History 96
Each year, the Dartmouth history department offers a range of seminars (HIST 96s) that allow history students to research and execute a substantial work of historical scholarship on a topic of their choosing. The research projects undertaken in seminars serve the culminating experience for history majors and minors.
When declaring their history major or minor, students should carefully consider which HIST 96s they will take to complete their degrees. Enrollment in seminars is by instructor permission only and this permission is granted by the professor teaching the class. When completing the major or minor worksheet, students should contact the professors teaching the seminars they wish to take to be placed on the enrollment list.
There are several reasons why your HIST 96 choices should be planned well in advance and discussed with your history faculty advisor:
1. HIST 96 are capped at a strict enrollment limit of twelve students per class.
2. Students have the best academic experience when they select HIST 96s related to a topic they have previously studied. This prior exposure can be through course work (either at the introductory or upper-level) or through work in the Presidential Scholars, London Foreign Study, Dartmouth Digital History Initiative, or Independent Study (Hist 97) programs. Your HIST 96s should serve as the culmination of your work in the history department and the seminars you choose can provide structure and focus to your overall major or minor plan.
3. Because history seminars require intense amounts of reading, research, and writing, the history department strongly recommends against taking two HIST 96s in the same term. Students should aim to take least one HIST 96 during their third year; early planning can help achieve this schedule.
4. Some HIST 96s are in high demand and the enrollment list for these courses may fill more than a year in advance. The earlier you declare your major/minor and contact professors of your chosen HIST 96s, the better your chances of getting the seminars that best fit your major plan.