The History Major
Goals and Objectives of a History Major
The goal of a History major is the understanding of human societies in all their complexity in their historical contexts, and the dynamic nature of their change over time as it affects peoples, their social and political institutions, their cultures, and their environments.
Students majoring in History
demonstrate their achievement of this goal through demonstrated proficiency
in the following:
1. Comprehensive understanding of subject matter, methodologies,
and a variety of historiographical approaches appropriate to the student’s
concentration.
2. Proficiency in thinking in historical context, i.e.,
in assessing causation, motivation, agency, consequences, and in analyzing
cultural products.
3. Ability to think clearly and critically about history
and historical narratives, and to express ideas logically and persuasively
in written and oral form.
4. Familiarity with diverse cultures and chronological
periods and capacity for both empathetic and critical understanding of
one’s own culture and society as well as those different from one’s
own.
5. Competence in historical research and presentation,
including the ability to appropriately access, use and evaluate primary
and secondary sources in order to make a coherent historical argument.
Major Work
The requirements of the History
major are as follows:
a) a minimum of thirty hours in History courses.
b) at least one course from each of the following three
regions: 1) North America 2) Europe, Russia 3) Asia, Africa, Latin America,
the Caribbean, transfer credits from college-level courses and Oberlin
courses apply to this distribution requirement; credits earned at the
secondary level, such as AP and IB do not fulfill this requirement.
c) at least one 300-level or above course taught by faculty
in the Oberlin History Department.
d) at least eighteen hours of course work taught by members
of the Oberlin History Department. Twelve hours may be applied to the
major through any combination of AP credit, credit from approved study-away
programs, and credit from selected courses based on historical methodologies
taught in African American Studies (African, African American, and Caribbean
history), East Asian Studies (Korean History), Gender and Women’s
Studies (Living with the Bomb), and Classics (Greek and Roman History).
e) First-Year Seminars taught by members of the Oberlin
History Department will count toward the major.
f) Grades below “C-“ will not count toward
the major.
Concentrations
in the Major
In consultation with their departmental advisor, majors are expected
to develop a balanced program of historical study culminating in a concentration
(at least four courses drawn from geographic, chronological, or thematic
groupings). The choice of field of concentration will depend on a number
of factors including plans after graduation, particular interests, linguistic
competencies, and staffing strengths in the Department. A fuller description
of
“Concentrations in the History
Major” is available from History Department advisors, the
History Department office, and this web site.
Transfer Credit toward the History Major
No more than 12 credits earned from classes taught by persons not holding regular appointments in the History Department at Oberlin College can be transferred. A full description of the "Transfer of Credit Guidelines" is available from History Department advisors, the History Department Office, and this web site.
Major Representatives, 2007-2008
These elected student representatives
participate in Department meetings and other Departmental affairs:
