Table of Contents - Hartwick College

participates in interdisciplinary minors, such as Women’s and Gender
Studies, Latin American Studies, Environmental Science and Policy, U. S.
Ethnic Studies, and Museum Studies. Many history majors apply their
growing disciplinary understanding for their work in these minors and
programs. Many students in other disciplines choose to broaden their
academic programs by completing the department’s minor in history.
The Major: Students majoring in history complete a program of study
with an emphasis on doing history. A required introductory course in
historical methods (Hist 222) orients the students to the fundamental
skills of historical research, while working with primary and secondary
source materials in the archives, online, and in print. The skills acquired
in this course provide the student with the methodological foundation
needed to conduct research in any course that involves historical analysis.
The advanced course in historical methods (Hist 422) prepares advanced
majors for the significant and focused research necessary for their thesis.
The critical skills acquired in these classes, however, can carry over to all
of their course work. In addition to the methodological core of the major,
students build their understanding from a required introductory survey in
American and in Global histories. These surveys approach the broad
scope of their subject from the perspective of a particular critical lens to
provide an analytical focus. From this base students deepen their
knowledge in two of four areas of history: American, Latin American,
European, or Global history. The major culminates with a Senior Seminar
(Hist 489) and Thesis (Hist 490) which is an in-depth research project
built on primary sources and reflective of the historical literature on the
subject. Students share research progress in a regularly scheduled
seminar setting, work closely with an individual faculty mentor, and
present their completed work in a public defense. For History majors the
challenge of the Senior Thesis is one of the most memorable and
satisfying aspects of their Hartwick education.
Off-Campus Experiences: Students further enrich their academic
programs through a variety of learning opportunities offered by the
department outside of the classroom. Students can design independent
reading and research projects with faculty approval that explore subjects
outside their regular curriculum or allow them to delve more deeply into
an area of particular interest. The department has offered off-campus
programs in France, England, and the Czech Republic. Future programs
may explore Appalachian history, the borderlands of the American
Southwest, or the cosmopolitan culture of Brazil. Some majors have
pursued semester long programs at universities in France, Greece,
Mexico, Russia, and Spain. Others have pursued individual off-campus
study in January or during the summer under a faculty member’s
guidance. Majors also undertake internships in areas that relate to their
academic field and future career goals. During January Term, history
majors have served as teaching aides, clerks at law firms, or as members
of museum staffs. Semester long programs in Washington, DC, Boston,
Philadelphia, or New York also mix classroom experience in urban
universities with internships in Congress or other institutions in the
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