History is the study of the recorded past. Since interest in the past is closely linked with a desire to understand the present, the history curriculum at MIT is tailored in part to put the modern world in historical perspective. Subjects explore the social, economic, and political transformations that shape the present; and efforts are made to suggest where traditional assumptions remain in present-day politics, society, and culture.
The curriculum seeks to encourage both an understanding of the human past and the development of skills necessary to express that knowledge effectively.
The program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in History is designed to encourage students to discover and reconstruct the past, to confront and understand the complexity of past human behavior for itself, and to inform their sense of the historical present. The curriculum includes the selection of at least one subject taken from the curriculum's HASS-D offerings, as well as one 21H elective seminar. Students are expected to take six additional subjects of their own choice, selected in consultation with a major advisor. These must include subjects drawn from at least two geographical areas, as well as one pre-modern (before 1700) and one modern subject.
During the junior year, the history major is required to take the Seminar in Historical Methods, which is intended to develop skills for independent research and writing, followed in the senior year by a Thesis Tutorial, and either a second major essay or a senior thesis. Supplementing these requirements within the history curriculum is the stipulation of three additional subjects in a second field of humanities, arts, and social sciences: anthropology, economics, political science, literature, foreign languages and literatures—fields that provide the perspectives of another discipline on the history of human thought and behavior. This program is intentionally flexible; the relatively large number of electives and unrestricted time allows for the design of a course of study that meets individual needs and interests.
The goal of this minor is to lead the student from basic survey subjects into more focused studies of individual countries or periods of time, and to encourage thinking about broader analytical and comparative issues in historical study.
The Minor in History consists of six subjects, which must include:
For a listing of available subjects, consult the History Office, Room E51-285, 617-253-4965.
The Concentration in History will consist of three subjects, at least one and not more than two of which shall be selected from the 21H HASS-D designated offerings.
A range of subjects in history can fulfill requirements for the interdisciplinary Minor in Applied International Studies. For more information about this minor, see the program description under Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Programs and Minors in Part 3.
Joint degree programs are offered in history in combination with a field in engineering or science (21E, 21S). See the joint degree programs listed under Humanities.
Subjects in History are described in the online MIT Subject Listing & Schedule, http://student.mit.edu/catalog/index.cgi. Further information on subjects and programs may be obtained from the History Office, Room E51-285, 617-253-4965.
Anne E. C. McCants, PhD
Professor of History
MacVicar Faculty Fellow
Section Head
(On leave, spring)
John W. Dower, PhD
Ford International Professor of History
Robert Michael Fogelson, PhD
Professor of History and Urban Studies
Philip S. Khoury, PhD
Ford International Professor of History
Associate Provost
Pauline Maier, PhD
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History
Harriet Ritvo, PhD
Arthur J. Conner Professor of History
(On leave, fall)
Acting Section Head (Spring)
Merritt Roe Smith, PhD
Leverett and William Cutten Professor of the History of Technology
Craig Steven Wilder, PhD
Professor of History
Elizabeth A. Wood, PhD
Professor of History
William Broadhead, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Christopher Capozzola, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Meg Jacobs, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Jeffrey S. Ravel, PhD
Associate Professor of History
Christopher R. Leighton, PhD
Assistant Professor of History
Haimanti Roy, PhD
Assistant Professor of History
Ian Chapman, PhD
Bedross Der Matossian, PhD
Steve Ostrow, PhD
Loren Graham, PhD
Professor of the History of Science, Emeritus
Harold John Hanham, PhD
Professor of History and Political Science, Emeritus
Arthur Daniel Kaledin, PhD
Professor of History and American Studies, Emeritus
Bruce Mazlish, PhD
Professor of History, Emeritus
Peter Cushing Perdue, PhD
Professor of History, Emeritus
David Bird Ralston, PhD
Professor of History, Emeritus
William Braasch Watson, PhD
Associate Professor of History, Emeritus