.
The Capstone Experience is the highlight of the history major’s college career. A student should explore and comprehend the procedures, requirements, and benefits of each Capstone Experience. On that note, although I wholeheartedly agree that the Senior Honors Thesis is an honor, privilege, and work of prestige, I do not believe that every student should strive to write the Honors Thesis. The Honors Thesis requires students to do extensive research on their own over their last summer vacation. Students may not have much time to do internships or pursue other goals during these precious four months of freedom.While the Honors Thesis will surely function as an advantageous accomplishment if you apply to graduate school, it may not have the same effect if you seek to enter the workforce. This is why students should think about what they want to do after college before choosing their Capstone Experience. Students can choose to do an independent research project with a significant writing component (History 500) or complete directed fieldwork in the historical or archival profession (also with a significant writing component) (History 4001/4002). In short, you should not make a hasty choice, but think about how you can use the Capstone Experience as a tool to achieve your objectives.
