History


History
History courses emphasize careful reading and analysis of original sources in order to approach the past on its own terms. But we also stress that studying history is an interpretive process requiring attention to methods, theories and scholarly debates. The training students receive in research skills, critical analysis and expository writing prepares them to pursue careers in business, education, law, public service and a variety of other professions.
The history major is compact enough that many students choose to double major, add a minor or sample broadly the rest of the W&L curriculum.
Our department offers a variety of courses and perspectives on the remote and recent histories of the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia. It supports programs in Africana Studies, East Asian Studies, Environmental Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Russian Area Studies, and Women and Gender Studies, and offers courses in the history of science.
The history major takes students up a ladder from introductory surveys and seminars (100-level courses) through intermediate courses (200-level) to specialized research seminars (300-level courses).
As a history major, you will choose from a wide array of offerings to build a course of study!
Opportunities
History students may pursue an internship at a public or private agency or institution and can earn history credit for their experience.
W&L offers a range of study abroad options supported by the resources necessary to ensure a suitable international experience for any student. The History Department sponsors several trips during the Spring Term. W&L strongly encourages student research. The History Department can provide financial assistance to students who wish to attend conferences or to engage in research travel.
The Washington and Lee History Department offers advanced students the opportunity to undertake significant original research culminating in an honors thesis. Successful candidates earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in history.
Outcomes
Our graduates have gone on to careers in public service, government, teaching, museum curating, law, business, finance and more.
News
Read MoreSample Courses
The Reformation in Britain
The Reformation of the 16th century shattered the once unitary religious cultures of England and Scotland. Although important continuities remained, the introduction of Protestantism wrought dramatic effects in both countries, including intense conflict over nature of salvation, the burning of martyrs, the hunting of witches, religious migrations, a reorientation of foreign policy, changes in baptismal and burial practices, and more. Students explore these changes and the lives and legacies of some of history's most fascinating figures, from Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell in England to Mary Queen of Scots and John Knox in Scotland, while also constantly asking how ordinary English and Scottish men and women experienced the Reformation and its aftermath.
Key Thinkers on Environment
Key thinkers on the environment are central to this course, ranging from ancient greats such as Aristotle to modern writers such as David Suzuki and E.O. Wilson about the ecosystem crises of the Anthropocene. We highlight certain 19th-century icons of environmentalist awareness and nature preservation, such as Alexander von Humboldt in Europe and Humboldtians in America, including Frederic Edwin Church and Henry David Thoreau.
Mongols, Manchus & Muslims
The unprecedented expansionism of China’s last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911), produced an ethnically and geographically diverse empire whose legacy is the current map and multiethnic society of today’s People’s Republic of China. The Qing Empire’s establishment, extension and consolidation were inextricably bound up with the ethnic identity of its Manchu progenitors. The Manchu attempt to unify diversity resulted in a unique imperial project linking East, Inner and Southeast Asia. This course explores the multiethnic nature and limits of this unification, as well as its 20th-century transformations.
Dreaming of Paris
“The City of Lights.” “The City of Love.” The capital of fashion. The world’s most romantic city. The second most visited city in the world. For centuries, Paris has held an enduring appeal as a city of devoted to pleasure, intellectual life, culture, art and fashion. This course examines the appeal of Paris and some of the mythologies of the city, as well as the reality and the history behind the image.
The Age of the Witch Hunts
This course introduces students to one of the most fascinating and disturbing events in the history of the Western world: the witch hunts in early-modern Europe and North America. Between 1450 and 1750, more than 100,000 individuals, from Russia to Salem, were prosecuted for the crime of witchcraft. Most were women and more than half were executed. In this course, we examine the political, religious, social and legal reasons behind the trials, asking why they occurred in Europe when they did and why they finally ended. We also explore, in brief, global witch hunts that still occur today in places like Africa and India, asking how they resemble yet differ from those of the early-modern world.
Crime and Punishment in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
An exploration of the history of crime, law enforcement, and punishment during the period of 1200-1650. Our central project is to investigate the deep problems of writing history from a paucity of very biased sources: the criminal records of a world of the past. We begin with the central historical questions: What counted as criminal when, who defined it, and with what authority? What could count as proof of guilt? What constituted acceptable punishment (torture, imprisonment, spectacle executions, penance) and how did this change over time? What role did politics, religion, class, gender, or marginal status play?
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.




