Christine
Binder
Itzel Garcia-Mejia
Shane MacDonald
History Prizes, 1993-2008
2007-2008
Mardie
Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Michi Osato
Ashley Simpson
Leigh Wilson
George and
Carrie Life Fund Prize in American History
Christine Binder
Elizabeth Galuardi
Nicholas Gliserman
Brady Higa
Cyrus O'Brien
Caitlin Younts
Comfort Starr Prize in
History
Anya Desai
Anna Isaacson
Shane MacDonald
Amy O'Callaghan
Yan Slobodkin
2006-2007
Mardie
Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Mei-Lin
Ha
Lorena
Lucero
George and
Carrie Life Fund Prize in American History
Benjamin
Bor
Samuel George
Katherine Gilmore
Callie Gropp
Sarah Heaton
Benjamin Weber
Comfort Starr Prize in
History
Rishad
Choudhury
Peter Collopy
Stephanie Horvath
Sarah Litvin
David Munkittrick
2005-2006
Mardie
Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Meaghan
Brown
Eve Frankel
Laurie
Stein
George and Carrie
Life Fund Prize in American History
Elizabeth
Harrison
Angela Horn
Adina Langer
Arthur Richards
Genevieve Sehr
Laurie Stein
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Sean
Gill
Alexander Littlefield
Nayeem Mahbub
Oliver Mains
Brianna Rego
Lee Rubinstein
2004-2005
Mardie Wheatley
Blanchard Scholarship
Sophie Heaton
Melanie Merz
Nancy Nguyen
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Emma Blose
Leslie Bosworth
Jillian McFarland
Braden Paynter
Marian Schlotterbeck
Emily Wexler
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Shoshana Friedman
Florence Edwards
Leah Redfield
Michael Plank
Claudia Wheeler-Rappe
David Rosner
2003-2004
Mardie Wheatley
Blanchard Scholarship
Anna Carollo
Rebecca Tinkelman
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Joanna Bauer
Michael Block
Julia Irwin
Haley Pollack
Samantha Pownall
K. Stephen Prince, Jr.
Laura Schuetze
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Eric Brandom
Leah Christie
Jonah Mitropoulous
Wolfgang Niederhoffer
Yolanda Olsen
Michelle Sharkey
2002-2003
Mardie Wheatley
Blanchard Scholarship
Lydia R. Barnett
Katherine C. Shilton
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Patricia Cochran
Abby E. DeAngelis
Monica G. Schneider
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Christopher A. Gross
Stacey B. Gerson
Molly Guidette
Elizabeth G. Walker
2001-2002
Mardie
Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Emma Cott
Chaya Thanhauser
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Alicia D'Addario
Elizabeth Ebner
Grace Han
MacKenzie Moore
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Aram Donabedian
Jacqueline Downing
Emily Hibbets
Joshua Shalek
2000-2001
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard
Scholarship
Margery Ansara
Catherine Conmy
Juliet Gorman
Katlin James
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Kevin Gilmore
Alexa Kunitsugu
John Limouze
Sarah Miller-Davenport
Daniel I. Rubin
Morgan Schaengold Trotter
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Margery Ansara
Thomas Doggett
Christopher Dudley
Juliet Gorman
Megan LePere-Schoop
Taylor Neaman-Goudey
Caleb Stokes
Judith Wolfthal
Lawrence Zhang
1999-2000
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard
Scholarship
Sarah S.Greenberg
Kate E. Julian
Gillian R. Russom
Morgan S. Trotter
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Todd J. Daloz
Michael H. Fenton
Kate E. Julian
Mariam M. Manichaikul
Gillian R. Russom
Erica L. Seager
Morgan S. Trotter
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Nicholas W. Christianson
Thomas C.Doggett
Sarah S. Greenberg
Peter M. Olson
1998-99
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard
Scholarship
Jessica DuBois Bertagnoli
Julie Chor
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Daniel Bush
Elizabeth Hearne
Ben Mack
Jason Sokol
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Conrad Chaffee
Julie Chor
Michael Fenton
Jason Sokol
1997-98
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard
Scholarship
Kate Daloz
Laura Jones
George and Carrie Life Fund Prize in American History
Jonathan Edmonds
Andrew McCann
Clara Stemwedel
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Jonathan Edmonds
Laura Jones
Andrew McCann
Jordon Phaup
Gregory Shalov
1996-97
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard Scholarhip
Sherri Wasserman
Traci Langworthy
George and Carrie Life Fund Prize in American History
Kira Robertson
Michael Stuart
Joshua Weisel
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Joseph Gordon
John Harper
Farzaneh Hemmasi
Rebecca Wolfinger
1995-96
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Karin Zitzewitz
Elizabeth Culberson ’53
Memorial Prize in History
Caleb Congrove
Avi Lipman
George and Carrie Life Fund
Prize in American History
Hadyn Dick
Thomas Mullen
Amy Shatzkin
Robertson Thacher
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Cara Griffin
Keun-Tae Kim
Karin Zitzewitz
1994-95
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard
Scholarship
Joanna Silver
Jerry Jung
Ruth Botstein
Shoshana Rosenbaum
Elizabeth Culberson ’53 Memorial Prize in History
Keun-Tae Kim
George and Carrie
Life Fund Prize in American History:
Michael Kimmage
Brendan Cunningham
Comfort Starr Prize in History
Ruth Botstein
Brendan Cunningham
Jerry Jung
Michael Kimmage
Shoshana Rosenbaum
Joanna Silver
1993-94
Mardie Wheatley Blanchard Scholarship
Sharon Lee
Melissa Steinmetz
Elizabeth Culberson ’53
Memorial Prize in History
Kang Won Choi
Sara Schneider
George and Carrie
Life Fund Prize in American History
William Eisenstein
Hyung Joon Kim
Sara Schneider
Reynold Tharp
Comfort Starr Prize in History
William Eisenstein
