History, Social Studies, BA
Table of Contents
Why Should I Consider This Major?
If you want to teach history or social studies in a middle or high school, you should consider the History/Social Studies major. This major also prepares students for a wide range of careers. The knowledge students acquire and the skills they develop in their history courses and in courses in social sciences prepare them for law school, graduate programs in public policy and international affairs, and careers as journalists, government officials, and attorneys. Visit the course catalog for more information.
The History/Social Studies degree does not require that a student pursue a teaching certificate. History/Social Studies majors interested in Secondary certification must apply separately to certification programs, such as those in Woodring College of Education. Students usually apply to Woodring in their senior year or after they graduate.
Advising
Here in the History Department, our tenured and tenure-track faculty act as our advisors.
Visit our Advising Resources page for more information.
To get started:
- No prerequisites are required for declaring a major in History.
- Students need to contact a History Faculty Advisor before declaring their major and are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisor regularly to plan, track progress, and discuss future goals.
- History Faculty Advisors must approve major/minor declaration forms and degree evaluations.
Don't have an advisor? Contact the History Department's Office assistant (history@wwu.edu) or (360-650-2324) to be assigned to an advisor.
Degree Planning
- Degree Works is Western’s primary academic planning and degree progress tool. You can learn more about Degree Works on the Registrar’s Office website.
- Your advisor will help you use this tool to track progress toward graduation.
- Degree Works is designed to aid and facilitate academic advising but is not intended to replace face-to-face advising sessions.
The Degree Planning Sheet below is an optional supplement (not a replacement for Degree Works).
History Courses
Check Browse Classes for departmental offerings each quarter.
Any override requests (except for HIST 499) should be sent directly to the instructor of the desired course.
Other History Options
- BA, History (65 credits)
- BAE, History-Elementary (45 credits)
- Minor in History (25 credits), Minor in Public History (25 credits), or Minor in Foreign Cultures
- Major or minor in Area Studies:
Requirements
Social Studies Requirements
- ENVS 204 Human Geography
- PLSC 250 The American Political System
- One of the following PLSC courses:
- 101 Government and Politics in the Modern World
- 261 Introduction to Political Theory
- 271 Introduction to International Relations
- 291 Introduction to Comparative Politics
- One of the following ECON courses:
- 206 Introduction to Microeconomics
- 446 Economics for the teacher (preferred)
- One of the following ECON courses:
- 207 Introduction to Macroeconomics
- 447 Methods for Teaching about the National Economy in the Public School (Preferred)
- Additional Social Science Electives in the following disciplines: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, or Psychology.
History Requirements
- United States Pre-1865 course (US1)
- United States Post-1865 course (US2)
- 600-1450 CE Europe course (EUR1)
- 600-1450 CE East Asia, South Asia, Africa, or Middle East course (CMB1)
- Since 1450 CE Europe course (EUR2)
- Since 1450 CE East Asia, South Asia, Africa, Middle East, Canada, or Latin America course (CMB2)
- Either HIST: 391 or 392
- Continent 1: Ancient Prior to 600 CE course (ANCT)
- Continent 2: Ancient Prior to 600 CE course (ANCT)
- HIST 499 Historical Research (Requires pre-registration).
- One 400-level course in addition to 499.
Electives under advisement.
Optional: Up to 10 credits in Honors courses (including HNRS 205, HNRS 225, and seminars under advisement) may count in fields or electives.
Majors Declared 2024-25 or AFTER:
- HIST 301 Doing History.
- Minimum 95 total credits, with at least 35 upper-division courses.
- At least 30 Social Studies credits and 65 History credits.
Majors Declared BEFORE 2024-25:
- Minimum 90 total credits, with at least 30 upper-division courses.
- At least 30 Social Studies credits and 60 History credits.
Don't know what year you declared? Log in to DegreeWorks and scroll to "catalog year."
Required for Graduation:
Minimum 95 credits (65 History & 30 Social Studies), with at least 35 upper-division credits.
All grades must be C or higher with a minimum 2.5 GPA in History courses.
Fields of Study
Below the "HIST" courses (5 credits each) are listed under their corresponding field. Though some courses are listed as options under multiple fields, each course may only be used to fulfill one field.
