Sample Fields of Concentration
While individual majors must define their own particular Fields of Concentration, the Committee on the History Undergraduate Major offers a sample of possible fields to assist students in making their decisions.
Fields Defined by Period
- An era (for example, the Ancient period, the Medieval Period, the Early Modern period);
- A century (for example, the Thirteenth Century, the Eighteenth Century, the Nineteenth Century);
- An age of trans-regional connection or crisis (for example, the Age of Global Voyages, the Age of Revolution in Europe and North America, the Age of Nation-Building in the Middle East).
Fields Defined by Geographical Area
- A national unit (for example, China, France, Kenya, Mexico);
- An empire (for example, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the British Empire, the Japanese Empire);
- A geopolitical region (for example, East Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia);
- A geophysical region (for example, the Atlantic World, the Black Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf).
Fields Defined by Theme
- Childhood and Family History
- Gender History
- Imperialism and Colonialism
- Legal History
- Race and Ethnicity
- History of Religion
- History of Science
- History of Technology
- Urban History
Notes on Fields of Concentration
Remember that these sample lists are suggestive. They are neither exhaustive nor prescriptive. Students are free to combine fields by, for example, selecting a geographical emphasis on the Mediterranean while specifying an interest in the Early Modern Period. In general, students should select fields with breadth and comparative dimensions.
The four courses constituting the Field of Concentration must include History 101. The three additional courses in the Field may include History 103. They may also include one appropriate upper-division course (of at least three units) from another department.
Students must secure approval for their Fields of Concentration from the Committee on the History Undergraduate Major two semesters prior to graduation (thus, for example, during the spring of the junior year for majors expecting to graduate the following spring).