How To Declare a History Major or Minor

Declaring a History Major:
 

1. Who would you like to be your advisor?  Almost any faculty member in the department can take on new advisees each year. If there is a professor with whom you have a good relationship and who knows you and your work, then approach him or her and ask whether he or she can serve as your advisor. 
   
   If you’re not sure who to ask, then feel free to ask the Department chairperson for suggestions.
    
2. Fill out the Declaration of Major form, available at Rhodes Express Online.
    
3. Write a brief Major Essay in which you tell your future advisor about your educational goals as a History major and why you decided to study History. You don’t need to write a lot (around one double spaced page), but let us know why History appeals to you as a field of study and what you hope to achieve intellectually as a History major.
    
4. Ask your future advisor to read and approve the essay. Then he or she can sign your Declaration of Major form.
    
5. Take two copies of your Declaration form to the History Department chairperson for his or her signature.  
    
6. Take one of the signed copies to Rhodes Express, and give one to the History Department administrative assistant.
    
7. As a new major, you will receive a free History department gift!

Declaring a History-International Studies Bridge Major:
 

1. The History-IS Bridge Major is divided into tracks, and students focus their coursework on one of these tracks:
   • Africa/Middle East
   • Asia
   • Europe
   • Latin America
   • Global/Comparative
      
2. Who would you like to be your advisor?  Almost any faculty member in the History and IS departments can take on new advisees each year, and you will need one advisor in each department.  If there is a professor with whom you have a good relationship in the geographical area in which you plan to concentrate and who knows you and your work, then approach him or her and ask whether he or she can serve as your advisor. If you’re not sure who to ask, then feel free to ask the Department chairperson for suggestions.
    
3. Fill out the Declaration of Major form and indicate that you are pursuing the History/IS Bridge Major.
    
4. Write a brief Major Essay in which you tell your future advisors about your educational goals as a History major and why you decided to pursue the History-IS bridge. You don’t need to write a lot (around one double-spaced page), but let us know why the History-IS bridge appeals to you as a field of study and what you hope to achieve intellectually as a History-IS bridge major.
    
5. Ask your future advisors to read and approve the essay. Then they can sign your Declaration of Major form.
    
6. Take three copies of your Declaration form to the History Department chairperson and the International Studies chairperson for their signatures.  
    
7. Take one of the signed copies to Rhodes Express, give one to the History Department administrative assistant, one to the International Studies administrative assistant.
    
8. As a new major, you will receive a free History department gift!

Declaring a History Minor:
 

1. Fill out the Declaration of Minor form (available at Rhodes Express Online).
    
2. Have two copies of the form signed by your Major advisor and by the History department chairperson.
    
3. Give one copy to the History administrative assistant and another copy to Rhodes Express.
    
4. As a new minor, you will receive a free History department gift!