- 103 American History to 1865
- 131 Going to College in America
- 141 History of American West
- 262 African American History to 1865
- 290 The Early Modern Atlantic World
- 348 American Slavery
- 349 History of the US South
- 350 American Colonial History
- 355 Health & Disease in American History
- 360 Religion in Early America
- 363 The American Revolution
- 365 Sexuality in the U.S.
- 366 The Early American Republic
- 367 US Women to 1865
- 380 Food & Environment in America
- 392 Tribal Sovereignty and WA History
- 450 Climate & Culture in America
- 451 Environmental History of U.S. Agriculture
- 452 U.S. Intellectual History 1776-1900
- 460 Am. Environmental History
- 468 Borderlands & Frontiers of N. America
- 469 African Slavery in Atlantic World
- 104 American History Since 1865
- 131 Going to College in America
- 141 History of American West
- 158 Race/Identity in Modern America
- 263 African American History Since 1865
- 265 LGBT Exp. in U.S. History
- 268 Introduction to Asian American History
- 275 North American Indigenous History
- 346 U.S. & International Terrorism
- 351 The Long Crisis: US Hist 1865-1920
- 352 U.S. Civil War & Reconstruction
- 354 Energy in American History
- 355 Health & Disease in American History
- 357 The U.S. in the Cold War
- 358 Women of Color in the US
- 359 America and Vietnam
- 361 Religion in Modern America
- 362 Civil Rights Black Power Era
- 365 Sexuality in the U.S.
- 368 US Women from 1865
- 379 Canadian American Relations
- 380 Food & Environment in America
- 382 The US Neo-conservatism and the Mid-East
- 392 Tribal Sovereignty and WA History
- 394 History of the Salish Sea
- 408 World War II: The European War
- 409 World War II: The Pacific War
- 447 History of the Sciences of Nature
- 450 Climate & Culture in America
- 451 Environmental History of U.S. Agriculture
- 453 U.S. Intellectual History 1900-Present
- 460 Am. Environmental History
- 461 U.S. Urban History
- 464 SNL and the US in the 1970s
- 467 Self/Society in Am. 1790-1910
- 474 U.S. Latin American Relations
- 475 Topics in North American Indigenous History
- 112 Western Civilization 476-1713
- 232 History of the Jews
- 315 Europe: Early Middle Ages 300-1050
- 316 Europe: High Middle Ages 1050-1450
- 318 Medieval England
- 320 War in the Middle Ages
- 335 Women and Gender in Judaism
- 414 The Carolingian Era
- 113 Western Civilization 1713-Present
- 232 History of the Jews
- 233 History of the Jews in the Modern Era
- 289 Islam in France
- 290 Early Modern Atlantic World
- 321 Reformation Europe-Age of Religious Wars
- 322 Early Modern England
- 330 Germany in the 20th Century
- 331 History of the Holocaust
- 333 Imperial Russia 1689-1917
- 334 20th Century Russia
- 335 Women and Gender in Judaism
- 341 France 1500-1815
- 342 France 1815-1945
- 381 Jewish Nationalisms
- 408 World War II: The European War
- 421 Gender in Early Modern Europe
- 424 Polish-Jewish History
- 447 History of the Sciences of Nature
- 471 Piracy in the Early Mod Atlantic World
- 220 Intro to South Asian History
- 232 History of the Jews
- 280 Intro to East Asian Civilizations
- 285 African History to 1800
- 287 Intro to Islamic Civilization
- 373 Yōkai: Monsters & Monstrous in Japanese Hist
- 374 Pre-Modern Japanese History
- 405 The Traditional Middle East
- 479 Med & Early Mod Chinese History
- 486 Religion in Japanese History
- 232 History of the Jews
- 233 History of the Jews in the Modern Era
- 273 Latin America: 1492-1824
- 274 Latin America: 1824-Present
- 277 Canada: A Historical Survey
- 278 Multiculturalism in Canada
- 281 E.A. History-Early Modern/Modern
- 285 African History to 1800
- 286 African History, 1800 to present
- 287 Intro to Islamic Civilization
- 288 History of Modern Middle East
- 290 Early Modern Atlantic World
- 326 Immigration in the Americas
- 327 Soccer in Latin America
- 335 Women and Gender in Judaism
- 369 Women, Gender & Sexuality in Afr Hist
- 372 Chinese History1800-Present
- 373 Yōkai: Monsters & Monstrous in Japanese Hist
- 374 Pre-Modern Japanese History
- 375 Modern Japanese History
- 376 French Colonial Canada 1534-1763
- 379 Canadian American Relations
- 382 The US Neo-conservatism and the Mid East
- 383 Modern Iraq
- 384 Palestine, Zionism, and Israel
- 385 West African History
- 386 Southern Africa
- 387 Africa since the 1960s
- 404 Colonialism and the Middle East
- 406 Middle East, 1800 to the Present
- 407 History of the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
- 409 World War II: The Pacific War
- 411 Latin America in WWII
- 469 African Slavery in Atlantic World
- 474 U.S. Latin American Relations
- 477 World War I & Canadian Society
- 478 History of Nationalism in French Canada
- 480 Modern Chinese Social History
- 481 The Chinese Revolution
- 483 Early Modern Japan
- 486 Religion in Japanese History
- 488 Modern Egypt/Libya & Nile Valley
Ancient courses with a “(T)” fulfill the two continent ANCT requirement.
