History, Minor Minor
History is an ideal minor at UWM in that it pairs well with an especially wide array of majors. Every field, whether it be business, politics, the law, the arts, architecture, engineering, or the sciences, has its own history. Being able to draw on and learn from those histories is an indispensable advantage for those looking to build fulfilling careers and develop into active leaders in their communities.
Like the department’s majors, History minors also enjoy the opportunity to work on research projects such as the Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. This is a distinct advantage for UWM students. At most large, research universities, research opportunities for undergraduates are limited. Participating in undergraduate research is an excellent way to enhance your resume for graduate school or employment.
History is also available at UWM as on online minor—all of the classes for the minor can be competed online if desired, or students can mix-and-match assorted online and traditional-format classes.
Program Type
Minor
Program Format
On Campus, Online
What pairs well with a History minor?
History is relevant to every major! These majors in particular often find that adding a history minor is seamless and enhances the work they are doing in their major.
- Education
- Political Science
- Economics
- Information Science and Technology
- Urban Studies
- Data Analytics
- Art History
- Religious Studies
- Anthropology
- Classics
- English
- Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies
- Women’s and Gender Studies
Requirements
History minors are required to take a minimum of 18 credits of coursework distributed as follows:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select at least 3 credits in European history | 3 | |
| Select at least 3 credits in U.S. history | 3 | |
| Select at least 3 credits in non-Western or global history | 3 | |
| Select at least 9 credits in courses numbered 300 or above taken in residence at UWM | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
History minors must maintain a 2.0 GPA in all history courses attempted at UWM and a 2.0 GPA in all history credits attempted at all institutions attended, collectively. No more than 3 of the 18 credits applied to the minor may be earned in independent study courses (HIST 199 or HIST 699). Note that in all courses taken in the minor on a credit/no credit basis (whether applied to the requirements of the minor or not), regular letter grades are recorded on your transcript and are used in the calculation of your GPA.
Note: Specific courses may count toward the fulfillment of more than one requirement. For example, HIST 307 counts toward the European history requirement and toward credits 300 or above taken in residence.
Course lists delineating approved European, U.S., and non-Western or global history courses offered at UWM are below.
Cross-Listed Courses
PORTUGS 360, with the topic “History of Brazil,” may be used to fulfill requirements of the undergraduate major or minor in history. It counts as a non-Western/global history course.
Categorization of Courses by Geographic Area
The following lists indicate the geographic areas towards which courses count in the fulfillment of the major and minor requirements. (Note that some courses do not satisfy any of the geographic area distribution requirements and that for variable-topic courses, the geographic area is determined by the specific topic).
European History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 101 | Western Civilization: Ancient World to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 102 | Western Civilization: 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 201 | The Ancient World: The Near East and Greece | 3 |
| HIST 202 | The Ancient World: The Roman Republic and Empire | 3 |
| HIST 203 | The History of Medieval Europe: The Early Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 204 | The History of Medieval Europe: The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 206 | Europe and the Modern World: 1815 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 235 | English History to 1688 | 3 |
| HIST 236 | Britain Since 1688: Rise and Decline of a Great Power | 3 |
| HIST 239 | Poland and its Neighbors, 1795-1914 | 3 |
| HIST 241 | Women and Gender in Europe: 1350 to 1750 | 3 |
| HIST 242 | Women and Gender in Europe: 1750 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 248 | The First World War | 3 |
| HIST 249 | The Second World War in Europe | 3 |
| HIST 303 | A History of Greek Civilization: The Greek City-State | 3 |
| HIST 304 | A History of Greek Civilization: The Age of Alexander the Great | 3 |
| HIST 307 | A History of Rome: The Republic | 3 |
| HIST 308 | A History of Rome: The Empire | 3 |
| HIST 318 | Medieval Civilization: The High Middle Ages | 3 |
| HIST 319 | The Era of the Crusades | 3 |
| HIST 320 | History of Medieval Warfare | 3 |
| HIST 329 | The Roman Catholic Church, 1500 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 330 | The Papacy in History | 3 |
| HIST 341 | Imperial Russia | 3 |
| HIST 343 | Russia Since 1917 | 3 |
| HIST 346 | Poland and Its Neighbors, 1914-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 348 | Poland and Its Neighbors, 1945 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 355 | Modern and Contemporary France | 3 |
| HIST 358 | The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 363 | Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship | 3 |
| HIST 364 | The Holocaust: Anti-Semitism & the Fate of Jewish People in Europe, 1933-45 | 3 |
| HIST 371 | Topics in European History: | 3 |
| HIST 375 | Contemporary European History, 1945 to the Present | 3 |
U.S. History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 150 | Multicultural America | 3 |
| HIST 151 | American History: 1607 to 1877 | 3 |
| HIST 152 | American History: 1877 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 215 | History of Capitalism | 3 |
| HIST 229 | History of Race, Science, and Medicine in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 243 | History of Women in American Society | 3 |
| HIST 262 | North American Indian History to 1887 | 3 |
| HIST 263 | North American Indian History Since 1887 | 3 |
| HIST 267 | The History of Latinos in the United States | 3 |
| HIST 268 | History of the American West | 3 |
| HIST 269 | Asian Americans in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| HIST 270 | Topics in American History: | 3 |
| HIST 271 | The 1960s in the United States: A Cultural History | 3 |
