Studying history involves much more than memorizing names, dates, and places from the past. It means interpreting the significance of people and events — Martin Luther King, Alexander the Great, the Vietnam War, the Consumer Revolution — and exploring the underlying causes that have given rise to particular outcomes and how they continue to affect us today. A background in history will enable you to understand contemporary political and social issues and help you become a responsible, insightful citizen.

As a history major at Illinois Wesleyan, you’ll take two required seminar courses; one in theory and writing and another in historical research; and take eight additional history courses, at least three at an advanced level allowing you to pursue your interests in breadth and in depth and to concentrate in what you enjoy — a period of time or historical era, an area of the world, or a particular kind of history.

In addition, you’ll benefit from our university-wide emphasis on the liberal arts. Your major courses will help you polish your writing and speaking skills through debates, position papers, and constant in-class discussion. You’ll also take courses outside your major in such areas as English, foreign language, and the fine arts, to help you develop the interdisciplinary tools and perspective the historian needs.