Department of History Honors Track

We encourage History majors to consider pursuing an Honors degree, and encourage Honors students to consider majoring in History.

The Honors Track in History offers many options for completing both in a timely fashion, with only a minimum of 3 additional credits beyond the 33 required for the History major.

First, students must qualify for and apply to the UHM Honors Program.

Students accepted into the Honors Program as freshmen may explore Honors History in the following courses:

  • HIST 161A World Cultures in Perspective to 1500: Meets FGA
  • HIST 162A World Cultures in Perspective from 1500: Meets FGB

Upper Division Honors

History majors can fulfill the Honors program requirements with the following options:

  • HON 491 (Junior Seminar) or History graduate class (600-level) (3 credits)
    • Students who take an Honors 491 Junior Seminar may count it as one of the eleven required History courses, under the provision “One 300- or 400-level course (3 credits) from another department may be counted toward the History major, with written History Department approval, according to criteria set by the department.” HON 491 is pre-approved for this purpose.
    • Alternatively, History majors can fulfill the Honors 491 Junior Seminar requirement by taking a History graduate reading course (topics vary each semester), with the instructor’s permission and subject to department rules.
  • HON 495 (Introduction to Research) or HIST 396 or HIST 602 (3 credits)

The Honors program requires in the Junior year submission of a 10-12 page research proposal for the Senior Honors Project, accompanied by a signed proposal and mentor form. We recommend taking a course designed to help students with research and proposal writing. Any one of the following three courses will meet simultaneously the Honors 495 and the HIST 396 requirements:

  • HON 495 Introduction to Research
  • HIST 396 Introduction to the Study of History
  • HIST 602 Seminar in Historiography (with instructor permission and subject to department rules).

Following the submission and approval of the Honors student’s proposal:

  • HON 494 Honors Workshop (zero credits) is the companion workshop for the first semester of HON 496 or HIST 496. It is designed to familiarize students with the protocol for independent study with their Faculty mentor, criteria and timeline for the Senior Honors Project, and requires students to submit a detailed plan of research for their HON 496/HIST 496 work.
  • HON 496 Senior Honors Project (6 credits) or HON 496 and HIST 496 (6 credits)

The two-semester capstone research project in Honors can be combined with the senior thesis capstone project required for History majors (HIST 496), either by taking two semesters of the Honors sequence (HON 496) or taking HON 496 followed by HIST 496 in the second semester.

Set Up an Advising Session

Want more information on the Honors option for History? You are welcome to set up a meeting any time with the History advisor, Dr. Karen Jolly.

Prof. Karen Jolly, Advisor
Office Hours: Book an appointment via: https://uhmanoahistory-advising.youcanbook.me/