| HIST 404 | Topics in American History: | 3 |
| HIST 405 | The Age of the American Revolution, 1750-1789 | 3 |
| HIST 409 | Causes of the Civil War, 1828-1861 | 3 |
| HIST 410 | Civil War and Reconstruction: The United States, 1861-1877 | 3 |
| HIST 418 | America in Prosperity, Depression and War, 1921-1945 | 3 |
| HIST 419 | America Since 1945 | 3 |
| HIST 432 | North American Environmental History | 3 |
| HIST 434 | The United States as a World Power in the 20th Century | 3 |
| HIST 435 | Ethnic America: To 1880 | 3 |
| HIST 436 | Immigrant America Since 1880 | 3 |
| HIST 440 | History of the American Working Classes | 3 |
| HIST 442 | Beer and Brewing in America | 3 |
| HIST 445 | African Americans from Slavery to Freedom | 3 |
| HIST 446 | African Americans Since the Civil War | 3 |
| HIST 448 | Baseball in American History | 3 |
| HIST 449 | Popular Culture in America, 1800 to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 450 | The History of Milwaukee | 3 |
| HIST 451 | History of Wisconsin | 3 |
| HIST 452 | History of Religion in American Life to 1870 | 3 |
| HIST 453 | History of Religion in American Life Since 1870 | 3 |
| HIST 460 | The History of Poverty in America | 3 |
| HIST 463 | History of the American City | 3 |
| HIST 468 | The American Feminist Movement | 3 |
| HIST 473 | History of Wisconsin Indians | 3 |
| HIST 474 | Topics in North American Indian History: | 3 |
| HIST 475 | American Indian History, Law, and Government | 3 |
| HIST 597 | Fields and Methods in Public History | 3 |
Non-Western or Global History
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 131 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 132 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| HIST 141 | Global History of the Family, Gender, and Sexuality | 3 |
| HIST 175 | East Asian Civilization to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 176 | East Asian Civilization Since 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 180 | Latin American Society and Culture | 3 |
| HIST 210 | The Twentieth Century: A Global History | 3 |
| HIST 274 | Ancient Egyptian Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 280 | Islamic Civilization: The Formative Period, ca. 500-1258 | 3 |
| HIST 282 | The Modern Middle East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | 3 |
| HIST 284 | Buddhism Across Asia | 3 |
| HIST 286 | The Korean War | 3 |
| HIST 287 | The Vietnam War | 3 |
| HIST 290 | Topics in Global History: | 3 |
| HIST 295 | Historical Encounters: | 3 |
| HIST 372 | Topics in Global History: | 3 |
| HIST 376 | Premodern China | 3 |
| HIST 377 | Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 378 | Revolution in China | 3 |
| HIST 379 | Introduction to Jewish History | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Buddhism: A Cultural History | 3 |
| HIST 386 | Africans in World History: Communities, Cultures, and Ideas | 3 |
| HIST 387 | Colonization in Africa: A History of Resistance and Adaptation | 3 |
| HIST 392 | The History of Southern Africa | 3 |
| HIST 393 | History of Mexico | 3 |
| HIST 394 | History of Japan to 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 395 | History of Japan Since 1600 | 3 |
| HIST 400 | Topics in Latin American and Caribbean History: | 3 |
| HIST 401 | Topics in Middle Eastern History: | 3 |
| HIST 402 | Topics in Asian History: | 3 |
| HIST 596 | Maps as Historical Sources | 3 |
| HIST 396 | Decolonization, Revolution, and Independence in African History | 3 |
Geographic Area Determined by Specific Topic
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 192 | First-Year Seminar: | 3 |
| HIST 193 | First-Year Seminar: | 3 |
| HIST 199 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| HIST 200 | Historical Roots of Contemporary Issues: | 3 |
| HIST 296 | UROP Apprenticeship | 1-3 |
| HIST 297 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| HIST 299 | Ad Hoc: | 1-6 |
| HIST 370 | Topics in the History of Religious Thought: | 3 |
| HIST 373 | Topics in Gender and History: | 3 |
| HIST 398 | Honors Seminar: | 3 |
| HIST 399 | Honors Seminar: | 3 |
| HIST 497 | Study Abroad: | 1-12 |
| HIST 499 | Ad Hoc: | 1-6 |
| HIST 594 | Methods and Theory in the Historical Study of Religion: | 3 |
| HIST 600 | Seminar in History: | 3 |
| HIST 681 | Senior Thesis I | 3 |
| HIST 682 | Senior Thesis II | 3 |
| HIST 699 | Independent Reading: | 1-6 |
The geographic area of concentration in sections of Hist 600, where the area is not obvious in the title, by default is designated in accordance with the primary teaching and research interests of the instructor. In such cases, and with the instructor's approval, Hist 600 can count toward different areas for different students, as determined by the predominant focus of their individual work in the course. Note that a variable topic course cannot be considered "Non-Western or Global" unless at least a substantial part of the course's focus includes the study of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, or Latin American history.
No Geographic Area
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 289 | Internship in History, Lower Division | 1-6 |
| HIST 294 | Seminar on Historical Method: Research Techniques | 3 |
| HIST 296 | UROP Apprenticeship | 1-3 |
| HIST 489 | Internship in History, Upper Division | 1-6 |
| HIST 593 | Seminar on Historical Method: Theory and Approach | 3 |
| HIST 595 | The Quantitative Analysis of Historical Data | 3 |
Letters & Science Minor Advising
Advising for the minor takes place within the department by a faculty member or staff member. Follow the steps using the "Declare a Minor" button on the department’s website which may include instructions on how to select a faculty advisor if there is more than one to choose from.
Students who already have an L&S college advisor because their degree plan is in L&S can discuss the minor with them as well since they will be familiar with any minor in L&S. Students who are working on a degree from a UWM college other than the College of Letters & Science will not need an L&S college advisor for just a minor and one will not be assigned. These students should work with the faculty or staff advisor they receive as part of the minor declaration process or contact the department directly for assistance.
Applicants who have not started classes at UWM yet who wish to declare a minor should wait until they are registered for their first UWM classes and then can declare the minor using the “Declare a Minor” button on the program’s website. If you have questions about the minor before then, contact let-sci@uwm.edu.