The History major at Duke builds skills in thinking, writing and research. Faculty guide students in studying major issues of today, including climate change, warfare and racial injustice, in deep historical context, drawing on methods from several disciplines including the sciences.
The Bachelor of Arts in History requires ten courses, seven or more at intermediate and advanced levels. Students begin with a gateway seminar, take courses concentrated in a thematic or geographic area, complete two pre-modern courses, and finish with at least one senior capstone seminar.
Students learn to turn research into work for a wider audience, which might mean curating museum displays or writing historical novels as well as conventional scholarship. Graduates have entered careers in medicine, law, public policy and business. The department also offers minors in history and in inequality studies, and a director of undergraduate studies advises majors.