- 111 Prehistory to 476 (T)
- 121 World History to 500 (T)
- 151 Communities of the Ancient World (T)
- 220 Intro to South Asian History
- 232 History of the Jews (T)
- 280 Intro to East Asian Civilizations
- 310 History of Ancient Mesopotamia
- 311 History of Ancient Egypt
- 312 History of Ancient Greece (T)
- 313 History of Ancient Rome (T)
- 370 Chinese History to 600 AD
- 410 First Cities: Urbanization (T)
- 412 Ancient Rivers and Roads (T)
Courses in this section can fulfill different requirements. Please talk to a history advisor for more information.
- 123 World History, 1500 to Present
- 356 Gender and History
- 364 Film as History: Variable Topics
- 390 Topics in History: Variable Topics
- 393 Introduction to Public History
- 403 Digital Methods in History
- 470 World History of Democracy, 19th & 20th C
- 476 World Histories of the Middle Class
- 490 Advanced Topics in History
- 494 Public History Internship (3-5 credits)
- 498 Editing History Writing for the Profession
General University Requirements (GURs)
The following courses may be used to satisfy GURs:
- HIST 103
- HIST 104
- HIST 111
- HIST 112
- HIST 113
- HIST 121
- HIST 123
- HIST 131
- HIST 151
- HIST 152
- HIST 277
- HIST 232
- HIST 233
- HIST 273
- HIST 274
- HIST 280
- HIST 281
- HIST 285
- HIST 286
- HIST 287
- HIST 288
- HIST 359
- HIST 141
- HIST 158
- HIST 262
- HIST 263
- HIST 265
- HIST 268
- HIST 275
- HIST 278
- HIST 353
Tips for New Majors
Students arrive with varying course preparations, so consider your own circumstances.
- Complete your GURs as soon as possible.
- It is recommended to take at least three lower-division courses in History during your first year.
- Choose courses in areas that interest you.
- Don’t feel that you need to complete your 100-level courses before taking 200-level courses.
- If you take more than one course, take them in different fields:
- Europe (EUR1 and EUR2)
- US (US1 and US2)
- East Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East 600-1450CE (CMB1)
- East Asia, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Canada, and Latin America Since 1450CE (CMB2)
- Ancient (ANCT)
Students who have earned Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other credits in history should not take the equivalent courses at Western. For more information about Transfer Credits, review the policies on the Admissions page and utilize the Transfer Course Equivalency Guide.
- If you’ve already taken four or more college-level history courses, consider starting with:
- An additional lower-division history course in a field that you haven’t yet taken.
- HIST 301 Doing History
- If you’ve taken one or two college-level history courses:
- Two lower-division history courses at the 100 or 200 level.
Social Studies courses outside the History Department are required in order to provide you with expertise for other courses you may be expected to teach. If you haven’t already, consider taking one of the following:
- ENVS 204 Human Geography
- PLSC 250 The American Political System
- One of the following PLSC courses:
- 101 Government and Politics in the Modern World
- 261 Intro to Political Theory
- 271 Intro to International Relations
- 297 Intro to Comparative Politics
- One of the following ECON courses:
- 206 Into to Microeconomic
- 446 Economics for the Teacher
- One of the following ECON courses:
- 207 Into to Macroeconomics
- 447 Methods for Teaching about the National Economy in the Public School